BTraveling47

we are booked on the 31st which so far hasn't been cancelled but the 2 weeks prior have been cancelled. Lets hope that they get the engine fixed/replaced by then. They re offering a full rebate but that doesn't help with airfare/hotel rooms pre & post cruise.

Hope everyone had travel insurance.

Well I heard theyre bringing the Monarch back to PC and moving Freedom to Pullman ... :eek::p

We got off Pullmantur Sovereign on May 10th. Heard from one of the waiters that the Monarch was going to Pullmantur. We're booked on Freedom in 2015 so would be interested if there was a change involving that ship.

Just returned from cruise on Sovereign. There is always one excursion in English. In Rome, we went on the Eternal and Imperial Rome tour. Both the Spanish and English groups for this tour traveled on the same bus to Rome. First stop was the Vatican where the groups were divided up. Our guide was extremely well versed in all matters of history and architecture. Tours are booked onboard, not in advance. This seemed odd to us prior to the cruise, but worked out just fine. A brochure is left in your stateroom describing all the excursions available and listing the deadline to sign up for each. At the meeting with the International Representative, you are told which will be in English.

Booked this tour before we left. Visited Jean Leon, Torres, and Frexinet in the Penedes area west of Barcelona. We've visited wineries in California, North Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island before, but never learned so much about the process as we did with this tour. Jean Leon was in the most beautiful setting; Torres was the largest operation, and Frexinet's presentation was amazing. All provided tapas of some sort to accompany the tasting...we were not hungry on our way back to Barcelona. Met the bus in front of the department store, next to the Aerobus stop at 8:05 am and returned around 4:30. Our guide was charming and provided commentary along the way. Highly recommend this tour.

Just returned from our first Pullmantur cruise. Departed from Barcelona. Ports: Ajeccio, Corsica; Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome); Tunis, Tunisia.

Overall Impression: Enjoyed every minute. Would cruise again with Pullmantur. Spaniard's are a lively bunch and party later. That's their vacation culture. It never bothered us. Ship very clean. Quality of service comparable to Celebrity in my opinion. You can't beat the Pullmantur pricing.

Cabin: 7038, outside obstructed view. Large window with nice view. Queen size bed. Plenty of storage and hangers in closet. Average, cruise ship bathroom. Cabin steward was excellent.

Food: Good to Very good. We are not buffet people, but surprisingly we ate dinner there three of the five nights. Very nice evening atmosphere. Walk through the first buffet area to the back. Enjoyed The Grill for lunch on deck 12. Hamburgers were excellent, not the usual, cruise-fare hockey pucks.

All-inclusive: Very nice wine and draft beer. Cava (Spanish champagne) was excellent. Good brands of gin, scotch included. Was lovely to not be signing little slips of paper for every espresso, soda or adult beverage. Only items listed on our final statement were tips and the excursions. What a joy !

English-speaking passengers: We met the nicest group of people ever encountered on all of our cruises. Three Canadian couples and a couple from Houston, TX. We were seated at dinner with our Houston friends - table for four. Early dinner is 7:30. Snacking in the late afternoon at the Grill got us through. All announcements were in English and Spanish. Never felt uncomfortable being onboard. Every crew member we encountered spoke English to some extent.

Excursions: Booked onboard. Was hard to imagine doing this based on our experience with US based cruise ships, but it worked fine with Pullmantur. One excursion per port is provided by an English-speaking guide. We took the Eternal and Imperial Rome tour through the ship. Excellent guide. Very full day, learned so much. Had time to enjoy a nice lunch with glass of wine on a side street near the Trevi and a visit a gelato store for dessert. Rode camel at the port in Tunis and visited the "village" constructed near the port. Paid five euros each for the camel ride, having the gentleman take pictures with our camera was included. Confirm what's included before you saddle-up. :-) Ajeccio is a great walking town. We wandered through the farmer's market, found Napoleon's family home, and highly recommend riding the "Le Petit Train" located outside the port exit. Cost was seven euro and worth it.

Additional Info: We spent four nights in Barcelona -- two at El Jardi in Bari Gotic and two at Violeta Hostal in Eixample. Both were terrific and I will be posting reviews on Tripadvisor. Also booked a Wine and Cava tour through Bus Touristic that was excellent.

Check out Barcelona Day Tours. Highly rated (5stars) on Tripadvisor, great reviews. I contacted them yesterday about the 1/2 day city tour and will be booking today. Can't beat the pickup and drop off service they include. We are cruising out of Barcelona on May 5.

I am trying to decide what to do!

 

We fly into Barcelona at 8:30 the morning of our cruise. How early can we get on the ship? Can we just drop off our luggage and go sight seeing? We will be staying a day after our cruise (We come back on Sunday and leave on Monday).

 

Should we try to do La Sagrada Familia before we leave Barcelona or after our cruise? If we decide after our cruise what time can we get off the ship & what time should we get tickets? It would be a Sunday so I hope they don't close down for Sunday services or anything like that.

 

Which tower do you recommend? I know there are steps involved which isn't a problem for any of us. I want the tower with the best views.

 

What other sights do you recommend and should we see them before or after our cruise?

 

TIA!

Hi Shannon

We are on a cruise from Barcelona May 5. We are booking Barcelona Day Tours for pick up at the port, 1/2 day tour, and drop off at hotel. They do the same for airport pick up's also, but drop you at pier I believe instead of hotel. 59E/pp for everything, luggage included. The company is rated 5 stars on Tripadvisor, with wonderful reviews. Their website is user-friendly and they are very responsive by email.

Have a great trip

Anyone receive their Certificate yet?

Highly recommend Victor with Countryside Tours. We were a party of 4 and had a wonderful, off the beaten path type of tour.

Jandiart, what email address did you use?

I have received an email saying that interior, outside and balcony cabins that usually get 10 points for the cruise are getting an additional 10 points for a total of 20 points for that cruise. Suite passengers are also getting an additional 10 points to give them a total of 30 points for the cruise. The email said that it could take up to 90 days to see the points. I got this email in reply to one I sent asking if I was getting the points before my April cruise.

That would be incredible. Please let us know when you see the double points.

We have not received our certificate yet either. We still do not have our double points added as well. Hope we get them soon as we sail on Allure in April and those points will make us diamond plus.

Double points??? Did I miss that in the letter RCCL gave us? That would throw us into a different category also. :confused:

Just curious -- Has anyone from the 1/21 "Sick" cruise received their future cruise discount certificate? The letter we received on board said certificates would be issued within 30 days.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know when the schedules will be released?

I was told March 17.

Cruising at the end of March, flying in the day before. After researching my options, I would actually prefer to stay at either Country Inn & Suites or one of the Marriott properties, but I've decided to save $150 - $200 and use my Holiday Inn priority club points.

 

My choices would be the Holiday Inn Newark Airport or Crowne Plaza in Elizabeth. Both have free airport shuttles, so I would just be paying for a taxi for 2 people on cruise day.

 

Can anyone give me an idea of taxi price and also, are these safe areas? Any eating establishments within walking distance?

 

Thank you.

 

Kim

We made our reservations through Stay123 for Crowne Plaza Newark Airport. Had a very good experience. Staff were very nice. Hotel was lovely. Room was very clean with a great view of Manhattan and the Freedom Tower. Book transportation to pier with Abdoul @ Independent Driver. Everything work very well. Abdoul was terrific. By the way, we ate dinner at the hotel and enjoyed our experience. Service was very good.

I was on the 1/21 sick cruise with 6 other friends that did a b2b and are on this current 1/31 sailing and they have said things are great and no more outbreaks of noro.:)

I believe our group of 4 met up with you and your wife at the Champagne Bar waiting to debark the ship. Glad to hear you are having fun on an uneventful cruise.

I am onboard the Explorer traveling with my husband and another couple. Three were sick -- very sick. The numbers of passengers affected by the virus reported at first did not take into account those who were sick but stayed in their cabins and did not report to the medical facility. Yesterday forms were distributed to gather the names of those passengers. The Captain and crew have been amazing. They have been working non-stop since early Wednesday morning. The compensation we will receive is adequate. We were able to visit two of the four ports and we've tried to make the best of an unpleasant situation. In addition, the amount passengers paid for various beverage packages was refunded in full. Mimosas and bloody mary's were served with breakfast. This may not sound like much for someone is sitting at home reading this, but for us here it was a very nice treat. RCCL is trying their best and it is appreciated. Will I sail again with RCCL - absolutely.

I tried to post a correction, but somehow it didn't attach to my original. Beverage packages were not refunded. This is what happens when you listen to other passengers and include their comments. I apologize for including this misinformation.

sorry -- posted incorrect info -- beverage packages were not reimbursed, relied on information from fellow passenger. I apologize.

I am onboard the Explorer traveling with my husband and another couple. Three were sick -- very sick. The numbers of passengers affected by the virus reported at first did not take into account those who were sick but stayed in their cabins and did not report to the medical facility. Yesterday forms were distributed to gather the names of those passengers. The Captain and crew have been amazing. They have been working non-stop since early Wednesday morning. The compensation we will receive is adequate. We were able to visit two of the four ports and we've tried to make the best of an unpleasant situation. In addition, the amount passengers paid for various beverage packages was refunded in full. Mimosas and bloody mary's were served with breakfast. This may not sound like much for someone is sitting at home reading this, but for us here it was a very nice treat. RCCL is trying their best and it is appreciated. Will I sail again with RCCL - absolutely.

Thank you so much. Happy New Year !

One thing I forgot to ask. Did everyone wait to book excursions onboard or book in advance? Either way, could you please explain the process. As This is our first Pullmantur cruise and first cruise sailing from a port outside of the US, I really need the "Dummies Guide" version of what to do and how to do it....including embarkation in Barcelona. Thanks so much!

Thank you. We have cruised a great deal, but this is the first time to anywhere in Europe. Spending two nights in Barcelona - one pre-cruise and one post-cruise. As you can imagine, we are very excited ! Looking forward to Plato123's comments after the November trip.

What is your departure date? I'm a TA and can check on my end as well.

Pullmantur just posted their 2014 catalog on their website. We will be going to Ajaccio,Corsica; Tunis, Tunisia, and Civitavecchia, Italy. Very happy with the itinerary.

Oh my gosh ! That would be terrific. Our departure date is May 5, 2014.

Thank you !

We are taking a 5 night cruise on the Sovereign. But there is a small glitch. The travel agency has the cruise itinerary as Rome, Florence, Villefranche. Pullmantur's website shows Tunisia, Corsica, Rome. Travel agency insists their info is correct. It really doesn't matter to us which it is, but would like to have the right info. Any suggestions?