The rest of Q&A

Q – I am writing on behalf of my parents who, in their early seventies, are going to be visiting Europe for the first time. My brother and I want to send them on a nice seven-to-ten day cruise in Europe. They have never been, so we were thinking of a cruise that does the British Isles. My Dad’s folks come from Wales. Here’s the problem. My folks are rabid non-smokers. The smell of tobacco literally makes them sick. So we’ve been looking at one of the small, upscale ships that does not allow smoking. So far, our Internet search is telling us that all of these ships allow smoking in various areas and some of them allow smoking in their cabins and balconies. Yet, when a new passenger boards the ship, like our folks, we would have no way of knowing if they had a no-smoking cabin. Friends turned us on to this web site and said you were honest. So please, tell us -honestly, what should we do?

A – Well based on your needs and the current tolerance among the luxury toward on board smokers, we don’t think any of them deserves your business. Our view is that smokers ought not be accommodated on any mode of transportation where it is not easy or safe to smoke outside. It is simply not safe to smoke on a cruise ship and it is especially dangerous to allow smoking on an outdoor balcony as winds can carry ashes back on to the decks.

Smokers, in our view, have no rights, when it comes to inflicting harm to others through noxious second-hand smoke. And since smokers are, essentially, suicidal, it might be best if they vacationed off on some smoking island of their own where they could inhale to their heart’s, dare we say, content. As a matter of fact, we seriously believe that separated vacation destinations for smokers are going to be trend in this country. For now, smokers can just pack up and head for China.

CBD is a cannabinoid, a compound found in cannabis plant. The oil contains CBD concentrations and the uses vary greatly, you can use it with vapes, if you want to experience it, then you can buy dab pen online. In cannabis, the compound that is popular is delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. It is an active ingredient found in marijuana. Marijuana has CBD and THCA and both have different effects.

THC alters the mind when one is smoking or cooking with it. This is because it is broken down by heat. Unlike THC, CBD isn’t psychoactive. This means that your state of mind does not change with use. However, significant changes can be noted within the human body suggesting medical benefits. Redcon1 total war can give a military member the nutrition he/she needs to keep on going strong while out in the field hard at work.

Hemp is a part of the cannabis plant and in most cases, it is not processed. This is where a lot of the CBD is extracted. Marijuana and hemp originate from cannabis sativa, but are quite different. Today, marijuana farmers are breeding plants so that they can have high THC levels, get the best CBD oil for anxiety. Hemp farmers do not need to modify plants and are used to create the CBD oil.

Cannabinoids affect the body by attaching themselves to different receptors. Some cannabinoids are produced by the body and there are the CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors are located all through the body with a great number of them being in the brain. The receptors are responsible for mood, emotions, pain, movement, coordination, memories, appetite, thinking, and many other functions. THC affects these receptors.

As for the CB2 receptors, they are mainly in one’s immune system and affect pain and inflammation. Even though CBD does not attach directly here, it directs the body to use cannabinoids more.

The CBD craze about the globe has exploded and being liked by millions and the top 1% are trying to use their cash and also power to reject the already been oppressed compound. The late 1800’s very early 1900’s it was at the center of many cure-all mixtures up until the advancement of modern regulated, as well as exclusively monetized Pharmaceuticals.

Simply before the all new CBD change there has actually been other plant based compounds with many comparable wellness association’s being checked off for its efficiency by leading Medical Scientists.

Maybe you have listened to tales concerning Turmeric and also it’s phytochemical “curcuminoids” as a growing number of research studies as well as testimonials are disclosed.

Here is what you are up against. A weak economy has made several cruise lines lean toward accepting a higher percentage of non-American guests. That increases the need for the various lines to allow more smoking then they would be inclined to do with an all-American clientele.  The best cruise line for non-smokers is Regent Seven Seas, which does not allow any smoking in cabins, balconies, or entertainment venues. They do not even allow smoking in their casinos. But there are sections of some lounges where smoking is permitted.

As to our recommendation: We do not think you should support the cruise industry’s current smoking policies. Instead, we would suggest that you look carefully at buying your folks one of the better escorted tour programs from one of the firms recommended in our ratings. They will not allow any smoking on their motor coaches or indoor venues.

Q – We are scheduled to take a cruise on a line called Azamara this coming August. It was to do the coastline of Italy near the area where the Luxury Liner went down. My husband wants to just cancel, saying the port pilots obviously do not know what they were doing. What is your take on this?

A – It is a bit early for us to have a take that is worth very much. The news is still just hours old and this is clearly a black mark for an industry that has an enviable safety record. If you cancel your cruise, we don’t know where you might go since staying at home is statistically far more dangerous. Flying in an airplane and cruising at sea are about the safest places you can be on this planet of ours.

The reporting in the early hours has been interesting because it refers to Costa’s Concordia, built in 2006 as a “luxury” vessel. In fact, it is a lovely vessel with modern interior design that appeals to it’s core Italian customers. But Costa, once an independent company, is now a brand in the Carnival Cruise Lines stable. In addition to Costa, Carnival owns well known brands Holland America, Princess Cruises, and the luxury line, Seabourn among other lines. Carnival is the largest cruise company in the world by a rather large margin. Costa is generally regarded as a budget or entry-level product with prices to match. Costa provides an “Italian Experience at Sea” and the ships feature Italian officers and cuisine. Costa markets heavily to Americans when their ships are in the Caribbean, but they are normally considered very much a Euro-centered product. The Concordia had very few Americans on board, and most of its 3200 passengers on this Med cruise were from Italy with about 500 Germans and a smattering of other nationalities. It is too early to know to what degree a local pilot was involved as the ship sailed close to land near Guglio, a small port not very far from the lush Tuscan landscape. One of the most important questions to be addressed in the next several days will center around the issue of just who was responsible for notifying the Captain of rocky reefs off shore. Of serious concern to us are the stated reports that the crew refused to launch lifeboats when it appeared that were severely needed and the general lack of information provided to passenge3rs based on reports we have seen. More specifically, a number of guests who boarded an early segment of the cruise on January 8t, were reportedly on board the Concordia for several days without being asked to attend a lifeboat drill. If these initial reports are true, and they are often not accurate when it comes to other transportation related events, It would appear, that this accident could cause some serious financial harm to the  parent company. However, Italian law is not the same as US law  in matters of gross negligence and the fact that Costa is a treasured Italian name could potentially be helpful. It does not appear that very many passengers purchased their tickets for this cruise int the US.

With that said, there are some general points we would make since we have received a number of questions related to this tragedy. In a general sense, consumers need to ask themselves what sort of things are being cut when they consider a mass market ship carrying thousands of guests at a price that is, perhapos, one quarter of the cost of one of the World’s Top Ten Cruise lInes. Exactly where are the cuts being made? Food is an obvious response, but what about crew and where and how they are sourced. What about educational requirements for crew? What about the amount of crew training time that goes into crew safety trraining? Who is operating the ship in the form of senior staff? Cruise passenegers have somehow swallowed the Kool Aid – they believe that the cruise lines are a great exception to the rule that “You Get What You Pay For.” They are not.

Q – OK, here’s the deal. My boyfriend is head of research at a Wall Street hedge fund. We’re both in our thirties and we both work long hours. I want to surprise him with a vacation he’ll never forget, taking him to a place where his Blackberry won’t function. We’re both into climbing and we’ve done some high altitude stuff  in the States. If at all possible, we’d like to keep the vacation under $10,000 for both is us, not including airfare or expenses. But is has to be absolutely awesome. Just found this site and thought you might be able to make a recommendation.

A – Well, first understand that the last time we did something adventurous it involved flying Premier Economy instead of Business Class on United. But we think you ought to look closely at a new program in Abercrombie and Kent’s “Extreme Adventures”. “Mount Kilimanjaro: The Roof of Africa by the Umbwe Route” involves a climb up one of Kilimanjaro’s most challenging and direct routes to the summit. But you will encounter mountain forests,alpine desert, and then and ice-covered summit. You will encounter few trekkers and be rewarded with one of the planet’s most incredible views, assuming you can see anything at all when you reach the peak. The one week trip has departures throughout the year and is priced at just under $3500 per person. The Expedition Guide will be Dismass Mariki, a registered “Head Guide” who has climbed to thre peak 176 times. The trip begins in Arusha, moves on to the Umbwe Caves witht he ascent from Barranco Camp. You then climb to Karanga and then Barafu Camp. Or, you could just go to Sandals. The single person backpack tent comparison comes in hands over $100 price range. There are many different Coleman camping gear essentials that you can take on your camping trip to make your camping experience one that you will enjoy. However, you need to think about what type of camping you are doing and what Coleman camping gear you will be able to take on your camping trip. With some types of camping you will not be able to take all of the camping gear that you might want to take. You can check here more detail about the camping and trekking gear overview.

There are private campgrounds as well that are privately owned by people who encourage campers to come and enjoy the nature with them using the caravan storage Melbourne services. Camping trips can be fun when organized properly. There are many questions that you might want to ask as a new camper. Following is a list of common questions that every beginner for camping will ask. I’ll recommend not to take up camping, until you get all your questions answered and understand the requirements what all is expected. Camping Crossroads can help you to have awesome camping experience with their tips & guide. There are two types of campgrounds, public and private. Public campgrounds offer a variety of places to choose from like national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management Areas, and State parks. Each one of these, in turn, have many campsites to choose from. All of them, more or less, offer the same amenities like restrooms, hot water for showers, and shopping areas; which are very helpful for beginners. You can get a list of the different campgrounds online and it is always better to book a place for camp beforehand. It is not very costly to camp at such sites. They may charge anywhere between $10 to $25 dollars per night. Private campsites may or may not offer the amenities and they can also charge more. In addition, they may allow only a certain number of camper’s on their grounds. Another alternative is to pitch a tent and camp on a hillside or in the wilderness. However, you should take care to find out if it is allowed in your selected area. In such a case, remember that there are no amenities like a laundry, toilets, or a camp store nearby. You will need to carry all of the basic necessities with you when you go camping. If your family is not comfortable being outside in a tent, you can always rent or buy a camping trailer and a nice time camping in the wild.

Q – Since traveltruth is a not-so-guilty pleasure and you don’t list names, I can ask a couch potato question. We loved that reality show that took you behind the scenes at Southwest. Are any other airlines going to do a reality series?

A – No, but the good news is that there will be a second Southwest Reality series premiering on the TLC Network. Travel Weekly reports that the series will be taped at Baltimore-Washington and Denver airports.The original show “Airline” ran from 2004-2005 then went into reruns. In all there were 70 episodes. Southwest has a commitment for 13 of the new shows and the airline is promising that viewers will get to see inside operations in a way that has never previously been shown on television. For those of us who fly often, we’re not sure that seeing how Southwest cooks up its particularly brand of stew is a good thing. We have an image of our pilots and our mechanics and we want to keep it that way.

Q – Hope this gets answered on traveltruth or via e-mail. We’re in our early fifties and both my wife and I work long hours as programmers and data consultants. In the last ten years of our marriage, we’ve gone away for the Holidays to the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico seven time over Christmas. (cancelled or seriously delayed flights five of the seven times). This year, we want to get out of bed and do something a little more challenging like going to Europe in the off-season. We know the weather will be cold but we were wondering which European city might be the most interesting during Christmas or New Year? Is this at all a good idea? Love the site. There’s nothing else like it.

A – Anything that offers you an escape from the  Dominican Republic is probably a good idea. Why pay top dollar for a beach when you can get Donatello at a discount? We think this is a wonderful idea and, when you find the ideal European city, we would make it an annual affair, and we mean that quite literally. Were it us, we would want to visit a truly charming alternative to a huge European metropolis. The key requirement would be to visit a place that is overrun with tourists during the height of the season and relatively empty during the winter. For us, that would be Venice. Walking the streets or doing  the canals wrapped in  the warmth of a horsehair blanket, is a wonderful alternative to mass tourism and tush-to-tush beaches. We also love Munich during the Holidays. Barcelona is wonderful without crowds and there is always the Left Bank of Paris. But for this first experiment – do Venice and live like a Venetian!

Q – I am an attractive guy in his late sixties, ok, early seventies, and, believe it or not, I’ve never been married. I like to play the field and I like to meet and dance with all the widows on cruises. But I am on a fixed income and I wonder why single supplements on cruises are so high. Don’t they realize how many single travelers there are out there? I call it highway robbery. I’ve been asking this question for years and no one seems to have the answer.

A – It all has to do with yield per guest. Cruise ships are always designed to maximize the number of guests to increase the yield, or profit, on cabins, shore excursions, and onboard spending. If a cruise line sells you a cabin designed for two, they are diluting their yield by 50% in most areas of the ships operation. That has been the problem. Singles are housed in doubles.

There are a few exception. The Cunard liners have single cabins as does the new ship design, the Breakaway, owned by NCL. But 99% of all current cruise berths are doubles, triples, or quads. This is a particular problem these days for cruise lines. They have added to the number of on board lecturers and entertainers each year. Most often, these entertainers, including clergy, are berthed in standard double cabins. This results is a serious dilution in potential on board revenue and it also effects the budget of the yield management staff.

Consumers do not generally realize that it is not at all difficult to fill a cruise ship. There are travel agents, writers, public relations types, and trade-out partners to fill empty cabins. Cruise Lines will trade out cabins for some of the things they need like company cars for their sales staff. The lines can also fill cabins quickly by localized special offers or strategic radio advertising. They can also open weak sailings with empty cabins to sale by their international sales agents. So filling berths is not difficult. What is a challenge is the loss of revenue when a sailing has a large number of “entertainment” staff who must be accommodated as singles in a double cabin.

The fact is that cruise line executives are just starting to realize that future ship designs will have to incorporate sufficient space for “single berthed guests” of the entertainment division.

So, the reason you are not getting an answer is that, for the most part, cruise lines do not want to be particularly attractive to single travelers because they dilute revenue. That is the real reason prices  for singles are so high. 

Q – We are heading out to Barcelona in June for a long-delayed second honeymoon. We’ll be staying at the Hotel Arts, which we hope you will agree is the best hotel in the city. Our question has to do with one memorable meal. We have established a relationship with a member of the Concierge staff at the Arts who we think will help us book the hottest restaurant in the city. Is there one place we absolutely must try and where should we sit?

A – The Hotel Arts is very Ritzish and modern. But it does not have the city’s best location. You will need to take a taxi to get tot he Ramblas and the heart of the action. The restaurant of the moment in Barcelona  is simply called “Tickets”. When El Bulli was closed earlier this year, Spain lost the world’s top-rated restaurant. Now, former El Bulli Chef/Owner Ferran Adria and his brother Albert, have opened an inexpensive and unusually playful tapas restaurant. There is a really futuristic bar, six dining areas, and a desert area that resembles a culinary amusement park complete with cotton candy and ice cream carts. But be warned, this is about the “toughest ticket” in town.. By the way, the place is named after its location, in Barcelona’s rather intimate theater district. The hottest section in the restaurant is a small area called “the Marx Brothers Cabin”, a well-located spot where the owners can mingle with their friends and fellow chefs. We wonder if Groucho, Harpo, and Zeppo would find it amusing that their “style” has been invoked in such a trendy manner in 2012.

Is this one of those restaurants where paying someone to get you in make sense? Yes. But remember, the Adria’s do not like games. They hate saying no. That is, ultimately, why they closed El Bulli. It became too successful. 

Q – Well we are going to finally do a real trip and head off to India in 2012. We know that you have advocated travel to India and we’re going to do it. We’ve started our searches and it seems as though there are two primary questions to ask right away? Should we do Northern India, Southern India, or a combination of the two. We would stay about twelve days. Secondly, when should we go. we assume some months are better than others. My wife and I are in our mid-fifties, reasonably well traveled, and, except for Diabetes (Check out blood sugar ultra, diabetes experts) ,I’m in good shape, although my diabetes has been improving thanks to the diets I’ve been following in askhealthnews online. Thanks for the opportunity to pose these questions in such an uncluttered atmosphere. Learn about how to treat blood sugar on Blood Sugar Ultra.

A – Our pleasure. Do Northern India on your first trip. You don’t have the time to do both justice and seeing the palaces and the forts is not to be missed. The sights, sounds, and colors will amaze you. We want you to do the trip between October and February, but if you plan on seeing Varanasi, and you must, it is best to avoid the second half of December and the month of January as there can be substantial fog in the area. The absolute best two months are October and February. The southern part of India is lush, green, much more laid back with a wonderful rural feel. You will also be able to get away from the severe overcrowding you will experience in the north.So do the north first and go south for exotic beach locations. India is full of travel destinations so get some help deciding what locations to cover with luxury India holidays.  There are ample online resources to dig deep and learn about travel destinations in India and make a choice as to what would be best location for your holiday in India.

Q – We read your “Cruise Line Sophistication Index” with a great deal of interest. But we’re less afraid of being at sea with sophisticates then we are locked up for a week or two with “snobs.” Any chance you would help out any number of traveltruth readers who feel like we do by listing those lines most apt to attract passengers with a need to show off  their jewelry and their wealth. I know which of the lines are the top-rated but I have no idea how comfortable we would be with the on-board crowd.

A – Our first impression is that you probably should not be thinking about going on a top-rate line if you are worried that some of your fellow guests may be affluent in the extreme. Clearly some will fit that category. We would not attempt to create a snob index because that would portray some very nice, kind, and generous guests in an unfairly negative manner. So let’s compromise a bit. Let us offer you our estimate of the net worth index, pointing out those lines with the most affluent guests:

# 5 – Regent Seven Seas

# 4 – Seabourn

# 3 – Crystal

# 2 – Silverseas

# 1 – Residensea

Q – We have a rather specific question. We can fly to Barcelona from Philadelphia or JFK in New York. We’ve found three airfares similarly-priced, with decent availability, US Air, Lufthansa, and American. We’ll probably end up flying coach. Which of these airlines has the best seating and the best food?

A – In your scenario, we would look at the aircraft and choose between Lufthansa or American. If at all possible, fly the 777 on American and have your agent select two seats on the  side. Check with Seat Guru to make certain there is nothing wrong with your seat location. Lufthansa is the best of the three airlines in terms of overall passenger satisfaction and  you likely will be flying an Airbus 340 or a 747.  US Air is the lowqest ranking of the three.  We would advise you to go to ITAsoftware.com to review the actual time of your trip with connections.Mostly all airline have the healthy water facility,You can also visit website reviewing water descalers at aircraft.

You should either order a special dinner from your airline such as  “Seafood” , Kosher, or “Vegetarian”. There is no extra charge and you will be eating far better food than the regular fare. But when it comes to international coach, we always advise that you wait until you have passed the final security checkpoint and then put together a nice picnic dinner from the best available food outlets to bring on board. Technically, you can bring food from a restaurant or home through a security checkpoint. Just do drinks and, possibly, dessert aboard an aircraft and never drink the water unless you know for certain that it came out of a bottle or it has water softener reviews approvement. To make for a lovely dinner hour, we suggest a paper tanlecloth and a nice plastic flower folded in your carry-on. Other travelers will be filled with envy at your intelligent preparation.