jimb98

Can anyone advise where I'd get the Express Train to Herculaneum, how much it costs and how would I recognise it?

Many thanks,

Jim

Thomson sent my E Tickets in the post, claiming that they'd tried to email them but had been unable to; which was a load of nonsense as they'd emailed me other things successfully.

The E tickets stated once again that transfers were not included but then added a note (twice) that transfers were included and that I should ignore the first note. I'm afraid their system is not fit for purpose.

Thanks guys; will probably go with the audio guide.

Thanks guys; may be worth the ships tour after all.

How easy is it to get there on public transport from Messina port ?

Does anyone know how much a guide ( the ones that hang around the gates) would cost?

Please excuse my confusion.

If I do get the train as suggested from Porta Nolana, do I get off at Pompei S. Villa Misteri at say 9.17am? Then get perhaps the 13.16 back to Porta Solana at 14.03?

Any idea how much the guides charge or any advice on where to look for one?

I did look at this some time ago and was hoping to get some up to date timetable information.

We're hoping to DIY to Pompeii from Naples. The ship docks at 8.00am and departs at 5.00pm. We're not bothered whether it's bus or train but I suppose whatever is nearest to the port is usually the simplest. We plan on hiring a guide when we get there; how much would that cost; and entrance fee please.

Many thanks,

Jim

We're in Messina from 9.00 am -6.00 pm and would love to DIY to Taormina; how would we do that?

We'll be in MdC in a couple of weeks time and were hoping to get to Cinque Terre. The ferry does actually run but it doesn't get back until 5.45 pm and the ship departs at 7.00 pm; too close for comfort. How easy is it to get the train there; or anywhere of real interest from MdC?

I'm sailing on discovery on 11th June I will attempt to post whilst on the cruise. I'm hoping it will be a bit special being the first sailing as discovery

That's great; please do. Any or all information will be a help, but please let me know which lager is on tap.

Heineken can be a very decent pint - it's not the beer it's the conditions it's stored / served in. From a personal point of view I'd much prefer Heineken to say Fosters but that's not to say I won't drink Fosters if that's what on the AI. I think a lot of this is geoagraphic too, very few places in Scotland (well certainly near me) have Fosters so I'm not used to drinking it - we have plenty Tenents but that's not much better to be honest. Ideally would like an nice IPA but that ain't going to happen and John Smiths shouldn't be called a beer imo - awful tasteless stuff. Luckily I can guzzle wine and cocktails with a small surcharge for a malt later on.

Oh to have a taste for the malt; sometimes I do envy people who have a much more attuned palate. ( my wife can drink almost anything apart from gin)

I normally drink Fosters but am happy to drink almost any lager and have had Stella, San Miguel, Coors & Bud on ships. But Heineken always tastes too sweet to me and even after 3 or 4 pints my taste buds are still not agreeing to it. I quite like Tennents and always drink it when I visit my daughter in Edinburgh.

I suppose it demonstrates we're all individuals, which is great when we meet each other on-board.

I can fully understand wanting to know which lager is being served. I'm on the Discovery next month and have paid for the A/I. However, if it's Heineken then I certainly won't be drinking it; I won't even drink it here in the UK; it's minging.

That being the case I'll have to drink bottles which means I will be spending a lot more than I expected to; hence I'd like to know beforehand rather than be disappointed when I get onboard.

Before someone suggests I just drink something else I only drink lager and I do like to have a few pints.

Anyone going on the first cruise on 11th June? We're going the next week so would really appreciate any feedback before we sail.

Been on when it was Splendour but would be interested in any improvements Thomson have made.

This will be our third Thomson cruise coming up in June; we have also tried RCI and Celebrity.

I don't think Thomson or Tui give a stuff about loyalty; they're obviously happy with the numbers so don't feel they need to offer anything. We've chosen them this time because the ports of call suit us, it's the Discovery, which we've been on with RCI and we really like the Thomson feel.

Yes we're taken for granted but I don't expect anything to change anytime soon.

There has been a glitch with the Thomson booking process this year. All the correspondence states transfers are not included but Thomson have assured us they will be. As with previous posters we have done cruise & stay before with no problems whatsoever. And will be doing so again in June.

Been to both a few times, both totally different.

Nice has a lovely, long prom and has the tram to get around. There's a great bus service and an excellent train service between the two. Monaco has got the history, casino F1 tunnel etc, not forgetting the people watching and their flash cars.

In terms of expensive I guess it depends on what you want to do. If you want to lie on the beach at Nice and have lunch there then I suggest you rob a bank first. If you want to just site-see and use public transport then just buy a sandwich and drink and sit on a park bench for a picnic. That's what we did at Monaco and had a great time.

The public transport is really cheap.

Apologies for jumping in here. With regard to Villefranche there are plenty of options; Eze, St. Paul de Vence, Villa Ephrusssi and if you want to pretend you are in a old pop song you can always go to Juan Le Pins.

Some of the Thomson shows I've seen have been West End standard; far better than anything I've seen on RCI or Celebrity.

The Discovery theatre will make them even better as a spectacle.

We had our blessing for our 40th anniversary on The Celebration in 2014. It was really good and arranged very well by the ship's staff. It took place on the bridge by the captain; obviously on a port day ( in the Canaries for us). The captain asks if you each want to make an little statement/vow to each other. It all went very well and the captain was very nice. On the evening they reserve you a table in the restaurant and welcome you in over the tannoy; a little embarrassing but also very nice.

We also bought the photography package; rather expensive but we thought it was worth it.

We don't regret a minute of it.

Have fun,

Jim

Even without any refit it will be a real step up for Thomson; having been on Destiny, Celebration and Splendour it's a far superior offering.

We're booked on it for 18th June so if Thomson has added their entertainment skills to the ship then I reckon it'll be damn good.

Can't wait.

And no crazy 15% on everything! What's not to like?:

We had our blessing for our 40th anniversary on The Celebration in 2014. It was really good and arranged very well by the ship's staff. It took place on the bridge by the captain; obviously on a port day ( in the Canaries for us). The captain asks if you each want to make an little statement/vow to each other. It all went very well and the captain was very nice. On the evening they reserve you a table in the restaurant and welcome you in over the tannoy; a little embarrassing but also very nice.

We also bought the photography package; rather expensive but we thought it was worth it.

We don't regret a minute of it.

Have fun,

Jim

Thomson have just changed La Spezia for Marina Di Carrara on our forthcoming June cruise; not too pleased as it seems much easier to book an independent tour from La Spezia.

As we've already done Florence & Pisa has anyone taken any other tours from M.D.C ? We're think either Cinque Terre or Portofino may be good but unsure how to get there. I know there is a boat that does the trip in the Summer; has anyone else tried that? Or perhaps a suggestion for hiring a driver to take us?

Cheers,

Jim

Hi Glen,

Congratulations on your anniversary. Strangely enough we celebrated our 40th anniversary and renewed our vows on The Celebration in 2014. We actually arranged an excursion with a Scottish couple online, got on really well and they joined us when we had our anniversary dinner. So you can see why I was happy to share an excursion with a couple from Scotland.

We've done the Med a few times so we're probably looking forward to visiting Pompeii and Portofino. Haven't been to Sicily but have done Pisa, Florence & Palamos.

Really looking forward to going back to Villefranche; we love that area and would probably retire there if we could afford it; maybe even buy a house next to Bono?

Maybe see you on the ship?

Jim

Hi GlenLivet,

We are also on the Discovery on 18th June, only cruising for one week though, we have a week in Cala D'Or afterwards.

Are you planning any excursions and would you be happy to share? We shared some excursions on our last cruise with some lovely people from Scotland, we class you as honorary Geordies. Normally arrange the excursions locally, much cheaper than the ship's excursions.

We've been on the ship before when it was the Splendour; it's a beautiful ship.

Jim