Question about Galaxy Mediterranean Cruise

[doublemm16]

My friend, her 11 year old daughter and I have booked a 10 day cruise on the Galaxy on August 25, 2006. While we have both been on cruises before, we have never been to Europe. We have selected to take airfare through Celebrity, but since we do not have flight details, we were not sure if it would be necessary to book a hotel room for 1 night. Has anyone had any experience with this and would be able to offer some advice? It would be most appreciated.

[BurBunny]

Most TransAtlantic flights are overnighters, where you leave from your US gateway late afternoon or early evening and arrive in Europe in the morning. Since you're in NJ, you should have same-day arrival in Rome to your Galaxy departure without need of a hotel.

[C 2 C]

Has anyone had any experience with this and would be able to offer some advice? It would be most appreciated.

 

You do not have to book a hotel room but you will arrive very tired. We are booked on Galaxy in May but we start with the crossing to get us in the right time zone. Jet lag is a serious issue and might cut into your enjoyment for the first day or so. We are flying back to Barcelona in October or November for the return trans-Atlantic and we will depend on Celebrity to get us there on time without the hotel room. You will fly all night and arrive for a full day ahead of you.... Take a Tylenol PM when you board, get some earplugs and an eye mask and sleep on the way over... Force yourself to get some rest...tough to do with thoughts of a wonderful cruise ahead of you.

[doublemm16]

Thank you BurBunny and C 2 C....much appreciated!

[barbels]

Hi Doublemm16. We ahve an active discussion board going for this cruise on the cruise connections board here. We'd love to have you join us.

barbara

[Sahaj]

First of all you will love the Med. We did a cruise last May through this area. Beautiful!

 

What I suggest to you is always fly in and out leaving an extra day or 2. I have seen people rush off a ship to the airport, barely making a flight. The ships docking time are sometimes unpredicable. We had an experience where we docked in Los Angeles after a cruise to Hawaii, and it was raining incredibly hard. This delayed disembarking by several hours. Fortunately for us, we were flying out the next day.

 

I have also learned that it is important to fly in a day (I prefer several) before a cruise that begins overseas. You get to rest up a bit, see the sights and get on the ship feeling so much better..

 

Have a wonderful Trip!

[CruisinGerman]

If you have never been to Europe, and if you have the time, it would be better to get to Rome a few days before your cruise and tour Rome as it was meant to be toured -- on land.

 

You will also have time to recover from the jet lag and get to your cruise refreshed.

 

Rome is one of the most amazing cities in the world. It is an outdoor and indoor museum on every street.

 

If I had never seen Rome, it would break my heart to land there in the morning from the States and just go right to my cruise ship.

 

Happy Cruising,

 

Gunther and Uta

[doublemm16]

Unfortunately, I only have a limited amount of vacation days, but we are probably going to book 1 night pre-cruise so we can see some of Rome before we leave on the cruise....I am so excited, I cannot wait!