Spirit 5/6/14 Grand Med Thoughts

[umpy10]

We did the same cruise last summer but in reverse ( Barcelona to Venice), the best advice I can add to all of the above is to get your hands on Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Has all of the ports you will be visiting with endless info, tips and shortcuts to all of the sights in all of the ports.

Especially where to get the train to Rome (Civitavecchia) and The Vatican, Livorno. It was our go to book for info for everything we needed to know, don't know what we would have done without it.

This wasn't just about Trains, etc. It was a treasure chest of info for Museums, Sightseeing Highlights, Restaurants, etc. with maps showing where to find the easiest routes around the ports. Even showed where the WC ( water closet/ restrooms) were located, believe me that came in very handy a few times lol :o.

 

 

cheers...the Ump...:D

[gardiner41]

We did the same cruise last summer but in reverse ( Barcelona to Venice), the best advice I can add to all of the above is to get your hands on Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Has all of the ports you will be visiting with endless info, tips and shortcuts to all of the sights in all of the ports.

Especially where to get the train to Rome (Civitavecchia) and The Vatican, Livorno. It was our go to book for info for everything we needed to know, don't know what we would have done without it.

This wasn't just about Trains, etc. It was a treasure chest of info for Museums, Sightseeing Highlights, Restaurants, etc. with maps showing where to find the easiest routes around the ports. Even showed where the WC ( water closet/ restrooms) were located, believe me that came in very handy a few times lol :o.

 

 

cheers...the Ump...:D

 

Thanks for this I will look for that book.

 

Good tips on this entire thread. We are doing 22 days on the Spirit in April-May Canary Islands and Grand MEd combo.

I need all the tips and tricks I can get! :eek: :)

[GreyingJay]

Great post! I was on this cruise too and I agree it was a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful (well, I could stand for it to have been a degree or two warmer ;) ) and the sea was so calm most days, you didn't even know the ship was moving.

 

Except that one morning coming into Naples...

 

My family was one of the groups of people who got confused by the 1:00am departure time from Venice. We thought it would be 1:00am the NEXT day, and that we would have more time in Venice on "Day 1". Instead, "Day 1" was an extra sea day for all intents and purposes. It meant we had to scramble on "Day 0" (embarkation day) to see as much of Venice as we could before we left.

 

The 1:00am sailaway was quietly beautiful, I think. All those old stone buildings, lit up at night, as we silently passed by. There were many nights like it where one could watch the building lights go by quietly in the night.

 

I wrote up some of my summary notes on the last page of our May 6 2014 roll call. Sadly I joined the roll call too late to have had time to connect with fellow cruisers, nor did I manage to get to the Meet and Greet. Oh well, next time!

 

This was my first NCL cruise as well as my first trip to Europe. I can't wait to do it again!

[neighbour_lady44]

Great post! I was on this cruise too and I agree it was a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful (well, I could stand for it to have been a degree or two warmer ;) ) and the sea was so calm most days, you didn't even know the ship was moving.

 

Except that one morning coming into Naples...

 

My family was one of the groups of people who got confused by the 1:00am departure time from Venice. We thought it would be 1:00am the NEXT day, and that we would have more time in Venice on "Day 1". Instead, "Day 1" was an extra sea day for all intents and purposes. It meant we had to scramble on "Day 0" (embarkation day) to see as much of Venice as we could before we left.

 

The 1:00am sailaway was quietly beautiful, I think. All those old stone buildings, lit up at night, as we silently passed by. There were many nights like it where one could watch the building lights go by quietly in the night.

 

I wrote up some of my summary notes on the last page of our May 6 2014 roll call. Sadly I joined the roll call too late to have had time to connect with fellow cruisers, nor did I manage to get to the Meet and Greet. Oh well, next time!

 

This was my first NCL cruise as well as my first trip to Europe. I can't wait to do it again!

 

Great notes Jay, We were on the trip with you and had a blast. Like you, we would have liked it a tad warmer. I sat at the pool several afternoons after being in port. The gale force winds were strong while sitting there. Thank god for the hot tub to warm you up. It was a great trip. Enjoyed seeing all the ports, and we did three excursions thru NCL which were all good. We did two private tours in Rome and Florence. In Rome we did a private tour.

In Florence we went to Cinque Terre, which is a "must see" if you can swing it.

We were in Italy 10 days ahead of the cruise so we saw lots before getting on the ship and wasn't so stressed to see everything while on the ship via the ports. While in Rome we did a long day trip to Almafi Coast.. Wow, loved it! there is just so much to see and enjoy.

Do what's important to you, and relax and enjoy your holiday. We spent 5 days in Barcelona when we got off the ship. Great city to explore, walk, and have fun. I'd go back to Barcelona in a heartbeat...

I have to say, we have cruised 8 times now, and by far we found such friendly ship mates on this trip. Never have we found such friendly people as we did on this trip. It was a joy, and lots of email addresses were shared when we departed.... Great trip if you have the time and a must see as all the ports were all so different.... Final note There were so many times, you wonder if the ship is actually moving, as it was so smooth. (Only one time near Naples we were rocking/rolling but it didn't last long)... Then the backing the ship into some of the ports, docking you never felt the dock - the Captain was amazing!!!

[mugtech]

I must agree that the truly international flavor of the passengers and the crew added to all the other dimensions of the cruise. Met some wonderful Latvians and Estonians, plus there was a large contingent from Canada, people famous for being very friendly and polite. I do not recall anyone displaying any kind of entitlement attitude like I have a few times on cruises out of NY and in Hawaii.

[littlelulu01]

Thank you for your review. Did you arrange transportation from port to airport through NCL? Do you remember how much transportation to airport was?

[mugtech]

Thank you for your review. Did you arrange transportation from port to airport through NCL? Do you remember how much transportation to airport was?

 

Did it through NCL, can be done on the ship, your luggage is taken off according to your flight time. We were scheduled to get off the ship at 7 AM for an 11:50 AM flight, and people who had flights before 11AM were given a 6:30 debarking time. We got off at 7:30, our luggage was waiting for us, and the 25 minute bus ride got us there right about 8:30 AM. I believe the cost was $30 each, same as the airport to hotel and hotel to ship before the cruise.

[GreyingJay]

I must agree that the truly international flavor of the passengers and the crew added to all the other dimensions of the cruise. Met some wonderful Latvians and Estonians, plus there was a large contingent from Canada, people famous for being very friendly and polite. I do not recall anyone displaying any kind of entitlement attitude like I have a few times on cruises out of NY and in Hawaii.

 

Well, thank you :D

 

I admit I started to feel a bit conspicuous working my way through lines, elevators, buffets, etc. always saying "pardon me, excuse me, sorry, thanks, pardon me, excuse me, sorry, ..."

[littlelulu01]

Did it through NCL, can be done on the ship, your luggage is taken off according to your flight time. We were scheduled to get off the ship at 7 AM for an 11:50 AM flight, and people who had flights before 11AM were given a 6:30 debarking time. We got off at 7:30, our luggage was waiting for us, and the 25 minute bus ride got us there right about 8:30 AM. I believe the cost was $30 each, same as the airport to hotel and hotel to ship before the cruise.

 

Thank you so much. Trying to decide cost of TA on Epic vs. flying directly to departure port in Venice.

 

Would love to hear your opinions on ports visited and cost. I would love to book a suite or balcony but cost is so much more so will probably do an inside and have more in budget for port excursions and longer cruise.

[GreyingJay]

Would love to hear your opinions on ports visited and cost. I would love to book a suite or balcony but cost is so much more so will probably do an inside and have more in budget for port excursions and longer cruise.

 

If you can book an interior cabin in the aft area of decks 9 or 10, you'll have a very short walk to the ship's aft balcony area (and hot tub on deck 10). There are many scenic ports but it is also very easy to find someplace to sit or stand and enjoy the view. The ship never feels crowded in public spaces.

 

As for tours, the cheapest is to plan all your own of course, and the de facto standard is Rick Steves' "Mediterranean Cruise Ports" book. An option you might consider is booking your port tours through a website called Cruising Excursions. My family booked a combo package that included full-day tours in every port that worked out considerably cheaper than NCL tours. The tours were great and we always made it back to the ship in time without any stress. However, since there is so much to see and do, you never quite feel like you have enough time to see everything!

[littlelulu01]

If you can book an interior cabin in the aft area of decks 9 or 10, you'll have a very short walk to the ship's aft balcony area (and hot tub on deck 10). There are many scenic ports but it is also very easy to find someplace to sit or stand and enjoy the view. The ship never feels crowded in public spaces.

 

As for tours, the cheapest is to plan all your own of course, and the de facto standard is Rick Steves' "Mediterranean Cruise Ports" book. An option you might consider is booking your port tours through a website called Cruising Excursions. My family booked a combo package that included full-day tours in every port that worked out considerably cheaper than NCL tours. The tours were great and we always made it back to the ship in time without any stress. However, since there is so much to see and do, you never quite feel like you have enough time to see everything!

 

Thank you. And thank you for posting your experiences. Very helpful.

[mugtech]

People who worked together on roll call seemed to do a good job of booking smaller tours, 4-8 people, at cheaper prices than NCL tours. Two couples booked a visit to a Tuscany vineyard, complete with wine tasting and lunch at a very good price. The only disadvantage I can see with these tours is the fact that you must plan them and pay for them before the cruise. They certainly are cheaper and the ship waits for anyone, not just NCL tours, before it pulls out. At Rome we got back at 6:55 for a 6:30 on board 7PM pull out and were not the last bus. Ship did not leave at 7PM.

[gardiner41]

I must agree that the truly international flavor of the passengers and the crew added to all the other dimensions of the cruise. Met some wonderful Latvians and Estonians, plus there was a large contingent from Canada, people famous for being very friendly and polite. I do not recall anyone displaying any kind of entitlement attitude like I have a few times on cruises out of NY and in Hawaii.

 

:) I was pleased to see this comment. Being Canadian we pride ourselves in our friendliness and our reputation as such.

We are on the Spirit in April-May 22 days Canary Islands and Grand Med combo.

Very good to know it will be a good representation from a number of countries.

[wnycruisefam66]

Hi again! Do you remember when the laundry special days were? I'm hoping to cut down on our packing using those. Thanks!

[mugtech]

Hi again! Do you remember when the laundry special days were? I'm hoping to cut down on our packing using those. Thanks!

 

Don't remember the days, but the first one seemed early, day 4 or 5 and the second was around day 9 or 10. We did not use them, but rather my wife discovered a free self service laundry, aka the bathroom sink.

[ttnc4me]

Great notes Jay, We were on the trip with you and had a blast. Like you, we would have liked it a tad warmer. I sat at the pool several afternoons after being in port. The gale force winds were strong while sitting there. Thank god for the hot tub to warm you up.

If it makes you feel better, we did this cruise late last July & we were chilly many nights and a couple of days.

[mugtech]

Someone had questions on the Spirit, so I thought I would make this thread current.

[rocklinmom]

Hi Mugtech, we will be on the same cruise next week. I also have an NCL MasterCard and was planning on charging our onboard expenses on it (and for currency exchange, as you mentioned). Do you recall if those onboard charges were charged to NCL in Miami (meaning no foreign transaction fee) or in Europe (meaning a foreign transaction fee, which on this card is about three percent)? And also, if you received the double NCL points for the charges? Thank you

[mugtech]

Hi Mugtech, we will be on the same cruise next week. I also have an NCL MasterCard and was planning on charging our onboard expenses on it (and for currency exchange, as you mentioned). Do you recall if those onboard charges were charged to NCL in Miami (meaning no foreign transaction fee) or in Europe (meaning a foreign transaction fee, which on this card is about three percent)? And also, if you received the double NCL points for the charges? Thank you

 

Since it all ran through the on board account, it was on my credit card statement as a USA transaction with the double points and no transaction fees. It amounted to an interest free loan, with the doubled points on $600 being more than the on board flat fee of $10. You will love the ship and the cruise.

[mypleasure]

Do you recall if those onboard charges were charged to NCL in Miami (meaning no foreign transaction fee) or in Europe (meaning a foreign transaction fee, which on this card is about three percent)?

 

I am British and use a British credit card. On every single one of the cruises I have taken with NCL my onboard charges have been billed as NCL Miami. I don't think you need to worry about foreign transaction fees for onboard expenses at all.

[stitchcreek]

Thanks for this, lots of useful detail!

 

Quick question about the casino - is it cash only? And in US dollars?

 

 

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[rocklinmom]

Thank you so much! That is what I needed to know :-)

 

 

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[mugtech]

Thanks for this, lots of useful detail!

 

Quick question about the casino - is it cash only? And in US dollars?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Managed to completely avoid the casino, only had to walk through it to get to the roll call meet and greet, otherwise it was totally avoidable, out of the way. It did not look any different than the casinos I tried to avoid on other NCL ships out of NYC.

[mugtech]

Hopefully this thread will help you with the Spirit and the 12 day grand med cruise