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7-Day Western Mediterranean
Please note that the posts about Barcelona, European Cruise and Paris relate to a single trip. The trip started in Barcelona where we stayed for two days prior to boarding a 7 day cruise. Following the cruise, we flew to Paris for two more days.
Tootsie’s Bottom Line:
o Type of Trip: International-Europe
o Travel Type: Cruise
o Cruise Line: Norwegian
o Cost: $800+/per person plus airfare
o Kid Friendly: 15+
o Tips: Check cruise to see if boarding is permitted in multiple ports and compare airfares to cities where cruise boards passengers
o Good to Know: Cruising allowed us to sample a variety of cities; there simply isn’t time to really get to know any one place well
Cruisin’ Europe
My daughter has always wanted to visit Italy and France become of great interest when she began studying French in middle school. She’d been asking for several years to visit Europe but as anybody knows, it’s incredibly expensive. She and I had the travel bug so I researched and researched to find economical ways to see as much as possible in a limited amount of time and on a BUDGET. The trip was still expensive but I feel like we maximized our dollars.
How to Travel: Norwegian Epic
A cruise quickly surfaced as the easiest way to visit several cities and allow us to enjoy day long tours but not be responsible for transportation between cities. We narrowed the broad range of cruises down based upon the cities we most wanted to see. In addition, both my daughter and I are vegetarians and far from foodies so we knew from the start, we’d hit the ground running in the morning and grab food on the go. A great meal would be a bonus, not a requirement!
I began searching cruise lines for the best price given the itineraries that were available. We’ve cruised to the Bahamas with Disney Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean before so we had some experience with those lines. Norwegian Cruise Lines offered the best price and allowed us to save money by boarding in Barcelona rather than Rome. We selected the 7-Day Western Mediterranean from Barcelona cruise on the Epic (link at the bottom of article). When I was booking, they were offering a discounted drink package which I added to my ticket. Of course, to keep costs to a minimum, we booked an interior room.
We boarded the Epic on a Sunday afternoon and found our room to be cozy but comfortable. The interior room was perfectly adequate for the two of us but if you’ve never cruised before, be aware that the rooms are tight. Clearly, it had been recently redesigned and our room was incredibly functional with lots of cubbies and smart storage solutions. We were at sea on Monday so we had the opportunity to explore the ship.
Food on the Epic:
There were lots of dining options on the Epic. As I said, we are not foodies so we didn’t opt to go to any of the upgraded dining options. We ate most of our dinners at The Manhattan Room and unlike the other cruise lines, there were no assigned seating time for meals. There was a vegetarian selection each night and we enjoyed our dinners very much. We ate breakfast at the Garden Cafe (buffet) most mornings. I enjoyed made to order omelets; they also served fresh fruit, waffles, eggs, cereal, pastries, etc. There’s surely something for everyone here.
We ate at O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill when we boarded the ship and one other evening. This was a big disappointment, maybe because we are vegetarians and this is more pub style food. In any case, I wouldn’t recommend.
We also got snacks and ice cream on the pool deck during the day at the Great Outdoors. A great place to grab a bite between meals or a late-night snack.
Entertainment on the Epic:
We splurged the first night and went to the Svedka Ice Bar. There was an up charge (around $20.00 per person) to go and it included two drinks per person. If you’ve never been to one, it’s worth the cost. Everything is made out of ice-literally everything! Before you enter, you’ll be given what you need to stay warm while you’re inside. My daughter is a minor so she enjoyed a creamsicle (non-alcoholic) while I sipped on a Northern Lights (SVEDKA Citron, Cointreau, and Blue Curacao). You’re only given 45 minutes inside but that’s plenty of time. You must have a reservation to enter so plan accordingly. We also enjoyed several nightly shows that served as a relaxing end to a long day on our feet.
Getting There:
Leah’s a high school student so our travel time is limited primarily to summer vacation. Luckily, schools here get out just before Memorial Day weekend. We seized the opportunity to travel then before the flights skyrocketed for the peak season. We flew in and out of Barcelona simply because it was the cheapest city from which to board our cruise.
Selecting our travel date came down to spending two days in Barcelona before our cruise or spending the same amount of money on a flight two days later. Slam dunk! We left two days earlier and used the time and money to see a little of Barcelona.
After the Cruise:
Since we saved money on other parts of our trip, we tacked two days on the end to travel to Paris. I’d booked rail tickets thinking it would be nice to see the country side; however, a rail strike forced us to re-book and fly from Barcelona to Paris. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to enjoy the train ride but we did make the most of our day in Paris. The additional cost incurred was painful but given the circumstances, we made the best of it.
Link to cruise from Barcelona:
7 Day Western Mediterranean from Barcelona