Islandgirl4242

When you wrote "later this month" I'm thinking you mean October. I actually looked at the shore excursions Oceania offers for Cinque Terre. It is difficult to imagine seeing much in only 4 hours since there are 5 villages. But as we all cruise we realize it is diffcult to really experience the culture and beautty of the ports we visit in the allotted time.

We'll be in Cinque Terre near the end of October staying at a BnB in Vernazza for 5 days. We're taking the train from Civi to LaSpezia after a cruise. We plan to walk between some of the villages, take the train between other villages, and also use the ferry to see the coastline if it is still operating that late in the season.

Will you be able to see a lot in 4 hours...proababky not. BUT soak up everything that you can of this beautiful area. Safe travels! ~~Judy

Several of the car services/ tours I've booked independently require payment to the driver in cash at the end of the day.

 

Is the best plan to simply withdraw cash at the ATM that day? Is there a better way to handle this?

Have Euros with you when you arrive and if you do need more "then" go to an ATM. I don't want to spend my travel time locating my bank's alliance ATMs. ATM daily limits, safety of using, etc. sometimes are not actually the most convenient. IMHO! ~~Judy

We are traveling with a group of 18. Before we left, we prearranged with a private tour guide for a full sized coach bus tour of Marseille and Cassis from our port stop in Toulon. The trip was perfect with a professional guide and driver that came highly recommended. After an incredibly perfect day of sightseeing, we left Cassis on schedule with plenty of time to get back to port an hour before all aboard time. After the toll on the Motorway between Cassis and the port, our bus was Randomly pulled over for a Safety and Security check by the Police and Transportation authorities. Our bus driver had to show all paperwork, they took him into a mobile office where they took downloads of his logs, the police came on the bus and checked all safety equipment and made sure we were wearing seat belts, etc, etc. The whole process took over 40 minutes while we were biting our nails. This was not a ship excursion. While we were sitting there our guide did call ahead to the ship and provide them with our cabin numbers and asked them to hold the ship because she did not know how long the process was going to take. Of course, we hit more traffic in the port because we came back closer to rush hour than we planned. We literally were the last people on the ship at exactly 5:30pm which was all aboard. They pulled the gangway in right after we boarded. While we were pulled over, we saw the police stopping cars, vans and minibuses of all sizes. Our guide told us that she is seeing this more often and it did happen to her once before when she was working on a ship excursion where the bus failed the inspection and it was not allowed to proceed. They had to wait for another bus to be sent to pick them up. It turned out fine for us. I do think the ship would have waited as long as they could because it was 18 of us but I don't know what would have happened if it was just two or four of us in a car. So just a head's up to leave plenty of time to return when traveling on non ship excursions in this area.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for the heads-up on this! We'll plan accordingly and now allow even more time for our return to port. ~~Judy

Royal Caribbean is making changes to its' beverage packages. New pricing is "exclusive" of all gratuities and only one includes alcohol. Cruise prices increasing, beverage packages increasing, a push towards specialty dining options...will the ships still be filled? ~~Judy

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7224&UTM_Source=Social&UTM_Medium=Facebook&UTM_Campaign=Cruise

Good point. Got to figure out what days crusie ships are not there though...

I know, I know. But it's always a balance between seeing a few places in-depth and seeing many places.

 

We are also seriously considering staying at a B&B and making day-trips. (Or better yet, a couple of different B&B's over the week, so we're not limited in our travel radius.)

 

There's almost no way you can go wrong finding things to see in Italy!

 

It would be cool to do Italy off-the-beaten-track. My wife has an Italian heritage and dreams of going there for a month, renting a small place and just going to the local markets for stuff to cook.

 

I'd welcome suggestions on where/how to do this.

We're on a W Med cruise next month ending in Civi. We're taking the train to Cinque Terre and have booked 4 nights at a BnB in Vernazza with plans to hike the trails and also take the train between villages. At the end of our visit we're taking the train to Rome for a couple of days before flying home.

I cannot imagine being in Cinque Terre with a cruise ship docked in LaSpezia...these are small villages that would be overwhelmed. Actually the Italian government has been writing articles about limiting the number of visitors to Cinque Terre in hopes of preserving the trails and natural beauty of the area. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Whatever you decide to do in Italy have a wonderful celebration of your 25th anniversary!! ~~Judy

Sorry that it rained on your Rome parade...

 

I've been in Rome when it has rained all day long. Rain jacket and umbrella and a sunny disposition travel with me. This is when it is good to not be on a pre-planned schedule - make changes as needed. I'll just add more museums and churches and add a leisurely lunch (instead of a quick pick-up panino) and I'm a happy camper.

I totally agree! And attitude can make or break the day. Living in the states in the Pac. NW we learned quickly that when it rains no plans change and later we can look for rainbows! ~~Judy

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks the train from Civi makes sense. I do like the idea of doing this after a cruise to decompress and relax. We'll book a boat tour and do a couple walks/hikes, but this is more about taking it all in for us and enjoying the views food and wine.

 

I think 4 nights will get you into B&Bs. We only have a couple of nights and reserved a room overlooking the water in Monterosso.

About 90 days before the day you plan to take the train to Cinque Terre (http://www.trenitalia.com/) start watching the schedule and the fares. I found out they only post the schedules and start selling tickets about 90 days out. We booked the first day the schedule was posted (actually received an email reminder from them)and bought 1st class with reserved seats at 2 for 1 pricing. We got the same deal for 5 days later when we'll take the train to Rome. This means more money for fresh fish and later gelato.:D

Yes, we feel fortunate to be booked in Vernazza. So many steps in the village and our BnB has none to climb from the train station to the BnB. Friends told us that the steps took a toll after a few days and they quickly learned to not forget anything in their room that needed to go back for. We want to save our energy for exploring! ~~Judy

We'll be taking the train to Cinque Terre from Civi after our cruise next month. I also saw the article in the Sunday NYT and it made me feel even more excited.

We have a BnB booked in Vernazza on the small bay in town with a window overlooking the water. We booked 4 nights to give us the opportunituy to hike some of the trails between the villages and not have to rush "as much" as we visit Cinque Terre. Friends visited recently and said there is an abundance of wonderful seafood from small restaurants in the villages, but that it was quite crowded in July. With our arrival at the end of the tourist season we are hoping for fewer crowds...our BnB host said this will be a good time to visit.

I can hardly wait!! ~~Judy

Thanks for all of your time and contributions...something we have all come to rely on. Wherever the winds and tides take you, good luck in all the days and years ahead. ~~Judy

We really aren't bothered much on cruises by upsells...maybe that's because I don't hear all that well.:p Does the crew receive $$ for the upsells they complete? ~~Judy

They are always offering deals once you board -- at least 30% off, and sometimes 2for1 deals depending on how booked they are. Good idea to use OBC after you board.

Yes, always after we board to make use of the OBCs and we've never found it difficult to find a specialy dining deal after we board.

I agree with Theriac. I priced our business class, one way tickets from San Francisco to Rome, and it was $5900 on British Air. Thru Choice Air, we paid $1631 pp. We chose our date, route, and flight. Once I had our locator number from Choice Air, I went to BA's site and chose our seating. Easy procedure.

We used Choice Air for our Oct. flights and this is our first time booking through them. I checked prices on several websites, including British Air. We got our first choice for flights, good seats, and saved $900...I'm doing a happy dance and hope that I'm still dancing when we land in Rome!! ~~Judy

Giolitti was my favorite gelato place in Rome. You can even get it topped with a little cream if you like.

Totally agree about Giolitti...visited 4 times in 3 days! We had a lot of great gelato in Italy, but there's just something special about Giolitti. You're know you're in a good place when you're surrounded by locals! ~~Judy

Hi does anyone have tried This restaurant in Spanish Steps before? Is it good? Do they serve fast? Because they open at 12:30pm and i would like to have a quick lunch there for like 30min then need to take taxi and rush to St Peter Basilica and enter it no later than 1:30pm. Thx!

I would never enter a restaurant in Italy hoping to be served and complete a meal in 30 minutes. On Via Del Corso you should be able to find a quick take-out place and eat while you walk. ~~Judy

We were on in March of this year. You can see what was standard vs classic vs premium if you scroll down.

https://goo.gl/photos/kbWoo3hRLaURB3LU6

Enjoy

Very Helpful...Thank YOU!!

Also with Verizon you can do a "chat" online and then a transcript is emailed to you for a record of what you were told...believe me, this can come in handy! ~~Judy

Not sure why you think it is a scam. They provide the options & the prices and it is up to you to select which, if any, is best for you.

Absolutely correct! People seem to always want to blame someone else when they don't take the time to do the numbers and make an educated decision regarding what is or is not a better price. ~~Judy

If tour Roll Call is active you should find a lot of choices on that with affordable tours and suggestions. And be sure to register for the Meet and Greet for your cruise as it gives you the opportunity to meet the people you have been corresponding with on CC. ~~Judy

Get the visa...peace of mind is worth more than the cost and inconvenience. ~~Judy

We're using Choice Air for the 1st time for our Oct. Med cruise. I checked individual airlines and also the airfare search websites for pricing, number of stops, and how many hours to destination. When I called Choice Air I had a good idea of cost and the flights that I hoped to book. Choice Air saved us $400 on the exact flights that I wanted...did a Happy Dance!! ~~Judy

With a Classic or Premium drink package you can have fresh squeezed orange juice in the Oceanview Cafe. ~~Judy

I agree...so much to see that you can only skim the surface. Do try to stay in an area that is walkable to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, etc.

We really enjoyed visiting the Borghese Gallery and Gardens and this is a gallery that you need to pre-purchase tickets as they limit the number of visitors...this makes it much nicer and easier to view the gallery.

And don't forget to have a Gelato or two or three:D...our favorite is/was Giolitti Gelateria...old, established, and packed with locals. "Romeing" in Rome is what it's all about. Soak up the culture and take the memories home with you!! Safe travels.

~~Judy

Just checked AAA vs Bank of America and BOA was a much better deal about 50 bucks cheaper for 1000 euros, my local bank was same as BOA

If you bank with BOA they are part of the Global Banking Alliance. This means that if you get money from ATMs that are part of the alliance you don't pay the foreign transaction fee. We've used this while in Italy and also Australia and New Zealand and never had difficulty locating the correct bank's ATM...they were the largest banks and were everywhere. BOA's website has the information and lists of the banks for each country that are part of the alliance.

~~Judy

I usually put something on our door....no matter the cruiseline. We sailed the Summit over Christmas and I put a little stocking on our door (using a magnet)....and my husband said "that's it?" It was because of what I read here on Cruise Critic--some people were downright miserable with the comments. From now on, I don't care....this is my cruise, too, and I will decorate my door. :D

You go, girl!!!:D

We also love Celebrity and took our first 2 cruises with them in the early 90's. Then a hiatus to cruise other lines for personal comparison and tried several of the competition. We returned to Celebrity in 2012 and aside from planning a small boat river cruise, see no reason to depart from Celebrity. The ships, the ports, the cabins, the staff, the food, our fellow cruisers...love it all!! Celebrity has worked hard to create a wonderful and memorable cruising experience for each guest and they have accomplished this quite well!!