Spiriting around the Med with walking difficulties

[Sauer-kraut]

I have really enjoyed reading your review! Thank you for taking the time to write it and I've enjoyed your humor as well. :)

[PathfinderEss]

Really enjoying reading the review of your cruise. Thanks for taking the time to write and post it.

[fabnfortysomething]

We had decided to try the "easy off" disembarkation where you take your own cases off the ship with you any time after 5-30.Well this may work if you want to be off the ship at the crack of dawn but be warned around 9am everyone else has the same idea!!

 

First problem at 8-45 was trying to get on an elevator to get us from deck 10 to deck 7.Each one that opened at the floor was already packed with people and their luggage.We eventually got on an empty one going up and rode it back down[to be greeted on each floor by a crowd of people waiting to get on with their luggage]

 

When I say we,well it was ourselves Kand D waiting for the elevator along with a crowd of other people.We still hadnt been able to drill any bad manners into K over the last fortnight so of course he let other people push in front of him with the result he was left behind again!

 

We [6 and I ]said we would meet up with our Portuguese friends as arranged in the foyer and would meet K and D there as she was going to wait outside the elevator for when K eventually got there.

 

We soon noticed that the line of people waiting to disembark was now stretching from the foyer back along to the elevator bank and snaking along the side of the ship.We could see Kand D waving to us -they were unable to get back so we joined the line of people with luggage and shuffled our way along .At least we had each other to talk to during this tortuous process.We were representatives of UK USA and Portugal-a fact noted by our favourite waiter Horace who was part of the staff party saying goodbye to the passengers at the end of the line.Yelling out UNITED NATIONS he proceeded to high 5 us!

 

Now one of the other staff members in this farewell party was the cruise director Jill.There is another thread running at the moment in which calls for her dismissal have been made.Now was she that bad? Yes but it certainly didn't spoil the holiday-in fact it became a standing joke.

The main problem is that she is not a "warm and fuzzy " character.On stage she projects this big beam which comes across as really artificial as when her face relaxes she has a pretty stern expression.The phrase "smile doesn't reach the eyes" is appropriate.She was known for striding around the ship and avoiding small talk with passengers even if they stopped her to ask something.

Whenever her [not so] dulcet tones came over the microphone whoever we were chatting to would all stop and roll their eyes at the ceiling!

As far as organising events well as an example apparantly it was her who arranged for the Martini and beer tasting sessions to be held on port days instead of sea days with the result they were poorly attended

The cruise director doesnt make or break a holiday for me but she will be remembered for all the wrong reasons!

 

Anyway we were off the ship and heading down the long gangway with our luggage-I realised that the wheels on my suitcase had been knocked off alignment so I was struggling with the distance never mind 6! We got to the escalators where realised no way could balance luggage and self.There is one small elevator supposed to be wheelchair use only but had to make use of it.Then we were in the baggage reclaim area where porters rushed forward to offer to take our luggage-bit late now we could see the terminal exit 100 yards ahead.

TIP -forget easy walk off-just have your luggage left outside your cabin the night before .

 

Outside we were faced with a long line of taxis.A guy came up to our group of 6 and asked if we were interested in a minivan for 16 euros-yes until we realised he meant each, not for the full van to do the 10 minute ride to the city centre.

 

V being a Spanish speaker talked to one of the locals and found there wasa port bus costing 2 euros each so we headed to the left hand side of the pier where 2 buses were waiting,already full but with a short queue in front of both.We stood in line and waited and waited and waited for the next port bus.30 minutes later a single bus appeared and everyone from both queues surged forward and started piling on with their luggage.No way was going to risk 6 being knocked over in that scrum especially when we learned the bus would only go as far as the port gates-would need to get a taxi from there!

 

By this time the taxi line had shortened considerably as there were a constant stream of taxis unlike the port buses so changed plan and headed over there. Vand C had flights on a european no frills airline which charges more for hold luggage than the passenger fare .As they had cabin sized suitcases only they decided to walk.

 

The 4 of us got into a taxi which took us 10 minutes to get to Kand D hotel just off P Catalunya and cost 18 euros total-8 of that was for the 4 suitcases.Remember the minivan driver wanted to charge us 16 euros each for the same journey?

I'd booked private tours in most ports for ease and in hindsight should have arranged a private pick up with included tour today-would have been a lot less hassle!

 

We had a flight back to the UK later than evening whereas Kand D were staying on for a couple of days in Barcelona.We'd decided to spend the day with them and leave for the airport about 3. Their hotel had no problem agreeing to leave our suitcases with theirs until their room was ready.In fact next time we're in Barcelona will check out that hotel as it looked lovely.Hotel Granvia whcih was all ornate halls and a lovely salon overlooking a courtyard and free wifi access.we used that to check our flight was running to schedule[it was]

 

As there had been so much wasted time getting off the ship our plan for a leisurely day sightseeing in Barcelona was somewhat curtailed.

We decided to have a slow wander around Ramblas and Gothic quarter.

As any food that evening on the plane would have to be purchased extra[budget airline] we decided to have a main lunch at the Hard Rock cafe.

We ordered 3 burgers and a plate of Nachos expecting that to be a quick meal.Well our waitress must have been a relative of our ultra slow waiter in Windows a few nights prior!

We had to remind her of our drinks order as it failed to materialise [and then it was wrong].From where we were sat we had a partial view of the kitchen and could see a plate of Nachos sitting for a while on top of the serving hatch.Half an hour later our burgers arrived served by the head waiter who apologised saying that the Nachos would be along soon-they had been prepared at a separate time and had gone cold so ordered fresh one[yes that had been D meal sitting there on the side!]

 

We ate up and settled the bill. K was extremely uncomfortable about not leaving a tip even after the dreadful service.We had to explain the differences in tipping culture in Europe-tipping is given extra for good service and I was actually annoyed they hadn't given our drinks for free as an apology!

 

We decided we may as well collect our luggage and head early to the airport and let K and D explore Barcelona at their own pace.

The aerobuses connect frequently to the airport from P Cataluyna To terminal 1 every 5 minutes and every 10 minutes for terminal 2.Cost 5 euros 65 cents

 

We said our goodbyes to K and D and I dived on to the bus before I made a complete fool of myself by bursting into tears.I think it's safe to say our friendship was strengthed by this holiday and it wouldn't have been the same without them.-WE WILL MEET AGAIN

 

Just one note about Barcelona airport -it is large and spread out-wheelchair assistance would have been a good idea.

 

Well the plane took off on time ,we arrived back in Manchester UK to temperatures 10 degrees lower but at least it wasn't raining!!!

 

END OF TRIP

[monygrl]

Thank you so much for your review. I enjoyed every minute reading it. :)

[hillside]

Well done! Thank you for taking the time to do this fabulous series. We'll be on board the Spirit Oct. 25. You've helped so much!!!!!!!!!

[fabnfortysomething]

thank you for all the positive comments and pleased to see people are still reading!

 

in the spirit of all [non] classic works of literature I would like to dedicate this to my 2 children

 

dd [20] who condemned my cruise wardrobe and took me out shopping[with my own credit card]

 

ds[22] who caused major concern when texted halfway through the holiday to ask who was his car insurance with

Why what have you done?

oh nothing -just curious[!]

There is precedent for this

1 year previously we were in the middle of the Caribbean sea when at 3am 6 mobile phone rings and we see it is darling son

Total panic-why would be ringing us unless family emergency!!!

 

Eventually rang back to him at major expense and poor reception to find out problem was his car wouldnt start!!!

 

3 issues

 

1-car under warranty-ring the garage

2-what do you expect us to do about it 5000 miles away

3-it might be 11-30am your time but it's the middle of the night for us!!!

 

kids-who'd have em!

[searoses]

that is hysterical!!!.....most of these wacky calls are over by their thirties....take heart! and thank you so much for your review. i have the dreaded ra and gleaned a lot of great info....

[MorganMars]

Lyn,

 

Enjoying your posts as I am preparing to take the Jade in December and have mobility issues, too.

 

I am interested in knowing more about the seat canes as I am often just looking around for some place to sit for a bit. I've browsed online, but am concerned that the seat canes I've seen may not function well as a cane. What have you found that works best?

 

Regards,

Mary

 

yes a shame we missed each other-Ian now has quite a collection of canes-seat ones,ergometric ones to fit the curve of your hand,collapsable ones,ones with grab handles and magenets on -who knows if the traders in the Grand Bazaar had just left us alone to browes and actually displayed the prices may even have bought one in Istanbul!

 

glad to see this is relevant to people with similar mobility problems-please let me know if you have any specific questions

 

Lyn

[msmardigra]

I also want to thank you for your informative and enjoyable review. My SO and I are taking this cruise in April, 2013, so I was taking notes the entire time I was reading. I also have some mobility issues so I was especially interested in how well 6 was able to navigate his way around. I am preparing for the trip and so far have purchased a very light weight tri-leg fold up seat and also plan to have a cane and walking stick and anything else I can think of. I have a knee replacement that has caused me pain ever since it was done 6 yrs, ago. Then, last year I fell on that same leg, and broke the the bones on both sides of my ankle; so walking distances is a problem. But thanks to you, and 6, I have hope!

 

A couple of questions if you don't mind.

1-How did you arrange your tours with others that you did not know? Was it just by meeting them on Cruise Critic? I thought it was "illegal" to mention specific tour groups on here. I would love to also find others to do tours with so we can enjoy the private tours at a reasonable cost without having to be one of many (too many!) on the ship's excursions.

 

2-How much correspondence did you have with the tour directors regarding each city's tour? Or did you simply tell them that you wanted to see the main attractions of each city? Are you glad you used tour guides in all of the cities you did? Should there have been more, or less?

 

3- Last and most importantly for me. Overall, how well did 6 handle it all? Is he a fit man? Active, all th ings considered? Any additional info you can give regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks again!

 

Tracey

[catlady922]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip experiences. I truly enjoyed reading your posts.

[fabnfortysomething]

Lyn,

 

Enjoying your posts as I am preparing to take the Jade in December and have mobility issues, too.

 

I am interested in knowing more about the seat canes as I am often just looking around for some place to sit for a bit. I've browsed online, but am concerned that the seat canes I've seen may not function well as a cane. What have you found that works best?

 

Regards,

Mary

 

 

the one we have opens out to a 3 leg stool .When folded it looks a little odd with the round seat part half way up the column but it works well as a cane.

The seat is a little low-he found it difficult to lever out of prior to hip replacement but manages fine now his ankle is the dodgy joint

 

Lyn

[fabnfortysomething]

I also want to thank you for your informative and enjoyable review. My SO and I are taking this cruise in April, 2013, so I was taking notes the entire time I was reading. I also have some mobility issues so I was especially interested in how well 6 was able to navigate his way around. I am preparing for the trip and so far have purchased a very light weight tri-leg fold up seat and also plan to have a cane and walking stick and anything else I can think of. I have a knee replacement that has caused me pain ever since it was done 6 yrs, ago. Then, last year I fell on that same leg, and broke the the bones on both sides of my ankle; so walking distances is a problem. But thanks to you, and 6, I have hope!

 

A couple of questions if you don't mind.

1-How did you arrange your tours with others that you did not know? Was it just by meeting them on Cruise Critic? I thought it was "illegal" to mention specific tour groups on here. I would love to also find others to do tours with so we can enjoy the private tours at a reasonable cost without having to be one of many (too many!) on the ship's excursions.

 

2-How much correspondence did you have with the tour directors regarding each city's tour? Or did you simply tell them that you wanted to see the main attractions of each city? Are you glad you used tour guides in all of the cities you did? Should there have been more, or less?

 

3- Last and most importantly for me. Overall, how well did 6 handle it all? Is he a fit man? Active, all th ings considered? Any additional info you can give regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks again!

 

Tracey

 

1 it's against the rules to write an unsolicited tour company review but perfectly acceptable to respond to a query[as long as you have actually used that company]

That's how I researched a short list of tour companies by reading the ports of call forum and finding which ones had the best reviews

I found tour mates easily on the roll call for our ship who also recognised the benefits of not being herded around on a large tour bus

 

2 Oh yes there was a lot of email correspondence to and fro with the companies!

My initial e mail to those on the short list emphasised his walking difficulties and how we hoped to put a small group together via cruise critic.The responses I got determined who went to the top!

We also emphasised that we were not interested in long lunches or shopping but doing as much sightseeing as possible with minimal walking.That was why I was so annoyed our Istanbul guide had obviously not read that.

I am glad we did tours in all ports we did-would have been very difficult finding our way around via public transport and we would have missed a lot.In hindsight should have booked a tour guide for Barcelona who could have met us at the dock and shown us Barcelona before dropping us off at the airport with our luggage.

 

3 Up to his mid 40's he was very active and used to run several miles a day to keep fit.Pains in his knees stopping the running was the first warning message.Within a few years RA had destroyed most major joints and it took aggressive drug treatment to bring it under control

Both hips have been replaced and that surgery has been successful but the left ankle joint is causing the difficulty now and at 50 he's too young to be considered for ankle replacement.

The main thing about him though is that he wont give up.During our trek through Pompei our friend K commented "you just dont know the meaning of the word cant"

Distance is the main problem,he can manage steps fine.By taking frequent rests and use of pain killers he did manage a lot better on this trip than I was expecting.In fact it probably worked well as physiotherapy building up his stamina!

 

good luck with your trip-I hope it works out as well as ours did

 

Lyn

[willysgrandma]

msmardigra, on the roll call boards you can post information about tours and ask people to join you.

[MorganMars]

Thank you, Lyn,

 

I fell off a bike in Cambridge some time ago and injured my ankle. I found this ankle support at the local Boots and have been buying them ever since as both of my ankles give me problems now. Even bought one for my grandson when he injured his ankle in a fall.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Futuro-FUTURO-ADJUSTABLE-ANKLE-SUPPORT/dp/B0057D867O/ref=sr_1_70?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1345409769&sr=1-70

 

Regards,

Mary

 

the one we have opens out to a 3 leg stool .When folded it looks a little odd with the round seat part half way up the column but it works well as a cane.

The seat is a little low-he found it difficult to lever out of prior to hip replacement but manages fine now his ankle is the dodgy joint

 

Lyn

[sallybrown2012]

Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report and all the details about the private tours. You must have done a ton of research!

 

Overall, did you enjoy the tours? Any ports/tours that you could have skipped? It sounds like in the heat of the summer (we are thinking about an August trip) that perhaps some of the tours are very tiring - but maybe with the private tour they are taking care of you so it rolls along well?

[fabnfortysomething]

Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report and all the details about the private tours. You must have done a ton of research!

 

Overall, did you enjoy the tours? Any ports/tours that you could have skipped? It sounds like in the heat of the summer (we are thinking about an August trip) that perhaps some of the tours are very tiring - but maybe with the private tour they are taking care of you so it rolls along well?

 

The itinery for this trip was fantastic-the only port that was no interest to us was Mykonos as not interested in lying on a beach and exploring the hilly area was out of the question.

 

Yes the temperatures were soaring and particularly in Turkey the humidity was draining.However with all the private tours we had an airconditioned van and the inside of churches etc were designed all those years ago to be cool.

 

Prolonged areas out in the open such as the ancient ruins of Parthenon Ephesus and Pompeii could be an issue but there was usually some shade somewhere to rest.Lots of people were carrying umbrellas not for rain but protection against the sun.

 

Yes I did do a ton of research but thoroughly enjoyed it.Am glad that people on here have benefitted from it. I enjoyed all the tours and even the one where I clashed with the guide!

 

Lyn

[KMRDFR]

Lyn,

 

We absolutely enjoyed your day-to-day reports on the Grand Mediterranean Cruise! Just Super!

 

This from K. and D., Mr. and Mrs. USA in our United Nations, who had the wonderful pleasure of sharing this glorious adventure with you and 6!

 

If only we could turn back the clock and do it all over again.

 

Our hearts ache. We're ready to go back ... Venice, Athens, Izmir, Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples, Pisa, Rome, Florence, Toulon and Barcelona!

 

But we take heart in knowing our paths will cross again!

 

Still basking in the glow,

 

K. and D.

[fabnfortysomething]

I've managed to include the link to this review in my signature but can anyone tell me how to "neaten it up" by adding the ship name to it

 

have seen other posters do this but cant figure it out!

 

Lyn

[Sauer-kraut]

delete

Edited August 21, 2012 by Sauer-kraut

[kessdarln]

If I read correctly, the 2nd day at sea is the lattitudes gathering, formal picture night and lobster dinner - rather than the 1st day? Thanks!

[kessdarln]

sorry, wrong forum :-)

Edited August 29, 2012 by kessdarln
(wrong forum)

[fabnfortysomething]

If I read correctly, the 2nd day at sea is the lattitudes gathering, formal picture night and lobster dinner - rather than the 1st day? Thanks!

 

most of the meetings as above were on the 2nd day,probably because the 1st day started with a 1am sailing. The only meeting they brought forwards was our meet and greet because the senior crew had to attend a staff meeting on the 2nd sea day morning.

 

be interesting to see if this is same pattern for rest of the sailings this season

 

I dont eat lobster so not sure what night that would be

The Lattitudes party there was an invite in our cabin

Formal picture night[there were 2] were advertised in the daily newsletters

[wnycruisefam66]

Thanks for the interesting review! Myself, DH, DD (19) & DS (13) are doing this same cruise June 2014. I'm reading all I can to be prepared.

[rocklinmom]

Love this review! We will be on the same cruise in June 2014 so I am taking lots of notes. Thank you for all of your detailed information. If you were able to conquer the Acropolis with your health issues, I have no excuse. And my teenagers should be able to scale it as well. I didn't know about the public bathroom charges (good to know) and the humidity with summer heat (in Turkey I think you said?). Those are priceless details!

[fabnfortysomething]

Love this review! We will be on the same cruise in June 2014 so I am taking lots of notes. Thank you for all of your detailed information. If you were able to conquer the Acropolis with your health issues, I have no excuse. And my teenagers should be able to scale it as well. I didn't know about the public bathroom charges (good to know) and the humidity with summer heat (in Turkey I think you said?). Those are priceless details!

 

 

I'm pleased people are still finding the review of help

 

Coming from the UK red hot temperatures are actually a plus for us to know we've been on holiday-LOL

However that was one of the advantages of taking a private tour-we had somewhere air conditioned to retreat to and that did make a lot of difference