blueslily

Like others I am confused why NCL is the only cruise line you have mentioned. Multiple other lines ply the Med with lots of different itineraries. Med cruises often allow you to embark and disembark in different ports, they also have variable lengths. You need either to search a cruise timetable site using your preferred dates and ports or find a good TA who can do that based on your criteria of what is most important. While you want to watch your dollar, don’t be penny wise and pound foolish if there is something you absolutely have as a must do.

Yes, I have done a lot of research. Man, that first option really isnt penny pinching. I am definitely chosing based on various factors, as noted in my original post. Thanks :D

Not really sure but I would assume it could be because OP has been on NCL (as mentioned in the original post). Many cruisers, ourselves included, tend to stay with the line on which they were introduced to cruising - it just feels like home, maybe "safe" in a way, and they can start building up loyalty points and status.

Thanks for the reply. I must admit that I was scratching my head a little. :confused::confused: I tried to explain a lot in my original posting. Thanks

That first cruise is pricey compared to 7 day NCL offerings (more than double). It looks like time isn't a major factor, so have you considered two 7 days...one R/T from Barcelona (western) and a R/T (eastern med) from Venice a few days later? There might be a number of combinations that work...particularly if you open yourself to mixing and matching cruise lines.

 

The best option might be (if you can find it) a Barcelona to Rome 7 day. Spend time in Rome...train to Venice, then a 7 day Greek Isle from there.

Buggins - I like this idea! A back to back with two 7 day sailings as long as I can find two itineraries that I like close together. And that are good price wise.

The only issue is that Option 2 really isnt a bad price for the number of days. Two 7 day cruises will be more expensive for sure. I will look into this though.

Thanks!

Why are you limiting yourself to NCL? Go to www.cruisetimetables.com and do a little playing. Departure port? Select and see who is sailing. Particular port of call? Select one and see who goes there. Open yourself to more options. EM

Thats an interesting website. :)Yes, I have looked at various options using similar websites. As you suggested, I have filtered by port of call, departure port, etc.

Wow, that's a long posting. Sorry. I didn't realize that I had typed so much.

Hello all,

I'm writing to ask for your help with choosing between a few itineraries. I have gone on one Mediterranean cruise. It was on the Epic a few years ago. Started and ended in Barcelona. The cruise was 7 days. I loved it and want to take my mom (age 60) to Europe next year if possible. She is from a small rural town. Is a afraid of flying and has not traveled much. I would love to take her on the same itinerary that I went on back then (Barcelona, Cannes, Marseilles, Florence, Naples, Rome). But, I want to go to Greece and figure that I might as well not pay for airfare to go to Europe twice in one year (I don't have that kind of discretionary income). So, I am looking into some of the 10, 11, and 12 day NCL sailings. I'm having a hard time choosing between two itineraries. I'm wondering if you all can help me choose.

I am choosing based on ports of call, cost, duration of time the ship will be in port, and date of sailing. I'm looking for sailings in April - May 2019 OR September - October 2019. For price, I'm looking for the best overall price. For ports of call, my priorities are Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Florence, Naples, and Rome. I would also like a port of call near the French Rivera like Cannes or Monte Carlo. I would like to depart or return to Barcelona because I want to spend a couple days there exploring before or after the cruise. Many of the cruises leave out of Rome (round trip). I'm ok with that, but that means I will need a flight to Barcelona to spend more time there.

As I've looked at itinerary after itinerary, it's hard to choose.

Option 1: NCL Star 12 Days May 2018 - Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome, Naples, Sea Day, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Argosteli, Kotor, Dubeovnik, Venice (yes, this is not a round trip cruise. It ends in Venice which I like. That gives us another place to explore.) **Double the cost of Option 2 which I do not like.

Option 2: NCL Jade 11 days May 2018 (or also Sept/Oct) - Rome, At Sea, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Rhodes, Crete, Malta, Sicily, Naples, Florence, Rome (I like that Rhodes and Crete are included. Not as thrilled about a round trip out of Rome. This means will need flight to Barcelona before or after.) ***Half the price of Option 1.

There are several 7 day options that do not include Greece. Or, there are 7 days options that include mostly Greece and Italy.

I also want to add some days in Paris before the cruise so my mom can see a little bit of Paris and use that time to adjust to the time difference. (We are on the East Coast of the United States).

Another question: For Option 1, there is a reverse sailing (starting in Venice, ending in Barcelona) that is offered in November on the Epic. However, I did a lot of research on this cruise last year and most folks were recommending to not go to Greece after mid-October due to weather change and some activities being closed for the season. Is November still a bad idea? Of course the sailings in Nov are less expensive.

Your thoughts? Option 1 has the departure and return ports that I want. That makes it easier for me to explore those areas. But, Option 2 is half the price. However, once I book flights, will it even out? Then there's the option of Option 1 on the Epic (newer ship) in November 2018. Which do you think is better and why? I have been thinking about this over and over.

Thanks so much! :)

VTO has some Alaska cruises on sale. Last minute. Airfare will probably be the issue.

So, I know this thread is older, but I have a related questions that I hope is OK to asknow here. Many people who responded about great deals did acknowledge that airfare was sometimes more than the cruise or the same price. And people stated that airfare, although expensive at last minute, it didn't impact them because the used frequent flyer miles or points. So, I have a quick question about how you all racked up the frequent flyer miles so that they offset travel costs. Do you travel a lot in general or are you just enrolled in such a great program that it is easy to get enough points to fly international for the cruise deals?

Most of my solo cruise bookings were within 60 days. All were price drops. Only booked far in advance when traveling with others. Last family cruise of 8 cabins had 3 or 4 price drops and included an upgrade to balcony after booking. I lived where I could use 3 different airports for flights so I often searched for best flights. Now I live in the south where flights are more expensive due to less competition. I miss cruising. I have moved a lot lately so less cruising recently, but its in the works for 2017. Next will be next year to Alaska. Bring it on.

This is an interesting topic. If I travel solo, I don't really want to sign up for meals and shows and such. The goal is to have some fun and down time solo. If I wanted dinner mates, I would invite folks on the cruise. So, I don't weigh in solo programming by the cruise line when considering which line to use or if a cruise was good. If I travel solo, that's my choice and not their job to find someone for me to dine with. Just my take on it. Yes, I do use Roll Calls and enjoy them. But, I do that for myself. That's my responsibility since I chose to travel solo.

I travel solo as well. Sharing a ride to a close destination is totally fine with me. Never felt odd. Check out your roll call. Get to know a few folks and talk about plans. Easy to find a taxi mate if anyone has shared plsns. And that doesn't mean they have to be your BFF the entire cruise. I travel solo for the freedom so I want to maintain that. But Roll Calls are also very helpful for when I don't want to be solo or just want to know another person on the ship. :)

Hi, basically, credits are points you get for sailing. How they are generated

depends on each cruiseline but it normally depends on your cabin category

and/or length of your cruises.

In the past, normally solo cruisers would get 1 set of credits but some of

the cruise lines have changed their policy and instead of a single set you

now get a double set.

And there are usually levels of "Capt's Club" and you can various perks

depending on how many points you accumulated over the years. To

give you an an example, I normally sail with Celebrity and they have 4

levels of their Capt's Club..........I am in Elite Plus.....there is Select,

Elite, Elite Plus and Zenith.

Royal Caribbean has Diamond, Diamond Plus but I don't know their other

levels........I don't know how Princess/Carnival/HAL/NCL work for their

offerings.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

THANKS lois. I thought that's what it meant. I used to just get single credit which was annoying. I'm glad it's better now on more lines.

Silly qiestion, but what is double credit? How do you get it and how does it work?

I posted this earlier with no response. We are still trying to see which island we could rent a scooter from to explore the island ourselves....safely!

 

 

We were interested in renting a scooter on one of the islands on our southern caribbean cruise. We really just want to explore ourselves and stop at a few beaches. Any idea which island would be most condusive for this? Definitely not dominica, we have that planned. Thanks!!!!

I think that Barbados is a great island for renting a scooter. Better roads than most on this cruise and great beaches, but can be a bit heavy on traffic depending on where you drive and time. Maybe also St. Kitts.

We just returned home from the Victory late last night....this was our first Carnival cruise, but our 5th cruise overall. This was a very relaxing cruise for us (even though it was port intensive). We stayed in cabin 9262 on the Lido deck...couldn't beat the location!!! Just a few pics...

 

I just booked my mom in a balcony on the Lido Deck.

Was there much noise? Did people using the stairs bother you?

Any issues at night (with noise)?

My TA just confirmed that anytime dining is now available for our sailing on 12/6/09! So anyone with a december booking that is interested should definitely check and see if they can switch over.

Awesome, I'm excited. Sadly the staff didn't know about it when i asked a week ago.

Movies from my Capers (Oct 25 - Oct 31).

 

Oct 25 - Pink Panther II

Oct 26 - Gooby

Oct 27 - Confessions of a Shopholic

Oct 28 - Duplicity

Oct 29 - Madea Goes to Jail

Oct 30 - Beetlejuice

Oct 31 - Paul Blart-Mall Cop

 

Because they were showing the World Series on a number of nights, the movie showings were very late.

Wow, they showed a madea movie!!

Did someone say pictures?

 

How about Sapphire Beach St. Thomas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

hey beentravelin, when did you take these pics at sapphire beach?

does anyone know what it looks like now? have the issues with mgmt been sorted out?

how are the bathrooms?

food?

For those on the Victory recently....

Who was the cruise director and how was he or she?