Q – We want to take our family of five on the Disney Magic. What would you recommend as the best cabin strategy?
A – Do a deck 8 Veranda. They have a queen or twin beds and three singles that pull out from the wall. There is a divider between the sitting area and the master bath. Enjoy.
Q – I don’t know if you all give advice but I guess it’s worth a shot given my situation. I’m young (mid twenties) petite female who just booked a solo trip to Cozumel for five days in May. Given that I’ve been there before, albeit with a companion, I thought that I chose a safe place to travel. Now, however, I am finding disturbing reports such as the gang rape of a young woman in a “cruise-line recommended shop” in broad daylight. I am becoming seriously worried. All I want is a quiet vacation to Cozumel so I can rest on the beaches/read do a bit of shopping/scuba diving and visit the Bob Marley Bar so I can watch the waves. I even got an all-inclusive option at my hotel so I don;t have to venture out for food at night. But I did plan to visit restaurants, shops, and beaches during the day. Other than avoiding inebriation, how can I minimize risk of assault/etc. when apparently even shops in well-lit areas can be dangerous?
Sidelight: I also apparently look Latin American so every time I end up in the Caribbean/South America or LA I feel like I receive more attention from the local lotharios than my lighjter-skinned, blonde friends do. I’ve also never traveled alone before. I don;t have the option of having this trip refunded and none of my friends can join me due to work commitments. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
A – A vacation ought to be something you anticipate – not fear. Discuss this with your travel agent. Given what has been happening in Cozumel, your agent may be able to work something out. Here are some observations:
Most people go to Cozumel without incident
We would not allow our own family to travel to Mexico alone oif they were your age.
You may be underestimating the chances that someone will slip something in your drink. This is getting to be quite common.
The one thing that most bothers us about your scenario is that the police in Mexico are often, very often, corrupt. This is a game-changer and we would never book a trip of this kind for someone your age traveling alone.
It isn’t all about money. Cancel the trip.
Q – If you really want to be “truthful” you may want to tell your readers that the Chinese are already waging cyberwarfare against the United States and our entire air traffic control system can be brought down while thousands of planes are in the air causing who knows what level of chaos. I know you will not print this, but Americans better wake up. Are the airlines aware that this is going on and are they doing anything about it? Until you start dealing with political realities, your site will just be another travel dead zone.
A – Thanks for the charming update. There is, actually, some truth in what you say to the extent that any of our major grids such as those that regulate gas pipelines or chemical plants, as well as government facilities are vulnerable. In a truly important speech, outgoing Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta said that we are in a “Pre 9-11 Moment” with hackers testing our defenses daily in a great many areas, including transportation hubs.
This is not something we worry a great deal about when we are ordering off the dinner menu on Singapore or Emirates or any of the world’s great airlines. But since you brought it up, here is what we see as a greater threat. Hackers in China and, to a lesser extent, the Russians, North Koreans, and Iranians, are testing our vulnerabilities on a daily basis. Our reading of the threats makes us believe that the greatest danger is a coordinated series of hacking attacks on the computer systems that store the financial records of our largest banks. The theory of experts in this field is that rather than just wipe these computers clean, a cyberattack would more likely change and reallocate the data rather than completely eliminating it for maximum chaotic effect. It would take years, esxperts believe, for the country to make a full recovery.
Last year, Congress failed to pass the comprehensive Cybersecurity Act favored by Panetta because major business lobbyists felt the costs of the new regulations governing computer security would be too high. Meanwhile, data has already been stolen from more than 140 major American Corporations including Apple, Google, and a wide number of government agencies, law firms, and think tanks. We would hope that the Washington Post and the New York Times would be vigilant in terms of this threat. They are among the 140 corporations already attacked.
So stay in your closet and don’t go anywhere near an airport. We’ll let you know when it is safe to come out.
Q – Reading about these cruise lines that register out of the United States and pay no taxes? Are they really non-American companies and why are we supporting them with our business. What is really going on here?
A – If you look at the five largest cruise lines operating in the United States, you will find that they are all registered in foreign countries including the Bahamas, Panama, and Liberia. By “foreign-flagging”, cruise lines avoid paying the kinds of taxes they would pay if they were US-based corporations. They also do not have to observe our labor laws or even many of our domestic safety requirements. The practice is referred to as “flags of convenience.”
World flags аrе реrhарѕ thе mоѕt common оf аll flags. Today, аll countries аll оvеr thе world еасh hаvе thеіr оwn flag. Thе flags оf thе world аrе аll unique. Eасh hаѕ іtѕ оwn distinct wауѕ оf representing thеіr countries іn various aspects. Thе national flag design usually bears a certain interpretation thаt іѕ vеrу significant tо thе country іt symbolizes. In general, world flags represent thе countries оf thе world – thе number оf national flags іn existence today іѕ equivalent tо thе number оf nations аnd countries thеrе аrе. Here you can buy the Cotton flag.
Flags reaffirm оur group identities аnd hаvе bееn аrоund fоr аѕ lоng аѕ humans hаvе bееn gathering іntо groups. Evеrу culture оn earth developed іtѕ оwn flags аnd еvеn thе mоѕt primitive tribe hаѕ flags оr thеіr equivalent. Flags identify оthеrѕ аnd ѕеlf. Flags let уоu know whо іѕ friend аnd foe аt a glance аnd act аѕ a standing proclamation оf belief оr loyalty.
Hоw did flags соmе tо be? Flag-like symbols hаvе bееn іn existence ѕіnсе thе ancient tіmеѕ. It іѕ nоt clear thоugh whеrе thе world flags thаt wе know today originated. Sоmе say thеу originated іn China, оthеrѕ believe thаt thе fіrѕt true flag wаѕ thе vexillum оf thе Roman Empire, whіlе ѕоmе insist thаt thеrе hаvе bееn citations flags іn thе Mahabharata. Whіlе thеrе іѕ nо unified origin, thе modern-day flag surely hаd started ѕоmеtіmе іn thе 18th century. Flags hаvе thеn bееn used аѕ signals аnd symbols fоr battle, military, аnd maritime purposes, аmоng a fеw оthеrѕ. Evеn today, flags аrе continually used fоr a wide variety оf purposes.
The hard truth is that cruise labor is much like migrant labor – unless it continues, prices for the product will soar. The Hotel and Tour industries wonder why their major competitor is allowed to skirt so many US laws in order to maintain the present pricing levels. James Walker, a prominent maritime attorney, writing for CNN.com, claims that cleaners aboard Royal Caribbean ships are paid “as little as $156.25 a week with no prospect of tips”. If the larger cruise ships were registered in the United States, employed unionized labor, and followed current US labor laws, the entire pricing model of the cruise industry would collapse and, it is likely, so would large portions of the industry.
Q – Spent several hours on this site last night and had to drop you a line. Great stuff. Here’s my specific question. I am a consultant in the chemical industry and I fly, out of my home in Denver all over Europe. I work alone, with a part-time secretary and we do all of our own air arrangements. I have had numerous flight cancellations and delays at O’Hare and I just want to try avoiding it if I can. If you were me, which airports that have non-stop flights to Europe would be best for connections? Wish you had more on airline strategies and less on cruise line ratings.
A – Thanks for the advice. We won’t take it, but thanks anyway. Your question does, we think, have a specific answer. Our air people feel that you might limit your connections to three “first-choice” options, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Charlotte, and Detroit. All three have enviable connection stats.
Q – My husband and I are going overseas for the first time this April on a tour arranged through our church in Boise. It is a group tour and we have to get to New York on our own to get on a Delta Airlines flight. My question is how much time do you think we need between flights. Our travel agent says two hours and we found a flight that gives us a little less, one hour and fifty minutes. Our agent wants to book it but we thought we should run it past you first. Any advice would be appreciated. I just want everything to go right.
A – We disagree with your agent. Do not book the flight. With the current sequestration budget cuts, TSA staff at a number of US Airports, but most particularly New York’s JFK, O’Hare, and Atlanta, will be cut by as much as 30%. We are now advising all of our clients to allow a minimum outbound international connection time in those three airports of three hours.
We want everything to go right also. While you are waiting, have a Nathan’s Hot Dog in the terminal. You probably can’t get one in Boise. Have a terrific trip and make sure to carry copies of the picture page of your passport along with a sheet that has photocopies of the front and back sides of your credit card. Be safe.
Q – After watching CNN and other interviews with the poor folks getting off the Carnival Triumph, I really wonder if we ever will take that first cruise. So let’s see why travel “truth” is still, as far as I can see, recommending cruising. Given the honesty of your answers to other questions, I wonder how you respond to your bread and butter? This is not meant in any mean-spirited way. We read the site, enjoy it, and are really curious.
A – Fair enough. We don’t recommend “cruising” we recommend the top ten-rated cruise lines. We don’t recommend “hotels”, we recommend certain hotels that meet our stringest standards. We have never booked guests on a Carnival Cruise. The one essential rule that the consumer somehow thinks does not apply to travel is “you get what you pay for”. This is a critical mistake. We don’t sell Holiday Inn or Motel 6.
When you book the most budget of budget lines, on a short cruise, you can expect fun, sun, crowds, and a party atmosphere. For sophistication and elegance you will need to look elsewhere.
Travel sellers need to be defined by what they refuse to sell as well as by those companies they enthusiastically endorse.
Q – We work full time and have just nine or ten nights to spend in Italy. We love hiking, exploring, and really good food. Could the Amalfi Coast work in that time frame and how would we set it up in terms of hotels and air. We are in our fifties and we like good hotels that are romantic. Will our travel agent make dinner reservations for us and can her recommendations be trusted?
A – There is a lot of question there. We would fly into Rome and then train down to Naples. You would be met in Naples and then brought to your hotel. Our recommendation for ten days is to stay in two hotels. You should look first at Le Siranuse in Positano and the Hotel Caruso in Ravello. Both are truly memorable. There is some public transportation and the hotels can arrange for a private driver when necessary. Try not to do this trip between June 15th and the 20th of September. Late May and the first week in October are great times to go. We think there is enough of interest to fill ten days and you can hike the lesser-known villages in the crux of the hills. We have discussed these in response to a previous question. Finally, you might want to check out the travel agent’s culinary creds before committing to her recommendations. There is a simple test to find out how much your travel consultant knows about food. Ask them the difference between an Osteria, a Trattoria, and a Ristoranti. Follow that up by asking them to name the best restaurant in the best hotel in Hong Kong.(Gaddi’s in the Peninsula) This was once a question we would pose to those interviewing for a position at our firm.
It is a bit much to expect your agent to have personal knowledge of the best new restaurants worldwide. If you work with an agency that is a member of one of the major consortiums they will have on-site offices in Italy. The On-site office will be able to handle reservations for dinner through the agent. The best agents trend to be affiliated with one of the following consortium groups: American Express, Ensemble, Signature, and Virtuoso.
Q – We have been following the story, now on the New York Times second and third page, of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I am writing this on February 8th and I wonder what the status is. We are supposed to fly the plane in April on United. You all seem to be honest journalists so let me ask you a personal question. Would you allow your family to board this aircraft?
A – Yes, if it was parked on the tarmac with the engines turned off. Here is the thing: No one, as of this date, has been able to determine the cause of the on board battery fire and the severe overheating issues. Progress is going extremely slowly because the battery maker, in Japan, thought to be the culprit, has come out of this with few scars.
Believe it or not, this is a major technological mystery. Now, it is thought that it may be at least a month before the cause of the problems is pinpointed and required fixes are made. It may involve complete re-engineering of portions of the electrical power system.
United has announced it is cancelling scheduled 787 flights through most of February. We would want this aircraft to be flying worldwide for at least six months and be incident-free, before we would consider flying her. And we’re among the Dreamliner’s biggest fans.
Q – In this day and age of less ostentatious travel, I wonder if cruise lines are still offering Around the World type cruises?
A – This year, we count nine lines offering ATW Cruises, six of which will literally circumnavigate the globe. Three of these lines, Holland America, Seabourn, and Silverseas, compete with identical length, 115 day, itineraries.
Crystal does its World Cruise on the 960-Guest Serenity. Reports from the line are that approximately 400 of their guests have signed on for the full journey while the rest of the guests purchase one or more segments of the sailing. Although generally less profitable for cruise lines than shorter sailings that use less fuel and offer fewer days at sea, world cruises are in demand and Crystal is currently taking reservations for its 25th Anniversary sailing in 2015 that will be a 108-day circumnavigation. Bookings are, we are told, robust.
This all started in England in the 20’s. Travel Weekly reports that the Lanconia of Cunard Line went out in 1923 for 130 days with stops in 22 ports. This year, two Cunard ships and three P&O liners departed Southampton for full, ATW journeys, almost all of which sail just after the New Year.
Our on staff Around-The-World Expert, recommends bookings be made 16-24 months prior to departure to avoid disappointment. Five characteristics of ATW Cruises:
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