CRUISE QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Q- 8.6.22 –  How can Viking Cruises claim it had consistently been voted the world’s best cruise line when, based on Cruisetruth information, it clearly isn’t?A – If you read the wording on the awards they will usually read Reader’s Choice” or words to that effect. That means the readers of the various publications have…

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TRAVEL TO EAST AFRICA GIVEN DROUGHT

Q – As you know, we want to return to Africa. As we ponder other travel possibilities – East Africa specifically – we are wondering what your thoughts are about the current drought conditions.  Multiple news stories portray conditions that are dire in Kenya & Tanzania – people and animals dying from lack of food…

AS A SOUTHERNER I LOVE MY DELTA – BUT THE HOLD TIMES ARE TURNING ME GREY

Q – 11.19.22  – As a true Southerner, I do share the belief of most of my neighbors that when we pass we will have to go through a Delta security gate to enter the promised land. That said, the hold times lately have been driving me crazy, especially when I have last-minute questions, changes,…

IS THAT CORNER SUITE UNDER $20,000 A NIGHT? AMEN AMAN

Q – We have become addicted, if I can use that word, to Aman Resorts, We have thoroughly enjoyed their properties throughout Asia believing that there really is nothing better on this planet in terms of accommodations and service. Last Tuesday, we came home from a stay at the new Aman property in Manhattan. Our…

DO WE WANT TO CONNECT THROUGH TORONTO OR ZURICH?

Q -We are leaving on an Avalon River Cruise on the Rhine. Given what we are reading about the airline situation in Europe, we are confused about how to arrange our air. Our agent has come up with an hour connection through Toronto or an hour-and-a-half connecting time in Zurich. Do we go with the…

ARE THERE COLLEGE CLASSES I SHOULD TAKE TO BECOME A TRAVEL AGENT?

Q – I am thinking of joining the travel industry. Are there college classes I will need to take to get certified to offer travel counseling and handle people’s vacations? A- The short answer is that the only requirement is that you must have spent an hour in an International House of Pancakes at least…

WHEN DO WE BOOK SPAIN GIVEN THE CURRENT HIGH PRICES?

Q – This is one of those annoying questions about cost issues. We want to plan a trip to Spain and Portugal in the next few months but we are reading that hotel rates and airfares are going up significantly compared to where they were pre-Covid. Should we cancel the trip for a year or…

BE HONEST – SHOULD WE BRING OUR DAUGHTER ON THIS TAUCK TOUR?

Q – What do you think of the idea of bringing our 18-and-a-half-year-old extraordinary daughter on a Tauck Family Bridges Tour to Italy this coming August before she is off to Boston to start college? A – Strong opinion on this one – we would not book the family on a Tauck Bridges tour because…

CAN YOU SHARE ONE BIT OF ADVICE FOR FIRST-TIME VISITORS TO FRANCE?

Q – Thanks so much for the best travel site we’ve ever found. The missing ads are not missed at all. My husband and I are off on a twice-delayed trip to Paris and the French Riviera. We’ve had lots of time to prepare and we’ve read everything we can about Paris, particularly the pieces…

IS VIKING – AS CLAIMED – THE WORLD’S BEST CRUISE LINE?

Q- How can Viking Cruises claim it has consistently been voted the world’s best cruise line when, based on Cruisetruth information, it clearly isn’t? Are there any laws in travel related to the claims made by various cruise lines or tour operators as to the quality of the product and whether or not they are…

AM I REALLY OUT THE MONEY ON REGENT GIVEN MY AGE?

Q –  7.28.22 –  I really need some help with this one. In five weeks I am scheduled to do a 12-Day cruise on Regent Seven Seas to the British Isles. Well, as it happens, I am 82 and rather susceptible to Covid. In addition, the temperatures in London and other parts of the UK…

WILL BUDAPEST BE OK? WE HEAR PROBLEMS ARE LIMITED TO THE RHINE

Q – We are desperately trying to get information about our Danube Cruise on Scenic that begins in Budapest in two weeks. Nothing from Scenic yet and the news reports we have been reading seem to specify the Rhine. Can you help us understand the situation in Budapest? Great site!!!  A – The Danube is…

WE ARE LOCKED INTO A RHINE RIVER CAGE AND CAN’T GET OUT

Q – Our travel agent told us that mid-October was a great time to do the Rhine because the tourists have left and the temperatures are cooling off. So here we are, scheduled to leave on October 13th on Viking with no recourse until they, on their own, decide to cancel our cruise – which…

WONDERING IF YOU SAW THE CNN PIECE ABOUT THE END OF RIVER CRUISING?

Q – My family and I have been really upset by the article we read from CNN Travel which came out quite recently. It seems to say that river cruising is, for all practical purposes, over with. This article makes us think that our planned family cruise next August along the Seine River may be…

IS VIKING THE WORLD’S BEST – IF THEY ARE ISN’T CRUISETRUTH LYING?

Q- 8.6.22 –  How can Viking Cruises claim it had consistently been voted the world’s best cruise line when, based on Cruisetruth information, it clearly isn’t? A – If you read the wording on the awards they will usually read Reader’s Choice” or words to that effect. That means the readers of the various publications…

ARE WE THE ONLY ONES WHO ACTUALLY CARE WHO WE ARE SEATED WITH?

Q –   I’ll be honest – what concerns us most about possibly taking our first cruise on a line like Sea Dream or Windstar, is the possibility that we might be seated with a bunch of “Lefties” from one of the “Sanctuary Cities” etc.  I just don’t want to hear “woke” mutterings for an entire…

ANY CHANCE OF EXCHANGING SUNDAY SERVICES FOR A REDUCED RATE CRUISE?

Q – Really enjoy this ad-free site. Congratulations. I am a Minister in Michigan who is slowly retiring. I’ve long thought about how much I would enjoy performing Sunday services aboard a cruise ship in exchange for free or reduced-rate passage. The problem is that I don’t know who to contact to set up, this…

YOU ARE MAKING US NERVOUS ABOUT VENICE AND ITS AIRPORT

Q –  8-2.22 – We are sailing out of Venice this summer on a Ponant Yacht cruise that visits excellent ports in Italy’s north as well as Sicily. We can’t wait – but you have raised some concerns regarding Venice Airport and lost luggage and delays. I think we can handle all of that, but…

WE’RE DELUXE – BUT THE KIDDIES AREN’T. NOT YET ANYWAY.

Q – 8.3.22 -We are planning on taking our three children on a cruise to South America. We are deluxe cruisers but for this trip we will be traveling with our seven-year-old son and our nine and eighteen-year-old daughters (it’s a long story). Just how high-end do you think we can go? We’re desperately trying…

HONESTLY – ARE WE GIVING UP OUR ‘FOODIE’ CREDS DINING ON A CRUISE SHIP?

Q –  8.2.22  -We are “foodies” in the sense that all of our prior vacations in Europe have been food oriented. We love  Michelin’s and we love eating a sandwich in Barcelona’s La Boqueria food market. We’ve done many trips including three or four cooking schools in France and two memorable weeks exploring Moroccan cuisine…

BEST TYPE OF TRAVEL EXPERIENCE FOR AN 18 YEAR-OLD

  Q – what do you think of the idea of bringing our 18-and-a-half-year-old extraordinary daughter on a Tauck Family Bridges Tour to Italy this coming August before she is off to Boston to start college? A – Strong opinion on this one – we would not book the family on a Tauck Bridges tour…