llarsen

On 10/1/2023 at 2:14 PM, timf264 said:

Anyone know when Ascent Bar/Dining menus will come out? I was hoping to have an idea on what to expect prior to the ships first sailing,

I saw menus when I booked my dining reservations for each of the Main Dining restaurants for our sailing next September. Maybe they are "sample" menus? 

15 hours ago, canuck059 said:

The train station was about a 10 min walk from our ship.  We caught the 9:15 train to Taormina and arrived there at 10:00.  A bus was waiting in the parking lot at the train station and left ~15 min later.  We then caught another bus from Taurmina to Castelmola.  After admiring the view for ~30 min we walked down the Sentiero dei Saraceni back to Taurmina.  We wandered down the main street, visited the Teatro Greco and Villa Communale.  From there it was ~30 min walk back down to the train station.  We took the 4:10 train back to Messina and had enough time for a quick look at the Cathedral and clock tower in Messina on the way back to the ship for a 5:30 all aboard.

If you aren't interested in going to Castelmola, you would have 4 1/2 hours in Taurmina and maybe a bit more if you took a taxi back to Taormina-Giardini rather than walking.

Thank you for all the detailed information!!! This is so helpful! I think we would skip Castelmola and just relax in Taormina a bit longer. We like to do our own thing in ports but have had some unexpected situations at times, but I guess that's all in the fun of it. I will look for some taxi phone numbers to have on had just in case, lol. Thanks again! Beautiful photos! 🙂

13 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

 

It really was.  While we were standing on our balcony watching the eruption I could only think of one thing. First to provide some history, both my maternal Grandparents (they didn't know each other at that time) and their Families came from the Naples area of Italy. They entered the U.S. through Ellis Island in NYC in the very early 1900"s, ultimately met as adults and married. 

 

When I was a young girl, my Grandmother told me stories that when she was very young Mt. Vesuvius erupted and they all had to run from their homes with bed pans on their heads to protect them from the lava and ash. The night we stood on our Silhouette balcony watching Mt. Etna erupt and saw the red lava coming down, all I could think of was my Grandparents and their Families running with bed pans on their heads to protect themseves from burning.

Wow. That is a touching story of your Grandparents. I couldn't imagine going through that. We deal with earthquakes in CA, but an erupting volcano would be so scary. My Great Grandparents came from Sicily, settled in New Orleans, then moved to Los Angeles in 1910. I searched for their records and almost felt like I knew them by the time I found their birth records 🙂

On 9/29/2023 at 10:52 AM, barneyboy said:

https://www.sightseeing-experience.com/messina-taormina-shuttle-bus/
 

 We used this company earlier this month when we were in Messina on Celebrity Reflection and didn’t have any problems. 

Thanks so much! This is much more reasonable than the Celebrity transfer!

Was the pick up point in Messina easy to find?

Did you feel 3 hrs in Taormina was enough time? Thanks again!

10 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

We never wanted to visit Mt. Etna either. But I can tell you that when we visited Taormina a few years ago and sailed out of port in the dark, the highlight of the entire 11 night cruise was standing on our port side balcony on the Silhouette and watching her erupt.

Yes! When we were there ash was floating down everywhere and Taormina was covered in black soot and white ash. But to see her erupting especially at night would be really something to see!

13 hours ago, canuck059 said:

We took the train on our own from Messina to Taormina-Giardini.  There was a bus waiting at the train station that we took up to Taormina for ~€2.  It let us off just outside the city gate Porta Messina.  On the way back, we just walked down the trail to the train station (You can see it on Google Maps....it starts just outside the public gardens).   Everything went smoothly and it was ALOT cheaper than the cruise line excursion.

 The schedule for the bus can be found here: https://www.interbus.it/taormina/  Search for Taormina to Giardini.  There looks to be a bus every 30 min.

Hi! Thanks for the information.

Can you give me an idea for what time you took the train from Messina to Taormina-Giardini? And what time you returned? Also, did you walk to the Messina train station? Thank you!

Hi,

We will call on Messina next September on a Saturday on the new Ascent, 8:00am-6:00pm

We have visited Taormina in the past and took a nice private tour which also included Castelmola and Savoca. (We have no interest in visiting Mt. Etna).

This time, we would like to just visit Taormina on our own and take our time walking around having lunch there.

There is a Celebrity tour "Taormina City on Your Own" that is 5hrs long (including travel time). 

Pros: Takes us to our destination and back to the ship on time

Cons: $90pp (can take train/bus for about $6 per person) plus small cost for taxi or bus to town.

There is a 9:15am train to Taormina-Giardini, but then we need a bus or taxi (preferred) to Taormina and I'm not sure how available they are? I'm more worried if they will be available on the way back?

The Viator tours all seem to include other towns or are very expensive.

The bus from Messina appears to leave at noon (too late) 

Questions:

Has anyone taken the Celebrity "Taormina City on Your Own" tour that can share their experience?

Did you have plenty of time in Taormina?

Would you recommend it?

Has anyone taken the train on their own from Messina to Taormina-Giardini and then a taxi or bus up to Taormina?

Can you share your experience?

Was it hard finding taxi or bus at Taormina-Giardini or from Taormina to the Taormina-Giardini train station?

Thanks for any advice or replies!

6 hours ago, Hlitner said:

My goodness, if you do get to this place, please post a review here.  My theory about pizza is that perhaps Naples truly invented the dish (that is often debated) and make a decent pizza, but in parts of the USA we have taken pizza to a better place.  When we first started traveling to Ialy (about forty years ago) pizza was only found in the evening and considered part or all of dinner.  I think that tourism is primarily what drove Italian pizzerias to open during the lunch hours, and once they realized the big market it has spread throughout the country.  In Naples, when we went to Pizzaria da Michele for lunch, many of the customers were Italian (although the one's with whom I spoke were from other parts of Italy and also wanting to experience Naples Pizza.)

 

 

Hank

Yes, If we make it there I will post a review. We will also try Pizzaria da Michele. They are in my Naples notes! Thanks again 🙂

On 9/1/2023 at 7:35 PM, Hlitner said:

Ahhh Pizza,

Am a pizza lover and would argue that the best pizza is in New York City :).  In Naples, we did once go to the famous L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (where they only make two kinds of pizzas, Margarita and Marinara) where we sat at a long bench (crammed with other folks) and had our pizzas with a soda (served in a plastic cup).  While the pizza was good, we did not think it worth the 45 minute wait (out on the crowded sidewalk).

 

So here is the thing, some folks argue that the best pizza in the world is to be found just outside Caserta (I kid you not).   The place is called Masanielli and it's owned by a famous pizza guy named Francesco Martucci.  We have never been there (I am not sure how far it is from the Caserta train station) but thought I might toss out the name (you can do the research).  Some of the reviews on TripAdvisor are awful, but if we are ever back in Caserta we will have to give it a try.  

 

Hank

Hank, THANK YOU so much! Masanielli is only 8 mins walk from the Royal Palace! Menu looks like he gets very creative with his pizzas, so it will be interesting. I might find that I prefer the plain old Margarita, but I can't wait to try this place! Looks like we need to book a table, but we have plenty of time to do that. Thanks again! 🙂

29 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, DW and I took the train to Caserta, based on a suggestion of Eurocruiser.  We had a delightful day, but I think the highlight was the very impressive gardens (at the rear of the palace, where one can walk for 2 (or more) miles.  Caserta is an important place for those of us interested in WWII history.  While I would not recommend the trek for a first (or even second) time visitor to the Port of Naples, it is a terrific option for folks that have done most of the usual things and are looking for something new.

 

As to Procida, it is another option for those that want to do something a bit different.  Ischia is another option, and one could debate whether Procida or Ischia is the better destination for a port day on an island.  Keep in mind that the high-speed ferries to either of these islands are somewhat infrequent, so you need to check the schedules to figure out how to make it work.  In fact, when we intended to go to Procida, we missed the ferry by a few minutes...looked at the schedule board (at the ferry terminal) and noticed an upcoming ferry to Ischia...which is where we spent that particular day.  

 

I would add that we would not go to either of those islands unless the weather was favorable.  One terrific advantage (of many) for the DIY traveler is the ability to alter one's plans at the last minute to deal with current weather.

 

Hank

 

 

Hank, I really appreciate your reply! I am also happy to see you are still here on CC helping others.

I don't know if the Covid shutdown of cruising had anything to do with it, but it just seems that CC has changed over the last few years. Roll calls aren't even the same. Reviews are scarce...I don't know?

Anyway, my husband and I love gardens, so I think Caserta sounds like a good option. I also must have time for some great Neapolitan Pizza! If you have a place you recommend in Naples, please let me know. We have a pizza oven and I've been trying to master the Neapolitan dough, 🙂

Hi,

Our cruise will have a port day in Naples next September.

We've been to Amalfi coast, Capri, Ravello, Positano, Pompeii and Sorrento in the past. 

We dock at 6:30am and have to be back on board around 2:30pm.

I was thinking of taking the train to the Royal Palace of Caserta. The train takes you directly there in about 45min.

Has anyone done this?

I can't seem to find any posts mentioning it. Everyone seems to do the Amalfi Coast or Capri but I am looking for something new and easy.

Another option is taking a ferry to Procidia.

Any info or thoughts on either of these options is appreciated!

@DavidsNana  Oh no, I am so sorry to hear you missed docking in Roatan and visiting Little French Key. I can't believe you also missed Costa Maya...again! I would be so disappointed as the ports are why we cruise. Nice that Princes gave onboard credit.

I was looking at another cruise with these ports to take our grandkids, but I think we will chose another itinerary because they would also be so disappointed if we couldn't dock due to weather.

Well, I hope you at least enjoyed the cruise portion and maybe some day we will see you onboard another ship! Take care and keep cruising!

@DavidsNana Wow! What an experience you had in Costa Maya! Yikes, lol.

Looking forward to your review and wishing you all a fantastic cruise!

21 hours ago, DavidsNana said:

@llarsenIt is entirely possible that we met in the Dallas airport during flight delays since you live in Murrieta and I live in San Diego.  I wore my mask and met two very nice people in the Dallas airport who were also wearing masks.  Might that have been you?  If that is the case, yes it is a small world!!  Thanks for the info on the snorkeling.  Unfortunately, our plans may have to be changed.  My grandson's wife slipped going to her car the other day and while she did not fall, she twisted a knee that she has had surgery on in the past.  She is determined to go on this cruise, but we will see what the orthopedic doc says on Thursday.  We may have to cancel (thank heavens for insurance) or at the very best, she will have to either use crutches, be in a knee brace and or we will have to rent her a wheelchair.  Not sure how LFK will work with any of those, need to do some investigation.   We were to cave tube in Belize but that is totally out at this point.  As luck would have it, later in life, my late husband walked with a cane but needed wheelchair assistance for long distances and we travelled quite a bit.  So, I am well versed in traveling with someone with limited mobility.  I'm crossing my fingers that it is a minor injury that will only require a knee support.  I have done the cruise line beach at Mahagony Bay and it can get very hot.  When I have done it, I have pretty much stayed in the water and one time when there were 4 of us, we rented one of the bungalows and they have shade and if necessary, they have a/c inside.  But that was pre-pandemic and the price was much less expensive than it is now.  Not sure I could justify that higher price.  Thank you for your continued help and info.  If we can't get to LFK this time, then I'm determined to get there in the future and will put your great info to good use.  I agree, I am so tired of this weather.  I'm so looking forward to summer.  Many thanks again for your help.

Yes, that was us you met at the airport! So sorry to hear about her injury, but glad you have travel insurance in case you need to cancel. 

As far as LFK, the walk to where the drivers are waiting is maybe 10 minutes at our pace. You will need to walk through the facility, up some stairs (not sure if there is a walk-around but I imagine there is), then through the port gates and down a hill to the drivers. We passed taxis inside the port gates and you could probably have them take you down to the drivers for a couple dollars, or to the Little French Key dock instead of using LFK driver (which might be better). Once at the dock the boat is a platoon (you can confirm with Larissa), so she would not be stepping down into it. On LFK she could walk at her own pace to the lagoon area and loungers. There are wood plank walkways to the main lagoon area that you can see in some of the photos. Not sure if this would be hard to walk on with crutches? If she can get by with a cane I think you could still do quite a bit on the cruise. Hopefully it will just be a brace. 

Whatever you do in Belize, do not take the Princess 2 hr Scenic Wildlife River cruise! We rarely ever book a cruise line excursion...and this was a big reminder why we book independent!

Well, hope everything works out for you 🙂 Maybe we will meet again on a cruise!   

On 3/19/2023 at 7:43 AM, DavidsNana said:

@llarsenI Think we were on the same Sky Princess Cruise 2/25-3/4.  I was with my son and his girlfriend on that one.  We did a private excursion and visited a sloth park on that one.  It was really special to be able to hold them.  the monkeys were fun but very high energy.  So after hearing about them, my grandson and his wife decided they wanted to do the sloths on this cruise.  I would recommend it if you like animals.  Thanks for the snorkeling info and conditions that your husband experienced.  The Sloth Pkg includes the snorkeling equipment so they will snorkel around the lagoon areas but I will tell them to not be expecting too much.  I do have snacks with me that my grandson can eat but they do not allow outside food at LFK but seeing the pic of your husband's civiche and chips, I'm confident that we can order him something a la carte if they won't substitute something.  Thanks again for all your firsthand information.  It is invaluable.

I was going to ask you if you possibly could be the nice lady we met at the airport who was on our 2/25 sailing! I remembered you saying you would be back with your grandson, lol, what a small world! My husband said that there were some fish under the dock areas so they can look there while snorkeling. I hope you have a nice weather and the beautiful breeze like we had at Little French Key. When we got back to the ship that afternoon we walked over to Mahogany Bay (which was a nice set up but crowded loungers) and it was soooo hot! No breeze at all, we would not have lasted long there if we had chose to go there for the day. 

Have fun! Wish we were going again, I'm so tired of our cold and rainy So Cal weather! 

On 3/16/2023 at 3:40 PM, DavidsNana said:

@llarsenOh thanks so much for your detailed review and the pictures.  I have contacted Larissa and made our reservations.   We will be doing the Sloth and Island Pkg with the mini pigs for sure and then my grandson and his wife are tentatively planning on doing the snorkeling tour.  They are going to wait until we get there and see how the seas and wind are that day before they decide.  I'm looking forward to it and hope that the weather is reasonably clear that day.  Glad that the island plate was good as our package includes that.  However, my grandson is allergic to beef products (has to carry epi pens with him) and while Larissa said that they can keep the beef off his plate, I think to be safe, we will be ordering him something a la carte as his food can't even touch any beef products. Thanks so much again.  If it were just me going, I would also not purchase the package but do things the way you did.

Hi, I regret not doing the Sloth package. When we were there, the sea looked pretty choppy and windy on the other side of the island outside of the protected area of the lagoons. I'm not sure where they take you snorkeling. My husband rented a snorkel and mask $10 from the shop on site, but there really wasn't much to see in the lagoon area. They also have a platform and a rope swing that a couple kids were using and looked fun (if you're young, lol) 

As far as you grandson's allergic condition...I also would not chance eating the island plate there. They might cook the beef on the same grill as the chicken? Maybe you can bring something packaged like chips etc or he can make or order a sandwich on the ship to take with him? In Cozumel they had dogs sniffing backpacks etc as you exited the ship and confiscated any fruit. But I don't remember them in Honduras. Or ask Larissa if they could substitute something a la carte for him? My husband said the civiche and chips was awesome!

Hope you have a great time!

On 3/10/2023 at 6:53 PM, DavidsNana said:

@llarsenThanks for your review.  We will be in Roatan April 4th and am thinking of doing LFK with the sloths and mini pigs.  Good to have a very recent review.  I have been reading about this place for many years and then there seemed to be the dispute and bad reviews so was not sure.  Your review and pictures makes me feel very comfortable doing this in April.  Thanks again.

Hi, we felt very safe there. In fact, the cruise line built their place right across the lagoon and would not be bringing passengers there if there was an issue with LFK. Little French Key is much prettier and private than what the cruise line offers, and you get to spend the whole day there! There is another smaller lagoon that is beautiful too that is not directly facing BFK, but we did not mind seeing some cruise ship passengers in the distance across the way.

To answer your other questions...we did not purchase the package with drinks etc. so we did not have our own waiter, although someone came by to check on us throughout the day and asked if we needed anything. We left a tip when we purchased food at the snack bar area. My husband had conch civiche and said it was outstanding and as what he had in French Polynesia. I had the combo plate (chicken and beef, but it wasn't fantastic, although I also wasn't very hungry. They were $15 each plate a la carte and a soda was maybe $3 and a beer might have been $6 a la carte. We also tipped the drivers although they didn't seem to expect it.

There was a group of maybe 6 friends that were in the water most the day, and the waiter was very attentive and brought drinks and food to them throughout the day.

We really enjoyed our day and hope that you do too!

10 minutes ago, cctomh said:

Who did you book the excursion through?

You can email them at info@littlefrenchkeyresort.com 

The correct website for information is https://littlefrenchkeyresort.com/

There are 2 other websites that the ex-husband still has control of, do not book through them!

The owner (Larissa) emailed me back, booked our date without a deposit, and the drivers are waiting outside the port gates with a LittleFrenchKey sign. We arrived at the Frenchie's 44 restaurant dock, and took a 2 minute boat ride to LittleFrenchKey. You purchase the package you want When you arrive at the dock. 

Carnival Corp has built a place across the lagoon (BigFrenchKey) but we had a much better experience than they did. We swam in the quiet lagoon as cruise ship passengers were dumped onto their island which did not look nearly as nice.

:-)

We visited the beautiful Little French Key Resort this past week while on the Sky Princess which docked in Mahogany Bay. 
I reserved through Larissa (the owner) with no deposit. You can contact them at the NEW (real) website LittleFrenchKeyResort dot com. (Make sure you add Resort in the url address. 

There have been many false rumors circulating due to untrue social media posts. I did my own research and am so happy I did!

We excited the port through the guard gates and walked down hill to where the drivers are waiting. They were holding a sign LittleFrenchKeyResort. Our driver was Maya, who had the sweetest young man with him named Sabastian who earned a big tip as we enjoyed our conversation with him on the way to the dock where you will take a 2 minute ride to the private island. At the dock we also enjoyed talking with Mario and Karina. 
 

Little French Key was like Paradise! There were only a few people there other than us and it has gorgeous water and so many places to lounge and explore. You can see a lot of work and money has gone into making this place. 
Everyone working there was so friendly and made our day even more enjoyable. 
 

The animals (rescued) are so well taken care of and everything was so clean! 
You can see all the sand around the lagoons had been raked and was clean.
 

They take you back to the ship whenever you are ready to go. We purchased the basic package and ordered drinks and food a la carte. You can add on Sloths (which I regret not seeing) and other tours for a very low fee.
 

As you can see from our pics Little French Key Resort is not only safe, but a slice of Paradise! 

13 hours ago, Bobbiegentry said:

We have the Princess Plus beverage package for our upcoming cruise this Saturday. 

My husband always adds a shot and flavored syrup to his iced coffee. Does anyone know if the "extras" are covered in the beverage package or will they be additional charges? Thanks

17 minutes ago, LHARTWICK said:

Had the Grounds Coffee Package 2 weeks ago on Ruby - absolutely loved it!!!  We will definitely purchase again.  Our cabin was also just steps from the International Cafe, so that was an extra bonus! I loved one of the specialy teas so much that I've just ordered a box of it online.  

What was the tea you loved? Thanks!

On 2/18/2023 at 6:09 AM, nydney1 said:

We were just there in November 2022.

They sent transportation, they were vans.

 

You walk out of the port area, up the big hill, down the other side and the vans for independent operators are on the right.

 

They often use the vans for Frenchy’s but you can just ask.

 

We were some of the first off the ship, we were there about 10:00 and left about 3:00 (we did a little shopping on the way back at the port)

We will be there next week! Did you happen to do the Sloth add on? Wondering if you do it on the way there or on the way back to ship?

Hi,

We have been to the Caribbean many, many times, but this is the first time to the Western Caribbean.

In Cozumel, we booked Paradise Beach Club

In Roatan, going to Little French Key

In Belize, doing a river cruise

In Costa Maya...we have nothing planned. (Not interested in ruins)

I've read you can take a shuttle or taxi to the town of Majahual and that there is also a complex in port with swimming pool and shops.

Is the town of Majahual nicer to walk around than the port complex?

If we get bored in the port complex...where should we go? If we taxi to Majahual, can we just stroll along and stop at a beach we like or is walking not really an option? 

We are in our 60's not looking for a party scene, if we go to a beach we would like a nice place with shade and beautiful beach area. (not rocky)

Would we be missing out on Costa Maya if we just stay in the port complex?

Which beach would you suggest we taxi to?

16 hours ago, sjlogghe said:

I would love to hear from you after the Feb cruise as well! We're looking at doing LFK in April, but just nervous after the fb posts, seeing posts about being scammed, etc. I hope you have an amazing time!!

Yes, I will post after our return.

I've been seeing new reviews on TripAdvisor here https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g292019-d2285434-Reviews-Little_French_Key-Roatan_Bay_Islands.html  and Larissa the owner has been replying, so that's a good sign that things are running smoothly there. 

It's a shame that all it takes is a few people giving misinformation and it takes off like wild fire.

I'm surprised more people here on CC either have not been to Little French Key or don't bother posting their experience. I will post photos and a review when we return. 🙂

We were interior on the Sky for February 25 sailing. Bid $150pp for Standard Balcony and received it yesterday! I'm very excited! The ship is also sold out now.