StreakedBlonde

On 4/25/2024 at 7:13 AM, FriendlyContributor said:

Hey everyone!

 

My wife and I are planning for an upcoming cruise that includes a stop at the Naples port. We're eager to explore the towns on the Amalfi Coast, including Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento, and Ravello. However, we're feeling a bit overwhelmed by the multitude of options for day trips and tour agencies.

 

We want to maximize our time and visit the must-see spots, but we're struggling to prioritize among the various itineraries available. Some include Sorrento but skip Ravello, while others focus solely on Amalfi and Positano. Given our limited time, which towns would you recommend as absolute must-sees?

 

Additionally, we're seeking a reliable tour group or agency to guide us through this adventure. While browsing through Viator, we've come across mixed reviews that raise concerns about bait-and-switch tactics and lackluster experiences. Some reviews mention little time spent at each spot, overcrowded minivans, and a lack of guided tours. We're specifically looking for a genuine small group tour with knowledgeable guides and ample time at each stop.

Do you have any recommendations for a reputable tour group or agency that meets our criteria? We would greatly appreciate any insights or personal experiences you can share to help us make the most of our day trip to the Amalfi Coast.

 

Thanks in advance for your help and recommendations!

We did a private car tour through Rome in Limo on our first Mediterranean cruise out of Naples port.  It was fantastic!  You will be pleased with them if they package something for you!  StreakedBlonde aka Karen

You stated my point of view perfectly.

 

I find that most of the people who post on roll calls do not participate in this HAL board, so I don't feel I "know" them at all. They make no effort to get to know the others on the roll call, either---it's (as you say) just a means to get a group together for private touring. As if I would go off for a day with a group of strangers who might be incompatible!

 

Right now I am getting daily e-mails of the posts of three cruises I am booked on, but have never posted to. So far, I have seen little reason to join in. It's a shame, too, since once upon a time the rolls calls were active with people who wanted to be sociable.

What is the difference of chatting with others before you cruise and joining them on tours than getting on a ship tour with probably many more people? We shared several tours with 6-8 others on our Greek Isles cruise, which 2 others had gotten together and 2 that I got together. Everyone was very nice, some more talkative than others, but not a problem at all. The main things about going with a few others was the price was much less and it was like we had our own private tour guide, and we could hear what they were saying! We passed by many ship tours that had 20-50 people all while enjoying our own small group! And they kept us in front of all of those large ship groups! You don't have to become lifelong friends just because you share a tour with any of them.

We are on the Jan. 27, 2019 Panama cruise and was wondering about the weather that time of year from Florida to Panama to Costa Rica. I am also wondering if they offered any discounts by email a few weeks before the cruise such as beverage packages or photo packages. We would also love to hear about tours any of you took while on this particular cruise. Thanks in advance. :wine-glass::cocktail::tropical-drink::beer-toast: :cool:

I'm hoping I don't go too long :) I have posted reviews from the Reflection before ( this was our 4th time on this particular ship) but some things had changed since we were on her last and I learned of many from these board so I am hoping this helps to pay it forward for others.

Some of the newer things since we were on her last, Michaels Club having sky suites as well, apparently according to their concierge that since these suites were added most of the original MC concierges have left ( more work but not more pay is our assumption) this equates to a less personal experience with the concierges but to compensate, Signature suites and up now have speciality restaurants included and right now all four perks as well.

On this trip we were in the Signature Suite (4109 last time we had 4107)

On the Reflection we have stayed twice in Signature Suites, celebrity suite and Royal suite. We loved having the 2nd bathroom in the Royal suite but have to say the Signature Suite is really terrific. Right off the Solarium corridor and aqua spa cafe. We had the best butler we have ever had on any cruise, Stevo he was like a quiet ninja;p always there before we even knew we needed him, he really took care of most things whereas MC concierge did more. Our room attendant was lovely as well, kept the cabin very clean and well stocked. I think his name was Dewa and he loved talking Football with DH.

Entertainment- full discloser, I am not usually a fan of cruiseship entertainment though DH is, Inprefered back in the old days when 2 new shows were after late dinner however other than production shows I felt the entertainment was much better than usual.

I was bored to tears with broken strings and even more so with Elysium but the two comedians had both regular and late night shows ( this was also new having a second late night comedian) We had seen Robbie Printz before and observed both times his evening show was much funnier than his late night. The other comedian AJ Jamal both of his shows were hilarious,four tenors of rock were terrific as well.

CD Sue Denning ( I believe she left after this sailing) was outstanding, again hands down the best CD across all the lines and different ships, she was very visible, warm , caring, funny and OMG sooo talented, one night out on the pool deck the singer ( also great) gave her the Mike and Sie's rendition of Mustang Sally had us all screaming for more, wish we had the opportunity to hear her sing again.

Food, we had breakfast in our room, lunches most days in Oceanview cafe which was really good, Porch for lunch was also really good. Thanks to these boards we learned of another new addition the gourmet burgers at Lawnclub grill.well worth the surcharge, if you were on this sailing with me I'm sure you heard me recommending the warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream, I had been dreaming of it since our last sailing and it did not disappoint. Service in LCG is great and it is just a fun experience day or night.

Murano was a disappointment, too formal, too much fuss, food was not hot and overly salty,we did not complain but it just left us not wanting to go back.

Qsine is always so much fun and so yummy. Our favorite server Eva had gone home but her partner in crime Nathan was fabulous, even the Matre D was so friendly and full of fun, if he saw us even walking by the restaurant he would call out hello.

Some of our favs over the years still hold true, lava crab,disco shrimp, meatball trilogy (OMG) the tacos and one night we had sliders and another the painters mignon was really good. Tombstone dessert another winner.

Some other observations- PLEASE please check your onboard accounts carefully on your television screen daily, we had charged $10 Extra gratuity at lunch but was charged $100 ( MC concierge said they had put in the gratuity 10 times, also luggage valet is complimentary in suites but we were charged $25 twice, as of Friday evening this was still not credited but Alex assured us that it will be done, so hoping I do. It find this on my credit card.

The deck by the solarium is dangerously slippery, I myself tripped but was lucky enough to not go down but I saw two women go down HARD, I do not remember ever thinking it was so slippery before, but it certainly is despite the pool butlers squeegee the floors.

The ship is kept immaculately clean,in very good shape, but the carpeting is a bit faded and I understand she is going into dry dock soon.

We were thrilled with the return of luggage valet a service we had really missed, even if this is not a covered charge it will be the best $25 you will ever spend, younput your luggage tags on leaving your bags Friday evening and literally do. It see your bags again until your final destination, it is a great convenience.

The edge was revealed on 3/13 and if you missed the showing it was on television constantly, ship will not be out for well over a year and we were gib smacked by the prices for two years from now in March and decided despite how fabulous it looks to wait it out abit.

Sorry to go on so long but I know despite having been on many many cruises and this particular ship 3 previous times, I loved reading about it before my sailing and did learn some new things. If you have any questions , I would be happy to try and answer them

If you are still reading by this point I am impressed as I think I just bored myself! Thank you for allowing me to share our experience.

Wendy

Wendy, did the Reflection have any type of app to load on your smartphone that gave the ability to chat with family and friends also on board? This app was available on a recent Carnival cruise we just took and it was great to find people on board and met up with them. We are headed to the Reflection in May for a cruise to the Greek Isles.

Thanks, Karen aka StreakedBlonde

We just returned from a Carnival cruise and they had an app you could load on your phone that would allow family and friends to keep up with each other while on board the ship. There was a small fee to load it. I am just wondering if Celebrity Reflection has anything like this?

Thanks,

Karen aka StreakedBlonde

We did take 6 Celebrity excursions which is unusual for us as we usually do our own thing.

 

Question about getting off the ships for your own tours vs one booked with Celebrity - Did you have trouble getting to your own tours because of having to wait for all of the Celebrity tour guests to load off the ship? We are on a Greek Isle tour in May and have booked several tours on our own. Being 1st time Celebrity cruisers, I am hoping we can get off of the ship in time to start our tours.

 

Thanks in advance - Karen aka StreakedBlonde

For those who have done both Celebrity tours vs a personal tour that you have organized or been on ,please give your pros & cons :)

Did you find it harder to get off of the ship when you booked your own tours, vs going on a ship tour? Thanks -StreakedBlonde

Lots of great info on the HAL rail section of their Denali excursion!!! I have been trying to find out something about this part of our tour ever since it was booked. Thanks so much for the wonderful pictures and information. Karen in Texas

//Royal Caribbean/Carnival/HAL