CCTES

1p! Holy cow, that is quite affordable-haha. Thanks for the info, that is very helpful as I wasn't sure whether I need to buy tickets in advance or not so I might hold off, I just don't want to spend time standing in line with such a short period of time. Was it much of a walk to the entrance of Pompeii from the bus drop off point?

My mother has been there before (even camped at the base of mt Vesuvius in the '60's-hahaha) so we are just going on the "Pompeii on your own" and I will buy entrance tickets online, that way if she can't manage it, it's not as big an expense. She's 80 and forgets that sometimes.....There is apparently a "Pompeii for All" walk so that is probably what we will do but thanks for the advice on the museum, she will enjoy that. If we can book a guide I will do that too. I'm not sure if we will be on the same bus as the other Pompeii tours or not, but I suspect we will be shown some tourist traps, for what it's worth, those cameos are impressive! My son is itching to go on a similar cruise when he graduates high school, so this will be a taste test for me 🙂 Sorrento is high on my to do list as well I'm sure photos don't do it justice!

Gahh! I just called the excursion line back and our excursion does include the admission, but that was a really great tip as the wording is quite vague, thank you!!!

Thanks for all the great info!!

According to NCL excursions, the cruise lead tours are exempt from the time stamp rule, I hope that is the case, I would be less than impressed to be turned away!

Does anyone know where the "central location" drop off is for Pompeii? We have booked just the transfer and will buy tickets separately on our own, but I want to know how far away the bus drops people off, or if there is a certain entrance that is used for drop off. Thanks!!

Who time stamps the Acropolis tickets? My mother and I are booked for that excursion on the Oct 23 sailing and I don't want to be denied entry.

I actually bought it from Chapters and it arrived 2 weeks ago, my mom is reading it now! It's a great guide.

I'm still in planning stages and have no real itineraries in mind, I am going to Italy in the fall but not Venice. Personally I would rather see Spain and the Canary Islands. It's also still two years away so anything can happen in that amount of time but I have no great desire to use Venice as the embarkation or debarkation site given all the other things going on there, my mom visited there in the in the 60's and again about 15 years ago and she was sad to see how commercialized it was. There is also a new visa requirement for Canadians travelling to Europe starting in 2024. I don't typically book excursions as they tend to be very expensive but I am also very cautious about cancellation rules. Thanks for the info about private tours, I think with a big group that makes good sense!

OK, that sounds ideal actually. I will take a look at what they have to offer for itineraries. Thanks!

This is definitely a consideration, my mother can't do too much walking anymore. Thanks for the insight!

They do and they both wear hearing aides so it's great!

That's a good idea and everyone gets there own space. Thanks 🙂

My son will be finishing highschool in 2025 and has been wanting a cruise as a grad gift since grade 6! We are happy to oblige, but...would like to invite both grandmothers, one has cruised and has travelled extensively, one has not done either and is less adventurous. We all get along well so I am considering one of the larger suites so everyone can stay together. Both grandmothers will be in their early 80's by then. Has anyone done this, have suggestions or recommendations? I'm also trying to determine which cruise lines have the larger suites that can accommodate 6 people but with space, we fear our 20 year old daughter will require space and so will we! I'm leaning towards the togetherness because of the added perks and for the comfort of the non-traveler 😀but adjoining would be OK as long as I can get everyone in two rooms comfortably. We are planning Mediterranean/Greece in May 2025 Thanks!