Which ports in Europe?

[NCteacherlovescruising]

38 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Definitely, skip the NCL airfare if you stick with them this way you arent stuck with 2 days pre and post.

I'm going to see if I can do Barcelona to Rome July 14-18, then July 22-31 Venice to Athens and use their air from Charlotte to Barcelona then return Athens to Charlotte.  Not sure if they would allow this or not, but their air is cheap with their current promotion.

 

What would be typical cost to fly from the states to Europe?  It seems like they are only charging us $1500 for both of us.

Edited December 15, 2022 by NCteacherlovescruising

[Essiesmom]

You need to clarify with NCL where the ship will dock for Venice.  It ends in Trieste, which is NOT Venice, so the port call might be Marghera, across the lagoon from Venice, or even Ravenna…or Trieste.  Large cruise ships are no longer allowed to dock in Venice.  EM

[NCteacherlovescruising]

17 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

You need to clarify with NCL where the ship will dock for Venice.  It ends in Trieste, which is NOT Venice, so the port call might be Marghera, across the lagoon from Venice, or even Ravenna…or Trieste.  Large cruise ships are no longer allowed to dock in Venice.  EM

It's Trieste.  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

3 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

Eastern Med is my favorite area for cruising. While there are many things to see in Rome, I really enjoyed Borghese Gallery and Museum. Santorini to have my feet or body clean by fish. We sailed the Adriatic Sea with Azamara and was surprised how similar Montenegro and Croatia were.

 

I would say that the Borghese Gallery is a must when in Rome.

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

It's SO cheap though!!  Only $1500 for both of us flying from Charlotte, NC.

We used their airfare deal this past October from NY to Greece.  Going there was great.

However, my husband caught covid on the cruise and I caught it afterward.  We had to stay an quarantine extra days in Greece.  They said our airfare through them was nonchangeable and nonrefundable.  We had to book all new tickets to go home and then submit for insurance reimbursement.  Maybe, just book airfare through them going there and then book your own airfare in Europe and going home.  Just ask for the 2 day pre-cruise deviation asap because once your are 75-90 days out, you cant.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Crazy planning mom

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I'm going to see if I can do Barcelona to Rome July 14-18, then July 22-31 Venice to Athens and use their air from Charlotte to Barcelona then return Athens to Charlotte.  Not sure if they would allow this or not, but their air is cheap with their current promotion.

 

What would be typical cost to fly from the states to Europe?  It seems like they are only charging us $1500 for both of us.

 

It's certainly worth checking out.  I agree, $1500 for both of you is cheap if it's round trip.  I haven't flown coach to Europe for over 20 years, so I'm not a good one to opine on this.  Can you do nonstop from Charlotte to Barcelona and from Venice to Charlotte?  Nonstop is always better if you can get it as it gives the airlines fewer chances to lose your luggage.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

We used their airfare deal this past October from NY to Greece.  Going there was great.

However, my husband caught covid on the cruise and I caught it afterward.  We had to stay an quarantine extra days in Greece.  They said our airfare through them was nonchangeable and nonrefundable.  We had to book all new tickets to go home and then submit for insurance reimbursement.  Maybe, just book airfare through them going there and then book your own airfare in Europe and going home.  Just ask for the 2 day pre-cruise deviation asap because once your are 75-90 days out, you cant.

 

We bought the insurance.  Too big of an investment not to!  I also told him when I booked the cruise, which we have to change, that we wanted the 2 days on each end.  I don't get why they limit it to 2 days.

 

1 minute ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

It's certainly worth checking out.  I agree, $1500 for both of you is cheap if it's round trip.  I haven't flown coach to Europe for over 20 years, so I'm not a good one to opine on this.  Can you do nonstop from Charlotte to Barcelona and from Venice to Charlotte?  Nonstop is always better if you can get it as it gives the airlines fewer chances to lose your luggage.

 

I've only flown first class once.  It was during the peak of covid and I felt safer that way.  I haven't looked much into ticket prices so I'm not sure.

[upwarduk]

We were in Italy this summer and the temperatures were horrendously high45c+.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

4 hours ago, upwarduk said:

We were in Italy this summer and the temperatures were horrendously high45c+.

113 F???  I thought NC summers were bad. 

[LGW59]

14 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

113 F???  I thought NC summers were bad. 

Summer in Europe can be unbearable, this past summer was on a whole other level.  I have learned to travel to Europe only in mid/late spring or early/mid fall.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

11 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Summer in Europe can be unbearable, this past summer was on a whole other level.  I have learned to travel to Europe only in mid/late spring or early/mid fall.

I’m a teacher. I have to go in July. 

[LGW59]

11 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’m a teacher. I have to go in July. 

Yes, I know

[dlh015]

10 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

We are planning to fly in at least 2-3 days early and stay at least 2-3 after so we can see some other places, especially in Italy!  The cruise we currently have booked starts in Athens and ends in Venice.  Not sure if we're keeping that one or switching to Celebrity.

 

 

Greece and Barcelona both sound fabulous!  We are thinking about doing a land vacation in Iceland next year. 

 

 

I'll keep this in mind, thanks!

 

 

Hopefully my husband will want to return to see other places.  So far all our cruises have been in the Caribbean.  While we'd rather start seeing some other places, it's quite a bit more expensive when these long flights are involved.  

 

 

Our current itinerary does not include Rome.  The only stop in Italy in Venice, which is where it ends.  We have the NCL air promo, which only allows us to come 2 days early and fly out 2 days after.  That's one of the reasons I'm not sold on them.  I'd rather see more of Italy and fly in earlier than 2 days so we can see as much as possible.  Overall, I think it's a pretty good itinerary.

• Athens (Piraeus)Greece
• SantoriniGreece
• MykonosGreece
• ZakynthosGreece
• CorfuGreece
• KotorMontenegro
• DubrovnikCroatia
• SplitCroatia
• VeniceItaly
• Venice (Trieste)Italy

 

 

The cruise we currently have booked is only going to Venice.  It's primarily focused on Greece.

 

 

We are talking about doing a land vacation in Iceland next year.

 

It looks like if we keep our current cruise (would have to switch dates though), we'd be better off buying our own tickets so we could fly in early to explore Italy pre-cruise (or post cruise, whichever way it works out).

That is a great itinerary...and Kotor is a real hidden gem...it was *amazing*...

 

I agree with what most have already stated about Italy...Florence, Milan, Rome all great but far from ports. Best to arrange other ways to explore...Naples is nice too for going to the island of Capri...a fantastic place. (not to mention Pompeii...)

[upwarduk]

3 hours ago, dlh015 said:

Naples is nice too for going to the island of Capri...a fantastic place. (not to mention Pompeii...)

Unfortunately, we missed part of Pompeii due to the heat. I had booked an easy access tour, thinking that it would be our first port of call. However, what it meant was we didn’t have to queue for tickets. The tour started at 3pm, the hottest part of the day, with no shade. The only parts we saw were from the road side.

The cruise was originally booked 2 year’s previously, but was cancelled due to COVID. 
Maybe if we had been younger (80&78 Yr olds) we might have coped better?
 

 

 

 

 

[Markanddonna]

I recently was on an NCL Eastern med cruise and decided against the ncl airfare deal. When you pay that much for a trip, consider that a few hundred dollars more to stay a few more days is worth it. I think the roll call consensus was that they ultimately regretted the decision to use the airfare. NCL "lost" the deviation request on  one person, and not knowing the flights until 30 days prior was unacceptable. If you have the time, consider booking your own. Have you checked Google flights?

[cw2go]

10 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’m a teacher. I have to go in July. 

 

Try to plan all your tours early in the morning and then enjoy the ships pool in the afternoons. It will be hot,  take a sunhat and carry water. For years I've traveled around school schedules with my boys and we've always been able to manage the heat. Private tours are a huge bonus cuz if you need a break, you have the control, our guides have know where to tuck us in for a lil bite to eat and drink just to cool off and recover. Standing in the open blazing sun at excavation sites can be a scorcher. 

 

Patty

[bEwAbG]

If you've never been to Europe, I would not choose a cruise as the first experience.  Cruises only providing a sampling of the places they visit and it's a very narrow view better suited to those who have already been there on land trips.  I think you're getting too hung up on the "deal" for the airfare.  If you have to spend a little more to get there but ultimately have a better trip, isn't that the best outcome?  Italy is easy to DIY with a mix of trains and day trips from Venice, Florence, and Rome.  Get a guidebook and log in to some other travel forums for all the tips you would need.

 

If you insist on a cruise, I'd also factor time in port when making the decision of which one and where.

[Texed]

In my opinion, a cruise is a fantastic way to sample Europe, or other destinations.  That way you can decide, after a sampling, which places you would like to return to.

 

You are the one that decides if a destination fits your tastes.  Other folks may love a place and you don’t. You wouldn’t want to end up in a place for extended time that you didn’t like.  🙂

[Arizona Wildcat]

8 minutes ago, Texed said:

In my opinion, a cruise is a fantastic way to sample Europe, or other destinations.  That way you can decide, after a sampling, which places you would like to return to.

 

You are the one that decides if a destination fits your tastes.  Other folks may love a place and you don’t. You wouldn’t want to end up in a place for extended time that you didn’t like.  🙂

Absolutely.   We have 5 European cruises.  Each has given us a teeny tiny taste of several ports.  We then have made fairly long trips to visit countries in depth. Spent 9 weeks in Germany and Austria and only saw part.

We love to cruise as it is relaxing and lets us see several cities.

An easy way to see Europe is to spend a couple weeks in your departure port area and the same where your cruise departs.  Driving in Europe is easy if you are comfortable with that.

It makes NO DIFFERENCE where you visit first.  For us it has meant about a month in Spring or Fall - cooler, less crowded and far less expensive - for each major country or area.  6 trips so far and have seen maybe 1/3 of Europe. 

[bEwAbG]

With respect, I think it's a different calculation for those like teachers who have limited travel opportunities based on their work schedules.  I would advocate for making the most of a summer vacation, and a trip to Europe by land would be a better way to do it IMO.  Doubly true for someone's first time going unless they truly just want the cruise experience and don't really care much about the ports.  I say this as someone who likes to cruise, too, so it's not a knock on doing that--just a different experience than a land trip.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

4 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

With respect, I think it's a different calculation for those like teachers who have limited travel opportunities based on their work schedules.  I would advocate for making the most of a summer vacation, and a trip to Europe by land would be a better way to do it IMO.  Doubly true for someone's first time going unless they truly just want the cruise experience and don't really care much about the ports.  I say this as someone who likes to cruise, too, so it's not a knock on doing that--just a different experience than a land trip.

 

What I've done is used cruises to get a taste for ports and decide which I want to go back to visit on a land-based trip. (And which I can skip.)

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

What I've done is used cruises to get a taste for ports and decide which I want to go back to visit on a land-based trip. (And which I can skip.)

Exactly what we do now with cruising.  Having traveled Europe extensively on land vacations, we now almost always take the cruise which will bring us to ports/countries we have not yet visited, this usually helps us decide if we want to plan a full week or so in said country.  Even if we decide it's not a place we want to spend a week or so in, we always have a great time when we are there even for just one day.

[randomcruise]

On 12/15/2022 at 11:07 AM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

We are planning to fly in at least 2-3 days early and stay at least 2-3 after so we can see some other places, especially in Italy!  The cruise we currently have booked starts in Athens and ends in Venice.  Not sure if we're keeping that one or switching to Celebrity.

 

 

Greece and Barcelona both sound fabulous!  We are thinking about doing a land vacation in Iceland next year. 

 

 

I'll keep this in mind, thanks!

 

 

Hopefully my husband will want to return to see other places.  So far all our cruises have been in the Caribbean.  While we'd rather start seeing some other places, it's quite a bit more expensive when these long flights are involved.  

 

 

Our current itinerary does not include Rome.  The only stop in Italy in Venice, which is where it ends.  We have the NCL air promo, which only allows us to come 2 days early and fly out 2 days after.  That's one of the reasons I'm not sold on them.  I'd rather see more of Italy and fly in earlier than 2 days so we can see as much as possible.  Overall, I think it's a pretty good itinerary.

• Athens (Piraeus)Greece
• SantoriniGreece
• MykonosGreece
• ZakynthosGreece
• CorfuGreece
• KotorMontenegro
• DubrovnikCroatia
• SplitCroatia
• VeniceItaly
• Venice (Trieste)Italy

 

 

I think your Athens to Venice cruise is perfect because your ship ports at locations that are efficient to visit from the cruise ship ports.  Rome and Florence are not efficient from a cruise ship because they involve too much travel time to and from the cruise ship ports.  I suggest that you Spend ALL of your extra time on a land based visit in Italy AFTER you finish the cruise in Venice. If you have time spend at least 3 days in Florence and three more in Rome.  If you don't have time, I would skip Rome and focus on Florence and  Tuscany.   Land in Athens one day before your cruise and then spend as much time doing Italy by land after the cruise.  

[NCteacherlovescruising]

2 minutes ago, randomcruise said:

I think your Athens to Venice cruise is perfect because your ship ports at locations that are efficient to visit from the cruise ship ports.  Rome and Florence are not efficient from a cruise ship because they involve too much travel time to and from the cruise ship ports.  I suggest that you Spend ALL of your extra time on a land based visit in Italy AFTER you finish the cruise in Venice. If you have time spend at least 3 days in Florence and three more in Rome.  If you don't have time, I would skip Rome and focus on Florence and  Tuscany.   Land in Athens one day before your cruise and then spend as much time doing Italy by land after the cruise.  

Good!  It’s so much more reasonable than Celebrity and we all liked it.
 

They will only allow 2 days before and after. We have until final payment to cancel their air and book our own, which we will consider if we can find them cheap enough. 

[kwokpot]

41 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

With respect, I think it's a different calculation for those like teachers who have limited travel opportunities based on their work schedules.  I would advocate for making the most of a summer vacation, and a trip to Europe by land would be a better way to do it IMO.  Doubly true for someone's first time going unless they truly just want the cruise experience and don't really care much about the ports.  I say this as someone who likes to cruise, too, so it's not a knock on doing that--just a different experience than a land trip.

Land trips in Europe for the first timers aren't necessarily the easiest. You can do an escorted tour which makes it easy, but then you're at the mercy of the tour schedule. I have nothing against tour companies, Gate One travel is one of the tops, but after awhile having to follow a strict schedule can be tiresome. Doing it on your own has its own challenges with language, trains, schedules, cobblestones, pedestrian only streets, etc. 

 

A European cruise will be a hybrid of a scheduled land tour and doing it on your on land tour. You don't need to worry about traveling from hotel to hotel, nor do you need to concern yourself about traveling from city to city. You can do the ship's tour and be totally hands off if you like, OR you can do your own ports of call sightseeing and be more involved with the planning process to enjoy your own interests, which can't be done on a fully escorted land tour. 

 

I was in Europe this May/June 31 days on a B2B2B on a Carnival ship.I've been traveling in Europe since the '80s so I'm an old hat but still enjoy the cruise experience through Europe. I noticed lots of first timers at the different Ports of call have lots and lots of problems mainly involving transportation, food, and sightseeing. These people would never be able to do a land tour own their own; they were already intimidated by being in a foreign city for nine hours. The whole toilet situation was quite intimidating to first timers (We have to PAY to use the toilet????). I found it quite amusing people found REAL Italian food intimidating since Americans were used to Olive Garden and have no concept of real Italian cuisine and how Italians eat. For these people, a European cruise was a way to introduce them to so many different cities and cultures, and prepare them for future travel in Europe.