Dream 10/15 2009

[Deanne Willis]

Terence, Congratulations and enjoy your day!

Anna, I think your weather is coming to Michigan. We're supposed to have a low of 38 tonight. Monday was so windy here. The Coast Guard was out on Lake Michigan, they saw 20 foot waves, which is almost unheard of in Lake Michigan.

Welcome, Linda and Mike and Linda and John!

Don't ask me why I'm up so early to check the boards. Terry and Jeanette can I join your support group?:eek:

Denise

[Coolcruise02]

Just checked the webcam--the Dream is leaving Venice--it looks beautiful.
Jill

Hi Jill,
Just wanted to pop in and say goodbye as we are leaving tonight to start our vacation!!
Hope you have a great cruise and we'll try to keep the Dream in tip-top shape for your sailing. Maybe we'll pass you on the gangplank. :)

Rebecca

PS. I'm going to try very hard not to make comparisons to last year. It was different planning this cruise. Nothing can compare to last year and all the excitment of MED "virgins"! :)

[yooperwoody]

Happy Hump Day Dreamers!!!

Terry - I hope you brought lots of kleenex for your last day of work. I know it would be hard to say good bye to the kiddies. Enjoy.
I know after my last day of work, I'm taking my alarm clock out back and shooting it!

Anna - As Denise stated, it's cold here in Michigan too. We get winter about 2 months earlier than the rest of the country. BTW, when did you ever hear me karoke?

Marty - Yeah, what they said about doing stand up comedy in a sogno thongo. I don't think the the world is ready to see the yoooper thongo.:eek:!

I'm in for the white capri cogna line! I love cogna lines! Heck, why not make a thongo line?!

Welcome to the new Dreamers!!

[TrngLady]

James & Jodie,

Welcome to Cruise Critic and our roll call on the Dream. Also, thanks for posting your picture on Cruise Fellows. It looks very cold wherever you were!

Janis & Dick


Haha!! We were in Garmisch Germany, and the top of the Zugspitzplatz (sp?). It it the tallest point in Germany, and you can see 4 countries Alps ranges from there.

[TrngLady]

Hi! Welcome James and Jodi! I saw your picture on Cruise fellows. It looks like it's pretty cold where you had the picture taken. Are you taking the cute little one's you have with you? Thanks for serving our Country!

Terry, I think tomorrow you should just have fun at work. I've always wanted to just be a slacker for one day at work. Can you go back as a sub if you wanted to? Or maybe a volunteer?

Jeanette, I will keep your daughter in love's father in my prayers.

Marty, Are you getting nervous about Venice?

Vicki, What is a Yooper Sogno Thongo? Can you fit a Camcorder in it? (I liked that one Janis:D)

Janis, I will probably be the oldest living hygienist. No, I'm thinking another year, as long as my eyes, neck and back are okay. I just love my bosses, the girls I work with, and 98% of my patients!!

Eleven more days til we leave!

Denise

Hi Denise! Yes, we will bringing our kiddies will us. Abby is 3, and Jordan is 11. And we were in Garmisch, Germany, and yes it was very cold!!! :-) I'm looking forward to this cruise and can't wait to meet everyone!

[GRAMMYTAN]

We are Linda and Mike and wanted to say hi to all our fellow cruise critic passengers on the beautiful Dream!:D We are from Long Island, New York (Go Yankees! Go Jets!) My husband gave me this trip as a gift for my 50th birthday as well as our 30th anniversary. We are travelling with our cousins Linda & John. We are in late seating and we have the 2 aft corner cabins on deck 9.

There is a lot of catching up to do on this thread:eek:. Could someone catch me up with a quick synopsis?:confused:. for example, what is a cabin crawl, can we join, is there a meet and greet for the cruise critic group, are you meeting on your own at a specific time, etc? Do I have to sign up? It would be greatly appreciated!

We have several private tours booked for 4 with driverinrome (who we used in 2004 and LOVED!!) and have room for up to 4 more, so if anyone is interested let me know and I will give you all the details. My e-mail address is pernal@stjohns.edu

We have a tour booked for Naples to Amalfi, Positano, Ravello (no Pompeii). Another in Livorno to San Gimignano & Sienna & maybe Pisa? Another in Sicily to Taormina/Etna? Another in Rome (pre-cruise 1/2 day) on the 15th. We also have one in Monaco to St. Paul de Vence, Nice, Monte Carlo with Dream tours (we used them also in ''04 and LOVED them too:)).

We cannot wait to meet all of you:). See you in 2 weeks!!!!:D

Linda


Linda & Mike welcome to the SOGNO SOGNO SOGNO group. This group decided on this name since we are the third sailing of the Dream (Sogno in Italian). Many are making SOGNO T-shirts for a contest in our group. If you haven't yet signed up at Cruise Fellows, we welcome you to do that. You can also post a picture of yourselves there and see the list/pics of most of us. There are some events that are listed on Cruise Fellows that still have room, such as the sail away party, poker run, cabin crawl, Burano Island, Cafe Buza.

All - I tried the soap in the sheets last night (white lever) and didn't have leg cramps until I got up and headed straight to the webcam. I have gotten into the habit of grabbing my coffee and logging into the webcam site first thing every morning. I sat at the 'puter too long and got the leg cramps again. I guess I should tie a bar of soap to my leg, inside my slacks.

Did anyone read the latest post from the "Inaugural" cruise? Seems like someone is NOT a happy camper. They posted a lot of complaints, but they sounded pretty minor to me. I think someone needs a nap! The complaints were of the nature of the cruise not being special or the real inaugural cruise (Todd apparently told them the real inaugural is the first one out of NY), computer complaints, even a night light, and phone problems. Oh well, maybe the kinks of a new ship will all be worked out by the time we sail. Ahhhh, two weeks from today and Ray and I will be in the FCO Airport in Rome, waiting to meet up with Shala and Eunice and Stefano (or at least his driver).

I can't wait until I am sitting on my balcony with a cup of coffee watching the sun come up as we are arriving in Naples! BTW, everyone needs to make a mental note (or write it down if you are like me and have some-timers, which is getting to be more like most-timers) the morning we arrive in Croatia be up early on your balcony or an open deck as we arrive. That is the most gorgeous site as we come into the port.

[oceanview585]

Welcome all you new Dreamers. There is always more room to join our group. Finally yesterday got our guarantee balcony assignment and we were upgraded to an 8E deck 9. Easy access to the buffet and pool up one flight Just what we need.
Jeanette/ just FYI...I always notice my leg cramps are directly related to hydration. After going out to dinner (excess sodium to flavor foods) or getting behind on fluids for a day I have them at night. (the nurse in me is talking) Also I noticed my last few cruises I had more swelling in my legs by the end of the cruise and so much sodium...I bought some light compression stockings at AAA to wear on the plane and at night to try to avoid that this time.
There is a recent posting on the inaugural roll call from Barcelona. Had a lot of complaints but I expect there will be a lot of bugs to work out.
My new life motto is "If you have the right expectations then you won't be dissappointed!"
We are gong in with an open mind and just enjoy the moment.:)
Nancy

[jilly08]

Hi Jill,
Just wanted to pop in and say goodbye as we are leaving tonight to start our vacation!!
Hope you have a great cruise and we'll try to keep the Dream in tip-top shape for your sailing. Maybe we'll pass you on the gangplank. :)

Rebecca

PS. I'm going to try very hard not to make comparisons to last year. It was different planning this cruise. Nothing can compare to last year and all the excitment of MED "virgins"! :)

Hi Rebecca,
Have a wonderful cruise. Hope you have wonderful weather and perfect seas. Nothing can compare to last year's trip. But, I know we will both make a lot of great new memories. Although I don't think anything I do this time will top the ride in Egypt (both the camel and the BUS!!!) LOL

Keep in touch. And thanks for thinking of me. I'll look for you on the 15th!!
Jill

[jilly08]

Greetings Everyone, Lindsey and I leave in 6 days. :eek: I can't believe it's almost here. I'm gonna be crazed this weekend getting ready because I haven't packed a thing. I keep checking the 10 day for Rome and so far it looks nice.. High 70s and sunny. Hope it keeps up.

FYI for the newbies here, I keep an excursion list and post it regularly. If you would like to send me your tour information, I will add it to our list. I'll post the current list later this evening so you can get an idea of the formatting. (Or just look back a few pages in the rollcall).

Looking forward to meeting you.

Jill

[gliderider]

To All/Connie we would love to join you on your Naples excursion, please let us know
email is stepenwulf@aol.com

[gliderider]

We would like to join you on your Naples excursion, although we are 49er and SF Giants fans, I think we could have some fun. Please let me know if this is a possibility.

Gary & Diva

By the way Diva is fluent in Italian, was born near Lucca

[luvcdays]

I think we need a white capri conga line:).
I can't seem to stop looking for any info about the Dream cruise. Hi I'm Terry and I'm a cruise addict. I know I'm in good company.

I'm sure I'll be doing some substituting. I've had some great ego boosters from the 10-12 year old set recently such as "You're too young to retire, Mrs. C" "You're too much fun to leave" and today "I can't believe they are Making you retire" from someone who just couldn't believe I'd ever really want to stop being around kids. I had to explain that although I loved them I wanted to travel and I'd be back to visit. Anyway, it should be a real teary day tomorrow.

Jeanette, I don't know if you take any cholesterol drugs but Tom had bad leg cramps this summer. They changed his meds and they are gone. Two friends had the same problem, their doctors took them off Crestor also. Leg cramps were gone.
Anna, has fall come to Wyoming?
Took a walk down by the beach tonight-the ocean is angry.

Ciao,
Terry

Terry,

We're thinking about you today! Hope it is not too sad for you...

Janis & Dick

[luvcdays]

Terry & Janis - Fall is here the leaves are beautiful right now. Supposed to have cold weather again on Thursday. Last week we had snow and a light frost. It won't belong before old man winter shows up. Lows are in the 30's at night and we are hitting high 60 to low 70 right now. Going to amusement park in Denver on Saturday supposed to be a high of 65 so hopefully the adrenaline will keep us warm.

Also Terry my white capris have little polka dots embroidered on them. I am ready for the conga line, any reason to party with fun people.

Marty I will sign you up for comedy hour. You can't be any worse than some of those karaoke singers I have heard on other cruises.

We too are thinking about the camcorder but we will already have the digital camera and netbook, have we really become a society of electronic junkies? Our flight has the individual tv with movies on demand, but I'm thinking I would just like to sleep. However one of the movies is Angels & Demons might get me prepped for Rome:D

Anna

Anna,

It sounds beautiful there, but I would only last for a couple of days with those lows!

Count me in on the White Capri Conga Line:p

We weren't planning on taking a video camera, but DH surprised me last week decided to buy one. Now we are taking a multi outlet surge protector so we can charge everything!

I am also planning on sleeping on the plane since it leaves at 9:30 PM. We have movies downloaded on the notebook if we don't like what is playing on the plane.

See ya soon.
Janis

[luvcdays]

We are Linda and Mike and wanted to say hi to all our fellow cruise critic passengers on the beautiful Dream!:D We are from Long Island, New York (Go Yankees! Go Jets!) My husband gave me this trip as a gift for my 50th birthday as well as our 30th anniversary. We are travelling with our cousins Linda & John. We are in late seating and we have the 2 aft corner cabins on deck 9.

There is a lot of catching up to do on this thread:eek:. Could someone catch me up with a quick synopsis?:confused:. for example, what is a cabin crawl, can we join, is there a meet and greet for the cruise critic group, are you meeting on your own at a specific time, etc? Do I have to sign up? It would be greatly appreciated!

We have several private tours booked for 4 with driverinrome (who we used in 2004 and LOVED!!) and have room for up to 4 more, so if anyone is interested let me know and I will give you all the details. My e-mail address is pernal@stjohns.edu

We have a tour booked for Naples to Amalfi, Positano, Ravello (no Pompeii). Another in Livorno to San Gimignano & Sienna & maybe Pisa? Another in Sicily to Taormina/Etna? Another in Rome (pre-cruise 1/2 day) on the 15th. We also have one in Monaco to St. Paul de Vence, Nice, Monte Carlo with Dream tours (we used them also in ''04 and LOVED them too:)).

We cannot wait to meet all of you:). See you in 2 weeks!!!!:D

Linda

Welcome Linda & Mike and Linda & John! We are also celebrating our 30th Anniversary and my 50th B-Day also.

The Meet & Greet is on the first sea day @ 2:00 PM. We do not know the location yet, but it will be posted in the daily paper. The Cabin Crawl will start right after at 3:00 PM. We are having a T-shirt contest where people are creating their own T-shirt creations to wear for the Cabin Crawl along with a Poker Crawl and a Gift Exchange. You can find more info on our web site on Cruise Fellows.com. There will also be an informal get together for the sailaway on the first night at the Sunset Bar on Deck 10 Aft.

Janis & Dick

[lmlt]

Good Morning Dreamers

I will be joining you on the 15th, I am a retired solo traveller, and the Med is my favorite place. I can't wait to meet all of you at the sailaway, however there are so many I'm sure that won't be possible.

I've never been on a brand new ship so I'm excited about that and have been keeping up with the webcams. Hope the kinks have been worked out by the time we board. Only 15 more days I can't believe it!!!

Lydia

[lmlt]

Good Morning Dreamers

I will be joining you on the 15th, I am a retired solo traveller, and the Med is my favorite place. I can't wait to meet all of you at the sailaway, however there are so many I'm sure that won't be possible.

I've never been on a brand new ship so I'm excited about that and have been keeping up with the webcams. Hope the kinks have been worked out by the time we board. Only 15 more days I can't believe it!!!

Lydia

[hartliem]

I was wondering if anyone has volunteered to bring (not exactly sure what they are called) the labels you write your name on and put on your shirt to identify yourself to the sail-away party. I think it would be a good idea if we all had our name on our shirts so we can identify people easier.

I can bring the labels and a marker pen if no one has already volunteered to do this. Just let me know.

[jdpudge]

Just got a call from what I presume is Carnival's upsell department saying that a pair of balcony rooms were available.

When we booked I wasn't aware that some of the balcony dividers could be retracted to essentially make connecting rooms. This might be appealing at the right price.

Anyone have any experience with whether these calls represent any actual savings over what I would have paid months ago? Or if the price they quote is ever negotiable?

[ickz]

Being a Patriots fan I'm somewhat disconcerned to see all of these Jets fans posting :(. Aren't there any Patriots fans here??

Ha ha.

BTW, Wife and I are set for late dinner!

[ickz]

Just got a call from what I presume is Carnival's upsell department saying that a pair of balcony rooms were available.

When we booked I wasn't aware that some of the balcony dividers could be retracted to essentially make connecting rooms. This might be appealing at the right price.

Anyone have any experience with whether these calls represent any actual savings over what I would have paid months ago? Or if the price they quote is ever negotiable?

Does this only apply if you book through Carnival? We booked through Travelocity and I haven't gotten any calls. Is it always more ideal to book directly with Carnival themselves instead of a 3rd party?

[jilly08]

All, If you would like your tour added to the list, please email me at:
jilly08@comcast.net

Here is the most recent list:
Excursions:
Luvcdays (Janis)
Port of Monaco - Booked with Michel @ Revelation Tours 4/26/09 for Monaco, Nice & Eza.
600 euros-$75.00 ea 8 hour tour
Janis & Dick, Jill & Lindsey, Denise & Joe, Terry & Tom
This excursion is closed.
-
Luvcdays (Janis)
Port of Messina - Booked with Sebastiano @ Sicily Life 1/13/09 for Taormina & Castemola.
420 euros-$52.50 ea 8 hour tour
Janis & Dick, Anna & Randy, Denise & Joe, Terry & Tom
This excursion is closed.
jilly08 (Jill)
Livorno
Pick up area - Livorno Port
Pick up date - Oct 26,2009
Pick up time - 8:00 am
Name of ship - Carnival Dream
Pisa, Winery, San Gimignano - Euro 680
*Our driver will wait for you in the port at 8 am., holding a sign with your
name written on it , you will be driven back by 5 pm.*
Jill & Lindsey
Terry and Tom
Denise and Joe
Janis and Dick
FULL
-
Naples Port Excursion - Naples excursion includes Amalfi coast road , Sorrento , Positano and excavation of Pompei
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Jody & Chris - josy777
Claudia, husband & daughter - C1audiagabriella
Room for 1 more person
Naples (10/16) - shore excursion for Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Positano & Pompeii for:
Shala & Eunice (Cruizen161)
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)

Amalfi/Pompeii tour;
The tour operator is: Tour of Italy
Sharon & Jess (Sassse)
Kathy & Elaine (Hartliem)
Vicki & Gordie (Yopperwoody)
Marty & Jeanne (CarnivalFan2)
tour cost is 400 E / 8 persons = 50 E each which converts to about $70 pp
100 E is for the tour guide at Pompeii/ 8 = 12.5 E each which converts to $17 ea. The entrance fee at Pompeii is 11E or $15 ea.
FULL

Livorno Florence you have about 3 hour to se hi lites , than take a lunch in town by a tipical Tuscan restaurant or drive to reach a winery to have appetizers /lunch and wine tasting by a tipical wine producer.
than drive thorugh Tuscan countrysde to get back to the ship around 5 pm .
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Jody & Chris - josy777
Elaine & Kathy - Hartliem
Ray & Jeanette - Grammytan
Full
Livorno (10/26) - shore excursion to Tuscany for:
Shala & Eunice (Cruizen161)
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)

Naples Port. (wyomingirl)
Tour of Pompeii and Almalfi Coast 650 euro's for 8, plus 100 euro for archeological guide in Pompeii. (does not include 11euro entrance fee to Pompeii and lunch)
Tour Company: Drive Amalfi Guide: Salvatore Lucibello
Randy and Anna, Terry and Tom, Joe and Denise, Dave and Barb and Valentine
FULL
Taormina (Grammytan)
My request to Sicily Driver was to:
Verify the total amount of 560 euro which includes parking.
Pick up at ship - begin boarding approx 8:15 am and depart at 8:30 am
Leave Taormina at 2:30 pm
Imperative that we are back to the ship by 4:00 pm to sail at 5:00 (even though we probably will be asked to be back at 4:30 pm)
Inquire as to how I should set up the deposit of 80 euro. I will pay that and then deduct it from the payments made at boarding.
Confirm drop off at Catania Gate and that he would wait for us, not leave and come back, taking a chance of getting delayed in traffic.
I posted a request on the message board, that we all round up the fee of 12.44 euro to 15 euro, and the difference go to the driver for a tip.

Sharon & Jess (Sasse)
Vicki & Gordie (Yooperwoody)
Shala & Eunice (Cruizen 161)
Elaine & Kathy (Hartliem)
Patti & John (guiltgal24)
Ed & Kelley (eekconway)
Nancy & Henry (Oceanview 585)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)
Jack & Carolyn (Traveling with Mortimer)
Jill & Lindsey (Jilly08)
Sandy & Ron (Coastal Bird)
Mary (Maryann2 )
Chris & Jody (Josy 777)
Jeanette & Ray (GRAMMYTAN)
Judi & Ethel (Jeb1)
Bev & John (Sailorama)
Maureen & Tom (Onetrufan)
Jim & Buffy (traveling with Onetrufan)
Lisa & Vini (traveling with Onetrufan)
Marty & Jeanne (Carnival Fan2)
Laura & David (GatorgirlCA)
Joel & Megan (Little Lemon)
Ben & Wendy (Sanjuro)
Terrence & Debbie
Robby & Charlotte
FULL

Amalfi Coast: (jebl)
Judy & Ethel (jebl)
Ray & Jeanette (GRAMMYTAN)
Laura & David (Gatorgirlca)
FULL
Pisa and Lucca
Sandy and Ron (Coastalbird and Beloved Husband)
Sharon and Jess (Sassse)
Robby & Charlotte (Etexbeachbum)
Vicki & Gordie (yooperwoody)
(FULL)
French Riviera tour with Michel at Revelation Tours (600E) on Sunday, 10/25 for the following:
Patti & John Carbone
Shala & Eunice Wingo
Jack & Carolyn Flowers
Tom & Nancy Fenton
FULL
Naples on 10/16. Deborah and David (ririjax)
It's a private Positano, Sorrento & Pompeii tour that will last all day. This gentlemen will be our guide: http://www.gianpierofiorentino.com/ Trip Advisor had great things to say about him.
For 4 people it will be $154/person or if we can find 2 couples, for 6 people it's only $102/person.
Way cheaper then the boat excursion! People can email me at dhuff@rir.com (dhuff@rir.com) if interested in joining us that day.
FULL
MESSINA
Date: Thursday, Oct. 22 (all day tour)
Tour: Etna Experience & the Highlights of Taormina, http://www.sicily-tour.net/port-of-messina/Etna.htm
Tour Company: Sicily Life, www.sicilylife.net (http://www.sicilylife.net/)
Organizer: Lorraine/Reggie, (Mufster)
Cost: €390 for 6 riders, €420 for 7/8 riders
Participants: Lorraine, Reggie, Roger, Esther, Deborah, David – (total 6 - €65 each).
FULL
LIVORNO
Date: Monday, Oct. 26
Tour: San Gimignano, Chianti Countryside, Winery Tour, http://www.travelsintuscany.com/san_gimignano_tours.htm
[NOTE: I originally requested booking with Giovanni from SunFlower Tours. He was unavailable, but placed us in the hands of Guido Bandinelli, of Travels in Tuscany, a native of the Chiati region who is also a professional sommelier / wine-guide! http://www.guidos-tours.it/about.html]
Tour Company: Travels In Tuscany, www.travelsintuscany.com (http://www.travelsintuscany.com/)
Organizer: Lorraine/Reggie, (Mufster)
Cost: €440 for 4 passengers, €500 for 6 passengers (7 maximum).
Participants: Lorraine, Reggie, Deborah, David
NEED 2-3 more
MONACO
Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
Tour: French Riviera-Monaco-Monte Carlo (casino)
Tour Company: Revelation Tours, http://www.revelation-tours.com
Organizer: Lorraine/Reggie, (Mufster)
Cost: €600 (2-8 max passengers)
Participants: Lorraine, Reggie (need passenger list from Lorraine)
FULL
TUSCANY TOUR PROPOSAL FROM LIVORNO PORT

PISA, SAN GIMIGNANO, and SIENA (Oct. 26)

Marco at Tuscany Tours will provide the following tour, in a comfortable van, for up to 8 people beginning at 7:30 AM (ship arrives at 7 AM) and returning to the ship at 6 PM (ship departs at 7 PM). This would be a tour intended for seeing a lot of places in a relatively short amount of time:

Pisa (Field of Miracles, Leaning Tower, etc.) - 1.5 hours of free time
San Gimignano (beautiful hill town with medievil towers) - 2 hours of free time
Siena (Duomo and the Piazza del Campo "best square in Italy") - 2 hours of free time

According to Marco, we might prefer to allocate another 1/2 hour to Siena, and only spend 1 hour in Pisa. It would be up to our group, as this is a private tour. We call the shots.

As this tour would be taking us to three different places, there is a good amount of driving time. But we'll be in Tuscany, for crying out loud. Should be a nice, scenic drive. Marco explained it like this -

- 40 MIN from LIVORNO to PISA
- 1 HR AND 30 MIN from PISA to SAN GIMIGNANO
- 45 MIN SAN GIMIGNANO to SIENA
- 2 HRS BACK TO LIVORNO from SIENA

This tour is great for people like my wife and I who feel like they have to see both Pisa AND Siena, which are usually not on the same tour.

WE NEED 2-6 MORE PEOPLE
2 MORE (4 TOTAL) WILL BE 127.5 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS + 15% DISCOUNT = 510 EUROS TOTAL)

4 MORE (6 TOTAL) WILL BE 85 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS + 15% DISCOUNT = 510 EUROS TOTAL)

6 MORE (8 TOTAL) WILL BE 75 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS)

This tour is very comparable to the "Essence of Tuscany" tour offered by Carnival, but that one skips Pisa altogether, costs $235 per person, and is probably on a huge crowded bus!

Don't forget, we are docked at Livorno on a Monday, so the sights of Florence are closed. Don't go to Florence thinking you will see the David because it won't happen. That is another reason I am proposing this tour instead of a Florence tour.


Pre-Cruise Excursions
Daytrip from Rome to Florence
Pre-Cruise Tuesday October 13th
Romeinlimo
We will make advanced reservation for Accademi and Uffizi as per your request.We will travel from hotels in Rome to Florence.
Our rates are per vehicle
Daytrip from Rome to Florence in Minivan up to 6 pax is Euro 600 for apprx 12 Hrs
Click here for itinerary;
FLORENCE, the world's most important works of art are located in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence.
We can arrange a Minibus for 8 pax, cost would be 700Euro. Please let me know asap.
Terry and Tom (Mom23guys)
Patti and John (Quiltgal24)
Denise and Joe (Deanne Willis)
Dennis & Terri (retired to NC)
FULL
Transfers:
Oct 15th Pick up from downtown Rome transfer to Citavecchia in early afternoon
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Jody & Chris - josy777
Vicki & Gordie - Yooperwoody
Full

Oct 27th Transfer from Citavecchia to FCO Airport
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Elaine & Kathy - Hartliem (drop off at FCO area hotel)
Vicki & Gordie - Yooperwoody
Full
Rome (10/15) Transportation from Spanish Steps area hotels to ship for:
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)
Elaine & Kathy (Hartliem)
10/27 - transportation from ship to Rome airport area hotels for:
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)
Ben and Wendu (Sanjuro)
Full
Oct 14 Transfer from FCO to Hotel Bramante in Civitavecchia
Rome Cabs 11:45 am
Jeanette & Ray and Shala and Eunice
CLOSED
Oct 31st Transfer from Rome (TBD) hotel to FCO (Grammytan)
Departing hotel 7:00AM
Looking for additional people to share transfer and cost of transportation
Oct 15, FCO to port, Judy and Ethel
Alison & Curt
FULL

TRANSPORT Company: ACS
Passengers: Judy & Ethel (Jebl), Robby & Charlotte (etexbeachbum), Marty & Jeanne (CarnivalFan2)
PICK UP DATE: Tues 27th October
PICK UP TIME: 09.30 AM
PICK UP POINT : Civitavecchia Port Ship Carnival Dream
DROPP OFF POINT : Hotel Cosmopolitan
Passenger Name & Surname: Mr. Marty Paul
Number of passengers: 6
Number of bags: Max 6 med/large bags & max 6 small bags
TYPE OF VEIHICLE REQUESTED: Executive Minibus
COST OF SERVICE: 190 Euros
FULL

October 15 with Rome Cabs-Transfer Stop at Lake Bracciano and castle
Terry and Tom
Denise and Joe
Janis and Dick
Maryann
FULL

October 27 Transfer to Lido di Ostia and FCO hotels with Rome Cabs
Terry and Tom
Denise and Joe
Janis and Dick
Anna and Randy
FULL
October 27 Transfer from ship to Hotel Barroco in Rome
Jeanette & Ray
Shala & Eunice
Rome Cabs
FULL
Pompeii-Positano-Amalfi Excursion
400 euro for car/driver, plus 100 euro for Pompeii tour guide divided by 6.
11 euro entry fee for Pompeii, gratuity, and lunch not included.
Megan & Joel (Little Lemon)
Dennis & Terri (RetiredtoNC)
Terry & Karen (Readytocruise)
FULL
Transfer from ship to FCO airport Oct 27th:
Laura and David (gatorgirlca)
Sandy and Ron (coastalbird)
Larry and Debi
Rome cabs (apprx 50-60E per couple with tip)
FULL
Proposed Excursions:
Tour of Florence & Pisa (from Livorno on Oct 26th).
Florence Limousine Service
Marty & Jeanne (CarnivalFan2)
Terry & Karen (Ready To Cruise)
Debi & David (Tink413)
Judy & Ethel (Jebl)
Cost: for 6 is $ 124 pp, for 8 is $ 93 pp. Carnival charges $180 pp for similar tour.
FULL
Port Get-togethers
Buza Bar--Dubrovnik
Meet at the Cafe Buza with rails at 3 pm or later. Let's meet at the Buza with rails (the same as is indicated on the YouTube video on their website "How To Get There").
http://cafebuza.com/

The ship sailis at 7 pm.
3 pm gives us extra time at this spectacular place However, if folks show up after 3 pm, no big deal but let's say 3 pm as a "target" to be on the safe side...

[CarnivalFan2]

Buona Sera!

Linda & Mike - oh no, more NY fans :eek:. Terence & I are not very happy the way your Jets "spanked" our Texans in our own house :p!!

Linda & Mike & Lydia- Welcome to Dream, Dream, Dream. We have a great group of people here & Jeanne & I look forward to meeting you! Let me try and post the link to Cruise Fellows;

www.*************.com (http://www.*************.com)

Again, here is where many of us have posted our pics and you can see the open gatherings/get-togethers both ashore & onboard. Benvenuti!

Terry - congrats on your retirement :)!!

All - Jeanne & I are also in on the white Capri conga line. I'm afraid white Capris might be a little tight on me though :o:p...

Denise - re Venice, yeah, a little bit. Thank you for asking. With that kind of setting, it would be hard to "screw it up" ;)...

Happy hump day and the weekend is almost here again! One of two remaining!!...

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

[mom23guys]

mom23guys Tom and Terry celebrating retirement Late
Deanne WillisDenise and Joe Anytime
wyomingirl Anna and Randy Late
nick usaf Nick and Joanne 50th anniversary Anytime
Pat and Richard joining the celebration Anytime
luvcdays Janis and Dick 30th anniversary Late
dlbutlers Dave and Barbara + B2B with TA Anytime
Valentine
The Commodore Tom and Maureen (onetrufan)
diane52 Diane and Ernie Early
CarnivalFan2 Marty and Jeanne Late
Liney1982 Liney and Josh Josh's 25th B-day Late
ashejen Ashejen, DH, In-laws
tamyrussell Trina; Nancy, mom, and Tanya,sister Late
browneyes7 Mary and Bill
etexbeachbum Robby and Charlotte
waterjunkie Cherl and Jim
jilly08 Jill and daughter Lindsey Late
josy777 Jody and Chris Honeymoon Late
ickz ickz and DW
oceanview585 Nancy and Henry Anytime
maryann2 Mary Late
bones0319 Jim and Barb +8friends 25th anniversary Late
pooh1962 Wendy, 2 sisters, and mom
jebl Judy and Ethel Anytime
C1audiagabriella Claudia Gabriella, DH, and DD-9
eekconway Ed and Kelley Honeymoon Late
vegascruiser1009 Mary and Sam
L&LC Lloyd and LeeAnne
Yooperwoody Vicki and Gordie Anytime
Hartlien Elaine and Kathy Elaine's 50th B-day Early
MARCOPOLOSMITH Group of 4
Sassie Sharon and Jess Late
NolaAlive
Pam1968 Pam
Ngrammie4 Bob and Gail
Cruizen161 Shala and Mom Anytime
mufster Reggie and LorraineLate
coastalbird Sandy and Ron 40th anniversary Anytime
mortimer49 Tom and Nancy 60th B-day(Nancy) and 40th Anniversary
quiltgal24 Patti and John 25th Anniversary Anytime
merlynee Meriln and John
Sanjuro Ben and Wendy Honeymoon Late
mabelp Group of 4
Grammytan Ray 61st B-day and Jeanette 60th B-day Late
The Commisioner Jim and Buffy
+Lise and Vince
gatorgirlca laura and David 20th Anniversary Late
Terence81 Terence and Debbie Honeymoon Late
Sailoroma Bev and John Anytime
Little Lemon Joel and Megan Honeymoon Late
Coniklee
Grandma Smoothie John and Bev
Retired to NC Dennis and Terri 40th Anniversary
Vacationnow12524 Allison and Curt 15th Anniversary Late
Ready to Cruise Terry and Karen 30th Anniversary Early
jdpudge Louis, Jennifer +4(9,8,6,5) + DGPs Home School Field Trip:D
Biggy Mac John and Sonia
ririjax Deborah and David
Lisefitz Vincent and Lisa
Tink413 Debi and David Late
Keller Kathy and Ken
ckh2001 Connie and Bill
Barb61s
TrngLady James and Jodie Early
Hootski Debi and Larry Anytime
Gliderider Gary and Dive
Imlt Lydia
Linney13 Linda and Mike 50th B-day and 30th Anniversary Late

[mom23guys]

Hi guys,
Very emotional day today.I went through quite a few tissues but I made it. I really can't say I feel any different but it will be nice to pack without worrying about plans and marking papers.
Just ordered a security passport and money holder for under my clothes. I still have to order the car from the airport. I have time:D.

Jill can't believe you're leaving in less than a week. My son and his fiancee will be heading to Lancaster for the weekend. He'll probably go to an F&M soccer game.
I saw some photos of Lake Michigan on the news. It's hard to believe those waves were on a lake.
Terry

[luvcdays]

Good Morning Dreamers

I will be joining you on the 15th, I am a retired solo traveller, and the Med is my favorite place. I can't wait to meet all of you at the sailaway, however there are so many I'm sure that won't be possible.

I've never been on a brand new ship so I'm excited about that and have been keeping up with the webcams. Hope the kinks have been worked out by the time we board. Only 15 more days I can't believe it!!!

Lydia

Lydia - Welcome aboard!

Hartliem - Denise is providing the name tags, but thanks for offering.

Terry - I'm glad your day wasn't too bad. Have fun tomorrow!!!!

Marty - Just don't stand up in the gondola and tip it over accidently and drop something into the water:eek:

Janis & Dick

[nickusaf]

Buona Sera!

Linda & Mike - oh no, more NY fans :eek:. Terence & I are not very happy the way your Jets "spanked" our Texans in our own house :p!!

Linda & Mike & Lydia- Welcome to Dream, Dream, Dream. We have a great group of people here & Jeanne & I look forward to meeting you! Let me try and post the link to Cruise Fellows;

www.*************.com (http://www.*************.com)

Again, here is where many of us have posted our pics and you can see the open gatherings/get-togethers both ashore & onboard. Benvenuti!

Terry - congrats on your retirement :)!!

All - Jeanne & I are also in on the white Capri conga line. I'm afraid white Capris might be a little tight on me though :o:p...

Denise - re Venice, yeah, a little bit. Thank you for asking. With that kind of setting, it would be hard to "screw it up" ;)...

Happy hump day and the weekend is almost here again! One of two remaining!!...

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

Marty wait to Sunday the Saints might spank the Jets for you. It should be a good game.

Nick

[jilly08]

Excursions:
Luvcdays (Janis)
Port of Monaco - Booked with Michel @ Revelation Tours 4/26/09 for Monaco, Nice & Eza.
600 euros-$75.00 ea 8 hour tour
Janis & Dick, Jill & Lindsey, Denise & Joe, Terry & Tom
This excursion is closed.
-
Luvcdays (Janis)
Port of Messina - Booked with Sebastiano @ Sicily Life 1/13/09 for Taormina & Castemola.
420 euros-$52.50 ea 8 hour tour
Janis & Dick, Anna & Randy, Denise & Joe, Terry & Tom
This excursion is closed.
jilly08 (Jill)
Livorno
Pick up area - Livorno Port
Pick up date - Oct 26,2009
Pick up time - 8:00 am
Name of ship - Carnival Dream
Pisa, Winery, San Gimignano - Euro 680
*Our driver will wait for you in the port at 8 am., holding a sign with your
name written on it , you will be driven back by 5 pm.*
Jill & Lindsey
Terry and Tom
Denise and Joe
Janis and Dick
FULL
-
Naples Port Excursion - Naples excursion includes Amalfi coast road , Sorrento , Positano and excavation of Pompei
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Jody & Chris - josy777
Claudia, husband & daughter - C1audiagabriella
Room for 1 more person
Naples (10/16) - shore excursion for Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Positano & Pompeii for:
Shala & Eunice (Cruizen161)
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)

Amalfi/Pompeii tour;
The tour operator is: Tour of Italy
Sharon & Jess (Sassse)
Kathy & Elaine (Hartliem)
Vicki & Gordie (Yopperwoody)
Marty & Jeanne (CarnivalFan2)
tour cost is 400 E / 8 persons = 50 E each which converts to about $70 pp
100 E is for the tour guide at Pompeii/ 8 = 12.5 E each which converts to $17 ea. The entrance fee at Pompeii is 11E or $15 ea.
FULL

Livorno Florence you have about 3 hour to se hi lites , than take a lunch in town by a tipical Tuscan restaurant or drive to reach a winery to have appetizers /lunch and wine tasting by a tipical wine producer.
than drive thorugh Tuscan countrysde to get back to the ship around 5 pm .
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Jody & Chris - josy777
Elaine & Kathy - Hartliem
Ray & Jeanette - Grammytan
Full
Livorno (10/26) - shore excursion to Tuscany for:
Shala & Eunice (Cruizen161)
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)

Naples Port. (wyomingirl)
Tour of Pompeii and Almalfi Coast 650 euro's for 8, plus 100 euro for archeological guide in Pompeii. (does not include 11euro entrance fee to Pompeii and lunch)
Tour Company: Drive Amalfi Guide: Salvatore Lucibello
Randy and Anna, Terry and Tom, Joe and Denise, Dave and Barb and Valentine
FULL
Taormina (Grammytan)
My request to Sicily Driver was to:
Verify the total amount of 560 euro which includes parking.
Pick up at ship - begin boarding approx 8:15 am and depart at 8:30 am
Leave Taormina at 2:30 pm
Imperative that we are back to the ship by 4:00 pm to sail at 5:00 (even though we probably will be asked to be back at 4:30 pm)
Inquire as to how I should set up the deposit of 80 euro. I will pay that and then deduct it from the payments made at boarding.
Confirm drop off at Catania Gate and that he would wait for us, not leave and come back, taking a chance of getting delayed in traffic.
I posted a request on the message board, that we all round up the fee of 12.44 euro to 15 euro, and the difference go to the driver for a tip.

Sharon & Jess (Sasse)
Vicki & Gordie (Yooperwoody)
Shala & Eunice (Cruizen 161)
Elaine & Kathy (Hartliem)
Patti & John (guiltgal24)
Ed & Kelley (eekconway)
Nancy & Henry (Oceanview 585)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)
Jack & Carolyn (Traveling with Mortimer)
Jill & Lindsey (Jilly08)
Sandy & Ron (Coastal Bird)
Mary (Maryann2 )
Chris & Jody (Josy 777)
Jeanette & Ray (GRAMMYTAN)
Judi & Ethel (Jeb1)
Bev & John (Sailorama)
Maureen & Tom (Onetrufan)
Jim & Buffy (traveling with Onetrufan)
Lisa & Vini (traveling with Onetrufan)
Marty & Jeanne (Carnival Fan2)
Laura & David (GatorgirlCA)
Joel & Megan (Little Lemon)
Ben & Wendy (Sanjuro)
Terrence & Debbie
Robby & Charlotte
FULL

Amalfi Coast: (jebl)
Judy & Ethel (jebl)
Ray & Jeanette (GRAMMYTAN)
Laura & David (Gatorgirlca)
FULL
Pisa and Lucca
Sandy and Ron (Coastalbird and Beloved Husband)
Sharon and Jess (Sassse)
Robby & Charlotte (Etexbeachbum)
Vicki & Gordie (yooperwoody)
(FULL)
French Riviera tour with Michel at Revelation Tours (600E) on Sunday, 10/25 for the following:
Patti & John Carbone
Shala & Eunice Wingo
Jack & Carolyn Flowers
Tom & Nancy Fenton
FULL
Naples on 10/16. Deborah and David (ririjax)
It's a private Positano, Sorrento & Pompeii tour that will last all day. This gentlemen will be our guide: http://www.gianpierofiorentino.com/ Trip Advisor had great things to say about him.
For 4 people it will be $154/person or if we can find 2 couples, for 6 people it's only $102/person.
Way cheaper then the boat excursion! People can email me at dhuff@rir.com (dhuff@rir.com) if interested in joining us that day.
FULL
MESSINA
Date: Thursday, Oct. 22 (all day tour)
Tour: Etna Experience & the Highlights of Taormina, http://www.sicily-tour.net/port-of-messina/Etna.htm
Tour Company: Sicily Life, www.sicilylife.net (http://www.sicilylife.net/)
Organizer: Lorraine/Reggie, (Mufster)
Cost: €390 for 6 riders, €420 for 7/8 riders
Participants: Lorraine, Reggie, Roger, Esther, Deborah, David – (total 6 - €65 each).
FULL
LIVORNO
Date: Monday, Oct. 26
Tour: San Gimignano, Chianti Countryside, Winery Tour, http://www.travelsintuscany.com/san_gimignano_tours.htm
[NOTE: I originally requested booking with Giovanni from SunFlower Tours. He was unavailable, but placed us in the hands of Guido Bandinelli, of Travels in Tuscany, a native of the Chiati region who is also a professional sommelier / wine-guide! http://www.guidos-tours.it/about.html]
Tour Company: Travels In Tuscany, www.travelsintuscany.com (http://www.travelsintuscany.com/)
Organizer: Lorraine/Reggie, (Mufster)
Cost: €440 for 4 passengers, €500 for 6 passengers (7 maximum).
Participants: Lorraine, Reggie, Deborah, David
NEED 2-3 more
MONACO
Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
Tour: French Riviera-Monaco-Monte Carlo (casino)
Tour Company: Revelation Tours, http://www.revelation-tours.com
Organizer: Lorraine/Reggie, (Mufster)
Cost: €600 (2-8 max passengers)
Participants: Lorraine, Reggie (need passenger list from Lorraine)
FULL
TUSCANY TOUR PROPOSAL FROM LIVORNO PORT

PISA, SAN GIMIGNANO, and SIENA (Oct. 26)

Marco at Tuscany Tours will provide the following tour, in a comfortable van, for up to 8 people beginning at 7:30 AM (ship arrives at 7 AM) and returning to the ship at 6 PM (ship departs at 7 PM). This would be a tour intended for seeing a lot of places in a relatively short amount of time:

Pisa (Field of Miracles, Leaning Tower, etc.) - 1.5 hours of free time
San Gimignano (beautiful hill town with medievil towers) - 2 hours of free time
Siena (Duomo and the Piazza del Campo "best square in Italy") - 2 hours of free time

According to Marco, we might prefer to allocate another 1/2 hour to Siena, and only spend 1 hour in Pisa. It would be up to our group, as this is a private tour. We call the shots.

As this tour would be taking us to three different places, there is a good amount of driving time. But we'll be in Tuscany, for crying out loud. Should be a nice, scenic drive. Marco explained it like this -

- 40 MIN from LIVORNO to PISA
- 1 HR AND 30 MIN from PISA to SAN GIMIGNANO
- 45 MIN SAN GIMIGNANO to SIENA
- 2 HRS BACK TO LIVORNO from SIENA

This tour is great for people like my wife and I who feel like they have to see both Pisa AND Siena, which are usually not on the same tour.

WE NEED 2-6 MORE PEOPLE
2 MORE (4 TOTAL) WILL BE 127.5 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS + 15% DISCOUNT = 510 EUROS TOTAL)

4 MORE (6 TOTAL) WILL BE 85 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS + 15% DISCOUNT = 510 EUROS TOTAL)

6 MORE (8 TOTAL) WILL BE 75 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS)

This tour is very comparable to the "Essence of Tuscany" tour offered by Carnival, but that one skips Pisa altogether, costs $235 per person, and is probably on a huge crowded bus!

Don't forget, we are docked at Livorno on a Monday, so the sights of Florence are closed. Don't go to Florence thinking you will see the David because it won't happen. That is another reason I am proposing this tour instead of a Florence tour.
French Riviera Tour by Riviera Premium Tour:
Leave Monaco - directly to Cannes, followed by Antibes, St. Paul/Venice, Nice, Eze, and finally back to Monaco.
Deborah & David ((Ririjax)
Elaine & Kathy (Hartlief)
Randy & Anna - (Wyoming Girl)
Dennis & Terri (RetiredToNC) - Cabin Number 9295
Cost: 551 Euros (Approx $100 USD per person (exclusive driver tip).
Driver will have sign held-up "Dennis Wille Tour" at dock at 9:00 AM
FULL
Pre-Cruise Excursions
Daytrip from Rome to Florence
Pre-Cruise Tuesday October 13th
Romeinlimo
We will make advanced reservation for Accademi and Uffizi as per your request.We will travel from hotels in Rome to Florence.
Our rates are per vehicle
Daytrip from Rome to Florence in Minivan up to 6 pax is Euro 600 for apprx 12 Hrs
Click here for itinerary;
FLORENCE, the world's most important works of art are located in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence.
We can arrange a Minibus for 8 pax, cost would be 700Euro. Please let me know asap.
Terry and Tom (Mom23guys)
Patti and John (Quiltgal24)
Denise and Joe (Deanne Willis)
Dennis & Terri (retired to NC)
FULL
Transfers:
Oct 15th Pick up from downtown Rome transfer to Citavecchia in early afternoon
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Jody & Chris - josy777
Vicki & Gordie - Yooperwoody
Full

Oct 27th Transfer from Citavecchia to FCO Airport
Ed & Kelley - eekconway
Elaine & Kathy - Hartliem (drop off at FCO area hotel)
Vicki & Gordie - Yooperwoody
Full
Rome (10/15) Transportation from Spanish Steps area hotels to ship for:
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)
Elaine & Kathy (Hartliem)
10/27 - transportation from ship to Rome airport area hotels for:
Patti & John (Guiltgal24)
Jack & Carolyn (brother & sister-in-law of Mortimer49)
Tom & Nancy (Mortimer49)
Ben and Wendu (Sanjuro)
Full
Oct 14 Transfer from FCO to Hotel Bramante in Civitavecchia
Rome Cabs 11:45 am
Jeanette & Ray and Shala and Eunice
CLOSED
Oct 31st Transfer from Rome (TBD) hotel to FCO (Grammytan)
Departing hotel 7:00AM
Looking for additional people to share transfer and cost of transportation
Oct 15, FCO to port, Judy and Ethel
Alison & Curt
FULL

TRANSPORT Company: ACS
Passengers: Judy & Ethel (Jebl), Robby & Charlotte (etexbeachbum), Marty & Jeanne (CarnivalFan2)
PICK UP DATE: Tues 27th October
PICK UP TIME: 09.30 AM
PICK UP POINT : Civitavecchia Port Ship Carnival Dream
DROPP OFF POINT : Hotel Cosmopolitan
Passenger Name & Surname: Mr. Marty Paul
Number of passengers: 6
Number of bags: Max 6 med/large bags & max 6 small bags
TYPE OF VEIHICLE REQUESTED: Executive Minibus
COST OF SERVICE: 190 Euros
FULL

October 15 with Rome Cabs-Transfer Stop at Lake Bracciano and castle
Terry and Tom
Denise and Joe
Janis and Dick
Maryann
FULL

October 27 Transfer to Lido di Ostia and FCO hotels with Rome Cabs
Terry and Tom
Denise and Joe
Janis and Dick
Anna and Randy
FULL
October 27 Transfer from ship to Hotel Barroco in Rome
Jeanette & Ray
Shala & Eunice
Rome Cabs
FULL
Pompeii-Positano-Amalfi Excursion
400 euro for car/driver, plus 100 euro for Pompeii tour guide divided by 6.
11 euro entry fee for Pompeii, gratuity, and lunch not included.
Megan & Joel (Little Lemon)
Dennis & Terri (RetiredtoNC)
Terry & Karen (Readytocruise)
FULL
Transfer from ship to FCO airport Oct 27th:
Laura and David (gatorgirlca)
Sandy and Ron (coastalbird)
Larry and Debi
Rome cabs (apprx 50-60E per couple with tip)
FULL
Proposed Excursions:
Tour of Florence & Pisa (from Livorno on Oct 26th).
Florence Limousine Service
Marty & Jeanne (CarnivalFan2)
Terry & Karen (Ready To Cruise)
Debi & David (Tink413)
Judy & Ethel (Jebl)
Cost: for 6 is $ 124 pp, for 8 is $ 93 pp. Carnival charges $180 pp for similar tour.
FULL
Port Get-togethers
Buza Bar--Dubrovnik
Meet at the Cafe Buza with rails at 3 pm or later. Let's meet at the Buza with rails (the same as is indicated on the YouTube video on their website "How To Get There").
http://cafebuza.com/

The ship sailis at 7 pm.
3 pm gives us extra time at this spectacular place However, if folks show up after 3 pm, no big deal but let's say 3 pm as a "target" to be on the safe side...

[jilly08]

Hi guys,
Very emotional day today.I went through quite a few tissues but I made it. I really can't say I feel any different but it will be nice to pack without worrying about plans and marking papers.
Just ordered a security passport and money holder for under my clothes. I still have to order the car from the airport. I have time:D.

Jill can't believe you're leaving in less than a week. My son and his fiancee will be heading to Lancaster for the weekend. He'll probably go to an F&M soccer game.
I saw some photos of Lake Michigan on the news. It's hard to believe those waves were on a lake.
Terry

Terry, Congrats on your retirement!!!

I can't believe we are leaving in 6 days either. I have three more work days!!!!!! Tell your son if he gets hungry to get to an Isaac's Deli--My daughter works there part-time. LOL They do have good sandwiches and soup.

Lindsey still has shopping to do--she will be shopping Monday while I am at work. We'll be packing Monday night--I know about last minute. :D

Take care Everyone.
Jill

[Linny13]

Marty wait to Sunday the Saints might spank the Jets for you. It should be a good game.

Nick


Hey Nick.....We are going to get along just fine....fighting, I mean talking about football :D lol Can't wait!;)

Marty & Jeanne, Thanks for the welcome and the info about Cruise Fellows. I posted our picture and info tonight!

Terry-Thanks for adding us to the list and Congrats on your retirement!

Jill…I will e-mail you the tours we have available by tomorrow! Thanks!

Denise – Thanks for the welcome. Can’t wait to meet you!

Ray & Jeanette- Thanks for the welcome and the info! I have posted on Cruise Fellows and have a lot of reading to do tonight on all that is going on on the Dream’s Sogno, Sogno, Sogno sailing!!!! Thanks for the tips on coming into Dubrovnik..There is nothing like seeing a place for the first time, at first light!! I couldn’t agree more. I hope I get up early enough!!!! This is vacation afterall! I am also a little worried about not being able to see well enough from an aft corner cabin? Anyone ever stay back there before??

Nancy-your cabin must be right near ours. I was thinking the same thing-we are right under the buffet and aft pool!!!!

Janis & Dick- Sounds familiar!!! Thanks for all the info...see yoou soon.

Ickz…You are outnumbered, sorry..you probably are a Sox fan too, right? Oh well……:rolleyes:

Ed & Kelley – Congratulations on your marriage! You look beautiful and so, so happy! We hope you enjoy your honeymoon on the new Dream!!! :D We are from Franklin Square in Nassau County and our cousins Linda & John are from Island Park. Go Jets!!!! Hope we are 5 and 0 before we meet Terrance and Nick in 2 weeks!!!:p

Linda

[CarnivalFan2]

Janis - thanks...hopefully, I'll be going from a sitting position, down to one knee ;)

Nick - yes, I saw this..what a match-up! I hope I can see it on T.V., but won't if it is the early game, as I will be at Reliant for the Texans vs Raiders game. This is already a huge game for the Texans; pretty much a "must-win". Win and they're 2-2 and there is still hope; lose and they drop to 1-3 with the 3 losses at home :eek:.

Marty

[mom23guys]

Linda, We have an aft cabin on deck 7. It's not a corner but it's still aft. I do love the aft cabins. You'll probably be able to look down on us:o. My husband Tom is a big Jet fan. I prefer the GIANTS but root for the Jets too. Tom is a Met fan I prefer the Yankees but I'm not really that into baseball.

Marty, is there room for the one knee on the gondola?

Terry

[eekconway]

Nick- if u so sure your gonna "spank us" why not a little friendly wager give me the 7.5 that your AINTS are favored by for a beer or drink of the winners choice?(or should I say my choice) hahahaha... Let me know if u care to take it on

Linda- Its difficult to make friends when our team keeps running over everyone else's teams... We took out Marty & Terrance's team already in Week 1 or should I say we "spanked" them, & Nick's N.O. Aints ae next. Good thing the cruise is early in the season otherwise no one would like us... LOL


Ed

[Gatorgirlca]

TUSCANY TOUR PROPOSAL FROM LIVORNO PORT

PISA, SAN GIMIGNANO, and SIENA (Oct. 26)

Marco at Tuscany Tours will provide the following tour, in a comfortable van, for up to 8 people beginning at 7:30 AM (ship arrives at 7 AM) and returning to the ship at 6 PM (ship departs at 7 PM). This would be a tour intended for seeing a lot of places in a relatively short amount of time:

Pisa (Field of Miracles, Leaning Tower, etc.) - 1.5 hours of free time
San Gimignano (beautiful hill town with medievil towers) - 2 hours of free time
Siena (Duomo and the Piazza del Campo "best square in Italy") - 2 hours of free time

According to Marco, we might prefer to allocate another 1/2 hour to Siena, and only spend 1 hour in Pisa. It would be up to our group, as this is a private tour. We call the shots.

As this tour would be taking us to three different places, there is a good amount of driving time. But we'll be in Tuscany, for crying out loud. Should be a nice, scenic drive. Marco explained it like this -

- 40 MIN from LIVORNO to PISA
- 1 HR AND 30 MIN from PISA to SAN GIMIGNANO
- 45 MIN SAN GIMIGNANO to SIENA
- 2 HRS BACK TO LIVORNO from SIENA

This tour is great for people like my wife and I who feel like they have to see both Pisa AND Siena, which are usually not on the same tour.

WE NEED 2-6 MORE PEOPLE
2 MORE (4 TOTAL) WILL BE 127.5 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS + 15% DISCOUNT = 510 EUROS TOTAL)

4 MORE (6 TOTAL) WILL BE 85 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS + 15% DISCOUNT = 510 EUROS TOTAL)

6 MORE (8 TOTAL) WILL BE 75 EUROS PER PERSON (600 EUROS)

This tour is very comparable to the "Essence of Tuscany" tour offered by Carnival, but that one skips Pisa altogether, costs $235 per person, and is probably on a huge crowded bus!

Don't forget, we are docked at Livorno on a Monday, so the sights of Florence are closed. Don't go to Florence thinking you will see the David because it won't happen. That is another reason I am proposing this tour instead of a Florence tour.

Any room on the tuscany tour? don't know who posted this.
we might be interested
thanks,
laura

[Linny13]

Nick- if u so sure your gonna "spank us" why not a little friendly wager give me the 7.5 that your AINTS are favored by for a beer or drink of the winners choice?(or should I say my choice) hahahaha... Let me know if u care to take it on

Linda- Its difficult to make friends when our team keeps running over everyone else's teams... We took out Marty & Terrance's team already in Week 1 or should I say we "spanked" them, & Nick's N.O. Aints ae next. Good thing the cruise is early in the season otherwise no one would like us... LOL


Ed

Ed You are killing me!!!:p I love the "Aints" ,so funny ! Wait till you meet Mike (the biggest J-E-T-S fan ever!)

And I want in on this wager if Nick agrees. What do you say Nick? :rolleyes:

BTW.... 14 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to pack!!1

Linda

[Onetrufan]

In case you didn't see this on John Heald's blog (can't remember if this has already been posted).

Oh yes……..I knew I had meant to tell you something yesterday……….about life boat drill. It’s done a little differently on your Carnival Dream (http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/ships/carnival_dream/default.aspx?shipCode=DR&cid=So_John Heald Blog_1007). We decided that rather line so many people up directly at the Muster Stations that we would make it more comfortable for you. So, on the Dream class the guests meet in various lounges including the main theatre, the Promenade Deck lounges and the dining rooms. Once there guests will listen to Todd talk about the procedures and that in a real emergency how guests should come here……….to their dedicated lounge and from there and if necessary the crew would lead them to the embarkation stations where they would board the lifeboats and life rafts.
One other change is that the guests no longer have to bring their life jackets to the drill. They remain in the cabins and during the drill the crew will demonstrate the correct and proper way to wear them.

[Onetrufan]

Cafe Buza Directions

For those new to the board and as a reminder to anyone who would like a copy of the directions that I copied into a document (with pictures), please email me at onetrufan@gmail.com

Maureen

[dlbutler5]

Morning everyone,

How did you like the news about the Legend? They must have let John drive.

10 days until departure!

[Deanne Willis]

Terry, Have a great day today! It must seem weird not having to hurry and rush to work. Now that's something that would be easy to get used to!:)

To You Football fans all I can say is: "Go Packers":D

Maureen, I read that on John's post too. I think I read that's part of the reason they were late in the dining rooms, the muster drill was there. It took a long time because they had to repeat it so may times in different languages. Hopefully, they'll have solved that problem when we cruise.

This is a small thing, but I'm not sure europeans use washcloths. (that didn't sound right):eek: But if you use one to wash your face you might want to put one in your luggage. Has anyone else experienced this?

We just borrowed a friend's converter for electricity for our hotel in Rome.

I've been reading on the boards not to put luggage tags on suitcases before you fly. I used to agree with that. But since our group lost luggage last year, I'm putting mine on before we leave. Then I'll put extra tags in my suitcase in case they come off. Anything, to help get it to the right place!

I just looked at Cruise Fellows, great pictures, everyone!

Denise

[GRAMMYTAN]

Terry, Have a great day today! It must seem weird not having to hurry and rush to work. Now that's something that would be easy to get used to!:)

To You Football fans all I can say is: "Go Packers":D

Maureen, I read that on John's post too. I think I read that's part of the reason they were late in the dining rooms, the muster drill was there. It took a long time because they had to repeat it so may times in different languages. Hopefully, they'll have solved that problem when we cruise.

This is a small thing, but I'm not sure europeans use washcloths. (that didn't sound right):eek: But if you use one to wash your face you might want to put one in your luggage. Has anyone else experienced this?

We just borrowed a friend's converter for electricity for our hotel in Rome.

I've been reading on the boards not to put luggage tags on suitcases before you fly. I used to agree with that. But since our group lost luggage last year, I'm putting mine on before we leave. Then I'll put extra tags in my suitcase in case they come off. Anything, to help get it to the righ place!

I just looked at Cruise Fellows, great pictures, everyone!

Denise

Denise
We didn't have a problem with the washcloths when we were in Italy before. Of course the ships are all set up the same as far as linen go, but our hotel had wash cloths in the bathroom. They were not the typical terry cloths that we are used to though. These were more like smaller hand towels but of a linen type of fabric, with no nap. They are fine for facial cleansing, and I pack a mesh sponge thingy that I use for showering anyway. They are vitually weightless in the luggage and I just discard them at the end of the cruise or trip.

I don't really think the drills are held in the dining room, just the lounges. We have been on ships before where they had some of the muster stations on deck and others in lounges throughout the ship but not he dining room. Of course we had to take our life jackets with us and then it was a cattle drive trying to get them back to the cabins before the sail-a-way. When we did do the muster drills in the lounge, we were led to the lifeboats that we would be asssigned to at the end. Once, after all the other groups were called to go their lifeboats, our group was the only one not called for a lifeboat, so we had a big joke in our group, that we were "every man for himself" in trying to find a boat in a real emergency.

We are finally and officially in our sail month!!! Have a great Thursday everyone. One more day to the weekend, then one more week at work before we leave for Rome - WOOHOO!!!

[yooperwoody]

Yay! I flipped over my calendar this morning and saw in big bold letters...EUROPEAN CRUISE!

Wow, lots of football fans (Denise-Packers?:eek: really?) Someday I'll be able to boast about my team. Well, we are on a streak, 1 in a row!:D Hey, can I brag about the Tigers?

Grammy-I mentioned to Gordie last night about pulling into Dubrovnik and having to be up watching. The first thing he said is "what time is that". He is definitely not a morning person.

Less than 2 weeks to go. Only 5 work days! I only hope the time on the ship goes by as slow as these past few weeks.

Have a great Thirsty Thursday Dreamers!

[jdpudge]

Does this only apply if you book through Carnival? We booked through Travelocity and I haven't gotten any calls. Is it always more ideal to book directly with Carnival themselves instead of a 3rd party?

I'm fairly certain that the upsell department can work with your travel agent, but they start with the people they have on a list of former carnival customers.

A quick search implies that they don't take inbound calls from customers that they didn't previously contact with an offer.

Anyone have some experience with this? Are their "deals" to be had?

[Deanne Willis]

Anyway, we did have a much longer than expected life boat drill. As you know the drill is held by asking guests to use the lounges as Muster Stations and then from there they would be ……… in a real emergency…………taken to the embarkation stations. Well, one of the muster stations is the dining room and this did cause a slight problem. You see the drill started at 5:15 pm because it’s only then that in Europe the majority of guests who are onboard. The other concern was that we had a large group of non-English speaking guests onboard which meant that the drill had to be done in three different languages. This meant the drill lasted longer than expected and because the dining room was a muster station it had to be cleared before the dining room could open for the main seating dinner………it did………..but 15 minutes or so later than advertised.
We will fix this problem before the next cruise but one thing was obvious, the guests appreciated not having to wear their lifejackets and go to the embarkation stations

Jeannette, This is from John's Blog, but I think your right they don't usually have them in dining rooms.
Denise

[ckh2001]

Terry, Have a great day today! It must seem weird not having to hurry and rush to work. Now that's something that would be easy to get used to!:)

To You Football fans all I can say is: "Go Packers":D

Maureen, I read that on John's post too. I think I read that's part of the reason they were late in the dining rooms, the muster drill was there. It took a long time because they had to repeat it so may times in different languages. Hopefully, they'll have solved that problem when we cruise.

This is a small thing, but I'm not sure europeans use washcloths. (that didn't sound right):eek: But if you use one to wash your face you might want to put one in your luggage. Has anyone else experienced this?

We just borrowed a friend's converter for electricity for our hotel in Rome.

I've been reading on the boards not to put luggage tags on suitcases before you fly. I used to agree with that. But since our group lost luggage last year, I'm putting mine on before we leave. Then I'll put extra tags in my suitcase in case they come off. Anything, to help get it to the right place!

I just looked at Cruise Fellows, great pictures, everyone!

Denise
Hi Denise,
I just saw in your post-that you are a Packers fan. Are you in Wisconsin? We live in Elm Grove, which is a western suburb of Milwaukee. Monday's game will be interesting and exciting.
Enjoy your day.
Connie

[Terence81]

I'm fairly certain that the upsell department can work with your travel agent, but they start with the people they have on a list of former carnival customers.

A quick search implies that they don't take inbound calls from customers that they didn't previously contact with an offer.

Anyone have some experience with this? Are their "deals" to be had?

We booked through a travel agent last August at a very low price. I called our TA last week and when they spoke with Carnival they weren't going to be able to upgrade us for less than $1000 so we decided we'd hold out for the pier (as per Carnival and our TA's recommendation). Yesterday I checked and the rate dropped below what we paid (for in an inside) and since we had a guaranteed rate, we were entitled to the difference. However, since we have paid in full, they decided to upgrade us. We are now 4G inside, highest category inside aside from the Spa staterooms. They figure the only place they can put us now is in an outside or upwards! (We were orginally booked in a balcony but downgraded ourselves figuring we'd rather have more money to spend at all our destinations rather than in the cabin, plus we never stay in our cabin! But we're crossing our fingers for another upgrade...I was planning on flaunting "honeymoon" but just from this board, there are going to be others with the same story!:):))

That is my experience...call your TA and see what they can do. You can't get something you don't ask for...no harm in trying.

On a side note about football, all I can say is the Texans better show up this week. I've watched all my baseball teams crumble down the stretch, it's hard watching the Texans do the same through the early weeks of the season! We have the Raiders at home...I mean, no offense to them (and their terrible defense), but we had better end the weekend at 2-2!

Liked the "AINTS," nice! Jets...eh, no thank you. I lived in NYC before Houston, they never grew on me. I am anxious for Favre's matchup with Green Bay though... All this good football on Sunday will be wasted for me...will be in the car for 13 hours! Yay! :(

Two more days of work, then four weeks off! I don't anticipate getting much done in the office the next couple days! Happy Thursday!

[Terence81]

One more question for everyone out there...what are you all doing about Kuna for Dubrovnik?

From what I read very few places take Credit or Euros (although they are currently joining the EU)...so we figure when we order Euros next week, we'll order some Kuna. Any thoughts to what a good amount would be? Enough for lunch, entrance fees, and miscellaneous shopping...???

It's on my to-do-list today, but I figured I'd send out the question to the group...

Thanks!
Terence

[mom23guys]

Having the muster drill in the lounges was so much better when we were on Princess cruise.

[jilly08]

One more question for everyone out there...what are you all doing about Kuna for Dubrovnik?

From what I read very few places take Credit or Euros (although they are currently joining the EU)...so we figure when we order Euros next week, we'll order some Kuna. Any thoughts to what a good amount would be? Enough for lunch, entrance fees, and miscellaneous shopping...???

It's on my to-do-list today, but I figured I'd send out the question to the group...

Thanks!
Terence

We are planning on taking about 300 Kuna out at the ATM at the port.(about $30). We will use that walk the walls. I think I read it's about 100 or 150 Kuna for two. Will pick up something quick and cheap for lunch.. and have some left for the Buza Bar. I haven't read what their drink prices are .. hopefully, not too expensive.

The ATM will probably give you a way better rate. We used them all over Europe last year and even with the fees we made out better than buying ahead of time. I know some people aren't comfortable using ATMs but we had no problems.

Jill

[nickusaf]

Janis - thanks...hopefully, I'll be going from a sitting position, down to one knee ;)

Nick - yes, I saw this..what a match-up! I hope I can see it on T.V., but won't if it is the early game, as I will be at Reliant for the Texans vs Raiders game. This is already a huge game for the Texans; pretty much a "must-win". Win and they're 2-2 and there is still hope; lose and they drop to 1-3 with the 3 losses at home :eek:.

Marty

Marty you will beable to see the game it is a late game. Kick off at 3PM.

Nick

[Deanne Willis]

Terry, I got your email, thanks, I hope it wasn't too hard to change things. I agree, it makes so much more sense not to have a muster station in the dining room and when they're in the lounges and not on deck at least you can sit down. When we were on Princess, ours was in the casino. I think everyone was checking to see what slot machine they were going to play.

Terrence, Congratulations on the upgrade! It will make your honeymoon even more wonderful! Don't know about the Kuna's, but the people from the Inaugural will be off the ship soon, and they'll probably know.

Connie, Joe is from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. But we live in Michigan now, close to Chicago. He is a true Packer fan. We have good friends that live in Franklin. I think that's close to you.

Vicki, I am not really a football person. But I like the Lions too.

Denise

[Deanne Willis]

Jill, thanks, I didn't see your post about the Kuna's. Just a few more days, and you're off! Denise

[ickz]

Although I'm a pats fan... I think this i'll be with Nick and be a Saints fan this weekend! :D

I spoke with Carnival and Travelocity about upgrades. I could get a somewhat reduced price for a oceanview or a balcony, but it was still more than what I wanted to pay. We're in a spa interior stateroom, and I think my wife would smack me if we moved out of one of the spa rooms!

[nickusaf]

Nick- if u so sure your gonna "spank us" why not a little friendly wager give me the 7.5 that your AINTS are favored by for a beer or drink of the winners choice?(or should I say my choice) hahahaha... Let me know if u care to take it on

Linda- Its difficult to make friends when our team keeps running over everyone else's teams... We took out Marty & Terrance's team already in Week 1 or should I say we "spanked" them, & Nick's N.O. Aints ae next. Good thing the cruise is early in the season otherwise no one would like us... LOL


Ed

Ed I don't think so on that bet the Saints have to many injuries listed this week. Bell, and Thomas are both not at full speed, in fact Bell will not play and the left tackle is out will have a third teamer playing left tackle to protect Drew Brees and a new signee as his backup. Not to good. We will still have a beer on the ship and talk about it. I can't see them as being favored with all those problems.

Nick

[eekconway]

Although I'm a pats fan... I think this i'll be with Nick and be a Saints fan this weekend! :D

I spoke with Carnival and Travelocity about upgrades. I could get a somewhat reduced price for a oceanview or a balcony, but it was still more than what I wanted to pay. We're in a spa interior stateroom, and I think my wife would smack me if we moved out of one of the spa rooms!


Wow what a surprise a Pats fans (another victim of the Jets 3-0 start) going against the JETS...LOL
Nick your team does have some injuries, just as we do. We'll see who the better team is on Sunday and look forward to enjoying a beer & talking about the game in just 2 weeks from 2day.

Ed

[nickusaf]

Ed You are killing me!!!:p I love the "Aints" ,so funny ! Wait till you meet Mike (the biggest J-E-T-S fan ever!)

And I want in on this wager if Nick agrees. What do you say Nick? :rolleyes:

BTW.... 14 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to pack!!1

Linda

Linda I did not agree to that wager. The Saints are not in the best of health this week with injuries but like I told Ed I will drink a beer with hyou all.

Nick

[ickz]

Wow what a surprise a Pats fans (another victim of the Jets 3-0 start) going against the JETS...LOL
Nick your team does have some injuries, just as we do. We'll see who the better team is on Sunday and look forward to enjoying a beer & talking about the game in just 2 weeks from 2day.

Ed

Oh.. is that who they're playing? :o

[TrngLady]

OK, I see lots of folks posting about their favorite football teams, but I haven't seen anything about the Cowboys. :D
Any fans besides us???

[nickusaf]

OK, I see lots of folks posting about their favorite football teams, but I haven't seen anything about the Cowboys. :D
Any fans besides us???

I could be a cowboy fan, but not to happy with Jerry Jones. My son moved to Dallas from New Orleans about a year ago and will not support the Cowboys, but does support the Texans. I think Jerry JOnes goes overboard with all his money. After the Saints and the Texans my teams are the Pat and the Packers.

Nick

[luvcdays]

One more question for everyone out there...what are you all doing about Kuna for Dubrovnik?

From what I read very few places take Credit or Euros (although they are currently joining the EU)...so we figure when we order Euros next week, we'll order some Kuna. Any thoughts to what a good amount would be? Enough for lunch, entrance fees, and miscellaneous shopping...???

It's on my to-do-list today, but I figured I'd send out the question to the group...

Thanks!
Terence

Hi Terence,

From all of the latest reviews on the boards, most people have said that the Euro was accepted for everything they purchased, so we will not be buying any Kuna unless we run into a problem.

Janis

[MRA2]

Hi,

My Wife, Paula, and I will be on the cruise with you! We will be in cabin # 2283 with 6 PM dining.

I retired about three years and we have cruised a lot on many of the cruise lines. We live in New York City.

Looking forward to hearing from you.....

Alan Abramowitz
Email: MRA2@mindspring.com

[luvcdays]

Terry, Have a great day today! It must seem weird not having to hurry and rush to work. Now that's something that would be easy to get used to!:)

To You Football fans all I can say is: "Go Packers":D

Maureen, I read that on John's post too. I think I read that's part of the reason they were late in the dining rooms, the muster drill was there. It took a long time because they had to repeat it so may times in different languages. Hopefully, they'll have solved that problem when we cruise.

This is a small thing, but I'm not sure europeans use washcloths. (that didn't sound right):eek: But if you use one to wash your face you might want to put one in your luggage. Has anyone else experienced this?

We just borrowed a friend's converter for electricity for our hotel in Rome.

I've been reading on the boards not to put luggage tags on suitcases before you fly. I used to agree with that. But since our group lost luggage last year, I'm putting mine on before we leave. Then I'll put extra tags in my suitcase in case they come off. Anything, to help get it to the right place!

I just looked at Cruise Fellows, great pictures, everyone!

Denise

Hi DD,

I have read about the wash cloth issues in Europe also, so like Jeanette, I have a face & body sponge packed that I will just toss at the end of the vacation.

Also, I'm sure this won't surprise you at all, but I type up a sheet of paper that lists all of the locations we will be at during the trip and put in each one of the suitcases in case they are lost.

Janis

[luvcdays]

Morning everyone,

How did you like the news about the Legend? They must have let John drive.

10 days until departure!


10 days left for us also!!!

I hope someone was able to video the 2 ships colliding for us to see. John was probably blogging and driving at the same time. :eek:

Janis

[luvcdays]

Hi,

My Wife, Paula, and I will be on the cruise with you! We will be in cabin # 2283 with 6 PM dining.

I retired about three years and we have cruised a lot on many of the cruise lines. We live in New York City.

Looking forward to hearing from you.....

Alan Abramowitz
Email: MRA2@mindspring.com

Welcome aboard Alan & Paula. Please check out our web site on *************.com for more info on our roll call.

Janis & Dick

[mom23guys]

10 days for us too. I guess many of us are leaving on the 11th.

Denise, no problem at all changing the hotels, Stefano just switched the pick-up times
Welcome MRA2. We are from Cape May but my oldest son and family lives in NYC. I actually grew up in Jersey City, just across the river. Today is my first day of retirement:D:D:D. We have a few cruises planned.
Terry

[mom23guys]

mom23guys Tom and Terry celebrating retirement Late
Deanne WillisDenise and Joe Anytime
wyomingirl Anna and Randy Late
nick usaf Nick and Joanne 50th anniversary Anytime
Pat and Richard joining the celebration Anytime
luvcdays Janis and Dick 30th anniversary Late
dlbutlers Dave and Barbara + B2B with TA Anytime
Valentine
The Commodore Tom and Maureen (onetrufan)
diane52 Diane and Ernie Early
CarnivalFan2 Marty and Jeanne Late
Liney1982 Liney and Josh Josh's 25th B-day Late
ashejen Ashejen, DH, In-laws
tamyrussell Trina; Nancy, mom, and Tanya,sister Late
browneyes7 Mary and Bill
etexbeachbum Robby and Charlotte
waterjunkie Cherl and Jim
jilly08 Jill and daughter Lindsey Late
josy777 Jody and Chris Honeymoon Late
ickz ickz and DW
oceanview585 Nancy and Henry Anytime
maryann2 Mary Late
bones0319 Jim and Barb +8friends 25th anniversary Late
pooh1962 Wendy, 2 sisters, and mom
jebl Judy and Ethel Anytime
C1audiagabriella Claudia Gabriella, DH, and DD-9
eekconway Ed and Kelley Honeymoon Late
vegascruiser1009 Mary and Sam
L&LC Lloyd and LeeAnne
Yooperwoody Vicki and Gordie Anytime
Hartlien Elaine and Kathy Elaine's 50th B-day Early
MARCOPOLOSMITH Group of 4
Sassie Sharon and Jess Late
NolaAlive
Pam1968 Pam
Ngrammie4 Bob and Gail
Cruizen161 Shala and Mom Anytime
mufster Reggie and LorraineLate
coastalbird Sandy and Ron 40th anniversary Anytime
mortimer49 Tom and Nancy 60th B-day(Nancy) and 40th Anniversary
quiltgal24 Patti and John 25th Anniversary Anytime
merlynee Meriln and John
Sanjuro Ben and Wendy Honeymoon Late
mabelp Group of 4
Grammytan Ray 61st B-day and Jeanette 60th B-day Late
The Commisioner Jim and Buffy
+Lise and Vince
gatorgirlca laura and David 20th Anniversary Late
Terence81 Terence and Debbie Honeymoon Late
Sailoroma Bev and John Anytime
Little Lemon Joel and Megan Honeymoon Late
Coniklee
Grandma Smoothie John and Bev
Retired to NC Dennis and Terri 40th Anniversary
Vacationnow12524 Allison and Curt 15th Anniversary Late
Ready to Cruise Terry and Karen 30th Anniversary Early
jdpudge Louis, Jennifer +4(9,8,6,5) + DGPs Home School Field Trip:D
Biggy Mac John and Sonia
ririjax Deborah and David
Lisefitz Vincent and Lisa
Tink413 Debi and David Late
Keller Kathy and Ken
ckh2001 Connie and Bill
Barb61s
TrngLady James and Jodie Early
Hootski Debi and Larry Anytime
Gliderider Gary and Dive
Imlt Lydia
Linney13 Linda and Mike 50th B-day and 30th Anniversary Late
traveling with Linda and John
MRA2 Paula and Alan Early

[jebl]

Welcome aboard to all of the new cruisers.

Just think, in two weeks at this time we will be onboard the Dream and on our way to Naples!! Yahoo!!!

[maryann2]

Just a heads up for those who booked the early saver rate. There has been a price reduction. 1A solo is now $1280.94. I have filled in the form on line and should get $228 on board credit. First time I have had to fill in the form, used to just phone and they would adjust it.

Terry, Congratulations on your retirement.You earned it and now enjoy it

Regarding wash cloths in Europe. bring your own as they are rarely supplied. Considered a very personal item as who knows who could have used them before, or where. Once you start thinking about it you will never ever use a washcloth except your own:eek:

Well, I leave tomorrow and will be spending a week in Ireland with my sister and brother in law and arrive in Rome on Oct 10th. So really down to packing now. Will be checking in here once I get to Rome. Safe travels everyone.

Mary

[Deanne Willis]

Just a heads up for those who booked the early saver rate. There has been a price reduction. 1A solo is now $1280.94. I have filled in the form on line and should get $228 on board credit. First time I have had to fill in the form, used to just phone and they would adjust it.

Terry, Congratulations on your retirement.You earned it and now enjoy it

Regarding wash cloths in Europe. bring your own as they are rarely supplied. Considered a very personal item as who knows who could have used them before, or where. Once you start thinking about it you will never ever use a washcloth except your own:eek:

Well, I leave tomorrow and will be spending a week in Ireland with my sister and brother in law and arrive in Rome on Oct 10th. So really down to packing now. Will be checking in here once I get to Rome. Safe travels everyone.

Mary

Mary, Have a great flight and a nice time in Ireland! I'm be meeting you on the trip to the ship and looking forward to it. Denise

[mommom1]

Hi this is for Terri my husband and I are from Cape May NJ also and will be on the 10-15 cruise. Can't wait to go! Congradulations on retirement! Hope to do the same soon.

[CarnivalFan2]

Buona Sera!

Mary - have a safe flight "across the pond" and when you get to Irland, pls raise a glass of Guiness (like Allison & Curt on Cruise Fellows!) to salute Sogno, Sogno, Sogno :D...

Welcome Alan & Paula - more Jets fans :eek:?? Thanks for posting your pic on Cruise Fellows!

All - minor damage to the Legend. I feel bad for her Captain. The bad weather must've cropped up fast! Well, I'm sure Carnival has insurance :cool:.

Terence/Janis - I too thought I read something that Euros are accepted in Dubrovnik :confused:. ATM's in town sound like a good back-up plan...

Terence - yes, must win Sunday. We need to salvage our season :mad:!!

Football fans - with all this football "smack talk" I thought I was on the wrong thread for a minute :p.

Vicki - I'm with you and rooting for the "other" Motor City Kitties, the Tigers. I must check..did they beat the Twins today to clinch the AL Central? My Astros are now known as the DisAstros (right Terence?...)

Nick - depending on traffic leaving Reliant Stadium, hopefully I can catch the 2nd half of the Jets/Saints. Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?

We're getting REAL close now Sogno, Sogno, Sogno!!

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

[mommom1]

just and add on this is Vicki and Howard from cape may n.j. we will be in room 12205 spa deck hope to meet some of you guys Go EAGLES & PHILLIES! See you soon!

[Sanjuro]

Just a heads up for those who booked the early saver rate. There has been a price reduction. 1A solo is now $1280.94.

Mary, did any other room types get reductions? How can I find this info? Thanks.

[Terence81]

Hi,

My Wife, Paula, and I will be on the cruise with you! We will be in cabin # 2283 with 6 PM dining.

I retired about three years and we have cruised a lot on many of the cruise lines. We live in New York City.

Looking forward to hearing from you.....

Alan Abramowitz
Email: MRA2@mindspring.com

Welcome! I see you all are in Staten Island? I used to live on the island before coming to Houston...I miss Goodfella's pizza...

All - thanks for the info on the Kuna, great news! We are just going to order euros...we get a great rate and no fees from our bank, so we are going to get some pre-cruise and then refill (per say) when needed via ATM.

One more day of work! Than vacation!!!

[mom23guys]

mom23guys Tom and Terry celebrating retirement Late
Deanne WillisDenise and Joe Anytime
wyomingirl Anna and Randy Late
nick usaf Nick and Joanne 50th anniversary Anytime
Pat and Richard joining the celebration Anytime
luvcdays Janis and Dick 30th anniversary Late
dlbutlers Dave and Barbara + B2B with TA Anytime
Valentine
The Commodore Tom and Maureen (onetrufan)
diane52 Diane and Ernie Early
CarnivalFan2 Marty and Jeanne Late
Liney1982 Liney and Josh Josh's 25th B-day Late
ashejen Ashejen, DH, In-laws
tamyrussell Trina; Nancy, mom, and Tanya,sister Late
browneyes7 Mary and Bill
etexbeachbum Robby and Charlotte
waterjunkie Cherl and Jim
jilly08 Jill and daughter Lindsey Late
josy777 Jody and Chris Honeymoon Late
ickz ickz and DW
oceanview585 Nancy and Henry Anytime
maryann2 Mary Late
bones0319 Jim and Barb +8friends 25th anniversary Late
pooh1962 Wendy, 2 sisters, and mom
jebl Judy and Ethel Anytime
C1audiagabriella Claudia Gabriella, DH, and DD-9
eekconway Ed and Kelley Honeymoon Late
vegascruiser1009 Mary and Sam
L&LC Lloyd and LeeAnne
Yooperwoody Vicki and Gordie Anytime
Hartlien Elaine and Kathy Elaine's 50th B-day Early
MARCOPOLOSMITH Group of 4
Sassie Sharon and Jess Late
NolaAlive
Pam1968 Pam
Ngrammie4 Bob and Gail
Cruizen161 Shala and Mom Anytime
mufster Reggie and LorraineLate
coastalbird Sandy and Ron 40th anniversary Anytime
mortimer49 Tom and Nancy 60th B-day(Nancy) and 40th Anniversary
quiltgal24 Patti and John 25th Anniversary Anytime
merlynee Meriln and John
Sanjuro Ben and Wendy Honeymoon Late
mabelp Group of 4
Grammytan Ray 61st B-day and Jeanette 60th B-day Late
The Commisioner Jim and Buffy
+Lise and Vince
gatorgirlca laura and David 20th Anniversary Late
Terence81 Terence and Debbie Honeymoon Late
Sailoroma Bev and John Anytime
Little Lemon Joel and Megan Honeymoon Late
Coniklee
Grandma Smoothie John and Bev
Retired to NC Dennis and Terri 40th Anniversary
Vacationnow12524 Allison and Curt 15th Anniversary Late
Ready to Cruise Terry and Karen 30th Anniversary Early
jdpudge Louis, Jennifer +4(9,8,6,5) + DGPs Home School Field Trip:D
Biggy Mac John and Sonia
ririjax Deborah and David
Lisefitz Vincent and Lisa
Tink413 Debi and David Late
Keller Kathy and Ken
ckh2001 Connie and Bill
Barb61s
TrngLady James and Jodie Early
Hootski Debi and Larry Anytime
Gliderider Gary and Dive
Imlt Lydia
Linney13 Linda and Mike 50th B-day and 30th Anniversary Late
traveling with Linda and John
MRA2 Paula and Alan Early
mommom1 Vicki and Howard

Welcome Vicki and Howard, The fact that you are from CM is amazing. I'm sure we know lots of the same people. I'm trying to go through all the Vickis I know but none matches up with the Howards I know:confused:. Just had dinner at the Oyster Bay tonight-love that restaurant. I retired from Sandman yesterday. Talk to you in two weeks or e-mail me through the ************* site.

Terry

[mom23guys]

Maryann,
I sent you an e-mail with confirmation of hotel pick-up today. See you on the 15th. Have a safe trip.

We were thinking of stopping in Ireland before our trip but we couldn't arrange the free flight to do that. We wanted to go so we could get to Strokestown in Roscommon. There is a fantastic music festival there October9-11. It is a yearly event in honor of my cousin called Faille Frank McGann. Traditional musicians come from all over(Ireland, Europe, America) for a weekend of music, singing, and dancing. If you should happen to be driving in the area-stop in, ask for Brian McGann, and tell him cousin Terry from America sent you.:). I'm not kidding, the town virtually adopted us the last time we were there.

Terry

[maryann2]

Mary, did any other room types get reductions? How can I find this info? Thanks.

I'm not sure about the other room types. If you go to the carnival website and do a pretend booking and click edit under the room type it will come up. It seems that they have some inside guarantee cabins including 1A guarantee.

Mary

[maryann2]

Maryann,
I sent you an e-mail with confirmation of hotel pick-up today. See you on the 15th. Have a safe trip.

We were thinking of stopping in Ireland before our trip but we couldn't arrange the free flight to do that. We wanted to go so we could get to Strokestown in Roscommon. There is a fantastic music festival there October9-11. It is a yearly event in honor of my cousin called Faille Frank McGann. Traditional musicians come from all over(Ireland, Europe, America) for a weekend of music, singing, and dancing. If you should happen to be driving in the area-stop in, ask for Brian McGann, and tell him cousin Terry from America sent you.:). I'm not kidding, the town virtually adopted us the last time we were there.

Terry

Thank you Terry. We are staying in Westport Co Mayo and will be passing through Roscommon on the train. Both my parents were Irish, my father from Mayo and my mother from Castlerea Co Roscommon. The music festival sounds great fun.

Mary

[Texas2]

WE STILL NEED 2 or 3 MORE ON THIS TOUR!

We have Lorraine, Reggie, Deborah and David. Let me know (see email below) if you would like to join us. OR, if you have a Tuscany/Wine Country tour and need 4 more, maybe we can join up.

The price is SO much more attractive with a full van!

Port: Livorno
Date: Monday, October 26
Tour: San Gimignano, Chianti Countryside, Winery Tour [NOTE: I originally requested booking with Giovanni from SunFlower Tours. He was unavailable, but placed us in the hands of Guido Bandinelli, of Travels in Tuscany, a native of the Chiati region who is also a professional sommelier / wine-guide!]
Tour Company: Travels In Tuscany, www.travelsintuscany.com (http://www.travelsintuscany.com)
Guide: Guido Bandinelli (http://www.guidos-tours.it/about.html (http://www.guidos-tours.it/about.html)­)
Tour Description: With this tour you will have the possibility to spend first of all, a good couple of hours in the charming, medieval town of San Gimignano http://www.travelsintuscany.com/san_gimignano_tours.htm (http://www.travelsintuscany.com/san_gimignano_tours.htm) after which we will move on to sightsee trough the splendid Chianti countryside dotted with beautiful vineyards and olive groves, quaint little, medieval villages and hamlets that are preserving still intact all the charm and beauty of the bygone days.
Of course we won't miss the opportunity also to stop at a couple of my most preferred wineries for a private, guided visit of their cellars and to taste their great olive oil and wines and certainly I won’t miss the opportunity for selecting a nice local “trattorie” where you will have the possibility to enjoy an authentic and genuine Tuscan lunch!
With regard to the wineries and places to visit I wish to reassure you that the places I normally visit are definitely off the beaten tracks of those horrible, big tour buses that usually let out hundreds of people wherever they stop.
Finally, I’d like to point out that you will have my company for the whole day and I’ll do my very best to help you understand, and to learn as much as possible about wine in general and more specifically about the great Tuscan wines.

Cost: €440 for 4 passengers, €500 for 6 passengers (7 maximum).

Participants: Lorraine, Reggie, David, Deborah – NEED 2-3 more

IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CONTACT: LRBABCOCK at satx dot rr dot com

Smiles:)
Lorraine

[sassse]

Welcome to all the newbies... Going to go down this weekend to do the final walkthrough on our house and hopefully will be signing papers next week.. and of course it will be my busiest week at work trying to do 3 1/2 weeks of work in one week... Oh well, my reward will be boarding that plane on the 12th and then getting to meet everyone at the M&G.
Mary,,, thanks for the info on the reduction in room rates, I am going to call my TA tomorrow and have her check into this.
Well all the stuff is bought to make the T-shirts now if we can just make the time...LOL Still looking for just the right gift, not sure what that is going to be...
Better get to bed.... long day tomorrow.... Sogno, Sogno, Sogno :D:D:D

Sharon

[dlbutler5]

Morning all,
We are single digit midgets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9 to go! We got the last of our meds so now everything is packed.

Mary
Have a great flight and we will see you on board or maybe the hotel. I think you are staying at the Traiano again this time , right?

We heard from the ACD yesterday to help make arrangements for Valentine. Now we are just waiting for a follow up to some things we had to straighten out.

Everyone have a great day and I will be reading throughout the day.

[mom23guys]

Mary,
Don't know if you'll see this or if you've left but this is too BIZARRE! My grandmother came from Castlerea, Co Roscommon. We still have many cousins that live there. My grandmother was a Jones. Frank McGann, who the festival was named after, also was born and raised in Castlerea before moving to Dublin. We may be related:D.
Terry

[santacruiser1]

Good morning all

My wife and I are new to this site and would like to join the Dream roll call and meet and greet if it is not too late please. We are leaving NC. on 10-12-09 and arriving in Rome early tuesday morning and looking forward to it with nervous anticipation! It will be our first trip abroad and I can't believe we are actually doing it.

I wish that we had known about this site earlier, because it seems to be a great wealth of info. We booked all of our excurshions through carnival and paid too much.

We are still looking into trans from rome to Civitavecchia on 10-15 and were thinking about train, but will ask if anyone wantsa to share private trans instead?

best regards Clint and Anna

[santacruiser1]

P.S. from Clint and Anna that we are also doing the 10-27-09 crossing and looking forward to meeting all of you!













10-27-09

[Sanjuro]

First of all, my prayers are with the people of Messina. At the same time, I have to admit the reason this story grabbed my attention was the location. I could not help but wonder if this will affect our Messina port day in any fashion?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33136687/ns/world_news-europe

The way I phrased it makes me sound selfish and awful, but I don't mean it that way. Curiosity just hit me...

[luvcdays]

Good morning all

My wife and I are new to this site and would like to join the Dream roll call and meet and greet if it is not too late please. We are leaving NC. on 10-12-09 and arriving in Rome early tuesday morning and looking forward to it with nervous anticipation! It will be our first trip abroad and I can't believe we are actually doing it.

I wish that we had known about this site earlier, because it seems to be a great wealth of info. We booked all of our excurshions through carnival and paid too much.

We are still looking into trans from rome to Civitavecchia on 10-15 and were thinking about train, but will ask if anyone wantsa to share private trans instead?

best regards Clint and Anna

Clint & Anna,

Welcome to our roll call and to Cruise Critic. It is never too late to join the party!

It will be our first time to Europe and we are so excited!!!

See you on the 15th.

Janis & Dick

[luvcdays]

Welcome aboard to all of the new cruisers.

Just think, in two weeks at this time we will be onboard the Dream and on our way to Naples!! Yahoo!!!

Judy,

Are you excited or what? LOL What day are you and Ethel leaving?

Janis

[luvcdays]

Just a heads up for those who booked the early saver rate. There has been a price reduction. 1A solo is now $1280.94. I have filled in the form on line and should get $228 on board credit. First time I have had to fill in the form, used to just phone and they would adjust it.

Terry, Congratulations on your retirement.You earned it and now enjoy it

Regarding wash cloths in Europe. bring your own as they are rarely supplied. Considered a very personal item as who knows who could have used them before, or where. Once you start thinking about it you will never ever use a washcloth except your own:eek:

Well, I leave tomorrow and will be spending a week in Ireland with my sister and brother in law and arrive in Rome on Oct 10th. So really down to packing now. Will be checking in here once I get to Rome. Safe travels everyone.

Mary

Mary,

Have a safe and fun trip to visit your sister. See you on the morning of the 15th.

Janis & Dick

[luvcdays]

Welcome! I see you all are in Staten Island? I used to live on the island before coming to Houston...I miss Goodfella's pizza...

All - thanks for the info on the Kuna, great news! We are just going to order euros...we get a great rate and no fees from our bank, so we are going to get some pre-cruise and then refill (per say) when needed via ATM.

One more day of work! Than vacation!!!

Terence,

We will be thinking of you on your special day. We hope you have a beautiful wedding and we will see you soon.

Janis & Dick

[luvcdays]

Welcome to all the newbies... Going to go down this weekend to do the final walkthrough on our house and hopefully will be signing papers next week.. and of course it will be my busiest week at work trying to do 3 1/2 weeks of work in one week... Oh well, my reward will be boarding that plane on the 12th and then getting to meet everyone at the M&G.
Mary,,, thanks for the info on the reduction in room rates, I am going to call my TA tomorrow and have her check into this.
Well all the stuff is bought to make the T-shirts now if we can just make the time...LOL Still looking for just the right gift, not sure what that is going to be...
Better get to bed.... long day tomorrow.... Sogno, Sogno, Sogno :D:D:D

Sharon


Sharon,

How exciting for you and Jess! Try not to get too stressed out. Soon you'll be sailing in the Mediterranean:)

Janis & Dick

[TrngLady]

mom23guys Tom and Terry celebrating retirement Late
Deanne WillisDenise and Joe Anytime
wyomingirl Anna and Randy Late
nick usaf Nick and Joanne 50th anniversary Anytime
Pat and Richard joining the celebration Anytime
luvcdays Janis and Dick 30th anniversary Late
dlbutlers Dave and Barbara + B2B with TA Anytime
Valentine

The Commodore Tom and Maureen (onetrufan)
diane52 Diane and Ernie Early
CarnivalFan2 Marty and Jeanne Late
Liney1982 Liney and Josh Josh's 25th B-day Late
ashejen Ashejen, DH, In-laws
tamyrussell Trina; Nancy, mom, and Tanya,sister Late
browneyes7 Mary and Bill
etexbeachbum Robby and Charlotte
waterjunkie Cherl and Jim
jilly08 Jill and daughter Lindsey Late
josy777 Jody and Chris Honeymoon Late
ickz ickz and DW
oceanview585 Nancy and Henry Anytime
maryann2 Mary Late
bones0319 Jim and Barb +8friends 25th anniversary Late
pooh1962 Wendy, 2 sisters, and mom
jebl Judy and Ethel Anytime
C1audiagabriella Claudia Gabriella, DH, and DD-9
eekconway Ed and Kelley Honeymoon Late
vegascruiser1009 Mary and Sam
L&LC Lloyd and LeeAnne
Yooperwoody Vicki and Gordie Anytime
Hartlien Elaine and Kathy Elaine's 50th B-day Early
MARCOPOLOSMITH Group of 4
Sassie Sharon and Jess Late
NolaAlive
Pam1968 Pam
Ngrammie4 Bob and Gail
Cruizen161 Shala and Mom Anytime
mufster Reggie and LorraineLate
coastalbird Sandy and Ron 40th anniversary Anytime
mortimer49 Tom and Nancy 60th B-day(Nancy) and 40th Anniversary
quiltgal24 Patti and John 25th Anniversary Anytime
merlynee Meriln and John
Sanjuro Ben and Wendy Honeymoon Late
mabelp Group of 4
Grammytan Ray 61st B-day and Jeanette 60th B-day Late
The Commisioner Jim and Buffy
+Lise and Vince
gatorgirlca laura and David 20th Anniversary Late
Terence81 Terence and Debbie Honeymoon Late
Sailoroma Bev and John Anytime
Little Lemon Joel and Megan Honeymoon Late
Coniklee
Grandma Smoothie John and Bev
Retired to NC Dennis and Terri 40th Anniversary
Vacationnow12524 Allison and Curt
Ready to Cruise Terry and Karen 30th Anniversary
jdpudge Louis, Jennifer +4(9,8,6,5) + DGPs Home School Field Trip:D
Biggy Mac John and Sonia
ririjax Deborah and David
Lisefitz Vincent and Lisa
Tink413 Debi and David
Keller Kathy and Ken
ckh2001 Connie and DH
Barb61s

Hi guys,
I've had a little problem keeping up so check your names, times etc. Let me know if I've messed up.
Terry



We were left off... :eek:
TrngLady James and Jodie + 2 kids, early dining

[TrngLady]

Good morning all

My wife and I are new to this site and would like to join the Dream roll call and meet and greet if it is not too late please. We are leaving NC. on 10-12-09 and arriving in Rome early tuesday morning and looking forward to it with nervous anticipation! It will be our first trip abroad and I can't believe we are actually doing it.

I wish that we had known about this site earlier, because it seems to be a great wealth of info. We booked all of our excurshions through carnival and paid too much.

We are still looking into trans from rome to Civitavecchia on 10-15 and were thinking about train, but will ask if anyone wantsa to share private trans instead?

best regards Clint and Anna

Hi Clint and Anna-
We (husband, me, +2 kids) are taking a trans company from the airport to the cruise terminal. I can provide the name if you'd like. We are living in Germany now, but this is our first cruise in this area and we are really excited.
As far as the excursions are concerned, you probably aren't making out as bad as you think. The euro conversion rate right now is horrible. Think about $1.35 to every 1 euro. You will pay in dollars on the ship, but euro going through a port excursion company, so in the end you may even make out a little cheaper... we booked our excursions through Carnival as well.

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

James and Jodie

[GRAMMYTAN]

Breaking News: Mudslide in Messina kills 13. Trying to find more info on internet and news station.

I am going to send an e-mail to our bus tour company and let them know that our prayers are with them.

[Sanjuro]

We are still looking into trans from rome to Civitavecchia on 10-15 and were thinking about train, but will ask if anyone wantsa to share private trans instead?

best regards Clint and Anna

My wife and I have a private transfer to Civitavecchia through the highly recommended company, Rome Cabs. I'm sure we could add more people to it, and split the cost. However, I never announced this transfer on this forum because I figured most people will want to get to the ship as early as possible.

We won't be leaving Rome until 3:30 PM, so...you may or may not want to join us. I'm very excited about the Dream, but I'm more interested in the cities and countries we are visiting (in the Caribbean I'm the opposite: more interested in the ship, less interested in the stops). In other words, we are milking Rome for all it's worth, even on the day the cruise sets sail.

If you (or anyone) would like to join us and leave Rome at 3:30 PM on departure day (Oct. 15), we would be glad to have you. The cost is 130 euros total, which we would then split.

Again, sorry for announcing this so late, I just didn't think anyone would care to join us. We probably won't get to the port until around 5 PM. Let me know ASAP if you're interested because I will need to send Stefano at Rome Cabs a message letting him know what hotel and so forth. Thanks.

My email is KAGE555@aol.com

[Sanjuro]

Breaking News: Mudslide in Messina kills 13. Trying to find more info on internet and news station.

I am going to send an e-mail to our bus tour company and let them know that our prayers are with them.

I posted about it a while ago... Terrible.

[etexbeachbum]

We're kinda like sanjuro, we want to see as much of rome as possible before the cruise. We still have the private tour of ancient Rome and transfer with Rome Cabs on the morning of the 15th. The total cost for this is 450 euros but that includes picking us up at the airport that morning. I would be willing to cut someone a deal on the cost if they wanted us to pick them up at their hotel that morning, go on the tour and then on to the ship.
email me at rgriffith@rlacyinc.com if interested.

Robby

[jebl]

Janis,

We leave from Miami on 10-14 at 4:35PM. Got a direct flight on Alitalia. Hubbies will drive us to the airport, about a 2 hour drive mostly on the interstate. We get to drive the lovely (not) boring ( yes) Alligator Alley aka I75.

[RetiredToNC]

Good morning all

My wife and I are new to this site and would like to join the Dream roll call and meet and greet if it is not too late please. We are leaving NC. on 10-12-09 and arriving in Rome early tuesday morning and looking forward to it with nervous anticipation! It will be our first trip abroad and I can't believe we are actually doing it.

I wish that we had known about this site earlier, because it seems to be a great wealth of info. We booked all of our excurshions through carnival and paid too much.

We are still looking into trans from rome to Civitavecchia on 10-15 and were thinking about train, but will ask if anyone wantsa to share private trans instead?

best regards Clint and Anna
Welcome aboard Clint & Anna! We have a number of things in common: from NC (Hendersonville for us), first trip abroad, nervous anticipation, and were also thinking of taking the train to/from the port. Maybe if others are of the same thinking, we can go as a group (either private or via the train) on the 15th, around mid-afternoon?

Regards for now,
Dennis & Terri (RetiredToNC)

[mom23guys]

mom23guys Tom and Terry celebrating retirement Late
Deanne WillisDenise and Joe Anytime
wyomingirl Anna and Randy Late
nick usaf Nick and Joanne 50th anniversary Anytime
Pat and Richard joining the celebration Anytime
luvcdays Janis and Dick 30th anniversary Late
dlbutlers Dave and Barbara + B2B with TA Anytime
Valentine
The Commodore Tom and Maureen (onetrufan)
diane52 Diane and Ernie Early
CarnivalFan2 Marty and Jeanne Late
Liney1982 Liney and Josh Josh's 25th B-day Late
ashejen Ashejen, DH, In-laws
tamyrussell Trina; Nancy, mom, and Tanya,sister Late
browneyes7 Mary and Bill
etexbeachbum Robby and Charlotte
waterjunkie Cherl and Jim
jilly08 Jill and daughter Lindsey Late
josy777 Jody and Chris Honeymoon Late
ickz ickz and DW
oceanview585 Nancy and Henry Anytime
maryann2 Mary Late
bones0319 Jim and Barb +8friends 25th anniversary Late
pooh1962 Wendy, 2 sisters, and mom
jebl Judy and Ethel Anytime
C1audiagabriella Claudia Gabriella, DH, and DD-9
eekconway Ed and Kelley Honeymoon Late
vegascruiser1009 Mary and Sam
L&LC Lloyd and LeeAnne
Yooperwoody Vicki and Gordie Anytime
Hartlien Elaine and Kathy Elaine's 50th B-day Early
MARCOPOLOSMITH Group of 4
Sassie Sharon and Jess Late
NolaAlive
Pam1968 Pam
Ngrammie4 Bob and Gail
Cruizen161 Shala and Mom Anytime
mufster Reggie and LorraineLate
coastalbird Sandy and Ron 40th anniversary Anytime
mortimer49 Tom and Nancy 60th B-day(Nancy) and 40th Anniversary
quiltgal24 Patti and John 25th Anniversary Anytime
merlynee Meriln and John
Sanjuro Ben and Wendy Honeymoon Late
mabelp Group of 4
Grammytan Ray 61st B-day and Jeanette 60th B-day Late
The Commisioner Jim and Buffy
+Lise and Vince
gatorgirlca laura and David 20th Anniversary Late
Terence81 Terence and Debbie Honeymoon Late
Sailoroma Bev and John Anytime
Little Lemon Joel and Megan Honeymoon Late
Coniklee
Grandma Smoothie John and Bev
Retired to NC Dennis and Terri 40th Anniversary
Vacationnow12524 Allison and Curt 15th Anniversary Late
Ready to Cruise Terry and Karen 30th Anniversary Early
jdpudge Louis, Jennifer +4(9,8,6,5) + DGPs Home School Field Trip:D
Biggy Mac John and Sonia
ririjax Deborah and David
Lisefitz Vincent and Lisa
Tink413 Debi and David Late
Keller Kathy and Ken
ckh2001 Connie and Bill
Barb61s
TrngLady James and Jodie + 2children Early
Hootski Debi and Larry Anytime
Gliderider Gary and Dive
Imlt Lydia
Linney13 Linda and Mike 50th B-day and 30th Anniversary Late
traveling with Linda and John
MRA2 Paula and Alan Early
whiteman Clint and Anna

Jodie, you guys were on my latest revision(sans kids), maybe you missed it.
Clint and Anna welcome! It is not too late to join in on our fun activities. Check out ************* dot com for photos of those on our sailing.
__________________

[mom23guys]

Terence,
You should be getting ready to leave for you wedding soon. Best of luck.
Terry

[CarnivalFan2]

Buon Venerdi!

Wow, are we excited yet or what? Only 4 more days of work for me :D!!

Terence - best wishes on your nuptials! See you across the pond..

Clint & Anna- Benvenuti! Here is the link to Cruise Fellows, where a lot of us have posted our pics, so you can see the other members of "Sogno, Sogno, Sogno". You can also sign up for the open get-togethers on the ship or ashore.

www.*************.com (http://www.*************.com)

Cool you are riding the ship to NY! Dave & Barbara (dbutlers) are also doing the TA...

All -wow, terrible event (mudslide) in Messina. Prayers for all those affected over there...

Everything's in place, and Jeanne & I will begin packing this week. Nice we have a 3 day weekend (Columbus Day) before we fly out, so we can make sure all bases are covered!!

Football fans- some great match-ups this weekend. Monday night's game is going to be REAL interesting...Brett Favre vs his old team, the Packers. You know Brett wants to beat the Packers bad!

Have a great start to the weekend everyone! Only ONE more weekend to go...WOO-HOO!! :D

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

P.S. Vicki/Judy/Janis/NHL fans- anybody notice that the NHL regular season quietly started? Wow, that off-season was over fast! Judy - Vicki & I want Lord Stanley's Cup back in it's rightful place--> Hockeytown!!

[Terence81]

About to walk out of my office until November! Put up my away message...

I am out of the office for medical reasons. I am having my brain and heart removed so when I return I can form part of the management team.

Just kidding of course! A colleague of mine recommended it...I figured I opted for the more conventional one seeing that I want to have a job when I return!

Thanks for all the well wishes for my wedding, it's a week from tomorrow...I hope I have time to read the board in the meantime, otherwise I'm going to be out of the loop! :):)

Terence

[GRAMMYTAN]

About to walk out of my office until November! Put up my away message...

I am out of the office for medical reasons. I am having my brain and heart removed so when I return I can form part of the management team.

Just kidding of course! A colleague of mine recommended it...I figured I opted for the more conventional one seeing that I want to have a job when I return!

Thanks for all the well wishes for my wedding, it's a week from tomorrow...I hope I have time to read the board in the meantime, otherwise I'm going to be out of the loop! :):)

Terence


Terrence - loved the AWAY message, but agree that you need to keep your job.:) Happy Wedding, see you in Rome.

All - I heard back from Vinceno on the mudslides:
Hello Jeanette
Thank You so much for Your beautiful words.
We were really lucky and had no problems during the bad weather there was during last night.
Few people died (about 20 maiby) especially in small small villages in the countryside between Messina & Taormina (for the type of geology of that part of the Island and the type of constructions they build
The Emergency units are working really hard to help them to get better conditions

Thanks a lot again

Vincenzo

mailto:grammytan@aol.com
Inviato: venerdì 2 ottobre 2009 18.38
A: booking@sicilydriverguide.com



Dear Vincenzo

We are getting breaking news here in US about the mudslides in beautiful Sicily. Our group wants to let you know that you and your city are in all of our prayers. We hope that you are safe and that the damages to this beautiful city are small.

[Little Lemon]

Good morning all

My wife and I are new to this site and would like to join the Dream roll call and meet and greet if it is not too late please. We are leaving NC. on 10-12-09 and arriving in Rome early tuesday morning and looking forward to it with nervous anticipation! It will be our first trip abroad and I can't believe we are actually doing it.

I wish that we had known about this site earlier, because it seems to be a great wealth of info. We booked all of our excurshions through carnival and paid too much.

We are still looking into trans from rome to Civitavecchia on 10-15 and were thinking about train, but will ask if anyone wantsa to share private trans instead?

best regards Clint and Anna

Clint & Anna,
Welcome! Megan and I also live in NC. We are leaving CLT on 10/12 and arriving in Rome (via Philly) on 10/13 in the am. We have private transportation arranged already. Don't know if you are on the same flight or not but if you are I would consider checking with our transportation to see if he could take 4 instead of two. Let me know.
Joel

[CarnivalFan2]

Terrence - loved the AWAY message, but agree that you need to keep your job.:) Happy Wedding, see you in Rome.

All - I heard back from Vinceno on the mudslides:
Hello Jeanette
Thank You so much for Your beautiful words.
We were really lucky and had no problems during the bad weather there was during last night.
Few people died (about 20 maiby) especially in small small villages in the countryside between Messina & Taormina (for the type of geology of that part of the Island and the type of constructions they build
The Emergency units are working really hard to help them to get better conditions

Thanks a lot again

Vincenzo

mailto:grammytan@aol.com
Inviato: venerdì 2 ottobre 2009 18.38
A: booking@sicilydriverguide.com



Dear Vincenzo

We are getting breaking news here in US about the mudslides in beautiful Sicily. Our group wants to let you know that you and your city are in all of our prayers. We hope that you are safe and that the damages to this beautiful city are small.
Jeanette - thanks for conveying those sentiments from Sogno, Sogno, Sogno, and also for sharing what the reply was from Sicily.

From the sound of it, it doesn't look like it will affect Carnival's port call or our bus trip. Hope the region rebounds from this quickly...

Marty

P.S. All - I hope they get they Dream's web cams back up again soon! She must be on her way back to Civi...

[Little Lemon]

Good morning all


We are still looking into trans from rome to Civitavecchia on 10-15 and were thinking about train, but will ask if anyone wantsa to share private trans instead?

best regards Clint and Anna


Sorry, Just re read and saw that you were talking about transportation on the 15th. We have private transportation that day too. Anyway, email me if you would like at jbtaylornc@charter.net

[jebl]

Marty,

I was reading stuff on the computer last night when Jack called for me to come see what was happening....it was the Caps and Bruins. No fanfare, the NHL just quietly slipped into the lineup. We only get select games in this market so will have to watch for our favorites on the channel lineup.

Terence, Best Wishes on the coming nuptials. See you onboard.

TRNGLADY, Even though we are paying in Euros, it is still less expensive to form groups and take private tours.

Just for starters CCL wants $85 for transfers to the ship and I think that is each way. We have a shuttle for 4 for 120 euro which comes out to 30euro per person or $45 per person. And the best part is we don't have to wait around for a bus to get filled and be herded like cattle. Our driver will be outside the baggage area waiting for us. If there are just two you it is expensive no matter what, but when you can hook up with others like we have done , it becomes much more manageable.

I have figured our shuttles to and from the pier, tour of Pompeii and Amalfi, tour of Florence and Pisa, bus to Taormina, and private tour of the Vatican at approx 321 euros or $481.5. I am using 1.5 as my multiplier since I don't know what the euro will be by the time we travel. That surely is much less than I would pay per person using Carnival's excursions. And we have the advantage of customizing the tour.

If you can hook up with someone from the board and form a group, and you can cancel your CCL tour you could save a fair amount of money.

Sorry I can't be more specific on the CCL price but the site is down and I cannot check it out.

Either way, welcome aboard and I know you will have a great time. My late DH was career Air Force so it does hold a special place with me .

Looking forward to meeting you and the other new comers along with all of the old comers:D:D

[Pokerbee]

Hope all of you have a wonderful cruise!! If you get a change when in Rome, and excellent family owned italian restaurant, a must for lunch or dinner is across the street from the Cicerone Hotel. On Via Cicerone. Pizza to die for! The lemoncello is outstanding!! My DH and I were there in April for 5 days after getting off the Celebrity Solstice Transatlantic - April 19th sailing. Have a wonderful trip.... Europe is so exciting... we will be going back for sure!! Only this time doing a Western Transatlantic, too many nights of turning the clock ahead when you do the Eastern... FYI! LOL...

BON VOYAGE!!

[CarnivalFan2]

Shirley - GRAZIE! Now we are getting well wishes & BON VOYAGES from nice people like you....only fuels our excitement :D!! We know we are close :rolleyes:. Thanks again...

Btw - do you remember the name of that restaurant in Rome?

Marty & Jeanne

[TrngLady]

Marty,

I was reading stuff on the computer last night when Jack called for me to come see what was happening....it was the Caps and Bruins. No fanfare, the NHL just quietly slipped into the lineup. We only get select games in this market so will have to watch for our favorites on the channel lineup.

Terence, Best Wishes on the coming nuptials. See you onboard.

TRNGLADY, Even though we are paying in Euros, it is still less expensive to form groups and take private tours.

Just for starters CCL wants $85 for transfers to the ship and I think that is each way. We have a shuttle for 4 for 120 euro which comes out to 30euro per person or $45 per person. And the best part is we don't have to wait around for a bus to get filled and be herded like cattle. Our driver will be outside the baggage area waiting for us. If there are just two you it is expensive no matter what, but when you can hook up with others like we have done , it becomes much more manageable.

I have figured our shuttles to and from the pier, tour of Pompeii and Amalfi, tour of Florence and Pisa, bus to Taormina, and private tour of the Vatican at approx 321 euros or $481.5. I am using 1.5 as my multiplier since I don't know what the euro will be by the time we travel. That surely is much less than I would pay per person using Carnival's excursions. And we have the advantage of customizing the tour.

If you can hook up with someone from the board and form a group, and you can cancel your CCL tour you could save a fair amount of money.

Sorry I can't be more specific on the CCL price but the site is down and I cannot check it out.

Either way, welcome aboard and I know you will have a great time. My late DH was career Air Force so it does hold a special place with me .

Looking forward to meeting you and the other new comers along with all of the old comers:D:D

I understand exactly what you mean about reducing costs and that thought had run through my head a time or two. I was just trying to make the poster feel a letter better about the costs for the CCL cruises, because many of the other ones that the board members have arranged and full. Anyway, thanks for the rundown though!

Jodie

[TrngLady]

So, is anyone else bringing along their kids? We have an 11 year old boy and 3 year old girl, but I haven't read much about anyone else bringing their kids.
???

[Tink413]

I cant beleive how fast these days are going. I'm getting nervous..never left my home or kids or dogs this long.....and...I am not even nearly close to packing. :eek:

Did anyone read the reviews from the ones that just got off the boat? seems like there are still quite of kinks to be worked out.

[jebl]

Where did you find reviews? I have looked all over and can't find anything.

[oceanview585]

Here is a great link re: mistakes not to make when in Italy

http://www.wheninrometours.com/Articles/Rome-News/5-Silly-Mistakes-NOT-To-Make-When-In-Italy.html

Welcome new people. Concerned as have'nt heard from Gatorgirl Laura for a while. Hope things are ok with her dgtr.
Nancy

[Tink413]

I went on the roll call for the September 21 sailing and a few members that were on that ship gave a little insight on the cruise.

[Deanne Willis]

I went on the roll call for the September 21 sailing and a few members that were on that ship gave a little insight on the cruise.
Debi, I'll bet we will soon see some more detailed reviews from this group.
Maybe it's just me, but it's hard to believe that the Oct 3rd group is well on their way to Naples already! Then, we are the next group! Boy, they turn around these cruises fast.

Denise

[BiggyMac]

OK, I see lots of folks posting about their favorite football teams, but I haven't seen anything about the Cowboys. :D
Any fans besides us???


WOOHOO! GO "BOYS"!! John & Sonia are fans from Arlington, Tx - Home of THE Dallas Cowboys. If you haven't been the stadium it is truly awsome. Jerry built a good one. Now, if he can only build the team.

John & Sonia

[Tink413]

I know, we will be there before you know it. I am so excited and nervous!!! Also, I just got a message from the individuals I met via FB and they said the cruise was great!! So that is good news..

[CarnivalFan2]

Debi/Denise - yeah, I've been checking out the Inaugural thread also, but haven't seen any new reviews lately and/or final reviews of the Sept 21st cruise.

All - I'm sure there will be some complaints, because there probably were some "bugs" to work out with this brand new ship on her REAL maiden voyage (I don't care what Carnival is marketing the NY cruise as. That one will be the U.S. Inaugural, but the one that just ended was THE Inaugural).

Anyway, when I first approached Jeanne about this ship & itinerrary, I was pushing for the Inaugural; now, I'm kind of glad we are on the 3rd cruise (Sogno, Sogno, Sogno), so hopefully, Carnival can iron out some of the "kinks", e.g. the major production shows not being ready (no excuse for that one, imho...).

Anybody been able to view the web cam lately :confused:

Vicki/Denise/Anna - is it cold up there yet? We're supposed to get back up to 92 (and humid) early next week :eek:. Is it really Oct? That last front went through but the heat/humidity in the mighty Gulf, laughed in it's (the front's) general direction and said; "don't bring that weak #$&^ down here", then promptly turned it right back around (with it's tail between it's legs) as a warm front and sent it BACK our way. That's why we are having "summer" revisited :mad:. See?, it's just a matter of perspective. Anyway, tell Jack Frost up there to send the "good stuff" (stronger/cooler fronts...). Ah, never mind, we're outta here in 9 days anyway...

Speaking of...did Sogno, Sogno, Sogno raise their glasses of their adult beverage of choice? (I know some are already travelling "across the pond"). I propose a toast (salute) to going into SINGLE DIGITS!! Wow, it seemed like there was an "eternity" of waiting time when we first booked this cruise, and now IT'S HERE :) (almost...just 4 more work days for me/5 for Jeanne). My adult beveage of choice was finishing off my bottle of Capt Morgan's Private Stock (sipping rum)..."Have Ya Got a Little Capt in Ya's"?

Well - I had a little scratchy throat last evening (what a way to start the weekend), and have a full blown cold now :mad:; however, the silver lining is that I am getting sick out of the way, before the cruise! Reminds me, I have to get my flu shot this week...

Ooops, I've rambled on. Scuzi :o. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and HAVING FUN in their final preps for SOGNO, SOGNO, SOGNO!!

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

P.S. Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Texans??!! Sorry Nick - I wanted to borrow some of that 3-0 New Orleans Saints "mojo", for our game against the Oakland Raiders tomorrow. Since you are also a Texans fan, I figured you wouldn't mind...

[Gatorgirlca]

Here is a great link re: mistakes not to make when in Italy

http://www.wheninrometours.com/Articles/Rome-News/5-Silly-Mistakes-NOT-To-Make-When-In-Italy.html

Welcome new people. Concerned as have'nt heard from Gatorgirl Laura for a while. Hope things are ok with her dgtr.
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for your concern! Just very emotional these days struggling to come to terms with my daughter's poor choices. Am dealing with her younger sister right now and the effect it's having on her. I have my hands full! Haven't bought the first thing for the trip yet. Will try to shop tomorrow but my heart is just not in it.
We still plan on going on the cruise. I certainly won't be the best dressed or be the most organized but we will be there to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.
Trying to get back into college football to cheer me up. The Florida Gators are my favorite team (graduated from that school too many years ago) and poor Tim Tebow got a terrible concussion last week. Yikes. At least he has one week off before he has to face LSU. Go Gators!!
Thanks,
Laura (Gatorgirl)

[nickusaf]

Debi/Denise - yeah, I've been checking out the Inaugural thread also, but haven't seen any new reviews lately and/or final reviews of the Sept 21st cruise.

All - I'm sure there will be some complaints, because there probably were some "bugs" to work out with this brand new ship on her REAL maiden voyage (I don't care what Carnival is marketing the NY cruise as. That one will be the U.S. Inaugural, but the one that just ended was THE Inaugural).

Anyway, when I first approached Jeanne about this ship & itinerrary, I was pushing for the Inaugural; now, I'm kind of glad we are on the 3rd cruise (Sogno, Sogno, Sogno), so hopefully, Carnival can iron out some of the "kinks", e.g. the major production shows not being ready (no excuse for that one, imho...).

Anybody been able to view the web cam lately :confused:

Vicki/Denise/Anna - is it cold up there yet? We're supposed to get back up to 92 (and humid) early next week :eek:. Is it really Oct? That last front went through but the heat/humidity in the mighty Gulf, laughed in it's (the front's) general direction and said; "don't bring that weak #$&^ down here", then promptly turned it right back around (with it's tail between it's legs) as a warm front and sent it BACK our way. That's why we are having "summer" revisited :mad:. See?, it's just a matter of perspective. Anyway, tell Jack Frost up there to send the "good stuff" (stronger/cooler fronts...). Ah, never mind, we're outta here in 9 days anyway...

Speaking of...did Sogno, Sogno, Sogno raise their glasses of their adult beverage of choice? (I know some are already travelling "across the pond"). I propose a toast (salute) to going into SINGLE DIGITS!! Wow, it seemed like there was an "eternity" of waiting time when we first booked this cruise, and now IT'S HERE :) (almost...just 4 more work days for me/5 for Jeanne). My adult beveage of choice was finishing off my bottle of Capt Morgan's Private Stock (sipping rum)..."Have Ya Got a Little Capt in Ya's"?

Well - I had a little scratchy throat last evening (what a way to start the weekend), and have a full blown cold now :mad:; however, the silver lining is that I am getting sick out of the way, before the cruise! Reminds me, I have to get my flu shot this week...

Ooops, I've rambled on. Scuzi :o. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and HAVING FUN in their final preps for SOGNO, SOGNO, SOGNO!!

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

P.S. Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Texans??!! Sorry Nick - I wanted to borrow some of that 3-0 New Orleans Saints "mojo", for our game against the Oakland Raiders tomorrow. Since you are also a Texans fan, I figured you wouldn't mind...

Don't mind at all. Watching the LSU game they losing 13-12 1 min left. don't look to good.

Nick

[Gatorgirlca]

My travel agent just told me that the ship is completely sold out!!! No upgrades left,etc.

[eekconway]

I remember several pages back someone had a packing list if possible & if you wouldn't mind can you share it with us. I'm trying to minimize Our(Kelley's) luggage...LOL
If you would please email it to: eekconway@yahoo.com

Ed

[coastalbird]

Back from a short business trip to Southern California. Just enough time to finish reports and get ready for the trip. We are in Florence for three days before the cruise and are looking forward to meeting everyone at the sail-away. See you all soon!

Sandy and Ron

[The Commodore]

Time is very short now. We fly out in 6 days. I have been away for most of the last 2 1/2 weeks and will be flying home on Sunday to start preparing. Had been in Palm Springs, CA working a golf tournament and left a week ago today when it was 115 degrees, then off to Des Moines, Iowa for another tourney and was greeted with 41 degrees, high winds and horizontal rains.... Will be happy to get home to Phoenix warmth even though the next 5 days will be trying to get everything done before we leave for 21 days.

54 years ago today, the Mickey Mouse Club appeared on TV for the first time, and as JIMMY Always said at the end of the show... "See you real soon"

Tom

[luvcdays]

I cant beleive how fast these days are going. I'm getting nervous..never left my home or kids or dogs this long.....and...I am not even nearly close to packing. :eek:

Did anyone read the reviews from the ones that just got off the boat? seems like there are still quite of kinks to be worked out.


Tink,

I bet you are going to have so much fun that you will forget you even have kids and pets!

Janis & Dick

[diane52]

Does anyone know why the webcams are offline? They have not been updated since the 1st. We were really enjoying watching the ships progress.
We leave on the 12th and are getting very excited. There is always so much to do at the end. It is going to get kind of crazy here very soon. We are enjoying a visit from our youngest for the weekend and then next weekend we have to take our dog to my parents in Mass. so our days are counting down fast.
Welcome to the newcomers! Can't wait to meet everyone.

[luvcdays]

I remember several pages back someone had a packing list if possible & if you wouldn't mind can you share it with us. I'm trying to minimize Our(Kelley's) luggage...LOL
If you would please email it to: eekconway@yahoo.com

Ed

Ed,

We are cracking up about your post!!!

Janis & Dick

[luvcdays]

Time is very short now. We fly out in 6 days. I have been away for most of the last 2 1/2 weeks and will be flying home on Sunday to start preparing. Had been in Palm Springs, CA working a golf tournament and left a week ago today when it was 115 degrees, then off to Des Moines, Iowa for another tourney and was greeted with 41 degrees, high winds and horizontal rains.... Will be happy to get home to Phoenix warmth even though the next 5 days will be trying to get everything done before we leave for 21 days.

54 years ago today, the Mickey Mouse Club appeared on TV for the first time, and as JIMMY Always said at the end of the show... "See you real soon"

Tom

Tom,

We were on a Panama Canal cruise with Jimmy & his wife in 1989.

Janis & Dick

[eekconway]

Venice -Is there a pub crawl organized that we might be able to join?

Barcelona - Any reccomedations?

Monaco - Is anyone going to Nice, Eze, and seeing Monaco on there own?


Janis- Glad someones laughing....hahaha Hoping I can still laugh while lugging all the
luggage...LOL

[Linny13]

WE STILL NEED 2 or 3 MORE ON THIS TOUR!

We have Lorraine, Reggie, Deborah and David. Let me know (see email below) if you would like to join us. OR, if you have a Tuscany/Wine Country tour and need 4 more, maybe we can join up.

The price is SO much more attractive with a full van!

Lorraine, Reggie, Deborah and David,

We have a tour to San Gimignano, wine country and Sienna and "if" there is enough time Pisa too. We are 4 and have room for 4 more. We would love for you to join us!:)

We cannot cancel to join you because we have 5 tours booked through driverinrome and we have used them before and were very pleased:D

The cost for 8 is 625 euro plus tip. Let me know if you are interested and I will change the reservation to 8 people. E-mail me at: pernal@stjohns.edu

All, Only 10 days till we leave and only 5 more days of work!! YEAH!!! Cannot wait to go and to meet all of you in person.:)

Linda

[The Commissioner]

Time is very short now. We fly out in 6 days. I have been away for most of the last 2 1/2 weeks and will be flying home on Sunday to start preparing. Had been in Palm Springs, CA working a golf tournament and left a week ago today when it was 115 degrees, then off to Des Moines, Iowa for another tourney and was greeted with 41 degrees, high winds and horizontal rains.... Will be happy to get home to Phoenix warmth even though the next 5 days will be trying to get everything done before we leave for 21 days.

54 years ago today, the Mickey Mouse Club appeared on TV for the first time, and as JIMMY Always said at the end of the show... "See you real soon"

Tom
M I C K E Y M O U S E We leave in 4 days. See you there Tom.

[mom23guys]

Linda
I see the StJohns e-mail. My dad went to St John's Law School. We always root for them in basketball.

We leave a week from tomorrow.

Loved the MMC reference:).
Terry

[Linny13]

Linda
I see the StJohns e-mail. My dad went to St John's Law School. We always root for them in basketball.

We leave a week from tomorrow.

Loved the MMC reference:).
Terry

Terry,

Yes I work at the same St. John's!! Remind me when I see you so I don't forget:eek: Hopefully this year,the team will do well!!:rolleyes: Where did you grow up?
Also,my dh, Mike, comes down to the Cape May hospital for work every so often. Talk soon.
Linda

[jilly08]

Venice -Is there a pub crawl organized that we might be able to join?

Barcelona - Any reccomedations?

Monaco - Is anyone going to Nice, Eze, and seeing Monaco on there own?


Janis- Glad someones laughing....hahaha Hoping I can still laugh while lugging all the
luggage...LOL

In Barcelona, we are taking a cab to Sagrada Familia, then using the metro to get around to the Picasso Museum, La Pedera--which is a building built by Gaudi (very unusual), then lunch at Cerveceria Catalana--highly rated on trip advisor for tapas and sangria, then wanter down La Ramblas and back to the ship.
At least that's the plan--not sure if we can do all of that in one day.

For Monaco, we did a private tour with others on this roll call. We had planned on taking the bus to Eze but it doesn't run on Sunday and the tour will get us a bunch of places.

Lindsey and I are planning on wandering around Venice --perhaps we will meet up with our group for the pub crawl. We don't have anything definite planned--just taking a lot of pictures and soaking up the atmosphere. I believe Grammytan has organized a pub crawl.. check cruise fellows.

Jill

[dlbutler5]

Good morning all. Well, as others have said, only 7 days until we depart for Europe. I have an extra day of work this week to be sure everything is set for the guy filling in for me. I will still be on call if he needs me though, at least I get free sell service that way.
Valentine has 2 vet visits and a groomer trip scheduled. Barb has to take her mother to the airport to fly up to Barbs sisters place in Michigan on Sat. So we will be kind of busy this week.
We got email from James the ACD and things should all be ready for Valentine. Hopefully there won't be any problem. Last year they misunderstood and put a 4' X 4' box full of dog litter in our room. All we needed was the litter, we travel with our own litter pan.
Well time to get my MIL her meds. I will be checking back later.

[santacruiser1]

Good morning USA!
I see that the Dream webcams are still out on the Dream, what a BIG disappointment! Has anyone contacted carnival about this?
This will be our first time to Italy, does anyone have a general idea how many Euros to get? All our excurshiopn are prepaid through carnival and we will be in Rome three days pre cruise, so I guess just spending money and B+B charge.
Our flight comes in at 8:50 AM on 10/13, is this Rome time?
I think my wife Anna needs pack less help also LOL 2 Big suitcases, 2 med carryons and 2 small carryons and a Wallmart.

[josy777]

Venice -Is there a pub crawl organized that we might be able to join?

Barcelona - Any reccomedations?

Monaco - Is anyone going to Nice, Eze, and seeing Monaco on there own?


Janis- Glad someones laughing....hahaha Hoping I can still laugh while lugging all the
luggage...LOL

Ed - For Barcelona we are doing a Seqway tour. I thought that would be a good way to see part of the city. I think it's 3 hours and they teach you how to ride at the beginning. The rest of the day we'll be using the Metro or walking to see some of the hot spots (La Rambles, etc).

We have no solid plans for Monaco so we'll probably be the couple that looks lost :) We may just head for a beach that was recommended on TripAdvisor and relax.

Jody and Chris

[GRAMMYTAN]

Buon Giorno everyone. Raised my glass with a Frozen Concoction “to help me hang on,” in a toast single digits, since we leave one week from Tuesday; and to Auburn’s win against TN last night!

I am having WCW this weekend, web cam withdrawal since the satellite problems with the Dream web cam and put us all in the dark. Speaking of WC, look for those signs above your heads while walking in Venice if you need a bathroom (Water closet). They are not easy to spot, so look up-up-up!

Hey Marty, be sure to check with your doc before getting that flu shot, as I understand it is not good to get one if you already have a cold.

Laura, please hang in there until we can all get you on-board to cheer you up. This crazy group and the cruise may be just what you need right now.

Tom- “see you real soon” - remember Spin and Marty?

Clint (Whiteman) - A Walmart?:D Are you by any chance related to Jerry Clower?
Seriously though, I know what you mean about all the luggage. We maxed it out the first time and brought home clothes that still had the price tags on them,:o The driver had such a hard time lifting my big bags, that I told him my grandchildren were in them - I couldn't afford their airline tickets so I packed them. He was NOT amused. If you have prepaid for all of your excursions you should not need a lot of euros, just spending money, tips, a few meals, taxi drivers etc. You should be able to get some at the airport in Rome if you don't want to pre-order them before you leave. It took us 3 days to get ours in from the bank so you better hurry.

Ed- we are going to try and get to Nice/Eze by train or just hang out in Monaco. We loved the scenery and shopping there and the Royal Palace and it’s guards are spectacular. As for Barcelona, we thought the Carnival excursion “Barcelona Highlights & Shopping” sounded good, so we are using the public bus and/or taxis to go first to the Sagrada Familia Church then on to Los Ramblas to shop and have lunch.

I am not the one to set up the Venice Pub Crawl. I did the Burrano Island trip (still room to join) and some of us hope to meet up with the Pub Crawl when we get back to Venice that evening.

DL – I had to LOL when I read about your 4’ x 4’ box of litter for little bitty Valentine! I can’t even imagine having room for a box that size in a little cabin. They must have thought Valentine was a Great Dane!

I checked out the events on Cruise Fellows this morning and we are up to 73 on the Sail-a-way, 63 on the Cabin Crawl, 51 at Café Buza, 25 for the Gift Exchange, and 31 on the Poker Run.

The Poker Run (on ************* site) says “meet in Lobby Bar” but we will be meeting wherever the Cabin Crawl meets up. I understand that the Carnival Capers will give list the meeting place.

Burrano Island group (Elaine & Kathy, Joe & Denise, John & Patti, Lorraine & Reggie, Mary, Nancy & Henry, Ray & Jeanette, Sharon & Jess, Terry & Karen) we will need to meet and be ready to leave the ship as soon as possible once we dock. Why don’t we plan to meet on the Promenade deck at Sam’s Piano Bar at 1:30 PM and once we are all together, we will exit the ship as a group?

[dlbutler5]

Whiteman
The best thing for Euros is to get them from the ATM's in Italy. They don't charge a fee and you get money market rates. The only charge will be from your bank.
Web cams go out on the ships all the time. Most of the time it is the satelite feed.
What flight are you on? I believe we arrive the same time. We are on United 966 and yes, that is Rome time. We will have a 6 hour difference while there until the time change.

[santacruiser1]

hello all yes dibutler5 we also are on UA 966 , thanks for info, we will see you soon!

[Sanjuro]

I remember several pages back someone had a packing list if possible & if you wouldn't mind can you share it with us. I'm trying to minimize Our(Kelley's) luggage...LOL
If you would please email it to: eekconway@yahoo.com


I would like to get this list as well.

Please email to KAGE555@aol.com

Thanks!

[Sanjuro]

In Barcelona, we are taking a cab to Sagrada Familia, then using the metro to get around to the Picasso Museum, La Pedera--which is a building built by Gaudi (very unusual), then lunch at Cerveceria Catalana--highly rated on trip advisor for tapas and sangria, then wanter down La Ramblas and back to the ship.
At least that's the plan--not sure if we can do all of that in one day.

Very similar to our plan, right down to the choice of where to eat lunch LOL.

We are starting with the Ramblas though, and doing the Sagrada Familia later in the day, as well as Parc Guell. The Cathedral is on our list too, and La Pedrera. We are using only our own two feet, Metro, and buses. No taxis unless we run into a timing emergency.

Hope there is enough time to do all that, ha ha.

[Readytocruize]

In Barcelona, we are taking a cab to Sagrada Familia, then using the metro to get around to the Picasso Museum, La Pedera--which is a building built by Gaudi (very unusual), then lunch at Cerveceria Catalana--highly rated on trip advisor for tapas and sangria, then wanter down La Ramblas and back to the ship.
At least that's the plan--not sure if we can do all of that in one day.

For Monaco, we did a private tour with others on this roll call. We had planned on taking the bus to Eze but it doesn't run on Sunday and the tour will get us a bunch of places.

Lindsey and I are planning on wandering around Venice --perhaps we will meet up with our group for the pub crawl. We don't have anything definite planned--just taking a lot of pictures and soaking up the atmosphere. I believe Grammytan has organized a pub crawl.. check cruise fellows.

Jill

Jill, Karen and I don't have anything planned for Barcelona either. Sounds like you have a good day planned, was wondering if we could join y'all...? Our email is tbrant5238@aol.com

[quiltgal24]

Buon Giorno everyone. Raised my glass with a Frozen Concoction “to help me hang on,” in a toast single digits, since we leave one week from Tuesday; and to Auburn’s win against TN last night!

I am having WCW this weekend, web cam withdrawal since the satellite problems with the Dream web cam and put us all in the dark. Speaking of WC, look for those signs above your heads while walking in Venice if you need a bathroom (Water closet). They are not easy to spot, so look up-up-up!

Hey Marty, be sure to check with your doc before getting that flu shot, as I understand it is not good to get one if you already have a cold.

Laura, please hang in there until we can all get you on-board to cheer you up. This crazy group and the cruise may be just what you need right now.

Tom- “see you real soon” - remember Spin and Marty?

Clint (Whiteman) - A Walmart?:D Are you by any chance related to Jerry Clower?
Seriously though, I know what you mean about all the luggage. We maxed it out the first time and brought home clothes that still had the price tags on them,:o The driver had such a hard time lifting my big bags, that I told him my grandchildren were in them - I couldn't afford their airline tickets so I packed them. He was NOT amused. If you have prepaid for all of your excursions you should not need a lot of euros, just spending money, tips, a few meals, taxi drivers etc. You should be able to get some at the airport in Rome if you don't want to pre-order them before you leave. It took us 3 days to get ours in from the bank so you better hurry.

Ed- we are going to try and get to Nice/Eze by train or just hang out in Monaco. We loved the scenery and shopping there and the Royal Palace and it’s guards are spectacular. As for Barcelona, we thought the Carnival excursion “Barcelona Highlights & Shopping” sounded good, so we are using the public bus and/or taxis to go first to the Sagrada Familia Church then on to Los Ramblas to shop and have lunch.

I am not the one to set up the Venice Pub Crawl. I did the Burrano Island trip (still room to join) and some of us hope to meet up with the Pub Crawl when we get back to Venice that evening.

DL – I had to LOL when I read about your 4’ x 4’ box of litter for little bitty Valentine! I can’t even imagine having room for a box that size in a little cabin. They must have thought Valentine was a Great Dane!

I checked out the events on Cruise Fellows this morning and we are up to 73 on the Sail-a-way, 63 on the Cabin Crawl, 51 at Café Buza, 25 for the Gift Exchange, and 31 on the Poker Run.

The Poker Run (on ************* site) says “meet in Lobby Bar” but we will be meeting wherever the Cabin Crawl meets up. I understand that the Carnival Capers will give list the meeting place.

Burrano Island group (Elaine & Kathy, Joe & Denise, John & Patti, Lorraine & Reggie, Mary, Nancy & Henry, Ray & Jeanette, Sharon & Jess, Terry & Karen) we will need to meet and be ready to leave the ship as soon as possible once we dock. Why don’t we plan to meet on the Promenade deck at Sam’s Piano Bar at 1:30 PM and once we are all together, we will exit the ship as a group?






Meeting up on the ship for the Burano trip sounds good. We will be there! We are leaving in 3 days for Paris, then to Rome on the 12th! I can't believe it is finally here! Looking forward to meeting all you wonderful people!
Patti & John

[Readytocruize]

Jeanette, meeting at Sam's piano bar at 1:30 sounds like a plan.

BTW, ROLL TIDE!!! :D

[GRAMMYTAN]

Terry & Karen-
ROLL TIDE!!!

GO AUBURN TIGERS

WHEN NOT PLAYING ALABAMA

[Deanne Willis]

Jeanette, Joe and I will be at Sam's Piano Bar at 1:30pm. Thanks, Denise:)

[mom23guys]

Jeanette,
We want to meet up with you guys for the Burano trip but I think we'll plan on getting off in Murano since we've never been to Italy before. I let you know definitely at the cabin crawl.
Terry

[oceanview585]

Jeanette that is a go for us too to meet at the piano bar.

There are so many things and places to remember I copied and pasted all the ************* info to a doc to print. I tried to print pics and names of everyone and thought I would get the little postage stamp pic like in CruiseFellow but my printer started printing giant pics of everyone so had to forget that.
Organizing a file folder to keep everything straight.
Nancy

[Gatorgirlca]

Jill, Karen and I don't have anything planned for Barcelona either. Sounds like you have a good day planned, was wondering if we could join y'all...? Our email is tbrant5238@aol.com

would love to join you all as well but don't want to impose. if you guys are up for a group outing in barcelona, could you email me at gatorgirl1983@aol.com
thanks,
laura and david

[Gatorgirlca]

Terry & Karen-
ROLL TIDE!!!

GO AUBURN TIGERS

WHEN NOT PLAYING ALABAMA


Hi Jeannette,
Am thrilled to see all these SEC fans!!! Florida has a really tough battle to duke out with all these powerful teams. They were able to do it last year and win the national championship again. Hopefully they can do it this year but whatever happens happens. I was at the national championship game in arizona and got to enjoy that win over ohio state.
I always route for all the SEC teams when they are not playing florida.
See you soon,
Laura

[jilly08]

Hi Everyone,
Sanjuro--maybe we will see you at lunch. :D I have Parc Guell on my list also and if we have time, I'd like to at least see the outside.

Laura, David, Terry and Karen--that would be great! The more the merrier.
I've been studying a map of the Metro and it looks fairly easy to navigate.

We are sharing a cab with Janis and Dick, so maybe you can hook up and share one also. Our thought was to get there first thing to beat the tour busses and hopefully get some great pictures.

I will email you both with a more detailed plan and you can let me know if this interests you.

Lindsey and I leave on Tuesday!!!!!!!! The 10 day forecast for Rome looks perfect.

On a more personal note, my 23 year old son, who lives with me while attending college, broke his foot on Friday night. He and his friends were at a club and a very large, very drunk man stomped on his foot accidentally and he was at the ER from about 1am til dawn. Poor kid. He needs to see an ortho doc ASAP as the hospital only gave him a shoe splint. And it's difficult for him to drive as it's his right leg. He has work and school to try and negotiate. One more thing to worry about while I'm gone. LOL I'm sure he will be fine....but still, that is my baby. LOL

Off to grocery shop for the 'baby' I'll be cleaning out frozen dinners at the grocery store.

take care.
Jill

[vacationnow12524]

Ed - For Barcelona we are doing a Seqway tour. I thought that would be a good way to see part of the city. I think it's 3 hours and they teach you how to ride at the beginning. The rest of the day we'll be using the Metro or walking to see some of the hot spots (La Rambles, etc).

We have no solid plans for Monaco so we'll probably be the couple that looks lost :) We may just head for a beach that was recommended on TripAdvisor and relax.

Jody and Chris


Jody and Chris-
we are also doing a segway tour. we are doing the 10am is that the time you are doing it?

allison and curt

[nickusaf]

Whiteman
The best thing for Euros is to get them from the ATM's in Italy. They don't charge a fee and you get money market rates. The only charge will be from your bank.
Web cams go out on the ships all the time. Most of the time it is the satelite feed.
What flight are you on? I believe we arrive the same time. We are on United 966 and yes, that is Rome time. We will have a 6 hour difference while there until the time change.

dibutler5, We are on flight 966 out of IAD on Oct 13th.

Nick and Joanne

[sassse]

http://johnheald.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/ship_dream_italy_8x10_3.jpg

Don't know if everyone got to see this picture but I thought it was BEAUTIFUL ... got it from google..images and it looks like it was on John Heald's blog... Hope everyone is doing great.. Got back late last night from doing the final walk through down in Arizona so am about 8 pages behind... You all have been quite busy the past couple of days.... Just wanted to share the pic....

Sharon

[dlbutler5]

Nick and Joanne
Our flight arrives the 13th so it looks like we are on different flights.

[sassse]

About to walk out of my office until November! Put up my away message...

I am out of the office for medical reasons. I am having my brain and heart removed so when I return I can form part of the management team.

Just kidding of course! A colleague of mine recommended it...I figured I opted for the more conventional one seeing that I want to have a job when I return!

Thanks for all the well wishes for my wedding, it's a week from tomorrow...I hope I have time to read the board in the meantime, otherwise I'm going to be out of the loop! :):)

Terence


Terence,,,,,, LOVE the away sign... I hope I can think of something that clever without jeopordizing my job... Good luck on everything with the wedding... See you both on the 15th....

Sharon

[CarnivalFan2]

WOO-HOO- Nick, the "Who Dat" mojo worked!! Texans win 29-6! Finally, the defense came to play and what a difference. Salvaged our season :).

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Just 1 more weekend togo, and we'll be using it (3 day weekend for us), to PACK :eek:...

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

[sassse]

Jeanette that is a go for us too to meet at the piano bar.

There are so many things and places to remember I copied and pasted all the ************* info to a doc to print. I tried to print pics and names of everyone and thought I would get the little postage stamp pic like in CruiseFellow but my printer started printing giant pics of everyone so had to forget that.
Organizing a file folder to keep everything straight.
Nancy

Nancy,, I am doing the same thing. I started a small notebook and am trying to put all the day's and information in order, there is so much to remember. I am also putting little notes and hints that I have found on here and in other places. Hope it all makes sense when I read it:confused::confused::confused:

Sharon

[Deanne Willis]

Sharon,
I saw that picture a week or so ago, and liked it so much that you may see it at the Tshirt contest!! Shhhhh...I'm not sure if I can say that!:cool:
We started packing today, also I need to clean, clean , clean, my DS and DIL will be moving in til their new house is ready on the 30th.

Hope we get some reviews soon.

We are leaving in 5 days!

Denise

[nickusaf]

WOO-HOO- Nick, the "Who Dat" mojo worked!! Texans win 29-6! Finally, the defense came to play and what a difference. Salvaged our season :).

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Just 1 more weekend togo, and we'll be using it (3 day weekend for us), to PACK :eek:...

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

The Who Dat mojo worked for the Saints also. Glad to see the Texans won also. Where you able to see any of the Saints game? The Saints defense was great 3 ints. But I thought Bush blow the game with his fumble. I don't know what Payton see in him. He think he is still at UCS. Ed what do you think of the Aints how?
Nick

[nickusaf]

Nick and Joanne
Our flight arrives the 13th so it looks like we are on different flights.

I think that we are at the same hotel in Civi. The Hotel Traiano. If so see you at the Hotel. Marty is also at the same hotel.

Nick and Joanne

[Linny13]

The Who Dat mojo worked for the Saints also. Glad to see the Texans won also. Where you able to see any of the Saints game? The Saints defense was great 3 ints. But I thought Bush blow the game with his fumble. I don't know what Payton see in him. He think he is still at UCS. Ed what do you think of the Aints how?
Nick

Congrats on the win Nick, against our JETS!!! :( Should have taken the bet!!:rolleyes: LOL You have to admit our defense did a GREAT job!! But seriously, we will still have that drink, ok? I am looking forward to it.:)

Linda

[dlbutler5]

Nick and Joanne
Yes we are at the Hotel Traiano. We are in the room just to the left of the desk as you walk in. It is kind of hidden back in the corner. Hopefully someone else is coming in around the same time as we are so it reduces the cost of the shuttle.

[josy777]

Jody and Chris-
we are also doing a segway tour. we are doing the 10am is that the time you are doing it?

allison and curt

I'm guessing we are on the same tour. Is yours with Barcelona Segway Glides? If so, maybe we should meet up before we depart the ship and head over there together?

Jody

[vacationnow12524]

I'm guessing we are on the same tour. Is yours with Barcelona Segway Glides? If so, maybe we should meet up before we depart the ship and head over there together?

Jody


Yes it is with Barcelona Segway Glides...let's meet up and depart together from the ship. We are in room 8472 - lets meet and talk during cabin crawl to determine time and location....

allison

[CarnivalFan2]

Nick and Joanne
Yes we are at the Hotel Traiano. We are in the room just to the left of the desk as you walk in. It is kind of hidden back in the corner. Hopefully someone else is coming in around the same time as we are so it reduces the cost of the shuttle.
Dave & Barbara, Nick & Joanne- yes, Jeanne & I are at Hotel Traiano in Civitavecchia. We have a pick-up arranged at the airport (FCO) with the hotel.

What time do you arrive? We are on Delta Flt# 168 arriving Rome at 10:30 am on 10/14.

That would be great if we were close in arrival time on the 14th, and could cost-share the transfer...

Dave & Barbara - how do you know about your room already at Hotel Traiano?

Nick - btw, WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS/TEXANS? Congrats on the win against the Jets. Saints 4-0, wow...

Marty

[dlbutler5]

Marty
We stayed there last year and ask for the same room. We may have it changed if they need it for another handicapped person. Barb has decided not to take her scooter this year (at this time). That may change again depending how her MS acts up.

[CarnivalFan2]

Marty
We stayed there last year and ask for the same room. We may have it changed if they need it for another handicapped person. Barb has decided not to take her scooter this year (at this time). That may change again depending how her MS acts up.
Thanks Dave. How do you like the hotel?

[mom23guys]

Good and bad day for us footballwise.

Giants:D:D:D Jets:(:(:(

Have to take Mom to the CG base to pick up her meds for while we are away. I need to start making some wardrobe matching groups so I can cut down on everything I have out. I also need to print all my little notes to self.
So much to do, glad I retire.
Terry

[nickusaf]

Dave & Barbara, Nick & Joanne- yes, Jeanne & I are at Hotel Traiano in Civitavecchia. We have a pick-up arranged at the airport (FCO) with the hotel.

What time do you arrive? We are on Delta Flt# 168 arriving Rome at 10:30 am on 10/14.

That would be great if we were close in arrival time on the 14th, and could cost-share the transfer...

Dave & Barbara - how do you know about your room already at Hotel Traiano?

Nick - btw, WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS/TEXANS? Congrats on the win against the Jets. Saints 4-0, wow...

Marty

Marty we arrive on United 966 at 8:45 AM . BIL and SIL arrive on US Air flight 718 at 8:50 AM. We have a 4 person suite at the hotel.

[dlbutler5]

Marty & Jeanne
We thought it was pretty nice. Very friendly people, clean rooms and good service. If the same guy picks us up at the airport, you wouldn't think he was the driver from a hotel. He is very nice and helpful though.

[eekconway]

Nick - Congrats on the win... Looks like no calling them the Aint's this year...Our defense held the #1 Offense in check but who da thought that we would get manhandled by the defense. You got a good team there & hope we get 2 meet them again. All in all the jets still doing way better than I thought so far with a ROOKIE QB.

[wyomingirl]

Hi Everyone,

Back from a busy weekend and thinking oh no I only have one more weekend to get everything together, I better hurry.

Marty-yes it is cold here. Got snow again last night and were under a fog advisory. Good news is looks like Tuesday next week is clear so far for flying.

Saturday was beautiful in Denver around 65 deg with no wind but I forgot how much those roller coasters jar your body. I am feeling everyone of those rides:D

Yesterday really busy too with cake and coffee for my husbands birthday. Had family over so there were 16 of us chatting away and everyone asking a million questions about getting ready to leave. They are all excited for us too.

Okay I just have to say this BRONCOS UNDEFEATED so long Dallas Cowboys:)

Had my adult beverage and still wondering why those web cams are down. Jeannette thanks for contacting the people of Sicily and sending well wishes.

Better get back to work only 5 more days.

Anna

[josy777]

Yes it is with Barcelona Segway Glides...let's meet up and depart together from the ship. We are in room 8472 - lets meet and talk during cabin crawl to determine time and location....

allison

Great! We're in cabin 2341. I checked out your information on Cruise Fellows. I think you are the only other couple on boards from MN. See you at the cabin crawl.

Jody

[lmlt]

Grammytan,

Would like to join the trip to Burrano, will meet you all at 1:30 at the piano bar. I am anytime dining, Cabin #8235.

My brother passed away Sat., he was in intensive care almost three weeks. He had diabetes, which caused many other problems, he was only 61, so this will be a very difficult week.

Lydia

[ickz]

Dave & Barbara, Nick & Joanne- yes, Jeanne & I are at Hotel Traiano in Civitavecchia. We have a pick-up arranged at the airport (FCO) with the hotel.

What time do you arrive? We are on Delta Flt# 168 arriving Rome at 10:30 am on 10/14.

That would be great if we were close in arrival time on the 14th, and could cost-share the transfer...

Dave & Barbara - how do you know about your room already at Hotel Traiano?

Nick - btw, WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS/TEXANS? Congrats on the win against the Jets. Saints 4-0, wow...

Marty

Well, it looks like we'll be sharing a transfer! We're on the same flight, and staying at Hotel Traiano as well.

[dlbutler5]

ICKZ
What day are you arriving? We arrive on the 13th.

[ickz]

We arrive at 10:30am on the 14th.

[dlbutler5]

So you will be arriving the day after us.

[jebl]

HOLEY MOLEY, I'VE GOT THE SINGLE DIGIT FIDGIT!!!!

Can't believe that we leave a week from Wed. At one time I thought this time would never come and now the days are racing by.

Read the latest post on the Inaugural board and it sounds like a great ship. Hope the bugs are worked out by the 15th.

[GRAMMYTAN]

Grammytan,

Would like to join the trip to Burrano, will meet you all at 1:30 at the piano bar. I am anytime dining, Cabin #8235.

My brother passed away Sat., he was in intensive care almost three weeks. He had diabetes, which caused many other problems, he was only 61, so this will be a very difficult week.

Lydia

Lydia,
We would love to have you join us. I don't know if you have signed up on Cruise Fellows or not, but there is also a place to join events there.

So sorry to hear about your brother. We will keep you in our prayers during this difficult time.


Someone posted a few days back that they had the directions to Buza (from the video) available and I can't remember who. If you see this post, please e-mail them to me: GRAMMYTAN@aol.comThanks

[CarnivalFan2]

Lydia - Jeanne & I would like to pass on our condolences wrt your brother. Our prayers are with you & your family.

Judy - thanks, I'll check it out. Steelers looked dominating again :eek:. I'm just happy the Texans won :)...

Ickz - great news, more DoD's :D!! The quote I had for the transfer was 110E. Mmm, let me go do the exchange at the current rate (be right back)...$161/4 = $ 40 pp (it would've been $80 pp for just 2). Is that what you have? Great we're on the exact same flight! I'm sure we'll see you at JFK.

Btw - I agree with you; our arrival is definitely 10/14 because we take off from NY at 7:20 pm on the 13th, so we advance a day with the time change (talk about jet lag :eek:).

Marty

[nickusaf]

Nick - Congrats on the win... Looks like no calling them the Aint's this year...Our defense held the #1 Offense in check but who da thought that we would get manhandled by the defense. You got a good team there & hope we get 2 meet them again. All in all the jets still doing way better than I thought so far with a ROOKIE QB.

Thank you eekconway for the Congrats. Worry they still have to face Manning and the Gaints the weekend we are on the cruise. The Gaints look great seen them beat Dallas i really enjoyed that.

Nick

[ickz]

Lydia - Jeanne & I would like to pass on our condolences wrt your brother. Our prayers are with you & your family.

Judy - thanks, I'll check it out. Steelers looked dominating again :eek:. I'm just happy the Texans won :)...

Ickz - great news, more DoD's :D!! The quote I had for the transfer was 110E. Mmm, let me go do the exchange at the current rate (be right back)...$161/4 = $ 40 pp (it would've been $80 pp for just 2). Is that what you have? Great we're on the exact same flight! I'm sure we'll see you at JFK.

Btw - I agree with you; our arrival is definitely 10/14 because we take off from NY at 7:20 pm on the 13th, so we advance a day with the time change (talk about jet lag :eek:).

Marty

Great! That's the price we were told for both of us, and they said they would lower it so that's fantastic. I'm always really nervous about delays (We have a 40 minute layover in SLC, luckily we have a 3 hour layover in JFK if anything goes wrong..and all 3 flights are Delta), so I wanted to make sure we get in with enough time, plus I'm curious how jetlagged we'll be.

I'm starting to get excited. I have all of my reservations and everything all printed out. Still not entirely sure how we're getting to the Rome Marriott Park Hotel after the cruise, but that'll get figured out somehow.

Just need to pack and get some kind of backpack/case for my camera, and I suppose one of those passport holders that go around the neck.

[Sanjuro]

Quick question:

On the cruise documents we each get on the Carnival website, there is a section where we sign, called "Data Process Acknowledgment".

There is a box that can be checked to "opt out" of Carnival sharing our information. Are most of you checking that box or not? I'm not sure what to do?

[CarnivalFan2]

Great! That's the price we were told for both of us, and they said they would lower it so that's fantastic. I'm always really nervous about delays (We have a 40 minute layover in SLC, luckily we have a 3 hour layover in JFK if anything goes wrong..and all 3 flights are Delta), so I wanted to make sure we get in with enough time, plus I'm curious how jetlagged we'll be.

I'm starting to get excited. I have all of my reservations and everything all printed out. Still not entirely sure how we're getting to the Rome Marriott Park Hotel after the cruise, but that'll get figured out somehow.

Just need to pack and get some kind of backpack/case for my camera, and I suppose one of those passport holders that go around the neck.
Ickz - thanks. We have a long lay-over at JFK. Related to using our freq flier miles. For transfer from the ship to a Rome hotel after the cruise, we are using Airport Connection Service (ACS). They do tranfers all over Italy, not just to/from the airport. Here is their website:

http://www.airportconnection.it/

Hope this helps...

Marty

[ickz]

Quick question:

On the cruise documents we each get on the Carnival website, there is a section where we sign, called "Data Process Acknowledgment".

There is a box that can be checked to "opt out" of Carnival sharing our information. Are most of you checking that box or not? I'm not sure what to do?

I'll check that. I have no reason to want a company to send other companies any of my information. I'm sure its just for marketing purposes.

[luvcdays]

Grammytan,

Would like to join the trip to Burrano, will meet you all at 1:30 at the piano bar. I am anytime dining, Cabin #8235.

My brother passed away Sat., he was in intensive care almost three weeks. He had diabetes, which caused many other problems, he was only 61, so this will be a very difficult week.

Lydia

Lydia,

We are very sorry to hear about your brothers passing. Our hearts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

Janis & Dick

[luvcdays]

Jeanette -

I believe it is Maureen that has the directions to Buza all typed up.



Liney - Where are you???

Janis

[CarnivalFan2]

Jeanette -

I believe it is Maureen that has the directions to Buza all typed up.



Liney - Where are you???

Janis
Hi Janis - I have sent Cafe Buza a couple e-mails asking about possibly reserving some space/tables for our group (51). However, I have had no reply.

Maybe I'll post on the Inaugural thread and ask if there were any groups at Cafe Buza and how they handled it. What do you think?

Marty

[jilly08]

All,
Miss Lindsey and I are leaving tomorrow evening --- I am beyond excited and so is she. I'm exhausted trying to get everything ready. Just got in from shopping for those last minute clothes for Lindsey.

I will start packing tonight and finish tomorrow morning. If I forget it, I'm not worried--we can always buy another one. LOL That's my philosophy anyway.

See you all at sail-away.
Safe travels to all.

Jill and Lindsey

[Tink413]

Awesome! is it really time???? I cant beleive it, I got goosebumps hearing you leave tomorrow. Have a great flight and pre-cruise event you have planned. Cant wait to meet you.

See you on the boat!

debi

[oceanview585]

Jill and Lindsey...Have a safe trip. Seeya at sailaway too!

Glad to see a great review. It is all in the expectations. The ship will be wonderful. I expect a few hiccups here and there.

Lydia..so sorry about your brother. He would sure want you to have a good time and relax.
Nancy

[CarnivalFan2]

Jill & Lindsey - WOW! I can't believe members of Sogno, Sogno, Sogno are headed "across the pond" already! Have a safe and wonderful flight and Jeanne & I will see you at sail-away!

All- reviews are starting to come in on the Inaugural thread. The last one was a very positive review :rolleyes:...

Marty & Jeanne

[luvcdays]

Hi Janis - I have sent Cafe Buza a couple e-mails asking about possibly reserving some space/tables for our group (51). However, I have had no reply.

Maybe I'll post on the Inaugural thread and ask if there were any groups at Cafe Buza and how they handled it. What do you think?

Marty

Hey Marty,

I am wondering how many people the place holds? From the pictures I have seen, it doesn't look very big. I think we will be fine just showing up though.

Janis

[luvcdays]

All,
Miss Lindsey and I are leaving tomorrow evening --- I am beyond excited and so is she. I'm exhausted trying to get everything ready. Just got in from shopping for those last minute clothes for Lindsey.

I will start packing tonight and finish tomorrow morning. If I forget it, I'm not worried--we can always buy another one. LOL That's my philosophy anyway.

See you all at sail-away.
Safe travels to all.

Jill and Lindsey

Jilly,

We can't wait to meet you and Lindsey...Have a nice flight and have fun in Rome & Florence.

Janis & Dick

[mom23guys]

Lydia,
So sorry to hear about your brother. Sympathy and prayers to your family.

Jill,
Have a safe trip. I know I don't have to tell you to have a great time because I know you will.

I got a call from the upsell dept. They offered me a penthouse suite. I was thinking of doing this until he told me the cost. $2000 more. I'm happy with my aft balcony on Empress deck but that suite would have been sweet.
I started to put some things in suitcases and iron some slacks.
It really is getting close
Terry

[GRAMMYTAN]

Jilly, how exciting for you and Lindsey to be leaving tomorrow. Wishing you safe travels and plenty of rest on the plane. You deserve it after all the work you have done for all of us.

See you at the sail a way.

We leave 1 week from tomorrow and don't come home till Halloween-WooHoo!!!:D.

[Terence81]

Arrived in St Louis yesterday, picked up our marriage license and "wedding week" began! Saturday will come and go quickly...once next Tuesday arrives we'll be off to Rome...via Newark. Not sure if anyone else is flying Continental on the 13th...but perhaps we'll see some of you en route over. Otherwise onboard the Dream on the 15th!

Looks like I'm going to get about 1/3 of our luggage space...somehow that felt like a victory to me! We'll see if that estimate holds...:D:D

Terence

[jilly08]

Thanks for the wishes everyone. :D
Just got finished about 90% of the packing--I'm exhausted. We are managing with 1 large suitcase and 1 large carry-on and a tote bag each.
The large suitcase weighs about 45 pounds on my scale and the small one 35. There is still plenty of room in the large bag for anything we buy over there.. just hope they don't weigh the sucker on the way home. LOL If so, I packed a nylon bag that unfolds to a decent size and we will carry it on.

Off to sleep..........and sogno, sogno, sogno.........

Ciao & Arrivederci all
Jill and Lindsey

[Deanne Willis]

Jill, Safe travels, and thanks for all the tour organizing posts! I'm looking forward to meeting you and Lindsey on the 15th!:D
Denise

[jebl]

Jill and any others leaving this week, safe travels and we'll see you on the Dream.

[yooperwoody]

Wow, it's so exciting seeing members of our group leaving already! I know I missed saying safe travels to Mary. Hopefully Jill will check one last time before they leave. If so....Have a smooth, safe ride across the pond to Jill and Lindsey!

Marty - Yes getting cooler, our forcast this week has "wintry mix" in it.:mad: However, the forcast for Rome looks excellent! BTW, we're not on the same flight, but we arrive in Rome the same time (10:30) as you. We'll look for you at baggage claim. We're supposed to have a driver there waiting for us holding a sign with our name on it. Oh, I shouldn't have told you that..DON'T STEAL OUR DRIVER.

Lydia - our sympathies to your family about your brother.

Judy - I love your "single digit fidgit". Can I use it too? I cracked up. There is no better way to describe how I'm feeling right now.

Jeanette - I had the those directions Cafe Buza emailed to me. I'll forward them to you.

Terrence - I hope your wedding day is filled with joy and happiness. Have a great weekend. We'll see you on the ship (or will we? ;)).

Well I think I got caught up on all my shout outs.

My oldest son and family are moving to D.C. He was offered a job at the Dept. of Interior so there's a going away party in Lansing on Friday. So, another trip to the land of the trolls before our trip. We have to go and get stocked up on kisses and hugs from the grandkids. We definitely are going to have to subscribe to skype now. :(

Oh, I know I should know this, but are we supposed to take our passports with us when get off the ship at the ports? :o

Playoff game today between the Twins and the Tigers today. Go Tigers! Yes, there's still baseball being played. And, what's even better, I'm not embarrassed to root for the Tigers!

Have a great day Dreamers!

[GRAMMYTAN]

Good morning all. One week from today we are headed to the Big Easy to hop on the Big Bird. Since we arrive at 8:45 on the 14th and will be waiting in the airport for a couple of hours waiting for Shala & Eunice, we might just roam aroud the Rome airport trying to spot some of you as you arrive.:)..

Maureen I got your email on the Cafe Buza directions. Thank you.

Vicki I don't remember taking our passports into any of the ports last time. I believe they will post in the capers any ports where you might need to do that. I scanned ours into a computer doc and printed out the first page in full color and made several copies for us. I am going to put a copy of ours in our wallets and leave a copy here in case we need them.

I wish they would get the webcam up again. I am wondering if the satellite problem is also keeping the internet down on the ship. No one has posted from the current cruise for a couple of days.

Has anyone been able to find any info on whether other ships are stopping in Messina?

Does anyone want to meet for dinner in Civi on the 14th? I think we might try the Aqua Restaurant. We are staying at Hotel Bramante.

[nickusaf]

Good morning all. One week from today we are headed to the Big Easy to hop on the Big Bird. Since we arrive at 8:45 on the 14th and will be waiting in the airport for a couple of hours waiting for Shala & Eunice, we might just roam aroud the Rome airport trying to spot some of you as you arrive.:)..

Maureen I got your email on the Cafe Buza directions. Thank you.

Vicki I don't remember taking our passports into any of the ports last time. I believe they will post in the capers any ports where you might need to do that. I scanned ours into a computer doc and printed out the first page in full color and made several copies for us. I am going to put a copy of ours in our wallets and leave a copy here in case we need them.

I wish they would get the webcam up again. I am wondering if the satellite problem is also keeping the internet down on the ship. No one has posted from the current cruise for a couple of days.

Has anyone been able to find any info on whether other ships are stopping in Messina?

Does anyone want to meet for dinner in Civi on the 14th? I think we might try the Aqua Restaurant. We are staying at Hotel Bramante.

Most likely see you at the Big Easy Airport we fly out at 12:30 PM United. My SIL and BIL, Pat and Richard are on the same flight as you U.S. Air you will most likely see them on the flight. We arrive 5 min before you in Rome. We are all staying at the Hotel Traiano in Civi.

Nick and Joanne,

[dlbutler5]

Vicki
We take our passports with us everywhere overseas. We carry a safe pouch that goes around your neck and has wire in the strap. You never know when something will happen, (ie get sick, miss the ship for some reason, or get arrested like the Antigua 6). This thing also acts as our wallet nad is flexible enough to hold a digital camera when you need your hands free.

[magicmatt]

I just got finished with the Inaugural Cruise on the Dream and it was fabulous. With few exceptions, Carnival provided a fantastic cruise experience for us. I don't want to ruin any surprises but I'll give a quick run-down on what to expect.

The ship is huge, no doubt. It took us a few days to properly orient ourselves so we could find everything. The staff was both friendly and helpful. Tons of stuff to do and activities to participate in. Enough for everyone, old and young, to enjoy. Theater shows were top-notch, especially the dancing shows. The magician was mediocre at best (being a magician myself, I'm a bit biased). Variety was good. Comedy acts were enjoyable as well. I like the fact that they played both family and uncensored shows.

The only complaints I have about the ship were that the hot-tubs they promoted were not working for the entire cruise. Hopefully that will be fixed by the time you sail. Also, the elevators are extremely slow. Guest Services always had a huge line. And we only received towel animals on two days.

Naples - enjoyed ourselves there, climbing Mt. Vesuvius and visiting Pompeii. Pompeii is amazing. Could easily spend a day exploring the place. The volcano was fun as well, a much more difficult climb than meets the eye. Beware the drivers in Naples. If you are prone to motion sickness, take something with you.

Dubrovnik - more beautiful than I expected. Greeted off the ship by pretty local girls dressed in native garb handing out candies and goodies. Also the marching band made me feel like a celebrity. One of my favorite ports, for sure. We went sea-kayaking on a private excursion and climbed the walls. A very beautiful place for sure.

Venice - Another of my favorite places. Such charm here. We did all the expected things and saw all the tourist sites. Glass factory in Murano was fun but the salespeople a bit pushy. Gondola ride was unforgettable. I loved it here.

Sicily - don't waste your time with the Mt. Etna at 2900meters excursion. Half the time you can't see anything and they won't give you your money back. We were fortunate to recover $100 total but at $200 each it was a very expensive lunch. You'd be better off going to Taormino or seeing Etna at a lower elevation. Trust me on this.

Barcelona - beautiful city, but not at port lon enough to really enjoy everything. The market was awesome. Every kind of food and fish and fruit and cheese. Las Ramblas is neat too but watch the gypsies and your pockets. I know a few people got pickpocketed and lost everything. We rented a bike and rode the city all over.

Monaco - probably the most wealth I've ever seen in one place. Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Bentley's, and even an Excalibur driving along the streets among BMWs and Rolls Royces. We went through Nice and Eze and really enjoyed the beauty of the French Riviera. Monaco was nice too. I suggest you take the water taxi (1 euro per ticket) as the walk is rather long. Monte Carlo was fun too.

Florence - another of my favorite places. So much to see and not enough time. Pisa was cool, as were the narrow streets. Seeing the original David was inspiring. You'll enjoy it here, for sure.

There were tons of details I will leave for you to figure out on your own. You'll enjoy the cruise. My only suggestions, if you're careful, you will save a ton of money and have much more fun touring on your own or with other private groups. The cruise excursions were large and unfortunately rushed. I heard from several people that they didn't get enough time to even take good pictures they were so rushed.

I took mostly private tours formed with people I met here on Cruise Critic, and all of them went without a hitch. my drivers and guides met us at the pier and were extremely knowledgeable and spoke good English.

I strongly suggest if you're going to tour Roma that you hire a driver through Felippo of rome-tours.org. He was fantastic and his prices couldn't be matched by any of the other companies I came across. having used his services twice and that of Rome Limo once, I will highly recommend Felippo over Rome Limo.

If you throw him my name, he will give you an excellent deal because I was able to put together a couple tours for him on our cruise last week. He was pleased and so were those that I gathered. Feel free to contact me if you need a first-hand testimonial. My name is Matt Reynolds. If you're looking for excellent tours in Roma at a very reasonable rate, get back to me and I will help you set it up.

Good luck to you all. Enjoy your cruise and Europe. I know we certainly did. I'm already planning my next cruise experience, hopefully next time we'll try going to Turkey, Greece, and maybe Egypt. Have fun!

[Onetrufan]

I heard back from Regina from Carnival this morning and she gave me the location for our meet & greet --


MEET & GREET
SATURDAY, OCT. 17
2:00 P.M.
CALIENTE DISCO
PROMENADE DECK

[luvcdays]

I just got finished with the Inaugural Cruise on the Dream and it was fabulous. With few exceptions, Carnival provided a fantastic cruise experience for us. I don't want to ruin any surprises but I'll give a quick run-down on what to expect.

The ship is huge, no doubt. It took us a few days to properly orient ourselves so we could find everything. The staff was both friendly and helpful. Tons of stuff to do and activities to participate in. Enough for everyone, old and young, to enjoy. Theater shows were top-notch, especially the dancing shows. The magician was mediocre at best (being a magician myself, I'm a bit biased). Variety was good. Comedy acts were enjoyable as well. I like the fact that they played both family and uncensored shows.

The only complaints I have about the ship were that the hot-tubs they promoted were not working for the entire cruise. Hopefully that will be fixed by the time you sail. Also, the elevators are extremely slow. Guest Services always had a huge line. And we only received towel animals on two days.

Naples - enjoyed ourselves there, climbing Mt. Vesuvius and visiting Pompeii. Pompeii is amazing. Could easily spend a day exploring the place. The volcano was fun as well, a much more difficult climb than meets the eye. Beware the drivers in Naples. If you are prone to motion sickness, take something with you.

Dubrovnik - more beautiful than I expected. Greeted off the ship by pretty local girls dressed in native garb handing out candies and goodies. Also the marching band made me feel like a celebrity. One of my favorite ports, for sure. We went sea-kayaking on a private excursion and climbed the walls. A very beautiful place for sure.

Venice - Another of my favorite places. Such charm here. We did all the expected things and saw all the tourist sites. Glass factory in Murano was fun but the salespeople a bit pushy. Gondola ride was unforgettable. I loved it here.

Sicily - don't waste your time with the Mt. Etna at 2900meters excursion. Half the time you can't see anything and they won't give you your money back. We were fortunate to recover $100 total but at $200 each it was a very expensive lunch. You'd be better off going to Taormino or seeing Etna at a lower elevation. Trust me on this.

Barcelona - beautiful city, but not at port lon enough to really enjoy everything. The market was awesome. Every kind of food and fish and fruit and cheese. Las Ramblas is neat too but watch the gypsies and your pockets. I know a few people got pickpocketed and lost everything. We rented a bike and rode the city all over.

Monaco - probably the most wealth I've ever seen in one place. Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Bentley's, and even an Excalibur driving along the streets among BMWs and Rolls Royces. We went through Nice and Eze and really enjoyed the beauty of the French Riviera. Monaco was nice too. I suggest you take the water taxi (1 euro per ticket) as the walk is rather long. Monte Carlo was fun too.

Florence - another of my favorite places. So much to see and not enough time. Pisa was cool, as were the narrow streets. Seeing the original David was inspiring. You'll enjoy it here, for sure.

There were tons of details I will leave for you to figure out on your own. You'll enjoy the cruise. My only suggestions, if you're careful, you will save a ton of money and have much more fun touring on your own or with other private groups. The cruise excursions were large and unfortunately rushed. I heard from several people that they didn't get enough time to even take good pictures they were so rushed.

I took mostly private tours formed with people I met here on Cruise Critic, and all of them went without a hitch. my drivers and guides met us at the pier and were extremely knowledgeable and spoke good English.

I strongly suggest if you're going to tour Roma that you hire a driver through Felippo of rome-tours.org. He was fantastic and his prices couldn't be matched by any of the other companies I came across. having used his services twice and that of Rome Limo once, I will highly recommend Felippo over Rome Limo.

If you throw him my name, he will give you an excellent deal because I was able to put together a couple tours for him on our cruise last week. He was pleased and so were those that I gathered. Feel free to contact me if you need a first-hand testimonial. My name is Matt Reynolds. If you're looking for excellent tours in Roma at a very reasonable rate, get back to me and I will help you set it up.

Good luck to you all. Enjoy your cruise and Europe. I know we certainly did. I'm already planning my next cruise experience, hopefully next time we'll try going to Turkey, Greece, and maybe Egypt. Have fun!

Magicmatt,

Thank you so much for all of this info. We're glad to hear you had a great time. We have all of our private excursions set up and can't wait.

Happy cruising.

[luvcdays]

I heard back from Regina from Carnival this morning and she gave me the location for our meet & greet --


MEET & GREET
SATURDAY, OCT. 17
2:00 P.M.
CALIENTE DISCO

PROMENADE DECK


That's great Maureen!

Jeanette - Can you email the password again so I can change the meeting location on Cruise Fellows.

Thanks
Janis

[jebl]

Maureen,

Could you please send me the directions to Cafe Buzza; jebl39@msn.com.

Thanks a bunch and also for the Meet & Greet.

After reading Magicmatt's review I can't wait to get on board.

[ckh2001]

Maureen,
If you still have the directions for Buza could you please email them to me.
Thanks.

Connie
chughes2001@gmail.com

[GRAMMYTAN]

Nick & Joanne - We will be on US Air out of NO at 12:55, so maybe we will see you there.

Matt - Thanks for a great review - we can't wait.

Maureen - glad to see the M&G post - thanks

Janis - will do on password

[Mark2]

We just left the Dream on the weekend and will have a review posted shortly. We just wanted to add this comment to your board in case anyone was looking for a tour on the port call in Monaco. These comments won`t be relevant for the remaining Dream cruises.

Following up on a recommendation on another CC board we organized a private tour of Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze, Nice and St Paul de Vence with Revelation tours.
The driver met us at the pier. He drove us around and provided an informative narrative throughout. It was about 8 hours and we had time to walk around Eze, Nice, St Paul and Monte Carlo with some very picturesque views and photo stops along the way. We went to a number of small scenic lookouts where buses would not have stopped. We chose not to stop for a long lunch meal, but just had a quick meal along the way in Nice. We were in a van than can hold up to 8 people. You can tailor your tour based on your time available and what you want to see. Very professional and we recommend then highly. - www.revelation-tours.com

We know this could be short notice, but the tour company was very prompt and helpful in responding to our questions. Have a great cruise!

[eekconway]

If any of you have Ipod's or I phones, there are a decent amount of Free apps for some of our ports, I've gotten 1 for Barcelona, Monaco, and several for Rome... I havent checked for any others yet but worth a look if you have one.

Terrance- enjoy & embrace the upcoming somewhat organized chaos.LOL remember nothing will go perfect but evrything WILL WORK out no matter many little annoying come up & are thrown at ya. Try 2 keep the bride calm & keep yourself properly hydrated(I suggest Amstel light, I drank that stuff like gatoraide that day, it was the hottest 65degrees I've ever felt...LOL). In all seriousness enjoy it & take a min for just you & her and HAVE FUN!!! See you soon

Ed

[BiggyMac]

Okay I just have to say this BRONCOS UNDEFEATED so long Dallas Cowboys:)

Anna[/quote]

Oaky, now be NICE! That's AMERICA'S TEAM you're DISSING!! GO COWBOYS! WOOHOO!

John & Sonia

[luvcdays]

We just left the Dream on the weekend and will have a review posted shortly. We just wanted to add this comment to your board in case anyone was looking for a tour on the port call in Monaco. These comments won`t be relevant for the remaining Dream cruises.

Following up on a recommendation on another CC board we organized a private tour of Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze, Nice and St Paul de Vence with Revelation tours.
The driver met us at the pier. He drove us around and provided an informative narrative throughout. It was about 8 hours and we had time to walk around Eze, Nice, St Paul and Monte Carlo with some very picturesque views and photo stops along the way. We went to a number of small scenic lookouts where buses would not have stopped. We chose not to stop for a long lunch meal, but just had a quick meal along the way in Nice. We were in a van than can hold up to 8 people. You can tailor your tour based on your time available and what you want to see. Very professional and we recommend then highly. - www.revelation-tours.com (http://www.revelation-tours.com)

We know this could be short notice, but the tour company was very prompt and helpful in responding to our questions. Have a great cruise!

Mark,

Thanks for the heads up on revelation Tours. Eight of us have Michel booked for our day in Monaco. We can't wait, since his reviews are always amazing!

I hope we will get to read your review before we leave in 5 days...

[Mark2]

1. Frank was our driver from Revelation. No doubt they all do a great job.

2. Meet and Greet. Glad to see that you have a dedicated location for your M&G. Ours was scheduled in Ocean Plaza on Deck 5, but there was also a Trivia Game going on at the same time adjacent to our M&G, so it wouldn't have worked out with everyone in our group talking while they were trying to do the Trivia. We moved 3 times and settled in the Piano Bar. We were told that it was scheduled at the Ocean Plaza so it would be close to a bar, but at least they have fixed that for your cruise.

3. Our review is posted in the Review section.

Hoping you all have great weather! Enjoy.

[CarnivalFan2]

John & Sonia - wrong Texas team...GO TEXANS!

Terence - again congrats! Great advice from Ed! See you at sail-away :)!

Maureen - thanks for setting up the M&G and getting a great location! Maybe the Texas Two-steppin' will start early!! Also, may I also have the Cafe Buza directions e-mailed to me? Thanks...

Magicmatt - thanks for posting your review on this thread! As if we weren't fired up enough :rolleyes:...

Vicki & Gordie - that's right, we doing the same hotel in Rome (Hotel Cosmopolita), but on diffent ends of the cruise. Btw, "Motor City Kitties" clinging to a 3-2 lead, top of the 7th. Yes, see you & Gordie at the baggage claim at FCO; we'll look for the Yooper Thongos :eek:...

Janis - thanks, I agree, we'll just show up. I'm sure to clear the place out once I break out my Songo Thongo :eek::o...

For anyone else heading over "across the pond" early, have safe flights and we'll see you at the sail-away! Jeanne & I are looking forward to meeting y'all (<-Texas license).

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

P.S Vicki- Twinkies just hit a 2-run homer to take the lead :-O

[luvcdays]

1. Frank was our driver from Revelation. No doubt they all do a great job.

2. Meet and Greet. Glad to see that you have a dedicated location for your M&G. Ours was scheduled in Ocean Plaza on Deck 5, but there was also a Trivia Game going on at the same time adjacent to our M&G, so it wouldn't have worked out with everyone in our group talking while they were trying to do the Trivia. We moved 3 times and settled in the Piano Bar. We were told that it was scheduled at the Ocean Plaza so it would be close to a bar, but at least they have fixed that for your cruise.

3. Our review is posted in the Review section.

Hoping you all have great weather! Enjoy.


Great review over in the review section. Wow, a black photo folder!! Hang on to that!!! All of us on the Dream, Dream, Dream roll call consider your cruise the inaugural. I'm sorry they didn't make it seem like one for all of you. We watched you on the web cam every day until it broke. Hopefully they will get it working again..

[ncgrammie4]

Vicki
We take our passports with us everywhere overseas. We carry a safe pouch that goes around your neck and has wire in the strap. You never know when something will happen, (ie get sick, miss the ship for some reason, or get arrested like the Antigua 6). This thing also acts as our wallet nad is flexible enough to hold a digital camera when you need your hands free.

I thought that the ship collected the passports when we got on. We have also purchased safe pouches, and have made copies to take with us when we go on shore. Do you know if this is true?
Gail

[mommom1]

I have a question about the meet and greet, how do you sign up for it I did not see a sign up on *************? I signed up for the sail away and the cabin crawl already. Thanks mommom1-Vicki

[Linny13]

We just left the Dream on the weekend and will have a review posted shortly. We just wanted to add this comment to your board in case anyone was looking for a tour on the port call in Monaco. These comments won`t be relevant for the remaining Dream cruises.

Following up on a recommendation on another CC board we organized a private tour of Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze, Nice and St Paul de Vence with Revelation tours.
The driver met us at the pier. He drove us around and provided an informative narrative throughout. It was about 8 hours and we had time to walk around Eze, Nice, St Paul and Monte Carlo with some very picturesque views and photo stops along the way. We went to a number of small scenic lookouts where buses would not have stopped. We chose not to stop for a long lunch meal, but just had a quick meal along the way in Nice. We were in a van than can hold up to 8 people. You can tailor your tour based on your time available and what you want to see. Very professional and we recommend then highly. - www.revelation-tours.com (http://www.revelation-tours.com)

We know this could be short notice, but the tour company was very prompt and helpful in responding to our questions. Have a great cruise!

We have the same tour booked with dream tours that holds 8. We are currently 4, so if anyone is interested, please let me know soon, so I can call Alain and Jean Marc. We used them 5 years ago and they were FABULOUS!!!:D 8 people is 600 euro or 75 each. You can e-mail me at pernal@stjohns.edu :)

We also have a Tuscany tour with room for 4 to San Gigmanano, Siena and Pisa if there is time ..

Room for 2 in Messina going to Taormina, greek theater, an authentic Italian lunch...

And also another to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello (No Pompeii) with room for 4!:)

Maureen- can you send me directions to Buza please?

Terrance...Congrats on your wedding! Enjoy every second of this wonderful wedding week! Try to keep the bride calm!;)

Lydia, please accept our sympathy.

All, we are leaving JFK on the 13th arriving Rome 8 am on the 14th!! It is coming very FAST now!!!!

8 days till:
Sogno, Sogno, Sogno!!!

See you all at sailaway!:D:D

Linda & Mike

[Liney1982]

Jeanette -

I believe it is Maureen that has the directions to Buza all typed up.



Liney - Where are you???

Janis


I'm HERE!!!!!

Spending a few hours tonight trying desperately to catch up. I think I have all of the information about our meeting places and am looking forward to meeting you all.

I can't believe we are in the single digits! So excited now!

Have a great week everyone!

Liney :)

[mom23guys]

Mark2 Thanks for the great review. I think our room will be a few doors down from yours on the aft.

Linney13, I don't remmeber if I told you I grew up in Jersey City, NJ before moving to Bergen County. We finally ended up in Cape May, by way of Colorado and Nebraska.

Terry

[Texas2]

Maureen,
If you still have the directions for Buza could you please email them to me.
Thanks.

Connie
chughes2001@gmail.com

Will someone who knows tell us if these directions are to the Buza Cafe we are going to in Debrovnik? One is from U-Tube, and one is from TripAdvisor.com

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/how-to-get-there-buza/2758909855

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g295371-c4674/Dubrovnik:Croatia:Buza.Cafe.How.To.Find.It..html

Thanks!

Lorraine

[Onetrufan]

Lorraine,

I just emailed you a copy of the directions to Cafe Buza.

Maureen

[Onetrufan]

Vicki,

There isn't a sign up for the Meet & Greet -- everyone who is a member of this roll call is invited to attend.

Maureen

[dlbutler5]

Gail
They don't collect passports when you board the ship. Now, your hotel will take them for a while to register you with the govt. The only time I think they collect passports is in the Caribbean and that is non-US ones. Copies of your passport are nice but not accepted as ID. It will help at a US embassy if you are left behind or need assistance.

[dlbutler5]

By the way. Did anyone notice that the Carnival Dream was the only ship listed with just one night of Halloween celebration. John listed the nights in his blog yesterday and the Carnival Dream is only going to celebrate on Oct. 27. So you guys won't get a halloween party. That really blows, wonder why only the Carnival Dream?

[GRAMMYTAN]

Good Morning everyone on Hump Day. There are a few more postings over on the inaugural board.

Marty did you see the response there to your post "what if you're naked in the hottub" question? BTW, someone suggested Andrea Bocelli. I have several of his songs on mine and Ray's MP3's already and you are welcome to borrow them for your gondola ride if you want. You can just get both of them to the beginning of the song you want and you would each have one to listen to.

Gotta get ready for work now, catch up with you all later today.

[CarnivalFan2]

Jeanette - yeah, I saw the response but didn't undertsand it :confused:. For all who missed it, on the Inaugural thread, someone commented about a balcony stateroom being over the hot tub on promenade deck and someone said to be careful and draw the drapes if you are naked in your stateroom. That's why I joked and asked, "what if you're naked in the hot tub"? :eek:

Jeanette - thank you for the music offer for the gondola ride. I went with a private company I found on-line (read good reviews about), who had an evening gondola ride with a ride-along musician/singer to serenade us :rolleyes:!
Cost was reasonable, and WAY less than Carnival's evening gondola ride (and private to boot...not a group, like Carnival's).

We fly to Rome (via NY) IN LESS THAN A WEEK :eek::D:)!!

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

[yooperwoody]

Happy Hump Day Dreamers!

Well this time next week we'll be strolling the streets of Rome! Gordie probably will have eaten his first gelato. He's an ice cream fanatic so I can't wait for him to taste gelato. And, I probaly will have eaten my first dish of authentic Italian pasta! I'm a pasta fanatic.

I'm wondering who is the next member of the Sogno, Sogno, Sogno team to leave? We leave on the 13th

[Liney1982]

Jeanette - yeah, I saw the response but didn't undertsand it :confused:. For all who missed it, on the Inaugural thread, someone commented about a balcony stateroom being over the hot tub on promenade deck and someone said to be careful and draw the drapes if you are naked in your stateroom. That's why I joked and asked, "what if you're naked in the hot tub"? :eek:

Jeanette - thank you for the music offer for the gondola ride. I went with a private company I found on-line (read good reviews about), who had an evening gondola ride with a ride-along musician/singer to serenade us :rolleyes:!
Cost was reasonable, and WAY less than Carnival's evening gondola ride (and private to boot...not a group, like Carnival's).

We fly to Rome (via NY) IN LESS THAN A WEEK :eek::D:)!!

Arrivederci,

Marty & Jeanne

Hey Marty:

Would you be able to send me the name and contact info for the private company offering gondola rides? Josh and I really want to partake this in experience but I'm not forking out $100 plus per person for the one Carnival is offering ... especially since the small print says something about it being non-refundable if it doesnt happen.

I can't believe we leave in One Week!! I think my brain is already getting into vacation mode. Its taking all of my energy to focus on work today.

Cheers!
Liney

[quiltgal24]

Happy Hump Day Dreamers!

Well this time next week we'll be strolling the streets of Rome! Gordie probably will have eaten his first gelato. He's an ice cream fanatic so I can't wait for him to taste gelato. And, I probaly will have eaten my first dish of authentic Italian pasta! I'm a pasta fanatic.

I'm wondering who is the next member of the Sogno, Sogno, Sogno team to leave? We leave on the 13th

John and I are leaving for the airport in 30 minutes! Just one last check of the Sogno Sogno Sogno boards! We are heading to Paris then to Rome!
See you all then!
John and Patti

[yooperwoody]

John and I are leaving for the airport in 30 minutes! Just one last check of the Sogno Sogno Sogno boards! We are heading to Paris then to Rome!
See you all then!
John and Patti

WOOHOO!!!!! Have a great flight. See you on the ship!!!!

[Sanjuro]

Well crud... The forecast had been soooo promising, and now rain is predicted for the 11th and 12th, our first two days in Rome. :(

[luvcdays]

John & Patti - Have a safe flight and a great time in Paris!

Liney - Glad to hear your still with us.

Marty - I didn't get the response to your hot tub comment either:confused: I did make a response to your post though!

Just heard from Mary. She is having a great time in Ireland with her sister and BIL and her son came to visit with her from Finland which made her very happy.

I'm ready to go...Anybody else?

Janis

[dlbutler5]

Sanhuro
I just checked Accuweather and they still have it as:
11th: Sunny and pleasant 71
12th: Partly sunny and beautiful

Does this make you feeel better?

[CarnivalFan2]

John and I are leaving for the airport in 30 minutes! Just one last check of the Sogno Sogno Sogno boards! We are heading to Paris then to Rome!
See you all then!
John and Patti
John & Patti - have a safe flight!! See you on the other side "of the pond"...

Marty & Jeanne

[CarnivalFan2]

Hey Marty:

Would you be able to send me the name and contact info for the private company offering gondola rides? Josh and I really want to partake this in experience but I'm not forking out $100 plus per person for the one Carnival is offering ... especially since the small print says something about it being non-refundable if it doesnt happen.

I can't believe we leave in One Week!! I think my brain is already getting into vacation mode. Its taking all of my energy to focus on work today.

Cheers!
Liney
Hi Caroline & Josh - e-mail sent; let me know if the link didn't work.

Marty

[CarnivalFan2]

Janis - I did read & get your response. Touche'...lol :).

However, I still probably would be if I were wearing one of Vicki & Gordie's "Yooper Thongos" :eek::eek:

Marty

[ncgrammie4]

Gail
They don't collect passports when you board the ship. Now, your hotel will take them for a while to register you with the govt. The only time I think they collect passports is in the Caribbean and that is non-US ones. Copies of your passport are nice but not accepted as ID. It will help at a US embassy if you are left behind or need assistance.

Thanks for the info.

[GRAMMYTAN]

Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head……

I don’t care if it’s raining cats, dogs and puppy dog tails – we will be in Italy. :):) Much better than watching it rain here at work.

Marty – I would love to have the link re the Gondola as well.

We leave in 5 Days – 22 hours – and 55 minutes, unfortunately, I still have about 10 days of stuff left to do.

[santacruiser1]

Marty my DW and I would also like info on the gondola ride if possible please
e-mail me if possible goldghia@verizon.net

THANKS Clint

[vacationnow12524]

LOOKING FOR 2 MORE PEOPLE One last call ---Does anyone want to share a ride from the port to rome city center (wherever you hotel is) on Oct. 27th??? THe cost would be about 60 euros per couple.

Please email at ac_egner@hotmail.com asap!

allison

[CarnivalFan2]

Jeanette, Clint - e-mail sent. Let me know if the link doesn't work...

Marty

[CarnivalFan2]

Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head……

I don’t care if it’s raining cats, dogs and puppy dog tails – we will be in Italy. :):) Much better than watching it rain here at work.

Marty – I would love to have the link re the Gondola as well.

We leave in 5 Days – 22 hours – and 55 minutes, unfortunately, I still have about 10 days of stuff left to do.
Jeanette - I just checked weather channel 10-day forecast for Civi 10/14, 15, & Naples, 10/16-> looking good; low 70's and sunny & partly sunny :-)

We'll be able to see more as we go into the weekend. Definitely interested in the forecast for Venice on the eve of 10/18 ;-)

Marty

[Readytocruize]

Good afternoon fellow Dreamers!!!

Lot's of posts to catch up on:eek:.

Magicmatt - Thanks for review and info on the ports.

Maureen - Good news on the meet&greet, we'll be there. Glad we got a place to meet & greet & toast our favorite adult beverage.:p

John, Patti - Hope you have a safe flight, see you on the ship at the sail away.

Jeanette - I feel your pain about stuff to do at work and at home. I'm never going to catch up:(:eek:.

We leave in less than a week, Karen and I are READY TO GO.I can't focus at work.

We fly to Rome (via Philly) on the 14th, a red eye flight. Just let us get to the ship and the buffet.

Well, got to go...., my week to fix supper.

[eekconway]

Marty - can I get the Gondola Link also please.... thx.. might be easier if you just try posting it on here seems 2 be high demand...LOL

eekconway@yahoo.com

Ed