Educators2

Thanks so much for your review. You have helped a lot of future cruisers on this itinerary. I am looking forward to our October trip.

Susan

Thanks so much for answering my questions. Enjoy your cruise.

Susan

Thanks, Keith for your quick reply.

I just thought of one more question. Is the Blue Lagoon (or O'Sheehan's> open for breakfast? We loved going there on the Jade.

Enjoy your days in Italy.

Susan

Thanks, Keith, for doing the live report.

We're doing this cruise on October 12 and have a few questions.

I don't know if you are Platinum on NCL but if you are, how many free laundry bags do you get per room for 12 days? I like to pack light.

Also, when is the Behind the Scenes tour for Platinum cruisers? I hope it doesn't interfere with the Meet and Greet.

If they post the price for bus transfers from the ship to the Venice airport, could you please post that information. There are five ships in port on October 24 so a taxi might be hard to get.

We all appreciate your "live streaming" from the Spirit.

Have a great time and thanks again.

Susan

Thanks. Great suggestions.

What time were the shows?

Did you dock or tender in Mykonos?

We're there any street demonstrations in Istanbul that affected the cruise? It was in the news here this past week that thee were problems in Istanbul.

We are going in October and have done many of the ports before. What ports were easy to do on your own? I think a tour is needed out of Livorno and Civitavecchia.

Sure hope the laundry is working. We travel light!

Enjoy your travel.

Thanks for posting,

Susan

We used ESA shared shuttle last December. They come right to the ship and are very reliable. I think it was 70 euros for two people.

We changed promotions for an October cruise on the Spirit. We changed to a large inside cabin from an ocean view with porthole. We gave up one promo, the beverage package and kept the dining package. We had to pay gratuities on the dining package. As of today, we have saved 1,100. That is far more than the drink package to us. Check the price and factor in gratuities. We were able to keep all the dining reservations.

Just to update. The family inside cabin dropped again in price and now our savings for the trade to the large inside cabin on the Spirit is now over $900. A better deal than the ocean view with porthole. In the end, we were able to keep all the specialty dining reservations that I made at 90 days out. They told me the dining reservations and cabin choice might disappear into cyberspace but that didn't happen. Lots to spend on excursions.

The boards are really a wealth of information.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I still have the UDP but I made my dinner reservations at 90 days out. I don't want to lose the dining times and bookings. Is there anything I have to do to make sure I keep the same room and dining times. I am entitled to the price drop since final payment is about ten days from now.

We are about 85 days out of our cruise. I already made dining reservations for the dining package that is included with our fare. I just noticed that our cabin price dropped $110 per person.

I want to keep the room and the dining reservations. I know the NCL computers might erase the reservations if I have my travel agent ask for the price change.

How do I go about keeping the room and the dining reservations?

Thanks.

Susan

Many of the excursions on our Spirit cruise in October have gone up $20 or more in the last three months. The private limo tours in Italy are all full day and we don't want that. As a previous poster indicated, some operators can't wait by the ship and that means the shuttle to port gate in Livorno or Civitevecchia. That is a deal breaker. Other ports, like Istanbul or Athens are easy to do on your own. I am still doing a lot of research.

Mscruisin, we were on the a Jade last December 3-13 in the Eastern Mediterranean. I sat on the balcony in the morning on sea days if there was sun. We had a couple of days with 50-60 degree F temps. My husband never sat outside.

It was fun to see Stromboli volcano from the balcony.

The Jade balcony was a bargain ($75 per day with dining package); our inside cabin on the Spirit with UDP is $100 a day this year. (A balcony on the Spirit is $250 pp a day). That is why I downgraded from the ocean view and took the 5035 cabin which sounds like a great choice.

Have a great cruise.

Mscruisin, Thanks for starting this thread. I checked the prices on our cruise this October on the Spirit. We had a porthole ocean view with the dining and drink packages. A huge family inside was available today and I saved $700. That includes factoring in the $70 on taxes for the dining package. We have enough wine as Platinum cruisers so for us it was a great deal.

I don't mind an inside. Balcony prices for this cruise are very high compared to our other cruises.

Thanks for the suggestions. Like Keith said, the companies want full day tours which is the problem. I will contact a few small companies.

Hi,

We will be cruising on the NCL Spirit in October. We have visited Rome and Florence and would like a half day trip from both ports. We have been to Tarquinia on a previous cruise. Does anyone know any private companies that do half day tours to the hill towns, Ostia, etc. The ship excursions are pretty pricy and keep going up.

Any suggestions are appreciated. We have visited Civitecchia last year.

Thanks,

Susan

Thanks so much.

Somehow I missed seeing a previous post and this got posted before I finished my question. Are markets and attractions open in Barcelona on October 12? Sorry about double post.

Our cruise is leaving from Barcelona on October 12. We have our hotel booked but wonder if it will be harder to get a taxi. Will attractions and the market be open? Thanks.

Our cruise is departing Barcelona on October 12. We have our air and hotel but just realized it is a national holiday in Spain. Ever since they changed Columbus Day to a Monday in the U.S., I didn't think that is was anything to consider when I booked the cruise.

Perhaps someone who has spent time in Barcelona knows what to expect on that day in terms of taxis, at

I am curious about taxis in Venice. We will be disembarking there in October and will need a taxi to the airport. Are there taxis available near the pier? We will be on the NCL Spirit.

We have always been able to get transfers on ship to the airport even without booking the ship's air. NCL sent me an email asking about purchasing transfers. Usually, the transfers are early and not cheap.

Thanks in advance.

There are official taxi stands. One is near the cruise port. The driver will give you the price. It was 10 euros when we went to Topkapi in December. We asked where to get a taxi back to the ship and were told where an official stand was located. No problems.

Bring a cardigan or light jacket. It is chilly inside the ship but some areas are warm. Uneven temps but it is not fun if you are cold.

Love your review. We were on the Jade in early December for the Eatern Mediterranean. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

We used ESA shuttle. They picked us up along with another couple who also arranged with them. I think it was 70 euros for two to the airport. They were holding a sign for us. We got off at 8:45 am for our flight at 12:30 pm. Easy and great service.