CaribbeanBound

We did a cabin change. Everything hanging in the closet plus our suitcases were moved for us. In this event, you cannot go to you old or new cabin until all-clear. It was VERY easy.

I'm totally lost then. I thought I did a good job of adding to the conversation based upon your post. You wanted to know the best time to buy a package. I suggest waiting until you get on board. If this isn't it, please restate the actual question you are trying to have answered.

10% is really no deal. 20% was offered and I passed on that too. You can get deals onboard as well. And you might not need to upgrade anyway. You can just pay the difference in price for each drink upgrade if necessary. You can also add the upgrade any time during the cruise (after you determine you need it) and only pay for the remaining days.

In Rome B2B we all had full access to our cabins. You did indeed need to open the unlocked fire doors to access them.

The State Capital Building is The State Legislature Building. I totally agree that I should have called it the State Capital. Anyway, it's very unique and worth walking through. There are no organized tours that allow you inside the building, but it has open air access through it.

We're not shoppers so we didn't even look. Hopefully another cruiser who shops in Naples will chime in.

Just Got Back. The Porch is $30. You can get discounts of 10% - 50% just by asking. Average discount is $25. The better discounts are offered on nights that they aren't fully booked. Murano rarely has a discount available but it was offered on the first night of the cruise.

Complete details on our Eastern Mediterranean B2B Cruise:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/eastern-mediterranean.html

Complete details on our Western Mediterranean B2B Cruise:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html

Thank you. Enjoy your trip.

I've stayed at Executive Centre many times. It's great if your goal is any of these: want to be close to port, want to be close to sights downtown (like Iolani Palace and the King Kamehameha statue, and Chinatown), want to be close to Wal-Mart, and Longs Drugs, or wish to be on the main bus line to anywhere on the island. The downside is: no beach.

Pretty much, straight and bend left.

The Naples cruise port is located in the historic center, facing the medieval Castel Nuovo. You can walk from the ship, through the Maritime Station, across the parking lot, and past a snack bar and smack into a 7 lane road Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Action. There will be a very obvious cross walk in front of you. Cross the street and walk up a ramp alongside the castle which will take you to its entrance.

If that's your destination, turn left and go in. Another 1.5 blocks up the road (Via San Carlo) is Galleria Umberto I, across from the San Carlo Theater (18th-century Opera House). Just one block past that is Piazza del Plebiscito with equestrian statues fronting Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco da Paola which features Greek-style columns lining the facade of this Pantheon-style church filled with sculpture and paintings. The Royal Palace is across the street (as you head back towards the port).

Detailed information, hints, and tips to assist you in visiting popular Mediterranean cities and ports.

Secrets of the Mediterranean: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Scavi Tour, Castel Sant'Angelo, and More...

We got up early and took a 6:15 am bus to The Vatican (the smallest county in the world at 109 acres) for our "First Entry: Express Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums Entrance Tickets" tour, prebooked online with Dark Rome (City Wonders) for $58.75 per person (after discount). This tour granted us pre-ticketed special entrance access to the Sistine Chapel at 7:30 am. The selling point for this tour was access "30 minutes before any other group and 90 minutes before the general public, finding this incredible room empty" along with a group size of 20 people or less. We met our group across the street from the Entrance to the Vatican Museum at 7:00 am. Our tour guide led us into the museum, through the Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of Tapestries, and Gallery of Maps, to the Sistine Chapel where we had a lot of room to view and enjoy Michaelangelo's work. At 8:30 am, we had the option to exit the Sistine Chapel via a special skip-the-line exit to St. Peter's Basilica, or go back into the museum, unescorted, to explore. We chose to explore.

Our tour guide was good, the museum spectacular, the 90 minute jump start on crowds and the special skip-the-line access to St. Peter's Basilica were priceless. With 20,000 visitors a day, the Vatican gets very crowded. While the tour was entirely worth it, City Wonders didn't meet their promises. Our group was over the size limit by 15% and we had around four dozen other visitors in the Sistine Chapel with us when it opened. However, contrast this with the enormous hard-to-move-around crowds we encountered after 9:00 am and we considered ourselves very fortunate to have selected an early-entry tour.

Our second tour for the day was "The Scavi Tour". It was scheduled for 11:15 am, with an 11:00 am meeting time about a block from St. Peter's Basilica. This gave us only about 90 minutes to explore a few key exhibits in the Vatican Museum before exiting at 10:00 am via a special skip-the-line tour group exit for a quick visit to St. Peter's Basilica. This exit allows you to enter St. Peter's Basilica without going all the way back to the museum exit, walking 10-15 minutes to the Basilica, and then waiting in a two hour line! I'm told that this line, which we saw snaking all the way across St. Peter's Square in the sun, is a fairly constant 2.5-hour line all day long. While it's actually free to get into the Basilica, it's worth booking an official vatican partner tour just to skip this line.

St. Peter's Basilica is the largest "church" in the world. The opulence is breathtaking, from the high ornate ceilings (the dome is 385 feet up) and statuary to the marble and gold that is employed throughout. If you have time, visit The Vatican Grottoes. They are in the level below the floor of St. Peter's where many popes are buried. You can access the Grottoes by taking the stairs near the papal altar.

Below the Grottoes is the ancient Necropolis and excavations of St. Peter's tomb. These can only be seen on The Scavi Tour. The tour features everything from papal tombs to an ancient Roman street and St. Peter’s mausoleum. This incredible 90-minute escorted tour into the Excavations of the Necropolis (City of the Dead) underneath St. Peter's Basilica, is one of the most fascinating tours we took our entire trip. It's also one of the toughest tickets to come by in the Eternal City. Only around 250 visitors per day are permitted to enter, and groups are composed of approximately 12 people. Tickets (a bargain at just €13 per person) can only be purchased in advance (typically months in advance), via their official website.

The Scavi office is accessed on the left (south) side of the colonnade (columns) as you're facing the Basilica, through the Sant' Uffico gate. They do not let you go through security until it is almost time for your tour. Go through security, show the Swiss Guards your reservation and say "Scavi". You then walk to the Scavi office which is a short walk up a driveway and to the right where you'll be checked in. If you are late, they will leave without you. Our tour guide was excellent and he was full of good historical information. This tour literally ends inside the main floor of St. Peter's Basilica. Had we not already explored it earlier, this would have been a good time to do so.

More of our detailed information on Mediterranean cities and ports:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

• Pearl Harbor.
  
• Iolani Palace.
  
  • While you're in the downtown area, you'll also find:
    
    • The State Legislature Building (very unique)
      
    • King Kamehameha Statue
      
    • An interesting and free historical exhibit inside Aliiolani Hale (the building behind the statue)
      
    • Kawaiaha'o Church and Mission Houses Museum
      
    • A few blocks way is Foster Botanical Garden
      

  [*]Pali Lookout

  [*]Hike Diamond Head: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/hikediamondhead.html

  [*]Visit Waikiki

  [*]Waikiki Zoo

"Must Do's" vary by person. The list above is fun and can easily be accomplished over 2 full days.

Might also drive around the island to check out the other beaches and towns and eats.

Highly recommend picking up a copy of Insight Guides Hawaii and learning about the history and customs of the items you will be visiting. You'll get so much more out of your visit to the Islands. Here's a link to the 1985 edition... https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/9971982188/topherscastle. None of the major sites have changed since then, so just pick up any of the editions in new or used condition and save a few bucks.

If you can spend at least 3 days pre and/or post cruise, you'll be glad you did.

On our cruise last month, everyone was expected off by 9:30 am.

Most international flights leave from FCO Terminal 3. There are no Customs to be concerned with when departing Rome if you are flying directly to the United States. We arrived early to the airport (around 8:00 am) yet we still encountered a 45 minute wait just to check-in at the airline counter and drop off our bags.

You’ll then follow the herd through security. If you have TSA Precheck, get in the line for "Fast Track". Everyone else will be herded into the regular security screening. Fast Track took us 15 minutes. Upon exiting security, follow the signage to walk a to the Passport Control for USA-issued passports, and wait in line to get your passport stamped again. This took just 5 to 10 minutes. Then just follow signs to your gate.

In all, it took us close to 70 minutes from the time we arrived at the airport until we got to our gate. I understand it can take a couple hours to get to your gate when it's really crowded at the airport.

Hype. That "fast" lava is in a downhill channel of lava. Not a leading edge. Fun article otherwise.

Hawaiian would be my first choice.

I've been flying out to Hawaii 1-4 times per year for over 30 years between the Carolinas and Honolulu. My favorite routing by carrier: American - 1 stop in Phoenix, United - 1 stop in Houston.

You have good direct non-stop flight options. I prefer non-stop.

The extra 2 inches or so in comfort/economy plus seem to make a big difference on these 11-13 hour flights. If affordable, it's worth it.

GJustice is dead on right. You should have no concerns about taking a cruise to the islands.

1. Keep in mind that there are several islands. The volcano is active on only one and only in a remote part of that one (and frankly the only houses that have been engulfed by lava are sitting on an active lava field. Yes, the people knew the risk before they built. It's not a real surprise).

2. Hawaii's lava is very slow moving. In the unlikely event that you get near it, you can easily outrun it. Heck, you can outwalk it.

3. The only way to get near the lava is to try really hard to get to it and ignore the authorities and the warning signage.

4. The only real potential danger you have is with the VOG. If the tradewinds happen to shift to Kona winds, you may encounter some diluted VOG. If this happens to you, avoid spending too much time outside if you are sensitive. Most of the time, you will enjoyt tradewinds and this won't be an issue.

Have a great trip!

Yes, Iolani Palace is excellent. While you're in the area, you'll also find The State Legislature Building (very unique), King Kamehameha Statue, an interesting and free historical exhibit inside Aliiolani Hale (the building behind the statue), and Kawaiaha'o Church and Mission Houses Museum.

Ala Moana Beach Park and Ala Moana Shopping Center will feel like a long 25 - 45 minutes of walking. The Bus will take you there from Ala Moana Blvd out front of the cruise terminal in under 10 minutes. Several buses run this route throughout the day. See: TheBus.org . The Bus also has a good app for your phone giving real time information on the buses.

Here's all the detail you need on Hiking Diamond Head:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/hikediamondhead.html

It won't take you more than an hour to complete the hike. It's a great hike. I highly recommend doing it first thing in the morning. Why: it's less crowded, it's cooler, and you might get up there in time to see the sunrise!

Yes, there is a souvenir stand, a restroom, and lots of shade trees.

If you decide to hike later in the day, you can drop off the non-hiking party at the Honolulu Zoo, then meet them there yourselves after your hike. It's a fun zoo and it's on the far Eastern side of Waikiki, near Diamond Head.

You'll find great reception in all of the major ports. There are a few areas of the islands that don't get good reception, but those areas are not in the major cities.

Yes, December is a great month to visit and it is indeed one of the cooler months. (Though winter is the "rainy" season, it's also whale season). You are not likely to encounter bad humidity.

The worst humidity occurs when the normal tradewinds stop blowing due to a wind coming up from the southeast, called a Kona wind. These are random and can occur any time of year.

Just providing some additional info. You're most likely to have great weather. Have a fun trip.

Folks, there is a hotel in downtown Honolulu. It's about a 7 block walk from the port. It's called "Aston at the Executive Centre Hotel" at 1088 Bishop St, Honolulu, HI 96813. I've stayed there numerous times on business. It's located in the heart of downtown Honolulu, right on the island's main bus line; 5 blocks from Iolani Palace and the King Kamehameha statue; 5 blocks from Chinatown (opposite direction); and about 12 blocks from Foster Botanical Garden. Longs Drug Store is downstairs and Wal-Mart is a block away.

What they don't have is a beach. So it really depends on what type of an experience you're looking for.

Sunkissed Mommy... Sounds like a good plan. Very doable.

I too was curious of the details for Cruisin_Vol_Fan's poor experience with Roman Guy as they failed to elaborate. Ours, as noted, was excellent. I think you'll be fine.

Yes, the Treno card ticket includes all 5 villages and La Spezia.

Santorini was the only port where every ship has to tender. And not only must you tender into the small port, you then need to find a way to the top of the 700-foot cliff that greets you upon arrival. Of course, once you're up there, you also have to find a way down. You have four choices:

• Ride the cable car (€6 pp, one-way, 3 minutes after you've boarded). There are only two sets of cars (one going each direction) with six cars per set, each seating six passengers. Upside: quickest option, and they offer great views. Downside: can be scary, and the lines are known to reach over two hours (especially coming back down in the afternoon) since they can only service about 600 passengers in each direction per hour.
  
• Walk the 588 steps (Free, about 15 to 25 minutes). I understand it's not as bad as it sounds as long as you watch your step and take it slow. There are lots of opportunities to rest. Upside: cost, exercise, and great photo opportunities. Downside: you're taking the exact same route as the donkeys, so you need to avoid the donkeys and their droppings.
  
• Ride the donkeys (€5 pp, one-way, 10 to 15 minutes). There are dozens of healthy-looking donkeys and mules that allow you to ride in the old traditional way. Upside: it might be better than standing in a long line, or walking. Downside: can be frightening, uncomfortable, and you'll smell like the donkey you rode in on. (Our ship's cruise director vehemently discouraged passengers from riding the donkeys).
  
• Take speedboat to Oia and bus back to Fira. (~€25 pp, one-way, over 60 minutes). Upside: avoids all of the above. Downside: might only be one way, takes a long time, is costly, and you still have to get down. This is really only a good option if all you want to do is visit Oia and Fira.
  

According to the ship's officers, the heaviest tender time was expected to be between 8:30 am and 11:00 am. At 7:00 am when the ship was cleared and caught the first tender to shore. We waited about 5 minutes to board the cable car.

If you can get off closer to 8:00 am, you might be in good shape.

More detailed hints and tips for 27 Mediterranean cities:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html