marazul

Restaurants will be open. Because it is a religious holiday the cathedral will certainly be open. They will have additional masses like on a Sunday. Just be insconspicuous when you go in or wait until services are over.

MSC is notorious for short port days. Make sure you look at the itineraries and check the amount of time spent in each port. Deduct at least one hour from that time to allow for a safe time to return to the ship and for using tenders if needed.

Sorrento.

Make sure it is truffle season when you go...

Julie, so sorry this happened to you after so much thoughtful planning. I do hope you both recover quickly and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

This is a slightly late post. We used Stefano's early June. Michele picked us up at the airport and as usual, it was a smooth, professional transfer. It was obvious to him that we were beyond tired and that we were familiar with Rome, so he slowed down giving us a running commentary and was happy to talk and answer questions concerning current conditions. Savino picked us up at our hotel three days later to take us to Civitavecchia with a stop at Lake Bracciano. Our friends had not visited the Castello Odescalchi before, so we booked a guided tour. The Castello dropped the ball and there wasn't a guide available for us. Savino immediately contacted the office and we got an instant refund of the tour and a discount on the transfer. They were very apologetic and helpful. We did tour the castle on our own and went on to a wonderful lunch in Ceri. Yes, we do recommend Stefano's Rome Cabs.

How was Sete on Bastille Day? Thought of your adventures while having some bubbly last night.

Go on their website to reserve. Usually, you can only reserve a month ahead of time. If you have trouble, you can ask your hotel to make them for you.

Assuming you are staying in Athens at least one night, your hotel can tell you where to get the test. Many pharmacies in the central area do the tests.

You can hike from Portofino to San Fruttuoso and take the ferry from there. Check the schedules because some of the ferries can take you back to Genoa. https://discovergenoa.com/how-to-get-to-portofino/

I just tried it and it works fine. I highly recommend the option with a guided tour for 30€. Make sure you first select the time for the tour and then an earlier time to get in.

I like Kalafatis or Paradise better. Google "mykonos beaches" for pictures and details.

You can book TK once before boarding, and you can book additional times once on board. However, you can book a table for 5 for one day and your son can book a table for 5 on a different day before boarding. Then you can both book additional times while on board. No charge ever.

Nobody wore a shirt and tie with no jacket except for the waiters. A very few wore linen shirts.

Great idea. Everything is open in Florence on Wednesday and Thursdays so taylortime can see all the sights they want without rushing, plus have a wonderful dinner in Florence. This also allows enough time to stop in Pisa if they leave Florence around noon. They will be in Santa Margherita the day before so they can go to Cinqueterre if they want to.

Well, that's enterprising 😉, but I didn't suggest not to pay. You can't get into the area where the tours start without paying for a tour. I said you can pay for a tour in Spanish or Italian to get in and then join one of the English tours. They are all the same price and start from the same crowded area in the Colosseum They will probably give you earphones to join the group.

Yes.

The tour is excellent. If you can, book through the official coopculture.it site. Third party vendors buy the tickets there, charge you three times the amount, and just deliver you to the official tour. The problem is that third party vendors use bots to scoop up the tickets the instant they are available on the website. However, coopculture releases additional tickets closer to the date. So, keep checking. By the way, there may be more tickets in Italian and Spanish. When you are in the Colosseum you could stand with one of the English groups instead.

Ouch! We are still getting better prices.

Hank -just a suggestion. Rent a car and drop it off at JFK. Same for return home. It's probably less than parking and no worries about your car. We always do this if traveling for more than one week. In the horror story category, our flight from Lisbon to the US got canceled for some malfunction. Rebooked on same flight next day which also got canceled. Then rebooked to Heathrow that evening and on to the US next morning. Thanks to the very interesting EU regs, the airline put us up at a 5* hotel and fed us. I will be filing my claim soon.

Try using packing cubes to organize your items and see if you can get them in the carry-on. If not, check a bag and carry a small backpack. Put a packing cube in the backpack with essentials for 2 or 3 days. This is hoping that you have three days before you embark.

You can take the Autoroute from Monaco to Cannes, but the traffic from the exit into the city can be horrendous! It once took us one hour from the exit to La Croisette. St Paul is not on the same road as Nice. It is a good detour. You might want to just go to Nice to see the flower market and then go to Montecarlo. Plan on St Paul on the way back so you will be closer to Cannes. You could also go to Eze instead of St Paul.

The same thing happened on Ovation last month when the passengers doubled the second week. I do hope Josh is on board!

Have a great trip. I will be looking forward to "traveling" with you through your posts.

As of May 1 the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) is no longer required for entry into Italy. COVID tests or proof of vaccination for entry from other countries will be required until May 31. The Green Pass is no longer required in restaurants (inside or outside), concerts, etc. Masks are required in public transportation and health facilities.