The large and modern casinos housed within these huge cruise ships can offer a wide variety of gaming options to the ships passengers, traditional favorites like blackjack, craps and roulette wheels are common staples found in onboard casinos and many also include bingo and lotteries to add to the variety and cater to the clientele. Caesars At Sea is an onboard casino modeled on Caesars Palace of Las Vegas fame, housed within the 51,044 ton Crystal Symphony, this huge luxury cruise ship is operated by Crystal Cruises and represents one of the best cruise ship casinos. If a Crystal Cruise is a little out of your price range then other alternatives from the likes of Holland America, Carnival and Princess Cruises all offer casinos onboard their ships.
With cruise ship casinos offering the same games as land based casinos you might think that there aren’t many differences, but you’ll find a cruise ship casino has a much more relaxed atmosphere and the games and usually aimed at first time gamblers looking to bet lower stakes. On board gaming is there to add to the cruise ship experience and that’s why you wont find high stakes games within the casinos, what you will find is dealers who are willing to help first time gamblers and more patient and low stakes games where passengers can learn the basics and become better at their game of choice. Some cruise ship operators don’t offer gaming facilities with Disney Cruise line being a great example; these types of cruise are more family oriented and as such prohibit gaming on their ships. ]]>
All long distance passenger trains in the U.S. are operated by Amtrak, a government owned corporation. Amtrak serves over 500 stations while tracks are usually owned by oprivate corporations.
Long-distance trains are equipped with sleeping compartments as well as televisions, cars room to socialize and eat snacks and full service sit-down dining comparable to a mid-priced restaurant.
Superliner trains in the west have two-tier sleeper, living room with glass ceiling to watch movies, and full service dining car.
All Amtrak trains offer the comfort and space comparable to business class in the air, so even if you just book a regular seatm, be prepared to have that added space at you disposal. Not to mention that ou would have the ability to walk down the train and visit the restaurant car - a possibility which is not offered by other means of transportation. Passengers may check up to three bags per person, not to exceeding 50 pounds each at no additional cost not that I would recommend carrying so much).
Does it sound too good to be true?
It does sound great and it usually is - although, you usually need to have time on your side in order to really enjoy it. Train travel usually takes more time than other methods of transportation. Delays do occur, therefore, it is wise to book a train which would arrive the day before embarcation day.
On the plus side, when bad things happen (e.g. snow storm), train travel is usually perturbated (meaning that delays occur, some trains are canceled and you would be rescheduled) when airports are shut down entirely - so train travel is more reliable (relative to air travel) in those circumstances.
Feel free to check Amtrak’s Interactive Route Atlas in order to get your mind dreaming about your next train trip.
]]>I do not want te be overly alarming (One may get thousands of credit card numbers, but they may not have time to charge them all (or even a majority or them) before either they get caught or decide to stop (I would imagine that they are fly-by-night kind of operations).) but that seems to be a good reason to rmember that credit cards offer a better protection against unauthorized transactions.
Not only does your credit card come with statutory protection from the Fair Credit Reporting Act (and most credit card issuers even reduce your liability from teh $50 provided by law to $0), but Credit Card companies are usually more cooperative when disputing a charge (they feel that they have a skin in the game, since you’re not paying that disputed charge and they can not charge interest on it) - whereas a bank may not have the same incentive to help a checking acct customer who disputes a debit card transaction.
Apparently in some cases, the unauthorized charges are processed thru the hotel chain’s merchant account, so it may also help to keep a copy of the hotel folio.
In any case, keep your folio until your frequent guest points post - and use your credit card which will also post more points to your favorite loyalty program. And now, don’t worry -if anything unexpedted shows up on your statement, it will get sorted out in the end.
You may read the bill at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-4645
If Washington was to lift its nearly five decades-old travel ban, the number of tourists to Cuba could double within a short time period, providing a big boost to the island’s cash-strapped economy. The primary beneficiaries would be Cuban state companies and their foreign partners.
Most US citizens now see this law as being archaic and can be hardly justified since similar travel bans to North Korea or Syria have been lifted years ago.
Similar attempts were made under the Bush adminitration, but threat of a veto by President Bush derailed the attempt. But Obama clerly stated that he was favorable to lifting the travel ban.
So, let’s hope that bill clears the house so that Gringos and Gringas can come visit.
]]>When air travel causes you to reach a place far from the city center 1-2 hours before departure and to undergo security checks when there, a train is within reach of the city center in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, the journey would be one filled with the landscape the train is passing thru as opposed to mere clouds.
Train travel can also be obtained at a very reasonable price (more on this in the coming posts - but for now, I will simply say that RailEurope is rarely the cheapest option). The comprehensive routings/schedules can be found on the Bahn’s website
The following cruise ports are within minutes from their respective train stations in Europe (non exhaustive list):
Barcelona cruise port
Civitavecchia cruise port
Dover cruise port
Stockholm cruise port
Venice cruise port
Monaco cruise port
Choosing a ship:
Choosing your cruise ship is important: You cruise ship will become your home at sea as well as the place where you’ll live, so it is very important that you feel comfortable with this choice.
Information to evaluate before choosing a boat:
The companies publish valuable information on their boats. These are used to assess the vessel and therefore on the cruise.
- Tonnage:
The larger cruise ships can have upward 150,000 tons. Note here that this concept is very old as it relates to the number of barrels a ship could carry. Obviously, cruise ships do not carry barrels but they still retained this notion of tonnage. A ship weighing 78,000 tons, with 9 bridges is already quite impressive (a building of 10 or 12 floors).
More infro can be found on CruiseDiva’s website.
- Space available:
A quick test will tell you how crowded your cruise ship will be. Take the tonnage and divide by the number of passengers. The resulting figure gives you an idea of the space available on the following scale:
• 50 and over: exceptional space;
• 30-50: very spacious;
• 20-30: Reasonable space;
• 10-20: moderate to little space;
• 10 or less: very little space.
How to choose your destination
Cruise ships sail year-round and are positioned in the warmer seas. See below the main cruise destinations, their attractions and the best time to go.
- Mediterranean
When to go? The temperature is better in summer but prices much lower in winter and autumn. The Mediterranean continues to fascinate travelers in search of beautiful destinations. - Caribbean
When to go? The temperature is mild year-round. Avoid, however, the hurricane season in July-August and prefer the sweetness between November and April. The Caribbean archipelago is a mosaic of colorful islands. Cruises to the Caribbean (Mexico) cross the Caribbean for stops in Mexico (Cozumel …), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), the Bahamas or the Caribbean proper. - Asia
When to go? The temperature is pleasant year-round. Avoid, however, the monsoon in July-August. The ideal period: November to April. Always exotic eternally attractive, Asia offers a range of contrasts. Your cruise will take you to the China Sea to discover China and Japan, but also to the most beautiful islands in Thailand (Koh Chang, Koh Kood), Malaysia (Langkawi) and Indonesia (Bali, Komodo Java) …
Choosing a Cabin
- Inside Cabins: without window
- Oceanview Cabins: same size as the previous but with presence of a window or a porthole
- Balcony Cabins: size more or less similar to that of oceanview cabins, but they have a private balcony.
- Suites: much more spacious suites usually have a private balcony or veranda
Why are there different rates for cabins?
They are usually related to the location of cabins and the presence or absence of a window overlooking the sea with sea view cabins are always more expensive than inside cabins and cabins on lower decks cheaper than on the upper decks.
What is the best cabin location if you fear the sea motions?
Today, most boats are equipped with stabilizers that reduce considerably the impact that waves may have, but if you know that you are sensitive to seasickness, we recommend you choose a cabin in the middle of the boat and located on the lower decks . In addition, you may find drugs against seasickness at the pursers’ desk.
How many people can stay in the same cabin?
One cabin can accommodate two people in general. On most ships, you will have a few cabins for three or four, but rarely five.
]]>- For trains for which price fluctuates (akin to plane ticket prices:, if you wait, you’ll likely pay much more):
You would like to buy tickets early.
If www.voyages-sncf.com will sell you the tickets (which they will ship to you pretty much anywhere, including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Outer Mongolia and North Korea, but excluding the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), go ahead and buy it early.
If you happen to live in the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand (where, incidentally, RailEurope operates), book it on www.voyages-sncf.com and either pick up your ticket at the station (you’ll be given a confirmation# at booking) or even better, print your ticket from home.
Printing is my favorite option, but few ticket types allow it. My favorite is ”Prems” tickets. “Prems” tickets are the very cheapest tickets out there, but those are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
- For trains for which the price does not fluctuate (TER & Intercite Trains): There is no need to purchase those in advance. Just buy your train ticket at departure. You’ll buy it at the station at the same price that would be found on www.voyages-sncf.com (which is significantly less than the one indicated by RailEurope)
* Types of French trains
- TGV: Flexible pricing: That’s the High speed train and it is now used on virtually all long distance train trips.
- Teoz (Formerly Corail Teoz): Flexible pricing: That’s the slow long distance trains travelling by day.
- Lunea (Formerly Corail Lunea): Flexible pricing: That’s the slow long distance trains travelling by night. They offer couchette accomodations in addition to the regular seat accomodations.
- Intercite (Formerly Corail Intercite): Essentially Fixed pricing (except that it does offer Prems if you book really early): That’s a semi-long distance train.
- Train Express Regional (TER): Fixed pricing: Local train, operates within the boundaries of a French region.
Category of service: “1e Classe” or “2e Classe”? “2e Classe” is usually nice enough, although you would enjoy a more quiet environment in “1e Classe”- although if you are frugal like myself, the additional price is usually not justified by that added tranquility.
Step by step booking on www.voyages-sncf.com :
More info on French Trains: http://www.voyages-sncf.com/services-train/guide-voyageur (in French)
A map of the European rail network can be seen at http://www.interrailnet.com/downloads/interrail/interrail-railway-map-europe-2010.pdf
]]>Consumers have shown that they are very price elastic by buying flights with the cheapest published fare (and understandably so since plane tickets represent a large part of their travel budget).
In response, airlines try to find ways to improve their profits ; first by cutting down amenities (less snacks, less pillows …) and by and large consumers were still booking flights with the lowest published fare regardless of the level of service.
Since that was working, airlines have been adding fees for things which have traditionally been provided for free (first check in bags, now carryon bags).
Now, the one response that I would expect, and that I have not seen to date is for major flight search engines to update their forms and results to include these additional fees so that consumers can make a purchase decision based on true cost rather than published fare.
]]>The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act introduces new regulations for cruise ships.
The new law will require improved basic safety provisions on ships such as peepholes for doors and providing information on reporting crimes. All ships built going forward must have security latch door and smart keys.
Cruise ships have seen an increase in sexual assults, and under the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act ships would be required to have medical staff that can handle assaults, rape kits and STD medication.
“Current law doesn’t pass the test of providing common-sense security measures to the traveling public or to help protect them from crimes committed aboard ships…Moreover, current law does not provide the support victims and their families need in the event of a disaster.” Matsui said in a statement reported by CNN.
The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act will establish security and safety requirements for passenger cruise vessels. It will require vessels to have 42-inch guard rails, peep holes in every passenger and crew member’s door, on-deck video surveillance and an emergency sound system.
]]>Currently, a cruise ship falls under various jurisdictions (the US while under US waters ; the country in which the ship is registered while in international waters and yet another country while approaching or while docked at a port of call). This has caused the reporting, investigation and prosecution of crimes occuring on cruise ships complicated.
For instance, no single agency would have stats on crimes occurring on cruise ships while victims may have to use a legal system unfamiliar/ foreign to them.
In order to solve these issues, the House passed on July 1, 2010 the Cruise Line Safety Act. Since congress already passed a nearly identical bill, it is most likely that it will become law.
Key provisions:
- Cabin/Room keys will have to use “time sensitive” technologies - making the monitoring of their use a lot easier.
- Cabin doors will now be equipped with safety latches and peep holes.
- Ships will be required to use the latest technology to detect passengers falling overboard, including imaging systems and an extensive use of video cameras.
- Fire regulations on board the ship will be the same ones approved by the US Coast Guard.
- Safety rails will now be a minimum of 42 inches above the deck
- Passengers will receive a pamphlet describing the ships response systems for both medical and criminal issues and letting passengers know what their rights are.
- Cruise ships will be required to report crimes, missing passengers and suspicious death to both the FBI and the US Coast Guards.
- Furthermore, cruise ships will be required to preserve the crime scenes.
‘(A) is authorized to carry at least 250 passengers;
‘(B) has onboard sleeping facilities for each passenger;
‘(C) is on a voyage that embarks or disembarks passengers in the United States; and
‘(D) is not engaged on a coastwise voyage.”