zebra

Thanks for the review - glad you enjoyed your first Princess cruise, now you need to try one of the smaller ships....they're my favorite!!!

Congrats Keith & Rita - they sneak up on us!!!! Time's going to fly by!

Welcome larcone - great to have you onboard - please post often!!

Just a thought..... how are we going to do this. At 7 pm we (the Palacete guests) will be down in the Salon - so shouldn't the visitors just walk in and look for us. They won't be able to call us in our rooms if were not there? So why ask for us at reception? Your thoughts, please.

As I said earlier we would be more than happy to host a couple, what I didn't give was our registration name. Just ask at reception for Jackie and Tony Albasini - now we need to know who we'd be expecting!!

Hi Chase, great to see you posting! Well this is a personal preference question and I'm sure you're going to get a lot of good advice here. Our personal preference is Eastern - the islands are much prettier!

Enjoy the anticipation!!! That's almost the best part.

Rose and Howie, enjoy your lovely new ship, can't wait to read your review!! Bon Voyage!!

You guys have no idea - I've made a plan - I'm going to try and post live from the ship, I'll miss you too much otherwise. Also thought you might like to know what we're up to ....... we'll some of what we're up to :wink:

Thanks Diane that was the post! Actually I had seen this post a year ago on the "dark side" and remember that it was a building easy to find BUT I meant the entrance was obscure - as mentioned "a hotel IN a small palace" so you have to walk up those stairs to access the hotel. Oh Joey now reading that link again I see that "the salon" we've been talking about is home to the 24 hour buffet too - I guess this is why they prefer to only have hotel guests there.

Key West - is a very small town to negotiate. Easily done on foot, but there is a motorized "train" that you can take, they show you all the highlights and narrate - you know the sightseeing thing! Lots of shops, restaurants, pubs, bars etc. It's very colorful!! Ernest Hemmingway's house/museum is very interesting with his 6 toed cats that are still roaming there, if that's your thing. There's a great shop that makes leather sandals - it's usually packed out with cruisers, don't remember it's name. Sit at a waterside bar and try their conch (pronounced conk) fritters and of course the famous Key Lime Pie. Just enjoy!!!!

They're at our disposition, or disposal, or maybe inquisition... :grin: Joey we're fine with that and are more than happy to invite anyone as our guests. Just a thought though - somewhere, somebody gave us a link to their stay at this hotel, and somewhere in the recesses of my mind I thought the the lobby/salon is very small by hotel standards (I stand to be corrected) but that is what comes to mind. Also for all those coming as our "guests" - the hotel is not easy to find apparently - again look for the link someone sent about this hotel, it also shows the entrance which is very different to your average hotel entrance. Tonia - thanks you're a star!!!

Curacao and St. Maarten run neck & neck for us!

Welcome Jimmykaboots - great to have you onboard. Yes this is a very special cruise board, very, very friendly people.

Margaret, which transportation are you needing. The hop on and off bus (sight seeing) this one stops very, very close to the hotel. If you're talking about getting from the airport, taxi's are your best bet. Locanda Orseolo - Joey has a list posted on all who are staying there - I think we should split it into groups and take a water taxi to the hotel. There is a water shuttle from the ship to San Marco (that's into town) and the most common way to get there, you don't have any road option there. If you are going to the the airport from the port - here you have 2 options -road or water.

Here's another vote for the balcony. Tony and I sit out there first thing in the morning with our first cup of coffee watching the sunrise (or shortly after), some mornings we order breakfast there, especially if we are going on an excursion, it's much less rush. I use it during the day to tan and read my book (Tony usually catches up with his ZZZZZZ's on the bed) and then in the late afternoon we spent a lot of time out there with a glass of wine in hand savoring our every moment together, watching the sunset and also sitting under the canopy of stars (soppy I know - but that's how we are) - depending on the temperature, we also like to keep the sliding door open in the locked position at night and listen to the ocean - oooooh can't wait for that next cruise, just spoken myself entirely happy!!!!!!!! We'll have to try the dancing Cheryl. Keith & Rita I can't wait to read your review.

Great to have you back Margaret, so glad you had a great cruise. Well now, that's interesting news about alcohol. I'm like you - going to give it a try....and smuggle a couple of bottles of Spanish wine onboard in my checked baggage!!!

Loved it!!! Thanks Keith & Rita you always make me laugh :grin:

Tonia - thanks for the Survivor info. You know I can't remember about the ATM's, checking/savings - we only used the ATM once on Santorini. The rest of the time we paid for all our food, drinks, hotel, purchases and even our Villefranche tour with mostly our Debit Card and some items our credit card. We usually got Euro's at the Bureau de Change - which as I say they have these kiosks literally everywhere. Failing that you can always get Euro's on the ship either at the ATM or at the Purser's desk.

Welcome Angtod to the friendliest Cruise board on the Web!!!! Hope to see you posting often!

Welcome RickSt....great to have you onboard!!!

Tonia....I've tried asking this question elsewhere - but no answers. Would you happen to know what time Survivor comes on (Pacific Time) on a Thursday night? We'll be in Seattle on Thursday and don't want to miss the next episode. Thanks! Mary Ann......yes airports are a better deal than your local bank and much quicker. We usually just get enough Euro's for taxi/tips/busses and the use our Credit Cards for EVERYTHING else. It's safer and works out best exchange wise. Also there are Foreign Exchange bureau EVERYWHERE in Europe. There's one on La Rambla very close to La Villa. We draw cash there to pay for our private tours.

Bon Voyage Rick, enjoy the Ryndam and also Alaska!!!

Congrats Skipper! You'll have to do a review when you get back - we are very interested in doing a cruise on the Crown. Enjoy your family too!!!

Congrats Jenn - ooooh you know this is my most favorite cruise - ALASKA!!! You are going to have a blast!