I’ve blogged previously about MrandMrsMJonTravel taking a big trip to Italy this fall, including a 14-night repositioning cruise aboard the then brand new Celebrity Reflection. I say “then” because she’s still in the shipyard being constructed, and our cruise will be her third revenue sailing. Take a look at this video of her first steel cutting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_g72h6qeRc
The big logistical items for the trip are taken care of. Flights to Rome, and from Barcelona are now reserved (with miles, of course), and the cruise was booked during our big trip on Allure of the Seas in November. But this trip is more than a cruise, it’s an important birthday celebration and I want to do it right. Fortunately, I have a great travel agent I can work with on some things. But there are other trip details that I want to do on my own. I mean…how can I profess to write a travel blog if I don’t take care of it myself?! 🙂
Sounds like the making of a blogging series, so that it will be. It even gets its own category, MJonItaly. Since a big component of this trip is a 14-night cruise that originates in Venice and ends in Barcelona with several countries in between, the whole trip is about more than Italy. Frankly, I’ve never cruised on such a new ship and this will be my longest single cruise ever. I get quite a bit of traffic from travelers searching for information on cruising and individual cruise ship experiences, so I’m lead to start another category for the blog, MJonCruising. I’ll have a lot to say on all of this in the next several months. Stay tuned!
Sounds like the November 4th sailing. My wife and I are booked on that cruise. We’ve had great experiences with Celebrity. Can’t wait to see the newest member of the fleet. Got any recommendations on Venice hotels, or are you going directly to the ship from Rome? See you aboard!
@Armand We are on the same cruise! I enjoyed the Hilton Stuckey last time but it is across the Grand Canal from city center.
We will likely spend one day in Rome followed by a few in Tuscany before heading up to Venice the morning of 11/4.
Thank you MJ! 🙂
@Jenny The discounts can vary depending upon the length of the cruise and the category of the cabin being booked. In this case we were able to book an A-2 Aqua Class cabin with a $200 dollar deposit (vs $900 normally) and we received an onboard credit of $300 dollars.
Onboard credits are a typical benefit of booking onboard, and again, those vary by the category of cabin booked as well.
Hey I’m going to Italy in 3 months to spend some time in Rome, then head up to Venice and take a cruise around the Mediterranean. We rock!
What kind of discount rates are usually offered when you book a next cruise while you’re still on the ship? Thanks!