ssbeard1

2 hours ago, jas283a said:

I think it's just that, how long do you want to be in port.  Also, you may not get as long on Delos if you take the ship tour.  I can't remember what time you need to board the ferry to make it back in time, but I want to say 1 or so (we didn't end up going, but I had done all the research on it).  Check when you will arrive, what time you need to leave, and think about how long you want to be on the island.  That will help you decide as well.  

Both tours are stated to be 4 hrs long.    I think I’m going to change to boat tour to be able to enjoy a lunch in town.   

I have a 4 hr tour of Delos booked which begins at 10.    Our ships tour leaves at 8:15 but costs $65 more total for 2 people.     I’m having  difficulty justifying the extra cost for essentially the same tour, but we will have more time in town to walk around if we leave earlier.    Our ship is in port 7-4.   Hoping someone can give me their opinion.   

8 hours ago, classy_cruiser said:

I believe they do the testing Saturday morning before Santorini 

Are these time stamped with the time they were taken or just the date ?   The reason I ask is we don’t fly out til noon on Tuesday , which would be close to the cut off time.   I had hoped they didn’t test til Saturday evening.  

Bruin Steve -  I tried googling Athens Airport Taxi but the online form quoted me a few of 55 euros for taxi to downtown hotel.   Did you have a # you called?  Thanks.  

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You should first understand that Crete is a very large island (about 160 miles from one end to the other) so what you can do depends on which port you will dock.  If you have any interest in ruins and related history consider a tour (or do it yourself) to Knossos.  There is also an excellent archaeological museum in Iraklion that has many artifacts from Knossos and elsewhere on the island.  

 

Rhodes is a different situation.  I assume you will dock at Rhodes Town and this is within walking distance of both the Old Town and New Town.  The city does have some interesting places (including the palace) and can be done on your own or with a walking tour.  There are also plenty of cafes/restaurants if you want to enjoy a lunch off the ship.  There will also be some tour options to Lindos (which is some distance from Rhodes Town) which is an area with ruins (overlooking the sea).  Unfortunately Lindos has been so darn commercialized that you have to walk through the gamut of vendors who mostly sell tacky tourist items (although a smart shopper might find a few decent things).  The ruins at Lindos are pretty ruined (you can probably pull up some photos online) and I do not personally recommend the place, but many of us have gone and there are many who enjoyed the visit.    The thing about Rhodes is that the island is also a very popular sea resort with Europeans (especially from the UK and Germany).  There are quite a few excellent beaches, resorts, etc although I did note you are not interested in beaches.  We will be in Rhodes twice in August (back to back cruises) and have recently been talking about what we want to do given that we have been to the island 4 or 5 times.  We will certainly spend some time strolling around Old Town and possibly head out of town to one of the decent beaches.  As independent travelers, DW and I often prefer not to make solid plans since we often react to weather conditions.  It can hot in the islands and that would be a consideration.  I just look at Tripadvisor and noticed that 2 of the top 6 recommendations are beaches and 1 is a water park.

 

I suspect that quite a few travel starved folks will be heading to Greece in July-August in order to satisfy their travel bug.  Just keep in mind that Greece can get quite hot in the summer (sea breezes can often help on islands) and folks should prepare with a decent wide brimmed hat, lots of sunscreen, clothes intended for hot weather, etc.  DW recently reminded me of a July trip to Athens when our guide (a lovely Greek lady) collapsed on the Acropolis because of the excessive heat (it hit about 115f that day).  We have also been there in the summer when the weather was near perfect.

 

Hank

Thanks for info.   We will be docking in Iraklion.    Our trip isn’t until September.     Very interested in the archeological aspects.    Just having trouble currently finding info on tour offerings, which is understandable at this point.    

Will be in Crete from 10 AM - 7 PM and Rhodes 8 AM-5 PM.   Since cruising is just starting back up, there is not a lot of activity on the boards at this moment.  Was hoping someone had some advice to share on what to see/do in these ports.  We are not interested in a day at the beach.  

Thanks!

We are currently scheduled with NCL for September, but will cancel if their requirement for cruise only excursions are still in place.  

1 hour ago, dogs4fun said:

We have an X cruise scheduled for late August (Baltic) - I'm not confident that it will sail. Mandated shore excursions through the ship are a deal breaker for us - will simply book a future cruise or a land visit.

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

October is a long time from now, in Covid time. But NCL has indicated they intend to follow the CDC protocols (including the shore excursion rules) until the end of November.

As of now NCL is saying  this is through July and will re-evaluate at that time.   My understanding is the shore excursion rule was something the cruise lines did themselves, not mandated.  🤷‍♀️   But, I will cancel if it appears to be a longer term requirement.   

We have scheduled a Greece cruise. My only problem/concern is you are only allowed to leave the boat on an official NCL tour.   We enjoy getting off the boat and making a whole day of sightseeing. We are scheduled for September, so hoping this rule changes or we will need to cancel.   Also, seems restaurants are still closed for dining in Greece. 

Can someone tell me the pros and cons of 125% FCC vs refund.   We paid for 3 cabins - the FCC is tempting. 

We are set to sail independence of the seas on June 1 for 4 nights.   We have 3 cabins.    With the extension of the CDC’s quarantine of cruise ships for “at least 100 days” do we stand a chance of sailing?   When do you think RCL will cancel ?

So - beginning April 15 the cruise industry will not sail for 100 days????    

So the price for a day pass to melia is the same on all third person vendors.    Melias website didn’t appear to offer day passes.    I was hoping someone might know of a good deal.   

We will have a 5 and 6 year old on our cruise.  We were looking at the Melia and I understand it is all inclusive, but as far as food these girls eat very little and we really don't eat much.  The price is quite a bit more than the Hilton, where the 5 year old will be free and we receive a food credit, which will more than suffice.  Our girls are easy to please, enjoy the beach and just basic swimming.  Is there a place to look for the best price for a day pass to Melia.  I looked on their official site and couldn't see a place to purchase, but I could be overlooking it.  Any other suggestions for the day would be greatly appreciated.  

CruiserBruce - Yes, I looked at the web site, but everything for transfer from hotels to cruise port was per person - which really added up.  Thanks for the help.  

Thanks JohninDC.  We have used Uber in past, but not for that many.  I wasn't sure if there was a good car service that could accommodate us and we could get a round trip price cheaper than doing two Uber XL's to and from the ship.    Would love to hear of some recommended, reasonable car services.  The one I checked wanted $170 for this - which I felt was a lot.  

We will be arriving at FLL at approximately 7 PM the night before our cruise.  I will need 3 rooms and transfers for 8 people. Any recommendations on a hotel that has free transfer from FLL or free transfer to the cruise port.  We have flown into FLL for cruises out of Miami several times in past, but never FLL.   I understand I can't get "free" for both transfers, but looking at the most economical way.  This is our "family vacation" for this year, so since the expense is on me I'm trying to save a much as possible.    Thanks for any help because I know the hotel question is asked a lot.  

Thanks.  Yes, kinda pricey for the Melia.   I’ll check the Hilton.  

What are recommendations for a day pass for a 5 and 6 year old.     We have done Junkanoo beach in the past and they enjoyed that.      It doesn’t have to be all-inclusive as we don’t drink alcohol and the kids are very light eaters.     Wanting a place with a good pool and beach.  

Thanks for all of the advice, especially figuring in the cost for luggage.   

Due to date restrictions we are looking at a cruise leaving Barcelona.  I would like to spend time in Rome (more than the one day our port stop would allow).  Is it doable to fly into Rome several days before the cruise and then fly with Ryanair or a similar budget carrier to Barcelona?  Any cons on this matter is greatly appreciated.  Also, recommendation on air.   This will be our first trip to Europe so unsure of logistics.

Thanks

I have no personal experience but have read on cc that this itinerary and ship has been labeled a booze cruise . Lots of bad reviews about that ship. Short cruises attract a different crowd.

 

 

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Glad to hear - we took it because our future DIL had never been on a cruise and had a little anxiety about a7 day cruise. It appeared they were trying to attract the Carnival crowd. Was so disappointed in RCCL on so many levels on this cruise.

Just returned from a 4 night cruise. Haven’t cruised RCCL in about 4 yrs. I understand wearing “what you want “ but obviously there is NO dress code, at least on Mariner. In the MDR bathing suits with see through cover ups were allowed - with flip flops. We saw that on multiple nights. It was quite common to see board shorts or gym shorts and flip flops on the guys. Are there no rules any longer fleet wide or just this ship? This was our 4th cruise in 14 months (all different cruise lines) and this was the first time I’ve seen this.

We have been to Nassau approximately five or six times. This time we booked an all day charter with Island Time charter. we stopped at four snorkeling spots, seeing many colorful fish, stingray, and loggerhead turtles. We also fished and went to Rose Island where some of our fish was grilled for lunch. There were four adults; one person was timid of the water and had never snorkeled before. They worked with her and was very informative and patient. Captains Brent and Shaquille were extremely safety conscious and took great pride in their job. This was our favorite time in Nassau!

Just got back. We did not enjoy this stop. This was our first time there. We just got back from Disney castaway cay 3 months earlier and loved it, tons of shade. Here at CC - Hot!!!! No breeze. Had a bungalow. Our food did not get to us til after 1. It was so soggy we could not eat it. The buns were soaked and fell apart, as did the tacos. By that time the grill service was over. Most people only stayed at their bungalow half the time due to heat. Low tide when we arrived and you could not get into the water due to shallowness and the “grass” I was extremely disappointed in the amount of shade.