WHO REALLY HAS THE LARGEST SUITES AT SEA?

Q – The stuff on the internet is really confusing. I am trying to find out which cruise line has the largest cabins, or should I say suites? My wife and I like lots of space and there is a possibility that we will bring our family of six along with us. I’ve looked at…

WHY YOU WANT TO LEAVE PARIS SOON AFTER ARRIVAL

Q – My seventeen year-old daughter, her best friend, and I are off  to Paris in six weeks for a shopping splurge the likes of which Westport, Connecticut has never seen. Wondering if you could give us your best tip to really take advantage of  the best designs at the best prices. We’ll have ten days…

THE CANADIANS WIN – AND WE DON’T MEAN THE OLYMPICS

It has finally happened. Those folks up north, the ones  up in the attic who make so little noise compared to our neighbors down in the basement, have finally, quietly, passed us by. The net worth of the average Canadian household was $363,202 in 2011 compared to $319,970 in the United States. This means that we…

INSTEAD OF SPAIN – CONSIDER MAINE

There are always a million reasons to consider a trip to the coastal towns of Maine. There are numerous country inns filled with charm, small villages with nary a tourist, great Atlantic Ocean views and the best ice auger, and easy connectivity to the glories of New England and the eastern Canadian Provinces. But this year,…

NEW CREDIT CARD USE FEES FOR TRAVEL SERVICES?

The good folks at Visa, Mastercard, and, of course, Amex may be able to enrich their coffers by penalizing their own cardholders for actually using the cards. This could have a major effect on the nation’s second largest industry, travel, since an estimated 92% of all transactions occur by credit card. How did this likely…

THE GREEKS DON’T GET ENOUGH CREDIT

It is time to stop beating up on the Greeks and the management of their faltering economy and unwillingness to maintain even minimal levels of competent property and tax records. It turns out that the Greeks do one thing extremely well. They make yogurt the old-fashioned way, more firm and filling than its skinnier American…

ARE THERE ANY BRAINIACS ON THE VOLGA?

Q – My wife and I are rather astounded at the lack of intellectually interesting river boat options available in Russia. We have a deep and abiding interest ion the fine arts and we were wondering if there is anything like a program along some of Russia’s rivers that might cater to Americans who wish…

WHEN ARE INTERNET CONNECTIONS GOING TO IMPROVE ON CRUISE SHIPS?

Q – As an IT Professional, I am rather appalled at the sorry state of internet service as evidenced by recent cruises on MSC, NCL, and Holland America. I was just wondering who provides internet to ships at sea and when is it going to get to the point when I can search the web…

SHOULD WE CRUISE TO MEXICO OR JUST GO TO A MEXICAN RESTAURANT?

Q –  The little woman and I are interested in sailing down to Mexico, perhaps getting off or on in Acapulco. But we’re fairly cautious people and if there is crime we’d just as soon go to one of the Mexican restaurants here in Denver, sip a few Margaritas, and pretend we’re out to sea. We are…

WHY AREN’T THERE MORE CRUISES TO SCANDINAVIA?

Q – We’ve been looking into cruises to Norway and the Fjords next summer on one of the better lines. We’re just amazed at how few there are and we wonder why the demand isn’t greater. It seems that Seabourn, Crystal, Regent, and Silversea will do one, possibly two of these itineraries each summer yet…

HAWAII’S MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND SOLD

The sixth largest island in Hawaii, Lanai, has been sold to the founder and CEO of tech giant Oracle, Larry Ellison. In a deal reputed to be worth $600 million, Ellison now owns 98% of the island just off the coast of Maui. Lanai was once a thriving pineapple plantation owned by Dole and then…

48 HOURS IN LISBON: WHERE DO WE WALK?

Q – Where will soon be leaving for Europe. At the end of our trip, we have two full days in Lisbon. We’re walkers, we love to go where the tourists don’t, we love discovering where the people live and play. We have little interest in museums or historic sites. Where would you head if…

CAN MY WIFE AND I SLEEP OVERNIGHT IN HARROD’S?

Q – Greetings from Cape Town where Traveltruth is not yet a household word. But my husband and I love you so that’s all that matters. We’ve just read somewhere that it is now possible to sleep in Harrod’s Department Store in London. We’re headed back to London soon after the Olympics and we were…

SEABOURN VERSUS TIES AND GOWNS

Q – The wife and I are seriously considering a Seabourn Cruise that will explore Japan and some of Korea next year. We’ve been on one cruise, a Windstar, which we enjoyed. There is lots on the internet about Seabourn but the criticisms you always read are that they are way too formal and they…

A POSTCARD FROM OVERWORKED SWEDEN

It isn’t easy being Swedish. A report has just come out showing that the average full-time worker is now toiling 26.2 hours a week, a historic high. Some labor unions are calling for changes to these long hours with claims that working that many hours “may affect people’s health. It is, however, interesting to note that…

WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IS BEST FOR LOWEST AIR FARES?

Q –  We are in the fortunate position of planning two business trips and two pleasure trips to Europe and Asia in the next 12 months,for this we’re going to use the best tour companies from sites as japankensingtontours.com/tours/asia/japan to make the most of these trips. We enjoy the search aspect of planning but we…

WE’RE SPEADING THE NEWS . . . .

Q –  My husband will be annoyed that I wrote to you. First, feel free not to print this but, if you do, I trust you will not use my name. My husband and I have traveled on ten or eleven tours and about twelve cruises. Over the years we have been struck by how…

SLEEPING IN ROME’S CITY CENTER AFFORDABLY

Q – We will be visiting Rome in the Fall and we were wondering of there is a really nice, really well-located, hotel you might recommend that will cost less than the Excelsior or the Eden? We like to avoid hotels that are small and so hip and modern that it requires an engineering degree…

0

BEST CRUISE AIR CONNECTION STRATEGIES

Currently, we get more questions about airline strategies than any other single subject. A growing number of your questions have to do with the best ways to make airline arrangements in conjunction with European-based cruises. Here then, is our list of Our Top Ten Air Strategies for “Comfortable Cruise Connections>” 01 – If possible, connect…

IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO TAUCK IN EUROPE?

Q –  Although we suffered from a bit of sticker shock when our agent showed us a Tauck Tour brochure last year, we thoroughly enjoyed it and we felt the quality was well worth the extra cost. What a difference between the way they handle things and the way our previous tour was managed, with…

UNITED CANCELLED OUR FLIGHT: STRATEGIES IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN?

Q – We were scheduled to fly out of Jacksonville to connect to a flight to Europe on United’s partner, Lufthansa. There was one United employee working the desk at the airport when our flight out was cancelled and she could do little to help us with our missed connections. After hours of work and…

ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BARCELONA DINING?

Q – We will be leaving in two weeks for Barcelona, where we intend to spend three days before joining a cruise. We really appreciate great  food and were wondering if you have any tips? A – You will be visiting one of the world’s most vital and important restaurant cities. Barcelona’s culinary influences have not…

ARE AMERICANS GOING TO EUROPE THIS SUMMER?

Q – We are based in Wales and very much enjoy the information and the insights. Quite frankly, we learn a lot about Americans going over the Q and A. That leads to a query regarding travel to Europe this summer. We are wondering what trends are being noted in terms of cruises and tours….

WHY MUCH OF AFRICA IS ENTRALLED WITH T.B. JOSHUA

How could it be that one of the best known personalities on the African Continent is virtually unknown in the United States? Meet T.B. Joshua who holds tens of millions of his followers and believers in his pocket. Joshua is a Nigerian televangelist who is highly respected by many of Africa’s leaders and worshipped by…

DO BOUTIQUE LUXURY HOTELS EXIST IN ATHENS?

Q – We are going to be staying in Athens prior to an upcoming cruise of the Greek islands and Turkey. Having been to Athens before, we understand that there are surprisingly  few boutique hotel options. The King George and the Grand Bretagne have great locations on Syntagma Square, but we prefer something on a…

CAN YOU ENCOURAGE A RETIREE TO BECOME A TRAVEL AGENT?

Q – I am a recently retired consulting engineer in the field of water collection methodologies. We have done some traveling and would like to do more. I think I would be the perfect part-time employee. I’d really appreciate a quick overview of the industry in terms of the issue of survival. I’d want to…

ARE MY AA ADVANTAGE MILES SAFE IN MY ACCOUNT?

Q – We’ve been following your responses to questions about American Airlines bankruptcy carefully. Just wondering if anything has changed or if you remain confident we face no danger in letting our miles grow in the account. We’re approaching 500,000 miles. Please try to do less cruise reporting and more on the airlines. We all…

CAN WE TIE THE KNOT AND AVOID THE CARIBBEAN?

Q – We are frequent visitors to your site. In fact, we decided to get married and ask you about our honeymoon four days ago. Here is our dilemma. We are planning a June 2013 wedding date and we’d love to be legally married aboard a nice cruise ship. But we just don’t want to…

CAN Y0U BUY CRYSTAL FOR $2305?

Q – We have friends in Portland who claim to have booked a Crystal Cruise for $2305 per person. They’ve been bragging about the great deal they got but we wonder if this is really the rate. I don’t know exactly where they are going but I think they are traveling in April or May….