NCteacherlovescruising

Our itinerary specifically lists Trieste as the port. We are they from 6:30 AM-11 PM and then back for debarkation the next morning. We live in NC. It looks like their temps are very similar to our summer. It may make more sense for us to do the MSC cruise after NCL to make the transfer by train instead of plane. I’m more worried about the crowds than the weather. It looks like their weather is much like ours here in Charlotte over the summer. I read that June and September aren’t as crowded as July and August but I’m not certain. If we only do the MSC cruise, we will go earlier in June. That may be what happens because I haven’t convinced dh to do both yet.

It looks like the average high temps in Rome and Naples are very similar from mid-late June and mid July. What about crowds. Would there be much difference between visiting June 24-July 1 and July 12-19?

I need to find out how much hotter and busier Italy will be mid July verses late June. The easiest option seems to do the Athens to Venice cruise first, then the round trip Naples cruise so we don’t have to do extra flights. I was really wanting to do the first cruise in June.

Yes, having Barcelona, Rome and Malta would be amazing! To get the dates to work back to back, the itinerary doesn’t have Rome. However, we would most likely fly into Rome, stay a couple nights and then head to Naples. We would two days in Naples then head to Athens. The one I’m eyeballing now is Naples, Messina, Malta, sea, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples. (No Florence but I can’t have it all!) This is if we do both cruises. The NCL itinerary is amazing, but exhausting. No sea days! It’s Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Zakynthos, Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik Croatia, Venice, Venice. The alternative would be flying into Athens and booking Italy after but I keep hearing it will be hotter and more crowded in July and the NCL cruise is July 3-12. So we can do Italy Jun 24-July 1, or mid July. I have no idea if a couple weeks would make much of a difference or not, but it would be easier and more relaxing to do the port intensive cruise first. And also no additional flights.

The entire trip is important. We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary so I want it to be special! I don’t know if you recall, but we first booked a 9 day NCL Athens to Venice cruise with our friends. We never canceled it after booking the Celebrity retreat from Barcelona to Rome because no need to before final payment. We booked it with cruise next certificates so we haven’t actually paid anything and we will just lose them if we cancel. I booked X onboard so we will only lose $200 if we cancel that. I felt bad backing out of the trip with our friends, but with it being our anniversary I wanted Italy because it’s always been my dream. I also wanted a suite experience for the first time since we are celebrating such a big milestone. I guess I want everything as perfect as it can be. We currently still have both booked. After booking the yacht club with MSC, which is on the 25th, I thought I would see if they would be cheaper in the Mediterranean and they are. I figured if we like it as much as I’m expecting, we could switch to them. But now I’m trying to talk my dh into the Europa cruise, then flying over to Athens to join our friends on the NCL Athens to Venice cruise. So our romantic Italian adventure, being pampered with the suite life and then off for an intense week with our friends with a different port every day. Trying to make the most of the expensive plane tickets to Europe. So yes, I’ve been all over the place, but because this will most likely be the trip of our lifetime.

Are they considered safe? I’m a big wimp when it comes to flying and I I’ll be on some serious drugs to just to get to a Europe to begin with! (Doctor prescribed of course!)

Would this be very expensive?

So trains aren’t an option? We’re looking at a couple options. Only one is the same day.

Any idea what flights normally cost?

I was referring to people sneaking into the YC.

What’s the best and most economical way to get from either Rome or Naples to Athens? Also, would it be possible to get off a ship in Rome and get on a ship in Athens that departs at 10 PM the same day? Even if it is, we’d completely miss seeing Athens.

What’s the best option(s) to get from Rome or Naples to Athens? Which would be best to go from?

They deserve a big bill for that lobster! I agree. Is it like this on all the ships?

No, I haven't.

I really like our Barcelona to Rome with Celebrity we already have booked, however we found this to be a few thousand less and these itineraries look great as well. I really think we will either keep our Celebrity cruise that is already booked or jump over to MSC Europa which hits some major highlights as well. It's going to depend on how much we like the yacht club on our cruise on the 25th. The roughly 3-4k we would save would pay for more land time pre and post cruise! Sounds like those that have done both the retreat and the yacht club think the yacht club is just as nice, if not nicer. It's those that haven't tried the yacht club that think it's "beneath them" to travel with MSC. We aren't snobby and have enjoyed all the cruise lines we've been on!

Are they making them leave? Is there a lot of them?

Perhaps they will find a way to accommodate that many guests. On the ship you're on? That would be disappointing.

What if we dock but it's raining during lunch hours?

Yeah, my husband will never let me tell him what he could and couldn't eat. lol

I'm having such a hard time making a decision. I love this round trip Rome itinerary for the following reasons: 1. It begins and ends in Rome, which is a place we want to spend 2-3 days, not a few hours, and because I can get a direct flight from Charlotte to Rome. 2. I think we would like Cinque Terre. 3. We could easily go to Tuscany and Venice post cruise. Would most likely fly home from Venice. What I don't like as well: 1. It goes to Palma and we would prefer Malta. 2. We would miss the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii Itinerary as follows: Rome at sea Palma 9 AM-11PM Barcelona 8-5 Cannes 8:30-5:30 La Spezia 7-6 Rome I love this round trip itinerary from Naples for the following reasons: 1. It goes to Malta!! Need I say more? 2. We could go to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii pre-cruise. 3. It's on the World Europa which looks like a really cool ship! 4. It goes to Malta! lol Disadvantages: 1. I would prefer round trip from Rome for convenience and planned on staying at the Albergo del Senato and don't think they take reservations for 1 night. 2. No La Spezia, but Malta would make up for that. 3. We would see Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast but would have to decide between Florence and Venice post cruise. (We would still go to Rome post cruise, but probably just for one night since it's also a port of call) I guess is we miss Venice, we could always plan a Venice/Greek cruise in the future, but probably wishful thinking. Itinerary as follows: Naples Messina 9-7 La Valletta, Malta* 8-5 at sea Barcelona 9-6 Marseille 7-6 Genoa 8-4 - Is this enough time for an excursion to Portofino? Naples

This makes me happy! We plan to stay on the ship in Costa Maya so knowing it’s an option is nice. However, it’s it’s nice out we probably be on the pool deck or at the spa. Will the poolside grill be open as well? I assume if the weather is poor it will be open?

We now have it down to the Europa or Seaview, mostly because of itinerary. While having it all together would be nice, that wouldn’t be a deal breaker. Glad to hear you liked it better than the retreat. We won’t decide until we take our cruise on the 25th. My last cruise, in December, was in Aqua. While I did enjoy Blu, I wouldn’t pay a lot more for aqua.

Perhaps those on MSC tip better in addition to the service fees since they are saving so much upfront.

Thanks you for sharing! We will be on in 10 days. So excited!!

Is the train comfortable? Easy or hard to navigate with luggage?