UNIrd

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm a DIY type, but you do have to be willing to put in the effort to figure out what to see and how to get around.

 

Of the ports listed, you could -- with planning -- do a good enough job without taking tours except for Kusadasi (IMO).  There, the best thing going is to go to the ancient site of Ephesus which requires about a 20-30 minute drive and really benefits from a guided tour through the site as there is little signage. You COULD do it yourself with a taxi and a walk-through with a guide book, but I suspect the experience would be much better with a guide. (Could be a private guide, doesn't have to be a ship tour.)

 

Ravenna is very walkable once you get to the city center from the ship (most ships are running a for-cost shuttle back and forth). The mosaics are the thing to see, in about 5 different locations -- read some info in advance online or in a guidebook. If you want to go to Venice, that's a whole 'nuther thing and given that the drive between Ravenna and Venice is close to three hours, it's not really worth it on a single day stay in Ravenna.

 

Split -- simple here, you should be able to walk to the center of

the old town (former palace of a Roman emperor), and you can find a local english walking tour of the remains of the palace, some include the basements.  There's also a small archaeological museum right there as well as plenty of interesting shops and places to have lunch.

 

Dubrovnik -- get off the ship, get to the city via a shuttle or taxi and walk the walls. Plenty of other things to see in the old city as well, just take a wander. 

 

Corfu -- The town is a bit far to walk but there are local buses and taxis at the ready to take you there (some ships have shuttles as well). The town has a Venetian feel to parts of it, other parts look more medieval. Do a little research into what interests you. There are a couple of interesting churches, an icon museum, archaeology museum, and also (outside the town) there's a fort that can be visited.

 

Santorini -- This port can get very crowded and as it is a tender port (with priority tendering on some ships limiting your options), it could also be a place to consider a shorex as you'll likely get to shore sooner and not get caught up in the scrum for the cable car.

 

If you don't take a shorex, you tender to a different place and then you get up to the top of the cliff by either walking up many steps, riding a donkey or taking the cable car if on your own.  You end up in Fira, which is moderately cute, but you want to get to Oia which is almost sickeningly picturesque. There are local buses that run between the two. 

 

There is one other option if you don't take a tour. When you arrive at the bottom of the cliff via tender, there is a boat service that takes passengers around the island by water to a point near Oia. (Then you have to get up the hill to Oia, and you have to take the bus back to Fira once you're done.). If this all sounds like a logistical nightmare -- it is, LOL. Truthfully, it's not that difficult; you just have to plan in advance how you'll manage it.

 

Istanbul -- You can board the local tram from the major street a few blocks from the port; it will take you to the center of old Istanbul (called Sultanahmet), this is where the main sites are -- Haghia Sofya, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, the underground Palace Cistern, the Hippodrome and more -- and it is all walkable from where the tram drops you off. There have been lots of posts here (on the "Other Med Ports" forum) on how to do this, I'm sure I've even viewed YouTube posts showing how it's done.

 

Mykonos -- Very easy, the ship will either dock or tender. If it tenders, the tender will take you right into the charming Mykonos Town. If it docks, you can take the inexpensive shuttle bus OR the water taxi for the short distance. Just walk around the town and enjoy the twisty roads, whitewashed buildings, old windmills, etc. It's one of the more low-key stops. Many enjoy a nice Greek lunch in a restaurant that looks out over the water.

 

Athens -- I recommend staying a couple of days here after disembarking. Find a good hotel near the Plaka and the Acropolis, and use a good DIY source (such as Rick Steves) to walk around and see the sites -- the distances are small and many of the streets in the center are pedestrian only.

@cruisemom42 I could hug you right now! This is exactly what I needed to start my research. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Have a cruise booked with visits to these spots... ALL new to me. Which of these ports should I absolutely expect to book an excursion on because, well, otherwise there just ain't much going on without one?

I tend to prefer to explore on my own. Personally not a fan of the 7am theater-meetups, the shuffle to a bus, not seeing the ship for another 8 hours, the school field trip feeling without receiving any academic credit, etc.. Sorry!

BUT.. I am open to excursions in each port if I must because once-in-a-lifetime and such.😂 Help!

• VENICE (TRIESTE) [Embarkation]
• VENICE (RAVENNA)
• SPLIT
• DUBROVNIK
• CORFU
• SANTORINI ISLAND
• KUSADASI
• ISTANBUL
• MYKONOS
• PIRAEUS ATHENS [Disembarkation]

Check out Casa De Campo. Not far at all from the port, beautiful resort, and I love that the rooms come with a golf cart that make it easy to explore, head to the beach, and enjoy the amenities like the pool, restaurants, etc.

If you're going with a group, you can even splurge and get a villa which is essentially a house with its own pool and everything. 

Does anyone know what the weight limit is for the race track?

Remember that you may be reading recent reviews of spring breakers on the 3/4 nighters out of Orlando. We've done the Epic 7-days to Caribbean and to Mediterranean and it was fantastic both times. One of my absolute favorite ships.

Day 1 - Not in my office

Day 2 - Not in my office

Day 3 - Not in my office

Day 4 - Not in my office

Day 5 - Not in my office

Day 6 - Not in my office

Day 7 - Not in my office

Day 8 - Not in my office

Day 9 - Not in my office

Day 10 - Not in my office

Day 11 - Not in my office

 

Such a sweet itinerary... just wish it was longer.

I laughed out loud.

The all-inclusive on the Sun does not start until the 3-/4-day Bahamas & Cuba sailings in May.

Awesome review! I've alternated between NCL and Disney only as of late and I do find Disney to be worth the price for the Disney experience. You kind of have to forget that they're both ships sailing to different ports, yes. That as aspect is the same. The rest of what you're paying for is pure "Disney."

Thanks so much for your help. I did call and they explained that they do have an option of 7 cabins and 14 guests but everyone in the group has to agree on the same amenity. They still have the 8 cabins and 16 guests option as well if everyone would like to keep their individual Choice promotion.

They also said they are working on getting the website updated with the cabin requirement.

Cruised on DCL without kids and they actually do a better job of separating adult areas from the kids than probably any other cruise line I've been on. I say go for it. The only time I remember being around kids were at the shows.

I tried to search but didn't find anything on this. My family was considering getting a group of us together to sail on the Escape or the Getaway. I'm pretty sure in the past, the group minimum for benefits was 16 guests and 8 cabins.

Now on NCL's website, it shows the minimum is only 14 people and doesn't specify any # of cabins. Would that mean it's 7 now?

I found the info here:

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/group-cruises

We went on Princess and I loved the fact they enforced the dress code! However these issues on cruise ships are indicative of our society as a whole. Most of the populous in the US feels entitled. Ronald Regan once said America is 200 million special interest groups. Now its 300 million +.

Exactly. This sounds like the overwhelming sense of entitlement permeating our culture. I'm sure it happens on every line but on Disney, where guests are paying the big bucks, it could be even worse..

Am I the only nerd who looks at what movies Disney is releasing before I determine a cruise date? lol. I would love to see Star Wars onboard but it looks like my next Disney cruise will be closer to Pete's Dragon release.

Does anyone know if the Ferry to Anguilla can be done with just a Passport Card?

I could've sworn I remember seeing a Black Pearl suite on one of the ships.. :confused:

Miami here! Just did the Disney Dream earlier this year... thinking my next ones will be short trips on the NCL Sky and possibly that NCL Pearl 2-nighter out of Miami. I'm on a budget!