mrsbunder

So glad to have found this topic!  I will be on an NCL cruise in Aug 2024, but will be in Rome 3 nights prior to the group.  I'm traveling with 2 other friends, staying at Hotel Brittania, can anyone recommend restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel?  

Thanks Atebir, it sounds like they have the same brands as Apex, along with the separate Cartier and Bulgari shops.  I usually use my OBC to buy a watch or handbag, not any of the high end ones, but the OBC helps cut down the cost a bit.  I enjoy learning about the high end brands and have started collecting a bit.

I'm glad I found this topic, I was on the Apex last month and was on the Edge the year before.  I will be on the Apex in 2025, and I was curious to know which brands of watches they carry.  I thought that the Edge's store seemed larger and had more selection than Apex.  I know the store will have Rolex, other than that, I'd appreciate any input on what brands Ascent carries.

I was in Rome in May 2023 and stayed at the Albergo del Senato, I thought it was a beautiful hotel, and the Pantheon it right outside the doorstep, great location.

On 7/27/2020 at 8:13 AM, cruisemom42 said:

Both of the hotels you list have far from ideal locations for being central to the sites in Rome. If you stay in the Centro Storico, there is no need to use a company like Rome in Limo (which is primarily a driver service) to take you around -- you can walk.

 

Sina is a very good Italian hotel chain but the location is near Via Veneto which is a somewhat quiet area and this area is not really central, e.g., a long walk to get to where you want to be.

 

I'm not familiar with Hotel Santa Maria, but it is in Trastevere. While lively at night, Trastevere is also not ideally located for seeing the major sites of Rome.

 

I would look for a hotel near the Pantheon, Piazza Navona or Campo dei Fiori area (these are relatively close to each other).  Nothing is better in Rome than being in the Centro -- it is lively in the evenings and safe to walk around, many restaurants and of course -- you are near everything except the Vatican.

 

Some hotels I've stayed in and recommended many times are Albergo del Senato and Albergo Santa Chiara -- both are extremely well situated next to the Pantheon. I have other suggestions if those are above budget.

 

Thank you Mapleleaves, you already gave me a good head start on your synopses.  I figured I'd do a mix of NCL excursion and DIY.  My interests are more centered around getting a feel for the port with food, walking around, I'm not a history buff.  My physical activity level is good for long walks, I can climb steps, but it will depend on how tired I am to determine how much I'd want to do.  Ex., when I went to Cinque Terre last year, I was already very tired, the climbing was a bit much for me.

Hello, this will be my first Grecian Islands cruise, I'd love to get feedback on what stops are better to do shore excursions vs. exploring on your own.  The ports are Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Corfu, Valletta, Messina, Naples and Florence.  I will be coming to Rome before and after, and may try to get to Florence in advance, other than that, I'm hoping to get ideas on what ports are best to do the ship's excursions or go on my own, to save some money.

Thanks, I think she'd have one glass of wine at dinner maximum, so she's probably best off not getting the package.  Even for myself, I would probably have 2 glasses of wine at dinner, maybe a cocktail after.  Since this is a port-intensive cruise, I want to make sure I get good sleep and get up and at 'em in the morning for the ports, and not feel groggy from drinks.

I have a related question re: keeping or cancellation the drink package, I'm booked on the 10 day Grecian Islands cruise in Aug 2024, my roommate wants to check into cancelling the package, feeling like she won't drink enough to warrant it.  If she cancels it, will her cruise fare be reduced?  For myself, it's worth it to keep the drink package, it will be a port-intensive cruise anyway, I won't be sitting around on deck all day drinking, but it's definitely nice to have some wine with dinner.

Thanks for the input, I'm gearing more and more toward the solo room.  Relaxing on the heated loungers sounds like the perfect way to end the day.  My roommate is thinking that if she takes the drink package off the reservation, the cruise fare would be lower?  Would that be the case?  I'm fine to keep the drink package for myself, but she seems pretty firm that she doesn't want it.

Thank you all for your great input.  I know that the $20 pp/pd gratuity will go to the dining room staff, stateroom attendants, etc.  I typically add that ahead of time vs. paying it at the end of the cruise.  Thanks for sharing the video of the cabin, that will be very helpful to show my friend.  I'm leaning toward the studio cabin at this point as well.

Liljo, thank you, I'll have to let her know about that.  If that's a make-or-break for her, then it may be best to get separate rooms.

Can any of you comment on the bathroom situation?  Does it have an actual door to close, or is it just a glass partition?

That's good to know, I'll let the other woman know that she can remove the drink package, for me, I'm fine to keep it on, if you spend over $15, you get charged the difference and the gratuity, which is what I'm used to anway.

Hi, thanks in advance for input on this.  I consider myself an experienced cruiser, I primarily sail on Celebrity and went on Royal Caribbean for the 1st time, this will be my first time on NCL.  I'm booked on the 10 night Grecian Islands cruise on 8/27/24, and am going with a women's travel group, and have a few questions.

I have an inside room, sharing with another person (don't know her too well).  Does the bathroom have an actual door that you can close?  I've seen pictures online, and read reviews, I thought I saw posts stating that there was just a glass partition, no actual door.  If that's the case, I may want to opt for a single room.

Our package includes the beverage package and 1 specialty dining.  I spoke to someone at NCL to ask if the gratuity is factored into the drink, I was told yes.  However, I've seen reviews where a 20% gratuity is separate from the drink, and you'd have to pay at the end of the cruise (on your cc provided for onboard expenses).  The woman I'm rooming with isn't a big drinker at all, and was appalled at the extra 20% charge, I've been used to Celebrity drink package, where the gratuity is factored in.  If someone can confirm, that would be great.

If any other tips can be offered, such as the better restaurants, bars, etc. on board, that would be great.  I got a great price on this trip and it's port-intensive, so I know that this cruise won't be about relaxing onboard as much, so I feel I have a proper expectation, but any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated.

 I just signed up for my C&A number and confirmed that I have diamond status, which will work out great, thank you!

I'm an Elite member on Celebrity.  If that's the case, I won't need a drink package, 4 vouchers per day is fine, and we'd bring wine on board, we're in the Boston area anyway, so we won't have to worry about packing bottles for a flight.

Thanks, I usually said on Celebrity and get their drink package, so I'm not up to speed on current drink package prices on their own.  

Great, thank you.  I'm considering the 5 night cruise at the end of October, are the prices for the beverage packages on RC's site?

Thank you, I'll keep an eye out!

Hi, I'm looking into one of the Canada/New England cruises r/t from Boston in Sept. or Oct. of this year.  I've never said on RC before, and had a few questions:

1). When on board, am I able to purchase a beverage package?  

2). Can you take wine bottles on board?  If so, how many per person?

3). What is the corkage fee to bring your own bottle of wine to MDR?

The rates I've been looking at are for cruise only, I was curious if there's an option to buy a beverage package once on board.  Thanks in advance.

We just came off the 12/11 - 18 Celebrity Reflection E. Caribbean cruise.  This was my first time cruising since 2019, from what I saw onboard, everything was back to pre-pandemic operations.  However, on the last night of the cruise, I started to feel like I was coming down with something, and my husband felt like he was getting sick about 2 days after me, we both got covid.  We were saying that if we cruise next year, we'd like to bring our own tongs to use in the Oceanview, to take our own portions, vs. using the same tongs that everyone is grabbing.  I was under the impression that a server would hand you your portion of food in the buffet, but I assume that may have been slowing down the process at breakfast and lunch.

I'm looking to my 12/11 cruise on the Reflection, I haven't sailed since 2019, pre-pandemic.  Do the ships still have the libraries on board?  My last cruise was on the Edge, which had the small seating space but no books.

I will be on my first TA cruise in April 2020, it's been a few years since I was on this ship.  Do they have any bars/lounges that feature craft cocktails?

I'm researching my first TA cruise for mid-April 2020, I"m looking at HAL from Ft Lauderdale to Rome, and then we plan to fly back after touring Italy.  If I were to book early and the price drops, has anyone had experience with being able to get a price match?  I'm seeing balcony rates for about $1600 pp, 14 days, and I'm seeing rates for 2019 balconies for around $700 (wish I could go this year!).  Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Sorry to be redundant, I think someone replied to my question, how do you read the reply?