suec12

Well I think you have a pretty accurate picture of the situation although if you happen to be an "elite"? captain's club member you may have priority access. Perhaps another poster will weigh in on that. If not on a tour, after you get off the tender, you must get up to the main part of the island, there is pretty much nothing at the base. So you will need to take the funicular / (cable car? I forget), this line can move pretty quickly tho it is a big ship, OR you can walk, up up up steps with donkeys and donkey droppings (nasty) OR ride a donkey up. I know many folks are very opposed to the donkey option but I'll admit, we went for it as the cable car line was looong. I was expecting a slow plod, but it was much more of a wild ride. THEN if you want to visit Oia, which many do, you have to get there by local bus (can't remember how accessible taxis are) SOOO....maybe the tour is not too bad of an idea?

We booked our Oct. 2013 sail last spring - got an early booking OBC, we can add a shareholder OBC and we got a price lower by hundreds of dollars per person than if we booked now. I often wonder if we get the best deal by booking early but so far for the upcoming season, we've made out OK and we will not be canceling and rebooking to get the new deal.

I don't get Celebrity and their pricing strategy. I read here several months ago that they think their product is undervalued and they plan on raising prices. But it sure seems that at the moment they are pulling trick after trick out of their bag to get folks on board. And I find it annoying to have to watch all these offers roll out and see if I have made a good deal. But I guess that's marketing in the 2010's.

Maxcruise - was it your impression that others who had not purchased ChoiceAir ended up on the flight to Nice as well? or did they have to go to Barcelona and make their own way to the ship?

I think on your itinerary many of the ports are pretty good places to do-it-yourself. I would suggest purchasing the book Rick Steves Mediterranean Ports guide - there will be many good suggestions about the logistics of the different ports as well as info on how to spend your time. IMO if you are going to explore on your own, it is still good to have a plan of what you want to see and do. You will also get good ideas from others on your roll call as well as by reading thru the options offered by the ship. Have a great trip!

We sailed in May and we did make early reservations for Prime C - from other posts on the boards, it seems that has now changed and you must make them after boarding.

Just asking - is Digby your dog? - I had a wonderful dachshund named Digby - he was the best dog!

Well I'd still call Azamara - we disembarked in Istanbul and it seems to me we picked up our passport the night before and then walked off the ship the next day, without further procedure (we were all paid up, of course). We did collect our luggage in the area besides the ship - not sure what time it "appears" there. I would think some of the Azamara air flights have early departure too.

But if you can't depart early, I second the suggestion to stay in Istanbul. There is alot to see and do, more than you need with the day given by the ship's itinerary.

I am thinking about booking one of these cabins on an upcoming cruise - I understand that the are the obstrcted view in these cabins is minimal but I see they are adjacent to stairs and elevators. Will there be alot of noise from passerbys?

You will likely be very near to where the hydrofoils depart - when we were there (Celebrity) we disembarked and then to the left you could see the docking area for the ferries and hydrofoils. And since you asked, sea sickness can be a problem - I have read that if you take a ferry, it may be less of an issue but I think the ride is twice as long. On our hydrofoil the crew brought out barf bags to pass out. My daughter was feeling fine until the sounds of other ill passengers began to make her feel poorly. The ride did not seem too bad to me but on the hydrofoils you pretty much ride in an enclosed and somewhat stuufy area and I think that can aggrevate any queasyness from the water movement.

On Capri you can get a small boat from the port directly to the grotto - that will probably be fastest. There are group boats going out that circle the island and say they stop at the grotto but be aware, you may get there and then be told the line is too long so you must return to port and go out again. Another option is to go up to Anacapri and transfer to another bus down to where the grotto is.

My highlight of the day was to go to Anacapri and then take the chairlift up to a ruined Roamn villa - amazing veiws and the chairlift was alot of fun. Also the ride up to Anacapri on the local bus is quite a thrill in itself. Have a great day!