touringbee

I did it 3 years ago,I was 67 & able to walk distances, with brief breaks. The issues I had, wasn't the distance, it was the steep uphill walking. Remember, it's on top of a "high" hill. We had a private tour, so we were at our own schedule. Make sure you wear a hat. It was extremely hot, with not much shade. There's no handrails .Wide steps, but mainly curvy walkways. No problem going downhill, LOL. Do it again? No. Regret doing it? No, Glad I did. They need golf carts .At least part way up, but not gong to happen.  Not Florida. You have to go up, as you can't see anything from the bottom. Only from a distance. Hope this helps.

Just off the Jewel,too. Mine wasn’t taken. Used it in plain view for 29 days straight. I had 2, 2 port plugs on an extension cord. That allowed me to charge 4 things at a time. The extension cord had 3 plugs. ? Maybe I just got lucky???

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Hello all!

 

I am looking to book a cruise for later this year with a few friends. They have left it up to me for the most part to decide which cruise we pick. This is turning out to be tougher than I thought with everyone's parameters! even having a tough time deciding which one I want myself! But I have narrowed it down to 3 options and am interested in hearing some of your pros and cons and ideas!

 

Here's some back info that will help

 

Last year I booked us all on a Florida and Bahamas cruise on the Breakaway from NY. Everyone had a great time but definitely could of used more hot days to spend out on deck. (We cruised in November last year and plan to this year in Oct/Nov again)

 

We all loved the Breakaway but definitely want to go on a newer ship. We live all over Canada some in Vancouver and some in Ontario and even a couple on the east coast so flights can be tricky and definitely a big portion of the cost.. NYC is definitely the easiest and cheapest port of departure.

 

 

Option 1

 

 

 

7 Day Bermuda on the Escape

 

- This is our best priced option. The ship is new and the flights are easy for us all

 

- some of the concerns would be how is the weather in late October in Bermuda I feel like this could be a cool cruise for the most part.

 

- Spending so much time in Bermuda brings up alot of questions.. is the casino open? do you pay extra taxes on drinks and shopping?

 

Option 2

 

7 Day Florida & Bahamas on the Escape

 

- Another well priced option and again on the new ship

 

- same trip as we took last time however which is not terrible because we can enjoy the ship more or take different excursions

 

- but same concern with warmth last year we had great weather for the 3 days we were south but it was cold leaving and coming back to nyc

 

 

Option 3

 

7 Day Western Caribbean on the Getaway

 

- Our most expensive option and ship is only slightly different than the breakaway

 

- in my opinion best itinerary by far and probably i am sure the best weather

 

- toughest for everyone to get to Miami

 

 

We have some future cruises booked on the Epic and Bliss but for this year choosing this one has been tough any ideas would be greatly appreciated

 

as always thanks to everyone who responds!

Remember, that’s also hurricane season.

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I am doing my first TA from Barcelona to Orlando 11/18. I wanted to know if NCL would book me a flight from Orlando to Barcelona with hotel and transfers to hotel and port? If that is not possible, does anyone have suggestions on this subject?

Yes. I did that. Even threw in a pre cruise tour of Barcelona. Easy to find bus at airport as well. You can choose option for which hotel. I don’t remember which one we used, but it was 31/2 blocks from HO/HO stop, post office, Burger King was across the street. Lol. Cheap & fast. Air traffic controllers went on strike when we were due to come back. Flights cancelled. Because we booked thru ship, we stayed extra 4 days free & got meal money. Plus... we had our own insurance which reimbursed us. Hope this helps. Also booked on Hawaii cruise. Our flight was delayed 6 hours, they held the ship for 31 of us. We even got off plane 1st. Sometimes it pays!

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I have several pieces of EFFY jewelry and have had to make a claim once. Follow the directions in your packet. Trust me, gemstones are covered. Call and get someone who knows what they are talking about!

Get the cruise company & credit card company involved. You can stop charge due to faulty product. Carnival also backs these stores. Good luck

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I’m traveling to Sydney in March, 2019 for a Princess Cruise. Since I’ve never been to Australia before any suggestions as to what area to stay in would be helpful. Looking for something reasonably priced.

 

 

Of course with public transportation nearby would be helpful.

 

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

Tom[emoji3]

I’m staying at the Rendezvous At The Rocks. Join their frequent user club, TFE, & get 10% off your booking. Book direct thru them, I got double for 3 nights in Feb for 820 AUD. That’s about $642.00 US. Can walk to the Quay & Opera House. Great location as well to old Sydney. Lots of pubs & shopping. Hope this helps.

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We are in our late 50's (57 & 59) and have done about 8 cruises in the last few years.

 

 

 

We have done Disney, you may want to avoid that one. Beautiful ships but lots of ankle biters - don't get me wrong I love my grands but they are mine so....

 

 

 

Also Norwegian, okay but when we sailed RCCL we knew we had landed. We've never had a bad ship.

 

 

 

Do you want an island heavy cruise? Or would you rather more days at sea? I think that might make your pick abit easier.

 

 

 

Also the Oasis & Quantum class will have alot more onboard activities/nightlife.

 

 

 

We like the Southern Caribbean. Our next is island heavy 5 islands in all and sails from San Juan on the3 Jewel of the Seas.

I’m 63. Depends how many days & how much you want to spend. I love NCL Baltic Capital Cruise & their Cruise from Barcelona thru Italy & France. Carnival has pretty good sailing thru islands if Hawaii. Staff usually not top, but adequate. There’s Princess to Alaska. I’m doing 29 day B2B with NCL going Sydney-Singapore-Hong Kong. Later I’m doing 4 day NCL to Cuba. The worlds wide open. Happy sailing. I’d recommend a TA. If special offers or reductions come up, they’re right on it.

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While I feel sorry for the elderly couple, it appears that this type of situation happens when you misjudge that last trip before you get too old. It seems they needed some wise/younger person who could have helped them through the process.

 

The granddaughter was at fault with putting the passports in luggage. Grandma's purse or Grandpa's jacket pocket would have been a better choice. The basics like keeping your meds and doc with you should have been drilled into them.

 

The longshoremen who are the porters just want to move that luggage to the ship and aren't NCL employees. They also are well paid but keep their hands out for a tip.

 

NCL could have made a more valiant effort to find their luggage, and I sure wish they would have.

 

BTW- the LA port is pretty awful in my experience. I lost a device on an NCL ship in LA, filed a report that day, but it took three months before it showed up at my front door. The only report I ever received was that it was being held at port and then in transit. I called every two weeks for an update.

Very well said.

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I stayed at the Queen Mary, as I was going on a Carnival Cruise. Really a lot of fun. Plus it includes free tour

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Gross as well as rude. A guy spitting on the walking track as he was doing laps. I reported him to a pool attendant. He was also watched by the pool attendant who also saw the guy spit.The pool attendant reported the guy to his boss. The guy was stopped and talked to and then escorted off the track by the pool attendants boss and a security officer.

Got you beat.. standing in buffet line for lunch. Man "farmer" blows his nose onto floor. I almost went spastic! I don't care what happens in the kitchens now. I ALWAYS eat in dining rooms.

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Check with some that include free shuttle to Quincy Market, airport, & port. I know there's a holiday inn in the Charlestown area.

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We were on the Marina last September, started in Stockholm, ended in Copenhagen just like you did. We stayed at the Sheraton Stockholm which we felt was an excellent location, easy walking to many sites. Easy to get a taxi from the airport to the hotel. I downloaded the app & ordered it ahead of time. Copenhagen was another story. I could not find a way to preorder, unless it was through the cruise line which was way overpriced. The taxi line at the port was ridiculously long, if you plan to use, get an early disembarkation. We wound up leaving the line and walking to the public bus stop which was easy to use but we had at least a 20 minute wait before it arrived.

 

Regarding St. Petersburg, I put together a tour thru TJ and they were simply fabulous. I wound up with 30 people so they gave us 3 vans of 10. We loved our tour guide, Nadia, and the other guides also got rave reviews from my other groups. I looked into Alla & SPB also and found TJ the most reasonable as they were willing to negotiate their pricing as my group got larger. They were also incredibly responsive to all questions, requests & changes. I highly recommend them.

 

 

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I absolutely loved SPB. I used them in 4 ports. All vehicles, guides, meals, & tours were great. In St Petersburg, couple from Australia took ships tour. Drove by the Church Of The Spilled Blood, WE went inside. Plus, less by 30%.

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On Grand Princess on 23/3/18 first time in Hawaii and San Francisco. Besides the obvious what would people recommend we see. Have 2 days in San Fran flying in from Heathrow.:) Nigel & Sharon

Contact gorabbitgo.com. Fantastic tour company for all Islands. Only one able to do tour "into" the National Cemetery.

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I always book direct and track and maintain my booking most of the way through and then, toward the end of the wait, I transfer it to my TA and he knocks a wad of cash off the price and handles the booking and final payment for me. I like the cash discount on the price and prefer it to the OBC that the big box will give me.

 

I have actually transferred a booking to my TA right after making the booking. He kept track of price drops, upsell offers, etc. When I had a question I called and, if he was out (even across the country) I left a message and got a call back within maybe 5 minutes. I've had him call from across the country even though it was well after business hours where he was located. (His office is actually here in my home town.)

 

There is zero advantage to booking yourself unless you want to handle things to make sure you get the exact cabin your want and don't trust the TA to do so. The advantage of keeping the booking in your own hands is to have full control over the booking. Once it goes to a TA then Princess mostly won't talk to you about things and parts of the personalizer are no longer visible to you (such as remaining balance and the ability to make final payment).

 

Like I said, I like cash off the price of the cruise. If I was more interested in OBC and didn't care that the TA wouldn't do squat for me other than providing that OBC then I would go with the big box as they do provide quite a lot of OBC and it's refundable if not used (although it's refunded as a credit to be used at the big box).

[emoji106] I agree

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Agreed. I love them both.

I agree too. Both have negatives & positives. I've had issues with both and with other lines I've gone on. None are perfect. Some things don't bother me, but may irk the hell out of you. Lol. It depends on you. Good luck...

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Pack some in your suitcase, if you must. Just remember the added weight.

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I book as soon as I find cruise I want. I use TA, so as if there's a price change, she's right on it. My next cruise is sold out. It was closed 3 weeks after I booked. If trips are in demand, new ports, or in season, they'll sell fast. If you live near a port, then last minute would work sometimes. They want a full ship & will sometimes cut a deal. Personally, I usually book while on cruise. Most lines do a really great on board promo.

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We used private limo tour. Joe Bananas. Guide was Leo, ordered Coliseum passes with headsets, got skip the line passes & headsets to St Peters. Too much time to do Vatican. If that's all you want to do. It's pretty good if you have no kids. Cost was $250 for all 4 of us. Leo does a great tour of Rome where the bus can't go.

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You can get skip the line passes from attendants wearing colored vests. I think I paid €8-10 per person. OR go to inside last store to the right of the entrance line. You can get the passes there too. They will personally take you to front of lines. There I got head sets. We used private limo tour named Joe Bananas. Leo was our guide. Absolutely wonderful. He couldn't go in with us in certain places, so that's why we got headsets.

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Did Baltic 2 years ago. Alot from Australia. Used SPT tours for most ports. Two parties did Berlin tour with us on SPT tour. Did St Petersburg thru ship. They were so mad. I got to go inside the Church Of The Spilled Blood, they drove by! AND their tour cost more. Said they came all the way from Australia to miss one of the landmarks of Russia. I loved Estonia. Stayed 3 notes post in Copenhagen. Enjoy your trip. One of my favorites

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Used Blue Grotto Tours. $500 for 4. Private car & private guide. He was fabulous. Did did Blue Grotto, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii, & brief drive thru of Naples. Guide was with us entire time. We asked to see specific things & they made it happen.

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Just did cruise as well. The Sagrada Familia is a MUST. Get skip the line & tower passes on line. In Naples we booked tour thru Blue Grotto tours. 1st off shop. Did Isle of Capri, blue grotto, Sorrento. Pompeii, & brief tour of Naples. $500 for 4. Private tour. In Rome & Florence. We used Joe Banana. Private limo who was also guides. Couldn't go into certain places, so we booked headset tours. RE: the Coliseum, the Vatican, St Peters. We purchased To the top of the Pisa tickets on line as well. That was fabulous. Both tours were $250 for 4. Private car. Off ship 1st. Enjoy whichever route you go.

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He was private guide. I was grateful how much over the expected he did for the 4 of us. He had us for 8 hours as well. $50 per person was not unjustified

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If you are eating, they seat you in one section. So serving is easier for them. Even then, it's 1st come, 1st served. Show is FABULOUS. My 15 year old granddaughter didn't eat cause she was so mesmerized by the show.

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I used JOE Banana Tours. Leo was fabulous. Had umbrellas, car had wifi. I prepaid our tickets to Coliseum, the Vatican, & included head sets. They'll tell you what & When you can do things to keep you on time. $250 for 4 of us with private car. Have to pay Euros cash, Or pay credit card fee. I got my Euros in US before I left. Gave him $200 tip. He was that good. Research what you want to see. Don't do Vatican if you have young kids. Lots of people & Slow lines. Lots to read. Lucky you.

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