cleobella

It seems that Day/Week passes to the Thermal spa can not be purchased online for the Carnival Pride. I wonder if the Spa passes have been discontinued, or maybe just available onboard? I always purchase access to the thermal spa for the duration of the cruise, but maybe that’s not possible now?

Thanks for starting this forum, CruiseMom.  Once again you are an awesome source of info! Love hearing the talk about Sermonetta.  When we first went to Venice my husband splurged on a beautiful dark brown pair for me, of course beautifully fitted to my hand.  A few years later, I lost one glove and just cried!  Later we went to Chicago and there was actually a shop there!  I was able to replace my gloves in a slightly different style, but have kept the one original glove.  Just can not bring myself to pitch it, and hold out hope that someday it's partner will show up!

Anyway, does anyone have a good spot for deli or casual "street food" near the Albergo del Senato (Pantheon area), near Piazza Navona (not too near, maybe a hidden side street nearby), and near Campo Dei Fiore? We don't like fussy or fancy restaurants but love good, casual,  authentic or rustic foods, at good prices!

Great points Fran and CPT! Thank you!

The Christmas Sweater chatter is making me laugh out loud!  Hate to say it, but I am well known for my festive Christmas attire here in Ontario during the holidays, and now my kids mock me by coming to Christmas Dinner, and Parties in Christmas Sweaters too, and dressing the kids up as well!  Now of course we call these sweaters  "Ugly Christmas Sweaters".  Some of them cost big bucks back in the day! I'll stick with a black thermal coat, waterproof hikers, red mitts, scarf and hat, and will plan to layer. Sehr Schick!  Love the hand warmers idea!  Shout out to Whitby!

We are taking a Christmas Market Cruise in mid December, will visit Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Black Forest area, and Zurich.  I wonder how we should plan to dress for outside activities?  Would a light thermal coat be OK with gloves,scarves, layered with a sweater or thermal tee shirt underneath? Or do we need a heavy winter coat?  Also, do we need to bring boots, or can we get away with waterproof hiker type shoes or even running shoes?  We live in Ontario Canada, and it can be variable in December here but not usually super cold, there can be snow.  Is Germany/Alsace/ Switzerland the same?

Excellent TBird, thanks for the info!

Thanks for the effort Eurocruiser! You are one of the most helpful people on this Forum. Steamboats, this is exactly what I was looking for, thanks very much. I'm sure the prices have gone up, but it gives me a ballpark guess.

Does anyone know if there is a flat rate to go from Messina Port to Taormina by cab?  This will be on a Sunday and we would probably want to go 9am-2pm.  Would it be difficult finding a taxi at port or to return back to Port at 2pm?

We are interested in going on a Winery Tour when we dock at Portimao in October.  I understand Alvor is close by and accessible by bus, Silves too?  Someone from the boards mentioned that Alvor is quite nice to walk around as well.  There are Wineries in both places but it's hard to see any detailed info about the experiences they provide.  Has anybody done a Winery Tour in this area and are there any recommendations?  As well, does anyone know of a Winery Tour by a company that will pick up a couple or small group from Portimao and take us to a few places in the Algarve for tours? Any info is appreciated  

We will be docked in Messina on a Sunday in October and will probably plan an excursion to Taormina.  Does anyone know if the town closes up on Sundays; the stores, cannoli  bakery, amphitheatre?  Also, are taxi's reliable on Sundays for getting there and back or would it be a surer bet to use a shore excursion offered buy the cruise ship.  Thanks for any info!

We did Odyssey too, a few years ago,  and had a great time. Our guide was great, quite funny and knowedgable,  and the scenery is beautiful. Worked out well for us!

I'm wondering if I can get some feedback on our idea for a DIY day in Malta on a Monday in October, and I have some questions too.  We are thinking of taking a taxi to Mdina early in the morning. Then returning to Valetta,  having a coffee somewhere nice, strolling around the town, seeing the Cathedral,  Gardens and the Harbour Front  (Vittoriosa).  We have 9 hours in port, but would probably choose an  8am -2/3pm day.   Does this plan seem feasible? My questions are: 1) Is easy to get a taxi from Mdnina back to Valetta, or should we count on taking the bus?  How do you pay for the bus and where do you pick it up?  What time does Mdina open up?   2) If we take the bus back where should we get off to be central in town for seeing St John's and other stuff?  3) Can we easily walk back to the ship from the town?   4) Is there anything else we should be adding to our day ( an additional trip out of town in the morning, or something else in town, something that would give us some history on the Knights of Malta?)  Thanks for any info!

So true that airfare is currently inflated.  We bought return tickets for a Med cruise in October many months ago, during one of the last lockdowns,  and got a great deal on Premium Economy  seats.  Just bought return Premium Economy tickets to Germany/going home from Switzerland in early December and got absolutely soaked. Paid $1000 more then what we were expecting to pay.  We grabbed the tickets feeling that it could get worse and because we were able to get the seats we wanted.  The cost of travel in these crazy time I guess.  Just crossing our fingers that our trips go off without too much trouble!

I am looking at fares for taxis from Fiumicino Airpport in Rome to our Rome Centre Hotel and also from the Hotel to  Civitavecchia Port.  It seems like  grabbing a taxi at the airport, and calling a taxi from the hotel to go to  port, would be cheaper then a booked transfer with a tour company or transfer service.  Does anyone know if there's any reason why using local taxi's would be a bad idea?

Amazing info EuroCruiser!  Thanks very much.  Do you remember if the scenary from Naples to Sorrento is as nice as from Sorrento to Positano?  Whether by road or ferry (which would be new and different for us), I would like to make sure we get some beautiful and typical views.  Trying to decide if we should go further out or just make Sorrento the stopping point.

Edinburgher, do you remember if the bus station was an easy walk from the ship's dock, and I guess return tickets to Alvor can be bought right at the bus station too?

Hey EuroCruiser, we are there for a full 12 hr day, 7am to 7pm, which will be awesome!  Maybe we can even have time for a Pizza in Naples, lol. We will probably use Rome in Limo but I'd love to see the coast from the water if it's not too cold in Oct. We tend to avoid cruise line excursions but there are some that might work for us, still researching options

I'm glad you came to visit, Edinburgher! We live a bit north of Toronto. From Toronto to the outlying areas there is lots to see and do, some beautiful drives outside of the city too. Alvor looks really nice, still researching but I think it looks great!

Thanks Edinburgher, you have great "off the beaten track" ideas! I'm glad to hear that October is still nice around the region, Caripoo. I think we are just going to repeat our trip along the Amalfi coast and visit a couple of towns along the way. DH really wants to go back to Sorrento, Positano and maybe one other village if it can be accommodated for a relaxing kind of day. Even a  beautiful Capri video wouldn't tempt him. I'm ok with it, it seems you just can't lose no matter where you go in this location.

Awesome information EuroCruiser, thanks very much!

Great idea Edinburgher! You were really helpful a few years ago when we were planning a UK cruise. Will look into Alvor for sure. Thanks

Perhaps we will look at an excursion that includes Lagos then, sounds like it might be a good idea to explore outside of port. Thanks!

EuroCcruser, that is true.We really enjoyed the Amalfi coast scenery in the past, several years ago, with stops in Sorrento and Positano. Being back in Naples, in Oct, I am wondering if we should repeat our previous trip (sure to be enjoyed) or try Capri which could be a nice new experience. It seems like Capri is mostly shopping, is the scenery as nice as the coast drive?  It sounds like we may be able to do Capri on our own pretty easily. I'm not sure I want to pass a day just shopping, and wonder if it would be nice enough weather to sit out at a Cafe? The ships offers a tour of Capri and cruise of the  Amalfi coast with a stop in Amalfi. This sounds good but perhaps it would be a bit rushed, and it includes a restaurant lunch.  We'd rather grab a bite of something amazing,more informally, and have more  choice, not have to accept a set menu that might not be great. Thanks for taking time to respond, appreciate your thoughts.

We are in Naples Port, I think the ship offers a Capri (via hydrofoil) and Amalfi Coast Drive, with a stop in Amalfi as well.  Really not so sure about 1) ship's tour, usually do local options but with this being our first European trip since the pandemic we are feeling a bit uncertain 2) not sure we will see much on a hydrofoil and have heard mixed reviews of Capri actually.

We have a stop in Portimao in October, arriving early and leaving at 4pm.  I gather we will tender into port and get a shuttle or taxi into town.  In Oct is it going to be interesting to just walk about the town, anybody know what would be good to see there or is it mostly shopping?  I imaging the beach may be a bit cool.  Would it make more sense to travel out more into the Algave region, maybe there are sights and towns that would be interesting?  Not sure if we should use this as a chill day, or plan to get out of the immediate port area to see more scenery or sights ?