RD64

One of my favourite HAL perks is the basket in the closet that you place your shoes in for the steward to take away and expertly polish....

I am sorry but I do not see why towel animals are such a deal breaker. The first night, on any cruise, on any cruise line, I specifically tell the steward not to waste their tim e making any. Just my two cents...

Just published in Italy: Michelangelo e Raffaello: La fine di un 'epoca by Maurizio Eliseo (Hoepli Press)...

If you are going to Italy, it would definitely be worth picking up this book. If it is anything like Eliseo's Andrea Doria book it will be amazing!!!!! Of course it is written in Italian, but it has lots of pics. I just orderd it from IBS.it - I have used them before, and found they have the most reasonable shipping too. Can't wait to get this book!

While the locker room set-up on this ship is less than ideal....the steam room makes up for it. The room is completely tiled in mosaic, very bright and colorful. The seating, also tiled is on curved benches, on two levels.

There is a sauna as well, just a basic sauna....and at that time there was no charge for either the steam or sauna. This policy may be different on the newer, larger ships..

If you go to ssmaritime.com and search the site you will find excellent photos (interior and exterior) of the Galileo and Marconi. There is another web site ( I do not remember it now) that also has deck plans - although not of the ships in their original configuration. Do a Google search and you may find it. Also, postcards do appear now and then on Ebay. Cheers

No, there was no charge for the spa facilities. Enjoy!

No, there was no charge for the spa facilities. Enjoy!

The Opera provides separate saunas ansd steam rooms for men and woman. The sauna is just a sauna, however - it is the steam that excels. It is set up in a semi-circle - seating on two levels - with an intricate mosaic pattern. Very exotic! The facilities on the new Musica are supposed to be even better.

That being said, i do like the set-up of the facilities on the Carnival Conquest series of ships. The separate steamroom and sauna b oth havelarge windows - perfect for viewing the setting sun, or other ships go by. And the lockers have LOTS of large, comfy towels - much better than the cabib towels. Cheers!

Although I did not sail on the Queen Frederica, my mother did immigrate to Canada from Italy in July 1958 - her most memorable part of the voyage - the first time she tried orange juice.

I recently purchased a set of Queen Frederica deck plans on line, and we were able to locate her cabin (she still has her original passage contract). Cheers!

Watched the Costa Marina as it sailed from Trieste today - it was exciting - just like the good old days..

On both the Paradise and the Inspiration I was assigned a cabin on the Upper deck - U171 - both times and that was a guarantee.

If I were given the option of a category 1 with portholes at the time of booking - I much prefer the natural light as opposed to a larger - yet inside cabin. Personally, I found the cabin well designed and that there was more than enough space for me and my belongings.

I find this cabin to be much better than the one I had this past winter on the MSC Opera. On this ship - it seemed that the bed took up the whole cabin with no room to move around.

Cheers

Did you pbook a specific iA cabin or a 1A guarantee. I booked a 1A guarantee for an upcoming Valor cruise and was very fortunate to be bumped to a 6B.

That being said, i have stayed in a 1A on both the Paradise and Inspiration, and found them quite comfortable for one - and they would certainly be manageable for two. Cheers

Romauibe

Reading your post, I couldn't help but remember the last night we sailed home from Trieste in 1972 on the Colombo with our relatives waving us off as well. Generally we came home via Genova - but that summer we took the long way home. The Colombo may be gone, but the maritime station is still there, and every time I go back, I can't help but remember as the ship backed out of what is literally the centre of the city. thanks for the memory...

Although I never sailed on the Oceanic, I can only imagine how special it was. The week of March 11-18th I was on the MSC Opera, and there were a number of people from the North East that I spoke too. It seemed as if everyone had sailed on the Oceanic at one time, and raved about it. They were hoping that MSC would bring back some of that unique Italian flair to the Caribbean, but sadly that was not the case.

Rotterdam

I am hoping that my waiter et al are Italian. I have heard that a lot of the dining room waiters have been replace by other nationalities. Not that there is anything wrong with that - i am just craving that Italian influence...

Silvia

I am assuming that you still live in Australia. If you are looking for Lloyd Triestino souvenirs, I remember a nautical memorabilia shop in The Rocks of Sydney - it was still in business on my last visit in 2001. The shop sold (still sells) spoons, plates, ash trays, etc. including those of Lloyd Triestino. Don't recall the name, but will look through my scrap books.

Cheers RD

As a child (from 1964-1976) I was fortunate to sail on many of the Italian Line ships when we went to visit our relatives in Italy. The thing I remember most about the Michelangelo and Raffaello were the pools with the slides, and the strong winds crossing the Atlantic. My mother was constantly chasing us to put sweaters on.

However my favourite ship was the Cristoforo Colombo - it sailed directly from Trieste, near my grandmother's home (as opposed to Genoa). The Colombo had a children's dinoing room - the walls were decorated with scenes from Pinocchio, and to this day, I will never forget my brother getting sick at lunch while we passed through the straits of Gibraltar.

In my recent cruising history, i have yet to find anything even close to the service levels of the Italian Line. I am sure that it does exist on the high-end ships such as Crystal, Silversea, etc. This past summer I returned to Italy (sadly by plane) after an absence of seven years. Upon returning home I booked a winter cruise on the MSC Opera, hoping to experience some of the Italian flavour of this past summer. I am hoping that this cruise will bring back some of the Italian Line memories of thirty years ago. Will keep you posted.... Cheers RD