On 1/6/2023 at 10:54 AM, HicksRA said:

Removing access to the Concierge Lounge concerned me about as much as dropping a penny in the parking lot and not bothering to bend over and pick it up. 

I do hope they don’t decide to put an expiration date on accrued points like some airlines have done. 

MSC cruises do that which is why I would not sail with them.  You  loose them if you do not sail with MSC at least every 3 years. 

7 hours ago, tinykygal said:

Do we have to pre-pay gratuities in order to choose My Time Dining?

No  you do  not have to 

Are  there people at the port selling  tours?  How long are the tours and are they  much cheaper then the cruise ship?

Should I book one of these tours are just book with the cruise line? 

On 10/7/2022 at 2:36 PM, m8zenblue said:

We have never been to Key West, have always wanted to go there !

We do not plan on going outside the port, whichever port we dock at.

What are some places to visit at the port, we are interested in Key Lime pie, cigars, Tortuga cakes and souvenirs 

There is no port, just a dock.  However there are lots of things close by the  ship dock. 

On 11/10/2022 at 12:29 PM, MScarn123 said:

I am so excited to visit Key West on our cruise! We will get an early start and want to visit the Hemingway Home, the Southernmost Point, and the butterfly garden, then have lunch by the marina and pick up some key lime pie. It looks like this is all within walking distance of the ship, is this a feasible plan if we get off the ship right away?

Yes it is a feasible  plan,   I have done it before no problem.   The southernmost Point is about a 20 minute walk from the Key West Cruise port.   

Are  there people at the port selling  tours?  How long are the tours and are they  much cheaper then the cruise ship?

Should I book one of these tours are just book with the cruise line? 

On 12/20/2022 at 3:16 PM, CanadianCruiseCritic said:

I am considering at booking an 6 night Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas for March 2024. If I choose my own balcony room it costs $4500, however if I let cruise line pick my balcony room it is only $3500. I would normally pick my own cabin, as I can get motion sickness (especially in the forward part of the ship), but for $1000 savings wondering if its worth the risk and pray I get a mid or aft cabin. Thoughts? 

I find that every time I book a guaranteed cabin class and let the cruise ship  pick my cabin,   it is always in the  very front of the ship.

The cruise line   might be able to give you something for motion sickness. 

I was  able to request for a table for two.  One ship it was two  inches away from the next table so  I would hardly called that a private table for two.   Other times it was a proper private table for for two far enough away from other guests.  

Is it safe to  walk from the Puerto Plata  cruise port  to the  main part of town.  I want to  see The Fort  called Fortaleza de San Felipe and Parque Central etc

You will be ok for a inside cabin  as you are not in the room that long anyway.  Interior cabins are a good way to save money. 

You can have 12 standard 17 oz water bottles in your carry on.   

There are two docks.  One of the docks is more industrial with no  shopping. Only a bit of  shopping inside the port. However you  can take a taxi  for $5 into the shopping part of town.  To walk there is not scenic, however  from the other dock the walk is  by the waterfront and scenic. You can see view of the cruise ships  docked in the harbour as well.

 I was in St. Thomas February 2022 at the Industrial dock. 

Can any recommend a Independent Tour.  I am looking for preferably a Island tour as I have never been there before.  I would like to see the Pitons.

Can any recommend a Independent Tours.  I am looking for preferably a Island tour as I have never been  to  Barbados before.

Can any recommend a Independent Tour  for  Antigua.  I am looking for preferably a Island tour as I have never been there before.

Something you can do in Vancouver is go to the Aquarium,

Go to False creek an take a walk by water( The North side is a lot nicer)

Stanley Park,    If you venture in too far, it can a long time to get out.

Walk by Victoria Harbor

Take a cool boat ride  through The Fjords ,Indian Arm  ( when I went it was very rough for  a few minutes until the boat went  in the harbor then it was fine.

You can see the Chinese Gardens, (The one in downtown only)

Tallinn is very  easy to  walk around, if you do not do a walking tour you can do everything at your own pace and see what you want. To walk from the port to The Old town takes about 15 minutes

Are there things to do and see around Falmouth Port and is it safe to walk around outside the port.     

I would recommend going to Dublin Castle and The Temple Bar District.    There is also a cool mall that reminds of New Orleans near St. Stephens Green park. 

On 10/24/2019 at 11:01 AM, Bobbysjack said:

How do you feel about a 10:25 am flight? We are on the Carnival Legend docking on Tuesday, July 7th. We don't want to spend an extra day in Barcelona, and we don't want to spend $2,000 a ticket... any thoughts? Are we cutting it too close? 

You should  try and disembark as soon as possible  for such an early flight.   10:25am and 11:15am  You  usually have an option where you can  self-disembark very early, when I did  I had to carry the luggage off the ship myself.   

I would recommend Rome, There is a lots of cool thing too see and do. Probably more then  Barcelona.  The Vatican is cool, which takes some time to see.  I would strongly recommend the skip the line tickets if you chose to see it.  There is a nice castle by the river near the Vatican. Some other cool things there are the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Colosseum, Altar of the Fatherland etc

To get to the port is far away, so  a cab is the easiest way but  the most expensive option to get to get there.   So I would recommend lots of time  for delays to make  to the port on  time.

 Walk  on Las Ramblas, and  walk by the waterfront which is right  at the end of Las Ramblas.

 I would recommend  , Ramblas Barcelona.  It is right on Las Ramblas , a cool tree lined shopping street with cool buildings.  It is a short walk to the Waterfront as well.

I would recommend South Beach,  it is very beautiful with lots of things to do.

I did not have any problem with the stairs carrying two suitcases , so your bodybuilder husband who is a great deal stronger then I am should find it incredible easy carrying your cases on the stairs for you.

When I was on the train, they did not call out any stops and the people riding the train like to close the blinds , so it would be harder to find what stop to get off if this happens, luckily for me there were still some blinds open on both sides so I could see.

I have a few questions about transfers.

 

FCO to Rome. Our flight arrives at 9am on a Sunday. Realistically, how long should it take us to clear customs and all the formalities? We are looking in to:

 

a) Hiring a private transfer (Rome Cabs I am leaning toward). But I don't know what time to request them arrive to pick us up at the airport. Suggestions?

 

b) Take the train from the airport to Termini Station. Store our luggage for a couple hours while we explore the area immediately around the station. Are there crazy stairs to look out for at either the airport or Termini? We will most likely have two full sized suitcases with us. Also, what time is their "morning rush" for commuters on the trains?

 

We can't check in to our accommodations until 2pm at the earliest, so we're in no rush.

 

Rome to Civitavecchia. I have read over and over about the stairs at the Civitavecchia station and what a pain they are. I am having a hard time deciding between taking a private transfer which seems pricey at $150 and the train which would be less than $20 for the two of us. We tend to be on the thrifty side and hate the feeling of spending SO much more for the transfer. Are those stairs really impossible? We're mid-30s and my husband lifts weights regularly, maybe I can make him do the stairs with our bags?!? haha