I read with interest the subscriber’s letter “Assigned Cabin Too Small” (March ’11, pg. 26), about his experience with Hurtigruten (Sunrise, FL; 866/552-0371). We took the line’s 14-day trip along Norway’s coast (Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen) Aug. 15-26, 2009, also aboard the Richard With, and I must disagree with one of his observations. He said that “time is available for walking in each port.” That did not correspond with our experience.

While, in general, we enjoyed the trip, there was...

My wife and I took a 14-day tour of Istanbul and western Turkey, Sept. 18-Oct. 2, 2010. The tour with Argeus Tourism & Travel (Istiklal Cad. No. 47, Ürgüp/Nevsehir, Turkey; phone +90 384 341 4688) was more expensive than similar tours of other companies we investigated, but we thought the quality more than compensated for the cost.

The land price, $3,970, included everything except wine at dinner and tips to the guide and driver.

Argeus limits its groups to 10 people (we...

I took an extraordinary tour, “Treasures of the Trans-Caucasus: Classic Survey of Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia,” with MIR Corp. (Seattle, WA; 800/424-7289), May 4-18, 2010. The trip cost $6,395, land, and visas for Armenia and Azerbaijan added $246. (US citizens do not need a visa to enter Georgia.)

Our 13-person group began the tour in Baku, Azerbaijan, on the Caspian coast. At the end of an important oil pipeline, Baku is the center of the Caspian oil industry. South of Baku,...