The rest of Q&A

Q – Don’t know if you folks are allowed to do this but I would love your opinion on a 33-Day Voyage on the Oceania Marina in April of 2014 from Tahiti to New York via Easter island, Peru, Ecuador, the Panama Canal, some of the Caribbean and even a day in Charleston before heading to New York. We’re in our early seventies and have just started traveling seriously. I’m not a jogger but we get around OK. We’ve done two previous cruises on Holland America. And what cabin should we get?

A – Look up and down this page. No Ads. We can do and say anything here, so no worries. We absolutely love this itinerary. You’ll see the best of Polynesia, Machu Picchu, Easter island, the Pitcairn islands, and that’s not even half the itinerary. We say do it and try to get a Penthouse level cabin for that number of days. You will hit a bit of rough water and the Marina, one of our favorite ships, is a bit top-heavy. One third of your cruise will be spent at sea so you don’t want a ship any smaller than the Mariner. Port or Starboard is irrelevant, choose your cabin based on the best available mid-ship location on deck 10. This is one of the very best laid out itineraries we’ve ever seen and it is a steal based on current discounts. May we congratulate you on your “good eye”?

Q – My husband and I were planning our first cruise on a Danube River Boat Cruise. We’ve read so many wonderful things about these cruises on this site and others. We didn’t use a travel agent and tried booking the cruise ourselves with Tauck, Viking River, and Grand Circle. I am rather shocked to say that we were turned down by each line because my husband uses a scooter to get around in port. He has enough mobility to do some limited walking around the ship but I don’t see why they would not agree to help one of their own guests on or off the boat so he could use his scooter. Any light you can shed on this will be appreciated. I really got the impression they don’t want our business. 

A – Well they don’t. The average scooter that you are referring to weighs between 130-140 pounds. Crew cannot be held responsible to lift that much equipment, at some personal risk, on and off the boat in every port. River boats have extremely limited storage space, and that’s why many people decide to travel in ferry with their belongings with services as the red hook ferry which specialize in this. There is just not enough room in the average cabin to keep a piece of equipment that size. If you could make do with a collapsible wheelchair, each of the lines you mention would be happy to assist you.

We think you ought to be dealing with a travel professional who specializes in dealing with clients with disabilities. This is an important and specialized area of travel and it requires specific training and experience. Try Flying Wheels Travel in Minnesota.

Q – We’ve just returned from a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas and some friends we had dinner with told us that they had gotten friendly with their cabin attendant who told them that crew is paid next to nothing and really survives on tips. In this day and age and with minimum wage laws, I wonder if this could be true? Do you have any information on this?

A –  Workers aboard cruise ships are not protected by US laws as they are classified as foreign workers aboard ships that are not registered in the United States. They lack the same Minimum Wage, Health Care, and Working Conditions rights that you and I enjoy as citizens. By every measure they are exploited labor. Janitorial and cleaning staff average about $500 per month. A waiter can make $1,000 per month. They usually work seven days a week. They sleep below decks in bunk bed accommodations but the major cruis elines are good advertisers so we see little int he way of investigative reporting on this issue.

On the other side of the Atlantic, London’s Channel 4 sent a reporter undercover to work for five weeks aboard the Celebrity Eclipse. Celebrity, it should be noted, is the most upscale of the mass market lines and the Eclipse is a new generation ship, so conditions are marginally better than what crew might face on less upscale competitors.

The on-air expose reported that the lowest paid on board workers were receiving about $600 per month or about $2.00 per hour with no gratuities. Most crew members were working seven days a week for six or eight months. Workers are often forced, it was reported, to pay “expensive fees” to the recruitment agencies in their home country that allowed them to obtain their job.

But what about the reporter on this story? What was he paid?

Over five weeks, he earned $375 an hour and he was expected to work sixteen hours each day. This was less than the recruitment agency he used had promised. A story in the Daily Telegraph pointed out that he was charges $700 by the recruitment agency to buy his uniform, get a visa, and take out compulsory medical coverage. He started his work heavily in debt.

The documentary report pointed out, in some detail, exactly why cruise ships flag their ships in certain countries. The Celebrity Eclipse is registered in Malta. There can be no other justification for such registry other than the fact that neither US or British Employment laws apply in Malta. Cruise ships flag their ships to evade minimum wage requirements and other forms of worker protections.

There were areas the story did not have time to investigate. The treatment of workers who are injured ont he job, for example, and their access to US hospitals. Cruise lines will often require that an injured worker be flown home rather than arrange for the best possible treatment available.

And what do the cruise lines respond. They respond in much the same way that Mitt Romney responds to questions about his tax dodges in Grand Cayman and other tax havens. It is all technically within the law.

For a great many consumers, apparently, that is quite good enough.

Q – Having just retired from Duke Power after twenty years, my wife and I are ready to do some traveling. We’ll do some overseas cruises but we really want to travel within the US at least four or five times annually. I’ve heard that I should go online on Sunday evening to get the best deals. Just checking to see if that is right. Enjoy the site immensely and appreciate the honesty.

A – No, Sunday is not the day. The current best advice about airline purchases holds that an airline almost always is going to announce a fare sale on Monday evening. The other airlines scamper about on Tuesday morning and by noon on Tuesday, they have matched the fare sale offer. So the best time to book domestic air travel seems to be around noon, California time on Tuesdays. If this is of interest to you, you may want to read the posts at www.farecompare.com

Q – We have a problem that is, admittedly, in light of real world problems, insignificant. So we thought we would turn to your editors. We have a full day in Positano while visiting Sorrento off a Holland America ship. We’ve been there before and walked the streets of Positano which we loved. We wish to go back to Positano but we’re looking for something a bit different since shopping is not our thing, which is to say it is not my thing but since my wife is not writing to you, I feel I can speak for her.  Also notice that you do not list Holland America in your Top Ten, an omission I must chalk up to elitism. Feel free to defend your lack of consideration for the Dutch.

A – Yes, we are the masters of “insignificance”. Thank you.

We suggest two approaches in Positano. You might want to head down to Spiaggia Grande, the main beach,  and hire a private water taxi to take you five minutes away to one of the water-accessible only small coves that are hidden along the coastline. This can turn an ordinary day into something really special providing you are actually picked up for the return trip. Our other suggestion is that you look away from the water and head up into the hills to visit the smaller towns of Nocelle or Montepertuso. The local bus will get you up there and you will experience a world away from the tourists.

Holland America is the oldest cruise line still operating with a proud maritime tradition. But it is, after all is said and done, a mass market line that does not have pretensions of offering five-star service.  Actually, they don’t appear on our list of the top fifteen.

As for the Dutch, we have an extremely high regard for their country and its inhabitants. It is a quiet little place and it would surprise most Americans, we think, to know that the Dutch own a larger share of American businesses than any other nation. Two weeks traversing the Netherlands is a vacation option we think too many travelers overlook.

Q – Read about your site in one of the travel magazines and would like to know a bit about the “Free Business Airfare Offer” they have at Regent Cruises. We are looking at a cruise in South America on the Seven Seas Mariner next December 8th that starts in Rio  de Janeiro and ends in Buenos Aires. We’ll be booking the Free Air deal but we really want to get into Business Class. If I pick the right agent is there a chance of an upgrade? Can you tell us how to make sure we get the best seats and the best flights out of  Oklahoma City?  Wer’re thinking of booking category F. o you recommend that category and are there any cabins to avoid

A –  Regent’s Free Air Offer is an effective marketing ploy but we are unaware of any cruise line that has ever really given consumers “Free” Airfare. What the ads do not explain is that you can get a much better price by booking on a cruise-only basis.

Regent’s Air Department is one of the few that receives an “A” rating. They will work with your consultant to get you the best possible schedule using their contracted carriers. The Business Class upgrade on your sailing is $2598 per person. But that is not the real price since you are adding that “add-on” to the “Free Air” price which is higher than the cruise only price.

When your consultant does the math, you will see that the real cost of your business air is approaching $4,000 per person. You may want to do your own air. Remember that you will need to wait until January 8th of 2013 to make any reservations. Do be aware that cruise lines are not really quoting an airfare. They are, instead, quoting an air package that includes transfers and baggage handling as well as some rather pricey taxes.

No travel agent can get a cruise line to waive its Business Class upgrade costs. You will need to pay to sit up front with the boys and girls in nice shoes.

Here is our advice, given that this is a South America sailing beginning in Rio. We do think you should book at least one-night in Rio prior to the ship’s departure. You may want to consider flying Business class to Rio but doing coach on the return since that will involve flying in daylight. Have your consultant do the $150 per person air deviation fee to enable you to get prompt confirmation eleven months prior to sailing and seat assignments.

In category F you want to avoid cabins 800-810 and 801-811 as well as 876-886 and 877-887 on deck 8. Also avoid the two handicap cabins, # 828 and 829. Avoid all of the F’s on deck 9.

Q – We are thinking about doing China next year, using one of the better tour companies like Trafalgar, Abercrombie and Kent, or the Tauck Tours. We are wondering which of these you would recommend for the best overall experience? We would also like to know exactly when we should do this trip for optimum weather. We’re hearing conflicting opinions. Also, how do we avoid the pollution and the smog?

A – Trafalgar is a moderate to budget priced mass market tour operator. They are not appropriate for your needs. Tauck does First Class touring while A & K is the premier luxury tour operator. But each tour firm that tries to operate worldwide has geographical strengths and weaknesses. In China, we would clearly recommend A&K as they have the best local offic es and  operations staff. They do not outsource their guides or their touring components.

You are getting some contradictory advice about the best time to visit because China’s provinces cover vast distances and the weather in Shanghai, for instance, does not mirror the weather in Beijing.

Overall, the best months to visit are April and ay and November and December. This will give you cooler temperatures and less humidity and pollution. Saab Bio Power can provide full guide for being safe from pollution. Personally, we like the month of April with November a close second. In Beijing, for instance, average daytime temperatures are in the upper sixties, there is low humidity, very little rain, and far fewer tourists. We still love “April in Paris” but “April in Beijing” also has a nice ring to it.

Q – Love this site. Like sitting down with our doctor or attorney – but for free. This March we’re headed on a voyage that will include several ports in the Middle East including Egypt. We booked through the cruise line for the savings but we’re not getting any updates on the itinerary changes that might occur given the events of this weekend. We’ve called the line and they said they don;t know anything “yet” and we should just “sit tight.” This trip is costing us close to thirty thousand dollars and I am not a “sit tight” kind of person. Any advice would be sincerely appreciated.

A – First, you’ve been suckered into dealing directly with the cruise line – always a mistake. Always. They are charging you the commission that would buy you professional services, additional amenities, and caring oversight of your total cruise experience (assuming you have a really knowledgeable agent). They take the commission and simply pocket it. When you call the cruise line, you are speaking to a commission-based sales person who is instructed to do all possible to keep your reservation “in house”.  There is no such thing as an offer available by a cruise line that is not also available through a consultant who regularly works with the line.

When you were told by the sales agent that you should sit tight, that was probably what they were told to say. But a connected travel consultant can go to the operations people at the line and get a good feel for any pending itinerary changes that are likely. You will also be provided with updated security information.

Cruise Lines do not publicize the fact, for obvious reasons, that even after you have made your reservation and paid a deposit, you can move your reservation over to a travel consultant on a no-fee basis as long as you do it prior to your final payment. You will come out ahead if you do this on several levels.

Finally, we think that ports in Egypt are likely not to be cancelled and your itinerary, which is six months away, will likely operate as currently scheduled. Final decisions on itinerary changes are normally made 21 days prior to a scheduled departure in order to allow enough time for alternative port calls to be confirmed. If you’re looking for a place to stay, the best option in Egypt is finding a rental opportunity in Katameya Heights Villas.

Q – We’ve been going on three major trips a year for the past five years, using a travel agent with whom we feel we have a good relationship. But she is always telling us that we should reconfirm our reservations at hotels even though she has made the bookings. We’re rather tech savvy so no big deal but we were wondering if we’re doing her job?

A – If you are arriving at a five-star resort or hotel property, your agent should be making the reservations through personal contacts. In that case there is no need for you to personally reconfirm. If your reservations are, on the other hand, being made by a traditional travel agent using an airline computer system (GDS), then it is a good idea for your to reconfirm the morning prior to your arrival or the morning of your arrival. This is a particularly good idea if you are requesting a unique position, corner room, next to elevator, etc., or if you have very specific bedding needs. Many properties, for example, routinely overbook King-size beds. Unless you remind the property of what you want, your agent’s original request could go unnoticed or get lost in the hotel shuffle.

So then, it really depends on how you were booked and who booked you. If you booked online or through a travel agent using an airline computer, reconfirming is a good idea.

Q – My husband and I love reading about luxurious travel options on your site. But with two pre-teens, our primary goal at the moment is planning three and four day vacations within the United States. Other than using low-cost airlines like JetBlue and Southwest, is there one single strategy that you could recommend to save on the cost of  four tickets?

A – Since you live in Portland, your options are somewhat limited. But we’ve been to Portland and we know you won’t move, so let’s deal with what we’ve got. The best single strategy would be to arrange your vacation to depart on Saturday with a return on Tuesday or Wednesday. Fares on Fridays and Sundays are always going to be higher based on demand.