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On the Noordam where is lunch served on embarkation day?

Take alook at Telestial. They sell sim cards that can be used all over Europe.

I was looking for a cheap phone that I could use in Europe for 3 weeks. I purchased one from them for $30. That included the sim card and 10 minutes calling time.

I haved spent time in Bologna and Ravenna. They are both beautiful and historic. Ravenna is a lot smaller the Bologna. The mosaics are beautiful in Ravenna. It is very easy to get around. Bologna has much to offer but I would stay in Ravenna with limited time.

We bought our tickets on line from the Airport to Rome, to Civitavecchia. We ordered them from Trenitalia and you also order from Rail Europe. We did it this way because we didn't want to stand in line at the train station with our luggage. Buying them at the station would be cheaper and depending on when you get there it might be easy to do. We are seniors and have traveled by train from Paris - Milan - Genoa -Bologna-Ravenna

Thanks everyone for your help. Looking forward to the cruise. We leave 14 days from today.

Take a look at tripadvisor.com Just put in the city you want to stay in and then type of place, apartment, hotel, B & B. I trust this site. They list all the places available from number 1 rated on up. I use there reviews on every trip I take. I have done reviews on the Europe hotels we have stayed in. We will be leaving in two weeks and staying in Rome for only 2 nights so I found a B&B highly rated and close to the train station and easy walking to everything we want to see. Have fun.

We booked with taorminatour.com They will take you anywhere. They have great reviews of trip advisor.

My husband and I loved Genoa. Walking the streets was very interesting. Genoa has a lift that goes to the top of the city and it is very beautiful at the top. There is a little cafe at the top to have a cold drink and snack. The home of Christopher Colombus is there but we didn't have time to see it. We also took a bus around the city. We would go back to that area.

We will be sailing the Med in a couple of weeks on the Noordam. I never thought of theme nights until I saw the question today. Should I expect a theme night on our sailing. I like to be prepared.

Thank you for the great information. My husband looks for WW11 sites where ever we travel. We will be going to Malta soon and I have found three sites for us to visit. I looked for something in Rome but didn't find anything in the city.

Please do not take my post as a criticism, but more in the way of info for others. Most of the trains running between Civitavecchia and Rome are "Regional" trains and these are generally broken down into the most common basic Regional and the less common Regional Veloce. The regular Regionals run quite often, only have 2nd class (5 Euros) and are perfectly fine for the relatively short commute into Roma. The Veloce trains only run about once every 2 hours and also offer some 1st class cars (which are anything but true first class) for a 50% premium (about 7.50 for a ticket). There are also a few intercity trains which cost a lot more and require reservations (we do not normally recommend these trains because they can often run quite late).

 

So, as a rule we do not recommend purchasing tickets in advance for the regional trains since there are no limits on the number of tickets sold and its easy to get tickets at the train station window, vending machines, or at various news kiosks and shops. The problem with buying a 1st class ticket (in advance) is you are likely to find yourself at the station with 2 or 3 regional trains going by with no 1st class cars (because they are not Veloce). Since it is very difficult for a cruiser to know exactly when they will get to the station, most will normally just hop on the next train.

 

We also commonly recommend that cruisers buy a BIRG ticket which costs about 12 Euros. For this price you get round trip (2nd class) plus all days use of Rome's Metro and bus lines. It is a terrific deal for those that want to use Rome's public transit system.

 

Hank

Thanks for the correction. We have done this before also and had found the train crowded and another time it was not. I like a spot that I can keep an eye on our luggage. We are seniors and I like to plan ahead and know what to expect. We have also found that we had to deal with gypsy's trying to get money on the 2nd class trains but not in 1st class. I don't want to deal with that again. What ever you decide to do I am sure your visit to Rome will be exciting. I know we are looking forward to seeing Rome in just 18 days. Grazie!

I ordered tickets last week on Trenitalia web site. I purchased two one way tickets, first class for 30euro. Trave time is 42 minutes. This was for Rome to Civitavecchia. Check the web site. They will email the tickets right away. The paper has a scan code on it and you give the paper to the conductor to scan. There is no waiting in line or confusion at the train station.

When you look at the web site if it is in Italian, look on the top right hand corner and there is a British Flag. Click on the flag and the print becomes English. Have fun. This was a nonstop train.

How do you check to see how many cabins are sold?

I can't get 2014 schedules to show up with that link. How did you find yours?

I also couldn't get our ship for April 2014 on Noordam. When it says departure does it want the day the ship leaves the port?

Does anyone know if the nonalcholic beer is included in the beverage package.

I also have Vertigo and have planned a cruise for April. I checked with my doctor and he filled a prescription for Antivert. I think I will take this a couple of nights before the cruise. It would be a shame to have vertigo spoil a cruise.

I tried to get an upgrade on the April 15 part of your cruise and was told I would lose the Beverage package, dinner and credit. They are charging less for a suite then we paid for a balcony. My travel agent called for me but it was not a deal after giving back everything.

Thanks for the info. Time is getting closer andI am getting excited.

Does anyone know if the taxi drivers would be working on Easter? I am not sure what will be open or what we should plan on doing. We will be on the Noordam and we have a long day there.

When you are in a port on a holiday in Greece is there anything to do. We will be on the Noordam for Easter this year. Is anything open?

Has any one been in this room. Do you have pictues? Is the location ok:)

Has anyone been in this room. Do you have any thoughts on it.

We are going to be in room 7090 on the Nordam. any thoughts on this room or pictures?

My husband and I went on the Ducati museum tour two years ago. It is very easy to take a taxi there. There is a good bus service that would take you very close. Book the tour online. The Ferrari tour was only given to Ferrari owners. We didn't qualify The train from Ravenna to Bologna is not to long.

With my etickets there was a note that I would get a coupon book good for 5 liter bottles of water. I think I read that this was done for the american guests.