Still trying to decide what to book

[whystayhome]

We have a cabin on hold for November for 2 weeks on the Odyssey from Barcelona - Lisbon. In the meantime, the 20-day Dubai to Monaco itinerary in May caught my eye, particularly given the price. I would appreciate it if anyone who has done the latter would weigh in. Specifically:

 

1. There are a lot of sea days and I am wondering if you got bored. We've never done a cruise with more than one sea day at a time, and my husband gets antsy. Having been on Seabourn before, we are familiar with the daily activities (or lack thereof) and are wondering how 5 sea days in a row will work out.

 

2. What do you think the likelihood is that we will be able to visit the Israeli ports?

 

3. How arduous was getting to and from Petra, a place I have been dying to visit since reading Christie's "Appointment with Death" so many years ago?

 

4. Given the weather, would you recommend this itinerary at that time of the year? Was the heat a killer?

 

As always, thanks so much for your help. Linda

[Keith1010]

Linda,

 

Peta is amazing. One of the most unique sites we have ever visited. It is about a two hour drive each way to and from the port.

 

Stops in Israel are great. No one can predict with certainty whether or not they will be a go. You certainly hope so but we live in a fast paced changing world.

 

I also like Muscat. A lot to see.

 

Salalah. I would stay on the ship. Think it is a waste and I don't say this very often about anywhere since I believe travel is about discovery.

 

Oman and Jordan will be very hot this time of year. as will Dubai. Could be mid to high 90's as highs.

 

Nice time to be in Rome at the end of the cruise as well as Monte Carlo.

 

Temperature in Israel will be fine.

 

Keith

[whystayhome]

Linda,

 

Peta is amazing. One of the most unique sites we have ever visited. It is about a two hour drive each way to and from the port.

 

Stops in Israel are great. No one can predict with certainty whether or not they will be a go. You certainly hope so but we live in a fast paced changing world.

 

I also like Muscat. A lot to see.

 

Salalah. I would stay on the ship. Think it is a waste and I don't say this very often about anywhere since I believe travel is about discovery.

 

Oman and Jordan will be very hot this time of year. as will Dubai. Could be mid to high 90's as highs.

 

Nice time to be in Rome at the end of the cruise as well as Monte Carlo.

 

Temperature in Israel will be fine.

 

Keith

Other than Rome and Monaco, we have not been to any of these ports and I am very excited about the itinerary. I was surprised that YOU would recommend skipping a port call - it must really be a waste. My big concern is the number of sea days. We adore Seabourn, but are concerned that the limited organized activities for so many days in a row may become a little tedious.

 

I have to decide about the November Barcelona/Lisbon cruise (where I have been to a number of the stops on land adventures) for sure by tomorrow and we will not do both. This is a lovely dilemma to be facing...

[claudiaYVR]

Hi Whystay,

 

Just to add my two cents, we did a similar itinerary on the Sojourn earlier this year (April) and found that the days at sea were a welcome respite from the hectic few days we had prior to boarding.

 

We are very active people and we found that there was always something to do to fill the days. We attended pretty much every lecture (which we enjoy) and spent some time each day working out either at the gym or walking/running around deck 5. We also like to read and found very pleasant outdoor areas to do so, I also managed to get in a couple of spa treatments :)

 

In other words, whether or not you get bored will highly depend on the kind of activities you and your husband enjoy. We were not bored at all even though we are used to Crystal which does have a lot more to do on sea days.

 

With respect to Salala, I agree with Keith that it's not a great port but, since you will be spending so many days at sea, getting off at Salala may not be so bad. We did and took a decent tour which took us to an ancient port fortress, and a couple of other stops which while not fantastic, were pretty interesting, including the Frankinsense museum. I don't regret taking the tour.

 

This is a link to my blog on that trip which may give you some idea of the itinerary, including our stops in Israel:

 

http://claudiayvr.blogspot.ca/2015/04/day-7-oman-land-of-frankincense.html

 

 

W

[whystayhome]

Thank you Claudia. I really enjoyed reading your blog. We are going to book this itinerary and go ahead and plan to visit Salalah, given all the sea days. I cannot wait to see Petra in person. Linda