BoxerGal

Oops - I meant Royal Palms, not public beach. I guess my days in living in So. FL made me refer to it as PB (as in Palm Beach) - haha. Good to know they are equally nice spots. :)

In case you haven't heard, Hemingway's closed as of 09/02/18. :( We were planning to go later this month. Now debating on PB or Calico Jack's. Still weighing whether I want to drop $43 for the entrance/chairs/umbrella at PB. It's our last port stop. Might depend on how much we've spent by then. Haha!

Hi there - any updates on Hemingway's? This is our planned destination for our day trip September 21st. Read elsewhere that the property might have been under contract for sale. Hoping that's not the case because it looks perfect. Thanks in advance.

Susan

We'll be visiting on the Miracle September 21st and have designated GC as our beach-plop day. Last port stop of the cruise and will need it after adventurous excursions in Cozumel, Belize and Roatan. I also had narrowed my list to these three locations. I eliminated Calico Jacks as I want access to a pool. The other two are equally nice and look to offer similar amenities, with the exception of the cost for chairs/umbrella at Royal Palm. That's the kicker for me. $43 at RP is $43 I can spend on lunch and drinks at Hemingway's (not to mention I like the overall look/vibe I get from this property). I'm choosing Hemingway's. I hope it is still open when we visit since I saw the post about the property being sold. If it's closed, we'll probably go to RP, but I'm still not sure the frugal side of me will spring for $40 for chairs and an umbrella for a couple of hours. Beach towels work just fine. :)

Oh, and my hubby is picky eater too, but I showed him the Hemingway's menu and he said he'd be good with the burger, wings, quesadillas or steak sandwich.

I'm unsure from your post if you're strictly set on the ships excursions only, but if you're open to an independent tour company, this catamaran/snorkeling and private jeep island tour through Shore Excursioneer might be something you'd interested in: http://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/cozumel/combo-catamaran-sail-snorkel-private-jeep.html In the past, we've rented a jeep and explored on our own, but this offers an off-shore snorkeling opportunity, combined with the ability to tour the island by jeep. We're booking this for our September, 2018 cruise on the Miracle.

You won't be disappointed with the Coral Breeze Shark Alley tour - we did it years ago and it was great. Considering doing it again on our upcoming cruise in September, but may give cave tubing another whirl instead. Still mapping out plans as this was a last minute booking. I book independent tours 95% of the time as I find they are more intimate in nature and a far greater value. The staff and guides at Coral Breeze were excellent.

Safe travels!

Susan

Highly recommend. We did this same excursion years ago with them. The snorkeling views were nothing short of amazing - a bit scary for me as I'm a novice, but nothing like I've ever seen. Likewise, the shark alley portion found me dancing around a bit and quickly getting back on the boat (but I can say I did it - LOL). In Caye Caulker, I believe lunch was provided (or offered as an add-in at a minimal cost). We relaxed and had a cold beer with lunch and then just strolled around taking in the local atmosphere. Bought a few trinkets along the way and then headed back to the meeting point for the boat ride back to mainland. Very enjoyable day!

Can you offer me any feedback on your experience with Shore Excursioneer? We're sailing in September and looking at tours with them in Belize (cave tubing/zip lining), Cozumel (catamaran snorkel/jeep tour) and Roatan (nature tour w/ horseback riding).

Thanks and best wishes!

Susan

Great review - thanks for the info and links to ship docs! You mentioned the Cheers program. Do you recall the price and did you purchase prior to the cruise or once you got on board? Thx!

I booked two superior balcony cabins on the IOTS 01/16/16 sailing last night to take advantage of the BOGO that expired yesterday. Checked the price today and it's 30% off each ticket now. That brought the price down by $100 per cabin. Still received prepaid gratuities. Not sure if I'm still getting the $25 OBC I was with the first reservation, but I still come out ahead. :D

Susan

We're planning on renting a scooter in Mykonos in early August, which is sure to be busy. We sent e-mails to 2 companies requesting reservations, but never heard back. Munchen was one, don't recall the other. Not sure if they just assume I'll arrive or what? In any regard, we dock at 7:00 a.m., so I'm sure we won't have a problem finding one to rent - just curious if anyone has any feedback on the topic. Thanks!

Susan

Just returned home last night from 12 night cruise. Stayed an extra night at Arlecchino...could see it from Piazelle Roma....very comforting! It was a perfect location for taking the bus the next morning. Has AC and wifi and breakfast in the morning. Room is small, but we had a great view of a canal. Cute little seating area outside hotel...wifi works here, too!

Thanks for the comforting news - we're staying one night post cruise in several weeks. Glad you had a nice cruise!

Susan

Italy is always hot in the summer and unless you need to travel during school breaks, there is really no good reason to travel anywhere during the summer!

No good reason unless you happen to turn 50 on July 31st and are checking off "Awesome Med Cruise" on your bucket list! :D Lucky me!

Thanks everyone for your input! We already purchased a couple of those cooling towels ("frogg toggs") and will be buying lightweight retractable umbrellas.

Susan

Thank you for setting me straight on the orientation and for all the additional information! Hmmm, now I'm wondering if we should make the trip out to the islands or just stick to exploring Venice more. Just trying to make the most of our (too) short time there!

We did purchase the Rick Steve's guide books - both the med cruise book and the pocket guides for Barcelona (cruise departs here) and Venice (cruise ends here). Guess I need to delve more into them and make some decisions. :rolleyes:

Thanks again - much appreciated!

Susan

We have a full day post-cruise in Venice and are planning to take the Vaporetto to visit Burano and Murano. I read in a review that it takes (approximately) 15 minutes to get to Burano from Venice, 45 minutes to get to Murano from Burano, and an hour to get back to Venice from Murano. Is that accurate?

We'd like to stroll and shop a bit, visit the lace and glass factories on each island, and try some local cuisine and gelato - basically the highlights we've read about here. How much time do you estimate it would take on each island to get a general feel for everything?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Susan

We're staying here one night post-cruise in August. We chose it due to the close proximity to Piazzale Roma so we can walk to catch the express bus to the airport early the following morning. According to their website, they have air conditioning and free Wi-Fi. http://www.hotelarlecchino.com/

Susan

Good idea! Will do. Thanks again everyone!

Susan

Appreciate the input! We'll plan on arriving a bit earlier. Better safe than sorry, I suppose. Maybe we should just not go to bed the night before and sleep all day on the plane. :D

Is it really necessary to be there 3 hours prior to departure? Our flight back to the States leaves at 7:40 a.m. :eek: We were planning on being there 2 hours beforehand.

Susan

What a wonderful review. Can't wait to read the rest! We're on the same cruise 8/1/15. Reading your review and seeing your photos make me feel like I'm already there! :)

What a wonderful, informative thread! Thanks to everyone, especially Terry in Ohio for the pictures, links, etc.

We're on the 12 night NCL Spirit cruise in August, 2015 which departs from Barcelona and ends with an overnight in Venice. We're staying an extra night post-cruise. My head is spinning with all the options, but I now feel better equipped to make the most of our time in this beautiful city!

My main concern for planning purposes is transfer from ship to hotel and then hotel to airport the following morning. I read where they overturned the ban on large ships porting in Venice, but also read elsewhere that they are still trying to impose the ban sometime in 2015 (yet hadn't figured out a viable game plan for getting cruise passengers from the mainland into Venice). I've read that nothing moves fast in Italy, so I'm presently planning transfers based on porting in Venice. If anyone has any insight/updates, would appreciate hearing them.

Thanks again!!

Susan