cruznurse

26 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

If your cookery session doesn't work out for some reason,do consider the Godfather Villages excursion as the scenery really was beautiful although you need a head for heights!
😀

Thanks will look into it

11 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Have you previously visited Taormina itself? That would be the usual #1 choice for first time visitors, with Mount Etna on a second visit, or a combo of the two on a first visit.

 

We visited 4 times in total, and our most recent visit was actually an excursion to "Godfather Villages", with stunning scenery throughout, so you might want to consider that one if it is offered. 

 

There have been a small number of past threads mentioning it, and you can read them here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=godfather villages&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and

 

You mentioned Viator, which is not itself a tour company.  There are a few drawbacks with Viator, frequently mentioned on boards.  Not that they are bad, and many visitors  have good experiences with them,but there are a few issues to consider before booking through them.

 

They are a middleman and you won't know which company they are booking your tour with.

 

Any questions, queries, complaints or anything else will need to go through Viator, not the tour company.

 

Their TCs and Cs are quite difficult for cruise pax as they require 24 hours notice of tour cancellation for a refund, and passengers do not always know 24 hours ahead of time that an arrival will be late or the call cancelled.

 

Thanks for the information, I have been to Taormina twice a few years ago so was looking for something a bit different. My daughter as been to Mt. Etna as well so we were looking into other experiences

Hi all,

I am going on the 10 night Epic cruise the summer (Rome-Rome) and was looking for something different to do on our port stop in Messina, besides the Mt. Etna tour. I saw this on Viator and was wondering if anyone has ever done it?

https://discovermessina.com/tour/cooking-class-sicily-in-taormina/

thanks

Joanne

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

We went to CT from Livorno and loved it. Not only that but we took the cruise ship tour.  It was somewhat crowded but glad we did it.

 

CT is on my bucket list also.. interested in which ship/tour  did you do?

On 5/4/2023 at 6:01 AM, Happycrafter123 said:

Day trip to Tuscany yesterday with tour group “Walks”.  3 hours drive each way, stopped at 4 different sites/villages.  Very scenic and a nice break from Rome.

@Happycrafter123 Spending a few days in Rome before our cruise and wanting to do a day trip to Tuscany...who did you book through and did you enjoy it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, gotscrapz said:

Seriously I have detailed itineraries and contacts if they like any of what we did - happy to share. Also - Get Rick Steve's Italy book - Amazon $17 if your local bookstore doesn't have it ( I am a shop local girl but you are short on time! ) and so much detailed information - especially transportation options with detailed directions plus tours/sights/restaurants - lists from a slice of pizza to a 6-course meal. Pull out Maps even! We sued this - we had Greece and Italy books of his. And we used them!

 

And a big congratulations on his graduation! I have two sons in engineering programs - 1 mechanical engineer working on his bachelor's, 1 son in the military, 1 electrical engineer starting his master's, and my daughter who is halfway through Cosmo school. I just finished my master's this month as well - I am in healthcare. so I get it!

I am also doing this itinerary next summer and would love to see your detailed lists... I am an over planner probably from years in Healthcare and research! Congratulations on your Masters too! Thanks 

On 4/22/2023 at 12:26 AM, 1stXCruiser2014 said:

Good evening. I don’t think I’ve ever posted it on the forum needing more help than I do right now. Lol.
 

First and foremost, I would like to say that I am a planner like years in advanced planning. So I am totally out of my element doing something with such short notice!!! 
 

Without going into more great detail, and to just give you the basics of what I need help with: 

 

My son & his gf  has been gifted a 10 day cruise that he has chosen the 10 Greek Isles Round Trip Rome-Santorini,Athens & Florence Cruise on May-16th-May 26. He is 23, and has been fortunate enough to have traveled several times out of the country. However, never on a cruise line and never to these areas.
 

My questions are these:

 

- do you have to book flights through NCL? I am booking the cruise tomorrow for them, and after reading some things are here I’m confused as to whether you have to or if it’s just offered to you.

 

- They both are very interested in touring the historic parts of all of these ports.  They both love history, however, in saying that picking these excursions are extremely hard! Where can I go to look to see what excursions are recommended for this type of experience?

 

- There is also another cruise, that’s very similar to this one that Royal Caribbean is offering ( 7 night Greek Isle tour- May 15)  We are torn between booking through NCL or RC. The price difference between the royal Caribbean trip is significantly different and lower than the Norwegian trip. One reason is because there’s only limited lower quality rooms available on the royal Caribbean trip, and Norwegian haas several balconies and suites available. But ieven saying, that the cost is still significantly different, the RC is around $1900 ( window room) and Norwegian is about $4000 ( balcony) I know the cruise is the difference of three days between the both, but can any of you recommend one cruise or the other?

 

I will not rest until this is done lol he’s graduating from college in two weeks and starts his job in June. So we only have the month of May to do this for him! I sincerely apologize if I’m poor this in the wrong place, and please let me know where I need to post it. Any, and all help and advice would be extremely appreciated!  

I was also gifted a Med cruise by my daughter for my "big birthday" celebration for next summer and we also were deciding between RCCL and NCL and chose the NCL 10 day Epic... more days, ports, and also as some said once you factor in the Free at Sea the cost is equal. So good choice for your son!

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Pretty sure that's a no go also:

Because of announced port closures, we expect to return to service for Alaska, Canada and New England sailings July 1, 2020.

 

I agree I do not think it will ...but will be cancelled. The question for all of us with Canada/NE sailings is why are they still  taking bookings for this itinerary if they are going to cancel or plan to reroute to a potential open port   

I'm booked on the June 4th Canada/NE cruise on the Adventure leaving from Cape Liberty and this cruise also is still available to book so I'm not sure what they are doing with any of these northeast Canada cruises. I guess it is still a waiting game for us

10 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

I will wave!!😁

👋 Perfect

37 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

The Sunrise naming ceremony will be at 11 on the 23rd... should be over by the time embarkation starts.

thanks jimbo5544....I can't wait for the sailing on the 23rd. I will be one of those impatient souls in the priority lounge waiting to board her 😀

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

I do not have the answer, if the advance info is correct, it will be different than past ones in which the ceremony was done the afternoon the night before.  If it is truly that morning, knowing the New York terminal, I cannot imagine it could not affect the embarkation.  I have not seen anything on whether there will be something special for that cruise, but all should become clear in the next week or so.

thanks for the info and keeping us updated...looking forward to cruising her real soon!!

Hey jimbo5544, that's great about going to the naming ceremony!  Anything special being done on the 5/23 cruise for the naming? Will it interfere with our embarkation? Can't wait for the cruise!!

OK all you sold me...just booked a balcony on the 5/23 NY cruise. I can't wait to see how they changed the Triumph...and can't wait to read your review jbyrd72 

Garth2

I believe the 14 day cruise is 5/27 I'm looking at the 5/23 Bermuda cruise. I know it is in for refurbishment now and being renamed and christened the Sunrise, in NY on 5/23...I was on the Triumph many years ago and was wondering if anyone had booked it yet. ..but thanks

Hi All,

I'm looking to book a short Memorial day weekend getaway for myself and my 2 kids out of NY...looking at the refurbished Triumph or as they are calling it the Sunrise. I know that it does not come back into service until the end of the month but I was wondering if anyone has booked the ship with the Bermuda itinerary ..THX  

Just got off the ship this past Saturday:( and just loved my balcony!! We were on the Aruba route and we would come back and sit out there before dinner, before bed, in the morning with room service...you get the idea. My daughter loved the lounge chairs and even on sea days it was so nice to come back, shower and sit on the lounger with a glass of wine. We were traveling with 13 people and had our own sail away one afternoon...and all of us fit without feeling too crowded!! The super structure to me wasn't that noticable and the side port holes added a side view and still felt very private

We've had hump balconys, regular balcony's, suite balcony's and hands down for this category this is my favorite...

This is an absolute "must" in San Juan. Our last cruise, not only did we grab a porter, like always, but he was working with a cabbie who had the can waiting, trunk open...total time from last "Bing" off ship to bags on the sidewalk at the airport...31 minutes.

 

Well worth the tip.

We just got off the Adventure yesterday and even if you did not know about the porters and their seperate line, the herd of porters meet you at the bottom of the escalator in SJ. There were 13 of us and one porter took all of the bags, steered us to the really short porter line and then right to 2 waiting cabs. We were still sitting on Deck 4 at 8:15 and at our gate at the airport at 9:15! Well worth the money and made the last hour of our trip all the more memorable :D

ColoradoGurl --we will be getting on when you are getting off :D I am on the Aruba route 8/8. I looked at all 3 routes and I have been to aruba several times and loved it; But I have never been to St. Kitts or Curacao, plus the extra sea day sold it for me.

thanks...will check them out

Hi we will be arriving late afternoon on Friday before boarding Adventure Saturday morning. I will have my 85 yeat old mom who has some mobility issues with us and staying at the Sheraton Convention Hotel. Looking for a nice restaurant to have dinner that evening. My son mentioned the chocolate restuarant(Choco Bar I think) but does that only serve lunch? I know there is not much around the area so I know we will have to take a cab from the hotel. We have been in SJU many times as a cruise stop so not really interested in walking around town(plus mom can't walk far)...Again mom is looking for "regular" food ..whatever that is.......Any suggestions?

Evening...to tag onto this thread, we also booked a return flight of 12n after our AOS cruise. There will be 5 of us and one person will need w/c assistance. My question is do they take that person and all of us thru the agrigcultural check and on to security or is hiring the porter still the best option?

Thanks so much for taking the time to post them!!!

I do have the compasses and would be happy to post them, I just have to figure out how exactly I do that. I have never posted pictures on here, so if anyone has that info please pass that along to me.

My entire group did love Porto Marie, it was absolutely beautiful and the snorkeling was great. The water is crystal clear even though it was a little chilly. The beach was very nice, but I will tell you it is a bit rocky for about the first 15 feet into the water. I found it easily walkable but I am also 30 years old. The food here is inexpensive, but unless you hire a driver its going to cost about $25.00 per person to get there an back, because its literally on the other side of the island, but most of the beaches at Curacao are on the other side of the island. I would recommend this beach.

 

As far as other beaches I highly recommend Magens Bay in St Thomas.

Palm Beach in Aruba down near the Radisson and Riu hotels is a more secluded area away from most of the crowds. You get a chair for $5.00 and a the umbrellas in that area are free. Trust me its significantly less crowded in this area.

St Kitts we loved Cockelshell Beach at the Reggae Beach Bar.

Thanks so much for the information....just what I was looking for; and if you can post them that would be great :)

We are on this same itinerary in a few weeks (8/8 sailing) and it was so nice to read a great report!

By any chance do you have your daily compasses that you could post? We are a family group of 13 and trying to plan a mutual MTD dinner schedule since everyone will be going seperate ways when we do port excursions

Did you love Porto Marie? How was the beach? My mom is with us and she has issues with her knees and walking on soft sand..was it easily walkable? Any other suggestions for a nice beach at any of the ports?

Thanks again to taking the time to post and answer all of our questions