Rare cavaaller Posted July 11 #1 Share Posted July 11 (edited) This post was recognized by Host Jazzbeau! cavaaller was awarded the badge '"Live from...."' And then it was finally cruise day - I 15 months ago, we booked a trip around the Italian boot. Our ports are Barcelona Marseille Monte Carlo Livorno Civitavecchia Sorrento Kotor Sibenik Koper Venice I would love to tell you all about it. We kick off our cruise with two pre cruise stays: One in Frankfurt, one in Barcelona. Today our son drove us down to Frankfurt where we will stay for one night in the lovely Hilton Frankfurt Airport hotel. Tomorrow we will fly down to Barcelona and stay for one night right by the cruise port and then saturday it is finally finally cruise day. I cannot wait. Edited July 11 by cavaaller typo 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 11 Author #2 Share Posted July 11 (edited) Traffic was quite bad - which was to be expected given that we are in the middle of summer break. But we were rewarded with beautiful room and a view on the Ffm skyline: (well... you have to WANT to see it in the distance 🙂 ) They even had some treats waiting for us (I guess this may be due to our loyalty status?) The room is huge, comfortable, great AC (it is soooo hot in Germany) we love it! We went straight to lunch at one of the restaurants in the Squaire (some sort of building complex with shops, train station, hotels etc. under one hot roof). We chose the "Alex". Great choice. Now, we are debating whether we are too tired to go have a drink in the lounge - but I am pretty sure I know who will be winning 😉 Edited July 11 by cavaaller 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 11 Author #3 Share Posted July 11 So - if you ever need to stay in a hotel near Frankfurt Airport - I can recommend this Hilton! It is directly above the train station (easy access to Frankfurt city), in walkable distance to the terminal, rooms are lovely, staff is nice, breakfast is amazing (I have stayed here 4 times already so I can vouch for that). Even the executive lounge is nice - we did not eat, because we had just had a late lunch - but imho the offering would make for a nice dinner. There were also two stew options (veggie and meat) but I did not take a picture of those. Drinks options are good: a lot of different sodas (they were lukewarm though - I think the fridge did not work) there were also warm beers 🙂 wine etc. and water. After our Sodas we went for a walk. This is an airport hotel so of course there are no hiking trails in the forest but it was interesting to see the hustle of people/workers/taxi drivers coming and going. I am always fascinated by how much "fuller" how much richer a day is when I have experienced something – I can hardly believe that we left home only 6 hours ago… It is as if time had a different density while I am traveling. I guess I'm a bit tired now: I'm starting to ramble... so: off to bed! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 12 Author #4 Share Posted July 12 Breakfast at the rise restaurant was as good as anticipated. Our flight is not supposed to leave until 13 o clock - but of course - monks that we are - we are in the lounge since 10 o clock sharp. But you never know what obstacles they throw at you at FRA airport - so better safe than sorry. Last time we flew into Frankfurt I had made a mental note never to fly in or out of here again: they had taken more than 2 hours to deliver our bags. The prejudice of "german efficiency" is just that - a prejudice. But there are some advantages of flying out of FRA - more direct options - better hotels - better VIP-Lounge So here we are hoping that our flight leaves on time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 12 Author #5 Share Posted July 12 Our hotel is called Eurostars Grand Marina. The reviews are modest to say the least: you read that it is a badly outdated hotel that is forfeiting points with an enormous renovation backlog and a not so courteous staff. The rooms are described as rancid, dirty, noisy and simply dingy. Why would you book something like that!? Well - I had chosen the hotel when we were in Barcelona with the Pursuit last year. We were docked right beside the hotel and I thought to myself "how nice it must be to wake up here in the morning and see the ship out of the window... The rooms can't be that bad, we'll survive it!" I then decided on a higher category – in the hope that you would find a little more cleanliness and comfort there. A few months after booking, Barcelona had decided to ban cruise ships from the city (from the WTC). This would have eliminated the main advantage of the hotel. I still stayed with the booking, because right in front of the door the cruise bus for 4 E goes to Moll Adossat, which is also very practical. Of course, I still kept an eye on the cruise forecast, especially since the Quest and the Pursuit had already docked at the WTC several times this year. The monthly overview also gave me hope. (here you can find where the ship should dock: https://www.portdebarcelona.cat/en/business-and-services/cruise-ships/cruise-forecast ) Unfortunately, our week was not (yet?) updated and so I have to be patient until tomorrow (very difficult for me). The location of the hotel is not bad even apart from the proximity to the terminal: The Ramblas can be reached in 5 minutes, a large shopping center is next door and the Port Vel with many nice bars and restaurants is also within sight. Taxis are waiting outside and can take you to the major sights. If we land in time tonight, I would like to see a little bit of the town and/or try a Spanish restaurant. Fingers are crossed. Now we are waiting for boarding... update pending. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cayman09 Posted July 12 #6 Share Posted July 12 Wishing you well with your flights and have a great cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takemewithyou Posted July 12 #7 Share Posted July 12 Thank you for taking your time to do a live review! There haven’t been many of those lately. looking forward to your impressions of your Barcelona hotel once you arrive. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 12 Author #8 Share Posted July 12 Thank you @cayman09 and @takemewithyou for your kind words and to everybody else for their reactions! Our flight was just a little late (so I cannot complain). We flew European business Class (Lufthansa) and for the second time in 2 years (and I do not fly often) they had problems with the caterer. So today it was sandwich only. For us it was ok since we had eaten in the lounge but I would have been disappointed had I counted on the "full meal" that had been advertised. But the crew was nice and we even caught a glimpse of our hotel from the plane: At the airport, our bags arrived quite promptly, then we took a regular taxi . It is really easy to catch a cab at BCN airport - it is well organized and was not expensive at all (31 € + Tipp). Check in at the hotel went fast and very friendly. So: Now we have arrived at The Eurostars Grand Marina and we are loving it. I really don't know where the bad reviews come from because we find the hotel ideal: it is older, yes, but so are we 😄 it is charming, it is ideally located, the staff are supersuper nice and our room is fabulous and has the best views! I would not rate it 5 stars deluxe but consider it a good 4 star hotel (I admit, I lack experience but it is not that much nicer than for instance the Hilton at Frankfurt (****)) So: If you are looking for a hotel near the cruise port: this seems a really good choice! I like this view from our balcony 😄 (Grand Marina Suite) "Living" Room: bedroom: bathroom (it is difficult to take photos here - it is a full bath with shower, tub, bidet and two sinks Hotels in Barcelona are really expensive - I booked this room over a year ago directly with the hotel and they gave me a "good" price - so if you intend to book this hotel do not use "booking.com" etc. but email them! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #9 Share Posted July 13 here she comes. that is the warning sound of the moving passenger bridge. it is so ok that this woke me up 😮💨 IMG_4515.mov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #10 Share Posted July 13 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #11 Share Posted July 13 WTC South Terminal. Perfect dock 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #12 Share Posted July 13 Baggage drop off started around 10:30, check in 11:30 boarding 12:05 and 2 minutes later we are on board… let the vacantions begin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #13 Share Posted July 13 lunch is served in windows buffet, I had the most amazing vegan dish with a little salad on the side. this is the dinner plan for our journey: 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #14 Share Posted July 13 (edited) And those are the included drinks resp. those in the upgraded beverage packages. Alas: not spanish wine - 😔 I will have to do with champagne then - oh the horror Scanned Document 2024-07-13 at 13.11.54.pdf Edited July 13 by cavaaller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgg Posted July 13 #15 Share Posted July 13 (edited) 19 minutes ago, cavaaller said: lunch is served in windows buffet, I had the most amazing vegan dish with a little salad on the side. this is the dinner plan for our journey: I love to see the food choices laid out for the whole cruise. Edited July 13 by tgg 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #16 Share Posted July 13 So … Question for experienced cruisers. if they list a wine in the menu of the den, is it possible to order this wine in the restaurants aswell? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberts2005 Posted July 13 #17 Share Posted July 13 32 minutes ago, cavaaller said: Baggage drop off started around 10:30, check in 11:30 boarding 12:05 and 2 minutes later we are on board… let the vacantions begin You were lucky. Last month, boarding the Onward at WTC we sat around waiting until 2:00 PM before boarding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #18 Share Posted July 13 we are waiting for the announcement that the rooms are ready which is supposed to happen at 2 o clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #19 Share Posted July 13 2 minutes ago, roberts2005 said: You were lucky. Last month, boarding the Onward at WTC we sat around waiting until 2:00 PM before boarding. wow. I would have hated that! Did you still have a nice cruise if I may ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riocca Posted July 13 #20 Share Posted July 13 10 minutes ago, cavaaller said: So … Question for experienced cruisers. if they list a wine in the menu of the den, is it possible to order this wine in the restaurants aswell? Yes, wines by the glass should be available in all bars and restaurants. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cavaaller Posted July 13 Author #21 Share Posted July 13 (edited) thank you @Riocca excellent news… let’s go and upgrade to the ultimate package then Edited July 13 by cavaaller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted July 13 #22 Share Posted July 13 19 minutes ago, cavaaller said: thank you @Riocca excellent news… let’s go and upgrade to the ultimate package then Just beware and check that all those wines are available onboard first! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliaschief Posted July 13 #23 Share Posted July 13 Thanks for sharing your cruise experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberts2005 Posted July 13 #24 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, cavaaller said: wow. I would have hated that! Did you still have a nice cruise if I may ask? Cruise was still great, Only good thing, all cabins were ready once we boarded. Check in was smooth. Just everyone had to sit and wait in area near the check in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
java spot Posted July 13 #25 Share Posted July 13 Thanks for the extensive images of bar and wine menus! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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