NCteacherlovescruising

Our cruise begins in Athens, and then the next 4 ports are also in Greece. Zakynthos would be the best one to make a relaxing beach day. Correct? I'm thinking after touring Athens a couple days, then Santorini, followed by Mykonos we may be tired and a beach break would be welcome! Any suggestions for Mykonos or Corfu? Can anyone recommend a NCL Santorini tour? Looking for one that will take us up by vehicle to avoid the long lines.

Looks like our ship, NCL Pearl, will be first in and last out. We will not have priority, so I'm thinking we need to book a ship excursion to get on land quickly. Correct?

After watching a few videos, I think we'd enjoy the following: St. Mark's Basilica - for sure! Doge's Palace (Maybe?) Gondola Ride - Yes, please! It's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Venice. Shopping - Always! Have coffee at Caffe Florian Rialto bridge Is there anything I'm missing? Is one day enough to do all this? Do we need to schedule a tour guide or just do it all ourselves? How far in advance should we get skip the line tickets for the basilica? Given this, is St. Mark's the best area for us to get a room? Are these places within walking distance of each other?

Yes, we agree! I can't take credit for the idea though, someone on here suggested it. I'm just waiting to hear from our PCC to make sure we can do so. I'm sure you will love all that space! What room did you have at Albergo that was so tiny?

it does, but we have a full day in port there on the 11th. We plan on disembarking then instead. That will be nice!! Will you be traveling with your family? You’re correct. We booked a junior suite with terrace.

Thanks! The plan is to cancel Smeraldo for this is they will let us book a Pantheon view for 3 nights. Otherwise, we will enjoy all the extra space with the suite. We'll be in Rome, so either choice is good! 🙂

We booked a Junior Suite with Terrace at Hotel Smeraldo. It doesn't appear to have a view. According to the cancelation policy, we can cancel without penalty if Albergo will let us book a superior for 3 nights. While all that space would be great, this view is even better! Is there plenty of room to walk around their superior room? I'm sure we will have at least 2 suitcases. Once decision down. Several to go! lol

I just tried a mock booking for both Hotel Smeraldo and Albergo del Senato. They are both only booking into May of 2024 so looks like we have to wait a couple of months. I don't want to give up at least one night in Venice, so I can't guarantee a Pantheon view room at Albergo del Senato so we may go with Hotel Smeraldo. Do you think it would do any good to email them as soon as the open reservations and ask if they would be willing to give us a Superior room for 3 nights or is it too easy for them to book up so they are firm on the 4-5 night minimum? Also, if May prices are any indication, we could book a suite at Hotel Smeraldo for less than a superior at AdS. I know location is everything, but space would be nice too. If they won't budge on their minimum stay requirements, we will definitely go with Smeraldo. It sounds like Hotel Smeraldo has a good location too, right? Just doesn't have a pretty view. Edited to add: Upon a second try, I was able to book next July. Do you think we would spend enough time in the room to justify booking a suite or just go with a balcony or parione room? What is a parione room?

I think dh still wants the Pantheon view. What type of room did you book? I see they have balcony rooms. What do they overlook? They also have Parione and Junior suites. So many decisions! I’m not sure how much time we will spend in our room but I would like to be comfortable when we are there. It’s to early to book the other place so it’s hard to price compare since I don’t know how much the rooms will go up for high season.

We’re getting off the NCL cruise on the 11th to spend the night in Venice. We will have the 11th and part of the 12th in Venice and then take the train to Rome. We had considered heading to Florence on the 12th but it doesn’t sound like we have time. The cruise from Naples doesn’t leave Naples until 10 PM or so. We won’t be in a hurry to embark, although I’d like to be on in time for dinner. I believe it’s only a little over an hour from Rome. Correct? So we will have all of the 13th and 14th, plus part of the 15th in Rome. Please let us know what you think of Hotel Smeraldo.

A few months ago I read this thread in its entirety and I had my heart set on Albergo del Senato with the Pantheon view. Dh likes that idea too, especially since we will only get here once. I was just kind of hoping we could do Florence a couple days and Rome a couple days, which isn’t an option if we want to stay there and get a Pantheon view. When you refer to the Pantheon as ground zero, do you mean it’s in the middle of everything? I need to see if I can find a map of the area. I need to look into this.

I really don’t want one anyway, but thanks!

I did send them an email. I tried doing mock bookings in May-July of next year with no luck. I’m looking for end of July. That is strange. I doubt we will rent a car. The road there looks very dangerous.

I emailed him, but he’s on vacation this week. I’m sure he will get back to me sometime next week.

That looks very nice! Do you know how far ahead they open reservations. I keep getting “invalid selection” message when I try to book.

That looks much more affordable and a better fit for us than Sorrento. Good to know. Thanks! Great! Thank you!

I did read some of their comments. It’s still a bucket list thing, although staying there may be out of our budget. Thanks! Checking it now.

Where do you like to stay in Praiano?

We’ve been driving home from Fl to Charlotte today (about 90 miles left) and I’ve been searching. Hotel prices in Positano are crazy!! Not that I won’t put it on my list, but he may not go for it. Sometimes I’m having a hard time telling if it’s too early to book or if they are sold out.

Thankfully we never witnessed this. The employees all seemed very happy and many had been with them for several years.

Enjoy your visit! Why stay in Sorrento instead of along the AC? Price? That could certainly end up being a factor! You say that is nicer than Naples? I’d much rather stay on the AC than do a day trip because I’ve heard it’s not at all the same experience. I will make the plan I want and see what dh says about the cost. He may destroy my plans with his red pen. 🤦🏼‍♀️

We didn’t notice any ill behaved children on our cruise. It may have been different outside the yacht club.

You’re welcome! It’s amazing!! I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t love it. Everyone we talked to onboard did, even those that typically sail in the haven, retreat or with Royal. And yes, NCL offers some amazing itineraries in the Mediterranean. We will only have 1 sea day between the two cruises!

Got ya! Thanks! Are you from Charlotte? We’ll be back home in about 4 hours. Just heading back after our cruise, stayed a couple extra days in Florida.

We’ve been talking about staying at the Alberto del Senato. I just noticed they have a 4 night minimum to get the Pantheon view. Is a day trip to Florence or a winery in Tuscany feasible from here? I really wanted the Pantheon view, but 4 nights would take all our days between Venice and getting in our cruise in Naples. I looked up your other recommendation, Hotel Smeraldo, for a budget hotel and see we could get a junior suite for the coat of a superior at del Senato! We probably wouldn’t though. How is the location? If I’m going to splurge on a hotel, I’d prefer to do that in Positano. I may even consider an air B&B again. I recall finding some over the bridge that were quite reasonable. Not sure how far it is from all the attractions though. The Marriott is another consideration but I doubt our points would go far there. It looked quite expensive!