QuattroRomeo

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience! We prefer smaller ships, and the service you describe sounds like a great cruise! Sorry you weren't feeling the best, but sounds like you still enjoyed it very much.

We haven't sailed Royal yet, so am just getting familar with its amenities. Did the specialty dining venues charge separately, or were there any combination offers for a certain number of nights?

And would you remember which company you used for your Cinque Terre tour?

Enjoyed your review, and thanks for any info.

We haven't sailed RCCL yet, but I have my eye on an itinerary for the Serenade. .:)

Can anyone tell me where to find the surcharges/ fees for the specialty restaurants and the Chef's Table? I checked the company website but was unable to find prices anywhere I looked. Thanks for any help!

On our recent Baltic cruise, a couple on our roll call booked a 2 day Comfort Tour with Alla Tours. One of them has difficulty with walking and climbing, and that tour is less strenuous. It is on Alla's website.

We did a post-cruise transfer to Rome from the port, and a tour in Rome once there, with stefanorometours.com They also offer 2 pre-cruise tours from your hotel in Rome, with a transfer to the port. We loved it-great company.

QuattroRomeo,

 

was it a representative of your private tour company, who advised you to leave an hour before the tour time? What company did you use?

No, it was the shore excursion staff on board the ship. I asked him what to expect for lineup processing time, based on his experience with previous sailings, and that is what he told me.

Our tour started at 9 am, so I had everyone meet on the ship for 8 am so we could leave the ship together and line up. But it only took maybe 5-10 minutes to get through the line on Sept.10!

Hello Kirill, and thank you for reaching out to us.

We were in SPB Sept 10&11, aboard the NCL Star. I believe we were the only cruise ship in port on those dates.

We were on a private tour, and had no problem leaving the ship when we were ready. Prior to the 10th, I had asked a shore excursion staff member what to expect in terms of waiting to get through passport control. He said they advise their tour customers to be ready an hour before.

I had my group together ready to leave the ship an hour before our tour was to start. As it turned out, we were outside the terminal and ready to go, before our tour guide and driver had even arrived! Perhaps it was quick because we were the only ship?

There were some lineups, but it did not take that long to get through, and we were able to get in any line we wanted.

Our ship delivered notices to our rooms before we got to Russia (see attachment).

Our group of 12 passed through passport control in a few minutes. We all noticed that the passport officers said absolutely nothing to us as we presented our documents, and just handed the stamped passport to us as our only indication that we were done!

The terminal building itself was easy to get around, and had nice souvenir stores open for us. There were restrooms available, chairs and good lighting. We were not sure though which door to exit; there were 2 sets of doors, and one had a screening area in front of it. We walked toward that area where the Russian officers were, and they just pointed to the other door.

The duty-free shop outside the terminal had good prices on items too, but stock was either low, or sold out out of many items when we went through on Sept. 11 in the afternoon.

 

The water is a different brand in Europe, so it depends where your cruise is.

Yes- on our Baltic cruise, the cases of water were San Benedetto (regular, or 'still', water). Pellegrino carbonated water was also available per bottle.

There is a tv show called Mighty Ships (Discovery Channel) that has shown this a few times. Most recent one I've seen that shows the modular components you're after, is called "Norwegian Breakaway: The Build" in 2013.

We just returned from our Baltic cruise and for SPB, at the end of the first day, we visited Faberge Museum in the early evening (fabulous) and then drove around the city at night, with stops at the river across from the Hermitage, and on to the Church on the Spilled Blood and the bridge nearby ( accompanied by vodka shots!). These were beautiful to see in the night light. Yes we were tired from our long day, but the evening drive wasn't too strenuous and the sights we saw were quite memorable. If you're only there once, you should do it!

Not a big deal, but according to the My NCL site for booked cruises, you save the $3.95 activation fee if you purchase online...

I'm not Perditax, but here's my recipe:

 

Vit c serum

 

1/4 tsp l-asorbic

4 tsp distiller water and mix

2 tsp aloe Vera gel

 

I got my l-asorbic from a company called Making Cosmetics.

 

The other things from Amazon, plus some bottles with droppers tops. You don't want to make very much because when you make your own, it have a very short shelf life. So it's usually enough for about a week.

 

This l-asorbic dissolves really well...some don't

Thank you!

Another vote for Retin-A. Currently using 'Retinol Reface' by Indeed, at Shoppers Drug Mart stores. Under $20.

Perditax, how do you make your own Vitamin C serum? I remember using one from Avon a few years ago and really liked it, but cannot find it lately.

If you decide to use a private service, try this shared shuttle. We have used them-very good service.

http://www.romelimousines.com/shuttle-services/fiumicino-airport/

You're very welcome, glad it was of some help. That cruise was one of our best ever, in large part because of the private tours and transfers -they were terrific- and we saved so much time, and did not have to worry about anything! I wish you the same!

QuattroRomeo, your tour last November is exactly what I am looking to do in Florence. Could you post a little bit more about who you set the tour with and how you managed both museums in one day. Were you able to see any other sights in Florence besides the two museums. I have read quite a bit that you need to pick one or the other or you will not be able to see much else.

Absolutely- we had a wonderful day and saw quite a bit. We used a transfer service by Nicola Scavenna. You can see all the details (plus photos!) In the first couple of pages of our cruise review, as this was the first port we had. Just click on the 'Photo Review- West Med on the Jade' link in my signature line. It should answer all of your questions I think- and then if you need more help just ask!

We docked in Livorno last November on the first Sunday. I set up a private transfer, got 6 others to join in from the roll call to do whatever everyone wanted to do in Florence, after a brief tour when we arrived. DH and I went to both Accademia and Uffizi, and our driver reserved tickets for us. We had virtually no wait, despite the lineups. He drove us to both galleries, too. Plus we had time to explore a bit in town and have lunch. Excellent day and no stress!

You could give this company a try-send in a request if it isn't in their stock list. We have used them for different routes than yours, but we had very good service.

http://www.romelimousines.com

There are several private tour companies in Italy. They have tour itineraries, and you can always design your own with them. Sometimes you just need to revise one of their existing tour descriptions a little. For example:

http://www.romeinlimo.com/rome-civitavecchia/food-wine-and-rome.htm

Is that the kind information you need? We have created custom tours before and it is always quite enjoyable!

http://www.stefanorometours.com/tours/montepulciano-and-pienza/

We used Stefano Rome tours for a different itinerary, and they were wonderful. The link above is to a tour they do to Montepulciano. Being a private tour, you can customize it with no problem!

Realtrip, we always take about $100 US in small bills just for the purpose of tips on board, no matter where the cruise is. Has always been appreciated! We have used euro too on occasion if we had them, coins are no problem at all. Just about anything is appreciated.

Oh! You mean 'shirt'!

Gives new meaning to the acronym OCD!

Sounds like you enjoyed the cruise-looking forward to your comments on the ship venues and the ports!

Glad to hear you had a great cruise!

Did you happen to notice if there was either a Jazz brunch or a Murder Mystery lunch on your sailing?

If you have ever pre-ordered the Captain's Choice wine on the MyNCL page, was it a good wine? I see it comes with a fruit platter, according to the description. Just wondering if it turns out to be a good deal, even though it will be a surprise as to what you get!

We have ordered the Anniversary package before, but thought we would try something different this time.

Have you visited the Peggy Guggenheim Modern Art museum? It has a lovely garden, cafe, modern conveniences and, of course, paintings and sculptures. The art is certainly different than you see pretty much anywhere else in Venice! We quite enjoyed it and would visit there again.