Seeking info about a Mediteranean Cruise

We did a similar cruise in 2014 on the Norweigan Epic which is a similar sized ship and it was my favourite ship of the 5 cruises we've done. Some people don't like that size of ship but the food and entertainment choices were so good. If I remember correctly our cruise was only 7 days and included Barcelona, Rome, Florence/Livorno, Cannes, Naples and Mallorca.

• Rome is a long way from the cruise port, and it's going to be a long, rushed day. It's also a long walk from the port to the train station. I'd research that.
• Florence is also about an hour and a half from the port. This is the only stop where we used the ship's excursion because we could not get a straight answer of how to get to the ship to the train station. There is supposedly a bus, but good luck finding concrete information. The port is an industrial port and is not walkable from the ship.
• Cannes. Despite what the RS guide said, I loved Cannes. Very walkable city (I say that as a person with good knees). Loved taking a short ferry to Isle Ste Marguerite.
• Mallorca. Looong but pretty walk along a promenade into town. There was a shuttle bus for 10 Euros or so.
• Naples. We booked our own excursion for a day trip to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Big mistake, more time in a bus than in the sites. Knowing what I know now I would experience Naples.

The choice comes down to Valletta (Malta) and Messina (Sicily) or Ibiza. If the price, ship and number of days are identical then take a look at how many hours the ship will be in port to help you decide. Longer times in port can make a big difference. Valletta is wonderful with a variety of very interesting things to see and one of the most beautiful sail in/sail outs in the world. From Messina you can go to the lovely town of Taormina and up Mount Etna. (Lots of stairs in Taormina though and I know you have mentioned your knee is not the best.) If you are familiar with Cruise Critic, I think you would get very informed opinions there. You might also look at the offerings from Spaindaytours dot com and Italytours dot com for these ports. As you said, you would likely be happy with either of these cruises and the Escape is a nice ship.

One other thing - October 2024 is a long way off and Norwegian Cruise Line's deposits are fully refundable. With that in mind I would not be so quick to cancel the Istanbul/Haifa cruise. Why not book both and then wait and see what develops with world affairs? You can always cancel one and get your deposit back as long as you don't make final payment.

My first thought was that some of those ports are so far from the actual cities that you would end up with unsatisfactory experiences again.

I think any excursion to Rome or Florence would be an issue. It might work if you choose excursions closer to the actual port. I would avoid the “explore on your own” excursions since those seemed the most problematic for you on your last cruise.The impression I received from your trip report was that you do best on shore excursions that are guided.

Hi Allan,

Thanks for the info.

The Epic was my first ship many years back before dry dock. I would love to sail it again but it never works out. NCL is now using the Escape for my cruise. I travel alone and I have been on a large ship 6 times because of the studio cabins. I have been on two small ships and now prefer the small ships but you go with the flow.

I always go through NCL for excursions because of my age and some mobility issues. I take the $50 off excursion amenity and then I get an additional 10% off because I have sailed so many cruises.

I realize that the cruise is port heavy and I have heard intense from youtube videos but i will have to go to Rome and Florence . That is a must.

I just came back from Southampton to Lisbon and Bordeaux was two hours each way so i think that I can handle 1 1/2 hours each way.

I plan to pre cruise in Barcelona for three or four nights. Did you and if so what hotel did you use? Did you use NCL air?

What terminal did you sail from and how id you get there?

I tried to add on the NCL Cruise Tour but it has been sold out.

Hi Carol,

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend.

I do plan to avoid the Excursions on your Own. I am going to take guided excursions which also might be a problem unless I have my surgery first. I go to my PCP in December to ask for a referral to an orthopedic surgeon and that is another story.

The bus rides themselves to cities are no problem although I often fall asleep on the bus.

Rome and Florence are going to have to be a must.

I was going to sign up for a land portion thru NCL. I would have gotten picked up at the airport and taken to a hotel for three nights. I would have received a half day bus tour of Barcelona and a hop on hop off bus pass. I would have been taken to the cruise port from the hotel. But the land tour has been sold out. darn! at least as of today. My cruise consultant asked me to call back next week.

I think that I will be splurging this cruise and pay for transport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the cruise port.

Can you recommend a hotel? I am looking at a splurge and that is something like the Eurostar Grand Mariner (may have name wrong) which is one of the closest to the port. I wish I could go with the W but that is way out of my league.

This Tuesday is Travel Tuesday so I am going to see what deals I might get.

I am open to a tour company that offers land tours of Barcelona.

Here is my hope for you....that with this cruise you will have more successful and less stressful shore excursions as well as less stressful before and after times.

BEFORE you start gathering any port information, I'd encourage you to decide how you are going to manage the information you are given. As you could tell from some of your other threads, it's exasperating for people to spend time giving information to posters and then find that the posters have not been able to collect any of the suggestions. It does not matter if you follow the suggestions as sometimes there is conflicting advice. What matters is that an effort is made to at least collate basic factual information such as what sights to see and how to get around so you have that with you when you are on the ground in your destination.

Here is a thread on what various people do to organize their research:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/how-do-you-organize-your-trip-research

The suggestions range from very detailed, very electronic-based ways to very easy paper notebooks, folders and loose-leaf binders. I'd encourage you to look thru that before you get deep into your research so you can pick a method that suits you.

Did you realize you can not only bookmark threads the usual way on your iPad BUT the forum offers a way to do it also. Under the first post there is a highlighted word that says "bookmark". Click on that and the thread is saved for you. To access it, go to the My Account button, click that and select forum, then you have a bookmarks section in addition to links to every thread you've posted on.

I also encourage you to get a money belt to wear UNDER your clothes for deep storage of money, credit cards, passport especially when you are in Barcelona.

Hi LetsJustGo

I think that things are still going to be very bad in the mideast next October. Even if the current war is over (has it really ever been over). I think there is going to be such very bad feeling on both sides (with very good reason) that I want to avoid the area for now.

My last cruise was very big and somewhat complicated. I wanted a less complicated one this time. I have read and heard that the Mediterranean is intense and obviously it is port heavy but I will be flying Austin to Barcelona round trip and doing a pre cruise, no post cruise. I will take NCL transport after the cruise from Barcelona directly to the airport.

If you have been to Barcelona, can you recommend a hotel? How about a local tour company that offers land excursions in Barcelona? NCL offered a land package but it has been sold out.

I would choose the cruise that includes Sicily( I LOVE Sicily) , the Messina port. Sign up for a day trip to Taormina.
Hop on Hop Off buses might be a less expensive option for you . If you take a Hop On Hop Off bus in Barcelona you will need to take several options to see the whole city as it is large and spread out. You do not need to Hop off, you can always stay on for the whole tour. Something to consider.
We do not go on cruise ships but have traveled extensively and am thinking of your pre- cruise time in Barcelona. We spent a week there.

Florence is also about an hour and a half from the port. This is the only stop where we used the ship's excursion because we could not get a straight answer of how to get to the ship to the train station. There is supposedly a bus, but good luck finding concrete information. The port is an industrial port and is not walkable from the ship.

Although this clearly does not apply to Bostonphil, who will be on an excursion, information on how to get from Livorno Port to railway station is easy to find- here- https://www.iqcruising.com/ports/europe/italy/livorno/basics/public-buses.html#heading3

The LamBlue bus timetable referenced above is here- https://www.at-bus.it/it/linee-e-orari/livorno-urbano-lam-blu

I plan to pre cruise in Barcelona for three or four nights. Did you
and if so what hotel did you use? Did you use NCL air?

What terminal did you sail from and how id you get there?

We actually started in Rome and Barcelona was a cruise stop. I don't know if it's still the case but the ship took passengers on at Rome and Barcelona. The cruise terminal for Rome is in Civitavecchia. We arrived about 9pm at night and took a cab for 110Euros from FCO to our hotel.

We stayed at H10 Raco del Pi but it might not work for you since it is "buried" in the pedestrian only zone of the Bari Gotic. We could get a cab in the off hours but when the streets are crowded you would have to walk from a good bit away. Also, it is very easy to get lost in the Bari Gotic, which is not so much fun if walking tires you. I would look for lodging near the Placa de Catalunya on a main street with good subway access. https://www.spaindaytours.com/barcelona-tours/ is a reliable company. You might enjoy their day trip to Montserrat since most of the tour time is spent on bus and cablecar or cog wheel train rather than hours of walking. Since you will only have a few hours in Rome you will have to choose between the Vatican and the Colosseum/Forum area. There a nice tours that combine Pisa and Lucca from Livorno and they are closer than Florence. However, if you have never been to Florence don't miss the chance to see it. In Palma you can take the quaint wooden train to the town of Soller and enjoy the scenery instead of spending most of the day on your feet. NCL offers that excursion. I do remember Valletta being relatively flat with smooth walking. Pompeii is flat but unpaved and almost completely devoid of shade. I have read too many horror stories about NCL Air to let them book my flights.

I agree with the advice to start writing the details you collect down. I'm not a techie so I just use an school-style notebook with a different section for each stop on the itinerary and jot things down as a come across them. Later on I go through my notes and make a cohesive plan for each day with the information I will need and things it will be good to know (like available alternatives in case it rains).

I would avoid the Vatican with limited time in Rome. Unless you arrive first thing in the morning, the crowds are overwhelming. I felt like I was in a cattle chute most of the time.

Hi Suki

I am aware that you are very well traveled and appreciate your posts on R S

There is a thing about time and money. I think that four nights might be the most that I can give Barcelona.

I will not even try to see it all but will try to be happy with what I can see. There are some must sees already in the back of my min.

Lisbon also had four options for hop on / hop off and they were like 22 euros each but I might check out the Barcelona options. And yes, I can just sit on the bus and see the neighborhoods and the sites.

I think that I did choose the cruise with Sicily for now. Because it is Black Friday, my cruise consultant was under a lot of pressure and we are going to talk again next week.

Carol

My cruise does not even sail until October 20th Maybe just maybe the Vatican will be less crowded than when you were there. Maybe my tour group will have fast pass or maybe it will be in the morning or maybe very late afternoon or early evening. Maybe, just maybe.

I have to try and see The Vatican Museum.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback thus far.

I am thankful and grateful for all of you.

LetJustGo

I was rereading your post. Yes, I have read horror stories about allowing NCL to book air but other persons have had excellent experiences. It is a chance that you take.

And I am going to try to keep notes this time around. I will have my iPad with me but I only have wi fi. That will probably be no problem at my hotel in Barcelona but I took the free wi fi amenity for on the ship. It is pathetic how much they gave me. With my last cruise, I had to buy more half way through but I got. a really good deal. The same is probably going to happen on this cruise.

You probably know that Free At Sea is not exactly free.

I usually book a hotel through booking.com. I have had good experiences with them. I may splurge and go with the Eurostars Grand Marina. No rooms are yet available for my dates.

Suki

I checked out the Barcelona Hop On Hop off. The rates are reasonable. There is even a senior discount There are two routes but you can use the same ticket for each route.

My cruise does not even sail until October 20th Maybe just maybe the
Vatican will be less crowded than when you were there. Maybe my tour
group will have fast pass or maybe it will be in the morning or maybe
very late afternoon or early evening. Maybe, just maybe.

I have to try and see The Vatican Museum.

October in Rome is barely shoulder season and the Vatican is ALWAYS crowded. I don't know what you mean by a fast pass. Rome is not Disney World. If you are in a tour group you will have a fixed entry time. But there will be many other tour groups immediately before and after you. And you will have to keep up with your group. It can't be an early morning tour if you aren't arriving until the morning. Given that the ship usually sails around 7pm, a late afternoon or early evening tour would be impossible. I would think there would be only one excursion time, but several buses for that one excursion.

Bostonphil7,
I'm wondering why if Rome and Florence are important to you,you don't do a land tour that would give you more time directly in those cities? Is there a reason you are not considetingbthat?

Bostonphil- In Barcelona I would strongly encourage you to splurge on a taxi to the ship. Although the port bus leaves from the roundabout at the top of the World Trade Centre pier to all terminals it is designed for day passenger use. And it is too far in my opinion to walk with luggage to the current piers. You don't know which of the terminals you will be at, but if it is one of the far terminals I would be significantly worried for you. And a pretty walk it most certainly isn't.

Civitavecchia for Rome is an 0630 arrival and a 1900 departure- so given that they will probably allow 2 hours for the return coach trip the latest you are likely to leave Rome is about 4 pm, and the earliest you are likely to arrive is around 10am. So whatever time your Vatican tour is will be in the middle of the day- so your hoped for times are not logistically able to occur.

Even the 'Exclusive Rome and the Vatican' tour, which seems to be the best for you is described as fast paced with a substantial amount of walking- activity level 2.

'Rome and the Vatican' only includes a brief visit to St Peter's as does 'Ultimate Rome'. All Rome tours due to their length include a meal.

But there are no activity Level 1 tours to Rome (due to the nature of the city) and it is in your best interests to set your expectations correctly. I wouldn't encourage you (personally) to take any of the basically Transport only tours to the City which they are offering.
I mean this kindly, so please read it as that, I would have concerns over you being able to find your way round the City and actually handling the terrain, and being able to fit things in.

So you kind of need to prioritise what elements of the City you want to see. If your priority is the Vatican then the best tour is 'Exclusive Rome' as above at $361 in cost. There is a balance to be struck here.

isn31c

I will not be doing any "on your own" this time around. I learned my lesson last cruise.

I went and checked out the shore excursions for Rome. I am hoping that NCL will add others. it is still early and other excursions will be added up until April.

I do feel disheartened after reading the description of the excursion.

I feel pretty locked in to going to the Sistine Capel and The Vatican but it might not work out. However, I have plenty of time before making a decision..

It is an expensive excursion which will be my big splurge but more so I am concerned about the walking and the standing and the crowds. I am using a cane now and that is helpful. I will take my arthritis OTC meds with me next cruise and go back to doing my exercises. Maybe that will help with my arthritic knee. However I am going to be seeing an orthopedic surgeon soon and we'll see.

Hi Dianejay,

I can only take one vacation a year due to my budget, my age, my energy, and my time.

For me, cruises have proved the best way to go.

I spend almost a whole year planning my cruise. It is quite a production.

I really enjoy the planning sometimes more than the actual cruise. And I really love the after cruise when I am posting pictures and telling people about it.

After this cruise, I am going to need a knee replacement as well as renewing my passport.

It was about 12 years ago, but we took a Windstar small-ship trip called Islands of the West Mediterranean. It was in October and it did seem like some of the smaller island destinations had begun their seasonal shut down. That means ship excursions are the only practical way to get around. On Corsica, we actually walked to the tourist office, and the local woman made three phone calls for us, and was still unable to get any taxi driver to leave his family and take a full or half-day job driving for us. Some beach-view snack bars, and souvenir shops were closed for the season. We still enjoyed the cruise.

CJ Jean

I meant Skip The Line and I will be in a group that will have an appointment.

I will just have to deal with the crowds as best as I can. I may never have the opportunity to see The Vatican or The Sistine Chapel again.

I just hope that I can keep up with my group and do not get lost.

But my suspicions are there will be others who will be using canes and have mobility issues.

It's difficult to explain to folks who haven't seen it with their own eyes how crowded the Sistine Chapel is during public visiting hours--and that's after walking what seems like a mile through often-packed corridors. You will be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the other people crammed into the space, craning your neck to see the ceiling. You are extremely unlikely to be able to sit down. I can understand that a religious person (I am not one) would especially want to see the Sistine Chapel, but it's highly likely to be a very disappointing experience. Those are the facts. I hate to think of you spending a lot of money on a tour selected because it includes the Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel.

I do my sightseeing on foot, but in your case I wonder whether a golf-cart tour would work well--assuming you have decent weather on the day you're in Rome. This webpage lists some options: golf-cart tours in Rome. There may be others.

We did a 9 day Celebrity Med cruise this past summer. Barcelona to Rome. We had extra days at both ends on land. It sounds as Norwegian is your only go to line? We prefered to fly open jaw and our itinerary allowed more time at both ends.

I am hoping you get that knee replacement at least six months before this cruise. If you don’t, I’m afraid you will be in the same type of situation as the one you just took and you won’t find a place to sit and rest, especially in the Vatican.

Diane

I am going to my doctor next month who will be referring me to an orthopedic surgeon and then I go from there.

I have been using a cane and it is helping.

I may have to rethink the Sistine Chapel and The Vatican

acraven

I might have to do something different than The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.

I am going to wait and see. I have been in situations like you are describing and it is not pleasant to say the least.

all2alb

I took my first cruise with NCL because I travel alone and NCL had studio cabins. Now they are offering cabins for one person at different levels on some of the ships.

Now I have taken eight cruises with NCL and so i get perks and rewards.

I think that Celebrity may be considered to be a step or two higher up than Norwegian.

In April this year, I stayed in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona (Close to the Eixample neighborhood). I stayed at the Hotel Reding Croma, which was a very nicely appointed hotel with 24 hour front desk. It's not a 4 or 5 star, but it was clean, chic and located very close to Placa Universitat and 15 minutes from Placa Catalunya (where the Hop on and off busses begin and end. And the airport shuttle leaves and arrives there. That was a 30 minute ride from/to the airport. ). The hop busses were a great way to see Barcelona. I recommend this hotel for all it's benefits.

I had knee replacements about 4 years ago. I had heavily worn cartilage and arthritis. I was able to extensively walk without limits when my rehab was finished (~2 months?). Follow the prescription drug protocol to the tee and the exercise routines pre and post surgery. Good luck. You will love the improvement.

The Vatican Museum is huge. As I remember,
there were places to sit, even in the Sistine Chapel (but these were rarely vacated). So, plan your sitting to keep pace with your group tour.

my 3 cents: consider a different cruise line. My cruise will have 2 days in Florence. Granted, the net is likely only 1.5 days but it does take away some of the urgency. And some cruises do the same with Rome. Other cruises might have different itineraries after Rome but I perceive your biggest want is Florence and Rome.

You also might consider a different cruise line, take a fewer cruise days and then take the add-on extra days in Rome, Tuscany or Barcelona. Likely, the cost will be similar.