!!!Bienvenidos A Bordo!!!
In and around Europe
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It was supposed to be a simple, month and a half trip to Spain but my aunts decided that we go cruisin for 7 days.
They got a bargain with a travel agent, 299 euros plus tax, discounted on the 3rd and 4th person. great deal, huh? problem is, since the cruise starts in Spain and it's owned by a Spanish company, the tour itself is in Spanish.
We learned (and maybe this will help you out!) that:
- It'll be cheaper if you'll book for a cruise probably a week before the cruise itself on a non-peak season. We left probably around last week of June.
- The less passengers they'll have, the cheaper the tickets you'll get. They want to fill the ship with passengers or there'll be a lot of resources wasted (fuel, energy, etc). The ship was for 300 persons. It was only filled with around 110 people. The staff to passenger ratio was almost 1:1.
faye and aunt mitch during the cocktails with the captain
see all photos » - Romance? yes it is really romantic if you are on a cruise. The more, the merrier and it'll be cheaper.. remember, discounts on the 3rd and 4th heads.
- Nightly shows - dance performances, singers and magic shows. Different themes and really talented performers.
- Games for kids and kids at heart in the afternoons.
- Free dance lessons.
- Food carving lessons.
- Food - this is not a food-themed trip but either you'll have sit-down dinners or buffets, plus afternoon teas, morning snacks, midnight snacks. Lots of food. You'll have to buy your drinks separately though.
The ladies during the cocktails
see all photos » - No tipping rule.
- Meeting different people from all walks of life and different parts of the world (fellow passengers, crew members, tourists on land)
- Traveling to different countries in just a week
- Choices of group tours before docking on a certain place.
- Learning a lot from different historical places
- A LOT of snapshots
During the cruise, we met a lot of Filipinos who were working in the ship. The Filipino crew made our stay really pleasurable and I think, we enjoyed it more than the other guests did!
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Photos to be added soon.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Maya24
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1
Malaga to Valencia
Craig drove us from Estepona to Malaga where we boarded our train. An 8-hr train ride that will lead us to Valencia.
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2
Meeting the Ocean Countess
From the train station, we took a cab with a friendly driver who knew the place well. He brought us to the port where the ship was docked.
O... Continue reading »
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3
Stuck at Tunis :(
Well, June 21 was just a whole day voyage at sea.
From Valencia, we sailed to Tunisia. Unfortunately, I didn't have a visa, so I didn't risk... Continue reading »
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4
Hiking
From Tunisia, we cruised to Messina, Italy, passing by the active volcano Mt. Stromboli.
When we got to Messina, we took the bus which... Continue reading »
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5
Rome and Vatican
Our ship docked at Civitavecchia in Italy where my uncle was waiting for us.
Instead of purchasing the group tour offered by the ship, we opt... Continue reading »
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6
One of my favorite places: Florence
We got to Florence via Livorno. At first, I thought it would be boring, but it proved me wrong. There are some places which I didn't know exis... Continue reading » -
7
Ala-Bonaparte
We got to Corsica (France) via Ajaccio.
It was a quiet Sunday where there was a market setup near the port. Instead of taking the tour (museu... Continue reading »
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