Barcelona/Rome/Venice/Athens - Viking Sea - 2019/2020

We are booked on the Mediterranean & Adriatic Sojourn sailing on the Sea from Barcelona to Athens starting May 6, 2020. This is a b2b2b cruise that overlaps 5 other cruises: Barcelona to Rome (Iconic Western Med), Rome to Venice (Italian Sojourn), Venice to Athens (Venice, the Adriatic, & Greece), Barcelona to Venice (Mediterranean & Italian Sojourn), and Rome to Athens (Italy, the Adriatic & Greece). Of course, these same cruises operate in the opposite direction. Regardless of direction, the excursion offerings for the 2019 and 2020 sailings are the same. I've started a roll call for our sailing with plans to share my roll call with roll calls for the other five (only 2 started right now). But then I got thinking that if the excursion offerings are the same for 2019 and 2020, I should post where I can reach those who are taking or planning to take these 12 (counting the reverse) cruises in 2019 or 2020. So I’m posting here on the general VO forum.

As part of my now normal (since we started river and ocean cruising a few years ago) pre-cruise planning process I prepare a set of materials to help select which excursions to book (optional) or reserve (included) using initially the material provided at the Viking site (the itinerary with daily narrative and excursion descriptions) and later, when My Viking Journey goes live, adding times and costs. All the daily narratives and excursion descriptions (with durations, times, and costs) go into a Word document. The excursion data (port, name, date, start and end times, cost, duration, etc) go into an Excel spreadsheet initially using the basic list of excursions and itinerary provided with the cruise invoice and then expanded after MVJ goes live. We use it to indicate our preferences and estimate the total cost after spending time reading the excursion descriptions gathered together in the Word doc.

I just finished the initial process last night. As I have done for past cruises I saved the consolidated excursion report in PDF and uploaded it to DropBox to share. You can download it from here, no Dropbox account required: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i2htjserg89tovd/AAB8eRRjK7Pe6jBPXPGC9hF5a?dl=0

For those who are booked on or considering doing any of these cruises involving Venice on the Sea (ending, starting, going through), please note I found errors in the narratives and lists of excursion offerings for our cruise. To put it mildly, they were simply wonkers. To figure out what they should be, I inspected the daily narratives and excursion offerings for the other 4 cruises that end, start, or go through Venice. Some were ok in all respects; some had the correct narrative but the wrong list of excursions while others were the inverse. Prepared a spreadsheet with the results of my review along with the corrections to make and provided it to my Viking TA to pass on to the folks who maintain the VO web site last week. They haven’t been applied yet; checked last night. Until they do, have uploaded the spreadsheet with the corrections I gave Viking to Dropbox, available at the same link as above, which is to a folder not a specific file. The consolidated excursion report contains the corrections I sent Viking.

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Wow! That's a lot of work. Thanks for sharing.

Very interesting! I will be visiting a number of these ports with Viking in 2019 and 2020. I really appreciate this advance information.

CharTrav

Do you ever share the excel spreadsheet with others so they can modify it for their cruises?

rswright48 at comcast dot com

Thanks.

What wonderful information, such a lot of work..you don't happen to be heading to South Africa any time soon.??.Finding that" into the unknown"..,and much research required, which is exciting and informative of course,appreciating even more all the details you have provided for many others.!

CharTrav

Do you ever share the excel spreadsheet with others so they can modify it for their cruises?

rswright48 at comcast dot com

 

Thanks.

Stan, Char does share her work. I have her spread sheet from her France's Finest cruise this past summer. My sister and I are using it to fight over our plans for our March, 19 cruise.

Quoting post #1: You can download it from here, no Dropbox account required: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i2htjserg...XPGC9hF5a?dl=0

We have done Barcelona to Rome, twice now. One of those times, we spent almost the entire 13 day cruise in Barcelona, so we really got to know the city. All in all, we have done 6 of the ports on the itinerary: Barcelona, Marseille, Monaco, Livrono, Rome and Naples. Montpelier is a new port of call; when we sailed we stopped in St. Tropez (my least favorite of the entire trip), which is no longer on the itinerary (yes, I am sure that it was something I said).

Char's spreadsheet is a great starting point, but what is really needed is to hear from people who have actually done the tours. In a series of posts, I plan to share our comments on/reactions to the Viking tours that we did in the various ports. I am not going to comment on the quality of the guides because that is a fool's errand. Just because we had a fantastic, friendly, knowledgeable guide does not guarantee the qualities of the one you will be assigned. I will also comment on the things that we did on our own. We either take the tours the Viking offers or wander around on our own; we did not hire private guides.

First on the list and probably the longest commentary is Barcelona, because we have spent the most time there (with and without Viking). The problem with Barcelona is that there is just so much to be seen; you will barely scratch the surface in the very short amount of time you will be there. IMHO, pick two sights, maybe three, that you want to see and focus on seeing them. You know best what kind of things you like, so I am not even going to make suggestions. I'm happy to tell you the places I love but just because I love them doesn't mean you will.

However, I will suggest that you not forget to stop and smell the roses between your two destinations -- or perhaps, better said, smell the coffee, drink the wine and try the tapas. Bars serve tapas with wine, beer and soft drinks (included with the drink, bartender's choice); wait until they serve your tapas before you order anything additional or you may find that you have over-ordered. IMHO, avoid the bars on La Rambla and try the bars that you find tucked into the side streets and plazuelas (those are little plazas)--anywhere you see people sitting outside talking a mile a minute in Catalan.

The only tour that we took with Viking that is anything close to what is described on the website was to Montserrat. The other tours that we took when we were "stuck" in Barcelona include bits and pieces of the tours listed but put together in different ways. We did a lot on our own -- such as a guided tour of Palau de la Musica, two visits to the National Museum of Catalan Art (one we used a Viking tour to get there and then got back to the ship on our own). The museum has the finest collection of Spanish Gothic art in the country. We did the Picasso Museum, Sagrada Familia, and I can't remember what else on our own. We did a lot of walking, especially wandering up and down La Rambla and around the Gothic Quarter.

Scenic Montserrat --this was our second visit to Monastery. It is an hour drive from the ship; there are switchbacks, hairpin turns and narrow roads involved. There are two perhaps three things that you want to see here, in this order: 1) the icon of the Virgen de Montserrat (which involves waiting in a long line if you wish to get close up); 2) the monastery's art museum; and 3), the funicular up to the top of the mountain-- if it is operating and there is enough time to get up and back without missing your bus. It is a four hour tour and you will only have two hours at the monastery. IMHO, don't waste your time listening to the guide; he will have talked plenty while you are driving. Tell your guide you are separating from the group and ask where you should meet and and at what time. Even if you aren't going to stand in line to see the icon up close, at least go into the church/chapel; it is lovely. The art museum and the funicular are each an additional charge. The visit to Montserrat is offered on two tours--either just the monastery or Parc Guell and Montserrat.

Something to keep in mind. Barcelona will be either your first stop or your last. If you starting there, you may just be getting off the plane. Do not underestimate just how much that long journey will take out of you and do not over plan your first few days or you will pay for it the rest of your journey. There are no at-sea days, no days to make up for lost sleep. If you are ending in Barcelona, pack your suitcase before you get to Barcelona so that you don't feel that you have to rush back to the ship to get the job done. The work day is longer in Spain and not all of the museums close at 5pm; some are open until 7 pm and you can take advantage of these extended hours to see more.

CharTrav

 

Do you ever share the excel spreadsheet with others so they can modify it for their cruises?

 

rswright48 at comcast dot com

 

Thanks.

Sure - I’ll send a copy of the one I set up and used for France’s Finest and is now fully populated so you can see it “in action”. I’ll also send you what I’ve set up for the Barcelona to Athens cruise in 2020 which right now is in “bare bones” state.

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What wonderful information, such a lot of work..you don't happen to be heading to South Africa any time soon.??.Finding that" into the unknown"..,and much research required, which is exciting and informative of course,appreciating even more all the details you have provided for many others.!

You’re welcome. Re South Africa - sorry! No such luck.

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CharTrav

 

Do you ever share the excel spreadsheet with others so they can modify it for their cruises?

 

rswright48 at comcast dot com

 

 

 

Thanks.

Tried to send. Your address bounced. Send me an email using my email address provided on the last page of the excursion document I posted at DropBox.

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Tried to send. Your address bounced. Send me an email using my email address provided on the last page of the excursion document I posted at DropBox.

 

 

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Stan's e-mail should be comcast.NET not .com

Stan's e-mail should be comcast.NET not .com

I wondered if perhaps that was so. Thanks!

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Tried to send. Your address bounced. Send me an email using my email address provided on the last page of the excursion document I posted at DropBox.

 

 

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Sorry about my mess up on the com v. net.

I got your email and really appreciate the excel files.

We are booked on the Mediterranean & Adriatic Sojourn sailing on the Sea from Barcelona to Athens starting May 6, 2020. This is a b2b2b cruise that overlaps 5 other cruises: Barcelona to Rome (Iconic Western Med), Rome to Venice (Italian Sojourn), Venice to Athens (Venice, the Adriatic, & Greece), Barcelona to Venice (Mediterranean & Italian Sojourn), and Rome to Athens (Italy, the Adriatic & Greece). Of course, these same cruises operate in the opposite direction. Regardless of direction, the excursion offerings for the 2019 and 2020 sailings are the same. I've started a roll call for our sailing with plans to share my roll call with roll calls for the other five (only 2 started right now). But then I got thinking that if the excursion offerings are the same for 2019 and 2020, I should post where I can reach those who are taking or planning to take these 12 (counting the reverse) cruises in 2019 or 2020. So I’m posting here on the general VO forum.

 

As part of my now normal (since we started river and ocean cruising a few years ago) pre-cruise planning process I prepare a set of materials to help select which excursions to book (optional) or reserve (included) using initially the material provided at the Viking site (the itinerary with daily narrative and excursion descriptions) and later, when My Viking Journey goes live, adding times and costs. All the daily narratives and excursion descriptions (with durations, times, and costs) go into a Word document. The excursion data (port, name, date, start and end times, cost, duration, etc) go into an Excel spreadsheet initially using the basic list of excursions and itinerary provided with the cruise invoice and then expanded after MVJ goes live. We use it to indicate our preferences and estimate the total cost after spending time reading the excursion descriptions gathered together in the Word doc.

 

I just finished the initial process last night. As I have done for past cruises I saved the consolidated excursion report in PDF and uploaded it to DropBox to share. You can download it from here, no Dropbox account required: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i2htjserg89tovd/AAB8eRRjK7Pe6jBPXPGC9hF5a?dl=0

 

For those who are booked on or considering doing any of these cruises involving Venice on the Sea (ending, starting, going through), please note I found errors in the narratives and lists of excursion offerings for our cruise. To put it mildly, they were simply wonkers. To figure out what they should be, I inspected the daily narratives and excursion offerings for the other 4 cruises that end, start, or go through Venice. Some were ok in all respects; some had the correct narrative but the wrong list of excursions while others were the inverse. Prepared a spreadsheet with the results of my review along with the corrections to make and provided it to my Viking TA to pass on to the folks who maintain the VO web site last week. They haven’t been applied yet; checked last night. Until they do, have uploaded the spreadsheet with the corrections I gave Viking to Dropbox, available at the same link as above, which is to a folder not a specific file. The consolidated excursion report contains the corrections I sent Viking.

 

 

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What you did was absolutely amazing and extremely useful. Thank you so very much. We have 8 people signed up for the exact 22-day cruise you are booked on. Thanks again.

What you did was absolutely amazing and extremely useful. Thank you so very much. We have 8 people signed up for the exact 22-day cruise you are booked on. Thanks again.

You're welcome! Looking forward to meeting you. Have you signed up for the Meet & Mingle?

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Just an update -- I checked the VO site over the weekend -- and discovered to my utter dismay that NONE of the corrections I sent last September have been applied.  Made me very annoyed.  So I sent the corrections -- AGAIN -- but this time to TellUs@VikingCruises.Com.  They replied within a few hours later to thank me for  my "web site feedback".  I can only hope that this means they'll forward what I sent to the folks who maintain the web site content so it actually gets fixed.   Anyway -- as I'll be posting again on the roll call for our particular cruise plus the other roll calls that intersect with ours -- I have posted Rev 1 to my Mediterranean & Adriatic Sojourn Excursion report on DropBox (no account required): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i2htjserg89tovd/AAB8eRRjK7Pe6jBPXPGC9hF5a?dl=0.  Look for Rev 1.  This link is included in my CCForum signature but I'm providing it here as well because you can't see it if you're working from a mobile device.

Peregrina651,

I would like very much to have your take and suggestions on the ports in addition to Barcelona mentioned above ( Marseille, Monaco, Livrono, Rome and Naples. Montpelier   ).

Thanks

We just disembarked Sunday morning, so Rome and Naples are fresh in my mind. (This was the make up cruise for the days I missed last year).

In Rome, we did the included tour. Still jet-lagged, it was the perfect choice for us. It was New Year's Eve day and a Monday, so traffic was at a minimum--offices, government and museums all closed. Basically the tour is a drive by the important sights until we reach the Vatican and then we had a long hour to wander around the area of the Vatican. We chose to walk along the Tiber River, away from the crowd. We have already toured St. Peters and the line to get in was long.

Naples: We were there on New Year's Day. Everything was closed except bars and restaurants. We decided just to walk around the city, like everybody else, and end up where we end up. It was an afternoon of window shopping and picture taking and getting a bit lost. Because of weather in Sicily, we had an extra morning in Naples and Viking put on a tour to the National Archeology Museum, to make up for the tour we wouldn't be having in Sicily. We decided that is where we should go but that we would want more than the hour offered on the tour for spending in the museum, so we took a cab there and back. If you can't go to Herculaneum or Pompeii because it is too much walking over uneven ground, then go to the NAM!  In fact, even if you do go to H or P, figure out how to get to NAM as well, because all the amazing artifacts are there--statuary, mosaics, frescoes-- mind boggling.  (IMHO, Herculaneum is smaller and closer than Pompeii and with effort, you could see them both in one day).

Monaco. Did this last year. We took the bus along the coast into Nice (100 bus Nice-Menton, leaving from Places des Armes), and again because it was New Year's Day,  just to wander around. In Nice, our goal was the Chagall Museum but we knew when we booked that it would be closed. The bus ride was nice, beautiful views of the Cote d'Azure.

Marseille, we took the Viking tour to Aix-en-Provence. It was part walking tour and part on your own. Perfect for us.

Livorno was an over night stop for us. We took the train to Florence on day one. We had tickets for the Uffizzi and a shopping list--earrings on the Ponte Vecchio, wallet at the Leather School behind Santa Croce and limoncello filled chocolates at MIgone, near the cathedral. Day 2 we did the Lucca on your own. Lovely town but it was raining.

Montpelier is a new stop and was not part of of any of the itineraries we have done.

Thank you so very much. We are booked for July and planning. Your help is appreciated.

What I forgot to say last night was the reason why I did Rev 1.  Not to moan and groan about the errors regarding Venice but to capture the changes in the excursion offerings. A few have been deleted and quite a few (16) added. 

Here is another thread that, among other things, talks abut ports and Viking shorex in the Western Med:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2487236-live-from-the-western-mediterranean/

That was a lot of work - thank  you.