marazul

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.

The Sofitel is right across the street from the airport. Just a few steps. We have stayed there a few times and it is a good hotel. Decent restaurant. And the only choice at the airport.

That is an excellent article. The OP can apply it to France, Italy and wherever else they are going in their cruise. Save the big tipping for the underpaid restaurant workers at home.

Tickets to ride the tram.

Did you mean Taberna Boveda or La Boveda? They are near each other.

Wines and top shelf liquor are included. The choices are ample and we always find a few wines we like. There is a premium wine list that we look at for special occasions or leftover OBCs. Spa services like massages, pedicures, etc are extra so you can use your credits for that. Do look at all the excursions. Some excursions may be extras.

Premium wines, spa ...

For maximum flexibility take the ferry to Cinqueterre. It stops at all four ports. You decide how long to spend in each one. No guide needed anywhere. Make sure to save some time for Portovenere. https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en/daily-trips Here is the map and timetable: https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/pdf/orari-15-06/orari-linea-02-golfo-15-06.pdf I would advise going to Monterosso first for the full ride along the shore and then backtracking to Portovenere.

Julie, Are you back home yet or still touring in Europe? Looking forward to hear about your cruise. Hope all went well.