Fishboy1947

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Used safes in hotels all over the world without any problems. Could you provide a link to the thread, so we can evaluate the issue? Sometimes people misinterpret what the issue is.

Facebook discussion by cruisers. They felt loosing a passport would be catastrophic and the safes have procedures to open them that staffs would be familiar with. No actual problems were noted. Just not feeling secure.

When traveling we always put our passports, credit cards and cash in the hotel room safe. We only carry one credit card and minimal cash when walking or touring.

Just read a thread where it was stated and reinforced that they never leave passports or credit cards in hotel room safe.

We will be staying in Venice and Rome, am I naive? Should we not trust room safes?

6 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

Are you sailing with NCL ? If so, they offered a transfer to Trieste last yr but only from VCE, I think it was around $60.

As you noticed from my earlier post, we stayed in Mestre precruise. Took the train from Mestre to Trieste.  Keep in mind that it's about a 20 minute walk to the pier from the Trieste train station.

After the cruise we took FlixBus from Trieste to VCE.  The bus depot is within a block of the train stn.

The train and bus were about 15E pp. 

 

You’re the first person that I have read who has used FlixBus. Their price is by far the best but I’ve not seen enough positive info to consider them. Can you give some info about them and your experience?

Did you use the Celebrity shuttle to get into Ravenna and back to ship? Were they convenient to use?

We stayed at Athens Gate Hotel. Great location near Platka and the Acropolis. Modern, great breakfast, reasonable and has great views, especially of the Acropolis at night from roof restaurant.

arranged for transfer to port but I think cab would have been good, just have set price

7 hours ago, Amandainsweden said:

Thank you!!!

 

a follow up- if I’m booking four people why does it only show one twin bed in the room? Shouldn’t it be bunk beds? Why would the system even let me book that?

Two additional beds probably drop from the ceiling

On 3/13/2023 at 9:58 PM, sapphireblue said:

I highly recommend Rome in Limo as well. I have done 6 tours with them and can confirm they are outstanding.

We just did a tour out of Naples with them this summer to both Positano and Pompeii.  Spectacular.
 Email them and Jany will get right back to you. She is amazing. 

Did you actually go into Positano or just a roadside view of the town?

Thank you all for the info. I had read horror stories about several European airports taking 2 hrs or more last summer.

We are staying near Piazzale Roma, Hotel Olimpia

The water taxi sounds like a neat experience but with 5 of us, I have to pick and choose our specials. A $10-20 up charge for a transfer vs bus sounds good 😊

Due to arrive at Marco Polo airport on a Tuesday in June at 9:30 AM.

How much time should I plan to get bags and get through customs?

Looks like booking a van for 5 would make sense to Piazzale Roma, about 60 euros

51 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

You mean booking through the cruise line?

Yes, thank you 

Big advantage with booking through airlines is your ability to rebook airlines if price drops. You can also usually cancel flights at final payment if you can do better on your own

22 hours ago, Joebucks said:

One of the biggest mistakes people make is booking air asap. There is a misguided sense of peace of mind when you book your flight 1+ year out so it "doesn't sell out." Not only is the price usually inflated, but so much can change in that time.

I do not find this true in my recent experiences. My flights have been significantly less far in advance of my trips. I’ve seen increases of up to 50%. Also the cancellation benefit of booking air along with the cruise is definitely worth something

I just read on another site that there is a local bus, route 90, that goes from the Ravenna port, Porto Corsini, to the Ravenna train station which is near the church mosaics. The cost is indicated to be 3 euros.

This would be good news for our overnight stay. I’ve read that Celebrity will have shuttle buses for the same route but this would be an alternative option.

Can anyone confirm this bus? Any additional information? Where do you get the bus in relation to the cruise port?
 

I searched but couldn’t understand the schedule and whether it was practical 

16 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

There's quite a large and up to date thread pinned at the top of the forum with many, many hotel recommendations in the central area you want. 

 

That said, Albergo del Senato remains my top choice after trying quite a few hotels in Rome over many visits.

 

Albergo del Senato has a 3 night minimum, we wanted to book 2

14 hours ago, IslandGirl2006 said:

I’m looking for private tour recommendations for a day trip to Positano, Ravello, and Almafi. Thanks. 

Italytours.eu is also highly recommended. I did that tour in October and was very happy with them

I don’t know from personal experience, but Google Maps shows about 10 minutes longer to Amalfi than Positano from either Naples or Pompeii.  Plus they would go to Sorrento first before Positano

Would our drive be more scenic to Positano or to Amalfi? Looks like Positano.

Which towns are preferred for a visit?  I only remember expensive clothing shops in Positano. 

I’m finding it hard to get much input from the grandkids, but they had positive reactions to Pompeii

I want to book a tour from Naples for 5, including our 3 20 year old grandchildren on their first trip to Europe.
 

The tour I am looking at includes Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano. But I may have the option of selecting Pompeii, Amalfi and possibly Ravello instead.
 

When I toured the Amalfi coast in a heavy rain, Amalfi was my favorite stop. I missed the best views and stops along the drive because of the rain and fog.  
 

I’d appreciate input of what to choose.

I did not do this exact tour but I just did their Amalfi coast tour. We did not stop in Sorrento (not scheduled) but we did stop in the center of Positano. We stopped in 3 towns and walked around each for an hour plus and it was a full 8 hr day. I have read recommendations from valued cc sources to bypass Sorrento and concentrate on the other towns.

The driver stops at photo stops and the center of towns. The views are spectacular and the towns are interesting.

We are planning your exact trip for next June and I’m trying to figure what fits in after Pompeii. If I could only stop in one town I would prefer Amalfi. I enjoyed it much more than Positano

Princess eliminated the testing requirement for fully vaccinated leaving from Athens:

Received this email from Princess regarding my embarkation in Athens on Oct 8.  NO TESTING if fully vaccinated 

Had a family, 12 of us, cruise in June. After reading CC for the year prior, we had expected to have to lower our expectations 

But after the cruise we were unanimous that we couldn’t find anything to complain about. We all felt everything was as good or better than our prior family cruise, which was pre-COVID. In fact we all felt the food was better, even the picky eater.

Is a Certificate of Recovery accepted for cruises embarking in Greece? I don’t see any reference to certificates of recovery on Princess’s site like they previously had

I don’t see anything now on the site about documented recovery in case of a positive test, showing that you had COVID but have recovered but still test positive.Is this still available? Particularly is this accepted for cruises beginning in Greece?

1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

There is also a bus, for as low as 10 euro.  The bus travels direct (no changes) from Ravenna to Venice Mestre train station and then on to Venice Tronchetto.

 

https://www.flixbus.it/

I’m haven’t read about anyone using them, and I’ve been looking. It looks like the best option, either direction 

Their reviews are not good

1 hour ago, JaneRetired said:

Happy to offer names of restaurants if requested. The book is a really fun quick read, even if you are not traveling there. 🙂

Names of restaurants would be appreciated. Will be there for two nights in October.