The Med Thread - All Sailings - Mediterranean

[jlawall]

It's good advice to be careful while traveling abroad.....we've all been in situations which we could have avoided if we were more careful. It's helpful to hear what happens to others so we can have a better trip!

Thx for all the suggestions and warnings!

 

[astroth]

Am I missing some obvious discount? I had the romantic notion that trains in Europe were fast, comfortable and inexpensive. What I seem to be finding is that they are much more expensive than flying. My daughter who flies recommends Easy Jet for the cost conscious.

It's cheaper to buy a rail pass than to book a non-pass ticket for a specific itinerary. To see the rates for a Eurail France-Spain Saverpass, go to the raileurope main page, and under the "Passes" column, click on "Multiple Country". Scroll down a bit and you'll see "Eurail France-Spain Pass." From there it should be self-explanatory. (Sorry, I can't just include a link because this is my first post and DIS doesn't trust me yet). In the comparison I did, buying the pass saved $113 per person versus buying a "Comfort"-level round-trip ticket.

I don't think we're going to end up doing the train in conjunction with our cruise (Aug. 8), but it's been interesting to look at.

 

[wackywexler]

Woody 73 and others,

I am an infrequent airline traveler and don't understand the multiple round trip ticket airfare situation and the benefits of this. If you have a few minutes to post an explanation for me I would be very grateful. Thank you!

 

[OurDogCisco]

IMHO, that's easier said than done, especially on subways, trains, and busses. For example, the #64 bus in Rome is nicknamed the Pickpocket Special. And the elevators at the Eiffel Tower have "Beware of Pickpockets" signs.

Woody

I disagree.... I think victims are targets... I'm sorry your neighbors got robbed but they were targeted. Here's a great website that tells you all the pickpocket tricks....

http://www.virtualtourist.com/trave...nings_or_Dangers-Paris-Pick_Pockets-BR-1.html

Some obvious things I got from the reading the stories are never stop to look at maps in a public place. Always keep your bags in front of you. Don't look like a tourist. Don't carry a lot of big bags. Keep your money in a inside pocket. Carry your purse in front of you and your backpacks. Don't bring your entire hotel room with you when you walk around. Be aware of your surroundings even when you see children. Never let your guard down. My in-laws swear by these rules. They have never been mugged.

GL...

 

[BigBlueMan]

Woody 73 and others,

I am an infrequent airline traveler and don't understand the multiple round trip ticket airfare situation and the benefits of this. If you have a few minutes to post an explanation for me I would be very grateful. Thank you!

Depending on where you are traveling to, and the cities involved, sometimes it is cheaper to buy multiple round trip tickets than an all inclusive ticket that takes you to all places.

This will vary greatly by location. For example, for the Med Cruise, I will fly out of Nashville, and intend to stay in Paris a few days after the cruise. when I pull up a 'Nashville to Barcelona to Paris to Nashville' trip, it is several thousand dollars.

Rather than do that, I plan to buy a Nashville to Paris round trip ticket, then a Paris to Barcelona round trip ticket. It will more than likely be half the cost of the other option.

Other markets may be totally different. I've heard people talking about 'Orlando to Barcelona to London to Orlando' for a fraction of what MY trip is pricing out to be. The whole thing is dependent on what cities you are visiting, what airlines go there and either THEIR flights to those cities, or their cooperation with other airlines that go into those cities.

The big advantage of multiple round trip tickets is dollar savings. The big DIS-advantage of this is that if you are taking these on the same day, you'll be responsible for getting your luggage upon arrival in the first city, then rechecking it for the second flight to the ultimate destination. You also have to worry about a delay on the first flight, as the second airline may or may not care about your travel problems oh the previous leg.

We're going to fly to Paris, spend one night at the Airport Hilton, then fly on our second ticket the following morning to Barcelona. Should ease the chance of problems, as well as allow us a day to get by some of the jet lag.

I used to fly on Southwest from Nashville to Houston, then Houston to Dallas for less than the cost of a direct flight on one of the other airlines. (I did it for the Rapid Rewards credits. Of course I once flew to Chicago one night to eat a bar-b-que to finish getting enough credits to fly my wife to the west coast that weekend! It was cheaper to buy the flight to Chicago (about a hundred bucks), than to buy HER flight which would have been 500 or so at the last minute.)

 

[Scratch42]

Ok for those that are looking to buy round trip tickets and using one way only, there was a reason for not doing this. Something about them charging you the one way price afterall, which is higher.

I'll have to do a search at a later time.

It was not recommended to book return and only use it one way.

j

 

[buck4568]

Me and my family are sailing on the Med. Cruise in June. My Question is what is the Port Called?? Also we are trying to find a car rental near or at the port because we are going to spend a couple of days in southern france. if anyone has passed this in there research let me know!

 

[Kissimmee]

What airline?

British Airways

 

[slindamood]

It is possible to have the luggage transferred even if you are travelling on two different tickets (e.g. round trip to Paris to get you to Europe and home, and another round trip ticket to Barcelona, to get you to the ship and back to Paris).

Whether your luggage can be checked all the way depends on whether the airlines have agreements. Some very budget airlines do not, hence, you have to gather your luggage and take it to the connecting airline. If they have an agreement, your first airline will check it through to the final destination.

We flew into Paris on an AA ticket bought with miles. We connected using a FinnAir ticket bought through FinnAir. We showed both tickets when we checked in at our home airport, and AA checked our luggage all the way through to Helsinki.

This worked out well because our AA flight was late into Paris. FinnAir put us on a later flight of theirs with no problem, but we had 7 hours to wait. We did not have to worry about luggage because it was checked, but what to do with 7 hours? Hopped on a train in the airport and - We went to Disneyland! Couldn't have planned it better.

 

[slindamood]

IMHO, that's easier said than done, especially on subways, trains, and busses. For example, the #64 bus in Rome is nicknamed the Pickpocket Special. And the elevators at the Eiffel Tower have "Beware of Pickpockets" signs.

I agree - you have to be very careful, carry money in a money belt, but still could be a victim. Places get very crowded, you get pushed, and whatever is not attached to you is gone.

DH was a victim on the #64 bus in Rome. And we are pretty careful. DH carries credit cards and most money in a money belt, under clothing. The day's admission money, lunch money, etc. (never over $60) is in a wallet that he keeps in his pocket, his hand over it. A choice to trade security for convenience.
The #64 is sooooo packed and the thieves are good - the person got the money but not the wallet. DH was holding onto a pole with one hand, got bumped hard, hand moved from wallet, felt pressure on his wallet, put his hand down as soon has he could and the wallet was there. Went to get money at the Colliseum, and no money in the wallet. Luckily, the big stuff was in the money belt where no one could get.

This was one time in 20 years of travel to Europe. Sure we looked and acted like Americans - we speak English to each other when travelling. And at 6'5", DH is taken for a local only in Holland and Scandinavia, not Italy or Spain.

 

[wackywexler]

Thank you Big Blue Man for the explanation. We are sailing on the westbound repo cruise so I guess the issue of the round trip vs. one way tickets will come up for us.

 

[kaseyC]

When purchasing flights be sure to check your connection times with the airports you will be connecting through. On the airports website they will usually give you the idea of the amount of time needed to make a connection. Most usually involve a change of terminals.

Also when booking in advance, remember to check and recheck your flight times. Our United flight time out of Chicago changed a few months after we purchased tickets and made our connection time in London Heathrow less than the minimum required by the airport. We called United and they put us on an earlier flight so we could keep our connection with British Airways to BCN.

For anyone considering United for some of their flights if you do not have enough Miles for a Business or First class upgrade look into their Ecomomy Plus Access - 5 inches more legroom. Believe it or not that extra leg room makes a difference. We had it for our ou going flight, luckily for our return flight our Business upgrade came through.

 

[woody73]

. . . The big advantage of multiple round trip tickets is dollar savings. The big DIS-advantage of this is that if you are taking these on the same day, you'll be responsible for getting your luggage upon arrival in the first city, then rechecking it for the second flight to the ultimate destination. You also have to worry about a delay on the first flight, as the second airline may or may not care about your travel problems oh the previous leg. . .

BigBlueMan offers sound advice. Of the many multiple round trips we have taken (listed above in post #118), only one had two flights on one day (Sevilla - Paris - L.A.).

I doubt that we would again independly book two flights on one day.

Woody

 

[woody73]

. . . we had 7 hours to wait. We did not have to worry about luggage because it was checked, but what to do with 7 hours? Hopped on a train in the airport and - We went to Disneyland! Couldn't have planned it better.

Disneyland Paris is very convenient from Charles de Gaulle airport.

Woody

 

[woody73]

. . . I agree - you have to be very careful. . .

DH was a victim on the #64 bus in Rome. And we are pretty careful. . .

The #64 is sooooo packed and the thieves are good. . .

We spent a week in Rome in March. We saw several dozens of people try to cram into the #64 bus after it was full.

So much for the advice to "never let anyone invade your personal space no matter what they do. . . and force them to stand back."

What's the saying, "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."

Woody

 

[jlawall]

Thx to all for the great suggestions!!! Soon, we will be booking our TRIP OF A LIFETIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kaseyC]

FYI, for those of us who will be sailing with our Pre-Teen DDs. In August, the Disney Channel will be showing "The Cheetah Girls 2" and the story takes place in Barcelona. I will use it as an opportunity to show my DD what DH and I saw on our trip this past May and also what she and I will be seeing in Barcelona next August.

 

[tupperny]

We are so excited. We booked airfare ($750 pp), pre-cruise apartment (a nice 2 bdrm NE of Bari Gothic) and post cruise hotel (Marriott near airport).

We searched a long time for apartments but felt that we would want to do some cooking on our own (Dinner after 9 pm wasn't for us).

We are so relieved that we are set with resers. Heard about a couple of events going on and some hotels were already booked (not the Disney ones).

Has everyone else booked their apartments/hotels? We found the www.bcninternet.com a good company to work with and they have great reviews.

Bill

 

[Skallywag]

Hi,

Glad to hear you are getting accommodation and flights sorted.

Just wonder if anyone has found any reasonable ways of getting from airport other than public transport and taxi and also to the port prior to the cruise.

It will help when we know what time we can start to assemble for boarding. Hope it is nice and early so we can spend a lot of time getting settled in before sailing.

Brenda

 

[AceFabGirlie]

Me and my family are also going on the Med. Cruise and i am so excited because that is where they shot Cheetah Girls 2!!