Bellanina

Taking notes. Thanks!

Many thanks for your input and recommendations! I will highly consider those options!

Thank you- Good to know for next time!

Good points- I'll be more specific- I also failed to ask whether Silversea excursions are preferred over external excursions in that we haven't cruised recently- is it best to rely on who brought us there and will get us back to the ship on time? Regarding our start off in Naples- we have two days in port. An incident in Naples, one wrong turn after picking up our rental vehicle, put us in insane traffic in the past. Whatever you do, don't drive in Naples. The experience was overwhelming for my better half, and he now has little interest in Naples, but I would love to see more of it, especially the Spanish area. I chose Silversea's excursion to Herulaneum one day, but wonder if that's worthwhile. We've been to Pompeii, Amalfi, Sorrento and Capri- all also offered as excursions out of Naples, so we are not interested in those. I'd like to see the metro, Spanish area, and sunset over Naples- wing it or do a tour?

Yes, it is! I'm reading on to see if there's any mention of Silversea offering King Crab Legs!

Nice- we may need to find those TA's!

We haven't cruised in years and are trying to plan a bit ahead for our Med Cruise with Silversea. Typically we are on land with longer stays in each area, but look forward to more destinations and not having to navigate on our own. Which Med ports have you experienced the best excursion options, and are not to be missed? Or would you just hang out in each and enjoy being with the locals and exploring on your own? So difficult to commit to excursions, but since they are included with SS we hope to take advantage of a few.

We are doing two nights post cruise this Fall after two days in port in Fusina. We also decided on Hilton Molino Stucky, but booked on our own so we could take advantage of double points through Hilton Honors. What are all these perks everyone receives from their TA? We used an external TA and they gave us minimal shipboard credits.

So glad to hear it's as good as I had hoped- so looking forward to this on our Med Cruise!

Really enjoyed the photos of Polignano as it brought me back to a wonderful land experience of that entire area. So many towns to explore. My grandfather was from Giovinazzo, outside of Bari, and I hope to get back there one day.

I lost track?

We are looking forward to being on Silver Moon this Fall, and have been enjoying your posts Thanks so much for taking the time to share. Just had to chime in and say that Corpse Reviver is one of my favorite cocktails!

I have since learned same about transfers through cruise lines when we opt out of their partnered hotels. I will look into Romecabs! Thanks!

This is an excellent point, especially since we are food and wine lovers. Still hoping to catch a bit of local dining when in ports during the day,

I can appreciate any opportunity to immerse longer in place, which we have done, and will surely do again. We haven't cruised in many years, so the jury is still out on limited times in port. I purposely chose an itinerary that allowed us overnights in port, but it's not perfect. Fingers crossed! Have not done a bus tour, but have done tours in a Sprinter.

Here's why we are excited about our first Med Cruise. We have traveled Caribbean areas, East and West, also extensively in Mexico and other tropical areas, plus Hawaii, and all the CA wine areas. Sometimes it's been independent, and some have been tours with groups. All prior travels to Europe have been planned independently, affording us time to immerse in one area longer, which we love. But we are weary of unpacking, checking in repeatedly on tours, and being on the road in other countries. The ability to sample areas we may want to return to, without having to pack up and leave every day or so, is appealing at this point. We haven't been on a cruise in many years and are willing to pay a bit more for a cruise over a land tour.

We are celebrating a special anniversary via a cruise too. We hope to renew vows while in port at the sister city to that which we were married in the USA. Have been reaching out for services while we are in port one day and photographers seem more affordable for an informal private ceremony. Try looking at experiences through air bnb as you may find local photographers. As well, hiring a private driver while in port is an option. We will also take advantage of what our cruise line offers on board- I think I read that cake, champagne and complimentary ceremony from Captain or Events Coordinator is available if we notify them 90 days prior.

Thanks for all the input- will check out all your hotel suggestions. We haven't spent time in Rome for several years, and look forward to our pre-cruise time there. I need to double check with our TA to see if SS ( SilverSea) provides transfer from airport to hotel and from hotel to port if we deviate and arrange our flights on our own,

Hubs and I are SS newbies and have not cruised in several years. We want to spend 2-3 days in Rome before boarding. Looking for hotel options in or around city centre where we can walk to sites. In addition, we are looking for best transport to port Civitavecchia. Is this reasonable, or should we stay closer to port? Also, are there hotels that provide shuttle service to port? Thanks

The difference between a long dress and a gown is that many long simple dresses can be rolled tightly & packed much easier than a gown. I can fit two long dresses in a zip lock bag! They can be dressed up easily with formal accessories.

Great info- I'm happy to read this! We will celebrate our wedding anniversary on an upcoming Silver Moon cruise and hope to to renew our vows in port- nothing too formal. Due to time constraints in port, I can see the benefit of requesting a celebratory dinner on board once we leave port.

Following