Which itinerary would you pick?

[quercus alba]

I feel that NCL promoting Trieste = Venice is like saying Port Canaveral = Disney World.  
 

I really am glad that we aren’t tearing up that city with the wakes of mega ships anymore, but it’s a 2 hour train ride from the port, and an awful lot of Americans just weren’t paying attention that well in high school geography class. 

[cruiser2015]

On 12/3/2023 at 4:52 PM, quercus alba said:

I feel that NCL promoting Trieste = Venice is like saying Port Canaveral = Disney World.  
 

I really am glad that we aren’t tearing up that city with the wakes of mega ships anymore, but it’s a 2 hour train ride from the port, and an awful lot of Americans just weren’t paying attention that well in high school geography class. 

Might as well add port for Rome and Florence to that list - long hauls from the pier. If you want to cruise - and visit these places - that's the "cost".

Otherwise, visit via land tour.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, cruiser2015 said:

Might as well add port for Rome and Florence to that list - long hauls from the pier. If you want to cruise - and visit these places - that's the "cost".

Otherwise, visit via land tour.

I was actually surprised when we went to the cruise next presentation, and instead of listing places like Rome, Florence, Athens, and Paris, the actual ports were listed on the itineraries.

[SPacificbound]

Number one! 

 

If possible arrive in Istanbul a few days early, it is a wonderful city to experience.

[cruiser2015]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I was actually surprised when we went to the cruise next presentation, and instead of listing places like Rome, Florence, Athens, and Paris, the actual ports were listed on the itineraries.

Those names don't market as well.   😏

[quercus alba]

6 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Those names don't market as well.   😏

And if there is anything that NCL is all about...it is the marketing, yes?

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Those names don't market as well.   😏

 But they are the TRUTH, where the ship actually docks.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, quercus alba said:

And if there is anything that NCL is all about...it is the marketing, yes?

And yet it is NCL that lists the real ports, not for instance Florence with Livorno in parenthesis as other cruise lines do.

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

And yet it is NCL that lists the real ports, not for instance Florence with Livorno in parenthesis as other cruise lines do.

Well, for the many out there who are unfamiliar with the geography, it is helpful to know what place is considered the "target" destination.

[BermudaBound2014]

On 12/3/2023 at 8:27 AM, quercus alba said:

 

As I told several people, I felt safer in Istanbul than in an American bowling alley, night club, or elementary school! 🤔

Jist curious, are you male or female?
 

As a light skinned blonde female, i felt extremely unsafe traveling in Istanbul and I’m from Detroit where the weak are killed and eaten.

 

I’d avoid any cruise that starts in Istanbul  like the plague. Venice is my absolute favorite city across the pond so for me it’s 2 or 3. I’d look at the port schedule for Santorini and make that part of my selection criteria. Santorini with 6 ships is entirely different than Santorini with 2. Also, arrival times make a difference in Santorini. You want to be one of the first ships in port to get to the top. Lines up and down the hill can be brutal. 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Well, for the many out there who are unfamiliar with the geography, it is helpful to know what place is considered the "target" destination.

OTOH, if that same person unfamiliar with the geography thinks they are going straight to Rome. Paris, Florence, or Athens, they are in for a rude awakening.

[BermudaBound2014]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

 But they are the TRUTH, where the ship actually docks.

 Paris? 

[cruiser2015]

20 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

OTOH, if that same person unfamiliar with the geography thinks they are going straight to Rome. Paris, Florence, or Athens, they are in for a rude awakening.

Sadly true as well.

Maps are helpful - if you notice the gap from port to destination.

[Ozmodiar]

I'd go with #1, especially if you have a day or two you can add to the start and end - both Istanbul and Venice are worth a couple of days, and Venice in particular is not a great single-day port stop now in my opinion (based on how it was handled last year, maybe Ravenna is better).

 

From Trieste after you disembark you can easily take the train into Venice (or stay in Mestre on the mainland for less and daytrip in) - it is a few hours and a nice ride from Trieste. 

 

If you think you will be heading back another time, Athens is on many more itineraries as an embarkation/disembarkation port than Olympia and Kotor are as regular port stops.

 

But none are bad. And I have done Med cruises in Nov twice now and it was very mild and comfortable - not beach weather, but also not 100 degrees, and less crowded. I think it is a great time to be there for sightseeing.

[yakcruiser]

16 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Sadly true as well.

Maps are helpful - if you notice the gap from port to destination.

For those who actually know how to read a map.

[SPacificbound]

On 12/3/2023 at 7:27 AM, quercus alba said:

Istanbul is literally as far away from the Syrian border as one can be--literally on a different continent.

As I told several people, I felt safer in Istanbul than in an American bowling alley, night club, or elementary school! 🤔

Exactly!

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 Paris? 

I believe the port that cruise lines use for Paris is Le Havre.

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, SPacificbound said:

Exactly!

Sorry, but that's not really a different continent.

Istanbul straddles both Europe and Asia. But it and nearly all of Turkey, is in Asia, as is Syria.

The entire northern border of Syria is shared with - Turkey.

However, it is on the completely far end of Turkey.

Personally, I don't think Istanbul or the western port stops for Turkey represent a danger.

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, yakcruiser said:

For those who actually know how to read a map.

Touche.

[quercus alba]

3 hours ago, yakcruiser said:

For those who actually know how to read a map.

Driving with my kids...they're so used to having Siri or their GPS tell them where to go now...

It's kind of sad actually...

OK, now I'm turning into one of those old people.

 

[And sorry OP, we taken you way off topic, I think...]

Edited December 6, 2023 by quercus alba

[BermudaBound2014]

22 hours ago, ontheweb said:

 But they are the TRUTH, where the ship actually docks.

 

14 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I believe the port that cruise lines use for Paris is Le Havre.

 

I'm aware of the distance between Le Havre and Paris. I totally misunderstood your post about the 'truth'.  

 

I agree, the truth is they dock in Le Havre, which is no where near Paris. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

I'm aware of the distance between Le Havre and Paris. I totally misunderstood your post about the 'truth'.  

 

I agree, the truth is they dock in Le Havre, which is no where near Paris. 

No problem. And Paris is seen much better from a land trip than the small amount of time an ocean cruise will allow.

[insidecabin]

20 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Sorry, but that's not really a different continent.

Istanbul straddles both Europe and Asia. But it and nearly all of Turkey, is in Asia, as is Syria.

The entire northern border of Syria is shared with - Turkey.

However, it is on the completely far end of Turkey.

Personally, I don't think Istanbul or the western port stops for Turkey represent a danger.

Look how many abandoned the Baltic cruises because of the Ukraine conflict.

 

Once St. Petersburg was removed  the Baltic cruise itinerary were safe.

(Did mean some bargains to fill ships)

 

Eastern med bargains around to fill the redeployment as people cancel.

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, insidecabin said:

Look how many abandoned the Baltic cruises because of the Ukraine conflict.

 

Once St. Petersburg was removed  the Baltic cruise itinerary were safe.

(Did mean some bargains to fill ships)

 

Eastern med bargains around to fill the redeployment as people cancel.

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, eastern Med is not on my list of wants. Been to most ports there, except some of the Greek islands 

Northern Europe, though, is still of interest.