LDL1220

10 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Upsells aren't random.  They are based on your booked cabin type and location and the desire for the cruise line to sell you into a under selling category then resell your cabin.  If you actually mean a free upgrade, that is a myth sold by clickbait authors who have never sailed.  

Thank you.  I guess the proper terminology is upsell.  Also, can you explain your answer for #4.  Is there no compensation for rate drops?

1 hour ago, lazydayz said:

4. The Free Drinks in the Casino do count against the 15 limit. There are very rare exceptions to the 15 drink limit, like drinks at cocktail parties or lunches where your card is not requested, or you poured it yourself (wine from embarkation, alcohol delivered to your cabin).  

 

And you can no longer buy additional alcoholic drinks from any bar if that puts you over 15. 

 

Once you start getting close (I think at 10 but could be wrong), the receipt indicates what number you are on.  

 

Hope you and your family have a great cruise. 

What about at Princess Cays where the Cheers package can not be utilized?  Do you know? That will definitely factor into our decision on whether to purchase Cheers since we are only on a 5 day Bahamas cruise.

Hi all:

We just booked a cruise for two (no small feat since we have 8 kiddos between us) and I have a few questions.

1.  Are we assigned a PVP and if so, when do they make contact?

2.  How do upgrades work?  Do you just get a random offering?

3. How about price drops?  Does Carnival honor them and if so, do you just notify your PVP? 

4.  My husband and I have both purchased the Cheers Package but he also receives free drinks in the casino.  He is strictly a beer drinker and can definitely go over 15 on sea days.  Is it 15 alcoholic drinks a day period?  Will free drinks in the casino count toward his 15? If needed, can he purchase a beer or two before he hits the 15?  This probably will not be an issue since it's highly unlikely I will reach my quota but one never knows. 

Thank you!

Lisa

53 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

This was my experience from Sept 2019.  There were 4 of us (mid 60's to mid 70's).  We wanted to see Pompeii AND the Amalfi Coast, but there's only so much you can do in a day!  We decided that the Amalfi Coast was our priority, and chose a private tour so that we could decide the itinerary. 400E.

 

I had been to Cinque Terre previously and the highlight for me was viewing the villages from the sea, so we added a ferry to our Amalfi trip.  The vendor suggested an early start to avoid as much traffic as possible, so we met our driver at 7:30am.  We made several stops for photos along the way to our first destination, Positano.  No crowds at all and we loved it !  Spent about 90 minutes there, then hopped on a Travelmar ferry to Amalfi. It was a beautiful day and the ferry ride was spectacular.  We spent about 90 minutes in Amalfi then met our driver. Amalfi was getting crowded, esp around the cathedral.   I wanted to sightsee and grab a quick lunch, but the driver suggested a nice restaurant outside Ravello.  The others liked his idea so that's what we did. The meal was so-so but the views were great.  We spent about 90 minutes in Ravello. Not many people around. The views from the Villa Rufalo were awesome. Best photos of the trip.  We didn't retrace our steps back to Naples; went the back way thru the mountains. It was a fantastic day!

 

I would encourage you to do some research on the various towns of the Amalfi Coast and come up with an itinerary that suits your interests. Borrow guide books from the library, view video on YouTube. 

Visit the Amalfi Coast Italy - Amalfi Coast Travel guide (amalfitanacoast.com)

 

 

 

Can I ask who you used? Anything sea related is a plus as my fiance is obsessed with water. He would be thrilled. We all would. Thank you! 

36 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Ravello is TINY.  I think it would be hard to occupy yourself for more than a couple of hours there. There's the Duomo and piazza in front of it, the Villa Rufolo and gardens, and the Villa Cimbrone (now a hotel). Not that much else especially if you're not into shopping.

 

 

Also, what would you want to do in Sorrento? It's as crowded as Positano or Amalfi most days and not half as charming. It's mostly about shopping, overpriced gelato, and lacklustre restaurants.

 

 

 

I really don't know. I'm just trying to avoid craziness which may be an impossibility. I value your insight greatly. Any other suggestions? None of us are shoppers on a grand scale. We are more interested in beautiful scenery, art, architecture and a nice meal. 

2 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

Odd that the tour companies didn't offer you a private option. 

Some vendor names I've saved from past trip reports include: Joe Banana Limos, Rome in Limo, ItalyTours.eu,  Aldo Limo, ItalyTourSharing, and TaxiMisterCabDriver.   

Maybe Sorrento and Ravello is not an option in my time frame?  I was offered a combo of Ravello, Amalfi, Positano etc. I am not really knowledgeable to the distances between the two stops I have requested.  I am really not interested in Positano, Amalfi or Capri based on what I have read with regard to the crowds. I would prefer more time at one destination than limited time in many. None of us are interested in shopping. Maybe I should just plan on going to Ravello.  Thoughts?

45 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Definitely not a huge price for an 8 hour day.

 

Have you checked Rome in Limo? Mentioned here frequently...huge thread just down the board.

I have not. Thank you. I will contact them. 

My group (4 adults) have decided they want to visit Sorrento and Ravello when we are in Naples in May.  We are in port from 6:30a-4:30p.  I have contacted several tour operators but most have set tours that include Positano, Amali, etc. and we don't want those stops.  Has anyone used a private car service they can recommend?  I have contacted Ravello Taxi and have been quoted 640 euros for our party which I thought was a bit high but maybe not.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thank you kindly,

Lisa 

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

My suggestions, for what they are worth:

 

-- Get off the ship early and get a taxi to the Acropolis entrance. If you can get there when the gates open you'll have about 90 minutes before it gets overcrowded. You can purchase advance tickets here.

 

-- After the Acropolis, walk back down the slope (making sure to see the Theatre of Dionysus) and then along the short path to the Greek Agora. It's not as visited but is well worth it. There is a Greek temple there (you can see it from the top of the Acropolis) that is far more complete than the Parthenon and is well worth seeing up close. Also there is a small museum inside the reconstructed stoa (Stoa of Attalos) that's fascinating. It includes actual ostraka (broken pottery pieces) that Athenians used to vote out or "ostracize" citizens who they felt were abusing power -- you'll see actual written names of famous "classical" Greeks such as Themistocles and Xanthippus.  (Rick Steves has a good audiotour or self-guided walk in his guidebook if you prefer written).

 

-- After this, go to the nearby Monastiraki area and have a gyro platter or some souvlaki for a quick lunch.

 

-- Now you're close to the Roman Forum, which includes an actual paced space (forum) as well as remains of several Roman buildings, including a library built by Hadrian.  At the bottom of the Roman Forum is the wonderful Tower of the Winds, a beautiful but rather enigmatic octagonal building built entirely of marble.

 

-- From here it's up to you. You could walk back through the Plaka, with a quick stop to look at the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus (unless really interested, a quick outside view is fine).  End at the Acropolis Museum, where you can learn more about the current and previous buildings on the acropolis, as well as see bits of sculpture from excavations there. You should be able to catch a taxi from here or, slightly backtrack to the area in front of Hadrian's arch where the X80 express bus stops.

 

-- Alternatively you could walk to Syntagma Square from the Roman Forum to see the old Royal Palace and Changing of the Guard. The X80 bus also has a stop here, and there are always taxis in this area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This helps me tremendously. I cannot thank you enough! 

Hi all:

I will be in Athens May 2, 2024 for a port stop.  There are 4 of us, all physically fit, enjoy walking etc.  To my knowledge, there will be one other ship in port that day and we will be there from 7a-6p.  We do want to see the Acropolis and Parthenon.  Beyond that, I am not sure and we are open to anything.  I would love suggestions for an itinerary within that time frame that will be easy to accomplish.  I am not interested in a ship's tour but am open to independent operators.  

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Lisa 

15 hours ago, Got2Cruise said:

Rome is very crowded and frankly overwhelming. Even if you are going to the Vatican with a private tour it’s still overwhelming. You need to do a bit of research and narrow down what you want to see there. I wouldn’t want to leave Rome without seeing the Sistine Chapel. 
 

 

I'm trying to do just that. The planning itself is overwhelming and I want to see it all but know that will not be possible. The Sistine Chapel is definitely a must as well as the Colosseum. Thank you for your advice. 

On 9/4/2023 at 9:34 AM, Dreamer68 said:

Same! Thanks so much for the LOL moment every time I check back in with this thread @LDL1220 I'll be in Rome in May 2024, first time back since backpacking through Europe as a university student  decades ago...so, I'm updating my info on this port reading this forum and following your journey closely to prepare for mine. 😉
 

PS - I too have found that Vatican tickets have not been released for my stop in the spring. So, I will set a reminder to check once a week. 

I will also be there in late April/May 2024 pre and post cruise and it will be my first time. I'm glad I found these forums as I am used to sailing the Caribbean where it is easy to just wing it. 😄

20 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

I just wanted to say I love the title of your post - not that you're a dummy at all - but it just made me laugh out loud. 

Well that makes me happy. Laughter is a wonderful thing! 😄

19 minutes ago, dianeksfun said:

We just got our flights for our Oct 2 cruise out of Quebec.  Our friends who are on the cruise too also got their flights.  We leave out of Cincinnati & will be flying together on the same flights.

Good for you!! Fingers crossed for that! Are you happy with your flights?

38 minutes ago, picruiser said:

We have 3 couples, 3 different reservations,  going out of San Juan on Feb 11 2024. We are getting the buy one get one offer on the air.  I'm wondering how well the cruise line is with getting all 6 people on the same flight, flying out of the same airport, IAD.

I was told do not count on it. I just posted above asking about experiences. My NCL rep told me if that was important that I should consider booking my own air. I don't have to fly with my adult son and DIL but it sure would be nice. 

Has anyone here used NCL Air and sailed with another couple (booking made at the same time) and managed to have flights together. We are all flying out of the same airport but was told we cannot be guaranteed flights together. I would love to book our own flight but it's not financially feasible for my kids especially. 

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

Sometimes one can be too thorough!!  Each time I get another confirmation, I need to compare the

 

new confirmation line by line with the original confirmation (including checking my purchased seat upgrades with each airline) just to make sure there weren't any changes.  🛫 🛬 🪂 😄

Stressful! Vacation is supposed to be relaxing. Hope all goes well. 

13 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

This morning I got the 8th.  😵 

Well, at least they are thorough. 😅

1 hour ago, sassycruiser said:

Thank you.  In that time frame for vacation when I am really excited because it’s coming soon and panic because I have to pack and why didn’t I loose any weight this summer?  😀

I'm 8 months out and feel that way! 😭 Relax and enjoy. I can't wait to hear about your trip! 

1 hour ago, sassycruiser said:

Leaving 5 pm on 8/26

I hope you have an amazing trip. If you think about it, let me know how your tour goes. 

11 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

The Tour guy.com 

 

the tour is called Privileged Entrance to the Vatican.  I have been previously and did all self guided.  My sister insisted we get a. Tour.  So I am not 100% on what is covered beyond the Sistine Chapel. 

I was just looking at this tour last night. When is your cruise?

On 8/13/2023 at 9:38 PM, sassycruiser said:

We are doing the early morning tour the day of departure.  Leaving our hotel with Rome Cabs at 1.  We know it will be tight but I think it will be better than trying to squeeze in the tour with other things on Thursday and Friday.   Hoping we will get to check after the majority of people so less time in line. 

Are you doing both or just the museums? May I ask what tour you have chosen? 

On 8/13/2023 at 9:31 PM, kwokpot said:

How long will you have been in Rome? A bit too much going on. Jetlag is a very real thing. You need several days to get used to the time changes. You're cramming too much. 

 

We will arrive the day prior, unknown time. I am now thinking of just doing St. Peter's and I would love to do the dome climb. Is this reasonable if we get there super early? We will do the museums on the back end of the trip. 

25 minutes ago, amypintx said:

We had a great time on this food tour. Lots of interesting stories about the area (Jewish ghetto included) with samples of food, wine and beer (including fried artichokes). 
 

Tasty Rome Street Food with Bruno

This looks like something I would love. Can you tell me about what time you took this tour? 

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I've heard a third night is permitted when booking the NCL hotel, however I am not sure that is accurate any longer. I did a search on the TA site and couldn't find any information on it. On NCL's site, I found the date deviation program listed under their flight booking service webpage which states two days. There is nothing about adding a hotel to receive a three day deviation. My guess is, they no longer allow three day deviations, but I could absolutely be wrong. 

 

Source: https://www.ncl.com/air-service-standards

Hmmm, that's odd as my rep just told me you can do a three day deviation with their hotels. It seems one won't really know until they try. Thank you for the information.