jakeHOU97

On 6/19/2022 at 9:40 AM, longterm said:

That's what we're looking at; it'd still mean some packing and unpacking, but again, the only way to see some inland sites is to travel either by bus, train, or car--and train travel is really nice.

I wish there were more Viking river cruises to choose from, but the rivers just don't work for them in lots of these countries. We've done the Grand European and are doing it again in a year; it's a great way to see Germany and we liked it so much that we're going to do it again in the opposite direction.

But to see the Mediterranean, I think an ocean cruise is the way to go; we had a great time on our recent trip, and I could see a cruise from Rome to Barcelona as another great route. 

 

The specific cruise we are looking at is the one you mentioned from Rome to Barcelona, in Feb. 2023. We want to have our honeymoon right after our wedding, which I soon found out limits the options of a Mediterranean cruise as most lines don’t do these itineraries during winter months. This one on the Sky is the only cruise us and our TA have found during this timeframe.
 

We would definitely want to do an extension since this itinerary is only 7 days long, and we’d like to spend about 10 days in Europe.

She also warned us about the possibility of rough seas on a cruise in the Mediterranean during winter months, but not sure if this would actually be a major issue in late Feb/early March.

3 hours ago, longterm said:

Some thoughts on land vs. cruise:

 

My wife and I just finished a Rick Steves tour of the Loire valley in France, going from Paris to Nice in 13 days. We both realized that the only way to see the interior of France is with a land tour, and we chose the RS tour because we'd not done one yet and wanted to see how we liked it.

Bus travel. Lots of bus travel. Hours on a bus just doesn't appeal to me; one day we spent almost 6 hours on a bus. 

Packing and unpacking. We stayed in 6 different hotels in 13 days, so we packed and unpacked as many times. One of the great things about a cruise is that you check your bags at your home airport, and then you almost never touch them again, except to unpack and unpack one time. Personally, I love that aspect of cruise travel.

Down time. On a land trip, it's not quite so easy to relax as it is on a cruise; on a cruise, you can go to the room, take a nice snooze, sit on the veranda or elsewhere and just watch the water; on a land cruise, if you're part of a tour group and don't want to take the excursion, you... sit on the bus or if you're lucky you can stay in the hotel (if you've already gotten to the next one, that is).

I think it's much easier to relax on a cruise; granted, cruise excursions can be somewhat lightweight when compared with  inland excursions that have the ability to be much more in-depth, but I've taken some excursions from Viking ships that rival any others I've taken either with private guides or on other land trips.

My wife and I like to relax on trips and not feel that we have to return home to then relax (which is what happened on this recent RS tour); we both feel that we get that on cruises, and because Viking is a smaller ship with none of the flash and cash-draining fluff that dress most megaships, it's a great way to travel, relax, do some exploring, and have a wonderful time.

If you're considering the Mediterranean, I'd recommend the Rome to Athens trip that we took in March; it's 15 days, and by the time you're finished you'll feel that you've gotten to see a huge part of European antiquity. The post-extension in Athens is well worth the money too; we did our own pre-extension in Rome, and that's something I'd recommend as well; a great part of the world.

This is great insight, thanks! Agreed with many of the things as I noticed them on the land trip to Europe I’ve been on before, just haven’t taken a non-Caribbean cruise to compare it with.
 

We’re looking at the 7 (or 8?) day from Rome to Barcelona. We’d get to see the Italian Riviera, southern coast of France and Spain, which we wouldn’t if we did one of the land trips we’re looking at. However this cruise obviously wouldn’t take us to Paris or London like the land trip would.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far! Keep it coming. There are several pros and cons of doing this Mediterranean cruise vs a land package. 

Hi all,

My fiancé and I are getting married next year and we’re in the processing of planning our honeymoon. She’s never been to Europe before, and we both enjoy cruising so we’ve been looking at a Mediterranean cruise on the Viking Sky next year.

We’re not party people but we are curious how diverse the demographic is on these type of cruises. We are in our mid 20s. Will there be other people close to our age to conversate with or will mostly everyone be the age of our parents and grandparents?

I know these type of vacations aren’t usually all families and honeymooners but I did have the chance to a land vacation in Europe a few years ago and out of our tour group of 40ish there was about a dozen of us in our teens/20s/30s.

Also, what I’ve read and learning about Viking so far sounds really interesting and intriguing, but we’ve only been on Carnival before, so if you have any other insight on Viking cruises we would appreciate it. Thanks!

Casino bar. High seas tea.

Where did you find this on Chase? I just got the chase freedom flex literally only a few days ago

Hi! On our last cruise way back in 2012, we booked this type of cabin on the Magic (same class as the breeze), and enjoyed it. You're basically paying for an interior cabin with a small surcharge (which ends up being less than a regular ocean view cabin) that has a window. 

The window overlooks a small observation deck at the front of the ship. You can access this area right around the corner from these rooms. The best part is, since it's at the front of the ship, it's kind of a "secret deck" since it's usually not discovered besides the people who have cabins in that area, therefore it's usually empty.

The only thing you'll have to be mindful of is keeping your curtains closed when you need privacy because anyone on the observation deck can see in your room. You'll also have to keep your curtains closed at night so your stateroom lights doesn't obstruct with the bridge. 

The only downside I can think of is that since it's at the very front of the shift, if you go anywhere at the back of the ship (aft dining room, comedy club, etc.) you have a decent walk haha. 

In fact, we have the same type of cabin booked for our next cruise in Jan 2022, on the Breeze! It's a great cabin for the value.

Hope this helps!

She doesn't have to drink alcohol. She could be snarfing down 15 coffees a day. Until the little over caffeinated hellion in her belly starts beating her like a bass drum.

Or those milkshakes...oh dang ;)

Looking forward to your review. Do you have any pictures? We are considering booking a last-minute Triumph cruise for this summer

Hello, my family and I are seriously considering booking a last-minute cruise for this summer on the Triumph out of Galveston. If anyone has or know any reviews of the Triumph after the 2.0 upgrade with pictures, please post here.

Thanks

With the Freedom coming to Galveston and we are looking into booking a cruise soon, we now have a third option in the freedom. We went on the magic back in 2012 and absolutely loved it, so I was wondering if we should do that, or try the triumph/freedom?

nice review :)

So would Carnival have 3 ships out of Galveston? Which ports would the Freedom visit?

Hi, I just started reading but I can already tell I love your writing style and the review so far! I will continue reading tomorrow

We had more than enough time in each port to get a flavor for each area visited. With advance planning of shore excursions you will see an awful lot of sites.

Thank you. Do you remember how much time you were in port? On our last cruises to the Bahamas we only spent under 8 hours in port.

We did a Mediterranean cruise last May (see review below) and had an INCREDIBLE TIME and shall be repeating another one when Vista launches. Having said that, I would also have liked to have spent 2-3 days in most of the Italian ports and may in fact do a land-based visit (someday).

Thank you, I just skimmed through the first page of the review and it looks good. When I get a chance, I will read yours and other reviews of the Mediterranean Cruises here on CC :)

Hi, I, as a teen busy with school and stuff, my family and I haven't been able to cruise in over 2 years, so I am not all caught up to date with all the updates/new features ect. for Carnival and this board in general.

So, my grandparents, my cousin and I are planning on doing a joint graduation trip for either Summer 2015 or Summer 2016. We are defiantly sure we want to go to Italy/The surrounding Mediterranean areas, since my grandparents/ancestors are from there and we would love to explore their old heritage.

Problem is, we are not sure whether to do a inland trip of Italy, or do a cruise to Italy.

But like I mentioned before, I have not been that big of a "cruise junkie" these past couple of years, so I do not know how well a Carnival Cruise (or any other cruise line) would allow us to explore the "real" part of Italy. For example, I am not totally sure on how long the ship stays in port, what ports it visits ect.

Someone also even mentioned doing a inland trip + a cruise. However, length and money could possibly be a factor here.

That being said, I know other cruise lines may be better for cruising to Italy. I know this is a CCL forum and NOT a vacation forum, so I apologize if this post is not aloud. If it is, please have one the moderators remove this for me.

But anyways, I would appreciate any input from yall. Thanks.

Anyone know when info on schedules is going to be available? We are looking into a graduation cruise.

Thanks.

Wait, do you have any current cruises booked? I'm looking forward to your next cruise! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Carnival Magic and Carnival Conquest,

This is an amazing photo.

Wow! This is an excellent review! HMC does look like paradise from those pics! We have seen the Ecstasy sail away a few times from Galveston. I can tell it is still a beautiful ship even though I have never been on it. :D

Definetly. All of our carry-ons ARE backpacks

When did he leave Carnival?

Amazing photos!