Sharky61

Hi. Can you tell me about the drinks on us promotion. I am in Australia and haven't seen that advertised here. I am looking at a cruise from Dubai to Tokyo next year and was wondering if this promotion was available on this cruise. Thanks Grant

When I visited about two years ago your ferry fee gives you access to the resort kayaks as well as a voucher for food and drinks. The beaches are pretty basic. The beaches around Hideaway Island which has the underwater post office are a lot nicer. It is only 15 minutes out of town. There is a beach bar there as well which sells basic burgers etc and cold beverages. There are heaps of shuttle buses running from the port, basically every van in town turns into a taxi on cruise days :)

Thanks for all of the advice. I have come across a few offers that seem to fit the bill.

Hi;

Cabin 8111 was a fairly good cabin in a nice quiet area on the ship. The only negative would be that it's a fair way from the main restaurant's and buffet. Other than that no issues. It is on the port side of the ship and seemed to have a good outlook at all of the ports we were docked in. I would most probably look fr something more mid-ship next time

The cruise was great we had fantastic weather. I only put a light jacket on twice of an evening on the whole cruise. We really enjoyed the cruise. Santorini is a bit of a nightmare and gets very congested getting back to the ship. If you aren't able to walk down the donkey path allow yourself a few hours queuing for the chairlift. We had only 2 ships in port and people who couldn't walk queued for 2 hours.

All other ports were great, Kusadasi and Bodrum were my favourites.

Overall everything was fantastic.

If your interested in the drinks packages they are the way to go. Get your steward to empty the bar fridge, they put the contents in a bag under the bed. Then you can grab a few drinks unopened so you can have a quiet drink in your cabin should you wish.

Have a great trip.

It has become a fairly common practice for some of the major cruise lines, i.e Celebrity and Norwegian to name a couple, of offering free gratuities and drink packages etc. I have been researching MSC cruises and have noticed that these do not appear to be offered by the MSC cruise line. Am I correct or should I be more patient and see what transpires in the future. Just chasing an all inclusive deal with a good itinerary. Thanks.

I was just checking out what's on P& O which I have paid a deposit for and seriously they charge a fee for doing all these things? https://www.pocruises.com.au/experiences/at-sea/play/po-edge

I can't believe it. Like $44 to do a "Titanic Moment". $34 to do rock climbing which is free on RCI.

Isn't that the point of cruise ships, otherwise I might as well do a land holiday.

That's unbelievable, it makes what I thought would have been close to an all inclusive holiday very expensive :)

Thanks Bremenkat - hopefully it will be still running in mid October. Cheers Grant.

Hi Bremenkat;

You mentioned you did a ferry to Oia whilst on Santorini. I was under the impression from what I have read that the ferry didn't exist anymore or was a bit hit and miss. Can you fill me in on your ferry trip - travelling mid October 16. Cheers Grant

Mitsui, several years ago we did a cruise that stopped in Noumea and did a ship organised tour in a yellow tractor type train which traveled around the Noumea up to a scenic lookout for views over Noumea with champagne and snacks. it was an enjoyable 3 or so hour trip. A walk to the fish markets near the pier was also quiet enjoyable. Hope this helps.

Grab it - you'll never go back inside once you have had a balcony to watch the world pass by.

I've found youtube handy for video footage of both the ship and the ports it visits.

Thanks for the information Jill. I have received a voucher and we will be staying at the Premier Inn Dubai International Airport which is also in close proximity to the airport. I didn't receive any instructions other than catch the hotel bus and present the voucher. Our flight is departing at 9.10am the next morning. How much time do you suggest we allow to get back and clear immigration and reboard ?. I'm not sure about a visa I'll have to research it today. Thanks again.

Thanks for taking the time to answer a question we have been waiting for. Pity Celebrity couldn't have taken some time to do the same.

Thanks for all the advice - plan A - out. Plan B - a work in progress. It pays to ask :)

Thanks Wendy. Might be in for a rethink. Thanks for your advice.

Thanks 2specialkidsforme will have a look at those.

Sorry should have been more specific. We actually disembark on the Friday so we should be fresh by Saturday. We were looking at the trip to the castle just as a short trip to seen some of the country side around Rome with a little bit of history thrown in - thanks for you advice. Grant

We are in the process of planning a few days in Rome and are seeking some advice and thoughts on what we are thinking of doing:

This is the basic plan to date:

Day 1 - Saturday - 3 hour tour of the Vatican Museums etc and just wondering the city.

Day 2 - Sunday - High speed train to Florence and then utilizing the hop on hop off bus before returning to Rome late in the day.

Day 3 - Monday - quieter day with a 3 hour guided tour of the Colesseum & Palantine Hill and then spend the rest of the day wandering area the other great sites in this area - Trevi Fountain etc

Day 4 - Tuesday - Tour to Odeslcalchi Castle and Lake Bracciano,

Day 5 - Wednesday - Open to suggestions. We have to book out of or accommodation on this day so we planned to store our luggage at Termini Station before finding something to do until we catch the train to the airport around 5pm.

Open to some suggestions as we have not ventured to this part of the world before. We were thinking of using Dark Rome to book most of our tours as their reviews and pricing seems pretty good.

Any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Traveling in October.

Cheers Grant.:):):)

Just checked on an app on my phone - Jewel of the Seas - is enroute to Kusadasi as we speak. Just wish Celebrity would make some decision either way so I can better plan activities - just wait and see I suppose. Traveling in October 2016.

Katy;

I researched them and never found anything negative. I was going to use them from the airport until my flight changed. Will be using them from the port to Rome via the airport when I return in October. Grant

Hi; we have booked a bus which departs from the cruise terminal at 9.15am and goes via the airport into Rome dropping off at Termini Station at 11.00am. The cost is 20 euro's. It might be slightly longer than the train but would avoid lugging your suitcases. You can book through either SmartCruiseTours or the company CivitTours.

Thanks JillH. If you remember let me know how it works out. Happy travels.

Thanks for everyone's advise. After a bit of wrangling with Qantas they have given me a voucher for Dubai Connect - looking forward to a bit of a break between trips. Thanks again.

Thanks Sarah. I am busy trying to pysch myself up for the flight. :)

Thanks very much for that. It looks like the answer for us. :)