Host Bonjour

If you have a moment, please take our quick one question poll re: cruise decor/style. You can post your thoughts too if you'd like to tell us if or why you voted. Does it matter at all or is it still mostly itinerary/costs? We hope everyone is well and looking forward to sailing somewhere soon! Thanks in advance if you're able to do our poll. ☀️🛳️ Colleen/Bonjour

If you have a moment, please take our quick one question poll re: cruise decor/style. You can post your thoughts too if you'd like to tell us if or why you voted. Does it matter at all or is it still mostly itinerary/costs? We hope everyone is well and looking forward to sailing somewhere soon! Thanks in advance if you're able to do our poll. ☀️🛳️ Colleen/Bonjour

If you have a moment, please take our quick one question poll re: cruise decor/style. You can post your thoughts too if you'd like to tell us if or why you voted. Does it matter at all or is it still mostly itinerary/costs? We hope everyone is well and looking forward to sailing somewhere soon! Thanks in advance if you're able to do our poll. ☀️🛳️ Colleen/Bonjour

If you have a moment, please take our quick one question poll re: cruise decor/style. You can post your thoughts too if you'd like to tell us if or why you voted. Does it matter at all or is it still mostly itinerary/costs? We hope everyone is well and looking forward to sailing somewhere soon! Thanks in advance if you're able to do our poll. ☀️🛳️ Colleen/Bonjour

Not easy to choose just one! Safe to say art and design is underneath all of the options and luckily there's something that appeals to everyone, a lot of times different subtle vibes on one ship which is really cool. Also appreciate just seeing the look of all the different choices, even if one might not be my personal preference aesthetically, I think it's cool to see things that are distinctive and different, eye-catching. As newer ships have come to see, there's been more and more to marvel at, inside and out, but then you see a classic and it's like "oh yeahhhhh" so, space to appreciate them all right? 😍😍🚢🛳️

There are trains running from early in the morning and throughout the day from LeHavre to Paris, Gare St Lazare. Depending on your luggage, you can either walk to the bus, which goes to the train station, or get a taxi from the port to the train station. Travel times vary, but are generally in the range of 2.30. You should book in advance, reserve seats, etc. It's all quite easy to do online, makes it much easier for when you arrive at the station and you can just board and get settled. I ran a basic, quick search for no particular date or any particulars, and one adult. Here are the results: https://www.sncf-connect.com/app/en-en/home/doorToDoor/itineraries There aren't any other lines that go to Paris from LeHavre. The main variances in the time differentials (why some trips are longer than others) is because some trips make more stops on the journey that another train will not. A sort of "local" or "express" train, if you're familiar with that type of train vernacular. Total time differential isn't that great and there are enough departures throughout the day, so don't worry too much about it. I enjoy train travel a lot so hope you have a great trip!

I know I took taxis in Monte Carlo because I did not rent a car and even though it's quite small, some parts aren't easy to do on foot, such as going through that tunnel! Here is the link to the Taxis Monaco service that is the only one authorized: https://www.taximonaco.com/index.php?sPage=home&do=ChangeLang&NewLang=en&lang=fr The website states that only 95 drivers are authorized to operate, they work 24/7, which I can attest because I had no problems getting a taxi after being out late at night. Please note, these are Mercedes cars, but Mercs are typical as taxis throughout Europe and one would absolutely expect nothing less in Monaco (for sure, better kitted Mercs than usual) but the website also says that they have vans, so it would be the Mercedes Sprinter vans, which hold 7, more for a supplement. Rates are not higher because they are Mercedes. It says they charge taxi rates and I wasn't the type to take taxis often, prices were fair enough. Here's a list of Taxi Stations and Call Phones: https://www.taximonaco.com/stations_taxi_monaco#section1 St Paul de Vence isn't far and so this should be an easy and reasonable trip. Good luck.

Have you tried using a different browser? The Aussie and NZ eta apps may work optimally with different browsers, this might explain the errors. If this doesn't sound familiar to you, what it means is that if you use the Chrome browser, which is a Google product, or you use Safari (Apple), or whatever Microsoft calls theirs (bing?), just to name a few, not all websites work the same with each browser. So if you use Chrome, for example, try opening the NZ eta website in using Safari or, one that's reliable/trustworthy and good to use when these problems arise is Mozilla Firefox. It's my go to when I encounter these obstacles. How you'll know you're on the right track with the different browser is that when the website opens, it will load better and look smoother, key word is optimized because now it's loading according to its coding. Give it a try and see how it goes. Good luck 🙂

We really appreciate the time it takes to write and share reviews, whether it's during a trip or after returning home. The more people can share, the better! Not only is it fun to follow, it's so helpful to others, as we all can see from the popularity of the topic. The badge helps to identify helpful topics to folks perusing the boards, and we hope, encourages others to consider writing/sharing info and trip reports. And we're just thankful for the outstanding contribution! We'll leave it pinned to the top of the board for a while longer since it's a great reference for people planning travel. Thanks again. 🙂

A few days ago I was fixing for something Italian to watch and stumbled across these Hidden Italy 1/2 hour-ish episodes. One of the installments included info set in this same region, with beautiful visuals and historical backgrounds. I think the episode with the aforementioned references to San Nicola (and his bones) is this one. Looks like it might be available on FreeVee via Amazon (or AppleTV?) and there are about sixteen episodes, I saw about six which was all that were available (for me). It wasn't what I was looking for (I was looking for scripted stuff) but turned out to be truly cool, and took me to specific places that were fascinating; some were a bit familiar to me, others less so, and lots more to know about. There's almost always more to know about most places, especially in a place like Italy! This is for the people who like to do deep dives before they travel, especially if it's their first visit somewhere, or also if they're returning after an initial more "tourist" visit (who wasn't at first?) and now want to do get more deeply immersed into wherever it is they're visiting. (Hence our Food Topic!!) Everyone stay safe and cool (or warm, such as it might be) 🙂 ☀️

Thank you for sharing photos of your recent stay at the Smeraldo in our Rome Hotels topic. It's helpful to see exactly what you experienced as it related to what you requested, which it seems was spot on! Reminds me of a room I had in Lugano that was also tight but well located, good view, and enough room for sleeping etc. (what I needed). I know there are sometimes issues with uploading photos to the posts and probably not everyone might take photos of the room, but would love to see more images of the "here's what we got" situation. As I write I'm immediately thinking "yeah but I didn't make the bed" and I get that. 🤣 So if anyone has them, would love to see them. If not, no worries. This topic is amazing thanks to everyone who generously sharing their experiences and time, come sempre. Grazie tutti.

Greetings and welcome to Cruise Critic John, thanks for visiting us today. Congratulations on your latest maritime endeavor. It sounds like you were born to the sea! I was wondering if there was any info you could share about new itineraries and the various length of the cruises? It's not clear if the website has the most up to date information but it's understandable as there must be a lot in the works at this time. Since you have so much experience on the water, it makes me think there will be an interesting perspective on the cruising and so I'm interested to hear your thoughts and ideas about where and how these ships will travel, maybe some new ports or new themes and perspectives. These are such historical waterways and beautiful places to see. It's great to know that cruisers can look forward to a new line for sailing in this region. We're looking forward to learning more about Victory Cruise Lines. Thanks again for stopping by to join our community. All the best to you and your team. Host Bonjour Colleen

We're glad you found us! This board is what it is thanks to the contributions of the amazing community members which as you've probably noticed, include some folks who are native to many of the countries in the region. Other members have visited many times and have vast experience to share, which they always do generously with our community. We love to see questions when members are in the planning stages of a journey as this is often a very fun and entertaining way to kickstart the trip. You may even make some friends! Enjoy browsing and posting. 🙂

Second this. Go get lost among the canals further away from the Grand Canal especially. It's especially tranquil and beautiful, plus you see a bit of "everyday" Venice. I also took the vaporetto from San Marco to the area of the train station...I think I was just tired from walking all day, it was hot. The vaporetto got really crowded so it didn't quite go as I'd hoped as a scenic lovely boat ride but, I'm still glad I did it. I didn't want to be in a gondola but I had to be on the water! To me, it wasn't expensive, relative to certain other prices or cities but everyone's considerations re: costs are valid. I was generally always a shoestring traveler and it was doable for me (vaporetto) but I guess everyone picks and chooses their priorities, right? What's 100% is that every Venice experience is wonderful. 🙂

Same for me. Stayed in the 1st twice, the 5th, 12th, 10th for one night in a tiny flat (missed a flight due to torrential rain + partial transit strike: I still nearly made the flight) and the 7th. It almost doesn't matter as long as you....⬇️ So long as you are within a quick walk to a metro station, and most places are in Paris, you'll see that the station stops aren't far apart, it won't be too difficult to find one in any arrondissment. To save time and reduce transfers (which aren't difficult and again, don't take much time as Paris isn't as big and wide as it looks) consider a hotel within the inner ring: that is, a hotel within an arrondissment that circles the river: these being the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and you could basically add most of the 8, 9 and even some partws of the 10-11 arrondissments, depending upon the location. An easy way to help sort through the options is to search by stars. In France, hotels receive stars not by opinions, but by amenities available in the hotel and to an extent, quality, though not necessarily the way we're accustomed to rating things in the US. Prices vary according to season but a three star can be quite nice and have all the amenities you'd be accustomed to in a proper hotel. Even some two stars can be really lovely but only have two stars because maybe it doesn't have an elevator. At four stars you're approaching luxury, at five stars you shouldn't be wanting for anything (Four Seasons aka George V, Plaza Athénèe, the Crillon etc). A favorite area of mine, maybe nostalgic from my first visit to Paris (and a subsequent return) I like the area. Convenient to the metro, the Louvre, Marais not far, in fact a lot is walkable. I stayed on the rue des Capucines, which was quiet except for a pub some nights but who cares. Decide what's important to you in a hotel, your budget and study the metro map. Then check out a few places that hit the mark. There will be enough to choose from. Eager to return but don't know if I'll be in the city since I'll likely visit a friend as I did on other visits to France. Keep us posted and let us know if you have more questions.

Another vote for the Pantheon, it's breathtaking in so many ways. Felt the same way going through the Forum, which was astounding and while I was walking through, I had no guide to what I was seeing but the significance was not lost on me. I read about it as soon as I got inside! There are audio guides you can use on your phone for the Forum (and Palatine Hills) and @cruisemom may have insight as to whether or if they are worth using. I am a clutz of the highest order and so just walking and looking is about as much as I can do at the same time but again, the Forum is just so so so amazing. It's also quite something to simply see the Colosseum from the outside: there it is, right in front of you, this thing you've seen a thousand times in photos and movies. Pretty great combo day, really 😉

A community member used to have in their signature, might have been on our Independent Traveler message boards not CC, "if you've seen everything, you've seen nothing" which at first I thought, that's kind of negative, but I hadn't done as much traveling to far away places the first time I saw it and I wasn't yet a host. Years and miles and oceans later, I understand what the point of the quote was, having sometimes worried too much if I was seeing enough or moving fast enough or planning my day in the right way. Some places I've been back to and have been able to soak up the experience, dally in the atmosphere and just do whatever. As a result, I've had experiences I'd never have imagined might happen, things you CAN'T plan because their spontaneous or a result of having time to meet local people. Shorex are typically brief but in that time there is still an opportunity to maximize enjoyment of the experience, which will bring incredible memories to mind in an instant as opposed to the rush/hustle trying to see everything. I would consider thinking about what or if visiting a particular place would have the most significance/meaning to you: which is most comparable to what you like to do? Are you really into history/museums? Or do you really enjoy the outdoors, scenic views, markets/shops? (Keep in mind you can buy Italian ceramics and wares in other places) I've sat in traffic for a good part of my life so avoiding it at all costs (there's the unavoidable whatever happens that can't be avoided) on holiday is always my choice. But that's just me. Maybe the traffic wouldn't be so bad for others? If you want a lovely seaside day (after you find out which town) go for it. It's an Italian seaside. 🇮🇹 🍋 🍝 Can you do a seaside excursion in another port? Anyway, it's Italy. It's heaven. 🙂 Have fun with the rest of the plans. The Italians take a long lunch every day...I always think it's something everyone could benefit from.

I got Geox in Verona and loved them, they turned out to be a worthwhile investment that carried memories. The shoes were super comfortable (tiny bit of break in period required) and lasted SO long, high praise from someone who is hard on shoes. They have lots of stylish choices (nope don't work for a shoe company. 😂) Might be a good idea, if you or your husband is carrying a tote or daypack, to pop your wedges in there and swap once you get to just about to the restaurant. I've walked on just about everything here in my hometown, and while there aren't a lot of cobblestones, (older areas have them) an uneven surface + height ≠ balance...don't get far. Most of the stones are uneven, and then they don't sit level on the ground even if they've been picked up and reset. I could gazelle over manhole covers, drains, subway grates, blah blah, but it never worked with any kind of heel on cobblestones...and...it's most uncomfortable because of their density/hardness. Not sure of the type of rock, but it's a bit like marble..which is hard and slippery, this is hard and wobbly. I think what everyone here is hoping to spare you is needless discomfort and or, worse, hurting your ankle while on holiday. It's not an age or mobility thing, this is a challenge no matter the age. Comfy feels good and it does often look good. Also, slidergirl is correct, it's quite normal these days to be less formal in what were once typically fully formal situations. I did high tea at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong a while ago with a neat casual outfit, it was hot and humid. In Italy, casual neat dress would include linen or linen cotton blend shirt, trousers, a skirt or dress....quite simple in the south. And comfortable. Maybe a bit more color in the north or just add a primary color. Can't lose. The ship is different of course. Go for it! If you go back, you will pack different for the land portion without a doubt. Try to pack now like it's your second visit, you will be comfortable and enjoy every minute, speramente (hopefully)! Really excited your journey is getting close. I remember when you were considering itineraries so it's exciting!!

Can't overstate the value of a lightweight waterproof layer that can be easily rolled (or packed into it's own zip case) and popped into day bag/knapsack. For places known to have weather (or quirky weather) it will come in handy more often than not. Add a foldable bucket had if the rain layer doesn't have a hood.

Twice to the Biennale, ok that's soooo exciting (and as insiders!) cool! Equally exciting: a visit to Puglia, so, what a combination. 🎇 This is what struck me as I'm viewing the selection of images you shared. I'm not sure what I expected but the exhibits were so wonderfully varied in their style, scale, processes and types...but I guess that's why Venice is THE Biennale capital B. Isn't really a better setting for captivating art than a stunning city, is there? 😍 What type of art does he make? It looks like you're drawn to sculpture and large scale installations, so if I had to guess...but I also do see you included some amazing glass work. My goodness the piece by the campanile, now having seen how it's created I can't imagine. And the bookcase? I will inflict a little punishment on myself I didn't make enough time to take the boat to Murano. (It could still happen if I can ever renew my Irish passport 🤣) I can't imagine leaving without some sort of major piece of Murano and a lighting fixture would probably be the most practical because it gets used. A vase or other item would be set aside but this...it's kind of like the ones in the Bellagio...maybe it was just me but when I walked into that place I saw two things: flowers and the lighting but lights first up above, Murano...then beautiful flowers. Thanks again for sharing additional images, absolutely loved seeing them. 🎨🇮🇹

Did you go to Venice just for the Biennale? Or fly in early before sailing? What an experience it must have been!! I've seen some incredible exhibits on Instagram (www.instagram.com/jr) including a custom designed Venice Simplon rail car by the artist JR. I suppose there were some old cars that were able to be refurbished. Pretty cool but then as your images show, so many interesting things on view every time there's a show. Must be some amazing glass work. I just finished watching the Blown Away series and there was a Murano expert there to judge and several makers used advanced venetian techniques. Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. Oh and happy today is the first day of Venice day trip fee, to be "gently" enforced I read, and cost more to implement than it will collect, in classic Italian bureaucratic style. Still....have to preserve Venice. 🙂

What about a prepaid Visa or Mastercard? It's the kind you can buy at Target or Walmart with cash and then works the same as a credit card for purchasing goods and services. You just would need to be sure that there is an adequate amount of money available on the card to cover the cost you plan to spend with the card, but then you would likely have this planned in your budget. The cards are also usually available in places like CVS, Walgreens, and supermarkets. There's usually a small fee to "activate" the card when you buy it. Check to see if or what the international transaction fees might be. You can do a comparison for prepaid card fees (mostly this would be with foreign currency transactions) with a google search. I think this would be a better solution than the debit card (which is usually a VISA) though many states have enacted rules that limit rental car companies from placing excessive holds on debit cards for rental cars. Good luck!

Given the high rate of VAT and or any associated costs associated with alcohol, I could see where NCL might not want to see these costs gobble up the profitability they earn on beverages. Sister lines Oceania and Seven Seas can probably absorb into their bottom lines a bit more comfortably with different fare schedules, but NCL might take this step in port to preserve better rates for passengers. Beverages tend to be highly profitable, but why give away any of that profit when they can offer better value/savings etc to passengers? Plus, it's not merely the amount of the tax, but also the related costs for complying with the taxes will also eat into the bottom line, and each line (including sister lines) will be responsible for its profitability so strategic planning decisions like this make sense from a profit/loss standpoint, however unpopular it might be. If they served, they'd still have to pay the VAT to whichever country because they wouldn't get a waiver for collecting/paying to locality. It's a theory, but since almost everything comes down to money, that's where I'd bet a euro. 🤑

Thanks so much for sharing your passport loss and recovery story. Not only is it a helpful account of the steps to take after the theft of a passport, each step was well described from start to finish. Most helpful of all was that by acknowledging that yes, this is unpleasant, you were then able to move on to problem solving. Part of being able to take the necessary steps comes from being prepared before we arrive (pre-travel stage): read about what, where, how to do stuff when things do go wrong. Trip insurance can help with unexpected costs or losses, but that's gotten even more complicated in recent years, especially post–pandemic, policies/terms have changed. Cruise Critic brings in Trip Insurance experts from time to time to help untangle some of the complexity through Q&As on our forum. So so happy that this had the best possible outcome, but it was largely down to your exceptional efforts! And again, it's not easy to trouble shoot in a country/language that's not your own, I've done it, many of us have, to varying degrees of success for any given reason (especially these days when ID is so critical). Please accept our thanks for sharing your account and update, along with a fancy Cruise Critic badge for your member profile! 🎉

Which browser do you use? Google will almost always ask if you wish for a page to be translate and/or automatically translate if you check yes when the pop up appears. The browser will auto-translate any page you visit when it detects a language that isn't English. The others (Safari, Firefox, Bing) probably do it but I rarely use them–it might require changing a setting to trigger the translation so I'm not sure. Like many others on this board, I can manage with Italian, but it doesn't go so well in every language so Google translate works wonders! Don't count on it for literary accuracy (yet) but it's generally adequate for travel info.