MarvinS

It will be midnight in the Pacific time zone. The fact that it's in Canada doesn't make any difference.

While in Rome, I used some hotel rewards points, so was able to get the hotel room for no charge. We stayed at the Best Western Plus Hotel Universo. It was about three blocks away from Roma Termini which is one of the primary train stations in Rome. This worked very well for us. We flew into Rome and bought a couple of tickets on the next "Leonardo Express" train direct from the airport to Roma Termini (there were trains running every half hour or so). We then just walked the three blocks to the hotel. We each (my wife and I) had a back pack and one medium size suitcase, so made this very easy. The next morning, we walked back to Roma Termini and took a train to Civitavecchia. I used the Trenetalia app on the phone to easily purchase train tickets. The fare was VERY inexpensive to the port at 4.80 Euros each. The train ride took just under an hour to get there. We then took the local shuttle from the train station to the port (another 6 Euros each). We then turned our bags into RC and literally walked directly onto the ship with very minimal waiting in any lines, and was on board in all of about 10 minutes once we got to the cruise terminal. Hope this helps! Any other questions, just ask!

Actually, St. Thomas was the original stop that was already planned (and shifted a day on the schedule). St. Maarten is the new addition instead of San Juan...with regards to the Icon sailing on July 19th, 2025.

Looks like Icon is ALSO being rerouted as far out as mid-July... My son got this message regarding his cruise sailing July 19th! They are dropping San Juan and adding in St. Maarten and shifting the schedule instead...

Traveling via train was actually incredibly easy. I just downloaded and used the "Trenitalia" train app, and was able to purchase tickets and everything right on the phone, linked to my credit card (I use one with no foreign transaction fees). You can enter in the starting and stopping points and the date into the search fields, and see a scheduled of what's available, and if there are any train exchanges you need to do. Rome to the port (and likewise on the return) is just one train running every hour or so. For Venice, I specifically chose a high-speed train that was basically direct (no train changes) from Rome (Roma Termini station) to Venice, and that was a very enjoyable 4-hour rides. There were a dozen or so stops along the way, but we just stayed on the train and enjoyed the scenery. You can download the APP while still in the US, and look up various schedules, destinations, and dates to get an idea of what is available. I purchased train tickets a month or two out for our travels last year (Rome to Venice). I did the tickets for Rome to the port (and the return) a day or so out for each leg of the trip, as there are trains running every hour or so. Regarding luggage, we traveled fairly light. My wife and I each had a backpack and only one medium size suitcase each. There was storage on each train car for the luggage near the doors (and also overhead racks if the suitcase wasn't too big). There's no limit to the luggage (size/weight/quantity); you just have to be able to manage and handle it all yourself. With just our backpacks and one suitcase each, it made it quite easy to navigate through the train station. One benefit of traveling via train is that you don't need to be there 2-3 hours ahead like you do for air flights. The trains run on fairly tight schedules right down to the minute, so you can just monitor the train schedules and ETA's in the terminal building to see which platform (like an airline gate) you need to be at, to get on your train. Roma Termini is large (something like 28 platforms), and the trains are only in the station for 5-10 minutes, so you need to be at the right place at the right time so you don't miss it. The arrival/departure board only has the next 20 to 25 minutes mapped out, and you won't necessarily see which platform your train is coming into until literally 15 minutes ahead of the train's arrival. There is ZERO need to be to the train station extra early as there is no security to go through, and you won't even know which platform you need to be near to board. You just need your train ticket(s) (QR code on the app) that you scan through a ticket station, and in you go the platform areas of the train terminal. I'd plan on arriving at the train station no more than 20-30 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure. It's really VERY EASY once you do it once. Somewhere on your train trip, a train employee will work their way through the train cars scanning everyone's ticket (again, a QR code is just fine). If you do end up traveling to a destination and have to change trains, it really shouldn't be a big deal. When you look at the itineraries you will see the in/out time of the station. You just want to make sure that you have a good 10-15 minutes or more between trains to change to the appropriate platform (and move your luggage with you). Just pay close attention to the transfer times and also make sure that you are changing trains AT THE SAME STATION. I've seen several schedules where you have to change train stations on your own (via bus / taxi / uber / etc.), and that can make a proposed train schedule in the app impossible to actually do. Any other questions, ask away! I'm always willing to share what experience and knowledge I have, especially if it will help someone else!

Last year (June 2024), my wife and I made our first trip to Europe, and did a 7-day western Med. loop on Oasis. We did our embarkation in Civitavecchia (about 1 hour from Rome). We arrived a few days early and visited the sites in Rome. After the cruise, we made a train trip from Rome directly to Venice (only 4 hours!), and then spent a few days in Venice (highly recommended), and then flew home out of Venice. We quickly discovered that getting around Italy (and presumably, most of Europe) is very easy to do via train and is actually very inexpensive (our train fare from Rome to the port was about 5 Euros each way). This fall (Sept. 2025), we have another cruise booked on Odyssey which will be a 12-day Greek Isles cruise starting/stopping from Civitavecchia (Rome). RC does these longer sailings a few times a year, and we wanted to see as much of the eastern side of the Med. and Greece as we could. Our sailing is scheduled to visit: Rome, Naples, Santorini, Ephesus, Rhodes, Cyprus, Mykonos, Athens, Crete, and back to Rome. This 12-day cruise hits most all of the places we wanted to visit, and since your schedule appears to be flexible, I would suggest looking into these longer sailings and see when they are offered. Also, going in September will avoid the peak of the tourist season and the extreme heat. We are VERY much looking forward to this trip! If you do end up embarking from Rome, definitely plan on arriving a few days early to help alleviate the jet-lag, and have some time to visit the Vatican, Colosseum, Roman Forum, and many of the other sites in and around Rome.

It been several years since we were at Grand Cayman, but the one excursion we did do was to visit Stringray City and ALSO went to two other reefs that we snorkeled at. Check your excursion description carefully, as you won't see much else at Stingray City other than lots of stingrays!

I use @michelle ([email protected]). Did you sign any document with them??? As far as I'm concerned, as long as there is no money/deposit paid, there is no binding agreement (assuming you didn't sign anything). I would most definitely move on to a different TA as soon as possible and walk away from all dealings with this other one!

My experience with my MEI travel agent has been invaluable. I recently had a cruise cancel 4 days before departure (ship had mechanical issues and canceled cruise). My TA was able to get me shifted onto a different ship at the last minute after spending all of 10 minutes on the phone with them. They took care of all the details, and made it so easy. My MEI TA has also given me group rates that usually save me an additional few hundred dollars. I recently booked a Jan. 2027 cruise, and saved $200 over RC's online price (which was non-refundable) with MEI's group rates alone. What was INCREDIBLY good was the fact the group rates through MEI were refundable rates. The upcharge online on RC's website was OVER $700 more to make it refundable. As I always book refundable (especially that far out into the future), this saved me over $900 in total fare. Using a TA is the ONLY way I will book cruises in the future!

My wife and I stayed in 9110 (port side front corner) on Ovation for a 9-day reposition (Vancouver, BC to Hawaii; with the ship heading on to Australia next) and absolutely LOVED the extra space in the room. To me, It felt like the area was the same as or slightly larger than a junior suite. The huge round window was at a slight angle and allowed us to see not only forwards but also directly to the port side. This was an awesome room. There were similar cabins above and below us, so noise was never an issue. Couple of downsides...it is a bit of a walk to get to when heading to the windjammer or elevators. There was a bit more motion in the front and could feel that more so than mid-ship or aft cabins. If you are very prone to sea-sickness, it might be an issue. One other "feature" of the room was that there was a short hallway in front the of room and the regular corridor with another door. You had to use your seapass card to go through two doors in order to get to your cabin. The outside door allows entry to the short hallway and access then to doors for 9110 and also to 9108. This was never an issue, but something to be aware of...

We were on Adventure early October and was the first cruise to return back to Labadee. We certainly did the Zipline, so can assure you that it is definitely up and running! We had a great time in Labadee and felt very safe with no issues!

The debit card I take is one that is tied loosely to an investment account. I can transfer funds to my debit card account (and check my card balance instantly) with a simple app on my phone, and only put money on the debit card as I planned on using it (like while I'm standing at the ATM). This worked well to transfer USD onto the debit card (using my phone app) and then use a bank ATM at a European airport to pull cash out in euros very easily. The foreign bank ATMs usually had reasonably low fees, and allowed my investment account to deal with the currency exchange. I also keep my credit cards (and one debit card) in an RFID shielded wallet. If the card was ever stolen or compromised, the most they could get off my debit card would be usually less than $10. This worked extremely well for our two weeks we were in Europe this last summer.

We were in Rome this last summer and just used a debit card at an ATM once we landed. We definitely used cash at small local vendors as not everyone would take a credit card. I will also second the fact that several public restrooms (at least in most of the places in Italy we visited) will usually require a one euro coin to use them. I soon bought a few small things with some of my newly obtained euro cash to get a few coins so that the "need a restroom now" issue never became a problem.

Yes, I was on Adventure as the first to return to Labadee on 10/8/24. Absolutely zero concerns or issues being there, and we felt very safe. I saw a significant security detail near the perimeter (several soldiers each carrying a large machine gun). They were taking security and protection very seriously.

Currently on Adventure. Our 6 day cruise was just extended to a 7+ day cruise. Instead of disembarking at 6AM Friday (later postponed to 8AM and then 10AM), we were informed earlier today that we are extending for another sea day and will disembark sometime around 2:30PM to 3:00PM on Saturday! See below letter...