Tagged With "Norwegian Cruise Line"
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Re: Marriott to offer free wi-fi to all its Rewards member
And let us not forget the dreaded "resort fees". Defined as meaning anything the hotel wants it to mean. And charged whether we use the facilities it's said to cover, or not. Look in the dictionary for the definition of "chicken shit" and you'll find "resort fees". If everyone must pay it, it should rightly be included in the room rate. Even my favorite, AirBnB, makes options available for hosts - cleaning fee, security deposit, a charge for more than 1 person and even possibilities for...
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Re: High Tech Goes Low Tech
Interesting piece. Printed color is expensive. Color photos on line are not. And I doubt any printed piece could compete with the W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L photos we have on TravelGumbo, right?
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Re: London- multiple questions
Thank you for all of the information. I am finally ready to finalize some things since we leave at the end of this month! We have decided not to do Liverpool...seems like we should come back and do that someday. I am thinking the Megabus option may be the way to go to Salisbury and catch the shuttle to Stonehenge from there. That way we can see the cathedral while we are there. Do you know if it is a short walk to the cathedral or will we need to take a taxi from the Megabus stop? Do you...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Apr. 27, 2014: Painted Ladies in San Francisco
Many Victorian buildings that survived the 1906 earthquake were destroyed in the fires that followed. Those, like these, that escaped both were largely located west of Van Ness Ave, the line at which fire fighters dynamited buildings, creating a fire line to save at least part of the city. I'm glad these were saved, PHeymont, or the City would be a very different place, wouldn't it. Thanks.
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Re: Where in the World Is Gumbo? #35
A long line of visitors waiting patiently to get to where I took the picture...
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Re: Graffitimundo: Art from the streets of Buenos Aires
Graffiti is always a good way to start a hot conversation, because the line between art and vandalism is so hotly contested, as is some people's comfort level with work that is clearly art, but which confronts their vision both of art and society. That confrontation can be sharp, because street art often comes from people who don't have the resources to take part in the "conventional, comfortable" art world. Ironically, people are now paying huge sums for work by the late Keith Haring, who...
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?
There's certainly a lot of variation, as I also noted above. And sometimes the planners don't help much either, as is the case with all three of our New York airports, where the whole AirTrain concept is completely botched. At Kennedy, the AirTrain's stations are not in, but sort of near, the terminals. That means you have to drag your stuff outside, across the roadways, and then up stairs or elevator to the train. And then, you have a choice of going to the commuter rail station (about 3...
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?
Heathrow Express MAY take 15 minutes. The only time it was convenient for me and I decided to give it try, it stopped part-way to Heathrow and we just sat there. I'd have gotten to the airport faster and paid quite a bit less to take the slower train from Paddington, the Heathrow Connect. Since then I make a point to stay along the Piccadilly Line of the London tube and pay the least of all.
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Many Americans travel to the Capital - Havana. Its a big - overgrown and mostly poor city. Not really a flavour of the real Cuba and its people. Wherever you go on the Island they do 2-3 day trips to Havana. The stores are mostly empty and food is strictly rationed to the locals. So you'll be better going to one of the hundreds of All Inclusive Hotels that line the coast. Inclusive vacations fly from Toronto to Resorts all around the Island. Very much like Dominican Republic - without the...
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Re: Airbnb's plans for business travelers
My point, more succinctly, is that while I have no problem with Airbnb expanding it's customer base, a surprising number of my guests are first-time users and I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to extract them from dead-ends they've gotten themselves into on the site. Until the booking process is a straight line, easily negotiated by new users, I believe their efforts would be better spent serving the customers they already have, before heading in new directions.
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Re: Beating Jet Lag
When you arrive at your departure airport set your watch to your destination time. Sleep as much as you want to on the flight. Wear headphones to avoid being woken - listen to some smooth tunes on your MP3. Take snacks and bottled water. Don't eat big meals before and during your flight. Take a puzzle book to keep your mind active while you are awake. Take a pee long before they put the seat belt sign on for landing. (Waiting too long in line for Immigration when you're busting makes you bad...
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Re: Airbnb now open for business in Cuba
I know this is open to double meaning in this context...but yes, I remember sharing a party line. Leavenworth, KS, 1951. Our number was 779-J and we were #10 of the 12 families on the line. There was a distinct ring for each family...can't remember ours (I was 7 at the time).
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Re: Airbnb now open for business in Cuba
Garry, it seems like you were a naughty boy. I suspect you actually took part in some of these party line calls, rendering some good advice, I'm sure -- whether wanted or not.
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Re: Airbnb now open for business in Cuba
Ours was 2 shorts and a long (or was it 2 longs and a short?), also early '50s, Danville, California. It was an idyllic new subdivision in the rolling golden hills, golf course next door and a community pool under the oaks, a short walk from home. It would never have occurred to us that a party line made life any less wonderful.
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Re: How do you use the internet while traveling?
I have not been to Japan, but generally my travel experience with internet access has been much more positive than yours. I've generally had good luck with getting on line in Europe, South America and even Southern Africa. Once in a while the internet might be down at a place I'm staying at, but usually it's quickly repaired. Exceptions to this are very rural areas, like in Patagonia and where I'm heading next week, Yellowstone National Park. There is really not internet available at most...
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Re: Outdated Information, Print & Online
This is problematic, especially when it comes to accommodations and restaurants in my experience, because ownership and management changes and closures are far from rare in the travel industry. A lot of guide book publishers have on line sites which provides updates to the guidebook. But that takes lots of effort and this is a real downside of printed media -- its short half life. Glad to hear you're looking at Sri Lanka! It's a wonderful destination.
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Re: Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
I'm going to take the contrary view. First, remember that the short clip above doesn't reflect the detailed regulations or the deliberations of the court. But remember the circumstance quoted “which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken,” Reasonable measures guarantee that crews are scheduled so that even if illness befalls the scheduled crew, it does not take over 3 hours to bring a replacement crew on line. Reasonable measures to avert mechanical...
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Re: Would you believe: Beach tours to N. Korea!
I would like to see how life is in North Korea although it looks the minders have a tight grip on what you can see.From the documentaries, it seems similar to cold war era Romania. One of the most interesting documentaries I've seen is "Crossing the Line" about a American defector to North Korea. After the Korean War ,six American soldiers defected . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joseph_Dresnok https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...la&hsimp=yhs-001
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Re: Ferry Service to Cuba Approved by US
$300 for a ferry trip sounds extortionate Rob. As Cuba slowly becomes an acceptable destination, it appears that too many groups want to line their pockets with the proceeds of repatriation of broken families.
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Re: Venice gets OK to tax day-trippers
It seems in line with the per-night local taxes that many, maybe most, cities impose on hotel rooms. And since it was approved by the parliament, perhaps that's an indicator that something may happen soon on plans to keep the huge ships away from the city itself. One hopes.
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Re: Best Ways To Reach Heathrow Airport Quickly In London
I just noticed this morning in TravelGumbo News that Heathrow Express is cutting its fares because of competiton with train service that wasn't mentioned here. That's what used to be called Heathrow Connect, and is now called TfL Rail, and will soon be called the Elizabeth Line. It's only 15 minutes slower than the Express, and the price is the same as the Tube. Both of those go only to Paddington Station in London, way in the West End, but once TfL Rail is connected to the new Crossrail...
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Re: Peripatetic Bhutan
An interesting post, Lester. Thanks for sharing all this information. I've always been puzzled by the concept of Gross National Happiness. How could this be measured? Happiness and enjoyment of life are very important, but it sounds like a government propaganda line to make poor people feel good about their life's circumstances.
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Re: Italy gets first no-smoking beach
5 Million might love it - but a production line like that is my idea of Hell !
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Re: New routes give Denmark big tourism boost
It's good news for travelers and for Denmark. It shows budget travelers do contribute too. I haven't been to Denmark yet but I thought Sweden was very reasonable. Now Norway is pricey, but its so well worth seeing.
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Re: Cruisers told: Leave your water home!
Looks like I'm back to Vodka in a Listerine Mouthwash Bottle then. 1 drop of green and 2 drops of blue food colouring.
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Re: Cruisers told: Leave your water home!
You're a crafty fellow, GarryRF! Resourceful and sly -- features we like about you.
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Re: Aarhus: Is it strictly for the birds?
Seagulls are just rats with wings. They ruin lake fishing when you scatter ground bait. Scare the fish. Take 12 inches of fishing line. Tie a hook at each end. Make a ball of bread at each hook. Shoot into the sky with your bait catapult. Catch a seagull at each end. The noise they make scares the rest of the flock. Instantly fly away !
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Re: TSA strands 450 overnight: could it get worse?
What a mess. The very agency that is to protect citizens from terrorist activity is creating an environment wherein "tent communities" are springing up at America's airports. How embarrassing is that. Talk about a target rich environment for the bad guys. The TSA's funding, even with "cuts", is about US$ 7.3 billion for 2016. In contrast, Canada, which has 1/10th the population of the USA, has an airport screening budget of about CDN $0.56 billion, and Transport Canada acknowledges it has...
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Re: Norwegian Air to finally get U.S. license
This is great news! And this license should really have an impact on trans-Atlantic prices.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 6, 2015: Winchester Cathedral
Wow, a GREAT cathedral. And the quirky video at the end was a nice touch. I always was curiously fascinating by that song, especially the 'bringing me down' line you referred to. Some day I'd like to hear the story of your journey across the Atlantic on the QM2
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Re: Most of China's Wall in danger: Can it be saved?
This is old news. Very old. Villages in proximity to the wall have been built from it's bricks for eons and the parts that people love to visit and pretend are historical are nothing of the kind, but completely newly built and Disney-fied versions for the tourists, foreign & domestic. The Chinese government, in its (lack of) wisdom has no more interest in cultural preservation than it does in playing fair in any area of endeavor. History and its artifacts are tools having no value beyond...
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Re: Chip Credit Cards to Change the Way US Tips at Restaurants
Actually, that's only one way of looking at it...another is that it may push many people (I included) to resume cash tips. The "convenient" suggested amounts, which even now appear on many slips can be very deceptive, both because they usually place the normal or usual amount as if it were the lowest "acceptable" amount, but also because often—not always—they calculate percent not on the restaurant bill but on the total of the bill plus tax. The difference can be significant. Interestingly,...
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Re: Portland, Oregon — Part I - Eating
Jonathan, thanks for your kind comments. Glad to know you, like thousands of others, are a Voodoo Doughnut fan. I laughed when I heard the shop employee tell the people in line, "You think you're at the end of a long line, but you're really at the beginning of a great food adventure!" Then he revealed the line would take 45 minutes (in the heat). But those fans stayed in line. Gotta love it.
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Re: Portland, Oregon — Part I - Eating
One more Voodoo fan here, taken by my Portland-native nephew one memorable evening, dinner at Portland City Grill with its wonderful views, then doughnuts for dessert, cool evening, no line. The best of everything, it appears.
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Re: Jan. 30, 2016: Houseboat, Marin County, CA
The roof line is different because your photo is taken from the opposite end. There are so many other distinctive details, the style of mooring for instance, as well as the dock, and the missing stovepipe is behind leaves in yours. I'm also somewhat familiar with the area, having lived twice in Sausalito. I know of no other houseboats on the way to Muir Woods. Give up.
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Re: South Korea enacts tough aviation laws to stop air rage
I didn't know this was such a big problem in Korea. Seems a little heavy handed, but perhaps they need to bring their misbehaving people in line.
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Re: U.S. regs may delay Norwegian's Cork-Boston route
Norwegian Air Shuttle got their EU flight license approved for their Irish subsidiary airline ,Norwegian International ,in Feb. 2014. Under the Open Skies agreement, they should be allowed to fly between EU countries and the US. How the DOT is justifying taking over two years to approve their foreign carrier permit, when it normally takes a month, I don't know.
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Re: U.S. regs may delay Norwegian's Cork-Boston route
What was that song ? "Money makes the world go round" Well apparently it doesn't. Looks like another case of someone playing "Dirty Pool"
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Re: February 15, 2017: Sunset on Newcastle Quayside
Hi Tony, Just to let you know that your Newcastle Quayside photo is our POD today. This is the last of the photos I have from you so when you get a chance, pop a few more my way. Thanks,Karl From: TravelGumbo < alerts@hoop.la > To: DrFumblefinger < drfumblefinger@yahoo.com > Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2017 3:00 AM Subject: Post By ViewFromTheChairPhotography: February 15, 2017: Sunset on Newcastle Quayside Post By ViewFromTheChairPhotography: February 15, 2017: Sunset on...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#155)
The Puzzler apologizes...he sent the Thursday clue by e-mail and tweet, but forgot to post here! So here's the Thursday clue, and the Friday clue as well, both inside views... On the weekend, there will be two clues a day to help you to the finish line!
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Re: Going to Heathrow? Well, it's NOT in London!
To borrow a line from the band, Chicago, "Does anybody really care" who calls itself what?
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Re: Classic American Cars #3
No Dave. I've had it since new and it gets a very easy life ! Still only done 24,000 miles. Its has an Aluminum body and is very lightweight. So even the low HP has an amazing power to weight ratio. Red line on RPM is around 11,000 rpm and it flies up to 89mph. Which is where the Maximum speed is electronically governed. The metal roof fits into the trunk in 3 sections and the rear window drops down too.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #4.5, 12/6/13
I think that's it! The benches look the same, even the palm trees, a clump of 2 and another of 5 on the left and the bunch on the right. And the piling out of line on the left. That's got to be it. Good job.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? (11/20/13)
Oops, maybe the Puzzler is supposed to officially confirm the winner. Sorry Puzzler if I'm out of line. Just excited.
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Re: Welcome to England! Brits expedite your entry
I think these sorts of things are nice for the frequent travelers, like pilots, airline stewardesses/hostesses, business people, sales people, etc. I'm not sure there's much of a role for them for average travelers on vacation. Besides the fees, there's the time spent getting the documentation filled out and filed, and so on; probably as long as waiting in line a few times. And, PHeymont, it does not surprise me that the entire thing is a way to shake more money from people. At times it...
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Re: $240 NY-London, LA $320: Norwegian Air
That is a super deal .In recent the wear coast sales to Europe are few and far between
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Re: $240 NY-London, LA $320: Norwegian Air
Originally Posted by Travel Rob: That is a super deal .In recent years the west coast sales to Europe have been few and far between.Great to see.