numbersix

We loved our gondola ride in Venice, but it can be pricey. At the very least, your child would probably get a huge kick out of a ride on the traghetto, a gondola, primarily used by locals (who always stand!), that crosses the Grand Canal in several places, for the (in Venice) unheard of reasonable price of 50 Euro cents. It'll provide a taste of the gondola experience, a bit of local colour, and the closest thing Venice has to a "thrill ride"!

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/traghetto.htm

A peek at the Gondola Workshop, may also be fun:

http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/the-gondolas-of-venice

Venice also means a lot of walking, so plan on a lot of gelato stops!

http://www.reidsitaly.com/destinations/veneto/venice/sights/squero_san_trovaso.html

Another possibility would be Sicily with Mario:

http://www.sicilywithmario.com/

We did the Godfather Tour with him from Catania in December...we had a great day!

We loved our first time in Sicily!

Unless you've been to Messina before and have exhausted its possibilities...why go to Syracuse anyway?

I would think Messina itself, and possibly Taormina (approx. 40 mins drive from Messina) & Castelmola could make for a fantastic day? 4 hours driving in a max 7 hour day (1/2 min to get off ship and get car + all aboard min 1/2 hour before sailing) seems like a lot, unless there's family, or (seeing as though we're in Italy) particularly good gelato in Syracuse:).

We had a great day out of Catania in December, doing the "Godfather tour" with Sicily with Mario.

Apart from seeing the main sights, probably our favourite thing to do in Venice is just wander around...yes, you'll get lost, but you can't get very lost (but you can go around in circles, so a fairly good map can come in handy). They, predictably, eat late, so finding a restaurant shouldn't be a problem...a canalside dinner is a great (but maybe a of a pricey) experience. Checking out (even just strolling around listening to) the orchestras in the Piazza San Marco can be fun (very expensive to sit down and drink!).

I know many have strong opinions (pro/con) about gondolas in Venice, but we found it to be the quintessential Venice experience...rates are fixed, info here:

http://www.reidsitaly.com/destinations/veneto/venice/sights/gondola_ride.html

Don't book a "gondola tour", or book in advance at all...you'll only end up in a group gondola "caravan", and be herded around like tourist cattle. Don't worry...there are plenty of gondolas all around Venice...tons of them...you'll have your pick. Yes...it's pricey, but, imho, it's something you'll remember for the rest of your life. And...Venice is particularly magical at night.

Rick Steves has some good ideas for Venice at night, including his thoughts on the typical Venetian night pub/munchies tour:

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/crawling-through-venices-cicchetti-pubs?extras=true

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/venice-by-night

We've always wandered around Venice at night, and always found it to be quite safe.

Have fun!

Then please do so in your own country and try to respect the customs of other countries when you go abroad.

 

So just try saying, "Thanks a bunch" or even better, "Merci monsieur."

Right on! Shouldn't we all strive to respect local culture, traditions, and customs when we travel and explore the world? Should it not be, "Hmmm...I wonder how they do things there?", rather than, "That's how we do it at home"? Isn't that what travel's all about...to explore, to learn?

We are just back from a 14-night French Polynesia/Cook Islands cruise, and not once were we even made to feel that a tip of any kind was expected (and, coming from who just might be the most genuinely friendly people we've ever come across)...kind of refreshing, actually, coming from North America as we do, where the "tip jar" has gone viral.

I am looking at doing a Godfather tour on my upcoming visit to Sicily. Most all of the tours stop at Savoca, Forza D’Agro, Castelmola, and Taormina, or a combination thereof, and some tour companies will customize the tour. My question is, which of these cities is a must see and which can be left out if any?

We did this exact tour, with Sicily with Mario (great tour--funny guy--great drinks/Sicilian pastries)--in December 2013, from Catania--if I had to drop one, presumably in the interests of time, it would be Forza D'Agro. The other ones, especially Taormina, IMO, are not to be missed.

You'll have a great day! Be careful, though...another tour operator, when I enquired, wanted to charge another 50 Euro, on top, just to add on Castelmola, which is a 10 minute drive!

Ristorante San Giovanni in Pontone....we had lunch there...a bit off the beaten track (fewer tourists)...great food, nice people, reasonable prices...

http://www.ristorantesangiovanni.com/eng/ristorante.html

I can highly recommend Sicily with Mario. We have used him for cruise stop and for extended land trip. Both trips were fabulous.

X2

We did the Godfather tour from Catania with Sicily with Mario in December 2013...we really enjoyed it...great stops, and Mario is a great host...funny guy--he'll have drinks and some great Sicilian pastries for you. We often rent cars and go off on our own, but that is one place where there is no way we could have seen all we did in that time frame, on our own...plus car rentals are really expensive in Sicily.

I'm baaack! (OP)

Lots of great discussion--thanks to all so far. A few random comments (remember, this was our first Oceania cruise)...

• We were led to believe that the entertainment was either laughable, or so-so, at best....not true! Well, the Andy Band had close to zero personality and played the exact same tunes each day by the pool (where they seemed to play for something like 15 minutes or so), most of which seemed more appropriate for a 'Yale-beat-Princeton' pep rally circa 1932, but they seemed competent enough musicians on their own, they just didn't (always) sound so great together. The string quartet (yes--quartet, where some (like HAL) have pared it to a duo) played quite nicely, the piano lounge player was a great pianist but lacking in voice. The real surprise was the Jean Ann Ryan singers and dancers...we felt that they were, perhaps, some of the best we have seen at sea, and performed terrifically well, especially given the limitations of the room and obvious shortcomings of the sound system. The dancers, especially the ladies, seemed Las Vegas-worthy (gorgeous, leggy, great smiles and enthusiasm, and very sharp on the cues and moves), and we thought Josephine Warren (principal female singer) was an absolute star! We also enjoyed an extra cabaret show she performed later one evening in Horizons, along with a fabulous cabaret show by assistant cruise director Edward...we think he's a Rat -Pack-er in disguise!
  
• Yes--laundry at this (the Oceania) level should be included...not free machines (who wants to do laundry on their cruise?), but laundry service. Having said that, we were (on our 14-nighter) offered the 20 items for $20 laundry service, of which we gladly availed ourselves.
  
• Baristas...agreed---it is a small, awkward space, and would be so much better if it had longer hours and was in a higher-trafficked area...thinking like on Celebrity, or Explorations Cafe on HAL...and offer sandwiches, cookies, munchies.
  
• The bread...white or otherwise, on Oceania, was great!
  
• Shore excursions are outrageously priced (although due to my predilection towards laissez-faire capitalism, I respect their right to offer, and charge absolutely anything they wish). For example, on our recent cruise (French Polynesia), we booked (privately) a tour at $70, while the exact same tour was offered by Oceania at $210!
  
• We didn't notice any flagrant violations of what we interpreted "country club casual" to be...certainly no jeans, or Crocs, or the like in the GDR or other dining venues (in the evening, anyway). A couple of people could have tried a bit harder, but most played along well.
  

As suggested in my original post, and also mentioned by another, it seems like most feel that Oceania does a lot of things very well....and that a few small things, or extras would make it even more fantastic!

Any more ideas?

After our one whole O cruise (but looking forward to our second), agree with the OP. To which I'd add:

 

-- Longer hours for Baristas (Plus, some re-training on Irish coffee. Hint: the cream doesn't go in first, and the coffee doesn't go in last!)

 

I'd be hard-pressed to add anything else. We really loved, loved our time on Riviera.

Yes--good one--longer hours for Baristas...and how about a more expanded offering, too. I put myself through school working at an (authentic) Irish pub, and I join you in cringing at the thought of the cream going in first...and I'm sure it wasn't gently whipped 35% either...no peaks, please! A couple of years ago, our first time in SF...they sure do make it right at the Buena Vista...I hadn't seen it made that way (the right way) in years!:D

We are just back from our first Oceania cruise, 14 nights on the Marina in French Polynesia. Except for a couple of small things, we were quite impressed...actually, we loved it.

It seems like there are more than a few experienced Oceania cruisers here, but, experienced or not, does anyone have ideas on how Oceania can make things even better?

I'll start:

• Waves Grill and Ice Cream bar could be open longer hours...maybe until 6 pm? A few times we would return from shore late afternoon and could have used a bite...you know, just to get us through to dinner(!) But, a sandwich or salad and a scoop of ice cream would have been welcome. I know room service is available, but we prefer to unwind around the pool at that time of day.
  
• I thought it might be nice to have a few cookies out in the Terrace Grill, perhaps, for a little bedtime snack...we have often enjoyed a cookie and milk or coffee/tea on our verandah before turning in.
  

I must say, kudos to the waiter who, setting up for breakfast late one night in the Terrace Grill, noticed me at the coffee machine, and ran over to set it up just so I could have that last cappucchino!

What other idea might people have?:)

Thanks for your kind comments!

Fletcher--I agree 100%...while every island we visited was incredibly beautiful, the resorts have a bit of a Disneyland South Pacific feel to them...we found the island of Tahiti to have a much more "real" feel to it, and did quite enjoy it.

RZ3--You'll have fun! Good roads, nice, easy driving, and, as Fletcher pointed out, loads to see and explore.

I almost forgot...as we really didn't have to be back to the airport until 9:00 pm or so, we stopped in town (Papeete), and:

1) Noticed a bunch playing roller ball-hockey in a parking lot by the McDo's

(we're Canadian, so that was pretty cool to see roller hockey in Tahiti!)

2) the bar opposite the 3 Brasseurs showing the NHL playoffs on TV (wow--Canadian cultural domination continues!); and

3) strolled, ate, and, in general, took it all in at the Roulottes on the quayside. What a great experience! Locals (Poynesians, French, grandparents, parents, kids), tourists, and cruisers eating, drinking, making merry, local musicians, kids on all kinds of wheels--rollerblades, bikes, little cars in the centre court. It was, probably, our best interactive experience of the cruise.

Finally, I have to say that Polynesians may be the friendliest people I have ever come across...everyone, and I mean everyone, smiles and says hello, and seems genuinely friendly. I mean, it's almost exhausting...but so lovely.

How can we get to the InterContinental from the tender port in Moorea? Does anyone know if taxis are available and how much they might run!

 

Thanks!

 

Ricki

Timely question! We are just off the Oceania Marina, and spent the day at the IC Moorea. The ship anchored in Opunohu Bay (it, as Tikiintahiti pointed out, could also anchor at Cook's Bay), and delivered passengers by tender to Papetoai marina. We had arranged a day pass, but didn't particularly know how we would get there, so while the DW was patronizing the tables set up by the locals, I spied a young lady offering a free shuttle to Albert's Pearl shop, which, as it turns out, is directly opposite the entrance to the IC Moorea. Not wanting to take advantage, I explained that we were going to the IC, and she replied that they would be happy to shuttle us to the store, just that we at least take a look around the store (it's quite small, and held little of interest to us--my DW quite liked the pearls available at the local tables at the pier). So that's how we got to the IC Moorea.

Be aware, at least when we were there (Sunday, April 6th) that a security guard near the entrance let us in when we said we had day passes arranged (which we did), while they would not let in another couple who enquired whether day passes were available.

We had a great there...Moe at the beach bar will take good care of you.

Late afternoon we took a taxi that was waiting there back to the pier for $15...I asked the driver, an obvious Frenchman, if he was born there, and he said, "No...I've been here 7 years", to which I countered, "So-- how did you end up in French Polynesia?", and he answered in that classic, droll, Gallic fashion, "A woman...". It would only have been more perfect had there been a Gauloise hanging off his lip!

Interesting--thanks for posting this.

BTW...we were disembarking the Oceania Marina on Saturday morning (April 19th) having to vacate the stateroom by 8 am, but we could eat breakfast and be off by 10 am. Our flight out wasn't until 11:50 pm, so we had a leisurely breakfast, intending to rent a car (but hadn't reserved one in advance). About 9:15 or so we saw the X Solstice backing in next to us, and I knew we had to get out of there, and out of town, fast!

We rented a car from Hertz (free shuttle to the airport to pick it up), and had a fabulous day, without really running into any crowds, driving around the island seeing the waterfalls, beaches, maraes, with a great lunch at Terre Mer in Taraveo, Baie de Phaeton, on the southern coast...no, actually, it wasn't just great...it was fabulous...and the view!!

May just be a silly romantic idea.

 

Jim:rolleyes:

Or kind of like those people returning from Mexico to airports in cold climes, with those huge sombreros...except this is not something you can just leave, forgotten, in the basement after the thrill has worn off....maybe get one of those great tiki statues instead?

:)

If I am remembering correctly, there was at least one survivor who did indeed make it home. The company thought she was among the missing until she notified them that she'd gotten home. I think it was Germany so it does raise the question of how she got there without her passport.

 

Mura

Italy back to Germany (even through Switzerland) is within Schengen...no passport required.

Personally, I have found levels of service in high-end American hotels and restaurants about the same as in Europe though nothing beats Asia for truly astonishing levels of service - I recently stayed four nights at the Four Seasons Hong Kong and service levels there were off-the-scale.

 

Personally, as a European, I hardly ever tip - not even in the USA - though I do tip the maids/valets when I stay with friends and expect my guests to leave a little something for my staff when I hold shooting weekends.

And how is Lord Grantham?? Shrimpie back from India?:p;)

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in April and was wondering how much extra money we should bring?

 

 

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It depends....where...when...how long?:D....the more details, the more we can try to help.

It's St. John the Apostle :)

Thank you!:o

Another vote for Aegina. We had a few days in Athens (our second time) a few years ago, and spent a really nice day and evening on Aegina...30-45 mins by Dolphin ("fast ferry"/hydrofoil)...easy to do, and you'll already be at the port in Piraeus, right? They run regularly, and often throughout the day. Ferries go either to Aegina Town (west side of the island), or to Agios Marina (east side).

We rented a car (kind of a dumpy car, but it worked fine), and explored. We drove down the west coast to Perdika, a small fishing village, and had lunch there on the water, then spent some beach time nearby. We drove through the middle of the island and visited the Agios Nektarios, an absolutely huge church in the middle of relative nowhere (nice road, though)...it's about 10 mins, equally, from either Aegina Town or Agios Marina. Nearby there's some fascinating abandoned stone huts/homes/churches all up and down the hillside. There's also quite a spectacular Temple (of Aphaea, 489 BC), after which we wandered back along the north coast beach road. Hard to get lost, as the island is sort of a triangle shape, about 6 miles east-west, and about 7 miles north-south. We ended our day (as we were staying in Athens that night) with a nice leisurely dinner at a waterfront Taverna in Aegina Town, and when we saw the ferry come in, paid our bill and waalked across the street and got on and returned to Piraeus.

http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/aegina/

Also, check it out on Google Maps (or the map provider of your choice).

Of course, being so close to Athens, some may say one might not get the real Greek Island experience, but we really liked it, a lot, and were surprised that it was so nice and peaceful being so close to the hustle-and-bustle of Athens. Lots of nice beaches, too.

There is also a one day Saronic Island cruise, which stops at Aegina, Poros, and Hydra, but that might be too "busy", and may be too late back, so maybe not great on a port day?

Enjoy your day!

http://www.kusadasi.biz/info/guide/beaches

This, I found, was a very helpful site...keeping in mind that it is a none-too-thinly-veiled site selling tours, real estate and other services, but it does contain a lot of good info and pictures...check out the many categories for Kusudasi and area down the left-hand side of the page...the link is to the "beaches" page---many great beaches in the area.

Also, depending on your interests, you may consider renting a car (easy, good roads, driving is easy). Selcuk (20 mins drive) is a medium-sized city nearby...the Ephesus museum there is quite worthwhile, but was closed for renovations when we were there last (Dec '13)--it was scheduled to re-open in Sept '13, and hasn't yet, so check first if you may go.

The House of the Virgin Mary (where she purportedly lived out her later years) is close to Ephesus/Selcuk, as is the Cave of the Seven Sleepers and the Basilica of St. John (mostly ruins) where St. John (the Baptist, I think) is supposedly buried.

Of course, bargaining with the shopkeepers in the Bazaar could very well take up most of a day, if one is so inclined!

Whatever you do, enjoy your day!

Why waste vacation time ? All that can be done at home

Agreed!

Kinda like Teeth Whitening (people don't have dentists whithin a 50-mile radius of where they live?)....or....art dealers, or...jewellers, or...

:rolleyes:

How about Barcelona? We just disembaked the Rotterdam in Civitavecchia on Dec 11th, spent a couple of days in Rome (have been many times before), and then flew to Barcelona for 3 days. We had a very reasonable flight through Iberia (94 euro @). Stayed at the Hotel Colon opposite the Cathedral in the Barri Gotic...we had a great time!

Good luck and good travels, whatever you do!

Hi--we're just back from an 11 day E. Med on the Rotterdam:

--Day-of-the-week carpets in all elevators

--great offerings in the Neptune Lounge (we took the upsell)--nice OJ in the am (better than MDR or Lido). Got espresso or cappucino there in mornings to take to breakfast.

--Amenities in bathroom were adequate.

--Chair covers on 1 (of 3) formal nights, which weren't very formal, but that's another thread, isn't it?;)

--we received menus in the cabin each day.

--only the barest of essentials in the gym/spa showers (shampoo/cond/body wash in dispensers in shower; soap and lotion at sink)

--no late night dessert extravaganza

--No more terrific chocolates/cholocate bark in the Explorers' Lounge after dinner

--Yum-Yum man very generous with the mints--he gave me 6 each night:D

Bottom Line--we had a great cruise!! Yes--there have been a few cutbacks over the years, but we still love to cruise, and still like HAL!:)

We are just off the Rotterdam (disembarked Dec 11th in Rome). We had the $50 soda card. I, whether it's at McDonald's, the ballpark, the cinema, or wherever, hate to buy a glass (or cup) of ice with a little bit of soda (pop, soft drink) in it. So I always ordered it "no ice", with a glass of ice on the side, which was no problem at all.