megr1125

I've been on 4 MSC sailings and recently booked a 5th. I'm very picky and I'll say that th service gets better, their specialty dining prices are reasonable and overall their fares are excellent. Plus, I'm tiring of Royal's astronomical fares and Celebrity's new pricing policy. Is MSC perfect? Far from it. Have I had any horrible meals? No. Maybe I'm lucky.

Welcome to CC 🙄

I drink a LOT of water, go out early and when I feel hot or tired, I go try and find a cooler spot or a place to sit. I made a lot of "friends" with shop owners in Santorini by going in to their shop, cooling off (some had decent, by US standards, A/C) and/or asking if I could sit for a moment.

Just so you know, Athens is in Greece. 😄

I did. Hence, I came here for actual feedback from CCers as opposed to Google averages and random people on Reddit and other sites. 🤣🤣🤣 (20+ years here, I research first and come for feedback from fellow cruisers, hopefully smart ones! 😜😜😜)

It does make it fun. Being a late-November baby sort of makes it hard, and sometimes expensive 😅😅. I wish I could make up my mind. Ugh.

Thanks! Not really concerned about beaching lol, I don't do much of that anyway. As much as I like sun and sand, the heat sucks the life out of me! 😄😄 As long as there's a few shops and cafes open, I'd be happy. I was scrolling the interwebs and saw a lot of comments that islands like Mykonos tend to close up at the end of October and this cruise is late November. I can't decide what I want to do lol. It's a big Zero bday so, since I'm not thinking my fam is gonna throw me a party, vacation it is. Somewhere.

Hi Contemplating booking Island Princess from Athens to Rome for my bday in November. I'm wondering about the weather and things being open, especially since the call to Mykonos falls on my actual birthday. My alternate plan is Dublin, Belfast and Paris by land. Figuring the Med is a tad warmer but forgot that everything might be closed. If you've done a similar sailing in November, were things open? Thanks

It took the pandemic to get us semi-caught up with the rest of the world. Still, there are a few merchants who haven't gotten the tap and go part of the machines enabled. LOL.

Knowing what I know about NCL air, that is you have ZERO control over ANYTHING unless you pay to deviate, book your own. You could wind up connecting 3 times each way and arriving at weird times. Their "free" air is "free" because you're taking what they have. They're getting cheap air cheaper so chances are it's not going to be non stop or easy. Just because you're starting in ATL doesn't mean you get a nonstop flight to FCO. IF it were me, I'd book my own.

That's not good especially with WN. You'll be stuck in a middle seat in the back of the aircraft if you can't check in ahead and/or buy Early Bird Check In and/or pay for a better boarding spot. You may want to call them back or try DMing them on Twitter. And probably avoid NCL's 'free" air in the future but I digress. NCL's 'free' air may be free but it's really a hot mess. I never hear any good stories about it.

no

Call Royal and ask as another poster mentioned. If you get someone who says no, call back. They do have a shuttle from the train station but not all reps are well versed in this info. Or ask your TA. (Again, as mentioned above. HUCA is the mantra, Hang Up Call Again! LOL There are not a lot of cabs in/around Ravenna so Royal's shuttle is probably the best option.

I took a water taxi to that hotel from Tronchetto for around 140 Euro. Not cheap but YOLO, part of the experience and TBH I had too much crap to haul on public transit. The walk from the dock to the door of the Hotel Rialto was MAYBE 20 paces. No stress or stairs to climb (well one into the building I think). Nice hotel, but the area is SUPER crowded and my room was very hot so I stayed one night and left. But they were very nice and sent me to a great restaurant a 5 minute walk away. Great food and better prices than the places right on the canal! My water taxi operator did assist me with luggage, and they're also masters of getting people into and out of boats. One time, it was easier for me to sit on the edge of the boat and swing my feet over to the dock. Pretty sure this was at the JW Marriott (hotel I moved to after 1 night)

I actually did take a private water taxi TO the airport. Sorry, I can't help with the shared ones but honestly, while not cheap, it was timely, and kind of fun. (I was solo so it was pricey but I figured YOLO and I'm an overpacker and this was way easier then Alilaguna. I prebooked for both pickup at Tronchetto to my hotel and from the hotel back to the airport. ( I changed hotels and did a 3rd private water taxi). If you're entertaining one from Tronchetto (Venice City Center) to a hotel, I'd strongly suggest prebooking. Several people wanted to get them and the ones that pulled up had been reserved. I jumped into my boat while others on the dock were trying to figure out how to use their phones in Italy. 😄 You are only allowed 1 suitcase per person though and if you're at a hotel on an inner canal, the shared ones don't go there if I understand correctly.