danv3

Our waitstaff eagerly accepted Euros on our med cruise in July. They're over there for the season and I assume want some cash to spend ashore without the need for currency exchange.

They did not appear to be stopping at that location in July. The only place nearby that I saw the shuttle stopping was the dark blue spot just above the fort in that picture. That's where I saw people with suitcases walking to and getting onto buses.

Rules or no, when I sailed on Harmony in April, no one was enforcing--or even checking--boarding times. You could arrive and join the (quite long) line whenever you wanted.

Rolling my eyes at "regrettably." They don't regret cancelling a cruise one bit when it's been chartered.

Just used them for our recent trip to/from Rome. Found them to be very helpful when our bags failed to be delivered at the carrousel at JFK for customs on the way home. We had a better sense of where they were than the Delta agents (who were nonetheless helpful and did ultimately facilitate getting our bags and getting us to our connection). I also enjoyed being able to check on the bags while on every leg of the trip. I knew when they got on the ship and when they got to my room, for example.

Good manners includes following a venue's written policies, right? I don't care much about people wear either, but I do follow the cruise line's published rules, or I find another cruise line with rules I prefer.

Sorry, my post was sort of unclear. What I meant was that a decent number of people (say, 10% maybe) were wearing shorts in the MDR for dinner throughout the cruise (not limited to night one).

I was able to get any non-alcoholic coffee drink (lattes, mochas, americanos) this past week with the classic beverage package. The website is pretty confusing so I asked at the coffee bar to confirm.

In case this helps anyone in the future: It was possible to walk into the port area by the fort (near McDonald's) and then walk to a stop for the internal shuttle. We saw a number of people doing this as well as a few who tried to walk to the ship. While doable, I don't think either is preferable. We ended up having our hotel arrange a taxi for embarkation morning. The only challenge there was that because taxis are busy taking people to and from Rome/FCO on a turnaround day, it was hard to get one to make a short local run (Civi city center to port). But we got one around 1145 and were on board by 1215.

I can say that Reflection did not enforce the dress code in the MDR on the July 4 cruise. Shorts were not common in the MDR, but you'd certainly see a number of people wearing them every night. Personally I don't care all that much, but as a committed rule-follower, I wish cruise lines would either enforce the rules or just change them.

Walgreens here is only booking appointments three days out now (instead of a week out).

Thanks everyone. If we go this route, I'm definitely envisioning walking into the port area and then getting on the internal shuttle as opposed to walking all the way to the ship.

Walgreens was our go-to for testing, but it seems like they're ending the drive-up program June 28 (no appointments available there next Saturday, when I need it). Having to rush to order eMed tests now.

We are staying at a hotel in Civitavecchia the night before our cruise in July. The hotel is closer to the port than the train station (near the archaeological museum). What is the best way for us to get to the port for embarkation? We have no mobility issues, so walking is a possibility. It seems unnecessary to take a taxi <1km, but it also seems like it might not be that easy to just stroll into a secure facility like a port. I think I've read here that they're no longer using the Largo Della Pace as the meeting point as they may have pre-COVID. This map (https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/sites/default/files/file_uploads/nuova_mappa_sito_09_09_21_1631517703.pdf) and the port website suggest that there's pedestrian entrance near the fort, but I wonder whether that's actually open (especially for embarkation). Appreciate any guidance you all may have.

Understatement of the year. LOL.

All well and good until the airline changes the schedule on you and then there's no realistic availability to reschedule. Happened to us on our upcoming return from Italy. From 3 hours at JFK down to 1.5 hours. Almost no chance we make it through customs and onto the connection. Airline said "don't worry, it's plenty of time." Right.

That comment was surely just a crew member ad libbing. The CDC has nothing to do with what X is doing for quarantine on Reflection this summer.

Looked them up. Whoa. 🤑

Super disappointing if that’s true re: Hagia Sophia. Not really surprising though.

Wow, Viking went from most conservative (daily testing) to most permissive (not even a boarding test) in the space of a day. Would love for other cruise lines to follow suit so we can get back to the joy of anticipating a cruise!

Is this at/near a fire station? https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0970547,11.788838,3a,90y,218.8h,115.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2Nfqfa8Hu6-H-4z-Z6Su9A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Does X usually offer coconut ranger cookies like RCI? Those are awesome.

Boom goes the dynamite!

Does this apply to cruises still covered under cruise with confidence? For example, I have a sailing in July booked last year that is covered by cruise with confidence. If I cancel now, will my resulting FCC have no expiration, or will I have to use it within one year of original sailing date (which I think was the original rule)?

I hope this offering continues if the US isn't going to come to its senses and abandon return testing. Actually, X breaking down and offering this is probably a sign that they've heard that the US isn't ending testing this summer as so many had hoped.