LGBT Roll Call: Celebrity Silhouette T/A 12/01/12

[russg140]

Hi Duncan & Ross ...

Welcome to our Silhouette TA cruise, and to our little thread. I'm sure you will get lots more info on "the other side" but I hope you will check in over here every once in a while as well!

 

David

 

Thanks for the welcome. Just an FYI that it's Russ, not Ross (or Chandler or Joey - LOL!). Being from NY I tend to ease into the accent and Russ ends up sounding like Ross (don't get me started on pronouncing coffee!). D and I don't usually do the FOD gatherings, but tend to meet people gay and (yes, say it) straight as things progress. This cruise looks like it's going to be pretty lively and a lot of fun.

[Compass Rose Monica]

No Aquafest ... Larry & I are traveling with 2 other couples (Stephen & Keith and Bill & Sam) who don't post on CruiseCritic. We're all from the Ft. Lauderdale area.

 

David

 

David,

 

Have I ever met Bill and Sam?

 

Monica

[daviddfld]

Thanks for the welcome. Just an FYI that it's Russ, not Ross (or Chandler or Joey - LOL!). Being from NY I tend to ease into the accent and Russ ends up sounding like Ross (don't get me started on pronouncing coffee!). D and I don't usually do the FOD gatherings, but tend to meet people gay and (yes, say it) straight as things progress. This cruise looks like it's going to be pretty lively and a lot of fun.

 

Sorry Russ !!!

 

David

[daviddfld]

David,

 

Have I ever met Bill and Sam?

 

Monica

 

No, it's a first time for us. We don't know them very well ... they are friends of S & K.

[daviddfld]

Hi Everybody,

I'm Michael. I'll be in cabin 9171, doing Select dining. I'm from New York, and if you know the city, you can guess my neighborhood by my user name. I'm arriving in Rome on November 29th, staying at the Hotel Colosseum.

 

I booked the cruise through Primetimers, my friend Rob has done some activities with them at the LGBT Center and was looking for someone to do the cruise with and I booked it. This was my first cruise to book. I got so excited about it that I took a Caribbean cruise in March, Norwegian Epic. I definitely could get used to cruising, even if the Epic was a little too big, I still enjoyed it.

 

Unless I missed a post, I am the first person on this roll call to mention booking through the Primetimers. Am I correct in that? I've been trying to find out about shore excursions, I was hoping to find some Primetimer veteran cruisers.

 

I am SOOOO looking forward to this trip!:D

 

Hi Michael ... and welcome. You are the first poster to mention Primetimers. Now we just have to come up with a prize for you!

 

The LGBT (or FOD) get-togethers should be quite large.

 

David

[DCParky]

Hi Everybody,

I'm Michael. I'll be in cabin 9171, doing Select dining. I'm from New York, and if you know the city, you can guess my neighborhood by my user name. I'm arriving in Rome on November 29th, staying at the Hotel Colosseum.

 

I booked the cruise through Primetimers, my friend Rob has done some activities with them at the LGBT Center and was looking for someone to do the cruise with and I booked it. This was my first cruise to book. I got so excited about it that I took a Caribbean cruise in March, Norwegian Epic. I definitely could get used to cruising, even if the Epic was a little too big, I still enjoyed it.

 

Unless I missed a post, I am the first person on this roll call to mention booking through the Primetimers. Am I correct in that? I've been trying to find out about shore excursions, I was hoping to find some Primetimer veteran cruisers.

 

I am SOOOO looking forward to this trip!:D

 

Hi Michael, and welcome to the Roll Call! I also booked through Primetimers with friends who have cruised with them before. There is going to be a large contingent of LGBT on this cruise with the PTers, Aquafest, and our friends who booked independently. Looking forward to meeting you oboard!

 

Don

[Compass Rose Monica]

No, it's a first time for us. We don't know them very well ... they are friends of S & K.

 

Thnks David.

 

Monica

[amusea]

ROMA OPERA Verdi's Simon Boccanegra (R Muti conducting) ... just announced for Wednesday, Nov 28. Anyone care to join us for a great musical night at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma ?:)

 

 

Just wondered how you are going about getting tickets. I think we are attending Turandot in Florence on the 28th but our tickets have been cancelled, refunded, the dates changed, etc. A usual Italian nightmare. After four days in Florence we will be traveling to Rome on the 29th so we might be interested. I don't think my partner will sit through two operas in two nights but he does like Muti - so maybe. I guess we can always run across the plaza if we want to leave the opera before Simon dies :) since our hotel is just opposite the opera house across the plaza. Because it is the premiere the tickets are more expensive but perhaps upstairs would be a consideration. Please let me know where you are planning to sit and if you are buying your tickets online or through a hotel concierge.

 

Jay in Tucson

[moking34]

Just wondered how you are going about getting tickets. I think we are attending Turandot in Florence on the 28th but our tickets have been cancelled, refunded, the dates changed, etc. A usual Italian nightmare. After four days in Florence we will be traveling to Rome on the 29th so we might be interested. I don't think my partner will sit through two operas in two nights but he does like Muti - so maybe. I guess we can always run across the plaza if we want to leave the opera before Simon dies :) since our hotel is just opposite the opera house across the plaza. Because it is the premiere the tickets are more expensive but perhaps upstairs would be a consideration. Please let me know where you are planning to sit and if you are buying your tickets online or through a hotel concierge.

 

Jay in Tucson

 

Just curious, are you staying at the IQ Hotel? We're booked there for the 30th. I think it's across from the Opera house.

Edited October 1, 2012 by moking34

[JimmyNYC]

We're staying at the IQ 11/29 for 2 nights. We've stayed there before and it's a great choice. It is directly across from Rome's opera house, walking distance to Termini, and an even shorter walk to the metro.

 

For opera house schedule and tickets, try www.operaroma.it/en. Macbeth is playing on 11/29.

 

We're with Aquafest. We've never sailed on a gay cruise or with a group before, so really looking forward to it!

 

Jim

[JimmyNYC]

So sorry, Macbeth was Nov of 2011!

[njp70]

Hi Everybody,

I'm Michael. I'll be in cabin 9171, doing Select dining. I'm from New York, and if you know the city, you can guess my neighborhood by my user name. I'm arriving in Rome on November 29th, staying at the Hotel Colosseum.

 

I booked the cruise through Primetimers, my friend Rob has done some activities with them at the LGBT Center and was looking for someone to do the cruise with and I booked it. This was my first cruise to book. I got so excited about it that I took a Caribbean cruise in March, Norwegian Epic. I definitely could get used to cruising, even if the Epic was a little too big, I still enjoyed it.

 

Unless I missed a post, I am the first person on this roll call to mention booking through the Primetimers. Am I correct in that? I've been trying to find out about shore excursions, I was hoping to find some Primetimer veteran cruisers.

 

I am SOOOO looking forward to this trip!:D

 

 

We are members of Detroit Primetimers but we were booked before trip was posted in newsletter. Looking forward to meeting you on board...

[njp70]

Hello All,

 

I've updated the Roll Call for our transatlantic adventure. If there are any changes, additions, or things I missed, let me know.

 

Sounds like we're going to have a large group onboard. In addition to the Aquafest group there is also a group from Primetimers (although I don't know how many are with them) and then plenty of people who aren't with either. Going to be fun!

 

I can't believe in a little more than 2 months we'll be on our way to Rome!

 

Thanks for the the Roll Call file... Looking forward to meeting you on board...

[njp70]

Welcome to all our new members....

 

1 month 26 days 8 hours 50 minutes before we our flight.... but who's counting....:D

[moking34]

We're staying at the IQ 11/29 for 2 nights. We've stayed there before and it's a great choice. It is directly across from Rome's opera house, walking distance to Termini, and an even shorter walk to the metro.

 

For opera house schedule and tickets, try www.operaroma.it/en. Macbeth is playing on 11/29.

 

We're with Aquafest. We've never sailed on a gay cruise or with a group before, so really looking forward to it!

 

Jim

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the IQ Hotel before. I haven't been to Rome for about 12 years. Hubby hasn't been, so we weren't sure which one to pick and thought it would be a decent pick, as the Trip Advisor reviews seem fairly consistent.

 

Have you arranged transport to the pier though the hotel?

[JimmyNYC]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the IQ Hotel before. I haven't been to Rome for about 12 years. Hubby hasn't been, so we weren't sure which one to pick and thought it would be a decent pick, as the Trip Advisor reviews seem fairly consistent.

 

Have you arranged transport to the pier though the hotel?

 

We're taking the 12:10 train from Roma Termini to Civitavecchia on Saturday morning. It's about a 15 min walk to Civitavecchia town center from the train station. The port runs a free town-ship shuttle bus. Hope to see you at the IQ!

[amusea]

We're taking the 12:10 train from Roma Termini to Civitavecchia on Saturday morning. It's about a 15 min walk to Civitavecchia town center from the train station. The port runs a free town-ship shuttle bus. Hope to see you at the IQ!

 

 

Jimmy,

We're in Coach 8 on the same express train. What car are you in????

 

Jay

[JimmyNYC]

Jimmy,

We're in Coach 8 on the same express train. What car are you in????

 

Jay

 

Hi Jay--

 

We're in Coach 1.

[Compass Rose Monica]

This is Monica. Please note my new cruise critic name.

 

Thanks

 

Monica

[amusea]

I have posted this notice on the main roll call board also but here is the good news again:

 

Good news for those of you who are transferring in Frankfurt. The new Terminal A Plus will be opening next week. All flights from the USA will arrive in some part of Terminal A. No more tarmac debarkation and buses. Several new Business, Senator and First lounges are part of the new terminal.

Legal transfer times will be reduced from one hour to 45 minutes.

I am hoping that signage will also be much improved since that has always been a negative aspect of FRA.

Here is the announcement:

FRA/sp-rap> Frankfurt Airport’s (FRA) new Pier A-Plus – the 800 meter-long westward expansion of Terminal 1 – opened on schedule after about four years of construction. Flight operations begin on October 10 at the new pier, allowing Germany’s biggest hub to serve up to six million additional passengers per year – thus a total of approximately 65 million passengers per year. This €700 million terminal complex will be exclusively used by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and its Star Alliance partners. In particular, Pier A-Plus provides more docking positions for serving widebody aircraft like the Airbus A380 superjumbo and the Boeing B747 family.

Jay

[moking34]

I have posted this notice on the main roll call board also but here is the good news again:

 

Good news for those of you who are transferring in Frankfurt. The new Terminal A Plus will be opening next week. All flights from the USA will arrive in some part of Terminal A. No more tarmac debarkation and buses. Several new Business, Senator and First lounges are part of the new terminal.

Legal transfer times will be reduced from one hour to 45 minutes.

I am hoping that signage will also be much improved since that has always been a negative aspect of FRA.

Here is the announcement:

FRA/sp-rap> Frankfurt Airport’s (FRA) new Pier A-Plus – the 800 meter-long westward expansion of Terminal 1 – opened on schedule after about four years of construction. Flight operations begin on October 10 at the new pier, allowing Germany’s biggest hub to serve up to six million additional passengers per year – thus a total of approximately 65 million passengers per year. This €700 million terminal complex will be exclusively used by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and its Star Alliance partners. In particular, Pier A-Plus provides more docking positions for serving widebody aircraft like the Airbus A380 superjumbo and the Boeing B747 family.

Jay

 

Thanks for the update! We're travelling Air Canada through FRA so looks like we're going to have close to 4 hours to experience the new terminal!

[moking34]

As of yesterday it is possible to purchase tickets online for the train trip to Civitavecchia from Rome Termini. At the moment the Trenitalia site has ticket availability in the Super Economy category for the express trains. These Frecciabianca are former intercity trains that have been refurbished, have space for luggage and have comfortable reclining seats. They travel between Roma and Genova. If you want to see what the interior of the cars look like you can google Frecciabianca. The normal price for riding one of the express trains rather than the slower regional trains which are uncomfortable and have little luggage capacity is 14.5 euros. This includes the seat reservation which is mandatory. The super economy price which is now available is 9 euros for second class. As the allotment of these tickets is exhausted the price rises.

If you are interested - here is the procedure:

Google Trenitalia and click on the English version. In the "From" box type in Roma (not Rome) Termini. In the "To" box type Civitavecchia. Indicate number of tickets and fill in the time box with the number 12. The date of course will be 1-12-2012. This will pull up the complete list of trains around noon to Civitavecchia. There are two Frecciabianca trains that are available for getting to Civitavecchia in time for the cruise. The first is train #9786 which leaves at 12:10 and arrives at 12:51. The second train #9770 leaves at 13:29 and arrives at 14:07. Click on the train you prefer and the 9 euro per person economy fare. The seat allocation is automatic when you purchase your ticket(s). Scroll down to the bottom and there is a box you can click which does not require registration. After completing each screen click on "complete". You will have to give your name and e-mail and you have to click on the box that indicates that you have read the rules and regulations. After completing the purchase with a credit card there will be an instantaneous message sent to your e-mail which has the ticket with electronic code printed on it. I used my credit card that has no foreign transaction fee but any major card will work.

I have used this site twice in the last week. Once for my tickets from Florence to Rome since I will be in Florence for a week before traveling to Rome and now once again for Civitavecchia. It worked perfectly.

At the station on the day of travel make sure you validate your ticket in the box before getting on the train or there could be a 50 Euro fine.

 

Thanks for the information on booking the train. We finally decided to book it today.

[HellsKitchenCruiser]

Hi everyone,

I booked seats on the 12:10 Frecciabianca train to Civitavecchia. Sadly, I seem to have lost out on the less expensive tickets, I paid almost $39 for the two seats. I'm in Coach 8, seats 1C & 1D. Someone else on this board is also in Coach 8, but right now I'm too lazy to look to see who it is. See you on the train ;)

 

From my research, I've got Simon Boccanegra playing at the Teatro Dell'Opera on 11/30, but I haven't found a way to book seats for anything beyond October. Anyone have any clues there?

 

I love the fact that, accidentally, the opera house is within walking distance of my hotel!

[moking34]

Hi everyone,

I booked seats on the 12:10 Frecciabianca train to Civitavecchia. Sadly, I seem to have lost out on the less expensive tickets, I paid almost $39 for the two seats. I'm in Coach 8, seats 1C & 1D. Someone else on this board is also in Coach 8, but right now I'm too lazy to look to see who it is. See you on the train ;)

 

From my research, I've got Simon Boccanegra playing at the Teatro Dell'Opera on 11/30, but I haven't found a way to book seats for anything beyond October. Anyone have any clues there?

 

I love the fact that, accidentally, the opera house is within walking distance of my hotel!

 

We're in coach 7. Going to have to follow everyone else. We have no idea where to go once in Civitavecchia. LOL

Edited October 6, 2012 by moking34

[HellsKitchenCruiser]

We're in coach 7. Going to have to follow everyone else. We have no idea where to go once in Civitavecchia. LOL

 

They say it's easy to get to the port where the cruise lines have shuttles to get to the ships. I trusting the people who have gone before... LOL