CGYCruisingFamily

We have only ever had fun with it but I still insist that the cruise staff had one answer wrong in one of the games we played :)

Usually all in good fun but there are definitely some people who are competitive.

Ok thanks. I read it's pretty easy getting there from the ships via the people mover and seems more economical than a private vehicle. Wasn't sure about the luggage situation.

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Can anyone tell me if the buses have ample space for luggage between the pick up point in Venice and the airport?

Also our flight is at noon and we don't know how early we should catch the bus to get there with enough time. We overnight in Venice on the ship and it looks like disembarkation starts at 6 am (but we don't want that early).

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$1.09 is nothing compared to when we took our first HAL cruise which was about $1.35. We will be watching the money but $1.09 isn't as bad as it could be.

Guess we will be looking for zip off pant/shorts for the boys (incl the big boy) :)

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Yes, there is a line because of the security check. It tends to build up in the morning gradually and it is usually shorter very early and very late.

 

Don't forget that knees and shoulders must be fully covered to enter the basilica -- that is another thing they check for at the checkpoint. You won't be allowed in if you don't meet these guidelines.

Does this apply to children too? And men- must they wear pants?

Cool thanks for the confirmation :)

One other question, does anyone know if there are lines generally to get into the Basillica?

NCL, RC and Carnival.

Our sons like Holland America but that is their personality (they dont like large crowds of kids - and for that matter the 650 kids on our NCL xmas cruise was way too many). We have found the kids programing on HAL to be good for our children but if you are looking for all those other activities - rock climbing, water slides etc, I would say NCL or RC most of all.

So can I ask a question on here too? I am looking to confirm there is no admission for St. Peters Basillica, just the museum and Sistine Chapel right?

Following the topic.

I have found cruise lines to be pretty strict about moving around. Having said that, I wonder how many kids will be on that trip. I am wondering if they might adjust the age groups and combine if there are low numbers?

Our kids were usually ready for bed by 10 after busy port days and playing in kids club. I think it depends on the cruise line but I think HAL or NCL was about $10 or $15/hr per child for the after hrs care or late night fun. We never used it so I am trying to remember. You could take them to late shows on board too.

Enjoy your trip.

We did cruises and trips when our children were very young (first when our eldest was 10 months and another when our youngest was 2). We even flew when our youngest was 3 months and oldest was 3.5 to Australia (from Calgary). We have traveled extensively with our children and subsequently, they are very good travelers as they have grown up doing it.

Having said that, we are going to try the Mediterranean for the first time this summer. Our youngest will be just shy of 6 and the oldest is 9. I couldnt imagine doing this cruise any younger and have even wondered how it is going to go with youngest DS. We believe he will be ok and he is excited to see some of the things. I am worried about the large crowds, potentially long days in port (Rome) and very hot temps.

I would say there are other itineraries that would be better for babies. The cruise lines are really helpful when traveling with babies and supply a lot of the equipment if requested (sleeping and highchairs - not strollers).

We do travel with my parents usually on these trips. Extra hands are helpful but they are not glorified babysitters. We are still the primary caregivers while traveling however it is nice to occasionally be able to slip away for a little bit (but not often).

At least it is Vancouver where there is lots to do. When we were traveling a couple of years ago it was stinking hot when they were doing the cleaning and were overly careful as when we were in port in St. Lucia with a couple of Princess ships with noro. We saw sanitation ramped up serverly that night including personal bottles of purell left for each passenger on our beds and a message from the captain.

There is lots to do in Vancouver. At Canada place you are right at the skytrain and can go anywhere. Stanley Park will be beautiful at this time of year. Take the seatrain across to the North Shore. Go up the tram to the top of Grouse Mountain. If you like museums there are is the Museum of Anthropology at UBC which is really interesting. The list can go on and on. Or just enjoy a walk along the seawall.

Vancouver is my hometown and there is lots to do.

The train might pose some issues as my mom has a mobility scooter and I havent been able to ascertain how accessible it is. This is one of the reasons we are thinking about renting a vehicle and going it on our own.

We are also eying some private tours in Naples but looking at all our options.

Marseille,Monaco, Livorno, Rome, Taeormino, Corfu, Dubrovnik , Kotor and Venice.

 

Actually I was just wondering of all the ports what is your favorite - who knows were will go in the future!

We are hitting all of these ports this summer so interested in where we can go for a memorable bite to eat in our travels. Thanks for posting it.

Following.

What ports are you doing?

We hit Naples on a Saturday and it looks like the Hertz closes at noon. It says we can not reserve for that day :(. However, Sifracar looks like it might work for us so I am going to investigate it more. Does anyone have any further suggestions for Naples?

TIA

I never can understand why people who travel don't have a passport. Our kids have had them since they were under 6 months old. We keep our current and valid.

You won't be asked to produce it in Victoria (ship is per cleared). But if you were driving across the border you would be asked to produce one.

Good luck with funding a replacement but just for ease of mind, I would ensure everyone has a passport.

(ps you can blame certain governments for this as it was Canadas reaction to it being inforced for their citizens to travel south. It was so so so much easier when there was free travel between Canada and the States for both citizens).

I am not afraid of higher iso's or hand holding for slightly longer exposures so might skip the duplicity if the 24-70 and 18-135 (which is also IS).

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I am struggling with the same issue. I have carted my laptop to offload images but that was just to the Caribbean and through North America. It was a pain to have the extra weight but it was nice to have everything edited before we got in the plane home.

We are going to Europe and I want to go as light as possible. I am thinking I am just going to stock up on sd cards. Also if I take the 70d it has wifi and I can transfer some to my phone for emailing/viewing/rough editing.

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My mom owns her own scooter and has travelled around the world with it. She registers it with the airlines and there is no extra cost to take it. I would say it would be better to get one in North America and take it with you.

Hi Katie

Thanks for the review. We are taking this same cruise in August on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

Like a couple of others, I am wondering about the shuttle buses offered by the cruise line. I keep reading from some of the other posts on CC that there is a cost for them. Is this true? If so, how much are they (if you remember).

What was your favourite port?

Also I am not sure if we have the beverage pkg or not but ditto to what it covers - am I reading right that its pretty much everything?

Just wondering if you took in the Culinary Arts program and if so, how much did it run? This is a really busy itinerary with the single day at sea. We love the Culinary Arts Centre usually and are trying to figure out if it will run or not.

Finally, I understand you took a private tour in Rome, did you encounter any issues with timing getting back to the ship at the end of the day?

Thanks for the review. Reading it makes me even more excited for August :)

Sounds like you did well. Congrats. Yes, if a handicapped person needed it they would have likely booked by now. Have a great cruise.

Not necessarily, I know my parents have sometimes picked up a last minute cruise when they decide they need to get away and do require a handicap cabin.

We were there last summer, and I guesstimate that 90% of my shots were taken with my Canon 24-105 lens on a full frame camera. I never felt the need for a long telephoto. The images are here.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Larry

Thx Larry - Nice pix by the way :)

Sorry, I am a professional photog who wants to go very light for lenses while travelling (I shoot daily and this is my vacation so I like dont want to be tied to all the gear I carry daily (Canon Mark IV, 70D, 7D, 60D, 300 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 18-135 3.5-5.6IS, 28-105 3.5-4.5, 24-70 2.8, 16-35 2.8, 14 2.8, 1.4x tc, 2x 580EXii, pocket wizards plus all the video microphones etc). I want to shoot scenic pix of the surroundings in many of the ports (not necessarily ship to shore) but am trying to figure out if I can get away with going light on lenses - I dont feel like juggling all my gear. Just trying to figure out if I need my 70-200 or if I can get away with something like a 18-135 instead. If I was going to Alaska, I would go long, but given that it is likely mostly architecture and street scenes, thinking I dont require long. I am just not sure about access/proximity and if I really need the full range. Its my vacation. I am really looking forward to shooting on the cruise but just dont feel like hauling it all so trying to hedge my bets by picking a lens or lenses which will work. Thought I would throw it out there to see what peoples favourite lenses were in Italy.