marazul

If both passengers within a stateroom have Carnival stock can both claim the onboard credit?

Interesting. Worth asking SB about it.

This has been a very good deal for us as well, on Seabourn and Cunard. It's a little time-consuming faxing the demonstration of stock ownership after making final payment, but the OBC is a big benefit.

We made a jpeg image of the trade confirmation and saved it in the computer. We just attach it to an email to the SB Club every time we travel.

Can anyone comment on going to Monaco for the day? The ship is charging $175 just for transport and only two hours in Monaco.

It's a two-hour drive from Toulon to Monaco. Two and a half hours by train with a transfer in Nice. Regardless of the price, it would not be the best use of your time. Aix is only one hour away. Bandol and Cassis, are much closer and very enjoyable.

We are intrigued with a post we just saw of the benefit of owning Carnival Cruise Line stock. If one was to purchase some stock how long would it take to be eligible for the $250 SBC? Would it be possible to process and get benefit for a sailing that is 2 weeks away?

 

Thanks for any info. My guess is we should have thought about it weeks ago

About two years ago we purchased 100 CCL a couple of weeks before a cruise. We emailed a copy of the broker's confirmation to Seabourn Club and got the credit. Include your booking confirmation number in the email.

Read the post by llarsen a few posts down titled: "Anyone been to St. Tropez?"

The person who renewed this post - treasure4two - was also the last to post in the "Anyone been to St Tropez" thread.

The answer still the same, including Cannes and Antibes in their proposed itinerary is unrealistic. They will drive around all day and not see much at any place, and probably miss the boat. The rest (Grimaud, Gassin) can be done in a long port stop by renting a car and driving yourself.

I have spoken with Handre and he is leaving the ship in February and Sophie (who is now assistant CD) will be taking over. Handre will be back on board the Odyssey in May.

 

Clarky -

Thanks for asking. Sorry that Handre will be on the Odyssey and not on the Sojourn in May. We really enjoy cruising with him.

 

Consider arriving to Venice in style, get a Water Taxi and have it take you to the door of your hotel! Expensive but a real fabulous memory as you travel up the grand canal to your hotel and arrive in style!!! There is enough room for 2 couples to share and possible 3 depending on the amount of luggage... Then you can split the cost and tip!

Careful - not all hotels are accessible by water taxi! The taxi can get you close to some, but you still have to walk. Ask the hotel.

.

 

Handre is a very good CD and we have cruised with him before. I believe he is staying on board until February but I will check with him and get back to you.

Clarky -

would you ask Handre if he will be back on the Sojourn in May? Hope so.

Thanks.

It will be centralized around Monaco. It is not that big a deal in other towns. This far out you can reserve your hotels at a normal rate. We have been in that area at Grand Prix time several times and it has never been a problem outside of Monaco.

Sorry, I should have added that if you check those bus tour companies get a price for "land only" without the flights. They might accommodate you.

No response in 5 years to other post-please-help! We would like a private tour for 5 of us to see Saint Tropez, Ramatuelle, Gassin, Grimaud, Antibes, Cogolin. Moulims de Paillas-any suggestions PLEASE. We are going to be there July 1, 2015. Thank you!

You do not specify, but I hope you are not planning to do all of that as a day tour! If you do have a few days, rent a minivan and do it on your own. The drive along the Esterel to Cannes is beautiful. Get a good guide book such as a Michelin Green Guide which is specifically geared to driving. It even gives you suggested itineraries and driving times between the towns.

Thank you all for your help. I'm sorry if I've confused the situation as to how I was phrasing my question. What I'm trying to figure out is when you choose a time , how do you know if it's am or pm time? We will be in Rome as our home for 11 days and wanted to venture out by train to various places and was hoping we could obtain a pass that would cover unlimited service at a set price. Guess I'll have to read more into the boards. First time ever to Italy! Thank you again

Robert & Debra

Debra -

sorry you had to cancel your cruise. But just a practical consideration, don't think of using Rome as a base for 11 days and then taking day trips to other places, such as Venice. It is too far and you will spend too much time traveling. Plan an itinerary and go from place to place, such as 2-3 days in Florence, on to 2-3 days in Venice, return to Rome for a couple of days, then Sorrento for 2 days and back to Rome for the remainder of your trip.

You probably do not want to pack and unpack, but that is a lot easier than truly long and unpractical day trips. You will hate it if you do that. Pack really light, a carryon each and play "gypsies" for 11 days.

Another alternative could be looking at land tours (aka, tour bus) that may coincide with your dates. They would arrange hotels, transport, etc. The tour could be for all the time you are in Italy or maybe for part of the time, say 7 days and you can do something else, like Sorrento and Amalfi coast, on your own for the remaining days.

Perillo tours has a good reputation and is affordable. http://www.perillotours.com/italy/tours-of-italy/index.html

There are other companies too, just google them.

centsable-

you are not likely to get an answer from someone who posted four years ago.

Here is a link to the Saint-Tropez tourist office. You can get in touch with them and ask about tours.

http://uk.sainttropeztourisme.com/

Hi

We will be docking on Marseilles on Allure Of The Seas & we are possibly thinking of touring these places. Is there an entrance fee & what is the best way to get there? Any info would be appreciated. Thank you

Robert & Debra

Hi debzee,

lavender fields are pretty much all over. You see them while driving around the Luberon area. Unfortunately for you, lavender blooms from the end of June through mid-August.

Cassis is a lovely, small seaside town with great little restaurants along the shore and it produces an excellent white wine. There is no entrance fee to Cassis, but you might want to have lunch there. The moules-frites are great and inexpensive (mussels and French fries). There are also tour boats that take you to see the calanques (cliffs) in the bays just West of the town. That's an enjoyable hour to hour and a half trip.

It is quite possible to combine a tour to Aix-en-Provence with a visit to Cassis. If any very early lavender blossoms are out, you will see them on your drive. That is a very worthwhile tour. Aix is one of Provence's "must sees."

cberge gives you good advice. You are not going to the Caribbean, you are going to the Mediterranean where the average sea temperature in May is 63°F.

http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Cannes/seatemp

Marseille is at the same latitude as Kennebunkport, ME. Granted, the Med is warmer than the Atlantic because it is enclosed, but just the same, not the Caribbean.

Look at all the wonderful excursions available from Marseille. They will all be memorable and a lot better than freezing at the beach.

I booked a guaranteed balcony room without an assignment. I just learned today it's room 208 on the Legend which seems to be one of the worst rooms - it not only doesn't have a bath but is an adjoining room - my risk and my bad luck. How bad is this room and how hard is it to change. I think I rather have a non-balcony than an adjoining room and lower class bathroom - any advice. This is the first time cruising with Seabourn and I'm concerned:(

Being an adjoining room is not a problem. They are very well insulated and it should not make any difference. With us no bath is not a problem since we prefer showers. So that is up to you.

You can call SB and see if you can get a different suite. Suites 101-105 are a bit smaller and 101 has a different layout and anchor noise problems. The lack of juliet balcony is not a big drawback. The windows and window seats are very nice. But A1 is better than A.

So the real issue for you is whether you must have a bath or can do with a large shower only. Have you asked whether a balcony suite with bath might be available?

Dont know why the asterixs have come up on my post but the its last one you mentioned. Spelt with a 'z'

It is merely the CC spellchecker being PC. It cannot differentiate between a political ideology that it has decided not to spell and the normal spelling of some foreign words without political significance.

Thank you all so much for your tips to Sorrento. Sorrento does sound like a great place to visit. This will be our first time EVER to Europe. What are the names of their beaches?

Robert & Debra

Have a plan B ready. The Med in May can be cold!

Just google "pisa tickets" or "vatican tickets" or any place tickets. Each attraction is likely to have an "official" site where you can buy tickets. In Italy, you can tell many of these official sites because you will see the word "opera" which means "works" or "facilities," not singing.

You will also get links to agencies like viator where you can get tickets (more expensive) for about all the attractions.

I agree with cruisemom on the exchange rate. Use a credit card as she described. It could be that the poster who saw her $1000 reduced to nearly 500 euros brought cash and exchanged it at an exchange bureau at their usual poor rates + commission, or else, used it to pay for purchases at a store at even worse rates. Having cash is good for peace of mind and emergencies, but use credit cards for purchases and ATMs for local currency and bring your dollars back home if you don't have to use them.

When buying jewelry, be mindful of the price of gold. The price of machine-made items, such as chains or popular design pendants, is determined largely by their weight. (BTW - there is gorgeous machine-made jewelry, that is not a negative.) More unique pieces have a premium for design and crafting as could be expected. You could go to one of your local jewelry stores and price, say, a 16", 18k gold chain to get an idea of prices. Make sure you pay attention to the thickness and style of the chain so you can get a comparable idea. (Take a picture so you remember.)

You are not likely to find bargains in Italy, but you will find beautiful, high quality jewelry fairly priced. This is a good time to buy gold jewelry because the price of gold is well down from its highs and the exchange rate is much better than it has been in quite a while.

And aquilegia is right. I forgot that in the UK they sell both 9 karat (38% gold) as well as 18 karat (75%) in the stores.

You will find that in Italy (and most of Europe) the jewelry is 18 karat (75% gold). You may find some 14 karat (59% gold) for the tourists. Italy has some of the highest quality jewelry anywhere. The gold content is highly regulated. You can always check the clasps or the back of the piece for a little 18k engraved on it. You can always do a little bargaining, but maybe not in the big name stores.

There are many jewelry stores in Rome. If you are going to Florence, the jewelry stores in the Ponte Vecchio are great and very competitive.

An interesting factoid - in Portugal, the jewelry is 19.25 karats (80% gold).

We have been on three cruises with Handre and I can't say good enough about him. He is delightful and a real gentleman. He handles his duties in a calm, relaxed manner and is always on top of things. And he is a gifted musician and entertainer. SB is lucky to have him. I do hope he is on our next cruise! (And I hope some of the other cruise directors take him as an example.)

We will probably still go to st paul de vence for the girls to have a quick look, I will just find a cafe near the car to sit in while the others explore more (or if none just chill in the car reading for 1hr.

The perfect place is the Cafe de la Place, right between the parking garages and the gate to the town. You can sit outside in the shade and watch the perennial game of petanque (or boules) that seems to be always going on.

slidergirl -

you are right about Cinqueterre in April. The only thing I can come up for CintiPam's objection would be the sea temperature which would be too cold (at least for me) for swimming.

 

In Athens, the steps leading up to the Parthenon were very slippery. If you climb up, please be careful.

 

This is not a concern if the OP takes the handicapped lift up to the top. She can go up in her wheelchair if she chooses. The top is 70% flat and she will be able to enjoy looking at all of the monuments and the wonderful setting.

Hank- I'm with you on St Paul de Vence. Antibes and Nice are the better choices. Also nearby and flat in the tourist areas are Villeneuve-Loubet and Biot.