rmmbc

We just returned on Tuesday from the Star. Absolutely fabulous trip from the ship, weather, ports of call, food to the tours, service, and just everything about the cruise. But I cannot say enough about the private tour I booked with Levent Solmenz in Kusadasi. This was my most anticipated port and it far exceeded my high expectations due largely, in part, to Levent & his knowledge. I would not hesitate for a second to book again with him. I am hoping to get back to Turkey for a longer period of time & he told me he would customize an itinerary for us. Simply the best tour guide I've ever had.

I, too, will be in Kusadasi in a couple of weeks & we are only in port 7:00-2:00. I have a private tour set up & we are leaving at 7:30 and will be done at 12:00 or 12:30. We are going to Mary's house for 1 hour & then Ephesus & the Terrace Houses. I opted to do lunch on our own as I didn't want to go to any rug making demonstration/lunch stops. Our tour guide, Levent, said he will give us suggestions on where to go for a traditional Turkish lunch if we would like to do that before re boarding the Star. I will let you know how it goes.

We are boarding the Star next Sunday. Doing the full day paid excursion through Viking, 8:00-4:00. When I return, I'll let you know what I thought.

Will be on a Empires of the Mediterranean in March 2016. We are looking for some feedback on any excursions someone might have taken in Dubrovnik, Kotor or Pula.

I am boarding Star next Sunday for Empires of the Mediterranean. Doing the complimentary walking tour in Pula, Dubrovnik by Cable Car, and Baroque Palaces & Scenic Seascapes in Kotor. When I return I will let you know what I thought of those.

Yes our historical and cultural sites are open as well as the city wall, but it all closes down at 3pm. Our daylight hours are much shorter, with dusk coming as early as 4pmish. The airport is about a 20 minute drive to the old town. Many of our outdoor restaurants will begin to close down since November is normally our wettest month, but who knows about weather these days. There are always a taxi waiting at the airport to get you into town, have no idea what that cost may be these days. You can enjoy the ambiance of Cavtat during the morning hours, the town will be locals enjoying the morning coffee. Check to see what is open in Ston, again plan early morning. Enjoy.

Dubrovniktravelady ~ thank you for all the valuable info & the link to the visitors website. We will be arriving on Nov. 8th on Viking Star & will be in port at 8:00 am until late night. We have a 4 hour tour booked in the a.m. 9:00-1:00, but hope to explore for the afternoon & evening, as well. Do the restaurants close down at 3:00??? I would love to try the lamb you spoke about! Is their activity at night? Are shops open? Thanks, again.

We will be leaving port at 6:00 in mid-November. Will we miss the sunset?

If you're a member at AAA, check your local office. I got a "tip pack" which has a small amount of foreign currency with small denominations for tipping & such. I also got a great pre-paid debit/Visa card through them so as to have a card that's not attached to my bank account.

Thank you!

Luckily, I just looked at the flights and we fly into & out of Terminal 5, so hoping that will be the case & won't require to much running around. I don't mind walking around, but don't want to be stressed about time.

I booked air through Viking & my flights seem pretty good. One question I do have though is in regards to layover in Heathrow. I have never flown through there & thought I had read somewhere in the discussions that it is busy & chaotic. On both going & return we have a 4 hour connection time and I assume that will be fine?

We took a gondola ride in mid October. It was not cold at all. Dress for the weather and enjoy.

 

If you time things right you can pay daytime prices and have your trip last into evening. Be sure to negotiate and to be clear how long your trip will be and where. It is the back canals which were magical to me but you want enough light to be able to see. Then you can end up on the grand canal at or near sunset.

Thank you, Mary Ann! I hope it works out for us since we will only be in Venice for about 12 hours.

Hi ~ I am going to be in Venice, departing at midnight on a Viking cruise. I want to take a gondola ride while I'm there. I really want to do an early evening/sunset ride, but am wondering if it will be too cold. Would love people's advice and/or tips on this. I had an evening tour booked through the cruise line, but decided to cancel that one & try to do it on my own. Thanks!

Marcie

 

We stayed at the NH Firenze in Florence, Royal Hotel Carlton in Bologna and the Grand Hotel in Verona. All were 4 star standard, very clean and professional with a good breakfast.

 

I would happily stay at any of them myself if I returned to any of these cities.

 

Neil

Neil ~ thank you. Those are the same hotels we will be staying at, so it's comforting to know you were happy with the accommodations. Were you satisfied with the tour guide & sights you saw while visiting Florence/Bologna & Verona?

~Marcie

We arrived in Rome at 10:30am on a flight from London and there was a group of about 30 others who had arrived on earlier flights waiting for our flight and two others at 10:30, some had arrived as early as 8:30. By the time we cleared customs, reclaimed baggage and boarded the coach it was about 11:30am. There were lots of Viking staff present to help with directions and baggage.

 

We then drove into Rome 30/45 minutes from city centre and then drove past the some of the main sites in Rome for about an hour before stopping for lunch. At this point we were joined by some others who arrived on later flights. They had been met by Viking staff and put in a taxi to the Restaurant to meet up with the group.

 

After lunch we finished off the tour (circa 30 minutes more) before heading off to Florence. On the way we met another small group at a service station, who had come in on a later flight, but were again met at the airport and sent by taxi to join the main group en route to Florence.

 

My guess is that based on your flight time that you will miss Rome. If I was to miss one tour then the drive by tour of Rome is the one to miss but it is a pity that you are arriving into Rome so late to miss it all.

 

If I was planning this I would either get into Rome as early as possible (my flight was the first out of London that morning) else fly into Florence and go direct to the hotel have some free time in Florence and meet the group there.

 

It is quite a distance between Rome and Florence and by the time we arrived at the Hotel it was after 7:00pm and we were back out for dinner in less than 30 minutes.

 

I had the same concerns as you about what to expect in Rome, so I contacted Viking the week before departure and they were able to describe what would happen given our arrival time. Hopefully they will be able to the same for you.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Neil

Hi Neil ~ can you tell me what hotels you stayed at in Florence, Bologna & Verona? And, were you happy with them? Thanks.

We arrived in Rome at 10:30am on a flight from London and there was a group of about 30 others who had arrived on earlier flights waiting for our flight and two others at 10:30, some had arrived as early as 8:30. By the time we cleared customs, reclaimed baggage and boarded the coach it was about 11:30am. There were lots of Viking staff present to help with directions and baggage.

 

We then drove into Rome 30/45 minutes from city centre and then drove past the some of the main sites in Rome for about an hour before stopping for lunch. At this point we were joined by some others who arrived on later flights. They had been met by Viking staff and put in a taxi to the Restaurant to meet up with the group.

 

After lunch we finished off the tour (circa 30 minutes more) before heading off to Florence. On the way we met another small group at a service station, who had come in on a later flight, but were again met at the airport and sent by taxi to join the main group en route to Florence.

 

My guess is that based on your flight time that you will miss Rome. If I was to miss one tour then the drive by tour of Rome is the one to miss but it is a pity that you are arriving into Rome so late to miss it all.

 

If I was planning this I would either get into Rome as early as possible (my flight was the first out of London that morning) else fly into Florence and go direct to the hotel have some free time in Florence and meet the group there.

 

It is quite a distance between Rome and Florence and by the time we arrived at the Hotel it was after 7:00pm and we were back out for dinner in less than 30 minutes.

 

I had the same concerns as you about what to expect in Rome, so I contacted Viking the week before departure and they were able to describe what would happen given our arrival time. Hopefully they will be able to the same for you.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Neil

Yes, that is a great help. Thank you, Neil. Well, that is going to be a long day for us after arriving in Rome at 1:10 & being on a bus all the way to Florence. Ugh.

I know this is a slightly different pre/post cruise extension offered by Viking but here are a few comments based on my recent experience.

 

I have just returned from the Venice - Istanbul cruise on Viking Star, I took the 3 night Italian Cities pre-cruise tour offered by Viking at £899 per person. It was fully escorted tour of Rome (Panoramic Drive plus lunch in local restaurant), Florence (overnight stay, dinner in local restaurant and walking tour), Bologna (ditto but dinner was in hotel restaurant) and Verona (again overnight stay, dinner in local restaurant and walking tour). All meals were included and wine was included at lunch and dinner.

 

The standard of the tour manager (who joined us in Rome and delivered us to Venice) was excellent and the local guides used for the tours were also good. The restaurants were excellent and the hotels very good, all of which were within walking distance of the city centre.

 

You can always do these sort of tours independently at a different cost, and I have done independent tours of California myself from the UK, but if you want somebody to take care of everything for you then I would recommend a Viking pre/post cruise extension to make the most of your visit to Europe.

 

Neil

Hi Neil ~ thank you for your review of the pre-cruise tour. I am also booked on this tour & was getting anxious as there's no info on it in the cruise documents other than the 3 hotels we will be staying at. I hope they are the same as the ones that you stayed at since you were pleased. We also booked our air through Viking & do not arrive in Rome until 1:10 pm, so I really don't feel we will see anything at all in Rome which is unfortunate. Can you tell me what time you got to Venice on departure day? Thanks.

~Marcie

It's our only full sea day so I have some time. Internet access hasn't been a problem, but having time and inclination to post HAS been. However, I'll try to answer questions. First, I heard the folks with Diko yesterday had a great time on their 5 hour tour. Milo didn't book up terribly early for our day yesterday, so I imagine you can easily book him (or Diko) for March. There aren't a lot of cruise ships visiting Kotor, which helps things, plus there aren't all that many people doing independent tours on Star, which also helps. We were lucky in that there was only one river ship in Kotor yesterday, but if a big Costa or Norwegian ship comes the same day (at anchor) you will want to book ahead for Milo (pronounced "meel-o" by the way). He was perfect, plus with the 4 hour tour there was time to explore Kotor on your own. We arrived in Kotor a bit before our 7 AM scheduled arrival (not unusual on ocean cruise ships) and I would say the clearance by Montenegro came about 7:30. We planned our trip for 8, but mostly just because we weren't doing an all day trip, plus the other couple preferred a not-too-early start. Of course, the earlier you start, the fewer tourists you'll run into. Weather was perfect. A little cool and windy up top on the ship at 7:30, but warmed up quickly. Don't miss sailaway for at least an hour after departure - Bay of Kotor was wonderful, and the red mountains about around sunset time were incredible to see. There was narration by an expert in Explorer's Lounge, but I went back to the tables on 2 aft, as that's sheltered from wind, few people, and a great spot for photographers. The wraparound deck provides views from each side, which I like. It's now my go to spot for photography.

 

Whew! Sorry, I get carried away when I start typing, but I suppose too much rather than too little is OK. As for excursions, we've only done the included ones and no paid ones. We ARE doing one in Athens (Cape Sounion) so I'll try to report on that, even though it's not a popular one, I would guess. We have been to Athens and wanted something different, plus not into history much, so it sounded best for us.

 

As for the included excursions, my opinion is that it would be extremely hard to give 930 people a comprehensive tour of a big city like Athens or Rome or whatever. Just getting enough buses, tour guides, etc. would be difficult. So if you really want to see a lot, I would recommend a private tour. However, the included walking tours we've taken so far (Dubrovnik and Pula) were quite good. There were maybe 30 people walking together with a guide, using the Quiet Vox boxes. Guides were excellent, people on our tours kept up (not too fast, not too slow), and nobody lagged or came back too late or was a problem. Feedback from a couple others on another group in both Pula and Dubrovnik was that the guides were great. No fiddling with the boxes, told us info in Dub about how to get back to port if we missed shuttle or buses, etc. Perfect, although it WAS very crowded in Dub, which was less than ideal. Damn tourists!!!! Going in March or October might be better. The only thing I didn't like about the Dub tour was that there was a full tour of the Dominican monastery with its artwork. Just too much walking for us, and stuffy in those old, small rooms. If you want, just sit outside and the group will come back out. Plenty of places to sit there. It was warm, and with all that walking, we got a little warm and tired.

 

In Pula, it was great to be in the amphitheater with only maybe 15 other people walking around - easy to get great pictures. The only problem with Pula is that you have to do a long tender, as I've mentioned somewhere else. Don't expect to anchor and get there a half hour later, even if you're on the first tour. It takes time - but I loved Pula, so it was worth it. Nice place, not too overrun with tourists, unusual place (only one other cruise ship went there this summer).

 

No panoramic tours yet - that comes in Athens, though, and yes, it's pretty much a bus tour, from what I've heard.

 

As for paid excursions, I haven't talked to too many people who took them, so can't help much there. Someone went on the olive oil tour from Kotor and liked it, but that was as far as I got with the discussion, as the discussion was about bees rather than the tour. (There are a lot more of them in ports around here - got bothered while trying to eat lunch the other day.)

 

Later today I might do a "tips" post for things on the ship. A lot of what was reported early on appear to be operator error. For example, I had trouble with the coffee maker in the room, but of course, it was (my) operator error! Only things non-ship that pop into my head right now are: if you're not used to ocean cruises, don't wear a hat when tendering, on the ship outside, etc. unless it's attached to your head. Might want to bring a headband (women). I have short hair and even I carry one. For sheltered photography, go to deck 2 behind The Restaurant. Do the wraparound walk and you'll see inside the ship (ropes, where anchors are stored, etc.) More later....biggest tip is that you need to forget how things were on Viking Freya, Epic, Zuiderdam, Insignia, etc. - all new and different, and different is OK!!!!! Doesn't mean it's bad.....just different. We are loving it...

Thank you, roothy. Much appreciated!!

Thanks, Neil. Safe travels. Looking forward to hearing your reviews/comments on the cruise, as well as you're pre-cruise trip through Italy.