marazul

Seabourn used to publish a booklet with the names and town of passengers who consented during each cruise. I still have a few. That stopped in the last 3-4 years. You used to get a form a couple of days into the cruise asking if you would like to be listed. The brochure would appear the next day or so.

It is nothing like what you find in the US. Have him try the real carbonara.

BTW - Pizzarium has suppli too. (Risotto croquettes)

Go to Pizzarium Bonci near the museum. You can have wonderful pizza by the slice. Restaurants don't really serve dinner at 5. https://www.bonci.it/

I had the hotel call them and reserve a table for us. We emailed the concierge and he replied by the next day.

There are three Roscioli establishments: a bakery, a pastry shop and a restaurant. The one you want is Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina. It is excellent and very near Campo di Fiori. https://www.salumeriaroscioli.com/en/home-english/ It is consistently named as one of the best trattorie in Rome. Another one is Armando al Pantheon, between Piazza Navona and Piazza della Rotonda (Pantheon). https://www.armandoalpantheon.it/en/

Sorrento might not be as wonderful today. Concentrate on the Amalfi coast - Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

Rome Cabs will tell you. Let them know at what time you need to be at the port.

On our June cruise we met a number of crew that were new to Seabourn. The common remark was that they had been trying for a long time to get hired by SB but only recently they had the opportunity. They said training was hard. All were trying their best and I hope this rough patch is over soon.

There are no disembarkation times by group. You are free to walk out as soon as the ship gets the all clear. Practically all embarkation/disembarkation ports are included in FlightEase. Athens is definitely one of them. We have used George's Taxi many times and highly recommend them. taxigreece.com

The prawn cocktail in the pics is a frequent and standard offering at lunch in the Colonnade buffet. It seems to be very popular, although it also seems to fall short of the ultra-refined standards of some passengers. Since it probably represents less than 1% of the offerings, it can be easily ignored by those who are offended by its presence.

The OP booked flights through Seabourn. If the flight is at a time when many other pax have flights, there will be a shuttle bus provided. If the flight is at some odd time, a car and driver will be provided. SB will notify pax of the arrangements when they are on board. Nothing to worry about.

SB provides a shuttle to airport if you get the flights through them. The shuttle is also available for a fee if you get flights on your own. They will also offer transport plus a tour for those with late flights. These options are made available on board, not on the website. There is something similar for all disembarking pax in all ports. You will get a sign up form 2 or 3 days before the end of the cruise. If you have any concerns, ask the staff at Seabourn Square when you board.

And here is the site for the Vatican. https://m.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani-mobile/en.html If you have a timed entrance or a guided tour, you simply show up 15 minutes before the ticket time. There is a dedicated entrance line for those tickets.

Taxis in Athens are plentiful. I would not bother with Uber. If there isn't a taxi right outside your hotel when you need them they can call for one. Or they can call ahead of time to have one waitng for you at a given time.

Plaza de España. The carriage tours take you there. It saves a lot of walking.

Mid-september is a wonderful time to cruise that area.

Yup. Stuff happens everywhere. Just ask the thousands of stranded passengers in US airports this year. Plan B and C should be part of your luggage wherever you go. But Bennybear, you have had your share!

Seville is the first choice. Stay in Cadiz after you have been to Seville at least 2 or 3 times. If you do the "on your own", get tickets to the Alcazar (royal palace) and the cathedral ahead of time. They are very near each other. https://www.alcazarsevilla.org/en/ https://www.catedraldesevilla.es/cultural-visit2/ The cathedral ticket includes the Giralda tower. It actually has wide ramps inside instead of stairs, so it is not as hard a climb. At least, go up part of the way. After you have seen both, if you have time, take a horse coach tour of the city (1 hour). You will see them all over in the area between the Alcazar and the Cathedral. They will return you to the same spot where you hired them. The city is gorgeous and this will be the best way to have an overall tour. Be on the lookout for the coaches after your bus drops you off, then at the end, hire a coach close to the bus stop. In that way you will have a shorter walk back to the bus. If any of the ship tours include admission to both the Alcazar and the Cathedral you might want to consider them. They are both "must sees." Just a thought. You could do the "on your own" and hire a tour company for Seville. They can meet you at the bus and get you back there. Please, stop stressing about missing the boat. You are missing a lot by worrying about missing the boat. With a little planning you won't.

Have you entered the country code ahead of the phone number? It is in a drop down menu with the country flags.

Yup. That is the not so subtle message. Do what's right for Italy or just add a small amount for a very helpful driver. I suspect most drivers are subcontractors and split the fee with the company.

I think this is part of a myth about traveling in southern Europe. For example, that there are always random strikes in Italy - FALSE, they are rare and they are scheduled on a website months ahead of time. Or that there are transportation breakdowns in Greece - NOT, at least not any more than anywhere else. Or, that you are almost certain to miss the boat if you do private tours - NOT so. These are first world countries with infrastructure and professionals to match. Inconveniences and accidents happen, but that's life and there are alternatives. Yes, the level of stress is less and laid-back attitudes are more, but things work well. Maybe not like at home (wherever that is), but you are not at home. I will add a similar anecdote to cruisemom's. We were on Santorini for a few days and planning to take the hydrofoil to Mykonos the next day. The meltemi winds were blowing pretty hard and, unbeknown to us, ferry companies were canceling routes for the next couple of days. We arrived back at the hotel in the evening and were surprised to find out that our Greek travel agent had arranged for us to stay an extra night at the hotel, reissued our ferry tickets and adjusted the reservation for the Mykonos hotel. And I wish we could find that level of professionalism everywhere.

Second cruisemom and Hank. The Sofitel is an option (the only one) when you need it, but you don't. If you spend the day there you will be bored to tears. One of the times we stayed there we had arrived late morning from the US and we had an early flight to the islands the next day. We arranged to have a private tour pick us up after we checked in and went to Sounio and other places in the peninsula. That took care of jetlag and boredom at the hotel. BTW we used George's Taxi.

https://all.accor.com/hotel/3167/index.en.shtml?dateIn=&nights=&compositions=1&stayplus=false&snu=false#origin=sofitel It depends on the date.

Same code for men. Cover shoulders and knees. No wife-beater tshirts. No shorts.