Rysyonok

Did you happen to capture any of their Dailies? The rosters of day-to-day activities?

Oh, that's brutal 🙂

I have found your Pompeii comments to be genuinely worthy. May you be willing to share your ideal itinerary through the site? And yes, I've caught onto your passion for the Villa of Mysteries.

Wow. What a way to feel in the moment, to see 2,000 years (or 300, depending on one's beliefs) back. I'm speechless.

Such a great story! Thank you so much for sharing this. What house did you enjoy the most - although I imagine all of them were fascinating!

Wow, thank you for that tip. Does it require a separate entry, etc.?

That's a great point. That place is genuinely huge! And the fact that what, a third of it is still unexcavated is unbelievable.

I was there in March 2022 last, so I admit being a few months out of date. As for slippery, once you walk into the water a couple of feet, there's a drop-off. It's more obvious towards the cabanas.

So, coming back to the ship in France I imagine a cruiser has to pass through a checkpoint which is an equivalent of an arrival (departure) point. If a cruiser wasn't a part of a tour, then they to have a passport to reboard, no?

1. I've seen a couple, although I'm not sure where they had come from. Those strollers had very wide wheels - no other way to traverse the sand. 2. South beach has a sharp depth drop-off about 2 feet into the water. I would explicitly not go there with a child. 3. Yes, the ocean may be cooler, and no, pools are not heated. 4. Can't help here, however in general RCCL counts every head separately.

There's a tram that takes you from the boat to the main court of sorts (recognizable by dancers) and there's another one making a counterclockwise trip around the island. Both are the only ones available. If you don't see the latter one immediately upon disembarkation from the prior one, just turn right and walk along the shore. You're going to be stopped immediately and redirected to the stop as the road quickly turns tram-only access. 🙂

South Beach was the quietest indeed, but it has become for crew only after the known events. Also, following cabana construction, water has become quite treachery and slippery in some places. I wouldn't go there. So, either pool (straight off the ship - straight ahead, leaving waterpark just on the right) or the crescent-shaped inlets to the left (off the ship - left at the earliest opportunity - cross the bridge - after the bridge do not follow the road but keep going straight).

You don't have to, but I've seen beach drink servers get a bill or two.

Has anyone been to Palais Longchamp in Marseille, France? Is it worth a visit, or is it either mediocre or overrun with tourists? Here's a visual off Internet of what it is:

I would recommend Florence (Firenze). In a way, time has stopped there in the 1500s. Cathedral (Duomo) is gorgeous - do climb to the top. Bridges over Arno are cities in themselves. And even if you aren't into art, strolling past Uffici gallery is majestic, if only to sit down by Michaelangelo's David for a breather. And you can take a train to Civitavecchia that only takes a couple of hours.

I can only wonder whether lack of technical stops is driving up supply chain costs for RCCL. Here, in US, we're accustomed to occasional ports of call that have little value to us, passengers, but they mean everything to the cruise line: ships are filled up with cheap groceries. Hello, Port Canaveral 🙂 That may not be an option in Europe, as a non-Schengen technical stop will instantly make things complicated for all passengers. Thus, higher costs. Maybe we have all been reduced to waiting for RCCL IT to make it's signature fail in time before we sail 😉

You've hit it right on the nail head: larger ships are destinations in and out of themselves, but smaller ships get to more interesting places. Puerto Plata is pretty much the same as Labadee (sight-wise) or CocoCay (swim-up bar and artificial pools). If you want excitement (and crowds, a necessary fuel for action), go with Oasis. If you want peace (even if boring), go with Grandeur.

No, Oasis is not too big. It is very well-spaced out, and the variety of venues and events keeps people apart quite nicely. Now, don't get me wrong. 6,000 pax is something. One learns to book events instantly, not to show up to theater just a few minutes before a performance, and not to board from a port of call just as the ship is ready go set sail. But aren't those the rules of engagement in any midsize city and up nowadays? 6,000 pax capacity has its strength. It's not having to be the only person in a bar, it's lively nightlife, it's a great way to meet people. And crew does help. The ship functions flawlessly. Check-in / check-out lines are fast, disembarkation is smooth, and one can always find space in a hot tub. Frankly, having tried Oasis, I don't know if I can go back to smaller ships. As for soundproofing, I always book deck 14 central park balconies. Aside from a rare chair scraping, there's no noise pollution at all (and I'm happy to trade solarium proximity for the occasional noise).

Greetings, How stringent is cruise port border control in Italy (and France with Spain)? How long does it take to go through it? My partner has to acquire a Schengen visa; however, the question is whether a cruise is considered to be a single journey or, as the ship is flagged in Bahamas, each port of call is a unique entry to EU, requiring individual passport / visa stamps? The full itinerary is Barcelona, Spain --> Palma de Mallorca, Spain --> Marseille, Frane --> La Spezia, Italy --> Civitavecchia, Italy --> Naples, Italy --> Barcelona, Spain.

Good feedback, thank you. I realize I may have missed numerous great sights. So, I welcome comments and ideas. Yours alone has been very fruitful, I'm grateful. 🙂

- The museum - with all the mummies of citizens captured in their moment of tragedy - The baths, I mean, bordello: hey, they did belong to a different culture! - The fact that Pompei(i) is on a hill. Wait, where did lava flow down then? - The mosaics. Enough said. - How well they had organized the city, taking advantage of street cobblestones to make them directional arrows. - That time you got to steal a small souvenir from an area that was (or should have been) closed to public access... - All the stray pets nearby.

I genuinely hope it works out for you 🙂 The only reason I'm a RCCL direct loyalist is an ability to change or upgrade rooms at a whim at 10pm. Or whatnot. I don't believe in extra supply chain links. Not regularly, as in bugging the poor cruise line every 24 hours, of course 😅

As long as the flight is same airline or a codeshare, your bags should be switched by the airport. Just try to avoid the recent hotspots for luggage hiccups: Heathrow, Schipnol...

With all the recent stories of air traffic congestions and lost or delayed checked-in luggage and rescheduled flights, my partner and I are going to attempt a barebones trip to our May 2023 cruise. That means packing a carry-on bag only, bringing along only those items whose cheap equivalents cannot be purchased locally in Barcelona, Spain. As in, we're going to be scouting for sunscreen, toothpaste, flipflops, etc., and maybe even some disposable clothing in Spain. And the allowed amount of alcohol, of course. Now, this would have worked out fine in the US, with a Walmart or Walgreens available all over the place. A European city may be different. How easy is it to find essentials without paying for them tenfold in Barcelona? Are certain supermarket chains better than others?

I'm going to have to guess that it's 2 singles. https://www.cruisebus.barcelona/en/ hints that a return ticket would be printed out immediately, likely with the same day for both the initial and the return trip.