sofietucker

It was--I'd gotten a mixed case (in 2005) and we impatiently drank a bunch of it too young... Ah well. The weather gods do bless the grapes from time to time.

If you have time one or two amazing things to do on your way/on the way back between Rome and Tuscany: 1. go to the Giardino Tarocchi in Capalbio, magnificent, larger than life series of mosaic sculptures of the tarot. Think of Barcelona's Park Guell on steroids. Walk-in buildings; one was the sculptor's apartment while she worked (Niki de St Phalle). On the coast up from Civitavecchia. 2. The floating-on-a mushroom medieval town of Civita di Bagnoregio, east of Lake Bolsena, off A1. Just astonishing. Google or find more about both of these on Trip Advisor.

Re selling expensive bottles: we had the premium package in January. We used to get bottles of Caymus and pay the difference. This time, they had it by the glass for $25 (or in our case, the difference) but NOT available by the bottle at all. Somm could not explain. We just went ahead and drank up his bottles glass by glass, lol. He gave us generous pours; I think we got the better end of the deal.

We had a CMS certified sommelier on a HAL ship in 2009. Ankush, interesting guy, from South Africa, studied in London. We became best friends after we shared with him a 2005 Bordeaux we'd brought to the MDR... The crazy thing--by comparison--was how subsequent HAL wine stewards seemed notoriously uneducated. Then a couple of HAL cruises ago, there were a raft of young wine stewards all wearing tastevins (the chains) and claiming to be sommeliers. Odd. One young woman, at a chef's dinner in Pinnacle, sabered a bottle of champagne (she was being mentored by the "real" somm on board).

The core issue--on all the endless dress code threads, and the accompanying drama--is fundamental disrespect. It's "How can I get away with breaking the rules?" It's a middle-finger salute to their fellow passengers, the officers, and the crew. It's a childish "You can't make me!" Folks will tie themselves in knots to not "have to" wear this or that. But no one is MAKING you! Easy solution: eat in the buffet! They literally serve much of the same food. Or even order surf & turf in room service. But no. Folks want to get out there and wag it in everyone's faces: "Ha ha ha! Lookit me! I got away with it!" We once sat at a table for 12 where everyone else was in tuxes or dark suits and one clown paraded his sleazy shiny oversized tee shirt with a bow tie screenprinted on it. His companion in her dressy gown was clearly uncomfortable. We all felt his sneer was directed right at us, losers who follow the guidelines. But that's what these folks want to do: ruin everyone else's time with their rebellion. Because they are too immature to tolerate wearing a collar for two hours.. They are also the ones who get kicked out of cathedrals in their shorts and ball caps. (PS: Julie can simply wear slacks and be comfy; no one makes anyone wear a dress.)

Nope. The stripes in the shirt--in fact the entire shirt--is CASUAL. Get at least a long-sleeved black shirt with a collar, preferably not made of knit.

We don't decorate our DOOR, but we drape a couple of large scarves/pareos over the greige furniture, to brighten it up a bit. Then they're handy to grab on the way to the pool/beach.

from Villefranche (Nice) you can go to Monaco (Jacques Cousteau foundation is here), Cannes, Grasse (perfume capital), Eze, or further west to Provence. Nice itself is lovely too, We used a company called Day Tours (affiliated with Spain Day Tours, but in France) that put 8 of us in a van, for a full day of things to see, do and eat, but relaxing and quite nice. Another day in V-F it was pleasant to stroll, eat, climb the hill to see the next bay... Malta has TONS to do. Just in town on your own: the Knights of St John (crusaders) Grandmaster's Palace and Armory, the archaeological museum, art museum, shopping, eating... Many day trips to widely differing things: the island of Gozo, the beach where Troy was filmed (and the Blue Hole), small towns, the town where Game of Thrones was filmed (and mosques there), Several sites of 6,000 years old amazing--and very different--ruins of their culture when it was the Mediterranean center of trade... Corsica a very cool palace, beaches, nice to just linger by the harbor for a drink and watch the yachts of Saudi oligarchs. Naples is the jumping off place for both the Isle of Capri and Pompeii (the latter is a long day). Also Sorrento is there with its lemon groves and limoncello. You can also go south to the Amalfi coast from there. Messina: you'll go by the island of Stromboli, which is an active volcano. It burped when we went by, creating a ripple of waves and shaking the ship! Taormina is a lovely town to visit, stroll and shop--do not miss the fabulous Greco Roman theater an the end of the high street. (This town will be familiar to you if you watched season 2 of White Lotus, the main backdrop.) Also Mt Etna, if it's a sunny day (it will be cold, dress warm). Ruins, of course. And beaches.

Zadar!!! The Sea Organ, do not miss it. Kotor is spectacular just walking around. Spilt is also just great for walking about. But also there are ruins (Domitian palace, Salonika, etc.), all the Venetian "leftovers," etc. We once kayaked over to an island in the bay at Dubrovnik, lovely. The water will be at its warmest on your trip. Of COURSE there are the Game of Thrones tours... And from Split we once did a fabulous small eco tour of small farms and wineries. Saw a donkey crushing olives to make oil as done for 4,000 years. They grow oysters on ropes up the coast... You will be there in time for great options with fruit in season, etc. Amalfi Coast: You can go to Positano, or Capri, but not both. The latter will be more crowded (but it will ALL be crowded, lol). Try to skip Pompeii this time if that's a choice, a whole bunch of time in a vehicle. A tour of smaller villages--by boat!--is best. Two things: look up all the festivals that will be happening when you are in these ports. Sometimes you hit it just right--as we did once in Dubrovnik--for great fun. For the girls, make a game of finding the winged Venetian lions of St Mark carved on pillars, over gateways, etc., in all these cities (except Amalfi coast), which once belonged to The Most Serene Republic of Venice. The same ones that are on the pillars in Plaza San Marco next to the Doge's Palace in Venice. They always are holding a book. (You can also find them widely across the Greek Isles and into Turkey too...)

We're doing a reverse. And having been in and out of Marco Polo a bunch, we are going to save on the drive (only an hour vs and hour and a half) and the hectic traffic and craziness and use the airport in Bologna. It's literally the same price, on the same days and same times. We'll spend a day or two there. Then a car/van/train to Ravenna port. On the back end, also have done Civitavecchia-FCO a bunch. Take a car service of whatever sort from FCO: a transfer, a rental, an Uber... That train from Termini is a schlep unless you only have a carryon; ok when we were young and strong but now, nah. Plus the logistics of: getting to the station (yes next to the airport, but still), getting tix, getting on, off, and to the ship all eat up a whole day, where it's really only a 30-minute ride or so. We stay in a hotel the night before (that Rome Marriott Park is good, cheap, nice rooms, great pool, if you're not trying to go INTO the city too) and then wrangle a ride the next day. Shared a van from there with some folks on our roll call last time, worked out great and very inexpensive. (So also, check out your roll call and see what other folks are doing.)

I would stay put, were I you. We were in AQ in January--usually get a suite, where you can choose to eat in Blu (reservations) along with Luminae, but they were all sold out and we liked the location. Well, nope. The spa amenities were useless: the spa concierge is just the regular one; we already get a better discount with loyalty status; we don't take classes, free or paid; and the stateroom "spa amenities" we reserved were laughable--no room at all to lay out a yoga mat, use bands or weights. Plus no fancy water (discontinued). Plus the room won't be any bigger than what you've got--balcony likely smaller--and right under the noise of furniture being dragged about. BUT! The location makes it easy to avoid taking the elevator as everything's just a deck up... And re: the seafood in Blu, that was kind of a bust for us. The lump crab in the Crab Martini was mashed, tasted like tuna, and mixed with cucumber, not avocado as described. Saw mussels on the menu once, and octopus once. No clams (or as they spelled it in Venice, clambs)--but they had spaghetti vongole in the Lido. And mussels up there in the Lido a few times--and scallop ceviche, and tuna crudo, etc., in coconut shells... But they did have fish on the Blu menu every night. Shrimp and scallops occasionally (just as in the MDR, you can get shrimp cocktail every night--where they also have lobster on chic/formal night). It is less hectic and better service than MDR, though.

It's a beautiful town! The old harbor is very picturesque. Wonderful beaches. Many great museums and antiquities. Central old town has been continuously occupied since Neolithic times. The port (Souda) is 7 km away from Old Town, 15-minute drive (roughly 4 miles). For comparison, it's a mile further than from Port Everglades cruise port to Las Olas Blvd in Ft Lauderdale. If you dock in Heraklion instead, you'll find the famous palace of King Minos and the minotaur at Knossos, among many other amazing sites. Everywhere in Crete, the countryside is wonderful and wild, lots of small villages, vineyards, farms and olives.

One note on Athens: they have just started issuing timed tickets to the Parthenon on the Acropolis, to significantly cut down on traffic. If you are going, jump on this ASAP. (Fabulous new Acropolis Museum nearby too, BTW.) From Rick Steves:https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/greece/new-rules-for-acropolis-tickets This site *seems* to be the most current and valid: https://acropolis-greece.com/ (The only one without a weird "suspicious/risky site" warning.) Notice the difference between Acropolis site and Acropolis Museum...

The app for our recent sailing didn't start working until a month beforehand. But our cruises for this coming year are on there; we can check in now for March 11th and choose shorex for next October. Guess it's still a work in progress...

This is a great topic; funny how they can be perceived so differently! I took a look at the restaurants; a few are free for lunch and a different menu, for a fee at night. Silhouette has, in addition to its MDR, Oceanview Cafe, Mast Grill, and Spa Cafe (smoothies, etc.)--four total. The two private restaurants Blu and Luminae. And these for-fee places: Al Bacio, Tuscan Grille, Murano, LPC, Sushi on 5, The Lawn Club Grill (cook your own steak), and The Porch (casual, seafood & sandwiches). 7 total for-fee restaurants. The Edge has FOUR main dining rooms, each with a different cuisine and decor: French (like Murano), Italian (like Tuscan), Mediterranean, and "Cosmopolitan." Plus Oceanview Cafe, Mast Grill, Eden Cafe, Spa Cafe. So 8 total free restaurants. 2 private dining rooms, Blu and Luminae. Then for fee: Al Bacio, Eden at night, Raw on 5, Magic Carpet during the day, Edge Dinner (Magic Carpet at night), LPC, Fine Cut (steak), Le Grand Bistro (casual), Rooftop Garden Grill: so 9 total for-fee restaurants. Not counting the Aqua and Suite classes (which also has its own Retreat lounge snack bar and pool snack bar on the Edge), that's a total of 17 places to eat on Edge, vs 11 on Silhouette.

Bon voyage!!

Mykonos is also really exciting: take a boat to Delos for the biggest, brightest archaeological complex in the Med. It's so bright it can be seen from space, due to all the mica in the marble. Wander the maze of streets in Mykonos town, built that way so pirates would be lost and confused. Taxis from the pier to Paradise Beach should be no more than $17 euro. Great seafood. Most important: DO NOT GO IN SUMMER. That's the rule for most of the Med anyway--all of Europe goes on vacation there in July and August.

Also in Santorini is the Akrotiri excavation, which is incredible, very complex and rich, under roofs so not in the hot sun. They say this is the actual, original Atlantis! Highly recommend. And the wine tours, they grow the vines in circular wreaths on steep hills, very unusual... Or boat out to the volcano to snorkel and hike (like Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft). You can completely avoid the Fira cliff with ferries around to the side of the island. If you're there around Sept 9th, they light up the whole island with fireworks, to commemorate the volcanic eruptions of Thera (the pre-eruption island of Atlantis)...

We *adore* Malta, choose itineraries whenever possible, especially if they overnight there. Cool smaller island:Gozo! All the varied archaeolgy from 6,000 BC (older than Egypt, highly unusual and well preserved goddess culture)! Check out the archaeological museum right downtown. Beaches & towns where they filmed Troy (Brad Pitt) and parts of Game of Thrones. The Blue Hole! The Knights of St John's Armory and Grandmasters' palace with all its tapestries of fighting the Turks. The incredible golden light... Just a gorgeous island. Great food & wine too.

Have sailed both, just off Silhouette, completely different. Silly is much smaller,* many fewer restaurants; it does have the Lawn Club up top for something different but very different from Rooftop Garden. No Eden, fewer music venues. Spa much smaller. I *guess* it's been Revolutionized but not in any obvious way. If you like quiet, laid-back ships, you'll like it. *But larger than the Connie, which we sail a lot, lol...

Good to know they're switching it up regularly!

Zero pistachio gelato on the Silhouette this month. And even finding someone to staff the Bacio Gelateria has been a hassle on several ships lately

There's a menu link just above "About LPC", opens in acrobat and I can't copy that link https://freestyletravelers.com/blog/celebrity-le-petit-chef-menu

Have done LPC 3 times, First time, one menu, Second time 2 menus, filet and lobster. 3rd time, 2 menus--one being the amazing short ribs, dunno about lobster. On our last 3 cruises, they posted 2 menus including filet and fish (one them last week on the Silhouette was art styles, not seasons). If you google Celebrity menus, a couple of folks post very current menus. Will try to find a link but again, may vary by ship.

To clarify: you can still get FREE Continental/cold breakfast, fruit, cereal, pastries (and toast), coffee, juice, smoothies, etc. No gratuity, no $10 charge. It's the left side of the breakfast menu. Everything else--hot breakfast and all other meals, is $9.95 plus 18% gratuity. I believe this is the charge for an entire order, not per person.