cleobella

We are looking at tour options for the Amalfi Coast, have driven the up the coast many years ago and it was beautiful.  I'm wondering this time around if we should see the coast by boat, maybe with a trip to Capri?  If you have any knowledge of this area, would that be a good thing to do in October, or would it be too cold on the water and perhaps too "out of season" for Capri?  Also, I can not remember if the drive from Sorrento to Positano was more scenic then from Naples to Sorrento?  Anybody know this?  Thanks!

Thank you both, I'll  look into these routes. Maybe we can be confident that the walk will be ok. Appreciate your help!

The morning we leave for Port Citivechia, we would like to take a taxi from the Albergo del Senato Hotel to the Borghese Gallery. Then we will need to get back to the hotel for our transfer. I'd love to walk the 30 mins if it's easy and scenic but it looks like the walk may be along a busy street and complicated. Anybody have knowledge of this area? Would the walk be do- able? If we taxi back, can we pick up a taxi right at the gallery? Or maybe somewhere on the route, like could we walk a bit then stop at a Cafe, and maybe get a taxi or resume walking? We would want to be back to the hotel by 1pm latest. Advice appreciated!

V Max yhanks for the heads up about Siesta, which switch the itinerary around a bit. Beautiful pics mskaufman, thanks!

  Azamara sounds so nice, can't wait to book and hope the world is more settled by travel date. Love the comment about the kids not noticing any difference in their inheritance if we upgrade  a bit, I need to shift into this mindset.  Love the kids, but after wedding and house warming gifts maybe we are overdue to start spluring a bit. Will also check out larger oceanview rooms, good to know, but I'm feeling sold on a veranda. Azamara veterans, thanks to all! 

LOL, OMG! I put 2042, but of course meant 2024!  Although my friends and family would not be surprised if I did book something almost 20 years out, they always tease me for being a planner and booking a year or even two in advance.  Someone suggested to me that an inside cabin may be OK on an Asian Itinerary as many of the ports are industrial and we would be unlikely to spend alot of time using the patio with the port heavy itinerary.  Any thoughts there guys?  We are not cabin snobs and have booked inside and oceanview before, also balconies and "concierge" cabins.  It is nice to have more space on a longer trip though.  I wonder if we should save some money, book inside, and upgrade our flights instead? 

Wow! Such great info, thanks to all.  It does sound like the additional fees are substantiated by a nicer quality cruise. Would love to book a veranda Club Plus room for the internet package but the are already sold out for the 2042 sailing. 

This is why I am questioning the value in using NCL air deal...horror story

I am looking at the Azamara Thailand/Vietnam cruise offered in 2024.  We were choosing between NCL and Celebrity, both had pros and cons.  Azamara, with ports closer to attractions seems to hit all the wish list but it is much more expensive and we would have to wait until 2024. Unfortunately they do not seem to have an online chat and I have questions because we have never cruised with Azamara before.   I can call the info line too but maybe someone here can help ( I start feeling pressured to book on the phone) 1) Can my Celebrity points be ported over to Azamara? I am still at the first tier level with Celebrity, will that give me much?  2) Does anyone know what the Azamazing Event may be on a cruise of Thailand and Vietnam?  3) Does anyone know how much the WIFI is, it is not included. 3) What is the deposit return policy if we have to cancel?  2 years is a long time to wait and I have no idea what will come up in that time that might necessitate cancellation.  Thanks to anyone with info!

Thanks Edinburgher!  I will check out the sites you mentioned.  We have also been without international travel for a couple of years now, hopefully we can all get back to travel safely over the next few months. Prior to the shut down we did a UK cruise and got to see your part of the world. We missed our Edinburgh stop due to bad weather so returned  for a land trip  just to see what we missed!  Lovely place!

Thanks for such great advise all, please keep it coming! We have tentatively booked the Avenida Palace Hotel, I think Rossio Train Station is a short walk away.  Do you think we can buy tickets to Sintra there?  I think Belem is only about 7 kms away so a taxi or tram ride for sure.   From what I am seeing here the very expensive private driver may not be needed?  I would love the convenience but we also have  a budget. Hopefully the Avenida Palace is nice, it seems to get good reviews and has been mentioned often on CC.  If possible we will drop off our luggage at the hotel and then head out to look around.  We are going to be disembarking on Sun Oct 20 and will also have Monday Nov 1 .  I thought we would be there for the national holiday, All Saints Day, but now see this is actually on the Wed.  So maybe I dont have to worry so much about which day we do some of the sightseeing and shopping. 

In October we disembark at the end of our cruise in Lisbon, and I am considering hiring a driver to take our bags with us on a tour of Sintas and Lisbon, depositing us at our hotel after.  Of course it is very expensive.  Our hotel is on Avendia, and is close to the train.  I am wondering if we are better to take our bags over to the hotel after disembarking and then take the train to Sintas and Belem?  Then the next day just strolling around Lisbon on our own.  This would be cheaper but maybe not as convienient.  As well the dates are a Sun, Monday and the Monday is a holiday so maybe we are best just to shell out the bucks to ensure that we have no snags?  Any opinions? Also, any recommendations for drivers or companies to use if we go that route?

oops!

In October we disembark at the end of our cruise in Lisbon, and I am considering hiring a driver to take our bags with us on a tour of Sintas and Lisbon, depositing us at our hotel after.  Of course it is very expensive.  Our hotel is on Avendia, and is close to the train.  I am wondering if we are better to take our bags over to the hotel after disembarking and then take the train to Sintas and Belem?  Then the next day just strolling around Lisbon on our own.  This would be cheaper but maybe not as convienient.  As well the dates are a Sun, Monday and the Monday is a holiday so maybe we are best just to shell out the bucks to ensure that we have no snags?  Any opinions? Also, any recommendations for drivers or companies to use if we go that route?

Thanks Loracpin2, checking it out!

I notice there are some great rooms with only 10% obstruction on Deck 11 but they come up as “not available “, not “booked “ though. Maybe those rooms go for specific clients or promos? 

Thanks Jeremiah1212, I did discover that in an earlier post and it's a really handy resource.  I was considering the partial view cabin 6201, suggested by the website, but after checking it out, I'm going to look for something else.  Very appreciative of your response!

Great input Milhouse, thanks very much!

Wonderful guys, thanks so much for your responses. The pictures and link to the various cabin views is very helpful. I'm not sure an obstructed view is for us. I actually don't mind saving with an inside cabin, but since COVID hubby will only consider a balcony! I thought I could save with a partial or obstructed view but I'm not sure it will work for us

Anyone have any idea what the view would be like from a level 6, mid ship, obstructed view veranda cabin on the Solstice?  I’m assuming the obstruction is a lifeboat but how much of an obstruction would it be? 

Which would you choose for a pre stay, and which for an over night stay on cruise? Bangkok or Singapore? I am trying to decide between 2 itineraries. On starts in Singapore and has an over night Bangkok port stop. The other starts in Bangkok and has a two day Singapore stop. Any opinions?

Hi, thanks for sharing your review.  The review of Bangkok was also great.  I am looking at two options for next Jan or Feb.  One leaves from Singapore and the other from Bangkok.  We will do a short land extension before boarding.  In your opinion, which city would you choose to depart from and spend more time in? The cruise leaving from Bangkok does a good overnight in Singapore, is also more expensive.  The one leaving from Singapore is with Celebrity and so the overnight would be exactly as you described in that review. 

If you would have any insights here I'd love to hear them!

I wonder if someone can comment on this itinerary for our Malaga Port Day:  We would taxi to Alcazaba as early as possible ( not sure how long we would need there, maybe 2 hours?), then walk to Picasso Museum (spending 1-1.5 hours, seeing highlights) then walk to La Calle Larios for a stroll and shopping, then walking to Mercado Central de Atarazanas for a stroll and Tapis break.  Then taxi back to port for 4-5 pm.  

Any comments on the feasiblity of this, are we taking on too much? 

Thanks!

Hi John,

Just wondering about the standard Taxi tour you mentioned.  It sounds like they pick up at port and can drop off near the downtown shopping area?  Is this something you arrange upon arrival or is there a way to prebook?  You mentioned they stop at four attractions, do they wait if you want to get out of the taxi, look around or maybe go into the cave?  And do you need to have attraction tickets prebooked or is that included?  Sorry if I'm flooding you with  questions but it sounds great and your info is always very helpful!

Just wondering if anyone has an opinion on whether the BOGO airfare deal is worthwhile. It seems like a great deal but I suspect you probably can't choose your seats, and overseas flights must be connecting, not direct, flights with that kind of deal? Also I heard this is for economy seating only, you can't upgrade? Anyone know anything about the air deal?

Yes, I meant Priscilla, thanks for the correction. I’m getting the impression that it might be too much to do the catacombs and the gallery in one morning. Plan to check out the other suggestions as well. Thanks for your input, you always have great advice!