Nice-Rome July 2006

[laurelguy]

Any new information on the Windsurf would be appreciated:)

 

Hey Cape Codders...yes, getting closer and very excited...great reading all these posts. Lucky you...going to P'town afterwards. Have spent a lot of time there. Hope to also meet up at the pre-hotel in Nice. A LONG trip from LA thru JFK thru Paris..Have also tried reading up on ports without much luck. Pompeii sounds great, though. Having done some cruises...pack light. And it'll be HOT I think that time of year. Ship sounds casual...:cool:

[Finkwil]

Laurelguy:

Dont know what to pack and have started a list of essentials and that seems to have filled one suit case..not really, glad the cruise is casual, that helps in eliminating at least not having to bring any dress up clothes for the most part, looking forward to the pre-cruise stay in Nice as well, will give us a little bit of time to re-coup from the flights and plane changes. Wilsonzoo, the book that I mentioned is Insight Pocket Guide

"The French Riviera...web site is www.insightguides.com.... the one that I got was just for the French Riviera, it has some of the ports that we will be going to, doesnt seem to be much out there listing each one individually. That will just make up have to explore on our own which is usually what we do anyway.

[laurelguy]

Back on after a few months. So happy so many of you have done or are doing this cruise. Totally excited about this July sailing. I, too, have found little to read up on in terms of the ports. Pompeii does sound like a must. And a drive on the coast, too! Hey, Finkwil...spent many a summer in P'town...glad you're onboard and it would be great to meet up pre-cruise at the hotel in Nice. Long trip for me in one fell swoop..LAX-JFK-Paris-Nice. I'll be comatose...:eek:

[Finkwil]

Wont be as tired as you I am sure...Chicago to London then on to Nice. Have not got all of our tour information as of yet, so dont know much about the hotel in Nice, other than spending some time there before the cruise leaves. Will have to keep in touch before all takes place, surprised there has not been any other people responding to this thread that are going on this cruise, sounds like they have done some improvements to the ship, but would have expected it to happen ;). Hope you are gearing up for your long flights and wont be too wiped out from the jet lag. Would be nice to get the packet and maybe know who the entertainment is going to be. Take care and keep looking for new postings.

[laurelguy]

I agree, Finkwil....don't know where everyone is. I didn't know about this site for a long time. Really learned a lot before my first cruise last summer to Tahiti. The tips here were invaluable. I know we can sign up for shore stuff onboard. I'm sure we'll get packets soon about those pre and post hotels. I'm not familiar with either. Thought of finding some different hotels but why bother for such a short stay..keep in touch..:cool:

[wilsonzoo]

Hello cruisers --

 

We are in the final countdown to leaving next Wed. Flying into Nice for 4 days then hop on WindSurf on Sunday. Have been frantically putting together lists for months and now it's down to actually putting things in the suitcases. I'd planned on 2 mid-size bags, but after already almost totally filling one up and hardly any of MY clothes are packed (i.e., hubby is a clothes horse?!?!), I'm thinking I may need to upgrade to my large size bag. I really thought that not having to pack any formal outfits would cut back on what I needed to bring, but obviously THAT isn't working! And I just can't bring myself to do the Rick Steves thing. You know: 1 pair of pants, 1 shirt, 1 pair of underwear, thrown in a backpack and off you go. Will update you on how it all comes out with the packing.

 

Have enjoyed reading up on some areas we'll be visiting. Especially have liked those Eyewitness Top 10 guides. Got one for Rome, the Cote d'Azur (Nice, etc.) and the Amalfi area. Lots of fun suggestions for day trips and things to see/do. And small, cheap books that will be easy to pack. I think that, aside from Pompeii, we probably won't do any official shore excursions, so those books should prove quite handy to have. Will let you know.

 

Just really looking forward to a fabulous, relaxing vacation with friends. I'll write it up when I return and post it here to whet your whistles!

 

Ciao! :p

[laughoutloud]

Dana,

 

About the luggage- don't forget that almost all airlines nowadays have a 50lb limit per bag. (Maybe weigh them before you lock 'em up...)

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[wilsonzoo]

Dana,

 

About the luggage- don't forget that almost all airlines nowadays have a 50lb limit per bag. (Maybe weigh them before you lock 'em up...)

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

Yes -- I think more than SPACE, I'll probably be bumping up against that weight limit. It's amazing how quickly things add up!

[Finkwil]

D:

Have a great trip and cant wait until you get back to fill me in on all the wonderful things you did and how the windsurf is before our sailing next month..really looking forward to it and couting the days..getting or trying to at least have things ready and the check list keeps growing and growing. Again have a great cruise and have a lot of fun.

L.

[Finkwil]

Wilsonzoo:

Hope you had a great trip and cant wait to hear all about it...got some more info regarding our trip so starting to count the days.. Hope it was everything you thought it would be and more. Have some questions I want to ask you so let me know when you are back and settled in at home.

L

[wilsonzoo]

Ahoy, fellow cruisers --

 

Home from 2 fabulous weeks in Europe. Have lots to report on, probably too much to include here, so maybe best if you ask specific questions on things you're interested in.

 

Briefly:

 

LOVED Nice. Weren't expecting to, but all 4 of our travelers agreed it was a highlight of the entire trip. Wish we'd had more time there to explore inland. If you get a chance to take the train to a little town called Eze (a perched viallage about halfway between Nice and Monte Carlo), DO IT. Maybe one of THE most unusual and beautiful places I've ever been to. Loved Nice. LOVED it. :D

 

WindSurf was great, the staff totally make it the experience it is. The ship itself was a "bit" of a disappointment (trying hard here to not sound like a complaint! ;)), mostly due to her age. She's scheduled for dry-dock in November, and from the looks of it, could really use it. The cabins were more spacious and comfortable than we were expecting, so that was a nice surprise, but as some people have posted on these threads, the AC was indeed an issue pretty much the whole time. Of course it was also quite warm and humid everywhere we went, so it may have been tough for the old girl to stay on top of the heat. As I said, the crew really drove it home. The high staff-to-passenger ratio really makes it feel like they are on top of everything you do, and your every wish is granted almost before you can think of it. That is what I will remember most. That and the song they play at sailaway each time! It is pretty darn cool when they hoist up the sails, it's giving me goosebumps right now just thinking about it!

 

Our favorite port of call was either St. Florent (Corsica) or Amalfi. Both beautiful. Oh heck, everywhere we went was beautiful! Wish we'd had more time in Sorrento, that too was lovely. One thing we wished we'd done is to ride one of the private water taxis around the coast from Amalfi to Sorrento instead of being back onboard to do it. I think it would have been a fun experience and we know a number of people who did that (you just meet back up with the boat in Sorrento) and they loved it. The ports are all unusual enough that I would suggest you attend the port talks they do each day before arriving, it helps to give ideas on what to do and where to go. And they're not like the big cruise ships where all they talk about is which jewelry stores to shop in. I don't think I ever heard any talk of shopping at all from them, which was also nice!

 

I think people tended to mix on this ship more so than on other cruises I've been on. We made lots of fun new onboard buddies. It is a more casual feel to the ship, but I will also warn you: both the restaurants require long pants of the men, and I was surprised to see a lot more ladies dressed quite nicely as well. Lots of dresses and fancy outfits, moreso than what we expected (or packed for :eek: ).

 

The final thought: pack for heat. It was high 80's to mid-90's wherever we wnet, and HUMID. Never quite got rid of that hot, sticky feeling. And since you're going to be ever later than us, I would expect it to maybe be worse for you. So good luck!

 

All in all, a wonderful trip. I would certainly do WindStar again in a heartbeat, but I will also say that I don't think it's necessarily spoiled me to the exclusion of the big cruise lines, as some people have suggested it does. They're different enough experiences that comparisons would be apples to oranges, I think.

 

Let me know of specific questions you have. Would love to help any way I can.

 

Dana

[Finkwil]

Dana:

Thanks for all the information..my questions are very simple..what does one need to plug in the battery charger for camera, and palm pilot? Glad you had a great time and keeping the information you posted, sounds like all the places are great and lots of fun things to do. Sorry the heat was such a problem, but hopefully will have cooled down a few degrees when we get there. We have received some pre-cruise information from the people doing the cruise so have the dress requirements, etc. so getting those things taken care of. Again, glad you had a great time and we are counting the days that we will be leaving, cant wait to see and do some of the things you mentioned.

Thanks again,

Larry

[wilsonzoo]

Dana:

Thanks for all the information..my questions are very simple..what does one need to plug in the battery charger for camera, and palm pilot?

 

I never had to break out my converter/adaptor in the cabin -- they have both 110 and 220 outlets under the desk.

[pvan]

We were also on the June 18 Nice to Rome...

 

We were on the 300 level and had no problem with the AC. We recharged our Sonicare toothbrushes with the 110 under the desk.

 

The hair dryer on the desk was excellent...very powerful. It does need to be used at the desk with the 220 outlet. Hair dryer in bathroom is not a powerful dryer.

 

One thing we noticed and were frustrated with was the amount of soot that would fall in the Compass Rose bar outside area. We would spend every sailaway there and have our first cup of coffee there in the AM. We kept noticing that we and others were getting black spots on our pants. We did a little investigative work and discovered a lot of soot on the floor, seats, tables, etc...

 

One night we were sitting there and small pieces of soot fell on our laps and we had just had them laundered on the ship!! Not much you can do about it but we mentioned it on our comment form.

 

Had a fantastic time. Loved the ports and the Pompeii excursion. Loved Nice, would also go back there. Rome was fantastic, though extremely hot!! Corsica also looks like a nice place to vacation.

[laurelguy]

Thanks wilsonzoo, pvan....hey finkwil..I guess it's gonna be HOT and HUMID, but we knew that...right? Not happy about the soot....but in the big scheme I think it's gonna be SUPER! I like the idea of the water taxi ride. When we get the final stuff, excursions will be available for sign-up...I guess....still trying to find others who might be going. Obviously not sold out since they're offering discounts for referrals. Are you on Deck 3?:cool:

[Finkwil]

Laurelguy, yes think it is going to be hot, but that is ok with me...need to get some sun anyway and what better way than on a cruise. Yes we are on deck three. Talked to the travel agent and some things should be coming within the next few days, hope so anyway. Still dont know if I should buy a converter of some kind for recharging things, since there is the palm, camera, etc. The little things that have happened I am sure will not have a great deal of impact to having a good time, sometimes one just has to ignore some of the things that happen on a trip and make the best of it, which I am planning on doing. The entertainment sounds like it is going to be good, the one act is from Chicago, although have never heard him, and Pamala Stanley..well dont want to date myself...lol. Hope you are looking forward to the trip as well, too bad they have not sold out completely, maybe within the next few weeks it will all come together. See you in Nice maybe, if not on board for sure.

L

[laurelguy]

Finkwil..don't worry about the converter! But you might need some extra plugs if you have a lot of items..just got final package. A lot of excursions from which to choose! Yikes....see you guys in Nice...au revoir!:D

[BlondeLuva]

Hello all,

 

My partner and I will be doing this cruise as well. We are arriving in Nice early and staying in Rome for five days post cruise before flying to Mexico for a week.

 

We were just on the Costa Rica cruise that Travelpride hosted (awesome) and can't wait to try this one out. From what I was told by the owners, there will be a lot of Europeans on this cruise. (Yay! For the British). Australians and Canadians as well.

 

Still trying to figure out the shore excurisions we wish to take (other than Pompeii) but have found many many ideas listed in the Ports Of Call forum on here.

 

Glad to meet you members on here and those I will be sailing with in less than a week.

[Finkwil]

BlondeLuva, glad to find out that more people are planning on going on the trip and looking forward to it as much as we are. Got our reservations in for the excursions that we are planning on taking, wanted to get those set before there perhaps was no more space left. We are staying the two night pre-cruise in Nice, not staying anytime after in Rome, in that we have to get back to the states and leave five days after returning to P-town for 10 days. Trying to decide on what to pack and not over pack but that never seems to work out, but always want to be prepared as well. Will hopefully meet once we are in Nice or on board.

L.

[BlondeLuva]

BlondeLuva, glad to find out that more people are planning on going on the trip and looking forward to it as much as we are. Got our reservations in for the excursions that we are planning on taking, wanted to get those set before there perhaps was no more space left. We are staying the two night pre-cruise in Nice, not staying anytime after in Rome, in that we have to get back to the states and leave five days after returning to P-town for 10 days. Trying to decide on what to pack and not over pack but that never seems to work out, but always want to be prepared as well. Will hopefully meet once we are in Nice or on board.

L.

 

We should (and will eventually) definately meet. What excursions have you planned? I have another thread on that in Ports Of Call (Europe) board.

 

We are from Ft Lauderdale, ages 56 and 35. Oh, and he's the blonde.

[luvnorway]

Finkwil,

I have been reading your posts with interest since we will be on Wind Surf in October. I noticed you said that you have your reservations in for the excursions you are planning to take. Are you referring to ship's shorexes or have you arranged private tours? I was under the impression that it wasn't possible to reserve Windstar shorexes pre-cruise, that they had to be booked on board. If you have a minute to clarify this for me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

[Finkwil]

Luvnorway:

The travel company that arranged this cruise with Windstar, I am assuming that they had something worked out with them, in that when we got the final package for the tour we were able to make reservations through the travel company that booked the cruise. I hope this clarifies this with you, something we received with our papers, so went ahead and looked at what we were interested in and faxed them to the travel company handeling the cruise. Hope you have a great time on your cruise in October, we are really looking forward to ours for sure.

L.

[Finkwil]

Blondeluva:

We looked at what there was to chose from and made our decisions from what we had read and seemed interested in....We are doing the Pompeii tour as well as Bavella the Beautiful, and a Taste of Capri, we thought that three would be plenty with all the other activities that travelpride seems to have planned, didnt want to spend each and every day off of the ship and also wanted to just venture in and around the ports that we would be docked at...hope this helps you some in your decisions. There are certainly more excursions that are available, these are what we thought we would enjoy.

L.

[luvnorway]

Appreciate you taking the time to answer my question about excursions so promptly. Hope you enjoy your cruise and will update us on your experience when you return.