Just got back from Windsurf-Rome to Nice
Jun 3rd, 2001, 03:36 PM
#3
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Hi db--av.age-35-60. Dress-elegant casual-ladies linen slax,silk shirt,sundresses,knit outfits... men-pol shirts and khaki slax/silk shirts and linen trousers...only time coat and tie is mandatory is in Monte Carolo of you go to the Grand Casino--which is a must--it's the james bond casino you see in the movies andhas a charge. Pay it-go inside-head to the American room and just play roulette--black jack is $100 per hand! Roulette is $5.00 and is computerized--if you stand there long enough,you'll see which numbers come up more often--then sit down and bet.--excursions---well--that is the hard one--forget the one on corsica-they only leave you 40 minutes in the town to shop of sightsee--forget Elba-same thing. Do both of these ports on your own. When you get to Portovenere-you have an option of Pisa or Florence-forget Pisa-you can NOT enter the leaning tower and there's nothing else to see there...DO the excursion to FLORENCE-it is simply transportation only-takes 2 hr to get there and 2 1/2 hr to return.They board you in La Spezia and return you to Portovenere.FLorence is GREAT!!!!! We've been there 4 times and if you want info on that email me direct cause my hand would fall off
Jun 3rd, 2001, 03:53 PM
#4
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Portofino was gorgeous-lifestyles of the rich and famous-great boutiques-had lunch in rest.overlooking harbor filles with beautiful boast-shop til you drop or go sightseeing on own. St.Tropez-FANTASTIC- you could leave me there-400 shops,great art work,lots of sightseeing-make sure you walk by the art displayed by the harbor-very reasonable-got an original contemporary watercolor/collage for $30 USD/100FF. <BR>Monte Carlo was great-the weekend of the grand prix-husband got in the stands and took photos of the preliminaries of the formula ones and the porsches- crew for the most part was malaysian/indonesian--officers were british. We sailed out of Rome with the sails up--very romantic and aweinspiring. <BR>Cabins-larger than those we usually get in caribbean.nice---ship was totally renovated in Dec.2000 and shows nicely. The casino was large enough and fun-the 4pc band in windsurf lounge was excellent--everynite at cocktail hour-630-730 they had a table of hor doeuvres <BR>set up in windsurf lounge. The main dining room is open seating-730-930pm- when you enter initially,they ask if you want a table for 2 or if you want to share--we always opted for a table for 6 so we could meet more people. Had such a good table,we were with them 4 out of the 7 nites--2 other nites we shared with 2 other couples. You can also make a reservation in their Grill- we did that one nite and even were able to change a table for 2 to table for 4 at last minute--however-in that rest,tables for 6 are a premium. Food was good there too. In the main restaurant-food was like 5 star resraurant---OUTSTANDING!!!!!!! Nothing like any of the cruises we'd previously taken-ie.Celebrity,Princess,RCL-however,for a large cruise ship--Celebrity is our 1st choice. It's just that for a small ship of 300 people, they did a remarkable job. Literally out only complaints were the excursions--they did have an option to let you cancel your excursions by a certain day( which other lines do NOT have) so that allowed us to do more on our own. <BR>All in all, I would definitely do it again--esp. this ship. It was very relaxed (except for the day we had to leave for FLorence at 715am)--also breakfast and lunch are taken upstairs in the Veranda room-indoor and outdoor dining-a monsterous assortment of buffet and cooked to order breakfast--and incredible buffet lunches---YOU WILL ENJOY IT. The people leaned from very laid back normal, to a little pretentious, to ultra wealthy (but you'd NEVER know it)--good mix-somebody for everybody--and everyone was friendly. Email me for any Florence info you may need- Sorry it's so long but my computer went down in the middle of the 1st response--ENJOY!!!
Jun 3rd, 2001, 08:41 PM
#5
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<BR>Boy Andy, although I agree with you that Florence is wonderful and a great place to purchase 18K gold jewelry, I thought the Leaning Tower of Pisa to be spectacular. I sat for an hour just looking at it. I had no desire to climb it. The pictures do not do it justice. I never realized what an imposing structure it was. <BR> <BR>I believe the best way to enjoy Florence is to stay a night or two which is not offered on the Windsurf. <BR> <BR>I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder but you did get to see one of the most famous structures in the world. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR>
Jun 3rd, 2001, 08:47 PM
#6
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Sorry Paul- but I saw PISA in 1989 before they closed it to the public for renovations . We did climb it and it was facinating---but to drive there for a 1/2 day excursion and only be able to take a pix ,to me, was not worth it. I'd rather have the day in FLorence to explore,see the pitti palace or Uffizi-with reservations for access ,made ahead of time--and then have time to shop--then go to Pisa. <BR>But you are right-everybody has different ways to spend their time and money and I guess that's what makes horse races. In addition-db--you can also use Portovenere to do the Cinqueterre area by ferry- I have that info that a friend gave me that I can FAX to you .--
Jun 6th, 2001, 03:43 PM
#7
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Hi Andy, <BR>I have a few questions about the shore excursions. How much is the transfer service to Florence offered by the ship? I've been to Florence once and not sure if I want to spend 2 hours on a bus. What can we do in Portovenere that may be interesting? <BR> <BR>We did the Venice to Rome on Windsurf back in '99 and loved it. We did most of the sightseeing by foot and took the ship's Pompei excursion for $59 each and thought it was worth every penny. Judging from your comments, I'm thinking the Nice to Rome sailing we are taking 6/23 will be similar. Lots of sightseeing by foot. Other than the Casino in Monte Carlo and visiting the towns/beaches, can you maybe recap the must see in each port you visited? <BR>Thanks a bunch.
