Travel R

Thanks - I did not think about the Tourist Info Office. Been offline the last day or so, will try to post to TripAdvisor tomorrow. If I find out any info, I will post it here (for anyone else on CC that might have the same question).

@cruisemom42 - Thanks. I figured enough people on CC have visited Trieste by now.

I've tried a few of your suggestions. The museum responded with information about the bus (which I knew about), Have not found any information other than the bus and walking on TripAdvisor or any other site - most of the information is about the site itself. One suggestion I have not done is to post my question on TripAdvisor (I figured posting it here would have provided the answers). Thanks!

Bumping this up to see if anyone that has visited Risiera San Sabba can provide some answers. Thank you!

We sailed on one of those hump balconies - a lot of room on the balcony!!!!

Hope you are enjoying yourself, but seems like these are being booked last minute, so it is more of a matter of what inventory remaining vs. what you want. Not sure how CAS works, but if you looked for something in a few months (or next year), I would guess that you would have had a much larger selection of rooms on desired ships/itineraries.

Any other recommendations . . . .

Moving and depressing is an understatement. We thought about asking the driver for their card (experience has shown that many will offer it to you anyway), but did not think about asking the museum staff. Thanks!

@michelle028 - what have you decided to do in Trieste (or what did you do)?

Hi fellow travelers: We will be in Trieste prior to departing on our cruise. As such, we are thinking about visiting the Risiera San Sabba that morning. For those that have visited - is it worth going? As to transportation: We will not have a car (arriving in Trieste the day before via train). We are planning on taking a cab to the site, but worried about getting transportation back (and would rather not take the bus, which may take too long (I have already found the route)). Is there a cab/taxi app in Trieste that will work? (I know that they do not have Uber, Lift, etc. in that city). Any other suggestions for transportation to and from? Thank you, TravelR

We enjoy sitting with other people. It's nice to meet and talk to other people. You can learn so much by talking and listening. One some of the threads on CC people have mentioned how cruising does not allow one to really get to know a culture since we are in and out of most ports in a day. But even if you are in port for more longer, if you do not talk and interact with others, one cannot really learn the culture. Even when we are not seated with others, many times we have struck up conversations with the people sitting at the next table. It's part of the journey. I love my DW and she loves me and we talk throughout the day - so why not open up the discussion to others?

We have already begun booking excursions pre-and post cruise for next summer. We are on the same itinerary as you and I have started looking at 3rd party excursions for Istanbul (there are a few things I would like to see (and gain entry) that do not seemed to be available on the current list of NCL excursions. Although I will continue with my research, I will hold off from booking anything as of yet (although most tours are refundable).

Great start of the review - will be on her next year with this same itinerary (so very much appreciate the Dailies as well). I am following!

Thank you very much for these tips - they will come in useful. Luckily, we are already booked towards forward. Thanks again!

I've been following this thread since I will be on Viva next year and guessing comments would be the same for both. Personally, I chose cruises based on time of year, itinerary, and budget - the ship is usually a second thought when travelling with my kids when they were younger. Although was not using the ship to consider out next cruise, it being a "new" ship sounded like a bonus. From what I hear so far, the main concerns are that the venues for entertainment and some of the restaurants were too small. What I would like to hear from members are hints and tips on how to overcome these obstacles. For instance, will showing up at Indulge early or late be of help (it seems obvious, but maybe it is busy from the time it opens till it closes). We are not in Haven, so being escorted to the front of the entertainment venues is not a helpful tip for me at this time (although may be for others) - but maybe provide a good time to get on line (e.g., "25 to 30 minutes beforehand is good, since at about 20 minutes to everyone and their aunt Suzie will arrive"). Thanks!

Sorry if I missed it the answer Did they wind up rotating menus in the MDR? Thanks.

Thanks for the updates. We just booked and will be sailing her in almost exactly one year from now.

I am the OP for this thread, so as a follow-up from last year's cruise . . . My DD went down to the scheduled Singles Get Together, but she said that all she saw were old women and men (majority were women). If I remember, she said that they were a lot "older" - meaning 40+ and did not see anyone in her age range. She did meet young adults closer to her age in some of the bars in the evenings that were just hanging around.

Also a newbie when it comes to Viking, but have done a few cruises. I have have taken tours through the the ships (paid on the mass-market lines) and through third party vendors. So far, I have always had very good experiences, and most of the time for much cheaper than the cruise ship price. For instance (and I just wrote this elsewhere), a number of years ago in St. Petersburg (Russia), we booked a semi-private tour. For only $10 more per person we saw a lot more than the ship tour(s) were offering, which included additional sites, lunches, and other things not available thru the ship (including the Gold Room in the Hermitage). People worry about taking the private tours because they are worried about not getting back to the ship on time. These 3rd Party vendors rely on their reputations and will do practically anything to ensure that you get back on the ship. But you need to do your own research to ensure that the company is reliable and is what you are working for. The one issue I am having is, if Viking is - - - that's my 2 cents. [As a side note: I was researching both 3rd party and cruise-line tours to take in Alaska last year. In the time my family finally discussed and decided the one to take, I noticed that a 3rd party excursion was very similar to the one the ship was offering. When I looked into it further, I discovered that it was the same exact one with the same vendor. The ship was having a 30% off select excursions that week - and for the first time I booked a third party vendor's excursion for cheaper than the vendor had advertised.]

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We are booking this for 2024 and just began researching the specifics (we are actually going to fly to Rome after the cruise), so this is useful and very interesting information. Thanks for the info.

@Jimbo Your not usually the one to shy away from giving your opinion. What did you not like - was it specific to the ship or just a bad experience during that particular cruise/itinerary?

As I stated: Hard to believe that people on cruise critic may have differences of opinions. Regardless of what is written by me or anyone else on these boards, people are going to do what they want anyway, nor will they sway others to their "side." Have a nice day and may the force be with you.

Yes - A passenger can go to guest services and get the amount voided and returned to their card. However, the tips go to a large number of staff members, so when a passenger stops the pre-paid tips, it affects many (those the passenger interacts with and those working out of sight). If the passenger did not enjoy the service of a select few individuals, let RCI know on your feedback form (or better yet, go to a manager while on the cruise so that they can remedy the situation). Note that discretion also needs to be made in determining whether it was the individual or due to other reasons such as staff shortage or supply chain issues, which should not be taken out on the servers/stewards. If the passenger has an issue with the service overall, then once again let them know on the ship and on their survey, then talk bigger volumes with your wallet and cruise elsewhere. But once again - don't take it out on the staff if you have issues with the line itself - the staff (IMHO) works very hard. Although many may not think about it, but the staff works for a total salary that includes their base, but what they make on tips. Yes, in a sense, we are paying part of the salary of the staff, since it is cheaper for the cruise lines to pay them and when tips are pre-paid they are technically a service fee (or a bribe), but the way I think about (others are free to think otherwise) it is that it is just part of the cruise fare and NOT a tip. [As someone suggested above, they should go ahead and just make it part of the fare - but it is a marketing ploy. Adding it to the fare upfront would make the fare look higher, which is not good when cruisers are comparing it to other cruise lines.] I will "tip" staff at the end of a cruise for going above and beyond (although at a bar, will tip after receiving drinks), but that is at my own discretion. [There are times I have been very, very generous, and times I have not given anything at the end, such as one cruise where myself or family never saw the steward, who did not do a very good job cleaning the cabin (but did not remove the pre-paid $). I will also make a point of calling out the names of the staff members on my review to ensure that they are provided the appropriate accolades. [Also, when the maitre de comes by your table, make a point to tell them how good your wait staff is.] To put the above in context - I am American (and used to the tipping culture), and I have had the need to work for tips myself, so I know what it is like from their end (and I did not have to work for six months away from my family and live in a cramped room with three other people). And that's all I got to say about that.

Also note that in 2023 Venice will be imposing a tourist tax for visitors of 5 Euros/day (about $5 US). This fee will will keep down the number of tourists, create less of an environmental/ecological impact on the area, and the city is not going to lose revenue (although one could argue that only municipality will be generating the $, but not the local businesses) --- but as mentioned, it makes this location a little more difficult to visit via cruise. On the other had, there are plenty of other ports that are an hour or so away. Also note, in the mainstream cruising world, the cruise dock is in Ravenna, more than a two hour trek from the city. At least I know that is where RCI is docking. NCL has a few options ranging from 40 minutes to ports in Trieste (almost 2 hours) and Ravenna as well. Not sure of the others.