And so it begins Mariner April 2 Barcelona to Istanbul

[Travelcat2]

Great deal on artichokes in the Rome area today: 10 for a measly Euro. (It's peak of the season.)

 

Not a great deal today--or any day--on gas. . . $13-$14 a gallon!! "And, still," commented Luigi, our guide, "it's one person per car. Italians love their cars. They can't stay without them."

 

Italy is sounding quite expensive as we expected (except for artichokes:-). Very interested in hearing your thoughts on your next two ports as we will be there next month.

[nana541]

We had a wonderful day in Rome....spent the day with fellow CC member, KellyCrazy and her delightful daughter Aubry... Today was a private tour with Rome in Limo...great day, good company, oh Roma what is there to say!!!!

[Mr Rumor]

From the What Are the Odds of This Department?: Our tour guide today, Luigi, was the same guide we had on our April, 2010 Discover Rome tour! He was terrific then, and he was terrific again today, enhancing our Italian Countryside & Catacomb tour with his witty, newsy commentary and genial, laid-back demeanor. After we visited the Domitilla catacombs, he surprised us by adding an unscheduled stop at a nearby section of the Appia, which turned out to be an excellent photo opportunity.

[Gardendog]

I tried to post yesterday, but the ship had neither Internet nor phone service.

 

In Monaco, we took the eze and monaco tour. We had an excellent guide, excellent English hand pleasant personality and fun information along the way.

 

In Lucca we did the bike tour, it was fun and interesting. It was just a half day tour, but it gave you some free time as well. One of the cc people was there, so those were the first cc people we have met.

 

We have been surprised and impressed by the service, it has been great. Today, we were in Horizon and went outside to see other ships. One bar service people came outside to see if we needed refills on our drinks! Great service.

[nana541]

Ok so a bit off topic buttttt what happened to the thread posted by the pissed off Voyager passenger...or was he posting on the wrong cruise line the whole thing is gone???

[Gardendog]

Today we took the train to Rome and it was free day in Rome. The guide was great, the logistics with all those tours leaving and all those buses, pretty impressive.

 

We have found with 3 days of tours, it is very timely. If your ticket says 8 am, you will be on the bus right after 8. You don't sit there wasting your day.

 

The guide on the train ton Rome was very informative, with suggestions where to go.

 

Dinner for the second time in prime 7. We really like that restaurant.

 

Music and dancing in horizon lounge before dinner. The musicians ask for requests.

 

Broadway show last night with abba music. Great show.

 

Miss pro ball room dancers.

[Sheltieluv]

I'm wondering the same thing....!:confused:

[RachelG]

Glad you enjoyed the Lucca bike tour. That is one of my favorite ever tours in one of my favorite Italian towns.

 

Mr. Rumor, glad your catacombs and countryside tour was better than ours. Our tour bus driver got lost, so we were driven around aimlessly for a while. And the guide seemed more interested in taking us to a roadside rest area stop than anything else--why we would need to visit a rest stop 30 min after leaving the ship when the catacombs where we were going had perfectly good restrooms is beyond me. I think he was getting a kickback from the rest stop owners. At any rate, I complained a lot about that tour, so it must have improved.

 

Nana, I think the deleted poster was a troll.

[nana541]

 

Nana, I think the deleted poster was a troll.

 

I don't get, it why, why would someone would take the time to make so up some thing like that?? Though I have to say that voer all the details just did not add up!

[Gardendog]

Yesterday we had our port day in Rome. It was a long day, with all the tours leaving around 8 am and returning around 6 pm.

 

We took the train tor Rome with the day spent independently. It was a great day, lots of walking. Rain had been forecast and it looked a little threatening, but no rain fell.

 

The famous sights were packed with people, long lines to get to St. Peter's.

 

It was organized very well by Regent. We were on the bus in no time after picking up our tour tickets. We boarded the bus with a very knowledgable guide who spoke excellent English. The bus took us to the train. When we boarded the train, the guide gave a very good description of where we could go, handed out emergency numbers, a decent map and other useful information.

 

When we left the train, she clearly showed where to meet up again. I like the Italian guides, they have been all very good.

 

Evening saw us again at Prime 7, wonderful food and great service. We did not go to Liar's club in the evening. There was no show.

[Gardendog]

I don't recall if I mentioned this before, but service has been excellent onboard the mariner. Needs are anticipated! Last night after we had finished dancing (since the music stopped) in Horizon, we went outside to see the other departing ships. One of the great bar waiters came out and asked if we wanted refills on our drinks.

 

At breakfast we have also had great service. The only show we went to made us have to rush dinner, but no problem, the waiters served us quickly. I don't usually want to rush dinner, but was happy that they were so accomodating.

 

Room is serviced just fine, no problems there.

 

There are spin bikes and spin classes on the Mariner, so if you have room in your suitcase, bring bike shorts.

 

There is a small singles group meeting before dinner in Horizon lounge. In the past it has been more noticed, with gentleman hosts dancing with guests.

 

Also, no block party yet. We have met several very nice people, but I do like the block party.

 

We have had some problems with accessing the internet on occasion. Don't bank on looking things up the day before on the internet, I would suggest saving it on your ipad, OR, print it out to be real sure.

[nana541]

Really great day in port...Pompeii (humm bad spelling) was wonderful...we did a private tour with Rome in Limo our second with them (Rome too) wow what a wonderful day. We joined the first tender off the ship, no problem. We have been really lazy eating in our lovely suite. DH passed out now, had to cancel Prime 7 :(

Looking forward to a day on our own tomorrow!

[Mr Rumor]

We got to cross the Amalfi Drive off our bucket list today. Had a great time soaking in stunning view after stunning view, and were blessed by fabulous weather. The tour included a nice three-course lunch, with an ocean view, natch, at the restaurant at the Voce del Mare Hotel in Vietri.

 

Ninety one booked this tour, by the way, while 189 booked the Pompeii tour and 179 went with Capri on the Lighter Side. We also heard raves from a couple of couples who decided to forego tours and just sample Sorrento and its many shops and cafes on their own.

[Travelcat2]

Sounds great! Could give us an idea of the daytime weather temperatures? Thanks!

[Dmgmd50]

Really great day in port...Pompeii (humm bad spelling) was wonderful...we did a private tour with Rome in Limo our second with them (Rome too) wow what a wonderful day. We joined the first tender off the ship, no problem. We have been really lazy eating in our lovely suite. DH passed out now, had to cancel Prime 7 :(

Looking forward to a day on our own tomorrow!

 

One of the "advantages" for selecting Regent is that tours are included. Are the tours that bad that people book private tours? If that is the case I probably would be better off on a line where the tours are not included and just go privately. I was recently on Oceana and a lot of people complained about the tours: does Regent use the same tour operators?

[Travelcat2]

One of the "advantages" for selecting Regent is that tours are included. Are the tours that bad that people book private tours? If that is the case I probably would be better off on a line where the tours are not included and just go privately. I was recently on Oceana and a lot of people complained about the tours: does Regent use the same tour operators?

 

Some excursions are good -- some are not. I personally would not go on Regent tours in the Baltics since the private tours are extraordinary. Regent does use the same tour operatoars as Oceania. Still, even without excursions, Regent is worth every penny. IMO, they took on more than they could handle when they began including excursions. If they would allow passengers to opt out, it might make the tour process more manageable.

[nana541]

I have to chime in as we have a combo of both private and Regent....we have luved the private because they are just that "private" just us and the guide for Pomeii and Rome....thise tours were wonderful, but the all time best tour we have ever had is the Regent tour in Florence soooo just depends on the place, guide and your fellowpassengers. i think this would be true on any li e.

The weather has been cool in the morning warming up to warmish t-shirt or lite sweater weather....we have been lucky so far given the weather forcast we had before leaving the states.

[marinaro44]

Comparing a $500-1500 private tour to a no-additional-cost Regent tour is more than a bit unfair. We've done ten Regent tours on these two cruises and nine were good to excellent. Regent seems to limit the number of passengers to about 25 per bus, and many tours were done with headsets to make it easier to hear the guides.

[Gardendog]

We have been very pleased with the included tours.

 

The day time temperature has been in the 60s, just perfect for touring. No rain yet.

 

Right now it's a bit warmer, with sun and the pool deck is filling up. I am disappointed to report that many chairs only have "markers" on them, no people.

 

The Taormina tour today was nice and short, only 5 hours. Very pretty town, and I enjoyed the Grecco roman theatre.

 

We have seen very many cute little towns in Italy, and then of course, the big one, Rome.

[nana541]

Fabulous day in Taormina...perfect weather, beautiful skies! Decided not to wait on the shuttle bus, grabbed a cab with another couple and driver spent 4 hrs and saw much, ate much, and drank way way tooooo much :)

[Travelcat2]

We have been very pleased with the included tours.

 

The day time temperature has been in the 60s, just perfect for touring. No rain yet.

 

Right now it's a bit warmer, with sun and the pool deck is filling up. I am disappointed to report that many chairs only have "markers" on them, no people.

 

The Taormina tour today was nice and short, only 5 hours. Very pretty town, and I enjoyed the Grecco roman theatre.

 

We have seen very many cute little towns in Italy, and then of course, the big one, Rome.

 

Thanks for the weather information. Sounds perfect.

 

In terms of the chair "markers".... remember that you can ask a staff member to remove the markers if they are left unattended for over a half an hour:)

[nana541]

Comparing a $500-1500 private tour to a no-additional-cost Regent tour is more than a bit unfair. We've done ten Regent tours on these two cruises and nine were good to excellent. Regent seems to limit the number of passengers to about 25 per bus, and many tours were done with headsets to make it easier to hear the guides.

 

Not unfair at all! My Florence tour was a Regent included tour and was frankly better than my private tours.....which are simply another option for a special occausion...not something we do often...but Rome was the entire purpose of this cruise and I wanted to see as much as possible in such a short time. And we have certainly not paid the kind of money you mentioned as we shared our Rome tour with two other CC members.

 

Regent tours are excellent, private tours are simply another option for a special port.

[esimon]

I love the idea of included tours -- I like meeting and seeing things with new people -- I also can't afford private tours --

All the positive feed back on included tours is wonderful --

Weather sounds good too - we leave in 22 days and it should be a little warmer by then

Thanks to all for the feed back

[nana541]

I love the idea of included tours -- I like meeting and seeing things with new people -- I also can't afford private tours --

All the positive feed back on included tours is wonderful --

Weather sounds good too - we leave in 22 days and it should be a little warmer by then

Thanks to all for the feed back

 

Esimon... You are going to love it.... And yes you are right, DH would normally say private tours are not needed....weather should be even better for you but ours has so far been great! Now get to packing... :)

[Mr Rumor]

After nine tour days in a row (four on the TA, five on this one) I'm ready for our one sea day tomorrow! I'll have our excellent "Hidden Sicily--In the Footsteps of the Godfather" tour to reflect on, thanks in large part to tour guide Marcello, whose engaging commentary really made the tour. The continuing great weather didn't hurt either as we explored the picturesque villages of Savoca and Forza d'Agro, where scenes from Godfather I and III were shot. By luck, we ran into a local who was given a brief speaking role in one of the movies, and Marcello made a show of introducing her to us as Savoca's most famous citizen.

 

Marcello takes exception, by the way, to the way Sicily is portrayed in the trilogy as well as other media. "We're not the OK Corral," he said, explaining that there are two Mafias today, the "poor" one in Calabria, "the most violent part of the country," and the Sicilian mafia, which adheres to the belief that "Dead people make more noise than live ones," thus preferring to go the "top manager" route by owning and running all types of businesses, including banks. "The Mafia here wants to keep everyone quiet," he said.

 

Another highlight of my day: the scrumptious Miso Glazed (super fresh) Sea Bass Fillet With Sticky Rice and Scallions I devoured at Compass Rose. I rank it as the single best fiesh entree I've had aboard a Regent cruise.

 

Rich