cruisemom42

Private companies depend on their reputation. If they got cruisers back late to the ship, it would decimate their business. If you stick to well-reviewed companies and do not go against what they recommend (e.g., requesting additional time at a site without cutting time somewhere else), you have every reason to believe that you'll make it back to the port on time. Cruise lines play on this fear of cruisers much more than is ethical, in my opinion. On the other hand, there are some people who are so nervous about the faint possibility that they wouldn't enjoy a private tour anyway, they'd be too worried. For those, it's probably best to stick to the ship tours.

NCL doesn't work for me. The ship-within-a-ship concept is the opposite of what I look for onboard a cruise ship. And the very active (one could say aggressive) dislike of dining with others is extremely offputting for this solo traveler.

Great news Lois!! 😊

Yessss, porchetta. Both in Umbria and Lazio an excellent choice. Chocolate is also a good choice -- when I was in Perugia a few years ago, they were having a huge local chocolate festival (sponsored by none other than local giant Perugina). Stand after stand down the main street of chocolate treats. Lots of them also with pistachios or hazelnuts.

Why oh why do I not have a place to get one of these??? Wouldn't it be great to wake up in the morning and stroll to your neighborhood bar (in the Italian sense), waiting patiently at a little table in the sun while someone does the hard work of assembling my bicerin?

I think you misunderstand me. I was talking about people asking for paxlovid "just in case". You are talking about asking about paxlovid "just in case". The latter implies a conversation and I'm all for that. But the former is a demand and you might be surprised (or not) at how often such demands are made of those with rights to prescribe....

This is not actually true. My trusty Merriam-Webster dictionary defines hoarding as "the practice of collecting or accumulating something (such as money or food)." We speak of animal hoarders -- people who keep large numbers of animals in their houses (often cats) due to some beneficial feeling they get from the act. Do you propose they are depriving others of stray cats for adoption? Or people who collect large amounts of "things" and have an inability to throw away what normal people would consider trash or junk.... One assumes they are not depriving others of rusty tools, bags of garbage, rotten food...?

It's good information, didn't mean to make it sound like it was not worth checking out. Often you're left with that little bit of time at the end of the day -- it would be nice to have something to do near the port.

But would we have to wear dress togas on certain evenings -- you know, the ones with the pretty purple stripe signifying our patrician status? Or purple allover if we are lucky enough to be part of the imperial family? I suppose those would probably be supplied for free for suite customers....🤣 More importantly, would we get to recline on couches while eating?

Actually this is not true. Thanks to info posted on this board earlier by @Mary229 I learned that the iHealth tests mailed out upon request CAN be used for this purposes. There is a way to go to the iHealth website and "buy" a time slot to have a proctor observe you taking the test, and if negative they will email you a "fit for travel" certification immediately on completion of the test. Link to purchase verification (test not included): https://ihealthlabs.com/products/ihealth-verified-covid-test-service. Note that you need one slot per person being tested. You have to purchase first and then you'll get an email with a link to set up an appt. YOU MUST HAVE A LAPTOP; cannot do it with a tablet or phone. I know it works because I just used it to return to the US from London following my Celebrity cruise two weeks ago. Now I do understand that at some point the US started mailing out different tests. But if you have the iHealth tests (the ones that look like the photo below) you CAN use them.

I'm a little confused by your posted details and would suggest that you get more specific information about the pickup point from HAL. What's confusing me is mention of the People Mover stop at Tronchetto -- that is NOT the same thing as the People Mover stop at Piazzale Roma. The people mover basically has 3 stops: Piazzale Roma (where most tourists get on) to the Marittima port stop (where cruisers get off) to the last stop, Tronchetto, which is basically a parking and transportation area. You can see the map here: My gut feeling is that HAL plans to pickup here, as it is largely a transportation hub anyway and probably easier to get buses into and out of than Piazzale Roma (although Piazzale Roma is also an option). There are hotels near Piazzale Roma (here is a helpful website: https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/17-hotels-near-cruise-ships.htm ) but there are not hotels that I know of near the Tronchetto stop. You could stay near Piazzale Roma and take the People Mover to Tronchetto or probably also you could get a taxi (regular, not water) to Tronchetto. Hotel Santa Chiara is popular with cruisers. Minus clarification from HAL, I imagine a large group of people waiting in vain at Piazzale Roma for this transportation. Please do get more details and -- if you find out -- post them.

There is a private water taxi stop at Marittima, so if your hotel can accommodate a water taxi, that's one option. Also there is an Alilaguna stop at the port but the additional stops are somewhat limited -- good if you are going to/from San Marco area though.

Cute hat! At TJ's I was looking for the chocolate Bamba snacks that are supposed to be new (and good!) and also was disappointed in their soup selection (may have been my fault for doing on a Saturday late afternoon when things were probably not fully stocked....). I am having my summer craving for gazpacho in all its varieties. One other thing I forgot to mention that was new to me is a basil-lemon bowtie pasta salad with some grated cheese. I got one to try and am going to have it tonight for a light dinner with a bit of leftover rotisserie chicken.

CDC only tracks ships with US port calls. Ships located in Europe or elsewhere for the summer season will not be included.

Happily there are no stairs in the main area of Termini station (although it's large, it's all on one level) or at the station in Ravenna. HOWEVER: There are no direct trains from Rome to Ravenna, so you will have to change trains somewhere. When I went (in 2019), I changed trains in Bologna Centrale station, and the two trains were on two different levels of the station, which is large. I know there were escalators and pretty sure there were lifts (although I did not look for them as I was only on an overnight trip). My point is that you should be sure to leave yourself a good cushion of time between your train connections so that you aren't rushing and have time to seek out the elevator and not have to hurry to board your onward train. Trenitalia tends to offer somewhat tight connections when booking online, as they assume you (like most travelers) are traveling light.

Not to mention: The fabulous Archaeological Museum (lots and lots of loot from the various Greek and Roman sites, including the famous "Alexander sarcophagus" -- not to mention Troy. Honorable mention to a piece of the (huge) chain that was used to block enemy ships from entering Constantinople (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/golden-horn-chain). The Great Palace Mosaics Museum -- the only place where you can see remains of one of the former Imperial palaces when Istanbul was Constantinople, the "New Rome". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Palace_Mosaic_Museum Chora Church Suleimaniye Mosque Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art (located in a fabulous Ottoman palace just off the hippodrome) Ancient city walls Bosphorus cruise ...and more

All kinds of questions about the countries are asked on these boards (e.g., tons of information about arrivals/departures by air, hotels, sightseeing) -- I'm not sure where it would be more appropriate than here?

It's not the first time I've seen this question on these boards -- and I read more than just the Celebrity one.

As someone who's been part of the medical (and pharmaceutical) community, I find it disturbing that so many people seem to have no issue with requesting "just in case" prescription products. Most products that are labeled for prescription use require that your doctor determine you actually have the disease/condition before prescribing the drug to treat or manage it. For paxlovid, the US FDA states that in order to qualify for a prescription, you must also have had a positive COVID-19 test result and be at high risk for developing severe COVID-19. Your doctor shouldn't prescribe it "just in case" -- only if you meet the criteria. We've gotten ourselves into quite the pickle already through our careless overuse of antibiotics. I can see far too many people thinking -- if they have paxlovid lying around -- that they should take it "pre-emptively" if they are exposed to COVID, which is specifically contra-indicated on the drug label. Regarding availability of paxlovid on cruise ships: New drugs or combinations of drugs (like paxlovid) don't exactly have a long history of safety, and have a long list of cautions and contra-indications. What's going to happen when a patient (who has COVID and is desperate to get paxlovid) "forgets" to mention to the onboard MD that they are taking a medication already that contra-indicates its use -- and then dies or develops serious health issues? The cruise line will be sued, that's what.... Finally, I find it a little odd that people will refuse a vaccine because it is "experimental" but will take an experimental drug with which there is far less history!

LOL, love it! The irresistible force must be obeyed. What hat did you get -- is it on their online site? Yeah, I made it to TJ's yesterday -- stocked up on some basics and some cheeses. I got a new salad (lemon chicken and arugula) to try because I love all things arugula. One other new thing on my list I couldn't find anywhere in the store. But I was jazzed that they brought back the jalapeno limeade; I do like that when it's hot and in a pinch makes a great cocktail base with some vodka!

Sherry, enjoy your cruise & rest up for your eventful summer! (Your DH is clearly no dummy.... 🤣)

I got a new mattress/box spring and then (like you) I returned it. Second round I got a Saatva mattress that gets raves, but I'm only somewhat satisfied with it. I wish I could've just duplicated my old set!! I wouldn't have replaced mine at all except that one of the springs had un-sprung and without exception I always seemed to manage to turn over onto it and have it poke me in the side!

Really a fabulous site. Even for those not as interested in the ancient world, the extent and construction is amazing. And when it was first rediscovered in the Renaissance, both Michelangelo and Raphael visited the site (having to be lowered down on ropes!) and were hugely influenced by the remaining frescoes. The buried pleasure palace loved by Michelangelo and Raphael | art | Agenda | Phaidon

We're expecting stormy weather here today -- it's as dark right now as it usually is around 6am! One fun thing at my new digs is that I get a more panoramic view of any weather around the area.... I have a furniture delivery tomorrow (new headboard), then I plan to run errands and maybe get to Trader Joe's (haven't been in a while) -- I need a few basic items for my pantry as I never fully restocked after the move. I agree with @slidergirl that their marinara sauce is worth keeping a couple of jars on hand, among many other things....

Seems like a question only you can answer. If the volcano is what you most want to see, isn't it worth the extra 2 hours? It wouldn't be for me -- but on the other hand if it was a Roman ruin that I wanted to see, the extra two hours would mean nothing to me.