showerdancer55

With a private driver......There were 6 of us!! Well worth it...

I an interested in visiting Eze and perhaps some of the same places you mentioned when we dock in Monte Carlo. Do you recall how you booked a private driver? I have everything planned for the other ports on our our "Mediterranean Mosaic" on HA is October but for some reason Monte Carlo has been difficult to make decisions about. Too many choices!

No, they don't. We have already seen Avignon so wanted to see Aix on this trip which appears to be on the way back to the ship if we go to Arles and Les Baux first. Still trying.... Thanks for responding though!

Thanks Hank,

I am still looking but close to giving up. It is just so odd.

Hi all,

Our group of (4) are on Koningsdam and will be in Marseille on Monday Oct.15. Dock at 8am and ship departs at 6pm. I had a private tour booked to see the 3 places in thread title but last week heard from Provence Tours that this itinerary is no longer "available"; they offered Arles and Les Baux OR Les Baux and Aix . Wanted to see Arles for Van Gogh ( not necessarily including the mental institution ) , Les Beaux for "Carrieres des Lumieres" and Aix to walk around a bit. I don't see this particular itinerary available anywhere else and have not had any luck rebooking. Has anyone here done something comparable? The map looks like the distances are doable but am not on the ground there so there must be something I am not taking into consideration. Appreciate any advice - thanks!

I also used Overlord to visit Normandy when we spent a few weeks in Paris about 8 years ago. Took the train for a day trip with my 2 teenagers ( son, 13 and daughter, 16 ). Our guide met us at the train station. The Normandy beaches and the American Cemetery are something every American should visit. My son ( 13 at the time) told me that the cemetery was " the most powerful place place he had ever been". This from a tech wizard who had not even wanted to go. My daughter (16) picked up a few pebbles from the beach, without my knowledge, because she "wanted to remember this place forever". Those 3 pebbles sit on my mantel to this day. Our guide was local and lived in Normandy and took us to many out of the way spots with back stories of what happened there during the war. He was absolutely phenomenal...years later when we look back at those weeks in Paris this day trip to Normandy was the highlight....and we were in Paris on Bastille Day! You will not be disappointed.

EDITQUOTE

I also used Overlord to visit Normandy when we spent a few weeks in Paris about 8 years ago. Took the train for a day trip with my 2 teenagers ( son, 13 and daughter, 16 ). Our guide met us at the train station. The Normandy beaches and the American Cemetery are something every American should visit. My son ( 13 at the time) told me that the cemetery was " the most powerful place place he had ever been". This from a tech wizard who had not even wanted to go. My daughter (16) picked up a few pebbles from the beach, without my knowledge, because she "wanted to remember this place forever". Those 3 pebbles sit on my mantel to this day. Our guide was local and lived in Normandy and took us to many out of the way spots with back stories of what happened there during the war. He was absolutely phenomenal...years later when we look back at those weeks in Paris this day trip to Normandy was the highlight....and we were in Paris on Bastille Day! You will not be disappointed.

I have also been looking at hotels for our upcoming October visit. I have noticed that the price is higher if you book without a deposit and higher still if you want the option of cancelling up to 48 hours before your arrival. The hotels we are considering ( recommended by Cruisemom42) near Pantheon, etc are around 280 Euros per night.

How expensive??? Do you have any approx. costs for a departure from FCO?

We would not schedule an early departure, but if we can avoid standing in long lines.

Costs are per person and depend on if you need Porter service. For our group of (4) it will be around $450.

Does FCO have a VIP Fast Track that someone posted earlier? How do you get information regarding this program? We have heard horror stories about FCO and want to have no big problems.

I am currently looking at AssistAnt, Air Assist and Royal Airport Concierge but haven't decided which "FAST TRACK" provider we are going to use yet.

We have also booked the "Twilight in Trastavere" Food Tour in October for the evening we arrive. It begins at 5pm and is 4 hours so we should enjoy the "twilight" part at that time of year. Food is a sure fire way to keep our attention and keep us awake!

Many people, including us, will tell you it is better to stay up as late as you can that arrival day in Rome. Stay active...don't sit down in front of the TV. Walk around. People watch. Somebody suggested on another thread to take a "Rome at Night" tour...not us, unless it was all walking. If it was sitting in a vehicle...bad. You will fall asleep.

 

The point is to get your body clock set to the local time ASAP. This technique has worked very well for us in 30+ years of traveling all over the world.

We arrive, as most int'l flights do, early in the morning. The hotels will normally let you drop off your luggage as your room will probably not be ready. Our group of (4) plan on walking around a bit near the Pantheon after lunch, check into our hotel and freshen up a bit and then head out for "Twilight in Trastavere" Food tour beginning at 5pm. We all love food and figure it is a guaranteed method of keeping us awake!

If you can't access the link below, here is a screenshot of the contact information:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/contact-us.html

 

 

 

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Thank you very much Miss G, I was able to book the 3 specialty restaraunts we have chosen by phone.

Would you have a link to that floor plan that you could share?

Certainly, I found it on HAL Facts. http://halfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/kodmmdr-new-numbers.pdf

Does FCO have a VIP Fast Track that someone posted earlier? How do you get information regarding this program? We have heard horror stories about FCO and want to have no big problems.

I am considering AssistAnt, Air Assist and Royal Airport Concierge; they all offer a "FAST TRACK" concierge serviec at FCO. It is very expensive and intended for VIP's I believe ( which we assuredly are NOT) but we have no Plan "B" so have to make our 11am flight.

Hello Fellow Cruisers!

I am looking into using the "FAST TRACK" concierge services that meet you at the airport curbside and expedite getting your group through checked baggage, security and flight check-in. Has anyone used AssitAnt, Royal Airport Concierge or AirAssist at Fiumicino Airport in Rome and were you satisfied with their services? It is a pretty hefty fee but our flight home has been changed and instead of 6 hours to flight time after disembarking from Citavecchia, we now have 3 1/2 hours. Could be a very exciting end to our trip!

I am (still) unable to access the HAL website...how else can I prebook Pinnacle Grill?

We had fixed early dining upstairs, by a window, set apart, but not so far away from others that we didn't make good friends with the couple next to us.

 

We found it was quieter, with less traffic, in "our little corner" and liked the intimacy very much.

 

K'dam is a lovely ship. Enjoy.

Would you happen to know your table number? I actually had a MDR floor plan up and was thinking about requesting a particular table when I saw your post.

Thank you for the tips! Unfortunately, the Vatican Museums are not open on Sundays . To take the train from the Vatican directly to the ship means we would have 8 pieces of luggage with us for the Museum tour which would be too much for us. I realize traffic is unpredictable but believe 4 hours will be sufficient to check out of hotel and get to ship by 4pm. Hoping this will not turn out to be " famous last words"! Thanks again and Ciao!

I agree with you Silverback; not thrilled about the changes to the Crow's Nest. When we booked this cabin it was partly due to proximity of what I thought would be a quiet gathering place which trumped my concerns about the ship's motion that high up and so far aft. Oh well, I am sure will all have a wonderful time!:D

Thank you Sir PMP and Cruiser Bruce. I am allowing 90 minutes travel time from our centrally located hotel to the ship so thinking this will work out. Planning on the 2 hour Early Entry Express Vatican Museum tour, look at the Basilica and then get back to the hotel by noon which should give us enough time. I know it isn't ideal to really see the Vatican but it is all we can do on this trip. Thanks again!

We are going to self disembark, have a private transfer awaiting at 7:30am "Under Ship", use an expediting service at FCO and pray a LOT! I can't see any reason why the airport situation would improve as am now realizing that our trip in October is now considered "high season" along with June and July.

If you book a ship's transfer, HAL will not accept the booking if the flight is before a certain time.

I flew American from Rome to Philadelphia . The departure from Rome is 11AM and I had sufficient time for clearing customs and getting to the gate area.

My air and transfers were both done thru HAL.

 

 

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AngelCat, This sounds like the flight we are taking back to USA on Oct 8th. I am seriously considering a VIP concierge service that will supposedly "FAST TRACK" our party of (4) through baggage check and flight checkin. Has anyone had any experience with this service?

Hello Fellow Cruisers!

I hope I am asking in the "right" place. We are on Koningsdam out of Citavecchia (Rome) on October 8th. Ship scheduled to leave port at 6pm. We want to do some sightseeing earlier that day and wondered what is the latest time we could embark? I have tried the SEARCH function here without success and am still unable to load HA website ( very long story!).

Thanks very much for any help. Am reluctant to purchase early entry Vatican Museum tickets without knowing our timeline.

Laura

I am also booked on the Sun Deck and wondered about the noise. My travel agent was on the ship recently and said the Crows Nest had been turned into an Excursion Info area and was virtually empty in the evenings.:):)

I am very jealous of anyone able to even load the new website. I have tried different devices, different browsers...to no avail. I booked, and paid for, an October Mediterranean sailing back in March. Have never, not even once, been able to get their website to load completely. Get the blue ocean, the logo in left corner and then just circling until finally a "404 not found". Incredibly frustrating.