LEtue

Because of the distance and your limited port time I also recommend a prearranged taxi from Messina. Post to your sailing thread and others will join you.

Taormina is absolutely beautiful!

LEtue, in addition to stefanorometours (which I have used) and RomeInLimo (which I am using next year) I have also used Joe Banana Limos and thought they were great too.

 

Their web site is"

 

http://www.joebananalimos.net

 

Take a look at each of these. See if the tours interest you and then try one at a time to check on availability.

 

Good luck with this.

 

Keith

Thanks again Keith. Fortunately, I am staying in Rome for a few day pre-cruise this time so, I am just looking for a great guided tour of the Vatican.

I am glad to have time to see the rest of the city at leisure too. My last visit was an excursion from Civitavecchia with RomeInLimo and they are awesome :D

__________________

There are many good tour companies in Rome and honestly many are just great. Some will recommend one over the other because that is whom they have been with and they are happy with them.

 

Make a list of the possibilities and then narrow it down based on the tour and then read reviews here but also on TripAdvisor.

 

And book early because some fill up.

 

Keith

Thank you Keith. I have already done that and was looking for feedback from CC members whose opinions I find more accurate. I thought I was booked already based on a pre-reserve I did through TickItaly and they came back this week and advised the tour time they included on their site - is not available for booking. So now I am searching for a replacement.

I wont go with tripadvisor reviews, don't trust that site, but it's only me :)

Thanks for the feedback. I have had some recent issues with TripAdvisor too - mostly with hotels though. I use them in a way similar to what Keith described paying closer attention to the average to lower scores and how recent they are.

There are also good small-group walking tours offered by various agencies. I have taken several of the Context Travel tours and they are excellent if you are really interested in learning a lot about a particular area or time period of Rome's history.

Wow, I am thrilled to see your post! I just came across Context Travel today and am considering their Arte Vaticana Tour. Have you done it? It seems like the perfect way to enjoy the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's :)

I have only done one RT from SEA and the seas were rough. Our itinerary on the Oosterdam took us all the way to Juneau as a first port and we stayed a good distance from land. It may make a different if your first port is Ketchikan?

I will tell you though the roughest seas on that trip were between Hubbard Glacier and Sitka. I got sick that day and it is the first time for me - ever.

So, you need to be prepared for rough seas and hope for smooth seas :)

Have only sailied the Med one time mid to late May and the weather was fantastic - very warm and calm seas.

It was a 12 night RT from Barcelona that included the ports of Marseilles, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Venice, Naples, Messina and Villefranche. Have a wonderful cruise!

I believe we had to wait until approx 90 days out..but that wouldn't stop me from checking often...since RCI's release schedule can vary..It won't show up online I have had to call and they told me the approx timeframe...you can make that call yourself...then when you know it's open for booking call your TA...I always book everything myself but I know you should make sure your TA acts quickly as this cruisetrain option can sell out...don't ever wait until the last minute or when boarding...they will be sold out. BTW : it's (as of last May) $105.00pp it keeps going up a few $$ every season we've noticed.

Thanks! I will make a note to call RCI in February to see when it is available to book. I'm guessing it will be set up for those sailing in May by then :)

I have used the cruise (RCI Radiance) train (Grandview Railroad) transfers from Seward to Anchorage..We left at approx 7:00am it's a 126 mile trip and we arrived to the door of ANC approx 11:30am...To participate your flight home can be no earlier than 1:30pm..This guided/narrated train trip was one of the highlights of our cruise..You cannot book this on their website and must contact RCI directly or have your TA do it for you...Just remember this train transfer option books up very quickly so don't delay in your decision ...Enjoy !!!!

This is the perfect option for us since we don't want to do any Kenai Fjords trips this time.

Do you happen to know how far out this is available for booking? I will get my TA on it early for our August 2015 cruise :)

Great thread! I think I am going to need 2 days pre-cruise in Vancouver next summer :)

Lorey, please post your experience with the Blue Horizon. I just booked it based on reviews I have read here but it always nice to read about recent stays!

Have a great cruise :D

Blue Horizon is the better of the two - the Sunset Inn is actually a converted apartment building and while close to restaurants - 24 hour Denny's around the corner - it is further away from Stanley Park.

 

The area around the Sunset is more residental in nature while the Blue Horizon is near the epic center of the downtown core.

 

Aim for the higher floors with mountain views if staying at the Blue Horizon.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Thanks! I just booked this hotel for our cruise next year and selected the superior room on the upper floors. Looking forward to enjoyiing the view!

Yes, and my post (#16) addresses the Colosseum.

 

:confused:

Thank you. Actually even with the webcam view and one picture showing a portion of a wall it is hard to get a feel for how much is under scaffolding. I'm going to hunt around for more pictures :)

Post #16 (earlier in this thread) should clear that up for you.

I was wondering about the Colosseum actually. I am over my disappointment about the Trevi Fountain :(

Absolutely not. It is your vacation and you should spend it the way you want.

I do think the rental car suggestion is good though. It would give you access to more scenery on shore. Excursions can be very scenic too like whale watching in Juneau :D

No matter what you decide.....have a great cruise!

The May 18 itinerary looks very nice!

I wouldn't hesitate to book it if that time frame works for you. Go and enjoy!

I wanted to sail the Noordam or Volendam next year from Vancouver. The itinerary is absolutely wonderful but.....the price as a solo passenger is too high for my budget. And since I can't wait until their fares drop and still get my FF seats I had to go with what I can afford.

Go with the Volendam! Sailing from Vancouver is so much nicer than Seattle.....

Well congratulations and enjoy that balcony :D

Just FYI the Tracy Arm Fjord isn't really a port, the ship sails up the fjord to a glacier (I think Hubbard or Sawyer?) and stops so everyone can take pictures, etc. Then turns around and goes back. The turning around itself is rather exciting since it seems like there is very little room. Lots of chances to see birds, seals, even whales.

Yes, that is reason I don't like this itinerary. You really need more time and the option to take the small boat excursion - meeting up with the ship later in Juneau.

Sailing Tracy Arm for 5 hours really isn't the best way to see it and this itinerary also excludes Ketchikan (which means no bear fly in with Island Wings) :(

Good price or not I would be giving up too much so I didn't "jump".

No need to be sorry, the more info out there, the better chance of others being able to catch a nice price drop:)

 

We all like saving money

Happy Days!

You are right - the more info we have the better it is!!!

I thought about taking this deal myself but I know the prices on Princess will drop to this level about the first of the year. I am cruising solo next year so paying the double price on RCI is usually high compared to 150% on Princess. Knowing that it was a temporary glitch though makes me wish I had put a deposit on it and decided next year!

I often monitor pricing and earlier this year I found an $848 RT airfare to Rome for my October cruise. It wasn't there long - just the time it took American and US Air to combine data (from their merger) - I guess. Only one stop each way too with connections that are doable :D

Good to hear that some got it. I didn't see the post from last night so sorry for duplicating......

I see some sites with the lower price too but when I click to book it is recalculating. This morning they were much lower.

I need to see Ketchikan and Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm (with small boat tour time) - otherwise I would have booked a cabin.

And in the short 90 minutes since the previous message was posted, I am now showing prices doubling (or more). Must be some sort of IT issue.

Really? I hope someone got to take advantage :)

That would be a problem and SEA is expensive - even without special events going on!

But all of the sailings on the Jewel are much lower so it may be good deal for other timeframes :)

Has anyone else noticed how low the prices are already for the Jewel OTS to Alaska next year?

Maybe that itinerary isn't selling well? No stop in Ketchikan and only a short visit to Tracy Arm - which doesn't appear to allow for a small boat excursion.

Still, a good opportunity to get a glimpse of Alaska :)

I ride the Adventure class, not interested in the additional charges. :) In my case, I have had no problem with getting dome seating and enjoy moving about the train. I, again, did the Fairbanks/Denali run several days ago, and will be on the Anchorage/Seward train tomorrow. It suits me perfectly fine. If you want the Goldstar, then enjoy yourself and book this. :)

Thanks. I'm still deciding since I have lots of time until I can book. The trip from Anchorage to Denali is long so it is a tough choice.

I only get to Alaska once ever 2 years but if I went as often as you - it would be no choice at all and I could try different things each year ;)

However, with grandkids in 2 states and limited vacation time I can't go as often as I would like :(

I book inside cabins and save wherever possible but this adds $85 to my total trip so I'm just not sure.......

When will you be there next summer? What ship?

We are on the Holland Ossterdam, July 26th. Just wondering.

Glad you hear you like this company so much!!!

I'm on the Star Princess July 18 - sailing southbound from Whittier. :D

It looks like you had a fabulous trip and your pictures are awesome :D