JohnG

I've been there twice. Once on the Royal Clipper, and it berthed right down town. The other time was on a larger ship and it berthed in the port facility, which does have a duty free shop. We walked from there back downtown. There are many boutiques, and my wife bought 2 dresses. We spent time in the markets, where there are many spices for sale. We also enjoyed a nice local place for some French wine. We just asked someone and they walked blocks out of their way to point it out to us. The first time there we took the ferry/shuttle across to the other side of the harbor where there are several hotels and many shops and boutiques. We were able to use the beach facilities of one of the hotels, and I snorkled right there. Martinique is one of our favorite ports, and not many ship stop there.

I've done Cave Tubing and Cay Caulker there, but not the Mayan Ruins. I have had a customer that did the Mayan Ruins and seemed satisfied.

On my Baltic cruise aboard Jewel of the Seas from Harwich, the only one of those we stopped in was Copenhagen. I used a hop on/hop off bus to see the city. I have put customers up in the Mariott and also a hotel closer to the airport there.

Nice shot of the Independence CV62! The only one of those ports we did on a Baltic Cruise from Harwich was Copenhagen. You can take a hop on/hop off bus from the pier their all around town.

You didn't mention here, as you did in your book, why you were in Transylvania or who you went to see. :)

I loved our sailing on that ship when it was still named the Tahitian Princess. It is also a twin to the Oceania Insignia and Nautica and Regatta. We also sailed on Nautica and thought is was better maintained than the Princess one. All are former R ships from Renaissance Cruise Line, which went bankrupt in 2001.

Out of 69 cruises, I don't think we have ever sailed on the same line twice in a row. Like said above, we select based on when we can go, and an itinerary we are looking for, and only then does it come down to the line and/or price. So we haven't had a chance ot get bored with a favorite. I've never had a cruise I've been disappointed in either.

Itinerary for us.

This vessel isn't listed under the ships we can post under Reviews, so I am posting it here. I have cruised 68 times, but only once on a riverboat, in France, and never on a traditional steamboat. I had a opportunity to sail on the newly rechristened American Queen recently. The American Queen was built in 1995, but completely refurbished in 2012 before being reintroduced to service at the end of June 2013. Based in Memphis, the ship carries 436 passengers in 222 staterooms and suites. Six decks high, it has inside single, double, and triple inside cabins, window staterooms, outside staterooms with French doors that open onto the deck or onto a private veranda, and some suites with verandas. All are furnished with Victorian style furnishings, most with bathtubs and showers, and flat screen TV’s. Bedding is ultra-plush pillow top mattresses. Meals are served in the dining room, either ala carte or buffet for breakfast and lunch, and 2 traditional dinner seatings, 5:15 and 7:45. Meals have a New Orleans influence, thanks to the New Orleans based chef, Regina Charboneau. Five course dinners include a choice of 3 entrees, which included such as prime rib, lamb chops, chioppino, shrimp Creole, and lobster stuffed with crabmeat. Crab cakes were available often. Wine and beer are included at dinner. Bottled water and soft drinks are included. Specialty coffees from machines are available at all hours. In addition to the dining room, the Front Porch serves light breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Another venue, the River Grill is available on deck when the weather is more moderate. Breakfast buffets included alternating waffles or omelets. Food was excellent. They had 3,000 applicants for 300 staff positions, of which 172 are shipboard staff. The service was very good, with attentive wait staff. Some had worked previously on the Delta Queen or American Queen. Entertainment during our voyage was focused on the music of the 60’s, with one night with a group called the Memphis Sons, who were superb, the original Loving Spoonful band, two nights with the ship’s 4 talented entertainers and orchestra, and the last night B.J. Thomas and his band, including 2 entertainers that have been with him over 30 years. The Grand Saloon is designed to resemble Ford’s Theatre in Washington, and there is even a Lincoln box. It provides for a more intimate show than a large venue. Those with the late seating attend the shows at 6:45, and those with early seating attend the second show at 8:15pm. In the evening there is a lounge called the Engine Room Bar, where the band tended to jam and play some dance music after the shows. There was some ballroom dancing in the Grand Saloon after the late shows. The itinerary for my trip was the last 5 days of a 7 day voyage from Louisville to Pittsburg. We boarded in Cincinnati, right downtown by the Reds stadium and Bengals field. Boarding is 3pm, no exceptions, but they have a fleet of 3 buses, 2 of them wrapped to emulate the American Queen, and they provide a hop-on/hop-off route in each port, with free entry to some of the museums included. In each port they also have some premium excursions available at additional cost. Other stops included Maysville, Point Pleasant, Marietta, Wheeling WV, and finally downtown riverfront in Pittsburg, within sight of the Pirates and Steelers stadiums. Each day when departing, they play the steam calliope for a while to the delight of the crowds on the riverfront. Traveling at 8 knots provides a leisurely trip up the river, with people on the river banks coming out to wave and take pictures as we passed. Without bingo and all the activities of a cruise ship, there is time to sit and unwind, read, and watch the scenery from the promenade decks or the front porch. There is also a small swimming pool on the top deck, and a very small fitness center with weights, a cycle, and treadmill. They also have bicycles and helmets available for use in port. The demographic is definitely mostly 60+ boomer and boomer’s parents, retired, who respond to direct mail rather than email, and have traveled to Europe, done river cruises there, and been to Alaska and National Parks. While traveling the Ohio in mid-summer, they move to the Upper Mississippi for fall foliage trips up to St Paul, and then back down mostly doing Memphis to New Orleans sailings through the end of the year and until late June 2013. Price point is premium, but there are some value sailings, and the availability of the single occupancy staterooms is valuable, too. I definitely enjoyed it and look forward to another opportunity.

Dear Valued Travel Partner, Today marks an important step in Carnival's commitment to ensuring that all travel partners have the equal ability to sell the Carnival product at the same great rate. Nearly two years ago, we introduced a popular revision to our Advertised Price Policy, which ensured a level playing field for all agents. Following our 2010 policy change, we continued to hear from many partners that they saw the ongoing value-adds in the marketplace as excessive and another form of rebating and Carnival was encouraged to revisit our policy once again. We are proud to announce that effective August 1, 2012, we will take this commitment one step further by revising our value-add policy. With this revised policy, value-add booking incentives may only be non-cash equivalent items and have a value equal to or less than USD 25 per passenger. The policy applies not only to advertising, but to all forms of communication, including in-person, phone or any other means. Our former policy allowed non cash-equivalent value-adds that were less than five percent of the Complete Cruise Fare or USD 25 (whichever was greater). In addition, it allowed for cash-equivalent value-adds that were less than 10% of the Complete Cruise Fare (with approved marketing plans). Moving forward, there is no pre-approval process for value-adds. However, we do reserve the right to review promotional offers to ensure they align with brand guidelines and may request that partners remove or change offers should they not meet these criteria. What are some example of value-add items you may use for incentives? The main requirement is that they be non-cash equivalent items. Examples include tote bags, hats, beach towels, memory books, sunglasses and Carnival gifts delivered onboard (Bon Voyage items). Examples of cash-equivalent value-add items that are no longer accepted as part of the revised policy include but are not limited to cash, gas cards, onboard credits, pre-paid gratuities, Bon Voyage bar credit and photo coupons (i.e. cash equivalent), airline miles, third party cash back offers, reduced or waived deposits, free or discounted insurance, free or discounted shore excursions, free or discounted hotel nights, reduced airlines, gift cards or anything that equates to a cost associated with the cruise. In speaking with the thousands of agents we come into contact with each year, we hear significant praise for our firm stance on "no rebating." Many of you have asked us to take an even stronger stance on this issue, which we did in 2010 and we're doing today. Our objective is to create a structure that provides you with the assurance that the rates you quote won't be undercut by competitors. In revising this value-add policy, we're able to better ensure that value-adds are being used to enhance agents' sales and marketing plans, which is what they are intended to do. We are extremely excited about these changes and believe they will have a positive impact on you and give you a terrific boost to the partners out there who prefer to sell on the basis of service and expertise. Happy Selling, Joni Rein Vice President of Worldwide Sales Carnival Cruise Lines

And I'll be glad to help with arrangements. I booked and accompanied the Cruise Crazies Group on Celebrity Constellation a couple years back. Couldn't make the Canada New England one due to schedule conflict. The May/early June timeframe and the October timeframes do have the best pricing, and as someone said, the airfare is a bit lower and the temperature more temperate than mid summer. Not all the lines have their 2014 schedules out yet. It could even be May 2013 before all the lines have all their 2014 schedules out. And I have booked clients, particularly on HAL on 12-14 day cruises that hit most of the ports you mentioned. One starting in Rome and ending in Venice or vice versa would hit many of the ports mentioned. My wife and I and my daughter just spent 9 days in Athens and the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini on independent travel and saw no signs of unrest. When it occurs it is confined to an area around Omonia Sq, generally. I lived in Greece for 3 years and know the culture well.

Yes there are hair dryers provided.

In the past 3 years NCL has made huge progress. It is a fine product, just different from the others due to their emphasis on Freestyle Cruising: no formal nights, no having to get out ouf your cabin by 8 on disembarkation day, open dining in 2 main restaurants from 5:30-10pm nightly, and four or more specialty restaurants with service charge and reservations. But we seldom eat in the specialty restaurants because we have no complaints about the food in the main restaurants. Bowling alleys, great water parks, some of the best suite areas at sea, a ship with lots of single occupancy cabins, etc.

From the RCCL Agent's Manual: 3, 4, and 5 night cruises, 1 formal night 6 thru 13 night cruises, 2 formal nights 14-15 night cruises, 3 formal nights.

This from the RCCL Agent's manual:

May people don't realize that most US medical insurance doesn't cover medical expense outside the US. The travel insurance does. Some of these have been mentioned above, but here is the top 10 list of reasons to buy travel insurance: You have to cancel your trip due to an unexpected event such as bad weather, an illness in the family or the financial default of your airline, cruise line or tour operator. You have to return home early due to an unexpected emergency such as an illness or death in the family. Your luggage is lost or delayed, forcing you to purchase necessary essentials, or prescription medications. Your luggage or personal effects are damaged or stolen. You become ill or injured and learn that your health care plan doesn't cover you outside the U.S. You need an emergency medical evacuation due to an accident or sudden illness. You run into flight delays and miss a portion of your trip or cruise. Your trip is interrupted due to an unexpected hurricane or storm. You lose your passport, leaving you stranded abroad. You need assistance with replacing a prescription or an emergency cash transfer.

And the following from the Palm Beach Post: Why should you consult a travel professional? Many cruisers have the misconception that booking directly with either the cruise line or an on-line discounter will, in the long run, save them money. Let’s explore why this might be a fallacy in the long run: • “If I book directly with the cruise line, I’ll get the lowest possible rate.” The cruise line is an “order taker” and is looking at a pricing matrix identical to the one that I use. The rate they give you is the “published rate.” Just try asking for a discount, on-board credits, or other “freebies.” If the cruise line isn’t giving it, the reservation clerk is certainly not taking it out of their salary. Good luck! Because of some agents' companies’ tremendous presence in the cruise industry, they have incredible “clout” when negotiating rates with the cruise lines. Often an agent can give you a better price than that which is published on the cruise line reservationist’s screen. And, food agents always provide you a little extra…a bottle of wine, champagne or chocolates. • “If I run into a problem with an on-line “discounter”, I can always get assistance.” Many of my current clients were previously “burned” by an on-line discounter when it came to resolving problems. Folks, “stuff happens.” Let’s say your flight to the port is delayed or cancelled (it’s happening more frequently than you can imagine). You find that you’ll miss your ship’s departure. You call your on-line discounter: “May I speak to Linda” “Linda Who?” “Uhh…The Linda I booked my cruise with” “We have 12 Lindas working for us – may I help you?” “My flight to <….> was cancelled; what do I do?” “Call your travel insurance company (assuming you were offered trip insurance)” “What’s their number?” “I don’t have it”, etc. etc. Book with an experienced, professional agent, and I guarantee I’ll be available 24/7 to solve any problems that may arise. • “My on-line discounter will provide timely, knowledgeable information about the ship, the cabins, their preferred location, dining options, dress codes, port information, tipping, alcohol policies, itinerary changes, tour options, cancellation policies, special dietary options, local weather at the various ports, etc.” If you believe this, I would love to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. Most of these “order takers” have never even been on a cruise ship, let alone to the worldwide ports of call. I’ve been on over 50 cruises, on 10 different cruise lines – from river to contemporary to premium to deluxe to luxury! My itineraries have taken me to Mexico, the Caribbean, China, New England and Canada, South America, Asia, the Baltic, all throughout Europe. Part of my JOB is to impart this experience to my valued clients! So the next time you plan your cruise, please allow me to use my experience, knowledge, and 24/7 customer service (perhaps at a price slightly higher than the on-line discounter or COSTCO) to insure that your cruise investment will provide you the maximum in enjoyment value, and security.

I found this last December in a Florida newspaper and saved it: PRICE: I think that one of the greatest misconceptions in the world of travel is you save money by booking directly with the travel supplier, cutting out the middle man. For the most part, no matter how you book your next cruise, trip to Disney, hotel stay, or rental car, the price is the same. In the last 10-plus years, most of the world’s major travel suppliers have instituted price protection guarantees that ensure the price is the same. However, travel professionals are often given extra perks for their clients, things like complimentary breakfast for your hotel stay or a complimentary shore event on your cruise; amenities you would not get by booking direct or with an online mega agency. And, with so many promotions available, a travel professional will make sure that you are getting the best price available to you, all at no additional cost to you, so that you know you are getting the most for your money. VALUE: Saving money is not just about price, but more about value. If the hotel was in the wrong location or the cruise line was not the right fit, it does not matter how much you saved. You can save a ton of money and be miserable or spend a little more to be in heaven. A travel professional will recommend relevant offerings and provide cost saving strategies. Moving your date, changing the location of your room, and being open to different flight options can all save you money. Nobody wants to pay more than necessary and a travel consultant will help you find the best value without the sacrifices of a cheap trip. KNOWLEDGE / EXPERTISE: Today’s travel professionals are constantly learning. We love to travel and we love to share our experiences with others. This first-hand knowledge of a place or of a cruise ship or of a hotel can only enhance your vacation, possibly in ways you never even imagined. We know the best rooms at hotels and the best cabins on cruise ships, and we know which rooms and cabins to avoid. We know the best time of year to travel to Europe on a budget, and the best time to plan a family reunion aboard a cruise ship. If we have not personally been to a destination, we know someone who has. We work for our customers and not for a travel supplier, so we provide unbiased information and recommendations based on your personal preferences and needs. TIME: If you have a travel professional that you trust, then you do not need to spend your valuable free time scouring the web through millions of pages to put together all the pieces of your next vacation. And many travel sites only offer rates and information for the companies that have contracted with them. A travel professional has ALL the information at her fingertips, saving you hours in front of the computer. One call to your local travel professional and you don’t need to make planning your next vacation your second job. WHY GO IT ALONE?: The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has a slogan that states succinctly how travel professionals help consumers with their travel arrangements — “Without a Travel Agent, You’re On Your Own.” If you have a problem with a part of your travel experience, your travel professional will act on your behalf to make sure that restitution is made. And, while on vacation, we are here to help or just to listen when things out of our control go awry. Flights are delayed, weather happens, and your travel professional is just a phone call or email away, if you need us - no matter where you are in the world

I wouldn't be reluctant at all. Just because one "jerk" caused that disaster, doesn't phase me. After 67 cruises on many different lines, I'm not reluctant. Their newer vessels are exact copies of Carnival vessels, built in the same shipyards.

That is why we are going to do MSC Poesia in Dec. The dancing venues. When we sailed on MSC Orchestra a couple years back they even had me trying the merengue'ing, and I had never done it.

Karen still packs about 2 pair of shoes per day, and different evening wear for every day, even after 67 cruises. She starts laying out clothes a month before the cruise. Trying to take her on a trip where we are limited to one checked bag, like our island hopping trip to the Greek islands is a challenge. I usually have a few extra t-shirts and shorts, but that's about it.

He is also the General Manager of Cruises Inc, the agency with 500 independent vacation specialists......like me

454 Click here to view the cruise review

I heard that CCL's stock is down 20% at the bell. Interesting, since the US stock exchange is closed today for a holiday. Now sure how it is "down 20% at the bell".