Just Returned from the Mediterranean Enchanted

[mevs904]

We were on the Enchanted Mediterranean cruise from June 24 (Rome) to July 8 (Barcelona).  It was an excellent cruise with beautiful weather and a wonderful itinerary.  This was our first post-Covid cruise and the experience was completely positive.  There were no indications of illness on board, very little coughing, and fewer than 1% of the passengers wore masks.  
     Both embarkation and disembarkation were flawless.  We did not have our medallions mailed to us and it took us less than 2 minutes to get them at check-in.  They worked quite well for us, but we are not inclined to order food or drinks with them.  We prefer to do it ourselves.  We did order drinks once or twice, but decided it was quicker to do it ourselves.  (Besides, it was better for us to get up and burn a few of the calories that we were consuming.

     We can’t say enough for the wonderful crew on this ship.  They were a delight to interact with.    Here are a few random thoughts about the cruise.

—Wonderful ports, Istanbul was the highlight for us and we had an outstanding excursion through Ephesus Shuttle who also gave us our Kusadasi excursion.  Excellent guides, maximum of 10 passengers in a modern comfortable van.  We highly recommend them

—Brilliant destination talks by Johanna Grove who unfortunately had to leave mid-cruise due to family illness, but are pre-recorded her talks for each port before she left.

 

 I can see that this is getting very long, so I’ll just stop and will be happy to answer any questions.  Bottom line:  best cruise ever and we would love to do it again!

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

10 minutes ago, mevs904 said:

We were on the Enchanted Mediterranean cruise from June 24 (Rome) to July 8 (Barcelona).  It was an excellent cruise with beautiful weather and a wonderful itinerary.  This was our first post-Covid cruise and the experience was completely positive.  There were no indications of illness on board, very little coughing, and fewer than 1% of the passengers wore masks.  
     Both embarkation and disembarkation were flawless.  We did not have our medallions mailed to us and it took us less than 2 minutes to get them at check-in.  They worked quite well for us, but we are not inclined to order food or drinks with them.  We prefer to do it ourselves.  We did order drinks once or twice, but decided it was quicker to do it ourselves.  (Besides, it was better for us to get up and burn a few of the calories that we were consuming.

     We can’t say enough for the wonderful crew on this ship.  They were a delight to interact with.    Here are a few random thoughts about the cruise.

—Wonderful ports, Istanbul was the highlight for us and we had an outstanding excursion through Ephesus Shuttle who also gave us our Kusadasi excursion.  Excellent guides, maximum of 10 passengers in a modern comfortable van.  We highly recommend them

—Brilliant destination talks by Johanna Grove who unfortunately had to leave mid-cruise due to family illness, but are pre-recorded her talks for each port before she left.

 

 I can see that this is getting very long, so I’ll just stop and will be happy to answer any questions.  Bottom line:  best cruise ever and we would love to do it again!

Those sounds wonderful. I’m so pleased you have a great time!

 

where was your embarkation & disembarkation port? I’ve done the Med a few times. I’m based in the UK, but it’s been the western Med

 

Going Istanbul sounds v v tempting for us to try another Med cruise. Especially when I’ve had a few people reccomend 😃 

[1965]

Love your report. We're cruising on the Enchanted in Nov., 26 days, Barcelona to Ft. L. We'll pick up our medallions in port. Good to hear that was done so quickly. Did you make reservations for dinner or simply show up, which we always do. Were there lines? 😊 

[chrysalis]

26 minutes ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

Those sounds wonderful. I’m so pleased you have a great time!

 

where was your embarkation & disembarkation port? I’ve done the Med a few times. I’m based in the UK, but it’s been the western Med

 

Going Istanbul sounds v v tempting for us to try another Med cruise. Especially when I’ve had a few people reccomend 😃 

read the first sentence of the OP's report

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

27 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

read the first sentence of the OP's report

Oh 🤦‍♀️. Ignore me. How I missed that I don’t know. 🙄 I need more caffeine. My excuse anyway! 

[mevs904]

1 hour ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

Those sounds wonderful. I’m so pleased you have a great time!

 

where was your embarkation & disembarkation port? I’ve done the Med a few times. I’m based in the UK, but it’s been the western Med

 

Going Istanbul sounds v v tempting for us to try another Med cruise. Especially when I’ve had a few people reccomend 😃 

We sailed from Rome and disembarked in Barcelona.  Istanbul was the main attraction for us and we were very happy to explore it with Ephesus Shuttle, have the price of the Princess excursions and only 10 people.  They were very conscientious about getting us back in plenty of time both in Istanbul and Kusadasi.

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

6 minutes ago, mevs904 said:

We sailed from Rome and disembarked in Barcelona.  Istanbul was the main attraction for us and we were very happy to explore it with Ephesus Shuttle, have the price of the Princess excursions and only 10 people.  They were very conscientious about getting us back in plenty of time both in Istanbul and Kusadasi.

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I got your to repeat yourself! I los t know how I missed the ports you said in your first sentence. Lesson- don’t speed read when tired & low on caffine 🤦🏼‍♀️ 

 

thanks again ! 

[mevs904]

1 hour ago, 1965 said:

Love your report. We're cruising on the Enchanted in Nov., 26 days, Barcelona to Ft. L. We'll pick up our medallions in port. Good to hear that was done so quickly. Did you make reservations for dinner or simply show up, which we always do. Were there lines? 😊 

We’d always enjoyed traditional dining so we reserved a table for the first night.  We liked our table and our servers so we reserved it for the entire cruise.  There was a lovely grandmother and granddaughter next to us and we enjoyed each other’s company so much that they also reserved their table for the remainder of their segment of the cruise.  After that there was no need to stand in line.  The head waiter told us to go right past the line each night and right to our table.   It was smooth and relaxing to walk past the line with no waiting.  I should note that we made our reservations for 8:00 and despite the fact that the dining room was quite busy at that time, I’m not sure how well that would work at an earlier hour.  We would definitely use this strategy again.

[mevs904]

5 minutes ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I got your to repeat yourself! I los t know how I missed the ports you said in your first sentence. Lesson- don’t speed read when tired & low on caffine 🤦🏼‍♀️ 

 

thanks again ! 

No problem at all!  I’m happy to answer any other questions that you may have.😀

[rocklinmom]

How warm was it in the Med ports? Would love to do a Med cruise next summer but don't do well in high heat anymore. 

[nattie]

I am so glad you loved you first post-COVID cruise! And that you enjoyed Enchanted Princess! There have been so much negativity lately, good to hear positive reports from seasoned cruisers.

We will be sailing on her from Rome to Athens (I know, only 7 days 😞 unfortunately). Istanbul is a highlight for me too. We have booked excursions with Ephesus Shuttle in both Kusadasi and Istanbul and customer service team there is absolutely outstanding. I am please to hear that actual experiences on tour are also positive.

[mevs904]

20 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

How warm was it in the Med ports? Would love to do a Med cruise next summer but don't do well in high heat anymore. 

The weather and temperatures were ideal, primarily highs in the 70’s with a couple of days in the low 80’s.  We were apprehensive about high temperatures, but they didn’t materialize.  The last two days it was definitely getting warmer, but not oppressive.  Sea breezes in several of the ports were refreshing.  We felt very fortunate, but this may have been a fluke.  It could have easily been very hot.  There’s no way to make a prediction several months in advance.

[mevs904]

15 minutes ago, nattie said:

I am so glad you loved you first post-COVID cruise! And that you enjoyed Enchanted Princess! There have been so much negativity lately, good to hear positive reports from seasoned cruisers.

We will be sailing on her from Rome to Athens (I know, only 7 days 😞 unfortunately). Istanbul is a highlight for me too. We have booked excursions with Ephesus Shuttle in both Kusadasi and Istanbul and customer service team there is absolutely outstanding. I am please to hear that actual experiences on tour are also positive.

Yes, I agree about the communications with Ephesus Shuttle.  Emails from Fevzi, the head of the company were prompt and thorough.  On the way back to the ship in Kusadasi we stopped at the office to pay for our tour with a credit card.  I met Fevzi, a very personable gentleman.

[trinitygirl]

Thanks for your report!  So glad to hear it was a great experience!  I am doing the Rome to Rome version in August and can’t wait.  Also going on Ephesus shuttles tours in Ephesus and Istanbul.  And I love your tip about dining, I am going to give this a try too.  Which dining room did you choose, and why?

[LACruiser88]

3 hours ago, 1965 said:

. We're cruising on the Enchanted in Nov., 26 days, Barcelona to Ft. L.

Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience!  We will be on the Enchanted for our 1st time on the Nov 12th, 26 day  Med/TA.

[Yowman]

Thanks for the info.  I'm on Enchanted at the end of September for 14 nights.  Really looking forward to it.

[DeeTO]

6 hours ago, mevs904 said:

We were on the Enchanted Mediterranean cruise from June 24 (Rome) to July 8 (Barcelona).  It was an excellent cruise with beautiful weather and a wonderful itinerary.  This was our first post-Covid cruise and the experience was completely positive.  There were no indications of illness on board, very little coughing, and fewer than 1% of the passengers wore masks.  
     Both embarkation and disembarkation were flawless.  We did not have our medallions mailed to us and it took us less than 2 minutes to get them at check-in.  They worked quite well for us, but we are not inclined to order food or drinks with them.  We prefer to do it ourselves.  We did order drinks once or twice, but decided it was quicker to do it ourselves.  (Besides, it was better for us to get up and burn a few of the calories that we were consuming.

     We can’t say enough for the wonderful crew on this ship.  They were a delight to interact with.    Here are a few random thoughts about the cruise.

—Wonderful ports, Istanbul was the highlight for us and we had an outstanding excursion through Ephesus Shuttle who also gave us our Kusadasi excursion.  Excellent guides, maximum of 10 passengers in a modern comfortable van.  We highly recommend them

—Brilliant destination talks by Johanna Grove who unfortunately had to leave mid-cruise due to family illness, but are pre-recorded her talks for each port before she left.

 

 I can see that this is getting very long, so I’ll just stop and will be happy to answer any questions.  Bottom line:  best cruise ever and we would love to do it again!

Also doing Enchanted 14 days in August. Did your Istanbul tour include Hagia Sophia and if so, what time did you enter? I had read there were long lines/wait. Tks

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

4 hours ago, rocklinmom said:

How warm was it in the Med ports? Would love to do a Med cruise next summer but don't do well in high heat anymore. 

Hi, I’m from the UK- We’ve cruised the Med in August twice. We had insane temperatures the time we went to Livorno & travelled inland to Florence, hitting 40C. (104F!!)The beauty of that city is incredible. The heat was awful

Lisbon on another cruise in August also hit 40C. although that was better for a sea breeze

 

More usual Temperatures in the Med for peak summer are mid to late 20s, so early 80F.

Maybe we were unlucky but mid 80F isn’t unusual.

 

my advice- go May/June or sept/oct if you’d like to be cooler

I have a school age child. We travel only in the school holidays.

Also a consideration for some is Med cruises will be pretty full and will, from later July to early September, have more children on board so sailing at more than double occupancy

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

5 hours ago, mevs904 said:

No problem at all!  I’m happy to answer any other questions that you may have.😀

Thanks!

 

How would you rate the ship itself?

I’m about to do my first Princess cruise on Sky Princess. Is Enchanted similar do you know? I knows it’s a little newer, but only a few years

 

[travellingnana]

We will be on the Enchanted in early September. Can you share what you did in the other ports?

[mevs904]

2 hours ago, DeeTO said:

Also doing Enchanted 14 days in August. Did your Istanbul tour include Hagia Sophia and if so, what time did you enter? I had read there were long lines/wait. Tks

Yes, our Istanbul tour included Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace.  We went to the Palace first and spent quite a bit of time there.  After that we went to Hagia Sophia so it was probably close to noon.  Unfortunately, it was during the Sacrificial Feast holiday so it was very busy since schools and many offices were closed.  There was a line, but our guide told us that it would move fairly quickly and it did.  There was no line at the Palace and Blue Mosque, but again, it was very busy.  Because of the holiday the Grand Bazaar was closed.  Ephesus Shuttle Tours had advised us of this in advance, but some of the people on the Princess excursions weren’t aware.  This turned out to be an advantage for us because our guide asked us if we wanted to go the Basilica Cistern instead we were very excited about that.  We did have to pay for that admission since it wasn’t included in the tour we booked.  There was a long line there, but our guide told us not to worry as he had “Magic” and sure enough we were able to go right to the ticket office, purchase our tickets and enter.

     Again, this was an unusually busy day in the city, but all of the attractions were within walking distance from each other and there were only 6 people in our tour.  I should also note that we took the tram from the ship to the mosques and back again.  We could have booked the tour using a van, but the reviews from previous travelers strongly suggested using the tram because auto traffic in the city was very slow and would use up some of our precious time.

[mevs904]

2 hours ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

Thanks!

 

How would you rate the ship itself?

I’m about to do my first Princess cruise on Sky Princess. Is Enchanted similar do you know? I knows it’s a little newer, but only a few years

 

The ship was immaculate.  It sparkled, and crew members were very visible keeping it that way.  We are not big fans of the Royal Class ships.  We prefer ships with a full promenade deck, but given a desirable itinerary we would willingly sail on the Enchanted again.  The ship was close to capacity, but we never had a big problem with crowds.

[mevs904]

2 hours ago, travellingnana said:

We will be on the Enchanted in early September. Can you share what you did in the other ports?

We boarded in Rome and since we were just there in October we flew in on embarkation dat and transferred directly to the port.  The same applies to the Naples port stops.  Since we were just there and had been to Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, and Amalfi we did not book an excursion.  In retrospect, we wished we had gone to Herculaneum.  We did get off of the ship for a bit and explore.  Although it’s a short walk off of the ship in Naples it’s a very busy area traffic area with a city atmosphere and few notable attractions.  
     In Heraklion we took a ship’s tour to a drive through the city to a pottery studio in the country and then the archeological museum.  The two ports in Turkey were with Ephesus Shuttle, the Ephesus ruins and Terrace Houses and the mosques, Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

     We also took a ship’s tour of the two towns in Santorini and explored independently in Mykonos, Kotor, and Messina.  Kotor was a special delight.

 

[DeeTO]

29 minutes ago, mevs904 said:

Yes, our Istanbul tour included Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace.  We went to the Palace first and spent quite a bit of time there.  After that we went to Hagia Sophia so it was probably close to noon.  Unfortunately, it was during the Sacrificial Feast holiday so it was very busy since schools and many offices were closed.  There was a line, but our guide told us that it would move fairly quickly and it did.  There was no line at the Palace and Blue Mosque, but again, it was very busy.  Because of the holiday the Grand Bazaar was closed.  Ephesus Shuttle Tours had advised us of this in advance, but some of the people on the Princess excursions weren’t aware.  This turned out to be an advantage for us because our guide asked us if we wanted to go the Basilica Cistern instead we were very excited about that.  We did have to pay for that admission since it wasn’t included in the tour we booked.  There was a long line there, but our guide told us not to worry as he had “Magic” and sure enough we were able to go right to the ticket office, purchase our tickets and enter.

     Again, this was an unusually busy day in the city, but all of the attractions were within walking distance from each other and there were only 6 people in our tour.  I should also note that we took the tram from the ship to the mosques and back again.  We could have booked the tour using a van, but the reviews from previous travelers strongly suggested using the tram because auto traffic in the city was very slow and would use up some of our precious time.

Thanks for this useful, current info. 

[mevs904]

2 minutes ago, DeeTO said:

Thanks for this useful, current info. 

I’m happy to offer feedback that may help others.  This was such a rich experience and I’m hoping that others have the same wonderful time that we did.