Solo Epic Cruise-Leave from Barcelona or Rome?

[sunbird21]

Hi all,

 

I apologize if this has been brought up elsewhere,I tried various searches and couldnt find a thread addressing it.

 

I have been contemplating a solo cruise on NCL Epic for a while now,and am leaning more towards a Mediterranean cruise than Caribbean,as i have been to the latter several times. I have read tons of positive reviews on the Epic,esp. for solo cruisers,and I have always wnted to try a Med cruise:)

 

My question is whether or not to board in Civitavecchia(sp?) or Barcelona? I have researched airfares and they are similar from JFK to both cities,and the price of the cruise is the same. I plan to stay one day either before/after cruise in the departure city,possible both,and am slightly more interested in spending the extra time in Rome than Barcelona,unless I can be convinced otherwise LOL.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Also,I'm slightly neurotic about flight delays,does it make sense to fly in the day before if the ship leaves the port at 7pm?

 

Any tips would be appreciated!

[F19810]

Without a doubt, fly in a day early. You never know what can happen, bad weather, mechanical problems,etc. Both cities are interesting but very different. If you are more interested in spending additional time in Rome then start from Rome. If you go to your roll call, you may be able to join a van that is going to port. The advantage of starting in Barcelona is that it is very easy to get to port, it is right in the city. The port in Rome is 1 1/2 hrs away. Check with RCL to see if they have a transfer from the airport or from a hotel to port.

Judy

[Cubechick]

The main reason to sail out of Barcelona is convenience. The port is right there. 20 minutes from the airport, 10-15 from the city center (or so my research indicates).

 

 

Rome to Civitavecchia is 90 minutes.

[MeHeartCruising]

Prices being similar, I'd definitely choose the city that interests you the most. Simple as that. All the other logistical differences can be worked out. I also recommend flying in a day early to minimize the risk of things going wrong with making it to the ship in time. Having said that, I have twice flown into Barcelona on departure day and never had an issue. But it could happen.

[meltingmoments]

The main reason to sail out of Barcelona is convenience. The port is right there. 20 minutes from the airport, 10-15 from the city center (or so my research indicates).

 

 

Rome to Civitavecchia is 90 minutes.

 

Totally agree......and your timings are spot on.......a VERY easy journey from the centre of Barcelona to the cruise terminal. We did just that last month!

Plenty to see and do in both places, depending on what you like!

For me.....another factor would be the month you were going! August in Barcelona was much less humid than in Rome......the heat combined with the humidity....for me anyhow......was just a bit too much! Again.....depends on yourself, but we were more comfortable wandering around Barcelona than we were in Rome.

Enjoy your trip, whichever you choose! :)

[AttilaTheFun]

Also beware that passengers who board in Barcelona are subject to a Spanish VAT tax the entire cruise - if you purchase lots of stuff onboard, it can add up quickly - including additional charges for drinks and spa treatments!

 

Definitely recommend flying in the day before and try to fly direct from JFK if you can. Layovers in Europe can be a nightmare, so it's worth paying a small premium to get on one plane and be there.

 

There's a link to my review of our Epic cruise out of Barcelona in my signature if you're interested. Lots of fun, but very tiring!

[BubMunkeyBles]

I'd choose Rome/Civitavecchia, but I love it there. I could spend weeks there an not get bored. It is ridiculously hot in the summers though. Definitely fly in a day early.

[lsmommy]

I recently read a review of a solo traveller that boarded in Rome and one thing they mentioned was they felt almost like an outsider, as most people board in Barcelona. I guess in the Solo lounge on the first night people met and shared dining arrangements are made. If that is important to you something to think about, it is like being the new kid at school, some people fit right in and it is hard for others .

[BaseballMomof4]

My understanding of the VAT tax is that everyone on this cruise, regardless of where they board, are subject to it because there are no ports outside of the Euro Union.

 

Is this a misunderstanding?

[Minoushka]

We did this last year but included the med first thentransat ...awesome voyage

I recommend leaving from bcn ..it is an amazing city worthy of a few days visit .we took the hop on hop off bus to get a complete view .we all swore to return to spend more time there

Knowing about the vat we did not shop on board that week .on the transat we did not have Vat

Remember weather could be iffy .it was warm in Bcn ...freezing in florence ....i got sick withe weather change ...bring warm clothes sewaters jackets etc .Also bring otc cold remedies

we wentfrom 25 degrees celcius to 0 in a day ...It was really unecpectedly cold ...but it did warm up during the day

I loved the Epic .denis the hotelmanager wasreally attentive as was his crew during this whole cruise .my sister and i rate Epicwayup there .one of ourvery favorites

I also loved our tour in ponto Delgado ...what a wonderful place

Go you will have a great time

It does get warmer. As you sail to st thomas so you will need avariety of clothes...Epic is a super ship Bon voyage

 

Michele

[willysgrandma]

We did this from JFK and specifically left from Rome because we knew one day in Rome on the cruise would not be enough so we are going three days early and touring and then getting on in Civitavecchia.

 

Check pricing on Aer Lingus - we bought our air in January for our cruise in three weeks and paid $754 p/p round trip with a stopover in Dublin. For that price, I didn't care about the stopover as the price was over $300 p/p less than a direct and it is paying for our hotel. Since we are flying in 3 days before, didn't care about any delays with changing planes and don't care about it going home.

 

Aer Lingus out of JFK has great prices throughout Europe. It was much more expensive for us to fly to Barcelona than to Rome.

[meltingmoments]

My understanding of the VAT tax is that everyone on this cruise, regardless of where they board, are subject to it because there are no ports outside of the Euro Union.

 

Is this a misunderstanding?

 

I believe this to be correct.Hoping I've attached some info regarding the Spanish VAT :o

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=238415&d=1341224705

[Minoushka]

Not during Transat only if going back and forth to Spain

[NCruiser2012]

We started from Barcelona last summer. Beforehand, I was not too excited about it. We arrived the day before the cruise and stayed a night after the cruise. My biggest surprise was how much I loved Barcelona. The food is good. It is very easy to walk in this city. The architecture is spectacular. We loved every minute of it.

[AttilaTheFun]

My understanding of the VAT tax is that everyone on this cruise, regardless of where they board, are subject to it because there are no ports outside of the Euro Union.

 

Is this a misunderstanding?

 

I think the ones who board in Civitavecchia are only subject to Spanish VAT when in Spanish waters. Never could confirm though.

[sunbird21]

Wow! Thanks for all of the replies!

 

Since I'm looking at going in either May/June,airfares are a bit higher-I've been coming up with about $700 to either Rome or Barcelona,but they go through Germany or Finland(on Air Berlin or Finnair,respectively) from JFK. I could go from Boston via Toronto for about $100 more on Air Canada or Lufthansa...not sure what the best option here is.

 

It does seem like more ppl are for leaving from Barcelona-someone upthread mentioned that as a solo traveler,that more groups are "formed" by the time the ship hits Rome-have any previous solo travelers had this experience?

 

I would at least like to see the Colliseum,Vatican,and Spanish steps area-I would probably come back for a longer land based trip to Italy at some point in my life.Do the day tours(though exhausting) give enough tome to feel like you got at least a taste of this? Is spending the extra day worth being slightly off in the itinerary by not boarding in BArcelona(i.e.,not really getting to know other travelers b/c of different itineraries)? I'd kind of like to see Barcelona,but I dont think i'd ever make an extra trip just to Spain,so dont know if spending the extra day or two here is worth it....

 

Also,I know its a port intensive cruise,is the Palma de Mallorca stop one that can be missed/shortened to have more time on the ship without missing anything major? I know a lot of ppl do this in Marseille,but I'm a francophile,so for me,MArseille would be a must see.

 

I've read a LOT of trip reports from this cruise,so thank you to everyone for writing! Attila,your review was great as well!

 

Thanks again for all the info....also any recommendations on timing of cruise(looking anywhere from early May to 2nd week of June) would be appreciated!

[AttilaTheFun]

With Rome, I would recommend it as a good place to spend an extra day or 2 to explore, rather than trying to rush around with a day trip from the cruise. Yes, you can cover a few highlights, but there's so much to take in and really experience if you have the time. Don't get me wrong - Barcelona is a nice city and is more convenient in terms of port location, but I think Rome has more "must-do" sights and with it being so far from the cruise port, a lot of your Civitavecchia port day is eaten up by transportation time, so it's nice to see Rome at a more leisurely pace on your own either before or after the cruise.

 

It's really too bad they changed the Cannes stop from this year's itinerary to Palma next year, since I've heard much better things about Cannes/Nice than Marseille.

 

As for getting on when groups are already "formed" - I'd say that as long as you show up to the solo cruiser events, I'm sure you could still find people. Plus, you won't have a ton of time to spend on the ship anyway if you're out and about in port, so the worst-case scenario would be you eat a few meals on your own, but I'm sure that won't happen. Enjoy the cruise, whichever port you sail from!

[BubMunkeyBles]

There's some great walking tours of Rome that really let you dabble into most the sites. The Vatican though easily takes up most a day if not all a day, especially in the summer. If you just want to see the Basilica you could do the others but the museum takes forever.

[sunbird21]

It's really too bad they changed the Cannes stop from this year's itinerary to Palma next year, since I've heard much better things about Cannes/Nice than Marseille.

 

!

 

I agree...i would rather have the extra stop in France,but I'm thinking it might be a port where I just wander for an hour or two and have an extra "sea" day on the ship instead:)

 

Thanks for the advice for Rome...I think thats the way I'm leaning...I think I would rather have a port day in Barcelona. I'm perfectly fine traveling solo-hence,the solo cruise-but i liked the idea of meeting up with other travelers in the studio lounge and/or via CC,to hang out with now and then,and to get groups for some of these excursions! But,I guess I'll wait until I pick a date for sure and stalk the roll call forum:)

[sunbird21]

well, i took the plunge,and just booked the May 15 sailing from Rome!!!! SOOO excited!!! Now I just have to see if there's a roll call for it yet!

[BaseballMomof4]

well, i took the plunge,and just booked the May 15 sailing from Rome!!!! SOOO excited!!! Now I just have to see if there's a roll call for it yet!

 

 

Bummer! I was hoping you would grab the May 26 out of Barcelona! We need some more action in our roll call!! :p

[BaseballMomof4]

With respect to the VAT tax, what I have heard about that so far is that it will apply to the entire cruise, not just to ports in Barcelona and Palma, and not just to those who board in Barcelona. All ports on this itinerary are in the EU so it's a closed loop.

 

Obviously that is not the case with a transatlantic since there is a port outside of the EU, but the itinerary we are taking about here is not transatlantic.

 

You can request a refund of certain portions of the VAT, but from what I have heard it can be difficult, has restrictions and can take a long time to receive a refund.

 

I have also heard that certain in-port vendors will waive the VAT.

[davesgirl51]

Also beware that passengers who board in Barcelona are subject to a Spanish VAT tax the entire cruise - if you purchase lots of stuff onboard, it can add up quickly - including additional charges for drinks and spa treatments!

 

Definitely recommend flying in the day before and try to fly direct from JFK if you can. Layovers in Europe can be a nightmare, so it's worth paying a small premium to get on one plane and be there.

 

There's a link to my review of our Epic cruise out of Barcelona in my signature if you're interested. Lots of fun, but very tiring!

 

Never mind, question answered :)

Edited September 21, 2012 by davesgirl51

[rocklinmom]

Thank you Melting Moments for the Spanish VAT tax information sheet from the Epic! I have been looking for this information as we plan an Epic cruise out of Barcelona. I had heard about the VAT tax and wondered how it would affect us.

[jcamille]

well, i took the plunge,and just booked the May 15 sailing from Rome!!!! SOOO excited!!! Now I just have to see if there's a roll call for it yet!

 

Sunbird - I debated the Barcelona/Rome question too. I decided to fly out of Rome because USAIR has a nonstop flight from my city. I am also flying on frequent flyer miles and I could fly first-class for 100,000 miles to Rome vs. 350,000 miles to Barcelona.

 

I was supposed to go on this cruise last year. What I found at that time was that the cruise price out of Barcelona for a balcony dropped as low as $699/person as the cruise date got closer. However, the price out of Rome for a balcony/person never dropped below $1,000.

 

I tried negotiating with NCL to get the same price out of Rome as was being offered out of Barcelona and they wouldn't budge.

 

I am on the Epic the week after you are. Have a great time.

 

Janet