sweetpea222

I didn't do a review. Too depressed that it was all over I guess. But I will say, the girls did great on the trip. I actually have two girls, twins, who were twelve at the time we were away. They did great with the idea of packing light, and even had room in their suitcases for souvenirs.

For our two weeks in Paris, we rented a great little apartment in the Latin quarter, a block or two from Notre Dame. It was perfect, we could walk or take the metro everywhere, and had everything we needed to cook fresh food from the markets and just relax and feel like it was a home. We made sure to balance cultural days (Louvre, etc) with fun days (Disney Paris, shopping, markets, the gardens of Versailles). Having the last two weeks of our trip there, with no set plan in mind, let us experience Paris at a relaxed and casual pace, and as such it ended up being my favourite place. Sitting outside Notre Dame one warm night, at close to midnight, listening to a guitarist from Barcelona sing a Leonard Cohen song, while our girls lay their heads in our laps and the air was warm...a memory I will never forget.

Paris is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. You will not be disappointed, I promise. I envy you!

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As the OP of this thread, I'm pleased to see that it's still being discussed...my trip to Europe was almost a year ago :( ... I wish more than anything that we were heading out this summer as well! It was an amazing trip.

So let me share how my packing went, in the hopes that it might help others plan for their own trips :D

First of all, I cannot imagine doing what we did with more than just my carry on (Samsonite 20" expandable) and a purse/bag (I took along a Kipling cross body bag that worked beautifully). Our trip included 3 nights in London, 2 nights in Venice, a 12 night free style Med cruise on NCL, 2 nights in Barcelona and finally 2 full weeks in Paris.

And YES! I managed it all with just my carry on, and there were even a couple of things I brought that I only wore once or not at all. I did buy a few things on our travels, but they were very light and easy to pack in because it was July and HOT HOT HOT the entire trip. We only saw rain once in Rome for about an hour, and then a morning or two in Paris. Packing light is much easier when you are packing summer clothes. I took a rain coat along that I bought at Costco and never wore it once.

My clothing of choice were maxi skirts (black and grey) that I could either dress up or dress down - with a tank top or t-shirt for shore trips, a nicer sleeveless top for dinner. I had two good travel skirts also, one black and one tan, that I paired with light tops for day time and for travel. I took along a pair of cargo capri pants in a grey that I wore a lot, and were easy to wash out and hang dry. I also took along two dresses, one pink travel dress I bought in San Diego before we left that was light and airy and easy to pack, and the other blue faux-wrap dress that I really loved and looked somewhat dressed up on shore excursions to Florence and Toulon, but was light and again washed and dried really well. I lived in dresses and skirts, because it was so hot. I don't do shorts at all, and I'm glad I don't as I did not see many locals wearing shorts in Italy or France, and I wanted to feel like I blended in as much as is possible for a tourist.

I took two pairs of shoes, one really good walking sandal that was black leather and cute with a dress or pants, and a slightly less sturdy sandal that looked great with maxi skirts and worked well for dinner. Both were flats, I did NOT take heels at all. Too much walking, too many surfaces are uneven and slippery. My daughter took a tumble at the Acropolis and cracker her cell phone (which was devastating for a 12 year old girl!) but luckily both she and the phone were ok. But it's easy to slip and fall at these sites, and I saw a couple of women almost unable to move easily because they were wearing these ridiculous high heeled wedge sandals. Crazy.

A sun hat is a MUST if you are there in the summer. It was upwards of 35 degrees many days and really hot. We bought scarves in Venice that worked well too, I just tied it around the end of my bag, covering the zipper (extra security!) and it looked cute but was also functional in Istanbul for covering our heads/shoulders when entering mosques.

In Barcelona we had a bit of trouble getting my case to fit in the guideline holder for EasyJet luggage. It was a bit too wide (stuffed from our cruise) so we re-distributed my things and it worked out ok. They are pretty strict about one bag only, so be aware and try to pack accordingly. In Paris we bought a duffel bag and were able to bring more stuff home that way. We checked our bags all the way home to Canada, which was nice.

All in all it is MORE than doable. But I'm a really low-key dresser. I like to wear skirts and dresses, which fold down to practically nothing so I was able to fit a lot in. I brought tank tops, cute shirts that were flowy and didn't wrinkle much, and I don't wear jewellery or lots of shoes so that wasn't a problem. All in all, I could do it again easily. You'd be surprised how you focus in on just a few items that make you feel terrific and wear them again and again, and who would know besides your travel partners and they don't care at all if you wear the same thing!

If you have any questions, just let me know. It is fun to remember the trip, it was just fabulous and I would go back tomorrow with the clothes on my back if I could :D

Julia came through with the refund this morning. There was apparently some miscommunication on their end but she took full responsibility for that and made every effort to have the refund processed immediately, which it was.

I definitely appreciate her prompt replies and her efforts on our behalf. :)

I just got an email from Julia yesterday saying she had been away, so maybe you'll get your answer now that she's back...

I hope so. She is certainly prompt at answering emails, but whoever is in charge of issuing refunds is not so prompt. I'm glad you had a good tour with them.

I'm sorry you had such a different experience with them. I can only write about the experiences we had, and before, during and after our tours I had nothing but excellent ones. Each time I wrote to Julia before our trip I received prompt responses. When I had a question about paying the balance of one of our tours by credit card instead of in euros, she handled that as well without any problem. So I have to stand by my review and commend them for our tours because we really did enjoy their services immensely...

I'm glad to hear it. Julia did reply promptly to my email, saying she would look into it immediately, so hopefully it will get resolved soon.

All I know is I cancelled my train tickets to Rome with them, and was assured by Julia via email that the refund would be processed within two weeks. After two weeks I emailed again and was told she had contacted the admin dept who apologized for the delay and would process the refund that day. This was two weeks ago and still nothing.

Not impressed.

Thank you for asking this. We booked the Florence on your own excursion with NCL, but my hubby is more interested in exploring the city that inspired the gorgeous artwork, than spend his time in the museums.

After the craziness that will be Rome the day before, I'd enjoy a relaxing day in the city that sparked the Renaissance.

For our upcoming Med cruise, we're doing a mix of DIY and ship tours. We are doing Rome on our own feeling pretty confident after doing so much research here and other places online. But the next day in Livorno, we have booked the ship's transport-only to Florence. Just didn't want to deal with a long DIY train ride two days in a row, so we thought we would appreciate an easy transfer and no stress about missing the ship.

All the members of my family have one of those bottles. We love them and never had problems with leaks when closed properly.

That's good to know. I hate using disposable bottled water, and prefer to reuse bottles where possible. BUT we're travelling light and the sport bottles are just too big and bulky to take along while travelling.

We're in an inside on deck 11. I am hoping there is a fridge in there so we could fill our bottles the night before and then chill them overnight.

Just a quick note for those of you sailing in July or August (we are July out of Venice). This is a HOT itinerary in those months. Be prepared with hats, water and think of those you are traveling with, small children or elderly. We have done similar trips before and Greece, Turkey, Italy when it is hot and crowded, it is easy to get over heated. Bring lots of water and plan for some tours with a air conditioned bus, or at least a place to get cooled down. I speak from experience.. Just a heads up...:)

 

Happy Travels to you all.. Looking forward to Venice as it has been 2 years since we have been....:D

Thanks. Did you bring water bottles from home and fill them every day on the ship? I drink a lot of water, and I know with four of us, trying to lug enough water around will be a challenge.

Has anyone tried those bottles that lie flat when empty? Do they leak?

Thanks. I also read about Le Petit train de Toulon, the little train that stops at the beach and in town near the market. Has anyone taken this? Is it a worthwhile and fun way of getting around, for the kids?

We would like to go to town to the market in the morning, then head to the beach and have lunch, relax until we leave for the ship. We are in town from 9 to 5 pm, on a Sunday. Not sure if that makes a difference?

Toulon is our last port before disembarking in Barcelona in July. We know the kids (age 12) will be pooped by that point, so we thought a beach day might be just the thing. Can anyone suggest a nice beach nearby, and how to get there? Do we pay for chairs or should we just bring along our beach towels from the ship? Also, what about umbrellas?

I was thinking we'd combine it with a walk around the town and hopefully a browse through the market.

Does this sound easily doable? I confess, Toulon is the last port on my mind when it comes to planning, for some reason. I want to keep it relaxing, flexible, and fun for the kids (and us!)

Thank you for the info. We will keep an eye out for the red bus as we leave the port. Did you have to wait long for the bus to fill before leaving?

Just looked up the red and blue hoho bus routes, and it looks like the combined red/blue itinerary runs every 30 minutes from the port area. From looking at their website, it looks like the combined route costs a bit more but I am thinking it's because of the transport to and from the port.

Thank you so much for sharing info! We're sailing on July 10. :)

Just got off Spirit.. Wifi in most ports.. Free in Venice and Athens right at terminal, and if not most cafes etc had wifi, they had signs in the windows, just ask for the code.

We did the hoho bus at the port in Athens and it was great cause you didn't have to deal with taxis or walking to the metro and when we finally saw the bus stop and public bus, we were VERY grateful we were on the hoho bus! Only wish we had gotten off ship a bit earlier. Bus took us right to Acropolis when you get off, and then you pick up bus back to port down street from Acropolis museum, near Temple of Zeus ( take back exit at Acropolis near amphitheater) Very, very easy DIY!!

We were planning to DIY Athens. Which HOHO bus company did you use? Did you purchase the tickets ahead of time, online? Did it take a long time to get to the Acropolis? We really just plan on seeing the Acropolis, the museum, and then wandering around the Plaka, so would be using it more for transportation than touring. My husband and I have both been to Athens before, but will have our kids with us this time and want to make the day as enjoyable as possible (and easy as possible, as I know how hot and crowded it will likely be).

Since this is really our first trip to Europe, we plan on booking ship excursions for the more intimidating ports/cities such as Rome and Athens but we are also considering them for Izmir, Pompeii and Pisa because its seems that the sights are a fair distances from the ship. We also get the impression that Mykonos is a DIY no-brainer and that one can navigate Istanbul and Toulon easily. Is this a fair assessment of the ports?

We plan on arriving in Barcelona a few days in advance and and since we have the time to get lost, lol, are considering the HOHO bus as our method of sight-seeing. As well, we expect to stay and extra day or two in Venice so we'll just DIY and hope not to get our feet wet! Hahaha

Good plan?? All comments and suggestions are appreciated!

I think that sounds fair. We've been to Athens before, and from what I've read it is fairly straightforward to take transit to the Acropolis area. All of the sights you will want to see are quite close together in Athens, so we'll DIY there. If we get tired, we'll take a cab back to the port.

I've also read that if you want to just see Pompeii, it also is easily reached via train or bus. We are planning that port as a DIY too. Just have to make sure to be reasonable with our time.

Izmir, if you are going to Ephesus, is a no-brainer ship tour or private tour, IMO. Much shorter port time and quite far away.

Sounds to me like you have a nice balance of tours and DIY. We also consider Mykonos an easy DIY. :D

Yup, we are in the heart of wine region. We also make some great ciders here! :D

Thanks for the tips. I need to find my bag soon so I can do some practice packing. I am a bit of an organizer freak. My family thinks I am nuts but when the trip goes smoothly from beginning to end, they are thanking me.

I love MEC! We used to shop at the store on Broadway when we lived in Van. We're up in the Okanagan now unfortunately, so unless they have free shipping it might not be very cost effective to have a bag shipped up here. But I will definitely look. I love doing research online :D

Love the look of those bags, but they are a bit pricey for me unfortunately!

I am still looking for my carry on bag, at 53 days to go. Have my wardrobe pretty much figured out and hanging in the closet, but I really need the bag so I can do some practice packing and make sure I can fit everything I need in there.

Maybe I will buy myself something this weekend as my Mother's Day gift :rolleyes:

I'm pretty happy with my clothing choices at this point. It helps that I've lost 12 lbs. Things fit better and I feel better wearing them! Still would like to lose 3 more but I'm also exercising more so things fit better no matter what the scale says.

I'll detail what I'm taking soon, to give others an idea of what I can fit and how it will all work. I find threads like this invaluable to getting ready to go for such a long time. Thanks to everyone who continues to post ideas and links, it's great! :D

Yowza. That's hot! We often get the low 30s here, and sometimes mid 30s to even 36, 37 so we know hot, but it's not comfortable at that temp unless you have some water to relax in. We will be taking the tram I think.

Were you in Istanbul on a Monday? I just read that the Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays. :( Of course, that's the day we're there. We do the reverse of this cruise, sailing out of Venice.

Should we try for the Blue Mosque, Topeki Palace, and Grand Bazaar then? We plan to DIY,

Thanks

We are on the Venice to Barcelona version of this cruise, leaving on July 10. Can't wait to read your review and the ones to follow. :D

Did you take the commuter train to DIY in Rome? I know you mentioned there were quite a few ships in port and it was crowded. Was there any issues with catching the train there or back? Did you have to stand on the way back? What station did you board for the return journey?

I agree, and I plan on wearing dresses or skirts for the most part, for the hottest days we're touring. The two I have so far are both travel material, that apparently wicks moisture away and (hopefully) I'll be able to wash them in the sink and hang them to dry during the day.

I have also heard of a laundry special the ship runs about halfway through the 12 day cruise, where you can fill a bag for one (relatively) reasonable price. That will have to do for our hard to wash items.

I'll have my two 12 year old girls and hubby with me, so might be doing a fair bit of hand washing every evening. Hoping to have fabrics that will dry overnight for the most part.

So much of what you bring depends on where you're going, how long you'll be gone, what you'll be doing, etc. There is definitely no "one size fits all"

Luckily for me, our cruise is with NCL so the skirts/dresses I bring should be good enough for dinner. I imagine we'll be pooped after a long day touring, too, so won't want to have to get too fancied up when we get back. I want to be relaxed, not stressed, so will make the most of whatever I bring and won't worry about it. Hopefully :rolleyes:

I'll take 2 nighties, and make them the super light silky ones so I can easily wash them in the sink and hang to dry. They shouldn't take up much space at all in my carry on.

I am going to make a list of what I still need to buy and start looking. It's tough but someone's got to do it :D

I wondered about the UK weather. Hoping for sunshine but you just never know. Maybe best to take a light jacket and wear it on the plane. Thanks!

I'll check out footsy rolls...never heard of those before. My eyes read tootsie rolls at first. :)

As the OP for this thread, it's been so interesting to read all the responses. Thank you!

The more research I do on packing lightly, and the more capsule wardrobes examples I look at on pinterest, polyvore, and websites like travel fashion girl, the more clearly I am seeing what I need to take with me. It's been really fun trying to plan it all! :D

Right now, here is my plan: ** = need to buy

3 skirts:

1. light grey super lightweight maxi skirt

2. grey, blue, orange maxi skirt (really cute pattern)

3. knee length skirt (probably black, stretchy)**

3 pants:

1. light grey cropped pant, very slim fitting and stretchy material

2. cargo capri pants, dark grey, by North Face

3. black yoga pants for the plane ride and down time **

3-4 dresses:

1. pink travel dress

2. grey/blue patterned travel dress

3. black dress, probably lightweight stretchy jersey or similar **

4. one more dress, for day tours **

4 Tanks for layering. Some with a shelf bra for layering and I have one black one by Ex-Officio that I found on sale at a travel store, that is loose fitting and would layer over something else. White, pink (have) Black, blue **

2 Sweaters:

1. soft white from Forever 21 that layers over top of a tank and is really light

2. heavier cardigan for the plane or if it is cooler in London **

4-5 tops:

1. blue and white scarf pattern short sleeve blouse

2. sheer long sleeve button up that ties in the front (sleeves can roll up) **

3. two t-shirts, not sure but probably one white and one colour, with sleeves, light weight **

4. black top **

Sandals:

1. taos black leather

2. taos brown leather

3. hopefully a very small pair of black ballet flats if I can squish them in

2 Nighties

Undies (can wash in the sink)

I don't know yet if this will work, but when I lay everything out on the bed that I already have, I can see the outfits I can wear from them. Plus, they all seem to be good lightweight material that (hopefully) will pack small. I took a trip to San Diego 3 weeks ago with my Mom and took quite a bit in a carry on. More than I thought I could take. So hopefully with some smart packing I will be fine. As long as stuff can be washed and hung to dry and (I HOPE) doesn't look horrible afterwards, I don't mind re-wearing things over and over again.

They say you should do some hand-washing at home to see how things will turn out. I still have some stuff to look for, which is a tough job but I guess I'm up for it :D

Only about 83 days to go now!

Oh my. I feel so bad asking for a copy of your notes as well. We'll be there in July and are hoping to do Heraculaneum and Sorrento, taking the train from Naples and then the hydrofoil back to the ship.

If you (or if anyone else who has already received them and wants to help Cruisemom with all the requests) could forward them to me, that would be so nice.

kimdoucette2@gmail.com

Thanks in advance!!