We found several favorite bartenders on the South America cruise--Chris (from France), Francesco (from Italy), Martin (from Sweden) and Francisco (from Columbia). Lets hope one or more of them have been transferred to the Voyager :app:

Absolutely! We don't know the rest (yet ;) ), but we will never forget Chris Monfort from France because we did an impromptu, whirlwind tour of Pompeii with him and his girlfriend, Luiza, who was a dealer in the casino.

What an amazing day that was. (And he was a pretty darn good bartender too! - LOL)

Kristen those memories are the best!!!

Yes, Joanna - and can't wait to make more!

Having just returned from the Mariner “mirrored” version of TUT, I thought I would let everyone know what an extraordinary trip you will have in October. Venice, Croatia, my favorite Greek Islands, Egypt, Israel and Turkey….Ron and I loved this itinerary and had a great time! The tours were well organized, especially in Egypt and Israel where many were 10-12 hours long. Many of my clients booked the Cairo overnight package through Regent and raved about it….especially the opportunity to visit the Cairo Antiquities Museum during a private event in the evening. Since the drive to/from Cairo from Port Said is between 3 to 4 hours (depending on traffic), the overnight package optimized their time in Cairo. We benefited by arriving in Port Said on a Friday when traffic is quite light….still, the opportunity to see the pyramids and the museum once again was well worth it.
Israel was as wonderful as I remembered and Ron and I were thrilled to visit sites that we had not been able to see during our last trip to Israel – Nazareth and Bethlehem. We did the Nazareth and Sea of Galilee excursion out of Haifa; and the Jerusalem and Bethlehem excursion out of Ashdod. If I were to do it again, I would probably select an excursion that spent more time in Jerusalem.
It was also great to visit Ephesus once again. They have opened up the terrace houses that have been under excavation for years. The venue is just prior to The Library and can only be visited during the excursion “Ephesus and the Terrace Houses”. They have constructed a building around the excavation site and the walkways are made of glass so that you can see the amazing mosaic floors as you tour. The work on this site is quite extraordinary and you will see intact rooms and frescoes. Warning….this venue has lots of steps as you work your way to the top of the excavation site….and then walk down steps toward The Library. If you have been to Ephesus multiple times, you might find the Terrace Houses something new and interesting…and additional plus….the tour groups are limited to 22 guests. Friends of ours signed up for the “Ephesus and Sirince Village” excursion which was limited to 6-8 guests. After visiting Ephesus, the small group goes to Sirince Village where they visit the town and have lunch at one of the resident homes and visit with the locals. My friends loved this tour and brought us back the local blueberry wine….it was a bit harsh!!
Well….I’m rambling….just wanted to share a few thoughts and experiences about our recent trip and to psyche you up for what I am sure will be an absolutely fabulous cruise in October! We liked it so much, we’d like to go again! If anyone has any questions about the itinerary or excursions, shoot me an email. I’ll be happy to answer….Ron, of course, is busy downloading all of his photos!

Thanks, Linda--the trip sounds great. You chose most of the same excursions we did, so I'm glad to hear they were good ones. How tired did you get on all those 10-12 hour days?

We are on the all day "Panoramic Jerusalem" from Ashdod (good choice Linda ?).

I called Regent to switch from "Ephesus and Terrace Houses" to "Ephesus and Sirince Village" but the best they could do is put us on a waitlist. She seems to think we will clear but to be safe, didn't cancel our original excursion.

So happy you had such a good trip Linda and thanks for reporting to us Tut-Tuts !

Marcie, Carol and I would really recommend the Terrace houses. We did that two years ago and were more than pleased we choose that tour. We did Ephesus about 8 years before and the Terrace houses were not open at that time.

The one thing I would never let Carol do again is visit the rug folks after the tour. It is hard to bargin when Carol says to everyone , I just love that one.

Yes we loved terrace houses too - have been to Ephesus twice so doing the village tour..who knows??

Marcie, I would agree - the terrace houses are wonderful . . .

Thanks so much for chiming in here, Linda! Debbie (Tate) mentioned you had just gotten back and I was really hoping you'd post about it. It sounds like we are in for a real treat. Looking forward to the photos!

Sent off final payment the other day and got some "comfortable clothes shopping" done this morning with our Pyramids excursion in mind. So I can check off a couple more things on my list to have done before the trip. It's feeling more and more real each week!

Thanks for your input, Linda! Your descriptions and advice serve to ramp up the anticipation level for TUT.

There are so many things to see in Israel that it's impossible to do more than scratch the surface in two days. Marcie, we opted for the "Panaramic Jerusalem" tour also, but from Haifa on the second day in Israel. We are going to Massada from Ashdod.

Kristin, I am the world's worst shopper, so I'm impressed that you already are shopping for the trip. I DID make sure that final payment gets done though!

Thanks so much Linda for your input. We are doing the Ephesus and Terrace Houses with an expert tour having never been there before. We are doing the Bethlehem Jeruselem tour, not sure which one.

Kristin, OK hints on clothing for the pyramids please please please - have no idea what to bring for those days.

Got to do our final payment this week, as soon as I check out the insurance options and we decide on which one.

The excitement is starting to build here and its starting to feel more real. Can't wait to see everyone.

Well, JoAnn, I don't really know for sure, but I figure light, breathable clothing is best. I bought 2 pairs of "cargo" pants that have SPF in them. (Never heard of that before???) Can wear them as capris or roll them up as long shorts. Lots of pockets. I got them at Academy Sports of all places.

Not sure what kind of shirts I'll wear...something white probably to reflect the sun. I'm sure I'll wear a hat too.

Linda, and anyone else who has been there, am I on the right track? Help!

Thanks Kristin, and yes anyone else who has been there can you please enlighten us novices?????

Am checking out that place Kristin. :)And no guess I haven't heard about cargo pants with SPF in them, please don't laugh at me, please.

Egypt will be hot...I've been there both in June and October....doesn't matter, it's always hot. I'm extremely fair skinned, so I usually wear Columbia or Chico chinos that you can roll the legs up. A hat is a must! And bring plenty of sunscreen...there is no shade at the pyramids! If you are on a tour that visits a mosque or a church, you will need to have your knees and shoulders covered.

Priscilla - Massada is fabulous as well...but like the pyramids, there isn't much shade, so you will need to make sure that you have plenty of sunscreen and a hat. If you decide to swim in the Dead Sea...bring shampoo and soap. While it was great fun to bob like a cork in the water, it does leave a slight residue, so you will want to shower to rinse it off before heading to your next stop.

Peggy - the excursions in Port Said, Haifa and Ashdod were between 10-12 hours, but the buses were nice and air conditioned....and the time seemed to fly by. We were tired at the end of each day....but not exhausted. Each day was a new adventure and lots of fun.

Marcie - Panoramic Jerusalem will be a great excursion because you will spend more time in Jerusalem. We did the "A Day in Jerusalem and Bethlehem" excursion which was great as it allowed us to visit Bethlehem which we had not done before, but I wish we could have been in Israel a third day.....there's just too much to see!

And as Ralph suggested, there will be opportunities to buy Turkish rugs in Kusadasi! Good news...it is optional. At the end of the tour, they bring you back to the port....if you want to visit the government funded carpet store, you can....otherwise, you can walk back to the ship. Since I have had numerous opportunities before, I opted to head back to the ship for a nice cold drink!

Thanks for allowing me to relive our trip! It's a nice break from the nonstop laundry I've been doing this weekend! Pre-cruise packing....lot's of fun. Post-cruise laundry....not so much!

Linda:

Do you know if they offered an option on any of the Jerusalem tours where they dropped you off when the bus got to Jerualem and then picked you up later in the day? There are a couple of things in Old Jerusalem that we weren't able to fit in last year that we would like to do on our own. I remember on the river cruise last December where a couple of gals were dropped off when we got to Heidelberg instead of joining us on the "escorted" portion of the tour.

Hi Marc!
In both Haifa and Ashdod, Regent offered a complimentary shuttle to the port town centers...but nothing to Jerusalem. All the excursions were structured, so not a lot of free time. The drive from Ashdod to Jerusalem was just shy of an hour.
When you dock in your first port in Israel, the port authorities will come onboard and issue "landing cards" that you must carry with you at all times when ashore in Israel. Once you have the card, I believe you can go as you please. One of my clients had Regent arrange a private car and driver and they toured Jerusalem on their own.
Yes, it would be nice to be able to explore Jerusalem on your own...there were several areas we would have liked to have revisited. But the excursions were well organized and it was nice to have a tour guide who could usher us to the front of the line in certain areas.
Maybe explore the private car option??
Best to Arlene!

Hi Marcie,

We also loved the Terrace Houses. They were so well preserved. It was a fascinating tour.

Thanks for all the input guys, and especially Linda's. You're so helpful. We've been to Kusadasi a couple of times and have a couple of rugs to show for it and I'm not even a shopper ! Good to hear good things about the Terrace Houses.

We've switched to an H guarantee when it opened up the other day. Anyone else move cabins? It seemed a LOT of them opened up after final payment became due!

We are still in our favorite H cabin - 664.

So much has opened up; we might have the ship to ourselves!!!

Is anyone interested in doing this with me? I know the ship excursions are complementary, but this really sounds good to me. (You can email me or post here)

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Yes Arlene, we would be interested!

Kathy and Al

Sounds really awesome Arlene, but since I don't do face in the water it would really be a waste for me, and we booked a cooking class - much more to my liking, food and wine! LOL

We took advantage of G cabins opening. We are now in 656. Steve and Kathy

Congrats on snagging a G cabin, Steve and Kathy. We changed also, to 719.

I think about this trip EVERY DAY! I'm happy with our air now, which we redid as well. Now we are coming into Athens on the afternoon of October 2 and leaving from Venice early in the morning on disembarkation day. Transfers, check. Pre-cruise hotel, check. Excursions, check. Pre-cruise dinner, check. Anticipation, check check check.

Priscilla, are you and John on KLM on the return, by chance? We are flying out in the wee hours of disembarkation day. It would be nice to share a flight with fellow TUTsters!

Know the feeling Kristin.

Is anyone on the Iberia flight from Venice @ 12:15pm Oct. 17th (day of disembarkation)?

Argh! Marcie, are you trying to make me jealous? 12:15 - - PM !!?? I am SO not a morning person, as you will all see when we get onboard.

Oh well. The good news is, we'll be at our doorstep by 2:00-3:00pm on Sunday. Just enough time left in the day to do laundry, LOL!

good to check in with this thread - have had family for a week so little LCT time - missed it!!! I am jealous of both of you I want OUT the 17th -

Keep working on it, Joanna! Have you thought about leaving the afternoon/eve of the 16th, since the ship gets in that morning? That actually sounded appealing to me to try for, but then we would have essentially missed Venice altogether. We've never been there and owe it to ourselves to "take a drink" of it...

we are out the 17th at 12:05 PM coach - I still have option of checking back for biz the 17th...and of course paid change fee and 12,500 more pts for coach.... that's ok using up Delta pts never again will I use them - we paid 100 PP for biz BUT figured out cost of one night in VCE - hotel, food, private water taxis etc etc ...$$$$$$$ so maybe I'll get biz at last minute

Marcie - we are on that Iberia 12:15 flight too, stopping over in Madrid for a couple of nights, but we could maybe share a land taxi to airport in Venice.

Kristin, our flight from Venice is early too, but it is Iberia 5665 to Madrid, leaving at 7:45 a.m. We connect in Madrid with an American flight and will be back at DFW at 5:30. Anyone else on this flight? Sounds like a lot of us may be taking the early early transportation together from the ship to the Venice airport on disembarkation day.

Joanna, yea! Glad you got a disembarkation day flight, after all your struggles.

Our flight over is DFW to Madrid nonstop leaving at 5:30 p.m. on October 1, then connecting to Iberia and into Athens at 4:10. Anybody on that flight?

According to B&K invoice, dining reservations open up this coming Tuesday...just throwing that out there in case we want to make some plans prior? I know we'd like to do Prime 7 twice (at least :) ).

Is ship still semi empty???? Thought someone said it was NOT full AT ALL - Marc??? If so we should have no problem with 2nd P7 reservation -

Us too Kristin, and I am supposed to make a res for six of us, but lets work on another one, we want to go with you.

well here's hoping we can get more than one reservation at P7, liked it very much, but I love CR - think your booking # can be entered ONCE and that's it -

UGH! I didn't realize they changed the "rules" since our last cruise. Used to be, you could make a res for each restaurant and indicate # of pax and that was the end of it! Or has my memory gone bad?! So technically we only get ONE reservation per couple for the entire cruise?

I guess we'll play by their reservation system beforehand and hope for the best once we get on board?