Muckyduckway

I haven't done the excursion, but have stayed in Trieste and visited Muggia by boat. If you haven't spent any time in Trieste prior to the cruise, then it's definitely worth a look; Muggia is tiny but we enjoyed our brief time there. Airport transfer tours tend towards 'bus tours' - if you don't want to be adding hours in a bus to presumably a long transfer to Venice Airport, check the itinerary carefully. Trieste, unlike many Italian cities, doesn't get a huge influx of foreign tourists but has a long history and a pleasant vibe. It's quite small so you can see the main sights quickly; and has a nice mix of Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Slovenian influences, making it appreciably different to anywhere else in Italy.

Do you remember what time your tour started? We are torn between this and the Aerial Tram and Nature Walk. Our interests are primarily scenery and wildlife.

You sound like you have a great attitude. Some of the things you describe would have certain posters declaring "no more NCL". An enjoyable and well-written account. Was the Costa Rica tour the Tarcoles River excursion? If so, what wildlife did you see? We had considered it, but were put off by reports of very limited sightings of wildlife.

Good to know, thank you

Wow, nine times! That is a serious accolade. You must be lucky enough to cruise a lot. Seems like I've struck gold - what you described is exactly what is was looking for. Do you have any other tips or insight regarding either the hotel itself or getting to the cruise port? We're planning on getting a taxi or maybe trying Uber or Lyft for the first time ever!

Oh I just realised you said Feb in your original post! So maybe it's down to me now 😀

@JHLH821 Glad to have helped in your hotel search. Reviews are a blessing and a curse. Ive lost count of the number of times I've settled on accommodation only to read extremely negative reports. I'm immune to the nit-pickers, but talk of poor cleanliness or uncomfortable beds is off-putting. I too was happy with the price point for what looks like a lovely hotel. It's probably it's location combined with it being the first of the chain in the US. If you are going before October, it would be nice to hear what you thought of it?

Is that Flannigan's Seafood Bar & Grill? If so, looks like it's right by a Walmart, so if we feel like venturing out that would be a two in one.

Great to hear from someone who has actually stayed there and has positive things to say. I will definitely ask the staff there; although it sounds like the restaurant might hit the spot. We want to just hang out and chill too, but like to plan for 'a change of mind'.

I suspected as much from Google maps, but was hoping I was just missing something obvious. It's weird how the level of magnification affects what shows up and streetview is only good if you know what direction to go! Not too much entertainment to be had in an office supplies store 😀 It's good to know the hotel is fantastic; we were hopeful it would be as good as it looks.

We'll be staying 2 nights in the EB Hotel near Miami Airport (4299 NW 36th St). Anywhere you'd recommend within walking distance for lunch and a spot of shopping (nothing high-end, just somewhere to spend an hour or so browsing). As Europeans, we can happily stroll around a Walgrens or Publix or similar for low-key entertainment. For lunch we'd prefer somewhere that has local flavor but offers fish or vegetarian options.

Thank you. Loving the review, especially the cocktail pics!

We will be going on the same tour you did in Antigua, Guatemala. Do you remember what was in the tapas you were given with the beer?

That's good to know - looks like we will be reacquainting ourselves with Amex!

Is this on the standard Amex card? We dropped our Amex a few years ago because so many places didn't accept them here. Might have to re-apply!

34 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said: Had that been pre or post lockdown? Somewhere I read that they got rid of them because you can't really get them clean. It was in October 2022 on the Gem.

Re Tayto crisps (not that it matters to most of CC), the Irish company was set up in 1954 by an entrepreneur (Dubliner Joseph Murphy) who spotted an opportunity to make Irish crisps (until then they were imported from mainly the UK). Shortly afterwards, Thomas Hutchinson, who had just acquired a 500 year old "castle" in Tandragee, County Armagh (Northern Ireland) bought the rights to the Tayto name and recipes for sale outside Ireland. They never operated as one company and to this day neither can be sold in each other's market. I live in the North but prefer the southern cheese and onion version. After a tour at Tayto Castle we decided to do a blind taste test and the whole family agreed. Still like the Cas.tle version though - both have a flavour unlike any other cheese and onion crisp, but for us it's more about nostalgia and nothing else beats either one in a sandwich!

And we were in a balcony.

13 hours ago, SunshineGal2022 said: Did you bring a mattress topper or did you request one? Which level room did you have? We asked our cabin steward if there was anything could be done to make the bed more comfortable - he added the topper that same day. We've been told they have a limited supply, so if needed, ask ASAP.

Thanks for taking us with you. I'm sure you must be exhausted but immensely satisfied. It seems like you had a wonderful time, and even the cloudy day gave you fabulously dramatic skies and sunset.

Oh my! You are living my dream life. Except I doubt I'd have the energy or money! Hope you keep posting about them. Look forward to seeing the full schedule.

It's so uplifting seeing all your fabulously sunny photos. You are definitely getting weather pixie dust from somewhere :) Have you any more cruises planned?

Is the dock close enough to walk to the old town (if not doing a ship tour)? Shuttles provided or public transport available? Malta is a port we'd like to visit by ship to determine if a longer land trip would be to our liking.

Dubrovnik Day 2 I forgot I had the $50.00 excursion credit so instead of touring via the bus I went with the Dubrovnik on your own thing.. which included the shuttle a pancake and round trip cable car ride for about $12.00 I just could not pass up on that price. No brainer! You got a lot done - maybe your time ashore was longer than ours, or maybe we're just a lot slower than you! :) I put my back out the day we flew out there, so couldn't do stairs unfortunately. It's a fabulous city; hope to do a long weekend sometime. Glad you're reacting to the Gem the same as us - subjectivity makes me hesitant to recommend unreservedly, but we felt the quality and variety of food on the Gem was the best of any NCL ship we've been on. The buffet was so good that we didn't bother with the MDR most nights. There were 2030 guests on our sailing and the only place it ever felt crowded was the Atrium (so not a fan of activities in Atrium). So many good things to say about the Gem, I really hope the dry dock doesn't take away any of the features that make it so special. One thing I forgot to say earlier was that the management seem very visible, circulating in public spaces, chatting and getting feedback. I'm not a very social person, but found them all very personable and easy to talk to (and once a conversation had occurred they greeted us like old friends every time we crossed paths.)

Amen!