12 Day Grand Med (Venice) vs 14 Day Grand Med (Barcelona)

[Crusin6]

Ok I am going to tell you the facts here. Lol

 

Btw we have done 2 med cruises with pre and post days. 4 kids 2 mid age parents. I am hoping we will do a third one in 2016

 

So and regardless of what others will now post because they love to disagree with me here on cc these are my tips:

 

Plan as many days as you can

Do pre and post

Do the longest cruise available and the one with the most ports

Book your airfare 333 days out and look around as fares are all over the price range

Buy trip Insurance within 14 days of initial deposit

Research every port

Do ship excursions

Do private excursions

Do it yourself

Each port requires different planning

Be very well organized

Spend and hour per day minimum on research

Give your family some choices but limit them as you will know what is best to do

Visit places not just from the outside but the inside as well

Go up into the steeples of la sagrada familia

Go inside the colesieum

Etc

 

Now here is where everyone will disagree but trust me on this: you should budget $5000 per person minimum

 

You will most likely come in under this but better not to be surprised

 

Our trips cost $30,000 for 16 nights

And $24,000 for 22 nights including pre and post and air and cruise etc

 

I got better at this the second time and the economic downturn helped as well

 

Open a special checking acct for travel

Only and also 2 special travel only credit cards

 

Buy an across your chest travel purse

 

Use 21 inch roll on bags plus a backpack per person. No need to check baggage

 

Assume that nice person asking you..a typical tourist ....for directions is probably a pickpocket And yes I know this happens everywhere as well as nowhere. Lol

 

Avoid sending deposit money to tour ops if possible

 

Have the kids leave the iPhones home and just use an iPod

 

There is more to say, much more but others will chime in now.

 

But I will end by saying it is by far the best spent money ever and you will want to do it again. If you have a kid that is a moaner just ignore them and drag them along anyway Next time leave them behind but not this time.

 

Best thing any parent can do is show their kids the world!!

[stsnfes]

We are a family of 6 planning our first Med cruise. We are debating between the 2 itineraries. Both cruises are on the Spirit. The only difference is that Kotor and Dubrovnik are added ports in the 14 day cruise. In terms of price difference, it will be $300 more per person. So that's an extra $1800 more than the 12 day.

 

We are debating the same two cruises! It is me, DH, 12 year old son, and my parents! Can't decide! We booked Spirit, but, we are having second thoughts and thinking of changing.

Edited July 5, 2014 by stsnfes

[stsnfes]

Ok I am going to tell you the facts here. Lol

 

Btw we have done 2 med cruises with pre and post days. 4 kids 2 mid age parents. I am hoping we will do a third one in 2016

 

So and regardless of what others will now post because they love to disagree with me here on cc these are my tips:

 

Thanks for your tips.. not to hijack this thread, but we are planning the same trip! Do you think that doing this itinerary in June/July is crazy? (heat/tourists/etc).

 

Thanks!

[Crusin6]

Thanks for your tips.. not to hijack this thread, but we are planning the same trip! Do you think that doing this itinerary in June/July is crazy? (heat/tourists/etc).

 

Thanks!

 

No it is not crazy because that is when you can go correct ?

 

Your kids schedule will be the priority in timing so just do what you must

 

Yes it will be hot

You will need to dress appropriately in the ports regardless of temps but this can easily be done

 

There will be plenty of tourists so do pre book admissions on the pre and post cities

 

To save time and with 4 kids a private excursion will be helpful in certain cities like Rome. Others are staunch DIY types but the logistics is some ports for a family of 6 make private better. No way am I doing shuttle cab train to get into Florence or Rome as time is too precious. Others disagree on this point but may not be traveling with a bunch of kids either

 

Feel free to ask anything and I will give you an honest answer as we travel with 4 teens. Couples do not have the same concerns and just arent as objective i have found

[duckfan80]

It's a very minor thing, but since the heat has come up, the best purchase I ever made (and it was cheap) was a folding hand fan. Stuck it in my purse and when we were sitting on a hot train or bus ('cuz they don't turn up the AC as far as we do!) or standing in a never ending line in the heat, I'd pull that out and fan myself. I noticed that all the local women in every port used them, and I was happy when I made that purchase. So simple and yet made my trips so much better.

 

stsnfes--when you say you are thinking of changing from the Spirit, do you mean to another ship like the Jade? The Spirit's rooms are a little bigger than the Jade's I believe, but the Jade is a bit more modern. However, there are huge Spirit fans out there, and it is a unique ship. I liked them both, but I do like the Jewel class ships better.

 

OP--you might also consider flying into Rome rather than Venice as flights tend to be cheaper. You will get to do a shore day in Rome, but that is not enough. Spend a few days there and take the train to Venice a couple of days before the cruise. On our first trip, we went straight to Venice, but everyone we met on board flew to Rome. So, on our second cruise from Venice, we did it that way. Then, we were able to actually enjoy Rome rather than do a hurried day in it.

 

Like I said before, though, no matter what you choose, you'll love it!

[Crusin6]

We to flew to Rome and spent 5 nights in an apt then train to Venice for over night

 

Hint: don't even bother to take the Rome metro to the train terminal with luggage before 10 am as it is way too crowded

 

Either stay walking distance from the train terminal ( termini station) or call a cab or 2 in your case

 

I don't care for the area near the train and we prefer north Rome and we called a private driver ( Rome cabs) to pick us up on a 9 seater van

 

Even with 6 roll ons and 6 backpacks we were not comfortable taking the metro to the train for our 830 train to Venice. Metro was packed like sardines when we rode it at 8 am the previous day.

[old nutter]

Kotor and Dubrovnik would swing any cruise decision for me. The sail in and out of Kotor is magnificent. It is at the head of what is known as the most southerly fjord in Europe. It takes around 90 mins to 2 hours to sail into and out of the fjord and the mountain sights on either side for the whole time are fabulous.

 

Kotor town itself is beautiful and there are several excellent excursions up into the mountains and down the other side to Budva. King Nicholas ruled Montenegro until 1918 and the children of him and his wife Milena married into royal families across Europe. He was also close to the Russian Tsars. Many of the wedding gifts that were accumulated are preserved in the King's Palace in the capital of Montenegro, Cetinje. The palace looks little more than a big house, but go inside and you will see items that represent years of European history. Many of the items reepresent the only remaining ones of their type because most of the similar Russian items in particular did not survive the fall of the Tsars.

 

There are also lots of other beautiful buildings in Cetinje. The road up from Kotor to Cetinje is spectacular and the coach drivers will usually stop part way up the mountain so that you can look down into Kotor. As you look down to the road, you should be able to see the road form the letter "M" at one point. This was supposedly designed to be a tribute by the King to his wife Melina.

 

The trips usualy carry on down the side of the mountal overlooking the Adriatic into Budva and finally go back to Kotor via a tunnel in the mountain. One interesting peculiarity of Montenegro is that it does not have it's own currency and used to use the German Mark. Montenegro is not part of the Eurropean Union, but when the Euro took over from the Mark, the government decided to accept the Euro as it's national currency. This has two effects on cruises. First one is that you can use the same currency as used by most Mediteranean counties rather than having to change to another one. Secondly, since is is outside of the EU, any cruise stopping there, does not have to charge the VAT from the starting country for the entire cruise!

 

Dubrovnik is just Dubrovnik. Fantastic scenery, superb buildings, amazing history and some of the best ice cream outside Italy.

 

These two port stops are arguably amongst the best anywhere in Europe, so the only other place to add to the ultimate cruise in the Med/Adriatic is Split, but if only Kotor and Dubrovnik are available, choose the one visiting them and you will not be dissapointed.

[cyae1]

Well it has been decided...we are going to do the 14N from Barcelona to Venice on July 6. I asked the family everyone's top "must see" in Europe. One wants Barcelona - so we will spend a few days in Barcelona pre-cruise. My daughter wants to see Greece. DH wants Rome and is actually the main reason for the trip. My youngest just wants to survive 14days in the same room with his siblings. And thanks to "old nutter"'s post, you provided an excellent argument to support my son's priority to go to Kotor. Post cruise, we will do a day in Venice and then head back to Rome for a few more days.

 

Cruisin6 - Love your posts and your last line in your first post was the deciding factor for me. "Best thing a parent can do is show their kids the world".

 

Thanks everyone for your posts... please keep the tips coming. With a troupe of 6, I want to be ultimately prepared.

 

 

 

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[Crusin6]

Well it has been decided...we are going to do the 14N from Barcelona to Venice on July 6. I asked the family everyone's top "must see" in Europe. One wants Barcelona - so we will spend a few days in Barcelona pre-cruise. My daughter wants to see Greece. DH wants Rome and is actually the main reason for the trip. My youngest just wants to survive 14days in the same room with his siblings. And thanks to "old nutter"'s post, you provided an excellent argument to support my son's priority to go to Kotor. Post cruise, we will do a day in Venice and then head back to Rome for a few more days.

 

Cruisin6 - Love your posts and your last line in your first post was the deciding factor for me. "Best thing a parent can do is show their kids the world".

 

Thanks everyone for your posts... please keep the tips coming. With a troupe of 6, I want to be ultimately prepared.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thank you a d please keep posting any questions you may have. Thanks to iPhone I check in frequently

 

At the pool right now discussing our 2016 trip. Hope it can be all 6 of us. Fingers crossed.

[stsnfes]

stsnfes--when you say you are thinking of changing from the Spirit, do you mean to another ship like the Jade? The Spirit's rooms are a little bigger than the Jade's I believe, but the Jade is a bit more modern. However, there are huge Spirit fans out there, and it is a unique ship. I liked them both, but I do like the Jewel class ships better.

 

 

Yes this is what I mean. The 14N is on the Jade and the Spirit is the 12N. I have never sailed NCL before, but I do have 2 cruises booked - Pearl in January and Breakaway in February.

 

I feel so overwhelmed by all of the choices.. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! :)

[stsnfes]

No it is not crazy because that is when you can go correct ?

 

 

Feel free to ask anything and I will give you an honest answer as we travel with 4 teens. Couples do not have the same concerns and just arent as objective i have found

 

LOL ok so you may regret saying this, but I am going to take advantage of this! I think we are going to go in July on the same as OP!

 

Also, I don't think I am going to DIY any port..... in addition to kids, I have parents to worry about. My Dad isn't as mobile as he used to be and I think private excursions where he can stay with a driver in a air conditioned vehicle is important. Perhaps I am insane all together for taking this trip! :) :) :)

 

and you are so RIGHT, if this was just me and DH, we would do things very different LOL. When we went on our cruise in April - we didn't plan a ton. We just roll with the punches - sometimes getting out at the port and making a decision there. Can't do that with young and elderly along for the ride.

 

Hey OP, did you say you had a 13 year old son? My son is 12. :)

[Crusin6]

LOL ok so you may regret saying this, but I am going to take advantage of this! I think we are going to go in July on the same as OP!

 

Also, I don't think I am going to DIY any port..... in addition to kids, I have parents to worry about. My Dad isn't as mobile as he used to be and I think private excursions where he can stay with a driver in a air conditioned vehicle is important. Perhaps I am insane all together for taking this trip! :) :) :)

 

and you are so RIGHT, if this was just me and DH, we would do things very different LOL. When we went on our cruise in April - we didn't plan a ton. We just roll with the punches - sometimes getting out at the port and making a decision there. Can't do that with young and elderly along for the ride.

 

Hey OP, did you say you had a 13 year old son? My son is 12. :)

 

We are getting better at DIY but I am all in favor of private tours when that is best. That was all I would do in Istanbul and Athens

 

Btw we were on the ruby princess and for 6 if us the ships prices actually offered more at a better price than the private tours I was looking at

 

Hard to believe but true

 

I have been to both places before but just wanted what the tours offered and the price was acceptable to us

 

Yes they are expensive but so worth it.

[Alanscruise]

I am having a hard time understanding how long we will be in Venice at the start of the cruise. Is it a good idea to spend one or two nights there before the cruise? The departure is at 1:00 am so it seems like you really only have one night in Venice.

[TheCruisingBrewers]

I too am looking at the Spirit but a bit earlier in May.

 

Watch flights in and out as many airlines are much cheaper when booked M-Th. That is my one nugget.

 

I am hoping to get my cruise and all the specific have to's done by this week.

 

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

[duckfan80]

I am having a hard time understanding how long we will be in Venice at the start of the cruise. Is it a good idea to spend one or two nights there before the cruise? The departure is at 1:00 am so it seems like you really only have one night in Venice.

 

Yes, you leave after midnight. You can check-in and get off and wander around in the evening, but you will want to decide how much time in Venice you will need. It may mean getting there earlier than you originally imagine. But, have fun! It's a great cruise!

Edited September 5, 2014 by duckfan80

[D4]

Venice hotels are EXPENSIVE, especially during high season.

We love this hotel ... [url]http://www.hotelsantachiara.it/venice/[/url]. It is on the a Grand Canal and backs up to the only place in Venice where cars can go. Getting to/from the cruise port and to/from the airport is very easy and inexpensive. (Transportation to/from most hotels in Venice is inconvenient and/or expensive.). An excellent breakfast is included with a lot of things to select from.

Good luck planning your trip. It will be very expensive, but awesome!

[D4]

[quote name='Alanscruise']I am having a hard time understanding how long we will be in Venice at the start of the cruise. Is it a good idea to spend one or two nights there before the cruise? The departure is at 1:00 am so it seems like you really only have one night in Venice.[/QUOTE]

If you're flying from the US, I'd recommend staying in Venice at least 2 nights before the cruise. Unless you're all able to sleep well on planes, you'll need time to recover from the long flights and time changes.

[agabbymama]

And just a note of warning to the OP. Do your research and planning. Have a Plan "A", and a Plan "B" for when Plan A falls apart. AND THEN BE PREPARED TO JUST GO WITH THE FLOW forgetting both Plan A and Plan B, when they both fall apart. I've been to Europe 7 times and plans don't always work out.

I had been to Italy and Greece before so knew just what I wanted to show my friend. Unfortunately her mobility ended up being a big problem in getting around on our own. We found Princess lacking in information to independent do it yourselfers. We found we had to change plans at the last minute many times for incorrect or no information provided. We still had a great trip, but had to be willing to forgo some things, and add others at the last minute.

Another note is your budget. You can plan a budget, but holding to that budget in Europe may not be possible. I had planned $4500 pp for the trip, and it ended up costing us $6000 pp. You lose a lot the minute you land in Europe as the US $$ does not do well against the EURO. It's a little better right now at $1.30 than when we went at $1.79. We just figured ours at 2 for 1, so lost half our money immediately. Taxis are expensive, food was double what we planned, then having to pay for excursions because our DIY didn't work out. Then add in our airline cancelled our return flight and had to stay an extra night in Paris (hotel, food, taxis at $$$$$$) before our flight the next day.

Apartment rentals are great, if you can find one that doesn't require a huge deposit, minimum of 5 nights, etc. As another poster stated, "READ THE FINE PRINT".

And one final tip. Some don't like Hop On/Hop Off buses, but we found them invaluable to get an overview of the city at a cheap price. Getting on and off at the sights we wanted to see did save our legs, feet and backs.

Others have posted to take half the clothes you think you need, and twice the money you think you need. Have fun planning, then taking your cruise. Europe is awesome, the more time you can spend there, the better.

[Rufferto]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]You will be charged Spanish VAT while in port in Barcelona. Avoid major purchases onboard during this time.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]If you are planning your own excursions, you can buy train ticket and passes to attractions / museums online. Well worth it to avoid line-ups when you get there. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Don’t be afraid to use public transportation. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Drubovnik- Fan of HBO’s Game of Thrones? This city is where they film King’s Landing scenes. :cool:[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Check this site out- it might prove useful: [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.tomsportguides.com/portguides.html"][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]http://www.tomsportguides.com/portguides.html[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/URL]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I plan on using it for my upcoming trip. A lot of good detailed info in these guides that are geared towards cruisers.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[b_cruise]

Op

Join our roll call. I am on this cruise too. I decided between the two as well, but Istanbul was my decision maker. It's suppose to be amazing and usually turns out to be a favorite port from what I've read. Montenegro is fabulous...u will love it!!

But join our roll call and join some private tours to save $$$$ also to get ideas on ports you can easily do on your own!

[danacline]

My wife, son, daughter, and I did the 12-day on the Spirit in June, and had a blast. All 4 of us crammed into an inside cabin with few issues.

We stayed one night pre-cruise in Barcelona, next time will add more days. We were at the small Hotel Canton, two blocks off of Las Ramblas, in their "rooftop apartment". Only 140 Euros for the night, I think.

Prepare the kids for a lot of walking. Several cities (Barcelona, Venice, Athens, Istanbul) are very easy for do-it-yourself tours. Get everyone a collapsible water bottle. Download the PDF guides at tomsportguides dot com. They have very useful high-res photos and work wonders on a smartphone or tablet.

We stayed a week post-cruise at my daughter's house in Pordenone, about an hour north of Venice (husband in Air Force at Aviano).

The Spirit is an old classic ship, decent design, awesome crew. We enjoyed the food but missed the old standards we're used to on other lines - escargot, shrimp cocktail, lobster. We made it a point to eat lunch in every port, so we got a good sample of local cuisine.

Don't feel that the entire family needs to do the same thing. We split our ship's tours. My son and I visited the Cinque Terre, while wife and daughter went to Piza and Florence. Son and I climbed Vesuvius. We all did the same tour in Rome and Ephesus, DIY in Athens and Istanbul.

In Barcelona, visit the market on Las Ramblas. In Istanbul, visit the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar. In Venice, visit St. Marks but wander up to Rialto Bridge for shopping.

In Ephesus, we went with ephesusdeluxe dot com as they had an inexpensive tour ($40) that went to Ephesus, Terrace Houses, but not Mary's House or a rug factory.

Make sure everyone has boots/shoes with good soles. Ephesus and the Acropolis are both polished marble, slick with the footsteps of thousands of years. I'm surprised no one was seriously injured from just walking around.

In the Spice Market in Istanbul, consider buying Turkish Delight. Thousands of flavors exist. There was a nice large candy store between the bridge and the ship we stumbled across.

In Toulon, an inexpensive thing to do is to visit their Maritime Museum. It contains hundreds of detailed ship models. It's an easy walk from the ship along the waterfront.

We were alert for pickpockets but never had an issue with one. When traveling on foot, stay together and have everyone lookout for everyone else. We had many pockets, on pants and shirt, with zippers, velcro. Distributed cash and cards among various pockets. Everyone had a digital camera. We now have north of 5,000 photos.

Impress on the kids the importance of where you're about to go and what you're about to see. In Barcelona, for instance, their Maritime Museum includes a dry-dock where ships of the Spanish Armada were built. In Athens, they can trod the same marble chips at the Acropolis that were trod by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

I was quite surprised to find that the Med was glass-smooth for most of the trip. We didn't feel any motion until the reach between Sicily and Mykonos, and then only barely.

I want to do it again...same ship, same itinerary.