LEtue

That is a nice surprise. I hope I get one next year too :D

I was scheduled for a free guided tour of the Pantheon for Sunday, October 19 but it will be closed so I was asked about re-scheduling to the 18th.

Just thought I would post this for anyone else that may be planning a visit on the 19th.

There is a live chat going on right now. Enjoy!

The Princess website recommends 12 noon but I booked a 11:40AM departure time on Delta - in order to get home to Tampa the same day.

It will be a Saturday morning and the Noordam will also be disembarking passengers so I plan to carry off my bag and taxi to the airport.

Dining is not the number 1 factor, but, Meeting People is. Like many others aboard many cruise lines we have cherished the great friendships forged at the Dining Room aboard ships.

 

Sure, you meet people at lunch or breakfast, by the pool on an excursion but, It's not the same. There's something special about the people you meet at dinner, these friendships, they evolve. You bond, you become close, you meet up at trivia, at port and around the ship and look forward to seeing them in the evening and discussing your adventures of the day.

 

We cruise because we love ships, we love the ports and we really love meeting people at dinner. Sadly, Dynamic Dining will usher out a much loved highlight of our cruises, sitting around a great big table for 12 and laughing with a bunch of new friends as we steam across the seas, those were the days.

 

Jonathan

Very well said and I feel the same way! I also think that the Radiance Class ships will just eliminate traditional dining so, I canceled 2 future RCI cruises this week in favor of a more traditional way of cruising.

We all have choices though.....:)

Absolutely. There are times posted for departures. I'll be posting a review this wknd on this board which will go into more detail about our Mykonos stop and other public transportation we used there.

Looking forward to more information - just in case we dock :)

You are correct. If the uppers fold down from the side walls, they protrude into the cabin due to the thickness of the mattress when closed. You can bump your head on them if the lowers are in queen configuration. If you have the lowers split into twins, then the access to them is from the center of the cabin, not the sides, so no problem.

 

The cabins that have the beds drop down from the ceiling, of course, don't have this problem. Not sure if the ceilings are lower in these cabins, though, which might be a concern for very tall passengers.

Thanks for the confirmation. Based on the pictures I have found it doesn't look like it will be a problem for us.

Another great thread.....

From what I read here these cabins aren't an issue if the beds are in the twin configuration?

I see that our cabin on the Caribbean Princess next year is one of the OOV with 4 beds. Since I am sailing with my SIL and with twin beds I guess we will be okay and it is better than an inside cabin :)

I agree!

Do not delay in making a reservation. They definitely book up fast and I booked my Anan Creek trip for next August - in June so I wouldn't miss out :)

Traitor's Cove probably fills up fast too.....

That compares very favourably with Quick Coach's fare of $59 ($55 if a senior).

Well, that is good to know.

I haven't booked my airfare yet (will have enough FF miles in Octoberr) so if I can't fly home from YVR then it is a good option for a flight home early the next morning from SEA......

There were only 4 of us but you will need a larger vehicle. I can't remember if any of the available taxis were vans so hopefully someone will post about that.

When we got off the ship there were plenty of drivers waiting and we arranged a pickup time for later. It worked fine and you will enjoy Taormina :D

Can someone please tell me if there is a shuttle post cruise from Canada Place to SEA/TAC and how much it is per person? This would hopefully be a Princess shuttle. Planning our cruise tour vacation for Alaska next year and like to get a handle on some expenses involved. Thank you

Yes, there is a Princess transfer available. I just checked my cruise personalizer and the price is $49 pp from Canada Place to SeaTac.

I think they recommend flights after 3PM from Seattle so keep that in mind.

I see Celebrity does an 11 day trip which costs just a tad more than the 10 day you mentioned and it visits both Santorini and Istanbul.

Brian

OP, I think this is your solution! Do both.....

Every post in the Med is spectacular - including Barcelona :D

Do they have more sq. ft. as compared to an obstructed outside cabin?

Obsructed View = 168 sq

Inside = 160 - 182 sq

From what I can tell they are 182 sq. so some nice extra footage.

Not sure about the mixed reviews though.

We just returned from our cruise on the Star and had the sideways cabins - A507 and A515. They are definitely larger and we really liked them. It did take a bit of getting used to as the door opens right into the room. But the extra space for a sitting chair as well as a desk chair and very nice closets and storage was great. We would definitely book them again.

We had one of these on Star and although it was roomier I prefer the other inside cabins. I did not appreciate that I was so close to the door, hence the vents to the hallway. Made me kind of inhibited, if you know what I mean. I felt like I could stretch my arm and touch the door wall, which is too close to the hallway for me.

Great thread!

Now I don't feel so bad about my inside cabin on the Star next year :D

We had A744 and would not recommend it because we heard a loud noise about once an hour that really got on our nerves by the end of the 2 weeks. Not sure what it was but it sounded like pipes or something. It was coming from next door which I believe was the stewards workroom so I would think any of the other rooms next to it would be fine. Other than that though it was a great room :p

Thank you! I will pick a cabin a few doors away :)

We were in A744, last aft inside cabin. We did hear chairs being dragged early morning & also heard the overflow drain from the aft pool every night , all night.

Uh oh. I have been looking at the inside cabins aft and was considering one. :(

Congrats and what an itinerary you have :eek: Enjoy your trip!

I just booked my FF seats on Delta for Alaska next year and got great flight times too :D

Once again, Princess stuffs it to solo cruisers. Tried booking as 2 pax and everything is fine. Try booking it with one pax and "pricing, cabin, date....not available." A few of the offerings are available to solos but not many. :(

As others have mentioned you need to call. I am pricing solo cabins for Alaska 2015 and I haven't come across any pricing issues - going from 2 down to 1 passenger.....

Southwest, Jet Blue and Alaska Air may work for you - coming from CO. American has been posting some nice fares lately so check all airlines.

You might consider a RT flight to Seattle and a one way to Anchorage. You will have to transfer back SEA from Vancouver on the end but it still could be cheaper. I have had to get creative over the years myself......

Also consider booking 2 one way tickets to lessen the impact of buying a RT all at once.

I saw your previous question on this topic addressed to me but I didn't know how to answer because I haven't used the shared shuttle from the airport, only from a hotel in Rome to Civitavecchia.

 

However, on the Rome to Civitavecchia run, they don't necessarily fill the entire van. There were 5 passengers when I used it, and my parents reported four people (themselves and another couple) when they did the same.

 

I would guess that at the airport they would only wait a certain amount of time (maybe for a couple of close-arriving flights), but not for ages. However, I would suggest you ask them the question directly via email.

 

How much is the shuttle transfer?

The shared transfer is running between $38 and $47 instead of $66 for the private transfer. Not sure I want to wait around too long though or have to look for the driver. I am reading mixed reviews.

The shared transfer to the port is a good option for the 4 of us from our thread that will be traveling together. If it takes a bit longer to get to the ship it isn't really a problem. And as you mentioned they might not make additional stops. I am going to pass the information along to the others.

Thanks for the info it is always appreciated :)

I am considering a shared transfer from FCO to the Albergo Cesari. I am arriving a day ahead of my friend and the solo pricing for a private transfer is pricey.

What should I expect for wait time before departing the airport? I am assuming that with all the flights arriving overnight that they fill the pre-booked 8 spots easily and my flight arrival time is 9:10AM. Is that reasonable to assume? Or do I need to expect to wait for them to fill the van with later flights (with possible delays).

I know it is impossible to know for sure but can anyone share their experience? It would be great to hear from someone who does this often so I know what I might experience. They must provide a good level of customer service to stay in business but......

Thanks in advance!

We just booked the Colosseum including the underground and upper level tour. I was going to call directly this week but decided it was worth a little extra to have book it for us. I found this one to be reasonable and we have already corresponded via email so the communication is very good :)

http://www.italy-museums.com/

Day 1

Seattle, Washington- opens in a new window -- 4:00 pm

 

Day 2

At Sea -- --

 

Day 3

Juneau, Alaska- opens in a new window 2:00 pm 10:00 pm

 

Day 4

Skagway, Alaska- opens in a new window 7:00 am 8:15 pm

 

Day 5

Glacier Bay- opens in a new window -- --

 

Day 6

Ketchikan, Alaska- opens in a new window 8:00 am 6:00 pm

 

Day 7

Victoria, British Columbia- opens in a new window 6:00 pm 11:59 pm

 

Day 8

Seattle, Washington- opens in a new window

 

 

We're in Ketchikan from 8 to 6. I don't know what itinerary on Pearl you were looking at? This is the 2015 itinerary.

As much as I have enjoyed my Princess sailings in Alaska I would definitely pick the Pearl with Glacier Bay and the above port times. Juneau is a bit short but still time for a whale watching trip :D