Janet&Carl

I have been searching but cant find it - I am sorry to have to ask but can anyone tell me where the spreadsheet attachment is hiding

I have been reading the board and still undecided on which world cruise. I am surprised that no one mentioned which ports the cruise goes to as a priority. I have short listed cruises and in doing so have added up how many port days to sea days. Some of the cheaper ( Princess, Cunard) have really bad ratios. Next criteria is how many are new ports. Having flown half way round the world to most cruises (which has been one of the biggest expenses of each holiday) to book a holiday that just repeats what we have already done would be crazy. So food is not that important, most lines have something I can choose to eat and I can buy specialty restaurant access on cheaper lines that dont provide a good menu. Entertainment is ok but not the be all and end all of my considerations. Comfort and service with a smile is important I get that on most cruises. We prefer serene, quiet environments to loud party scenes. We are easy going and dont complain about very much at all so most lines suit us. We have tried 7 different lines and can find good and bad in all. So given the above considerations and the fact that this may be a one of experience the more ports the better and the more new ports going to places that are still on our list to see is the primary consideration.

When can I expect that the next promotion with special prices will be ? I am wanting to join friends on a long cruise in January 2025. They got a terrific price but I was cruising overseas at the time they booked and when I came back the price had gone up, double what they paid. I was overseas again and have missed the Black Friday sale. This sale had a price approximately $5,000 more expensive than they paid but still acceptable. This week the price is back up to double what they paid. Desperate for the next sale I would like to know when to possibly look out for it. Thanks Janet

The trains are easy - you should be able to get there fairly early - they take approx 45 minutes from the port to the "San Pietro" stop which will get you to St Peters Basilica and the Vatican. When you use the ticket machine at the station choose the english language button and buy an "All day ticket". This costs around 12 euro and will get you travel on metro, train and buses as well as the light rail that goes out to places like Ostia. There is also a free port shuttle that will get you from your ship to the train station and back to the ship again when you return.

Who are you sailing with At7Seas ?

We personally like Azamara as well but have not sailed with Cunard. My preference is MSC Yacht Club but they do not do WC on ships with YC. 😞 We have just returned from our third Azamara voyage doing the Greek Isles and it was very comfortable but I feel the facilities and activities would become repetitive on such a long WC. Taking another look at HAL because I do like their pole to pole offering.

We did this cruise last year. You park up right in the centre. No need for shuttle - you just cross the road.

Easiest way from Venice to Marittima is by the people mover. The monorail is accessed from the bus station. Get off at the first stop.

The only ports I have actually seen crime is Brazil. In San Salvador we were waiting to reboard the tour bus after a stop and a very large American man had his gold necklace ripped off his neck by a robber who just ran off with it down the alleys and streets opposite. Very daring robbery. I always put my jewelry in the safe when in ports.

The pole to pole is the best WC I have seen so far. I would love this itinerary. It appears expensive for what it is - doesnt seem like any inclusions except the norm. Does anyone know if HAL WC has inclusions such as gratuities, drinks, wifi, laundry etc... like some of the others do for a very similar price.

Excellent review -pretty spot on

We were also told this boarding in Brisbane earlier this year. This message was not given to the Americans as most of them boarded with a bottle or two of wine. They told us that is was an "Australian rule" but it wasnt.

Most ? well Silversea is out of our price range - Azamara/Viking would be at the very top and MSC and Costa in the comfort zone 😉. We actually like MSC and have cruised on them often but I would only like to book a suite. Same with Costa. Azamara didn't suit me as I was very sea sick and we were sailing in the Med. I have done crossings on a few ships and never been sick !! so I dont know if it was because it was a small ship or because it was an old ship. We are trying Azamara again this year to see how I feel as they would be our preference for our WC.

I agree with you about the cost - that is one of our considerations. We are not rich by any means but have saved for what will be for us this once in a lifetime opportunity. You spend about the same but the experience between Costa and Azamara is vastly different.

Thanks again Jan - after binge watching your blog we have put MSC back on the list of possibles. We prefer the itinerary for 2024 but are not ready to go next year as we already have cruises booked with friends that I would not like to cancel. If they repeat 2024 itinerary we would jump in a heartbeat. Do you mean Magnifica ?? Richard@sea /. Grandiosa has Yacht Club and they usually do the WC on ships with no YC. I like that MSC includes meal time drinks, excursions etc.. but I am still leaning to Azamara as we really enjoyed our cruise on them apart from a few niggles 😉