Trip Report: Europe 7-Day Mediterranean Cruise

Disclaimer: Be advised that these are boring pictures about places taken in sequence. Please view in Slideshow mode and then change the Play speed option to “superfast” to go through the pictures quickly. Best viewed using a web browser.

20150522-EuropeCruise-Day01-AustinDeparture
20150523-EuropeCruise-Day02-BarcelonaSpainArrival
20150524-EuropeCruise-Day03-BarcelonaSpain
20150525-EuropeCruise-Day04-NorwegianCruiseAtSea
20150526-EuropeCruise-Day05-NaplesItaly
20150527-EuropeCruise-Day06-RomeItaly
20150528-EuropeCruise-Day07-FlorencePisaItaly
20150529-EuropeCruise-Day08-CannesFrance
20150530-EuropeCruise-Day09-PalmaMajorcaSpain
20150531-EuropeCruise-Day10-BarcelonaSpain
20150601-EuropeCruise-Day11-AustinArrival

https://blindcaveman.shutterfly.com

Statistics:
No. of countries visited: 4, Canada, Spain, Italy, France
No. of places visited: too many [I lost count, see picture album below]
No. of miles walked: too many
No. of pictures taken: ~5000, [Camera: Nikon D300s dSLR, 18 to 200mm lens, 8GB SDCard]
No. of espresso cups consumed: 10 cups
No. of days spent on indoor cycling trainer: 5 Days, Daily onboard the Norwegian Epic
No. of miles accumulated on indoor cycling trainer: 78 miles
No. of “unhealthy” breakfast: 6, with the same number of bacons (5 slices), a sausage, a French toast bread, an omelet, 2 cups orange juice and a cup of coffee
No. of megabytes of data consumed on AT&T Passport Roaming: 297MB [$60.00 for 300MB international data roaming]
No. of .pdf books completed in 10 days: 2 [Living and Loving after Betrayal and Gifts of Imperfection]
No. of book summaries completed: 1 [Gifts of Imperfection]
No. of Pinoy crews on board Norwegian Epic: 60% [it feels like the ship was ran by Pinoys]
Cost of Plane Ticket to Barcelona Round Trip: $1,516.00/person
Cost of Cruise Ticket Norwegian Epic: $728/person
Cost of Cruising Excursion: $505.00/person
Cost of Hotel at Barcelona, Day2: $214.00/night
Cost of Hotel at Barcelona, Day10: $317.00/night
Cost of Bus Turistic Tour in Barcelona: E27.00/person
Amount of euros spent: ~700
Amount of dollars spent: ~200
No. of unfortunate events: 0
No. of material losses: 0
No. of accidents: 0
No of fearful incidents like pickpockets, mugging, robbery: 0
No. of delays at the Airport: 0
No. of lost luggage: 0
No. of vacation days off-wife: 13
No. of vacation days off-husband: 15
Age of husband: 48
Age of wife: 47
Age of daughter: 23
Age of son: 19
Overall satisfaction rating: 10 [highest]

Q&A:
Q1. How many people travelling? Ans. 4
Q2. Will you do it again? Ans. No, this is a once in a lifetime experience.
Q3. Will you recommend this vacation to friends and family? Ans. Absolutely.
Q4. Is the cost worth it? Ans. Absolutely, every penny.
Q5. Are the land excursions necessary? Ans. Yes, because it is an organized tour and you have a tour guide to tell you important information regarding the place.
Q6. Is this trip suitable for younger children? Ans. No, because they don’t have the full concept of world history and will not enjoy looking at “historic” places.  Also, there are a lot of walking everyday.
Q7. Can I travel alone? Ans. Yes, but you won’t have anybody to share with your daily experiences.  Travel with your spouse and grown up children.
Q8. Shall I wait for my retirement to visit Europe? Ans. You can, but make sure you are still physically fit to walk so many miles per day during the land excursions. 
Q9. Will you travel to Europe again? Ans. Yes, but not on a cruise ship.
Q10. Is vacation planning and organizing really needed? Ans. Yes, if you want peace of mind.  This vacation really went well because we spent time planning and organizing it. 

Kudos to my loving wife [Britta] for organizing and booking the trip. 

Lessons Learned/Recommendations:
1. Plan the vacation ahead of time, suggesting 10-12 months planning to save money for the vacation.
2. Book the cruise ticket 3 months prior. Use the Norwegian Cruise Line website
3. Book the plane ticket 3 months prior. Use Expedia.com
4. Book the hotel room 3 months prior.
5. Book the excursion trips 2 months prior [don’t try to save money, you will need to have a land excursion or else it will be hard for you to get one on every port]
6. Get an International data roaming plan. [the roaming data plan was useful in google maps, without it, it’s hard to navigate international cities]
7. Bring a laptop to download/store/organize your pictures daily.
8. Bring a dSLR camera.  The smartphone camera is not good enough for quick and fast shots.
9. Buy/Bring a European Style convenience outlet adapter. European Outlet
10. Buy/Bring a multiple ac outlet converter if you are traveling with families. Wall Station Outlet/Charging
11. Pack for 10 days only.  Don’t over/under pack.
12. Use Google Picasa application to organize your picture daily. [I repeat, do the photo organizing daily]
13. Create a picture folder in your computer in advance to store your pictures. Use the folder naming convention and script below.
14. Put your smartphone on “Airplane Mode” when at sea.
15. Bring a cycling shorts, running shoes and dri-fit shirts.
16. Workout everyday after each land excursions right before dinner.
17. Bring a handy earbud/headphone.
18. Setup Spotify for Offline Playlist.
19. Book a stateroom with “balcony”.  It’s nice to watch the horizon in your private balcony or reading a book and listening to music.
20. Book “ultimate dining”, it’s a little expensive but plenty of dinner choices every night.

Day Summary:
Day01, Friday, May 22, 2015, Departs Austin Bergstrom 8:15am for Barcelona, Spain
Day02, Saturday, May 23, 2015, Arrival 8:50am +1Day, Barcelona, Spain
Day03, Sunday, May 24, 2015, Boarding Norwegian Epic
Day04, Monday, May 25, 2015, At Sea, Norwegian Epic
Day05, Tuesday, May 26, 2015, Port: Naples Tour Duration: 8 hours, Pompeii, Sorrento & Positano View
Day06, Wednesday, May 27, 2015, Civitavecchia (Rome) Tour Duration: 8 hours, Vatican Visit and Rome Highlights
Day07, Thursday, May 28, 2015, Port: Livorno Tour Duration: 8½ hours, Picturesque Pisa and Famous Florence
Day08, Friday, May 29, 2015, Port: Cannes Tour Duration: 7 hours, Monaco, Montecarlo and Eze
Day09, Saturday, May 30, 2015, Port: Palma de Mallorca Tour Duration: 4 hours, Valldemossa – Deia – Soller
Day10, Sunday, May 31, 2015, Disembark Norwegican Epic. 1 Day Barcelona Hotel
Day11, Monday, June 01, 2015, Departs Barcelona 10:50am
Day12, Tuesday, June 01, 2015, Back in Round Rock, TX, USA 8:36pm

 

Flight Plan:
Austin Bergstrom International Airport
Houston George Bush International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport

Port of Call:
1. Barcelona, Spain [Start]
2. Naples, Italy
3. Civitavecchia, Italy
4. Livorno, France
5. Cannes, France
6. Palma de Mallorca, Spain
7. Barcelona, Spain [End]

 

Pictures:
20150522-EuropeCruise-Day01-AustinDeparture
20150523-EuropeCruise-Day02-BarcelonaSpainArrival
20150524-EuropeCruise-Day03-BarcelonaSpain
20150525-EuropeCruise-Day04-NorwegianCruiseAtSea
20150526-EuropeCruise-Day05-NaplesItaly
20150527-EuropeCruise-Day06-RomeItaly
20150528-EuropeCruise-Day07-FlorencePisaItaly
20150529-EuropeCruise-Day08-CannesFrance
20150530-EuropeCruise-Day09-PalmaMajorcaSpain
20150531-EuropeCruise-Day10-BarcelonaSpain
20150601-EuropeCruise-Day11-AustinArrival
20150602-YardConditionPostVacation

Dropbox Photo Albums [with family members]

Resources:
http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/epic
http://www.cruisingexcursions.com/
https://www.barcelonabusturistic.cat/en/home 
http://www.expedia.com/Barcelona-Hotels.d179992.Travel-Guide-Hotels
http://www.expedia.com/Flights
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/international/roaming.html 

 

20150101-EuropeCruise-Preparation
Pre-Vacation Checklist
Turn off Merril Edge Investment in January 2015
Turn off ETrade Auto Investment in January 2015
Purchase Cruise Ticket
Purchase Airline Ticket
Purchase Excursion Ticket
USPS Mail Hold
Get/Convert $1000.00 to Euros for pocket money
Get $500.00 for pocket money

20150522-EuropeCruise-Day01-AustinDeparture
Call Bank of America Credit Card – Europe Travel advise- Europe
Turn off Toilet Water Input
Set AC to 80 degrees
Pack for 10 Days
Leave Round Rock at 0400
Drop off car at Parking Garage outside Austin Bergstrom [Fast Park @ $9.00/day]
Austin to Houston flight
Houston to Toronto flight
Toronto to Barcelona flight
 
20150523-EuropeCruise-Day02-BarcelonaSpainArrival
Get Hotel, Hotel Victoria Palace
See Barcelona City on foot
 
20150524-EuropeCruise-Day03-BarcelonaSpain
More Barcelona sight seeing
 
20150525-EuropeCruise-Day04-NorwegianCruiseAtSea
1 hour indoor cycling
Rest

20150526-EuropeCruise-Day05-NaplesItaly
Visit Naples
Visit Pompeii
Visit Sorento
1 hour indoor cycling

20150527-EuropeCruise-Day06-RomeItaly
Visit Rome
Visit Vatican
1 hour indoor cycling

20150528-EuropeCruise-Day07-FlorencePisaItaly
Visit Florence
Visit Pisa
1 hour indoor cycling

20150529-EuropeCruise-Day08-CannesFrance
Visit Monaco
Visit Montecarlo
Visit Eze
1 hour indoor cycling

20150530-EuropeCruise-Day09-PalmaMajorcaSpain
Visit Valdemossa
Visit Deia
Visit Soler
1 hour indoor cycling
 
20150531-EuropeCruise-Day10-BarcelonaSpain
Pack everything
Disembark Norwegian Epic
Get Hotel, Hotel Regina
Tour Barcelona City – Bus Turistic
 
20150601-EuropeCruise-Day11-AustinArrival
Get mails
Turn on washing machine main shutoff valves
Set AC to 75 degrees
Turn on bathroom1 water
Turn on bathroom2 water
Check perimeter for broken windows
Check/boot up Windows server
Turn on Cable boxes
Unpack backpacks
Check Bank of America account
Call Bank of America Credit to turn off Europe travel advisory
Check Fidelity account
Check ETrade account
Check Merrill Edge account
Execute laundry
Mow yard
Buy Ryobi 40v Edge Trimmer
Check gmail
Check calendar
Upload pictures
Sort pictures for final publishing
Sort pictures and remove “people” [places only]
Post picture to Google Picasa
Turn on Auto Investing-Etrade
Turn on Auto investing –Merrill Edge
Fix Rear Carbon Wheel Ticking noise
Resume Long Distance Swimming Training
Resume Long Distance Cycling Training

My 7-Day Packing List
4 long pants
2 short pants
7 T-Shirt
7 UW
7 Socks
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
QTips
Deodorant
Lotion
Flashlight
Knife
Compass
Medicine Kit
Computer Kit
Camera Kit
Phone Kit
Tool Kit
Swimming Kit
Charging Kit

 

Europe Cruise Excursion Itinerary
Tour: Essential Collection – Pompeii, Sorrento & Positano View
Port: Naples Tour Duration: 8 hours
Tour Date: 26 May 2015
Tour Meet Time (Local Shore Time Not Ship Time): 8:30 am
Contact Telephone Number: (0039) 3662712674
Emergency Contact Telephone Number: +44 1543 547 110
Booking Reference Number: C54990
Tour: Essential Collection – Pompeii, Sorrento & Positano View
Tour Date: 26 May 2015

Tour: Essential Collection – Vatican Visit and Rome Highlights
Port: Civitavecchia (Rome) Tour Duration: 8 hours
Tour Date: 27 May 2015
Tour Meet Time (Local Shore Time Not Ship Time): 7:30 am
Contact Telephone Number: 0039 3895 133 198
Emergency Contact Telephone Number: +44 1543 547 110
Booking Reference Number: C54990
Tour: Essential Collection – Vatican Visit and Rome Highlights
Tour Date: 27 May 2015

Tour: Essential Collection- Picturesque Pisa and Famous Florence
Port: Livorno Tour Duration: 8½ hours
Tour Date: 28 May 2015
Tour Meet Time (Local Shore Time Not Ship Time): 8:15 am
Contact Telephone Number: 0039 329 270 9203 or 0039 327 702 3820
Emergency Contact Telephone Number: +44 1543 547 110
Booking Reference Number: C54990
Tour: Essential Collection- Picturesque Pisa and Famous Florence
Tour Date: 28 May 2015

Tour: Essential Collection – Monaco, Montecarlo and Eze
Port: Cannes Tour Duration: 7 hours
Tour Date: 29 May 2015
Tour Meet Time (Local Shore Time Not Ship Time): 9:00 am
Contact Telephone Number: +44 1543 547 110
Emergency Contact Telephone Number: +44 1543 547 110

Tour: Essential Collection – Valldemossa – Deia – Soller
Port: Palma de Mallorca Tour Duration: 4 hours
Tour Date: 30 May 2015
Tour Meet Time (Local Shore Time Not Ship Time): 2:30 pm
Contact Telephone Number: (0044) 300 678 0380
Emergency Contact Telephone Number: +44 1543 547 110

“mkdir.cmd” script to create folders for pictures
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MKDIR 20150523-EuropeCruise-Day02-BarcelonaSpainArrival
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MKDIR 20150526-EuropeCruise-Day05-NaplesItaly
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MKDIR 20150528-EuropeCruise-Day07-FlorencePisaItaly
MKDIR 20150529-EuropeCruise-Day08-CannesFrance
MKDIR 20150530-EuropeCruise-Day09-PalmaMajorcaSpain
MKDIR 20150531-EuropeCruise-Day10-BarcelonaSpain
MKDIR 20150501-EuropeCruise-Day11-AustinArrival

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