jtrent238 test blog: Travel Dispatch: I’m 93 and My Postponed Cruise Has Been Postponed Again. Help!

August 20, 2022

Stephen Hiltner, an editor with The New York Times Travel section, seated in between his elder siblings in Budapest in 1994.

Dear Travel Fan,

One of our most popular regular features during the pandemic has been the World Through a Lens series, which let us journey around the globe even when we couldn't travel. Stephen Hiltner, the editor of the series, wrote and photographed this week's entry, a beautiful essay about Budapest, where he spent part of his childhood — and part of this year.

There's something about diggers that kids (and many adults) just love. A New Jersey amusement park lets them get behind the controls and discover the pleasures of scooping sand.

We've also got a rundown on what's new in Berlin, a guide to changes on some of the major booking platforms and our Tripped Up columnist has advice for a 93-year-old cruise passenger whose sailing keeps getting delayed (she'd like her money back).

If you've had a travel mishap and want help in straightening things out, send an email to trippedup@nytimes.com.

Wishing you safe and happy journeys,

Amy Virshup

OPEN UP YOUR WORLD

Stephen Hiltner

The World Through a Lens

Reckoning With Memories of Budapest

A Times journalist spent three months capturing a contemporary portrait of Hungary's capital, where he lived for several years as a child in the early '90s.

By Stephen Hiltner

Andreas Meichsner for The New York Times

What's new 2022

Berlin, Back in Full Swing

Berlin's 178 museums, seven symphony orchestras and three opera houses are once again up and running, along with a flourishing restaurant and nightclub scene.

By Charly Wilder

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

A Construction-Themed Amusement Park Answers the Question, 'Can You Dig It?'

At Diggerland U.S.A., children can experience the pleasures of heavy equipment firsthand. (Adults like it, too.)

By Janet Manley

Continue reading the main story

THE CHANGING WORLD OF TRAVEL

Christopher Miller

Revelry and Unease in Alaska as Cruises Return

Ships are carrying fewer passengers than they did before the pandemic, but in port towns where the bulk of the economy depends on cruise travel, business owners say they are "grateful for what we have."

By Maria Cramer

Ben Konkol

At Last, Online Travel Planning Is Becoming (a Little) Easier

Airbnb, Google Travel and a few other platforms have tweaked their search engines, and that means less slogging through pages and pages of results on everything from home rental options to flight routes.

By Elaine Glusac

Lincoln Agnew

TRIPPED UP

Help! I'm 93, My Postponed Cruise Has Been Postponed Again, and I'd Like My Money Back.

A cruise company keeps pushing back its planned journeys, offering credits instead of a refund, and a passenger feels like the ship has sailed on her ability to enjoy a boat trip. Our columnist tries to get her the cash.

By Seth Kugel

Feedback, thoughts, tips? Email the Travel desk at travel@nytimes.com.