vacationlady

Just returned from our cruise where we took the water taxi to Grand Anse Beach ($4 per person each way). When we got off the water taxi, we walked to the right where you will find chairs and umbrellas for rent. The further you walk the better deal you will get. Keep walking until you find Lazy Days (big wooden sign on the beach) where they rent a chair, umbrella for $5 each. The price includes free Wi-Fi and bathroom access. The others do not tell you it costs $1 to use the toilets. A nice young man named Jonathan set us up and Mary took our drink orders for the day. They were not pushy like some of the other vendors, who just wanted to sell you the chair and umbrella and then they were done with you for the day. They are located in front of the spice market on Grand Anse Beach. The spices were cheaper in town at the market than at Grand Anse Beach. If you are interested in spices go to the market first and then take the spices back to the ship and catch the ferry to the beach. It was a great way to spend a day at the beach. It was one of the nicest beaches we went to on our cruise.

I would get a train on my own, there will be others from the cruise ship at the train station. Once in Rome there are hop on and hop off buses to help you learn your way around.

I would not do a tour. We just did Cinque Terre staying in Riomaggiore. I would not stay in La Spezia as it does not give you the small village feeling that the five villages do. Do research on the different villages and pick one that best suites you. It was really nice in the evening after the day trippers go home. Bring plenty of cash as most places do not take credit cards. It is very easy to take the train between villages. The Cinque Terre card includes the train. The ferry did not run two of the days we were there due to weather. Only two trails were open during our stay, which we found disappointing. It is a very beautiful area, one that you will really enjoy. Make sure you have a backup plan if your plans include using the ferries.

The trip is 20 Euros per person one way. Buy your return ticket once you get to Capri. If you want to see the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), take the bus over and walk down the stairs to the Blue Grotto, it will be quicker and cheaper than taking the tour. Take the bus up to Anacapri and take the chairlift up to Mount Solar. Walk back from Anacapri to the marina using the Phoenician Steps. Eat in Anacapri as it is much cheaper than Capri. Walk around the small town in Anacapri, not just where the chairlift is. The local bus is only 1.80 per person to get around. Very easy DIY island to do yourself. The first time we took the cruise tour, it was VERY EXPENSIVE and you really do not get to see the island. We were amazed at how much we missed when we returned on our own. If it is raining, take the train to Sorrento and skip Capri. We did this on our last cruise and were so glad we did. It rained in Capri but not in Sorrento. This is a very pretty town, you can check out my blog on Sorrento with pictures at

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My blog posts just started on my two week trip to Italy. Evidently my write up on Capri will be posted as we spent two nights there this time. Capri is one of my favorite islands.

We thought our old iphone was unlocked when we purchased our SIM card from Cellular Abroad. After receiving the card, we found it was not unlocked. We called AT&T to get the phone unlocked since we owned the phone. They unlocked the phone and the SIM card worked when we put it in the phone. I would purchase a SIM card now and make sure the phone works before going to Europe. Nothing worse then getting over there and finding your phone does not work. Also if you purchase a SIM card in Europe, you have to hope that the person speaks English and you have to give them your passport. We did not want to be bothered with this. We had some issues on our first day, and were really glad we had a phone that worked and not have to run around looking for a SIM card to buy.

Read my post on Monday (11/10) about "What we learned on our 2 week trip to Italy"

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You can DIY Portifino from the port of Genova. Just look for cruise ships that stop at the port.

I will be doing a post on my blog entitled "How to navigate using Google street view" of Portifino, which will post on Dec 22. This will give you an idea of how to get around Portifino on your own and make you familiar with any town you want to visit before you actually go there. Once you master using the trains in Italy, its much easier to get around then using the cruise line tours. We spent two weeks this summer in Italy touring on our own and will be posting about this trip with lots of pictures at

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I just did a post on my blog about The Baths. We took a ferry from STT to Virgin Gorda but the post is mainly about The Baths spending time there with lots of pics. We got lucky and there were not a lot of people when we got there so we have some great pics if you are wondering what it looks like climbing through the rocks and the ladders. This is a must visit place if you are in the area. Easy to take the ferry for DIY trip

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We stayed on the island and went on a two ship day. I am glad my experience was not like yours or I would not go back. Thanks for the input.

I did a post on my blog about the 2/1 drinks at the Greenhouse starting at 4:30 if you are there.

You can check it out at

http://winenchocolate.com/happy-hour-greenhouse-restaurant-st-thomas/

I just did a post on my blog along with pics, about taking the ferry from Crown Bay to Water Island for the day. This is a very easy day trip that can be done by both cruise ship passengers (depending on your time in port) and people staying on the island. The cost is only $10 per person round trip. It was a great day on Water Island, and one I would do again. You can read about it on my blog at

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I did a post on my blog about shopping in St Thomas. The last picture will show the cruise ships in the background the red roof buildings are shopping. There is plenty of shops just around the cruise port.

http://winenchocolate.com/shopping-st-thomas-port-stop/

I just did a posting with pictures of the different beaches we like to visit while vacationing in St Thomas. If you have never been this will give you an idea of what to expect. There are many others that I did not mention, as this is a list of where we go. Hope you enjoy

http://winenchocolate.com/beaches-in-st-thomas-we-like-to-visit/

We reserved a car for this port but due to weather conditions arrived late. We stayed in port and enjoyed the town and lunch along with free wifi.

You can see my trip report at

http://winenchocolate.com/katakolon-greece/

We just recently came back from Italy and did experience trouble with our card but the machine did not eat it. Lesson we learned. Take 3 cards and make sure the card has an out of country number to call in case of problems. Our card only had an 800 number on it which is no good in Europe. You need cash for most things in Italy. A credit card is not accepted everywhere.

Ferries do not run if bad weather or rough seas. Have a backup plan if you choose to take a ferry. We learned this on our recent trip to Italy.

I did a detail write up on taking the bus from Venice airport to the Piazzale Roma. It was really easy to do and only costs 6 euros per person.

Check my blog with pics

http://winenchocolate.com/taking-the-bus-from-venice-airport-to-piazzale-roma/

I just did a post on my blog about Iguanas at Frenchmans Reef. If you gave never been to this resort check out the pics.

http://winenchocolate.com/iguanas-hanging-out-at-frenchmans-reef/

I just did a write up on my blog about shopping in St Thomas to give you an idea of what to expect check the pics out at

http://winenchocolate.com/shopping-st-thomas-port-stop/

I wrote a report on my blog with lots of pictures for this port. Plenty of shops and places to eat with free wifi. You can see the ship from our lunch table.

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We rented a scooter while in Mykonos and loved it. Great way to see the island.

Check out my blog on my trip with pics at

Winenchocolate. Dot com

I just wrote a blog on climbing the 99 steps in St Thomas. You can see the blog with pictures here. Great pictures from the top of the hill if you don't mind climbing the steps.:):)

http://winenchocolate.com/climbing-the-99-steps-in-charlotte-amalie-st-thomas/

I just did a write up on my blog about shopping in St Thomas with lots of pictures. If you are wondering what to expect at this port for shopping, check out my blog at

winenchocolate dot com

:):)

We love to go to The Greenhouse Restaurant in St Thomas. Happy hour starts at 4:30 -7. If your cruise ship is in port late check it out. I just did a write up on my blog with pics at

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In Cayman, I would recommend stingray city. If you like to snorkel, you can walk to Eden Rock and snorkel right from the dive shop. Easy walk from the cruise

I wrote about both on my blog at

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Out of the 3 islands I like Cayman the best.

I just did a detail write up on Rum Point with lots of pics. We enjoyed our time at Rum Point, but sad to say the snorkeling did not work this time due to the current (wanted to do the drift snorkeling). But that is ok, as we will just have to return.

You can see my blog at

winenchocolate dot com