cruisemom42

When was your experience? In October 2022 there was no port shuttle.

Small ships for me. Itinerary is about equally important but I would never choose a great itinerary on a huge ship, whereas I might choose a less-than-stellar itinerary on a small ship. When I say small, I mean small. The smaller Oceania and the Azamara ships (all same size) are ideal for me. Around 700 passengers. I will cruise on ships up to about 2,000 (give or take) but have decided anything larger is not for me.

I love the R-class, and I've showered in a non-suite cabin. I hope O holds on to at least a couple of them. Perhaps for longer, more interesting itineraries.

This was also true when I went. You could not go at your own speed. There were certain "stop points" and you had to remain with the group.

All ships and all lines have pluses and minuses. The key is finding what appeals. I have never felt the need to limit myself to one line. But two things I like above all else are good itineraries and small ships. HAL no longer has what I consider to be small ships. But they still have some very good itineraries. I will sail on Azamara happily for some of their good itineraries. They don't tend to have the long cruises that HAL offers (although you can often string together several shorter cruises). But HAL's longer itineraries can sometimes have a lot of sea days and HAL doesn't offer enough to make those sea days enticing. I will also sail on Oceania's small ships for a good itinerary. Their entertainment isn't great, I know. But the classical music means a lot to me and at least I know there is one new show after dinner every night that's generally entertaining enough for someone that's not ready to go to sleep at 9:30 at night. For me, their food is also better than HAL's (or any other line I've been on -- and that does not include any of the luxury lines).

My experience (and that of many others who've posted) is that until you get to 15+ days, you don't seem to get anything much beyond what's on a shorter cruise. The possible exception being a lecturer on the trans-ocean cruises with lot of sea days.

Important to know what the itineraries/ships are for each. One word of warning, in small ports (e.g., if you're going to Greenland) tendering can take a long time on the bigger ships.

I think these are relatively new offerings. The best I can suggest is to decide which museums you would actually plan to visit, then add up the admission costs and see how that compares with the cost of the card. You also should add in something for the convenience of not having to stand in line to buy tickets, BUT keep in mind that the most crowded site in Istanbul is usually Haghia Sofya, which is NOT included. (Nor is the Blue Mosque). I've not seen long lines at Ephesus in the past either, and most private tours (or ship tours) include the cost of admission anyway. Topkapi Palace can have long lines, but of the other included sites, I would say lines are not usually a factor. By the way, I would also like to make a plug for the Archaeology Museum in Istanbul. It has some really fine pieces that should be better known than they are, including several sculpture busts of Alexander the Great, a wonderful carved sarcophagus also portraying Alexander and some of his generals, and more (including the world's first recorded peace treaty, a copy of which is displayed at the U.N. headquarters). I also really enjoyed the Islamic Arts museum (across from the Hippodrome). I feel it's not visited as much as it should be. Some of the pieces are exquisite.

You should be fine. Are you going to arrange to have a taxi waiting for you to get you back to the ship? The Hypogeum is in a sort of residential area and it won't be easy to find a taxi unless you happen to poach one that's dropping someone off for the next tour.

Exactly what I was going to suggest! I'm not sure I'd go to Delphi as your 'out of Athens' option. It's very worthwhile but it's an extremely long daytrip.

There will be a shuttle (small charge) from the ship to a central point in town. Cost will depend on whatever NCL decides to charge. Taxis are very few and far between, I would not count on being able to get one.

I've been on Insignia (one of the group of smaller/older O ships) twice and the classical music is nice. They play several times each evening and also each day during afternoon tea (which is the best version of this event I've been to on a cruise ship in recent years). Unfortunately the classical music on HAL is unpredictable. It seems they cannot or will not commit to having it on all ships, on all cruises.

So nice they named her twice.

When I had to commute to work almost an hour each way, I listened to audiobooks sometimes as a way to keep my stress levels down in rush-hour traffic with crazy-stupid drivers. I tend to gravitate troward those where the author reads her or his own work as I feel they know best where to place the emphasis or how to shade any given reading.... Now that I've retired, I am much less interested in them, though. Maybe on a long car trip....

Sorry, didn't see his post when I posted my reply.

They only paid the cost because the ship could not dock in Gambia as scheduled and the "late returners" had already traveled there on their own dime.

I don't think I ever knew this. Thanks for that tidbit. I like a good espresso drink (though I stubbornly refuse to call it a martini....). And I like Tamarind bar.

Hotel Ponte Sisto is not far away (a 4 minute walk according to Google Maps) and has gotten good reviews online and here on CC.

Definitely NOT needed and you'll see only a very few other passengers wearing them (if any).

Has the sticky toffee pudding version showed up yet?

I just meant as a general guideline. Always a good idea to ask if one has a specific question of any company.

If it's not clear on their website, just email them and ask. I think almost all of the frequently recommended vendors are allowed inside the port. Including some that are shared shuttles.

I agree with those who've said it depends on the individual family. I come from a traveling family. Both my sister and I were taken to Europe for the first time in our young teens (I was 14). I went on my first cruise at age 9. Back then there was not really much catering on ships for kids but I loved it anyway. We took DS on his first cruise when he was 5 and to Rome when he was 7. Never sailed on NCL or Carnival or RCL, the so-called "family lines" and he still had a great time. I'm curious. How does one appear bored?

Which is not that unusual for that board!

Colosseum ticketing has been problematic for the last couple of years, post-Covid. The authorities are changing how ticketing is done. I'm not sure what exactly that entails, but likely a different process if not an entirely new vendor. The change appears to be underway now (April) with a stated goal of May 1 for the turnover. I would suggest following this thread on Tripadvisor for more info. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187791-i22-k14717647-New_Notice_on_Parco_Archeologico_Del_Colosseo_Website-Rome_Lazio.html