jasardeax

3 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

I think you meant un-dentured servant… 

Only if you’re playing 
Dragon Quest. 

10 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Put your choppers out at night with your shoes. They come back next morning all polished.😳

Yes, they will be cleaned and polished by your indentured 

servant, and returned better than ever. 

I had thought that Viking was

using Chioggia for their Venice

area departures. 

Had there been a change?

One question……..

Why would anyone care how much, or who little anyone chooses to tip?

12 hours ago, friendlyfifer said:. Lastly, I don’t mean to be offensive to the whole nation but, could some Americans please turn down the volume and speak more quietly when around other passengers?

No, just as some

Non-Americans won’t turn down the volume and speak more quietly when around other

passengers. 

On 7/12/2023 at 9:09 AM, cruisinclined said:

 

We have an hotel stay in Chioggia and recommendations for evening dining would also be helpful.

 

 

We spent 2 lovely nights in Chioggia in May. 
Had a great dinner at

El Gato

5 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

Is about the sum of it, yes. But pearls are only suitable for formal. 

At half time Argentina have yet to score, ref has spoken to their Captain and they have a yellow card. What a shame. 

 

 

 

 

Are you watching the match that was played on Saturday?

In India our guide and several travelers used PERENTEROL

They said it was very effective. 

We purchased some, but fortunately, didn’t need to use it. 

18 hours ago, Rudi-Cruiser said:

I got to get her to some grass as soon as I can. 

 

There will be no problem getting very good grass In Amsterdam. 

20 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Tommy gear looks great. Assuming one has learned to operate the shower.🍹

Best post of the year, so far. 

16 hours ago, SuziQ1 said:

Hi y'all.  We are booked on the Italy Intensive this October.  We are planning on arriving in Florence and staying 4 nites, then rail to Venice for 3 nites before boarding ship  After cruise we plan to stay in Rome 4 nites.  We desperately need help in finding hotels.  The hotels our TA suggested are all running $1000 per nite and up.  Is this normal? (but then again these arent normal times).  Usually stay Marriott executive suite or similar for no where near this price. Want something near center of things but hate to think this is the expected rate.  Any help is appreciated!  Thanks

 

There are many very nice places to stay in the cities you are planning to stay at much cheaper prices. 
There are lots of place to peruse on the popular travel websites. These are our recommendations;

Florence:

Corte de Sogni Hotel

Great location, great staff, very nice breakfast, elegant rooms 
About $1300 Total for 4 nights in October

Venice

Hotel Aquarius Venice

Part of the Ascend Hotel Collection 

About $1000 Total for 3 nights

Great Venice location. Well maintained property with nice bathrooms. 
 

If you are going to Venice, stay in Venice. Venice is truly magical at night. Don’t be tempted to stay in Mestre. 

Rome

Hotel Artemide

Great location, large rooms,

attentive staff 

Anout $1700 Total for 4 nights

I think that Azamara will change 

all departures to Chioggia, where we embarked on 4/22/23. 

Embark this afternoon. 
We had dinner at the

Ristorante Alberto Capo

in our last and final night in Chioggia. 
Pleasant, but very dated decor and interior. Staff was friendly and helpful. 
We had 

Spider Crab

Pasta with Sea Scallops and radicchio 

Huge prawns with a balsamic glaze

Fresh grilled squid

Oysters

and very good tiramisu for dessert. 
Also a nice, inexpensive bottle

of Pinot Grigio

Everything was very good, especially the spider crab. 
The bill was 86 Euro

The service was friendly and

efficient. 
 

9 hours ago, wjfan417 said:

What company did you use for a transfer from Padua to Chioggia and what was the cost? We’re doing the opposite when we disembark in Chioggia in July. I was planning to book the Azamara transfer to central Venice and then take the train, but the car would probably be easier.

The hotel we stayed at in Padua made the arrangements for the transfer to Chioggia, so I don’t really know the name of the company. 
We stayed at the Majestic Toscanelli hotel in Padua. 
Perhaps, your accommodation in Padua could make arrangements with a transfer company to pick you up in

Chioggia. The cost was 120 Euro for the two of us. The van could have easily transported at least 4 people with luggage. 
We loved our time in Padua. 
Hope you have a great cruise and trip. 

1 minute ago, maggie777 said:

Thank you for all the info about your stay in Chioggia. We will be there in Oct and are very much looking forward to new frontiers. Have a wonderful cruise.

Maggie 777

Thank you for your kind reply. 

Wishing you and yours a great journey too. 

In Chioggia,

Dinner last night at El Gato. 
It was about a 3 minute walk from our accommodation. 
It is right on the mail street, the Corso del Popolo. 
Very nice interior, a bit on the modern side. 
We were greeted by a friendly host and seated immediately. 
Very nice, reasonably priced, wine list presented on a tablet computer. The Veneto and many regions of Italy were represented on the list. 
We settled on a Soave Classic from the Veneto. 
We had scallops in the shell, oysters, and spider crab as

appetizers. All were good, with the sweet scallops being the star. 
For entrees we chose sea bass baked in parchment paper and a mixed grill of seafood. 
The sea bass was flaky, tasty, and tender. The mixed grill consisted of shrimp, king prawns, sardines, squid, and several varieties of small filet Ed fish. All were fresh and tasty, especially the king prawns. 
We also had some mixed vegetables in soar as a side that were good. 
We both had a cafe, but skipped dessert. 
The bill was about 120 Euro total with a bottle of excellent wine. 
Dinner at 8 tonight on our last night in Chioggia. We sail tomorrow. 

1 minute ago, maggie777 said:

What hotel did you book? Any restaurant reviews would be appreciated. How did you travel to Chioggia?

We are at the

Dimora Fattorina Design House. 
It’s right in the center on a little street close to the Via del Corso

Beautiful place, great hostess, very quiet, lots of space, and public area. 
I will comment on restaurants after dinner tonight and tomorrow. 
We traveled from Padua, where we had stayed for the last few nights. We had the hotel arrange transport. About an hours drive from Padua. Great driver. 

We are currently in Chioggia 

precruise for 2 nights before our

4/22 cruise. 
Just arrived this afternoon, went for a long walk around the canals. Lots of ristorantes, caffès, bars, gelato places, etc. 
There are several historic sites, churches, etc. we plan on visiting tomorrow. 
The vibe on the canal  side streets and bridges is of a “Little Venice”, without the crowds. 
We have, what we hope are, great recommendations for dinner for both nights. 
I will only be here to cruise embarkation on Saturday, but I would be happy to try to answer any questions anyone may have about Chioggia. 

Thank you Chief. 
With your background of 

previously being an officer in charge of ADA compliance, you have been a great source of reasoned and accurate information on this subject. 
Your comments have been greatly appreciated. 

The Chioggia Official Tourist Office email is;

ufficio.iat@chioggia.org 

They have been very prompt to reply, in English, to two email 

inquiries we have sent them. 

The Cruise Terminal

is at the Isola Saloni. 

5 hours ago, Lisaten said:

We are also staying at the Grande Italia May 5, but I haven't looked into transportation to the ship yet the following day.  I assume the hotel will help us. I don't think I'd feel comfortable walking up to the ship with luggage.  The airport to hotel is still undecided for us as well. I'm not into taking a city bus. I don't know why choice air won't provide transfers the day before.

 

Onward actually arrives at 1pm on May 5 we'll have an opportunity to check out its location as we approach the island. Also, it looks like there is a water taxi outside the door of the hotel, so maybe we can water it over to the ship. Anybody know about that?

We have been checking out several accommodations in Chioggia for a pre-Cruise night before our upcoming cruise. 
The Grande Italia looks charming. It is located very near the ferry/water taxi dock. 
Two of the accommodations we have inquired about in Chioggia are very close to your hotel. They both have told us that the Cruise Terminal is only a 5 to 7 minute taxi ride away, and it would be no problem to arrange a taxi. 
We will be coming to Chioggia from Padua. Still deciding on accommodations

11 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

I believe 'Go Bama!' to be a suitable response? 

 

No, the only suitable

response is;

             ROLL TIDE!

Germany transportation strikes. 
From PBS;

 “Munich Airport, the country's second-busiest, said that ver.di is hitting it with two days of strikes and it will have no regular passenger or cargo flights on either Sunday or Monday.

Ver.di is engaged in a series of pay negotiations, notably for employees of Germany's federal and municipal governments. In that case, it is seeking a 10.5 percent pay raise. Employers have offered a total of 5 percent in two stages plus one-time payments of 2,500 euros ($2,700).

It already has staged a series of one-day walkouts at individual airports and in public services, including local transit.

EVG is seeking a raise of 12 percent. Deutsche Bahn also has offered a two-stage raise totaling 5 percent plus one-time payments.

Germany's annual inflation rate in February was 8.7 percent.”

Both sides appear to be very far apart. Let’s hope there aren’t prolonged strikes into the summer 

Our only check in experience with Azamara was our Islands of the Mediterranean back in

October 2022. 
We DID NOT do online check-in at all. We departed from Civitavecchia, and arrived ship side at about 2PM. We were on the ship by 2:30 PM, did the small group muster drill, and were in our cabin by 2:45 PM. 
Our luggage arrived 15 minutes later. 
Overall, an efficient and easy experience. Hope it works as well on our upcoming April cruise.