LoriLoriLori

Thanks to you both. This is good news!

I've cruised twice -- Enchantment and Vision. Loved these ships, especially Vision since we were in Europe. Thinking about Mediterranean 2024 on Oasis. Worried about getting off the ship in a timely manner at ports, and long waits. If you've been on this class of ship can you advise? Thanks so much.

WAS $4,385 USD* STARTING FROM $1,849 USD* AVG. PER PERSON All the way through booking it states inside stateroom is $1,849 USD yet at the end it's giving me the 4,000 dollar price. What am I doing wrong? I did not elect to pay gratuities, any extras, or any upgrade at the time of booking. Thanks.

Thank you for all of the replies. This is neat that they told you the specific restaurant in the excursion details, or did you find out the day of the excursion? The restaurant name is not listed in the details but perhaps it will later, and it does not matter really. I am sure these excursions will be fine, and we will go with it and enjoy. I think my motivation is to stay at the place as long as possible before heading back and I'm not sure these ship excursions do that.

Thank you. I have been researching these trains like crazy and trying to get a lay of the land in Rome. We are trying to see three major things on our port day which is 8am -8pm. I'm trying to plan it out to most efficiently use our time. I have about 90 more days so hopefully I'll get it figured out by then, lol.

On our upcoming we are doing two cruise sponsored excursions and with the other two ports we are going out on our own. We have only been on one cruise prior and it was to the Bahamas and we did our own thing. This time we are cruising to Italy and France. One of our port days is in Carrara, Italy. There are not many opportunities to go out on you own so to speak in this port. There are no fast or easy trains or public transit to Florence, nor are there independent tour operators. Carrara appears to be an industrial port. On this day we booked the excursion to Accademia Gallery. Another port is Toulon, France and we booked and excursion to Aix. I would like to travel to Aix on our own, however public transit from Toulon to Aix is non-existent, and that's okay. It's all well and good and that's how it goes. I would still like to read reviews. (I imagine they might be buried in specific cruise reviews.) If I can't read reviews, I have some questions: 1. I've read that a lot of time can be wasted waiting for passengers to board coach busses and such. I don't know if this is true. What is your experience with time management? Did you get to see a lot and was it enjoyable? I know these things will vary. 2. What is your general opinion of cruise sponsored excursions? If you avoid them altogether, or love them, I'd like to know your thoughts. 3. If a restaurant meal is planned as part of the excursion what types of places to you go? I imagine large places that cater to cruise passengers? 4. How is it run? Do all passengers stay together? How many people are generally on a tour? Thanks for any comments or where you have found reviews.

Excellent -- maybe we will get lucky and will be berthed at the south end. 🙂 Thank you euro cruiser. You answered another one of my train questions. It's a bit overwhelming but I think I'm getting a handle on it. 🙂

Thank you for this, it's very helpful. Fortunately we are not carrying luggage - it's a port day.

https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/port-civitavecchia-guide-cruise-passengers I also found this helpful guide. It answered some of my questions. Thank you. Any tips appreciated.

1. If we are sailing on Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas, do you know how long it takes to walk from ship to train station? I think I read there are free shuttle busses. Perhaps the shuttle bus would get us closer to the train station faster? Where does the shuttle bus go specifically? 2. Are there different locations for the Civitavecchia Express versus the regular or regional trains? I found this -- https://www.civitavecchiaport.org/port-mobility-shuttle-buses/ Thank you.

Did Royal Caribbean's website undergo a recent redesign? I did make my final payment yesterday, so maybe that is why everything looks different? Maybe? Anyway, I can't find the calendar where it lists port days and times in port. It's not on the app either. Do you know where I can find this information? I liked the old calendar where I could view arrival to port, and departure. Thank you.

Hello, On the day our ship is in port at Toulon we have booked and excursion through the cruise line to travel to Aix. The excursion includes a walking tour with free time. Total duration of the excursion is 6 hours. The bus ride one way is 1 1/4 hours, so we would have about three hours in Aix. Do you know if there are taxis or city busses that we could take to Aix on our own? I would like to make the most of the day. Currently my husband is interested in just leaving it as is. I want to maximize our time. Thanks for any advice.

Thank you.

I've purchased an excursion through Royal Carribbean that has a duration time of 6 hours. There is a bus ride that is 1 1/4 hours each way. Is the bus ride factored into the total duration time?

Thank you. I am hoping they do away with it.

On my excursion, it doesn't say if we are on a bus or train. I am only assuming my excursion is by motorcoach. On other excursions (Rome for instance) it does. I looked at the port and it seems that it's a docked port.

This is a good question, Re: Is Carrara a tender port? I don't know. I know that Villefranche (Nice) is a tendered port, but I can't remember where I saw it, or found it on my cruise planner.

Thanks for this. It makes sense. We will test in Spain. We are disembarking in Spain and going straight to the airport. We will schedule a test in the airport that morning. Debarking at 0700. Flight departs at 1315. Hope we can do it in this time frame with results. I'm wondering if proctored test is more practical.

In Barcelona, if you use the proctored test to fly back to the USA, will you do this test on the ship the morning of your departure, or somewhere else? Will you need a printer, or will they take the negative test results from your phone? We are disembarking and going straight to the airport in Barcelona. We were going to test at the Barcelona airport but perhaps the proctored test easier.

On our Air Canada return flight Barcelona to Montreal (3.5 hour layover) to USA, at what point do I test? I am assuming I would test in Barcelona. I am assuming since my final destination is US, Air Canada will want negative test upon boarding in Spain. Canada does not require negative test to enter country. I would ideally like to test in Canada instead of Spain, but not sure if that's possible.

Thank you for sharing. Good tips to get travel insurance.

Our ship ports in Carrara, Italy to access Florence. Have you visited this port? Do you know if there are taxis or third-party tour operators at this port? I see that there is a train. It appears to be just as long of journey as the cruise excursion bus ride. I've booked an excursion through the cruise line to visit the Accademia Gallery. I'm wondering if perhaps there is a faster, or less inexpensive way, to get to Florence. I want to get the most of our time there. After our museum visit, we get 45 minutes to "explore" Florence. Thanks for any info.

Our cruise is this September so I cannot say if there are taxis at the port. I will report back. When is your cruise? We booked an excursion through the cruise line to go to the Accademia Gallery. We have not been to Florence. We want to see it, but I think we might be spending a LOT of time on a charter bus. 🙂

My sentiments exactly! Enjoy!

Hopefully this requirement will be lifted this summer. Regardless, I'm aware of the ramifications. I expect all to go well. I am vaccinated plus boosted, plus I had Covid with the Delta outbreak, and likely had Omicron during its peak (symptoms never tested). I am optimistic and excited to travel abroad. If I get "stuck" and can't enter the US hopefully my health will be intact while I recover in Canada or Spain. I answered my own question that I should test in Spain before I travel to a layover in Canada destined for US. While Canada does not require a negative test to enter, I am assuming the airline will ask for the test in Spain because of my final destination is in the United States?