CGYCruisingFamily

What is your favourite lens to take to shoot Italian ports and other Mediterranean ports for that matter?

 

I really want to go light on the gear and am planning on one body and would like to limit my lenses if possible (0verseas flights and limited luggage/carryon space).

 

Any recommendations would be fabulous...

I have found roll calls generally are lacking in numbers compared to the total number of people on the cruise. I am sure you will have other kids on the cruise. I know there have always been families on board. In our roll call we didnt even get welcomed :( Everyone is so concerned about the tours they are thinking about (Which is helpful but it would be nice to meet more families).

Oh goodie, 3 " less legroom for my 6'4" hubbie. Thankfully we only have one leg on Rouge for our trip (otherwise AC, Brussels Air or Luftansan).

Can anyone tell me if R-I-L vehicles have the ability to transport a mobility scooter (which usually can go in a trunk of a larger vehicle)?

Has anyone done this during a day in port for Livorno or Naples? I understand from many on here that the trains are very good but we are traveling with someone who uses a mobility scooter and access might be an issue. We also have a 5 year old in our group who might not stand for a 9 hour tour.

 

We have talked in the family about renting a van for the day and heading out on our own in these ports. We want to see the Leaning Tower and maybe head to Lucca (we have decided that while we would like to see Florence, we think it might be too far for the family to venture). And as for Naples, we are thinking of Pompeii or Herculeneum (spelling that wrong).

 

We thought that for 6 of us, it might be the better option than paying for expensive tours. And yes we know we wont get a tour guide at our disposal but we have Rick Steeves podcasts.

 

Finally my main questions are: has anyone done this? How feasible is it? Does anyone know how close any rental places are to the ports inthese locations?

 

Thanks for your answers.

For $2100 I would do it. As some of the pp's have said, be prepared for traffic in Toronto. As for gas and hotel, you would still likely come out ahead in the long run.

 

A couple of years ago I had to go to Pittsburgh with a coworker for business. We tried finding flights there but were looking at 14 hrs in transit with 2 or three connections (and very expensive flights). We ended up flying into Hamilton (a city near Toronto) and driving. We saved almost $1600 by doing a 5 hr drive.

 

Anyhow, Air Canada is an alright airline. Are you looking at the direct flight from Toronto to Venice? Is it Air Canada Rouge or just Air Canada. We are flying Rouge from Toronto to Barcelona later in the summer. Just be aware that if it is Rouge, there are a couple of things about it (most glaring is that you have to pay for the entertainment system and use a device to access it - like an ipad or laptop). On regular Air Canada, they have the system included. - we are traveling with kids so this is a consideration for us. We plan to just load up their ipads with itunes movies and hope to avoid paying the access fee on the plane.

 

Having said that though, I still think a 6 hr drive isnt too bad. Depending on the time of your flight, you might want to consider traveling the day before?

We have carried on cases of pop, a large bottle of bottled water without problems. I thought it was just alcohol they have issues with.

We are sailing this summer from Barcelona and are planning on a couple of days in the city prior to the cruise. We have booked a 4 bedroom apartment for about $800 (for 6 of us to share) for three nights. There were other options that were cheaper for fewer people (we looked at breaking it up into a room for my parents and a room for the 4 of us). We found many of the hotels seemed expensive and were thrilled to find this apartment through Aspasios.

We sailed on the Dawn when our youngest was 2. We picked NCL because kids club started at that age versus older on other lines. I am not sure if they upped it or not.

 

They would not change diapers - we would be paged if he needed changing and swim diapers were not allowed in the pools.

For one, the tour of Lucca and Pisa. In the English tour - it leaves at 7:45 and is $104.95 for adults. In the dutch one it also leaves at the same time - mentions the same locations, same length of time and is $99.95 for adults. I saw others too but this one is the first I saw with the discrepancy.

 

I understand it is only a couple of dollars but it made me quite upset that the agent tried making reasons which dont hold water. It just doesnt make sense to blame the difference in the Euro vs USD when all transactions are in USD.

 

We will be waiting to book on board likely however there is also a chance we will try to go it alone.

We stayed at the Homewood Suites in Dania Beach. It was reasonably close and offered a shuttle (at a cost but it was cheaper than a taxi). I would recommend it as they are all suites and offer both a breakfast and light dinner (M-Th - could also be on Sunday but I dont remember).

Forgive me.......we've been on many cruises (Celebrity, RCI, NCL & P & O) and have never been to the theatre.

 

We are cruising HAL for the first time next February and are really looking forward to it. We got the impression that HAL is ideally suited to those who can make their own entertainment.........that's us......perfect! As long as there's good food, good service and good ports of call....we're happy.

 

We do enjoy relaxing with a drink and some music after dinner........but that's it. We make our own entertainment....and enjoy spending quiet time. Not 'falling asleep, quiet time'......just a respite from our busy lives.

 

No daytime activities for us..........the ports of call are enough......and sea days are for relaxing.

 

Please tell me I'm right.........

 

You will probably be fine. There is lots on throughout the day.

 

Personally, we arent ones for "Broadway type shows" and even though I said the last cruise was a disappointment, for the most part we have been ok with what is on board. Yes you can choose certain lines for their big flashy entertainment but you pay for it. I personally would rather have the smaller type things HAL does well generally (culinary arts centre for one).

We complained after our last cruise (in particular about the Culinary Arts Centre presentations being very poor and the entertainment being extremely lacking - there was only one night which was good on a 14 night cruise). In the end, we were given an apology and offered a bonus on our next cruise. I think a lot of it comes down to the cruise director and the tone they set.

I was just looking at the offered excursions on our cruise this summer.

 

Just a little frustrated with HAL at the moment.

 

First, half the excursions are now showing in other languages (not english - looks mainly like dutch). Ok dont know why this is but I can still go back to my original printout of excursions.

 

However when I was taking a closer look at them, I found one tour which is obviously the same (just different languages). Same departure time, same places listed. The english version is more expensive than the dutch version. I tried asking a HAL representative (online) and he tried claiming it was because the Euro is more valuable than the USD. Ummm, all prices for excursions on their website are in USD not Euros. (He tried telling me that is because I am in the US - which I am not, I am in Canada and cant see CAD prices). All charges on board are in USD. So what does the exchange have to do with it.... my theory - nothing. So why are some tours different prices for different languages?

 

Any ideas?

[quote name='sail7seas'][B]
I suggest if you ask three reps, you will get three different answers. :D
Sadly, we do not always find the reps consistently correct about a number of things.

[/B][/quote]

True but they should be able to at least inform you of how many there will be during the cruise.

Have you tried inquiring directly with HAL? They might be able to shed some light on it too. We have always found that it isnt the first or last night. There are almost always ones on at sea days so what the pp's said are likely right.

We are on a 12-night Mediterranean cruise this summer and have no clue when ours will be either seeing that we have only one at sea day. Our guess is the second and second to last night and maybe our one day at sea. I am packing 2 dresses and will rewear one but are counting on three in total for the length of cruise. We had 4 on a 14 night cruise a few years back (but that was over Christmas and New Years).

When we were on the Amsterdam in Dec 2012 we had a hair dryer in the bathroom. We were in an inside cabin on the main deck. It was ok (not the best and not the worst) and did the job. Its nice to not have to pack one.

I posted this on another topic but it seems applicable here too.

 

You also have an opportunity to do a cash option however you must have that amount of cash available and ready to give to them. So if it is 2 adults at $600 for the cruise - you will potentially have to give them $1200 in cash when you check in at the port prior to boarding.

 

I asked about this on our last cruise because with 2 adults and 2 kids it was going to be a total hold of something like $2600 (which I didnt want against my card). I know that they kids were never going to spend $60 a day and that we likely wouldnt either. I was advices to do ours as cc and the kids as cash. We were never asked to produce the money for them as I guess they realize that young children were unlikely to charge anything. Their $11.50 a day for tips was charged to us daily.

Oh and one tip - if you think you will be drinking on board - it is sometimes worth it to purchase the beverage packages or soda packages. The amounts are listed on their website. Sit down and do a little math. Remember that any drinks other than water, milk and iced tea (in the Lido) - and juice in the mornings - will cost you extra. If you are sensible about it, it is manageable. For a family of 4, we went through 2 drink cars which gave us about 4 soft drinks a day. Otherwise we drank water.

You also have an opportunity to do a cash option however you must have that amount of cash available and ready to give to them. So if it is 2 adults at $600 for the cruise - you will potentially have to give them $1200 in cash when you check in at the port prior to boarding.

 

I asked about this on our last cruise because with 2 adults and 2 kids it was going to be a total hold of something like $2600 (which I didnt want against my card). I know that they kids were never going to spend $60 a day and that we likely wouldnt either. I was advices to do ours as cc and the kids as cash. We were never asked to produce the money for them as I guess they realize that young children were unlikely to charge anything.

 

You realistically dont have to have anything go against your card at all if you choose to settle your bill in cash. (BTW - for our 14 night cruise our total on board bill including excursions, a meal in the Pinnacle and a couple of soft drink packages plus tips and other odds and ends totaled about $1150 - which almost $650 of it was for the manditory tips - for the four of us. I paid $850 in cash and ultimately came home with only $300 on my cc). They really dont care as long as you can cover your charges.

 

Call HAL and talk to them about your options. There are a couple for sure.

[quote name='CowPrincess']Book the lowest category you'd be happy with. If that is a suite, then you better book a suite. Hoping for an upgrade is IMHO not a great strategy to get what you want.[/quote]

Agreed... talk to HAL about what you need (ie walk in shower vs tub) and they should be able to help you out.

My mom and dad book a HA room (my mom has mobility issues). THe floor generally stays dry. I believe there are non suite HA rooms (inside ones) that are big and have the large showers. If I recall, there was a seat within the shower that could be used with the hand shower.

I am not sure about HAL but I know on other lines if you book a HA room and are not in need of it, you can be moved to accommodate someone who requires it.

I know when we were on the Amsterdam there was no tub in our room (we were not in a suite), just a shower and we were not in a handicapped room. It is worth asking about the room if it is a shower vs tub that you require.

I believe it should be available under your reservation - purchase packages (indulgences?), etc. You should be able to find all the info there.

Thank you DeeBee - That is what I have been trying to say. I couldnt agree with you more (as our kids will be 5 and 9 on our next cruise) and we will be also eating in the Pinnacle.

Whenever we have sat down in the Pinnacle, the kids are given the same kids menu they are given in the regular dining room not the Pinnacle menu. We have shared our meals with them at times (our steak) but have never ordered steak or a main dish item from the Pinnacle menu. Our kids have had an appetizer from the menu but never a main (they dont eat that much). However the one time we were offered it was explained that it would be a smaller cut of steak that was too small for them to serve to the full paying diners. We chose not to in the end (the kids didnt want steak that night) but if we had, what they would have been served was not big enough for a regular portion anyhow.

 

So to quote someone else: We are NOT subsidizing the adults by having the kids eat free.

 

Oh and to add on other lines we have had kids eat free or at a much reduced rate too in their specialty restaurants, so this is not uncommon. Honestly it is a good move by HAL because if it means it gets my family in the door where they can get 4 adult meals purchased then that is 4 more they would have if they ban kids.

 

To play devils advocate, if you want to complain about this, why not complain about mariners of higher star levels getting the discounts too? Arent they subsidizing a fully paid meal too then? Because they do get discounts over a certain star level.