Dis / Dreams Viking Sea Cruise around Italy 3/24 - 3/31/2018

[Cousin Orville]

You get a wine club membership!.... and you get a wine club membership!...

 

[khertz]

We were able to book our shore excursions last week, and did so. It was very easy keeping everything in your Wishlist then linking direct to each excursion and booking it. Once you add it to your cart, you then need to check out and pay with a CC. The good news is you can check out for all excursions in one fell swoop. The only unexpected encounter was that even if you have your CC card information on-line for on-ship charging, you have to enter the information again when you check out.

Do you know what time the booking window opens when you get to your day?

Edited to add: After I quoted this post I saw @Cousin Orville you had already booked yours too so maybe you can help too!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Do you know what time the booking window opens when you get to your day?

Edited to add: After I quoted this post I saw @Cousin Orville you had already booked yours too so maybe you can help too!

I’m not sure. I didn’t check midnight. I saw restaurants were available the next morning when I checked ~7am CST. I didn’t check shore excursions the first day.

 

[corky441]

Do you know what time the booking window opens when you get to your day?

Edited to add: After I quoted this post I saw @Cousin Orville you had already booked yours too so maybe you can help too!

Booking opens at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time

 

[khertz]

Booking opens at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time

Yikes!! So that would be 2 am for us. I think we will take our chances on booking when we get up for the day lol

Thanks for the info

 

[MaryKatesMom]

The booking window opens at 12Am Pacific and 3 AM EST

 

[met19]

So was at work till 0100 today (pacific time). Got home and made my shore excursions:
Naples: Pompei
Messina: Enchanting taroma
Crotone: Ceraudo winery was already sold out (which I really wanted). So I booked Santa Severina (got good reviews on tripadvisor)
Bari: Puglias White cities
Croatia: Historic Towns
Venice: St marks sq (included), Rezzonico extension. Booked opera.

In Rome on March 22 in the am I am considering this tour I copied below. @Cousin Orville is interested too. If there are 3 more people we plan to make it a private tour for 6 and add in the underground/floor of the Colosseum. To do that its the $561 plus another $93 for the underground plus tickets. Tickets per person would run 17 for the main tour plus 27 for the underground arena. Almost same price (aprox $150/PP) than most tours that do underground/arena/colosseum/forum but only a group of 6 and we can customize it a bit (e.g. more time in an area since its private). If anyone is interested please let me know as we need 3 more to make it a private tour.

On the 21st I am considering a tour of piazza/plazas. On the 24th after the express Sistine chapel tour I am planning on going into St Peters- climb the dome for 7 euro (they have an elevator too).

https://www.contexttravel.com/cities/rome/tours/roma-antica-tour

EDIT: The private tour is $561 for six people. Plus another 93 to go to the underground and arena floor. Tickets to the forum and coliseum are partially $17 and to the underground in arena floor $27.Those last two are per person.

 

[christannj]

Since I was a little nervous about the level of activity for The Pompeii excursion we went with the Herculaneum one instead. We then went with the included tours until Venice and signed up for the Venetian islands, Morano and Borano since we have already done the St Marks and Doges Palace tour on the ABD.

Chris

 

[met19]

Since I was a little nervous about the level of activity for The Pompeii excursion we went with the Herculaneum one instead. We then went with the included tours until Venice and signed up for the Venetian islands, Morano and Borano since we have already done the St Marks and Doges Palace tour on the ABD.

Chris

i was tempted by the islands and by the glass blowing, but as I've never done venice- I figure I would do the included tour and add on the extension. Their included tours overall look good.

@christannj I have friends that live in Sicily. they highly recommend taormina. BTW: I notice the east coast is still cold.....stay warm my friend

 

[MaryKatesMom]

If anyone is interested here is Rick Steve's old Sicily video. Go to 22 minutes for Mt. Etna then Taormina immediately follows:

 

[TheMaxRebo]

So was at work till 0100 today (pacific time). Got home and made my shore excursions:
Naples: Pompei
Messina: Enchanting taroma
Crotone: Ceraudo winery was already sold out (which I really wanted). So I booked Santa Severina (got good reviews on tripadvisor)
Bari: Puglias White cities
Croatia: Historic Towns
Venice: St marks sq (included), Rezzonico extension. Booked opera.

In Rome on March 22 in the am I am considering this tour I copied below. @Cousin Orville is interested too. If there are 3 more people we plan to make it a private tour for 6 and add in the underground/floor of the Colosseum. To do that its the $561 plus another $93 for the underground plus tickets. Tickets per person would run 17 for the main tour plus 27 for the underground arena. Almost same price (aprox $150/PP) than most tours that do underground/arena/colosseum/forum but only a group of 6 and we can customize it a bit (e.g. more time in an area since its private). If anyone is interested please let me know as we need 3 more to make it a private tour.

On the 21st I am considering a tour of piazza/plazas. On the 24th after the express Sistine chapel tour I am planning on going into St Peters- climb the dome for 7 euro (they have an elevator too).

https://www.contexttravel.com/cities/rome/tours/roma-antica-tour

EDIT: The private tour is $561 for six people. Plus another 93 to go to the underground and arena floor. Tickets to the forum and coliseum are partially $17 and to the underground in arena floor $27.Those last two are per person.

Bummed to hear the winery one is already sold out - we can't book yet and that was the one we most wanted

Maybe I can look into something outside of the Viking tours either there or to another winery

 

[met19]

Bummed to hear the winery one is already sold out - we can't book yet and that was the one we most wanted

Maybe I can look into something outside of the Viking tours either there or to another winery

Maybe someone will cancel the winery. I also thought that was interesting. People have up until seven days before the cruise to cancel for a full refund. A friend of mine was stationed at Naval Hospital Naples for two years. He recommended Pompeii over Herc but did save this winery that I’m gonna post below was probably one of the best he’s ever been to.
https://www.cantinadelvesuvio.it/

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Maybe someone will cancel the winery. I also thought that was interesting. People have up until seven days before the cruise to cancel for a full refund. A friend of mine was stationed at Naval Hospital Naples for two years. He recommended Pompeii over Herc but did save this winery that I’m gonna post below was probably one of the best he’s ever been to.
https://www.cantinadelvesuvio.it/

Thanks for that. Have to check it out though I know we aren't in port at Naples as long as other places so does limit things a bit


I did some google searching and so far have found a few options for winery visits/tours but more in Sicily/out of Messina port - so that might be an option as well

 

[Cousin Orville]

Bummed to hear the winery one is already sold out - we can't book yet and that was the one we most wanted

Maybe I can look into something outside of the Viking tours either there or to another winery

I emailed the winery directly and it sounded like they would be open to set up a private tasting. I was also asking about lunch reservations - they have a Michelin star restaurant, but unfortunately it's closed. Anyway, if a group of us want to do the winery on our own, we'd just have to figure out transportation. Maybe there are taxis that are easily available.

@met19 The Forum/Colosseum tour looks very good and it gets strong reviews on tripadvisor. I like that it's led by a historian.

 

[apurplebrat]

I was able to reserve:

Naples: Pompeii: City of Beauty & Ruin
Sicily: Mt. Etna & Taormina
Crotone: Ceraudo Wintery & Calabrian Family Tradition
Bari: Included Bari Walking Tour
Sibenik, Croatia: Included Šibenik Promenade
Venice: Venetian Islands Murano & Burano; An Evening at the Opera

 

[travelinjenn]

I see many busy booking their excursions. Is it a normal thing for excursions to sell out? We have another week before we're allowed to book and I'm antsy to get us signed up!

 

[Cousin Orville]

I see many busy booking their excursions. Is it a normal thing for excursions to sell out? We have another week before we're allowed to book and I'm antsy to get us signed up!

The only sold out ones I see are the wine tour on Crotone and Secrets of the Doge's Palace (and that was sold out before I booked).

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The only sold out ones I see are the wine tour on Crotone and Secrets of the Doge's Palace (and that was sold out before I booked).

The Doge's palace one had been sold out for a while - I am wondering if the fact it is Easter weekend impacts any of the tours

 

[corky441]

I see many busy booking their excursions. Is it a normal thing for excursions to sell out? We have another week before we're allowed to book and I'm antsy to get us signed up!

I’m quite confident that getting reserved spots for the Shore Excursions won’t be a let down.

For those of us in the DV category-we have the largest number of staterooms.

Ahead of us are:

1 Owner Suite
13 Explorer Suites
32 Penthouse Suites
104 Penthouse Veranda rooms

At most, that is only 300 people ahead of us for booking.

I’ll be waiting to jump on the site at 3:00am when the booking window opens.

I’m always optimistic

 

[corky441]

The Doge's palace one had been sold out for a while - I am wondering if the fact it is Easter weekend impacts any of the tours

Very possible, since we’re there on Good Friday.

I believe Easter Monday is a holiday also.

I can see where museums, etc many be closed