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I was on the same cruise as the OP. My husband and I found the food in the MDR to be very good. Our dining companions also were happy. Regarding portion size, our waiter was always happy to bring my husband more than one entree.

We also used Costco passport photos without a problem. Our visas were processed in the Washington, DC embassy. Good luck!

I did online check in today and had to call Celebrity three times because of IT issues. They told me they are actively changing the website due to complaints. They also said there will be a major update Thursday.

Thank you for the information! I am sharing with my roll call.

Thank you so much!

Thank you for the great review. Would you be kind enough to share the contact information for the private guides?

I think 200 euros for a 5 hour private tour is fair. We used Corfu Taxi Tours ( http://www.corfutaxitours.com) and were very pleased.

My family recently returned from China where we spent 9 days with guides and drivers from China Odyssey Tours.(http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/) The agency did a wonderful job of organizing the trip and providing excellent guides.

A second vote for Corfu Taxi Tours. We were very pleased with our experience.

Thank you for the very interesting and informative reply!

Thank you all for the information. We have a private guide so we will not be at the mercy of a group tour. I already told the tour agency that I do not want any gift shop stops unless we request them!

We are staying near the Pearl Market in Beijing so I will look at pearls there. Pet Nit Noy, I am interested your suggestion in buying the pearls as unset. Was it expensive to have a clasp attached in the U.S.? Thank you.

Thank you all.

I will be in Beijing and Shanghai in March and would like to purchase pearls for gifts. I would appreciate any suggestions for places to shop. Although this trip is a land tour, I know that Cruise Critic members are wonderful resources! Thank you!

We stayed at the Hotel Gramont Opera. This hotel became a favorite when they had a room ready for us at 8:30 AM after we had flown all night. It has a location that is convenient to the metro and several attractions. The staff were very nice and helpful. They answered my emails with detailed advice on the hotel and Paris. We were very happy with our choice.

We used Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports book for our last European cruise. He specifically addresses whether you should go on your own or take a tour in each port. The book is not perfect but is a good reference to get an overview of the ports and make touring decisions before you cruise.

If you are active travelers, you might be interested in the day trips from Above & Beyond Alaska. (http://beyondak.com/trip/day-trips/) My husband and daughter did the Mendenhall Glacier Trek when we were in Juneau. They considered the excursion one of the highlights of all of our family travels.

chem eng, I hope you enjoy your trip. Don't be surprised if you want to return to Israel. After spending 4 days there on a cruise, we returned the next year on a land trip.

TaliaBT, I know where Eilat is located because I have been there. Yes, it is a distance from some popular sites. However, I said that there is time to see many amazing sites because there is time to see a great deal if one does research, plans well and does not waste time. The entire country is full of breathtaking places. I stand by my recommendation of Sam Salem.

Because you have 2 days, you have enough time to see many of Israel's amazing sites. We used Sam at guide.holy@gmail.com, on our most recent trip to Israel and Guided Tours Israel on a previous visit. We were very happy with both guides.

It has been awhile since I started this thread and I still want the recipe for the sauce. Does anyone have the real deal? Thanks!

We stayed at the Hotel Olimpia for one night before a cruise. The hotel was easy and inexpensive to reach from the airport via the ATVO bus. We only had to walk across one small bridge with our luggage. It is located close to the water bus stop for easy travel to the major sites. We were very pleased with the room, the price, and the friendliness of the staff. There was free wifi and a wonderful breakfast. It was a treat to eat breakfast in the beautiful courtyard. Because it is in the Piazzale Roma, it was close to the port. We took the People Mover to the ship. After we boarded and ate lunch, we went back into Venice for several hours.

We took bus #60 from the Old Port to Notre-Dame de la Garde. It was very easy and cost 1.50 Euros for a one hour bus pass. That was plenty of time for us to visit the church and return to the Old Port.

We stayed at the Hotel Olimpia before our cruise last fall. The hotel was easy and inexpensive to reach from the airport via the ATVO bus. We only had to walk across one small bridge with our luggage. It is located close to the water bus stop for easy travel to the major sites. We were very pleased with the room, the price, and the friendliness of the staff. There was free WiFi and a wonderful breakfast. It was a treat to eat breakfast in the beautiful courtyard.

We also enjoyed the museums and medieval feel of the city. However, my most vivid memory is of the painful cobblestones. They are smaller and rounder than those in most cities we have visited. Although I wore tennis shoes, the stones hurt my feet. My daughter ruined a pair of flats.

We also tried to walk to the Temple of Apollo. We only had the cruise ship map as a guide and it was inadequate. Nobody could give us the exact location of the ruins. After walking for an hour, we gave up and headed back to the ship. I should have researched the location in advance!

Everything was open when we were there last September. We took a taxi tour of Corfu and asked to be left at the town at the end of the day. The driver told us it was only a 30 minute walk back to the ship. Not true! We walk quickly and it took an hour to reach the ship.

Snooks, I want to wish you good luck! We caught the 7:44 train last fall but it was a challenge. We were among the first off of our ship but were forced to rely on the shuttle bus to exit the port. Then we walked VERY fast to the train station and purchased the BIRG tickets. We made the train with about 2 minutes to spare. I'm sure that the tour you have planned is great but I hope you have a back up plan.