Bcshur

FWIW the murder rate per 100,000 in Turkey is 33, in the USA it is 42, in St. Kitts is 382 and in Jamaica is 529. If you are willing to go to the Caribbean, or even stay in the US, GO to the Med. It is much safer than much of the Caribbean. (I go to the Caribbean a couple of times a year, but there are areas I avoid.)

 

Thom

Thank you traveler Tom! We were in Paris a few months ago and navigated our way through there with very little knowledge of french. I support we can do Turkey!

Hubby and I are all about exploring! We LOVED the Med. last year. We booked the Caribbean one because last years trip was non-stop and we wanted a more relaxing trip. But, when are we going to ever be able to do this again? We said we want to travel when we have kids. But paying all that extra money when they won't truly appreciate it for 15-20 years. We're not getting any younger!!!!!!! I just wish I felt more secure about travel to Turkey, that is my biggest hiccup right now.

You guys are the best! Does it make anyone nervous traveling to Turkey? I didn't really think twice of it until I had a few people asking if I really want to go there with all that is going on. Hmmm! I asked the cruise rep. and she said that they do not take their ships to anywhere unsafe, that I knew! But would anyone be scared to travel there, so to speak? I just can't get over this deal!

Okay, I need some help deciding!

Hubby and I currently have a 9 day Caribbean cruise out of Bayonne booked. We're located in PA, so wouldn't have to pay for flights. We're paying about $2,800 for that.

However, I am looking into doing a Greece cruise as we currently have no children and are looking to have one last hoorah. We said that last year during our Med. cruise too....

I can get a cruise out of Istanbul to Greece INCLUDING flights from JFK for right around $3,400.00. Now, I would still need to include a hotel in there and transportation to and from the airport as well as to and from the port. But to me, this deal is just unthinkable and truly unbeatable.

We were trying to not spend an insane amount this year on a trip because we ended up with a pretty big bill last year. But, I feel as if I am crazy if I don't jump on this?

Any input????? I am a little concerned being as it's on Rhapsody and I am not used to the smaller ships anymore.

A little background information on hubby and I. Both early 30's, active, and professions.

After doing some research it appears as if it's cheaper to fly into Istanbul. The cruise price for a 10 day Med. just can't be beat either. Any know of any good hotels in Istanbul, preferably centrally located and perhaps a free airport shuttle? We could always take a cab to the cruise port the morning of, but having that shuttle when we arrive in Istanbul would be nice.

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are looking into doing a Med. cruise. We did it last year and loved it so much we want to go back! Last year we left from Rome and it was a bit expensive to fly from JFK into Rome. Does anyone have any input about flying into Turkey and/or Barcelona? We're trying to do this trip a bit cheaper than last year; so we would probably pick a port of departure based on the cheapest one to fly into.

Any input would be great!

Thanks for the response!

I am pretty certain in the visitor's center as soon as you get off the ship they have free wifi. :) You have to go through there to get into center Nassau.

Hi everyone! I apologize if I overlooked this same thread somewhere. I was just curious when the Summer 2016 Med. itineraries should be posted? Thanks!

Can't wait to read it! DH and I were in Barcelona back in June and are teachers and back at work. If you do a live review it will be as if I am reliving it. ;)

I am sure I am missing this somewhere!

How do I go about booking a cabana for my June 2015 cruise? I hear that they sell out quickly.

My husband and I just went through the same thing! With all the taxes, I am pretty certain the 7 bottles ended up being close to $200.00. It was supposed to be $115.00, with the taxes as well as I beleive a corking fee it ended up way more than what we thought. Unfortunatley, with the European itineraries there is just no way around all the excess taxes. With that being said, you will have a fabulous time!!!!! We loved the itinerary and Liberty. We will be back on her again in June out of Bayonne, New Jersey. Happy cruising!

Oppss! I read that wrong. We have not done a transatlantic, but would love to. Barcelona is amazing, so clean! Have a great time. Please post some feedback once you get back. I'd love to hear about it!

We have!!!!!! Absolutely amazing! My husband and I did the Med. cruise out of Rome in June. Next time we do it we will leave from Barcelona. You will have a fabulous time! We are planning on doing it again in about 2 years. Infact, we loved Liberty so much we're going back on her in June out of Bayonne to the Caribbean. I do fear that the Caribbean won't have anything on the south of France. Everyone told me that once you do the med. you never want to go anywhere else. It's true!

Liberty is amazing! My husband and I were on her in June for a med. cruise. There is not one thing we would complain about. The staff was impeccable. Infact, we are cruising on her again out of Bayonne in June. We're hoping to see some familiar faces as far as staff goes. LOVE the ice skating ring, but the wine bar more!!!!!!

I think that would be terrific! The coffee on RC is something my husband and I get so saddened by. Yuck! Who wants to start their day running on a cup of terrible coffee? Not us!

I feel sorry for the poor worker they involved in this drama . He may have lost his job . Seriously OP you were way out of line going crazy on the crew .The person you should direct your anger at is your son.

You said it best!!!!!!!!! That is just awful. I feel most sorry for that crew member.

 

For any of us that have had our cruise experiences interrupted by unsupervised kids running up and down the halls screaming, I read your post and have to wonder what you were thinking to make that decision. The safety of your children and respect for fellow passengers should be paramount. I just don't think 10 year olds should be allowed free run of the ship while the parents are gone to supper with friends.

I agree! A ten year old having free run of the ship? That in itself is a huge problem!

I've done the transfers before through RC. It's a strictly RC passenger coach. Air conditioned, not a ton of room, and I don't recall there being any outlets. Basically it is your standard coach bus. Make sure even on the coach you keep your carry-on with you. One of us gave them our carry-on as they tried to tell us it would be too tight on the coach and the carry-on was lost for good. Have a great trip!

Thanks so much for getting back to me! :)

Any help would be greatly appreciated! My husband and I have a RC credit card and use the points typically towards on board credit. We're eyeing up a Celebrity cruise and were just curious if we can use the points from our RC credit card to cash in on on board credit on Celebrity.

This may be posted someplace else, but I couldn't find it. I'll apologize in advance.

This is true. When it comes to getting the VAT tax back, it needs to be on items not consumed. So anytype of food and/or drink that has the VAT is not given back. However, my husband purchased a watch (which is not consumable, obviously) and we were given a huge run around with the VAT tax and were told we could not get it back. Royal really dropped the ball on this as they couldn't give us the approprite papers and procedures. When I called the people who run their shops I got nowhere either. Lesson learned, we will only buy things that are things we cannot find in the US. You still will have a great time! No worries!

My husband would go down and get us coffee in the morning but it was a real pain to carry! We started putting them in the travel throw away cups, but you have to watch because of how hot it gets on the outside while you are walking. I suppose room service would be best. :)

Please tell me the secret to getting to the heli-pad. My husband and I tried to find it but could not figure out how to get out there!

The ice skating shows are amazing!!!! We did ice skating the one day and although it was rocky and cramped, we had so many laughs. We ended up doing that on our anniversary because of the ferry stike at Marseille. Good fun!

You absolutely must do the hot tubs at like 10pm with a glass of wine and a movie or game on the big screen! My husband LOVED having our night cap under the stars while watching the World Cup. Amazing! I loved Liberty. It may even tap out as my favorite ship to date. We also loved the wine bar. We would get a bottle and just sit there before dinner. I can't wait to do Liberty again! Have a fabulous time. You are a great friend!!!! :)