TwinMamainMN

We visited Venice on part of our Honeymoon 19 years ago. Magical place. Getting lost is half the fun. Go to the islands of Murano to see a glass factory and Burano to see the colorful buildings and handmade lace. They are very different from the city.

Schettino could have saved so many lives and others from being injured if he would have been honest about the situation from the start and acted accordingly. I understand why you refuse to refer to him by his rank. He did not act like a captain and does not deserve the title.

Just my husband and me, unless we find other interested people on the roll call.

@chengkp75 - thanks for including the link to the Costa Concordia official investigation report. I enjoyed reading it. I'm gobsmacked by it, but it was fascinating.

This is super helpful information, thank you!!! We too would skip the long and huge lunch in favor of small bites here and there and lots of gelato while strolling. Did you get a list of options before the excursion day, so you could research and decide? Maybe we would skip Alberobello and have more time in Martina Franca and Ostuni Less drive time too. I appreciate you taking the time to respond to everyone!

Thanks for all the tips. I'm taking notes. The tour from Brindisi seems exactly our style. How long was it total from pick up to drop off, and how much time did you have in each town? I really do not want to spend all day looking out a car/van window with only very limited time wandering or actually touring.

Thanks for sharing your photos and comments. We are doing this same cruise in June 2025 so I'm following along for tips and tour info. You mentioned pre-cruise in Rome (which we will also do). Are you staying somewhere post-cruise? Maybe Venice? We've been to Venice before and think we will do Florence this time for 4 days or so.

@Tlbecker1 - Thanks for the explanation. I stand corrected.

That's why I said "as I understand it..." 🙂 I'm glad it worked for you.

From what I understand, A2S allows a deviation of up to 2 days from your sailing date and you have zero say in the flight times, numbers of connections, layover times, etc. We have always booked our own airfare and will when we do a Med cruise next summer too. We plan on spending 4-5 days precruise in Rome and another 4-5 days post cruise in another city. Maybe Florence.

That first sentence is important. We always book refundable fares. 75% off the second guest would be lovely, but the refundable fare is important for us.

While I haven't been to Europe in several years, in Italy (including St. Peter's Basilica) the requirement was only to cover the shoulders and the knees. It didn't matter the type of material. In Vatican City outside St. Peter's there were many vendors selling thin shawls/pashminas for women who came unprepared. A few euros later and they had a solution.

We just sailed on NCL Bliss at the beginning of March to the Mexican Riveria. The only port day photo I recall was on the first port day in Puerto Vallarta. I don't recall them at all in Mazatlan and know for sure they were not in Cabo. Cabo was busy with tender operations and staging areas for all the excursions.

We bring back a t-shirt for each of our kids, but that's about it for gifts. For ourselves we buy a magnet from each port/city we visit for our collection and maybe an ornament for our Christmas tree or a coffee mug. Small things cost less, are easier to pack and weigh less.

We've sailed several times with Royal and just got back from our first NCL cruise. The biggest difference to us was in entertainment. Lots of game shows on NCL during the day. Our sailing had 2 comedians that alternated. Sometimes in the main theater and sometimes in a smaller venue. Jersey Boys was good, but only offered 2 or 3 days of the 7 day sailing. No creative, unique production shows like we have seen on Royal. No aqua shows like on Royal's big ships. Lots of game shows and trivia on NCL. The best entertainment we had on NCL Bliss (2 weeks ago) was The Beatles Experience. It was phenomenal. 4 men from Argentina. When they sang, you'd have no idea they were another nationality. They did a different show every day they performed, and we saw them 3 times. They perform in the main theater and at the smaller Cavern Club where we were lucky enough to sit in the front row. They were best entertainers on board IMO.

Consider your itinerary first before spending the money. For a port intensive cruise with long days, it may not make financial sense for you to have the drink package (cost of the package plus the service charge) and instead you can just order as you wish and put them on your onboard account which gets paid/charged before you disembark.

I will look forward to your review! Truthfully, I don't think we can go wrong either way. We've been on Equinox before but it's been over 10 years. We enjoyed it a lot. It was our first Celebrity cruise and we've wanted to sail with them again ever since.

Good point, and good idea about the excursions. Hubby and I are not “see it from a bus window” people. We like doing excursions on our own where we can be on our own schedule (or no schedule) and/or doing a tour with a guide that gives us some freedom to wander the area or stay awhile in addition to telling us interesting things and history. We are in our mid-upper 40s.

@capriccio - thanks for the recommendation for Bologna. Great food is always a plus and we’ve not been there before.

So many options in the Med it's overwhelming. We have it narrowed down to the following sailings in June 2025: Celebrity Equinox 9 nt Italian Riveria & France depart Rome (Civitavecchia) at 5p Naples, Italy 7a-5p at sea Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy arrive at 7 am *overnight in Florence/Pisa (La Spezia) and depart at 7p Portofino, Italy 7a-6p Cannes, France 7a-7p Provence (Marseille), France 8a-6p at sea disembark in Barcelona, Spain 5a **OR** Celebrity Constellation 10 night Best of Italy & Croatia depart Rome (Civitavecchia) at 5p Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy 7a-7p Portofino, Italy 7a-7p at sea Naples, Italy 7a-6p Sicily (Messina), Italy 7a-4p Brindisi, Italy 10a-7p Kotor, Montenegro 8a-6p Dubrovnik, Croatia 8a-6p Split, Croatia 7a-4p disembark in Ravenna, Italy 5a Cost wise, Constellation itinerary is $747 more, but also one day longer. Both sailings were quoted by our travel agent and are for a standard veranda cabin. We for sure want to spend 4-5 days in Rome either before/after the cruise, and another short stay either somewhere else in Italy if sailing on Constellation (have been to Venice before), or in Barcelona if sailing on Equinox. Which would you choose, and WHY?

Wow! Thanks everyone for all your help. Lots to consider. I appreciate your kind responses.

We are absolutely spending time pre and post cruise on our own. Likely with lots of help from Rick Steve’s guide books. Rome for sure. Maybe Barcelona or Athens depending on the exact itinerary.

Hubby and I are in our mid-late 40s. We are curious about the average age of Viking passengers (obviously they must be over 18). We would do a Med cruise in May/June 2025 and figure with such a port intensive schedule a small ship with limited venues and activities would suit us just fine. We envision touring during the day, coming back to the ship, having dinner, and getting ready for the next day and going to bed at a decent hour. We like to see and do things on our own and aren't much for bus "hop on, hop off" tours with very limited times to actually see and experience things, but we also recognize with limited port times that might sometimes be the best way to see a port city. Viking has an included excursion in every port. What do they typically include?

We walked the Blue Line in MZ to the Cathedral, then along the most beautiful street to the ocean. We walked the Malecon to see a cliff diver, and then had lunch at El Singaloense de Mazatlan. It's right on the street across from the Malecon. Two story restaurant with amazing and local food, a nice sea breeze and views of the ocean. After all that walking, we chose to spend $5 to take a pulmonia ride to the Pino Suarez Market where we wandered and enjoyed seeing all kinds of meats, produce, chili peppers and souvenirs. We had a paleta from a little ice cream & popsicle shop that was really good. Then we took another pulmonia ride back to the pier area. It was the perfect day for us! We love experiencing local food, architecture, and culture and doing it on our own timeline. The volunteers on the Blue Line are SO helpful - we asked one where the closest public bathroom was and he recommended a bar 2 blocks away where we had great margaritas and got the lunch recommendation after talking to the bartender. Everyone in MZ was so laid back and friendly.

Reporting back after we did this excursion in PV on 3/6/24. Yes, the jeeps were old. It didn't bother us. I didn't think the rough road was that rough, personally. Was it bumpy in spots, yes absolutely. Also, riding in an old jeep with likely very little shock absorption didn't help. I thought that was just part of the fun. We drove for around an hour, stopped at Dona Engracia to learn how tequila is made and do a tasting (if interested) and have 2 tacos and a margarita. The tacos and a welcome drink were included, the margaritas we not. Then a short 10 minute drive to the lovely resort where we had an hour to swim and relax before a 1 hour drive back to PV where we started. We sat in the back open seat of the jeep and in the front. It was dustier in the back because we didn't have the windshield to protect us and because we got some dust from the back of the jeep. Yes, we were dusty. No, we did not need a mask or bandana over the face. We brought water with us from the ship the same way we would for any day in port. Overall, it was a fun excursion and a great way to see real PV and how the locals actually live. It was adventurous and we met some nice people both on the tour, the tour guide, and the person giving the tour at the tequila factory. It was fun to do once, but not an excursion would we repeat if back in PV.