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Talk to Tiki at the office. She's the Queen of the RV park, but I just heard that she may be out for a while to recuperate from an injured knee. You can PM me if you like, I can let you know if I hear that someone will not be returning. Not sure of this but it appears to help if one is lucky and inquires at the right time.

Let us know when you get in for the winter

I see it now in original post.

So it is a particular beach? Which one?

Where ever you are staying, they will have Mofongo. We like Luquilo too, Fajardo, and Pura Vida at Palmas del Mar.

Cheers, RickG

Thanks, we like to sit outside and enjoy coffee in the morning and a glass of wine at night. Prefer to do that at Cypress. We will get on the waiting list.

Well that brought back memories of some great trips to KW going back half a century. I used to love Alonzo's half-price happy hour and their superb margaritas.
Not sure we could ever do one and done in the afternoon though ...

Cypress cove has a long winter season waiting list and requires a little luck and schmooze to get in. Schmooze often. Some slipped in when Covid impacted movement and some Canadians boycotting the USA this year. But they are very loyal and the lemmings return like clockwork to fill the joint up.

Get on the list. There is a textile RV park next door with a 3 minute commute called Johnston Springs with no pool you can probably get in. Then pay day fees at the Cypress Cove gate each day.

Cypress Cove is the nicest nudist resort on the planet.

Does Cypress Cove book RV sites a year out, or maybe even 2 years out? We would like to select the site. We enjoy nude beaches but haven't visited a resort. I think an RV site may work to get my wife interested. I will need time to make her comfortable with the idea.

It’s been years but my wife and I went to the Luqillo Beach Kiosks and found several great restaurants with Mofango👍 Outside looks like a rundown strip center but the restaurants while small are gorgeous and look out to the beach and water!!!

Heading to Puerto Rico in a few weeks for the first time and looking for a good place to get mofongo. Any suggestions, been following this guide but need more options. So far the best option seems to be Punto de Vista, anyone have any experience there?

The issue hasn't come up for a vote yet. Hopefully in the next month or two. Yes there is paved parking here.

It looks lovely, but a little above my pay grade, I think.

If you want to have one of the best gastronomic experiences in the world and ready to say goodbye to some hard earned money, check out La Pergola inside the Rome Cavalieri Hilton hotel. I had visited when it was only 2 Michelin stars, it has had 3 for a while but wow, amazing experience. Also one of the nicest Hilton properties.

https://romecavalieri.com/la-pergola/

Ok, thanks. Will look it up.

I misspelled. It’s the Hotel Artemidi.

Yes, we will probably do a tour with him also.

Same might be able to swoosh you around/wait at all the sites.

Thanks for your thoughts. We have a driver reserved for the airport to our hotel in Rome, where we will be for 3 nights, and then the same driver for the trip to the port. We definitely will do a tour in Pompeii.

Getting to the Port

First question, is Princess arranging your hotel and transfer to the port of Civitavecchia? Civitavecchia is an hour train ride from downtown Rome. Probably same by car. Might be more stress-free to bite the bullet and buy that hotel/transfer from Princess. That way you know you arent sitting at the gate to the port wondering how to hoof bags to the pier.

Around Rome

I remember you mentioning some difficulty getting down plane stairs at SXM. If you have difficulty walking, I’d suggest tours and cabs.

They have unlimited subway/bus passes, but it’s a fair amount of walking to most things. If you do want that, I would get a hotel near Rome’s main train station Termini which has subway, buses and trains to Termini and FCO airport.

There is an express train from FCO airport to Termini called the “Leonardo Express”. I found it easy to find in 2018.

Nothing fancy, but I have stayed at “Best Western Art Deco” twice. Clean, Serviceable and near the station but last time was 2018. The hotel recommended above is probably a lot nicer.

You already know the usual sights Vatican, Colisseum. I would ensure you see Pantheon. Beautiful building.

Lesser known, Capuchin Friar Crypts near Barberini Subway stop.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/tms/boning-up-on-europe

The catacombs I saw were way out in the burbs. They conduct a few tours each day. You can ride a city bus, I dont remeber a bad walk. There are steps in the catacombs but not like subway or jet stairs that I recall. They would be last on my list of things to do in Rome if I return.


Pompeii. That port is Naples. Either a bus or hour train down to the site. Get a tour guide. You can walk all the cobble stone but its is impossible to look at a piece of paper and no is that the brothel or the bakery. Sorrento is nearby. I would do a ship tour to Pompeii with lunch in Sorrento. Capri hard to squeeze into one day but an alternative to Pompeii. If they have a ship tour that does all three, then doable.

Turkey. Probably Kusadasi. This is the port to visit Ephesus which used to be a seaport but was silted over and is now inland. Out of all the rocks/rubble of the Mediterranean, Ephesus is the most impressive IMO. A tour will drop you off to the UNESCO archeological sight and pick you up at the end where you can buy a genuine fake Rolex or Turkish rug.

St John lived near Ephesus and the right tour can show you the Church and can take you to the site of where Mary is believed to live out her days away from the town crowds of 250,000 back then. Ephesus was both Greek and Roman at some point.


Lot of shops in Kusadasi and places to get another fake breitling watch, carpet or local fare. would get a Doner Kabob before getting on the ship.

Rick--thanks! Sending you a pm with my email.

We are going into Rome 3 days early to see Rome and then will fly directly home when we leave the ship. We are going to Santorini, yes. Going to the port for Olympia and Pompeii. Also someplace in Turkey, I think? We have a lot of research to do before then.

Our TA has given us the contact info for a cabbie to pick us up at the airport and get to the hotel and then to the cruise ship. TA has a hotel on hold for us, can't remember the name now, but will definitely appreciate any additional tips.

if they do designate one, i hope it already has a parking lot because they take a year to pave

We took a cruise in 2019 for our 35th Anniversity. I booked two nights at the Hotel Artemedis near the train station in Rome and it was amazing! The area is like the Mag Mile in Chicago and has a rooftop five star restaurant overlooking the city.

I booked it all myself and the hotel arranged a limo to pick us up at the DaVinci Airport and then took us to the port for our cruise two days later.

I also booked a tour guide a friend had used and she escorted us thru the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican! She got us to the head of the LONG line and really explained everything we would see.

The area around the hotel has shops and very nice Italian dining👍

After our cruise we stayed two more nights at the same hotel. We’d do it again in a heartbeat👍🍷

Message me with your e-mail and I’ll gladly share the contact info I still have. Hopefully one of your stops will be Santorini where I booked a private tour that was incredible. 👍

We just booked a cruise on Princess in the Eastern Med for next May, from Rome. We will go in three days early and see Rome before. We've never been there, so grateful for any info folks can give.

I doubt it. I get their member emails and no mention of success, anyway.