Cruise to Italy

[dmccarty]

Look at the Cunard ships as well.

They idea of "cruising" that most cruise ships do would bore me to death. They idea of tramping around the Caribbean islands is right up there with having all of my teeth pulled.

My wifey wants to go on a cruise with the kids but I figure the only ship I am getting on will be a Cunard ship or a Disney ship, but when I look at the cost, we can buy cheaper and better vacations. The problem with Cunard is that while some ships leave the US, most are leaving port in Europe so airfare is a major cost. I would love to leave NYC on a Cunard "crossing" to the UK or to Norway, but until we retire, we would not have the money or the time to go. Which brings up a fact about Cunard. The majority of the passengers are rather old, which for me, would be perfect because I want a quiet experience, not some boozed up 20 something party ship trip. :laughing:

This company I am about to link too is a travel company which is very Disney related but they also book cruises on Royal and Celebrity. I have been listening to their podcasts for years and if I went on a cruise I would talk to them and at least compare prices. The company owners REALLY know the travel business and are honest. On the podcast they will tell you if they like a place or if they don't. They can be very brutal but honest in their opinions. Disney Vacation Packages, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line and Disneyland vacation package - Dreams Unlimited Travel The cruise links are in the left page frame under Dream Cruises.

Disney has a program called Adventures by Disney(ABD) that the owners of the company have used many times. An ABD vacation is not cheap but I don't know how it would compare with other vacation touring trips. ABD go to different places and do different things with the Disney guides easing the way. I have been impressed with the trips they have been on and if I had time and money I would consider going on some of the ABD trips. One trip was to Italy and they really did it well.

The Viking Cruises are interesting to me as well but there is that time and money issue.

Later,
Dan

 

[sixdogs]

:thumbsup::thumbsup: Me either...my Mrs. really wants to go on a cruise and I keep pointing these things out to her ..especially in the Med....I hope she comes to believe ...we all make choices and if you choose to go on a cruise out at sea...you have nothing to complain about when something goes wrong....maybe really bad wrong...no thanks

Take the cruise with her.
Happy wife; happy life.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We've taken about 3 cruises with Carnival, in the Caribbean and Mexico; all were excellent. One with Norwegian to Hawaii; was mediocre at best. One with Royal Caribbean to the Virgin Isles was excellent also.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for the warnings and concerns. I've been following the news on the ship that had the fire and don't have any worries about that affecting whatever ship I might decide to go with. It's part of anything that you do, and just something to deal with if it happens. I've had to fix houses with worse problems then what I've heard about in the news, and I have serious doubts that it's anywhere near as bad as the news is making it out to be. I just think of the Super Dome in New Orleans after Katrina and how inaccurate the news was in reporting what happened there. The news media is very good at making something out of nothing, fabricating or spreading rumors, but not so good at going back and correcting their mistakes.

I really appreciate the links to the other sites. Options are what I'm hoping to find. The cruise on Carnival has all the stops that I want, so it's my starting point. If I can find a ship with higher reviews for a similar price, then that's who we will go with. I've been on Carnival and enjoyed it. I've heard it's not as good as the others, but it's more then fancy enough for me. Maybe even too much with all the dress up formal dinners and fancy/glitzy finishes on everything.

Number one is the ports. Where it goes. I'm the type who will leave the tent behind and sleep on the dirt if I know it's not going to rain just to save on weight. If I can get a picture and see something historic, then it doesn't really matter what it takes to get there or how uncomfortable it is. That is all temporary. Karen, the girl I'm going with, feels the same way.

We would also rather spend more on excursions then on the actual cruise.

The flights are a concern, but the prices seem pretty consitant in their prices. Round trip to Rome, Barcelona or Venice is all just under $1,100 each. We're hoping the cruise we decide on can beat that, or a travel agent. If not, that's just what we'll spend.

Thank you, we're enjoying the comments and looking up the links, reading the reviews and looking at where we might go.

Eddie

 

[tallyho8]

Eddie, the cruise you mentioned goes from Barcelona to Venice or Venice to Barcelona so you can't get a roundtrip airfare ticket which is cheaper than 2 one ways. A one way ticket between Houston and Barcelona usually runs around $700 and a one way between Houston and Venice usually runs around $1800 making airfare for 2 over $5000.00.

You may be able to find cheaper fares especially if you can buy a roundtrip ticket from Venice and only use it one way.

 

[tallyho8]

If you are set on those itineraries, another ship to consider is the Norwegian Spirit going from Barcelona to Venice. It is a slightly less crowded ship with about 600 less passengers and it has Freestyle Dining which means you eat when you want and there are no formal nights on Norwegian where you have to dress up.

I really enjoyed my cruise on the Spirit.

 

[jerrybob]

We've got friends who cruise two times per year....they love it and can't get enough. They want us to join them. My response.....I don't like crowds....I don't like lines....I like cheap booze and my dogs can't go. I've invited him to go hunting with me.....he doesn't like guns and doesn't believe in shooting innocent animals. He wouldn't try an elk roast last time he was here. Oh well......I guess if we were all the same....life would be pretty boring!:thumbsup:

 

[Bigkrank]

I will never take another cruise unless it's adults only. I could not believe the amount of people that pull their screaming kids out of school and pay to take them on a cruise.

 

[brin]

Thank you, we're enjoying the comments and looking up the links, reading the reviews and looking at where we might go.

Eddie

Eddie, You build lakes, houses, tame Texas land, have a huge wild boar for a pet etc... I have no doubt if you were ever on a cruise ship and it had problems ...you would either fix the problems or figure out a way to have fun despite the misery....I have no doubt of that....You are quite a guy...:thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

Reading Cruise Critic and the reviews for the various ships from the different cruise lines, the Carnival Legend sounds pretty good. Some are a lot worse, and the better ones are a lot more money.

Airfair is probably going to be my biggest headache. I'm leaning strongly towards Carnival.

Eddie