Just Booked Mediterannean Cruise!

[Wonders10]

Hi everyone,

 

I am so excited right now. My mom is retiring next year and wanted to do a family trip with her kids/grandkids. She always wanted to go to Alaska and a couple of months ago we booked a Princess cruisetour, but as excited as we were, it just wasn't getting us all psyched up like other vacations we've been on. So we chatted about other places to visit and low and behold, we now have a 12 nt Med. cruise booked on the Solstice for June of 2012. I'm thrilled, she's thrilled and I know my brother and his family will love the Solstice and ports of call. Plus its actually cheaper than our Alaska vacation! Now I have to wait almost a year! But...have lots of planning to do which is part of the fun.

 

I don't have any real questions yet, just wanted to share my excitement with others. But, if you have any tips or info you want to share, I'm open to it. Other than a trip to Ireland 2 years ago, none of us have been to Europse or any of the countries on this cruise.

[dolittle]

The Med is great you will have A great time . Read these boards for your ports and you will find good ways to D.I.Y. this can save you alot of money. Many ports Rome,Napels, Athens are easy to do on your own' Also private tours you will find on this site can be A good value.You did not say if you booked your airfare I hope it is better in 12 than it is this year. have A great trip.

[Keith1010]

Congratulations on booking this cruise.

 

If you can arrive to the port of embarkation prior to your cruise I recommend that so you get over the jet lag, have time to tour and so you avoid flying in the day of the cruise.

 

There is a lot of good information on the Ports Of Call Board.

 

I have sailed the Mediterranean numerous time and there is so much to see.

 

Keith

[Glammy Grammy]

OK it may be a long time to wait, but you'll enjoy the excitement and the run up to it immensely. We cruised the Med last year and are going back again this year we enjoyed it so much. Saw and experienced so much it was just fantastic.

[JRarey]

I am so excited right now. ... But, if you have any tips or info you want to share, I'm open to it.

 

Congratulations on booking your cruise! I gather you replaced the Princess Alaska CruiseTour with the Celebrity Med cruise?

 

Obviously you will get lots of great tips, and the research you do will pay off in spades. Still, as a first cruise I also think you want to leave some of it unknown to fully enjoy the wonder of exploring the ship and discovering cruising. That very topic is in a nice discussion here... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1433108

 

One tip is to be as active as you can be in the discussion for your particular trip over in the Rollcall forum. If by chance one is not started yet go ahead and get it going, it's certainly not too early. A great roll call, and the interaction with the those involved, can be a top highlight of your cruise and is a great way to learn and share your excitement too. Judging by the number of posts I'm guessing you know your way around, but if you need help finding the Rollcalls just ask.

 

Enjoy the whole experience, we are very excited for you!

 

Joe & Jan

[ghstudio]

As one member said, book your flights to arrive a day early....flights get delayed, weather problems, etc.....and you'll be far more rested when you get on the ship so you can enjoy the first evening.

 

We just had friends whose plane out of ft meyers was cancelled so they arrived in Rome a day late for a tour....imagine if that was you trying to get to the ship.

[2theship]

It's certainly not too early to start booking private shore excursions. If you've got a crowd of people, especially with kids, it's really the best way to go. The best guides can book up early so don't be afraid to start making inquiries.

[4774Papa]

We love the Med. Check out Kayak web for airfares. Also, suggest flying into Europe at least one day prior to cruise. Better to arrive two or three days early for some touring prior to the cruise.

Take precautions like moneybelts for anti-pickpocket measures.

Rollcalls for your cruise will give you options for private tours, however sometimes a ship's tour is the best. Sometimes you don't need a tour at all.

[TLCOhio]

Congrats on your booking. Don't know your exact ports, but you might check out what's noted below for what we experienced and loved on the Solstice, in the Med, etc. Long time to wait, but lots of be excited about. What locations/stops are you visiting?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

You can see all of the details and lots of visuals on our June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Lots and lots of special pictures with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., plus much on Barcelona are covered. These postings are now at nearly 13,000 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity. Don't be shy in asking any questions, making comments, etc. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Wonders10]

Congratulations on booking your cruise! I gather you replaced the Princess Alaska CruiseTour with the Celebrity Med cruise?

 

Obviously you will get lots of great tips, and the research you do will pay off in spades. Still, as a first cruise I also think you want to leave some of it unknown to fully enjoy the wonder of exploring the ship and discovering cruising. That very topic is in a nice discussion here... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1433108

 

Thanks, I guess I wasn't clear...we have all been on a cruise before. I've been on 6 and mom and I got off the Oasis last week! We all love cruises...just have never been on a cruise outside the Caribbean before :)

 

I will definitely be doing tons of research once I get off my booking high, but our stops are:

Split, Croatia

Venice, Italy (docked overnight)

Kotor, Montenegro

Naples

Rome

Florence

Provence

Roundtrip out of Barcelona

 

The party includes myself, mom, brother, sister in law, 11 yr old niece and 9 yr old nephew (age at time of cruise). We have 2B connecting verandah cabins, deck 6 on the hump, midship.

[BBsails]

Choice air, through Celebrity, will probably be your best bet for airfares:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/plancruise/transportation/heroSingleTxtSub.do?pagename=air

 

A newer search engine I like is hipmunk.com

 

Bon Voyage

Betsy

[CathyCruises]

No matter where else we travel, it's always the Med cruises that heat up my blood! We just went to Australia for three weeks a couple of months ago, but as we got off the plane I looked at DH and said, I'm not all that excited, are you? And he said he wasn't. But we are always atingle when we get off the plane in Europe. Hope you have the same experience!

[CruisinNewb]

We took a med cruise 2 summers ago on Solstice and it was an amazing time.

We arrived 3 days prior and stayed 2 days after. Definitely gave us some time to unwind, see some sites and not have to worry about airport/airline delays.

 

We stayed on deck 8 on the hump, great spot you picked :)

 

I agree that it is never too early to start planning especially with a group.

Although its an expensive trip and you want to see as much as you can, try to not overdo; sometimes less is more. Summers can be hot and with small kids and older adults and there can be a lot of walking involved so plan accordingly.

Getting Euros in advance can make things easier as well but you have plenty of time for that. Start researching tour guides and hotels.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Ron

[ariawoman]

Thanks, I guess I wasn't clear...we have all been on a cruise before. I've been on 6 and mom and I got off the Oasis last week! We all love cruises...just have never been on a cruise outside the Caribbean before :)

 

I will definitely be doing tons of research once I get off my booking high, but our stops are:

Split, Croatia

Venice, Italy (docked overnight)

Kotor, Montenegro

Naples

Rome

Florence

Provence

Roundtrip out of Barcelona

 

The party includes myself, mom, brother, sister in law, 11 yr old niece and 9 yr old nephew (age at time of cruise). We have 2B connecting verandah cabins, deck 6 on the hump, midship.

 

Congrats on your booking! :-) Are you port or starboard side on deck 6? You might want to be aware that the port side just below your verandah will have the deck 5 smoking area, if that's something that bothers you.

[hylasgirl]

Hi everyone,

 

I am so excited right now. My mom is retiring next year and wanted to do a family trip with her kids/grandkids. She always wanted to go to Alaska and a couple of months ago we booked a Princess cruisetour, but as excited as we were, it just wasn't getting us all psyched up like other vacations we've been on. So we chatted about other places to visit and low and behold, we now have a 12 nt Med. cruise booked on the Solstice for June of 2012. I'm thrilled, she's thrilled and I know my brother and his family will love the Solstice and ports of call. Plus its actually cheaper than our Alaska vacation! Now I have to wait almost a year! But...have lots of planning to do which is part of the fun.

 

I don't have any real questions yet, just wanted to share my excitement with others. But, if you have any tips or info you want to share, I'm open to it. Other than a trip to Ireland 2 years ago, none of us have been to Europse or any of the countries on this cruise.

 

Med cruises are my favorite! And the Solstice is incredible! We just returned from our Med cruise on the Solstice. Have fun planning!

 

Yes... do make sure you fly in at least a day before the cruise.

[hylasgirl]

No matter where else we travel, it's always the Med cruises that heat up my blood! We just went to Australia for three weeks a couple of months ago, but as we got off the plane I looked at DH and said, I'm not all that excited, are you? And he said he wasn't. But we are always atingle when we get off the plane in Europe. Hope you have the same experience!

 

 

This is always how I feel when I land in Europe! (especially Paris):D

[4774Papa]

Thanks, I guess I wasn't clear...we have all been on a cruise before. I've been on 6 and mom and I got off the Oasis last week! We all love cruises...just have never been on a cruise outside the Caribbean before :)

 

I will definitely be doing tons of research once I get off my booking high, but our stops are:

Split, Croatia

Venice, Italy (docked overnight)

Kotor, Montenegro

Naples

Rome

Florence

Provence

Roundtrip out of Barcelona

 

The party includes myself, mom, brother, sister in law, 11 yr old niece and 9 yr old nephew (age at time of cruise). We have 2B connecting verandah cabins, deck 6 on the hump, midship.

Great ports.

Barcelona is a great port to start and finish a cruise. The airport is convenient to the port. Also, Barcelona is a great city. It is worth a few days stay. Venice overnight is great, that gives you more than a day there. You can do Venice on your own. Barcelona can be done on your own, the Metro is great, but having a guide there that knows the history and the Gaudi sites. Be sure to go inside the cathedral Sangrada Familia.

 

Florence, make sure you see "David" at the Academia Museum.

 

Rome, if you haven't been there, a week is not enough, but you can see a lot in a day. The Sistine Chapel is awesome.

 

The other ports offer more.