European Cruise?

[staceycs]

This may not be the right board but we are looking at booking a European cruise for August 2015. I know not the ideal time with the heat but that is when we can go. My son is doing a study abroad and we thought we would join him at the end of school and do a cruise. I have never priced European cruises but they seem high. I am looking at the Venice to Barcelona 12 day cruise. For a family of 4 I am looking at $10,000 for a family of 4 with 2 balcony rooms since they don't have balcony rooms for 4. Then the cost of the flights is about 1600 per person. Then of course there is the cost of excursions for us.

 

So my questions are booking this far out do the prices ever go down?

When is the best time to look at booking a European cruise?

Maybe we should look at a 7 day cruise instead but we may never get back to Europe so I thought we should try to see as much as we can.

 

I am feeling very overwhelmed at trying to figure this out so would you suggest a TA instead of me trying to do this on my own. I have always been the family TA but this trip really has my head spinning.

 

Thanks for the help.

[Cruising Golfer]

Step back take a deep breath!!!

We just booked our first cruise for Europe and it was really painless...

If you know where you want to go (and you do) and when (ditto) you're half way home...

Find a cruise line that fits your needs and book early, you can get price drops as they come available.

We are very jazzed about doing this cruise and know it will be a memory that will last forever!!!

Enjoy!!!:D:cool:

[KeithJenner]

Prices don't generally change much for European cruises in August. It's holiday time so they are quite full. I've booked all my Cruises about a year out and the price has never dropped (all during school holidays). I'd book as soon as soon as you know what you want. I assume you are in the US so they will adjust the prices if they were to drop. I have to say that 2015 prices are looking high at the moment, but I'm still not convinced they are going to fall.

 

I assume you are looking at the Spirit. It's a great itinerary, but you have identified issues with the cabins (they are small). You would have more cabin options on the Jade or the Epic (including 2 bedroom suites which could be cheaper than two balconies). However, the Epic is in the West and the Jade in the East during August so you wouldn't be able to do both Rome and Athens, for example. In August, the Spirit itinerary is probably best for an all round view. If you could change times then the Jade has some good options (it's doing a great itinerary right now).

 

As for using a TA, personally I wouldn't, but then that's just me. I love doing my own research, and know my own preferences. Your preferences may be different, but your comment about usually doing it yourself suggests that you also like to do so. Don't let the fact that it is in Europe put you off. It isn't that different really.

 

 

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[mugtech]

Actually for a European cruise you are not booking too far out, especially for August 2015. The prices I am seeing of the Spirit 12 day are about $150/pp more than I paid for 5/6/14. I booked two years in advance and saved an additional $100/pp.for an outside cabin. I would suggest flying into Europe from the USA at least one day before, 2 days if you can swing it. I would suggest Venice to Barcelona, for you have two sea days immediately to get yourselves into the European mode. The Spirit it a beautiful, older ship of Asian design and a favorite of many, myself included.

[staceycs]

Thank you for the advice on booking the Haven on the Epic or Jade. They actually offer some great options. We are limited as to when we can sail because my finishes class August 13 and both of my kids have to be back in school on August 31 in the states.

[Sauer-kraut]

Do you really need 2 balcony cabins? You can save money by booking an inside across the hall, that should bring your bottom line down by quite a bit.

[littlelulu01]

We are in the same boat. From everything I read it looks like Europe cruises do sell at higher prices and the further ahead you book the less expensive. If you are a member of the big box warehouse co then you can search all cabin prices, obc etc. I ended up saving several hundred over what the other ta's and ncl wanted. I did not check with a ta on a package price because I used miles and also the study abroad student would only need one way airfare but a ta may be able to get you a better deal if you need to purchase airfare. I don't think it would hurt to check.

 

I ended up with the jade 14nt. Cost wise and port wise it worked out better for us and our flight choices.

 

You could always try to save on flights by booking to a less expensive major hub and then switch to low cost carrier like Ryanair within Europe but this can be costly if you need to transfer, make any flight changes or have luggage to check.

 

Good luck. I know it takes a ton of time to research but once you have the cruise picked out and deposits down it will be less hassle. Perhaps check with your student too. I had wanted to do a different cruise but after talking with daughter decided on the jade itinerary. She wanted to see new places and knew she would tour most of Northern Europe, Italy and Spain by the time we arrived, thus the jade itinerary. Btw, we opted out of balconies and currently have ocean view. I'm hoping price will drop and we can upgrade but ocean view was half that of balcony. I just could not justify spending that much more for balconies, especially considering cost of excursions, pre and post hotels and transfers. That and not knowing where our usd will be against the euro got me feeling just fine about the ocean views.

Edited July 6, 2014 by littlelulu01

[DevonianCruiser]

I've a two week cruise on the Jade this year and it's costing a lot as it's in August and were flying for the UK so the flights are the cheap bit. It's in a p/h but that would be similar to having two balconies.

 

I'd do as another said and consider an inside opposite an outside.

 

I'd also look at other cruise lines as this time of year there will be a lot of options I'd imagine. Or how about so etching like a few days in Italy, a weeks cruise and a few days at the end in somewhere like Barcelona. That way you'd still get to cruise, but also get a real chance to see some countries too?

 

I'm sure you can get those prices down with some changes :)

[AF-1]

Norwegian was running a special; if you book 9 months out, you can get up to $300 OBC per cabin; depending on what type cabin you book. If you use a travel agent, they can keep an eye on price drops, air fare drops etc. Pick your itinerary first, and the ship second. It cost a lot to fly and sail in Europe; so you may as well go visit the cities you want to see.

[pieshops]

just a cost saving tip - we are flying into Milan and taking the train to Rome in December for our Jade cruise.

 

This is saving us about 3500 dollars for 5 of us as opposed to flying into Rome, well worth a quick train ride

[sgcass123]

Last year, our family of 4 cruised out of Barcelona on a 12 day Carnival cruise for $1200pp and airline tickets were about $1500pp. We are now planning a NCL 14 day cruise for next June on the Jade that leaves out of Venice. Right now, the price is about $1750pp give or take a few dollars. The total for 2 interior rooms was $7650 approx. I haven't booked it yet, but feel the need to in case the price goes up even further. We have been checking airline tickets throughout the year, and t seems like the best time to buy those are 10 months ahead of time......we are expecting to pay around $1200-1300pp for air into Venice.

 

As far as price goes, I feel it is high compared to what I paid last year, but still feel happy with it because it comes down to $136pp/day.......I have mixed feelings about it.

 

I also agree with going on a longer cruise.....if you are spending all this money to get there, make it worth your time and get as much out of it as possible.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[sgcass123]

just a cost saving tip - we are flying into Milan and taking the train to Rome in December for our Jade cruise.

 

This is saving us about 3500 dollars for 5 of us as opposed to flying into Rome, well worth a quick train ride

 

 

 

I love this idea, but have one question - are you worried about the luggage on the train? We have read where large luggage on a train can be a problem........ We read where there is not enough room on the train, etc.

[pieshops]

I love this idea, but have one question - are you worried about the luggage on the train? We have read where large luggage on a train can be a problem........ We read where there is not enough room on the train, etc.

 

Yes and no. I have given strict instructions to the wife, 2 daughters and my mother that this is a carry on only cruise so if instructions are followed we will be ok LOL, but you know how this will probably work out.

 

We will be away for a total of 17 days so I figure we will have 2 free bags of laundry on the cruise and after the cruise we are staying in an apartment with washer so we should be ok with a couple of changes of cloths.

 

My plan is to bring a thin bike lock and lock all the luggage tougher on the train.

 

We shall see

[littlelulu01]

I love this idea, but have one question - are you worried about the luggage on the train? We have read where large luggage on a train can be a problem........ We read where there is not enough room on the train, etc.

 

Luggage on a train can be a real problem especially in the heat of the summer. The trains where you purchase an actual seat have more space available but even so it's not for travel with more than one bag because of navigating the stations. Our first trip we each brought one carry on roller bag and I was in tears running up and down stairs to get to the right platforms so as not to miss trains.

 

Next trip I purchased exact dimension backpacks that Ryanair would allow and they held up pretty good. We were able to get all our belongings in a backpack. Husband ended up purchasing shirts in airports etc and then throwing old ones away. Also had laundry done a few times.

 

Our trip next year we will have way too much luggage but only using the train from Florence to Vennice and purchasing the fast train so it will be hard to get to the wrong platform (fast trains look much different) and assigned seats so not the fighting for overhead storage. You see people all the time with tons of big luggage in the train station (all Americans). When the bin changes and you have to run for the next bin it can be a total melt down situation.

 

We will have three large checked luggage, daughters belongings from study abroad, and four of the largest size airline overhead bags. It will be precarious but I plan on hiring a station wagon taxi to get us from Florence to Florence train station, and then probably getting off train in the Vennice Mestre station and taking a taxi (35 euros) to port from there vs the main Vennice station and then people mover. When you call for a taxi you need to clairify that you need a bigger taxi. They will then send you a Mercedes station wagon vs. regular taxi which won't fit a bunch of people or luggage.

[AF-1]

Last year, our family of 4 cruised out of Barcelona on a 12 day Carnival cruise for $1200pp and airline tickets were about $1500pp. We are now planning a NCL 14 day cruise for next June on the Jade that leaves out of Venice. Right now, the price is about $1750pp give or take a few dollars. The total for 2 interior rooms was $7650 approx. I haven't booked it yet, but feel the need to in case the price goes up even further. We have been checking airline tickets throughout the year, and t seems like the best time to buy those are 10 months ahead of time......we are expecting to pay around $1200-1300pp for air into Venice.

 

As far as price goes, I feel it is high compared to what I paid last year, but still feel happy with it because it comes down to $136pp/day.......I have mixed feelings about it.

 

I also agree with going on a longer cruise.....if you are spending all this money to get there, make it worth your time and get as much out of it as possible.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

We are also going on Jade for 14 days. We r cruising in May. So far, airfare out of Cincinnati is $1578 tax included. We booked aft cabin and the price of our cruise has jumped $150.

[luvtheships]

Last year, our family of 4 cruised out of Barcelona on a 12 day Carnival cruise for $1200pp and airline tickets were about $1500pp. We are now planning a NCL 14 day cruise for next June on the Jade that leaves out of Venice. Right now, the price is about $1750pp give or take a few dollars. The total for 2 interior rooms was $7650 approx. I haven't booked it yet, but feel the need to in case the price goes up even further. We have been checking airline tickets throughout the year, and t seems like the best time to buy those are 10 months ahead of time......we are expecting to pay around $1200-1300pp for air into Venice.

 

As far as price goes, I feel it is high compared to what I paid last year, but still feel happy with it because it comes down to $136pp/day.......I have mixed feelings about it.

 

I also agree with going on a longer cruise.....if you are spending all this money to get there, make it worth your time and get as much out of it as possible.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

That is just around what we have paid for 2 ovs for 6 pax

 

Ruby princess

Carnival freedom

Both July both 12 day

 

Next time I am just getting a start and end date to our trip. Which will be approx 18 to 25 days at this point

 

I know what we want to do and what cruise we want plus what pre and post cities we want as well

 

I will buy airfare far out and if course insure it

 

Then as it gets to final payment and they drop the prices I will book something at a deep discount and just arrange our days to be where the ship is I am somehow sure that we will be able to find a few ships to our liking with availability! Lol.

 

If not well then we just a a few extra countries by land.

 

All of us have been to Europe several times so we are actually excited about this idea.

 

However if it were the first trip best it all be nicely arranged and booked ahead of time.

 

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Edited July 8, 2014 by luvtheships

[danacline]

We just did our first European cruise last month on the Spirit. The others are right - the price will not go down. Just a couple of tips...

 

1) Plan to spend a few extra days in Barcelona - it will be worth it. Really really worth it. We got rooms at the Hotel Canton, just off Las Ramblas, and they moved us into the 5th-floor apartment (2 bedrooms, one double and one twin) for the same price. No one else on that floor - basically a penthouse! Barcelona was truly awesome. Visit the market on Las Ramblas, go hungry. It's a very walkable city.

 

2) I second the notion of an inside cabin for 4 - sure, it was crowded, but with the port-intensive schedule, we were rarely in the cabin except to change and sleep, and we saved a ton. Which we then applied to port excursions.

 

3) In Athens, the must-do was the Acropolis. To walk in the footsteps of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle (the father of my field, logic) was inspiring. We did this port on our own and it was easy.

 

4) We also did Istanbul on our own - take the cheap tram from the port area to near the Haggia Sophia and walk back. Avoid anyone who approaches around there - they want to sell you carpets. Definitely walk back through the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. Buy Turkish candy.

 

5) If you want to see Ephesus and the Terrace Houses, without the Virgin Mary house (which is only that due to a vision by a Catholic nun) and especially without the carpet shopping, book a tour with EphesusDeluxe.com for only $40 per person.

 

6) Take good hiking/walking shoes. Both the Acropolis and Ephesus are paved with marble...very slick marble. If wet, especially, walk very carefully. Also applies to slick streets in Pompeii.

 

7) Seriously, avoid August at ALL COSTS! In August, all of Europe goes on vacation, mostly to the spots you'll be going. It was somewhat crowded in June, I'm told its MUCH worse in August. If you can slide it to the following cruise (Barcelona to Venice), try really hard to do that.

 

8) We took collapsible water bottles (cheap at Walmart), filled them up in the cabin with tap water. Very useful, as tours are generally all-day and in summer could/will be very hot.

 

9) Pack very light, as you will want to fill that extra space coming back with various items. Glass in Venice (from Murano) is exceptionally beautiful. We brought back about 8 bottles of liquor (grappa, raki, ouzo, limoncino, and some wines). Sadly, international flights no longer allow two checked bags per person - we were rudely awakened by a $100 charge for an extra bag. My son and I found great deals (here) on microfiber shirts - easy to wash in shower and dried almost instantly. We did no laundry on this cruise.

 

10) I assume the airfare you quoted, $1600, was on US Airways? They were far cheaper than anyone else, but I will never fly them again. They managed to mangle 3 of our suitcases, and of course don't cover seams, zippers, wheels, or handles. Food going over was a joke, coming back was better. At least every seat had separate video screen and great selection of movies.

 

11) Take a little power strip. We (2 adults, 2 kids aged 17 and 26) were constantly charging either camera batteries, phone batteries, laptop, or tablets. Without power strip we would not be fully charged for all devices.

 

12) We wore (mostly) pants and shirts with a lot of velcro, zipper, and button pockets. We saw no pickpockets, but were prepared as we all watched each other's backs. I hear Barcelona and Rome are bad about that.

 

13) Finally, invest in some Rick Steves guides. We found his city guides for Barcelona and Venice particularly nice, with small removable maps. If you have a smart phone, download the World Travel Guide then all the guides for each country you visit. Very useful, free, has a good phrase book for the different languages. Visit TomsPortGuides.com and download his free PDF files for the various ports - his maps and aerial photos were incredibly useful and worked well on both tablets and phones.

 

14) And most important - once you have your cabin booked, join CruiseCritic's roll call for that cruise. Make friends, share tours and tips, and you'll have the greatest vacation of your life!

[luvtheships]

Oh prices for European cruises most certainly will go down but the resident rates will be offered to the folks from Venice and Barcelona and thereabouts. Not the Americans with expensive airfare.

 

Of course we sailed on July and I know August resident rates were not as attractive.

We paid under $1500 each for 12 days on ruby whereas the slain arcs and Italians were paying 600 e for 24night b2b. Approx $900 us

 

 

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Edited July 8, 2014 by luvtheships

[KeithJenner]

When considering what may happen with prices in the future, it's worth looking at previous history.

 

As you are looking at sailing next August, let's have a look at the prices and availability right now for this August.

 

The Spirit (I'm looking at Barcelona to Venice) has four family balconies available and then just guarantees in other balcony categories. There seem to be a few more Oceanviews and Insides available, but it seems to be not far off fully booked.

 

The prices (this is according to the UK site) are lower than they are currently charging for next year, which makes you think they could come down. However, considering how full the ship seems to be a month out, I'd say it is the 2014 prices that look low rather than 2015 being expensive. I doubt they will fall by much.

 

We are on the Jade for 14 days in August, and it is not now possible to book the 14 day cruise. Looking at the two 7 days cruises, as soon as you try to book for more than two people in a room it asks you to call. Working on just two people, the UK site is showing just one balcony available for one week of the cruise we are on. On the other week, there is only insides and ocean views, with not many of them. To book the two weeks now would cost nearly as much as we have paid for an Aft Mini Suite and you would be in an Oceanview.

 

I'm sure you wouldn't have been considering waiting until this close to book, but with those levels of occupancy there would seem to be very little reason to discount prices.

 

Obviously, outside of August things may be different, but I understand that you (the OP) don't have much choice on that.

[littlelulu01]

FYI for those looking for bargain airfare, Norweigiwen Airlines is offering some low cost TA flights. They have checked baggage fees but they may save some $. They are currently booking thru March, 2015. Flights between London and Los Angeles operating twice a week, with prices starting at $340 each way. Flights between London and Fort Lauderdale operate twice a week and start at $306 each way. Three time weekly London-New York flights begin at $255 usd each way. Might be worth a look.