graphicguy

I want to do a Panama Canal cruise first. Hard to get excited about a transatlantic given I just flew over it….twice…..in the last month. Won’t be looking at another cruise until sometime next year. I’m still doing laundry from this one! LOL! But, as they say, never say never, as never is an awfully long time!

Agree. That’s the thing. People look at the fare and consider it the end of the line when it comes to out of pocket. Not necessarily the case. I do know that a couple of my Celebrity Cruises included tips, internet, etc. But, the initial fare was much higher, too. Specialty dining, alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, Bingo, etc will cost extra, regardless of cruise line. That’s not exclusive to NCL.

Doing post trip laundry. And thinking I’ve done Alaska, NE and Mediterranean cruises the last couple of years. Might look at a “run of the mill” Caribbean itinerary next….something easy and familiar!

Forgot to mention NICE. Prefer Nice over even Paris! Beauftiful! So much history…Onassis, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, the races, the film industry….etc! This is a tour where driving is a necessity. Walking it would take weeks! I rank it equal to Florence! Loved it!

I can’t stress this enough, particularly for a longer Mediterranean cruise…PACK LITE! Schlogging big and/or lots of luggage to/from/through the airports, ship, transports is a terrible way to begin and/or end your cruise. Plus, I guarantee not one single person remembers what you wore (or did not wear) on your cruise! I thought I traveled lite. I’ve now rethought my packing and will cut back even more on my next cruise!

Amen, Sister!

Cortona

I think generally speaking, Ryan Air is just bad. They’re too cheap to use anything except steps to board and disembark their planes). Add to that, Marseille and Paris airports are in serious need of some upkeep and repair (i.e. most escalators don’t work, so you’re carrying your luggage up and down a lot of stairs).

Well…I’ve neglected you all. So sorry. Just got back from my “2nd part” of my trip. Anyway…the ports….. I’ll start with the least favorite….. -Marseille….in all frankness, you really need to get into the outskirts of the wine country for this to even be worthwhile. As an embarkation/disembarkation port, things went smoothly. But, I would have preferred Barcelona…much more to do pre/post cruise. Favorite….a tie…. Florence and Mallorca…..there is just so much to do in both. Neither is necessarily the typical cruise port. Get into the “mix” in both. You really can’t go wrong. I prefer to just pick a couple of areas and walk around. Florence is sort of a mish mash maze of roads that really make little sense. Make sure you have a data plan that you can use while on your own so you can utilize Apple or Google maps. I consider that imperative. Do the canals tour via small boat. Mallorca….pretty much the same. Except it’s little easier to get around. In both, the roads are narrow as are the sidewalks. They are many times 1,000 years old (or more) and very uneven. If you’re at all not comfortable walking on cobble stones or uneven areas, don’t walk around. I saw a few people tumble for no other reason they wore flip flops (not very smart) or fashion shoes instead of walking shoes. Eat at the local places that have no language other than local. That’s where you’ll find the best food. Buy from the local shops, especially those who have the crafter’s tools of the trade in the shop itself. ROME…..ah….ROME….BIG, BUSY, CHAOTIC. You either love it or don’t. I love it. So very much to see, it takes more than two days. I’m not sure a guide nets you anything. You’ve seen all the pics of everything. Seeing it in person is breathtaking. Personally, I’d pick and choose what I wanted to see and get a taxi to take you there. Lots of people, some nefarious. Keep your wallet/purse in an inconspicuous place (like a money belt or an ankle wallet). Don’t wear your best jewelry. You’ll be brushing up against many people who are “pros” and pick pocketing anything of value, before you’re aware it’s gone. I hate to say this, but ignore anyone trying to engage you for directions, picture taking, etc. I’m sure there are sincere people who ask. But, there are an equal amount looking to take advantage of your nice nature. PISA…worth a trip, but not much else there outside of the tower. The down side of this itinerary is the amount of tendering you must do. That doesn’t bother me. But, it seems either NCL doesn’t train their tender Capts/crew very well, or they just aren’t very good. The water was calm, but you’d think the crew and Capt were trying to parallel park the EPIC every single time. Plus, for some unknown reason, even though we had hours to go and many more tenders to catch before “all aboard”, the Capt and crew of the tenders seemed hell-bent on over filling each and every tender, to the point where no one could fit their legs in without bumping into the crotch of the person across from them. Not sure of it’s NCL policy or just idiocy on the crew’s part, but I considered over filling tenders to no only being very uncomfortable for no reason, but also unreasonably dangerous.

RANDOM THOUGHTS/ POINTERS… Traveled from Marseilles to Rome on Ryan Air. One word..DON’T. They have no concept of staying on schedule. Given what it cost me in missing my train(s) because of Ryan Air, their fares aren’t really cheap. Planes are uncomfortable! You are stuck schlepping luggage on and off stairs to and from the planes. They don’t even invest in jetways at their gates. Traveling by train to and from airports in Italy is fine if it’s just a shoulder bag or backpack. Full size (or even roll board)? Bad idea! Dragging luggage across the gap of the train platform and into the train is an exercise in “this is not a good idea”. Nearly lost luggage in the gap to the tracks below 3 times! Trains however are quick, clean and run “on time”

Promise…will finish the review. Spending the next few days with family, here…

Amen!

Cool…had no clue!

Whaaaaa?????

RyanAir……Gaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! Marseille Airport…..GAAAAAAAAAAAA! Hotel B&B Hotel Marseille Aéroport St Victoret ….could have pitched a tent in the parking lot and been more comfortable! B de would have been softer if it was made of bricks. A TOWEL was the size of a dish rag…literally!!!!

I’m running out of toothpaste, but sure is tempting! 😉

I drank mostly the French Press coffee in the Haven. That was good. Surprisingly, the Nespresso machines in the cabin also made good coffee. I avoid the coffee in the Garden Cafe!

My hotels….both in Marseille are really “skimpy”. This one I’m in now…Hotel B&B Hotel Marseille Aéroport St Victoret, again, no wash cloths. A small towel (as in ONE)….$186/nite because it’s close to the airport. Thd one saving grace, it was close to this museum, which I thought was cool.

Never asked. The coffee’s (actually espressos) have been universally excellent, regardless of country!

OK….Just had lunch at a French Deli. It’s run by two older sisters. One does the cooking, the other the cleanup and “waitressing”. They spoke no English. I speak little of my long forgotten French I took in college. I pointed to a picture on their menu. It was a simple salad with salmon. Not knowing anything to get to drink, I ordered a Coke. They refused to serve me a coke with Salmon. It was white wine or sparkling water. No soft drinks though. They ended up giving me a piece of apple pie because they said it was the last piece. I LOVE IT! IMG_1652.heic

My pleasure! There are only 700 Rugby fans and promoters boarding today. You should be boarding after an abbreviated cruise that is sparsely populated! Can’t wait to hear about your journey!

Temptress!!!!!!! LOL!

The ship is nearly 850 feet tall. I’m still trying to figure out what the Captain was supposed to do while trying to navigate the ship through a storm? So, the folks who state they knew what the Captain was doing was wrong. Yet, I have yet hear anyone with any sort of professional navigational sea experience chime in here. I think you’ve giving other guests way too much credit regarding their expertise. I’ve sailed on cruise ships a lot. The only thing that qualifies me for is knowing which liquors are top shelf and which aren’t. Look, I get it. You’ve never sailed before. To you, it was probably scary. Clearly, this was an act of God. Chalk it up as such. If you keep sailing, my guess is you’ll experience something similar, again. Try sailing the Caribbean during hurricane season. Plenty of storms. I do that a lot because it’s cheap.