cleobella

Wonderful, thank you CruiseMom, will check these out.  Do you have an opinion on the Catacombe Di Princilla?  Is this close to the Borghese Gallery?

We are going to be in Rome for just 24 hours prior to boarding our ship.  We have been previously.  The day we arrive, we should be at our Central Rome hotel around 1pm and plan to spend the rest of the day just taking a walk past Trevi Fountain and maybe visiting the Pantheon, soaking up the culture of Piazza Navona, and then having a casual dinner.  The next day we will be leaving for port around 1pm and would like to do something fun but not too time consuming in the morning before we leave.   I am thinking about a private pre-opening visit to the Vatican to revisit some areas we missed last time but DH does not want to do this.  Any good ideas for ways to pass a few hours in the morning?  Maybe the Borghese Gallery?  Is a catacomb tour realistic with just a few hours in the morning?  Shopping areas?Any other ideas would be great!  We are open to anything, but not something too crowded maybe.

That is very helpful, as usual, JB. I was worried that Saigon would be too long of a drive, was expecting a couple of hours from Phu My, so this info is welcome and we will consider Saigon for sure

Thanks again, very helpful! I really appreciate this forum and kind folks like you sharing your experiences 🙂.

Great info, thank you! Any opinion on doing a shorter ride out to Vung Tao sights for a more low key day, maybe with a local guide or ship group? Also what do you think about doing Hoi An as a DIY? From another port obviously! 

I am wondering if anyone out there has an opinion on which excursion would be best for first time visitors at the the port of Phu My in Vietnam? We have a 9 hour day there. Would the trip to Ho Chi Minh be more interesting and have more to see then the Vung Tao countryside? Also, would it easy to do Ho Chi Minh on our own if we arrange drop off at city centre?

Thanks Millhouse. It sounds like an airport hotel might not be too convenient for looking around

This topic is probably closed but if anyone sees this: is it possible to walk from the Crown Plaza to sights restaurants shopping? If taxi is needed how much would that be? Would there be a shuttle to main tourist area?

Thanks for your feedback Lois.  Hope you enjoyed your trip! Was the breakfast good at the Av. Palace?

Thanks!

WOW Erby, looks great! Will definately plan to check VRBO out! 

Thanks ksp! You confirmed my thoughts and will stick with the Albergo for now

Actually VRBO is a great idea, if we stay longer then just a couple of days I think I’ll check it out. Thanks Erby!

No worries Riff, its great to be able to share info. I booked a Terrace room which seems to be a large balcony. My experience in Europe is that sometimes Double Bed actually means King, or Queen. But the hotel does seem to be in the middle of a shopping neighborhood, which could be good or bad. Still, I'm encouraged by the reviews as you mentioned.Looking forward to hearing about the Avenida Palace from Lois. Glad we have lots of time to plan!

Hi Just correcting myself.  In another post I see that you and several others note that "sold out" just means the hotel is  not booking so far ahead.  Thanks and will keep an eye out for the Avendia Palace bookings 

Yes, Riff 😀 We are on the same Roll Call. I'm going to look into your place.  It is early but some places seem to be booked up already too.  Hotel Lisboa seems to be a short walk to many attractions: Barro Alto 12 mins, Chiado 6 mins, Rossio Square for tours, 4 mins, Alfama 13 mins.    However, from past experience, we know that times listed on booking specs can be misleading!  Hoping we get some info from a local or traveller who has been to Lisbon.  Looking forward to chatting with you again, we can compare tour options too.

Hi,

I'm looking at the Hotel Lisboa Plaza and the Ferraria XVL FLH Hotels for a 2 day post stay next October.  The Hotel Lisboa is a heritage hotel, assuming there is some historic nature to the building? It is on Avd.  Libertine, San Antonio.  The Ferraria is a newer hotel I think, on Sapaterois, Santa Maria Maior.  The pricing is similar and they both have good reviews.  Has anyone had any experience with either of these and if so, where you happy with your stay.  Also, is one in a better location to sight, restaurants, airport?  Location is a important factor for us.

We are booked to sail out of Rome next October.  In browsing through hotels I was suprised to see that some have already sold out.  So, I went ahead and tentatively  booked Albergo Del Senato.  It seems like a nice place, a bit of a splurge for us, more then we would normally pay, but breakfast is included and it looks beautiful.  I think the location is good, across from the Pantheon, but I don't know Rome well, so who knows?  Any opinions about this hotel? Any less expensive, but comparable options? I'm good with the expense but want to make sure I am also getting a really nice place for the money.  We often stay in boutique hotels, location and cleanliness is most important, love the free breakfast idea as we often find a contential style breakfast works well for us in Europe (because we eat all day!).

I will definitely look at Rothenburg, second seating, thanks. Booked in for 2022, just to be safe. Hope this COVID mess is managed by then. Thanks all for the advice!

Thank you all.  Shipping the luggage looks easy and affordable, much better then carting heavy bags around!

Great info, sounds like DIY is the way to go in Lucerne and definitely sounds like Lucerne is going to be beautiful. Is it easy to manage lage siutcases on the train ?

Does anyone know what hotels Avalon uses for it's post nights in Lucerne?  Also, when you sign on for post nights does that usually include tours and meals or are you on your own for these kind of things?  Have not river cruised before, so I am not sure how the post nights work.

Good luck on getting to Canada Sharkster.  I'm sure when things open up you will have some success.  Both the east and west coasts are beautiful, with different vibes.  It will be nice for you to see some of your ancestral roots!  That's why we want to see a bit of Germany.  With ocean cruises we can only get to a few coastal ports, we did Warnamunde for a day a few years ago. If I can find a good river cruise we will enjoy seeing more inland areas.

Hi Daisi,

Great info on Avalon, one of the lines I am considering.  I didn't know they were part of Globus, that may be a deciding factor for me here, Globus seems to be a solid company.

Will check out the offerings. 

Stay safe and healthy out there!

Thanks for all the great info everyone. I would love to go to the Christmas markets but now I'm feeling that we may have a better overall trip if I book late April or early May.  It seems like it will be light jacket weather and the water levels should not be an issue.  I've looked at Viking, AMA and Avalon.  They seem like popular companies that are quite solvent.  Viking seems to be the best bet as they are so popular but I hesitate because they expect you to pay the full amount so far in advance. Although that probably means they have lots of money to keep afloat?  AMA is most expensive but they have good terms on payments.  I am wondering about Avalon?  Can anyone tell me if this is a good quality line?  Their specials are quite good right now and they defer payment until 90 days out which helps with the COVID situation.  Would they be as high end as AMA, or more in line with Viking?

We are long standing ocean cruisers, but I'm considering trying something new and booking a 2021 or 2022 Christmas Markets Cruise or Spring Cruise on the Rhine. A couple of questions: 1) should I be concerned about any River lines being in danger of going under after this awful pandemic situation? The deposits are quite significant and I have some concern about losing my deposit if a river line folds 2) for a first time river trip would a Dec or spring Rhine Itinerary be preferable? I love the idea of seeing the Christmas Markets but wouldn't want our adventures impeded by snow storms or blizzards!

Thanks !