Surviving a Port Intensive Cruise Advice Please

My sister and I will be embarking (10/14) on a 13 night port intensive Mediterranean cruise with a 4 day pre-cruise stay in Barcelona. We have eight private excursions planned with early mornings and late afternoon arrivals back to the ship.

I am looking for tips from those of you who have traveled this itinerary, (multiple times for some), on how to pace ourselves and get adequate rest to recharge for the next marathon day. Do you typically eat in the MDR after a long day or should we plan on more buffet type meals? Looking for packing ideas as we move from port to port. This is a Venice overnight cruise starting and ending in Barcelona.

Thanks - I look forward to your advice

Katie

My sister and I will be embarking (10/14) on a 13 night port intensive Mediterranean cruise with a 4 day pre-cruise stay in Barcelona. We have eight private excursions planned with early mornings and late afternoon arrivals back to the ship.

I am looking for tips from those of you who have traveled this itinerary, (multiple times for some), on how to pace ourselves and get adequate rest to recharge for the next marathon day. Do you typically eat in the MDR after a long day or should we plan on more buffet type meals? Looking for packing ideas as we move from port to port. This is a Venice overnight cruise starting and ending in Barcelona.

Thanks - I look forward to your advice

Katie

Haven't done this particular itinerary, but have done port-intensive itineraries. Was grateful for the days I didn't have 8-hour tours! Tried to make a mix. Eat dinner early, skip the entertainment, and get to bed at a reasonable hour. If we got back to the ship in sufficient time in the afternoon, I took a quick nap before dinner.

I second Happy Cruiser's advice on skipping the nightlife and getting an early night.

I prefer a dining room experience over the buffet, and would highly recommend a room service breakfast, so you can eat while getting ready in your cabin.

I would pack light and plan to do laundry on board. If you are Captains Club you may get free or discounted laundry coupons, if not they often offer laundry deals where everything you can stuff into a bag gets washed for one flat rate. Last month in the Baltic it was $40 a bag.

When I did the Mediterranean cruise, I did a long shore excursion on each and every port day. I did eat in the MDR (late sitting, because of the long excursions and wanting to make sure I was back for dinner) and it was great to be able to exchange experiences with my tablemates, I didn't stay out late, so I could get a lot of rest and would be able to get up in the morning. Drink a lot of water and make sure you take water with you on your excursions. I think we had one or two sea days and I just relaxed.

Can't give advice on packing, because I need to join over-packers anonymous, but do make sure you have comfortable shoes; I saw too many women who tried to be stylish and were limping around with sore feet.

I wouldn't plan, just do whatever you feel like doing on the day. There are so many options available to you.

There's nothing worse than planning and then feeling pressurised into sticking to a plan. It's your holiday and possibly the best way to relax after a port intensive cruise is to book another one afterwards... Preferably a TA ;)

Stay as organized as you can be to save time and stress. I have a separate sheet of paper with all necessary information for each port. I pack my purse the night before, get rid of what I don't need, get out what I need from the safe before bed. I keep the cabin organized too - so I'm not spending time looking for anything. We use room service for breakfast to save time. I also 'store up' some rest in advance of the cruise. Have fun.

I bring magnetic clips and hang all my paperwork on the wall for the next day at night. I agree that comfortable shoes and an over the body purse are important for comfort and safety. Take time to sit and relax for a bit while on your excursion either in the van or when you stop for a break. I also pack a very small first aid kit with a few bandaids, small packet of anti biotic salve and antiseptic wipe. Fits easily in my purse. Enjoy each port and read a little before hand. I used Rick S Mediterranean port guide. You will love this cruise!

I knew I would get great info from all of you.

Keep the tips coming and thanks in advance!

On longer, port intensive itineraries we always book traditional late seating in the MDR. That gives us time to get back to the ship and relax while get ready for drinks and dinner (or a cat nap and dinner). We don't feel rushed with the late seating, and then by the time it's over we take a stroll around the ship then head straight to bed. We also try to choose at least one port that interests us less than others, or one we've been to before, and do a half day maximum off the ship. If that day happens to be mid-cruise all the better.

Great tips from the others let me add some more...

Mr Sloop & I are relatively new to cruising... But not to travelling. We each have decades of road trips (personal & business) under our belts. So here of the tricks we've learned and found that came in useful on our last Celebrity port intensive cruise.

1- Do your reading, research & homework about the cruise & ports of call long before you cruise. Make good notes. Stay organized.

2- Have a back up plan in case something goes off the rails (such as a Tour is cancelled). When we travel in our paperwork file we always have notes for Option A & Option B. that way if one falls thru we know our next choice, and aren't left holding the bag taking precious time trying to figure things out... We can just move onto Option B. Advantage is, you may Save valuable time and find a great replacement while others miss out (works for Transportation Plans / Cancelled Flights - Hotel Rooms - or Excursions etc)

3a - Pace yourself. Consider varying your days & nights activities if need be. But try not to be too rigid otherwise you could miss out on something special (ie if you go to bed every night at 10 PM... You could be sacrificing a once in a lifetime event that happens later than that)

Personal example... On our Southern Caribbean Cruise we paid extra to get a Sunset Balcony... And two of the greatest advantages of that is Sunrises / Sail Ins and Sunsets / Sailaways. We did not let those go to waste... We made it a point to be on our Balcony for them. Sailaways were easy... We came back to the ship earlier, had a shower then enjoyed the Sunset / Sailaway before getting ready for Dinner. Sunrises & Sail Ins were harder... In that we has to get up earlier. Some mornings it dove tailed nicely with our plans for the day... And we would order Room Service & have Breakky on the Balcony. These days we often Returned to the ship a tad earlier, and fit in a late afternoon nap. Other days we enjoyed the Sunrise & Sail In then went back to bed for a nap / later get up / Breakfast. We had a great cruise, got off in all the Ports, stayed up late some nights (after midnight) and can now say we saw every Sunrise & Sunset... Although the ports were magnificent... For us it is the Sunrises & Sunsets that bring back the fondest of memories (and photos) cause that was the part of the cruise that we "customized" for us.

3b- Consider taking a day off (or a very reduced schedule). Good way to recharge your batteries.

Lol, we've got an ongoing joke in that we've been to Sint Maartens 2x now, and still haven't seen all that much... As both times we chose to use that day (# 4 of 7, and # 5 of 7) as only a partial day to tour. Gives us a good excuse to go back.

4a- Take care of yourself... Last thing you want to do is get sick before, during or after your cruise. Eat right, exercise, take your vitamins and don't overdue the booze thing. And while on the cruise drink a lot of water (preferably bottled) ... It will keep you hydrated, renergize your muscles (good if you are doing a lot of walking), and flush your system of any impurities / local nasties that your body isn't used to

4b- In the same vein as 4a... Onboard wash your hands often & use the Purell.

5- Get your rest. Be it consequtive hours of sleep at night or a couple of naps along the way. And consider a night or two extra at either end. Jet Lag can be a real downer... Better to be well rested when you get on the ship... Than starting the adventure already behind the 8 ball. We also never fly home the same day as D-Day... It just is too taxing a day... With going to bed late, up early, rushing around etc. Add in fly day a real recipe for stress etc. instead we take our time getting off the ship... Catching some last rays in a leisurely spot over coffee. Walk off & thru Customs without a hassle. Then have a Hotel Room with Early Check In we can get into around Noon / 1 PM. Have a leisurely day at the Hotel... Lol, including a nap. Far less stressful flying home the next day.

Hope this helps,

Cheers!

One more thing. Be careful with your valuables...there are pickpockets in many of the tourist attractions. Keep your purse in front of you, with your hand or arm over it.

Wow! Port intensive! I vaguely remember those sailings, and the wifester says I was not a very pleasant person:eek:

So keep the song in mind, " slow down, ya move too fast, ya got to make the morning last" :D

Make sure and enjoy the places you go and see, and remember you can always come back again if you miss something.

My advise? Don't try & fit in too much... take more time at individual locations, & save some for the next time. Take time to eat lunch at an outdoor cafe & enjoy the moment, Don't let yourself got that "i may never be back" syndrome.

We eat in Blu most every night except when when we're in an overnight port like Venice or Istanbul, if it's an overnight, we eat in town.

Drink lots of water, go to bed early, & take advantage of the sea days to decompress :)

I've done several land cruise combos, & also just land trips in Europe, & I think the secret is to pace yourself, I'll usually plan on two major sites before lunch, then a long lunch with lots of beer or wine, then just wandering in the afternoon.. leave yourself some room for spontaneity.... & enjoy!

On port intensive cruises, we book select. That gives us the flexibility to choose a dining time and/or location. In many instances we have gone to the MDR, but other times we have opted to go to the buffet - too tired from the day and just want al little something before preparing for the next day and crashing! As one who, on those days doesn't want to wait for room service, we go early and just catch something quick at the buffet.

Sloop JohnB gave some great advice.

Before your cruise begins, enjoy every minute in Barcelona. It is, perhaps, our very favorite place to spend several days pre or post cruise. Take the train to Montserrat or take in a music performance at Palau Musica. Spend some time at Segrada and Parc Guell. Enjoy the walk up and down Las Ramblas (with your hand over your purse!), visit the Boqueria, find some churros and chocolate in the old city and take the free (except a tip) Runnerbean walking tour. Then stop, sit on a park bench and conserve your energy for the next several intensive days in other ports. Wish we were going too:(

Great idea to plan for this - and wonderful suggestions! I did a port intensive cruise recently - relaxing 7 days on a TA crossing and then many days of touring in Spain, France, Italy.

I agree with the organization comment. If you have a spread sheet with all the dates, times and places to meet, who is on your tour (if you have other people), phone number to call if you can't connect with the tour guide for some reason, etc. seems to help decrease the stress. I reviewed the details the night before and packed my purse with whatever I needed (and the preferred form of payment for the guide).

We had breakfast delivered to the cabin to save time and then often went to Café al Bacio to have a cup of tea or latte to relax a few minutes and then headed off. We grabbed water for each of us there on the way out (free with beverage package).

It is easy when planning to try to cram in too much, so sometimes you have to be flexible and skip something. Our guides warned us about trying to do too much - we didn't listen and in the end they were right. It was better for us to see a few things in a relaxed, in-depth way instead of trying to see it all in a rushed way. Now we have an excuse to go back. :)

We sometimes had dinner served in our cabin after a full day tour. We could be in our casual clothes, sitting on the balcony watching the sun go down, while looking at pictures and reliving the day. A great way to end a wonderful day.

Enjoy your cruise and the tours - I can't wait to go back!

I have not done this itinerary but have done a port intensive 14 day one. My suggestion would be recognize when you are tired and skip the MDR. There were several nights I dressed for dinner despite the exhaustion and should have skipped it and done room service or the buffet. You won't miss a thing by doing what feels best for dinner instead of going through the motions.

Plan ahead and leave some time to get back to the ship in time and relax some. We had one port where they were pulling the gang way up behind us and that added a LOT of stress to the travel. Learned that lesson the hard way.

All great tips here.

Another idea on organizing your purse/day bag the night before. If you are visiting several countries with different currencies, keep them in separate envelopes in your safe. Only take what you need for that day. For private tours where we were going to pay the guide that day, I had separate envelopes with the correct amount of money + a tip. I always research the ports before I go and have a cruise notebook with a page or pages on each port. Again, take just what you need for that port.

All great tips here.

 

Another idea on organizing your purse/day bag the night before. If you are visiting several countries with different currencies, keep them in separate envelopes in your safe. Only take what you need for that day. For private tours where we were going to pay the guide that day, I had separate envelopes with the correct amount of money + a tip. I always research the ports before I go and have a cruise notebook with a page or pages on each port. Again, take just what you need for that port.

 

Agree that there are some great tips here.

I would second the idea of keeping your currencies separate and just taking what you need, but I would add a suggestion to make a note of the exchange rate on each envelope.

Enjoy Barcelona, but take some time to relax there and get over jet lag, so you will be well rested to begin your cruise. Barcelona is a great city for people watching while enjoying a sidewalk cafe for coffee or something stronger. I would probably skip Monserrat and concentrate your choice of a few of the interesting venues in the city interspersed with relaxation.

Sheila

We learned a hard lesson having luggage stolen after an extended cruise. All of our souvenirs were gone. Trying to build a claim for insurance was very difficult as we had been traveling for 4 months.

On subsequent trips we take a picture of the purchased item, a picture of the receipt, and a picture of the store with my iPhone. When we get back on the ship and connect to wifi I email the photos to myself.

The more port intensive a cruise the harder it can be to remember what was purchased where.

Linda

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

On our 13 night Adriatic cruise we had one sea day!

We began the cruise with an overnight in Venice with the only commitment being prepaid tickets to the Academmia for a Leonardo exhibit on day 2. On arrival we checked our bags at the pier and got our seapass cards, but didn't board then. Instead we took the vaporetto to Murano and boarded in the late evening. Next day was the Academmia and then wandering Venice til time to be aboard.

We had full-day private tours in 4 ports, a half-day 'private' tour (that's another story...) to Herculaneum in Naples, and a half-day ship tour in Corfu.

The remaining ports we DIY'd (Ravenna, Dubrovnik, Kotor & Catania).

It was a perfect balance for us because on the DIY days we could return to the ship for relaxation before dinner (we had early seating which worked out fine, but also ate relatively early in Blu and specialty restaurants since we were suite guests).

Your 8 hour days are looong so I suggest resting/napping on the return to the ship. Bring water and snacks along since meals can be hit or miss. On our Slovenia tour, our guide recommended a special sausage place in Ljubljana, but we didn't get there til nearly 3pm!! Sit when you can while touring. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

You will have a great time!

I have to say it - lay off the booze. Port Intensive tours and Liquor packages don't mix. Drink in moderation A hangover with a 12 hour day don't do well for one's happy factor.

Also we try to alternate "hard"and "easy" excursions on the successive ports. We balance the interests with how long a ride it will be and when we have to debark for the tour. sometimes the easy day is a self guided tour in the port debarking the ship after 10 AM. ON the other hand a hard day is the Moscow excursion out of St Petersburg port. Ours was depart at 6 AM and return 4 AM the next day :eek: The second day at St Pete started at 9 AM.

I did a very port intensive cruise with my mom in the Med and found our biggest mistake was trying to do organized tours in every port. Although you go with the thought that you are going to see everything - its setting yourself up for exhaustion.

If you have a few ports that can be done on your own, just walking around town to get the feel for the place, I'd recommend doing that and saving organized tours for the "big" ports such as Rome, Florence, etc where you need the transportation. After doing organized tours over and over, everything started blending together. I saw so many churches I can't remember which was which anymore.

Late dinner was also a great idea! It gave us time to come back, shower, change and sit down for a very relaxing meal.

Review of my Med cruises, very port intensive is in my signature line.

We've done this cruise with a pre-cruise in Barcelona(4days). My advice to you is to get in good shape before your trip. If you don't walk for exercise, start walking, because you will be doing a lot of walking. Make sure you have comfortable and supportive shoes. Walking on cobblestones is tough on your feet and your balance. Be sure to have closed shoes for Barcelona. They wash the sidewalks daily and if you wear sandals, your feet will be wet. Plan on taking a nap the 2nd day, you'll need it.

Have a wonderful trip.

Take in the atmosphere. If your tours are one church and museum after another for two weeks you may miss the the thrill of just being. So keep your tours open, if all the painting begin to look alike.

With four days before you will be caught up on time zone and be relatively rested, great! Beautiful Barcelona can be be frenetic, so try to keep your time there in your comfort level.

You can switch from heavy day to four hour tour and then a latte in a square. Some of those moments are the best parts. Three is my maximum eight to ten day tours in a row.

Will you be back? I spent two weeks In Rome and ten days in Florence going as fast as I could to take it all in and then life granted me multiple more visits by cruise. Smell roses at each opportunity.

There are some sites that are worth doing well and some that aren't. Be aware of your must sees and be open to loving what you didn't expct to love.

Comfortable shoes, absolutely. Good socks, yes. Do not accept free coffe or drinks from any people not in a reputable store.

British Betty has a good point about over planning. I know I have seen it all in most European ports, but I do remember all of? No. Although many I have seen multiple times and they never get old to me.

Take deep breathes.

Any time we take a shuttle into the city, either from the ship or port transportation, we take pictures of the drop off/pick up point and the area around it - street signs, buildings, or any landmark that will help us get back to the exact spot.

Always carry the contact info for the port agent, as provided by the cruise line. Fortunately we have never needed it!

We also carry the info on the US embassy or consulate for the countries we visit. Have never needed it, either, but we feel better having the info available.