NCL Spirit Grand Med Barcelona to Venice May 19-31, 2015 Review

[Loving My Life]

My wife and I were on this same cruise and did Istanbul on our own. We are both 32 and pretty active. We estimated that we walked over 12 miles for the entire day. We did not take the tram because we didnt want to take out Turkish Lira from the ATM(but we had to anyways to get into the Basillica Cistern). In hindsight we would have taken the tram to the Blue Mosque and walked our way back. The trams looked crowded though. We found our way to the sights by actually following the tram lines... so it was easy to find our way.

 

It was funny, we were doing it on our own with Rick Steve's in hand, but we kept on running into Carolyn and her tour group.

 

And another note, was that we were there on a tuesday and the Topkapi palace was closed... which was something we were looking forward to seeing, but at the end of the day we found that we wouldnt have had time to do everything if we had made it into the palace.

 

Nick

 

Hi Nick! We are working on getting our pictures edited - I'm doing them day by day as I write this review. I'll let you know when we are done and they are posted.

 

We would like to have you and Dawn over for dinner or a cook out this summer. I'll be in touch.

[blan2]

Day 14: Ephesus (Continued)

We stopped at a small carpet factory, where we learned how Turkish rugs are made...by hand! It takes anywhere from 8 -18+ months for these women to make the rugs. They are absolutely beautiful, but also very expensive. The rug I liked was over $20,000. :eek: There were some less costly ones, and a couple in our tour group bought one and had it shipped to their home. There was a bit of hassling to get people to look at the rugs, but there was not a high-pressured sales pitch. I simply left the building and waited outside until the couple had complete their order.

 

I was just wondering if you had known prior to starting the tour that day that you would be stopping at a carpet factory? I have read that most tours will try to get you in for a stop at a factory.......and have read some positive and negative experiences. I have read that some private tour companies will omit a stop at a rug factory if you are quite firm and just say you are not interested. How long was your stop there? I am comparing a few different tour companies for our cruise next year and am just trying to see the best options to spend our time in port.

Thank you for your review and feedback.

Edited June 9, 2015 by blan2

[Loving My Life]

I was just wondering if you had known prior to starting the tour that day that you would be stopping at a carpet factory? I have read that most tours will try to get you in for a stop at a factory.......and have read some positive and negative experiences. I have read that some private tour companies will omit a stop at a rug factory if you are quite firm and just say you are not interested. How long was your stop there? I am comparing a few different tour companies for our cruise next year and am just trying to see the best options to spend our time in port.

Thank you for your review and feedback.

 

I didn't know ahead of time that we would be stopping at a rug factory. At least one couple on our tour wanted the stop as they were interested in purchasing a rug. If the whole group had wanted to skip this part of the tour, I'm pretty certain we could have skipped it altogether.

 

For my tour with them in Istanbul, I specifically said I didn't want to go to a rug factory. I didn't organize this tour in Ephesus (someone else on our roll call did), so I don't know if they asked or not. Curtis, if you read this, can you answer this question?

Edited June 9, 2015 by Loving My Life

[bearette]

Private tours or small group tours will let you omit the stop at the carpet factory, but you must tell them before hand and be firm. We enjoyed our stop and since prices can be outrageous it makes it easy to say no. Our lunch stop was at the same place they make the carpets which they do on purpose.

 

I did a similar itinerary on the Jade but we had two days in Istanbul. We walked around with our three year-olds and felt absolutely safe. Even walked after dark and had no issues. We did Istanbul on our own and used the tram without issues. Sometimes the trams were very busy and other times almost empty. They have rush hour just like at home. They come very often so even if you wait for one it won't be a problem.

[Loving My Life]

Day 14: Ephesus (Continued)

 

ERROR - In the last post of our day in Ephesus, I incorrectly stated that we had dinner in Le Bistro. Since we didn't get back on the ship until 7:30pm, we didn't feel up to a fancy dinner in one of the specialty restaurants. So, we decided to try Blue Lagoon, the free, 24 hour pub food restaurant tonight. We headed there at about 8:15pm and although the seating is limited, we had no trouble getting a table. Dh ran to the closest bar, ordered himself a beer and me a pineapple mojito and brought it back to Blue Lagoon. I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and chicken fingers and fries, and dh ordered hot wings, and the panini. We split the strawberry poundcake dessert. All of the food was pretty good. The chicken was nice and crunchy, which I like.

 

 

 

[Baatman]

25th anniversary for us.Leave in 5 days for pre stay in Barcelona prior to the cruise.

 

We are on our own for all the stops and plan to walk lots.Cant wait

 

Have a great trip! We did this itinerary and did our own on every stop as well. I know you will enjoy it.

[Loving My Life]

Day 15: Athens, Greece

 

This morning, we had a quick breakfast of cheese Danish and fruit from the buffet before we met part of our group at Henry’s Pub and walked off the ship to meet our tour guide.

 

Private Greece Tours Tour Description:

Athens and Cape Sounio (Poseidon) –

This tour is a combination of Athens’ most important sites and the popular half-day excursion to the Temple of Poseidon, with lunch overlooking the Aegean Sea. You will visit the Acropolis, Parthenon, Theatre of Dionysus, and the Areopagus. You will proceed to the Temple of Olympian Zeus as well as the House of Parliament to watch the changing of the guards. You will then drive out of the city along the scenic coastal road, called the “Greek Riviera” to Cape Sounio (Temple of Poseidon), and then return to the port to meet your ship.

 

Price: For our roll call group of 12, the price was €37,50 per person, not including lunch.

 

Our guide was waiting on the pier, holding a sign with the name of the tour organizer. We walked a short distance to meet the mini-bus. The weather was beautiful and sunny this morning, but was supposed to rain in the late afternoon. First, we headed to the Acropolis. Our guide warned us that by going in the morning, the site would be very crowded with tourists, but at least it would be sunny for pictures. The hike up to the Acropolis is just that – a hike…and it’s all uphill…with lots of stairs. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it. It looks so far away when you are standing at the bottom, but it’s not as long of a hike as I had expected (about a mile). Don’t get me wrong – it's a strenuous uphill hike, but lots of out of shape tourists (that would be me) and seniors made it. We had about an hour for the hike and pictures. Keep in mind that the Acropolis is being restored/under construction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 15: Athens, Greece (Continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 15: Athens, Greece (Continued)

 

We then headed back into the city to see the changing of the guards…

 

 

 

 

…and the Temple of Zeus.

 

 

 

 

Next, we started the drive along the coast to Poseidon.

 

 

 

During the drive, our guide asked if we wanted a full, sit-down lunch overlooking the Aegean Sea for about €80-100 per person or "the best gyros ever" without the view for about €10 per person. Our group decided on the gyros. Nikos took us to Zaxos Grill, where we sat outside and literally had "the BEST gyro ever!" Dh and I split a greek salad (with a huge block of fresh feta) and an order of tzatziki with pita bread. We each also had a chicken gyro. The food here was soooo good, probably the best of the entire trip, and so inexpensive - each full-sized gyro was only €2,20!!!

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 15: Athens, Greece (Continued)

 

Once our bellies were full, we drove another hour or so along the coast to the Temple of Poseidon. The sky became more and more cloudy, so we knew that rain was on the way. As soon as we got to Poseidon, the skies opened and it poured! I took a few pictures, but quickly returned to the van. Dan, and several of the guys in the group, hiked up to the Temple to get better pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

I apologize if I got some of the pictures and sites confused. The Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, and Temple of Poseidon all look so similar!

 

After the guys got back to the van (all hiding their cameras under their shirts to keep them dry), we started the ride back to the pier. Because of the rain, there was some flash flooding so the drive took longer than usual. However, we got to see some incredible lightning over the sea on the drive. The drive took so much longer that we ran out of time to get "the best baklava ever." I was disappointed, but there was nothing that could be done. Fortunately I had great baklava in Mykonos and in Istanbul. Nikos dropped us off at the pier and we walked back on the ship.

 

We had an issue with our specialty dinner reservations on this cruise. After our disappointing meal in Teppanyaki, we decided not to have dinner there the 2nd night we had pre-booked. When I went to the Reservations desk on deck 7, the NCL employee cancelled ALL of our remaining reservations, not just the night in Teppanyaki. I even tried using the concierge, another perk from organizing the M&G, but all of the specialty restaurants were booked solid for the remainder of the cruise. Fortunately, that was only the last few days so it wasn't too big of a deal. It just meant we got to try the 2 free dining rooms - Windows and the Garden - which we probably wouldn't have tried unless forced to.

 

We tried dinner in Windows this evening. I ordered vegetable soup with bacon (yum!) and braised short ribs. I couldn't eat the short ribs - they were fatty and very tough. Dan ordered a caesar salad and a pasta dish. The salad was good, but he didn't like the pasta at all. I also had the mint chocolate mousse and Dan had the chocolate lava cake. Both were very good!

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we went to the Galaxy of the Stars to watch some karaoke and then called it a night. The show in Stardust Theater was Duo Yalba, but we did not go. We heard mixed reviews from those who saw it.

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 16: Sea Day

 

***I forgot to mention that last night, we got a reminder to turn our clocks back one hour.

 

OMG, I’ve never been so excited for a sea day in my life! Today was our second, and last, sea day of the cruise and we intended to relax. At about 8am, I was awakened by the sound of running water, so I assumed Dan was taking a shower. Just as I was almost back to sleep, it happened again. I called Dan’s name and he didn’t answer, so I got up to investigate. Just as I opened the bathroom door, I heard the running water sound again and discovered that the toilet was overflowing. Dh was nowhere in sight – he went to get a lounge chair and have breakfast, so it just happened spontaneously. I quickly got dressed, called our cabin steward, and notified him of the problem. He assured me he would take care of it – and bleach my bathroom – so I headed out to get breakfast and find Dan.

 

This was the first time I went to the buffet on this cruise. I usually hate the buffet, but I just wanted something quick. I found sticky buns that some brilliant person had poured sweet cheese on, like a cheese brilliant person had covered in sweet cheese, like a cheese Danish. OMG, I could have happily eaten an entire tray of them, but stopped after 4! Heaven (and a heart attack) on a plate!

 

After eating, I found Dan out by the pool reading on a lounger. I joined him for a bit, but it was REALLY WINDY, so I didn’t last long. He stayed by the pool for several hours, alternately reading, sunning, “swimming” (ie, getting wet), and golfing. I went to Galaxy to watch “Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook” at 10:30am. What a hoot! Gio (the cruise director), Armando (the hotel director), and the Pastry Chef (didn’t get his name) competed for the title of “Top Cake Chef.” Catch this show if you can. At the end, all the guests got to sample the 3 cakes. I don’t want to give too much away, but Armando is a riot!

 

Gio's cake - bigger is better!

 

 

 

Armando's cake - alcohol makes everything better!

 

 

 

The Pastry Chef's cake - the way it should be!

 

 

 

After the show, I went to get Dan from the pool deck to have lunch in Cagney’s but when I got up there, the most INCREDIBLE smell was coming from the grill – a poolside barbeque. It smelled so good, we decided to eat that instead of going to Cagney’s. They had regular salad, a couple of pasta and potato salads, chicken, ribs, and a wok with pasta, veggies, and meats. It was so good!

 

After lunch, I went back to read on our balcony (it was less windy there) and take a nap. Dan watched the Mr. Sexy Legs contest at 1:30pm (Curtis from our roll call won) and attended the Engine Room Presentation at 3pm in Galaxy.

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 16: Sea Day (Continued)

 

Tonight we tried the other free dining room – the Garden – tonight with Pete and Nancy. I had the salmon with lemon beurre blanc sauce and chocolate hazelnut mousse, and Dan had country fried chicken and a white chocolate mousse cake. My meal was every bit as good as one of the specialty restaurants – definitely better than the food in Windows!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up - the Karaoke Superstars Finals in Galaxy at 8:30pm. About 30 of us from our roll call all showed up to cheer for Katie, and despite singing the theme to Frozen (just kidding!), she won!!

 

We weren’t going to arrive in Venice until 2pm tomorrow, so we went to the Stardust Theater to watch “Elements,” which was really, really great! At the end of the show, the captain, officers, staff, and crew all filed in and took a bow, some even danced (like the always smiling ‘washy, washy’ guy from the buffet). It was a giant party.

 

 

 

Dan and I had a night cap at Champagne Charlie’s, and then headed to bed.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Loving My Life

[Loving My Life]

Day 17: Venice, Italy

 

Today, we woke up at about 8am. It felt great to sleep that late after 16 early mornings. We had breakfast in Cagney’s – I had Belgium waffles, bacon, fruit, and cereal and Dan had steak and eggs, bacon, and grapefruit. After breakfast, we went to Guest Services to get a print out of our bill. We found one mistake (they charged us $60 for one of our dinners in Le Bistro), but quickly removed the charges when we pointed out that we had the UDP. Then we went to the future cruise desk and put down a deposit on a future NCL cruise. Basically, you pay $150 for a credit of $250 on a future cruise. Now we just have to decide where to go next!

 

We had a quick lunch in Cagney’s – a swordfish sandwich for me and a burger for Dan – then headed up to deck 12 to watch the sail into Venice. It is absolutely beautiful so be sure to see it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 17: Venice, Italy (Continued)

 

After the sail in, we got in line to get off the ship. Once off, we bought tickets for the People Mover (€1,30 each), rode it to Piazelle Roma, bought 48 hour vaporetto tickets (€30 per person), and jumped on the next vaporetto. The vaporetto is basically a hop-on-hop-off boat taxi. We listened to Rick Steve’s audio tour of the Grand Canal as we rode it to the Rialto Bridge, where we were meeting for a tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 17: Venice, Italy (Continued)

 

We joined a Rick Steve’s recommended tour with Alessandro Schezzini that Nancy had organized. Actually, we combined two tours – the Off Beat tour and the Bar tour.

 

The “Off Beat” Tour Description:

I will take you off the beaten path where we will find many corners and spots for beautiful photos and I will try to answer all your questions about Venice. This tour starts at 4:30pm and runs until 6pm.

Price = €20 per person.

 

The Bar Tour Description:

I will take you on a short walk with three bacari (typical Venetian bars) where we will drink wine, “ombre.” In order to appreciate the wine (or to have an excuse to drink) we will eat a “cicchetto” (little tapas-like morsels) at each stop. We will pretend to be locals and chat like Venetians do before dinner. The food at the three stops will be the equivalent of a light dinner in a progressive pub crawl. I will try to do my best to give you an authentic experience.

Price = €35 per person

 

Total price for both tours: €55 per person

 

Our meeting point was at the Rialto Bridge at 4:30pm. We knew what Alessandro looked like from his website so it was easy to spot him. There were 6 of us from the roll call on this tour, with 6 more land travelers added into our group. We walked away from the main streets and into small alleyways and courtyards to take pictures and learn about the way of life in Venice, past and present. The little nuggets of information he shared with us were intriguing and informative. It was almost like we were alone in Venice, when in reality there were 20,000 tourists in Venice.

 

 

 

 

 

At the conclusion of the walking tour, Alessandro brought us to the first bar, got the alcohol flowing, and went to pick up a few more people who were joining us for the bar tour. A couple from our roll call happened to be at the Rialto Bridge when Alessandro got there and asked if they could join us for the bar hop, and he said, “the more the merrier!”

 

The bar tour was so much fun!! The wine was FLOWING! I’m talking 6-8 glasses at each bar. By the second bar, I was feeling it. When I asked Alessandro if I could have some water, he said, “Absolutely…not! You can have more wine!” And I honestly cannot tell you what we ate at each stop. The only thing I could identify was a cheese-wrapped fried olive. Whenever I asked Alessandro what we were eating, he said, “If you like fish, is fish. If you no like fish, is cheese.” LOL. Everything was tasty and most people were buzzed by the end of the tour. Again, it was so fun and Alessandro is hilarious! We made some good new friends on this tour.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 10, 2015 by Loving My Life

[Snowrose]

I had to come in and comment on your Ephesus tour. I was there 19 years ago. Even then it was just as breath-taking and full of history as you said.

 

Looking at your pictures, I was amazed at the changes. When I was there, the Library of Celsus was only the front giant facade. There was nothing behind it and no arches to the right of it.

 

And the terraces. Oh my!!! The only thing there was there was a single mosaic at an entrance, a few half walls about 4 ft high, and a broken statuette of Nike.

 

What an amazing change. I'd love to go back there!

 

Thank you for your wonderful review! I've loved it! :D

Edited June 10, 2015 by Snowrose

[Loving My Life]

Day 17: Venice, Italy (Continued)

 

When the tour ended at 8:30pm, we decided to walk to St. Mark’s Square to eat and listen to the dueling orchestras. I wasn’t feeling very hungry after all the nibbles on the bar tour, but Dan was hungry so we found a cute, outdoor pizza restaurant near St. Mark’s. After dinner, we walked to St. Mark’s Square to listen to the dueling orchestras. It was truly magical all lit up at night! This was another moment from the cruise that I will never forget!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 17: Venice, Italy (Continued)

 

By 11pm, we were feeling tired so we hopped on the vaporetto at St. Mark’s Square for the ride back to Piazelle Roma.

 

 

 

 

 

By 11pm, we were feeling tired so we hopped on the vaporetto at St. Mark’s Square for the ride back to Piazelle Roma. Once we got to P. Roma, however, we discovered that the People Mover was no longer running. This meant we had to walk about 4 miles, at midnight, in an area that were not familiar with, to get back to the ship. Keep this in mind when exploring Venice at night. There was not a taxi in sight so everyone who was out at this time was forced to walk back to the ship.

 

We got back to the ship at about 1am, we placed our luggage (that we had packed earlier in the day :() outside our cabin as instructed and went to bed.

 

 

[wanderingoz]

Day 17: Venice, Italy (Continued)

 

We joined a Rick Steve’s recommended tour with Alessandro Schezzini that Nancy had organized. Actually, we combined two tours – the Off Beat tour and the Bar tour.

 

This sounds so good I have just contacted Alessandro to check his availability for when we are there. :D

[Loving My Life]

Day 18: Venice, Murano, & Burano

 

We woke up bright and early this morning to disembark the ship. After getting ready and packing up our carryons, we had breakfast in Cagney’s for the last time. Another perk of organizing the M&G was that the concierge, Karin, met us in Cagney’s and walked us off the ship and to our priority luggage at our convenience. By the time we finished eating, we met up with Karin at about 9:15am to be escorted off the ship. By 9:30 we had our luggage, so we headed to our hotel to drop off our luggage so we could continue to explore Venice.

 

We booked the Hotel Antiche Figure for one night post cruise. The hotel is close to P. Roma and is located directly on the Grand Canal. It had great reviews on TripAdvisor, so we booked it for €248. The directions on their website were not accurate, so we headed in the wrong direction, but after asking for help at a kiosk, it was easy to find the hotel. We had to cross one bridge to get there. Our room was ready when we got there (10am), which I hadn’t expected, but greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was drizzling out this morning, but the forecast suggested that it would quickly become sunny and warm, so we went back to the Rialto Bridge to do some shopping. I found a bracelet to match the necklace I bought in Mykonos. At noon, we met Pete and Nancy in P. Roma and headed out to the islands of Murano and Burano. Our 48 hour vaporetto passes included the boats out to the islands.

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 18: Venice, Murano, & Burano (Continued)

 

We spent about 1.5 hours in Murano. We walked along the main shopping street and browsed the numerous blown glass galleries. I wanted to get a set of glasses in Murano, so I checked out a few stores. In one store, I found just what I was looking for: a set of 6 glasses made out of sea colored glass - aqua, turquoise, and azure. When I inquired about the cost, I was told that the set of 6 would cost................€2400!!! Yes, you see that right. I was willing to spend maybe €250, but certainly not €2400. I could go on another cruise for that price. After that, we mostly window shopped, but I did pick up a couple of small glass items as gifts for people back home.

 

Murano:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we were ready to leave, we jumped on the vaporetto to Burano. The ride from P. Roma to Murano was about 15 minutes. The ride from Murano to Burano was about 45 minutes.

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 18: Venice, Murano, & Burano (Continued)

 

Burano was just a wonderful place! Compared to Venice, Burano was a ghost town - there were hardly any tourists there. The buildings are all beautiful pastel colors. I took so many pictures here. Oh, and we had the best gelato here. I had pistachio and coconut, and Dan had pistachio and Nutella, both in waffle cones. Nancy's daughter is recently engaged so her mission was to find her a lace handkerchief, which she found right away, so we just wandered the tiny alleys and streets for about an hour before catching the vaporetto back to P. Roma on Venice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the day, the vaporettos were full, picking up everyone who had spent the day visiting the islands in the lagoon, so there were no seats and the ride back was about 1-1.5 hours. Standing for so long was not fun, but escaping the insane number of tourists in Venice for the almost deserted streets of Murano and Burano was worth it!!

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 18: Venice, Murano, & Burano (Continued)

 

At this point, it was time to say good bye to our friends Nancy and Pete. They headed back to their hotel to eat and pack (they were heading to London for a few days post-cruise), and we set out to find a restaurant with outdoor seating on the Grand Canal for dinner.

 

We decided on Ca' Leon for dinner. I had spinach and ricotta manicotti and profiteroles, and Dan had snapper in parchment paper and tiramisu. The meal was delicious and cost about €65 with a carafe of wine.

 

Ca' Leon is located three buildings down on the left with the wine-colored umbrellas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we were seated for dinner, we noticed that the people at the table next to us looked familiar. Turns out we met them on the ship at Blue Lagoon a few nights earlier, so we chatted with them throughout dinner. After dinner, we walked back to our hotel and read for a bit before going to sleep.

 

[Loving My Life]

This sounds so good I have just contacted Alessandro to check his availability for when we are there. :D

 

If he has availability, you will not be disappointed, especially with the bar tour. We all had a blast! It was the highlight of our time in Venice.

[Minerva]

Really enjoying your report, Carolyn! What a pleasant surprise to see Allesandro. We did the bar tour with him, several years ago, as "land travelers". We had a great time, too. Got the impression then that he does the tour when he feels like it.