Are you excited about the Gem and the Mediterranean?

[1greencar]

Where did you run into problems with the potential pick pockets?

[daring]

While standing in crowds such as lines waiting on buses, they would work their way through to get to others as if they were tourist and trying to get to their families. As they push pass, they would do their thing. Even though I had my purse over my shoulder and pulled to the front, one managed to get a little bit of my zipper undone. After that, I made sure I had the zipper to the front. She could have gotten into my purse if I had not had my elbow pressed to my side so tightly. When I felt her, I moved to the side and she moved ahead in line and I noticed her feeling of pockets until to big guys pulled her out of line and made her leave. She had no shame. :(

[karynfree]

Daring - I am sailing on the Gem - August 2nd and didn't make any plans for Malta yet - did you arrange for the taxi before hand - and if so I could I contact them - thanks and can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip

[SallyUK]

Hi everyone, especially daring

 

Back from the Gem and had a great time meeting up with daring and the others from our roll call. We had a blast, but this is the first time I've been able to sign on to CC as my Mum had an accident while we were away and ended up in hospital though she is home now.

 

Those of you who haven't been yet, I've never seen or heard of so many people missing the ship. I was talking to people in the spa who said they had friends left behind in Malta, as far as I know Naples passed without incident, in Civitavecchia we were pulling away from quayside when a taxi pulled up with a party from the ship in it. The ship had sailed. We could see up to the bridge from our stateroom and there were frantic radio calls between the ship and the shore - you could see the agents on the quay and the bridge talking to each other. Eventually the people on the quayside boarded a second pilot boat and the pilot boat brought them out to the ship where they had to climb up a ladder at the rear of the ship to board - much to the amusement of other passengers who were cheering.

 

The worst situation though was on our Cannes day. We were on a ship's tour to Monte Carlo when two Spanish tourists from the ship came up to the guide in a right state. They had been to the station and been told that a wildcard strike had been called on French railways and there were to be no trains back to the ship (and there is no other direct public transport between Cannes and Monaco). Apparently SNCF (French railways) staff had been attacked that morning so the staff walked out. The Spanish tourists had the good sense to realise that there would be lots of NCL coaches and walked around until they saw the stickers. We had a couple of spare seats on our coach so the guide (in agreement with NCL) was able to acommodate them for the journey back to the ship in exchange for paying the shore excursion fee. Two other people in our role call got stuck in Nice and had to take a taxi, which cost over 100 euros. That evening, there was a huge list of passenger names called asking people to report that they were onboard, though whether or not those people got back on board I don't know. I asked one of the ship's staff and they said as far as they knew they did, however I had also been talking to someone who was looking to take the train to Monte Carlo, she used the spa the same time as me each day and I never saw her on the last night, so who knows...

 

The moral of the story is always have a plan B. Also, plan B options between Cannes and Barcelona are much more limited, so its a good place to consider ship tour or private tour options. We didn't always take a ship tour and did our own thing in Malta and Civitavecchia, but always knew how to get to the next port. I've never seen such a situation before, and although its unlikely to happen again on the future cruises of other CCers, wanted to make you all aware of the situation so that you can at least plan accordingly.

[1greencar]

While standing in crowds such as lines waiting on buses, they would work their way through to get to others as if they were tourist and trying to get to their families. As they push pass, they would do their thing. Even though I had my purse over my shoulder and pulled to the front, one managed to get a little bit of my zipper undone. After that, I made sure I had the zipper to the front. She could have gotten into my purse if I had not had my elbow pressed to my side so tightly. When I felt her, I moved to the side and she moved ahead in line and I noticed her feeling of pockets until to big guys pulled her out of line and made her leave. She had no shame. :(

Thanks for the response. The info is so very helpful in reminding us how careful and aware we need to be. Boy that would have been the last straw if you had been pickpocketed on top of the other ordeals you endured.

[1greencar]

Hi everyone, especially daring

 

Back from the Gem and had a great time meeting up with daring and the others from our roll call. We had a blast, but this is the first time I've been able to sign on to CC as my Mum had an accident while we were away and ended up in hospital though she is home now.

 

Those of you who haven't been yet, I've never seen or heard of so many people missing the ship. I was talking to people in the spa who said they had friends left behind in Malta, as far as I know Naples passed without incident, in Civitavecchia we were pulling away from quayside when a taxi pulled up with a party from the ship in it. The ship had sailed. We could see up to the bridge from our stateroom and there were frantic radio calls between the ship and the shore - you could see the agents on the quay and the bridge talking to each other. Eventually the people on the quayside boarded a second pilot boat and the pilot boat brought them out to the ship where they had to climb up a ladder at the rear of the ship to board - much to the amusement of other passengers who were cheering.

 

The worst situation though was on our Cannes day. We were on a ship's tour to Monte Carlo when two Spanish tourists from the ship came up to the guide in a right state. They had been to the station and been told that a wildcard strike had been called on French railways and there were to be no trains back to the ship (and there is no other direct public transport between Cannes and Monaco). Apparently SNCF (French railways) staff had been attacked that morning so the staff walked out. The Spanish tourists had the good sense to realise that there would be lots of NCL coaches and walked around until they saw the stickers. We had a couple of spare seats on our coach so the guide (in agreement with NCL) was able to acommodate them for the journey back to the ship in exchange for paying the shore excursion fee. Two other people in our role call got stuck in Nice and had to take a taxi, which cost over 100 euros. That evening, there was a huge list of passenger names called asking people to report that they were onboard, though whether or not those people got back on board I don't know. I asked one of the ship's staff and they said as far as they knew they did, however I had also been talking to someone who was looking to take the train to Monte Carlo, she used the spa the same time as me each day and I never saw her on the last night, so who knows...

 

The moral of the story is always have a plan B. Also, plan B options between Cannes and Barcelona are much more limited, so its a good place to consider ship tour or private tour options. We didn't always take a ship tour and did our own thing in Malta and Civitavecchia, but always knew how to get to the next port. I've never seen such a situation before, and although its unlikely to happen again on the future cruises of other CCers, wanted to make you all aware of the situation so that you can at least plan accordingly.

 

Thank you for the report on this.

Wow, so much planning involved every step of the way.

[mickeysgal]

While standing in crowds such as lines waiting on buses, they would work their way through to get to others as if they were tourist and trying to get to their families. As they push pass, they would do their thing. Even though I had my purse over my shoulder and pulled to the front, one managed to get a little bit of my zipper undone. After that, I made sure I had the zipper to the front. She could have gotten into my purse if I had not had my elbow pressed to my side so tightly. When I felt her, I moved to the side and she moved ahead in line and I noticed her feeling of pockets until to big guys pulled her out of line and made her leave. She had no shame. :(

 

Wow. Every picture I have of myself shows me holding my Pacsafe purse with a death grip in front of me exactly because of what you described.

:(

Hi everyone, especially daring

 

Back from the Gem and had a great time meeting up with daring and the others from our roll call. We had a blast, but this is the first time I've been able to sign on to CC as my Mum had an accident while we were away and ended up in hospital though she is home now.

 

Those of you who haven't been yet, I've never seen or heard of so many people missing the ship.

 

I'm sorry about your mother. Hope she is doing well now.

 

I remember leaving very late from Civitavecchia and I wondered at the time if we were missing large numbers of people. They did call a couple of people after each port, but nothing like you described. :eek:

[daring]

Daring - I am sailing on the Gem - August 2nd and didn't make any plans for Malta yet - did you arrange for the taxi before hand - and if so I could I contact them - thanks and can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip

 

Here is the contact info. We really enjoyed our driver Joe, he's just a down to earth nice guy.

 

Charmaine Galea

SwanSea Enterprises Ltd

Malta

Tel: 00356 21 313261 / 00356 21 338471

Fax: 00356 21 343828

 

 

 

swansea@maltanet.net

[daring]

We started our tour around 8 AM after having breakfast at the Great Outdoors. We started our tour with a visit to Positano with its Moorish looking architecture and famous fashionable shops, then the maritime republic of Amalfi with the lovely cathedral of Saint Andrew. This may have been where I collected my 3 smooth round stones from the beach that I treasure (I collect stones). We visited the elegant resort of Ravello. Here we had a traditional and delicious lunch at a restaurant with stunning panoramic views and we also visited the spectacular thirteenth-century Villa Rufolo. I just can't find the words to describe how beautiful the views were from the cliffs. At one of our stops we were treated to espresso at an open air restaurant hanging from a cliff. Later we went to the ancient Pompeii archaeological site for a true image of an ancient Roman city. The Amalfi- drive limousine service assisted us in obtaining an expert local guide for the walking tour of ancient Pompeii. We split the cost of 100 euros between 14 people (that was our tour group combined with another group from CC).

 

Fabrizio our driver was very attentive and service oriented. While booking our tour, I had a 100 questions which he answered patiently within hours of each question, no matter what time of day. I would recommend him with high regards.

 

Dinner that night was very nice at the Grand Pacific with a soothing view out of the aft window. The 70's show was good. I love the 70's. All in all, it was a wonderful and fulfilling day.

[1greencar]

We started our tour around 8 AM after having breakfast at the Great Outdoors. We started our tour with a visit to Positano with its Moorish looking architecture and famous fashionable shops, then the maritime republic of Amalfi with the lovely cathedral of Saint Andrew. This may have been where I collected my 3 smooth round stones from the beach that I treasure (I collect stones).

.

 

I have promised my friend (who has stones from all over the world, that I will bring her back a couple from one of the beaches.

Is this the only place you remember seeing the smooth beach stones?

[SallyUK]

I have promised my friend (who has stones from all over the world, that I will bring her back a couple from one of the beaches.

Is this the only place you remember seeing the smooth beach stones?

 

I got the most beautiful stone I've ever seen on the beach in Nice this trip (before our ship's tour moved onto Monaco). Its so lovely I'm thinking of having it set in a necklace, though it may weigh me down a bit. Its a reddish brown colour with beautiful stripes in it.

[daring]

I have promised my friend (who has stones from all over the world, that I will bring her back a couple from one of the beaches.

Is this the only place you remember seeing the smooth beach stones?

 

There are stone beaches in Malta too. Go to the tourist web site to see which ones. Seems like the stones were not that smooth and were mixed with sand in Cannes, France.

[daring]

I got the most beautiful stone I've ever seen on the beach in Nice this trip (before our ship's tour moved onto Monaco). Its so lovely I'm thinking of having it set in a necklace, though it may weigh me down a bit. Its a reddish brown colour with beautiful stripes in it.

 

I wish I could have seen it! There was another CC member on our Amalfi tour that collects rocks; we had fun comparing our finds.

[mickeysgal]

There are stone beaches in Malta too. Go to the tourist web site to see which ones. Seems like the stones were not that smooth and were mixed with sand in Cannes, France.

 

Daring, did you go to Nice as an excursion? The beach there had large, smooth rocks that people somehow were laying on and actually seemed to be comfortable.

[1greencar]

I got the most beautiful stone I've ever seen on the beach in Nice this trip (before our ship's tour moved onto Monaco). Its so lovely I'm thinking of having it set in a necklace, though it may weigh me down a bit. Its a reddish brown colour with beautiful stripes in it.

 

That sounds like an awesome find.

I am hoping to get to Nice as well, but I was concerned because Cannes is a short day in port. How did you arrange getting to Nice?

Thanks, Eileen

[1greencar]

There are stone beaches in Malta too. Go to the tourist web site to see which ones. Seems like the stones were not that smooth and were mixed with sand in Cannes, France.

 

I will check it out.

Thanks, Eileen

[1greencar]

Hi folks, I can't remember where I saw a post about exchanging small gifts from your home town at the meet and greet. Does anybody know if it is in this thread , how it works or where I can find it to read it for myself.

Thank you

Eileen

[Why Knot Me]

Hi folks, I can't remember where I saw a post about exchanging small gifts from your home town at the meet and greet. Does anybody know if it is in this thread , how it works or where I can find it to read it for myself.

Thank you

Eileen

 

Hi Eileen, Go to the roll call section and find your sailing. Coordinate it with the people that plan on attending the meet and greet. See if anyone has interest in doing it.

[1greencar]

Hi Eileen, Go to the roll call section and find your sailing. Coordinate it with the people that plan on attending the meet and greet. See if anyone has interest in doing it.

 

Well actually we are just looking for ideas of some of the things that others have used as icebreakers. I remember reading about the small gifts but I can't remember where I read it or whose roll call I was on at the time, and I don't know exactly how it worked at the meet and greet.

[daring]

Daring, did you go to Nice as an excursion? The beach there had large, smooth rocks that people somehow were laying on and actually seemed to be comfortable.

 

I did not go to nice. We just hung around in Cannes and I loved it.

 

Well actually we are just looking for ideas of some of the things that others have used as icebreakers. I remember reading about the small gifts but I can't remember where I read it or whose roll call I was on at the time, and I don't know exactly how it worked at the meet and greet.

 

We exchanged self addressed post cards from our city or state instead of gifts. I'll pull up the instructions we used if you are interested. I'm still patiently awaiting my to return. Have you gotten yours back yet Sally?

[1greencar]

 

 

We exchanged self addressed post cards from our city or state instead of gifts. I'll pull up the instructions we used if you are interested. I'm still patiently awaiting my to return. Have you gotten yours back yet Sally?

 

I would like the instructions but there is no rush. Whenever you get to it is fine. Thank you.

[daring]

I would like the instructions but there is no rush. Whenever you get to it is fine. Thank you.

 

Here is the ice breaker that is planned for the meet and greet:

 

~Each family brings a self addressed postcard from their city or state, etc.

Hand it over to our greeters at the door and receive a number (one number per family or post card) and get a name tag for each person in your family/group. Once everyone arrives we will draw the numbers randomly and when your number is called, your family will introduce themselves. This will be a good time to let us know if you are celebrating something special, so we can celebrate with you. You will then go to a table and pick up someone else's postcard which you will mail to them at some point during or immediately after the cruise. We will continue to pull numbers until everyone is introduced. :D

 

[JunPOA]

We started our tour around 8 AM after having breakfast at the Great Outdoors. We started our tour with a visit to Positano with its Moorish looking architecture and famous fashionable shops, then the maritime republic of Amalfi with the lovely cathedral of Saint Andrew. This may have been where I collected my 3 smooth round stones from the beach that I treasure (I collect stones). We visited the elegant resort of Ravello. Here we had a traditional and delicious lunch at a restaurant with stunning panoramic views and we also visited the spectacular thirteenth-century Villa Rufolo. I just can't find the words to describe how beautiful the views were from the cliffs. At one of our stops we were treated to espresso at an open air restaurant hanging from a cliff. Later we went to the ancient Pompeii archaeological site for a true image of an ancient Roman city. The Amalfi- drive limousine service assisted us in obtaining an expert local guide for the walking tour of ancient Pompeii. We split the cost of 100 euros between 14 people (that was our tour group combined with another group from CC).

 

Fabrizio our driver was very attentive and service oriented. While booking our tour, I had a 100 questions which he answered patiently within hours of each question, no matter what time of day. I would recommend him with high regards.

 

Dinner that night was very nice at the Grand Pacific with a soothing view out of the aft window. The 70's show was good. I love the 70's. All in all, it was a wonderful and fulfilling day.

Hi there "daring" loving your review - we're on the same itinerary Gem OCT 4th & we have a roll call going. I'm also a fellow - must collect a rock/ stone form each port!:o One time I found a very unusual stone on the beach in St. Lucia, later found out it was not a stone but a WHALE'S TOOTH OMG!:eek: What a find!

Was wondering maybe if you remember the name of the ristornate in Ravello - we've been given a few recommendations by a private driver tour company and thought maybe it might be one of the ones you had lunch at. The following names were suggested if anything rings a bell - "salvetore, gardenrevello, and restorante san giovani in a small town near Ravello called Pontone.

 

Thanks much, Leah!

[1greencar]

Here is the ice breaker that is planned for the meet and greet:

 

~Each family brings a self addressed postcard from their city or state, etc.

Hand it over to our greeters at the door and receive a number (one number per family or post card) and get a name tag for each person in your family/group. Once everyone arrives we will draw the numbers randomly and when your number is called, your family will introduce themselves. This will be a good time to let us know if you are celebrating something special, so we can celebrate with you. You will then go to a table and pick up someone else's postcard which you will mail to them at some point during or immediately after the cruise. We will continue to pull numbers until everyone is introduced. :D

 

 

It sounds good, thanks so much.

[daring]

Hi there "daring" loving your review - we're on the same itinerary Gem OCT 4th & we have a roll call going. I'm also a fellow - must collect a rock/ stone form each port!:o One time I found a very unusual stone on the beach in St. Lucia, later found out it was not a stone but a WHALE'S TOOTH OMG!:eek: What a find!

Was wondering maybe if you remember the name of the ristornate in Ravello - we've been given a few recommendations by a private driver tour company and thought maybe it might be one of the ones you had lunch at. The following names were suggested if anything rings a bell - "salvetore, gardenrevello, and restorante san giovani in a small town near Ravello called Pontone.

 

Thanks much, Leah!

 

That's so cool about the whale's tooth. My husband whould love that since he collects shark teeth.

 

We kept their card which reads S.Giovanni Tel. 089 872582

www.ristorantesangiovanni.com