Compass Rose Monica

I was in 3142 on the Constellation. The room was very not - hardly any air flow. There's a square plate that covers the a/c. The air flows how along the ceiling, rather than downwards, making it difficult to cool the room.  Engineers came to the room but couldn't do anything. I ended up with a fan in the room and had to keep the drapes closed, as the large port hole window contributed to heating the room.  I bought a small fan that I bring with me on my trips now. 

 

Not sure if all M-Class ships have this problem. 

 

No noise issues in my cabin; my friends stayed in 3144 and no noise issues either. 

 

Monica

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

OK, from your observations alone would be reason enough for us to avoid stateroom 6098. Cafe al Bacio is open early (6:00 AM) in the morning so they will be preparing earlier for the morning rush. To me that equals noise. 

 

I made my move. I decided to move aft onto deck 8 (cabins above/below me). 

 

Thanks,

 

Monica

47 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Just for my own curiosity. Why do some book cabins without first looking at the deck plans so they know what's above, below or next to? For me this part of the prebooking process for the cruise. 

 

I do look at the deck plans in advance of selecting a cabin. I picked 6098 because my friends stayed there and liked the location. On my most recent cruise (on the Reflection), while sitting at Café al Bacio, I noticed the staff constantly slamming the door going in/out of the kitchen area.    

 

Greetings,

 

I'm booked on the Infinity and booked cabin 6098.  I see it's above Cafe al Bacio. I'm wondering if I will hear noise from Bacio and its kitchen area. There are cabins above the shops (such as 6080), which might be less noisy at night. Would appreciate your comments, as I am a light sleeper.

 

Thanks,

 

Monica 

On 3/26/2018 at 9:36 PM, rodlim said:

We just left Busan and heading in, we had zero expectations. Three days before the port I booked a tour, and having cruised a lot, I was STUNNED that this city actually was once of the best excursions I have ever been on. We had a private van, and avoided the herds. We went to the oldest mountain temple in Busan with gorgeous views. We hiked along the coast to the wide sandy beach in the city. We went out to a far island via van to beautiful cliffs and a see-through walking bridge (like in Jasper, Grand Canyon). We went to this hill side old village that reminded me of Santorilli (sp?). It was newly renovated for tourists and it was amazing to walk the narrow valleys and take part in all of the photo-ops. We then went to the fish market, and the international market for shopping. It was one after another show stopping stops. Probably my favourite port so far in Asia. Quite the surprise! Message me if you want further details etc.

 

I would appreciate the tour company contact information.  Thank you. 

 

Monica

Mjpileggi@gmail.com 

17 minutes ago, johnoli said:

We were on the leg from Venice to Barcelona. We loved the ship and it should be stunning when it has been revolusionised. As you say looking a bit worn in parts.

 

It was our first cruise with Celebrity and will not be our last. We have already booked Equinox for next June from Fort Lauderdale.

 

Totally agree about the knives. I hate them. We ate at Tuscan twice and for the steaks you get a huge commando knife. It was more like a lethal weapon.

 

Our flight was 8.50pm so we stayed on the ship until 3. The downside was that Celebrity managed to lose our suitcases together with the luggage of four other couples. After a 20 minute search they found them on the ship even though they should have been taken off.

 

We thought Alexandro was brilliant. I believe his next posting is Eclipse. Do they move around a lot?.

 

John

 

John, 

 

Yes, those steak knives in Tuscan for the steaks were huge!  And the filet mignon was excellent. Tony got the dry aged prime NY strip. Also excellent. 

 

Glad they found your luggage!!

 

Alejandro is on vacation now. I'm not sure how often a CD changes ships. 

 

Monica

2 hours ago, Provence55always said:

Monica, thank you for sharing your experience....we will be on on the Constellation January 2020 so very happy to read your overall positive review. 

 

Even though the Constellation is an older ship, you will like it. I think the staff does a great job and the entertainment, overall, was very good. 

 

Monica

Ship: Constellation (3-22 September 2019 Back-to-Back cruise)

Revolution (2019 onwards) - No

Cabin: 3142

Deck: 3

Class: , OV 

Area/Location: Aft ,Starboard, near the aft elevators and stairs.

Bed Location: Wall-facing forward

Quiet? Yes, for the most part.

Balcony/Porthole View: Good

Balcony/Porthole Size: Over-sized.

Wind a Problem? N/A

Soot a Problem? N/A

Comments: Great location being near the after elevators/stairs and getting down to the gangway. The hallways are quiet with the exception of people constantly slamming their doors. Why can't people close the door gently instead of letting it close by itself? The cabin is near the aft, so it had an engine hum. Not disturbing at all. Our cabin attendant, John was great!  He's from India and quite friendly and helpful.  Big issue with the a/c. The a/c worked but there was no air flow. There's a flat square panel in the ceiling covering the opening of the air vent. The air comes out horizontally, instead of downward, so we never felt any cool air. Twice the engineers came by but nothing was done to improve on the air flow. I finally got a fan from guest relations and used it to help circulate the air. I had to keep the drapes completely closed (so I ended up with an "inside" cabin), as the over-sized porthole brought in a lot of the heat from the day, along with the lack of good air flow. Sometimes after I showered and dressed, I would head to the women's bathroom near the conference room and put my make up on. While I liked the location, I probably wouldn't book this cabin, or any in the same area again. 

Here’s a quick review of our cruise on the Constellation.

 

Cruising Background:

 

I’ve been cruising with Celebrity since 2003 and this was my 18^th/19^th cruise (Tony, a few cruises less than me); and second time on the Constellation.

 

This was our first back-to-back cruise, 3 September and 12 September 2019, with our friends. It was a very port-intensive cruise with fabulous ports of call. I would love to do another one but with more sea days.

 

On Board:

 

The Constellation is a smaller ship (I love the S-Class ships) and does show her age, especially in the chairs around the various lounges, but overall in good condition

 

The Martini bar was always crowded and very noisy, especially on the first day of embarkation. Music shouldn’t be so loud that you have to yell to talk to someone.  

 

We spent a lot of our happy hour time in the Reflection lounge; sometimes at the sunset bar at sail-away; and the Rendezvous lounge (depending on who was performing before dinner). The Reflection lounge was never filled. I believe there were only about 100-125 elite passengers. This cruise seemed more low-keyed than the second cruise, which had around 200 elite passengers. The appetizers during the happy hour were very good.

 

The house band was The Cardinals. They were awesome!!! We enjoyed Kyle Tracy (guitar/vocals) and Duo Asai (Acoustic Duo). We didn’t care for the Sea Beats - terrible female singer that could put a person to sleep.

 

The Rendezvous was a popular spot for trivia and evening entertainment.

 

Cellar Masters was pretty quiet.

 

Great staff on board! Some of my favorites were John (cabin attendant); Alejandro (CD and funny as ever; had the pleasure of meeting him on our March 2019 South America cruise); Clint (hotel director first cruise), Milana (hotel director second cruise); Luana (guest relations director), Vlada (Captains club hostess on our first cruise). In the dining room: Wannipa, Dusan, and Gede at table 233; in the Reflection lounge Sushant and Sabitri. Irlinda at guest relations tried to help me with me on an issue with my cabin. Isabela (event coordinator) sent us an invitation to the helipad for our departure from Valletta. Suzanna (sommelier). And of course, the Master of the ship Michael Karatzas, Staff Captain Lefteris Koumasidis, and Chief Engineer Nikolaos Politsis.

 

Cabin 3142. I booked an ocean view cabin since the back-to-back was pretty expensive. Normally I book aqua or concierge. This cabin has an extra-large port hole. My room was VERY warm. Two engineers came by twice but couldn’t do anything to fix the problem. I ended up getting a fan for the room and kept the drapes closed all the time. The window should be better tinted to help from the heat of the sun. The fan helped a little but was still pretty warm. The a/c was running but there wasn’t enough air flow to cool the room; and the air didn’t flow downward, as there was a large square plate that blocked the air flow. Poor system design that I hope is improved when the Constellation gets a facelift.

 

John was our cabin attendant and he was attentive, friendly, and helpful. Our room was made up early. 

 

The closet hangers need to be updated. Some of the wooden hangers kept coming off their hooks.

 

Dear Celebrity Cruises, please add to your Celebrity Today a comment to all passengers asking them to be respectful of their neighbors not let their cabin doors slam shut. This is very annoying and disturbing when one is trying to sleep. I found many guests just walking in or out of their cabin without attempting to close the door gently.

 

 

We enjoyed Silent Disco a few times on both cruises. The Captain’s Club Celebration and Senior Officer’s Parties were fun but not fully attended. It was actually nice to be able to attend an event and not feel so crowded.

 

Food on board: We had Select dining and really enjoyed all of our meals in the main dining room (except for one lamb entrée). We never waited long for our table. We went to the dining room anywhere from 6:15pm to 7:30pm.

 

One night several of us went to Sushi on Five for a special Indian dinner. It was excellent with a good variety of foods. Another night Tony and I ate at the Tuscan Grill.

 

I would say the Captain’s Club Elite breakfast in the Tuscan grill is pretty slow in its service. Nothing is cooked (only breads are toasted if asked), so why does it take so long to get our food? We went to the ocean view café for most of our breakfasts. Also, Dear Celebrity, please get rid of those awful knives. They are hard to hold!

 

The Ports:

 

We had a great time in Barcelona (three days pre-cruise). We stayed at H10 Montcada Boutique Hotel. Nice hotel, comfortable beds, and a great roof-top terrace. We visited Park Guell the first afternoon of our arrival. I finally got to visit Girona (via train). Lovely city and doable in a day. Also, we had a great lunch at La Grotte & L’Olivier. On the last day we did a Gaudi walking tour and an afternoon visit to Sagrada Familia (buy tickets in advance). 

 

Embarkation in Barcelona was a breeze!! We arrived about 10:45am by taxi and there were only a dozen others in the terminal!  We couldn’t believe how empty it was compared to our other cruises.

 

Our first night was the Cruise Critic Connections Party. Only a handful showed up, as it was at 8:15pm.

 

I originally booked a tour for Monte Carlo but decided to go on our own. It's a tendered port. We LOVED the oceanographic museum (https://www.visitmonaco.com/us/place/monuments-museums/76/oceanographic-museum-of-monaco)!!  We spent at least two hours there. We purchased a combo ticket that included the Palace.  Had lunch at Restaurant Chez Tony; visited the old town church just before it closed for the day.

 

We had a private tour for 8 people in Villefranche with Sylvie Di Cristo. We visited three hill towns.

 

We stayed in Civitavecchia and did a cooking class (my second time). Tons of fun. We made several dishes and enjoyed the fruits of our labor afterwards with wine, water, and some lemoncello. Too much food! Frederico is the chef and owner of Aqua Pizzeria Ristorante (aquacivitavecchia@hotmail.it). If you book it, tell Frederico I recommended his class and, “Ciao from Monica!”.

 

We had one sea day on this cruise. We had a 10am meeting about the procedures of our turn-around day in Venice. Lucky for us we wouldn’t have to pack our belongings since we had the same cabin. On the morning of our arrival, we just had to go to guest relations to pick up our new card. We did this around 7:30am. We wanted to be off the ship as early as possible since the departure was at 4pm. We were given a Transit Pass so that we didn’t have to go through the normal check-in process. We had to carry our original passports with us for the day. We used the old card to get off the ship; new card to get back on the ship (your photo is taken when you get back on the ship). The old card is taken away, but you can get it the next day. We were told we would need to update our credit card details for our on-board expenses but when I went a couple of days later, they didn’t need to adjust our account.

 

We were told to be back on the ship by 3:45pm. All other guests had to be back on board by 3:15pm. When we arrived back to the terminal, we didn’t see any Celebrity staff members and we sort of got mixed up with the terminal and which area to enter. I had to ask a local worker where to go. W finally made it back on board by 3:25pm. The boat drill was at 3:45pm.

 

Friends and I attended the Captain’s Club wine tasting at 11:15am. Suzanna, the sommelier, was sweet and very patient with late-comers (arriving 15-25 minutes after the start time) setting up more glasses for them. When the last person strolled in, half of the guests booed and hissed.

 

At the Elegant Tea, two couples showed up in shorts and t-shirts. This was a ‘smart casual’ event, not a pool-side event.

 

In Messina, we had a private tour for 8 to Mt. Etna, a specialty food shop (Oro d’ Etna), the Gambino winery (great visit with lunch and wine tasting), and then a short visit to Castiglione di Sicilia.

 

We had a private tour in Corfu around the island for four of us. This was the only port where we had rain for about an hour. Beautiful island. We toured the Achillion Palace Museum.

 

In Kotor, we had a private tour for 8 people about 4.5 hours and visited Perast, Budva, and Sv.Stefan (just views from the road). The views of Kotor from the top was spectacular! We had time back in Kotor for lunch at Konoba Scala Santa before getting back on the ship.

 

In Zadar, we did a walking tour. We were disappointed because the guide showed up 1/2 hour late. He talked too much at the beginning, so it cut into our afternoon. I didn't have time to see a couple of places and I wanted to climb the town tower.  We did see some interesting things. We had a good lunch at Porporela before the tour started.

 

In Venice, we walked around town and went up the Campanile tower. The lines were very long to get into Basilica. We should have purchased tickets in advance. Venice is a great place to just wander and explore the many streets and bridges. Lunch at Taverna San Trovaso, one of my favorite restaurants in town. We were lucky to get a table. Gelato for dessert at Nico’s and a walk back to the people mover and terminal.

 

Second cruise, 12 September 2019:

 

In Split, we toured on our own. I should have done a private tour and visited another place. Tony and I were here before and saw the same things this time. It’s a shame that Diocletian’s palace is such a tourist trap with all the shops. For lunch we had traditional prawns, but it was difficult to get the meat out. Very messy too.

 

In Dubrovnik, four of us took the local bus to Cavtat, a beautiful small seaside town. No crowds like in Dubrovnik. It was a relaxing day walking around along with a wonderful lunch at Posejdon Cavtat.  I made reservations a few weeks in advance and asked for a table overlooking the water. Afterwards, we took a boat back to Dubrovnik, which was about a 45-minute ride. We were dropped off outside the town walls where we walked around a bit and had gelato (got rid of the rest of the local currency).

 

In Catania, we had a private tour. We had a nice short visit to the fish market in town and the Cathedral. We went to Syracuse  to visit the ancient ruins. We were supposed to get a guide for the site but somehow that fell through. Our guide/driver said there were plenty of signs to read. Not true. Fortunately, I had printed out a document on what we would be seeing, so that helped. Definitely get a guide.

 

Nearby, we had lunch in Ortigia, which is a small island just south of the central area of Syracuse. We requested a place for lunch that served typical/regional dishes, so our guide made reservations for us at Trattoria “la Foglia”. We were treated to limoncello after our meal.

 

Our last stop of the day was to Spinella, a wonderful small pastry shop in Catania. Lucca, our guide, said they serve the best pistachio cannoli. I have to agree. It was huge so the server cut each one in half for each couple to share.

 

In Valletta, Tony and I went out on our own and visited some of the sites in town (Palace Armoury and State Rooms at the Grand Master’s Palace). One must-see is the Saint John's Co-Cathedral. The Baroque art, architecture, and Caravaggio’s paintings are a site to see! I went in alone, so I didn’t have to que in the long group line.

 

We used Palma de Mallorca as a “sea day” with the exception of a short walk for an hour near the port in the morning. It was our third visit to this port. We were docked pretty far away from the center of town.

 

Speaking of docking, the following ports we had to buy shuttle tickets: Zadar, Dubrovnik, Palma, and Ibiza. They ranged from 10 to 15 euros. In a few ports you could take local buses. In Valencia, we were told we could get a taxi, but none were around when we got off the ship. There was a local shuttle bus to the main terminal; again no taxi’s. We took bus #4 to town, which was about a 25-minute ride. 

 

As we used Palma de Mallorca as a sea day, we had no problem getting deck chairs near the pool. On the sea days, they were all taken. We saw a lot of deck chairs with towels but no one sitting on them. One time I did manage to get a chair and my husband came by and sat on the end of it. Five minutes later, a man across from us offered one of the chairs next to him. He had kept a towel on it but wasn’t using it!!  Later a woman came to her chair (next to me) to collect her belongings. From the time I sat down and her arrival was about 45 minutes. As she started to walk away (leaving her towels on the chair), I grabbed her towels and politely said, “Take your towels to the bin.” Had I not said that, the towels would be on the chairs. Makes me wonder how many other people left their towels. The times I couldn’t find a chair I ended up on deck 5. I think there were only 10-12 chairs. There should have been more.

 

Ibiza is a pretty town. We did a walking tour for about 2.5 hours and later had lunch at Locals Only. This was a long port day, 7am to 11pm. There are a lot of shops and restaurants/bars. It’s a party town; and there are beaches in the area to enjoy.

 

Valencia: As I mentioned previously, we took the bus to town. There is a metro/tram but would have taken a lot longer. We were supposed to meet up with one of the free walking tours by 10:30am but missed it. We got off the ship about 20 minutes later than planned.

 

Valencia is beautiful and it’s a place I could see visiting for a few days. Loved the Spanish architecture. The town squares are gorgeous. Four of us climbed the Valencia Cathedral Bell tower (207 steps up a spiral staircase, which the steps get smaller about the last two floors). The views from the top are nice when you look out, but you can’t photograph straight down to the plazas, as the walls are thick. My legs were wobbly for a couple of days. That staircase was hard on my legs.

 

After lunch at Cordellats, we visited the central market in town; got there about 40 minutes before it closed (3pm). I loved the display of foods.

 

Disembarkation in Barcelona: We had one night in Barcelona before flying home. We went to Sushi on Five for our disembarkation location; got off the ship around 9am. We should have stayed on the ship longer. The taxi line was very long!! I couldn’t imagine flying home that morning. There were four ships in port, so the taxi drivers were very busy.

 

Overall, we had a great time on our first back-to-back cruise with the Celebrity Constellation. The ports were great, as well as the staff on the ship. Looking forward to another Celebrity cruise in a couple of years.

 

Monica

11 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

Does anybody know how long Alejandro will be the cruise director on Constellation?

 

I just asked Alejandro and he's on the Constellation  until Sepembe 22nd. 

 

Monica

19 minutes ago, di T said:

Oh you are in for a treat! Only thing is it’s an addiction 😂 We like to be away for 3-4 weeks so that’s one of the reasons we mostly do b2b, and there’s changeover day when everyone is leaving and you are only half way through😊bliss!

 

I was able to get the same cabin for both cruises. 

 

When you get the new seapass card, do they give you the old/first one? I keep all my cards from my cruises.

 

Monica

6 minutes ago, di T said:

Sure you will have a great time! Love this ship and have done many b2b s in the med never tire of it

 

This is our first B2B!!  

 

Monica

4 hours ago, di T said:

Thanks for the information, we will be on the same cruise first part of our b2b! SameCD and captain as our June cruise, Alejandro is great fun! Dianne

 

We board on September 3rd for our B2B.  Can't wait!!

 

Monica

On 8/11/2019 at 5:39 PM, Knolmom said:

Does anyone know who will be the Master and the CD on the Connie sailing from Barcelona on Sept 22?

 

 

Captain Michael Karatzas; Alejandro Tortorelli is the cruise director.

 

Monica

15 hours ago, brucedodge said:

Personal opinion only, but I don't think cruise ships are much of a threat to Venice.  They go very slowly and have hardly any wake.  If you watch the speedboats, water taxis, and other water craft zipping along constantly right next to the walls and pilings, you'll really see how the damage is occurring.  Only my opinion, but I think  it's politically convenient to blame cruise ships.

 

Hi Bruce!  I hope you and Gail are doing great and still cruising a lot. Haven't chatted with you in such a long time.

 

I agree with you about the speedboats, water taxis, vaporetti, personal boats, goods transportation, etc., (especially since they ply the many inner canals), but also the cargo and tanker ships that come into the area, that cause Moto Ondoso (wake movement) and contributes to the deterioration of the canal walls.  

 

Cruise ships may eventually be docked elsewhere but tourism won't go away in Venice. Tourism has been going strong since the 17th and 18th centuries.  

 

Monica 

Check out the few links on this site:  https://cruising.org/news-and-research/press-room/2019/june/venice-press-kit

 

There is one map of a suggested re-routing of the ships.

 

Monica

I found this article. 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190810/no-venice-isnt-about-to-ban-cruise-ships-from-its-lagoon

 

 

Yesterday I booked an April 2021 Xpedition Galapagos cruise. I'm so excited!  It's always been on my bucket list!

 

I have been trying to find some Celebrity Today's so I can get an idea of what to expect while on the cruise.

 

If anyone has any copies, I'd appreciate seeing them. 

 

Thanks,

 

Monica 

SHIP: Eclipse (24 March 2019, South America to San Diego). 

CABIN #: 1610

DECK #: 11

CLASS: Aqua (A1)

AREA: Mid Ship, very close to Elevators, on the hump. Great location. 

BED NEAR: Closet and Bathroom

QUIET?: Overall very quiet. On a rare occasion, I could just hear some music, but mostly when I was on the balcony. I may have heard chairs being moved, but I typically wear ear plugs.

BALCONY VIEW: Great views forward and starboard. Being the last angle cabin next to the hump, you can lean forward and look aft. This cabin is next to a large suite. 

BALCONY SIZE: Extra large; largest of the angle balconies.

WIND A PROBLEM?: Near the balcony railing, it was windy; otherwise no issues.

SOOT A PROBLEM?: None.

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS:  I loved the location of this cabin and having the bed-by-the-bath configuration (although I'd take any room configuration). Our cabin attendant, Jaime, was great!! He kept our room tidy, changed our bath towels when we needed them changed, and was very prompt in our (few) requests. 

I wish Celebrity would extend their happy hour; or better yet, match what RCL does. In the Diamond lounge on RCL, happy hour is from 5pm to 8:30pm with unlimited drinks. You can still use the three drinks that are loaded on the card in other areas within that same time frame. 

 

RCL also has a great finger food buffet set up, which is much better than on Celebrity where one has to wave down a server walking around with a platter of food. 

 

Monica

I'm wondering what this dead space is next to these cabins. Anyone know? 

 

 

Also, deck 2 (shown below) doesn't have cabins on the starboard side. Is that area crew cabins? I was once on a Celebrity ship on a low deck and it turned out that I was just above the big exit doors. It  was terribly noisy.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Monica

11 hours ago, Islandbc said:

Thanks for the thorough response.  We have an  apartment booked in Civitavecchia for 2 nights, so would be driving directly there from FCO on the evening of Dec. 2nd.  We would leave our suitcases in the apartment while we go exploring on Dec. 3rd.  Our car is booked with Hertz, which I think is not far from where we will stay.

We were thinking that a car rental might be preferable to taking the train, although that would be another option.

 

Good plan. Yes, having a car gives you a lot of flexibility.

 

Not sure if you have made a decision on where to go for your two days, but here's what I did with my husband and friends one year (2015): We drove to Vetralla, Viterbo, and Tuscania for the day. Here's a portion of my journal:

 

...we visited Vetralla, Viterbo, and Tuscania for the day.

 

Along the way to Vetralla (about 45 minutes from Civitavecchia), we stopped twice to take photos of the Roman aqueducts in the area. It’s amazing these aqueducts are still in existence.

 

Vetralla is a beautiful hill town. After a quick stop at the side of the road to take photos of the town, we walked around for a short while. There are lots of small, pretty streets.  Christine and I ducked into a church or two.

 

Next was Viterbo, another town atop a hill. I made the mistake of not checking the opening times for the Pope’s Palace, so we missed going through it. We did have a nice time walking around town and stopping for a coffee break. The day turned into a lovely sunny day.

 

Lunch was very good: Pizza at Taverna Etrusca. It was not crowded, as we arrived in the afternoon. I loved the decor with its exposed brick/stone and Tuscan burnt orange colors on the walls. The pizza was delicious! Thin and crispy – the way like it. Tony and I had one with sausage and mushrooms (only 7.50€) along with a small carafe of white wine (3€).  

 

Tuscania was our last stop of the day. I think this was the prettiest towns between the three; and the Tuscania landscape in the area was gorgeous! This town has a Romanesque church, a tower, and lovely streets to wander around. It was the late afternoon so the sun was hitting the hills and trees in the distance.  We had spectacular views from the Torre Lavello Park. In the distance were a couple of old fortresses.

 

The next day:

 

I elected not to keep the rental car for this day, as several of us wanted to visit Tarquinia.  After breakfast, Tony and I, along with our friends, walked to the bus stop, which was located across the street from the Duomo in town. Nearby was a tobacco shop where we bought our tickets (5.7€ round trip for two).

 

Tarquinia is an Etruscan town located about 30-40 minutes away. The day was beautiful. Perfect blue skies.

 

Just around the corner from the bus stop in Tarquinia is the tourist office. Further up on the left is the National Archeological museum. All of us paid for the combo ticket which included the Monterozzi necropolis. The archeological museum has a huge collection of Etruscan artifacts. There are three floors to explore - sarcophagi, pottery (some amazingly in excellent condition), jewelry, coins, and the restored paintings from the tombs of Monterozzi; don't miss the winged horse’s relief. On the upper floor is a large empty room with wonderful city views. You can see the ocean in the distance. The room had a plexi-glass window, which was a shame, as we would have gotten better pictures without glass or open windows.

 

After an hour or so in the museum, we walked up the main street and turned right to walk to the Etrucsan tombs. It was a good 30-minute walk, passing thru a residential area (small grocery store on the left for bottled water and snacks).  This Etruscan archeological site has about 20 tombs, all of which were similar in design but with different fresco paintings. I checked out probably eight or so. Outside there are signs to read about each one. One has to be careful using the steps to go down to see the tombs. It's dark but there's a button at the bottom to turn on the light to see inside the tombs. If anyone goes here, be sure to do this in cooler weather, as I can't imagine visiting these tombs in hot, humid weather with the crowds of tourists.

 

Not timing things correctly, we 'missed' lunch. It seemed the town shut down when we were ready for lunch so we took the bus back to Civitavecchia.  We had a light lunch at the pizza place next door to the hotel. Pizza is sold by the 'etto' (by the weight).

 

Enjoy your trip!!

 

Monica

 

I've rented a car before at the Rome airport to go to Tuscany, which I pass by Civitavecchia. The last time I did this (the fall of 2017), I spent several nights in Pitigliano before going to Civitavecchia.

 

I stay at Hotel Traghetto, which is in a very good location, basic hotel, wonderful hotel manager Giuseppe. There are two rental car companies a block away from the hotel (Avis and Europcar - I've used both), and the cruise pick up point (I was going on a Celebrity cruise).

 

Have a good  map of the area, especially for Civitavecchia. The first time I drove into town from Tuscany off the main highway (2014), I missed one round-about exit and ended up further south. I'm good with directions, so I was able to get back on track. It's very easy to get from the airport to Civitavecchia.  Signs are well posted, but you should know in advance what the signs look like. Here's one sample website to review: http://www.reidsitaly.com/planning/get_around/car_road_signs.html

 

If you are going from the airport to sightseeing to dropping off the car in one day, I would be very concerned about your luggage in your car getting stolen. When I go from airport to my destination, I go directly to my apartment. If you do this, be careful and make sure nothing is showing in the front and back seats. Rental cars are easy to spot and you could possibly be a target for a break-in. 

 

When I'm out sightseeing (nothing of value in my car except maybe some shopping), I typically find a parking lot that I can back my car so that the back end is against the wall and my trunk can't be opened. Of course that won't stop anyone from breaking a window and going in from the inside. 

 

Don't mean to sound so negative but I know this has happened to others. Back in 2014, I was with a friend and we took turns (we were going to Siena from the airport) staying at the car to keep an eye on our things (we had to put one suitcase in the back seat) at a rest stop for our bathroom break. 

 

Monica 

 

 

Not problem to take a taxi tour in Corfu. We took a tour around island to Paliocastrica with some stops for photo and drop off in DT. Cost us for 80 euro for 3 ppl

Hi,

Did you get a taxi once you got off the ship and negotiate a price/trip or did you book in advance? If in advance, with which company?

Thanks,

Monica

Usually 90 minutes before sailaway

 

Thanks!

Monica