mapleleaves

I've always enjoyed following Roll Calls as a way to learn about activities, excursions, etc that people are planning at each port. In turn add my recommendations or plans. I've noticed that Roll Call activity is way down. No idea why except that more pax must use the other social media. But what bothers me more than the slow Roll Calls is the lack of trip reports. Of the hundreds of questions asked of this forum every day, only a handful of people ever come back with a trip report. A report doesn't have to be one of those dreadful 30 pg sagas with a photo of your every meal and drink; it can be ONE paragraph with your overall opinion of the cruise, your activities at each port, hits/misses. Seems only fair that you should give back to the forum users who were there to answer your questions.

Where are you sailing to? Assuming it's a US sailing, and he's a US citizen, the travel requirements per the RCI website are attached below. The photo ID must be govt issued, so If he went to a State College/University, his college ID should suffice. Private college ... he'd be taking his chances at the pier. ( Doesn't say the govt issued ID has to be current so an expired passport should work) What travel documents do I need to board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship (U.S. Citizens)? A For US Sailings - U.S. Citizens may sail using their: Official US Birth Certificate and a supporting Government Issued Photo ID, like a driver’s license or an identity card. Please note that hospital Birth Certificates (baby feet Birth Certificates) are not accepted. or U.S. Passport book that is valid at least 6 months after your cruise. Lastly, below are details if you need additional information about your passport. Visit the United Sates Department of State travel information website. Visa Central is the passport and visa service provider that we recommend. When you contact Visa Central, reference our account 44988 for reduced service fees. Contact Visa Central:

there's lot of video on youtube of the various room types on various ships. Just do a search on NCL GEM OV ROOM and you'll find plenty of video ( including the pullman bed)

i choose based on price and itinerary. When looking at Med cruises for late Sept, I thought the MSC port times were too short. In the end the NCL beat out RCI. Both included Kotor which was a must, but NCL Gem also included Dubrovnik and Santorini. Med cruises are port intensive so port times are top priority; food and amenities aren't too important to me.

Aldo Limo, but read post #44 where I listed a few other companies. There are lots more but I tossed the list after our cruise. Check with all of them to compare prices and service. I found these companies by reading trip reports in the NCL, RCI, Princess, Celebrity forums.....trip reports are a great resource, altho sadly there aren't many this yr

There's a new trip report on the RCI website for odyssey of the seas. They stayed in Civi the night before the cruise; really liked their hotel, enjoyed the town, and the arranged transfer from the airport was much less than you''ve been quoted. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2868247-odyssey-of-the-seas-17th-july-review/#comment-63623410

Requirements for Italy departures are listed on the RCI website: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise

Don't know your mobility level or how current this guide is, but perhaps you will find some helpful info for your day in Naples. https://www.sagetraveling.com/accessible-cruise-ports-naples-italy

Yes, flights are certainly trickier to plan this year than I've experienced in previous trips to Europe.. I'm still working on it! I disembark the NCL GEM on a Sunday ... it would be 26 hrs to fly home same day to Arizona. So it looks like I'm going to spend Sunday in Trieste, fly to Heathrow on Monday, then Arizona on Tues. Good luck with your plans! If you don't get a recommendation for a car/driver on this forum, contact the Trieste Visitor Information Center to see if they can offer any info.

you might want to check with White Pass RR to see when they open in 2023. I thought it was the beginning of May.

The US Embassy web site will answer your questions re: testing positive, quarantining, etc https://gr.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/#:~:text=Entry Restrictions to Greece Relaxed,SARS-CoV-2 infection.

I looked at this option a few months ago but Ljubijana is an hour's drive from Trieste. Any savings on the airfare would be gobbled up by the cost of a taxi or car/driver. The train was very long and didn't match up with flight times ..... no interest in overnighting. But now I see that Flixbus is an option and economical. Maybe worth re-considering. Thx for re-newing this idea !

We were in Naples 7-7. I checked my notes, and our driver picked us up at 8am and dropped us off at 5pm ( I paid for an extra hour). Good price when shared among 4. The vans hold 8, but I think more than 6 could get uncomfortable. I'm sure you could find others on your roll call to share the cost, since the Pompeii/Amalfi combo is so popular. Whatever you decide, it will be a wonderful cruise! We loved every moment of it. Enjoy!

Where do you board the boat? Actually, the description makes it sound like the entire day's travel is by boat. Is this a 7-8hr day? Since this is a Celebrity Tour, you might want to ask on the Celebrity forum to see if past travelers have done the tour. I used Aldo Limo, but nearly all the car/driver vendors offer private tours.... italytours.eu, joeBanana, italytoursharing, and recently read great reviews of PleasantTravel.com. In 2019 they were about $40- an hr. Nice that your tour includes time in Amalfi. Many of those tours go to Sorrento then stop briefly at the Positano overlook before heading back to Pompeii. We really struggled with skipping Pompeii, but in the end, all 4 of us agreed the Amalfi Coast was the priority; so we had time in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, plus the ferry.

It would help to see the details if you want feedback. We had a private driver for our day along the Amalfi Coast ( $400 for 8hrs) . I find the views from the water to be spectacular (Cinque Terre experience) so we took the ferry from Positano to Amalfi ( maybe $1o for a 20 minute ride). Fantastic day and so glad we took the ferry. We were a party of 4 adults so the Mercedes minivan/driver was affordable. You might want to consider this option. We could have posted on our roll call for additional pax to share the cost but $100 for a full day was a great deal. Plus the ability to stop where and when we wanted was such a bonus.

How about a happy medium? For now, write a brief report on the cruise.....ONE paragraph outlining your overall opinion of the cruise, highs/lows, and activities at each port. Fill in the details when you get home, when you add info about the rest of the vacation.

the dress code is posted near the end of the FAQ's . https://thevaticanmuseums.com/faq/

You're looking for a shortcut, but you need to do your research, just like the rest of us have done ! Research is the only way you can discover which cruiseline is best for YOUR needs, or which countries to visit, or which sites are most appealing, etc etc. Learn as much as you can about the cruiselines, ships, and itineraries. ie as I compared itineraries I found that port times can vary widely between cruiselines, so if you find an itinerary you really like, be sure you're in port long enough and at the right time of day for planned activities. And if there's a site you REALLY must see, pay attention to their hours of operation. ie some museums are closed on Monday. -Go to each cruiseline forum and read trip reports as they come in. Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, MSC, Costa, Celebrity. There have been 3 or 4 excellent reports on NCL and RCI recently. -In the blue banner at the top of the page are LIVE CRUISE REPORTS. - Borrow travel books from your library .... there are even books specific to Mediterranean cruises. I have Rick Steves' " Mediterranean Cruise Ports' and Ann Vipond's " Mediterranean by Cruiseship'. I prefer RickSteves. The books discuss popular destinations, sights, activities, tours, etc. - youtube is another good resource. ie Do a search on Corfu Cruise Port and you'll find dozens of recent video from people's recent visits to Corfu. Check out what they did/saw and see if it appeals. Have fun with your research !

Be sure to check the expiration date of your passport .... must be valid for 6 months beyond sail date. Look halfway down the page to TRAVEL Documents Check List: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise

Thx, I remembered from my visit to Split several yrs ago that vendors only accepted Kuna, but with Croatia converting to Euros in 2023 I thought perhaps some places were already accepting euros.

In dubrovnik did the cab drivers accept euros? stores/restaurants ?

Interesting.... I thought it would be the other way 'round. I expected that everyone would rush off the ship this morning at 8am to catch the train, whereas on the ship's departure day people would have been arriving at different times thoughout the day. Thanks for taking the time to write this report. Greatly appreciated. .

Euros. Otherwise the waiters have to pay fees/exchange rate to change those dollars to euros.

https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

Take advantage of the Luggage Valet program so that you don't have to drag your luggage around as you visit. And keep in mind that Seattle traffic can be brutal.