The rest of Q&A

Q – My buddy and I will stop trading commodities for a few days, hope the markets can withstand our absence, and we’re off to Sydney for a few days of rest, relaxation, and some sailing. We’re getting conflicting advice about the need for an Australian Visa and we were wondering if getting one is really necessary. We live in downtown Chicago so the offices are right there. It just sounds like a hassle.

A – As you will soon discover, the Aussies don’t believe in hassles. They make visa purchases quite easy. You can do it all online for a $20.00 fee. Just go to https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETA/etas.jsp  Have your passport in front of you. You will receive a “code” number that you just carry with you on your travels. The entire process takes no more than five minutes.

Do note that to properly fit in with the Aussie lifestyle, men are expected to wear flip-flops for all but the most formal occasions.

Q – Both my husband and I have just finished the three Scandinavian detective thrillers in Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” series. We know Mr. Larsson passed away but we would really like to enjoy a visit to Stockholm to try to trace the steps of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salendar, the wonderful tattooed computer hacker and kicker of butts. Is there an organized tour for this sort of thing?

A – Actually, the Stockholm City Museum offers a nifty “Millenium Trilogy” walking tour. We’re big fans of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” as well. If you want to visit on your own, try visiting:

Fiskargatan 9 – It is here at this upscale address with a view over Djurgården and Old Town that Lisbeth Salander buys a 21-room apartment. But she lived in only three of the rooms. The name on the door is “V. Kulla,” in a nod to the children’s book character Pippi Longstocking’s house “Villa Villerkulla.”

Bellmansgatan 1 – Mikael Blomkvist’s home address. According to a apartment rental company woodbridge va the apartment is located on the hills of the historic Söder district. Several key scenes are set here.

Mellqvists Kaffebar, Hornsgatan 78 – Mikael Blomkvist’s regular café – and Stieg Larsson’s in real life – is on Södermalm.  This is where Stieg Larsson used to hang out when his magazine Expo had its offices on the floor above. It may have been right here that he sat and came up with the plots of the novels.

Q – In your reviews of the Top Ten Cruise Lines, we notice that you say very little about the cost these lines are charging for their shore excursions. We’ve done one previous cruise on MSC and we’re trying Oceania in Europe next May. But we notice that they are charging up to twice as much as we can pay for the same tour booking it ourselves online. We like the private tours, my wife tends to get bus sick. Why are these tours such a rip-off?  I hate to think about planning a vacation while worrying about being taken for a ride. And believe me, we can well afford to pay what they are asking – it’s just the principle.

A –  This is a complicated topic and we don’t want to over-analyze it. Let’s begin by saying that the tour departments of all of the cruise lines are, essentially, set up as independent profit centers. There are mark-ups of a certain percentage on every tour sold. Pricing is determined in negotiation with the tour operator in each port, often with the help of the cruise line’s port agent who represents their interests in each destination.

Safety, reliability, driver training, and the condition of the automobile or van are cost considerations. Remember, driving in someone’s car, bus, or van is the single most dangerous thing you can do abroad. It is far more dangerous than the risk of terrorism, for instance. The best companies tend not to solicit online – they don’t have to. There is a finite number of top-guides and vehicles, and they tend to be booked up by the top cruise specialists months in advance. If a guide or driver is hanging out in chat rooms or online, you have to wonder why they have in-season availability. You also have to ask yourself a very important question: “If there is a serious problem does this company have an office in the States where I can initiate legal action”? If the answer is no, avoid the company.

Finally, as regards private drivers of merit, you should find that the better travel agents will work with the most reliable companies and they can deliver private driver/guide services at about a 20% discount versus what the cruise line is charging.

Oceania is an excellent value overall. It appears that you have booked your cruise directly with the  company, a major mistake. If you are sailing next May you have just paid deposit which means you can still turn the booking over to a qualified Cruise Specialist. We recommend that you do this immediately and then review each of the ports with your consultant to determine where it makes sense to do private touring. And remember, the point is not to have someone silently driving you around. The only reason to justify the high cost of private driver arrangements is that they can be totally designed around your specific interests. Most clients do not fully take advantage of this.

Q – My girlfriend and I visited the hilltop town of Eze in the south of France on a recent  cruise and we fell in love with it. Now, I want to go back and spend a few days so I can propose in a beautiful setting. Where should I book and how should I book? Love the site, know you don’t take ads, so wondering if there is a place to send donations to keep it going?

A – There are two really nice, upscale hotels in Eze. For your purposes, we want you to stay at Chateau Eza which has a bit more warmth than Chevre d’or and only 12 rooms. But do a dinner, or two, at Chevre. Book your hotel with a member of one of the leading consortium groups and ask specifically if the Chateau Eza is “in your network”. If it is, you will receive exclusive amenities that are worth real money. This is always the best way to book the higher end hotels. If possible, you always want to avoid booking a hotel online because that is the best way to assure that you will be assigned the worst available rooms. That is standard operating procedure in the hotel industry since online budget-seeking bookers tend not to be repeat, high-end guests.

Thank you, but we are fine, our company is quite profitable, and we offer our web sites on a complimentary basis. No donations are accepted.

Q – We are thinking about a trip to Cabo San Lucas but were wondering if you are sending people there and if you feel it is generally safe? We’re rather high-end travelers, I suppose, fans of Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, but my wife is worried about traveling where drug cartels are ruling the streets. Thinking about a February trip. Does Cabo have any high end hotels? By the way, if we go, will we be the only ones there?

A –  Most of the hotels/resorts in Mexico are reporting that their numbers are increasing by about 25% year over year. Part of this resurgence is the growth of the Australian market which has traditionally supported Hawaii. Drug cartels are not a problem in Cabo and you should go with confidence, albeit our ongoing concerns about Mexico which center around the uncertainty of travel in a country where the police are corrupt.

Two of the highest rated hotels on the North American Continent, One & Only Palmilla and Las Ventanas are located in Cabo. Each is a relative steal at current prices. Mexico has vastly improved in terms of its restaurant scene.

It is still a country where we do not recommend self-drive programs and local taxis have to be chosen with care. But given your ability to experience upscale accommodations, we would not try to talk you out of this trip.

Q – We just returned from a cruise on Crystal to the Baltic and loved the experience. We’re already signed up for another trip next year. But being retired, we can cruise on short notice. We’ve read what you’ve recommended about the benefits of being among the first 20% to book. But now, we’re wondering about being in the last 20% to book. Are there any truly great deals on for those of us who can travel in the next several months on the world’s top-rated lines?

A – Up until very recently, the answer would have been no. But your question is timed well since we are just starting to see the advent of a new phenon we call “Miraculous Cruise Pricing”. As we’ve indicated, the southern Mediterranean is extremely weak this year. At last count, fourteen US cruise ships will be pulled from European waters next year. Many of the sailings of the very top lines are currently at or near 50% occupancy.

This has created a new pricing model  that is resulting in pricing that goes way below the former “two-for-one” discounts. We seen non-published pricing on a dozen upcoming sailings that are so low that we can’t name the cruise line or put the pricing in print. But we can say this:

01 – The fares on available on some of the world’s top-rated inclusive cruise lines.

02 – Air is not included and Miraculous Pricing may not be combined with any previous discounts.

03 – Guests currently booked are not eligible. The cruise line will not allow “re-bookings”.

These “secret” fares were designed to enable in-house commission sales reps to have something they could use to close the sale for those looking for a true last-minute deal. The fares are so secretive that they are normally given code words within the reservation department. Since callers will not know the coded fare name, sales reps will try to sell them at the higher price. The Miraculous Pricing Fares are normally shared with a handful of the cruise line’s top-producers but most travel agents will never hear about them. Discretion is important since the better cruise lines want to avoid the perception that they are doing last-minute discounting. This could seriously alienate their loyal, booked guests and their agents.

In summary, what is new is that some of the five-star cruise lines are now so desperate to fill their small ships, that they are providing a limited number of in-house sales staff and agents with secret and rather miraculous last-minute pricing. But, again, you have to know the code to ask for the correct fare.

Q – My entire family of seven is scheduled to fly from Houston to Denver in October and we are currently bo0ked on the new Boeing 787. First we had the battery issues and now it seems that there are more issues with the  airplane. We do not fly often and we are a little nervous. We know you will give us an honest answer so thanking you in advance.

A – We have seen some issues with United Airlines newly acquired 787 fleet since they returned to service. Bloomberg News reports that the UA’s 787 flights are cancelled four times more often than the rest of its current fleet. On that basis, and because you have anxiety about your flight, we recommend that you change your flight times and use a different aircraft. Your travel agent should be able to help you with this and we would expect that United will be sympathetic to your request.

We don’t really know all of the reasons for United’s spate of 787 cancellations. We do know that other 787 equipped airlines, such as Japan Airlines and ANA cancelled 787 flights due to computer failure and some difficulties with their anti-icing system.

Would we put our family on a 787? Absolutely. In a heartbeat. This wonderful aircraft has onboard diagnostics that are far more sophisticated than that found aboard any other type of commercial aircraft. The system even helps ground crews prepare for maintenance while the plane is still airborne. Any new aircraft model tends to have some growing pains. True, the 787’s battery problems were not at all typical. But we think this aircraft is safe to fly and, from every report, it offers the very best in-cabin experience of any current private jet charter .

Q – We are working with a travel agent we’ve known for years. Last week, I brought her a tour put out by General Tours that really looked interesting. But she quickly tried to turn things around trying to get us to book a Viking River Cruise in Russia instead. I’m just wondering about how your industry works in terms of which of these two options would be more profitable for the agent. I hate being hustled for a few extra bucks.

A – It is unlikely that is what happened. Generally, travel agencies receive a commission of the sale, the more expensive the trip, the more they earn. But given your two examples, it is doubtful that the agent would risk losing your goodwill for the difference in earnings.

Travel agents earn commission on the cost of any brochure program that you book with virtually any company. If you book directly, the commission goes back to the company as extra profit. Now, that said, there are more than a few travel agents who will recommend products based on the extra commission they may earn on certain products. Some firms have strict management policies requiring agent-sellers to push certain more profitable products. This is particularly common at the large online and franchise travel outlets. If your current agent has never raised your suspicions before, we think you should share your feelings with her but give her the benefit of the doubt this time.

Q – Our friends from Portland recently joined us on a custom arranged vacation that took in portions of Switzerland, northern Italy, and almost ten days in Germany. We loved this vacation and being with our friends of twenty-five or so years, was terrific. But we ran into one problem that we just didn’t understand. Our practice has always been to just split the dinner bill equally. We figure that it all comes out in the end. But every time we tried to do that in a German restaurant it seemed to cause consternation and confusion. In one or two cases, there were raised voices. We never did find out the cause. What had we done wrong?

A – You did nothing wrong. But your experience can really shed some light on the German position vis-a-vis the debt of some of its neighbors like Greece, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. You ran into a cultural characteristic – Germans hate to be in anyone’s debt. They never wish to feel that they owe anyone anything. It is a “pay-as-you-go” mindset. You were doing something that no German would do. You probably noticed that the wait staff was wearing little pocketbooks to make exact change. The Germans feel that people should only pay for exactly what they have eaten – no more – no less. And, for what it’s worth, they believe that if everyone was as fastidious as they are about paying their bills to the penny, the world would be a better place. 

Q – I’ve been getting mailings about a new credit card called the Mercedes-Benz Platinum. In terms of travel benefits, is this one of the better cards. Given the cost of my Mercedes, I’d love to feel that I can get a few free international tickets out of my purchase.

A – This is one of the better cards but it is not our favorite. They have had an offer of $50,000 Amex Reward Points for new members. There are no foreign transaction fees and you can transfer points to major airlines. You also get airline lounge access, a benefit that can be worth the price of the card if you are a frequent Delta, US Airways, or American flyer. Best of all, whenever you spend $1.00 at your dealership. Mercedes will give you 5 points.

The down sides would be that there is a $475 annual fee and some airlines, including United and American, are not part of their Reward points transfer program. Our bottom line is that this is the best possible credit card for Mercedes owners who fly Delta.