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Texting is free with T-Mobile; calls on my plan are billed at 25¢ per minute. With WhatsApp calls using T-Mobile's cellar data or Wi-Fi are free.

No... Be sure your phone is in Airplane Mode and Wi-Fi is turned ON.

We have used Bob's Limos a number of times for transfer from our Rome hotel to the shipside terminal. They're excellent and I have no problem recommending them. Here's a link to their FAQ.

What you relate is understandable and normal. You need to be within range of a land based cell tower in order to connect.

With an eSIM you'll need some third party app such as WhatsApp, Signal, etc. to make or receive calls or texts. Follow the instructions you should receive with your eSIM for adjusting your phone's cellular settings.

A new phone shouldn't be necessary. It would need to be unlocked by AT&T in order to switch to any other carrier. Your phone can use an eSIM which will work with T-Mobile and other carriers. The discounts you receive for other services may or may not be duplicated by T-Mobile. I can tell you we're paying about $35 per month less with T-Mobile than we were with AT&T for two phones. T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telekom AG which has in-network and roaming coverage throughout Europe and worldwide. Travel buddies have been espousing the benefits of T-Mobile for years, but for us local cell coverage is much more important than coverage while traveling. Until last fall T-Mobile's coverage in my home state of Vermont was spotty at best. After upgrading and adding 5G towers they now offer excellent service. To be sure, T-Mobile isn't for everyone. It works for us because it eliminates the expense of international plans and the limitations of eSIMs. I need to be able to receive texts with 2FA codes while traveling... can't do that with data-only eSIMs.

To be sure your WhatsApp calls will be free, put your phone in airplane mode with wi-fi on. Make your calls over wi-fi to eliminate your cell provider from from the process. AT&T was our provider before we switched to T-mobile. We were never billed for many WhatsApp calls and texts to and from Europe and the Caribbean.

I purchased Airalo eSIMs for each of our iPhone 14 Pros for use in the Med last fall. In 40+ days they worked well everywhere except Gibraltar and Ponta Delgada. I was off the ship in urban areas seeing multiple cell networks available with strong signals, but unable to connect. I contacted Airalo via email later from the ship. Their response was I should have contacted them immediately. I appreciated their suggestion, but with no cellular connection how could I possibly do that? I really didn't have the time to search for Wi-Fi. The email response took more than 24 hours which is reasonable for a support question; however, by then I had already left the port. Now our eSIM days are over!! In December we switched to T-Mobile with free data everywhere we travel internationally along with very reasonable call and text rates. Our first experience was 32 days on Regent Splendor in the Caribbean and we were delighted with T-Mobile's performance. Looking forward to sailing the Med this fall on Viking Sky and have every reason to believe our cell service will be just as good.

For anyone interested, here's a link to an excellent eSIM database.

That's not correct. You can call or text anyone anywhere using Whatsapp and there will be no charge for the service.

Interesting...and confusing for sure. You're correct about Fusina being listed in MVJ...I hadn't noticed. However, Chioggia is still listed as our port here. MVJ is likely accurate at this point in time. It may boil down to opening the drapes on the morning of the 12th to see where we have docked. There are a few roll calls that cover your itinerary. Come on over and join us. We could use some more participation.

@jc522... Thank you for the detailed instructions. We'll be in Venice on the Sky October 12, 13, & 14. It's anybody's guess whether your suggestions will work at that time, but they're a good starting point.

Bob's Limos lists the following USA customer service number: 330-942-3642. You might want to give them a call.

I believe Viking is now using Chioggia.

Thank you, @RonWY, for your explanation...much appreciated.

Would you kindly explain why your OBC would have been lost? We have some OBC on a future cruise and expect to use it once onboard.

Suggest you visit the Italy Ports Board for a wealth of information...

Where is the drop off point in Venice?

On 60+ cruises we've never had lobster we would classify as good. We were on Regent Splendor this winter for 32 days and although it was the best we have had at sea, the lobster was still not as good as we enjoy shoreside at home. Shipboard lobster is frozen per the food and beverage officer and can't be revived and prepared to where it is really good. By the way, we enjoyed some excellent, freshly grilled Caribbean lobster onboard a catamaran excursion in Antigua this winter. It was an excellent excursion with lunch that we have signed up for again in February 2024.

Excellent news!! We'll be sailing on the Sky in October and November...looking forward to giving Starlink a try.

Thank you for that information... We'll be in Chioggia for three days / two nights in October and can't decide whether three hours on a bus is worth five hours in Venice. We've visited Venice many times, and always enjoy our time there. There's really no other place like Venice. Chioggia itself appears to be interesting...a mini Venice. Perhaps we'll just spend our time there.

I have to say I've never come across a Margarita made with lemon...plain lime juice is the only way to go. As for mix or agave...gross for sure. We always ask our server how it's made and customize if necessary.

Oh, didn't notice that. Thank you.

I'm concerned the recipe of one of my favorites, Margarita, lists lemon rather than lime juice as an ingredient. Can someone in the know please put my mind at ease and tell me this is an error and that limes are available onboard? Thanks...

From the description of your symptoms it appears your case is worse than the two B2B cases I experienced. Mine were both quite mild in comparison...nothing more than a minor inconvenience. I took Paxlovid for the first which got me through but also may have precipitated the second. Nan and I wish you a speedy recovery...