Piper77

41 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

That does sound rather poor. It surely wouldn’t have cost Cunard much to have brought out water and some light food from the ship itself to appease people waiting in the terminal. Or perhaps even provided a couple of hotel conference room / ballroom spaces for a few hours to keep throngs of people out of the terminal, and then transport them over to Brooklyn when the time was right. On top of this, perhaps a light dinner service arranged for late embarking guests could also have been sorted. These don’t take that much organising really but I’d wager would have spared everyone a headache. People don’t always remember what you get right, but they sure remember what you get wrong in business. Sounds like Cunard - like most airlines and I’m sure many other cruise companies - could do with a better shoreside management team. 

https://www.cruisehive.com/iconic-ocean-liner-delayed-after-urgent-diversion/105198
 

This article says they did stage a hotel ballroom for those using their transfers to wait.  I do think they tried…but really failed at the port with their operations. 

From the social media stuff I’ve seen it sounds like they knew it was delayed and passengers told were told the ship was about 6 hours late. But even with their delayed arrival to the port it was still chaos. Long lines, no staff, no water, no assistance for elderly etc.  I haven’t seen anyone angry about the reason for the delay. Just how it was handled when they arrived. 

Go follow Gary Janetti on Instagram. He’s been doing tons of stories as he’s been waiting to board. Still not on!

On 6/11/2023 at 5:25 PM, martyap said:

Thanks again……what other day trips from Rome should we consider? We enjoy them a great deal. We were just in London and went to York; Paris to Reims; Brussels to Brugge, Ghent. Trains are amazing and easy to use.

If you are looking to get out of the hustle and bustle of Rome consider Castel Gandolfo. Small town on lake albano with the papal summer house and gardens to tour. About 40 mins by train. We did a half day there. Definitely quieter and was a relaxing day if your are looking for and a small break. 
 

Orvieto is also a pretty great day trip too!  Under an hour by train and a cool village high up on a hill. 

Tour company emailed me back and said it was a mistake. Given that it mentioned a tour of 9 plus I’m wondering if these fees relate to an actual bus that has even more restrictions on where it can get to that a small van or car. 
 

In any case I’m good to and can’t wait to see the Amalfi Coast!

Just paid my final balance with Italytours for a private Amalfi coast tour and they’ve highlighted this for me. Seems

if I want to actually go in to

Positano we have to cover a 90 euro parking fee. This was never mentioned before, so a bit of a shock, is this new?  Imposed on anyone else?  We are actually only 2’people and I have emailed them back for clarification but wondered if anyone else paid this when going into Positano?

On 5/16/2023 at 5:06 AM, mauimary said:

Thur (May 11)  this day we were in Korfu Greece.  This was another beauty of a Port.  We cont. on our own DIY with the help of the HOHO bus.  This is a good overall view and a chance to use the bus for transportation so we did not have to use a cab. City bus also can be used but more work for us. 

Pretty newer homes 

 

lush yards 

 

Some Ruins
 

 

beautiful trees. Yard needs some trimming!  

 

Angel’s trumpet. 

I’m on a similar itinerary leaving next week and am excited about Corfu. Do you recall what celebrity offered for a transfer into old town?  Wondering how much and what square it took people too. Thanks!

Do the green busses take you right to the ship?  Or just to the gates and then we’d still need a white shuttle bus?

17 minutes ago, jlandz09 said:

Their website says they have no availability for the next three months. Does that seem right?

Maybe they just aren't taking reservations?  I can't recall if we booked ahead or not (I'm a planner) but do recall that you could just walk up and book a seat on the next boat leaving.  Their little shop is right at the base are of where our tender let us off.  Hope things work out for you.

A few years I did this local boat - takes you to Oia then back to Fira. You still have to get back down to shore, but we had no issues walking down. Ended up being a relaxing day walking around and eating 

https://transfer-to-oia.gr/

I’m not a lot of help as I’ll be visiting these posts in a few weeks….but I believe I read that only one of the HOHO lines actually runs when ships are in port. I don’t think the Kanoni line does. But it’s easy to get to (at least I hope!) by taking the public bus route 2 from Liston area. I also think the Achelion palace is closed for renovations right now. 
 

I’m still not sure what to do in Zakynthos - so if you end up finding something good please export back!

53 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Am I missing the purpose of these boards???? Isn't it to ask people for advice or suggestions?

 

Well, yes, but only up to a point.  The OP posted near identical threads for every port to be visited, without giving any clue as to tastes, budget or anything else which might encourage others to offer guidance.  Nor did he/she indicate that they had already looked for anything matching their criteria.

 

This is the one for Marseille, a city which must have many many   hundreds of dining options scattered throughout this huge cirty..

 

Best places for lunch in Marseille 

I just get frustrated that some people are so 'uppity' on this forum.  Does the question lack a ton of detail and is the answer subjective - sure, but if someone thinks the question is to hard to answer then they should just scroll on by....

People can give guidance and answer the question as asked, if I had been to those places I'd say what I thought the best place was in my opinion and the OP can look for themselves and decide it's maybe too much of a hole in the wall for them or too $$$.  Maybe they don't know exactly what they want and are seeking different ideas.

Happy and safe travels to everyone!

Am I missing the purpose of these boards???? Isn't it to ask people for advice or suggestions?

To OP, I've only been to Taormina and don't think I had lunch anywhere great - but it was a great place to visit.  Not sure if you watched Season 2 of The White Lotus but it was filmed / set there.  Good luck with finding a great meal!  Hopefully someone else on this site has some recos for you.

37 minutes ago, JLS07 said:

First, most of the time you can get a table within about 30 minutes of asking (assuming not a huge party).

 

Second, think of the restaurants as which decor do you want, not what food do you want.  There are no restrictions for each night's menu based on which restaurant you are in.  Order Italian in the French restaurant, French in the Greek one, etc.

 

Lastly, every night you will have these choices:

4 classic starters (shrimp cocktail, escargot, French onion soup, and Cesar salad),

3 starters from each of the greek, Italian, cosmo, and French restaurants

3 classic entrees (Chicken, salmon, steak),

3 entrees from each of the greek, Italian, cosmo, and French restaurants

 

These choices never change and are available every single night and can be ordered from any of the MDR regardless of which you are in.

 

This is all in addition to the 3-4 starters and 3-4 entrees that do rotate every night.

 

Bonus - you also can order from the vegetarian menu every night too - which expands your choices.  I typically found a great salad there every night to add to my meals.

 

Any given night, you have about 22 starters and entrees to pick from.  16 are the same and 6 vary night to night.

Thanks - so sounds just like switching between the 2 main dining rooms on other Celebrity ships.  They do make it confusing though when the write up for each separate dining room really makes it sound like they only feature that type of cuisine....but glad to hear I'm not limited and won't go hungry LOL

I'm registered for Anytime Dining on the Beyond and I noticed that there are 4 different main dining rooms that all seem to have a different theme.  Am I able to choose which dining room I eat at each night and do the menus actually vary that much?  Was trying to do some reservations in advance to make sure I get to try each one out but time selection is pretty limited 30 days out already.

Thanks!

I've got a tour booked, but will have around 2 hours before needing to be back on the ship and was wondering where to head in Zante town.  Understand a lot of the sites are out of town, but I'm not finding much on Zante town.  Any suggestions on which streets / area to head to or where are some good restaurants?  Really just up for an efficient wander around town.

I’ve stayed at Hotel Bologna twice and would recommend it. Nothing fancy but was convenient to the train and busses

20 hours ago, nyletak said:

I have a bit of a silly question, but I emailed italytours.eu and they have 2 spots available on the day we want to do a tour. They emailed asking for my name and cruise ship etc and said they will "bill me asap". That was yesterday and haven't heard from them today. They haven't taken any credit card info so I'm not sure how they bill me. I'm just getting anxious because I really want this tour! lol. Do they send a secure link thru their email or?

They send you a secure link. I emailed back and forth with them and they are so busy it usually takes 2 to 3 days. But they were good and I usually got an automated message after I emailed them saying it would be a few days before they got back to me - so i wouldn’t worry too much!

What about little snow globes from each country?  Yes it’s super touristy but you could start them a collection and do it for all your future trips as they grow up. 

17 hours ago, burnabyjean said:

Would you mind telling how much the two person tour was? Thanks.

I was eventually quoted 498 Euros for 2 for the Amalfi coast drive / tour.  Were you given a price as well?

They may have raised their prices, but I think are still competitive.  They gave me a quote for a 2 person private Amalfi coast tour had me submit my payment but then came back apologizing that they sent me forms and info from pre-covid.  Ended up adding 120 euros to the total cost.  Wasn't too happy with that - but still seems reasonable and they do get such great reviews.

On 3/17/2023 at 11:06 AM, scouseronline said:

Thank you for posting, this impacts our plans for this port stop ..... back to the drawing board 😞 

 

I'm back to the drawing board too.  If you find anything else that looks good, please share.  Pretty much everything offered features Shipwreck beach.  I feel bad for the local tour providers.  Maybe they will start to advertise different options as they regroup.  

I ended up calling Celebrity and it is very misleading in my opinion.  Sounds like if I do non refundable DEPOSIT option (yes, they only really mention the 'deposit' portion when you book) and cancel after final payment - you are only eligible for FCC.  I guess that makes sense given the premium you are paying BUT....there is no mention of that in the small print when you are on the website screen where you make your choice.  It only talks about losing $100 of you deposit and getting the rest of the deposit back as a FCC.  There is no mention of FCC for the full amount paid.

I'll probably still do the non refundable, but they sure did not make it easy to understand the full implications.

I haven't booked Celebrity in a while and would appreciate some expert info on their 'new to me' deposit system.

Booked a May Med cruise in January and chose the refundable deposit option as it was still so far out and wanted some no risk flexibility.  Cruise price has now dropped significantly and I plan to either get the price adjustment or completely rebook.  Since our final payment date is Feb 26th and barring any unseen incident we do plan on going, I'm wondering if I should save even more money and not pay the premium for the refundable deposit.  BUT...I'm not clear on what we get back if we cancel after the final payment date.  I understand the sliding scale (ie 25%, 50%, 75% based on days to sailing) - but does that apply to both the refundable and non refundable deposit?  

I tried to call but was on hold too long.  Thanks!!

You can take a city bus up to Anacapri - which is up high on a mountain, there was a really chair lift / suspended swing that takes you back down and you have amazing views of the island and the water.  

http://capriseggiovia.it/en/impianto.html

We liked it because it was less busy than some of the shopping areas of Capri as not many people ventured much further.  I do recommend buying your tickets in advance or at least make sure you have your return at the start of the day.