tlatrice

On 1/13/2023 at 5:52 PM, twangster said:

 

Grand Panoramic and Owners Panoramic on deck 17 have fixed nightstands that don't move (Allure and Oasis).  The king bed can't be made into two singles.

 

So Oasis and Allure are the only ships with the Owner's Panoramic?  Bummer.  I really like that room and was thinking about a family cruise in 2024.  But Allure is leaving Galveston in 2023.  Maybe I can convince the family to go whereever Allure ends up.  LOL!

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

You might have difficulty in the specialty restaurants.

Currently sitting in Giovanni’s for dinner on Odyssey. It’s formal night. There’s a girl in here with cutoff shorts. Several men in jeans. One dude in a Hawaiian shirt. 

I was planning to return to Civitavecchia on the 4th so I wouldn’t face any issues trying to get back in time for my departure on the 5th.

Current itinerary for Week 1:

Sunday -Wednesday -Rome 

Wednesday - Saturday - Bologna and Florence

i can leave Florence any time on the 4th

15 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

* You can take a high speed train to Civitavecchia from Rome, there just aren't very many each day so the timing may be an issue for you.  Would you be willing to make the Florence to Rome trip on the 4th, spend the night in Rome, then the Rome to Civitavecchia leg on the 5th in order to get a high speed, seat reserved train to the port?

 

This is exactly what I wanted to do! 😀  My hotel that I’ll be staying in on the night of the 4th is within walking distance of the cruise terminal.

I need help with train logistics as well.  (OP, I hope you don't mind me hopping on your thread. I didn't want to start another one with basically the same question. 😆)

I saw a video for the Trenitalia High Speed train from Florence to Rome.  It looked really spacious (Executive Class) and I'd like to take try it, as I'll be travelling with 2 bags.

Background:  I'm in country for 2 weeks.  Week 1 is a B-school related trip where we'll be traveling to Rome, Bologna, and Florence visiting several businesses and taking cultural tours ALL WEEK.  We end in Florence on June 4.

Week 2 is my cruise out of Porto di Civitavecchia, departing June 5.

I want to take Trenitalia from Florence back to Rome.  Ideally I'd like to get close to the Port but that doesn't seem possible.  When I put the Port in as a destination, I still get Rome Tributrina, which is in the city center.

So would I take the train to Rome then have to take another train back to the Port?

On 3/1/2021 at 6:51 PM, marazul said:

Yes, I saw some of your previous posts on Baiae. Can't wait to visit. 

We have been vaccinated and I am watching the European stats. Ready to jump over the pond as soon as it is safe.

I know this post is over a year old, but were you able to go to Baiae?  I wanted recommendations on companies for a SCUBA excursion there.

On 2/22/2022 at 10:34 PM, ONECRUISER said:

They cant give them away. Cheapest Upgrade Bid listed on all my Cruises starting at $50. Did also miss Balcony but was Kool had it SOLO on 13nite Repo on Brilliance AND was cheaper then my originally Booked small Balcony Cabin

How was it cruising solo?  I may be doing that on my upcoming cruise if my son can't make it.

So there's a difference among Suite Guarantees?  JS-GTY?  W?

I booked a Suite Guarantee.  My category is simply listed as #GTY on Royal's website.  The message I got when selecting said:  

Your room is guaranteed at minimum in the category selected and will be assigned prior to sailing.

Today I got an 'invitation' for RoyalUp. Should I put in a bid or roll the dice and see what I get assigned?  I was kinda hoping for an Owners Suite or maybe even a Loft.

I have this same question...sort of.  I'm going to Italy (Rome and Florence) this summer for school.  We'll be there for a week (May 29 - June 4). I thought about tacking a cruise on to extend the trip.  There is a 7 night Greek Isles trip on the Odyssey of the Seas departing Rome on June 5.

I'll likely be cruising solo (I'm going to ask my classmates if they're interested but I doubt it.  They're younger and probably don't have the vacation time.  And probably don't want to cruise for a week.  LOL!)).  Any tips for a solo traveller?

For those of you with pets, how do your fur babies deal with your extended absence?  I'm a new 'dog mom'.  Do you guys Skype or FaceTime with your pets?

I could, but I won't. As soon as I share some of the stories I have seen on this and other boards, people will start picking apart the reasons the claims were denied. The likelihood is that they were legitimate denials because people didn't read the fine print, didn't include their documentations correctly, failed to understand the terms and conditions, or didn't file their claims on time. The insurance companies probably had good reasons to deny the claims, but it seems like the quick answer here is simply to get insurance. If we wanted to be specific, you may want Cancel for any reason insurance, trip interruption insurance, medical insurance that covers you in other countries. There may even be theft insurance if your personal belongings get stolen while on the ship. I'm just stating that insurance isn't always a magic solution either.

In other words, you don't have an example.

We are sailing on Liberty in about 2 months. It most likely will be our only time. What I don't like about it seems that most hotels require a 2 night minimum and very expensive. We did find a hotel for one night at a decent price but booked it 11 months in advance. It's just a basic hotel, nothing high end. It's pretty far away from the pier and most of the shops and restaurants. Flying in a day early and using Galveston Limo. It's four of us so it can be rather expensive. I don't want to sound like a downer we are looking forward to it. The airfare was high too about the same as it would be for four of us to San Juan and much more than FL would be.

The distance from Pennsylvania to San Juan is about 1700 miles. The distance from Pennsylvania to Houston is about 1500 miles. The distance from Pennsylvania to Orlando is about 1000 miles. The airfare sounds like it was about right where it should have been.

To the OP, it IS a longer ride from IAH to the Galveston Terminal. Is that where you're planning to fly into? It's only a 40 minute ride from Hobby airport. Even still, it's actually a pretty straight shot from IAH to Galveston. 45 South ALL THE WAY. :D (When I was a kid (college), it was always cheaper to fly into/out of Hobby. For some reason, it's now almost always cheaper to fly into or out of IAH. Not sure why, though. Volume??? IAH is a much bigger airport. :confused:

And, as Bob mentioned, you can get a more reasonable rate without the 2 night requirement if you stay off the Island. Clear Lake/Webster/League City or even Texas City are good alternatives. They're on the way from either airport (right off 45 South) and have many hotels to choose from. There's at least 5 hotels on NASA Rd 1 alone (from Extended Stays to a very nice Hilton on Clear Lake).

My last cruise from Galveston was in 2014 but there was steel drum music by the pool. There were a few times when country music was playing, but I assure you we weren't walking around in chaps, boots & spurs! :D

I did notice that there were WAY more dance classes/activities on my 2 Galveston cruises than there were on my FL cruise. Not sure if that was a regional thing or a what but I missed it.

Give Galveston a shot. :D

Quite an interesting idea. You know we will be breaking the law so you have the responsibility to be an accomplice. If I was in charge at Royal Caribbean Atlantis would have made their final charter.

This! I don't get it! The whole "rumor" of being detained and disembarked is not something that's specific to gay cruises. That's a rule for ALL cruises! Why should it be waived for them?

Personal responsibility is becoming obsolete.

WHERE IS THE LIKE BUTTON!!! (yes, I'm yelling!)

No I am not a ta. I do have a postion where I am offered tips often. However my company does prohibit me from accepting them. But I know when I am offered these tips it is for going above and beyond. Like you said the ta is just doing their job. But isn't the cruise staff just doing their job? So why one over the other? Is it

Societal pressure? Or is it some other reason? Why is what I do not understand.

Restaurant servers, bartenders, hair stylists, cab/Uber drivers, and the pizza delivery guy are all just doing their job too. Should they not be tipped?

The point I was trying to make is that for many people room and board are a lot of peoples entire salary. I read an article that came out around a year ago that said in the usa the number of people who are paying more than 50% of their salary for housing was at an all time high. Add transportation and food that is pretty much all they make. So when I think about someone that works on a cruise I think about the fact that person is making money that can go straight to the bank.

And??? The same is true for many corporate EX-PATs. The same is true for couples where one spouse is the primary breadwinner. Depending on their cost of living, the other spouse's income can be completely discretionary income. Or people who own investment properties. Why is it an issue for the crew? And the money only goes straight to the bank IF the crew member is single with no kids or other family to support.

Don't travel agents make salary plus commission?

The company that I book my cruises through, I'm sure those people work from home because the agents I work with always have weird hours (i . e. 9am - 1pm then 7pm - 11pm on Mondays & Thursdays only, but all day on Tuesdays and never on Wednesdays 😂😂)

So are you trying to say that travel agents should be tipped or that the crew shouldn't receive extra tips?

Wow! That was an expensive lesson.

So did you leave the stuff for your transatlantic at home because you figured you'd pick it up on the way, thus avoiding the baggage fee?

I've only gotten about 12 pages in but this is CLASSIC! I can't wait to finish!

i think you missed your cruise. ;):halo:

:d:d:d;)

How funny. I've found Windjammer on Oasis and Harmony to be the best designed buffet I've seen on a ship. The island/stations are outstanding and never really have to wait. typical buffet has a single line and everyone stands in it. With the islands setup the way they are, you really don't stand in any lines at all. It's efficient. I've never had to wait for a table at Windjammer, but we avoid the busiest times. Eat 30 minutes earlier... Even for lunch around 1PM or so we had no trouble getting a table and no crowding at the stations on Harmony.

I agree. I thought the stations were a great idea.

Great review, warrior1024! What other lines have you sailed?

Nope. I love coming back to my nice clean room.

My menu at home is less varied than what I get on long cruises, and I would guess that may be true of many...

Right! Lots of people have a weekly rotation on meals.

And people are acting as if once you decide to do it, you CAN'T get off the ship EVER!

Let us know what you find out! :p

Love both land and sea! A lot about why we like cruising has been mentioned except for the fact that I love being out in the middle of the ocean(a lethal environment if on your own) on a luxury liner.

I always go out the first sea day and find a place where I can look 365 degrees and see nothing but water-it's actually kind of amazing considering where we were as a species just 150 yrs ago.

Have seen many dolphins following along and jumping through the water and the dark blue color of the deep caribbean water is probably my favorite color. The air seems cleaner and easier to breathe and the morning sunrise is as beautiful as you will ever see coming over the horizon. Those are the things I probably enjoy the most about cruising although I admit to seeing fewer and fewer people enjoy a cruise in this fashion.

OMG! Get outta my head! :p This perfectly sums up my love for cruising!

I start every day with time on the balcony - maybe 30 minutes to an hour. On sea days I go back for a nap. And I spend time out there every night - again 30 minutes to an hour.

On my last cruise I spent most of the first sea day asleep on the balcony and it was the best sleep! I love having a balcony!

Personally I have noted better treatment as a Diamond at Royal at Bars, Main Dining Room, Supervisors, Ship Reception, etc. This does matter on Royal and have tangible service benefits. I talked with a group of four Royal couples going to one of the Divian's parties: 1 Pinnacle & 3 Diamond Plus Couples. All agreed that they were unhappy with the overall service and total lack of recognition. I only met one Diamond couple, who had booked (on-board) another MSC cruise, though it was in YC.

BETTER treatment? Or just that they mentioned your status?