spiceyxi

Just off the Golden Northbound.  Very warm in both College Fjord and Glacier Bay.  It seemed a little too wrong to be glacier viewing in both locations in shorts and t-shirts.  We were able to get very close to Harvard as not too much ice was in the water.  Apparently the closest Golden has gotten this season.

How Princess (and Carnival) handle food allergies is a large part of the reason why we Cruise instead of do a traditional vacation.  My SO is unable to eat dairy, gluten or strawberries and has had great success with the process. 

Let them know before you cruise, speak with the head waiter/host the first night/day and you should be taken care of.  My wife usually orders one night ahead and doesn't get to choose her desserts.  However, for the most part she can pick what she wants off the menu.  I usually choose a couple of the trips meals for her to keep it a surprise.

She despices sorbet so she usually let's them know and has some interesting items such as chocolate pudding or chocolate cake.  On the ship you will not go hungry, but be sure to plan accordingly for any excursions as she has had little luck finding food on those.

I let the auto gratuities handle the details. If I really liked the service I make sure to recognize them by name in the survey.

I would check to see which cruise has more ports closer to the city of interest. It is always annoying with having to take a bus for 1hr+ into town and having multiple bathroom breaks. If either one drops you closer to the main attractions I would lean towards that.

We did a Carnival Med cruise, Spain, Italy and Croatia, for our honeymoon and had lots of great memories. However my wife always complained about the bus rides and bathrooms. An experience that we did not like.

Did a Greek cruise on Princess for an anniversary and really did enjoy it just as much. Closer to ports than in Italy, but still some bathroom concerns for her.

Just be sure to book a few nights before and after the cruise to enjoy the experience. We stayed in a former palace in the gothic district of barceBarc prior to our cruise and it was an experience to remember. Afterwords it was at the W hotel in Barcelona and that was a good rest before the trip. Med cruises are exhausting on their own.

Just finished our cruise which included a stop in Roatan. Due to the private tour with Howard via Bodden Tours Roatan was by far our favorite stop on our cruise. The AC in his minivan is now fixed.

The tour was a bit of a surprise for my wife as I tend to make all of the travel arrangements. She was a bit worried as we walked away from the cruise terminal, past the guards and to a big group of local tour operators. She would have preferred a bit more of a deluxe transportation option outside of the sienna minivan with a few warning lights on. However, she loved the customization and the pieces I had picked out. Howard, our guide, had a few additional stops that worked out great for us as well.

We did get to experience some great sights as we did the botanical gardens, semi-sub boat ride and a liquid lunch at the beach.

The gardens we're definitely a highlight as we were able to have the place to ourselves. It was exhausting though as we did the mountain walk for the view. I did end up slipping on the climb down from the mountain and used a palm tree to brace my fall. The problem was the palm tree had 2 inch needles that got my left hand in a few spots. Thankfully we carry around some hand sanitizer and band aides which did the trick to clean out the wound. Other than that slight issue the gardens are beautiful and we spent a couple of hours there exploring. For us this was perfect.

Next up was the semi-sub ride that provided great views of the reef. We don't really snorkel so it was the perfect way for us to see the reef and all of the life there. About 45 minutes in total of sailing and well worth it. At the same location we were on the boat was a little beach with a couple of restaurants. I went down the menu and tried 4 different local beers. Having one additional beer to go was a great way to end the day. Food looked good, but due to dietary restrictions we decided not to risk it. We could have paid a little extra for beach chairs if we were inclined.

We got lots of great histroy and information on Roatan as we drove through the various areas. Always felt safe and had a great time. Loved the nature we got to see and would definitely go back to Roatan and book Bodden again.

It is hard to beat the value that the private tour offers. I think all in we spent ~$200 for the entire day in Roatan for all of these experiences. Could not have done that with a crowded ship tour. In total I think we spent ~5hrs on the tour.

It depends on what value you place on certain things and when do you plan on getting to the port.

For us it was worth the extra money as we were going to be getting to the port early. My wife is very paranoid about her bags and the ability to drop them off in the room right when we boarded was the main reason we got fttf. We were suite guests so a number of the benefits overlapped.

Priority guest service was nice as well, but a secondary benefit to us.

To us the ability to place the bags in a safe and secure environment was worth the added cost due to a reduction in stress and worry.

Is it to you?

Got off the Glory yesterday and ate at the steakhouse twice. We took advantage of the 50% off wine and it was applied to two bottles. Which did suprised us as I asked if it was only good for one bottle which the waitress confirmed. The final bill came and both were 50% off. It was a good suprised. They didn't seem to mention the free wine option to us, but I heard it offered to other individuals.

My only reservation/complaint of the steakhouse on the Glory was the location/view. We ate at 6pm the first night and 6:30pm on the second to last night and in both instances we had great views of people lounging around the pool area. It diminished the experience to watch half naked (beyond) obese people lounge around and check their hair and makeup in the steakhouse windows. FYI, the windows are heavily tinted, but the people in the outside can still see in to the steakhouse.

However, I will concsede that it wasn't enough to cancel our second reservation which was for a special occasion. If we didn't have a special occasion to celebrate I likely would have cancelled and simply dined in the MDR.

The food was great as I had the boneless rib eye one night and the chicken the second. The chocolate sampler was very similiar to what I had on the breeze years ago and the Washington apple was delicious.

The penalties are that the ship will not debark , and in fact the muster drill will not end, until you are in your assigned muster station. You cannot choose where you want to attend the safety drill, as the assigned location is where you would be expected to go if there were an emergency. The best you can do is for your next cruise, attempt to research which cabin has which muster station and pick the cabins that muster in the theater or other indoor venue.

For the Glory it seemed as if all of the muster stations are outside. They did offer for all of those that missed the drill to head to the theater for a personal demonstration. Seems like a much better approach then dealing with the crowds and heat. It really was disorganized and a terrible drill practice . Having to pass your S&S card up through the crowd only needing to scan 1 card per cabin.

It really did seem as if missing it had no real consecunce outside of a better experience.

On my last cruise and I learned that the safety briefing is miserable and useless. Outside in 90° weather, but out of the sun at least. The problem was we were on time and thus against the wall 4 lines of people in front or us deep. Could not see anything as the instructor was putting a vest on a bear.

What are the penalties of skipping the ship wide safety drill and doing the one in the theater instead? At most now I know where the life boats are and nothing else.

Otherwise the current setup regards the wrong behavior of waiting until the last second inside before joining the drill. Get close to the door, closer to the breeze and not stuffed 5 people deep. Worst experience on a safety drill yet.

In my pocket or beach bag. Lanyards are tacky especially on elegant night. Never see people at beach resorts inclusive or not with lanyards. I don't get the purpose when they're not used in other resorts or hotels while on vacation.

In Vegas you will see people having ways to connect the loyalty card to their person. Similiar reasons why for a S&S card.

The bonus is not losing it when I sit down or misplace it somewhere. Based on my cruises if the biggest fashion faux pas I have is a lanyard I think I am ahead of the game. Plus, I can hold two drinks at once with a lanyard.

... If you want to be adventurous order a Long Island iced tea but instead of sour mix substitute cranberry and instead of coke substitute sprite. It’s pretty girly but really strong!

Or just get a Tokyo Tea.

This is basically my plan as well! Seems so beautiful and relaxing :) Glad you enjoyed it, makes me even more eager to go ha!

 

So I'm curious how much time did it take from the cruise port to vieux port? Was there a lot of traffic? And how about returning to the cruise? I hear the shuttle busses get quite busy!

 

I believe the ferry from the old port to chateau d'if is around 20 minutes but I heard there is a very long line when you want to return from the island... And you might have to wait a boat or two?

How was your experience regarding the shuttle and the ferry? Eager to hear!

Really want to visit the island(s) but I don't want to miss my cruise because the ferry or shuttle was a disaster lol.

 

Thanks in advance and kind regards!

It has been 5 years so I am fuzzy on the details. The ship out to the island was very pleasant and we were able to get the tickets right when we got there and had the first sailing out. It was a rather spur of the moment decision. We spent a comfortable time exploring around the island and took the boat back without much issue. Had some time back in port to rest with a beer and get a ship back. If the ship is in port long enough for the long day trips to Provance you should be okay if you plan it out well.

From my personal experience doing a 7 night Greek/Italy cruise last year the policy is 1 bottle of wine per person at embarkation. My wife and I had ~4 bottles and didn't run into any issues bringing them on. Also, we would bring on an additional 2-4 bottles at most ports. A lot of these were keepsakes, but some we did drink in our room. For us the traditional rules were overlooked, but not sure if that is always the case. I have noticed the alcohol policy for ports on European cruises seems more lax than on US cruises.

We ate at a specialty dining on one formal night and ate in our room (full suite) on the other. I would usually gamble or grab a drink afterwards in shorts/jeans and a polo and didn't run into any issues.

If you are considering the alcohol package I would take into consideration the port times and sea days as a European cruise can be very busy. You might only have a few hours between when you return from port and go to bed for an early a morning port. My wife and I are drinkers and we skipped it due to how little free time their would be to sit down and go through 8 drinks in a night. My wife got a soda package that worked out well and we had mixers in our room to stiffen some drinks up.

You will have plenty of good food options if your experience is like ours was on the Royal in Septemeber 2016. My wife is allergic to gluten and dairy and was able to enjoy the food.

Buffet:. She would have a cook wall her around and explain to her what her options were. If she didn't see a cook she would ask someone on the floor and they would get someone for her. Plenty of options and she enjoyed the food.

Pizza:. We ordered room service for gluten free and dairy free pizza. She liked it.

MDR:. We were in a suite so we ate our meals in. I would order her food the night before and not much of the menu was off limits. One night she wanted more as I had ordered her only light seafood dishes the MDR was able to get a steak up to her quickly. Very easy process and she had food. With me picking the meals it was always a surprise for her.

Steak House: we ate at the steakhouse two nights and my wife got different food each night and they were very flexible on what they could make for her. One night they had a chocolate pudding desert type dish she loved so much she got a second to go.

Overall the food was great for her and she liked the experience. With only being limited by gluten it should be much easier for you.

Really? Why was the port of Naples cancelled? Did you get to another port instead?

Both times it was due to congestion at Naples. Both instances we got a new port the first time with Carnival it changed to Solerno which allowed us still see Pompeii and Almalfi. The second time, with princess, we switched to Elba. Which was a nice break as it was not overly crowded with tourists and had a fantastic winery to visit.

I can't remember the exact timing of when we were notified of the changes, but it was a few months out.

When we did our first med cruise the Solerno port visit was by far our favorite. We did the group tour to visit Pompeii and that was a top destination for me as I have been fascinated with the history. We were lucky when we returned back to port and had enough time to take the water taxi type boat from Solerno to Amalfi and back. It was an absolute treat to view the coast by boat and spend a couple of hours in town. It was enough time there to realise that I want to go back and stay an extended period.

We happened to do the boat ride by chance as we did not plan it and just saw the time schedule worked. A little risky, but well worth it.

I know your port is Naples so it may make it more difficult or the timing not work, but the two times I have been scheduled to stop in Naples have been cancelled. So, that might change too.

When we did our Greece trip last year (have a mostly finished review somewhere on here) the highlights were island hoping before the cruise (Aegina & Hydra), wine tasting in Kotor and Messina and watching the sunset in Santorini with a bottle of champagne on the ship. Oia in the morning was great, but by the time we got to Fira it was too packed for our liking. The winery in Santorini is terrible. The Almalfi Coast is gorgeous if you get a chance. We did it on a prior cruise and taking the water taxi from the port (not Naples) to Almalfi is a highlight of our lives.

We did a week at the Astir Palace about 30min from Athens in Vouliagmeni area. Great hotel nice private beach area and pool. We used that as a base to do day trips to Athens, Namea wine roads and Delphi. It was very nice to have a relaxing hotel to go back to after being in the city and with hordes of tourists.

What was the reason you were given for dropping Malta? On our June cruise on the Royal, we had to skip Malta due to unusual winds.

 

 

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The Malta change was packaged in with the change of Kusadasi. Due to the security concerns in Turkey we switched to Kotor and due to the logistics of that change we switched from Malta to Corfu.

The worst part of the changes was that the sea day got moved from the third day to the second day. We had a week of vacation prior to the cruise start so we were ready for a break, but it would have been too early if we were just starting.

Wonderful recap ! Brings back fantastic memories.

We did this same sailing on Princess a few years ago - my husband had proposed onboard as we sailed towards Santorini :).

 

Just wondering why was Naples replaced by Elba ?

I am glad I could help bring back the memories.

They gave port congestion as the reason why Naples was dropped.

For the third day in Athens we decided to tour the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum and the Nemea wine roads. Along the way we had a brief stop at the Cornith Canal and a little shop that does hand made Grecian pottery. It was a great day out adventuring around the town and then out side of the city.

For this day we pre-booked with AthensTours.gr which offered the best value of the various day tours I found. I would book with this company again if I were to go to Greece. Great service at a good price, but you do use a (Mercedes E-Class) taxi cab for the tours for 2 people. Also, due to how far our hotel was out of town (30 minutes) it seemed that the standard tour didn't take into account the extra transportation time. For the Athens tour you get to watch an informational video and you get a little book to help you guide your way through the Acropolis.

I would highly highly recomend being able to see both the Acropolis Hill and the Acropolis Museum back to back. They work so well together and the museum is so well put together. Once at the museum go straight to the top and watch the video. Once the video is over take a tour of the top and make your way down. It is the best way to get the most of the museum.

The Cornith Canal was pretty far away and neat to see. I wouldn't have gone here on purpose, but it was neat to see on our way to the wine road. The Nemea wineries are a good amount away from Athens, but we got to visit one local winery and it was an absolute treat. The wine prices were a good value and tasting the local grapes was a fun experience. On the way we stopped at a little pottery shop. If my wife hadn't mentioned wanting one of the souvenir amphoras we had seen I would have skipped the stop. However, the place we visited made museum replicas that were hand painted and we purchased a small one (~2 glasses of wine) for about 30 or 40 Euros. A very unique gift to bring home.

I would recommend visiting the winery, but pre-arrange for a longer than expected day as it is a good distance away. I suspect our driver, Vassilios, felt bad for us and gave us a few extra stops on the way back though.

Some of the views from the Acropolis:

A sleepy dog at the top.

The canal

A sneak peek of the winery

I am skipping the first day in Athens as it was mostly resting and visiting the National Archaeological Museum. At the museum they make you check your bag in the coat check.

For our second day in Athens we decided to book an island hoping cruise which visited three separate islands; Hyrda, Poros & Aegina. We booked this through a company called Olympic Cruises which now goes by the name of Evermore Cruises. It was nice to be able to visit the separate islands, but next time I would have just taken a ship out to Hydra and enjoyed a full day there. The ship we took was not ideal due to the very small cramped toilet space. Plus, the staff was not very professional. They would sit around and take some prime seats to talk and smoke. Also, we noticed on multiple occasions the crew snacking on some of the bar snacks which were being distributed to the guests. They were handling money, touching their faces and grabbing food straight from the container/bag. The bar tender was very sick. Once we noticed this we did not eat or drink anything from the ship as we were concerned about getting sick so early on of our vacation.

Hydra was our favorite island for this cruise and we felt nicer than Santorini. It was very quiet, but their were a number of tourists there. My wife and I simply walked around and enjoyed the views and did souvenir shopping. A very pleasant hour.

In Poros we only had a small amount of time and took some time strolling the alleys and streets. Not much going on here, but it was nice to see. A lot of cars compared to Hydra which had almost none.

Aegina was a lot of fun as we got an easy stroll around and got to visit some ruins. These ruins were nice as you are free to roam and are able to climb on them essentially. A little archaeological museum is here as well. We had a nice lunch here and got to feed some of the local cats. Again, this was another place with great alleys to explore, shop and enjoy a drink or two.

The view when approaching Hydra.

The gorgeous view from Hydra.

A view of the port of Hydra from a hilltop.

Picturesque Poros.

Some of the ruins on Aegina you can freely explore.

Aegina is a very pretty island to visit if you have some extra time. This is the view from the ruins.

After going through the various ports and Princess specific information I want to visit my Pre and Post cruise plans.

For all of our flights we had used the Princess eZair program. The prices were great and the interaction between Princess and KLM was great. However, the interaction between Princess and Alitalia was terrible. Our original ticket was deemed void due to the time frame it was on-hold, but thankfully that meant Alitalia switched us to a direct Rome -> LA flight. Please note, that I did bid for our seats to be upgraded from Coach to Premium Economy. It was a miss spent 410 Euro as we lost the selection of our seats. I tried to choose specific Premium Economy seats online and it simply did not work. I then called Alitalia and they could do absolutely nothing. NOTHING. At the airport they were eventually able to switch our seats to something acceptable, but it took a lot of hassle. Whatever you do DO NOT try to upgrade your seats through Alitalia as you lose the ability to choose specific seats.

In any case here is a summary of our plans that I will go deeper into:

Athens September 12th - 17th:

Hotel: Arion (Astir Palace) Great Room and only 1 good server in the entire building.

Sights: Island Hoping, Acropolis Hill/Museum, Delphi and Nemea Wine Roads

Rome September 24th - 28th:

Hotel: Starhotels Michelangelo (Clean and modern hotel, but the room layout could be better)

Sights: Borghese gallery, Catacombs, Florence, Vatican Museum, the Colosseum and a Michelin star restaurant for lunch.

Pictures and details to follow over the next couple of days. As always let me know if you have any questions.

I have my own review thread going. Perhaps you would like to take a peak at my thoughts and photos?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2408083

Ah, I have been keeping track of your review. I was glad to hear that returning to Messina when we did turned out to be slightly less busy lines than at the peak.

We were on the same sailing as you, and I have enjoyed reading your perspective, and I think we have made many of the same observations of the various ports. In Elba we were originally scheduled for the tour you took, but in the end felt that the cost outweighed the value. However, based on your photos it appears that the winery visit was very nice.

Thank you Rose. The value of this excursion is hard to justify as it came with a ~$160/pp list price. Both before and after the excursion I am not sure why it cost so much, but apparently I was willing to pay it for some reason. Maybe I am just foolish... I was very very surprised their was no Princess photographer along for the ride. They missed a great opportunity to sell tickets to this excursion. My wife was grateful the Princess rep wasn't involved as it looked like she had lice when we sat next to her on a tender in Kotor. My wife still has the clothes she was wearing next to her in quarantine.

Please feel free to let me (us) know if your experience differed to mine at any of the ports or if you have anything to add to my thoughts.