Waihekean

Depends where your ship docks. Some ships drop anchor in the bay, so you would have to go by tender. We were with Celebrity and they dock a distance from the little township. You had to make your own way or could go by bus supplied by the ship. Where the drop off was from the bus there is now a beach where you could swim if you would not want to travel to somewhere else. Nearby is also the town beach where people were swimming and sunbathing.

There are several other beaches where you could go to. Do a search on this forum.

In general Mykonos is a great place to just wander around, take in the windmills and walk the quaint streets. Wonderful to do a bit of shopping.

Must be really nice to see it at night also.

Romecabs are wonderful. Found them through here on Cruise Critic and they are really used to bringing/picking up cruisers from Civi. Also Airport to Hotel and visa versa.

Another tip is to share their vans to and from Port with other cruisers from your roll call. It is really easy to organise and makes it very economical. Around 30euro per person.

Ditto, another fan of La Tagliata here. Great food and views.

I have been comparing the baggage allowances on different flights we will be taking in the next two years.

Air NZ has a cabin baggage allowance limit of 7 kg / 15 lbs in economy. (We will be in premium economy on our return flight SYD-AKL-LAX and have a 30 lb limit between two bags).

How have other folks managed with the 15 lb limit?

Have been in the last few years on long flights with Singapore Airlines, KLM & Malaysian Airlines, but all three had a 7kg carry on luggage restriction. For checked luggage it was 20kg.

Never found the 7kg hard to manage, but the 20kg is a totally different story:o:( Always a major hassle, especially when you go from summer here to winter there.

If at all possible, go for the S1 corner suite. Maybe check out a few TA's and see if you can get a good OBC.

Again many thanks, it's a big learning curve. lol:)

Hello, I gather this is your first cruise, so you might not have heard about roll calls as yet. This is where us CC'ers talk to eachother that are on the same cruise. It is mainly for fun, but also for sharing tips, maybe set up excursions together or transfers together to reduce costs, alert eachother for pricedrops on cruise fares, advice etc.

Now because the MSC board is a very small board here on CC the roll calls are very quiet, but there is actually one for your cruise. Only one other roll caller has responded and not for a while, so "we have fallen off the page" This means has been inactive and then you do not appear on the first page when you open it. So will post a message there for you then it is easier to find, as it will be then on the first page.

Go to the section Roll Calls, then look up MSC roll calls, then Preziosa, then the date July 19th 2014. Go to the one from Waihekean.

I have done several cruises to the Mediterrean and in general "a cruise fan":D Done a lot of research over the years. BTW this will be my first cruise on MSC, but just ask away...

Sorry, will not be able to help you much, but as so many people looked at this thread and no one responded so far I thought maybe to advise to try some of you questions at the Ports of Call forum.

Usually you have to be back on board half an hour before sail away, but I do not know how it works when you are tendering.

If I am doing my own excursion I aim to be back on board an hour before sailing. If there is little port time or the sightseeing is far away from port then I take a ships excursion.

I would say also that Princess comes close to Celebrity. Just not so modern in ambience and the cabins are very old fashioned. Really love the cabins on the Solstice ships, especially when snaring a triple balcony:D

I find the pools nicer on Princess and do like the more intimate dining room. There is also more opportunity to dance.

What does put me off however is that we "down under" are not allowed to book via an American TA. This pushes up the cruise fare considerably.

For example our cruise last year in the Med on Princess for veranda cabin was twice the price then the cruise we booked on X with our lovely triple balcony cabin on Reflection.

Thank you you guy from New Zealand, at least I know the Celebrity is still available for cheaper cruise fare.

Although I'm not a guy, You are welcome!:D

We went on a tour with Celebrity to Sirince. This a a small mountain village that used to be Greek, but has been reverted back to Turkey. Time has just stand still there and it has some cute shops. Also a renowned jeweller. Area is known for their fruit wines.

We also got a lunch at an authentic and gorgious local restaurant nearby.

It was something different and enjoyed it very much. Google it and see if it appeals.

I have booked for the first time with Celebrity direct online, but will do not that again.

I prefer to actually book with on online TA, who I can either phone, look on their web site for price drops and have an immediate response when I e-mail.

So, far the phone number given by X did not work, after e-mailing them, eventually was given another phone number and that one is not even connected. When looking on the website for prices and trying to look at other categories for example, a message pops up that I do not need to do that, do I want to book in a guest? So, do not know their current prices.

I only have an e-mail address and a link to get into My Celebrity account.

Will have to do an early payment, so can check if it works.

It is not the cruise travel agent that decides you can not buy, because you are not a resident of the USA, but it is the cruiselines that will not allow it.

For example just recently MSC has decided that you can not book as a non resident anymore, but I was already booked, so that will still be honoured.

Celebrity is about one of the few left that will allow non residents to book.

On our last cruise on the Reflection in the buffet, you could have a fresh o.j. and a capuccino served from the waiter at the table, but they would not let you do that when standing at the bar. You then would only be allowed to order one drink. So, had to drink the o.j. then order the coffee.

There is a sticky at top of page S CLASS CABIN INFORMATION when you open the Celebrity forum where there is a lot of info on individual cabins.

If you want to have a larger balcony then you need to choose a cabin on the slant of the hump. For example on the hump in the middle there are 4 cabins on each side on a angle. Of these the first and seond from corner are about triple sized and the second and fourth are double sized.

The cabins on the smaller humps also are larger.

Does anyone have an experience with this service?

Also has this VeniceLink replaced VeniceConnect?

We had a lovely meal in a small local restaurant OSTERIA MOCENIGO DA GUIDO & LUCA.

It is easy to find if you would get off at the SAN STAE vaporetto stop. Walk straight from the stop and you will find the restaurant on the right (sort of one-two blocks). If the restaurant is open it is easy to find as there will be table and chairs set up outside on the left hand side of the street. If closed, you will have to find the door on the right. The restaurant will open after 7pm.

It is one of those restaurants where the owner is still serving himself. It is popular with locals and tourists alike.

Hello and welcome to Cruise Critic:).

Have done the Eastern Med twice. 1st one with my Mum and one last year with DH (dear Hubby). It was his first cruise and he loved it. Both cruises had the same itinerary.

The Solstice class ships are beautiful and have really nice cabins.

If you want to meet up with people from your cruise, then go to the Roll Call section, look up your ship and date and introduce yourself. If you get 25 or more Pax (passengers) enrolling for the connections party then Celebrity (X) will put on a coffee morning for the roll callers to Meet & Greet. The roll call is also good for organising your own excursions and transfers.

For example through Cruise Critic (CC) found out that a lot of Pax recommended RomeCabs for either transfers from airport to hotel in Rome and from Rome to Civitavecchia. So, have organised that twice now myself and that has greatly reduced the cost, plus it is fun to share the arrival at the ship with some roll callers.

Doing a Med cruise requires a lot of research. Because there is so much to do and see, it is important to be really organised and to know how to get from A to B. Also to be aware that you can not do it all, so need to slot in some relax time. It will also be very hot, so need to be prepared for that.

You will find a lot of info and help in the Ports of Call section. If you do not find, just ask. Many will be looking for the same answers.

Last, but not least. Try to add extra days on either end of the cruise. Of course Rome would be very popular, but also Venice or Florence.

Once you get into the research it is a lot of fun and really exciting. Just start looking up places on youtube and looking at links like Europe for Visitors etc.

Yes, I did consider the Celebrity post-cruise Auckland city tour with airport drop off. But I read a negative review on this website. They were rushed off the ship at 7:00 am. Got to the first sight too early which was still closed, so they missed that visit. The whole tour was rushed and hectic. And they were dropped off at the airport way too early. At $162/person, we could do better by ourselves. I don't want to experience a crazy hectic tour on my last day.

 

I figured at about $20 for luggage storage and $16/person on the Airbus was a better deal. We plan to spend some leisurely time at the Auckland Art Gallery, which is for free. :)

 

Thank you for all your input.

If you do take the airbus make sure that you allow plenty of time for that. Personally I would take either the Shuttle or go by taxi. If you phone Discount Taxi Ph: 529-1000 (say from the Gallery) the fee would be around or under $50NZ. Last time (Sep'13) we went to the airport from where the ship docks the fee was $35.

I suspect it is because the fares have been really high in the Med for the upcoming summer season.

Myself was looking at end January this year for a June or July cruise and was surprised to find that there was not one Celebrity cruise in my budget for anywhere in Europe. In the end booked with MSC and even then had to settle for an OV and only a 7 night cruise.

So, I think the promoted cruise is just undersold. If you have never been to Venice I say grab it, especially considering it might be one of the last times there will be still a sail in/out allowed in Venice.

If you do go, may I also suggest to spend at least 3 days in Venice. It is such a special place.

And yes it will be hot in August in the Med, but so will be it too in July or September.

www.australiaday.com.au

 

Hint - Whatever you choose, take a picnic, pick one spot and get there early, as traffic becomes chaotic, as the ferries stop for the ferry race.

Thanks for the tips:) Happily Debhomespun and us are very central, so can walk to everything, but will still take traffic in consideration.

We booked at the York apartment Hotel as well for our upcoming cruise.

Mainly because of having the extra space compared to a hotel room and it is really central.

But it also has an outdoor swimming pool and a Jacussi pool:).

Further the apartment has a balcony and a bath in the bathroom.

What could be usefull for OP too is that there is also a laundry with washer and dryer.

What about a ship tour of Auckland finishing at the airport.

Leave your luggage on bus.

This would be my suggestion too, check if they have transfer tours.

We did that in Rome, although pricey it was for us the best solution.

I never had this happen on a cruise, but had it happen several times in hotels. Ok it is usually a small amount, however pretty annoying when you stand at the reception and have to justify yourself that it was not you that took that drink.

BTW it is always just the one drink. I feel it is probably miscounted on the guest who had the room before me or it is the cleaners that take it.

Thank you very much. I just booked the Radisson on Liverpool Street. Looks like it is not far from Darling Harbour and China town. Looks like plenty of places to eat and grab a drink close by. I stumbled on a great price, about half of what it would have been to stay with my tour group at the Four Points just a few blocks away. Thanks again for your information. I could see that things were filling up fast, so I feel better now it's booked.

Yes, this one was on my short list due to having a pool. Checked and currently it is about $100NZ cheaper per night then last time I look at it. So good score:)

Thank you so much! Maybe we can meet up while in Sydney since we are staying at the same hotel, for the same amount of time. Not sure what we will be doing yet. I would like to do a harbour cruise on Australia Day during the evening to watch the fireworks. I have been doing some research, and coming up with some options!

Same here, would like to do an evening cruise on Australia Day. Do you know any prices? Also interested in a meet up with you.

Have planned a few things so far. On first afternoon doing the Bridge Pylon climb (and photo's of course) and the Rocks area. Probably Darling Harbour at night. Sis is mad about zoo's, so will be spending a day at Taronga Zoo.