Choozin Croozin

On 11/8/2023 at 11:42 AM, maggietaggie said:

We are staying at Hotel Smeraldo for two nights post cruise in the main hotel.  Now, I am a little concerned.  Do hope it was a fluke couple of days as have many other positive reports.

We just spent 3 wonderful nights at Hotel Smeraldo the end of October, pre-cruise. @cruisemom42had recommended as a more budget friendly hotel, so I took her suggestion. We loved everything about it and have booked it for next year pre-cruise, again. We had a balcony room in the main bldg and looked down at the line to get into Rosciolis. lol - The balconies are tiny but I loved it just the same. We were on the 4th floor and there was a terrace just down the hall (used by smokers) but nice just the same. Up one floor was the bar/restaurant which was delightful. It has curtains that can be closed if weather is inclement and then the rest is open air. Yes our room was very small and wish I had taken pictures but I didn't. I expected small. It had a wardrobe area next to the bed with open shelves, open hanging spaces, a safe and a place to store luggage. There was also a desk at the foot of the bed with a built in luggage rack. It was a little challenging to open the door all the way with a medium suitcase there but we didn't really spend any time in the room but to sleep. Bathroom was a bit tight too, but our wants and needs are not much. It was clean, the staff was most pleasant and helpful and it is in a great location - except quite a long bit to the Vatican. We did not have any housekeeping service during our stay. We prefer to not have people in our room when we are gone. So you can form your own opinion. 

On 11/19/2023 at 2:38 PM, molly361 said:

I would NEVER part with my TA😇

How might I find out who that is? Curious minds would like to know.

On 9/28/2023 at 7:45 PM, Choozin Croozin said:

Anyone done this lately? I was just wondering how Royal handles the tendering. Is it just a wait in line until you manage to get off the ship? Do you line up the day before for a tender ticket for a time? Does it take a long time to get off? ANy information is welcome. Thank you.

I thought I would follow up to let you know what happened. It was today lack of communication. We were given different instructions by different people up until we departed the ship. We ended up just being able to walk right off the ship on to a ferry within about 1/2 hr of being cleared and took maybe about 15-20 min of a ferry boat ride. Arrived in plenty of time for our 8:15 tour. No tickets. They supposedly were going to hand out tender tickets after 9am. 

On 10/10/2023 at 8:39 PM, Dan83 said:

We’re going to chance it. I booked a 9 am tour from Nice. That means a 15 minute taxi or Uber ride to be factored in as well. And I don’t know the availability of those from the port area. 

Yes, I think we'll just have to make sure we are in line early and hope for the best. Hopefully the tour guide is flexible. Ours is picking us up at the port. 

On 10/11/2023 at 5:28 PM, CynBeth6 said:

We were on Enchantment in July and the night before we were told we would not need to get tender tickets the local area was providing tenders and that the next morning as soon as they gave the all clear to get off we were free to do so. I think that happened around 7:30 am. Outside of the terminal we got a taxi to Monaco. 

Thank you!!

On 10/9/2023 at 6:29 PM, CynBeth6 said:

We were on Enchantment in July. They used the local boats as tenders not the ones from the ship and it was great. We found out the night before we did not have to get a tender ticket if not on an excursion we would be allowed off when they made the announcement that we were cleared to go ashore. I think that was around 7:30 am. 

That is very helpful! Thank you. I hope it is the same this year!! Happy Cruising.

On 10/9/2023 at 8:46 AM, Dan83 said:

Villefrance is no longer our “do nothing “ port. There are a couple of activities we are interested in. Does anyone have experience with the tendering process in Villefrance or from the Odyssey? With a 7 am arrival is it reasonable to expect to get ashore by 9 am? We won’t have any priority access to the tenders such as suite or key benefits. 

We were hoping to get off for an 8:15 tour. Now I'm beginning to think that isn't going to happen. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

2 hours ago, cruiselover04 said:

I’ve been trying to research this port too and wondering the same. Want to look at tours but it depends how quickly we can get off the ship. 
 

Jenni 

49 minutes ago, Dan83 said:

Same here. Planning for the Odyssey TA next month. I haven’t been to a tender port with royal Caribbean since before Covid. It used to be that shore excursion ticket holders got priority along with suite guests. And there was a lineup for tickets either early morning or the day before. Makes it really difficult to plan your own day in port not knowing what time you can get to shore. Because of this, Villefranche is going to be our “No plans” port. After the lineups are gone we will hop on a tender and go ashore just to walk around and maybe grab some lunch. And then head back to the ship early. There’s probably a way better way to do villefrance on our own but I’m focusing on the other ports for now. 

Exactly! I have a tour planned for 8/8:15 and not sure that will work 

Anyone done this lately? I was just wondering how Royal handles the tendering. Is it just a wait in line until you manage to get off the ship? Do you line up the day before for a tender ticket for a time? Does it take a long time to get off? ANy information is welcome. Thank you.

4 minutes ago, roger b said:

What time does the ship sail ? As most non touristy restaurants don't open until 7pm , personally after along day on the tour you are doing I would return to the ship .

The nicest is https://marchicapalma.com/

which over looks the port if you have time .

Roger b

@roger bour tour is done at 6:30 and we depart at 8p, so not a lot of time. 

I am doing a tour with no frills excursion to  VALLDEMOSSA & SOLLER that was organized by someone else on our ship. It is a long day so maybe we will just want to go back to the ship and collapse after, BUT is there any place to eat or relax that isn't touristy near the ship that we could visit. We will have missed our dinner time on the ship so might as well try some local food if possible. I apologize if this has been asked. I scrolled through this post but there are a lot of questions about the train and beach and with a search too, couldn't find anything. Thank you so much. 

3 hours ago, LDL1220 said:

If I know nothing else, I know I will be using Rome Cabs. 😁

I too am booked at Hotel Smeraldo this October. Someone just posted on the other site that we’re not allowed to mention that they had a great stay there so that was another reassurance. 
We are using “Shared Shuttle” to get from FCO to the hotel and from hotel to cruise port. They are comparatively reasonable 

I am wondering if I have been paying for insurance all along that wouldn't have covered me if I needed? I always wait until final payment to buy insurance. I just thought if something big happens we could cancel and all would be refunded. So after doing some reading etc about pre-existing conditions and them not being covered unless you buy insurance at 1st payment I have a few questions. Between my husband and myself, we have had kidney stones, blood clots (now on blood thinners) and a bout of a-fib which the doctors had ruled out that it was actually a-fib through a lot of testing. So I guess these are all pre-existing conditions? I'm not so concerned about the price of the cruise etc as I am the cost of the evacuation and travel for the other person, if God forbid, it was needed. Would that not be covered under a travel insurance policy? We are 68 & 75. We both have medicare and a supplemental policy to cover us out of the country. Do I just not bother with travel insurance then? I have a final payment on a cruise next week and ready to buy travel insurance. Just not sure what to do. 

On 6/13/2023 at 8:05 PM, Host Bonjour said:

 

Try watching Italian film and telly. Pump up the volume a bit if you can, keep on the subtitles, listen and start to notice the phrases you recognize again and again. 

 

I know we have a thread on here with recommendations if you're interested. It's tough to learn with dialect, that's for sure...dialect is what you hear, for example when watching The Godfather, or the great series called Gomorrah, set in Naples. Most things, but not all, and not all the time, set south of Rome will include a lot of dialect...depends on who is speaking and why. 

 

There are also some podcasts you could always put on, just for background, on any topic in Italian for listening: they tend to speak proper Italian and cover any range of subjects, as one might imagine. It's another great way to practice listening, which you can do for short stints so it doesn't become overwhelming and to see how you're doing. Many of them also speak with a cadence that tends to be like broadcast news...not too fast, eloquent, and thus comprehensible. 

 

Sometimes I put on a news podcast, or something about film/television, or even a crime podcast, because the storytelling mode isn't too fast. 

 

What slows everyone down is translating in our heads...the more you hear something and recall what it is, the less you have to do the conversion, no matter the age. If you enjoy it, just find fun ways to keep at it. You can do it 🙂 

 

Andiamo 🇮🇹

You have a good point about the translating in our heads. As I watch my 3 yo gd as she has learned to speak and repeat everything I say. It seems so easy. 

On 7/7/2023 at 10:16 AM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

I’ve been using Duolingo for a couple of weeks. I have a year to learn some basics. I just got Busuu too. Thanks!  Hopefully I’ll retain a little between now and next summer. 

Good luck. It is so much fun. There are some great videos on You Tube too. 

1 hour ago, DCThunder said:

@cruisemom42

Do you have any recommendations for a hotel in Civitavecchia for one night post cruise? 

 

Some cruise companions are planning a week in Rome post cruise and we're doing an excursion from Civitavecchia before I get back on the ship for a TA to FLL.  They're thinking of staying in Civitavecchia for the night before heading back to Rome.

 

This would be in early December, if that makes any difference.

Friends stayed here and really enjoyed it. To quote them "quirky little 5 room bnb, clean, quiet and relaxing with a view out over the water" FWIW.. Might be worth a try. 

On 6/3/2023 at 3:44 PM, lisiamc said:

I’ve been doing Duolingo for years, but Busuu is a great companion to it. I love learning at least some of “the rules” and Busuu is better at telling me (gently) WHY I need to say something a certain way. They also slip in a few more idiomatic phrases, which are quite handy. 

I totally agree!

6 hours ago, marazul said:

Have you tried Duolingo? It is a very good and free language learning app. It will really help you with the pronunciation.  Pay attention to the way syllables are divided in the words. It does not follow the same rules as English and it does affect the pronunciation (and accent). For example,  it is ta-glia-tel-le. And the "ia" is pronounced together as "yah," not "ee-ah" as two separate syllables. 

 

Another good app for pronunciation is Reverso Context that translates words as they appear in sentences and that has a pronunciation feature in the search bar.

Yes, I am using Duolingo and Busuu which I almost like better. They are both great but my retention at my age is not great. That’s why I started, off and on a year ago. Still have 5 mo to cram some more in. 

15 hours ago, Host Bonjour said:

 

Ah yes, I didn't even think of the g's but then we were only talking c's and there are enough oddities with the letter C!! Enough so that I truly recall the first year of Italian studies and so much emphasis being placed (and again and again) on the variations, but I now realize that this is exactly how one really learns a language (exactly how we learned English, learning the alphabet and its sounds).

 

Learning just conversation is fun and wonderful, and greatly appreciate of course, but it probably leaves out understanding rules like this and so that's where one can run into the occasional snafu.

 

The "g" kind of places a flattened "y" sound ahead of whatever letter follows the "g". Just placing the tongue up on the roof of the mouth prior to pronouncing the letter following the g will give that rolling sound in "gnochhi" sounding like "nnnyohkee".. But for the article "gli" I can't figure how to write an equivalent...it is different for sure to mash the "l" with a "y" sound with not quite "g"...it really comes from tightening the back of the throat.

 

For tagliatelle (it IS the food topic!) one would almost get pronunciation correcting ignoring the "g" altogether rather than including the hard "g"...but again, using that push off, tahl-yee-ah-tell...gets that wonderful dish of golden strand goodness to the table, with who knows, maybe an extra few ounces? 😉 (Def gets noticed and sometimes can have beneficial outcomes with service or interactions!)

 

 

So the e at the end of tagliatelle is not pronounced? Trying to learn some Italian for fun and travels but my old brain takes a lot long. Italian is difficult but every so often something sticks. 😆

4 hours ago, marazul said:

Brunello di Montalcino is one of the very best DOC's in Italy. It is a wonderful wine. You should look it up in one of the wine review websites, such as Wine Spectator. It is very unusual to find it 'by the glass' so Emma would be a good place for you to try it.

I will look into it. Thank you. I'm excited to try it. Emma is very close to where I am staying in October. 

13 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Thanks for the tip about Emma, our DGD name.  We love Brunello,  also read somewhere that it was the late Queen Elizabeth’s favourite.    If you get a chance go to Montalcino where it’s grown.   it’s readily available by the glass and you can try some really wonderful ones.  

I am excited to try it. 

2 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Emma.  Been there, enjoyed the pizza and they had Brunello by the glass. 

I see Brunello mentioned a lot here. What is special or unique about it. I am trying to learn what I may like to order as far as wine goes. I know nothing about Italian wine. Thank you. 

On 3/18/2023 at 5:30 PM, Tee & Chilli said:

 

 

What's Included

• For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $15 surcharge, and Chef's Table is included, with a $49.99 surcharge. These will be charged once onboard.

Well these are hardly worth it either. The Hibachi is $45.99 and $49.99. The 3 night pkg comes to $44.44 and then you have to pay $15 on top of it. Ha.. 

8 hours ago, jamon said:

Choozin Croozin......thanks for your reply....a couple of questions...what kind of shows were in the main theater? Was there a headliner? Do you remember how the band was in the Atrium? Any problem getting a second entree if you wanted one, also appetizers? How was food in the buffet??? Will wait for you reply......thanks

Fortunately I saw @Biker19s post. I can't tell you too much about the shows. Our granddaughter was with us and she was the show until bedtime. Couldn't stay awake until the late night. There was one show that I saw a portion of: a guy on a unicycle and another guy throwing him swords etc. Doesn't sound like much but what I saw, they were pretty funny. The Atrium band was amazing. My gd loved dancing to them when they performed. The problem was, they weren't consistent. There were others and game shows (some better than others) etc, in between. They usually performed at some time, it just varied. Second entrees no problem but you got served one at a time.... same with apps. We ordered 3 at a time sometimes, they did serve two at a time if there was an odd number. We had an amazing waiter and we were a family of 5 so it might vary a bit.  I do not like the Windjammer. Don't like the chaos and I'm a germ-a-phobe. With that said, they had a nice variety. What i missed may not bother you. It's all subjective. The salad selection lacked the "greens". Lots of  "white lettuce". I had a burger one day and it was really good! and I loved the fries! I got the made to order eggs every morning  and oatmeal (love the cruise ship oatmeal). I am also a huge fane of the pizza in the Solarium Cafe? There were things that maybe weren't like they "used to be", some things I miss, but all in all, I was on a wonderful cruise, out in a beautiful ocean, surrounded by outstanding people there to make my experience amazing, and I didn't have to cook or clean. I've never appreciated a cruise more than post COVID. 

We just got back and our ds, dil and gd came with us. She is 2 1/2 so totally different than your situation. There is nothing for these little ones under 3. I had read a suggestion to bring one of those little blow up pools and a small hand pump. You can fill it up with the outdoor showers. That way you can enjoy the pool deck if you'd like. I would almost think a 1 yo would be easier than the 2 1/2 yo. She was very active and seemed to be overstimulated by all the new things (she was born in 2020 so has been quite sheltered). They brought a lot of food pouches and pre-packaged snacks. Hopefully your child will sleep in a stroller as that will help you out a lot. They ordered a crib but one was not in the room so they flipped the couch around to form an enclosed area. Not sure how that would work with a one year old. It was a lot of fun and she had a ball. Mom was pretty exhausted running after her. 

We just returned from Labadee. Loved our day there and never even thought about it being unsafe. The vendors are very pushy if you go to the individual shops. The market people I think are just unfriendly, but I always go in there and buy some of their metal art. It was a beautiful day. 

4 hours ago, Jcol5786 said:

A few cruises ago when dining in the MDR we started asking for an extra plate of whatever veggies they were serving that night be brought out with our entrees. I know I'm probably in the minority but I really like most of the steamed veggies that they serve. This request has alway been accomodated and usually becomes automatic with our wait staff after the first or second night. With the recent changes in some of the MDR procedures I'm wondering if such a request will still be accomodated? Anyone had any luck getting a special request like this under the new rules?

Thanks

Just got off the Jewel March 11. That was the one thing to me that was lacking. I love vegetables and usually eat a lot with dinner. Every night after dinner I would say to myself, tomorrow I am going to order extra veggies, every night I forgot. 🤦‍♀️ lol Especially when they had fresh spinach. You can get fresh veggies and dip from the kids menu. My granddaughter got those every night. Good luck. I'm sure it will be fine. I hope I will remember in Oct when I take my next cruise.