bbqbears

We will be sailing on Epic out of Spain in a few weeks. I notice "Let's Take a Selfie" excursions are listed for each port on our cruise. I just called to ask for specifics and was told that a coach takes people to 5 stops "for 5-10 minutes" to take a picture, then brings passengers back to the ship. They mark these excursions as moderate-presumably because one may have to walk on cobblestone, but otherwise, not sure why it's a "moderate" excursion. That's all there is to this excursion? Am I missing something here? Seems kind of ludicrous to spend $100 or more to appear like you've visited all these picturesque spots, when really-you were only there for 5 minutes. I would appreciate hearing from those who have done one of these excursions.

mckacmom-thanks for taking the time to answer. Kathy

mjkacmom- So they arrive at the pier hours before they can board. Is their luggage checked at that point? Hoping they can simply drop their luggage off so that they will be free to see a bit of Barcelona, unencumbered by heavy bags. =

My son and DIL are using NCL air to fly from Charleston, SC. They are on Delta, and are scheduled to stop over in Atlanta, before going over to Charleston. Flight arrives (hopefully!) at 8:30am the day of our cruise. I assume by the time they get their bags and get through customs, it will be closer to 9:30. Does anyone know if they will be allowed onboard after NCL bus drops them off at the pier?

FetaCheese-yes, that's right. This will be my third stay at the Continental Palacete. My brother and sister-in-law shared those pictures I posted, and they feel the same way I feel about the place. I believe our first stay there was 15 years ago, and my second trip was 10 years ago-but from the pictures and interactions with the staff r/t my upcoming trip, it doesn't appear to have changed. There are some funky things about it-the inside, windowless rooms are an example. Like everything else, the price has increased, but considering the complementary food and beverages (including beer and wine), it's reasonable. We loved the location. The staff have always been attentive.

Dolls 123-I am so sorry, I somehow lost this stream of discussion and just coming back to it. Re: The Hotel Continental -here are pictures of the main gathering room and the buffet which they have out 24/7. You can't tell from the picture, but there are doors in that gathering room which open onto balconies that overlook La Rambla. I don't have any pictures of the rooms which can go from palatial to dark and tiny (the inside rooms with out windows). I've stayed in both, and frankly, didn't spend a lot of time in the room so didn't care if the room was small. We have booked rooms there for a couple of days before our cruise and the same after. I hope you enjoy your trip.

Wow! That was a good deal.

Wolft927-was the $1899 you paid for The Haven suite per person?

Harratine, Thanks for your response-very helpful. I've waited a lot of years to go rogue. Now I may have to!

Harratine, thank you for this wonderful review. My family and I will be on this cruise in September. I have some concerns that you called out, i.e. several sites are not comfortable to navigate. Could you tell me if there are any places to sit down, both in the Pompeii site and in the Roman Forum? My friend and I both have some mobility issues, thus we plan to go at our own pace while my able-bodied son and DIL explore further. Kathy

Thank you for all the great tips. Yes, I've been worried that we won't be able to get tickets. My son and DIL are very excited-but I can't get them to make up their mind about what they want to do. I think I will just buy the tickets! Marazul-I laughed when I read your response. That is exactly what my husband and I used to do. I don't think we ever paid for a tour-we just strolled relatively close to the tour group. For shame!

Our family will be in Rome on Tuesday, September 13. My son and DIL would like to see the floor/underground of the Colosseum, but with limited time in Rome that day, they want to spend an hour +/- before going over to The Forum. The Wonders of the Colosseum: Visiting the Underground and Arena Didactic from Coop Culture looks like it will get them what they want. Has anyone done this tour?

Our family will be in Rome on Tuesday, September 13. My son and DIL would like to see the floor/underground of the Colosseum, but with limited time in Rome that day, they want to spend an hour +/- before going over to The Forum. The Wonders of the Colosseum: Visiting the Underground and Arena Didactic from Coop Culture looks like it will get them what they want. Has anyone done this tour?

It looks like you can't make a reservation for anything before getting on board. For those on the EPIC-did they do away with the CIRQUE-type shows?

I haven't been on an NCL cruise in many years and have never had to make reservations for any shows. I'm noticing comments about people making reservations or not being able to get a reservation. Are reservations taken for each of the major shows? Recommendations for how to make sure we get to see each of the shows? Thanks, Kathy

Thank you so much!

Where do we get health forms with the QR codes? Airline?

That's disheartening. Yes, that's a good reminder--get receipts for everything. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Can anyone tell me whether or not most Barcelona taxis take credit cards these days? Thanks, Kathy

Hmm, rental car. That may be a good option too. Thank you for the suggestion!

Thanks for the tip. I will check out that website.

Thanks for your thoughts. I will share these with my family. I am undergoing chemo, so stamina is not great and my friend has pretty significant mobility issues and cannot walk very far r/t pain, which is why we are doing the hop on/off bus, but I agree with your points, and this is not an ideal way to see Rome. I think the ship's shuttle into Rome drops us off at the Spanish Steps, one of the bus stops. And maple leaves, I will share your comments with my son and DIL-that is exactly my concern, i.e. they will be constrained by their aunt's limited ability to walk and will not see what they want to see. My original query was really for them to see how people approach seeing key points when you only have a day.

We will be in Rome for 12 hours as part of our NCL cruise in September. This will be my 3rd trip to Rome, but this will be the first trip for my son, DIL and friend. My group is not interested in doing a Vatican tour. Given transport time from ship to Rome, it's really a very short day. We will use the hop on/off bus and supplement with a taxi ride if we need to. My son and DIL of course want to see everything, but that will not be realistic. I'm curious what people who have been to Rome before think should be on their "must see" list, if given those time constraints.

Hank, thanks for the tip. Especially since we are going to do the hop on/off bus in Rome. My friend can simply stay on the bus and loop around while the rest of us walk, but she's definitely going to do more walking that day than she's used to-we hope to walk through the Forum. After starting out all enthusiastic for Lucca, but after considering everyone's comments, I think we'd better stick with Florence and just plan to take it slow. Again, I appreciate everyone's comments. So helpful in making travel plans.

carlmm, that's good to know. Do many people at the little tobacco or other shops in the port speak English?