Catchum

The weather in both Spring and fall (Autumn) will be reliably unreliable - but then it is in summer too. You will almost certainly get lovely warm sunshine, cold winds and rain, sometimes all on the same day. In October on the Danube it was t-shirts in the morning and hats, gloves and scarves in the afternoon of the same day.

Seriously don't let the temperature worry you; a city tour is not necessarily better in hot weather, which most of the excursions tend to be, and if the cold forces you to retreat to a bar for a glass of wine or hot chocolate then that is not necessarily a bad thing. Enjoy it being a quieter time of year and enjoy the savings.

As ever our host makes and excellent point. A river ship does not have a selection of bars or spaces which your group could gather in, nor could you guarantee to eat together or even be on the same excursion group. The more expensive the more that is included. Our last trip was on a luxury line but the only money were needed to spend was for one lunch and a few 50 cent coins for the public bathrooms.

Just back off our first river cruise AMA/APT (review next week) my experience was that exact arrival and departure times are not posted until the evening before - though this may be due to the number of locks on the Danube /Main / Rhine. Doing your own thing is very possible but actually pre booking someone to take you round may be problematic. On occasions the locks were in our favour and we arrived 45 minutes early - and also left 45 minutes early at our destination. As all tours were included it was not an issue for us.

I think the best advice with any insurance is always full disclosure - even if you think it is not relevant. Call the insurance company and ask if thy will cover part of the trip cost. My experience is that the cost increase is marginal - I had to upgrade our annual insurance to cover a expensive trip and it was about £30 more each to move up to the next level of cover.

In the past we have used a company who collect your bags at the port and take them to the airport. (just google Barcelona cruise port bags) Then you have a bag free day in Barcelona and can either take a taxi or the airport bus back at a time to suit your flights. We booked on line as it was a little cheaper, the only challenge we had was finding their desk at the airport to collect our bags it was in the depths of the terminal. I will be using them again in December for our next trip (not Azamara this time I'm afraid)

Likewise I did the Naples to Herculaneum solo several years ago no problem, a nice local made sure I got off at the right place. Realistically you can't do both; Pompeii is a huge sight and you can spend days there (so far I have done three trips and would go back tomorrow). Herculaneum was destroyed in the same eruption but preserved in a different way it is much smaller but just as fascinating.

From the UK so may be different here but an annual travel policy with everything - (all medication, every hospital visit) declared is a must as far as we are concerned. Also check if sports are included if you want to do that, how many days are you allowed out the country (31 per trip in our case) and max cost of a single trip covered. I think of it like home insurance you never ever want to make a claim but if you have to it is so worth it. Yes you could say if you have paid for the trip you can afford to cancel it but you may not be able to afford an emergency medical evacuation, please read the small print of the insurance. It is super boring but I print it out and give it to DH to read - it is his contribution to holiday planning. Ours says if you are under the influence and fall of a balcony you are not covered - so we book OV - LOL

We use a TA to book the cruise but always DIY for flights / hotels / transfers. Our TA offered to book flights etc for our next cruise and the price they quoted was more than double the amount that I paid by organizing it myself.

Not a new rule the dress code is as follows

"bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, bathing suits, shorts, and jeans are not allowed in the dining room or specialty restaurants. When dining at Windows Café, guests must wear footwear and a cover-up or shirt."

Shorts are fine in Windows in the evening

I do feel the cold so always carry a shawl or light jacket. On the Journey the Cabaret (theatre) was really cold during the daytime lectures etc. I think they have the AC set assuming all the production lights are on and when this is not the case you end up popping out on deck to warm up.

My problem is my fussiness. Of the reds, I drink Merlot and Pinot Noir. Whites, Sauvignon Blanc or a dry white. Would these be the ones used in the daily wines (not special packages. If not does anyone know what kind they serve?

You are entitled to be fussy it is your vacation. I think you would be unfortunate not to find one of these on offer, husband drinks red and I white and on an 18 night trip were we less then happy with the selection on just one evening. They serve some really interesting wines I suggest you ask for a sample of each, you may find a new favourite. My discovery was a dry Riesling which I normally would not consider but which was superb, if there is really nothing you like on one night you can always buy a glass or bottle of your preferred.

I would not be confident about booking from the TV. We tried to book room service through the TV and after 30 minutes called to see what was happening, we were told that requests were not sent directly to room service but were passed on - not sure who from - eventually. If you want to be certain I would go for the face to face option. Though excursions may operate differently and maybe lots have people have used the TV with no problem.

It is your vacation, all you have to do is enjoy! I am sure you will soon find your favourite spot for dining and relaxing but do try all the included options. Even if a show or entertainment doesn't appeal try it and sit at the back (you can always leave) - it is included and you may find you actually love jazz guitar. Finally research your ports of call - many are very doable without expensive ships excursions but just getting off and wandering without any plan can be disappointing. I find an extensively planned day with bus time tables and museum opening times down loaded is a necessity - though they are usually abandoned at the first sight of an interesting side street and local tavern.

Just curious do you speak Catalan or Spanish language? If not then you are brave, at least in my eyes.

 

I am a solo cruiser myself and have done many cruises but never to Europe which is something I want to do. I found a cruise from Barcelona but am nervous about staying there without the language. Technically I could just do the cruise without staying there for a few days, but it would be a shame to go there and not see Barcelona.

Don't be at all nervous, Barcelona is a very tourist friendly city, I speak no Spanish or Catalan and happily tripped around all over using the metro and buses. The only people I encountered who spoke little English were in small local food shops but sign language and a smile always got me through. An offline translation app on your phone helps with the occasional sign or menu but even that is not necessary really.

Here is our itinerary for our last post cruise stay in Barcelona. I put together a Gaudi themed trip as I really knew nothing about him.

Day 1

Free walking tour of Barcelona about Gaudi - we though it was excellent and gives great overview of modern Barcelona and Gaudi

Meeting point: Plaça Catalunya

Days: Every day

Time: 11:00

Duration: 2-2.5 hour

Extra info: You will only need 1 metro ticket for the tour. Recommend getting the T-10 which costs 10€, has ten trips, and you can share it! :) http://freewalkingtoursbarcelona.com/tours-en/free-gaudi-tour-barcelona/

Day two Morning

Parc Guell is a Gaudi must see a huge park with amazing sights

There are two areas - The Park which is free and the Monumental Zone which you pay for - you will want to go in the monumental zone it is a bargain 7 euros BUT BUY IN ADVANCE not only do you save a euro but you are guaranteed entry. They restrict the number of people allowed in at any one time so you may arrive to find you can get in if you don’t buy in advance.

http://www.parkguell.cat/en/buy-tickets/

The park is not in the centre but it is on the line 24 bus (use the same ticket as metro)

the bus goes from Plaça Catalunya to Parc Guell every 7 minutes here is the route

http://www.mapametrobarcelona.net/bus-barcelona-info/en-barcelona-bus-map-line-024.php

Afternoon Casa Batllo is the best Gaudi house and very very well presented - big comfy ear phones for the audio guide and handsets which show you what the rooms looked liked furnished - lots and lots to see it is amazing. You even get to go out on the tiny balcony and have your picture taken. Again get tickets in advance to avoid the lines.

https://www.casabatllo.es/en/online-tickets/

All the information dates from May 2016 when we visited.

Glad you ave found some where. We always use Sallés Hotel Ciutat del Prat. The do a special room rate (100 euros last time I booked) which includes transfer from the airport to the hotel, one nights accommodation, breakfast, and a shuttle to the cruise port the next morning.

The hotel is clean and modern and there are grocery stores and restaurant nearby.

I wonder if you checked out the deck plan. From my research nearly all the cabins on deck 4 can be very noisy. I am on the Azamara Journey 12 night Baltic cruise in August. I first selected a cabin on deck 4, then I switched to another inside cabin on deck 7 for around $100 more.

Not sure why you think we are on deck 4? We are on deck 7 (my research boarders on the obsessive!)

We take a tiny funnel with us on trips to fill up water bottles from the machine - water or juice to cup into bottle via funnel - yes it looks a bit odd but better than pouring water all over your table!!

We are taking our first Azamara cruise in a couple of weeks and have an inside cabin. We were unsure about no natural light, as we normally have a window or balcony, so booked an inside cabin on a 3 day mini cruise with a mainstream cruise line just to see how we coped. The inside cabin was fine (will not be looking to book with that line again though).