mom23guys

Hi Norris,

I will be sailing this same itinerary on February 28. I've sailed the Silhouette before and love this ship. It is so much fun to get a preview of our upcoming cruise and see some of the changes in the entertainment from our last cruise. I'm looking forward to the Beatles Tribute. Thanks for taking the time to share.

My main cruise line of choice is Celebrity but I also love Princess. There are differences but each has their strong points and very few weak points.

Terry

Well it took 3 days for my pre approval, just waiting for husband's so we can make our appointments. Thanks for the replies about timing of the final approval.

How long does it take to get the global entry card after your interview? We just submitted our applications.

Thanks you Ruth. I was pretty sure it didn't make too much difference but wanted to check with others who had been before.

No I didn't see the replies. Thanks for the heads up. Just so excited about booking this.

We are planning on booking a cruise on the Zuiderdam. I was planning on booking a balcony on deck 7 toward the aft. I can choose a cabin on either side, 7130 and back or 7135 and back. Which side would be better?

I am planning on booking a VOV from Copenhagan to NY. Does anyone know which side of the ship might be better?

Thinking about the VOV on the Zuiderdam this August. For those of you that have been before is there any side of the ship that is better for viewing.

We just returned from a Silhouette cruise and used Rome In Limo for two tours and a transfer to our hotel.

I have used RIL three times so far for tours from Livorno. They have been fabulous. Our driver took us right to the door of the Accademia and was even able to change the time of our reservation so we could be inside during the rain. It was amazing. Speaking of rain, it stated to rain while we were shopping on the Ponte Vecchio. Our driver searched for all of us while we were shopping to give us umbrellas. This went above and beyond. We've never had that much personal service with other companies. RIL just made getting to Florence and Pisa just so easy especially trying to do a lot in a little time.

We also did the Alternate Tuscany tour from the port of Rome. mike was great and we saw a number of smaller villages where there weren't as many tourists. It was great but there was a lot of driving to get there.

You can't go wrong choosing RIL.

If on a cruise ship, was there ever a concern of not making it back to the ship on time?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I usually book private tours in Europe and they have always gotten us back to the ship in plenty of time usually 2 hours before the ship is scheduled to sail.

We are flying into Munich this August then getting a quick KLM flight to Amsterdam. There were train changes. With the suitcases we thought it would be too much.

Just tried signing on to "my celebrity" on their web page. Accepted my user ID and password, then stated I could open a new account. Could not get into check existing booked cruises.

 

 

 

Anyone else? Their web page and IT department is becoming more than an inconvenience and joke.......

I have had problems with My Celebrity for a few years now. About 2 years ago all my booked cruises disappeared. Then when they came back the acct and sign in had changed to my husband's name. My name isn't there. When I sign in it goes to his acct. when I called X about this they said don't worry about it. Just annoying.

Just one thing others haven't mentioned is the size of NCL's rooms. We haven't done an inside on either line but NCLs balcony rooms are tiny compared to Celebrities.

Just a FYI, the ONLY cardiologist in the Caribbean is in St Thomas.

One thing to make sure you have is your latest Ekg and blood test results with you plus a note from your cardiologist. My husband had had a bypass surgery. We went to the medical facility on board for an issue not related to his heart and he was feeling fine. They did an EKG onboard and after his surgery he has an unusual EKG. They decided that there was something wrong with his EKG and put us off the ship in St Thomas. They were wonderful helping us but the doctors would not hear husbands protests that this was normal for him. When we got to the ER the doctor there looked at the EKG and said this was a chronic condition and not an acute condition but too late the ship was gone. The hospital told us to always travel with recent medical records. They are very cautious on board and they have the final say.

We will be in Rome in late October. When should I look into booking RIL? Also, can anyone answer if it is best to try to get a van of 8 from my ship (Island Princess) or to just book my husband and myself into a van of 8?

We have been booked for our September trip since October or so. RIL have cars if you prefer to go it alone but part of the fun we've had in the past and hope to have in the future is the sharing with new friend. We've never had a bad experience. This September we are going with a group of 8 to Florence and the next day day a tour and transfer booked in Rome for 6 of us.

No matter what you will have a great time.

Terry

I guess what I was looking for was some more specifics about the luggage storage, how high is the step up into the train, are there elevators down to the track level? Some people did help in this way. I wasn't aware that European trains didn't have luggage cars like the Alaska RR does(our only experience with independent rail travel)

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for the replies that answered my question. I really didn't ask about others' opinions on the size of my luggage, just if there was space for it. I don't make judgements about how little you bring so I don't see the need to comment on my choice. I travel with a luggage scale so I've never been over the 50 lb limit. I prefer not to spend lots of time doing laundry every night. we do only wear most things only once before sending them out to be washed and many things I prefer not to have washed in the hot water used by the ships laundry.

It looks like the train may not be for us although I would have loved to try it. Flying might be a better fit.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

There are some cheaper fares if you book a few months in advance.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for the replies. The video was great. Yes we will be on ICE trains.

We will be in Europe for three +weeks with a cruise. Formal clothing, clothes for cool weather, hot weather- and limited access to laundry. If there isn't enough room on the train I could get a flight there is no way I could do this with a smaller bag. The only time we'll have to deal with the luggage is when using the train, otherwise we'll get a taxi to and from hotel.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Okay, experienced European travelers, especially those who have traveled by train, how do they handle luggage? We are flying into Munich on August 25 and were planning on taking the train on the 31st to Amsterdam for our cruise. Just started thinking about luggage. We plan on one large spinner 29" each and a spinner carry-on 19". Do they check luggage? I was reading on one of the sites that you put your luggage above your head-fine for the carry-on but not possible for a 49 lb suitcase. Do they have storage for big bags? We could get a flight but we were sort of looking forward to the train.

Thanks for any help.

We went when we normally do. We had to be out of our hotel by 11 so what were we going to do. No problem getting onboard. These time things would be fine for people who have a car or live close by but really don't work for people flying in that day or staying in hotels.

As to staying onboard longer, there were plenty of luggage left in earlier numbers when we disembarked.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I've done the Greek Isles cruise before and it was fantastic. That said we are on the September 3 rd Western Europe cruise. Check out our Roll Call. We are a great group and very active. This cruise is a once a year repositioning cruise.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Yes, Yes, Yes! There are other things they can do to improve the entertainment, maybe some blues or jazz but I miss the live entertainment. Too much DJ stuff.

Sent from my iPad using Forums