Markanddonna

There was a thread on another cruise line site where a credit card and jewelry, left outside of the safe was taken. Only the cabin steward and another worker (plumber?) had access. I can sort of guess who might have taken it. We leave our tablet and phone on the charger, but lock up everything else.

On our last msc cruise, we had to call cs for them to email the boarding pass. Ugh on their tech and website.

We were on the Epic last month and thought the food in the Manhattan Room and Taste was good to very good, the buffet was average, Cagney's, LeBistro and LaCucina were very good to excellent, Moderno was average (higher quality cuts are not frequently offered, salad bar and desserts were blah), and O'Sheehans has gone downhill in flavor and taste. Overall, we were pleased. We ate most lunches and breakfasts at Taste. Great service and a strategy to avoid illnesses.

Europeans, and there will be many on your ship, prefer late dining. So, it is very likely you will be able to change once onboard.

What ports are on your sailing? I was on a 12 day from Rome to Haifa and can offer some advice.

Our last trip (23 days in Europe and Israel) was the most challenging one ever, starting with lost luggage when we got to Rome. You really can't disconnect on vacation. Things happen. We were also able to find our way around Jerusalem for five days with Google Maps!

T-Mobile is something frequent international travelers should consider. They use the same framework as the rest of the world. When we arrive in a city or port, we get the "welcome to ______" message. Unlimited texting and 4G. Extra costs for calling.

We did three separate, but coordinated tours with Guided Tours Israel- long days but we saw: -from Ashdod: the major sites in old Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem from Haifa- A Christian focused tour of the Galilee region and Nazareth from Haifa- Baha'i Gardens, Akko (Acre), Caesarea Maritima, Roman Aqueducts. We went back to the ship each night

I've noticed a trend toward Fox news on cruises. You also often have others channels like the BBC International news. Those ars always available. We have T-Mobile which is great while at ports. We get 4g and can text and use the internet as part of their service. We bring easy to pack games for sea days. There are usually a lot of things to do during the day.

It is an excellent way to travel to Europe. Some people prefer fall TAs, but I like ones in the spring. You have more daylight which is a BIG deal. We just returned from a 23 trip that included a 12 day cruise from Rome to Haifa. When the sunsets around 4:45, that really cuts into safe touring!

We sailed from Cape Liberty to Southampton last May 2 and the weather was uneventful. We've had the great good fortune of having the ocean like glass on all five transatlantics in the spring. Of course, a storm can happen but we have been fortunate. Our worst weather in that region has been on fall transatlantics in the Mediterranean. Just this past November, 2022, we missed Florence because of high winds and the rain storm in Naples was so violent that it closed the train system. Some folks who took the train to Pompeii had a very expensive taxi ride back to port. My worst experience was a Medicane (hurricane in the Med) in 2019. We missed Crete and had a wild day riding through the Straits of Messina with the dining areas and buffet and the elevators closed for a while.

Check to see how many other ships are in port which are your competition. We were there in early November 2022 and the cable car line was negligible. We were the only ship and just half full.

For those who are assisting their more elderly parents or friends: carry an assortment of over the counter meds for your travel group. The ships no longer allow them to be sold in their stores and the pharmacies on land may not carry your preferred items. You may need them on a sea days when a trip to a port pharmacy can't happen. You will be forced to go to the medical center. The typical ailments are headaches, joint pain, diarrhea or constipation, scrapes and skin lesions, foot problems, and various types of cruise crud beyond COVID (cough, URI, etc.) Our physician always prescribes an antibiotic for us which we have rarely had to use.

I just returned from a 23 Day trip in Europe that included a 12 day Rome to Israel cruise. We did it as a 70+ couple on our own. My advice is to carefully consider your physical limitations. Several older people on our tours should have gone on private tours in a car rather then private van or regular ship excursions. There were some significant snafus on the some tours that required fast paced walking. Istanbul was hugely problematic and both private and ship excursions and taxis were caught in gridlocked traffic on the way back to the ship. People got separated in the crowds. It seems the tram is the best way! We all got off the bus right in the middle of the street and fast walked to the ship. Several struggled. Many places in Europe are not very accessible, especially ancient sites. Pushing a wheelchair up a hill might be a lot to ask of even family. We are quite cognizant that our years of more independent travel are soon coming to an end. Some people expect strangers on tours to accommodate their physical limitations. This is only something you might ask of kind family.

We were hoping to do a bit of train travel once we arrived in Europe. I've only taken day trips on European trains and the experience was very positive. We want to travel from Prague to Krakow and then from Rzeszow, Poland to Warsaw. My question is, how easy is it to handle your own luggage and where is it stored? I took a regular train from the Port of Haifa, switched in Tel Aviv, and then got off in Jerusalem. That was supposed to be easy and fortunately CCs helped me with the logistics. It was the very demanding physical aspects of this journey that were tough. The Port at Haifa is perhaps one of the worst to schlep one's luggage through. Then, the trains were generally very crowded, no room for luggage, and even carry-ons didn't fit overhead. Backpacks generally fit. There were several steps in each train car. I would never do that again! I am thinking trains between the big cities might be a better experience.

I don't know. I recall that the ship seemed pretty healthy until day six. The first six were all sea days so any illness did not come from a port day. It was imported from the usa or Canada. We are glad we didn't hang with the cruise critic group since several got Covid. We haven't been as social fror our two post covid sailings. Several cc folks reported they got covid on the ship.

If you have a GTI group, talk to the head of customer service on board about accommodations for private groups. The ship supposedly docked at 6 AM, and my group met at the Starbucks area. We all then walked together to the designated area and were allowed off the ship together. We had to stand in the same lines as the ship excursions folks. We decided it was best to split up between the 6-8 lines and meet just outside at the designated place. That was smart. It went pretty quick and wasn't a detailed interview. Our guy asked no questions! You get your Israel card then that must be carried in your passport at all times. Our two GTI guides were right there with signs with my name. It was easy! We were maybe 10 minutes behind the planned meeting time with GTI, but that is quite good. If you are traveling by yourself in Israel, keep your card and passport at all times. We were stopped at a checkpoint near a Palestinian territory on the freeway. The driver spoke Hebrew and kept saying "American" to them. They finally asked for our passport and card and we were on our way. Israeli security is pretty intense. We were also up in the very northern tip of the Golan Heights with land mine signs near the borders and could have spit into Lebanon and saw Syria from a short distance. One piece of advice is to emphasize the importance of staying together and being on time. You would think people would not over consume coffee first thing in the morning, not come on tours when they are clearly sick, and would use the rest stop rule: go when you can. Sigh.

On a May transatlantic, we witnessed security at the door of one of our neighbors. It appeared that someone was sick and had not left the room. I asked our cabin attendant if they were required to report evidence of significant illness, and he admitted it was true.

To note, the experience going with a sheltered tour group is much different than a DIY. We had many more challenges and met a variety of people. Some lovely and kind while others were unfortunately, the stereotype of Israelis.

Melt that ship down and add peanuts: peanut clusters...

I responded to this post in the Africa/Middle East posting, so I'll mention a few things here. After two times in Israel and being somewhat of a Biblical researcher, I will point out a couple of helpful pieces of info. I would much prefer being on a van in Israel with 15 people that can get in and out of traffic easier than a bus that carries 45 people. It is so difficult for a guide to keep track of that many people and the weakest link affects everyone. I would go with Guided Tours Israel. Contact a guy there named Leo (I have no financial interest here) who might be able to coordinate this type of trip with GTI. He responds very clearly and in a timely manner. Otherwise, you might consider doing their shore excursions. BTW, I had a horrible two day tour to the Golan Heights with Bein Harim. Avoid that company. Our 80+ year old guy had to be the crabbiest, most uninformed guide we ever experienced. I have done four tours with GTI and they were sensational, more personal, our guides were fabulous, and the cost is much less. The itinerary proposed by Princess seems very ambitious, but doable, as long as everything goes well. Just a few things: the streets you walk on in the old city (the Via Delarosa) are streets from the Middle Ages. Jerusalem was completely destroyed in 70 AD and like many cities in that part of the world, the conquerors built upon the ruins. We were able to find Roman era streets at the Ecce Homo Convent excavated in the 1850s in the Muslim quarter and descend the stairs 20-30 feet to see it and the cisterns. So, the swarms of people carrying heavy crosses thinking they are walking the same path as Jesus are not. I didn't know this until last year... We were there in Nov this year and Dec 2019. Those are great months, but at the beginning of the rainy season. Fortunately, out of our 10 total days in Israel, we had only one steady rain day and just a few sprinkles on other days. The temps were about 60-70 degrees. I noted you are going to Rhodes. That is a lovely city that is easy to walk to. Go to the Palace of the Grand Master, the Archaeology Museum and the Street of the Knights. Great shopping without push vendors. The Israel Museum is great. I hope you get to go inside, but it looks like you are only there for the model of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea Scrolls. We spent the whole day there. We pretty much did six days on our own, walking from our B&B everywhere. I don't know the days, but if you are there on Shabbat, things will be very different. Everything closes from about 2:30 Pm Friday to 7:30 PM Sat. Feel free to ask questions.

If price isn't a concern, then that might be a nice experience. Are you in both Ashdod and Haifa? Three years ago, here is what we did with Guided Tours Israel: Day 1 Jerusalem and Bethlehem Day 2- Christian Emphasis on the Galilee Day 3- Akko, Caesarea Maritima, and the Baha'i Gardens Their shore excursions are typically $125 per day. We stayed seven days in Israel this time and it was DIY to see the other interesting sites.

Is this a two day excursion? You can do a quick trip to Jerusalem and then Bethlehem in one day and Galilee in the next. I've been to Israel twice, just returned on Monday. Might I recommend you contact Guided Tours Israel to see their excursion? I have done four with them and have been very pleased. If you are Christian, there is a Christian focus excursion to the Galilee. I went with Bein Harim on a tour to the Golan Heights last week which was the world's worst I have ever experience. Avoid them.