Dreamer68

1 hour ago, CCJack said:

Our tour was in 2018 and Chris (owner) handled the emails with us and he found us a guide who was willing to work on xmas day.   Their current website shows the same owner and also has a photo of their tourguides and our tour guide is in the photo, so she is still associated with the company.   

 

It was a great tour given most all businesses were closed on xmas day.   Ours was a 1/2 day walking tour of Valletta and Mdina (with a short van ride between the two).   Our specific tour I don't see listed on their current website but they could change the tour names from time to time.

 

I think the fact they are in business in 2018 and still in business now is a good sign.  Not sure why you are not seeing a lot of reviews, maybe they don't go through viator, etc.  

 

Malta is very interesting.. enjoy your trip.

 

 

Thanks a million for this, @CCJack! I've sent a WhatsApp message and "Chris" responded immediately. I do my best to check reviews before booking. Something we did not have pre-Google days. LOL!  Malta looks AMAZING and I'm guessing this first taste will have me wanting to return for more.

On 2/3/2024 at 4:55 PM, CCJack said:

We went with   https://www.touringmalta.com/   and were very pleased.   Note we were there for one port stop day on Christmas day a few years ago.   So finding a tour guide was difficult.   The primary tour guides from this company were unavailable on Xmas but they were very helpful and finding a guide for us and just ran it through their company even though it wasn't one of their regular guides.   It was a great tour. 

 

@CCJack, we are thinking about booking a half-day tour (Blue Grotto + Mdina) with this company because of your suggestion. I'm looking for some reviews on them but unable to find any. I'm guessing because their name is so generic the search term has gotten me everywhere but specific reviews for them. Would you say more about what tour you took and what it included? Thanks lots!! We'll be in Malta in about 4 weeks' time. Really excited!

15 minutes ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

If you want to go to the Blue Grotto I echo Zana711 about not using public transport. (We got the public bus which broke down half way there leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere. We had to walk for quite a distance until we managed to wave down another public bus which kindly took us to the closest point to the Blue Grotto on his route and then we had to walk from there. A 30 minutes bus trip turned into a 90 minute bus/walk/bus/walk trip. Fortunately we weren't on a cruise day but staying in Valletta for five days.) I would also recommend getting a taxi there and possibly getting them to wait then getting them to take you to Marsaxlokk and then returning to Valletta. That would maximise your time and allow you to visit the places you want to see and also have time to explore Valletta and maybe also fit in a ferry ride across the harbour.

 

Appreciate the added story and perspective, @PurpleTraveller! What an adventure you had!

I was wondering if any of you might have an opinion about The Malta Experience...? Skip? Keep? 

18 minutes ago, Zana711 said:

@Dreamer68 Thanks very much! 😁

Here's my take: if your 4-hour excursion finishes on time, it's absolutely possible to see it with time left to walk around Valletta. However, I would not recommend public transport. The bus route 74 takes 30 minutes each way. Then you need to walk down, do the boat trip and then walk back up. Just too hard to time it well. Ask the 4-person group to catch a cab instead there instead after your excursion. It'll be a 15 minute drive each way. 

In case it helps to see what a DIY excursion to the 3 cities look like, I've also got that itinerary on my blog. Just go to the menu bar and select Malta and you'll see it. (Don't want to post too many of my blog post links here and get banned!) If it's your first trip to Malta, I think Valletta will be more interesting than the 3 cities. 

All the best for your trip! 

Thanks a million @Zana711! It is indeed our first time to Malta and yes, Valetta sounds like a glorious full-day visit in itself. I figured we might just share a cab between the 4 in the group for quick access to the Grotto. I found this half-day tour that looks great, starting at 9 am, details in the link in paranthesis (covers Blue Grotto, Rabat & Mdina) and gets us back to Valletta for an afternoon of exploration...and then we just switch our credits to get an excursion in Olympia instead. 🤷‍♀️

BTW - I bookmarked your blog to check out all your DIY ideas for all our stops to ensure I do not miss out on something I failed to read during my months of research. Awesome find!

Thanks for your question, @livetravelcruise07! We leave Barcelona the week after you on the Celebrity Equinox with Valleta being our first stop. Loving all the recommendations here. I've spent some time scouring the threads for several months now and I'm starting to get indecisive about what to do with our 8 am to 6 pm stop.

We are currently booked on a 4-hour excursion (thanks to OBC) to visit 3 cities (Cospicua, Bittoriosa, and Senglea continuing to Marsaxlokk <-- we are interested in this fishing village, for a look)...plus a cruise around Valetta harbor. The problem is, the excursion start time is at 8 am (same as arrival time into Valetta). AND half of our 4-person group really would like to see the Blue Grotto. And I really want to hear about the Knights Templar.

How might we enjoy the sail-into Grand Harbour in the morning, do the excursion we booked, find a way to see the Blue Grotto (read your blog DIY @Zana711 (thanks!! Your "sweat index" was helpful. LOL!) and back to walk around Valetta by 5pm?  I have a feeling we need to drop something (the ship excursion)...or perhaps design our own DIY that prioritizes going to see the Blue Grotto in the morning after sail in, and then return to visit Valetta as per recommendations from @PurpleTraveller and @edinburgher? Any insights from you who know Valetta well?

Thanks LOTS!

On 4/27/2024 at 3:59 PM, KarlK said:

I do consider myself a foodie with a passion for the odd and rare. The first thing I do when planning port stops is food.

 

When in Grand Cayman how can one not do turtle or find jerk chicken from a street vendor. Maybe a small cafe serving stewed cowsfoot!

When in Belize, one has to track down gibnut/paca! WONDERFUL, and some rice and beans with oxtail or Chimole/black soup, fry jacks or conch!

When in Coz or Mahahual (or perhaps my fave foodie Mexico town Ensenada) gotta do seafood, Urchin cerviche, shark tacos, whole fried fish or Octopus

When in Roatan, going crazy on baleadas, find a shot of gifiti to toss back, eat a plate of Lionfish

 

And if a port has a brewery, like Cayman, Roatan or Belize, it is a stop!!!

What an adventurous mind and palate! 😍I always have a "To-try/ To-eat" list set up before I travel. It's such a privilege to travel, indeed, why not get to know new places and people through the food they enjoy. I was in Belize last year, one of the Caribbean stops of the Celebrity Apex and we enjoyed a simple Belizian curry chicken stew with rice and beans and coleslaw which was cooked by one of our tour guides' mom! And boy, was it ever good! It was like coming home to a meal cooked by Mama, indeed. 😍

I'm working on my list now for our Mediterranean cruise coming up in less than 30 days!! I might just ask on this Foodie page what people recommend not to miss. 

15 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

We are also Zenith Captains Club members and use the free laundry perk  continually.  We are presently on a ship and sent out laundry yesterday.  Items included a pair of my jeans, a pair of my 6 ft. husbands pants, two long sleeved shirts, several sets of underwear and socks.  Easily could have fit more items in the bag.

Thanks @Northern Aurora! That gives me some hope! We are trying to travel light, especially since pulling off traveling with just carry-on luggage on our Caribbean cruise on the gorgeous Apex last January...but that was just for 7 days, to a hot place.... and this time around, we're staying a few days in Barcelona before embarkation and a few days in Rome after disembarkation so... there's no way around packing a bit more AND doing laundry this time around. I remember a long time ago on our first cruise on HAL, there were laundry machines onboard. Gosh, I've aged! 🙂 

On 2/7/2024 at 8:57 PM, Hypercardiac said:

LMAO I could have used some duct tape for sure! And its a cloth bag about the size of what I originally thought was a shoe shine bag. :c/ Here is a pic of the bag in all its small glory. :c)

Oh my!!! That's tiny!! For a charge of USD $50 or thereabouts per bag? Horrors. We're boarding the Equinox in May for an 11-day cruise and will have to do laundry...yikes! Can you even get a pair of long pants in there? DH is 6ft tall. I've seen videos on how to fold/roll clothes strategically to benefit well from the laundry bag but gosh, this looks like a shoe bag. 😭

On 3/17/2024 at 9:02 AM, Harters said:

As for Len's asparagus, I just love it. But I'll only buy it during the six or so weeks the local crop is in season. Then, we'll have it several times a week. I've had caviar a couple of times and find it OK but not something I'd seek out. Don't think I've ever tasted Spam - although that may change soon. I'm trying to get to know Korean food and have seen that it's often an ingredient in kimchi fried rice (which I like). Apparently introduced to the local population by American troops.  

In my suburb in Montreal, they plant select vegetables in some of our parks scattered all over their territory. One year, walking my dog, we found...yes... asparagus next to chives at the park closest to our home.  Very cool! Someone else had appreciated the asparagus and had cut a few stalks Hahaha! Then, at the public library in the big concrete flower pots, there were tomato plants growing and nasturtiums (I plant nasturtiums at home to use their flowers to perk up my salads)... so awesome to see these edible designs and intentions. I wonder what they will plant this spring and summer. I'll share some photos if there's anything interesting. 

On 3/18/2024 at 1:24 PM, CHPURSER said:

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you’d be better staying at home.” – James Michener

LOVE this quote @CHPURSER! I'm an educator in a school where at any given time, there are at least 25 cultural groups represented. One of the best books I read my students taught them not to yuck someone else's yum. It was great hearing the kids say this quote throughout the rest of their school years whenever recess rolled around and interesting things came out of people's lunch bags. 😍 I've shared the quote with our church's mission teams before their travels abroad and I've been blessed with intriguing culinary adventures they dared to take overseas, especially when they were invited to humble meals of thanks from the recipients of the help the teams were bringing. 😍

PS - I think the quote is a general one about opening one's eyes to the amazing diversity of our world, about developing an open mindset in general. I'm thankful for my dad who traveled quite a bit for his work and therefore encouraged his kids to be readers and travelers. There are always individual circumstances that do not fit the general mold. I am sorry to hear you are homebound for the foreseeable future @lenquixote66. I hope you have amazing memories of your years of travel to keep you smiling and to keep sharing. It's been wonderful to read people's experiences here.

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I never ate any of them .The odors deter me.

That's unfortunate that you've never eaten these. I understand how odors can deter anyone from trying something new. I am fortunate to have tasted wonderful dishes which included each of these... I have to thank my late dad for all the opportunities he offered his kids to taste as much of the world as possible. 😍

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

Asparagus

 

Caviar

 

Spam 

I'm curious. Why would you NOT eat these? Also, how were these served to you the first time you had them?I wonder if they were served differently if your palate might expand to include them... 

On 3/12/2024 at 3:54 PM, dahirsh said:

I try to remember to have some on me when I fly

Interesting, that's probably the only time I chew gum, when flying. 😂

Definitely cold! Give me a tall glass of anything when the temperature is over 28 Celsius. 🫠

On 3/3/2024 at 9:27 PM, cpl100 said:

We desperately need some help please.  We have been in Rome twice and will be again in May.  We joined up with some friends who booked a cruise beginning May 17th.  I never dreamed it would be so difficult to find a place to stay two months out but apparently I should have.  Have read through to page six and the majority of the places either do not have availability, require a stay of more than two nights or the prices are over $500 per night for the most basic room.  We would like to be central and cannot carry luggage up a lot of stairs ourselves.  Can anyone offer suggestions please?  I am really struggling this time!

Hi! I just confirmed a booking for my party of 4 for Rome for the first week in June. I've been checking since December. Prices have definitely gone up since then but we found at least half a dozen hotels under CAD $350/nt (our budget). For my first step, I used a Google search term, "hotels near Piazza Navona" as that was the area we wanted. When the list of properties showed up, I then used the price filter to indicate the minimum and maximum I was willing to pay per night and got about a dozen properties available. I double-checked all the reviews including stairs vs elevator (I hear you on that!) and managed to get a  decent looking property with good reviews within our budget within a 5-min walk of Piazza Navona. I definitely checked to see if the hotel website gave the best deal. Most of the hotels on this thread were out of our budget range. Hope you find something suitable for you. PS - I also looked at VRBO and Airbnb. 

On 2/21/2024 at 5:01 PM, lenquixote66 said:

Has anyone ever eaten Calamansi ? I ate it today for the very first time.

How did you enjoy it? Calamansi is common where I spent a good chunk of my childhood (Malaysia). I love(d) it in a drink called "limau asam boi" made with calamansi lime and sour plum, a wonderful mix of sour and sweet (sugar syrup) especially served in a chilled glass mug filled with ice. Calamansi enhances several amazing chilli-based condiments in Chinese and Malay cooking in Malaysia. Yum!

1 minute ago, edinburgher said:

Yes we would have done. All the info was found online. I remember that several buses run to"M" , not all of which terminate at the harbour so check carefully, also because that means they may or may not have a different stance number at Valletta bus station. Try googling something like "public buses from Valletta to "M" (name in full) and choose whch of the results to read.

 

Will this be a first visit?  If it is, you can take the elevator from waterfront to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, exit, then head left to the edge of the city where the bus station is to be found. Probably around a 10 minute walk to the bus station from the Gardens.

Indeed, this is our first visit. I've already told my group we are waking up early enough for the sail-in. 🤗 I read there were a bunch of things we can see and do near the port so, we'd do that after returning from the Blue Grotto and Marsaxlokk. 👍 I'm very interested in the history of the Knights Templar. Wondering if the Malta Experience is worth it...?

12 hours ago, edinburgher said:

We took a public bus to M. (sp!) from the bus station in Valletta. The bus stop was actually at the harbour so very convenient.The return bus left from the same bus stop we had arrived into but should you do this, better to check that has not changed.  We found info on bus timetables, even the stance number at the Valletta bus station, online.

Thanks! I'll check for Valetta bus schedule online.  I'm presuming you used cash? Here's the ship excursion that we were interested in that's sold out. 

6 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Strange. I  just now tried and came up with these very few results, but even so,  perhaps reading some might be helpful:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q="blue grotto"&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy

Thanks LOTS @edinburgher ! I had seen the DIY thread but will go through it more slowly. IF it looks like we can just build our own day - walk around Valetta near the dock, take a taxi to get a boat out to Blue Grotto and see Marsaxlokk...that's good to know. I wonder if we can write Shore excursions at Celebrity to see if there is a waitlist??

Hello! We are a group of 4 stopping in Valetta, Malta at the end of May. We are interested in seeing the Blue Grotto but my search here on the forum keeps bringing up the Blue Lagoon which is not the same thing.

Has anyone taken a boat tour out to the Blue Grotto and if so, which tour operator did you go with? There is a Blue Grotto + Marsaxlook + Valetta highlights option on a known site but at $1500 for a half-day thing, that's over our budget.

Thanks for any leads!

Why feature "only" when you can feature "and"?

When I travel, I enjoy the balance (if possible) of a taste of what's familiar to me and what's local and therefore foreign to me. In the absence of the former, I fully embrace the latter. 🙂So a cruise I'd enjoy would have many options of food. That's why I enjoy buffets more than MDRs (yes, I'm probably in the minority). I love variety. And technically, because I am from Asia originally, foods from the UK or English-speaking USA are considered "ethnic" to me. 😉

40 minutes ago, KKB said:

I paid so little for all these MSC cruises...yet, the thought of booking one again isn't appealing.

Thanks LOTS @KKB for sharing your thoughts on your MSC cruises. I will keep my mind as open as possible about MSC, probably follow the MSC board for a bit before trying it out, if ever.

A friend of mine tried the Divina 5 years ago. It was her first cruise and she thought it was wonderful. It could be first time rose-tinted glasses which I sometimes have on as well. I did spend half a dozen years as a travel agent for a global travel company and we went on "Fam trips" (familiarization trips) and so my expectations for customer service are quite high because of what I've seen and experienced and my having won an award or two for that area as well. I also know to adjust expectations appropriately for different places in the world. E.g. don't expect North-American-style of spacious rooms in historic centers of European cities... or in Japan, to take my shoes off in a great many places. 🙂 
 

Thanks for sharing your frugal life tips as well. They mirror ours as we live debt free before turning half a century. 🙂 I just haven't been able to convince DH to switch to a points credit card as we are getting good money back from ours. 

I'm glad I found this thread on CC...as often, the reviews and comments elsewhere on the CC board are from lifestyles that are so unlike mine, I do not know how to relate. 

Joining this thread as well. My cuisine of choice depends on why I'm eating. 🙄🤷‍♀️😂 On date nights with DH, or girls' nite out, I'm generally about adventure and exploring what I do not normally serve at home or something that is prep-intensive that I do not have patience nor time for. Lamb is generally on my list (nobody at home likes it) and I try to leave room for dessert. I am blessed to live in a city of culinary delights so I'm spoiled for choice.

When I'm feeling down or blah, nothing is better than something that reminds me of my mom's home cooking. So, anything along the South East Asian traditions would be my choice on those days. A sizzling ginger scallion Chinese beef dish or a warm meat curry over basmati rice or fluffy naan or a simple pork/ scallop rice congee would perk me right up. That plus fried bananas...with or without a dollop of vanilla ice cream on the side. 🙂

On 9/7/2023 at 1:08 PM, lenquixote66 said:

peanut butter

This one made me smile. You'd have peanut butter on a pizza but not sausage or mushroom? 🙂 Indeed, as the French say, "à chacun son goût" (to each, their own taste 🙂😋). Really nice to read what others enjoy on this thread.

In general, I enjoy a good thin-crust pepperoni pizza. Or a quattro formaggi with Mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheeses. A few months ago, I had a transit in Chicago and tried a deep dish pizza and my tastebuds were not persuaded to switch alliance from thin-crust to deep dish. Over the years though, I've realized I crave some vegetables on my pizza. This came from an unplanned stacking of a piece of ultra meaty pizza (pepperoni, bacon, sausage) atop a deluxe vegetarian slice (onions, tomatoes, green peppers, green and black olives, mushrooms, grilled zucchinis and artichokes) resulting in a messy open-style calzone that had a great explosion of flavours.😋

These days, I enjoy experimenting and have enjoyed pesto, chicken and artichokes as toppings for my last 2 pizzas. I'm looking forward to returning to Rome next spring after a 3-decade absence to try the pizzas there. Perhaps my more mature palate will appreciate a good Margherita pizza now more than I did as teen. 😉

On 9/9/2023 at 2:41 PM, lenquixote66 said:

I have never tasted lobster.

Considering how widely you have cruised/ travelled, I did not expect to discover this of you. Especially considering up till recently, lobster was complimentary, and also part of the final sea day menu of most cruises I know. Why have you never tasted lobster, @lenquixote66?

I love lobster! My love affair with it began as a student travelling through Shediac, Canada, trying lobster for the first time in a place known as the "lobster capital of the world." I've enjoyed this crustacean simply boiled with some garlic butter, or as part of an overstuffed lobster roll in Eastern Canada and the US, or most recently as part of Chuck Hughes's menu item of Lobster Poutine in his Montreal restaurant, Garde Manger. Hughes' Lobster Poutine "reigned supreme" over Iron Chef Bobby Flay some years ago. Or when I'm visiting friends and family in South East Asia, it's so satisfying to have lobster and other seafood cooked in 101 ways or more, from steamed to stir fries, cooked in curries, fried with salted egg, etc etc. Yum-oh!!

Sadly though, lobster is not part of our normal day-to-day budget and so I'm intentional where I choose to have it. Incidentally, I enjoyed the lobster I had on the Apex in January 2023 before the Celebrity cuts rolled in. 😋