biggytaz
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Posts posted by biggytaz
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Just now, biggytaz said:
My wife and i are staying at a hotel smeraldo in rome prior to our Princess cruise. How difficult is it to get luggage and us from our hotel to the cruise terminal via the train? is it a huge walk to the train station from the hotel? Is there any other options that are affordable?
Looking at the comments i am confused as to which train i would want to get, it sounds like the regional trains are teh crowded ones adn leave at a further away station, is that correct? Thanks for all the help.
Mat
if it makes a diference, we will be leaving our hotel on 10/1/22 to go to the cruise terminal.
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My wife and i are staying at a hotel smeraldo in rome prior to our Princess cruise. How difficult is it to get luggage and us from our hotel to the cruise terminal via the train? is it a huge walk to the train station from the hotel? Is there any other options that are affordable?
Looking at the comments i am confused as to which train i would want to get, it sounds like the regional trains are teh crowded ones adn leave at a further away station, is that correct? Thanks for all the help.
Mat
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Thank you so much! i also just purchased the Rick Steves book, so that should be on the way next week. Keep the suggestions coming including tours that you have been on!
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On 3/5/2022 at 10:18 PM, riffatsea said:
biggytaz,Have you posted on the roll call for your specific cruise?
I ask because that way you can join with ot h ers to book tours
yes, almost no action at all on roll call
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Pre and post cruise hotels all booked, now off to research ports of calls. My wife and I have not been at all so we are looking for the historical highlights, interesting foods and wines and in general the must sees in this area. Thoughts on these ports and any recommended tour vendors in these ports. in rome we will be there the day before (arriving at 8am) and the day after in barcelona.
I think we are just going to do our own walking tour in rome that way we can go at our own pace since we will be getting in in the morning and may crash early from jet lag.
I appreciate all your help.
Mat
Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 07:00 PM
10/2/22 Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii) 07:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/3/22 At Sea
10/4/22 Crete (Heraklion), Greece 09:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/5/22 Kusadasi, Turkey (for Ephesus) 07:00 AM 02:00 PM
10/6/22 Istanbul, Turkey 09:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/7/22 Mykonos, Greece 12:00 PM 09:00 PM
10/8/22 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 04:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/9/22 Santorini, Greece 07:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/10/22 At Sea
10/11/22 Kotor, Montenegro 07:00 AM 03:00 PM
10/12/22 Sicily (Messina), Italy 12:00 PM 08:00 PM
10/13/22 Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii) 07:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/14/22 At Sea
10/15/22 Barcelona, Spain -
Pre and post cruise hotels all booked, now off to research ports of calls. My wife and I have not been at all so we are looking for the historical highlights, interesting foods and wines and in general the must sees in this area. Thoughts on these ports and any recommended tour vendors in these ports. in rome we will be there the day before (arriving at 8am) and the day after in barcelona.
I think we are just going to do our own walking tour in rome that way we can go at our own pace since we will be getting in in the morning and may crash early from jet lag.
I appreciate all your help.
Mat
Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 07:00 PM
10/2/22 Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii) 07:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/3/22 At Sea
10/4/22 Crete (Heraklion), Greece 09:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/5/22 Kusadasi, Turkey (for Ephesus) 07:00 AM 02:00 PM
10/6/22 Istanbul, Turkey 09:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/7/22 Mykonos, Greece 12:00 PM 09:00 PM
10/8/22 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 04:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/9/22 Santorini, Greece 07:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/10/22 At Sea
10/11/22 Kotor, Montenegro 07:00 AM 03:00 PM
10/12/22 Sicily (Messina), Italy 12:00 PM 08:00 PM
10/13/22 Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii) 07:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/14/22 At Sea
10/15/22 Barcelona, Spain -
Pre and post cruise hotels all booked, now off to research ports of calls. My wife and I have not been at all so we are looking for the historical highlights, interesting foods and wines and in general the must sees in this area. Thoughts on these ports and any recommended tour vendors in these ports. in rome we will be there the day before (arriving at 8am) and the day after in barcelona.
I think we are just going to do our own walking tour in rome that way we can go at our own pace since we will be getting in in the morning and may crash early from jet lag.
I appreciate all your help.
Mat
Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 07:00 PM
10/2/22 Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii) 07:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/3/22 At Sea
10/4/22 Crete (Heraklion), Greece 09:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/5/22 Kusadasi, Turkey (for Ephesus) 07:00 AM 02:00 PM
10/6/22 Istanbul, Turkey 09:00 AM 06:00 PM
10/7/22 Mykonos, Greece 12:00 PM 09:00 PM
10/8/22 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 04:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/9/22 Santorini, Greece 07:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/10/22 At Sea
10/11/22 Kotor, Montenegro 07:00 AM 03:00 PM
10/12/22 Sicily (Messina), Italy 12:00 PM 08:00 PM
10/13/22 Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii) 07:00 AM 07:00 PM
10/14/22 At Sea
10/15/22 Barcelona, Spain -
On 2/28/2022 at 3:57 PM, cruisemom42 said:
The two hotels I mentioned should be very satisfactory -- friendly, updated, clean, and offer complimentary breakfast. (And remember, cappucino and espresso are included. 😃)
In the interest of time, I suggest you read up on them, decide which appeals more, and book. I quoted you rates from hotel.com but I would suggest going direct to the hotel website as you may get a slightly better deal there. Given the unsettled times I would also suggest NOT booking anything nonrefundable.
Once you have that sussed, we are happy to help you with other things like sightseeing.
We booked Hotel Smeraldo! and i booked Hotel Continental in Barcelona for after the cruise. Now on to figuring out tours at each port! Thanks so much for your help with the hotels!
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3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:
Unfortunately your budget isn't going to go too far in Rome in what is still fairly high tourist season.
For your short time in Rome, would you be most interested in seeing the iconic Roman sites (Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, etc.) or the Vatican?
Hotel Smeraldo, which has been recommended several times in this thread, is available with a basic double room for $174 (about $200 w/fees) according to hotels.com -- I would highly consider that one and I wouldn't wait long to book. The hotel is small and rooms go fast.
Hotel Navona, where I've stayed and would recommend the hotel and location, has a double for $194 (so slightly over $200 with fees).
Both of these hotels are well located near Piazza Navona/Campo dei Fiori/Pantheon -- which is a prime area in the evening for strolling, restaurants, etc. and the main sites are walking distance (such as the Colosseum/Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain).
Edited to add: Just for the record, there are not many Rome hotels that require a 2-night minimum. Unless perhaps it is a major holiday. It used to be more common in Venice but even there it seems to be less common than previously.
I think we could go over the 200 for the 1 night if the hotel was good and good location and offered a decent complimentary breakfast!!!. definitely the roman sites over the vatican. Cruisemom, thank you so much i think i have seen your posts on here and everywhere over the Mediterranean forums. you should write your own travel book. i would love to also get your thoughts on all the ports and semi private tours at each port, but first i want to get the hotel booked.
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16 minutes ago, nini said:
Congratulations on your marriage! You may be jet lagged and not wanting to do a lot of touring on your arrival day. Also, your arrival time will determine what time you have remaining to do any sightseeing. We stayed 3 nights pre-cruise and barely scratched the surface. Learn what you can about Rome and set some priorities. Cruisemom42 will have excellent advice for you.
I suggest staying in a central area (Pantheon) and mapping out a walking tour and possibly booking a food tour.
We booked private transfers from the airport to our hotel, Rome to the port and then back from the port to the airport. These were shared rides so costing less. Do a search for transfers on this forum.
One night is very short... you will then leave in the morning for the ship. I looked up our hotel where we stayed but it is over your budget.
TripAdvisor is a good toll as you can also get an idea of the location of the hotel on the map that is further down on the listing of that hotel.
Thank you, what private/shared transfer service do you recommend?
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1 hour ago, bennybear said:
Suggest you do some research at library to decide what you want to see. Everyone is different, but the more research you do, the better your trip.
When you say you are there for just one day, do you mean two nights? Because if it’s just one night and you’re arriving jet lagged it’s not enough time. You really need at least three nights as the first day will be near to a write off.
re taking the train, depends on how much luggage you have? No one is there to help lift it off and on, There can be stairs to manage with luggage. We prefer a private transfer.thanks for the info, i will start looking into transfers from airport to hotel and hotel to cruise.
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12 minutes ago, nini said:
Congratulations on your marriage! You may be jet lagged and not wanting to do a lot of touring on your arrival day. Also, your arrival time will determine what time you have remaining to do any sightseeing. We stayed 3 nights pre-cruise and barely scratched the surface. Learn what you can about Rome and set some priorities. Cruisemom42 will have excellent advice for you.
I suggest staying in a central area (Pantheon) and mapping out a walking tour and possibly booking a food tour.
We booked private transfers from the airport to our hotel, Rome to the port and then back from the port to the airport. These were shared rides so costing less. Do a search for transfers on this forum.
One night is very short... you will then leave in the morning for the ship. I looked up our hotel where we stayed but it is over your budget.
TripAdvisor is a good toll as you can also get an idea of the location of the hotel on the map that is further down on the listing of that hotel.
We will be flying overnight and have been successful in being able to sleep, but that is a valid point we will not be at our best. our flight is planned to arrive at 8am on the 30th and our cruise leaves on the 1st.
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So reading through the posts on this thread is difficult (with over 16 pages) and several hotels require more than 1 day stay. So looking for some help going through this info and providing some highlights of hotels. My wife and I will be on our honeymoon and will be arriving 1 day prior (Sept 30) to our Princess Regal Cruise. We will only be in Rome the 30th and then the 1st with getting on the cruise. Our budget is not super high since we are splurging on the 2 week cruise. we are looking to spend $200 or less and want to have access to the typical sites. So in addition to hotels, what sites do you recommend? what is not worth the time? again we are there 1 day only. And should we take train from airport to hotel? and train to cruise port? thanks for all the help. lots to figure out.
Mat
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we will be arriving 1 day before our cruise on the vision of the seas leaves. What are some good hotel recommendations? Do any hotels offer free transportation from airport or is it easy enough and cheap enough to use public transportation? this is our first time cruising in Europe. my wife and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary.
also what are some good and reasonable priced tours to do in Barcelona?
and finally what is the best and cheapest method to get back to the airport from the cruise terminal when we depart?
Thanks for any good information that you may be able to share!
Mat & Kristin
Enchantment of the Seas
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
We are sailing on the enchantment in february with 2 adults and 2 children (age 8 and 10). We have a 1030am flight out of tampa on way home. is it easy to grab a taxi or uber or lyft at the pier? i would think that would be faster than getting a RCL transfer. any advantage for of getting rcl transfer? do they let rcl transfer off ship first. I assume we will be fine if we take our luggage off ourselves and be part of the initial disembarkment and grab a taxi. any suggestions or help appreciated.
Mat