Travelling2Some

"Small Group Hiking in Paklenica National Park" is offered by Celebrity from the port of Zadar, Croatia. Has anyone done this excursion or heard comments about it from fellow passengers? I can't find anything definite about it. Specifically, how strenuous is it? Thanks for any info. I booked it but having second thoughts.

"Small Group Hiking in Paklenica National Park" is offered by Celebrity from the port of Zadar, Croatia. Has anyone done this excursion? I can't find anything definite about it. Specifically, how strenuous is it? Thanks for any info. I booked it but having second thoughts.

We had one of those last time and, unfortunately, they kept late hours. I think many new cruisers do not realize that cabin doors are heavy and naturally slam hard enough to shake the cabins next door if you don't hold back on them. Might be a good idea for the cruise lines to publish this in the dailies or make a few announcements about it in the first day or two of the cruise.

Someone posted recently that security took a small manicure scissors (part of a set) away from them at boarding. It was kind of funny since he pointed out that steak knives are readily available onboard. It is useful to have a knife or scissors in the cabin. We bring a small blunt tipped scissors and have never had that confiscated.

If there is an inexpensive (sometimes almost free with FAS/Latitudes discounts) shore excursion, we have booked it just to get priority tendering. Then we let the guide know that we are going off on our own so they know not to worry about their headcount being short.

There are frequent, direct regional (not high speed) trains from Bologna to Ravenna. You can book local transport from Ravenna to the ship here: https://www.visitravenna.it/en There is a monorail directly from the Bologna airport to Bologna Centralle train station. No need to book regional trains in advance. They are fixed price and do not sell out. In the past Celebrity has run shuttles to the ship from the Ravenna train station BTW, taxis are in short supply in Ravenna on the morning any ship embarks so don't count on being able to get one.

Agree that Cadiz required no shuttle. You are docked right in the heart of town and just walk off the ship. Spain Day Tours (spaindaytours.com) does shore excursions in both Spain and Portugal and is very reliable.

I think this is less about support and more about playing to a market that enjoys way more vacation time than workers in other employment sectors.

Good to know about MSC. One of my daughters is a bit of a high roller and I will pass the word to her. She says she has a system too and seems to do nicely in the casinos. Made enough on her honeymoon to cover the entire cost of the cruise (and they are big spenders, not like me!)

Hah again! You have a vivid imagination. I travel "carry-on only" and these days my fashion look is "clean and respectable". The "gorgeous" ship sailed quite a few years ago:)

Thanks so much. I have so enjoyed reading your very entertaining daily reports. Wish you safe home and many future adventures. We are doing Ravenna to Rome on Constellation in two weeks!

Hah! I don't gamble, buy drink packages or take ship-sponsored excursions. To add insult to injury, I book inside cabins and watch for price drops. I'm surprised they don't put me on some kind of a list of unprofitable passengers and hang up on me when I call to book!!!

Thanks, kwokpot. I suspected there was "no free lunch"!

We have an acquaintance who just returned from her first cruise ever (Apex - loved it) and tells us she spent a couple of hours in the casino every day and was then offered a Sky Suite FREE for booking another cruise. She's an honest person so doubt she is lying. Do you think she lost her shirt or what? Does Celebrity actually do this? Makes me wonder if the folks who work in the casino report passengers who are likely to loose large sums of money in the future? Maybe they make offers to unskilled gamblers who place large bets? We never use the casino and have no idea what to make of this but it seems so odd after just one cruise? What do you make of it?

The bus to Tarifa will take 2 hours (on a good day - (Spain public transport not known for efficiency) and then about an hour on the ferry (not counting loading/unloading/waiting for it to arrive). Realistically, you are probably looking at at least 8 hours in transit round trip. Does not sound like fun to me.