Some basic questions from a first time cruising couple!

Hello!

We are first time cruisers and decided to jump right into cruising with a bang! We are doing an 11 night Mediterranean cruise on Crown Princess which includes stops in 9 ports in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Kotor along with 3 sea days. I have what I know is a very subjective question but curious as to your feedback. We chose this cruise because it was very port intensive (we wanted to see as much as possible since it is our first trip to Europe).

First...I have a private small group shore excursion booked in every port except one (which I thought we would play by ear once we arrive). Is that too much in the excursions department? Do most people book that many or do they just get to port and walk around to see what they can see on their own? I know some might ask...we are in our mid- late 50’s...not couch potatoes but we don’t run marathons either, lol. Again, I know this is subjective...just trying to get a feel for what most or a lot of folks do.

Second...I am really struggling with the decision of whether or not to do the premium drink package on Crown. I am hearing that drink prices are around $12 plus 18% tip...would be nice to just order the umbrella drinks freely! Just trying to justify the $780 price tag. Anyone have experience or thoughts with that?

Third...if anyone has any info they would like to share about Crown Princess...specifically the Club Class Mini-Suite experience , that would be great!

Fourth...I would love to connect with folks who have cruised this part of the world in mid-late April in the past. I am looking for advice in typical weather, will it be too cool to enjoy the pools, is it more pants/light jacket weather etc....

Last...I am reading that the ship will be dry docked or refurbished in March and we sail in April. Can someone tell me what we can expect to be different or new on a ship that has been refurbished right before we sail?

Thanks in advance!

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With regard to excursions being booked at every port, you will find this varies with a variety of factors, such as itinerary, experience, demographics, etc. Why not book excursions if you think they will interest you?

With regard to weather, obviously it varies and cannot be predicted for your sailing. Be prepared with layers, especially a light waterproof outer layer. I'd also bring shorts and swimsuits in case you get lucky and it gets warm enough.

With regard to questions about Princess and/or the ship, it's best to ask in the dedicated Princess forum here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=197

Welcome aboard.

1. No one can say for sure what is too much, but I would say go for it. You have 7 port days. If needed, you could take a break from one part of a tour and just sit in the car or near it.

2. We do not get the drink package as we find it is cheaper to pay for each drink. Many of the drinks and wines are in the $7 to 8 range and the tip is 15% on Princess.

4. We were on a similar cruise last year. After a transatlantic we had an 11 night cruise from Barcelona to Rome on the Royal Princess. So if you have any questions, let me know

We did a similar cruise last year and it was great. Mostly used HoHo busses instead of tours. Unless you drink a lot every day......

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We were on the Crown last March/April. There were some refurbishments going on but it was not noticeable unless you see some roped-pff area. We enjoyed the cruise and service of its crew.

Suggest you join your Roll Call where research on shore excursions are shared and discussed.

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It sounds like most of your time will be spent in port, so you wont be on the ship near as much to get your money's worth for the drink package.

Cruise Critic has a great sub category PORTS OF CALL and look for Europe and you can find trip reports and suggestions for what others have done in your ports as well as recommendations for private guides. Just know this going in you have a very port intensive trip so you will be exhausted. Make sure you scheule down time, I'm thinking you won't get much out of the drinks package as you will be in port most of the day, and you will probably be going to bed early.

Have a great trip!

Thank you to everyone for your kind responses...this is the type of feedback I was looking for! I appreciate that you took the time to reply to my post!

I think you will find most of the people on here are nice and helpful. Although there is an occasional ornery person. :)

As far as excursions, you really should research your ports...a guidebook is VERY useful, to see what really interests you! The guidebook will also tell about transportation, food/drink, and things like that. Sometimes, it's quite easy to do things on your own, without a guide at all! Research before you get there is key! Head to your library...they have guidebooks in the reference section!

We did our first trip to Europe as a cruise and that was a good choice for us.

I do want to say though, that it is an exhausting trip - you will want to see everything, that will be hard to resist. We were in our early 40s then, but didn't matter, there were long but exciting days. You could easily identify the Americans on the ship, those were the people walking around on sea days like zombies.

Having said that, look at your itinerary closely and follow the excellent advice above. Some of the ports will have sights to see just off the ship, others will require a bus ride. As first time cruisers, I would recommend excursions for the further away sights - you don't want to worry about missing the ship! Having said that, private tours and do-it-yourself can be much less expensive, and, unlike when we went 16 years ago, much easier to arrange on the interwebs. Do your homework.

Drink package - we are relatively big drinkers, but again, we did very little drinking on this cruise, just a cocktail and/or glass of wine at dinner. Even on the sea days we were in recovery mode. Back in those days, there were no packages, so it wasn't a choice. I will say on our only Princess cruise in Alaska, about day 3 they offered reduced price drink packages and we bought them then. The things they don't emphasize with the drink packages is getting soft drinks (which I tend to drink in the am instead of coffee) and just the convenience of the pre-pay. It is hard to put a price tag on any of that, too personal a choice, but my gut is you won't get your money's worth because you won't be on the ship that much.

Dry-dock - our last cruise, last year, the ship got pulled out of dry dock early because of a hurricane. We were on the second cruise, maybe third after the interrupted maintenance. (this was RCL) Some of the repairs were not completed, so those areas were closed and we received some compensation, OBC I think. The biggest thing we noticed was that the crew, particularly in the MDR was understaffed and undertrained. I don't expect luxury service on Royal Caribbean, but I do expect the wine steward to be able to open a bottle of champagne and I expect the waiters to remember the orders or at least to sort of recognize the food so that they can bring the right thing or swap when it accidentally gets put in front of the wrong person.

I think some of the dining room issues were because, not only had there been a dry dock, but the ship had not come back into service in the normal way and they were either short waitstaff or had not had time to finish training.

I think it is typical for there to be a lot of turnover in staff after a dry dock, a lot of staff go home because their contract has ended with the dry dock and they may be replaced with new people. I would expect some hiccups in service - but as new cruisers you may not notice it as much as we did. Just cut them some slack, English is usually not their first language, and this may be their first contract.

Have a wonderful trip!

As far as excursions, you really should research your ports...a guidebook is VERY useful, to see what really interests you! The guidebook will also tell about transportation, food/drink, and things like that. Sometimes, it's quite easy to do things on your own, without a guide at all! Research before you get there is key! Head to your library...they have guidebooks in the reference section!

This is an excellent idea!! Thank you!

We did our first trip to Europe as a cruise and that was a good choice for us.

I do want to say though, that it is an exhausting trip - you will want to see everything, that will be hard to resist. We were in our early 40s then, but didn't matter, there were long but exciting days. You could easily identify the Americans on the ship, those were the people walking around on sea days like zombies.

Having said that, look at your itinerary closely and follow the excellent advice above. Some of the ports will have sights to see just off the ship, others will require a bus ride. As first time cruisers, I would recommend excursions for the further away sights - you don't want to worry about missing the ship! Having said that, private tours and do-it-yourself can be much less expensive, and, unlike when we went 16 years ago, much easier to arrange on the interwebs. Do your homework.

Drink package - we are relatively big drinkers, but again, we did very little drinking on this cruise, just a cocktail and/or glass of wine at dinner. Even on the sea days we were in recovery mode. Back in those days, there were no packages, so it wasn't a choice. I will say on our only Princess cruise in Alaska, about day 3 they offered reduced price drink packages and we bought them then. The things they don't emphasize with the drink packages is getting soft drinks (which I tend to drink in the am instead of coffee) and just the convenience of the pre-pay. It is hard to put a price tag on any of that, too personal a choice, but my gut is you won't get your money's worth because you won't be on the ship that much.

 

Dry-dock - our last cruise, last year, the ship got pulled out of dry dock early because of a hurricane. We were on the second cruise, maybe third after the interrupted maintenance. (this was RCL) Some of the repairs were not completed, so those areas were closed and we received some compensation, OBC I think. The biggest thing we noticed was that the crew, particularly in the MDR was understaffed and undertrained. I don't expect luxury service on Royal Caribbean, but I do expect the wine steward to be able to open a bottle of champagne and I expect the waiters to remember the orders or at least to sort of recognize the food so that they can bring the right thing or swap when it accidentally gets put in front of the wrong person.

I think some of the dining room issues were because, not only had there been a dry dock, but the ship had not come back into service in the normal way and they were either short waitstaff or had not had time to finish training.

I think it is typical for there to be a lot of turnover in staff after a dry dock, a lot of staff go home because their contract has ended with the dry dock and they may be replaced with new people. I would expect some hiccups in service - but as new cruisers you may not notice it as much as we did. Just cut them some slack, English is usually not their first language, and this may be their first contract.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

Such wonderful advice. Thank you! We really don’t know what to expect as reviews are all over the map but we are easy to please and feel extremely lucky/blessed to be able to go at all so I think we will very happy overall. I am a little worried about over scheduling us and we wind up having a meltdown like an overstimulated 2 year old, lol. So I will continue to research!! Thanks again!

I would also suggest your JOIN YOUR ROLL CALL for the cruise, there might be people who are booking private tours who need to fill a mini van and these tours can be very cost saving -- well under what you would pay for the cruise line's big bus tour.

I would also suggest your JOIN YOUR ROLL CALL for the cruise, there might be people who are booking private tours who need to fill a mini van and these tours can be very cost saving -- well under what you would pay for the cruise line's big bus tour.

Hi! Yes....thank you! We joined our roll call and that is where we found some nice folks with whom to do private excursions. We are doing Marseilles, Mykonos/Delos and Naples with one group which has 3 other couples, Florence with another same size group, Santorini and Kotor just the 2 of us and Katakolon I thought we might do on our own. I was a little shocked at how much the cruise was charging for excursions with 45-90 other people all packed onto a tour bus. It didn’t sound super appealing. We talked to some really nice folks on the roll call who said private small group (8 people or less) tours could be less costly and could provide a more intimate experience which sounded good to us so we went that route. I feel pretty good about that! We are arriving in Barcelona 2.5 days early and staying 2.5 days later in Rome at the end of the cruise. I thought we could just figure out Barcelona and Rome on our own (although I know we need to book Coliseum tickets in advance). The Roll Call has been great...everyone is so excited already! 😜 I am definitely going to get guide books for the ports...that wa a great suggestion!

If you are doing things on your own, Rick Steves's Med Cruise Ports is a great book. Has step by step instructions for getting to and around the various spots. I destroy a copy on each Med cruise I rip out a port and take the pages with me. When we sail, I throw away that port.

If you are doing things on your own, Rick Steves's Med Cruise Ports is a great book. Has step by step instructions for getting to and around the various spots. I destroy a copy on each Med cruise I rip out a port and take the pages with me. When we sail, I throw away that port.

Thank you for the great idea! I just ordered a copy of the book on Amazon and it should be here by Tuesday :)

book tickets for Sagrada Familia in Barcelona as well. Not to be missed!

<p><span style="font-size: large;">Hello! </span><br><br><span style="font-size: large;">We are first time cruisers and decided to jump right into cruising with a bang! We are doing an 11 night Mediterranean cruise on Crown Princess which includes stops in 9 ports in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Kotor along with 3 sea days. I have what I know is a very subjective question but curious as to your feedback. We chose this cruise because it was very port intensive (we wanted to see as much as possible since it is our first trip to Europe).  </span><br><br><span style="font-size: large;">First...I have a private small group shore excursion booked in every port except one (which I thought we would play by ear once we arrive). Is that too much in the excursions department? Do most people book that many or do they just get to port and walk around to see what they can see on their own? I know some might ask...we are in our mid- late 50’s...not couch potatoes but we don’t run marathons either, lol. Again, I know this is subjective...just trying to get a feel for what most or a lot of folks do. </span></p><p><font size="4"><b>Most Americans seem to do this, and why not? I holiday in the Mediterranean most summers as I live in Europe but if you don't know when or if you'll be back again then by all means go hard. You will see things and have experiences you have heard about all your life, definitely worth a little fatigue and some blister. N.B. Take blister plasters.</b><br></font><br><span style="font-size: large;">Second...I am really struggling with the decision of whether or not to do the premium drink package on Crown. I am hearing that drink prices are around $12 plus 18% tip...would be nice to just order the umbrella drinks freely! Just trying to justify the $780 price tag. Anyone have experience or thoughts with that? </span></p><p><font size="4"><b>Honestly that's a lot of money especially as you are going to be off the ship so often. It would buy an awful lot of excellent local wine and even better coffee in little café bars. </b><br></font><br><span style="font-size: large;">Third...if anyone has any info they would like to share about Crown Princess...specifically the Club Class Mini-Suite experience , that would be great!</span></p><p><font size="4"><b>Sorry, I'm sure it's amazing but I can't help!</b><br></font><br><span style="font-size: large;">Fourth...I would love to connect with folks who have cruised this part of the world in mid-late April in the past. I am looking for advice in typical weather, will it be too cool to enjoy the pools, is it more pants/light jacket weather etc....</span></p><p><font size="4"><b>As I said, I holiday in the med often, and have a holiday home in southern Spain so I have experience of the climate at different times of the year. I have cruised in the med twice also, and the weather in April can definitely vary. Not so much rain, but it could be fairly cool and windy, especially on your sea days. I would definitely pack some swimwear, and some long pants if you are planning on going to the Vatican. Something lightweight and showerproof would be good to have, and as a previous poster said, layers are your friends. Most important thing is to have comfortable shoes and socks for your excursions.</b><br></font><br><span style="font-size: large;">Last...I am reading that the ship will be dry docked or refurbished in March and we sail in April. Can someone tell me what we can expect to be different or new on a ship that has been refurbished right before we sail? </span><br><br><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks in advance! </span><br><br><b>Have an amazing time! Once you get a feel for Europe you'll want to come back for a longer land holiday xxx</b><br><br><br><span style="font-size: large;">Sent from my iPad using </span><a href="http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=76452" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Forums</a></p>

book tickets for Sagrada Familia in Barcelona as well. Not to be missed!

I second this. It is a highlight not to be missed but you really do not want to waste a long time in ticket lines.