NCL Spirit Grand Med Barcelona to Venice May 19-31, 2015 Review

[TMS9539]

Thanks for the fabulous review! We're doing the exact same cruise in May 2016. Planning on many of the same things you did (tour to Montserrat with Barcelona day tours, wine tasting in Provence, and ships excursion to Cinque Terra). So it's wonderful to hear about your experiences in advance!

[Loving My Life]

Day 12: Mykonos

 

We were only in port in Mykonos from 7am until 3pm, so this meant we had to get up early if we wanted as much time as possible on this picturesque Greek island. The night before, we received 2 priority tender tickets, which allowed us to get on any tender we wanted (another perk of organizing the M&G). We got ready, presented our priority tickets, and walked directly to the next tender, at about 7:30am. It took less than 5 minutes to get to Mykonos. And what a beautiful ride it was.

 

 

 

 

 

Mykonos…how I wish to be there right now!! It is a stunningly beautiful island and we enjoyed the most picture-perfect weather while we were there. We were among some of the first to get onto the island and we set off to explore. We did not have an excursion planned here since we just wanted to walk, shop, and eat. Many of the shops were not yet open, so we walked up to the windmills for pictures before the masses arrived.

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 12: Mykonos (Continued)

 

After the windmills, we wandered some more and found a building with the most amazing aroma coming from it. It was a tiny bakery - Gioras Wood Bakery - so we stopped for breakfast (which we had skipped in order to get off the ship early). Dh had coffee (which was so good after 7 days of ship coffee!) and a phyllo dough and feta breakfast sandwich and I had juice, baklava, and the Greek version of munchkins (small, round dough covered in honey) – so good!

 

 

 

 

 

By this point, most of the shops were open, so we wandered and shopped for a couple of hours. Dh bought a linen shirt and I bought an Antica Murrina Murano glass necklace. We also bought 2 matted watercolors of the island and some little things for the kids.

 

 

 

By this time, our friends Nancy and Pete finally managed to make it to shore and we met up to get lunch. We looked at menus for several restaurants before we settled on Niko’s Taverna. The four of us sat outside on the covered patio and had chicken souvlaki, Greek salads, and lamb kabobs – absolutely amazing!

 

 

 

After lunch, we shopped for a bit, and then got in the long line for the tender back to the ship. Once onboard the ship, we read for a bit, took showers, and headed to dinner in La Trattoria. I had bruschetta, chicken parm, and lemon ricotta cheesecake. Dh had beef carpaccio, carbonara, and flan.

 

We finished dinner in time to make it to Karaoke Superstars Round 2 at 8:30pm in Galaxy of the Stars. Some of the singers were good, some…not so good…but it was fun to watch.

 

After Karaoke, we headed to the show in the Stardust Theater. This evening’s show was World Beat, which was pretty good - definitely better than the shows on Carnival! We had a nightcap at Champaign Charlie’s, and then went to bed. It was a relaxing, beautiful day!

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 13: Istanbul, Turkey

 

Today we had a tour with Daily Istanbul Tours. There were 8 of us from the roll call on this tour.

 

Daily Istanbul Tour Description:

On this tour, we will visit:

1) Byzantine Hippodrome – The center for entertainment, amusement, and sports during the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Egyptian Obelisk, the serpentine column, is located here.

2) Blue Mosque – The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, one of the most revered masterpieces of the Islamic world, is famous for its blue ceramic tiles and six minarets.

3) Hagia Sophia – The Church of Holy Wisdom, undoubtedly one of the greatest architectural creations in the world, was used as a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and now serves as a museum.

4) Underground Cistern – an underground water container, built during the 6th century, to meet the water needs of the Great Palace.

5) Grand Bazaar – the oldest and largest covered market place in the world with more than 4000 shops for carpets, jewelry, leather, and souvenirs.

 

Price: €80 per person when we booked it, now €95 per person, including lunch and all entrance fees.

 

The ship got into the port at 9am. As we had been doing every day, we got in line to leave the ship at about 8:45am, about 15 minutes before we were supposed to be able to leave the ship. At 8:45am, however, the line went all the way to the back of the ship and around the corner! On top of being at the back of the very long line, we were delayed getting off the ship for 45 minutes. All of this means we were almost an hour late for our tour. The tour guide waited for us, but the delay set us back significantly, and we had to make up time or cut things short throughout the tour.

 

The first stop was the Byzantine Hippodrome and Obelisk.

 

 

 

 

 

Next up was the highly anticipated Blue Mosque.

 

The outside:

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 13: Istanbul, Turkey (Continued)

 

The inside of the Blue Mosque:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women had to wear a scarf over their hair to enter the Mosque, and their shoulders and knees had to be covered. Men also had to cover their shoulders and knees. The Mosque loans out blue scarfs once in the entrance line or you can bring your own. Also, you must remove your shoes to enter. ***Tip: Wear or bring a pair of socks so you don't have to walk barefoot (and possibly pick up a fungal infection) in the Mosque.

 

The men pray in the middle, open area of the Mosque. Women are required to pray behind screens on the periphery.

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 13: Istanbul, Turkey (Continued)

 

We visited Hagia Sophia, which is now a museum, after the Blue Mosque.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wanderingoz]

Day 13: Istanbul, Turkey

The ship got into the port at 9am. As we had been doing every day, we got in line to leave the ship at about 8:45am, about 15 minutes before we were supposed to be able to leave the ship. At 8:45am, however, the line went all the way to the back of the ship and around the corner! On top of being at the back of the very long line, we were delayed getting off the ship for 45 minutes. All of this means we were almost an hour late for our tour. The tour guide waited for us, but the delay set us back significantly, and we had to make up time or cut things short throughout the tour.

 

Hi Carolyn,

Any reason in particular that you could see that caused the holdup? Why this day & not others?

 

Steve O

Edited June 8, 2015 by wanderingoz
clean up

[Loving My Life]

Day 13: Istanbul, Turkey (Continued)

 

Our lunch at Caixis Restaurant was included in the cost of the tour. I had lemonade and dh had a local beer. Our lunch consisted of a delicious salad, chicken and vegetable kabobs, and baklava – yummy!!

 

Next we visited the Underground Cistern which was much more interesting than I expected it to be. Because it is underground, it is quite dark so taking pictures is difficult.

 

 

 

 

 

These Medusa heads are upside down and sideways, but the reasoning, as well as their origin, remains a mystery.

 

 

 

 

After a LONG walk, we arrived at our final stop - the Grand Bazaar - which has over 70 "streets" and 4,000 shops!!

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Hi Carolyn,

Any reason in particular that you could see that caused the holdup? Why this day & not others?

 

Steve O

 

I'm not entirely sure the cause of the delay, but during that 45 minutes, they paged the same two people multiple times. Maybe they were "missing" or maybe there was an issue with their passports/customs?? Nobody ever gave us a definitive reason.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Loving My Life

[Loving My Life]

Day 13: Istanbul, Turkey (Continued)

 

Some final images of the Grand Bazaar:

 

This store sells Turkish Delight, a candy, and they let you taste the many varieties they offer. They will also vacuum pack and seal it for you so you can bring it back on the ship. I bought pistachio and nougat, pistachio and cranberry, and pistachio and pomegranate, and I am enjoying them as I write this review! :)

 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to mention that our guide, Charlie, was not the best tour guide we've ever had. I don't know if its because we were late or because he was sick (he sneezed and blew his nose all day), but he was rather abrupt, never made sure that the group was together, and talked to friends on his cell phone throughout the tour. The sites we visited were all very interesting, but the guide left a lot to be desired.

 

 

For dinner, we ate in Le Bistro one again. I had salmon and creme brulee. Dh had lobster tail and a chocolate dessert (don't remember the name of it). It was all delicious.

 

We went to the Weakest Link, a game show, at 8:30pm in the Galaxy of the Stars. It is a trivia game in which contestants answer questions and vote off the weakest player after each round. It was mildly entertaining to watch. We also went to the main show - The Backbeat Beatles - which was really, really good. Be sure to catch this show if you enjoy the Beatles. They did a great job!

 

Another beautiful sunset...

 

 

 

...and another towel animal.

 

Edited June 8, 2015 by Loving My Life

[mexico8]

My dh and I are on the Spirit next fall and stopping at some of the same places as your cruise. I have enjoyed reading your review and looking at the great pictures. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. So many of us are enjoying your review.

 

Wendy

[KW_Cruisers]

Did you both shower at the same time to have that much fun?

 

Carolyn,

Thank you for a wonderful job already. Your photos are great.. do you do this professionally?

 

We are doing this same cruise on July 6th and are also flying in to Paris for a few days prior. We found a nice apartment on Air BNB at a fraction of hotel costs. This could be a mirror of our trip :p

 

 

I love your attitude. A lot of the reviews I have read would have complained bitterly about something like this :rolleyes:

 

Cheers

[KW_Cruisers]

Hi All,

 

You may remember me from the planning stages, when I had things all set then we had friends drop out and Connie decided against it too while still able to make a change without penalty. Our 29 day replacement cruise was great fun from Houston through Panama Canal and all the way to Alaska.

 

I've really enjoyed reading the great reviews & photos, Carolyn, as I hope to schedule this cruise for 2016 in May. Thank you.

 

A couple of questions: Were most of the pax English speaking Americans or Brits or Canadians or Aussies? Did they announce things in more than one language aboard?

 

Of course I had some great private tours lined up and will try to get them again but wondering if you would do anything different?

 

Thanks for feedback - shifferds at gmail com

John from Kingwood aka KW_Cruisers

[KW_Cruisers]

Oh, almost forgot - Are the crew mainly Filipinos, like on other NCL ships?

[Loving My Life]

Hi All,

 

You may remember me from the planning stages, when I had things all set then we had friends drop out and Connie decided against it too while still able to make a change without penalty. Our 29 day replacement cruise was great fun from Houston through Panama Canal and all the way to Alaska.

 

I've really enjoyed reading the great reviews & photos, Carolyn, as I hope to schedule this cruise for 2016 in May. Thank you.

 

A couple of questions: Were most of the pax English speaking Americans or Brits or Canadians or Aussies? Did they announce things in more than one language aboard?

 

Of course I had some great private tours lined up and will try to get them again but wondering if you would do anything different?

 

Thanks for feedback - shifferds at gmail com

John from Kingwood aka KW_Cruisers

 

Hi John! I told you I'd come back and post a review. :)

 

I don't think I'd do anything differently, but some of the must-do's include purchasing the Ultimate Dining Package (if you don't get it as a free promotion), getting up EARLY on the Mykonos day and getting the earliest possible tender ticket (unless you get priority tendering by booking a suite or hosting the M&G), absolutely booking a tour in Ephesus (one of the highlights of the trip), and spending extra time in Venice at the end of the cruise (my favorite of the entire trip).

 

Most of the English speaking passengers I encountered were primarily from the US or Australia/New Zealand, but there were also quite a few Canadians. The largest ethnic group besides Americans were Asians. Announcements were made in English, Spanish, and either French or Italian (I can't remember).

 

If you have any other specific questions, please ask and I'll try to answer.

 

Glad to hear you had a great cruise!

Edited June 9, 2015 by Loving My Life

[Loving My Life]

Day 14: Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

 

We didn’t arrive into the port of Kusadasi until 1pm, so we had a lazy morning. We ate breakfast and lunch in Cagney’s. We really enjoyed this perk and took advantage of it whenever possible. I don’t really remember what we did in between breakfast and lunch, but I would guess we read on our balcony (somehow, despite the fact that this trip was jam-packed with tours, I managed to read all 6 books I downloaded for this trip, plus another 2 that I quickly downloaded using the ship’s wifi). Anyway, we met up with the rest of the group at Henry’s Pub and walked off the ship together for our tour with Daily Istanbul Tours, who happens to also offer tours in Ephesus.

 

Daily Istanbul Tours Ephesus Tour Description:

On this tour you will visit:

1) Ephesus Ancient City – one of the best-kept Roman cities in the world; was one of the seven churches of Christianity; St. Paul preached here.

2) Terrace Houses – houses for the important and wealthy people of Ephesus, with mosaics, frescos, and central heating.

3) Temple of Artemis – one of the seven Wonders of the Antic World; the only place in the world where you can see a temple, mosque, and church in the same angle.

4) St. John Church – located at the Temple of Artemis site; St. John spent his last years in this region.

5) House of Virgin Mary – it is believed that Blessed Mary may have spent her final days here.

 

Price: €35 per person!!

 

I was looking forward to this day, but I had no idea how much I would love it. It far exceeded my expectations! My advice is to be sure to do a tour here with a good guide who is knowledgeable and passionate about ancient Ephesus.

 

Our day started by meeting our guide outside the pier at 1pm. After a short walk to the van, we headed first to ancient Ephesus and the Terrace Houses. There is so much history here and the scenery is breathtaking!! I took so many pictures that it’s hard to narrow it down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 14: Ephesus (Continued)

 

The Terrace Houses:

 

 

 

 

 

They are still actively excavating this site, especially the terrace houses:

 

 

 

 

This archeologist was using a special cleaner to reveal beautiful frescos under layers of plaster and dirt:

 

 

 

Our guide said that we could come back in a month and it would look totally different because every day they are uncovering more and more of this active archeological site.

 

[Loving My Life]

Day 14: Ephesus (Continued)

 

 

After the terrace houses, we continued on in the ancient city to the amphitheater.

 

 

 

 

Remember earlier in the review when I said it was important to know that Katie, one of our roll call members, was a singer and was in the Karaoke finals? Well, as we were in the amphitheater, marveling at how many people it held and its acoustics, Katie spontaneously started singing Josh Groban's You Lift Me Up. Every single tourist in the amphitheater (several hundred) stopped and listened to her sing. These few minutes were surreal. Everyone was silent while she sang, and when she finished, everyone started clapping. I even saw people wiping tears from their eyes. Its a moment I'll never forget for as long as I live!!

 

The amphitheater is the last structure in ancient Ephesus, so we moved on to the Temple of Artemis and the Church of St. John, which are both in the same location. The only remaining piece of St. John's Church is the pillar in the center of the photo.

 

 

 

Next we headed to the House of Virgin Mary, where it is believed she lived out her last days.

 

 

 

 

Photographs are not allowed inside the house, but we each lit a candle as we walked through the house (which is really small) and placed it in the altar outside the door of the house. We were given about 15 minutes to wander, take pictures, and collect some holy water if we wanted (and had a container to put it in). If this is something you'd like to do, make sure to bring a bottle or jar with you.

 

We stopped at a small carpet factory, where we learned how Turkish rugs are made...by hand! It takes anywhere from 8 -18+ months for these women to make the rugs. They are absolutely beautiful, but also very expensive. The rug I liked was over $20,000. :eek: There were some less costly ones, and a couple in our tour group bought one and had it shipped to their home. There was a bit of hassling to get people to look at the rugs, but there was not a high-pressured sales pitch. I simply left the building and waited outside until the couple had complete their order.

 

This concluded our tour in Ephesus. I can't remember our tour guide's name (and apparently I didn't write it down), but he was in his mid-30s, personable, funny, and very knowledgeable about ancient Ephesus and biblical history. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him at these fascinating sites.

 

Edited June 9, 2015 by Loving My Life

[KW_Cruisers]

Thanks for all the wonderful photos and reviews, Carolyn. Almost like not having to go this next year, but I want to go anyway ;)

 

My plan before was to stay at Best Western Olympia in Venice - Did you see it or have any better idea of a place to stay for an extra night in Venice? The cost seemed a bit high on rooms in Venice, but at least the euro is getting in line with USD. How about Hotel Danieli in Venice?

 

Staying in Barcelona we usually stay at Hotel Montecarlo, which is right on La Rambla and close to transportation, etc. If the team wins and a party breaks out, it's right in front of this hotel too.

 

Glad to hear you liked the Flamenco dancers, even though not in the right part of Spain - but, Hey, maybe they don't know. :confused: That's the stuff people on cruises miss - the nightlife. Fado in Portugal, lighted fountains of Rome, Florence & Barcelona. Of course, on the other hand, nice to not have to pack and travel every day to a new place, while sleeping as the ship moves and enjoying relaxing evenings aboard.

[flapbreaker]

From your experience in Istanbul would you feel comfortable doing it yourself? I've read that the Tram goes by most of the sites on these tours and you can avoid traffic this way but I don't really know if it's that easy/safe.... Thoughts?

[Loving My Life]

My plan before was to stay at Best Western Olympia in Venice - Did you see it or have any better idea of a place to stay for an extra night in Venice? The cost seemed a bit high on rooms in Venice, but at least the euro is getting in line with USD. How about Hotel Danieli in Venice?

 

In searching for our hotel (and getting lost), we walked past the Best Western Olympia. It is very close to the piazza and a bridge crossing is not required, so the location is perfect. I did not see the inside of the hotel, but we had friends that stayed there who were very happy with the hotel. They said it had a real Venetian feel to it.

 

I did not see Hotel Danieli so I cannot comment on it.

[Loving My Life]

From your experience in Istanbul would you feel comfortable doing it yourself? I've read that the Tram goes by most of the sites on these tours and you can avoid traffic this way but I don't really know if it's that easy/safe.... Thoughts?

 

Hello flapbreaker. Yes, I would feel perfectly safe visiting the major sites in Istanbul on my own. Istanbul is a modern city with thousands of tourists walking around. The Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia are all in the same, very small area. In fact if you stand in the Hippodrome by the obelisk, you can see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia so those are easy to DIY.

 

We had a long walk from this area to where we had lunch, and then to the Underground Cistern and the Grand Bazaar. The walk was a maze of twists and turns, and I know I'd never find it these sites on my own, even with a map. But, if there is a shuttle or tram that takes you to them, or if you can find a taxi to take you to them, then they are also safe and easy to do on your own. Word of advice: you can usually haggle with vendors in the Grand Bazaar and get them down to about 50-60% of the starting price!!

 

The only thing you lose in doing it on your own is the wonderful and fascinating history and significance of the sites. Even though many places are easy to DIY, I book tours for the history.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Loving My Life

[flapbreaker]

Thanks. I would also like to know you're strategy for dealing with clothing/laundry. Did you pack half the cloths you would need and then just have them laundered mid trip?

[Slickn]

From your experience in Istanbul would you feel comfortable doing it yourself? I've read that the Tram goes by most of the sites on these tours and you can avoid traffic this way but I don't really know if it's that easy/safe.... Thoughts?

My wife and I were on this same cruise and did Istanbul on our own. We are both 32 and pretty active. We estimated that we walked over 12 miles for the entire day. We did not take the tram because we didnt want to take out Turkish Lira from the ATM(but we had to anyways to get into the Basillica Cistern). In hindsight we would have taken the tram to the Blue Mosque and walked our way back. The trams looked crowded though. We found our way to the sights by actually following the tram lines... so it was easy to find our way.

 

It was funny, we were doing it on our own with Rick Steve's in hand, but we kept on running into Carolyn and her tour group.

 

And another note, was that we were there on a tuesday and the Topkapi palace was closed... which was something we were looking forward to seeing, but at the end of the day we found that we wouldnt have had time to do everything if we had made it into the palace.

 

Nick

[Loving My Life]

Thanks. I would also like to know you're strategy for dealing with clothing/laundry. Did you pack half the cloths you would need and then just have them laundered mid trip?

 

Yes, we sent clothes out to the laundry twice on the cruise. The ship ran 2 laundry specials. On days 5 and 9/10, you could fill a bag for $24.99. Although its a paper bag, if you are careful and roll your clothes, you can fit so much in the bag! They bring it back either folded or hanging (your choice) the next day. I am used to Carnival, which has self serve laundry facilities, but this is a great alternative...and you don't have to do any of the work. :D