cruisemom42

Yes, definitely true. But sometimes one is only interested in a certain part of the itinerary... so it is cheaper than buying the whole package all in, though not necessarily cheaper per diem.

I know people don't like to talk about it, but service may still be impacted by Covid onboard ships. I don't think servers are allowed to work if they test positive (and IMO they shouldn't be exposing others). If there is Covid going around on a ship, like there was on the November TA on Nieuw Statendam, then I imagine service can get stretched.

It's not an overly generous amount of time but it should be okay as you're on the Frecce train from Civitavecchia so you'll be arriving without the long walk to the main platforms (which occurs with the Regional trains from Civi). My question to you would be: what are you going to do in Civi until 11:25? Most ships kick you off around 9-9:30 at latest.

At what point do they start to sell segments?

Sounds great. I like those itineraries that go up the Atlantic side of Spain & Portugal to France. Bilbao has lovely architecture. If you pass by the Roman lighthouse in A Caruña say hello from me. 😁

Oooh, do tell! Love hearing what others are doing, especially in the Med. 😊

Getting older is not for the faint of heart. 😭😂 Good luck to you and to Les with your evaluations.

No worries, I was more or less just teasing anyway.... 😉

I'm a trivia/knowledge addict and always play trivia on cruises. Oceania does it pretty well. Unlike a lot of lines that just let you basically play with "pick up" teams, Oceania encourages set teams of up to 8. Daily games were the norm on both my cruises so far, but there is often a secondary "pub trivia" type game at some point during the day.

That's the one. It's one of the better produced online courses I've done. For Roman history second only to the wonderful Yale Online series on art & architecture of the Roman empire.

I do the same, more or less, with a few tweaks of my own. Have never used the ones from HAL.

Nah, I'm good. 😆 I just enjoy "dining", even if it's not always as "fine" as it once was. I try not to let the word "healthy" pass my lips when I'm traveling. At least, not when traveling for pleasure. Truthfully though, I've never really had a big problem with food not being hot. If that happened a lot, I might feel differently.

As you know, I'm not a Lido fan (or any buffet) but some of these specials sound ALMOST good enough to tempt me there. Although, looking at your menus for MDR it seems many (most?) of them are on offer there as well.

This is one of those things that is frequently advised here on the Italy ports of call forum, where your post was moved. IMO, not enough people take advantage of these forums on CC. The Italy one has a handful of dedicated people who have a lot of collective travel experience in Italy. I'm sure other forums do as well. Always book with the carrier. Italo and Trenitalia are the two train systems and both have high speed trains. Its always good to check both as sometimes there are special fares. As with many things, it's cheaper if you book in advance but you need to be sure of your time and routing as most times the tickets are not refundable or transferable to a different train/time.

See tag and link in post #18 above.

My experience isn't real? 😉

I probably took the same course as you. From Newcastle University? Chesters is magnificent. I also loved the dusty little onsite museum. Full of hidden treasures.... Also really enjoyed Vindolanda.

Yes (my experience on Nieuw Statendam Dec 2023 also), BUT at times some bars may not have both Coke Zero and Diet Coke, or so I found. I am happy with either so not a big deal...

Sorry, just evolving my thinking. Most people aren't as familiar with all the Roman sites so I didn't lead with it. Thanks for your thoughts. JB can vouch for my insane dedication to all things Roman. 🤷‍♀️

I went back to my (exhaustive) Roman UK notes. 😉 I have visited Portchester castle/Roman fort. I have also visited at least one other Roman fort on the so-called Saxon shore, at Dover (loved the Roman lighthouse there, one of the only ones still extant). Not to mention Caerleon and Caerwent and most of the forts along Hadrian's Wall and the villas already mentioned. And (*ducking further*), Chichester, Silchester, Cirencester, and St. Albans/Verulamium. While I would be happy to go back and visit just about any of these, the Isle of Wight would be completely new to me, including the Roman villa at Brading, so it's pretty high on my list. I wouldn't mind seeing Osborne as well. At this point I am thinking of a couple of alternatives to just staying in Southampton proper: -- Staying in Bath for 3-4 nights pre-cruise and leaving Isle of Wight for another visit. -- Staying somewhere like Lymington (recommended to me as a charming place near Southampton) for 3-4 days and using the link from there to IoW, although it looks like the landing place (Yarmouth) is far from where I'd want to be Roman Villas, Osborne House). @John Bull will the buses and/or train get me around in a day?

You can get a shared shuttle from your hotel to Civitavecchia, direct to your terminal for 80 to 90 euros for 2 people. The shared shuttles make 2-3 pickups in the same area so you're sharing a big mini-van essentially. It's sort of a middle route between the private transfer and taking the train. Even if it's 90 euro, then 90 + 50 = 140; a lot cheaper than 240!

They are listed as such on the Holland America website. Click on "Book a Cruise" and then select "Specialty Cruises"...

Unlike most places now, you can't count on it. I would plan to have cash just in case.

So I'm trying to understand -- if you take the 12-day trip, you don't get Rome? That would be a HUGE minus for me in terms of my recommendation. Also, these days in the Med, the earlier in the season you are, the fewer crowds. Many of the ports get unbelievably packed starting as early as May (including Dubrovnik and Santorini in particular....) Strictly considering the difference between Split and Ibiza, I'd take Split every day but then I'm not a big fan of 24-hour clubs, loud parties and not even beaches, really....

There's a sign for taxis with a queue. Difficult to miss. The scammers don't get in the queue. Most taxis (but not all) are white. There are various models, smaller and larger. But all should have the panel on the front passenger door identifying them, like the one pictured: