cruisemom42

I agree with Capriccio. Additionally, I've actually sailed a very similar itinerary on Constellation and enjoyed it very much. It's a slightly smaller ship, so doesn't have quite as many onboard bells and whistles but on an intensive itinerary it offers plenty to do. And it just has a very companionable, cozy feel.

It's in the tone. And agree there are some on each side.

That tour would definitely cover most of the highlights of Alexandria, although it would be a shame if they don't at least have a photo stop at one of the beautiful mosques. I really enjoyed the catacombs, but access is via a lot of steps up and down to visit the different levels, just FYI. The pillar of Pompey (which is a total misnomer, it was erected for Diocletian) is not in itself remarkable other than for its size. However, it is located very near what was considered a "branch" of the ancient Alexandrian library and also an Egyptian temple -- a Serapeum (for the god Serapis). I hope they give you time to investigate these and not just have a photo stop of the pillar. I've talked to a lot of people who didn't even realize those other things were right there as well. Here's an article: https://www.globetrove.com/pompeys-pillar-in-alexandria-egypt/ The Quait Bey fort is worth a quick visit. It is located on a promontory that may have been close to the spot where the original Lighthouse of Alexandria was located...and it was definitely constructed with some of the ruins of that monument. (It's widely believed that the lighthouse collapsed into the bay during an earthquake in the late antique period). It's pretty much a requirement to see the new Alexandrian library although to me it wasn't that interesting. However, they do have a museum on the ground floor with some interesting ancient finds. I loved the National Museum -- it's small and not overwhelming. There is a great collection of Egyptian-Roman painted mummy masks that I enjoyed very much. Each one is quite individual -- not like a lot of Egyptian art. The monument refered to as the Roman "amphitheatre" is not, in fact an amphitheatre at all. It's a small theatre or (more likely) an odeon as it probably was roofed. It was probably used either for musical performances or lectures. The area where it's located, Kom el-Dekka, is the largest archaeological site in Alexandria. It was a civic center in the Roman period. Well worth visiting. A number of pieces of sculpture that have been recovered from the sea have been installed there. There is also a fascinating Roman villa (with bird mosaics) located somewhat behind the theatre/odeon -- try to find it if you can. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kom_El_Deka After the sites you posted jogged my memory, I recall that I did take a private tour, as I particularly wanted to spend time at Kom el-Dikka and at Pompey's Pillar site. I had a fabulous day. We also stopped for lunch at an excellent fresh fish restaurant right on the waterfront (with views of the habor and Qait Bey.

I'm a fancy food lover. When I go on vacation I don't want to eat things I can easily make or get at home. Give me eggs benny for breakfast, vichysoisse for lunch and caviar, foie gras, beef Wellington for dinner. I'm not referring to you, but I think some people enjoy posting about how they stick to their Spartan diets while cruising -- only lean meat, grilled, veggies, oat milk, no desserts, blah blah blah. I eat enough plain chicken and salads at home. If that's what they want to eat, I'm all for it. Just don't appreciate those who post here as if enjoying somewhat less healthy food is beyond the pale while on vacation.

I have been to Egypt on three different cruises (three different cruise lines as well). I know I docked in Alexandria when I was on HAL Westerdam and I'm pretty sure I didn't go into Cairo. However I might have done a private tour rather than a ship tour. If you can list what the tour covers, I can give you my impressions of the included sites. El-Alamein is, I think, of less interest to US passengers than perhaps to UK and other countries that were more heavily involved. I don't know that a lot of cruise lines offer tours. I believe when I was there on the (small) Aegean Odyssey, which had a majority of passengers from the UK, a tour may have been scheduled. I wouldn't count on it with HAL. You could look into private tours.

On my tour the drop-off point for the Acropolis was very near the ticket office. As others have said, there is a bit of a climb to the top. I wouldn't call it a hike but there are a lot of steps of unequal height, made of marble, and can be slippery. For the Plaka area, we were dropped off on a main road at Hadrian's Gate. From there it is a walk of a few blocks to the actual Plaka. Walking is fairly flat, on sidewalks, and much of the Plaka area is pedestrian-only.

As far as I understand it, a Day cream may have a different formulation from a Night cream. Night creams tend to be heavier, absorb less quickly and don't always play well if you are planning to use them with make-up. Day creams tend to be thinner and absorb faster so they cause less problems with make-up. They may also contain sunscreen, which Night creams do not. Remember, if using a Night cream on your face during daytime hours that you also need separate sunscreen.

Maybe if these prove unpopular they'll lower the prices.

Are you asking about a "transportation only" bus tour offered by your ship? Or are you asking about a guided shore excursion with several stops including the Acropolis and Plaka? Different answers for each.

Might be a better question for the Cruise Air forum here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/77-cruise-air/

Stunning pics!!

Not sure I understand your point? https://www.businessinsider.com/nelk-boys-youtube-kicked-off-cruise-pranks-disturbing-guests-2022-1 https://japantoday.com/category/features/opinions/should-youtuber-johnny-somali-get-prison-time-in-japan

As someone who only recently started consuming material from YouTube vloggers, I've come to realize that there are two different types. (Or probably more, but only two I can think of that relate to cruising.) One type are made by disruptive entities who are out to shock people, break rules, etc. and generally annoy people on film. I call these the sensationalists. Japan, for example, has recently arrested, fined, banned and/or deported several non-Japanese tourist "vloggers" who have done things like riding long-distance trains without paying, shouting provocative statements, behaving badly in restaurants, etc. I believe I remember hearing about at least one similar incident on a cruise ship a few years ago when several "youtubers" booked a cruise line specifically to see if they could get themselves thrown off. (Spoiler alert: they did.) The other type are the helpful ones such as those mentioned above. The former should definitely be banned. I have no real issues with the latter, but TBH I haven't actually encountered any of them on my cruises so far.

Well, if I could work up my nerve to put myself down for the 42-day Med cruise, as a solo I would save about $8400 over booking an Inside category room right now. 😵‍💫

Your #1 choice should be seeing Ravenna itself. It has OUTSTANDING mosaics. I've never seen mosaics of this period that are so colorful and well done. Once you get to "downtown" Ravenna, you can walk to all of the churches and other sites to visit them. There is a pass that includes entry to the top 5 places. I'd definitely cross Faenza off the list.

I'm adventurous and flexible but can't imagine preparing for a 42-day journey with 2 days notice. I guess one would need to basically get everything done on the "off chance" they'll get a room...

And the grapefruit cosmo!

Well (to paraphrase you), yes and no. I've traveled all my life, and I've come to a couple of major realizations: First is the realization that not all things interest me equally about places. Some things interest me very little at all. And in some places I CAN do more than scratch the surface of the things I am interested in. It doesn't matter if I spend a day or a week in a place like Mykonos, I am unlikely to learn much more about the place with an additional six days because I am just not interested in beaches, natural beauty, etc. Second is the realization that a cruise to a place is not necessarily a "one and done" either. I've taken more than a dozen Mediterranean cruises (so far!) and have visited Ephesus four times. I don't think I learned any less about it during those four visits than I did when I stayed in a lovely but somewhat isolated and very Western hotel near the beaches in Ephesus -- I spent each day being driven out of town anyway to visit nearby (and not as nearby) archaeological sites. I could have done -- and actually have done -- the same thing from a cruise ship day in port. Same with Corfu, for example. While I'd welcome a fourth visit there, if I don't return I feel I've seen and experienced everything I'm interested in there in three port days. I never mistake a port stop at a major city with a visit to an entire country. On the other hand, a small island is a small island and sometimes there is not much more to interest me than I can do in a day. While I fully agree with you, I feel something gets lost in translation. Yes, you cannot fully see a country from a cruise ship [in most cases, as explained above], BUT a cruise can be a valuable additional way to learn about/understand a country. I just posted a lengthy post on the Oceania forum about whether to see Great Britain by land or by sea. There's little doubt that, if I had to choose one, I'd recommend a land tour. But having said that, Great Britain is an island nation with a long maritime history and I also feel that much can be ADDED by also taking a cruise that circumnavigates the country. It gives you a sense of the naval and maritime power, the role that the sea has played in their history, etc. that you don't feel as strongly when just approaching by land. It also provides a chance to visit some remote places not included on most land tours or even independent exploration such as the Hebrides or the Channel Islands. (I feel the same about Japan and Greece, and I'm sure there are other examples as well...)

Or there are bus transfer companies that depart from the squire where the shuttles drop off, taking you either to Florence and back or to Florence and Pisa, then back. These are cheaper than the ship excursions and easier than getting to the train station, but you also probably lose an hour or more off your possible total visiting time. (The buses are geared to return for the departure time of whatever ship in port leaves earliest...which may short-change you time-wise, if you have a long port day.) Of course, on the the other hand I've had ship excursions that wasted a good 45 minutes of time at a 'bathroom and shopping stop' before even arriving in Florence. These situations unfortunately illustrate why visiting Florence on a single day from a cruise ship is less than ideal.

Well, it won't be great. No denying that. But it least it won't be like Santorini where the path up the cliffs is such a choke point.

It's not really that difficult if you just want to stroll around Mykonos town. (Sorry, I'm not a beach person so can't help there.) If you tender, you actually tender right to the center of the town and its quite easy just to stroll around the windy streets, even if it is crowded. Walk up to the windmills and get some pics, maybe follow a street or two away from the main port area and find a little taverna... If you dock, again it's quite easy to get into town -- it's not that different from some of the Caribbean islands. You can take a shuttle by water or a shuttle bus. Both end up at the same place (edge of town) and both cost about the same (within a euro or two).

Since you already are familiar with Princess... For many years now Princess has offered some very well put together "sampler" itineraries in the Med. I used to recommend them to a lot of first time Med travelers as a way to get a broad taste of the region. I don't know when you're planning to go, but in 2024 Princess has their newest (and largest) ship, Sun Princess, in the Med and offers some good 14-day itineraries that cover a lot of ground. For example, this one would provide you with stops in Spain, Italy, a couple of Greek islands (Santorini and Mykonos) and even Istanbul, Turkey. It starts in Barcelona and ends in Athens, giving you a chance to extend your trip by a day or two on either end and see these two places as well. (Fair warning, without an extra day or two, you will have VERY little chance to see anything of them....) The biggest weaknesses of this particular itinerary to me are that you only get one day in Rome (which really deserves thee at a minimum), and you don't get to see Venice. But Venice is a bit of a hassle these days by cruise ship, as the ships are not allowed to dock anywhere near the city. (The options for larger ships are all about 2+ hours away from Venice itself.) This other itinerary (also Sun Princess, 14 days) is also a good option. You get to start and end in Athens and Rome, which I like better. Still get Barcelona, and you can see a lot there in a day. You lose Istanbul, but gain Kotor (which includes a scenic cruise through Kotor Bay), another lovely Greek Isle (Corfu) and a stop in Sicily. These are just a couple of ideas. Many other lines offer similar cruises but I've always thought Princess does a nice job of picking some of the highlights. Anything less than 14 days probably won't get you from one side of the Med to the other. Good luck, whatever you decide!

If this is the tour you're thinking of: https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/piraeus-athens/acropolis--national-archaeological-museum-823045 It doesn't mention anything about lunch in the description, which would be a key takeaway that it is not part of the tour. And seeing both the Acropolis and the NAM in 5 hours would be tight, so there is likely not time for getting lunch on your own. Most tours of the NAM (I have been on one through Princess and one through a specialty cruise line) involve having the guide show the group a few of the most famous "highlights", then providing some free time to look around on your own. But again, don't count on having a ton of time. If these are the two main sites you're interested in, it may be a better experience to do them on your own vs. taking a tour.

I would encourage you to start a new discussion thread with your question as others may not see it here (where it is part of a different discussion).

My two cents: Ideally, for an island nation like Great Britain, it would be best to see it by land AND by sea. Why? Because neither one alone will give you as clear a picture as doing both. I fully agree that a land tour really is necessary to see so many places that cruise passengers cannot get to on a daytrip. You need to spend a few days each in London, Edinburgh, Dublin. And also a few days in areas like the Cotswalds, the Yorkshire Dales, the Scottish Highlands, Lake District, etc. See at least one venerable university (I recommend Oxford). Visit Stonehenge, Hadrian's Wall, Loch Lomond. Spend a day each in York and Bath. Don't skip Cornwall and Wales. But then a cruise gives you a better sense of the "seafaring nation" that is also Great Britain. From storied ports of the past (Belfast, Cobh) to unique islands with their own character and heritage, like Guernsey or the Hebrides. Kirkwall gives you the chance to visit the outstanding site at Skara Brae, the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in all of Western Europe. I could go on and on. Like Japan, GB is an island nation that very much punches above its class in terms of things worth seeing. I've probably spent about 2 1/2 months exploring it in the past, on several different trips, and this June, for the first time, I am taking a cruise around the northern portion (mainly Scotland) where I'll visit some of the same ports you mention. I'm really looking forward to it.