Don't be afraid to try things on your own!

[texancruzer]

About Egypt......read the above posts and have to jump in :D

 

We did a 15 day "tour" Gate 1 last November and I have to say that it was truly amazing. I still cannot figure out how they gave us all they did for what we paid !!! We liked that most excursions were "extra" . Why ? Because the base price was soooo low.....and we could pick and choose which of the extras we wanted- instead of paying a high price and having some we were not interested in. I will say that the "extras" were also very very cheap. We did most of the ones offered but not all.

 

We flew to Cairo from NY (air included) spent 3 nights in Cairo at Le Meriden, saw the pyramids and sphynx, Memphis and step pyramid, museum and city sites and other sites. Flew to Luxor and got on a 7 nite Nile cruise. Went down to Aswan (stops along the way). Saw the dam, Philae temple, and flew to Abu Simbel for the morning and back ($269.00 pp for that excursion) and the unfinished obelisk. Then back to Luxor stopping along the river (Kom Ombo etc) where we overnighted on the ship and saw the Valley of the Kings/Queens, Temple of Luxor, Karnak etc. Then we took a bus to Hurghada where we stayed 2 nights in an all-inclusive resort. We did one dive and one snorkle in the Red Sea (a real highlight) Then flew back to Cairo for 1 night before flying back to New York.

 

Now all that (and more not listed !) which included almost all our meals, we paid approximately $5000.00 for both of us. Yep.... $5000.00 Our group was only 11 people so we had a small van type bus which took us right to the front entrance of all the sites (unlike the big buses which could not get that close) all our entrance tickets were pre purchased and handed to us, our boarding pass for our flights too. Our guide who was truly amazing was with us 24/7 for the whole trip. He did so many things with us "after hours" taking us to the bazaars at night, hooka bars for sheesha (much fun !) and helping dh find the perfect brass hooka pipe to bring back !!! This was truly the trip that we will compare all others from now on to....... we would love to go back to Egypt and will at some point. My point is.....do not rule out a "tour" for Egypt. Getting around is not like Europe (where we DIY alot !) And to have a guide with you who is so knowledgable is a must when there is so much to see and learn.

 

Just my take on visiting Egypt..... :D

Edited October 12, 2011 by texancruzer

[nelderwoman]

Hank

 

We are new to cruising, this will only be our 4th but your advice has been spot on. I totally agree doing things on yor own. I actually look for your advice now

Have been reading your advice on Vigo, seems renting a car is the way to go.

Keep up the excellent work

Best regards

[Scarlett Fever]

I'm OK with small tours that last a few hours but I'm such a control freak that I get uncomfortable when I don't have control of my schedule after like 3 hours. Plus, I don't think I have to cram as many sites as possible in 8 hours or less. Some early advice I got was not doing too many things while in port because the sites start blending together - especially, church visits (they all start looking the same).

We're doing a 12 day from Barcelona > Dubrovnik > Venice > Kotor > Amalfi Coast > Rome > Florence > Nice in June and I've been reading Rick Steves book on those ports trying to do as much on our own as possible - especially, since we're traveling with our 7 yr old.

I started at the beginning of this thread - 2006! - and have been cutting and pasting advice into a word doc. Ha!

 

My goal is is to see some cool things, eat some interesting food, drink some local wine, do some shopping, people watch, and enjoy the time with my family.

[maryann ns]

What a great itinerary, Scarlett! I have been to all those places except Barcelona, and only on the Amalfi Coast did we take a tour.

[MMOMOM]

I enjoy monitoring this board and reading everyone's advice. A few years ago I used to contribute lots of help here for those who wanted advice on how to do any of the European ports on their own (we have been to most of these places multiple times). I stopped most of my help because I got tired of being flamed by others who insisted that the only way to do anything is on an organized tour (this is true for some folks). However, given the very high price of tours (the low value dollar does not help) I am surprised to see almost everyone resigned to tours. Western Europe is pretty easy to navigate on your own although it helps to do some homework. The advantage of being on your own is you avoid the "cattle like" mentality of some tours, get to do what you want when you want with who you want, and usually you will save money. In fact, on a 12 day Med cruise you can easily save over $1000 (or more) by doing things independent of tours. The down side of independent travel is that you do need to do your pre-trip homework,, but to some of us that is part of the fun. My main problem with most tours is that they try to crowd too much "touring" into a short period of time without giving you a chance to see the real Europe. A lot of the joy of visiting some cities (Rome, Paris, etc) is spending time at an outdoor cafe enjoying local cuisine, wine and people watching (this is how many Europeans enjoy themselves). Personally, when in Rome I would quickly give-up seeing some site in order to have time for lunch or a snack at one of the cafes in the Piazza Navona. But, I guess this is where the "different strokes for different folks" saying reigns surpreme.

 

Hank

 

Thank you for the post! We, like you, don't normally do 'ship excursions' mostly because as you said, we enjoy doing what we want at our own pace. ;) I always research wherever it is we are going and plan from there. However, we've never done a Mediterranean Cruise before ... never been to Europe! We just booked the Allure for a 5 night cruise in May of 2015 with stops in Rome and Naples, leaving from Barcelona. It's a bit overwhelming to be sure and I have a million questions! My husband is thinking since it's only 5 days instead of the 7 we're used to, that we should 'expand' on our trip. His thought is that we fly into Heathrow, rent a car and do some things in London. Then take the ferry across the Channel to France (with the car) and maybe spend a night in Paris. After that, drop the car (if you can do that in Europe?) and take the train to Barcelona. We thought we'd then spend maybe two days in Barcelona before boarding the cruise and again the night we return before flying back to the US the next day. Does this sound a little 'over zealous' or doable? I've been looking at hotels in Barcelona but aside from the fact that it's so far out, I can't get any definite prices, but ball park seems quite high ... same goes for airfare. Are all the hotels $300-400/night? I mean I like nice, but that's a little steep. Also, we've been watching videos of the Ports and wondering if it's possible to rent a car in Naples, drive the Amalfi Coast and also take the ferry to Capri? We dock at 7:00 a.m. and leave at 8:00 p.m. Would there be enough time or is it too much? I hope you're still monitoring here and see this because we're really excited about this and there is so much to learn and plan! :eek: I can certainly use advice and suggestions! Thanx in advance! :)

[mrspaper]

Thank you for the post! We, like you, don't normally do 'ship excursions' mostly because as you said, we enjoy doing what we want at our own pace. ;) I always research wherever it is we are going and plan from there. However, we've never done a Mediterranean Cruise before ... never been to Europe! We just booked the Allure for a 5 night cruise in May of 2015 with stops in Rome and Naples, leaving from Barcelona. It's a bit overwhelming to be sure and I have a million questions! My husband is thinking since it's only 5 days instead of the 7 we're used to, that we should 'expand' on our trip. His thought is that we fly into Heathrow, rent a car and do some things in London. Then take the ferry across the Channel to France (with the car) and maybe spend a night in Paris. After that, drop the car (if you can do that in Europe?) and take the train to Barcelona. We thought we'd then spend maybe two days in Barcelona before boarding the cruise and again the night we return before flying back to the US the next day. Does this sound a little 'over zealous' or doable? I've been looking at hotels in Barcelona but aside from the fact that it's so far out, I can't get any definite prices, but ball park seems quite high ... same goes for airfare. Are all the hotels $300-400/night? I mean I like nice, but that's a little steep. Also, we've been watching videos of the Ports and wondering if it's possible to rent a car in Naples, drive the Amalfi Coast and also take the ferry to Capri? We dock at 7:00 a.m. and leave at 8:00 p.m. Would there be enough time or is it too much? I hope you're still monitoring here and see this because we're really excited about this and there is so much to learn and plan! :eek: I can certainly use advice and suggestions! Thanx in advance! :)

Glad you brought this thread back to life

I can't answer all your questions, but you're going so far and it's your first time in Europe, ABSOLUTELY spend more time. Barcelona is an all time favorite city of mine

[MMOMOM]

Thanx for the response MrsPaper! I've heard that Barcelona is a favorite of many! So, are the hotels really all that expensive? What's on your list of things not to miss there? Anything you can tell me is appreciated! :)

[mrspaper]

Thanx for the response MrsPaper! I've heard that Barcelona is a favorite of many! So, are the hotels really all that expensive? What's on your list of things not to miss there? Anything you can tell me is appreciated! :)

I've spent more than a week there over 2 trips and not seen everything. At the top of the list are Parc Guell, La Sagrada Familia, and several of Gaudi houses. La Bouquet Bouqueria- is also great.

[MMOMOM]

Thanx! I'm making a list! Appreciate your help! :) Feel free to offer anything else! :)

[maryann ns]

You will not want a car in London or Paris and you will not want to have a car (with the steering wheel on the right for driving on the left) in England and then taking this car to mainland Europe where things are the opposite.

 

By all means go to London if you wish but use public transit. Fly or take the train to Paris and do the same.

[CGYCruisingFamily]

I can't answer all your questions as we are also doing our first Mediterranean cruise this summer however I do have some thoughts after reading lots and online research.

 

First I agree with a pp about driving in England/Paris. Not sure as well if you want to have a right hand drive vehicle where everyone else is left hand drive? I have heard its super easy to take the Chunnel train from England to France. Maybe look at that? The train system in Europe is supposed to be excellent so you might want to look at that more closely too.

 

As for Barcelona, we are spending 3 days there before we get onto our ship. We did find hotels somewhat expensive however if your plans are a bit flexible, you might look at instead of a hotel, check out renting a short term apartment instead. The downside is many require a 3 night stay but the upside is they are more cost effective. We have a 4 bedroom apt (for 6 us us) rented for €175 per night. That is on the higher side but that's because there are 6 of us. I saw rentals in good neighbourhoods in the range of €100 for 2 people. You will find as you look at places closer to Las Ramblas the price goes up. Also by having an apartment we do need to eat out every meal (we plan to hit a market to get some breakfast items and maybe lunch items then eat out for dinner). We have ordered BCN transit cards for 3 days at they will cover all the transit needs we will have (except that we want a private transfer from the airport after our 14 hrs in transit). They were €18 per person per purchasing them online.

 

We plan to hit the major places after reading about BCN. Las Ramblas, Park Guell, la Sangrada Familia and la Boqueria. We also want to see the Magic Fountain as it isn't that far from our apt. We will see how time goes.

 

As for Naples from everything I read it is possible to rent a car but the question is whether you want to or not. Taking the ferry is likely better than driving (it's supposed to be a very winding narrow BUSY road). Personally we chose a private tour that day after reading about the roads. (Watching a Rick Steeves video swayed us because in the video he said for that one trip it's his preference to let a local drive for him). But that was our choice. I would just say if you choose that day to head out on your own plan for it to take longer to get too and from the ship. We are planning on renting and going on our own in a couple of places but in places we feel is more manageable for driving and the Amalfi Coast is just not one of them (however again taking a ferry might alleviate some of the traffic issues).

 

I think I have been driving my family nuts with the research but I would rather be prepared for this trip and know what is within our limits.

Edited June 8, 2014 by CGYCruisingFamily

[mrspaper]

I agree with not driving in Amalfi. We were in car with a guide, and his mirror got sideswiped, he said it's a usual occurrence.

 

Paris, they drive like nuts in the city, public transport is the way to go, unless you plan to take the car outside Paris. When in a big city, public transport is always the way to go, and parking is expensive. In Paris, they park all over the sidewalks down the side streets.

[MMOMOM]

Thanx for all the great responses! I thought about the car thing myself ... driving on the left in London and then on the right in France and thought, well, just drop the car and take the ferry across the channel and get another car in France. But, are you guys saying it's just not a good idea to drive because of the traffic and parking in just Paris? Because we also thought it might be nice to see other things as well. Is it sort of like everyone says don't drive in Honolulu for the same reasons, traffic and parking? Although we always get a car there since we do so many day trips all over the island, we really need to, and at this point are pretty used to Honolulu driving. Now for the Amalfi Coast ... the reason not to drive is 'safety', is that correct? I wasn't aware there was a ferry to go along the coast ... as I said, we literally just booked this on Friday so just beginning on research and fact finding. Maybe hiring a driver is the way to go if it isn't a good idea to do it ourselves, since we really don't want the whole 'tour/excursion' thing. We really would love to see the whole coast as well as go over to Capri, but of course we also only have about a 10 hour window to do it in. I did pick up a couple of books yesterday on all those places, but haven't had a chance to look at them yet. I know I'm throwing out a whole lot of things here, but my mind is spinning and as I said, this is all new territory to us, so please bear with me! LOL!! You've all been very helpful and I appreciate it. Also, really quick since I've got to leave and won't be back to the computer till later this evening ... am I correct that it's euros in London, Barcelona and Italy, but francs in France? Thanx again! :)

[aquilegia]

I doubt if you would be able to take a rental car from the UK to Europe and, even if you were, there would be a big charge to do so. It would be pointless anyway as public transport is excellent in London, whereas parking isn't easy and is expensive, plus there is a congestion charge to drive in central London.

[mrspaper]

UK has it's own money, everyone else is on the euro

 

Since you haven't been to Europe before, I'd focus on one country. Unless you're spending a month or so, there's so much to see in each country.

 

Where does your cruise leave from? Where does it disembark? Maybe a few of us can recommend places to go, nearer to your ports

 

Is Naples a stop on your cruise? If so, I highly recommend seesorrento dot com

 

Have you signed up on your ships roll call? I'm sure you can join others in tours.

[CruiseIreland]

Thanx for all the great responses! I thought about the car thing myself ... driving on the left in London and then on the right in France and thought, well, just drop the car and take the ferry across the channel and get another car in France. But, are you guys saying it's just not a good idea to drive because of the traffic and parking in just Paris? Because we also thought it might be nice to see other things as well.)

Just a thought....have you considered taking the Eurostar train from London to Paris, it's about 3 hours using the Chunnel? No need to drive in London or Paris, it will add too much stress. I would then fly from Paris to Barcelona. Barcelona has a great hop on hop off bus service which will cover the main sights. Also, you might consider visiting Montserrat if you have time.

Hotels in Barcelona vary greatly in price depending on grade and distance from La Rambla. Good metro and buses/trams...but a 10 trip ticket..you can both use the one ticket simultaneously, it just ticks off 2 journeys.

I think driving the Amalfi coast might spoil the experience, book a private, shared tour.

 

Hope you have a great trip. Ken

[MMOMOM]

Thanx all for the great replies! Upon reading them, the books and talking to people we're re-thinking the whole car thing! Husband still wants to fly into Heathrow so considering staying a night in London. Part of the reasoning for the car was also luggage ... like what do you do with your luggage when sightseeing and not actually staying anywhere??!! LOL!! So, maybe a night in London, then on to France and haven't considered exactly how we will go since there seems to be a lot of options. A night in Paris and on to Barcelona. Again, not sure yet how .... train has been mentioned but also flying is not out of the question. I'm told flights over there from Country to Country aren't all that bad? Still probably 2 days in Barcelona .... there is so much to see and do and will have to find a place to stay there. Not ruling out the private rental apartment or a hotel either ... seems to be a lot of options and good reviews on that front. Cruise leaves from Barcelona, Sea Day, then Rome, then Naples and Sea Day back to Barcelona where again, we will probably stay the night somewhere and fly back to the states the next day. Still deciding on the Amalfi Coast drive and how to do it. We really don't like the big bus tours, however from what I've been reading there are advantages to it. Maybe hiring a private tour car? I don't know. Husband still thinks he can drive it, but again, from what I'm learning, he'll miss a lot of the beauty watching the road and getting stressed out! Still would like to see Capri tho. All this and still haven't even thought about Rome. I know I will be posting more questions, but also have input coming in from other friends who know more than I. Very exciting, but also a tad overwhelming. Good thing this trip is almost a year away! LOL!! Good stuff tho .... thanx again!

[mickeysgal]

For Amalfi Coast (docked in Naples), we booked with Romeinlimo They took care of everything, we sat back and enjoyed the ride. Wouldn't hesitate in the least to book with them again. You can find very strong positive comments here on Cruisecritic and Tripadvisor about Romeinlimo.

 

In Barcelona, we stayed at Hotel Montecarlo at the top end of Las Ramblas. Loved this hotel...we had a lovely stay.

[texancruzer]

The thing about driving the Amalfi coast is that WHEN you do want to stop and visit you have to 1) find a parking lot with room and 2) park and walk a lot further than if a driver lets you off since they are usually not in the center of things……..

 

We use APTours while visiting here ( 4 visits so far and 1 next May) and they will provide a customized perfect day for you and do it for less than RomeinLimo or any of the others…… we wouldn't use anyone else :D

 

In Barcelona we stayed at Le Meridien on Las Ramblas - nice, quiet and right smack dab in the heart of things…… and you can use points if you got 'em ;)

[MMOMOM]

The thing about driving the Amalfi coast is that WHEN you do want to stop and visit you have to 1) find a parking lot with room and 2) park and walk a lot further than if a driver lets you off since they are usually not in the center of things……..

 

We use APTours while visiting here ( 4 visits so far and 1 next May) and they will provide a customized perfect day for you and do it for less than RomeinLimo or any of the others…… we wouldn't use anyone else :D

 

In Barcelona we stayed at Le Meridien on Las Ramblas - nice, quiet and right smack dab in the heart of things…… and you can use points if you got 'em ;)

 

Thanx Texancruiser and Mickeysgal! I checked Romeinlimo quickly last night when we got in and will check APTours as well. We just booked this thing on Friday and of course, being our first time in Europe the excitement is pretty high! Not to mention, as I said, this is all new territory for us. We're so used to just doing things on our own in Hawaii (always land vacations) and in the Caribbean this whole endeavor is very different! My whole thing on the 'usual tours' is we want to do our own thing and sounds like over there, it's difficult on your own, so the private tour is probably what we need. Good thing it's a year away. We're going to Kauai and Maui in the Fall and I'm still tying up loose ends there while searching for Europe!! LOL!! We go in May too .... which cruise are you on Texancruiser? We leave Barcelona on the Allure on 5/19 for the 5 night, thus our idea of doing London, Paris and Barcelona a few days before. I plan to see about joining a roll call for more info, just haven't gotten to that yet ... so much to think about, plan and do! Thanx for your postings! :)

[cruisemom42]

Thanx Texancruiser and Mickeysgal! I checked Romeinlimo quickly last night when we got in and will check APTours as well. We just booked this thing on Friday and of course, being our first time in Europe the excitement is pretty high! Not to mention, as I said, this is all new territory for us. We're so used to just doing things on our own in Hawaii (always land vacations) and in the Caribbean this whole endeavor is very different! My whole thing on the 'usual tours' is we want to do our own thing and sounds like over there, it's difficult on your own, so the private tour is probably what we need. Good thing it's a year away. We're going to Kauai and Maui in the Fall and I'm still tying up loose ends there while searching for Europe!! LOL!! We go in May too .... which cruise are you on Texancruiser? We leave Barcelona on the Allure on 5/19 for the 5 night, thus our idea of doing London, Paris and Barcelona a few days before. I plan to see about joining a roll call for more info, just haven't gotten to that yet ... so much to think about, plan and do! Thanx for your postings! :)

 

 

I know you are excited to be going to Europe, but I'd caution you not to get carried away with adding on one day her and one day there. Spending one night somewhere like London or Paris is going to be exhausting and disappointing. Each of these cities deserves a minimum of 3-4 days. Also, keep in mind that every time you move from one city to another -- even if you are hopping on a flight -- you lose a lot of time traveling. And if you are heavy packers, forget flying cheap intra-Europe flights, you'll pay an arm and a leg for all your extra luggage.

 

Think about it -- in London or Paris its more or less an hour to the airport, plus you have to be there a couple of hours ahead of your flight. Plus the flight time. Then at the other end you have to get your luggage and exit the airport (another hour) and possibly an hour to your hotel. You've lost the better part of a day.

 

I suggest you sit down with some guidebooks and do a little serious reading on the distances involved and how much there is to see in each one of these cities. Perhaps limiting yourself to Paris for 3-4 days and then Barcelona for another 3 days before your cruise makes more sense.

[MMOMOM]

Thanx for your advice Cruisemom42 ... will keep all that in mind. As I said, just doing a lot of 'fact finding' and information gathering at this point. Appreciate your comment, thanx! :)

[CathyCruises]

I just saw this thread and have to agree completely with CruiseMom. If you absolutely positively have to go to London certainly you do not want to car there as it's more of a hindrance than a help. If you decide you want to go to Paris, I can definitely recommend that euro star train which will take you from the St. Pancras station right into the Gare du Nord. As for a place to keep your bags, you'll have to be staying somewhere in the city and European hotels are very good about holding onto your luggage after you've checked out until the end of the day etc.

 

You will find that it's going to be less expensive to fly from Paris to Barcelona than it is to take the train. It's a night train anyway so you will see little of the countryside. We flew on Vueling airlines last-minute, bought the day before, for €99 each. An advance purchase would certainly be less expensive than that.

 

However, a day or two in London and then a day or two in Paris is really cheating yourselves. I totally agree that you should either extend your vacation or pick one or the other so that you could really get a feel for the city.

 

Many cruisers like the continental hotel in Barcelona, low cost and well located. However my understanding is that the decor is mostly pink and plastic but the price is right. Check on the Spain boards for the latest in popular Barcelona hotels.

 

We just took our fourth trip to Naples and spent the day on Capri. It was really lovely but it really needs whole day. I definitely don't recommend driving on the Amalfi coast; for that you do need to have a driver and possibly if you join your rollcall you could hook up with some other people to save money. You can do that and Pompeii in the same day if that's of interest to you.

 

Good luck with your planning. It does take a lot of research to get the most out of your vacation, especially one that's going to be jam packed like yours will be. There is a lot of great advice available on these boards so lucky to have this wonderful resource!!

Edited June 9, 2014 by CathyCruises

[texancruzer]

I also agree about adding days here and there. Its easy to get caught up thinking "since I'm already over there"…….

 

We are sailing Celebrity Reflection leaving Rome on April 27th returning May 8th. We ALWAYS fly into Rome a few days before……our favorite city to relax and enjoy Rome. Depending on when our cruise ends (this is our 5th Med cruise) we sometimes add on an extra night before flying home so we aren't "crazy" getting off the ship and to the airport in the same day. Most flights for us will leave a bit too early without rushing like crazy or too late in order for us to get all the way home in one day so whats the point ? I'd rather spend an extra night there than in Atlanta or Dallas etc. :o

 

After all that - we are thinking (just thinking at this point) about flying from Rome to Paris for 2 nights on the way home this trip. But realistically I know I wont have much time there but I want to see the Louvre and the Eiffel tower. Any more than that would be a bonus…… so I don't expect too much. And I don't work so when I get home I can rest :D

[MMOMOM]

I just saw this thread and have to agree completely with CruiseMom. If you absolutely positively have to go to London certainly you do not want to car there as it's more of a hindrance than a help. If you decide you want to go to Paris, I can definitely recommend that euro star train which will take you from the St. Pancras station right into the Gare du Nord. As for a place to keep your bags, you'll have to be staying somewhere in the city and European hotels are very good about holding onto your luggage after you've checked out until the end of the day etc.

 

You will find that it's going to be less expensive to fly from Paris to Barcelona than it is to take the train. It's a night train anyway so you will see little of the countryside. We flew on Vueling airlines last-minute, bought the day before, for €99 each. An advance purchase would certainly be less expensive than that.

 

However, a day or two in London and then a day or two in Paris is really cheating yourselves. I totally agree that you should either extend your vacation or pick one or the other so that you could really get a feel for the city.

 

Many cruisers like the continental hotel in Barcelona, low cost and well located. However my understanding is that the decor is mostly pink and plastic but the price is right. Check on the Spain boards for the latest in popular Barcelona hotels.

 

We just took our fourth trip to Naples and spent the day on Capri. It was really lovely but it really needs whole day. I definitely don't recommend driving on the Amalfi coast; for that you do need to have a driver and possibly if you join your rollcall you could hook up with some other people to save money. You can do that and Pompeii in the same day if that's of interest to you.

 

Good luck with your planning. It does take a lot of research to get the most out of your vacation, especially one that's going to be jam packed like yours will be. There is a lot of great advice available on these boards so lucky to have this wonderful resource!!

 

Thanx for the info Cathycruises! After reading and listening to people we've given up the idea of a car in both London and Paris. Seems it's just not worth the hassle and from what I've learned, public transportation is excellent in both places. We haven't decided definitely on London, although my husband wants to do it. However, if we can get a flight in early enough, we'll still just stay the one night. We don't have high expectations of seeing and doing everything like a lot of people do. And, we've also researched the train/ferry from Dover/train to Paris and it's over 6 hours and think we will probably skip the ferry idea and opt for the Euro Star to Paris for 2 1/4 hr! Makes more sense for a short amount of time. And, again, one night in Paris to just catch the highlights there works for us.

 

Regarding the trip from Paris to Barcelona, I found there is a train early in the morning and another one in the afternoon ... and judging from the video we watched, the scenery is beautiful! You really do get to see a lot of the French Countryside, mountains in the distance and towards the end, it skirts the Mediterranean with the salt lakes on one side and the sea on the other! Looks really nice. I happened to find a fabulous site ... the 'man in seat 61' on Trip Advisor and my husband found a video from the same place we watched today! It's very comprehensive and informative. This site even lets you look and price/book hotels this far out with great deals! Saw the Continental which looked fine to me ... pink and all! We've been to Florida a lot!! LOL! So many advise at least 2 days in Barcelona and the things described are all things we are interested in, so still thinking 2 days there pre-cruise and again on the return before flying back to the US.

 

Again, after some fact finding and lots of input, we're thinking we'll ditch the car idea again for the Amalfi Coast. Got another good (2 actually) sites either here or maybe Trip Advisor, can't remember now, but one had a lower price than the other but comes highly recommended, APTours. They pretty much let you do what you want when you want. Although I still would love to see Capri, one itinerary described does the Coast Drive and Sorrento, etc. which sounds like something we would really like. I need to contact them and see more about it.

 

So still learning and researching and open to any and all suggestions! We'll need a hotel in London and Paris which I've just browsed and still deciding on Barcelona, but the Continental has some neat little terraces that I like the idea of. :) And I still haven't even looked at what and how to do Rome! :)

 

Again, thanx for the response and please don't hesitate to offer anything else you think of! It really is a great resource having all of these boards available. I hear what people are saying about the pros and cons of not staying long enough somewhere, but as I said, for us, the expectations aren't all that high and the main highlights in those two places seem okay for us right now. But, who knows, we may change our minds, but if not ... maybe we'll just have to go back if we didn't get enough! LOL!! ;) And we know we'll be 'running hard' but we tend to do that when we travel anyway, but we're also thinking we'll have those 'sea days' to just do NOTHING!! LOL! It's so early in this and I'm still learning with nothing in stone right now, I'm sure I'll still have more questions before we finalize anything. Thanx again! :)