Viv0828

Several years ago we ended a cruise in Venice and took the train to the cinque terre. We spent 5 days wandering the area. We rented a small apartment on vrbo.

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Just a reminder, if you plan on visiting the Vatican or the colosseum, you can book tickets online before you leave to avoid the long lines.

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If you have a sensitive tummy (i do), I highly recommend prescription anti nausea and anti diarrheal meds, theses have been a life saver for me on several cruises/trips.

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If you can afford it, maybe 2 adjoining rooms?

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i would suggest you add the cost of your "cancel for any reason" insurance to the cost of the trip to see if the cruise is still a great deal.

for me personally, if there were a 40% chance i would have to cancel the trip, i would just cancel it now and take my chances of finding an equally good deal later.

Gee. I sure hope everyone reads their email.

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I would pick a ship or cruise line that has an onboard naturalist and has various local people embark at each port for lectures on local customs and maybe even perform local dances, etc. We had that on a HAL cruise maybe 10 years ago - probably other lines do similar things now as well. It was both enjoyable and educational.

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Actually, we have flown almost every European name airline and low cost airline, and only have had problems with Lufthansa. On our last flight FRA to VCE, I had the same exact suitcase - color, brand, size -as the gal sitting next to me - and I had to check my under 8 kg suitcase and she did not.

We are well aware of the airline luggage rules and we follow them carefully. And you are correct; the European airlines are far more strict than their American counterparts.

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We dislike Lufthansa since we travel with carry ons only. Not only do they measure your carry on but they weigh it - and if it's an ounce over 8 kg you have to check it. No other airline I have flown is as picky as Lufthansa

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It is so confusing when some sources say yes and others say no. Good luck figuring it out.

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On all deck maps I've seen, both cabins appear to be connecting, though not with each other. Maybe try talking to a different sales rep at the cruise line and ask them??

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we tried catching a 9am train out of San Diego. though the Amtrak station is only a 10 minute walk from the port, there was some hold up after we docked, and we missed the train. Fortunately, we had not bought tickets, since buying them at the station was only a bit more than reserving in advance.

the trains ran every 2 hours, so we put our luggage in a locker and explored the immediate area and we took the 11 am train. i don't know if something similar is possible in your case?

we have also done the one way car rental thing. we looked online and saw lots of interesting places to stop at.

We sailed a week ago. Four of the fourteen of us were unable to go because of a medical emergency. Our 21 year old granddaughter had a ruptured appendix so her parents and boyfriend stayed back to take care of her.

When we called, the person on the line at Carnival told us to deal with it when we checked in, so we did. No problems.

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Haha. The little tags can be scratchy and they are occasionally put in a place where I have to peel them off - lol!

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We used the unlimited laundry on a different HAL ship for everything except delicates and it was great. The only difficult thing was peeling the identifying labels off of each piece - lol!

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I would think with photoshop it would be easy for a thief who knew your card and bank info to make a "photo" of your credit card

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I'm sorry for folks that had to cancel. The only bright spot I can see is with that many ships in Alaska, maybe the fares will drop!!

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We were on the aug 13 to 20 cruise as well. We got in line on the lido deck half an hour before they started handing out tender tickets in Cabo and we were in tender 3. Easy peasy.

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We always bring folding walking sticks in case we go hiking on shore. We have never used them on the ship. Ours fold quite small so we can put them into our carry on. Neither the airlines nor the cruise lines have ever said a word.

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When we were in halong bay we did not have a tour prearranged. There were people on the docks offering tours. We were with 14 others that we met on the ship and we just negotiated price, itinerary and length of tour with a guy we met on the dock.

If you look at your roll call you might find others looking for a similar tour.

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Alaska is the most service oriented of the airlines that you mention. When I stupidly thought we were flying on a Thursday and the flight was actually on Wednesday so we missed it, Alaska actually rebooked us for free! I about fell over!!

However, we collect United miles so we fly them if they are approximately the same price.

If there is a significant price difference we have no brand loyalty - Lol!

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Agree with all who say it depends on you. I am always cold inside the ship, even on a summer cruise when it is hot outside. I always bring sweaters and sweatshirts for dinner while DH is comfortable in short sleeves! I also bring flannel jammies which cracks DH up!

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I would suggest that any prescription drugs that are subject to abuse such as narcotics be taken in their original bottles. It seems to be OK to put other drugs in a weekly pill box.

We always take prescription anti nausea, anti diarrhea, antibiotics, migraine meds, etc., in small labeled baggies. Our one benzo stays in its original container.

If we took a lot of scripts for controlled substances, I would ask the pharmacy for smaller containers.

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We have a geo blue annual policy for medical.

This cruise we had a medical emergency and 4 people had to cancel. We are filing a claim with our credit card insurance. We are supposed to be covered for up to 10K and our claim is for about 4K so we shall see what happens.

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