mdpa

2 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

In Rome we found Dark Rome Tours good.

You get to a meeting point to begin the tour, no hotel pickups, so the length of the tour does not include driving around hotels for pick up as many others do. We did both the Vatican and Colosseum and had timed entry tickets, so no entry delay.

 

Re. docking in Barcelona, which we have done many times with Azamara : the usual docking point is at the World Trade Centre, which is definitely within easy walking distance to Las Ramblas. Also, there is a stop for the HoHo bus at the World Trade Centre.

For some unknown reason last time we docked there, late last year, we were out where the big ships dock, where as noted by @rnvaniderstine Las Ramblas is definitely not a short walk.

Thanks for the tip...not sure if we will do a tour but I'll keep Dark Rome Tours in mind.

6 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Because Gibraltar is a British protectorate and typical British food used to be Fish and Chips ( often take away).

I’ve added some photos which I took when we were in Gibraltar in 2017.

Plenty of useful information, but I do wonder if passengers will be allowed to wander on their own. Cruises that have already started in Europe, have insisted on ship only excursions.

 

We did fish & chips in London many years ago and very much enjoyed the experience so would be tempted to try again with our daughter.

Seeing the mailbox reminded me of our Bermuda trip last year when we mailed a post card back home.

2 hours ago, SteveH2508 said:

Couple of points/tips.

 

I seem to recall that the HoHo buses in Barcelona (and most other cities) finish at 5 or 6 pm so the evening tour might be a bust.

 

If you are doing your own thing in Florence and you are near the Uffizi gallery, this place is the go to for lunch (if you can get in)

 

http://www.laprosciutteria.com/cibi-e-vini/

 

Looks like a very interesting place...thanks for sharing. My wife said she was OK renting a car again (we did in Venice and hit Parma and went over the Austrian border on two separate trips). If we do, we may try to do a loop and will check out the place you recommended.

The interesting thing about our May timing...it will either be cancelled or we should have less crowds than normal if we are successful. Wish me luck!

3 hours ago, the mice said:

Since you are using Marriott points in Lisbon, check out the Fontecruz Lisboa, Autograph Collection.   We have stayed there twice and the location is excellent.   We walked everywhere from there (yeah, we even walked the hills!).   And it is close to various transportation to more distant places.   You will find many reviews of this hotel online.

 

As for Livorno, I would suggest you go to Lucca.   It is much closer than Florence, easy to do on your own, and a lovely place.  We love Florence, one of our favorites, but we have visited twice, both on independent land trips where we stayed 3 nights and 5 nights to really experience all there is to see.   Once day is just to rushed IMHO.

I've stayed at an Autograph Collection hotel in Venice and really enjoyed it, so was initially leaning towards this hotel. Two things held me back:

- Points requirements for 3 people are 3X as high as the Ritz Carlton

- Bathroom door appears too transparent for us to comfortably use with a teenager

I think the Fontecruz is penalizing me too much for the 3rd person.

I originally wanted to stay downtown, but it appears the Ritz is a better deal with points and will offer a very different but enjoyable experience. I am interested in hearing more first hand experience since I still may change my mind. 

Thanks for the feedback, I'll definitely consider checking out Lucca.

Thanks everyone, excellent tips! I will plan to do the hop on/off bus in Barcelona, train to Pisa, and caves in Gibraltar. Also, like the fish & chips idea.

Hey, just wanted to pass on the new promo in case it applies to anyone. Up to $1,000 OBC

https://www.azamara.com/luxury-cruise-deals/thank-you-sale?icid=aza_prom_b_web_vb_oth_tys_hp_hero_11192020_

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Doug

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Hop on hop off bus in Barcelona is good. A visit to Sagrada Familia is a must there, but book your tickets online before you get there, otherwise the queues are enormous. If you’ve got your timed ticket you walk past the queues straight to a separate entrance.

Thanks Grandma Cruising, will definitely keep this on our radar. Looks beautiful, although it is temporarily closed, so will check again closer to our trip.

Keep the tips coming. I'd love to say I heavily researched this trip. I essentially chose this option since it included destinations where we have not been, it was priced decently, and it was in 2021. I'm looking forward to a trip! Gotta get away...vaccine can't come soon enough. 

Anyway, I'll spend the next 6-months researching and planning!

13 minutes ago, uktog said:

Livorno and Marseille absolutely you have a better dock. Barcelona probably right at the foot of Las Ramblas Gibraltar no advantage. 
Gibraltar strong taxi unions but it means they do good tours just walk off the ship and they are filling up minivans. Marseille you are docked right beside a superb museum and art gallery and a short walk to the town centre

Great info. We like small ships, especially when there are port related advantages!

Wonderful tips, most of the ports are new to us. We've been to Italy, Monaco, and France but never to these locations.

• Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
• Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
• Marseille (Provence), France
• Barcelona, Spain
• Gibraltar, United Kingdom
• Lisbon, Portugal

As of now, we are tentatively booked at a new Doubletree in Rome for (2) days pre-cruise...also contemplated the Waldorf. I am surprised by the prices and how much the rates bump up for the 3rd person.

In Portugal, we are tentatively planning to stay at the Penha Longa Resort out in Sintra for (2) nights. We are using Marriott points and seems like a very good deal for a Ritz Carlton. The downside is it is out of town.

I am interested in any feedback on ports (do we have an advantage with location due to smaller ship size), hotels, and things to do. Very preliminary stages of planning, and we are prepared for the possibility of being cancelled, but the rates and flexibility gave us the confidence to give it a try.

Thanks for the great tips so far!

--

Doug

Hi Everyone, 

We just booked the May 29th 7-night Mediterranean Mosaic Cruise starting in Rome and ending in Lisbon. My wife, daughter (15), and I are really looking forward to it. Any tips or feedback is appreciated!

Thanks,

Doug

There are many unique and subtle benefits to Silversea (with corresponding upcharge). But the two most memorable items, were the ability to ask for a custom meal 24 hours in advance. 

We had a great server from Singapore and another great server from India and on two separate days asked if they could arrange a taste of their favorite flavors. What a great experience. No additional cost and served in the main dining room. Hope this gives you an idea of how the experience might be different.

I've done (2) Silversea Cruises, (2) Celebrity Cruises, and (1) Oceania Cruise. I am tentatively booked on my first Azamara Cruise. Assuming Azamara and Oceania are close, then I can say that Silversea is reallly a nice step up. If price was close, I would grab Silversea in a heart beat.

That said, my budget is more suited for the "premium" category and I am looking forward to a nicely priced Azamara Cruise that I am hoping to enjoy very much.

We utilized the unlimited photo package back in January and we had a great experience. On the cruise I asked how much extra for the printed version, and it was only $50. Great deal...since we couldn't print that many 8x10's for less. 

About two weeks after the cruise you'll receive a link to all the digital photos, with access for 30-days to download them.

I think the Solarium is more about "the vibe" than a specific age, although some people still tend too be noisy.

So far our 14 year old daughter (almost 15) has been using the Solarium as a quieter place to do her homework with mom's help on every sea day. No issues, and from what I can tell she is one of the quietest people in the room.

I'll also add that it depends on whether you can get an excursion on sale and whether you have OBC to utilize. On our Asia cruise we had significant non-refundable OBC and are using Celebrity for quite a few "on our own" style tours.

We just did a really nice Celebrity excursion today and felt it was a good value. One nice option is the ability to reserve some tentative excursions, watch to see if any go on sale, and can always cancel if a private option seem like a better value.

On our 14-day Millennium cruise it is $149 for single and $249 for two people.

We are doing a hybrid approach. We are using a Celebrity "drop us off in town and pick us up the next day" excursion. The price was reasonable and only about a block away from the St. Regis hotel (we are using points but the price also seemed reasonable).

The hotel is located directly across from the skytrain so we are looking forward to exploring on our own.

50 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

I sail in less than two weeks yet there is no information in the App yet . When can I expect it to be updated . Anticipation is killing me 

We boarded our cruise yesterday and the last few weeks they kept adding details every few days. Enjoy your cruise!

It seems like everyone wants to be cooler/more hip in their own minds than in real life. This ad targets old people who want to feel cooler than they are...for me these attempts are way too transparent and offend my intelligence.

I am not that smart, so I suspect other people find these ads a distraction from what they hope will be a decent product.

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

That's great advice and I appreciate it.  Dr. Zitsky is worried about protests and getting to the airport or having it shut down because of protests.  But I think that's unlikely a year from now.

My family just spent most of the day walking almost everywhere and taking the MTR/Star ferry. No issues. We are really enjoying ourselves. 

I did see graffiti in one area but I needed to point it out to my wife and daughter because neither of them noticed it.

I do tend to be contrarian. I hear protests and think less crowds, lower hotel prices, and more personalized attention. 😉

We just arrived at Hong Kong last night for our SE Asia cruise. Walked around a little this morning and so far very glad this is the start of our trip.

One option would be to choose a cruise that ends in HK. This would allow you to get Celebrity transfers directly to the airport and might be combined with a mini-tour.

I also don't like the idea of a list. The one time we had the services of a butler we used them to "enhance service". They are helpful if you have an issue or need to change dinner reservations, etc.

Think of it as "personalized and attentive service", rather than having a servant at your disposal.

One thing I would add....not sure how Celebrity compares to cheaper alternatives, but as a generalization the better quality (and smaller ships) tend to be more port intensive. For us we are all about activities (off the ship) and all about relaxation, great food, drinks, and service on the ship.

Someone had explained it to me this way; the budget operations are about "saving fuel" and "keeping you on the ship" to increase revenue. The more inclusive, the more their goal is to "get you off the ship". 😉

5 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

Is it common to tip servers in specialty restaurants? I thought the daily gratuities that are added to our bill were distributed to all of the employees, including restaurant servers.  For most cruises I  give an additional cash tip to exceptional stateroom stewards but haven't tipped elsewhere. (We don't visit the main dining room often enough to have regular wait staff to tip at the end of the cruise.) 

Shouldn't be...since a 20% gratuity is already included. Most people who tip extra on cruise ships are intentionally bribing crew to extract preferential treatment at the expense of other passengers or the cruise line (generous pours, or other free stuff stolen from the Celebrity). 

That said, I am not a difficult customer and rarely make unnecessary requests. So YMMV.

I'll be on the Millennium later this week. Two random thoughts come to mind:

- Will the service/staff be subpar knowing they are the vendor that lost the contract?

- Will pricing change with the new vendor?