Kenhel

Thanks for all the helpful information. The Monastiraki station is a good idea.

We are on a port intensive cruise and not sure we will get off in Athens so an Acropolis visit will be a last minute decision. We will be there in the second week of September so not peak high season. I wasn't sure if some tickets are held back to allow for "walk ins".

What are the chances of getting a Saturday morning time slot if tickets are purchased onsite the day of? Any advice on how long the ticket lines are and how fast they move?

Thank you. Since posting I now realize we would take Line 3 on the Metro from Dimotiko Theatro to Syntagma and then it is is 20-25 minute walk to the Acropolis entrance. Thanks for ticket info. I

We are planning to walk from the Piraeus cruise port to the metro station and take a morning regional Hellenic Train to Athens and then walk 45 minutes (along Konstantinoupoleos Avenue) to the Acropolis. We are accustomed to longer walks and anticipate temps in mid-high 70s so we are fine with the walk. We plan to purchase Acropolis tickets once we arrive there and spend 2-3 hours touring on our own before returning to the ship the same way. A few questions for those that have done this: Which is the correct exit from the cruise terminal to get to the Piraeus metro/train station? Do these trains book up early and is there any risk in waiting to buy the tickets at the Piraeus station the day of? Is there a stop (without transferring to another train line) that is closer to the Acropolis than the Athens (Larissa) Station? We hear there are a lot of pick pockets on the train and scammers claiming to be ticket enforcers. We know, of course, that we need to be very aware of our surroundings when travelling, but wondering if this is a much bigger problem on the Hellenic trains vs other European cities.

I have always wondered why cruise ship clothing stores do not have change rooms?

We are planning our first visit to Rome and staying 3 days pre cruise at the end of August 2024. Our plan is to visit the major sites on our own and not book group tours. We will purchase entry tickets on-line before arrival. For the Colosseum, without a guided tour, can we access the Arena and the Underground as individual visitors? The plan is to purchase tickets at https://ticketing.colosseo.it 90 days prior but the Full Experience tickets with Arena and Floor seem to sell out right away and we are not sure what time the tickets come out (Rome time).

Are large vans (that hold 8 to 9 passengers) readily available at the cruise port gate? Does a larger vehicle need to booked in advance? We are looking to get to Baby Beach from the cruise terminal.

Thanks for all the responses. I can see our best option will be to connect with the maître d on embarkation. If we need to limit to one restaurant we will only dine together as large group on a few nights as we prefer to rotate MDRs. Thanks again!

We are trying to book a large table in the MDRs on the Beyond in Feb 2024. We are 5 separate cruise bookings totalling 9 people. We called Celebrity and asked the dining department to set this up for us but they said they cannot accommodate us and we will need to speak with the maitre d once we are onboard. One of the couples already has reservations for a table for 2 at 6:30 or 7:00pm on most nights. Have others had success with the maitre d expanding an existing dining reservation to a larger table or 2-3 smaller tables side by side?

Thanks John for all that information. We love anything nautical or yachting so for a more leisurely day, it looks like we will skip the bus rides and the tour of Osborne house. I think enjoying Needles by boat and then meandering the streets of west Cowes is a better choice.

Looking for feedback on this day trip to IOW red ferry from Southampton to East Cowes, to visit Osborne House (walk from ferry dock) arrange transport (looking for reasonable suggestion) to west end of island to Needles, walk to beach, hop on boat tour arrange transport (looking for reasonable suggestion) back to ferry dock to return to Southampton Also looking for a casual lunch spot half way between the east and west sides of the island

Will be on a Princess 23 day westbound TA next year. Would appreciate feedback on typical dress codes, especially on the very long cruises compared with shorter cruises, on "chic" nights. Due to luggage weight restrictions are these typically less formal?

We are considering a ferry from Piraeus to Aegina on Blue Star. Any experience with this ferry service? Looks like the high speed ferry gets there in 40-60 minutes. How reliable is it? We are looking for a low stress day with reliable service to get back to cruise port with plenty of time to spare. Any recommendations for beaches and other sights to see on this island would also be appreciated. We do not mind lots of walking.

Thank you. We have booked at Hotel Smeraldo in Rome. Does the Trenitalia morning route from Rome to Civi Port pick up at the Trastevere station? This station appears to be a 30 minute walk from the hotel.

All of that information is extremely helpful. Thank you!

Thank you so much. I just did a mock booking on ItaliaRail for next week and it looks like there are frequent direct trips from termini or ostience stations to Civitavecchia.

I would appreciate advice regarding train transportation from Rome to the Civi cruise port. When searching for tickets, the train departure times are geared to cruisers who are travelling from the cruise port to Rome in the morning rather than other direction. Trains do not seem to depart Rome until afternoon. Our cruise embarkation is 6:00pm and our goal is to check in late morning/early afternoon. Looking for a train rather than a bus or private transfer. What I am missing? Is it best to arrive in Civi the day prior? Is there a specific train company or site to search for morning departures from Rome?

Considering B2B cruises on the Ascent in the Fall of 2024. Rome is the disembarkation stop on first leg. Does Celebrity offer excursions for disembarkation/embarkation stops? I am familiar with the ones in Florida where the excursion ends at the airport but in this case we would want to return to the ship for the next leg.

We did not take advantage of the concierge embarkation lunch. Sorry I do not wish to share the exact cabin we were in. We booked our next cruise on Beyond on deck 8 aft IV non concierge.

Just returned from our first Celebrity cruise on the Beyond Feb 19th sailing. Have previously cruised several times on Princess, NCL and many years ago 1 Costa and 1 Royal Caribbean cruise. Have cruised short 4-day cruises and to date our longest has been a 16-day Panama Canal. We usually book a balcony. First off, Beyond is a beautiful ship with unique and refreshing layout and design. It stands apart from other ships we have sailed on. It is designed in a way that promotes unique areas that keep noise separate from the serene quieter areas. Loved the aft seating by the Sunset Bar. Unfortunately, the location and design of the smoking area on the starboard side (deck 15?) resulted in the smoke smell to drift quite a distance and impacted the enjoyment of the plunge pools and surrounding non smoking seating areas. Did not see many people using the smoking area but still managed to disrupt the enjoyment of so many. IMHO, I look forward to a day where Celebrity is completely smoke free. Really loved the walking/jogging track layout and the incline. Used it daily. Cabin: Concierge Deck 11, Infinite Verandah Would not bother with concierge again as we did not see much benefit other than the cabin location. Did not need the concierge boarding, embarkation lunch or the afternoon canapes. We were unsure if we would like the infinite verandah but we did. We wish it was a bit bigger. Otherwise, we appreciated the additional privacy vs. a traditional balcony and the option to open and close it. Did experience the noise/banging others have noted. After a few calls back and forth with customer service, it was partially resolved but did not go away completely. They came into the cabin, took some panels off and made some “adjustments”. Itinerary: St. Maarten – Walked to Great Bay beach and booked chairs – very nice but lots of vendors pushing hats, coverups and aloe vera massages. Not our thing but the water was lovely. We were there pre hurricane Irma and COVID and noticed the lingering impact to the island and its people. It is beautiful and we hope with time it will fully recover. St. Thomas – Ship Tour - Fast Cat Snorkel tour (Buck Island) and Beach Break (Water Island) – excellent! Puerto Plata – Walked to old town to visit fort, cathedral and umbrella street – returned to ship for lunch and then went off again to spend a couple of hours in Taino Bay enjoying the lazy river and pool. Beautiful port area. Staff: Excellent! Friendly and professional. Food: Ate dinner in the MDR except for one night at the Rooftop Garden Grill (specialty dining) and last night at the buffet. Our favourite MDR was Cypress. Breakfast – Usually in the Cosmopolitan. Great service, attentive staff. No complaints. Lunch – Buffet – lots of choice and variety. El Bacio – some hiccups/confusion when ordering customized specialty coffee drinks but overall delicious! Overall food was very good to excellent. No complaints and much better quality and variety than Princess and NCL. We did notice fewer dinner buffet options then we have seen on other cruise lines but we have always felt there was too much waste so we understand the need to streamline offerings. We could not do the dinner buffet every night though. Entertainment: Musicians, Rock the Boat and Magic shows were excellent Overall: Well done Celebrity! We have booked with Celebrity for next year.

Thank you reedprincess. There is a stop in Montenegro 5 days prior to arriving in Barcelona. I have done a bit of research and it doesn't look like it is one of countries in the Schengen area. Other information indicates Canadians/Americans do not need a visa to enter Montenegro but not sure if that port will result in a border process in Barcelona.

We are booked on B2B cruises in 2024: a 14-day Rome to Barcelona followed by a 25-day Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale on Sun Princess (same cabin for both cruises). These cruises are also sold as different segments. Barcelona is an important stop for us so considering changing the segments so Barcelona is not the last day of the first leg of the B2B. We have never done a B2B so unsure of the process and do not want it to cut into our time in port. This itinerary is also available as: a 23-day Rome to Southampton followed by a 16 day Southampton to Fort Lauderdale with Southampton being a overnight stop. Is it possible to adjust the segments of a existing B2B princess cruise booking without cancelling and repricing?

We are currently booked on B2B cruises in August and September 2024: a 14-day Rome to Barcelona and a 25-day Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale on Sun Princess (same cabin for both cruises). We see on various booking sites that these cruises are also sold as different segments. Barcelona is an important stop for us but being the B2B turn around stop may cut into our time at the port. We see online these 2 cruises are also available to be booked as a 23 Day Rome to Southampton and a 16 day Southampton to Fort Lauderdale with Southampton being a overnight stop. Does anyone have experience revising where the B2B point occurs? Can the existing reservations be adjusted without cancelling and repricing? We booked at a lower price compared to current prices wish to avoid having to reprice.

Do you recall when it was open for drinks?