klfhngr
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Posts posted by klfhngr
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2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:
Hi klfhnger -- I have stayed at that particular UNA Hotel twice. It is exceptionally well located IF you are arriving into Rome by train or leaving by train due to its location -- only about 2 blocks walking to reach the passenger entrance to the trains, great if you can handle your own luggage for that length of time on relatively flat sidewalks.
The hotel is large (e.g., many rooms) by Rome standards and does tend to get a number of tour groups, so reception can get very busy. The rooms are modern but I noticed some wear and tear between my first and second stays there. They have an excellent breakfast buffet that is almost American in its variety.
All of that said, I would NOT recommend the hotel if your primary goal is to experience the charm of Rome and be in the midst of the really historic areas. The area around Termini station is not unsafe, but it is also not very charming and tends to feature cheap eateries that are not particularly great (although budget friendly) -- we're talking felafel takeaways and the like with a few dusty classics of Italian cuisine. It's not a place where people tend to walk around in the evenings enjoying the ambiance.
In short, for someone needing a place to stay for a night in between train journeys or someone just coming in from the airport one day and headed to Civitavecchia to get on a boat (by train) the next day, it is one of the better options near Termini. For any other purpose, it would not be my first choice or recommendation.
Oh wow, thank you so much for the info!!
We're coming in by plane from Los Angeles, my wife and I. We're also taking my mother and step dad. We're arriving 2 days before a cruise and wanted to get to know SOME of Rome.
I'm glad I didn't book, based on your comments.
Within the same budget, and close to the sights, what hotels would you recommend ($150 a night range, I know that's not a lot, but there are quite a few places in that range)? I've gone thru all of the posts here, trip advisor, expedia, etc., and can't seem to find the right place. I have ZERO knowledge of Italy (ask me about Mexico, Caribbean, USA, lol, I'll know). So any info/suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you!!!!! 🙂
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Hello, is anyone familiar with UNAHOTELS Deco Roma or the location? Recommended?
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On 10/25/2021 at 3:22 AM, Wheels87 said:
So cool!
My wife sailed on the Tropicale out of Los Angeles back in 1988. We sent in a pic of her with her waiter and a pic of some other souvenirs to get credit for her 7-day cruise for the VIFP program. It worked!
Cheers!
i did her in 1984, but I can't find ANY pics!! I want to use them for cruise credits also, it might get me out of the Gold Tier!
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On 11/23/2021 at 7:36 PM, eltigre said:
We never get a deal on the Cheers package and being Canadian figure a 22% exchange rate.
So on a 7 day at $63.50 per day times 2 people times 7 days say $890 to round off. Average drink price $10 now, I'm thinking, that's 89 drinks in 7 days or 6 drinks a day per person. Three to four port days for 8 hours each are removed from the equation.
So if my math is right, is it still a good plan to get a Cheers Pkg?
What is your or bar bill? Or what would it be if you didn't have the package?
I'd say no. Drink package was the same price for us in Oct. We opted out. Bar bills came out to about 300/400 total. My friend and his wife got drink package, his bill came out to about 1000. BUT, they got drinks for others (bartenders did that, not them), got waters, coffees, etc. So in my opinion, it's not worth it. Also, my bill INCLUDED waters, coffees, etc.
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Great Review! I was on Panorama the week after you! Thinking of going back in Jan., the rates are $533 for my wife AND I! Balcony!!!!!
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Different ship, but quite a few dressed up on Panorama in Oct. We did too 🙂
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46 minutes ago, leitmotif said:
I'm also a homebrewer. I'll be on the Panorama in just over 2 weeks and I am pretty excited, I haven't been on a cruise in 10 years and this time I am by myself but also with some friends so I get to do whatever the heck I want! I've got no plans for excursions or what to do in Cabo/Ensenada but I figure I'll follow my nose and find some food and maybe a couple bars to post up at in town.
What's the situation with masks on board? I'm hoping to wear one as little as possible and I've read so much and it has become overwhelming so I figure first-hand experience would be the best info.
Beers were pretty good, not great, but better than the bottled cr ap that they have 😉
I was in Cabo in July, you might want to hit up Baja Brewery. Great view, beers pretty good, I liked the Red. Taco Lele's or Tacos Paisa are good spots. Plenty of bars, lol!
Most people wore masks, a few didn't. Staff would remind you to put on when entering any food establishments. Some would remind you when you walked around, but that was rare. I chose to wear mine most of the time, but when you're at the pool, no need to wear. No haters if you didn't wear them, so that was nice.
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On 11/25/2021 at 11:44 PM, smellywax said:
Do you remember the name of the restaurants you ate at for breakfast and dinner in Puerta Vallarta?
I'm sorry, I do not!!! Bad move on my side! But the breakfast place is right across the street from the main church, right on the corner if that helps! The dinner place, it was up in the hills where the locals live. I should've gotten the names! If I have time, I can post a picture of the inside, lol?!
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On 11/25/2021 at 9:58 PM, greatestvalue said:
What is a fair price for the pedicab? It has to be a win-win for all!!
It all depends on how long you use/abuse him 😉 We paid $30, plus tip. But he took us shopping, to a brewery, drove us for some sights, then lunch, then back! I totally think it was worth it! You might be able to do it for cheaper, depending on what you do and how long.
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Point being is that Radiance arrives earlier, so I wouldn't worry about your flight time. If it was the P, then yes, I'd change flights. Sorry, that was the point that I was trying to make.
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2 hours ago, TheSeagoer said:
There is nothing wrong with the ship. Just off in the 20Th.
I was on her Oct 23. They did the itinerary change, supposedly due to propulsion issue. When we asked workers on the ship about it, none of them heard of it. Some are saying that CCL is just saying that. Some say it's going slower due to the whales. That's why it arrives later than normal.
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My understanding is that Panorama arrives later than normal due to propulsion 'issue'. Radiance arrives much earlier. I'd do the flight, LBG is super close and a small airport. Walk in, check in, and boom, there's the plane! Not like LAX!
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3 hours ago, CruiseMGM said:
Thanks so much for your review! We'll be on the Panorama in April, with a bunch of family members (3 cabins, 9 people). It will be our first Carnival cruise and our first cruise out of Long Beach. Can you expand a little on the parking for the cruise? Lots of spaces? Easy to locate and use? I'm a little nervous about this aspect of the trip!
Thanks in advance!
We drove up at about 1030/1100, plenty of spots on first level. Keep in mind that those getting off the ship were still leaving. I wouldn't worry about parking. Easy to find. When you drive in, stay on the second lane to the left. If you go to far left, you'll be heading to Queen Mary. Second left lane will take you to structure, you can't miss the sign that says CRUISE SHIP PARKING, lol!
We've done Royal, NCL, X and Carnival, liked them all and really enjoy Carnival also.
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8 minutes ago, CMOTO said:
We will be on this ship in April, I'm kinda nervous to see what the changes might be at the end of March when they re-evaluate everything with covid and all the rules. I'm hoping the 48hr testing and the masks are wayyyy more laxed. You mentioned the brewery, did you do the tour?? is it a nice size bar or do you need to get there early to get a good seat?
Thanks for your review!
You're gonna love it! We'll see what they do with the rules.
No tours due to covid. I'm a home brewer and wanted to do it, but no go. I did talk to the head brew master for a while, he was showing me some stuff. The computer stuff that they use is CRAZY! It's a pretty large area, bar counter gets heavy activity at night, but usually can find seats there or in the lounge area. Like I said, pretty large area!
You're welcome!
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We're in our 50's and traveled with 2 other couples. One couple were newbies, other couple has about 5 cruises under their belt and we have about 20.
Embarkation: We were part of group A5. We arrived at port at about 11:30. Parked our vehicle, checked our luggage in. Did the whole process in about 30 minutes! It was quick and great!!!! No complaints! Got our 4 bottles of wine onboard, they never checked nor asked. Newbies were expecting the worse in regards to getting on, due to some reviews, but they were amazed at how fast we got on. Once on board, the staff was amazing! They were all so happy to see us!
Cabin: We upgraded for 200 more to the premium balcony 8470. The layout is sort of a pain in the butt, the long hallway feels cramped. But the views and the size of the balcony is awesome!!! We were able to entertain all 6 of us with no problem! Could've fit about 4 more easily! Wife did NOT like the room, I was ok with it. If we travel alone, we'll get the regular balcony, if in a group, we'll book this one again.
Ship: The ship looks great!! Still looks new, super clean! Easy to navigate! Staff throughout the ship was super friendly! We hung out by the pool. At first it seems small, but for now, with limited capacity, it seems to work. Not sure what's going to happen once it's at 100%!!! Enjoyed not having a large crowd!!! No lines for anything! Food, drinks, shows, etc., walk right in!! Pizza had a line late night, but that's normal!
Food: I know this is subjective, so this is my opinion. We attempted to try different stuff, but it's hard to do that with so many options.
The Steakhouse was ok. Food was good, somewhat salty. Service was ok, but nothing outstanding! Our group felt the same way.
Gigi's: Have to admit, this was our favorite! The soups, the different dishes, etc.!! At first, we didn't think that it would be enough food, we were wrong!!! The chef's know how much to make for a small group! Some in our group thought that some of the dishes were salty, we didn't notice that here.
BBQ: It was ok. The fact that knowing that this is an option is great! If you like BBQ, I think you'll enjoy.
Deli: We had it on last day and wish we made more visits! Sandwiches were great!
Pizza: It was hit and miss, but how can you go wrong with pizza?! The service was the part that was lacking.
Guys Burgers: The bomb!!! I wish they had them here in SoCal!!! Great flavor and variety of stuff to put on your burger!
The Mexican Place (forgot the name!): Great breakfast burritos!
Lido Buffet: It was also ok, but still many options. Food wasn't terrible, so not sure what some people are complaining about.
Dining Room: We enjoyed most meals! The lobster was pretty good, we had too many tails to count! The steak that's offered every night is not good at all, stay away from it if you can! Yes, dishes are MUCH smaller than before, but you can order more or get a soup and salad, and I guarantee that you'll be filled!
Piano bar was fun. The Havana Club was awesome! The vibe, the band, etc.! We got to talk and enjoy interacting with the band while they played, lol!! Chino on percussion killed it! The brewery on board was probably our favorite hangout! Good beers and really good drinks!!! Should've spent more time here! Alchemy Bar was ok. I heard great things about it, but it was ok. Atrium bar is a cool place to hangout. The 3 violin players were awesome!!! I heard that they played Metallica, so I yelled it out. One of the players told me that they played 3 of their songs then proceeded to play one! They later played a Nirvana song! Great players!!!
Puerto Vallarta: We hired a driver for $30 pp, I negotiated after walking out of all the madness. He had an agenda, but I told him that I've been here many times and that we had our own list. He said ok. We asked to have breakfast where the locals go. He took us to a place by the church, it was great! We ate and drank some great food, chilaquiles, tacos, beans, etc. Our bill was $9!!! We then went to the Malecon, shopping, beer run. We then headed to the jungle to El Eden. Hung out there and had some drinks. Be careful, a little kid got bit by a leach! We then did a tequila tasting, it was great info but the tequilas were not that great. We then headed back and asked for a good dinner place where the locals go. He took us to a really nice restaurant. We had ceviche, huge shrimps, drinks, etc. Our bill was $30! Our friend had a huge snapper, he said it was great! We then headed back to the ship and hung out by the ship to have a few drinks. We must've been the last ones on the ship. Back in the day, this area was hopping, this time, there was no one hanging out!
Mazatlan: We went to Lety's on Stone Island. It was ok, not as good as that last few times. We had some shrimp, drinks, shots, coke, etc. Bill was about $40. Be careful here too. Carlos said I want to give you a free shot. So he gave one to me and to a friend. He then charged me 12 bucks! He then proceeds to say, oh, those double shots that I gave you. So one is free and the other is the regular fee!! What a crock and a crook! I was pissed off and told him! As we were leaving, he approached me and apologized and gave me a free one. We then headed to the golden zone, Sr. Froggs, drank at a place next door then headed back to ship. The small tour only costs us $3 pp.
Cabo: I was just there in July, so we had an agenda based on the limited time that we had there. We walked the Marina, then walked out and shopped. We then did a tequila tasting, it was a cool hangout spot and we purchased some tequila. We then went to Los Paisas tacos, which were the bomb! We then hopped on a van and headed back to the ship.
Props to the following:
Our waiter Putra and his helper Alfred! Putra was amazing! The kindest and friendliest waiter that we've had in years!! He made sure that we were happy with our food and amount of food that we ate, lol!!! If we told him that we wanted to see a show later, he had our meals brought out super fast!! He really enjoyed talking about life in general, his family, home, etc. I feel so bad for them at how hard they work.
Omer at the brewery was awesome!!! We got to know a lot about him and him about us!! The service he provided was awesome! Vitali, Nikolai and Bro were also awesome, these guys work hard to make us happy!!!
Our cabin steward Eric was awesome! Our room was kept tidy, he was very friendly and enjoyed talking!!!! Sometimes we had to run so that he wouldn't engage us (if we were running late). I feel as though they miss people, miss having true conversations, having friends, etc. So when we could, we'd talk for about 5-10 minutes just to spend some time with him.
The bad: Not really too much. By the pool, they try to push the 4 beers really, really hard! Be careful, this is why: First stop after get on the ship at Red Frog, I ordered 1 Bloody Mary and 1 IPA. The girl asked if I wanted the 4 beer special. I kindly said no, I'll just take 1 and 1. The other bartender made the Bloody Mary, he then started pouring 1 beer, 2 beers. I said, wait, I only wanted 1! She turns around and said, sir, you said 4! I said NO, I never said 4, I told you no!!! The other bartender tells here to cancel my order. 30 minutes later I'm in my cabin and notice a $46 charge and a $14 charge. I'm thinking, what did I get so far? So I headed to Guest Services. To make a long story short, one charge was for 1 Bloody Mary and 4 beers! The other charge was for 1 Bloody Mary and 1 beer! She charged me for both! I explained what happened to the Guest Service person, and he noticed that I was upset. He said that he didn't understand why she did this but that he would be emailing her manager. Anyhow, be careful and look at your charges!
All in all, everyone onboard was kind! The guest on board were all great, seems like everyone wants to get back to normalcy. Many wore masks, there was a small minority that didn't. Also, I noticed many people not washing their hands when exiting the bathroom!! That was gross!!! On some occasions, I'd say 'forgot to do something!' None came back, lol!
We'd go back on the Panorama in a heart beat! We selected to be last off the ship and were off at about 1030. Debarkation was a BREEZE!!!! No lines, nothing! No customs was the best part!!! Just showed our face and walked straight out!
Another great cruise under our belt! BTW, the newbies are hooked on cruising, lol!!
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15 hours ago, Hyattlodge said:
The bike guy sounds like fun, can you give me a ball park cost? Does he wait for you or do you just find another one after you shop/eat?
We paid 30 bucks for a couple of hours. He waits. We shopped, went to brewery, went to taco place. IT was fun and worth it! They even have music!
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On 11/16/2021 at 7:11 AM, helene109 said:
Good point! We cruised in August and just had to pay Cheers since it was a rebook. That was a 7 day this one is an 8 day with 4 ports and $980 for Cheers sounds like a lot. Yes I love my frozen drinks but this trip I am torn. My $200 obc can still pay for a lot of drinks. I can always pre pay my tips. Bring cc gift cards.
Trust me on this, I drank MANY drinks, but to justify, my wife probably had 3 drinks a day. IF she drank more, maybe, but I still doubt we would've hit 850. Also, my friend and his wife got Cheers, they hit about 1000 bucks, BUT, no flamers please, they would get drinks for others in our group. They thought that they got a good deal, but I tried to explain to them: What if you DIDN'T get all of those drinks for others!?? There's no way in heck they would've hit 850, she only drank like 3 drinks a day. But, she did get coffees and waters.
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12 hours ago, helene109 said:
I booked at a rate with $200 obc.
There is now a Cheers rate $920.00 higher and I would loose my $200 obc!
If we pre buy the Cheers it would be $980! Yes I have to buy Cheers. My adult kids Cheers rate is a lot lower they got it when we first booked months ago.
Opinions please! This is for an 8 day Horizon.
We highly considered cheers last month but opted out. I drank my fair share, I didn't hold back, wife had drinks here and there. Total bill was about $400. Saved $450! Glad we didn't get cheers.
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A lot less classy/fancy/elegant. Missing that vibe. I started cruising in 85.
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IPA and Red and Stout
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On 11/9/2021 at 9:49 AM, crewsweeper said:
Sorry to hear that. There's been gang/cartel related incidents in Cabo of late especially after dark. So I'd say Carnival is just protecting passengers. Better to miss out on a hotel stay than risk your life.
I was in Cabo in July, and everything shuts down at 10! Even the hotels where you stay! So it might be better and livelier to get back on the ship! Also was there 2 weeks ago, but that was on a cruise, so IDK what the current status is.
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I'd say Sunday and Thurs. Just off the Panorama, Sat. - Sat. cruise. And those were the formal nights.
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On 11/6/2021 at 7:37 PM, LarryCruiser said:
Hi all,
We (me, wife, 2 kids (13+11) have cruised ~5 times on Royal but never Carnival. We booked a 5-day Eastern Caribbean on the Horizon in December. Does anyone who has sailed on both Iines have any suggestions/insight about any similarities, differences, or things you knew before trying Carnival? We're looking forward to it but want to make sure any expectations are approrpriate and that anything we should think of in advance we do.
Thanks!
I've done about 8 RCCL cruises and about 12 CCL cruises. They are more similar than not. I sailed on Symphony 2 years ago and Panorama last month. For ME, Oasis class ships are too big for us. We actually loved the Panorama. Our favorite Royal ship is the Mariner. I think that the food is better on Carnival. Also, more food options on Carnival and more 'free' venues to eat at. Might be more shows/stuff to do on Royal. Comics in Carnival much better. Staff on Carnival is awesome, more friendlier (could be because cruising just resumed). Your kids will love Carnival, I think you will too, you might be surprised and be like us that enjoy sailing on both. BTW, we loved NCL also, the casual part of it.
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6 minutes ago, ScottsSweetie said:
When I signed up for my check-in time for my 11/20 cruise, I chose 12:00-12:30. We don't really feel the need to be the first on the ship, and in September when we chose 11:00 we were about an hour getting on the ship.
After signing up, and reading others experience on the roll call and facebook page, it appears that noon is the earliest check-in time available (A01). This would lead me to believe that the propulsion issue is still alive and kicking, since most other cruises start check-in at 10:30 or so. I have no idea what their arrival back to port time is, but it must be later than normal.
Approx. 9 am or so a couple of weeks ago for us.
Also, if you want to be part of an early embarkation group, some guy posted a YouTube video on how to be part of an early group, it really works!
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Hotels in Rome
in Italy Ports
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Cruisemom, thank you so much! I will look at those.
Not looking for anything fancy, but no dump either. We enjoy being out of our rooms, so basically it'll be a place to store luggage, sleep and shower, lol! Wanted to see some of the ruins, not interested in Vatican. We don't mind doing SOME walking (I've had 4 knee surgeries but still manage). Local nearby food would be great.