cc_rider

Someone just finished posting a very good review of their January cruise on the Epic. For the Cirque show, see post 239. Standard seating seems to be tucked under the balcony, premium seating is on the balcony or on the floor.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2300592&highlight=epic&page=12

When we reserved for the Cirque show premium seats, the SDP reduced the amount, I think it was by $25.

Picking up and rechecking bags between flights is an inconvenience, but one we can deal with. We have allowed extra time between flights.

The risk is if something goes wrong with the first flight, the airlines are under no obligation to make good the second. I'm making sure we have time to make other arrangements if the first flight is canceled. As long as the trip over to BCN works, I'm not too worried about the return trip.

Last summer/fall I was shopping for flights from April from Washington, DC to BCN. One stop flights were running around $1200 pp/rt. Decided to look into breaking it into pair of non-stop flights. Watched the fares for a while and booked from JFK to BCN for $725 pp/rt, on Delta, and plan to book from DCA to JFK for $153 in a couple of weeks, also on Delta. There are a lot of flight choices from DC to NYC.

Thanks. I'll take a closer look at the public system.

Do you happen to know if the Naples buses work the same way as most bus systems - if you buy a ticket and ride on one bus, you can transfer to another bus with out buying a new ticket if it is within a certain time frame.

The San Gennaro I want to go to is the catacombs (as well as the church), up near Capodimonte.

We'd like to see Gesu Nuovo\Santa Chiara, San Gennaro and the Duomo.

Also, the ride along the coast sounds like it might be nice. If the hoho frequency really is only once an hour, we'd probably not be able to make any stops at the scenic views.

Does anyone have any experience with the Naples Hop-on hop-off bus. Looks like it goes where we want to go, but reading the schedule it looks like it does one hour loops at one hour intervals. Is it really that infrequent? If I want to hop off to look at something quick, say 10 minutes, do I need to wait another 50 minutes for the next bus to come?

Also, how crowded is their HOHO bus? With that low a frequency, if a bus comes by full, waiting for the next one is not feasible.

There was a $150 per person price drop from the time we booked to the time we made the final payment. Our TA talked to NCL and got us the new price, keeping the perks we booked with.

Just gotta ask.

Thank you. We'll be on the Epic in April and all of the reviews and tips-and-tricks I've read on the cc boards have been great help.

My only concern is the number of elevators and long wait to use them. We'll be on deck 11, so it's a long walk up or down stairs to anything we want to go to.

We've booked 3 nights in May at the Hotel Lleo, just one block from the Hotel Jazz. Only know it from the reviews, so we'll see. Around $120 a night.

Try http://www.whatsinport.com/

Choose a port, choose cruise calendar, follow the links.

Decided to check airfares after hearing the news reporting lower fares due to lower fuel cost.

For the April/May dates I booked two months ago ($725 pp r/t on Delta and not the $925 I miss-posted), Delta is back down to $767, and others are in the $900's. Couple to few hundred less than two weeks ago.

Don't know if it is temporary or the new normal.

edit - JFK to BCN non-stop

Thanks

We'll take a look at it. We are renting an apartment across from the S.F in for a week in April.

Wanted to mention this to anyone visiting Barcelona, we stayed at a hotel one block away from La Sagrada Familia and found a fantastic restaurant for dinner that was so good we went all three nights we were there! Bar Restaurante La Llesca, Av. Gaudi, 12.....

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However I thought the only way up is by lift so if they are shut then no worries about walking down as nobody is even going up

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Website says only the Passion Facade is closed until further notice. Nativity Facade is operating normally.

Their website says that the lifts to the Passion facade are currently closed due to construction work.

I hope they are open by April. Walking down from the tower is not possible for DW.

Thanks for posting.

Are the dailies now only two pages long? The ones posted for the summer cruises were more than a dozen pages.

Very good advice. Manage your expectations and you won't be disappointed (or maybe not much)

We'll be taking our first cruise in April (western Med on NCL). Our main vacation goal is Barcelona. The cruise is just an opportunity to see a little of Italy and France while we are there.

I expect a bed that I hope will be comfortable enough for 7 nights.

I expect meals that are of an acceptable quality and variety.

I expect to be taken to the next port so I can enjoy a shore excursion on my own.

I expect to have a choice of things to do in the evening that might entertain us. Or we can just chill out and get to bed early.

Beyond that, I 'll take what comes as an ongoing adventure.

We did book a balcony, and the SDP came with the booking. Other than gratuities, internet and a dinner show, I don't expect to pay much extra.

A realistic attitude, lots of research and a few months on these boards have us prepped for our vacation.

We booked Hotel Lleo for October. Seems the area is close to transportation.

We booked the Hotel Lleo for a couple of post-cruise days in early May (pre-cruise will be a week in an apartment near the Sagrada)

I'll try to post a follow up after we've stayed there.

We plan to see Girona on our own. Disembark from the Epic and take a train to Girona, drop our bags at the hotel, and see the town. Since the museums seem to close at 2 on Sundays, we'll have to hurry. Go to the Jewish Museum first and see what else we have time for. Will walk the rest of the old town later in the day.

Since Monday will be a holiday, we'll take an early train to Figueres to see the Dali Theater. Then back to Girona to hang out one more night before returning to Barcelona.

Looking forward to seeing the old section of Girona. Really does look like how I'd picture a Medieval street.

We're planning to combine it with a general tour of the Barrio. Go from Santa Maria del Pi to the cathedral by way of El Call, then walk the perimeter of the Roman walls, coming back through El Call and ending at Roman cemetery at Placa de la Vila Madrid.

We also plan to spend a couple of post-cruise days in Girona, which has a largely intact medieval Jewish quarter.

Don't have a favorite yet, since we won't be in Barcelona until April.

For a one day visit, I'd go to the usual highlights - Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Placa de Catalunya, walk a short ways down Las Ramblas, walk around the Barrio Gotic, stop in at the cathedral.

If there was time, I'd stop at the Chocolate Museum and take the cable car up Montjuic.

Luckily we'll have five day pre-cruise, so we'll have time for all that and much more.

One thing we're looking forward to seeing are the two old cemeteries - Cementiri de l'Est in Poblenou and Cementiri de Montjuïc. Some amazing looking sculpture.

We also plan to walk around the old roman walls and temple ruins.

If I were staying in Baltimore, I'd want a hotel either near the harbor, in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, or the Fells Point / Canton neighborhood. We once stayed at the Hotel Indigo - Mt Vernon instead of one of the big convention hotels and enjoyed it. I don't know what the arrangements for long term parking would be, but there should be something for the cruises.

There are more than a dozen hotels taking part in the SleepParkFly at BWI, but there is not much to do or see near the airport.

http://www.parksleepfly.com/?gclid=CN3dv-HZz8kCFVQ2aQodPQINGQ

PS I always wanted to try the Admiral Fell Inn. Interesting old building that I've been by may times.

3 weeks ago I booked next for April on the Epic out of Barcelona, balcony room. After seeing this thread, I checked the current price. Inside is the same, but balconies are down $150 pp. I suspect that Paris is changing demand.

Concerned, but not worried.

I have no plans to change plans for April.

I expect security to be pretty tight, with more inspections and longer lines. Will plan for more time at everything, and might have to cut out some sites. But with the extra the scrutiny and enhanced awareness, I feel more secure, not less.

I just hope security doesn't become so tight that it's not worth doing anything off the ship.

Not expert on travel to Europe but I think it's a good price, but it is for April which is before most start traveling there. I would of loved to get that fare on Delta since I am a sky miles member.

I thought it looked good, too. I watched prices for four months before starting to book.

For us April/ May is the best time to travel. Work is a little less busy. Fewer kids on the ship. Good weather. Better prices.