2014 Crazie Med Cruise

KeithnRita · June 29, 2012

We were ready to jump aboard this "Med" cruise until we realized it's a cruise to the Mediterranean and has nothing to do with the Meds we are taking! Isn't old age grand? :tongue:

zebra · June 29, 2012

K & R - we can always oblige ......

Shari2 · June 29, 2012

Jackie...I would be very open to Princess...have never been, and have always wanted to try Princess. I agree on the late sitting since it would give more time in ports and time to get ready for dinner...It wouldn't leave much time later for shows and all but I think we all would be pretty pooped out after all the walking and touring. I have heard that most of the late sittings on the Med cruises are around 9 PM though, for the Europeans, which does make it a little late to be eating. I try not to eat at least 3 hours before bed, but I'm sure I wouldn't get to bed till around midnight anyway. Open to what everyone thinks is best. The 24 hour option would be nice once in awhile...Marc loves the dining experience in the regular dining room, but I know we would want as much time in ports, on this cruise, as possible.

The cruise that you did on the Millenium a few years back was the cruise that I had wanted to do. Loved those ports.

Keith and Rita...LOL

coloradocruisers · June 29, 2012

Cruising can be medicinal....

sailingrose · June 30, 2012

I agree with Jackie, Europe is exhausting! I needed a vacation from our 1st time there. We'll see how the 2nd time around goes in August. Very port intensive!

RayColey · June 30, 2012

Our last cruise (Lisbon/Gibraltar/Cartegena/Malta/Split/Venice) had six port days and three sea days - and we were happy for those sea days! Of all those ports, the only one that was on flat land was Venice, and of course there you have to go up and down the stairs to the bridges... We were right next to the Rialto Bridge, which had only thirty stairs on our first day but had seventy by day three. Nonetheless, there's generally a vaporetto going to wherever you want to go (except for the Fenice Opera and the little back streets). The dining table we had was the best ever! We're still in touch with the people we met there - four from Ireland, four from the USA and two from Sweden. Late dining is a MUST if you're going to do the ports properly, and 24-hour buffet would be welcome. Our RCI buffet was good up to nine PM but after that the pickings were slim. We had open seating on the previous cruise (Athens/Santorini/Rhodes/Kusadasi/Istanbul) and had zero problems getting back to the ship on time. I would also be very open to Princess - a real solid rep and if the itinerary fits, I'm sure everyone would be happy with them... I'm sure that we could slip the meds into the Med!! :biggrin:

zebra · July 1, 2012

Yeah Ray now RCI closes the buffet at 9pm and that's it. Late seating or anytime dining would be the only way to go, even so with anytime dining I think 9pm is the latest they would seat you. With regard to the shows, on our European cruises we missed virtually all the shows - we were either just coming back from an excursion at showtime or we were having to go to the diningroom. Mind you we were so totally exhausted - all we wanted was a meal and bed because the next morning was up and outta there to leave for the next port excursion. Felt like a hamster on his wheel after those cruises ...... came home and rested :laugh:

RayColey · July 1, 2012

Yes, Jackie, I've been thinking about that and I'm not sure how I would hold up on a two week cruise with ten ports! The one mentioned that covered Spain, both sides of Italy, Greece and Turkey sounds like quite a handful... I'm wondering how my old bones would hold up?

JohnG · July 7, 2012

And I'll be glad to help with arrangements. I booked and accompanied the Cruise Crazies Group on Celebrity Constellation a couple years back. Couldn't make the Canada New England one due to schedule conflict. The May/early June timeframe and the October timeframes do have the best pricing, and as someone said, the airfare is a bit lower and the temperature more temperate than mid summer. Not all the lines have their 2014 schedules out yet. It could even be May 2013 before all the lines have all their 2014 schedules out. And I have booked clients, particularly on HAL on 12-14 day cruises that hit most of the ports you mentioned. One starting in Rome and ending in Venice or vice versa would hit many of the ports mentioned.

My wife and I and my daughter just spent 9 days in Athens and the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini on independent travel and saw no signs of unrest. When it occurs it is confined to an area around Omonia Sq, generally. I lived in Greece for 3 years and know the culture well.

Edited July 7, 2012 by JohnG

AndiD · July 8, 2012

Wow - Can't believe how many posts I have missed in regards to this cruise - how exciting! Jackie - I am with you with late seating or anytime dining. And since Princess is my favorite cruise line, I would love to do the new Royal. The only thing that bothers me about many of the Princess European itineraries is that some of them have virtually no sea days at all! I think that would kill me! I'm like you, Ray, wondering how this worn-out knee would do...plus my DH's screwed-together foot. But then again, we did 6 hours of hiking a day in the Galapagos - so we would try to rise to the occasion. Still, a couple of sea days would be very very nice. And we definitely use the buffet as an option on late and long excursions - sometimes just not able to make the effort to gussy up for the main dining room. Can't wait to see how this cruise plays out.......