Voelfgar

Has anyone gotten one of these Romance packages and did you feel it was worth it? thinking of surprising wife on the cruise for our 15th anniversary

On 11/5/2018 at 1:45 PM, CruiserBruce said:

Yep...getting to the airport for a 9:15 flight is very risky...if for no other reason that the process to check in, clear security and get to your gate is very slow. So flying out the next day is an excellent idea.

There's a 5:35am Leonardo Express that gets to the airport a few minutes after 6am. there's also a 6:05am that gets to airport around 6:40am.

Our flight out of FCO is at 11:15am. We will be grabbing the leonardo express from the main Rome train station around 8am and be at the airport around 8:30am

13 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

We stay at the Miami Downtown Hilton.If you get a bay view, you can look over at the Bliss awaiting your arrival on the morning of departure. 

And the hotel has free shuttle to the cruise port.

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FYI, Rick Steve's Italy 2019 was released 2 weeks ago for $18.16 on amazon. And for electronic versions, It is also in the Google Play Books for $18.99

I tried to do that once by doing tours at every port. But when you get back home, you feel like you need a vacation to rest up from your vacation.

Hi all,

Just so I have this straight. Bank ATMs in Europe do not charge a transaction fee? The only fees associated with using a Bank ATM would come from my bank? Non Bank ATMs may charge a transaction fee?

Question: Anyone know about getting cash back at stores, like we can at say Walmart here in the US? Are there additional fees on that?

First Transportation. its 14 euros per person for the Leonardo express from airport to main train station in Rome. So for a party of 8 that 112 euros, how far the hotel is from the train station unknown so that's a call for you to decide. Getting from Rome main train station to the train station in Civitavecchia is about 13 euros for 1st class on the Frecce with advance purchase and non refundable.

You are probably better off asking specific questions in the appropriate port forum, like Italy ports.

Thank you for the suggestion. We have reservations at the Albergo del Senato near the Pantheon.

We were looking at that hotel, but they do not take American Express.

Well for us on our upcoming trip where we will have 3 days before and after the cruise in Rome. Will be taking the train to and from the airport and Rome, and to and from Rome and the cruise port. For hotels, we ended up chosing the Hotel Otivm which is near the war memorial and the forum and colloseum. There is also a small bus transfer spot about a block away so we can use public transportation to get around rome. That is all we have figured out so far.

My wife and I are planning on taking the Frecce train. If you purchase your tickets in advance, its about 13 Euro per person for 1st Class seats which has dedicated room for your larger bags, drink service and power sockets. It also is a non stop trip to the main train station.

Right now, on weekdays, the Frecce departs Civitavecchia at 9:16am and 11:16am. If you aren't in a big hurry, plan on 11:16am which will get you into Rome about noon.

Of course, there are different classes on cruising. It was sort of demanded by the customer base. It goes back awhile with airlines, then demand for ala carte cable packages. People do not want to pay for things they don't use. Also at the same time, there is a segment of the customer base that also wants upscale amenities, minimal kids running around making lots of noise. If people are willing to pay more for more exclusive accommodations then so be it.

I was on a cruise that stopped in Dominica several years ago. Did an excursion that was listed as a moderate level of activity. It turned out to be broken trails, at some points no trail at all where one had to navigate exposed tree roots, had to walk through a stream with a fairly fast current, there was no bridge. It is where I torn my ankle. There was no means to call emergency vehicle. I had to proceed on with the excursion.

If I ever do a cruise that stops there, I will never do an excursion. I'll just stay on the ship.

I've stayed at divi little bay and it is a very nice resort. The accommodations are very big. Woke up every morning and sat on porch to see if any cruise ships were coming in.

Just a warning but be in for a shock. After 2 hurricanes, the beaches are nearly gone from all over the island. Not much else has changed. They do have a second route to bypass the simpson beach one road traffic jam with a bridge up by princess casino.

If it was a bit warmer, you could go to Cap d'agde and visit the naked city.

Here's what I do. Wife and I never carry the same credit cards or debit cards. We have 2 checking accounts and I will carry the card for one account and wife will carry the card for the other account. that way if either of us get pickpocketed, we can simply log into our checking accounts and transfer all the funds over to the non stolen account. Also I keep things like my DL, and at least one card in a front pants pocket instead of everything in my wallet. Never carry much cash. But then I've never been pick pocketed.

There is always the trains. they run every 30 minutes or so. Then a quick cab ride to the port from the train station in Civitavecchia. If you buy the train tickets in advance they could be as low as 5 euro per person.

Everything would have to align just right to make that 10am tour. One, just because they say the ship will dock at 8am, doesn't mean that's when you will be able to disembark. Secondly, it is at least an hour by car from the port to get to Rome without traffic. Then you have to factor in the walking to get to your tour.

It is possible, but don't expect to get to where you need to be with more than a few minutes before the tour starts.

Then they shouldn’t advertise the specific aircraft for a particular flight as being a Dreamliner, as is the case from our home airport, and then put people on a charter from Hi-Fly which has no premium econ like advertised on Norwegian’s own site , which touts 46 inches of recline. If we had paid for a regular seat, no problem, but we’ve paid a lot more for premium economy which they advertise as having a certain specification. The charters have 4 extra inches. That’s it. Completely different than what was advertised as PE. Otherwise we should have bought the cheapest tix.

 

 

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When you fly, you are paying for the itinerary not a particular aircraft type. Airlines can and do switch aircraft all the time.

There is imo, no risk in staying in Rome an extra day. The trains to Civitavecchia run about every 30 minutes.

A little reading around the board would reveal many threads discussing getting local currency. The best exchange rate is ATMs. The next best is typically standard credit card transactions (not cash advances). 1700 euros is a lot of euros to be carrying around...not sure I would have agreed to that plan to pay a large sum of cash for a hotel.

In my experience my credit card gave the better rate.

Also, it is very dependent on the associated fees. AMEX does not charge a fee for currency exchange on purchases.

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On the Epic there are a few mini suites that have both a tub and shower.

I disagree, GrJ Berkshire.

I bought a couple of bottles of alcohol at the duty free shop at the St Martin Airport just 18 months ago, and I was able to do a connecting flight(s) to get home. They put the bottles, as in no packaging, in a clear bag with the receipt. Yes this is something new.

The Transportation Security Administration has announced a TSA rule change that should have airline passengers saying "cheers" to the TSA once they’ve arrived safely on international flights at their U.S. destinations.

As of Jan. 31, 2014, duty-free alcohol purchased at foreign airports can now be transported in carry-on luggage, overriding a previous rule that such alcohol must be packed in a checked bag. Travelers previously faced a dilemma when trying to buy alcohol at duty-free airport shops with the checked-bag rule, because usually their bags were already checked while they stared at the cheaper bottles of booze on airport shelves.