24butterfly

So we are in Naples for the day again this year I think this is like the eighth time

Last year did herculean wonderful loved it

Been to Vesuvius been to Pompeii

Driven the coast including visit to Positano and Sorrento although didn't spend a great deal of time there

I believe I'm one trip we stopped off and Ravello

Done Capri and AnaCapri I must be in the minority as Capri didn't impress me all that much except that I almost got a pair of handmade sandals but it was going to take too long by the time I decided

I'd like to just get on a boat and go somewhere I know there's ferrys all over the place and I can't think of where to go

My husband vote is let's just go shopping in that mall at the port as he got several pairs of nice Italian shoes there last year and I got some great charms for my bracelet but seriously I would think there's got to be something else to do and hit the mall on the way back to the ship. Suggestions?

There's more to Naples than that gallery. We went to an absolute jewel--the Archaeological museum, then had an autheentic Napoli pizza at Sorbillo, went to Capella San Severo---and then back to the ship. I am not Rick Steve's person, but I got an Eyewitness Guide to the 10 best things to do in Naples and went from there. Naples is an absolute jewel that everybody runs from. Also, Spaccanapoli is the main drag, and lotsa life. Also found a place (street vendor) that served sfagliotella--a pastry--about 1.4 euro....Made for a nice day. ALthough, I must tell you that we did the Museum while in Rome, and did Capella San Severo (if u like sculptures) and pizza and walking when we spent the day in Naples......Hope this helps.

Thanks Nick. We're thinking we might try this when ferry timetable is published and we can make sure the timings work. Like you I like to be back early!

We went to AEgina as well. The hydro leaves at 8:50 or 9am, then there's a 3pm back. We got back to the ship at 4. I think we were docked (X, Equinox) until 6. Wished it was later--would have liked to have gone to Hydra instead....Aegina is cute, quiet and quaint. A nice respite from Athens and Pireaus.

does anyone know the opening times for the Izmir Bazaar on a Sunday?

thank you

Google Izmir Bazaars. The answer is on Trip Advisor.....You might want to go on Trip Advisor anyway and see what the destination experts have to say about the city anyway....T.A. is a sister website to this one....

Thank you :)

 

We have been to Izmir before and the town is beautiful!! We did it on our own and went to their fabulous market. This time we wanted to do Ephesus. Looking for a tour guide recommendation for that one.

 

Dubrovnik-- was the wall not nice to walk?

 

Santorini- I thought I heard something about a cable car??

OK--I misread about Izmir....I think the company is Ephesus Tours that we used one time. THey don't require pmt up front, but the price gets cheaper if more people join the group. Do u have a Roll Call?

Dubrovnik: It's all about the views--everybody was saying , "oh, walk the wall, walk the wall--"--it's no big deal.. I'd have rather have gotten on a boat at the end of the city (It's a UNESCO city), and taken it to one of the outer parts. The "wall" is on top of the city--it's actually city walls that kept out all the enemies. It's no big deal, really. At least we didn't think it was. It was about 8 euros....We descended about halfway....THere is also a cable car in Dubrovnik, but again, it's about the views, and I'm not sure how to get there. Take a boat.

Santorini: Yes, there is a cable car to go from the port to Fira...Or else u can go up by donkey (we went down by donkey and I think it cured my fear of heights!) Yes, it's safe, they follow a path and there's a guide walking down with you.

Can you recommend a guide?

Please see my post on your other thread. The city is pretty e-z to navigate on your own...

Izmir:

Izmir is not exactly a tourist town, so your best bet is to find a private guide. We did--but he's no longer giving tours. In reality, you really don't need a guide for Izmir. When u disembark, just walk alongside the pier and u'll find what to do....It 's just like going to a regular city--there's no landmarks, etc. They're using Izmir as a jumping off point for Ephesus. There's nothing really in guide books either...Just explore...

Santorini: I think the name was Ocean Waves tours....He just took us around the island--nothing much to see, really....Went to a winery, Oia, passed by a beach, went thru the intrior of the island. It was about $110 pp a few years ago....

Dubrovnik: xplore the city on your own. Everybody wants to "walk the walls"--we found this not-so-great---it was no big deal to us...Found a market inside the city...If we ever went again, we'd take a boat at the opposite end of the city and go to the surrounding areas for a few hrs....

Hope this helps....

Hi Cathy...

 

We visited Orvieto on Monday, October 13, 2013 and didn't notice anything of interest being closed.

 

Is the Monday you're considering a holiday? Can you provide a link to where you got your information?

 

Lew

Maybe they meant that it was QUIET? We went one time, can't remember what day it was, but it was QUIET. We went during the day---stores were open, but there wasn't alot of people....

Can we expect to get a fair rate if we have the hotel call a taxi to take us to Piraeus?

 

Thanks,

I would agree upon the rate first b4 you get in. Also, I'd ask around at how much it should cost. It it's Athens central, expect about 20-25 Euros.

We've travelled to Rome to embark upon a cruise on a number of occasions however this time we are travelling to Rome for a city break.

 

We are travelling with Jet 2 and our flight arrives/departs from Terminal 3 at Fiumicino. We want to make use of the Leonardo Express Airport Train and I would be grateful if anyone can provide advice/tips such as how to get to the train station from Terminal 3, where do we buy tickets, do you have to swipe your ticket in advance of boarding the train?

 

Thank you in advance!

There are signs leading to the train. Also, try not to leave your luggage unattended.

In late May we will be taking the bus from Amalfi (where our ship will be anchored) to Ravello to spend our port day there. I am looking for your lunch recommendations in Ravello itself.

 

A few years ago on an Amalfi Coast tour we had an excellent lunch (on my birthday!) in Pontone at Trattoria L'Antico Borgo, but husband has a bad knee so we need to stay in Ravello itself for lunch because it is unlikely that we could get a taxi to and from Pontone.

 

I would appreciate any and all suggestions. Rick Steves recommends one: Ristorante Garden; anyone lunched there? How was it?

 

Thanks.

It also depends on what time you get there. We did a private tour for Ravello, Positano and Amalfi. Unfortunately, Ravello was still asleep when we got there.....They lunch late in Italy--like 2pm. We have nver had a bad meal anywhere in Italy---google restaurants in Ravello---whatever you choose, I'm sure it will be ok....

We were thinking it might be nice to just kick back at a resort in Athens with a great pool and restaurant. Are there resorts that offer day passes in Athens?

No. Athens is more citified. It is not like Mykonos where u may be able to get a day pass....

At the risk of being flippant, try your ship.

We looked into this a few years back, but it involved catching some tram and it looked a bit involved. I can't think of the name --it's "something" Marina----google it--resort areas around Pireaus. It seemed more trouble than it was worth. Also, from what I read on the blogs, the food prices were high. We did a land tour several years back and we took a bus from Athens to some fishing village, that I didn't write down the name of it---just google the above--re: beaches near Pireaus---.......If I remember correctly, it was about an hour or so away, and 2 trams....Hope this helps.

You might look into a tour to Pergamon - lots of history from the Hellinistic and Roman times. Once had a library second only to the one in Alexandria. Have a look at the description in wikipedia or other sources.

 

It will be a full day tour as it is about an hour away and there is lots to see. You should be able to easily find an operator with a quick search.

THe problem with that is that they have limited time...We looked into that as well...It cost ALOT of $....I think we looked into Ephesus Tours.

Thank you 24butterfly .

 

That's waht we'll probably end up doing...

You're welcome. Have a good time. If you're into designer "knock-off"s, like Vuitton, there was a store right at the dock as you're extiting the ship.

Hello everyone.

 

It is going to be our second time in Izmir and we have some doubts about what to do.

We have been to Ephesus before.

What do you recommend? Stay onboard and enjoy a less crowded ship or try out the city or something else? Last time we barely looked at Izmir as we got onboard in Kusadasi .

 

Thank you all.

We had the same dilemma some years ago (like 4 or 5). Figuring that there were things to see in Izmir, we hired a private guide...I don't think that he is doing tours anymore. He took us around Izmir and the surrounding area--a fishing village, which turned out to be where they keep some fishing boats. Then to a bazaar. Frankly, if I were you, I'd just enjoy whatever when you get off the ship. Izmir is VERY clean, as was most of the parts of Turkey we have visited. Probably a ship's tour will offer to take you to some local places, but the clock tower isn't all that....If we docked in Izmir again, I'd just get off the ship and wander. It's safe.

Will be in Venice in October and should we take ship excursion for gondola ride or rent one when we get off the ship?:)

If you go into the back canals, where hardly anyone goes, you will be able to get a beter deal than if you got the gondola in the main part of town. Try early evening instead of 2pm when everyone else wants it.

I just got off Yahoo where there is an article about 3 dozen or so people suing Carnival b/c they were on the Triumph which was the one that drifted and lost power, toilets, and everybody had to sleep outside, etc. They are claiming--" PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), kidney stones, and scratchy throats. They are each asking for 5k for life so they can take care of their medical problems.......None of these "symptoms" has yet been proven. I am with the OP; we too have graduated to a different cruise line. We've had 17+ cruises on Carnival including ones going to Europe (3). We've had the best time on all of them. Those people on on Triumph sound like a bunch of spoiled babies. Tough times don't last; tough people do. The cruise line did their best to accommodate under the circumstances during the rough time, and offered compensation afterwards. Now even tho' we weren't on that ship, everyone knows that the cruise wouldn't last forever. It lasted for 4 days or so until they were able to get to port. I hope those people lose. Crap happens. We've had a bad situation happen to us over the summer while travelling, it was a freak accident, but it's not going to keep us from travelling. Grow up!

What did you do in Aegina after arriving by hydrofoil? Did you rent a car and go around the island or did you just walk around the town?

 

Thanks!

The town is quite small. We didn't rent a car. The taxi's were on strike. We just walked around a bit and soaked up a bit of the local color. Got some cheese, olives, etc. for lunch...It's pretty quaint.....You really don't need much time there....

We ere on the Equinox 2 years ago sitting in the Buffet at a booth. Some stupid, ill mannered 12 year old comes by and starts banging on the booth where I am sitting. Asked him to stop, he finally did. The "parents" were there. When he left, he was sure to give it just one more bang on our booth. Too bad the booth wasn't his head.

thinking of skipping Athens and going to hydro. Has anyone? If so how much is the transport? How long did u spend there? Was it worth the trip? Thanks..

It's 1.5 hrs each way. We went to Aegina instead. 9am hydrofoil and 3pm hydrofoil back. You can catch a later hydrofoil b/c you are laving Athens later than what we were (5pm). Cute quaint island away from the noise and hubub of Athens/Pireaus. 20 minute walk from the ship terminal to thehydrofoil area, they speak English, you buy a roundtrip ticket.....Hydrofoil docks where u pick it up in Aegina. 50 or so minute ride (or was it 30...) Short, comfortable ride--u have to have reserved dats; it's all done when u buy your ticket.

Last year I had read a lot of disgruntled/unfavorable reviews for this airline so I flew (with a stopover) Luftansa. Going back to Italy in the Fall and Alitalia has the only non-stop service from my city.

 

Wondering if people would share their experiences about this airline. I would love to fly non-stop but don't want a miserable experience. Concerned about space issues, seat comfort, food issues and reliability.

 

Thanks ever so much!

About 6 or so years ago, we flew Delta to Milan, picking up Alitalia to Rome. Delta go in early, so there was no gate at the time....Anyway, finally there is a gate, but they offloaded the luggage and put it in a storeroom.........When we got to Rome--the inevitable happened: stupid Alitalia 4got to load Delta's luggage and e ere studk! Luckily we had insurance, but we were leaving on a cruise in a couple of days. They swore that the bags would be there the next day. No such luck. Even the concierge from the hotel called, the bags would be there at the end of the day. 3:00pm comes, they say we have 1 bag, so we hop a cab, get to the airport, and after 20 or so minutes, we are allowed to look in a room. There was ONE BAG. (We had 2) this is after they swore that the bags were on the truck being delivered! 20 minutes later, I make the rounds again, of which there are at least 2 or 3 rooms of luggage, plus alot of luggage sprawled outside the rooms, unclaimed...All of a sudden, out comes this cart, and the last piece we needed actually fell off their cart and caught our attention.

I won't fly Alitalia. Ever. We've never had luggage lost or delayed b4 in the 30 or so years we were travelling--but everytime we have since gone, I have held my breath!

we are looking for someone who may have done a food oriented private tour in Istanbul? We still want to see the historical sites but really want to experience the local cuisine and markets. Any ideas?

I went on Trip Advisor and made the restaurant my destination. Went to Ciya Sofrasi which is on the Asian side.....They will explain all the food to you...Really, u can DIY. Go on Trip Advisor. Forgot the screen name, but there are really good suggestions for restaurants, and u can see the sights as u go along.

The sellers of counterfeit bags are also liable to be arrested/fined, but they are normally young and fleet of foot. They can usually run faster than their customers, so the customers are the easier ones for the police to catch.

LOL....We were told that only the buyers could be arrested.

Does anyone know of good places to buy authentic designer bags in Venice, Florence or Rome at a good price? TIA

If you are caught buying a designer bag knock-off, you can be fined heavily in these cities. Yes, they can selll them, but YOU can't buy them...... The best places to buy designer bags are in the shops that the designers own (Gucci, Fendi, Vuitton, etc..). It is all tied to the price of the euro to the USD. The only thing you would save is the duty. If I were you, I'd price the bags b4 you go so that you know what the cost is when you go. The bargains aren't there like they used to be.........

There are at least 3 ports on Crete (a large island); which one are you stopping at?

 

 

 

Your post gave me a giggle. Knossos is an ancient site, home of the Minoan civilization and possibly the place that gave rise to the myth of the Minotaur and the labyrinth. Definitely NOT the burial place of an author or of Zorba the Greek, lol! :D

I should have injected an "AND" there. Believe me, I am well aware or Greek mythology. There's also a comma tere as well. It wasn't meant to be a run on.

Sorry if this has been covered before, but the search feature is down. We'll be in Santorini in May on the Celebrity Reflection, and it seems the new Regal Princess will be there as well, along with a couple of small ships. Yikes! The two big ships alone hold about 6000 passengers. Has anyone had experience in Santorini on a really busy day ? We've been planning to DIY, get to Oia either by boat or bus or taxi, and just generally explore at our own pace. But will this be a nightmare with so many to transport around the island? Any suggestions??

YES. We have been there when lotsa big ships were there.....The unfortunate thing is that the island is VERY crowded. Not to scare u, but when we were there last (2 summers ago), we wereone of the 1st ones up by cable car. It was ridiculously HOT, and once we got off the cable car and wanted to walk off to the right, there were throngs of people wanting to do the same. So we decided to get right back on the cable car a go back down....A 1 hour wait. So. I had the ride of my life that I think cured my fear of heights: my husband said for us to take the donkey back down...thought I was gonna die! Best ride ever---I didn't come out so great in the pictures, but it certainly was an experience....I'd do it again...

(And don't flame me for using the donkeys...)