Barely A Live from Escape May16-26 2024 Trieste (Venice) to Barcelona/10-Day Mediterranean: Italy Croatia Greece France Spain

[mking8288]

9 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

When I returned to Civitavecchia, I thought about walking back to the ship from the train station, having eaten a 6 month supply of gelato in just a few days. 

Then I decided to wait for the €6 red shuttle bus back to the ship but ...  and I was back on the ship in no time.

You are one smart cookie 😁 👌

[zakanja]

I am travelling solo for the first time on NCL Escape in Sept, 2024.  Wondering about booking NCL tours or are there any other options once you get into port.  I am a Senior who cannot walk long distances so bus trips would be great

 

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, mking8288 said:

You are one smart cookie 😁 👌

You have been Schmoopie-influenced!

[YVRteacher]

13 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

I am not suggesting that I am being stalked, but…

 

 

Well, well … these unicorns do exist. 
 

Thank you kind folks!

 

I really like Elena and I’d love to see her move up to GM. She walks through the restaurants at night checking in with everybody.

[debenson0723]

51 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I really like Elena and I’d love to see her move up to GM. She walks through the restaurants at night checking in with everybody.

I agree with this completely. Haven't seen her in quite a while but she is a favorite...always so gracious and kind.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Some of the excursions in Split and Dubrovnik were a bit tricky for folks who had mobility issues. About 3-4 people fell on my Šibenik Trogir Split excursion, but thankfully there were no serious injuries. The cobblestones, incline and slippery limestone made walking conditions treacherous for some. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

5 hours ago, zakanja said:

I am travelling solo for the first time on NCL Escape in Sept, 2024.  Wondering about booking NCL tours or are there any other options once you get into port.  I am a Senior who cannot walk long distances so bus trips would be great

If this is your first time traveling solo, you might feel more comfortable sticking with NCL excursions. There are plenty of sightseeing tours by bus to choose from. I posted a list of excursions offered on this sailing, but you can read about the ones offered for your sailing in more detail on the website. Look for excursions that are considered Exertion Level 1. 
 

Have you joined the Roll Call for your particular sailing? Often your fellow cruisers might book private excursions and look for others to join them to fill the van and lower the cost per person. 
 

Depending on the port, there might be tours offered by the local operators when you arrive. Just be cautious of your time when booking your own excursion. If you miss the all aboard time, the ship will not wait for you. If you book a NCL excursion and the excursion runs late, the ship will wait for the group to return. There are exceptions, of course; if a NCL bus is stuck behind an accident and it is clear that the group will not be able to return to the ship for hours, then NCL will make arrangements for the group’s accommodations and travel to the next port. 

 

Feel free to ask questions. There are many experienced cruisers on this thread who would be happy to share their knowledge. 
 

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, mking8288 said:

You are one smart cookie 😁 👌

I think that plate of cookies she received were actually magic cookies. And now she is a cookie, 🤣. She was probably smart even before being cookied.

[schmoopie17]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

You have been Schmoopie-influenced!

I might have said she keeps re-HASHing the same subject.

[jrt.mom]

14 hours ago, mking8288 said:

You are one smart cookie 😁 👌

Shouldn't that be one smart (NCL nonexistent) cookie??

[graphicguy]

9 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

I really like Elena and I’d love to see her move up to GM. She walks through the restaurants at night checking in with everybody.

I concur.  She's excellent.  It always seemed she couldn't do enough for us when we had her as our Concierge.  I didn't know she was still around.  Glad to see she is.

[ontheweb]

35 minutes ago, jrt.mom said:

Shouldn't that be one smart (NCL nonexistent) cookie??

No, absolutely not. See post #187. She has accepted cookies.

[mking8288]

44 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I concur.  She's excellent.  It always seemed she couldn't do enough for us when we had her as our Concierge.  I didn't know she was still around.  Glad to see she is.

Agreed, I knew the name Elena rang a bell in my head somehow, not as F&B Director.  Now that you mentioned it. we sailed with her at least once (Escape, perhaps ??) a few years ago - she reached out (back then, being Platinum Plus (Sapphire) on NCL was more meaningful plus being associated with CC.  This is a good upward move, recognition & promotion and NCL made the right choice.  Escape had (has) a great team and even the HD's secretary or assistant back then would remember when we ran into each other, as I often cruise "undercover" and don't go out of the way to say, hi, I'm back again.  

 

@Sugar Magnolia  if you get a chance and/or do happen to know, who's the GM's secretary/assistant currently onboard ??  Not a big deal, thanks.   BTW, hopefully that Alpha code wasn't serious and did those late returning pier runners made it back onboard ?? 

[Sugar Magnolia]

20 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

if you get a chance and/or do happen to know, who's the GM's secretary/assistant currently onboard ??  Not a big deal, thanks. 

I will try to ask without being creepy. There was no dinner with officers this week so I did not have my normal interaction with the GM’s assistant. 
 

24 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

BTW, hopefully that Alpha code wasn't serious and did those late returning pier runners made it back onboard ?? 

No news about yesterday’s Code Alpha or pier runners. 
 

[Sugar Magnolia]

With so many fans of Elena on this thread, I will have to seek her out to let her know about her many admirers. 
 

Edited May 23 by Sugar Magnolia

[Sugar Magnolia]

Sadly there was no gelato today but I did pick up these scrumptious cornetti con crema in Porto Venere. They are flaky crunchy pastries, better than croissants, filled with pistachio, lemon or chocolate cream. I only chose pistachio and lemon because I am dieting. No dinner again tonight because I still have cookies left over from yesterday. Trying to see how long I can last without eating any protein. 
 

 

 

 

 

[Gigi1068]

Just chiming to say your photos are awesome.  Thank you for sharing.

[brookie848]

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Sadly there was no gelato today but I did pick up these scrumptious cornetti con crema in Porto Venere. They are flaky crunchy pastries, better than croissants, filled with pistachio, lemon or chocolate cream. I only chose pistachio and lemon because I am dieting. No dinner again tonight because I still have cookies left over from yesterday. Trying to see how long I can last without eating any protein. 
 

 

You're good. Nuts and dairy have some protein.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[Sugar Magnolia]

There were two Mobies docked in Livorno today. 
 

 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Smoking is alive and well at Spice H2O and the Waves bar, both on Deck 17. 
 

 

 

 

[mapleleaves]

Curious to know .....Is NCL still NOT offering a shuttle from the ship to the train station? 

Is there a free port shuttle from the ship to Piazza Municipio ?   

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

3 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

Curious to know .....Is NCL still NOT offering a shuttle from the ship to the train station? 

Is there a free port shuttle from the ship to Piazza Municipio ?   

 

Which port and train station are you referring to? I don’t want to misspeak. 
 

[mapleleaves]

4 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Which port and train station are you referring to? I don’t want to misspeak. 
 

duh ...sorry about that.   I was looking at the Livorno photos so you were supposed to read my mind and know that I was talking about Livorno Port and station.. 

[Sugar Magnolia]

5 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

duh ...sorry about that.   I was looking at the Livorno photos so you were supposed to read my mind and know that I was talking about Livorno Port and station.. 

 

No worries…Thursdays are the only days of the week I don’t read minds. 
 

There was a mention in today’s Freestyle Daily that a shuttle would run between the port and the city center for €7 roundtrip. I do not know where the shuttle drops off. 
 

 

[mapleleaves]

perfect ! Thx so much.