lucky346

We were on the Epic western Mediterranean about a month ago (Barcelona to Italy, France, Palma). I did not get the drink package and ordered 4 (alcoholic) drinks during the trip. I remember at one dinner being told quite specifically that there would be an extra charge on the drink because we were in port and I assume that was the VAT. I do not remember being charged the VAT for any of the other drinks (when we were at sea). It sounds like maybe they should/ do charge for the duration of the trip, but as someone pointed out, maybe being charged or not charged is more about the person serving you knowing when to charge it.

Just returned from the Mediterranean cruise on the Epic. Had a great time, but wanted to pass along some advice for this particular excursion.

We did the Pompeii On Your Own through NCL. When we arrived at the site, the lines to get in were huge. And this was mid-May. My understanding is that it will get worse throughout the summer. When you do the "on your own" tour, admission is not included. You're just paying for the bus ride to the site and back.

The guide (from the bus) said, "Oh, it will take about 15 minutes to get through the line." Not true at all. It took us almost an hour. Considering we only had a few hours to tour the site, we used up almost a third of our time standing in line.

There was a separate line (almost no one in it!) if you purchased your tickets ahead of time. I wish we'd known that was an option because even though it was a little more expensive, it would totally have been worth it. Highly recommend doing that!

There were a bunch of independent tour guides clustering around the line, asking over and over, "Do you want a tour?" If you paid them 10 euros per person, plus the cost of admission, they could short-cut the line (tour guides had priority) and let you basically skip the lines. One guy in our group asked, "Can we pay you and then go off on our own?" and none of the guides would agree to that. If they take you in, apparently they need to give you a tour. Which is fine if you want a tour, but if you really want to do it on your own, obviously you won't be hiring one of the guides.

Anyway, everyone in our group was really upset about the long lines and the wait, mostly because none of us had been warned about it and it would have been so easy to pre-purchase the tickets while at home and avoid the lines. Or at least expect the lines and not be so frustrated. Or expect to hire a guide once we got there and pay extra for it and stick with the guide.

So, if you are considering this excursion, buy your tickets ahead of time!! Or maybe consider a different way to get there so you aren't so rushed. We felt like we didn't get to see very much of Pompeii.

Figured I'd do an update on this thread now that we are home!

Again, thank you all for the suggestions...I passed quite a few along to DH as well.

We got super lucky in everything. No flight delays, no missed connections. Given that most of our flying that first day took place when we would have been awake anyway, we just stayed awake....and stayed awake.....and then when it moved into nighttime, stayed awake some more. I did try to sleep a little bit on the flight from Philly but I've never been able to sleep on planes and despite everything I tried, I never did nap for more than about 15 minutes at a time.

Our private tour of Barcelona was wonderful and we really didn't start to flag until the very end when we were both so tired we weren't super interested in getting out anymore but were quite content to just let him drive around and show us sights and tell us information. Yes, I do wish we'd come in early so we could have enjoyed the city more, but when we budgeted for the trip it just wasn't in the plans. Next time for something like this we'll know better!

By the time he dropped us off at the ship it was about 2:30 local time and we wanted nothing more than a nap. Did not do it. Stayed awake through dinner at Taste and went to bed around 8 PM. When we woke up the next morning we both felt great and other than DH taking a few afternoon naps (which honestly, he does at home on the weekends all the time) it felt like we switched over really quickly.

Trip home was fine as well. Left the ship around 8 AM, first flight at 1:00 (did not sleep at all), second flight was more difficult because by then it was midnight/ early morning in Barcelona and I'm usually asleep by 9. I did take a few catnaps on the plane, but when we got home at 10:30 PM local time I went straight to bed and didn't wake up until 5:45 AM (late for me). And now I'm up and doing laundry and getting ready to enjoy a beautiful sunny 84 degree day in Seattle (warmer than where we were, crazy enough)! I'm sure I'll be tired later and probably a few days of adjusting, but I feel good now so all is well!

Anyone still looking forward to your trip, enjoy!! We had a wonderful time!

Robin

Thanks, everyone, for all the feedback. There's no chance of switching flights at this point, so I'm going to stop reading because those posts just make me nervous. Good thing we have trip insurance, I guess. I'm writing down all the ideas about jet lag and we'll just see how it goes. We'll be exhausted and just expect it....and I'm going to stay positive and assume it will all work out. The tour is actually a private tour and if we're not through in time or there are delays we do get our money back, so I'm not going to fuss about that one. Either it will work out or it won't.

Wishing you all happy sailing!

Robin

Thanks for all the replies!

I'll make sure we include tip amounts when we get euros (since we're early in the season, it definitely sounds like euros will be the way to go). And thanks for the feedback on the other stuff too.....the original post about candy sounded like a nice touch, but maybe not so much. I was actually thinking more of local "specialty" bars from our area (not Hersheys!) but one less thing to worry about bringing is fine.

Since the DSC is essentially tipping everyone (behind scenes and not), if we plan to tip extra for those who go above and beyond or who we see frequently, do we tip in dollars or euros (Mediterranean cruise)? I was originally assuming dollars, but if we should tip in local currency then I need to make sure to get that local currency! And I loved the idea about including candy bars with the tips. Thanks, whoever posted that! :D

Thanks,

Robin

HI All!

Super excited about our upcoming Epic western Mediterranean trip in May.The only other cruise we've done was to Alaska (and we live in Seattle, so no real time zone issues there).

However, this one will be a big one. I'm looking for tips/ ideas/ suggestions on how to best handle the time change (either before/ during/after) so we don't feel absolutely awful our first days.

Specific details if that helps:

Leaving Seattle on an 8:00 AM flight on the 13th. This will require us to leave home at 4 AM (possibly earlier depending on when shuttle requires us to be picked up....but assume between 3:30-4 AM). Arrive in Philly at 4:20 eastern time (1:20 PM our time). Leave Philly 7 PM (4 PM our time) and arrive in Barcelona at 9 AM local time (so midnight our time). And I have a tour picking us up at 10 AM for a 4 hour city excursion before dropping us at the port at 2 PM. At which point we can obviously pass out. :D Except I also made dinner reservations for 6:30 so need/ hope to be awake for that! :rolleyes:

So....any ideas? I'm especially worried because I have a horrible time sleeping on planes...even when we've done red-eye flights I rarely sleep. I could try to take something that will make me drowsy and hope it helps, I suppose.

Thanks!!

Robin