raks

We had one on our Veranda cabin on Koningsdam in May.....the first night I hunted around for about 10 minutes trying to work out how to turn it off, I finally gave up and grumbled that it would be on all night, of course once I stopped walking around trying to find how to turn it off and got into bed it turned itself off....duh moment.  Its a nice feature of the room, very handy.

We did a private excursion  in May from Marseille to Carrieres de lumineres with Provence Connection - 

http://www.provence-connection-tours.com/tour1.html.

It was a goose bump experience, loved it so much it was one of the highlights of our 6 week trip. We had a long port day so also made it to Pont du Gard, the popes palace in Avignon and several Van Gogh locations that still look remarkably the same today as they do in his paintings.

It was an amazing day!

The line for tickets was quite long, so if you go privately I strongly suggest you pre-purchase your tickets online as we went straight in with no waiting.

We were on the same cruise. With regards to Santorini, yes there were 4 ships in port, which is really not ok.

I don't know who makes the decision on how many ships are allowed in daily, but it ruins the experience somewhat, especially if you are unprepared.

We had a private tour picking us up at the top of the cable car at 8am, so my husband was 2nd in line for tender tickets early in the morning, which meant we were on the 1st tender and the 2nd cable car.  Our tour then went directly to Oia, which we enjoyed immensely with very small crowds, on our way out of Oia 30 minutes later the crowd was shoulder to shoulder flowing in.

We then spent the day driving around the island with many uncrowded stops, a wine tasting and a delightful lunch in a waterside local restaurant, chosen by our driver.

Our return to ship was via the steps. We arrived back in Fria at around 2.30, even though all aboard was 4.30, as we knew there would be a line for the cable car, however we never did see where the end of that line was, it snaked away around the laneways, so we decided to take the steps. Tempers were flaring with people in the line trying to stop us walking through to the steps as they thought we were jumping the queue!

I really enjoyed the walk down the steps, we were not in any hurry, so we took it very slowly and carefully, but I also heard someone had been hurt and our departure was delayed as their belongings were packed, we saw suitcases being offloaded onto a small boat shortly before we finally sailed away.

You can plan well for getting up the top early, or on a ship tour, but it seems everyone is dropped at the top to navigate their own way down. So if it is a busy day, plan for a long wait in the cable car line or a slow careful walk down the stairs (my pick).

It also helped that of the 4 ships in port that day, we were the first there, so we beat the crowds going up.

We did Alaska on the Millennium and it was amazing, Hubbard Glacier was jaw dropping. I cant compare it to Glacier Bay because I have not been there, we were also worried about not seeing Glacier Bay, but seeing Hubbard left us with no regrets.

One tip, We spent a couple of DYI pre- cruise nights in Anchorage & then Seward. In Seward we did a 6 hour day cruise out to the  Kenai Fjords, this was an incredible day of Glaciers up close calving almost right in front of us,  wildlife and incredible scenery, you can do this as a day trip via the train from Anchorage also. I highly recommend this day trip, you will see mother nature at her very best.

Looking forward to the rest of your review as we are doing the Greek Isles from Venice on the Constellation in May next year, I am also waiting to find out if the luggage turns up! :)

I booked our May 2019 Med Cruises in early November 2017, just after they were released, (and can I say when I booked that early I thought well if the price drops I will reprice them.....but the price has only gone up and up and up, so in my case it did not hurt to book early).

I just love your moose encounter story!!!

Thank you again, much appreciated.

Knowing that the Frecce trains arrive nearer to our next trains departure location probably seals the deal for me.

And I had already thought about the possibility of the 1st train being late..... always a roll of the dice, good to know that the Frecce trains are a bit more reliable at least :)

Therefore, if you take a Frecce train from Civitavecchia you will arrive to the main trackhead at Termini, close to your departure for Venice.

 

If you give me the specific trains you are looking at I can tell you the planned track for each but note that plans change due to track conditions and traffic. They won't change so much that a Civitavecchia regional will come in at the main trackhead nor that a Frecce would come in on the regional tracks (not possible anyway as they require different equipment).

 

When you arrive at Termini you'll see an arrival and departures board similar to one at any train station. All you need to know is the number of your train and the planned departure time to easily find it on the board.

Thank you! That is exactly the information I was looking for, it does seem that if easiest is my goal, the fast train from Civitavecchia will tick that box. And any additional costs will be saved by arriving into Venice by train as apposed to arriving at the airport and having to transfer from train station as opposed to the airport.

Doing a dummy booking (too early to book for our dates yet)

the regional train #12233 departs Civ 8:59am arrives Rome 10:18am

Frecciabianca train 8601 departs Civ at 9:16am arrives Rome 10:03

Both of those options link up with Frecciaross 9419 departing Rome 10.35am

I assume 30 minutes is enough time for transfer if using the fast train for both trips.

Regional trains to/from Civitavecchia use tracks 25 - 29 at Rome Termini, which are located three blocks from the main trackhead (about a third of a mile walking distance).

 

Frecce trains use the main trackhead, tracks 1 - 24.

 

You can see the layout on Termini's web site here: https://www.romatermini.com/it/map/

Is the walk from track 25-29 all inside the terminal, or do you actually have to go outside to do the walk?

I am planning on catching the train directly from Civitavecchia port to Venice post cruise.

I think I have a good handle on buying tickets, which trains etc thanks to this amazing resource referenced elsewhere on this forum http://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm and from reading through all the train related threads.

I know about the steps at Civitavecchia station and I think I know how to get to the station from the ship etc.

I know we can buy a regional ticket to Rome on the spot.

My other option is to buy the ticket in one go online inclusive of a fast train to Rome and then fast train to Venice. (I will pre purchase the ticket Rome to Venice online anyway)

The thing I need clarification on is,even after lots of research, the arrival platforms at Roma Termini from Civitavecchia

Option 1 If we catch the regional train to Rome I understand they come in a distance from where the Frecciarossa trains depart for Venice?

Can someone tell me roughly how far this is, how much time do I need to allow without rushing madly?

Is it well signposted, how will we know where to go as I believe the platform number for departure to Venice will not be on our pre purchased ticket?

If anyone has done this recently or has knowledge on platform information, or where I could find this, I would really appreciate it. ( I even tried to look at departure and arrival information online for Rome train station, but I could not make head nor tail of it.)

Option 2 If we catch the fast train from Civitavecchia eg a Frecciabianca, do these trains come in closer to where the Frecciarossa to Venice would leave from? (if this is the case I would be happy to pay a bit more and have less stress between train changes, keep things simple is my goal).

I guess you can tell I am an over planner, but I like to know all available information, it helps me stave off panic in an unknown situation, lol.

Any input appreciated, and if I have made some incorrect assumptions please feel free to correct me

Thank you

;)

Yes, you are correct, the price is per cabin (not per passenger).

 

Your plan sounds good to me. You will indeed be able to catch up. Laundry service usually stops the second last day of the cruise (ie last day to send out laundry is Thursday if your disembarkation is Saturday) to allow time for it all to get back to you and be packed, so you will end up with a few dirty clothes - but not many ;)

Thanks!

You have an amazing location for Australia Day! Your hotel has a roof top terrace & pool also with great views, I have stayed there a few times (not on Australia day) and I have stayed close by there for the big day.

On Australia Day a few years ago, we picked a spot on the waters edge and watched all of the activities on the Harbour, so much to see. Tall ships, ferry races, 21 gun salute, planes in formation overhead, tug boats dancing on the harbour, street performances and large crowds sporting Australian flag tattoos on their faces (removable ones, although from personal experience those suckers take a few days to come completely off, lol)

Here is a link for the 2018 Harbour Activities to give you an idea of events

A good high spot to check out is on top of the cruise terminal, a few minutes walk from your hotel.

As for food, we had pancakes shaped like Australia, sausage sandwiches and all sorts of food and all free at a few different spots in the Rocks and Circular Quay, not sure if this is still the case though.

Arriving on foot in the early morning should not be any problem at all but crowds will build as the day goes on.

You could also email your hotel and see if they have anything happening on their rooftop pool terrace at night for the fireworks, I know on New Years Eve they do, but I am not sure how "big" an event they are on Australia Day. In previous years they have had the fireworks at Darling Harbour, not on Sydney Harbour, last year they returned to Sydney Harbour, but I am not sure if they are on the scale of New Years Eve.

Your hotel is right in the middle of things, so you could go out and about, come back and have a rest and set off again if tiredness overcomes you, or you could have a swim and still keep your eye on whats happening on the Harbour.

Enjoy!!

Can I confirm, the unlimited price per day is per cabin, and not per passenger, is that correct?

We have a 10 night Med cruise booked on Koningsdam, but we will already have been travelling for 6 days prior and then we are boarding a 19 day cruise (Celebrity) the day after we disembark, so, I am thinking that with an unlimited per day package, we could catch up on the last 6 days washing when we get on-board and make sure everything is clean at the end of our cruise for the next part of our trip. Does this sound like a good plan, or is their something I am not taking into account?

Hello. Used them for 3 trips recently on our Crown Princess Med Cruise. Used them for "Florence in Full", "Sorento & Naples" and "Mt Etna/Taormina". Vans are modern, comfortable and have Air-Con. Drivers friendly & knowledgeable - communication good and commentary also very good. Itineraries good. Overall, very happy. Drivers were waiting at the Ports when we got there and very easy to find. Much rather use these guys than get ripped off by Princess.

Hi Over from NZ, could you give a little bit of detail about the Mt Etna part of the Mt Etna/Taormina of your tour, how long did you spend there, were you able to walk to the top of the crater etc? T I would love to hear a first hand account before I email them with a few other questions I have.

Many thanks.

Hotels in Europe often do not load availability on booking sites as far in advance as US hotels. I didn't hear anything about renovations when I was there, although it looked like they were working on reno'ing a room on my floor (saw workmen; did not hear any noise).

 

The email I have (from corresponding with them prior to my trip) is info@9hotelcesari.com

Thank you, that is the email I was using, I have now made contact with them through their Facebook page.

So many choices for an Alaska itinerary, I remember the struggle of deciding who to cruise with, what itinerary and ports to choose, what tours to do, what cabin to book, it was a constant obsession that lasted months.

In the end, having just spent 2 weeks in the Rockies we decided to skip Denali for timing reasons and so we flew to Anchorage, spent 2 nights there just soaking up the area and seeing the sites, then we spent 2 nights in Seward pre cruise and took an amazing day trip out on the Kenai Peninsular and saw, close up, masses of wildlife and glaciers calving right in front of us. Seward is a beautiful place also. We do not regret missing Denali but if you have the chance you really must spend some pre cruise time in Alaska. I am keeping Denali as a good reason to return!

We then cruised on the Millenium back to Vancouver. During the cruise our activites were amazing. We saw a salmon run, flew over glaciers in a float plane (seing the glaciers from above is a must) and did a day trip up the Klondike highway, (in a small group minivan tour not the train). We saw all of the main touristy must do places and a few not so touristy treasures.

Our itinerary took us to Hubbard glacier and it was absolutely jaw dropping! I will never forget that day.

We had a balcony cabin which we used a lot, especially mornings and evenings just watching the scenery float by.

We loved the Millie and would be happy to sail on her again, but the ship really was a very pleasent secondary to all of the ports and amazingness that is Alaska.

Whatever you choose, Alaska is incredible and you wont be dissapointed.

Book the cabin and cruise line that feels right for you and keep busy in the ports every chance you get and you will have a fabulous time no matter what!

I can certainly understand being upset if you did not get access to the lovely roof terrace area and had issues with your room.

 

I booked my room there well in advance and thought the rate was extremely good for the area and for the size of room I received.

 

A little surprised at your comment about the breakfast though -- I thought it was very typical of what I've come to expect for breakfast in Italian hotels, and plentiful. The bread and rolls were particularly good and fresh -- especially the ones with the pattern on top that looks like a soccer ball. I'd eat one of those, with butter and a slice of cheese and salami, and then have a fresh boiled egg.

 

The sweet pastries were likewise delicious. I became particularly fond of the cornetto (Italian version of the croissant) filled with a delicious orange marmalade and dusted with powdered sugar. Again, these were very fresh.

 

Italians don't tend to eat American style breakfasts with scrambled eggs, bacon, etc. The hotel has those available for an upcharge but I didn't try them as I was very satisfied with the included free breakfast. There was also some cereal/granola options, breakfast crisps and nutella, and fresh fruit.

 

Oh, and delicious cappucinos are also available free for the asking. I usually had two each morning to get me going. ;)

I have been trying to book this hotel for early May next year, I can only find it on 2 online booking sites for that time, their website prices are quoting over 6000 euro, and I have sent 3 emails with no response. Looks like they have not released prices past Dec 2018. I have seen a few comments about an upcoming renovation, perhaps that is why they have no prices released. Wondering if you heard anything about extensive rennos or have an email address for them so I can check the email address I have been using is correct?

I had to ad my upcoming cruises again, it doesnt have my captains club number and the only option available to me is to join again, no cruise history and it has my name wrong by combing my first, second and part of my 3rd name into one christian name. Sigh.

As another alternative to ship tour, we did a day trip with Frontier Excursions. We did the Yukon discovey tour, up and back on a small group mini van with lunch at the turn around point. It was an amazing drive, it followed the train line most of the way, went much further than the train and we had numerous breathtaking photo stops. It remains a standout memory of our trip. They also have the train options.

We were recently in a Balcony cabin, starboard, deck 11 forward of the forward lifts with no issues.

I was on the same cruise and I really liked the pantomime as well. Can still clearly picture the ugly stepsisters as well!

 

 

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Yes the ugly stepsisters were very entertaining, their antics caused a few cracks in the rest of the cast, but overall I don't know how they held it together as well as they did. Hilarious!

I am about to do a review on our New Years Eve cruise, I agree we really enjoyed the Love Riot show with dinner, although there were some people who walked out of the show which surprised me..I thought it was naughty, rude and silly in a very fun way. It was not erotic rude,it was funny rude if that makes sense. I went with an open mind and thought it was really great. There was some clever skills on display:D

The standout show was the Cinderella pantomime on the last night, we nearly didnt go, we thought it might be a bit stupid, but it was extremely funny and entertaining and well executed. The big surprise was the cruise entertainment director (argh can not remember her name) belting out a tune, she has a great voice.

Hi, please add the following for us.

2018

Feb 22 P&O Pacific Explorer - 4 Nights - Moreton Island

2019

May 21st Celebrity Constellation -10 Nights - Greek Islands

May 31st Celebrity Constellation - 9 Nights - Dalmatian Coast & Italy

June 15th Celebrity Edge - 7 Nights - Italy, France, Monaco & Spain

We have a New Year cruise on 30 Dec on P&O Pacific Explorer in a couple of weeks also, but I am too late to list this one.

Thanks!

I was told twice by celebrity there was no B2B discount.

Thought I would just keep asking until I got a yes answer, but then when I got my booking confirmation the first cruise had a small B2B discount and the second one didnt. So I rang them and asked about a discount on the second cruise and a lesser amount was applied.

I would also like to know how the discount is determined as it seems not even the consultants know.