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dogs4fun

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Posts posted by dogs4fun

  1. On 11/10/2021 at 12:41 PM, princeton123211 said:

    Being a Marriott elite the best located option is the W Amsterdam. Have stayed many times and the location is excellent. Much more central than either the Marriott or Renaissance. 

    Agree - excellent location right around the corner from the Royal Palace & Dam Square. W has a nice rooftop lounge and an elegant Michelin restaurant (1 star), The Duchess.

    https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/amswh-w-amsterdam/

     

  2. 3 hours ago, Ballwin Babe said:

    I saw in a different post that the Turkey of today is not the Turkey of yesterday. 

    Unfortunately, this is true but Istanbul is a magnificent city that is well worth a visit.

    3 hours ago, Ballwin Babe said:

    Are cruise ships currently stopping at Istanbul?

    Yes, quite a few. A quick review of an online TA sites will show that there are still cruise ships visiting Istanbul although there has been a marked decrease in the number of mega ships that port there.

  3. 10 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

    I just want to say thank you to anybody who volunteered for a vaccine trial.

    You play a large part in vaccination success, which allows others to get vaccinated, and travel.

    I also extend my heartfelt thanks!

    On 7/16/2021 at 12:49 PM, Tony UK said:

    I did for Novavax in October / November last year.  Initially information from Celebrity was that the vaccine was acceptable, that was changed recently to needing a pcr test and now changed again to not accepted.

    The only vaccines acceptable to Celebrity are vaccines approved by WHO or FDA. The trial precludes me from having an approved vaccine in addition so we are stuck in limbo.

    I am so sorry that you are stuck in limbo - especially after taking a risk for the good of us all. 

  4. 32 minutes ago, Bookishcruiser said:

    Tomorrow is disembarkation,  which is quite sad. It has been a great trip. The small crowds were amazing and likely not be be repeated. 

    I was wondering about the amount of tourists - I assumed that the crowded conditions of previous years would not be in attendance this year but there are so few cruises that it has been difficult to find an answer to my questions.

    Did you notice if most shops/restaurants are open? How about the museums in Venice - did they have any special Covid protocols?

    Thank you so much for providing your review and answering all these questions!

  5. 7 hours ago, midwestchick said:

    Interesting.  I did watch  a Rick Steves video that showed him on the cable car and then he took the funicular.  Looked like a fun way to spend the day. Any advice on how to find where you get on the tourist trolley and then back to port when you’re finished? 

    First question – where will your ship dock? You can find docking information on the port of Lisbon's website (note: no ships are scheduled at this time – you can check back a few months prior to your cruise). https://www.lisboncruiseport.pt/

    I haven’t seen the Rick Steves video but I believe the tourist trolley that you describe is Tram #28 – information can be found here: https://www.tram28lisboa.com/

    We docked at Alcantara by the 25th of April Bridge and, as my friends wanted to visit Belem (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos,  the famous Pasteis de Nata, Museu de Marinha - Maritime Museum, Torre de Belém, Padrão dos Descobrimentos - Monument to the Discoveries, Museu Nacional dos Coches - Coach Museum)

    We took tram #15 (just a 5 minute walk from the cruise port to the tram stop). You can also take tram #15 in the opposite direction to the city center (interchange at Praça do Comércio). We had some time left before returning to the ship & took the tram to Praça do Comércio as the crew wanted to ride the Santa Justa Lift. Busy day.

    • Thanks 1
  6. 1 hour ago, K922 said:

    HI,

     

    We just book the Baltic cruise on Sky Princess for July 2023.  I have been planing this trip  for year so I have information all over the place.  But we are looking into doing a private 2 day guided tour.  Does anyone know if Alla Tours will let you customize the itinerary?   

     

     

    Thanks

     

    Karen

    Hi Karen,

    I have used Alla Tours - her tours are excellent & the guides are top notch.

    Yes, you can certainly customize the itinerary on a private tour.

  7. As JB said, nowhere is far from a Starbucks in London. About ten years ago, we spent a few weeks in London. We had Hilton points and wanted to use them for our entire stay. The Euston Hilton had the best price (we also wanted to use Hilton points for our two weeks in Paris so we wanted a London Hilton where we parted with the least amount of points). I remember that there was a Starbucks and, more important to me, a Krispy Kreme on the ground concourse at Euston Station - stopped there each day for my coffee & sugar fix! 😁 

    I fondly recall that visit because I didn't feel rushed and I saw so much in London that I hadn't the time to see/do on previous trips - among my esoteric standouts were the Wallace Collection, attending Evensong 2x at Westminster Abbey, + an Organ concert, attending two concerts at St. Martin in the Fields (one lunch, one evening), Ceremony of the Keys, Tower of London, loved Neal's Yard, enjoyed a full day in Greenwich & loved a leisurely visit to Camden Town & its market. 

    • Like 1
  8. 3 hours ago, Daisi said:

    This is Stephen King's home in  Bangor Maine.  Beautiful home.

    Yes, it is a very beautiful home but get a load of that fence! 😵 

     

    7 hours ago, capriccio said:

    I knew better but I was lonely and not sleeping well and figured I would just read until I went to sleep.  Not my brightest idea!

    Had an experience similar to yours when reading The Exorcist. At the time, it scared the living daylights out of me. Unfortunately, I now find the lack of humanity sometimes displayed by our species more alarming and frightening than any horror story I have read in the past.

     

     

  9. 14 minutes ago, Coral said:

    I think the miniseries was maybe filmed there but I never knew there was a miniseries when I went there. I remember the movie.

    Well - surprise, surprise. I was not even aware that there was a miniseries (I was familiar only with the movie version with good old Jack Nicholson as creepy Jack Torrance). The only horror lead that I found even more creepy than Nicholson's portrayal of Torrance was Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. I just read about the series online and, you are spot on, it was filmed at the Stanley.  Learned something new.

     

    Happy to hear that your friend is on the mend and that you are still symptom free. How many days has it been since you were exposed?

  10. 11 minutes ago, Coral said:

    I read them also during that time. Haven't touched one since.

     

    I remember going to the Stanley Hotel in Estes when I was 20 or so expecting to find a maze in the back of the hotel. Alas, there wasn't one.

     

    Evidently, The Stanley was King's inspiration for the Overlook (if memory serves, the Overlook in the movie version is a Mt. Hood lodge). King actually wrote The Shining while living in Boulder, CO. I had researched King & the hotel before visiting otherwise I also would have been looking for a maze. 😅The Stanley has drastically changed since my first visit -  it is been nicely refurbished & is now quite expensive.

    • Like 1
  11. On 7/13/2021 at 8:39 AM, Lois R said:

    The only enrichment I can think of are the SALT demonstrations.......yummy food being cooked.😀

    Enriching my tummy LOL

    😄 Great that you are enjoying yourself. Just curious, is there a noticeable decrease in the size of tourists in Greece now versus pre Covid? 

    18 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

    Are the they same couple who have a blog that is fairly well known?

    Jon is currently blogging about the sites visited on this cruise (replete with photos) - I have been following along, experiencing vicariously. His most recent entry was Rhodes.

    http://blog.jonfleming.co.uk/

     

     

  12. An interesting and unique visit is the Catholic schuilkerk (clandestine church), Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic). The church was built on the top three floors of this canal house in 1663 when the Dutch Reformed Church prohibited the celebration of Catholic mass. The museum is only a five minute walk from Centraal Station or Dam Square. An audio guide is included with the price of admission. http://opsolder.nl/en/museum-our-lord-in-the-attic/

     

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