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[vpFREE] Re: Nifty Fifty Trip Report
Re: [vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
I've not been on the Particular cruise you mention, but have been to all three places, first on a Perillo tour, then on a Carnival Med cruise.
A couple of thoughts: we were warned (strongly) to be "very careful" in Naples due to pickpocketing and other types of petty crime. Not much to really see in Naples, anyway, basically an ugly city with many downtown buildings representative of Mussolini's taste in architecture. Better to avoid the city altogether and do a tour of Pompeii, which is excellent.
In any place you choose to do a tour, try to hook up with a company that can get you expedited entrance into the venue. There was a line perhaps 2-3 blocks long to get into the Vatican that we completely bypassed with Perillo. Another key factor is getting someone who speaks English well, and is a knowledgeable guide to the venue.
Both Rome and Florence have MUCH more to do than can be done on a one day tour. So do your research and pick your advantage plays ; )
In Florence, the statue of David in the Academia gallery is an unbelievable sight, as is the hallway leading up to it. The hallway is lined with 'unfinished' statues by Michelangelo, where the figures seem to be emerging on their own out of the blocks of marble. The Duomo and the baptistry across from it are breathtaking. The Uffizi gallery contains a large number of fabulous masterpieces. The Ponte Vecchio is lined end to end with jewelry shops, specializing in gold. (significant other alert!)
Rome also has a number of must-sees, but again, you can't see them all. The Vatican is a must, as is St. Peter's. The scale of the latter is awesome: there are markings on the floor that tell you where various churches would fit within its walls. BUT, if you don't have a very knowledgeable guide, you won't know what you're looking at.
The typical ship excursion will buzz you around the outside of many things and rush you through a few highlights. But I think specific tours will be much more satisfying.
Enjoy: this should be the trip of a lifetime!
From: Bob Dancer <bobdancervp@hotmail.com>
To: "vpfree@yahoogroups.com" <vpfree@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 7:50 AM
Subject: [vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
A couple of thoughts: we were warned (strongly) to be "very careful" in Naples due to pickpocketing and other types of petty crime. Not much to really see in Naples, anyway, basically an ugly city with many downtown buildings representative of Mussolini's taste in architecture. Better to avoid the city altogether and do a tour of Pompeii, which is excellent.
In any place you choose to do a tour, try to hook up with a company that can get you expedited entrance into the venue. There was a line perhaps 2-3 blocks long to get into the Vatican that we completely bypassed with Perillo. Another key factor is getting someone who speaks English well, and is a knowledgeable guide to the venue.
Both Rome and Florence have MUCH more to do than can be done on a one day tour. So do your research and pick your advantage plays ; )
In Florence, the statue of David in the Academia gallery is an unbelievable sight, as is the hallway leading up to it. The hallway is lined with 'unfinished' statues by Michelangelo, where the figures seem to be emerging on their own out of the blocks of marble. The Duomo and the baptistry across from it are breathtaking. The Uffizi gallery contains a large number of fabulous masterpieces. The Ponte Vecchio is lined end to end with jewelry shops, specializing in gold. (significant other alert!)
Rome also has a number of must-sees, but again, you can't see them all. The Vatican is a must, as is St. Peter's. The scale of the latter is awesome: there are markings on the floor that tell you where various churches would fit within its walls. BUT, if you don't have a very knowledgeable guide, you won't know what you're looking at.
The typical ship excursion will buzz you around the outside of many things and rush you through a few highlights. But I think specific tours will be much more satisfying.
Enjoy: this should be the trip of a lifetime!
Certainly the game is rigged. Don't let that stop you; if you don't bet, you can't win. -Lazarus Long
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is. -Yogi Berra
There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe. -Robert Heinlein
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is. -Yogi Berra
There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe. -Robert Heinlein
From: Bob Dancer <bobdancervp@hotmail.com>
To: "vpfree@yahoogroups.com" <vpfree@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 7:50 AM
Subject: [vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
Bonnie and I will be on the NCL Epic beginning June 15.
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
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RE: [vpFREE] Tuscany Senior Discount
Been informed of the following:
Senior 20% Discount Expires April 30th, but….
Seniors get 20% in Tuscany Gardens for entire month of May
*20% off will move to a new Tuscany outlet each month
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpFREE@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Queen of Comps
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2014 9:50 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [vpFREE] Tuscany Senior Discount
It was never supposed to be a permanent promotion, I don't think. But it was a good deal while it lasted for those of us who still had a lot of comp points (we had hundreds of thousands at one time when the comp rate was very generous) and wanted to stretch them as far as we could since we don't play there as much as we used to. It is nice to have a lot of points there for rooms for our out-of-town guests, for food (we like all their restaurants), and for purchases in the gift shop. (We have bought hundreds of dollars – no thousands - worth of stuff in the gift shop – big-screen TV and other electronics for ourselves and others plus more jackets and purses than any woman needs!!!!) When we had a huge balance in that comp account, we would take our relatives and friends there and let them shop to their hearts content!!!
Yes, it was an extremely good play for many many years – not as good now.
------------------------------------------
Jean $¢ott, Frugal Gambler
http://queenofcomps.com/
You can read my blog at
http://jscott.lvablog.com/
From: Scot Krause <mailto:krauseinvegas@cox.net>
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2014 9:14 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [SPAM]RE: [vpFREE] Tuscany Senior Discount
A few months. How long are promotions supposed to last? Why was this a big deal anyway? Aren't most players usually comped for what they want or use anyway? Do you really shop in the gift shop for over priced items? Just trying to figure out what the big deal was on this one. Did I miss out on something good? What was the angle on this? Rarely anyone bothers to use a coupon for 10 or 20% off stuff do they? Thanks.
Scot
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpFREE@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Vegasvpplayer
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2014 8:53 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Tuscany Senior Discount
Signs in casino say 20% off everything for seniors ends 4/30/14. That didn't last long.
Sent from my iPhone
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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[vpFREE] Re: xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
djjjjjddjjjjj
Bev and I, with a couple of good friends, did just this a couple of years ago for this itinerary and found it both efficient and immensely satisfying. We booked a driver and a Mercedes mini-van through www.romeinlimo.com. The firm was outstanding to work with.
Company assigned excellent drivers who doubled as good tour guides, helping us choose between the multitude of sightseeing options. For the Vatican Museum, the company arranged expedited entrance tickets and a private guide who made the experience much more manageable and interesting in the limited time we had on our hands than were we to have toured independently or as part of a large group.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonnie and I will be on the NCL Epic beginning June 15.
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
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Re: [vpFREE] Re: Nifty Fifty Trip Report
Please don't change a single word, I love the way your write, keep up the great work!!! Mike In a message dated 4/25/2014 6:11:46 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, royalflusher@gmail.com writes:
After all, the first clue should be the self-deprecating name I chose for myself. If you haven't read my stuff before, I sometimes swear, I use childish humor, and I tell all the cool stuff that happened in Vegas. And hopefully, sometimes, it is even witty (if you read carefully, the stupid sometimes looks almost elegant). Be that as it may, this takes a significant effort, and its the way I write it. So if it isn't to your liking, please just ignore the links.I'd like to apologize to anyone who was offended by the use of the s-word in the title of my last blog post, which I shared here on these forums. Going forward, I won't include profanity in the titles. Instead, they'll look like this:If you don't care for my particular brand of low-brow down-to-earth borderline-interesting humor, I hope the presence of the links for a few days won't bother you. You certainly do not have to read the blog if it isn't your cup of tea.
http://ow.ly/w6o0u
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Re: [vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
I have done it and it was the best money I spent in Europe.
From: "Bob Dancer" <bobdancervp@hotmail.com>
To: vpfree@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 7:50:10 AM
Subject: [vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
From: "Bob Dancer" <bobdancervp@hotmail.com>
To: vpfree@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 7:50:10 AM
Subject: [vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
Bonnie and I will be on the NCL Epic beginning June 15.
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
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Re: [vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
We took the cruise last June and loved it. Instead of booking the excursions through the ship we used shoreexcursionsgroup.com.
By booking a package of 4 excursions we saved about 30% off the ships rate but our main reason for selecting them was the size of the group. We averaged about 25 people on each excursion. We ran into the ship's excursion in Pompei which was a mad scene of approx 100 people while we were 25 or so.
Some comments:
The Almalfi Coast is an amazing trip. Not for the faint of heart with the narrow roads, sharp turns and cliffs
Naples does have some of the best pizza I've ever tasted.
We did Rome, The Vatican and The Colliseum in one day which was to much to cover and we were running all day. The lines at the Vatican were huge.
The ruins of Pompei are a must see.
We did visit the one Casino in Barcelona and were in and out in 10 minutes. Nothing playable.
Have a good time. It's a great trip.
Joel
By booking a package of 4 excursions we saved about 30% off the ships rate but our main reason for selecting them was the size of the group. We averaged about 25 people on each excursion. We ran into the ship's excursion in Pompei which was a mad scene of approx 100 people while we were 25 or so.
Some comments:
The Almalfi Coast is an amazing trip. Not for the faint of heart with the narrow roads, sharp turns and cliffs
Naples does have some of the best pizza I've ever tasted.
We did Rome, The Vatican and The Colliseum in one day which was to much to cover and we were running all day. The lines at the Vatican were huge.
The ruins of Pompei are a must see.
We did visit the one Casino in Barcelona and were in and out in 10 minutes. Nothing playable.
Have a good time. It's a great trip.
Joel
On Friday, April 25, 2014 7:50 AM, Bob Dancer <bobdancervp@hotmail.com> wrote:
Bonnie and I will be on the NCL Epic beginning June 15.
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
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[vpFREE] xvp: NCL Epic from Barcelona June 15
Bonnie and I will be on the NCL Epic beginning June 15.
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
1. I am strongly considering hiring a car service for 6-8 people to transport us around Naples, Rome, and Florence. This is MUCH more flexible and cheaper than hiring excursions off the ship. Has anyone tried this, and if so, were you satisfied?
2. Anybody here going to be on the same ship at the same time? If so, are you interested in "car pooling?"
Bob
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