TwinMamainMN

Schettino could have saved so many lives and others from being injured if he would have been honest about the situation from the start and acted accordingly. I understand why you refuse to refer to him by his rank. He did not act like a captain and does not deserve the title.

Just my husband and me, unless we find other interested people on the roll call.

@chengkp75 - thanks for including the link to the Costa Concordia official investigation report. I enjoyed reading it. I'm gobsmacked by it, but it was fascinating.

This is super helpful information, thank you!!! We too would skip the long and huge lunch in favor of small bites here and there and lots of gelato while strolling. Did you get a list of options before the excursion day, so you could research and decide? Maybe we would skip Alberobello and have more time in Martina Franca and Ostuni Less drive time too. I appreciate you taking the time to respond to everyone!

Thanks for all the tips. I'm taking notes. The tour from Brindisi seems exactly our style. How long was it total from pick up to drop off, and how much time did you have in each town? I really do not want to spend all day looking out a car/van window with only very limited time wandering or actually touring.

Thanks for sharing your photos and comments. We are doing this same cruise in June 2025 so I'm following along for tips and tour info. You mentioned pre-cruise in Rome (which we will also do). Are you staying somewhere post-cruise? Maybe Venice? We've been to Venice before and think we will do Florence this time for 4 days or so.

@Tlbecker1 - Thanks for the explanation. I stand corrected.

That's why I said "as I understand it..." 🙂 I'm glad it worked for you.

From what I understand, A2S allows a deviation of up to 2 days from your sailing date and you have zero say in the flight times, numbers of connections, layover times, etc. We have always booked our own airfare and will when we do a Med cruise next summer too. We plan on spending 4-5 days precruise in Rome and another 4-5 days post cruise in another city. Maybe Florence.

That first sentence is important. We always book refundable fares. 75% off the second guest would be lovely, but the refundable fare is important for us.

While I haven't been to Europe in several years, in Italy (including St. Peter's Basilica) the requirement was only to cover the shoulders and the knees. It didn't matter the type of material. In Vatican City outside St. Peter's there were many vendors selling thin shawls/pashminas for women who came unprepared. A few euros later and they had a solution.

We just sailed on NCL Bliss at the beginning of March to the Mexican Riveria. The only port day photo I recall was on the first port day in Puerto Vallarta. I don't recall them at all in Mazatlan and know for sure they were not in Cabo. Cabo was busy with tender operations and staging areas for all the excursions.

We bring back a t-shirt for each of our kids, but that's about it for gifts. For ourselves we buy a magnet from each port/city we visit for our collection and maybe an ornament for our Christmas tree or a coffee mug. Small things cost less, are easier to pack and weigh less.

We've sailed several times with Royal and just got back from our first NCL cruise. The biggest difference to us was in entertainment. Lots of game shows on NCL during the day. Our sailing had 2 comedians that alternated. Sometimes in the main theater and sometimes in a smaller venue. Jersey Boys was good, but only offered 2 or 3 days of the 7 day sailing. No creative, unique production shows like we have seen on Royal. No aqua shows like on Royal's big ships. Lots of game shows and trivia on NCL. The best entertainment we had on NCL Bliss (2 weeks ago) was The Beatles Experience. It was phenomenal. 4 men from Argentina. When they sang, you'd have no idea they were another nationality. They did a different show every day they performed, and we saw them 3 times. They perform in the main theater and at the smaller Cavern Club where we were lucky enough to sit in the front row. They were best entertainers on board IMO.

Consider your itinerary first before spending the money. For a port intensive cruise with long days, it may not make financial sense for you to have the drink package (cost of the package plus the service charge) and instead you can just order as you wish and put them on your onboard account which gets paid/charged before you disembark.