freddy penguin

Just got back a little over a week ago from a cruise out of Athens.  We went to Athens a day early and found the metro very easy to use, even took it from the airport.  In Limassol Cyprus we took the city bus, there was a stop right at the cruise port.  On Santorini in Fira there were lots of places offering tours.  We made the mistake of choosing Luxury Transportation Service (the driver didn't show up to pick us back up in Oia) but there were lots of other options that others on our ship had a good experience with.  There was also a local bus we could have taken.  In Europe, I use the same logic I do in the Caribbean, if there's something I absolutely want to see or port time is short I choose a shore excursion to make sure I don't miss the sight or the ship.

Just took a taxi from that area last week and it was 20 euro to the port.

Just got off the Jade last Sunday.  I didn't pay attention to how early they started calling the group taking all their luggage off but our luggage color was scheduled to be called at 7:15 and they began calling at 6:45.  The ride back to the airport took 50 minutes.  Between check in, luggage drop off, security, etc. it was about an hour before we arrived at our gate.

Just had a cruise stop at Santorini on May 14th.  The cable car line moved quickly, people running it were doing a good job getting the cars loaded, only issue was paying as so many people either didn't have euros or a credit card so using U.S. dollars was slowing things down.  We made the mistake of using Luxury Transportation Service to take us to Oia, do not do it.  The driver left us stranded in Oia, awful experience making our way back to the port.  There was a public bus that would've taken us and we were sorry we didn't choose it over the car and driver.

Just did an overnight in Athens before a cruise.  We chose to take the metro to our hotel.  We stayed at the Adonis hotel which was within walking distance of the Acropolis and had an amazing view from their upper floor bar/breakfast area.  For our trip to the cruise port we took a taxi which cost 20 euro.

I was just in Athens on May 7th and had no problem getting into the Acropolis.  Entry fee is 20 euro and agree it is a long climb so pace yourself and bring water.  There are bathrooms and a snack shop at the bottom.  We were staying in Athens the night before leaving on a cruise not far from the Acropolis.  We paid 20 euro for a taxi ride to the port.

Be careful when finding a tour in Fira.  We went with Luxury Transportation Service and were left stranded in Oia when the driver did not return to pick us up at the agreed upon time.

I'm planning to cruise on the Conquest next May and had some questions. Does anyone know the charge for the seafood shack? Is it a per item charge or per plate type of charge? Also is the Dr. Seuss breakfast for kids only or could a group of adults go? Is it by reservation only, and if so when/where can you book it? Thanks!

Question - when I did my online check in I got a message telling me I am not required to select a PAT because I've booked air travel through Disney. My flight arrives at MCO at 8:30. Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm not sure if I'm going to be left to wait at the airport for the bus or if I'll be left waiting outside the cruise terminal for it to open. And yes I booked the air through Disney because it is a transatlantic cruise and they found a much better air deal than I could for the return flight from Copenhagen.

Cagney's was great.

 

 

Rome was great no lines Vatican, Colliseum, Roman Forum.

Only extra excursion was "piazzas of rome". They moved it to 4pm i think because of heat which was good!. You could have done it on your own but I liked

going as a group. Also went to Pantheon, Spanish, Steps, Trevi Fountain(under construction), some other Piazza's and left us in Piazza Navona at end of trip.

Which was a nice area to have dinner and look at artwork etc in the square.

Taxi stand was right there and it was a 25 min walk back to hotel. Don't remember cost maybe $40-50?

We left the hotel around 10:30 and had 1 other hotel pickup. We arrived at port 12;30ish. Very easy embarkation. Very minimal line. Eating lunch at a fairly empty buffet by 1;15. After dropping stuff in room.

They put luggage on bus and they have it transferred at ship....and it shows up at your room. Just bring your carryon.

Great experience.

Kerri

Thank you for sharing your experience! I thought of doing Rome on my own pre-cruise but decided it was worth it to have someone else do all the organizing. How large was the pre-cruise tour group? Can you recommend any excursions for the ports visited during the cruise? Any information about the hotel or the area surrounding it (restaurants, sights not part of the tour) you could provide?

I'm booked for the land portion in Rome and then the cruise. Could you please share some details on the land tour in Rome? The thing I'm most curious about is the additional excursions offered - what were they? cost? did you do any and could recommend? Another question is what time did you depart for the ship? Did you have time to do any sightseeing prior to departure? Thank you so much for any information you could supply :)

The Panama Canal sailing has fewer children, therefore many of the activities are geared for adults. There will be a Panama Canal lecturer, as well as some sort of Disney featured lecturer. On my sailing it was Jeff Kurtii, who is a Disney historian. The adult only pool and coffee shop is pretty much devoid of character appearances. The standard Wonder Disney evening shows are done, however because of the length of the sailing, additional entertainment is featured. There will be recent movie releases shown in the main theater, but also usually a magician, comedian, and musical headliners. On my sailing it was a Jersey Boys type quartet, who performed around the pool as well as in the showroom. And Broadway veteran Jason Graae, who was amazing!

 

Lots of trivia, a cook off between the head chef and the captain, and my specific sailing had a very talented pool of passengers. We had someone who arranged dawn and nighttime photography walks and another who is a Futurist and made arrangements to speak to those interested about what he does.

 

I could not have asked for a more enjoyable sailing.

 

Lesa

Thanks for the inspiration Lesa! I've booked the May 2016 sailing. I'm going to be at sea with Mickey on my birthday!!

Just booked the Disney Wonder for the May 1st Panama Canal sailing. First Disney cruise and this will be my first sailing longer than 7 days. I decided I wanted to sail through the canal and Disney had the best price for a solo cabin. Hoping Disney can keep me entertained for 14 days!

I sailed solo on the Disney Wonder 14 night Panama Canal cruise last September. I had a wonderful time. Being a longer cruise that takes place during school term, there were fewer children on board than the norm. But Disney ships in general have plenty of adult areas and entertainment. And adult only means based on age not that it is inappropriate. Plus, Disney has so many structured activities for children, they are less likely to be roaming the ship looking for something to do.

 

I have enjoyed the people that have been assigned to my dining table on the two Disney cruises I have had, but you do have another option if you want to eat alone. At least on the Wonder, probably on the other ships, the buffet venue converts in the evening to a restaurant. You order off a menu and the wait staff are in training. I did not eat there, but was aware of it.

 

My most recent cruise was last month on the Norwegian Jewel. It was also solo and I chose to eat alone and read during all my meals. So I do understand and appreciate your preference.

 

Lesa

I was looking at this same cruise for May 2016 today. I'm wanting to do a Panama Canal cruise and am a frequent Disney World visitor but have never done one of their cruises. I've always wondered if you are immersed in the magic on one of their ships like you are at the parks. I'm also worried there won't be enough adult activity on the ship. I tend to gravitate toward things like trivia, classes/demonstrations, and evening shows.

Bantry, we have decided to do the train trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo on our own also. And if time permits, will stop in Antibes on the way back.

Would love to hear how this went for you when you return, something I'm considering for my trip in November.

The website shows this tour is 8 hours. I noticed a lot of people who've posted in this thread did their tours either pre or post cruise. I was considering doing this tour during a port stop (5am-6pm) on the Epic. Does anyone know what time pick up from the ship would be? And if you've done it during a port stop were there any issues getting back to the ship on time? Thanks.

I'm curious about this too.

Thank you for sharing! Love that the cruise lines are catching on. Maybe they'll even start a solo supplement discount program if you sail so many times a year or fill a cabin they can't or whatever. I'm happy that they have solo studios on Norwegian for instance.

 

This is a conversation I had two weeks with the customer service rep when booking a cruise:

 

Me - Hi.

CSR - Hello, how can I help you?

Me - I'm looking to book x-ship in x-month.

CSR - Great, which type of cabin?

Me - Oh, I'd love 'x-deck, ABC-level, yada'

CSR - Alright, how many people?

Me - 1

CSR - *pause* One person?

Me - Yes

CSR - Are you sure you can't find someone to sail with you?

*Me in agape in disbelief*

Me - No, its alright.

CSR - Family, a friend...maybe a...

Me - Umm, yeah maybe. But not now.

CSR - Well, you've got a few months. You'll be able to find SOMEONE.

Me - Yes, lets just book this.

 

Cruise booked. End call.

 

But seriously lady? It's not the WORST thing in the world to cruise solo. I get my room to myself, do whatever I want when I want, and maybe, just maybe, like it.

I've had similar conversations with coworkers or acquaintances. My favorite is when I'm asked if I'm sure I want to go alone. I've paid the deposit and booked the airfare so I'm thinking I'm committed :)

I tend to choose my cruises by price, itinerary, or departure port which is how I've ended up on four different cruise lines. My recent cruises have been on Carnival but later this year I'll be on Royal because they had the best price from the departure port I wanted. Don't feel compelled to cruise the same line all the time. The ship itself is a destination and by branching out to other lines there will always be a new ship to explore.

Nice to know others do spreadsheets as I've had family/friends tease me about this habit. None of them have complained though when they've had a great time due to my planning and organization. I just booked the 4 day land/7 day cruise on the Epic out of Rome. Originally I was looking at just the cruise out of Barcelona but after researching the ports I realized the port I wanted to see the most in was Rome. If I hadn't researched the ports prior to booking I might've missed the chance to spend more time exploring Rome. It's a lot of money to spend and not know what you are getting.

Great price on the Epic sailings in November. Excited for my first Mediterranean cruise:)

Thank you for sharing your experience! I will be going on the Epic out of Rome 11/11. I will also be doing the 4 day tour in Rome pre-cruise. I'm hoping there will be some other solo ladies on my cruise. You've got a great positive attitude!!!

Awesome deal on the Epic, heading out on May 10th and also grabbed decent airfare.

I've been looking for cruises around May 10th and I saw this one. Curious what airline you got the decent airfare on, lowest I've seen is almost $1300

I texted in St Thomas in November 2013 and was charged .05 per text by Verizon. I did not call and make any changes to my plan prior to the trip.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Had FTTF on the Dream last November and was looking forward to the perks. The cabin was ready when we boarded around 10:50 but none of the luggage was there. When none had appeared by safety drill time I became concerned since I had never not had my luggage delivered by that time on any prior cruise. I asked at the desk just to make sure luggage was still being delivered. I was not offered a refund nor did I ask for one but a refund did appear on my account and I still got priority debarkation.