TwinMom123

32 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We'll hopefully be there in August (as I wrote in the other thread just below). I truly hope that the improvements will be completed by then, and of course the weather cooperates.

 

Could you please post the url for the port to get further information?

I will try and find it for you! Are you cursing on NCL Prima by chance? I got this information from the NCL Prima FB group. Port times online do not match up to what NCL is showing and time and time again the port times have been correct and NCL has waited until boarding to alert the guests!! So frustrating. We sail June 25th and our stops in Iceland are early July so I am hoping we make it, I really wanted to see the Puffins!! 

As of now it is closed through June, possibly reopening in July but they will have more info June 20th. Get the info from the port directly and not your cruise line. 

My family has an early flight out of Reykjavik and will need early transportation for all six of us to the airport at 6AM...will it be easy to get a taxi or is there a service that someone recommends we use to book private? Thank You!

Wow, for a first time cruiser you sure picked the perfect ship!!! This is a family fave, I am excited to be back on it and headed to Bermuda for the first time. I loved all of your pictures and videos. Thanks for sharing!! I have eaten at O'Sheehans no less than 50 times in my life. At least 4-5 times a sailing!! So good! 

When are you sailing the Gem? I am sailing with my family on Jun 23rd! We sail on NCL often but this is the first time we will be on the Gem!

If you exchanged your currency at International Mall, they will waive the fee when you change your Euros back to US as long as you show your receipt.

OMG, do not pay the price for this. The area from which the hydrofoils and ferries leave is right next to where the cruise ships dock. (It's a large port, so depending on where you dock you may have more or less minutes to walk, but it is only minutes.)

 

I just checked online and the cost for the hydrofoil tickets one way is about 20 euro. So 40 euro each for the roundtrip, and you can return when you like. You would be paying less for the two of you than for one ticket from NCL.

 

One tip though: I'd try to figure out when you want to return to the ship and go ahead and buy those return tickets when you arrive at Capri. Sometimes the popular times for returns can sell out later in the day if you wait...

Thank you!! I appreciate that so much! We are traveling with children so I don't want to be stuck somewhere waiting on a ride back to Naples with hours to go! I knew there had to be an easier way. Much appreciated advice. Thank you!

I am cruising on the NCL Epic next week and we are planning to head to Capri from Naples. The cruise offers a hydrofoil for $109 per adult and $89 per child. It leaves at 8:45AM and is an 8.5 hour excursion which leads me to believe that we won't have the option to come back early.

If we did not book through the ship, is it possible to get off in Naples and get to Capri and back pretty easily?

Has anyone booked through the ship and been able to head back to the boat earlier than the 8.5 hours scheduled to be "on your own"?

TIA!

Since you are doing it the week before I do, I hope it goes well and you'll have to report back so I can make last minute changes!!

Sounds great!! I will do that :)

We booked all our tours with romecabs.com...then we could communicate ahead of time. They were fantastic. We do not try to push too much in a day and they were surprised when around 3PM we would say enough. This cruise we did not use the kids club at all as they did not need more stimulation!

 

Cannes: Great little beach and train ride as you exit the tender

 

Naples: Pompeii....miserable with kids and heat! Sorrento was cuter for walking around

 

Pisa: well the tower was the best part

 

Palma: we walked to a local mall and they had fun stuffed animals for the kids to ride around on ( for a fee.)

 

It is a different trip when kids are along but when you are powered by nutella and gelato it is doable.

RomeCabs.com looks great - thank you!!!

I'm taking the cruise leaving on 7/6 from Rome so I don't have rome excursions planned as we are touring Rome prior to the cruise. There are plenty of child friendly Vatican or Coliseum tours if you google that.

 

Florence - Exclusive Pisa & Florence tour with Discovery Tours (this one is a long tour that's particularly kid focused but seeing David and the toper in pisa were important to me! Our kids are too young to climb pisa though.)

 

Cannes - Scents and Tastes of the French Riviera with Private Shore Trips (I'm excited about this tour! We are visiting a candy factory, olive oil factory, and perfume factory.)

 

Barcelona - Dragon Hunt, Family Orientation to the Gothic Quarter with Context tours - this one is specifically for kids and only 2 hours.

 

Naples –Child Friendly Tour with AP Tours (visiting ruins, making pizza and gelato. We are not going to Pompeii because it is supposedly very hot with no shade available and a bit of a ride to get there so we decided it wasn't really kid friendly and are seeing Herculaneum instead)

 

In Marseille we just plan to go to Aix en Provence to visit the Market in the AM and then have lunch.

Thank you so much for your help!!! I appreciate all of the details. I may follow your plan almost exactly :)

I am doing this cruise with my 6 and 9 year olds in July. I planned a bunch of kid friendly independent tours. I can give you my plans and the tour companies we used if you'd like!

I would absolutely love that! Thank you!

we did the Baltics when my kids were 2 and 4 and did not do many tours....a few years later we did this Med trip on the Epic...such a difference. We did private tours and told the driver each day we did not need to see it all. Before we arrived we suggested they know where a park is to play. There seem to be a lot more parks in Europe and the kids loved them! There was a really great one in Rome overlooking the city and I am sorry I don't know the name. It was where the shoot of a cannon each day at noon if they are not at war!

 

At five years old I imagine your kids are going to fall asleep in the transportation.

 

You will have fun just can't push it too hard. Plan your meals accordingly as they are just kids and can't sit for two hours.

Nadeki, thank you! I figured private was the way to go here. Did you book in advance? We were in Hawaii pre-kids and when we got off the ship we found a private driver and had the best experience! She took us swimming in caves, to a local restaurant, and spent the day showing us so many things we would have never found on a ship tour. I am crossing my fingers that we can get this lucky again...but is it better to book in advance? Thanks for your advice, especially on the food. My kids are the King&Queen of snacks!

Hello, all! I have greatly appreciated reading so many reviews of the different tours and excursions, and reading different opinions on the "must-see" attractions in each city.

My family is cruising from Barcelona on 6/26/16. We are a total of 9 but my husband and our 5-year-old twins will be doing plenty on our own. I am wondering if anyone else has taken this cruise with young children, and what the best plan of action may be? I want to see as much as possible but 9-hour excursions will not be the way to go. My children are well-behaved but like other kids their age, they need to stay entertained to be happy. We travel with them often and they are familiar with some of the landmarks we are planning to see (thrilled to see Pisa!), but I am holding out hope that someone else has taken this cruise and can provide some guidance on how to make it enjoyable and well-executed!

I appreciate any tips! We will have Grandma for some babysitting, but I know the kids will wear her out and I don't want to depend on that too much. Leaving them in Splash Academy is only an option for me if we are hopping right off the boat and staying nearby, which I realize isn't ideal in most of these ports.

TIA for any help!

 

Thank you so much for this suggestion. This is exactly the kind of stuff we geek out over. It would be perfect for after La Sagrada Familia!

 

I know I said we were trying to not PLAN Barcelona too much...but, I have a feeling the closer we get and research stuff the more will end up pre-planned.

 

Like, after reading Carolyn's awesome Spirit Med Review (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2217080&page=4) I have booked the Flamenco show at Tablao Cordobes for Sat. July 9th. And I DID pre-order T10 tickets and La Sagrada Familia no-line for Sat. morning as well.

 

But, that's it, I promise...for now anyway.

After reading your post and Carolyn's review...I immediately checked the website for reservations. We are traveling with 5 year old twins so the 22:30 show isn't an option for us...especially coming from EST with a 6-hour time difference. Do you know of anything else that would be similar but possibly more family friendly. I am having a difficult time planning this cruise out and I am a big planner, like you. It is really half the fun! But I need to consider the kids and they can't always handle my over scheduling :)

Keith:

 

I know you are no longer "live from the Epic"... and I'm sorry for you that that is the case, but please indulge me one more question.

 

I believe that there is both a Haven Restaurant and a Haven Grill. I have the menus for the Restaurant, but I am wondering what is served at the Grill. Is it hamburgers, hot dogs and fries... or is there more? Do they have the various cookies and gummy bears that we enjoyed in the Haven on the Gem?

 

Basically, what is the Haven Grill all about?

 

Thanks!

FatherLu gave a nice review of the Haven and may be able to answer that question on his thread here.

I love the view from the room! Nice!

Thank you for your kind empathic remarks. I love London and the British people. Even in the midst of trying commuting circumstances, I saw over and over again the politeness and stiffed upper lip of the British.

 

I have been enjoying the Spanish culture in Barcelona and look forward to taking some pictures of the Haven embarkation scene tomorrow at 11 A.M. God willing.

 

Hope I see my fellow cruisers at that time and in the CC roll call the next day!

Please take photos of your room...as my family will be staying in the same room on June 26! I appreciate your posts, excited to follow along!

Mine is 16017. Chose it on purpose so I can glance at the entrance of the Haven pool from my suite if necessary.

 

 

 

Since our family is 5 and we like to stay together due to children, our only option is the H4 suite--otherwise, it would be nice to have something a little larger.

We are also in 16017 for our cruise in 3 weeks! Take good care of it for us :) Let me ask you...how did the other passengers seem to take children in the Haven? We were on NCL Jewel last August and we got a few annoyed looks when our kids (4) used the pool. They weren't being loud or disruptive...but we certainly got a few warning looks from a few. I prefer the main pools myself but we usually hang around there to have lunch with our family members who prefer the poolside service in Haven.

Keith, thank you so much for sharing all of this information with us! I am taking notes, as we sail away on June 26th! I also found your Instagram...thank you for sharing so many photos. It sounds like you all are having a great time!