Booked a Cunard cruise!

[Esilef]

Well I’ve finally given into my fathers wishes. We have booked a Cunard cruise from Rome to Spain in September 2024. The prices were reasonable but the itinerary was amazing with sea days allocated every 4 or so days

 

Rome

Sea

Cephalonia, Greece

Corfu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sea

Trieste, Italy

Zadar, Croatia

Split, Croatia

sea

Valletta, Malta

sea

Palma de Mallorca, Majorca, 

Barcelona, Spain

 

my father is adding an insight land tour of 9 nights from Barcelona to Madrid 

 

this is only 14 nights of a longer cruise but love the itinerary and September is a good month to travel as it’s warm but not hot.

 

flights to Europe are now priced over $2000 pp return economy if your lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Esilef]

There are some amazing cruises out there but the cost of airfares are really going to stop some Australians travelling.

[arxcards]

34 minutes ago, Esilef said:

There are some amazing cruises out there but the cost of airfares are really going to stop some Australians travelling.

The flights certainly dampen things a bit, but it is so worth it to get to some distant ports.

[NSWP]

4 minutes ago, arxcards said:

The flights certainly dampen things a bit, but it is so worth it to get to some distant ports.

Agree, $2000 is not bad. You need to fly to go somewhere decent. NZ and Pacific Islands get boring after a while.

 

A lot of  Aussies dont want to fly though.

Edited July 1, 2023 by NSWP

[NSWP]

Insurance is a business not a service.

[arxcards]

2 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Agree, $2000 is not bad. You need to fly to go somewhere decent. NZ and Pacific Islands get boring after a while.

 

A lot of  Aussies dont want to fly though.

I hate those longhaul flights Les. I even offered Barb a world cruise to avoid flying, but she insists on spending time in England so we will have to fly there before touring and cruising home.

[NSWP]

13 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I hate those longhaul flights Les. I even offered Barb a world cruise to avoid flying, but she insists on spending time in England so we will have to fly there before touring and cruising home.

Done to and from Europe/UK/The Americas a dozen or more times, always a nightmare. England is great to drive around, inc Scotland and Wales. Time to watch the Ashes cricket, Geoff.

Edited July 1, 2023 by NSWP

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, Esilef said:

There are some amazing cruises out there but the cost of airfares are really going to stop some Australians travelling.

Which Cunarder are you sailing on? Take your flash gear.

[OzKiwiJJ]

That's a lovely itinerary.

 

Make sure you're up on deck when the ship goes through the Messina Strait, if you go through in the daytime. It was one of my favourite bits of our Med. cruise in 2017. And Stromboli is just before/after the strait depending on which way you're going. Before if you're coming from Civitaveccia.

[Esilef]

We are on the Queen Victoria in a 3 person balcony cabin 

[buchhalm]

Awesome.

Love QVic. 3 times so far... 

[Bubbeh]

15 hours ago, Esilef said:

Well I’ve finally given into my fathers wishes. We have booked a Cunard cruise from Rome to Spain in September 2024.

Would your father like to adopt me?  I'm an orphan. 🙏

[mr walker]

15 hours ago, arxcards said:

I hate those longhaul flights Les. I even offered Barb a world cruise to avoid flying, but she insists on spending time in England so we will have to fly there before touring and cruising home.

Tracey is well & truly over long-haul flights & I am much the same way now - guess just 1 too many business trips to US (Dallas via LAX etc). Tracey's ancestry is Scottish & mine English & she would love to visit UK, but she's not going to fly that far. Guess I need to find a way to cruise there and back with maybe 6 weeks or so in UK???

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, mr walker said:

Tracey is well & truly over long-haul flights & I am much the same way now - guess just 1 too many business trips to US (Dallas via LAX etc). Tracey's ancestry is Scottish & mine English & she would love to visit UK, but she's not going to fly that far. Guess I need to find a way to cruise there and back with maybe 6 weeks or so in UK???

What you'd need is a late summer repositioning cruise to the UK and an Australian world cruise sector back, but the gap between those might be longer than six weeks. Next year's world cruise on Coral starts a month earlier than usual and the Dover - Sydney sector starts 25th June.

[WoorimBeachLady]

We are cruising Barcelona to Melbourne in October 2023. So we only have to fly one way, and you can break it up with a stopover.

 

Have a look at the Cunard Forum it’s pretty active.

[Esilef]

I really hate that long flight with an ASD/ADHD child but I’ve spoken to a doctor and yep I’m drugging him. If that doesn’t work I’ll drug myself 😭

[arxcards]

7 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

What you'd need is a late summer repositioning cruise to the UK and an Australian world cruise sector back, but the gap between those might be longer than six weeks. Next year's world cruise on Coral starts a month earlier than usual and the Dover - Sydney sector starts 25th June.

I looked at Queen Anne, but it departs Sydney on 28th Feb in 2025 - much too early for us. I haven't looked at all options yet, but most seem to be heading to Alaska instead of Europe.

[OzKiwiJJ]

51 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I looked at Queen Anne, but it departs Sydney on 28th Feb in 2025 - much too early for us. I haven't looked at all options yet, but most seem to be heading to Alaska instead of Europe.

I think Australia to UK or Mediterranean repositioning is fairly rare these days. There might be a US world cruise heading up that way after visiting Australia but, again, it may go through here too early. Remember much of Europe is easy to get around by train so even if a suitable cruise doesn't go to the UK you can still get there without having to fly. There used to be overnight trains from Rome to Paris, then you can go Eurostar to London. 

 

Also look for any repositioning cruises coming down to Australia for our summer. That might work with using our world cruise to get up to Europe/UK.

 

What about a trans-Atlantic to New York then cross the US by train and pick up a trans-Pacific cruise? 

 

I think all the possibilities would require a longer stay in the UK though. 

Edited July 2, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I think Australia to UK or Mediterranean repositioning is fairly rare these days. There might be a US world cruise heading up that way after visiting Australia but, again, it may go through here too early. Remember much of Europe is easy to get around by train so even if a suitable cruise doesn't go to the UK you can still get there without having to fly. There used to be overnight trains from Rome to Paris, the you can go Eurostar to London. 

 

Also look for any repositioning cruises coming down to Australia for our summer. That might work with using our world cruise to get up to Europe/UK.

 

What about a trans-Atlantic to New York then cross the US by train and pick up a trans-Pacific cruise? 

 

I think all the possibilities woukd require a longer stay in the UK though. 

It goes in reverse for us. I have looked at a relocation cruise to LA, train across to NY, then a transatlantic to Southampton. It is just too long, considering we are gearing-up for a UK holiday and cruise home from Dover. We both still work, and it is just the one crap day to fly there.

 

That drugging comment might work. A decent dose of phenergan each might just do the trick.

[LittleFish1976]

On 7/1/2023 at 6:11 PM, Esilef said:

Well I’ve finally given into my fathers wishes. We have booked a Cunard cruise from Rome to Spain in September 2024. The prices were reasonable but the itinerary was amazing with sea days allocated every 4 or so days

 

Rome

Sea

Cephalonia, Greece

Corfu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sea

Trieste, Italy

Zadar, Croatia

Split, Croatia

sea

Valletta, Malta

sea

Palma de Mallorca, Majorca, 

Barcelona, Spain

 

my father is adding an insight land tour of 9 nights from Barcelona to Madrid 

 

this is only 14 nights of a longer cruise but love the itinerary and September is a good month to travel as it’s warm but not hot.

 

flights to Europe are now priced over $2000 pp return economy if your lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That sounds fantastic! I'm very envious. You'll be very comfortable on the ship I'm sure and having a sea day every few days should be perfect for an otherwise busy itinerary.

[buchhalm]

A blast from the past...

[Sparky74]

18 hours ago, arxcards said:

It goes in reverse for us. I have looked at a relocation cruise to LA, train across to NY, then a transatlantic to Southampton. It is just too long, considering we are gearing-up for a UK holiday and cruise home from Dover. We both still work, and it is just the one crap day to fly there.

 

That drugging comment might work. A decent dose of phenergan each might just do the trick.

I find it very difficult to sleep on planes although I must admit we fly economy. 
 

in 2015 we flew to the UK and I took 25mg of Phernergan with no result. On the return journey I took 50mg and still didn’t sleep. 🤷‍♂️

[LittleFish1976]

3 minutes ago, Sparky74 said:

I find it very difficult to sleep on planes although I must admit we fly economy. 
 

in 2015 we flew to the UK and I took 25mg of Phernergan with no result. On the return journey I took 50mg and still didn’t sleep. 🤷‍♂️

 

Some people (even or maybe especially kids) have the *opposite* reaction and get hyped up and wide awake on phenergan. Happened to a friend of mine who flew by herself from Melbourne to Edinburgh with a babe-in-arms and a 14 month old, both of whom she had doped up with the phenergan hoping for a manageable flight. Apparently the trip almost cost her her sanity!

[cruiser3775]

Buchhalm, love your blast from the past!  I've just finished reading "Murder on the Mauritania", one of a series of detective novels set on the cruise ships of the old days, by Edward Marston.  They've recently been re-released in paperback.  Love the atmosphere and the etiquette of the pre- WW1 cruise ships.

Edited July 3, 2023 by cruiser3775

[icat2000]

On 7/1/2023 at 6:11 PM, Esilef said:

Well I’ve finally given into my fathers wishes. We have booked a Cunard cruise from Rome to Spain in September 2024. The prices were reasonable but the itinerary was amazing with sea days allocated every 4 or so days

 

Rome

Sea

Cephalonia, Greece

Corfu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sea

Trieste, Italy

Zadar, Croatia

Split, Croatia

sea

Valletta, Malta

sea

Palma de Mallorca, Majorca, 

Barcelona, Spain

 

my father is adding an insight land tour of 9 nights from Barcelona to Madrid 

 

this is only 14 nights of a longer cruise but love the itinerary and September is a good month to travel as it’s warm but not hot.

 

flights to Europe are now priced over $2000 pp return economy if your lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I paid $2400 NZ return in 1988. So not bad in comparison. But they have been cheaper 🙂