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Who's cruising "The Med" in 2006?

hencoll

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"Wandering Wino's&quo

"Wandering Wino's&quo

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We have booked The Roman Empire - E. Med/Greek Isles September 8, 06 aboard Holland America's newest ship Ms. Noordam. We will be sailing with friends from Savannah, Georgia. Last October we were all part of a group of 10 friends that sailed on Holland America's Ms. Oosterdam and had such a great experience that we can hardly wait to board their newest ship. Looking for ideas regarding port tours.:confused:

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cruisin'cats

cruisin'cats

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I wanted to add a few thoughts:

cruise vs. land: my husband and I have taken something like 16-17 cruises (I'd have to check his cruise spread sheet to authentic #) and we've enjoyed the experiences we've had, obviously as we still have two cruises booked for this year (Celebrity Mercury 2/06 Mex. Riv. and Oceania Nautica 5/06 Istanbul to Athens). We've cruised the Mass Market lines from bottom to top (as in Carnival to Celebrity with Princess, RCCL, NCL and even the defunct Regency Lines) with our May Oceania cruise being our first non-mass market movement into the next level up. I'm only saying all of this to let you know that I've got some credentials when it comes to addressing both the lines and the travel part of this equation. We've "done" the Caribbean several times (Eastern, Western, Southern), Alaska, Baltic Sea, British Isles (including ICELAND), Mexican Riviera, a partial Panama Canal transit (as in the BIG U-Turn in Lake Gatun), and parts of Central America. There's a whole lot of ocean left for us to explore so I'm sure we're not finished sight seeing by sea.

 

The point is this--when you cruise you should look at your visits to the port cities and, in the case of those major cities inland that require extensive travel plans, as mere 'tastes' of what each country has to offer. Think of someone from another country coming to your home state/province for only one day and seeing all that can be fit into 5 hours of sightseeing. Can you really say you've been to that country? Do you really know what the people are like? What the sights are away from the regular tourist route are? It's like going to a restaurant and having a sampler platter of what the chef considers his most popular dishes are and that's about it. Okay, there are ports where we've gotten off and taken our own tours or walked around on foot on our own to see what we've wanted to see/do and felt we had a better take on the real scene in that location but, it's still just a taste. It bothers me when someone says that they've 'been to---' and they're experts on everything that has to do with that location and it turns out that they'd spent 3-5 hours in a port on a bus that took them from one tourist destination to another. They VISITED that place, they didn't get anything more than an introduction to that country, in my opinion. For example, on our Baltic cruise on Royal Princess in 2000, we had a tour guide in Gdansk who treated us rather rudely on the bus ride once an older woman asked about where the synagogue was. Our tour guide on this Princess endorsed tour, Basha, got so angry that she sneered at the woman, "We don't have no Jews here, we had a war, you know!" But as we passed the building that was formerly the large synagogue prior to WWII, Basha told us this story that the Jews of Gdansk has "sold" the building to the city and had sent all their religious articles to NYC (USA) to be placed in a museum. I taught Holocaust Studies at that time and knew that her story, while quite sanitized, was certainly covering for the more horrific truth about what happened there. BUT, does this mean that all Poles are anti-Semites based on this one experience? No. Am I in a hurry to go back to Gdansk, or even Poland? Not necessarily. Yet, on that same trip I met some Israelis on our ship who told me that I MUST come back to Poland one more time--to pay homage at Auschwitz and say Kaddish (the mourner's prayer) for those who perished there--and then I must get on a plane and go to Israel to see what life can come from such ashes. This changed my perspective about where I was and what I was experiencing. (By the way, the Baltic cruises were full of such learning experiences for me and I took that back to share with my students--and I mean that in a good way.)

 

Land vacations mean schlepping around--like Bruin Steve said--lots of planning and effort on your part--but you get a bigger slice of the pie rather than a taste, depending on how you approach the trip. I look at the tastes I get on the cruise and decide if I want to go back and enjoy the full meal on a land based trip. I've gone back to England and spent 10 days driving and riding the trains going all over the place staying at B & B's and country manor houses, as well as a hotel or two, just getting to know the place better. I made friends with people along the way, and have a totally different perspective about the places. For this reason I am totally in favor of the pre or post (or both!) land based offerings when cruising. We flew into Brussels and took the train to Amsterdam prior to that Baltic cruise. We spent a few days staying at a small inn in the city and toured on our own, eating in local places and going to museums at our leisure--and taking the regular canal bus-boats to get around, which is the best priced tour vehicle there. After the cruise, we took the train back to Brussels and stayed at a B & B there (The Welcome Inn in the Fish Market area) for a few days and explored the city on our own before heading back to NJ.

If you have the time to combine trips, do it! If you don't, go back and take an indepth trip on your own. That's more like having a wonderful meal that you will always remember. That's another downside to the multi-port cruise itinerary--and we all love those because we make it worth-while getting to see as many places as possible--the downside is that, after 10 days of up early, out late, hurry here, rush there, rolls of film, disks of pictures later--you start to wonder which place was which and which was where and so on. You're sure you won't forget a single moment but they do come to blur together and it takes discipline to get those photos and momentos sorted while your memory is still relatively clear. I KNOW--does someone want to help me sort through 1500 photos from that Baltic trip in 2000? I'm glad I bought books about each city so that I can, hopefully, be able to ID all those buildings that were so beautiful and amazing to see.

OK--I've spoken my peace on this topic. Whatever you do, enjoy the experience and make it the best that you can!

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JoanieBlon

JoanieBlon

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My husband and I are booked on the NCL Jewel sailing out of Athens on September 27, 2006 with with stops in various Greek Islands, Alexandria Egypt, and Kizmir and Istanbul Turkey.

 

I've been poking around a bit and came across this information posted on the U.S. Department of State website regarding visas for Egypt and Turkey:

 

EGYPT - *Passport and visa required. Visas may be obtained upon entry from the Entry Visa Department at the Travel Documents, Immigration and Nationality Administration or most major ports of entry. Entry visa is required for any foreigner arriving in Egypt for purposes other than tourism; e.g. work, study. Tourist visas (single/multiple) are valid for 90 days. HIV test required for study and work permits. Dependents are no longer exempt—spouses must also get tested, as well as any children aged 15 or older. Students are exempt from visa fees. For specific requirements, consult the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, 3521 International Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008 (202/895-5400) or nearest Consulate General: CA (415/346-9700), IL (312/828-9162), NY (212/759-7120), or TX (713/961-4915). Internet: www.mfa.gov.eg or www.egyptembassy.us

 

TURKEY - *Passport and visa required. Visas can be obtained at Turkish border crossing points for tourist/business visits of up to 3 months or through a Turkish consular office in the U.S. Visa requires a completed application form and a passport with a minimum validity of 3 months. Visa fee is $20 for single entry and $65 for multiple entry (cash or money order only). Visa must be obtained in advance for longer stays and for study, research, or employment purposes. Visa requires your valid passport, 1 completed application form, and SASE. For further information, contact the Consular Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, 2525 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008 (202/612-6740/41) or nearest Consulate: CA (323/937-0118), IL (312/263-0644), NY (212/949-0160), or TX (713/622-5849). Internet: www.turkishembassy.org

 

Both of these state that visas can be purchased "at border points or points of entry" but the thought of entire ship load of people filling out forms sounds like a HUGE time delay. I'm inclined to apply for our visas BEFORE we go. Anyone have experience with cruising and obtaining visas at the port of entry for these countries? I am also wondering if the stop in Kizmir and then in Istanbul is considered a "multiple entry" into Turkey? :confused:

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Wendy The Wanderer

Wendy The Wanderer

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Well said, Cruisin'cats, I agree. We haven't cruised a whole heck of alot (going on our 5th cruise this June, all on Radisson). I like land trips in Europe, but this will be the second cruise where we use the cruise to good effect by adding on a pre- or post-cruise trip. Last time it was a week in both Greece and Istanbul, punctuating our Black Sea cruise. This time it's a week in Portugal after our Monte Carlo-Dover cruise. This part of the trip will be very local, in-depth and meandering, whereas our port stops in Lisbon, Malaga, Bordeaux, Santander, etc. will be very focussed. Having been to Spain and France before, I must say I would probably not go on a land trip to Bordeaux, nor probably to northern Spain, so dipping into these places is a nice bonus.

 

We will be in the Med for part of the cruise, from M-C out past Malaga on our way to Lisbon, Radisson Voyager, June 9th-19th.

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"Wandering Wino's&quo

"Wandering Wino's&quo

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Posted
We have jumped ship - was on HAL Sept 14, 2006 now on Celebrity = Century out of Amsterdam on Sept 2, 2006 arriving Barcelona on Sept 15, 2006. We are on the Roll call too.

 

;) We also "jumped ship". We were on HAL September 8, 2006, now on Wind Star, the Wind Spirit out of Istanbul on September 9, 2006. We wanted to do something different on a smaller ship. From what I have read on CC we will experience both. on the Wind Spirit. Love to hear from others who have sailed with WindStar as this will be our first trip with them.

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Soccerfan

Soccerfan

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Grand Princess, with husband and three kids. Venice to Barcelona, departing July 27th. Already planned most of it!

How early do you think I can book tours with the independent guides? I don't want them to think I'm crazy if I e-mail them now.

 

I have already booked our Amalfi/Pompeii tour for April 2007:o (might be the type A personality kicking in here).

 

We have the same tour booked for our Med trip next month and wanted to secure a certain tour guide for the 2007 trip. (Comes highly recommended from other cruise critic members!)

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moski

moski

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I am taking my first Med cruise on the Grand Princess in July. Can't wait. I have already compiled a binder with tons of information, reservations, must- sees, shopping information, and restaurants.

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zeldaone

zeldaone

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I have already booked my private drivers for Oct 06. Some may think I'm crazy, but I got all my first choice in drivers! Just be sure to emphasize that its for 2006 not 2005.

 

Renee

Hi,

How did you find the private drivers foe the excursions?

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Single Cruiser

Single Cruiser

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Back on my 2nd med fortnight on Ocean Village this May. Last year did La Goulette (Tunisia), then the usual Naples, Rome (from Cit.s.), Livorno, Monte Carlo, Cannes, Barcelona, Menorca, Majorca and Ibiza..

 

This year adding in Ajaccio (Corsica), St Raphael and Genoa.

 

Next year doing the eastern croatia, Greece, Turkey , Cyprus..

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