cruisemom42

Thank you. And I hope you enjoy your cruise.

Hi all, just a quick update. My father passed last night, just after the move to assisted living. He had been rapidly going downhill over last couple of weeks, so it wasn't a big surprise and it was peaceful. It's certainly been quite the month. Barring any other issues I am hoping to make my Azamara Onward cruise leaving Southampton June 20th.

Have to disagree that caffe latte isn't a thing. It's on the menu at Tazza d'Oro, one of the oldest caffeterias in Rome.

Mine usually last at least 2 weeks. Sometimes longer. But we are each different.

I am back from another quick visit to Jacksonville dealing with parents. My sister and I found an assisted living place for them and they will move in next week. Tough choices to make and it's sad to see them no longer able to live on their own, but they've had a very good run until recently (Dad is 97, Mom is 91...) Now I need to put in my final planning for upcoming Azamara cruise and brief visits in London and Bath beforehand.

I think those estimates of 35 million people (some of them don't say 'additional' btw) for the Jubilee year are inflated. Looking at the past Jubilee years, the numbers were lower than expected. Other than that I can't offer much help. If you want to explore for a week by car, consider Provence or Perigord areas of France maybe for similar feeling -- good food and wine, pretty towns, lots of history....

If you are trying to book far in advance they won't answer until closer to your requested date.

It shouldn't be a problem. What time is your ship scheduled to depart? I would be confident in arriving later, but not less than 2 hours before departure.

Tons of hotel recommendations at all price ranges in this thread: Hotel rooms in decent locations for less than $300/night are going to book up quickly.

Trying to compare the interior of the Colosseum with the interior of the Pantheon is like apples and oranges. The Colosseum interior is much like the exterior -- by that I mean that the original facing and decoration is mostly gone. By contrast the Pantheon interior is largely intact (with a few changes and restorations over the years) because it was converted into a Catholic church fairly early. So it's extremely difficult to compare the two. If you book a tour that might give you free time for lunch in the vicinity of the Pantheon or Piazza Navona, you can buy your own ticket from their kiosks outside the building or at the desk (both accept credit cards I think), but you will still have to wait in a line probably. Depending on what time of the year your visit is, the wait may be long or short. Or you can buy a timed ticket in advance online -- but you may still have a wait to get in due to capacity controls.

Are you sure that the Hilton has returned to offering their shuttle? They discontinued it during Covid and I see no mention of it on their website any longer. From either the Hilton or the Hilton Garden Inn you can go back to the airport and take the train into Rome inexpensively.

Have a great time with the family Melody! You deserve it after your year so far...!

I also haven't been to Barcelona since about 2017 and the food scene there is so vibrant that I'd probably look for recent recommendations. This site usually is trustworthy (though I'd skip the Asian recommendations): https://www.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-barcelona-spain Dinner is very late in Barcelona for locals. I seem to remember a lot of places don't even open until 8:00 pm. Unless it's a really hot place, showing up when they open will probably get you a table as long as it's not a big party. Given the crowds in Europe these days, if there are any places you really want to be sure to go to, I'd try to reserve in advance.

Yeah, I'm just finding out my retiree dental coverage isn't as good as it was pre-retirement. 🙄

Hi Lois -- hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise!! Sorry I've been so absent lately, it's been a heck of a week. Found out today that I need a dental implant PLUS a root canal and a crown. 😭