Wife's First Cruise--Sept 2014 Med

[sealover155]

If one of your goals is to make your wife into a cruise convert, all you have to do is to include Istanbul on your itinerary. Then, make sure you are both standing on deck, preferably with an appropriate libation, as the ship sails into and away from this magical city. The mosques, minarets, palaces and sights of the Bosporus are enchanting.

 

The options for visiting this city, are many but should include an organized tour so as to pack in as much as possible either a private or ship's excursion. Since your wife is a Rick Steves fan you should definitely track down his video on it as I believe he has said more than once that it's his favorite city.

[Tommy3putts]

If one of your goals is to make your wife into a cruise convert, all you have to do is to include Istanbul on your itinerary. Then, make sure you are both standing on deck, preferably with an appropriate libation, as the ship sails into and away from this magical city. The mosques, minarets, palaces and sights of the Bosporus are enchanting.

 

The options for visiting this city, are many but should include an organized tour so as to pack in as much as possible either a private or ship's excursion. Since your wife is a Rick Steves fan you should definitely track down his video on it as I believe he has said more than once that it's his favorite city.

 

Wow. Guess we'll do Istanbul instead if Sicily. The good news is that it will mean a longer cruise for me (11 instead of 10)! Assuming the 2014 itinerary is similar to 2013. Thanks Sealover. BTW Rick Steve's med port book arrived in the mail yesterday.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I couldn't agree more with SeaLover. Sailing into Istanbul is wonderful. The whole journey through the Dardanelles is lovely. On some cruises you just sail at night and don't get to experience sailing by day and watching the scenery go by. The Greek/Turkey itinerary is a special journey that one really wouldn't appreciate if they just flew to Istanbul. This is the best way to see Istanbul- you'll love it. Everything is really near the ship too once you get there. If you read up- you don't need a tour. You can easily DIY there and from the sounds of it- your wife doesn't like being part of a pack.

[hansolosmom]

Congrats on the anniversary cruise! My husband was totally against cruising until we did a 3 day Disney after 4 days at the parks - kind of a give & take, he's been hooked ever since.

 

The way we decide which cruise to do is make a list of the cities we want to visit, followed by our best dates for travel. Since you already know which line you want to Take, it really helps you narrow it down. Originally we were going to do RT from Barcelona, but that didn't give us enough time in Rome, so we ended up on the Reflection RT from Civitavecchia so we could do more time in Rome. Take a look at the cities and decide which ones you'd be happy with and go for it.

 

Since you have the Rick Steve's book, look at the port info and that can help you narrow it down too.

 

I like to use one of the Internet travel agencies recommended on this board, usually we get a good price plus some perks like OBC or Pre-paid tips.

 

Once you decide on the ship, you can look at library lady's spreadsheet to help pick out a room. A balcony is great, I'd personally like to have rooms above and below. I also like non-adjoining cabins.

 

Lastly shore excursions. Since youre seasoned travelers, I'd guess you'd have no trouble taking private excursions or doing it yourself. Since you've been around the boards you know you can find plenty of info on the port section.

 

My biggest advice is don't try to do everything. Make sure you have a nice balance of tours and activities. I like when a busy port day if followed by a sea day since it lets you rest up a bit.

[Texed]

Oh yeah, forgot to day Boomer Sooner! I'm an Okie and OU alum.

 

Gig 'em Aggies! I guess you have heard of Johnny football! :D

[Tommy3putts]

Gig 'em Aggies! I guess you have heard of Johnny football! :D

 

Gosh how a I miss football already. Sorry we lost A&M from the big 12 loved the rivalry that was brewing between OU and the Aggies. Sports viewing...in Michaels, on Celebrity is a future thread for me.

[Tommy3putts]

Congrats on the anniversary cruise! My husband was totally against cruising until we did a 3 day Disney after 4 days at the parks - kind of a give & take, he's been hooked ever since.

 

The way we decide which cruise to do is make a list of the cities we want to visit, followed by our best dates for travel. Since you already know which line you want to Take, it really helps you narrow it down. Originally we were going to do RT from Barcelona, but that didn't give us enough time in Rome, so we ended up on the Reflection RT from Civitavecchia so we could do more time in Rome. Take a look at the cities and decide which ones you'd be happy with and go for it.

 

Since you have the Rick Steve's book, look at the port info and that can help you narrow it down too.

 

I like to use one of the Internet travel agencies recommended on this board, usually we get a good price plus some perks like OBC or Pre-paid tips.

 

Once you decide on the ship, you can look at library lady's spreadsheet to help pick out a room. A balcony is great, I'd personally like to have rooms above and below. I also like non-adjoining cabins.

 

Lastly shore excursions. Since youre seasoned travelers, I'd guess you'd have no trouble taking private excursions or doing it yourself. Since you've been around the boards you know you can find plenty of info on the port section.

 

My biggest advice is don't try to do everything. Make sure you have a nice balance of tours and activities. I like when a busy port day if followed by a sea day since it lets you rest up a bit.

 

Thank you Hans. Appreciate the tips. Good suggestions on the web TA. I think you (and others) have convinced me that web TAs should be our first choice, although I am open Using a local TA. One thing is for sure, since I'm pretty sure I want to book a suite, I'll be comparison shopping among several sites and TA and then keeping a close eye on rates after we book.

 

My wife is usually in charge of our daily excursions when we travel. Usually sight seeing in the morning followed by relaxing in outside dining/drinking areas to people watch. We've found the Rick Steve's books the bible for traveling overseas.