Booked my 1st cruise!

[mella2007]

Very excited this week to have booked our 1st ever cruise! Never been interested to get onboard a P & O, so why not get onboard on the other side of the world instead!

7 nights on the Norwegian Epic leaving from Cvitiavecchia (Rome) in July and ports are Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Marsellie (France), Palma (Spain), Barcelona and Naples.

No idea what to expect, so expectations are quite low. As i'm commencing the trip to Europe for work and will be gone 5 weeks in total, wanted to break it up a little different and just relax for a few days doing something new.
Have booked a balcony cabin and got the whole deal for what I think is a good deal. I have joined Cruise Critic to get idea of which cabin to pick (which I've since done) and a couple of other hints.

Excited that The Blue Man group and a Cirque show are permanent entertainment on this ship, which if all else fails should be entertaining.

So the trip will take in

London: 9 days work
Monte Carlo: 2 days
Italy: 5 days
Cruise: 7 days
Greek Islands: 4 days
Athens: 2 days
UAE: 1 day
Singapore: 4 days

 

[casanovawa]

Sounds good...

 

[Sprucegoose]

Will you have time for a TR?

Italian Captain?

 

[mella2007]

Still have to do a Poo-ket one first. Lol

 

[Sprucegoose]

Still have to do a Poo-ket one first. Lol

that would I imagine be quiet brief.........,

 

[Pvcmenace]

Well done! hope you have a good time, I stick to Holland America Line, they have the best food, staff and comfort compared to my experiences with P&O and Royal Caribbean and without having to pay excessive prices like Silversea/Seaborn/Regent/Cristal. Like to know how NCL is.
Regards.

 

[Simo]

Looks like a great trip.

Look forward to a TR,

I am not sure about a cruise for myself and my family.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Looks like a great trip.

Look forward to a TR,

I am not sure about a cruise for myself and my family.

nah you're an outdoors boy.

maybe when you're retired ?

 

[chrisb]

Cruises are ok if you can chill out and relax. If you constantly have to be doing stuff it's probably not going to work. There are constant activities but they probably don't suit everyone.

We have a booking for cruise number 4 later this year.

 

[Kangarucci]

We love them. Not long ago we completed our 4th Disney cruise.

 

[Blinky]

I booked a NCL in April from Rome to Greece, Turkey and back to Rome on Norwegian Jade (as part of a Grand European Adventure). Originally it was going to Alexandria as well, and I was looking forward to the boyhood dream of Giza and so on, but this port was cancelled. As my Travel Agent son-in-law explained, this had nothing to do with our safety, but the ship's.

Anyway, can't wait. This will be the first cruise since I met my (still) wife. In 1969. On P&O's Orsova.

 

[Fifa]

I have been on NCL but the ship was nothing like the Epic. Wow, I'm very jealous.
Check out the Cruise Critic Roll Call for your cruise.
It's a great way of meeting fellow cruisers - a bit like catching up with AFFers!

 

[Pushka]

Mella, we did a very similar cruise but on Liberty of the Seas, in July 2012. It was fabulous. We saw the Epic in Civitavecchia (Rome). I've got a few pictures of her from our balcony. The weather was stunning in July, around 30 degrees each day. The sea was that deep aquamarine blue. We loved it so much that this year we are doing the Eastern Mediterranean on the Pacific Princess and booked it as soon as we got back. We are going to Egypt and Israel on this cruise.

If you want port info then let me know as we went to all those ports.

 

[Pushka]

My husband didn't like the idea of cruises but he's hooked. But it really depends on the itinerary. Med cruises have a port every day. You wake up, look to see where you are then experience a day in a new city. Back to the ship, glass of wine on the balcony, get ready for yummy dinner, watch some shows, more alcohol, go to sleep, wake up in a new port and repeat. We only had one sea day but these ships have brilliant gyms and pools so fantastic to chill out for a day. My husband is super active and he loved it. South Pacific cruise? No way!

I love cruise critic. We organised a couple of private tours on the roll call and had a fabulous time. Same name on CC. There are a couple of us on both forums.

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

We are going on our first cruise too in March - Allure of the Seas around the Caribbean along with our first status run from HNL-SJU Looking forward to your trip report as would love to do a med cruise too

 

[Pushka]

We are going on our first cruise too in March - Allure of the Seas around the Caribbean along with our first status run from HNL-SJU Looking forward to your trip report as would love to do a med cruise too

Now that's a huge ship! 5000 pax. No, make that 6300! Liberty has around 3800. I think Epic around 4000?

Ship mate is a great app that let's you track the ship and has a web cam. Also deck plans for your phone.

The RCL ships all have touch screens so you don't get lost as much.
You will love the Med cruise.

 

[trooper]

My last cruise was on a ship that only carried 220.... Cruise duration was a little over 180 days.

Departed Sydney... called in to Fremantle, then Diego Garcia, Muscat, Dubai, Bahrain, Dubai again, and again... finally Singapore, Darwin, Brisbane and Sydney... Longest stretch at sea continuously was about 7 weeks... Christmas at sea was kinda fun... Air attack threats not so much....:shock:

I was in a triple cabin.. and that was pretty good for that (very grey) type of ship....

Would LOVE to do an actual cruise ship trip once... Just a short one would do...if only to go to sea and not work ones ar$e off!!!:mrgreen:

 

[Pushka]

The Epic, July 25, 2012 at Civitavecchia (Rome)


The Liberty of the Seas (Toulon France)



beautiful Amalfi coast



Horrible places we had to eat in



Views we had to see

 

[Pushka]

More views from our balcony



And sunsets, amazing sunsets as your ship cruises out of port. Think warm breeze, chilled wine/champers in hand, anticipating dinner, remembering the port you have just visited and anticipating the next one!

 

[Cynicor]

Pushka- have you done liberty? I think that is the ship we are on for our first med cruise in June this year (royal Caribbean).

Looks nice, but huge, we have a room right at the back with a balcony.