marbleski

Test pic

3 hours ago, oksteveou said:

FYI, my family of 4 has booked Best Guides' Best of the Best mini-group tour for June 2019, and we cannot wait!  Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and information!

 

Question:  not knowing everything that is included in their "city tour" each morning, is that portion of the tour likely to include a stop at the Peter & Paul Fortress?  If not, would it be feasible/worthwhile to ask if they could include it?  I don't know if the logistics/distance would preclude it.  I don't need a tour of the entire fortress, I really just would like to see the tombs of the Tsars.  Thoughts?  An easy stop?  Way out of the way?  Not worth the effort?  Thanks again.

The Fortress is very close to the Port. They should be able accommodate you if it is not already included in your tour.  I planned out the sights I wanted to see and they made it work.  

Do some reading on the history of the Czars, Bolsheviks,, Russian Revolution, Lenin and Stalin before you leave. IFascinating history and such a beautiful city. 

On 2/2/2019 at 4:46 PM, nikki908 said:

I found this thread after I logged into my account and discovered I'm at Platinum, with 76 points.  I hit 76 points after my last cruise in October 2018 (booked in June 2018). In February 2017 I was only at 62 points, with no cruises booked.  I figured it might be a mistake so I went looking for info.  Apparently this is happening to some people and I guess I'm one of the lucky ones!  According to the grandfathering rules, there's no reason I'd be grandfathered in to the old point system.

 

So, if my account says I'm Platinum, then that's official?  That's what NCL will have my level on my next cruise?  That would be awesome, some of the perks really appeal to me, like the specialty dinners. 

 

Has anyone had their account moved back a level?  Wondering if NCL ever takes a second look at the lattitudes levels assigned to people.

 

We also reached  Plattinum status this week after reaching 77 points  after completing our 10 day cruise on the Pearl last Sunday.   Thanks NCL.  

Another vote for Best Guides. We did a small group tour for 8 in May 2017. They are very very good. Enjoy St. Petersburg. Be sure to ride the subway.

Thank you for the review. It will assist many CC members with their cruise planning. Safe travels.

Hello! I found your review through a search of angled balconies. I have a similarly angled balcony booked (aft, 9th deck), and it appears that it's going to be over a public area, did you have any trouble with noise coming from below?

 

I don't know exactly which public area is going to be underneath as it's on the Encore and plans are yet to be shown on the deck plan, but on the Bliss, Moderno's is right under.

 

Thanks!

We did not have any noise from the public deck below. However, on our Baltic Cruise the outside areas below our room were rarely used because of the cooler May temperatures.

I assume the balcony would hear some noise from below if patrons were outside socializing. I don't think you will hear much inside your room as the balcony door is very sound proof.

The angled balcony is great. Our boys had a regular balcony and ours was much bigger and provided great views looking forward.

You’ll be fine on the Spirit. I had similar concerns about our 12-day Grand Med cruise in August 2015. Prior to this our only experience with NCL was 1990 during our honeymoon trip on the Seaward. Since then we cruised on Carnival, RCCL and HAL. HAL was our favourite line prior to cruising on the NCL Spirit.

The 2015 itinerary was fabulous. Thank goodness we focused on the good reviews and made the trip. We have sailed the Spirit twice since, November 2015 in the Caribbean and May 2018 in Europe. All three trips were excellent.

Yes, the ship is clean. The only issue is with the bathrooms in both our balcony and inside staterooms. They need a complete over hall. It may be different in your suite.

Before our cruise in May I read a few reviews and once again there were some bad ones. Every cruise has a few who only cruise to complain. We see them every cruise, they magically think a cruise will make them happy. It never does. I recall one review I read before our May trip and I pitied the poor reviewer. He/she, indicated they pay attention to details and indicated the ship was a rusting bucket of bolts,they found screws missing or rusting on their balcony, ships water system inconvenienced some passengers (but not them) and they had reports the men’s public washrooms needed attention and cleaning (so I assume it was a she as they only got reports and did not bother to check the facts and enter the men’s washroom).

Enjoy your cruise. There may be rust but I was too busy enjoying my vacation to spend time looking for rust.

There are pictures of the views from our angled balcony on page 1 of my Getaway review. See link under my signature .

Hope you enjoyed my review. We had another great trip and highly recommend cruising in Europe. My experiences are my experiences and I am sure they differ from others on the same cruise. Since we all see things differently be sure to do your research as there is plenty of good information out there, especially on CC. Save travels and happy cruising.

Any questions send them along.

Oh, one more pic from the Spirit.......... till next time. If you see a post from marbleski on your roll call jump right in and we'll plan some must do small group tours.

Debarking Day

We used self assist and departed the Spirit slightly pass 9:00 am. It was smooth and fast. By this time there was no line up to get off. There were about 7 ships in port on this day so I assume it was a busy day at the port but we never really noticed as we walked out the terminal and our driver was waiting for us.

One of our roll call members booked our transport to the airport. We used Rome Cabs and the service was as promised. There were six of us in a seven passenger van. The van transported our six suit cases with ease. The van was booked for 9:30 but we left about 10 or 15 minutes early as our driver was already waiting for us to arrive. The drive to the airport was uneventful. It took about 45 minutes at the most.

I recommend booking your airport transfer in advance. At the end of our vacation it was nice to walk off the ship and have a driver waiting for us. We did not have time to look around upon exiting the terminal so I cannot comment on taxi and bus shuttles/transfers.

This picture shows you the short distance you have to walk from the ship to the open doors at the terminal. You can see a few passengers walking to the terminal.

Best Guides is another great tour operator in St. Petersburg. We used them last year for a small group of 8 and they were very good.

Some pics from the Spirit May 6-17 2018 cruise. This was on display as we departed Rome on the 6th.

Not sure which bottles were which package.

More Malta Photos

Malta

There is plenty to see in Malta and the sites on my list were spread throughout the island.To get them all in on a half day visit required a driver and guide. Research led me to Amy’s Guided Tours of Malta by Amy Pace. After numerous emails we agreed on both price and itinerary. I posted to the roll call and my wish list of 10 max grew to 13. The size was still manageable in the 17-passenger mini bus we were promised. Between the time I posted to the roll call and got our group together Amy received another tour booking with deposit in hand, so we missed out.

She asked if she could provide another high-quality guide. I emailed the guide change info to our group and all trusted my decision, so I made the booking. Right on cue, Amy emailed exactly three weeks out, as promised,with the tour meeting point, name of our guide and other tour details.

Back to the arrival, sailing in and out of Malta is nice, real nice. The beauty of arriving by ship in most ports world over is you arrive the way most were explored back in the day, by sea. Malta is one of the better ones, up there with Venice, Istanbul and of course through the narrows of St. John’s Newfoundland (my hometown LOL).

Back to our tour. My to do list in Malta included a drive around the Capital Valletta, view the Grand Harbour from the Barracca Garden, short walk down Merchants Street, tour of St. John’s Co-Cathedral,walking tour in Mdina, photo stop at the Blue Grotto arch and a stop at the famous fishing village Marsaxlokk with the colourful boats and waterfront restaurants.

Our group met in Spirit lobby and we departed together. We followed Amy’s directions and found our guide Evelyn waiting as promised. Evelyn looked confused and she asked how many on tour. I said 13 as per our booking. She had paper and notes clearly indicating 13 guests. However, the driver she was sent was driving a 7-passenger van. Was our day falling apart?

Evelyn was able to secure a second 7 passenger vehicle. Our day was salvaged. While waiting for the second driver, driver #1 took half up top of the city and came back about 10 minutes later for the second half.

We had an experienced group of travellers in our group. They were easy going, happy to go with the flow and well aware that sometimes S..T happens.Still, I felt responsible even though I had all my T’s crossed and I’s dotted. TIP - no matter how thorough your plans prepare to expect the unexpected and have plan B in your back pocket or take a cruise line shore excursion.

Evelyn was an OK guide, witty and knowledgeable. She split the driving time between the two vans so both groups had equal commentary along the way. We did not travel in the style and comfort like we did in Olympia, we were cramped in, van #2 was in rough shape but we made do.

Overall a good day. Malta has plenty to see and do. If you DIY and use public transit you will have to pick and choose which sites to visit. Some of our group enjoyed lunch over looking the waterfront during our 45-minute stop in Marsaxlokk. Mdina is certainly worth the visit as is the guided tour of St. John’s Co-Cathedral. If you have time, make the short stop at the Blue Grotto but it is nothing to write home about. Like most in our group we would have liked to have seen more of Valletta.

As for Amy’s Guided Tours of Malta, I suggest you take a pass.

We are on the Spirit in September and your review and pictures has been a HUGE help! Thank you so much for taking the time. Some lines offer offer shuttles from the port in Venice and Dubrovnik, does NCL?

Venice - NCL provided a waterbus shuttle from the port to St. Marks Square on both days. The cost was 20 USD per person for each day. You can pay for one day only if you wish. Our friends from Australia used the NCL shuttle on the first day and it worked out great for them.

Dubrovnik - NCL provided a return shuttle from the ship to Pile Gate. Pretty confident the cost was 15 USD per person. For comparison a Taxi cost 13 euros one way and carry 4 maybe five per car. We shared a taxi and it worked out fine for us.

Thanks for following. Looks like I have to back at it and post about our last port of Malta. Enjoy your trip.

Feel free to send along any other questions.

The Stadium

Temple of Zeus. The remains of each statute including Nike at the very top are on display in the Museum.

Temple of Zeus Today - This pillar is recreated for show. Sections of this pillar are original stone from this very site.

Look closely at the photo Sashia is presenting above and you can these original statues at the top of the Temple of Zeus. These are inside the muesum and Sashia will provide you with an explanation for each.

Hermes of Praxiteles statue of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, by Praxiteles. One of the masterpieces of ancient Greek art. It is thought to be an original of the great sculptor and it is dated to ca.330 B.C. If you have been to Florence, you’ll note the similarities to Michelangelo's David which was created much later between 1501 and 1504. David is much bigger however.

They found thousands of these ancient toy animals sacrificed at the Temple of Zeus. The poor could not sacrifice live animals so they purchased or made these as an offering to Zeus.

Katakolon/Olympia

During research I found images of theOlympia Site and they were basically a bunch of rocks scattered about here andthere. This port, we decided, needed professional help. This led me to “The Travel Insiders” –Despina and Sashia.

Great choice. I corresponded with Despina,one of the partners of this small family run business. We exchanged several emails and came to termson price and itinerary. I posted on the roll call and secured a group of ninein her 17-passenger van. Plenty of room for all.

We were among the first ashore. Despina waswaiting dockside and off we went. TIP –be sure your camera battery is in your camera and not enjoying the day in yourcharger, in your stateroom. I woke up,unplugged my charger but forgot to insert battery in camera. Rookie mistake. My iPhone was a great substitute.

Our first stop was at the Monasteryof Kremasti. Great views, quiet, peaceful and two excellentpresentations by the sisters at two separate sites. Be sure to bring your camera battery. LOL

After the Monastery of Kremasti westopped at the Local Association of Agriculture for olive andwine samples. They were waiting for uswhen we arrived. Samples and presentation were fun. I enjoyed the presentation and tasting thewine, olives and dressings, especially tasting the differences in the dressingswe created, starting with olive oil, then adding vinaigrette, then honey and soon. Each addition provided a differenttaste. The wonders of food chemistry.

Like the Monastery, we were the only group on site. Despina made sure theVIP treatment matched her VIP Limo (see photo).

Next, on to Olympia Village. Their website sums it up this way … The Archaeological Museum of Olympia, oneof the most important museums in Greece, presents the long history of the mostcelebrated sanctuary of antiquity, the sanctuary of Zeus, father of both godsand men, where the Olympic games were born.

Despina saved this site for last. She timed it so most tour buses from our ship were done and gone, theywere most likely tasting wine and olives at the Local Association ofAgriculture. While there I noticed theywere set up to host a big group, had to be our shipmates.

Back to Olympia ……our number two trip highlight (hard to compete withSkocjan Caves). Our tourat Olympia Village exceeded expectations. Knowing a good guide is a must for this site we hit the jackpot. Sashiaour guide is the best guide we have ever experienced. One more time – BESTGUIDE EVER.

Between her contagious enthusiasm, engagingsmile, knowledge and visual aids Sashia was able to visually bring us back intime. For those interested in sports,history and Greek Mythology look no further than Despina and Sashia.

The site has plenty of trees and shade. Ateach stop we would pick an ancient rock and sit under the shaded trees. Openair ancient history 101 – sitting in the very spot where it all took place,imagine that!!!

Sashia would show us visual aids andthrough her special gift of presentation we were drawn back in time. Thescattered rocks were “just a bunch of rocks” no more. Sashia made those rockscome alive. At the museum she “tied itall in” perfectly. Every artifact in the museum came from the site. Old stuff indeed.

After our tour Despina was waiting forus. She dropped us in the Town ofOlympia for a half hour of free time and then back to our ship.

An excellent day. I would highly recommend a small private tourwith The Travel Insiders. Be sure tobook Sashia as your guide. A reallygood guide is a must. As with most European sites only licensed guides areallowed to bring groups for onsite tours. For this site the additional cost for the guide was 130 euros, sharedamong our group.

Some photos ….

We travelled in style.......17 seats and plenty of room.

View form the Monastery

Monastery

More Monastery

Local Association of Agriculture

This is spot where the Olympic Torch is lit for each of the modern games. Temple of Hera provides the background for the photo op.

Thanks for your posts & pic's. We love the Spirit and have had several great Med cruises on her.

Glad to share. Hope to put something together for Olympia soon.

Is Jefferson still playing guitar in Henry’s Pub at night? He was great, remembered all the regulars names each night and played songs for them.

We checked out Henry's but no Jefferson. Our oldest son really enjoyed watching him. Between sets near the end of the cruise he would sit and chat with oldest son and those at his table. We would drop in every night to check in with our son and watch a set and Jefferson would nod and say "welcome Josh's parents". Classy guy. Great musician.

one question. were shows at 7 and 9?

Not 100% sure but there are two shows each night and these times are about right. Maybe 15 minutes give or take at the most. Hopefully someone who cruised on the 11 day trip recently sees this and has copies of the dailies to post or can recall the exact times for you.

One of the pluses for the Spirit is the shows do not need require reservations. There are plenty of seats in theater style seating.

Having the exact times for the shows would be helpful for booking specialty dining times.

Anyone out there with the dailies at home to assist our fellow cruisers plan their upcoming vacations?

Oh the Spirit, I love this ship too. We were on her in 2015 for the Grand med and had a fabulous time. Thank you for posting your experiences! Hope to read more!

 

Nancy

Nancy ....... another worshiper of the Great Ship Spirit ........ as you can see I have a few more ports to go and up next (when time permits) we'll go back in time when people worshiped at the Temple of Zeus, while today we worship the Great Ship Spirit LOL

We did the Grand med on the Spirit in late August 2015. We loved the ship so much we booked her again when she moved to the Caribbean in the fall of 2015, sailing on the Thanksgiving Week Cruise out of Orlando (USA Thanksgiving not our's here in Canada).

Church on Mouse Island - note the dog

Turtle on Mouse Island - Nice views from the picnic table in the background while having a beer or treat from the cafe

The beach near Mouse Island

A few old town pics

Corfu

Another DIY day. We had planned to walk to the port entrance but …… Corfu provides shuttle buses to the entrance and being off early the first shuttle bus was half full when we were walking by so we hopped on. The shuttle dropped us at the port building near the entrance.We stopped at the TIC inside the port building to get directions and bus numbers to Kanoni for our visit to Mouse Island.

The bus stop is outside the entrance to the port. We purchased the all-day bus ticket from the driver for 5 euros pp. The bus company had a very knowledgeable and friendly staff person assisting passengers, selling tickets and providing bus schedules. During ship days they run extra direct buses to and from the old City and port. Very convenient. Tip - get a bus schedule from the assistant or on the bus. Our bus had them located on the left-hand side just pass the first couple rows of seats near the front.

The bus dropped us off near the front gate entrance to the old town. From there we took a leisurely stroll in the old town and shopped a bit. We made our way to Spianada Square and somehow came upon the bus stop for bus 2B to Kanoni. The bus stop is located pretty well in the center of the square on Viktoros Dousmani Street. This street runs through the square and the bus stop can be found on the left side under the trees. The bus arrived and departed a few minutes ahead of schedule.

We got off at Kanoni, the last stop on the route. Kanoni is the drop off point for the most famous and photographed spot on Corfu, the church of Panagia Vlacherna and Pontikonissi better known as Mouse Island. A James bond 1981 “For Your Eyes Only”scene was filmed here.

We enjoyed the view from the café near the bus stop and watched a few planes land. We took the steps through the café which led us to the waterfront. We took the 5-minute boat ride out to Mouse Island. We were accompanied by one other couple on each leg of the trip. The boat ride was quite refreshing and we enjoyed the breeze and views.

Mouse Island is,should I say very quaint. We walked around the island and then climbed the short set of steps up to the church of Pantokrator. I purchased a cold Greek beer for 2 euros from the small gift shop/café next to the church. We relaxed and enjoyed the James Bond moment for half an hour or so enjoying the romantic view for two (plus the shop keeper, two dogs and turtle). TIP - keep camera ready on the island as the planes fly directly overhead prior to landing nearby. Not quite as dramatic as St. Martin in the Caribbean but very nice still the same.

Upon exiting the boat on our return we noticed a beach a short distance from the boat dock. We checked it out and the beach has umbrella’s and loungers. We did not go close enough to see if the chairs can be rented or if they belonged to the property at the top of the hill. I did a search and there is a place called Brachera Beach Bar that shows up on google maps. It may be worth checking out during the summer heat for those wanting a refreshing dip to break up your day.

We took bus 2B back to Corfu town and hopped off one stop past the post office. There were plenty of non-tourist shopping opportunities along these streets located just outside old town. Unfortunately they were closed as it was late on a Sunday afternoon. We walked back to through the old town and caught the local bus back to port. From there we took the complimentary shuttle offered by the Corfu Port Authority back to the Spirit. We planned on checking out both castles/forts but we did not get around to it. Overall a very relaxing day.

Tip – McDonald’s is located at the edge of the old town next to the square. They provide free WiFi. I don’t think a purchase was necessary but in good conscience we purchased a coke and a couple of fries to eat while checking in back home. A purchase also gives you a code for the upstairs bathroom for those in need of a washroom break.They have outside tables which make for a great place to sit and watch the world go by. Been a while since we had McDonald’s ……. and the fries are still tasty.

Mouse Island - the most photographed place on Corfu

Another view of Mouse Island showing the view from the restaurant

Church of Panagia Vlacherna

Inside the Church of Panagia Vlacherna

Planes landing at the airport

Walking around Mouse Island - very peaceful by the water, the other couple on the island went to the church first so we had plenty of quiet relaxing time. There are big rocks to sit on for nice photos.