traveling1969

Today the plan was a Viator tour to Pisa. essentially just a transfer. We took the shuttle (5 euros r/t) to downtown to catch the bus. We found that they had a transfer to Pisa for 15 euros. This was the same as we booked through Viator for $25 so our advice; just go to the shuttle drop off and book locally. Same company.

Pisa was nice but the changes since we were last there in 1980 were marked. All of the vendors have been moved out of the "field of miracles to just outside the walls. When we were here, entrance to everything, tower, baptistry, cathedral was free. Now there is a charge for everything. When you climb the tower, you cannot get out at the various levels, only the last two. The topmost level is closed. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the area. We grabbed a sandwich at one of the cafes and it was scrumptious. The bus drops you at a bus park about 800 meters from the town center. A short easy, level walk. The rain held off for us; perhaps because we had our umbrella!

The weather for the rest of our stops (Barcelona, Toulon and Ponta Delgada is iffy. No hoo hoo though; we've got that umbrella.

Ron Goodman is the cruise director and he is very personable. The drink package is great. Yesterday, embarkation day, we started with wine at lunch, a g&t later, a couple Chairman of the Boards for happy hour, wine with din din, a cappuccino and Frangelico for dessert topped off by a Beefeater martini in the casino. Yes, we can still remember everything we did so it's all good!

Tomorrow is Toulon. We have a ship's tour to Marseille and Aix en Provence on tap. Looks as if we may be dodging showers but hey, we ain't made of sugar so we won't melt. Just left the platinum/elite event (and 2 Chairmans) and now it's off to din din. Last night I had the pork chop (an inch thick and very tasty with ratatouille and red potatoes), and Joyce had the Curtis Stone's seafood stew. Everything was yumm.

So long for now. Din din's calling!.

Harry

Have a great trip Harry and Joyce! Your friends here in Naples will be

reading all your reviews! Say hello to Ron Goodman the CD for us.

 

Ron and Patty

Hi guys! Wish you were here. Met Ron this morning and had a nice chit chat. Welcome aboard!

Harry

Good morning from the beautiful Royal Princess. Since everyone seems interested, the center stairs are supposedly in place but the word is they won't be open for 3 days. Will update later.

Our flight from JFK to FCO was smooth as silk. Found our driver waiting and were whisked away to Civitavecchia. Here's where the "fun" began. No room at the inn!. They couldn't find our reservation which we had made last December with the owner. He finally showed up and proceeded to blame Booking.com for the snafu. Long story short we were shunted to another B&B about a half mile away. Not happy! but we decided to make lemonade:rolleyes:. After a liter of the local red at our favorite cafe, things began to look up a bit.

Next morning, the plan was to take the train into Rome. Lo and behold, the skies opened up and plans changed. We spent the day (after reading in our room for a couple hours) strolling around town, doing some shopping for wine and sundries followed by dinner at our one of our favorite restaurants. We decided to go to Rome the next day instead of Tarquinia.

Guess what; we awoke to another deluge and plans changed again. Then things went down hill again. The owner of the new B&B came by and said we had to move AGAIN!!! We did our best not to tear his head off and trudged around the corner to our new digs. By 11:30, things cleared a bit so we headed to the market to get our years supply of Aged Parmaggiano Reggiano. Got two massive hunks and tucked those away then had a repeat of the day before. Found a great Gelato place and indulged. Had dinner at another favorite spot, went back to the room and killed a bottle of champagne called it a day. What was supposed to have been a nice pre-cruise visit turned out to be less than perfect but no biggy, we were going cruising!

Up and at 'em bright and early on Saturday, we had a coffee and croissant, took a small stroll then headed back to wait for our ride to the port. Easy peasy and soon we boarded the Royal. She's in great shape and looks spotless after her drydock. She has the new Sea Witch bow paint job (UGH)

but otherwise looks the same. Had a nice leisurely lunch in the dining room, switch our Banquet-style 2 top for a free-standing table and commenced to exercise our deluxe drink package:eek:. Could be a long cruise!

Today is Day two and we're off to Pisa. There is a local shuttle (5 euros r/t) to the pick-up spot downtown. For those wishing to take the train to Florence, Pisa or elsewhere, there is another shuttle to the train station for 12 euros r/t.

Joyce is waiting so we're off!

Harry

Harry,

 

I have enjoyed reading your past reviews. The only difference this time, my wife and I will be joining you on this sailing. We are driving tonight down to Ft Lauderdale and flying from there. We are staying one night in Venice and two nights in Rome before joining the beautiful Royal Princess.

 

Karen and Andrew

Safe travels and see you on board.

Harry

Well, here we go again; off on another Princess adventure. We sailed on the Royal's Inaugural Transatlantic in 2013 and are looking forward to another voyage on her. We've also booked both of the TA's on her next year. She's just coming out of dry dock so we're curious as to any changes. Heard some rumors regarding opening up the center stairs to passengers and we'll report what we find.

No new ports for us on this cruise but we always enjoy revisiting favorite restaurants and venues so it's all good. We have two excursions planned; in Livorno we're doing a bus transfer to and from Pisa through Viator and in Toulon, a Princess excursion to Marseille and Aix en Provence.

We are staying 3 days pre-cruise at the Alibrandi Palace in Civitavecchia. Our transfer from the airport is through Civitavecchia Cab Service. Alibrandi Palace is an elegant B&B only a block and a half from the port. Very nice digs, great breakfast and wonderful staff; a real gem. It's only a short 500 yard bag drag to the port shuttle stop so perfect for us. We plan on taking the train into Rome one day and taking the local bus to Tarquinia the next.

It's time to check in for our flight then a few last minute jobs around the house. We actually finished packing yesterday quite unlike our usual last minute scramble. Might get a chance to post one last time tonight then no posts till we get on board as we never take any "devices" on vacation. Hope that others on the cruise will post here as well. So long for now.

Harry

Hope to see that special again. Probably not combinable though!

I hope you don't mind if I take those comments as compliments. :)

 

Most people spend more on a single cruise than I spent in total ($3,050) to get to Elite/Diamond in 5 cruises/74nights. :eek: :D :rolleyes:

 

My requirement has always been to ONLY book for LESS than $50pp/night, and I even managed to get a couple of them for $30pp/night. :cool:

 

Might have to try more cruises with Princess and their incredible stacking of multiple OBCs, and save RCCL for the REALLY inexpensive ones... :o

 

There's a 15 night Panama Canal cruise on Infinity for only $659pp... and a 13 night T/A on the Jewel for $594pp!

Try as I might, I can't find a 15 night PC cruise on Infinity for $659pp.

Harry

When we first meet our room steward, we give them a list of requests which might include:

*2 extra feather pillows

*ice twice a day

*robes

*2 extra bath towels every day

*extra hangars

*remove sodas, water etc.

*beds apart (we always ask beforehand but they're usually together)

*2 wine glasses

*egg crate mattress topper (if needed)

When our immediate concerns are met, we give our steward $10 as a tip, gratuity, thank you, call it what you will. We also auto-tip and at the end of the cruise, we tip a bit extra when service has been exceptional. We also reward our wait staff with a bit extra if service has warranted it. We have recently begun carrying singles with us and when we see someone (floor sweepers/moppers, rest room attendants etc.) we give them a dollar and thank them for their hard work. It's fun and the smiles we get in return are a bonus. Tip or not as you see fit. We try to use the Golden Rule as our guide.

Harry

We are also on that TA (flying Delta via EZAir) and have had two major changes so far. In both instances, I logged onto Delta's web site, checked available flights (and seats), selected alternatives then called EZAir. I insisted that the rep take down my choices BEFORE they called Delta then had them present same to the Delta rep. Both times I got what I asked for with no problem.

Harry

I just read the expiration date on my passport and it expired 6 months ago. What are my options? I leave in 2 days from Galveston for Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica.

You're kidding right? You booked this cruise when? And you didn't have a clue? HUH? OMG is right!

Harry

Recent postings seem to confirm my sincere disappointment. I'm a beef (red, red, red) lover and it was always nice to have the medallions as an alternative for those times when nothing else appealed. Add to that a little bearnaise and life was good. Seldom have we been able to get flank steak served rare enough for our taste. As the Stones said "Let it Bleed".

It's been a while since our last cruise so my question is this: are there any "always available" beef choices we would enjoy? If you enjoy chicken, good for you. If you enjoy salmon or another type of fish, good for you. If you enjoy a vegetarian or vegan dish, good for you. We enjoy our red meat and we want Princess to know it. Please bring back the medallions! They were perfect.

Harry

Chances are equal. It has happened to us several times. We usually book EZair with Delta and they are notorious for time changes and cancellations whether booked through EZair or directly with the airline.

Here's what I do when that happens. I go to Delta's web site and find alternate flights that work and I look at available seats. Then and only then do I call Princess. I insist that the agent take down my preferred flights and seats BEFORE they coordinate with EZair and the airline. Delta has always accommodated our request at no additional charge.

Harry

Are there any excursions that you have taken that you were highly disappointed in? Any that you really enjoyed and felt they were well worth the money? We do some private tours but will also do ship excursions or sometimes do it on our own. Just wondering what your experiences have been. Ports are Florence/Pisa, Monte Carlo, Toulon (for Provence), Gibraltar, Valencia,Spain, Barcelona, Cartagena, Marseille (Provence), Genoa (for Milan).

I recommend doing a cruise ship shore excursion at these ports: Livorno (Florence/Pisa) and Toulon. I recommend doing the following ports on your own: Gibraltar, Valencia, Barcelona, Cartagena, Marseille and Genoa. Here's why. Most of the "sights" at Livorno and Toulon are far from the port and doing them on one's own is a bit daunting. As for the others, most of the points of interest are readily accessible from the port and one can walk to them. Many folks overlook Genoa in favor of Milan, but we thought Genoa was a delight. The exception is Barcelona (not an easy walk from the port) but there is a convenient port bus to get you into the center of things. Enjoy!

Harry

I know! I'm obsessed with cruising!

Harry

Cruise Critic is your home page on all your devices!

Harry

all your aperitif glasses have logos on them!

Harry

you starve in between cruises just to fit into your formal gear!

Harry

the tile in your shower is caving in but you won't cancel a cruise to get it fixed!

Harry

you cavalierly charge $5000 on your credit card just to get $50 OBC!

Harry

90% of questions asked on these boards are available from the cruise line yet people seem to have no clue. If you booked why not ask the line and not here where you will get 3 diff. answers to the same question or many opinions that don't answer the question. I understand if you are a first timer but some are just ??? (dress code). Flame on

I don't get it. Why would you ask when you already know the answer. I mean surely, this question has been asked and answered on these boards many times before.:rolleyes:

Harry

You can check your Crown & Anchor points yourself online. Just go to the Royal Caribbean website - it is free to access it on the ship - sign into your account, and your points will be visible.

 

You don't need anyone's help.

 

You don't need the Loyalty Ambassador.

 

You don't need to be offended that a group is meeting in the library.

 

:rolleyes:

I don't believe the OP was the one who was "offended" although the OP had every right to be. The Library is an open venue and the OP had every right to go there with a beer in hand. Of course the OP didn't NEED the Loyalty Ambassador but isn't that the function of the Loyalty Ambassador; to assist passengers with Loyalty based inquiries? The OP's actions were reasonable.

Harry

What the OP describes is the absolute norm on cruise ships. Whenever there is a popular "open" area, people will congregate to see and be seen; to play cards or games; to read books or write in their journal; to surf on their laptop or device and yes, to catch a quick cat-nap. That's where the action is and we all want to be there.

You see it on the Royal Promenade on RCCL ships where often there is not a free seat at the pub and many folks will not have ordered a drink. Same with the Promenade Café. They sit and do whatever and maybe just people watch. The same thing happens in the Viking Crown Lounge. It's a very popular venue for all those things and yes, folks do on occasion order a drink or two.

On Princess ships, you see this behavior in the Wheelhouse Bar, Adagio, Horizon Court and of course in the Piazza. Guess what? THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!!!

Closed venues, such as Alfredo's, Lotus Spa, Sanctuary and specialty restaurants (yes, that includes Johnny Rockets on RCCL ships) are by their very nature, different. You won't find those sorts of activities going on there unless as happens sometimes in the Crown Grill in the afternoon when it is opened up for all sorts of table games.

Wait, there may be one venue that is "open" by definition and "closed" to those sort of activities. Try sitting and reading a book or taking a snooze while sitting in front of a slot machine...if you DARE.

To the OP, bottom line is this, you use "open" venues how you wish and so will I. If you want to advocate for a "closed" venue in the most popular area of the ship go ahead and do so and good luck with that. But face facts, as long as those areas remain "open", we will use them as we see fit.

ZZZZZZZZ.

Harry

My wife and I did a 4 night cruise on Liberty for $500 for the both of us. I can't imagine spending 400 on a hut for a few hours. However, putting the price in Canadian dollars isn't really fair for judging price. Your dollar is weaker and that makes royal prices higher to you now but that doesn't mean they are that high for everyone. Royal certainly isn't gonna adjust price for that because your currency is weak. That is just the cost of coming to the US for vacation. The Brits, brexit and all, still enjoy a nice discount in the US. And

For me it is expensive to go there for a vacation.

How is it unfair for the OP to put the price in Canadian dollars? It was clearly stated in U.S. dollars first. Do you really think that the OP is not aware of the difference. Perhaps it is you who is unaware. IMO the whole comment in bold was unnecessary. And I also agree that the price is ridiculous. We (4 couples) paid $240 for an over-the-water cabana a few years ago and we thought the price was high then. A $160 increase in such a short time is a bit too much.

Harry

You said you had "done" Rome before so I'll recommend an alternative which is also easy to do from Civitavecchia.

On our last TA, we stayed in Civitavecchia for several days and one day we took the bus to Tarquinia. It's an old walled city about 30-45 minutes away by bus. Well worth a visit and the cost of the bus was just a few euros.

Rome is easily doable by train and there are several trains all day. We prefer to exit the train at the Trastevere station. If you get the BIRG ticket, there is a Tram (#8) that stops just outside the station which will take you into the heart of the city. We take the same tram when we leave. I hate to go all the way to the Termini station as it is so far out of the city center.

If there is a strike, you should be prepared to bite the bullet and grab an expensive taxi back. An alternative in case of a snafu is to grab a train or bus to the next port on the itinerary.

Harry

I thought I posted it, but it must have fallen out of my pocket. I found it on the floor beside my chair. Here it is! :)

 

And a :D for good measure.