Live From the Garden Villa on the Jade

[Beauseant]

I wont risk it in the museum....but in the Great Pyramid maybe. Anyway....Great Pyramid's not a tomb--hot topic and too long for here,and don't want to be banned from entering in there by Mr. Zahi Hawass -- ( one found any mummies in there yet, so will not be cursed) :)

 

Thanks Turtles06.

[Beauseant]

...sorry, wrong spelling: wanted to say no one found any mummies in there

[Turtles06]

...sorry, wrong spelling: wanted to say no one found any mummies in there

 

I know that, and that technically it's not actually a tomb. So the karma decision is all yours! Have a great trip! :)

[AuntieBarb]

We had to run our items through a scanner but got to keep everything because our guide told us to leave our cameras in the van. I'm not sure what they would have done with them if we had brought them in. Everything was safe in the van as the driver stayed with it all the time. Hope this helps.

 

Thank you!

 

May I ask what happened at Acropolis? I understand that bags are not permitted there either?

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Thank you!

 

May I ask what happened at Acropolis? I understand that bags are not permitted there either?

 

Bags and cameras were allowed......

[Maxy Mouse]

It has been a great cruise. Thanks again for taking the time to write to all of us. Enjoy your sea day and have a safe journey home.

[jalynn]

Cathy--When we are on this cruise in March, we will be trying to leave the ship as early as humanly possible (carrying our luggage) and get a cab to the airport for a 9:55 AM flight. If you don't mind, after the cruise would you post the earliest time that you know of anyone being able to leave the ship and whether or not there were LOTS of cabs available...and if there was a long line for them? I know I can book a car to be waiting...I'm just still nervous about making the flight with the tighter security since Christmas.

 

Thank you for a most informative and interesting day by day review of your cruise. I've looked forward to each post. Have a safe trip home!

 

Jo Ann...flying to Barcelona ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!!!!!

[jjb415]

It has been a great cruise. Thanks again for taking the time to write to all of us. Enjoy your sea day and have a safe journey home.

 

Same from me !! Thanks so much. :)

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Cathy--When we are on this cruise in March, we will be trying to leave the ship as early as humanly possible (carrying our luggage) and get a cab to the airport for a 9:55 AM flight. If you don't mind, after the cruise would you post the earliest time that you know of anyone being able to leave the ship and whether or not there were LOTS of cabs available...and if there was a long line for them? I know I can book a car to be waiting...I'm just still nervous about making the flight with the tighter security since Christmas.

 

Thank you for a most informative and interesting day by day review of your cruise. I've looked forward to each post. Have a safe trip home!

 

Jo Ann...flying to Barcelona ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!!!!!

 

Tomorrow morning we can disembark with carry off luggage as early as 5:30 - and our concierge said it won't be crowded until after 6:30. We have a limo courtesy of NCL and are leaving at 6:30 am. If any of this info changes, I'll let you know after I get home.

 

Have a great cruise!

[logicandsin]

hi cathy i have a question about the egyptian museum in cairo. i visited there many years ago and i remember that they offered a camera permit. did you notice whether this was still available or have they strictly forbidden the use of cameras all together now.

 

 

and i would like to thank you for your detailed 'live' review, your first hand words have been ... think of a phrase here ... as there are so many ways of saying thanx to you for taking the time out of your vacation to let us all know your thoughts and feelings.

 

i hope you have a good and safe flight home and spend many of those hours on your flight looking back on the memories you have of your time in the garden villa ... something i can only dream of ...

 

once again THANK YOU :D

[bubba88]

Malta

We were up early, had a leisurely breakfast in Cagney's, and then watched from our fabulous GV view as we saw the island of Malta in the distance.

 

Everyone says the cruise into the harbor at Malta is one of the nicest and we were looking forward to seeing it for ourselves. From a distance it was obvious the island's hills were dotted with villages and as we got closer we could see what looked like forts all around the harbor. We came through a tight break wall on each side of the ship and deep into the harbor, passing several elevated fortresses. Malta is exactly what you expect/want a Mediterranean port to be. Clean, beautiful, kind of beige buildings and churches with beautiful country side vistas and villages.

 

We had booked a private car, driver and guide with Charmaine at SwanSea Car Hire Malta (swansab@malta-car-hire.com). We debated before booking as we weren't positive we needed a guide, but it only took about 5 minutes with Marie Louise for us to realize we would have been lost without her. She met us at the ship and we headed inside the walls of Valleta. Our driver, Manuel, dropped us at the Upper Barrach Gardens where we looked down on cannons overlooking the harbor. From there we walked through some of the beautiful streets to St. John's Co-Cathedral / Museum. It was well worth the 6 Euro entry and Marie Louise was very knowledgeable about history and restoration. From there we went to the city of Mdina, a beautiful city surrounded by a (dry) moat and overlooking Malta, with narrow streets and beautiful buildings and views. And then a quick trip through a fishing village. Our tour was only 4 hours as our stay in Malta was only 7 hours. We found a sidewalk restaurant for pizza and wine. The city of Malta is amazingly clean - the first city we have visited where we didn't see any graffiti. We visited a few shops looking at glass works and lace pieces created locally, but only bought a few t-shirts at the Hard Rock Bar at the Harbor.

 

We backed away from the dock at straight up 6:00 pm and made a very tight turnaround in the basin, and we're now headed back to Barcelona. It's dark on the way out so I'm glad we saw the cruise in this morning.

 

We haven't mentioned much about the entertainment because there hasn't been much to say. Most of the shows were put on by the production company plus there was a violinist (we didn't attend), Spanish dancers (none of us were impressed), three Spanish guitarists/comedians who were okay, and a Celine Dion imitator who probably would have been better if she had just been herself instead of imitating Celine. We had stopped going to shows on cruise ships several years ago when they all started looking/sounding alike. But last year, on the Gem, we started the cruise with 5 sea days and plenty of time to see the shows and made an effort to see most of them. We were impressed with the quality and diversity of the entertainment offered. But the Jade is pretty much the same type of entertainment we had stopped attending. So, some people will love it and some people won't. Tracey Shield, with her tribute to Celine Dion, got a standing ovation. And the entertainment will probably change for future cruises. It's free, the theater is nice and you don't have to worry about parking or driving home!

 

There was a very diverse group of friendly people on this sailing. Announcements were in German, Spanish and English. We saw lots of families traveling with children.

 

We plan to have a lovely day at sea tomorrow and dinner tomorrow night at Le Bistro. Then packing and early to bed because we will be up very early on Friday - so that we can be off the ship by 6:30 am as we are concerned about the Lufthansa strike. We are flying Lufthansa from Barcelona to Frankfurt and then Frankfurt to Houston on a Lufthansa flight operated by Continental. Hopefully, all their flights will be on schedule by then. Unfortunately we have only 1 1/2 hours between flights in Frankfurt - so not sure we will make our connection. I'm certain we will get home eventually.

 

 

More later,

Cathy

 

If you run across a lovely couple from Easton, Maryland, Dorothy and Will, they are on with you and my cousins!! Please tell them "hello" from cousin Patti in North Carolina. I hear their horses are snowed in. Have a wonderful trip home. Patti

[beamer101]

Our family would also like to thank you very much for the detailed reports you have taken the time to share with us. We are booked on the Jade in a little under a month and it has been great getting this sneak peak. And thank you very much for taking the high road about whatever bumps in the road happeded on your trip. We have really appreciated your positive outlook.

[pcreek]

Thanks so much for this very detailed review of your trip!

 

Between reading this thread, and tweets & photos from James.(also on this cruise), I really felt like I was virtually along with you!

 

Thoroughly enjoyed the read. Would love to actually do this cruise someday..but that day is far in the future.

 

Thanks again for taking the time!! :D

[cruitenn]

Felt like I was just on the cruise with you. Took a 2008 Mediterranean cruise (Malta, Naples, Livorno, Nice & Monte Carlo) on the Gem in July/August, 2008 and in 2004 on Celebrity (Italy, Greece & Croatia). I have always wanted to visit most of the places that you cruised to but I can't convince my husband to get on another plane since August, 2008. It was quite an achievement to get him to Barcelona to meet up with the Gem.

 

Your review has made it possible for me to enjoy those places, although it is also convincing me that I should try to talk him to get on a plane again. Since 2008, we have only been on cruises that leave from the New York area.

 

Thanks for taking time off your busy schedule to share your experiences with us. I really enjoyed your review and I love the positive attitude that you take on how to enjoy the things that work and not dwell on the little things that does not.

 

Safe trip home!

[hbe]

Malta

We were up early, had a leisurely breakfast in Cagney's, and then watched from our fabulous GV view as we saw the island of Malta in the distance.

 

Everyone says the cruise into the harbor at Malta is one of the nicest and we were looking forward to seeing it for ourselves. From a distance it was obvious the island's hills were dotted with villages and as we got closer we could see what looked like forts all around the harbor. We came through a tight break wall on each side of the ship and deep into the harbor, passing several elevated fortresses. Malta is exactly what you expect/want a Mediterranean port to be. Clean, beautiful, kind of beige buildings and churches with beautiful country side vistas and villages.

 

We had booked a private car, driver and guide with Charmaine at SwanSea Car Hire Malta (swansab@malta-car-hire.com). We debated before booking as we weren't positive we needed a guide, but it only took about 5 minutes with Marie Louise for us to realize we would have been lost without her. She met us at the ship and we headed inside the walls of Valleta. Our driver, Manuel, dropped us at the Upper Barrach Gardens where we looked down on cannons overlooking the harbor. From there we walked through some of the beautiful streets to St. John's Co-Cathedral / Museum. It was well worth the 6 Euro entry and Marie Louise was very knowledgeable about history and restoration. From there we went to the city of Mdina, a beautiful city surrounded by a (dry) moat and overlooking Malta, with narrow streets and beautiful buildings and views. And then a quick trip through a fishing village. Our tour was only 4 hours as our stay in Malta was only 7 hours. We found a sidewalk restaurant for pizza and wine. The city of Malta is amazingly clean - the first city we have visited where we didn't see any graffiti. We visited a few shops looking at glass works and lace pieces created locally, but only bought a few t-shirts at the Hard Rock Bar at the Harbor.

 

We backed away from the dock at straight up 6:00 pm and made a very tight turnaround in the basin, and we're now headed back to Barcelona. It's dark on the way out so I'm glad we saw the cruise in this morning.

 

We haven't mentioned much about the entertainment because there hasn't been much to say. Most of the shows were put on by the production company plus there was a violinist (we didn't attend), Spanish dancers (none of us were impressed), three Spanish guitarists/comedians who were okay, and a Celine Dion imitator who probably would have been better if she had just been herself instead of imitating Celine. We had stopped going to shows on cruise ships several years ago when they all started looking/sounding alike. But last year, on the Gem, we started the cruise with 5 sea days and plenty of time to see the shows and made an effort to see most of them. We were impressed with the quality and diversity of the entertainment offered. But the Jade is pretty much the same type of entertainment we had stopped attending. So, some people will love it and some people won't. Tracey Shield, with her tribute to Celine Dion, got a standing ovation. And the entertainment will probably change for future cruises. It's free, the theater is nice and you don't have to worry about parking or driving home!

 

There was a very diverse group of friendly people on this sailing. Announcements were in German, Spanish and English. We saw lots of families traveling with children.

 

We plan to have a lovely day at sea tomorrow and dinner tomorrow night at Le Bistro. Then packing and early to bed because we will be up very early on Friday - so that we can be off the ship by 6:30 am as we are concerned about the Lufthansa strike. We are flying Lufthansa from Barcelona to Frankfurt and then Frankfurt to Houston on a Lufthansa flight operated by Continental. Hopefully, all their flights will be on schedule by then. Unfortunately we have only 1 1/2 hours between flights in Frankfurt - so not sure we will make our connection. I'm certain we will get home eventually.

 

 

More later,

Cathy

 

Hi Cathy,

which side would you recommend. port or starboard, thanks

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

We had a few bumps in the road, but we are home and happy to be here.

 

For those of you going on this cruise who asked questions, here are the details regarding disembarking in Barcelona.

• We were up at 5:00 and Monica escorted us off the ship at 6:30. Our luggage was easy to find and she took us to the waiting van and car, which is what was required for 6 people with luggage.
  
• At 6:45 when we pulled away from the terminal there were about 200+ taxis lined up, waiting for passengers.
  
• We were flying business class: Lufthansa to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Houston.
  
• We arrived at Barcelona airport and were through check in and security by 7:30, including an unoffensive pat down for each of us.
  
• Our flight was scheduled to depart at 10:05.
  
• I know I have mentioned this before, but the Barcelona airport is absolutely beautiful and easy to get around.
  
• Due to the air traffic control issues in France, our inbound flight was about 30 minutes late.
  
• We loaded quickly, but because we were late taking off we lost our original "slot" flying back across France and had to wait until 11:30 to depart.
  
• We only had 1 1/2 hours between flights so we didn't think we would make the connection in Frankfurt.
  
• But we made up some time - and arrived with about 15 minutes to spare - but, while they were announcing connection gates while we were landing, they didn't have any information on our Lufthansa booked but Continental operated flight.
  
• Also, we sat on the tarmac waiting for our gate to open - so we were hoping our connection had been delayed.
  
• We rushed to the end of the terminal and up the escalator (Frankfurt has two levels of outbound flights), and at the top of the escalator we had to go through security where they were opening every bag.
  
• Then through passport control.
  
• Needless to say, we missed our connection, as did about another 50 people in line to get rebooked.
  
• Lufthansa gave us hotel rooms at the Sheraton in the airport plus dinner and breakfast vouchers and booked us on the 10:40 a.m. flight for the following day (Saturday).
  
• Our friends flying to Cleveland left Barcelona just a little late and made it to JFK but couldn't get out of JFK. Because their flight was weather related, they had to pay for their hotel - but got rebooked and are on their way to Cleveland right now.
  

So, bottom line, even though the Lufthansa flight home today was great, we don't imagine we would ever book a flight through Frankfurt. And we for sure wouldn't book one with a connection of less than 4 hours!

 

We had a great vacation, saw many new places and had experiences we will never forget. We were very lucky arriving on time, with luggage, no noro virus on ship, no pick pockets and no illness or traffic accidents in Cairo. If you are headed for the Jade, I think you will have a wonderful trip but should be very careful with your belongings and with what you eat and drink in Cairo.

 

We're on the Epic in July with my son, his wife and our 3 year old grand boy! Even though we are thrilled to be home - can't wait for the next one!

 

Thank you all for your kind remarks and I wish you smooth sailing!

 

Cathy

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Cathy--When we are on this cruise in March, we will be trying to leave the ship as early as humanly possible (carrying our luggage) and get a cab to the airport for a 9:55 AM flight. If you don't mind, after the cruise would you post the earliest time that you know of anyone being able to leave the ship and whether or not there were LOTS of cabs available...and if there was a long line for them? I know I can book a car to be waiting...I'm just still nervous about making the flight with the tighter security since Christmas.

 

Thank you for a most informative and interesting day by day review of your cruise. I've looked forward to each post. Have a safe trip home!

 

Jo Ann...flying to Barcelona ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!!!!!

 

Jo Ann,

Have a WONDERFUL time. As I posted, we walked off at 6:30 and there were plenty of taxis - I didn't notice a line as there were only a few people and a couple of buses loading at that time. I'm not sure when it gets crowded - but we were happy leaving early and recommend 6:30 if you are the type travelers who would rather be safe than risk getting caught in a crowd.

Cathy

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

hi cathy i have a question about the egyptian museum in cairo. i visited there many years ago and i remember that they offered a camera permit. did you notice whether this was still available or have they strictly forbidden the use of cameras all together now.

 

 

and i would like to thank you for your detailed 'live' review, your first hand words have been ... think of a phrase here ... as there are so many ways of saying thanx to you for taking the time out of your vacation to let us all know your thoughts and feelings.

 

i hope you have a good and safe flight home and spend many of those hours on your flight looking back on the memories you have of your time in the garden villa ... something i can only dream of ...

 

once again THANK YOU :D

 

There was no option for purchasing a permit and they didn't even want you bringing your camera in. And it was very crowded at the time we were there.

 

Thanks for your good thoughts.

Cathy

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Hi Cathy,

which side would you recommend. port or starboard, thanks

 

Great question. We were on the port side. It really didn't make a difference which side we were on in any of the ports except maybe Malta - and I think the starboard side may have been slightly better - but certainly there was not a major difference. We thought Malta was the only beautiful docking area.

 

Cathy

[jalynn]

Thanks, Cathy. Glad you got home alright. We're busy gathering and packing today. Can't believe we leave in 4 days.

 

Jo Ann

[hbe]

Great question. We were on the port side. It really didn't make a difference which side we were on in any of the ports except maybe Malta - and I think the starboard side may have been slightly better - but certainly there was not a major difference. We thought Malta was the only beautiful docking area.

 

Cathy

thanks very much.

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

One more note. After reading rave reviews on CC, we had booked a tour with Jose Soler of Pepito Tours in Barcelona. He was picking us up at the airport for a 4 hour tour and dropping us at our hotel. We gave him a non refundable deposit. When we missed our connection in Frankfurt, we called to keep him from waiting for us at the airport. There was a big convention in town and he wasn't available Sunday morning. When we got home, we emailed and he very graciously offered to refund half of the "non refundable" deposit since the cancellation was beyond our control. I'm sorry we didn't get to meet Jose - I think he would have shown us Barcelona with gusto! We'll catch him next time. I hope all you people heading to the Jade have a wonderful cruise!

Cathy

[suzequ]

Cathy,

Thank you for the wonderful real time review; you're a great reporter! We leave tomorrow and you've made me even more excited than I would be otherwise. :D

Susan

[surroundedbyboys]

Cathy- were sodas & water "free" with the Garden Villa?

[Fishbait17]

Cathy- were sodas & water "free" with the Garden Villa?

I can answer that! Yes, they are "free" (you really do pay for them in the fare). The butler will keep the four refrigerators stocked with whatever you want (Pepsi products). But they are not free if your order them from the bar, casino, restaurant, room service, etc. Just bring a glass with you when you go to these places!

 

Robin