Celebrity Solstice - November 30th, 2009 - Transatlantic

[bobnjeff]

Seems like this thread has died. Hope there are still guys going on this cruise. ;)

[Mikey2611]

Hi there everyone

 

My name is Mike and I am 60 yr old SGM. I am travelling alone on this cruise, actually taking the November 20th 10 night cruise of Greek islands and then staying on board for the Transatlantic. I have done many cruises mainly Celebrity and/or Royal Caribbean and 5 Transatlantics.

 

I look forward to meeting everyone on board, maybe we should have a Friends of Dorothy Meeting every evening in one of the bars that way we can meet and get to know one another.

 

This sounds like a great ship. First time on Board for me but I am really looking forward to it. I arrive In Rome on the morning of the 20th of November from Toronto. If anyone else is doing the back to back and arrives on the morning of the 20th, let me know. Maybe we can share a limo to the port instead of taking the "Ship Transfer".

[Mikey2611]

Hi there guys. Just moving this post up to see if there are any other "family" members on this cruise>

 

Now arriving in Rome on the 18th - and going to Civicvacchia Hotel and staying 2 nights prior to the cruise. Been to Rome a couple of times before for 5 and 6 days so happy to relax and get used to the time change near the Port.

 

Interested in hearing from others on either the 20th Nov Cruise of Greek islands or the Nov 30th Transatlantic.

[bobnjeff]

We are also going on the TA on the 30th. Seems like this board is real quiet. The main "straight" board is on fire over 130 signed up for the "meet and greet". Hope there will be more gay guys and girls on board!!!

 

Jeff and Bob

[Mikey2611]

We are also going on the TA on the 30th. Seems like this board is real quiet. The main "straight" board is on fire over 130 signed up for the "meet and greet". Hope there will be more gay guys and girls on board!!!

 

Jeff and Bob

 

Hi there guys. I agree this board is very quiet and I have been following the Roll Call which is active. There are usually a number of "family" on Board who do not participate in the Chat Boards. Hopefully there will be a "Friends of Dorothy" meeting where we can get to know other family members. I have met some good friends at these meetings and keep in touch with several. Hope to see you guys on Board.

[stinsowm]

Hey..havent posted in a long time..I am Walter and traveling with my partner Ben and we are from Nashville. Definitely looking forward to our first visit to Rome and meeting everyone on board.

[rienreiter]

Hello Everyone:

 

I haven't posted in a very long time either but I am still booked on this cruise. Originally booked in April 2008. Can't believe that we are only 4 months away now.

 

Hello Walter!

 

I am going with a group of 12. Some gay and some not. We are coming from different parts of the world such as Ft. Lauderdale, Berlin, London, and West Palm Beach.

 

You will all love the Solstice; it is a beautiful ship. And by then it should be decorated for Christmas and they do a great job. I was on the Solstice's 3rd voyage back in December of last year.

 

Don't worry about the FOD. It will be posted in the daily paper. Almost always, the place to be is the Martini Bar.

 

Let's keep posting!

Juan

 

Jeff and Bob: The couple from Montreal has cancelled this cruise.

 

Steve: One of my Ft. Lauderdale friends on this cruise is originally from Berlin.

[spikeya4]

Hey guys - looks like things are starting to pick up some. We booked this cruise so long ago, I can't believe it is right around the corner! It will actually be an exciting trip for us because even though it was not its original intent, it is now our "honeymoon" cruise. :) Just a refresher, Dennis (34) and Josh (28) here, been together coming up on five years and from the New York City area.

[stinsowm]

Hi Juan-Ben and I are definitely looking forward to seeing you again.

 

Dennis and Josh--congrats on this being an extra special cruise for you guys.

 

I will do better about posting to this board. Like many of you the time is finally almost here after planning this a long, long time ago.

 

The martini bar is definitely the place to be on the Solstice and normally where the FOD meetings are held. Hope everyone is having a great week.

 

Walter

[bobnjeff]

Hey guys - looks like things are starting to pick up some. We booked this cruise so long ago, I can't believe it is right around the corner! It will actually be an exciting trip for us because even though it was not its original intent, it is now our "honeymoon" cruise. :) Just a refresher, Dennis (34) and Josh (28) here, been together coming up on five years and from the New York City area.

 

 

Dennis and Josh, Congrats. Will you actually be getting "married"? We did back on our 20th anniversary in Montreal. Oct. 10th will be our 23rd. We did a cruise for our honeymoon 6 months after we meet on the old NCL Norway. We were on a cruise a week after our wedding to help celebrate friends 50th anniversary!!! Can you imagine 50 years??? Well I never thought we would make it to ten now it is 23 UGH!!! We look forward to meeting you on the cruise.

 

Jeff and Bob

[spikeya4]

Hey Jeff and Bob! We are going to do the paperwork and such for a Civil Union in NJ and then have a big party for our friends and family in Las Vegas in October. It is all pretty exciting and coming up pretty quickly. We actually got "engaged" on our last cruise in February and everyone from friends we went with to new folks we had met were so excited and accepting.

 

23 years is awesome, congrats! Makes our five look like pocket change, but we will get there :)

[rienreiter]

Hi everybody. Lots of excitement coming up during the approaching months. Final payment comes up next month. Then a couple of monhs of planning and preparation and we are ready to go. Can't wait!

 

Juan

 

PS Hello Ben and Walter!

[2berliner]

Hello all cruisers,

 

nice to know that there are more "family members" on board.

 

we stay in rome from 27th Nov for 3 nights and then we will enjoy this cruise.

 

we also booked the Equinox Dez. 14 after this cruise to get warm and sunny wheater in the caribbean.

 

Glad to meet you on board

 

stefan

[spikeya4]

Sounds like you have a good month of December coming up, Stefan! We fly out on the 26th of November (which is my birthday) to Rome and spend the weekend there as well.

[bobnjeff]

We have a question. Where is everyone staying in Rome. There are so many options. It is hard to chose so a little advice would be great.

 

Thanks, Jeff and Bob

[stinsowm]

Good question...we too are trying to decide where to stay..opinions are welcome for first time Rome visitors...will be staying 3 nights pre-cruise.

 

Thanks,

Walter and Ben

[rienreiter]

Hello Walter, Ben, Jeff, and Bob:

 

I have been to Rome 4 times before so I will be more than glad to provide you with any assistance that you may need. If I have an answer for your question, I will give it to you.

 

I am arriving in Rome on Nov. 29th and staying by the Vatican. As some of the people in our group have never been to Rome and their most important goal is to visit the Vatican, given that we have only one day it is only natural that we stay in the vicinity of the Vatican.

 

As an FYI, the Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays EXCEPT for the last Sunday of every month when the museum does open and there is no entrance fee. So if saving a few euros is of utmost importance to you, visit the museum on Sunday the 29th and you will not pay to enter. The only drawback is that there might be crowds. At least it is the off season.

 

Regards,

Juan

 

PS Congratulations to the honeymooning couple! I wish you much happiness. I am just coming out of a 22 year relationship so enjoy every moment.

[spikeya4]

Hey Gents - we have never been to Rome before, but I think we found where we are going to stay. The bf is obsessive with looking at hotels and options and we both agreed this place looks great and is close to a lot of the "attractions." It has gotten some great reviews, is considered five-star, and has a great rate.

 

http://www.exedra.boscolohotels.com

 

This link is cool too, it shows how close the hotel is to various places of interest in Rome (don't pay attention to the rate, it is cheaper if you go through the hotel's web site):

 

http://www.splendia.com/en/boscolo-hotel-exedra-roma-rome.html

[blade8]

Greetings All,

 

I'm going on this cruise. It will be my first experience on Celeb. It looks like a really beautiful ship.

 

There will be several of my friends joining in the fun from the east coast, VA, specifically. I've traveled with one of the couples on a previous TA cruise, on NCL, 2 yrs ago.

 

I'm traveling solo, and will be staying in Rome at Mesenate Palace Hotel, several blocks from the Termini. Arriving 27 Nov and plan to take the train to the port. Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly.

 

Looking forward to meeting others on this cruise, perhaps, at a FOD meeting.

 

Bon Voyage to all,

Michael :cool:

 

PS BTW, I'm traveling from Seattle.

[stinsowm]

Welcome Michael..

 

Hope everyone is doing well. Juan, please let Oscar know Ben and I send our hellos. Thanks also for the hotel suggestions-we are making final decision this week...nothing like waiting til the last minute.

 

Walter

[rienreiter]

Hello Walter:

 

Oscar and I are no longer together. After many years, we have parted ways and I am now a single guy again.

 

My final payment is coming up in 2 weeks. I can't believe I booked this cruise in April of 2008 and we are now so close.

 

Juan

[cruiselovers21]

hello everybody... just checking if people are on this cruise :) my partner and I are still deciding on what to do for our fall TA cruise... but I guess this sounds like a fun group!!

So ... we will discuss it tonight :)

 

spikeya4: we are on the explorer out of Bayonne Oct 1st to the new england states... any suggestion for nice hotels in the area of the port ??! maybe you know as NY specialist :)

 

cheers from sunny amsterdam....

[spikeya4]

Hey Gents! If you want to stay on the NJ side stay away from the hotels around Newark and such - I would recommend the Hyatt in Jersey City - it is close enough to the port, close to NYC, and right on the water.

 

http://jerseycity.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

 

If you wanted to stay in NYC, the possibilities are endless, but I can help give you some suggestions. Let me know! :)

[cruiselovers21]

Hey Gents! If you want to stay on the NJ side stay away from the hotels around Newark and such - I would recommend the Hyatt in Jersey City - it is close enough to the port, close to NYC, and right on the water.

 

http://jerseycity.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

 

If you wanted to stay in NYC, the possibilities are endless, but I can help give you some suggestions. Let me know! :)

 

THANK YOU FOR THE TIP! WE WILL CHECK IT OUT RIGHT AWAY... HOPE TO SEE YOU NOV 30th... CHEERS!

[kwokpot]

Has anyone made any private touring arrangements?

 

I'm still deciding about Livorno & Villefranche. we've been to Florence many times, so a private tour to other citiesmight be nice. Thinking about renting a car in Villefranche to drive between the cities, but not sure about rental agency availability since it's the off-season.

 

Anyone care to share their plans besides ship tours?