Allure “LIVE” 3/5-3/13 - The allure of the Allure

[h20skibum]

26 minutes ago, topnole said:

Honestly, if you are coming all the way across the pond to see the sights of Europe, a cruise isn’t the best way to do it.  A River cruise might be different.  But a typical Mediterranean cruise would not be a great way to see things.  
 

I’d do X amount of days in one or varying cities in addition to a cruise if I wanted to really experience Europe.  Almost all cruises don’t give you the time to even scratch the surface in a port and in many cities a week might seem like too short of a stay.  Doing land based travel and a cruise can provide the best of both worlds if time allows for it.  
 

If a cruise is all that works, it is certainly better than not seeing any of Europe and of course it should still be a blast.  

Land based touring is best for getting immersed in the local flavor of most places.  The advantage to cruising is, it gives you a taste of many places.   If there are places you wish you had more time to spend there, then planning an extended land tour may be in order.  

[dani negreanu]

4 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Land based touring is best for getting immersed in the local flavor of most places.  The advantage to cruising is, it gives you a taste of many places.   If there are places you wish you had more time to spend there, then planning an extended land tour may be in order.  

 

+ This 👍.

[topnole]

11 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Land based touring is best for getting immersed in the local flavor of most places.  The advantage to cruising is, it gives you a taste of many places.   If there are places you wish you had more time to spend there, then planning an extended land tour may be in order.  

Agree.  But for anyone thinking they can get much of a feel for any big European city in a day, they are fooling themselves.  I’ve done cruising in the Mediterranean, but I’ve done way more land based traveling in Europe.  The cruising is great, but I really don’t feel like I’ve seen much of anything when visiting a port in Europe.  This is particularly true for the big cities.  You can hardly take in a district or neighborhood in a big city in one day.  Plus, I don’t think it takes a cruise for someone to know they will want to visit Rome, Paris, or Barcelona for example.  
 

I do think it is great for the smaller ports.  In this case you would likely not visit otherwise.  And there may not be a need to go back.  
 

I have no issue with Mediterranean cruises.  But if folks think that they are going to see much of Europe on them, they are mistaken.  All the same, have fun and take them for what they are worth.  

[dani negreanu]

36 minutes ago, topnole said:

The cruising is great, but I really don’t feel like I’ve seen much of anything when visiting a port in Europe.  This is particularly true for the big cities.  

 

I do think it is great for the smaller ports.  In this case you would likely not visit otherwise.  And there may not be a need to go back.  

 

Agree about the smaller ports. Dubrovnik, Santorini, Corfu, Palma de Majorca come to mind -- for us, a day long visit was enough.

 

BUT, before preferring cruising, we've done land vacations in all the big cities in Europe. For example, we didn't do a Baltic cruise, where the main draw is an overnight in St. Petersburg, since DH is an art buff. Thoroughly visiting the Hermitage was a must. We spent 2 days there, and all in all - 5 days in St. Petersburg.

[topnole]

44 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Agree about the smaller ports. Dubrovnik, Santorini, Corfu, Palma de Majorca come to mind -- for us, a day long visit was enough.

 

BUT, before preferring cruising, we've done land vacations in all the big cities in Europe. For example, we didn't do a Baltic cruise, where the main draw is an overnight in St. Petersburg, since DH is an art buff. Thoroughly visiting the Hermitage was a must. We spent 2 days there, and all in all - 5 days in St. Petersburg.

Spot on.  
 

If anyone asks me for advice (which is extremely rare 😂), I suggest land based travel if they are mobile and haven’t been to Europe.  After getting one’s fill of that, I think cruising is a great option (or a nice add on to any land based cruise).  

The reality is that land based is easier when you are younger.  I’m still young enough,  but also realize there will come a day when I might just prefer a cruise in Europe and the easy nature of

it compared to all the planning and potential stress that goes with land based trips.  Cruising is so stress free, it almost feels like cheating.  

[sergel02]

1 hour ago, topnole said:

Agree.  But for anyone thinking they can get much of a feel for any big European city in a day, they are fooling themselves.  I’ve done cruising in the Mediterranean, but I’ve done way more land based traveling in Europe.  The cruising is great, but I really don’t feel like I’ve seen much of anything when visiting a port in Europe.  This is particularly true for the big cities.  You can hardly take in a district or neighborhood in a big city in one day.  Plus, I don’t think it takes a cruise for someone to know they will want to visit Rome, Paris, or Barcelona for example.  
 

I do think it is great for the smaller ports.  In this case you would likely not visit otherwise.  And there may not be a need to go back.  
 

I have no issue with Mediterranean cruises.  But if folks think that they are going to see much of Europe on them, they are mistaken.  All the same, have fun and take them for what they are worth.  

This makes me wonder if it’s better to stay closer to ports and visit more out of the way sites if the main attraction is hours away?

 

For example, Paris is like 2+ hours from the cruise port generally. Wonder if there are cities or sites closer to explore and get to see, and then just focus on the main city like Paris on another trip. 

[h20skibum]

16 minutes ago, sergel02 said:

For example, Paris is like 2+ hours from the cruise port generally. Wonder if there are cities or sites closer to explore and get to see, and then just focus on the main city like Paris on another trip. 

We will be doing a couple days in Paris next year, and will see if we need more time.  
 

So many places to see, and so little time. 

[dani negreanu]

26 minutes ago, sergel02 said:

For example, Paris is like 2+ hours from the cruise port generally. Wonder if there are cities or sites closer to explore and get to see, and then just focus on the main city like Paris on another trip. 

 

The Battle of Normandy comes to mind -- Omaha Beach, Utah Beach.

Very impressive. Very moving.

 

You've got to be there to fully understand what were the Allied Forces up against....

[CatLadyFemme]

6 hours ago, sergel02 said:

Sadly my dad ended up getting COVID. He didn’t feel too well the last day but just had a headache so we rested in his room. The next day he had a bad cough, body aches, and chills. Rested a day but had to get home so we could rest. Ended up being positive. He admittedly wasn’t wearing his mask as often as the rest of us were, and he was wearing a cloth one and not a medical or 95 one. 

I am so sorry to hear this. Have been dealing with long covid and it is awful. Sending him wishes for a quick recovery.

[peanutzmom]

4 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Land based touring is best for getting immersed in the local flavor of most places.  The advantage to cruising is, it gives you a taste of many places.   If there are places you wish you had more time to spend there, then planning an extended land tour may be in order.  

The beauty of land European travel is that Eurail is almost as good as cruising! Get a Eurail Pass, spend a couple of days here, jump on a train, spend a couple of days there, lather, rinse, repeat. Though cruising is my most common vacation since I live so close to several ports, Eurail traveling is my favorite way to travel!

[sergel02]

4 hours ago, CatLadyFemme said:

I am so sorry to hear this. Have been dealing with long covid and it is awful. Sending him wishes for a quick recovery.

Thanks! When I had COVID back in 2020, I was sick for a few weeks, but did not feel good for months. My dad is quite a bit older than me but luckily vaccinated and boosted so hopefully that mitigates some symptoms.

[FionaMG]

12 hours ago, sergel02 said:

This makes me wonder if it’s better to stay closer to ports and visit more out of the way sites if the main attraction is hours away?

 

For example, Paris is like 2+ hours from the cruise port generally. Wonder if there are cities or sites closer to explore and get to see, and then just focus on the main city like Paris on another trip. 

 

It kind of depends. 

 

If it's a one-and-done once in a lifetime trip and you are pretty sure you're never going back, and if you can't wangle a couple of days' stay either pre- or post-cruise, then I would say you should definitely make the effort to see those big places - e.g. Rome, Florence, Paris and London. But in this case you should be planning on doing either a small group tour or, better yet, a private one, so that you get to see as much of what you want to see as you can in the limited time available. The cruise ship tours are usually on big buses, so you're limited by the slowest person on the bus and by people getting back late at the various stops and wasting time waiting for them, not to mention the obligatory shopping stops that really eat into your time.

 

If, however, you are confident that you'll be able to make it back and spend a couple of days in these places (and even that only scratches the surface) then it's far better to take the opportunity to visit something of interest closer to the port.

[cruisetorelax44]

To the OP... is Samba Grill open on Allure? It dropped off the restaurant list for my upcoming May sailing....

[h20skibum]

12 minutes ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

To the OP... is Samba Grill open on Allure? It dropped off the restaurant list for my upcoming May sailing....

It was open on our sailing. I don’t see it on our May sailing either.  We are on the 14th. 

Edited March 17, 2022 by h20skibum

[Itchy&Scratchy]

16 hours ago, topnole said:

I have no issue with Mediterranean cruises.

a quick, Allure-unrelated question: is Med ok to cruise in August? Any problems because it's August? Like hurricanes in the Caribbean.

[FionaMG]

Just now, Itchy&Scratchy said:

a quick, Allure-unrelated question: is Med ok to cruise in August? Any problems because it's August? Like hurricanes in the Caribbean.

 

Boiling hot weather and hordes of locals (practically the whole of Europe is at the height of school holidays in August). If you don't see those as being problems, you're good to go. Personally, as a European, I would avoid August and choose June/July or September, if your schedule allows.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

7 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

Boiling hot weather and hordes of locals (practically the whole of Europe is at the height of school holidays in August). If you don't see those as being problems, you're good to go. Personally, as a European, I would avoid August and choose June/July or September, if your schedule allows.

Thanks. We are in GA, so boiling hot, humid weather in August is a given. 

Unfortunately, for work related reasons it has to be August, so we all started looking into cruises.... My family only cruises to the Caribbean, so I know nothing about other destinations. And I know better than to cruise in the Caribbean in August. It's bad enough that our Florida vacations are always getting messed up by the hurricanes in August...

[topnole]

18 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

a quick, Allure-unrelated question: is Med ok to cruise in August? Any problems because it's August? Like hurricanes in the Caribbean.

Haven’t been on a med cruise in august. Just land based traveling that time of year. But concur on the crowds as an issue.  I think when Aug 1 hit it was like a huge spike in crowds.  My memory could be off a bit, but I recall it being a dramatic change in crowds.  

[FionaMG]

44 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Thanks. We are in GA, so boiling hot, humid weather in August is a given. 

Unfortunately, for work related reasons it has to be August, so we all started looking into cruises.... My family only cruises to the Caribbean, so I know nothing about other destinations. And I know better than to cruise in the Caribbean in August. It's bad enough that our Florida vacations are always getting messed up by the hurricanes in August...

The heat is much drier here. I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing but you will definitely notice difference.

You would have to be exceptionally unlucky and get hit with freak weather to encounter a hurricane in the Med in August. 

If it has to be August, try and swing it for the end of the month if at all possible. The last week tends to be slightly less frenetic as many families avoid travelling that last week because they're getting ready for "back to school" at the beginning of September.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

23 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

The heat is much drier here. I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing but you will definitely notice difference.

oh, it's definitely better. European dry heat is much better than humid heat in many states here. It's like walking/running in a steam room, when even mild temps feel extreme.

 

But all in all, thank you, it looks like August in Med is probably not the best time to cruise there. Perhaps, Alaska or West coast would be better. 🙂

 

And to show that I didn't completely hijack this thread, we will be on the Allure in May, and that's the reason I am here now. 🙂

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, topnole said:

Haven’t been on a med cruise in august. Just land based traveling that time of year. But concur on the crowds as an issue.  I think when Aug 1 hit it was like a huge spike in crowds.  My memory could be off a bit, but I recall it being a dramatic change in crowds.  

 

Your memory serves you right. I live in a hugely popular tourist destination in southern Portugal and here we start crossing the days off on our calendars on the 1st of August and breathe a huge sigh of relief when we get to the 31st!

[bigred08046]

Are they sailing 100% capacity? 

[Biker19]

8 hours ago, bigred08046 said:

Are they sailing 100% capacity? 

Capacity has been going up fleet wide and some ships are getting close to that.

[h20skibum]

On 4/3/2022 at 10:23 PM, bigred08046 said:

Are they sailing 100% capacity? 

I thought I read they were at 4700 the current sailing and expecting 5000 next week. 

[CatLadyFemme]

13 hours ago, h20skibum said:

I thought I read they were at 4700 the current sailing and expecting 5000 next week. 

Oy. What percent capacity is that?