3redheads

We've used the Roll Calls mostly for sharing excursions. That way you know a little about the people with whom you are sharing the experience. We've made some friends that way. We never do any of the Meet and Greet and pub crawls etc.

Excellent responses! We will enjoy our cruise no matter what. We will even meet people in real life instead of online :)

Thanks for your input!

We are sailing on our first HAL ship next September.

While looking over the existing roll calls, I was surprised to see how few people participate.

We are used to sharing tours etc with people in our roll call.

Any thoughts as to why the roll calls aren't more popular? It's a great way to meet people and share info.

We ended up booking HAL Oosterdam around the same time frame. Love the itinerary! Thanks for the advice. Ports over ship.

100% agree with Dani on this one. There's not many places in the world so far where I say to myself after a cruise "Gee. I need to come back here and stay on land for a few days". This itinerary on HAL would be one of them... but you get to do it on a cruise! My dream land vacay would be the Amalfi coast for 3-4 days, quick flight over to Malta for 3 days (incl a ferry over to Gozo), then flight over to Croatia for 4-5 days. You get it all in this cruise... plus that Venice sailaway. Spectacular!! Great find redheads :D

Thanks, Hoopster! Switching over now. Plus, if I book with travelocity, I save $1600 from HAL's site, but $600 is nonrefundable. I better be sure!

I think it's an outstanding itinerary. Sail away from Venice is a must, and of course, at least 2 days pre-cruise...

Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Malta !!!, and 2 port days in Italy... Go for it :D

Thanks, Dani. Wonderful to see you on here :) Waiting for the go ahead from hubby. I'm not telling where we are going, just the dates. I think we'll fly in 3 days earlier (really, 2 days by the time we land) My heart says try new places and Malta is on my list as well as Dubrovnik. Venice is the must do!

Look at this itinerary on HAL Oosterdam, which looks like a beautiful ship:

• 1. Venice, Italy
  
• 2. Split, Croatia
  
• 3. Dubrovnik, Croatia
  
• 4. Saranda, Albania
  
• 5. Katakolon, Greece
  
• 6. Samos, Greece
  
• 7. Mykonos, Greece
  
• 8. At Sea
  
• 9. Malta, Malta
  
• 10. Malta, Malta
  
• 10. Mgarr, Gozo Island, Malta
  
• 11. Palermo, Italy
  
• 12. Naples, Italy
  
• 13. Civitavecchia, Italy
  

Any thoughts on this?

What are the two itineraries?

 

 

Vision: 12 days

Barcelona (favorite port)

Nice, France

Livorno (been there)

Rome (been there)

Salerno (been there)

Venice 2 days

Ravenna, Italy

Kotor

Spirit 11 days:

Rome

Dubrovnik

Venice 2 days

Koper, Slovenia

Split, Croatia

Corfu, Greece

Olympia, Greece

Malta

We have been on both. Love the casual dining and the food was great on the Spirit. Beautiful ocean views from inside the ship. Vision has taken those views and turned them into staterooms and is now "Very Little Vision of the Seas"

I read somewhere that some people don't like Spirit because the glass extends up on the outside, public areas. I'm not explaining this well, but they complained that you couldn't take pictures of the scenery because the glass was taller than the person.

Thanks for the responses! Loved the photos. Guess I just have to figure out which itinerary is best.

I also posted this on the Royal board.

I'm currently booked on Vision for Sept 2018 Mediterranean, but I've been to a few of the ports before..

NCL Spirit has some new ports and it's cheaper. The reviews for the two ships are very similar.

Has anyone sailed both and how do they compare? We've never sailed NCL. I know it's about the ports, but we also want a good experience onboard.

Thanks!

I'm currently booked on Vision for Sept 2018 Mediterranean, but I've been to a few of the ports before..

NCL Spirit has some new ports and it's cheaper. The reviews for the two ships are very similar.

Has anyone sailed both and how do they compare? We've never sailed NCL. I know it's about the ports, but we also want a good experience onboard.

Thanks!

Thank you for your review!

That's really disappointing. I paid for my last Carnival cruise with gift cards and had a credit on my account.

Fly but keep in mind the luggage weight limitations for both checked and carryon. Found out the hard way on Vueling a couple of years ago to the tune of $400. Also remember that Marco Polo is a small airport compared to others. Bummer.

 

I'm looking at B2B in 2018 but starting in BCN....flying to Venice likely on Ryan to Treviso. Anyone have experience getting from Treviso to Venice ports?

I am going to try to fly with just my carryon. I may be able to do it. No formal nights on the cruise ship and I might be ok.

Thanks for the reply!!

I'm adding my 2 cents in red, sorry -- 2 likes... :D

Love your screen name! I appreciate everyone's advice. Still booked on both, but leaning towards Vision. We sail out of Barcelona, but spend 2 days in Venice. I want to do it all :)

I'm definitely planning on flying. I don't want to chance ANY delay. Thanks!

Thanks for the responses! I'm going to crunch some numbers.

Looking at a variety of cruise combinations and am leaning toward taking a 7 day cruise starting and ending in Venice in September or October and taking another cruise from Barcelona the next day.

It appears we would have over 24 hours to get from Venice to Barcelona.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what method of travel? From what I can see online, there are rather cheap flights from Venice to Barcelona. Has anyone had any experience doing this?

TIA

Thanks for all of the replies. I admit it sorta blew my mind. I just never considered this way of doing things. It certainly gives a lot more options!

It isn't just this year.

 

I first did this itinerary in 2012 and they were doing it then. I think it's been the same since the Epic was introduced in about 2010.

Did it cause any issues?

Think your post got cut off.

 

Yes this year they have a revolving door with the Barcelona/Rome cruises, very unique. Some of us board in Barcelona for a 3 day cruise, others board in Barcelona for a 7 day cruise. Those of us that disembark in Rome will be replaced by a group of cruisers that will sail for a week (Rome to Rome). Something for everyone and I guess they are doing it 2018 also. Confusing but nice!

I hit enter too quickly:D

Thanks for the replies. Seems like a logistical nightmare. I guess if you book a room for the Barcelona itinerary, someone who boards earlier in Rome cannot book that room. Very interesting!

Bear with me because this is hard to explain.

Epic October 2018 shows the following sailings on the website:

From Civitavecchia Oct 3-10th 7 day cruise

From Barcelona, still the Epic from Oct 7-14th 7 day cruise

I called NCL and they said that it's correct. On the 3rd-10th cruise, it stops in Barcelona on the 7th and picks up new passengers for their 7 day cruise.

I've never seen this with any sailing I've been on. So in essence, you have two different set of passengers sailing on the same ship, but the embark and disembark on different days.

The rep talked to his supervisor. This makes no sense. The rooms would already be booked? Am I dense and just not getting it?https://www.ncl.com/vacations/europe-cruises-oct-2018-?destinations=4294960640&sailmonths=4294953370#

not sure why the first sentence is so big...tried to correct it

Thank you all for giving me something to think about. Itinerary-Vision!

I haven't looked at the full itineraries...BUT...

Here's my take of the itineraries by port:

You get Nice and Barcelona either way, but, it sounds like with Vision, you get to start in Barcelona. I LOVE Barcelona as a great place to spend a few relaxing days pre-cruise. Great town and hotels are not overly expensive for a major European city.

OTOH, on the Vision, you get a quick port stop in Rome, whereas, it sounds like, on Jewel, it is your embarkation and disembarkation port. There is a LOT to see in Rome, but it is also an expensive city to visit...and you get to deal with transportation Fiumicino to Rome to Civitavecchia...which adds some hassle and expense. Ending in Venice is, far and away, a great place to start or end a cruise...and it's nice to have a different embarkation and disembarkation port--and spend a few extra nights in each...

 

And, further, the other major trade-off is Valencia, Mallorca, Marseilles, Malta and Sete for the Jewel vs. Kotor, Amalfi and Ravenna for Vision. Fewer ports on Vision, but all three are pretty incredible. Amalfi gives you the chance to go see Pompeii or Herculaneum, Kotor is a gem fewer folks get to see...and Ravenna, for us, meant an unforgettable day in San Marino. On Jewel, Sete and Marseilles give you a chance to visit a lot of Provence, but, taken along with Nice, may be a bit of Southern France overkill. Valencia and Mallorca may be more known as beach towns than anything else. OTOH, Malta is absolutely stunning. So, a lot might really depend on what you really want to do and see. There are trade-offs on both itineraries.

 

Another thing to consider with the fewer ports and additional at sea day is that, when you are doing that much touring, spending long days in port, it is often nice to have those at sea days to relax and recuperate onboard ship.

 

You really can't go wrong with either cruise...But, just pick the one that appeals to you more...and save the other route to do next time.

 

As to the ships, in my book, it is really secondary to the itinerary when cruising Europe...and, from my experience, RCCL does a good job in maintaining their ships...and, by the time you cruise, they've likely done work on either ship...

 

Good luck...

Thanks so much for your insight. I see you're doing B2B on Jewel. I'm jealous!

Barcelona might be my favorite city in Europe. You've certainly given me some things to think about! I really appreciate it!