cruisingbarb

We were in 301, and yes it does have a porthole. I'm not sure how it compares to the stern cabin but it is small with a raised bed. I liked it. We found it cozy.

If you're interested in a private tour to the Cinque Terre from Livorno, we used Papillonservice.com and were very happy with them. Our driver picked us up at the ship. Here was our itinerary:

•First stop Portovenere (90 min from Livorno)

•Take the ferry to Riomaggiore

•Walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola via the famous Via dell’Amore

•Take the ferry from Manarola to Monterosso*

•Have lunch

•Drive along the panoramic hilltop road

•Stop in Pisa

For the six of us, it was about the same price as the ship's tour but without the big bus and 45 people.

I would book through Escaped to Latin America and ask for Jean O'halloran. She did a fantastic job. She was the only one out of the numerous companies I contacted who seemed to understand what we wanted to see. There was a lot of fine tuning to the itinerary but in the end, I wouldn't have changed anything. And everyone at Condor was very professional and knowledgeable. Good luck and enjoy your trip. I 'm envious.

We also used Escaped to Latin America and would highly recommend them. In response to my email, I got a very professional presentation. They subcontracted out to Condor Travel and I can't say enough good thing about them. If we're ever fortunate to make another trip to Peru, I would definitely use them. If they offer a farm visit and lunch in the SV, definitely do that. It was one of the top five highlights of our trip. Also, if you are spending the night in Aguas Calientes and want to upgrade to a nice hotel, look at Casa del Sol. We feel it was worth the money.

Just my 2 cents worth, but loved Barcelona and Venice so I would go with your first choice.

Unless you really like sea days I would go with the shorter cruises. We enjoyed our evening in Mykonos but we also really enjoyed seeing Ephesus. Definitely plan on going into Venice or Barcelona at least a day or two early. There is a lot to see in Both cities. What a delemma. Our next cruise is Istanbul to Barcelona which we are really looking for.

Goggle Royal Dalhousie condos. We stayed here prior to our cruise and loved it. The location couldn't be more perfect. When we woke up our last morning, our cruise ship filled our front window. The cruise port is right across the street.

There were taxis available at the port. We took one out to the dirks caves then came back and had lunch in the port. It was a pleasant day.

We stayed in the Jose Antonio. It was convenient and the rooms were nice. The breakfast we good.

I have to second an earlier poster's choice of Escaped to Latin America. We are sitting in the Mexico City airport on our way back from a 6 night stay in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. I worked with Jean O'halloran and she was wonderful. I had been to Peru once before but this time was going with my DW and another couple so I had an idea of what I thought they should see. They contract through Condor Travel and we couldn't have been more pleased with the service we got. We were comng off an amazon cruise so didn't arrive into Cusco until late afternoon, otherwise I would agree with previous posters that you should go immediately to the Saced Valley to acclimate. We toured the SV the next day with our guide Raul who I can highly recommend. One of the highlight of the day was a visit to a local corn/dairy farm followed by a wonderful lunch with the family. The 2 sons were both educated in the US and very interesting to talk too. This is the main reason I booked through them as they were the only one out of the numerous tour companies who offered this option and we all agreed that it was one of the top 5 highlights of the trip. We then took the train to Aquas Calientes and spent two nights at the Casa del Sol which I highly recommend if you want to treat yourself. A little pricey but it includes dinner which was excellent. But do ask for a riverview room. We had a wonderful time and couldn't more pleased with our trip and the arrangements.

You might try shareashoreexcursioninitaly.com. Someone on our last cruise organized a tour through them and and my husband and I joined the group. A lot more affordable than a private tour for two. We went to Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio and loved it. I believe Big Luca was our guide.

I will second that. We used Guido several years ago for two days. The first day we went to San Gimignano and Siena, and the second day we did a tour to see the Vinci museum, his birth place, and a tour of a family owned winery where we had lunch with the family. It was a very nice day and Guido is very knowledgable, especially about wine.

Lucca, maybe a nice wine tour--beginning to sound better all the time. How was volterra?

Some good ideas. I should have mentinoned that we've been to Siena and San

San Gimignano but Lucca sounds nice. Any other options?

We'll be docking in Livorno. We've already been to Florence, Pisa, and the Cinque Terre. Any suggestions for what to do and see outside of Livorno?

Luv2cruisin --

I would love to share a couple of pictures from our tour but I can't figure out how to attach them. If you'd like to see them and want to provide me with your email address, I'd be happy to send them to you.

I can't recall but I don't think it was a problem.

We were on the Coral Princess several years ago and took the Granada, Lake Nicaragua, Las Isletas Cruise & Lunch and really enjoyed it. You could see the volcano from the bus on the trip back to the ship. I managed to get a couple of pictures which I will try and post later. The lake cruise was on smaller boats and went through the many islands including monkey island. You had some free time in Granada and lunch was buffet style in the courtyard at a hotel and very good. We also stopped at a museum which was interesting. We definitely thought this tour was worth the money and enjoyed our day in Nicaragua.

How was your cruise on the Amazon? We need details. Any hints about what to take?

Are you going to do any extensions in Peru, i.e. Machu Picchu? I was there two years ago and loved it. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

Am also curious to hear about your cruise as we are doing the upper Amazon with OAT Travel next June.

We're signed up for the same OAT trip in June 2014. What time of the year did you go? Any helpful hints or suggestions?

We are thinking of booking a Christmas Market cruise and I have a question for the ladies. I have two down jackets, one hot pink and one bright green. Will I feel out of place if I wore either one of these jackets or should I just go with the basic black?

Your pictures were very impressive. What kind of camera did you use? Did you photoshop your pictures? The colors are beautiful. And how did you get the underwater pictures? Mine never come out. Apparently I need to get a better camera.

We are thinking of booking a canal cruise on the Coral Princess and are looking at the Emerald deck, BE cabins in the aft section. Has anyone stayed in these and what is your opinion? The balconies look a little bigger than some of the others and they look like they're covered. Any downside to these cabins?

Our other option would be perhaps the BE cabins on the Baja deck or perhaps the BD cabins on the Caribe deck.

Barbara

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2010 RCCL Mariner (Mexico)

2009 Star Clipper (Eastern Mediterranean)

2006 Windjammer Mandalay (Windward Islands)

2003 Windjammer Mandalay (Windward Islands)

2000 Windjammer Mandalay (Windward Islands)

1997 Windjammer Mandalay (Windward Islands)

1995 RCCL Sun Viking (So. Caribbean)

1994 RCCL Song of America (So. Caribbean)

1993 Columbia River Cruise

1993 HAL Westerdam (E. Caribbean)

1991 Crown Monarch (W. Caribbean)

1989 RCCL Song of America (W. Caribbean)

1985 RCCL Nordic Prince (E. Caribbean)