cruisemom42

And as a further note: For those of us in the US, the N95 or KN95 is the equivalent of the FP2 and is acceptable.

There's actually a lot of rigor, engineering and complexity underlying Gaudi's work. One of the houses he designed in Barcelona that's open to the public has a museum in its attic area that has fascinating models (built by Gaudi) showing the underpinnings of his architecture. His structures were designed to stand on their own without internal bracing, external buttressing, and the like—or, as Gaudí observed, as a tree stands. While the exterior often has a somewhat fantastical look, it's based on traditional Catalan styles (e.g., Moorish, Gothic) seen through the lens of Art Nouveau of the time. I found the models mesmerizing and definitely came away with a better understanding of exactly how unique his work is.

Can't help with a guide, but Achilleion Palace is closed right now for restoration; no date for reopening is given on the website: HOME - Αχίλλειο Ανάκτορο (achillion-corfu.gr)

I picked one of those up just the other day.... 😁

That reminds me of something I saw on one of my visits to Egypt. I had booked a private guide to take me to some off-the-beaten track places. One place I wanted to see in particular is the "City of the Dead" in Cairo (The City of the Dead: Cairo’s Historic Necropolis — CSA Reviving Community (csa-living.org) that is filled with ornate tombs from Ottoman days but are currently utilized as housing by some of the poorest denizens of Cairo. I found it somewhat incongruous (but amusing) that these mausoleums all had satellite dishes...

"Authentic" can be a highly subjective word, though. Is it realistic to expect that a cruise on a large modern ship with thousands of passengers (unless you are going on an expedition vessel) will provide a lot of authenticity? The other thought that springs to mind is that while we are all guilty of thinking (and saying) that things were better in the past, we also have to remember that nowawdays going up the Amazon comes without risk of developing typhoid or yellow fever, and one travels in comfort with A/C, good food, comfortable bed-- no camping in the rough. And no worrying about headhunters. 😱

How true this is. People seem to willfully misunderstand things in an effort to offer their own pithy comments. As I've already stated several times, I responded initially on this topic when it was NOT posted on the NCL forum; I am not currently an NCL cruiser and am not looking to be one because several aspects of NCL just don't work for me. Since the thread was moved here, it is what it is, but my original intention was merely to answer the ACTUAL question posed by the OP which was "do I think NCL is getting almost everything right?" Not trying to proselytize for my POV or change anyone's mind. I'm a seasoned traveler and cruiser for a long time and know what works for me. It's available on other lines. I enjoy talking with others wherever I travel and enjoy hearing others' travel stories or even meeting locals when I travel on land. What I've suggested would cost NCL nothing to implement and would take nothing away from those who want to dine alone, and yet I keep getting vociferously challenged. That alone would seem to provide pretty conclusive support for my original statement about "the very active (one could say aggressive) dislike of dining with others" on this line. I don't intend to defend my comments further here, but just wanted to pose one last thought. Why should solos only be seated with other solos in some strange continuation of "the kids' table"? If you were to substitute any ethnic group, gendered group, etc. for "solos table" it would be considered borderline discriminatory. I've been single, married, divorced, a parent, a student, a worker -- Is what I have to say not of interest to anyone other than another solo? The whole idea of it is sort of bizarro-world to me.... Wouldn't true "Freestyle" cruising be freestyle for everyone? Not just a different code set in stone?

Subjective comments are one thing. But information can be factual as well, as in: the orange juice is not fresh squeezed, the eggs are not real, fresh eggs and the buckwheat pancakes aren't made of buckwheat. I for one am not willing to accept lowest-common denominator food. As I said above, if no one says anything then the powers-that-be assume no one notices (or cares).

Agree. At what level is it "okay" to complain? If no one says anything, they assume we don't notice the cheaper substitutions and shortcuts. I can envision a few years down the road we'll be getting thread titles like "The meat is not really meat!" 😲😲

With exception of a couple of items listed, it seems that a lot of the lack of enjoyment has more to do with the crowds than with the bucket list item itself. I can't really say I've had a "disappointing" experience, but I do recall my own "aha" moment at how pervasive global tourism has become. For years, I'd dreamed of visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I always had this vision of it being the jungle, the temples, myself and a few other intrepid travelers. Imagine my surprise when, on the first evening I arrived, I went out to Angkor Wat in a tuk-tuk to take the iconic photo with sunset and the lake in front....and there were hundreds of others doing exactly the same thing. 😲😣 Somehow we have to come to terms with the ever-increasing crowds of tourists. Venice is trying to do it -- remains to be seen how successful they'll be. Attempts to control crowding by limiting access or charging additional fees is often met with cries of elitism. A lot of us can look back and say "Yes, it was so much better when I first visited it," but to me that doesn't mean that I wouldn't recommend it to others. One just has to be prepared. If avoiding crowds is important, look at traveling off-season. I try to visit Rome every year (COVID excepted) in the November-December time period. Trust me, the Vatican is still crowded but it is not a wall-to-wall death march.

I still don't think you get what I'm asking for. All mass market lines now have freestyle dining, if you're not aware of it. But they actually offer more CHOICE because "if" you should want fixed dining you can get it. If you want freestyle you can get it also. If you want to dine solely with your own group, you can do it. If you would like to share with others on any given night (not for the duration), you can. Much more "choice" than the vaunted freestyle of NCL.... I do not want fixed seating with the same group for the duration. I want what other lines offer -- the chance to share a table with others who have freestyle or anytime dining, have just been seated in the dining room, and have indicated that they would be happy to sit at a shared table. I don't want to impose myself on anyone who wants to sit alone, but if there are others willing to share, why couldn't the person seating groups at the door manage this? I assure you, it happens on other lines, and in 50 years of cruising (I started as a kid) I've only once had an unpleasant experience.

LOVE that you are enjoying Rome! You look cool and relaxed. I hope your adventures will stretch to some gelato as well. 😉

I haven't done the night tour, but I have to question how well you can see all the details of the place at night? It's a huge structure with a lot of nooks and crannies -- not sure how well they can light them all. Does the tour go down to the lower level?

The very best gnocchi in gorgonzola that I ever had was in a no-name pizzeria in Assisi. The gnocchi were so light and fluffy that I swear they could've floated out of the bowl.

Hibachi grill restaurants Lunch counters City restaurants with limited seating Farm-to-table restaurants and others that promote family-style dining (I can think of two near me, one of whom is run by an executive chef that won Top Chef Even fancy-schmancy restaurants like Momofuku (NY) and The Publican (Chicago, pictured below) It also is pretty common in Europe. One of my favorite eateries in Florence offers a variety of tables, some of them shared.

I have to say that most articles of this kind are not very informative, but this one is actually pretty good and echoes a lot of the advice I read regularly on the European ports of call boards here. People seem paralyzed to just do things on their own. On a separate but related topic, I also feel that the quality of descriptive information given by cruise lines about their own tours is sadly lacking. I generally don't read very many of these tour descriptions, but due to COVID (and the fear that I'd be limited to ship excursions) I did study them carefully on my recent cruise from Southampton along the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Portugal. The descriptions given were abysmal. Years ago you could count on the lingo being pretty consistent. You knew you'd really see the inside of somewhere when it said "inside visit" or that a "photo stop" meant no inside visit. But now these phrases seem to be rarely used and no timings of visits are given. It's all given over to flowery language that tells you next to nothing about what to expect. And I don't know how anyone could really tell how strenuous one of these tours are -- there is almost no practical information such as "must be able to climb at least 100 stairs" or "plan to wear footwear suited to rough, rocky terrain" or anything like that.

Oooh, I love truffles. They are almost like catnip to me. I truly think the best way to eat them is on top of perfectly cooked eggs, but they also pair really well with some pasta. At some restaurants in Italy they price dishes with truffles for an extra charge. I did that once at one of my favorite restaurants in Rome, and the amount of truffles on top was almost obscene. In Italy they eat with the seasons, and one reason why I always like to go in the late fall is TRUFFLES. And also cinghiale (wild boar). Nothing beats a good ragu of cinghiale...

Yes, as of May 1. This is the exact wording: Beginning on May 1 and valid until June 15, 2022, travelers from the United States may enter Italy if they are asymptomatic AND present one of the following: An Anti-COVID 19 vaccination certificate for an European Medicines Agency (EMA)-recognized vaccine. At present, EMA recognizes the following vaccines: Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax. The date of the last dose of the primary vaccination series must be at least 14 days prior to travel and no more than 270 days before arrival unless a booster shot was administered. Travelers vaccinated in the United States can prove this via the “white card” bearing the CDC logo. A medical certificate confirming recovery from COVID valid for six months form recovery. A negative molecular PCR test result carried out within 72 hours of arrival or a rapid antigen test result carried out within 48 hours of arrival

I hate to sound negative, but Civitavecchia doesn't have much going for it. Let's just say it's one of the least charming places I've visited in Italy.... Don't trust TripAdisor here. Mostly one-time only eaters/tourists rating the places. Michelin mentions only one restaurant in Civitavecchia, this one: Forma restaurant, Civitavecchia - Restaurant menu and reviews (restaurantguru.com)

His segment where he went out with the truffle hunter and his dog reminded me of this recent documentary -- I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it. It's very Italian in nature -- a bit eccentric and off-the-wall but entertaining and a real slice-of-life. Watch Truffle Hunters, The | Prime Video (amazon.com)

It's no small thing to appreciate good food when you've got the chance. 😉 If you have a chance to eat at one of the authentic pizzerias in Naples, you won't regret it. The true neapolitan pizza tends to be on the wet side -- I've sat in pizzerias and watched the local crowd eat from the center using fork and knife and then pick up the crust with the remaining few bites. The local, fresh top-notch ingredients give the pizza so much flavor! In Rome the wood-fired pizzas tend to have a thinner and crispier crust. In Sorrento, f you like gnocchi, look for the gnocchi Sorrentina -- it has a light, fresh tomato sauce. The problem of sitting down to a nice lunch on a day tour is that there is not such as thing as a "quick lunch" -- Italians take their time dining, especially in a sit-down restaurant. That means you'll have less time to sightsee. Priorities, priorities.... Where is the "port" that you'll be in prior to departure? Rome? Naples?

I don't recall hearing about them here -- perhaps check TripAdvisor for reviews?

Believe it or not, most other lines actually have more freedom of choice than NCL in this regard. They all offer an "anytime" dining option now, so there is absolutely no need to have a fixed seating unless you prefer it. But somehow other lines also manage to ask diners if they would enjoy sharing a table with others in the Anytime dining area. Thus it is easy for solos or those who would enjoy conversing with others can "opt in" -- but there is absolutely no compulsion to do so. As a solo traveler I do not mind the occasional dinner with my Kindle, but I tend to take longer cruises and really do not want to dine only in my own company for let's say 14 nights... My point in responding to this thread was not to start another discussion on this topic. If I'd known the topic was going to be moved here I would never have responded. Only intended to give my honest opinion about why NCL is not the best line for me and why I don't agree with the OP's premise. The line obviously suits many and that's great. What they do, they obviously do well. Just not for me.

You are right about being careful, but it is a bit more complicated in this case as the OP is headed to Fiumicino and not into Rome. Those headed into Rome are advised to get the official taxi (typically but not always a white car with red signage) BECAUSE the Fiumicino taxis do not honor the "fixed rate" into the city. However, since the OP is headed to Fiumicino, I'm not sure that the distinction makes any difference. Here is a more detailed explanation of the taxi service at FCO for arrivals: Fiumicino Airport to Rome: How to Get from FCO to the City Center - An American in Rome Edited to add: You do want to be careful to avoid any unregulated taxi or transportation. Do not respond to anyone that might approach you about a ride inside the terminal. You should also get a taxi from the official taxi rank just outside arrivals.

I haven't done this as a tour, but it's very easy to do on your own from Athens (which I did). The ancient mysteries are a topic I find fascinating (as an armchair historian with a major interest in archaeology). I found the site very evocative, but part of that was because I was there with only one other person and it was easy to let my imagination come to life. If your spouse is interested and knows something of the mystery religions and what took place at the site (where even Roman emperors were delighted to be initiated), then I would suggest you do it. The museum on site is not large but it is also very interesting. If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer them.