Crown Princess - Mediterranean Cruise Athens to Barcelona

[Sophia's NaNa]

Has anyone cruised on Crown Princess this summer from Athens to Barcelona?

Cruising:hearteyes: in September and would love to hear reviews :hearteyes:and/or comments :-)

[BarbinMich]

I'm surprised there haven't been any replies to your post yet. I'm not sure what info you'd like on these ports. I do hope you've planned a few days pre-cruise in Athens. One of my favorite ports for its historic sites and quite walkable on your own! Love Santorini--lots of white-washed buildings with blue roofs. The city is on top of a ridge (the island is actually the side of an ancient volcano) and you can either walk up (zig-zag paved walkway because it's quite steep) or ride up in a cable car (or ride up and walk down). The main attractions while in Naples are the nearby excavated ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum (buried from a major eruption of nearby Mt. Etna several thousand years ago). There's also the off-shore Isle of Capri. Naples itself can be dangerous from what I've read (purse snatchings, e.g.). The only other port we've visited on your itinerary is Barcelona, your disembarkation port. It would also be worth a day or two.

[jb008]

We did a Barcelona to Athens itinerary on Celebrity and loved the region. We actually did a "multi-city" flight itinerary to go into Paris for ~30 hours to do some sightseeing there before hopping a short flight to BCN to embark (and this could easily be done in reverse too since you'll end in BCN). We also stayed an extra 30 hours in Athens and also loved the extra time to tour there too. Speaking generically, cruises are a great way to see multiple ports in Europe and get a taste (but let's be honest, even a few weeks wouldn't be enough to cover everything the ports have to offer, much less Europe as a whole).

 

The only potential downside I'm seeing with the Princess Athens to Barcelona itinerary is that you won't get a chance to visit Rome (idk how important that is to you though). I personally would want another port on a 7-day cruise, especially in the Med, but that's just my personal preference.

 

DW and I sailed on Crown at the beginning of the year and were happy with the experience, service and food were right where we were expecting it to be (although I still find the main theater shows to be much less my taste than X's shows, but that's all personal preference). I like being able to book BE and higher balcony cabins and get the extra large semi-covered balconies on Caribe deck on the Crown class ships too.

 

Looking into travel plans, you might also find flights to be cheaper if you go round-trip USA to BCN, and then do a separately booked one-way ticket BCN to Athens for the embarkation. When we went a few years ago, there weren't many US direct flights to Athens, and the general feeling I had was that booking an internal EU flight (esp. direct with the European airline) was often cheaper than booking a transatlantic with layovers.

[PensFan1028]

Didin't do this itinerary but we were on the Crown from Rome to Barcelona in April. I was concerned because many complaints of how run down the ship was and such. We were only the second trip after dry dock and the addition of the luxury beds. I was pleasantly surprised on the quality of the bed and all around the ship was just fine in my opinion as far as the upkeep and cleanliness.

 

The crew seemed cheerful and friendly, food was good but the entertainment on the ship lacked severely. This voyage seemed to cater more to the older demographic so late night games and entertainment were pretty much non existent.... one night they had elevator roulette in the piazza.... and it was exactly what you think, guess which elevator would arrive next :')

 

We spent most of our time at the pool... again any movies under the stars or daytime entertainment on the big screen was catered towards the much older demographic.

 

MUST DO IN BARCELONA!!! Take a tour to Montserrat through CastleXperience. We did the full day tour with lunch and winery visit and it was fantastic!

[Sophia's NaNa]

Thanks for all of your comments.

How long was Embarkation is Athens ?

How was the Disembarking in Barcelona, really, really want to get off ASAP.

We have a tour scheduled at 1:00 and hoping to have time to check into the hotel, have a quick bite to eat and then head off to the tour.

[RLK33853]

We did this same cruise in May, then continued on to Rome.

First thing you should know is that the Crown this year does three 7 day cruises back to back. Athens to Barcelona, Barcelona to Rome, and Rome to Athens. Thus people are embarking and disembarking at each which reduces the size of the crowds at each (instead of the entire ship embarking or disembarking at one port). The other thing is that each segment is treated like a 7 day itinerary so you have 2 formal nights, etc.

So we got on in Athens at around 1130 am and we pretty much just walked on. I have to qualify this as we are Elite and get preferred boarding, but there were only around 100 people waiting, so it wouldn't have been long.

Santorini was great - we did the Fira to Oia walk and then had lunch. The walk is through towns and around the lip of the Caldera but is strenuous in the heat.

Kotor was great - we hiked to the Fortress above the old town and then back down. Beer was excellent and try the smoked meat and cheese.

Messina was a waste of our time but that is just our opinion.

Naples - we have been here numerous times and yet it is one of our favorite ports. We used "Info at italylimousine dot com" for a group of six and enjoyed our time in Positano, Sorrento, and Pompeii.

Don't worry about disembarking in Barcelona - the ship docks at 5:00 am and we didn't see anyone waiting to get off.

Hope this helps with your planning.

Ray

[workinggal]

We sailed June 2 to June 23 round trip Barcelona. We were on the Crown in Feb. of this year, and of course, in June. It is a lovely ship, and note it is in excellent condition.

Our tours were all through Princess.

Athens: all day, Parthenon, old Olympic stadium, Plaka old town, lunch at a Greek restaurant (heaping platters of food served, so good), Temple of Poseiden, a fine day.

Santorini: drive to village of Oia on switchback roads, lovely village, white buildings with neat little shops and Greek Orthodox church.drive to Pyrogos another quaint village with steep narrow streets. Drive to restaurant with another Greek meal.Bus ride to town to shop and return to ship via cable car. The wait was 30 min. We did not mind, but heard others complaining. On the ship we chose to eat dinner at the buffet as it was Greek & Med. themed. good food esp. the Baklava. Ha, ha, sure wish I had a plastic container to take some of that Baklava back to the cabin!!!!

Sea day: early brk at Int. café. 10:00: t-shirt sale, nice shirts. lunch in dining room:fried calamari with marinara sauce, gazpacho soup, grilled eggplant, grilled fish over mushroom gratin, tortollini & gravy, ice cream ( selections for DH & me). That dining room food at lunch is ever so good. A relaxing day. Dinner: French onion soup, escargot, grilled veg, tuna tapas, Cornish game hen, Lamb shank (tender) entrees with sides. Both of us had chocolate raspberry swirl ice cream ( our favorite). Set clocks back 1 hr.

Kotor: Boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks church. The boat ride is on the Boka Bay on the Adriatic Sea. The church is Baroque with 68 paintings. Back to Kotor with a guided walking tour. Another quaint village with interesting shops. Went into a Serbian Orthodox church. Into St. Anthony Church You can walk Kotor on your own no problem.

Messina: tour titled: In the steps of the Godfather. This was one of our favorites. Visited two villages where the first Godfather movie filmed some scenes. Savoca is truly a quaint village overlooking the sea. It is where Michael and Apollonia were married. We went into the church, Santa Maria Degli Angeli. Then walked to Bar Vitelli, to see the collection of phots taken during the production and nearby at granita di linome, a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola. On to the medieval village of Forza d'Agro to see the Convento Agostiniano, also featured in the film. Interesting that a few days after we returned home, the first Godfather movie was on AMC. WOW!! We were just there and walked those streets.

Naples: had my own tour guide. My DH was stationed in Naples for a total of 18 mos. in the Navy. U.S. for 6 mos. Naples for 6 mos. then back and forth. We walked off the ship with map in hand and "ran wild", well...….. Highlights was cappuccino and great pastry at Gran Caffe Gambrinus Via Chiaia N. 1 Napoli, check the photos when you google this place. The F.ll Gambardella is a shop since 1945 that hand crafts nativity scenes and other figures from terra cotta. I bought Jesus, Mary and Joseph.The men were so kind and pleasant, offering a small sample of expresso to us. We always smile an are polite to the people and they are in return. Also, purchased a leather purse. Oh, yes, I have the nativity set under a glass dome on a table in the living room where I can see it everyday. My DH was so happy to return to Naples. He did buy a cap with Napoli on the front ( so proud).Lots of shops and scooters, be careful, they are swift!! Horns honking. A fun day!

Sea day

Disembarkation: Off at 9:00, on a Princess shuttle to airport. A huge place. Found American Airlines, now, for the problem. For some bizarre reason, AA was having trouble with the U.S. passports scanning and boarding passes. European passports no problem. Finally, after 1 hr & 50 min. wait we were processed. Then onto more security. Had about 20min to spare. Boarded and home to Indiana!

Love the 21 days. Will be sailing on the Crown in Feb. for 20 days to Eastern and Southern Caribbean. Hope this helps. Never have done a review before. I always keep a journal. Did not keep the patters.

We did notice that beginning the third week (Athens) more families boarded. Younger children 6 to 10 yrs.) by themselves. Teens sitting on stairways, and all around the pool and hot tubs. We did not use the pool area on this voyage, as we were busy and tired after touring.

[Sophia's NaNa]

Thanks all... Was really concerned about disembarking in Barcelona... Hope it's smooth and American Airlines check-in is smooth also....Can't wait for our trip :-)

[jb008]

Thanks for all of your comments.

How long was Embarkation is Athens ?

How was the Disembarking in Barcelona' date=' really, really want to get off ASAP.

We have a tour scheduled at 1:00 and hoping to have time to check into the hotel, have a quick bite to eat and then head off to the tour.[/quote']

 

The neat thing about staying within the EU for a cruise is that you don't need to clear customs at the cruise port, so disembarking should be a breeze since you just walk off, find your bags, and go. Flight in/out will take longer though because you'll have to clear customs there (instead of at the cruise port). Downside is that you may not be able to buy alcohol or duty free shopping on the ship since you stay within EU.

[The Wood Duck]

We sailed June 2 to June 23 round trip Barcelona. We were on the Crown in Feb. of this year, and of course, in June. It is a lovely ship, and note it is in excellent condition.

Our tours were all through Princess.

Athens: all day, Parthenon, old Olympic stadium, Plaka old town, lunch at a Greek restaurant (heaping platters of food served, so good), Temple of Poseiden, a fine day.

Santorini: drive to village of Oia on switchback roads, lovely village, white buildings with neat little shops and Greek Orthodox church.drive to Pyrogos another quaint village with steep narrow streets. Drive to restaurant with another Greek meal.Bus ride to town to shop and return to ship via cable car. The wait was 30 min. We did not mind, but heard others complaining. On the ship we chose to eat dinner at the buffet as it was Greek & Med. themed. good food esp. the Baklava. Ha, ha, sure wish I had a plastic container to take some of that Baklava back to the cabin!!!!

Sea day: early brk at Int. café. 10:00: t-shirt sale, nice shirts. lunch in dining room:fried calamari with marinara sauce, gazpacho soup, grilled eggplant, grilled fish over mushroom gratin, tortollini & gravy, ice cream ( selections for DH & me). That dining room food at lunch is ever so good. A relaxing day. Dinner: French onion soup, escargot, grilled veg, tuna tapas, Cornish game hen, Lamb shank (tender) entrees with sides. Both of us had chocolate raspberry swirl ice cream ( our favorite). Set clocks back 1 hr.

Kotor: Boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks church. The boat ride is on the Boka Bay on the Adriatic Sea. The church is Baroque with 68 paintings. Back to Kotor with a guided walking tour. Another quaint village with interesting shops. Went into a Serbian Orthodox church. Into St. Anthony Church You can walk Kotor on your own no problem.

Messina: tour titled: In the steps of the Godfather. This was one of our favorites. Visited two villages where the first Godfather movie filmed some scenes. Savoca is truly a quaint village overlooking the sea. It is where Michael and Apollonia were married. We went into the church, Santa Maria Degli Angeli. Then walked to Bar Vitelli, to see the collection of phots taken during the production and nearby at granita di linome, a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola. On to the medieval village of Forza d'Agro to see the Convento Agostiniano, also featured in the film. Interesting that a few days after we returned home, the first Godfather movie was on AMC. WOW!! We were just there and walked those streets.

Naples: had my own tour guide. My DH was stationed in Naples for a total of 18 mos. in the Navy. U.S. for 6 mos. Naples for 6 mos. then back and forth. We walked off the ship with map in hand and "ran wild", well...….. Highlights was cappuccino and great pastry at Gran Caffe Gambrinus Via Chiaia N. 1 Napoli, check the photos when you google this place. The F.ll Gambardella is a shop since 1945 that hand crafts nativity scenes and other figures from terra cotta. I bought Jesus, Mary and Joseph.The men were so kind and pleasant, offering a small sample of expresso to us. We always smile an are polite to the people and they are in return. Also, purchased a leather purse. Oh, yes, I have the nativity set under a glass dome on a table in the living room where I can see it everyday. My DH was so happy to return to Naples. He did buy a cap with Napoli on the front ( so proud).Lots of shops and scooters, be careful, they are swift!! Horns honking. A fun day!

Sea day

Disembarkation: Off at 9:00, on a Princess shuttle to airport. A huge place. Found American Airlines, now, for the problem. For some bizarre reason, AA was having trouble with the U.S. passports scanning and boarding passes. European passports no problem. Finally, after 1 hr & 50 min. wait we were processed. Then onto more security. Had about 20min to spare. Boarded and home to Indiana!

Love the 21 days. Will be sailing on the Crown in Feb. for 20 days to Eastern and Southern Caribbean. Hope this helps. Never have done a review before. I always keep a journal. Did not keep the patters.

We did notice that beginning the third week (Athens) more families boarded. Younger children 6 to 10 yrs.) by themselves. Teens sitting on stairways, and all around the pool and hot tubs. We did not use the pool area on this voyage, as we were busy and tired after touring.

 

Thank you for posting your report. My DW and I are on the Crown 09/01 for 21 nights. We really appreciate your effort and candor.

[friend of Eeyore]

Sorry, I was just trying to be helpful. Guess this is why I have never done a review or made many comments before. Do not fret, will never respond again. I have seen many errors in spelling and composition before, but, never corrected anyone!

I enjoyed reading it! You actually did have paragraphs, too. What I've found, here on Cruise Critic, is that paragraphs are easier to see as paragraphs if you have an empty line in between. What I've also found, is that there's a lot of critics here, but a lot of nice people too. Please do review again, especially your views on the ship and service - that's very helpful to many people.

[Sophia's NaNa]

The neat thing about staying within the EU for a cruise is that you don't need to clear customs at the cruise port, so disembarking should be a breeze since you just walk off, find your bags, and go. Flight in/out will take longer though because you'll have to clear customs there (instead of at the cruise port). Downside is that you may not be able to buy alcohol or duty free shopping on the ship since you stay within EU.

 

Wow, really we do NOT have to clear customs when disembarking in Barcelona?

[jb008]

Wow' date=' really we do NOT have to clear customs when disembarking in Barcelona?[/quote']

 

AFAIK, no customs for you. We did BCN to Athens (on Celebrity) and there was no customs in Athens. We just walked off, collected bags, and grabbed a taxi to the hotel. Even disembarkation was fast since they just scan the card and wish you farewell and safe travels. We left from breakfast, and from standing up from our table to sitting in the cab was probably only ~20 mins.

 

P.S. Get a distinct luggage strap for your bag and run it vertical (neon is best imho)... it makes it an absolute breeze to find your bags, even in a long line of luggage.

 

[Sophia's NaNa]

No customs is GREAT NEWS .... So getting a cab once off the ship in Barcelona should'nt be a problem eithe? Heard stories of waiting an hour and half for a taxi :-(

Thanks all for your comments...anything else you can think of let me know !

[lolo11]

We have been on several cruises that ended in Barcelona. Disembarkation really is a breeze, especially if you are able to walk off with your luggage. You'll be at your hotel before it's even daylight! Have a great cruise!

[jb008]

No customs is GREAT NEWS .... So getting a cab once off the ship in Barcelona should'nt be a problem eithe? Heard stories of waiting an hour and half for a taxi :-(

Thanks all for your comments...anything else you can think of let me know !

 

Can't comment on getting a cab in BCN cruise port, but I "no hablo espanol" so it was a good thing I had the cruise port address in writing as the taxi driver at the hotel "no hablo ingles". Just exchanged the polite hellos, gave him the address in writing and we were A-OK. As far as I remember, taxis had meters so fare was easy to figure out (or maybe it was flat-rate?) as I can't even count past 10 in spanish either (although I can handle please, thank you, and 1-10 beers, so I think I've got the essentials down, and I can speak french at about a 4 year old's level so I've always got that option...). ;p

[Sophia's NaNa]

You're too Funny :-)

We're just going to have to "pack our patience" and I guess "it is-what it is" when hailing a taxi !

Soooo excited - 1 month from tomorrow and we'll be on the Crown Princess, drink in hand sailing away on our trip of a Lifetime :-)

[jb008]

You're too Funny :-)

We're just going to have to "pack our patience" and I guess "it is-what it is" when hailing a taxi !

Soooo excited - 1 month from tomorrow and we'll be on the Crown Princess' date=' drink in hand sailing away on our trip of a Lifetime :-)[/quote']

 

Have a great trip! We loved our Med cruise and still talk about various aspects to this day. Barcelona has a fairly easy metro system to use, and was beautiful to tour.

 

 

I posted a trip report on our Celebrity cruise back in 2016 that might be of interest for you. Obviously the line info and ports will be different, but there are some notes about Barcelona and Athens that may be of interest. Cheers!

[PensFan1028]

No customs is GREAT NEWS .... So getting a cab once off the ship in Barcelona should'nt be a problem eithe? Heard stories of waiting an hour and half for a taxi :-(

Thanks all for your comments...anything else you can think of let me know !

 

Very easy to get a cab at the Barcelona port. You walk out of the terminal and there should be 50 or so cabs waiting... and a line to stand in which will wrap up around the end of the staging area and back down. We waited 10 - 15 minutes at the most.

 

If it is possible for you get a later disembarkation time... I think we disembarked around 9:30 and everything went smoothly.