Midwest_Traveler

 

I read that in the 3 months of Jan to March there have been 135 gun killings in Chicago alone, that is a staggering figure.

This, exactly. I'm planning a trip to Europe over July 4 and fully anticipate that I will be much safer there than in Chicago. My family was discussing the travel alert and later that day a 19-year-old boy was fatally shot during rush hour in front of my apartment. I live in a "good" neighborhood in Chicago and I learned from the news that was the third shooting this month within a mile of my home. I love Chicago but that was a brutal reminder that parts of the city are essentially a war zone.

The recent attacks in Europe and Turkey are horrific and I pray for those families that lost loved ones. But at the same time, I can't live my life constantly looking over my shoulder. I'll take reasonable precautions but I don't plan on moving out of a large city or changing my travel plans because of the actions of a few individuals.

How long does it take to get to Aix from the Marseilles port/cruise ship? Based on google maps near what I think is the cruise ship port, it looks like it will take about 1.5 hours total. Does that seem right?

Also, is the bus any more scenic than the train? I tend to get bus sick but would be willing to put up with that to drive through fields of lavender :)

Are there Ubers available in Citavecchia? I saw on the Uber website that you can get a car in Rome, but I haven't had any experience using Uber in Europe. Would that be a possibility to get to the train station?

I absolutely love Rome and strongly agree with the recommendations above. Trastevere is my favorite place to stay as it has a bit more of a neighborhood feel than some other areas. Going to Tivoli and Villa d'Este was one of my favorite days in Italy.

My other recommendation is to go to the Roman catacombs located near Rome on the Appia Antica. Everyone that I traveled with has loved learning about the history and it's a nice break from the crowds in Rome. However, do not plan to walk there from Trastevere :) When I was in college, we were reading a map and thought it seemed like an easy walk (and we didn't have a clue what kilometers were). It's an easy bus ride but a very, very long walk with no sidewalks for a long portion...oops.

Oh, and the Trevi Fountain at night is beautiful! It's a great place to go and sit and have some wine or gelato after a long day.

Thanks! Great to know!

I had emailed the precruise concierge with a list of in-stateroom requests, and they were all done when we got there.

This is very helpful! May I ask what your in-stateroom requests were? We haven't stayed in the Haven before and I've seen that people have contacted the concierge precruise, but I wasn't sure what you could request. Certain snacks? Pillows?

I apologize for starting another thread about the new menus, but I can't find the answer to my question through a search. I know that most (but not all) of the specialty restaurants on the all (most?) of the ships are being updated to become a la carte menus. I know that beyondships has the Escape's menus posted.

Will all of the other ships have identical menus to the Escape? If not, is there somewhere else that we can find the relevant menus? I wanted to make dining reservations for a cruise relatively soon but it helps to know what will be served :) Also, are the Haven menus being updated on each of the ships as well?

TIA!

Sounds like you have a lot planned already! The excursions sound great. I'm planning some different excursions - most of the ports we will be doing self-guided "excursions" with some exceptions for tours at the very crowded tourist attractions (Colosseum, Accademia, etc). I completely understand your worry about missing the ship but the cruise ship excursions were a little too pricey for me. My mom is the same way about missing the ship though.

In Barcelona, one of my friends strongly recommended a trip to Montserrat. I think it's about an hour away by train and is absolutely stunning. We unfortunately have very limited time in Barcelona and I don't think we'll be able to make it out there.

Hi Jewelmick! My family is on the cruise right before yours - leaving Barcelona on the 3rd. We're also not big cruisers, but have been on 3 cruises with Disney, which were all awesome. I've lived in Italy and Switzerland, but the rest of the family hasn't traveled as much so we thought that the cruise might be a good way to ease into Europe. I'm also the uber-planner in my family so I've been lining up itineraries and booking tickets :) I'm interested to hear what you have planned as well! It sounds like it should be a wonderful experience.

Hi all,

We're planning a cruise on the NCL Epic in the Med this summer and I had a few questions about food. I saw a few posts about various NCL ships providing vegan food, but was particularly curious about any differences on European itineraries and if anyone had any specific dishes that they enjoyed/remembered. I am generally vegan and this has been tricky in Europe in the past.

To provide some background, I have Crohn's disease and after (years of) trial and error, I've discovered that I can't eat meat, eggs, dairy products, beans/legumes and dark leafy greens. Oddly, I am still okay with seafood and the occasional baked good with egg/dairy products baked inside. I'm also okay with cross-contamination, except for beef/pork. Also, if it makes a difference, we're booked in the Haven.

Sorry for the weird and lengthy list of restrictions, but any input or recommendations would be appreciated. I'm the only "vegan-light" in the group and I don't want to inconvenience anyone else too much on vacation. TIA!

I haven't yet sailed on the NCL Epic so I can't answer your questions in regards to the dancing. For the ship excursions, I would highly recommend shopping around. We booked a private, 8-hour tour for 5 people in Naples including a private guided tour of Pompeii at the #1 recommended tour guide on a very well-known trip advising website and it was under $600. A similar tour from NCL would have been closer to $2000 (!!).

If you're willing to read reviews and do some shopping around, I think that you can get better excursions for less money. Granted, these excursions do run the risk of not getting to the ship, but as long as you plan ahead, I think you should be fine in almost all circumstances.

Thanks! This is really helpful. I especially appreciate the pictures.

I booked the cruise this afternoon (yay!) for July. We received $1000 in OBC using a TA (from the TA). Based on some searches on CC, I think we can use this credit to tip the butler/concierge, but not for the daily service charge. Is that correct? Is there any way around that? I would really like to use this "free money" to help defray additional costs.

Hi all!

My family is currently considering booking a 7-day Western Med cruise on the NCL Epic. Based on the reviews I have read of the Epic, we're considering a 2-bed suite in the Haven because we're worried about the feeling of being in a crowd (and it actually isn't THAT much more than 2 verandahs). I had a few questions about the ship in general and the Haven on the Epic.

1. Are there certain hours for the pools, slides and rock walls? This itinerary has some pretty long days at port so it might be nice to utilize some of these places at night but I wasn't sure when they closed.

2. The current promo is that 2 guests can get the drinks package and 2 guests can get 4 nights of specialty dining. Do you know if these can be two guests for the drinks (A and B) and two guests for the dining (C and D)?

3. On the same note, if A and B did have the dining package, would C and D be able to take A/B's room keys and go to dinner?

(C & D aren't 21 so won't get the most out of the drinks package, but really would love the specialty dining more than the older folks :) )

4. Similarly, is there an age limit for the bars or any of the shows?

5. On the Epic, do Haven guests still have access to the Posh Beach Club?

6. What is the Epic Club and Epic Lounge?

Obviously, these aren't make or break questions but they are questions that have come up in planning that would be really helpful to know in advance to manage expectations. Thanks so much and I apologize if these have been answered before!