We didn't book any shore excursions through NCL. We've been to Rome before, so we knew the ease of walking to the inexpensive train to get into town. And we had done some homework, so we got off at San Pietro Station to visit the Vatican and then the metro to see more of Rome. Back to the train station to get back in time - don't want to get left behind, for sure. 


Rome (Civitavecchia)

Still under the influence of norovirus, we stayed in Piraeus, walked around a little, and didn't even do any shopping. Fortunately, we had previously toured Athens, so didn't mind the short day. 


Athens (Piraeus)

We had booked a private excursion with 4 other couples to tour Ephesus and the Terrace Houses. It was a wonderful experience and shouldn't be missed. I wish I could remember the name of the provider, since our guide was so knowledgeable and taught us a great deal about the lives of the ancient Romans and also about modern day Turkey. The tour ended with a stop at a rug manufacturer because one of the couples wanted to purchase a Turkish rug. That caused us to hurry back to the ship but didn't spoil the day. 


Izmir

Our ship was delayed for 4 hours because the port was fogged in. 
Our private tour guide was waiting for us and whisked us away to Cairo and Giza as quickly as possible. Ramses Tours was all you could ask, and I highly recommend them. Our guide, Hanni, and driver, Hussein, treated us like wealthy family members. There are not enough words to describe the experience of Egypt. On one hand there is the fantastic history of this nation: the pyramids, Sphinx, statues, some of which were built 5000 years ago. But the modern life of Egypt is truly an experience of a third world country. Picture Cairo, city of 19 million inhabitants, with not one stop light. Picture the latest in American vehicles zooming past dead horses and water buffaloes on the sidewalk. Picture a mix of Eastern and Western apparel, without any discernible pattern. Let's not talk about the dust, smog, pollution. What an experience and especially rewarding because of Ramses Tours and staying at the Oberoi Mena House, looking out at the pyramids. 


Alexandria

The surprise of the cruise! 
What a wonderful, urbane, gentile and hospitable city is Valletta. And so historic, too. Everyone was helpful, pleasant, welcoming. 
We took a city bus in the rain to the city center, at a cost of 1 Euro apiece, round-trip. We shopped and toured 'til we dropped. And then we were pleasantly surprised with a tour guide on the famous Malta city bus on the return trip, pointing out all the statues, trees, buildings, fountains, and carvings! 
This port really made our trip - even though Egypt was our reason for booking this cruise. (Because it completed our goal of visiting the 7 continents.) 


Malta (Valletta)

Treated very well by NCL as far as transfers to/from ship/hotel/airport. We stayed at the Hotel Montblanc. We had selected it because of its proximity to everything and weren't disappointed. We walked everywhere. Our room was unspectacular, but the lobby was lovely with free wi-fi and a good bar. The city was most enjoyable, especially Las Ramblas and its living statues. We didn't experience the danger from pickpockets that we expected, but we did experience a costly lunch ($75). 


Barcelona

We enjoyed our cabin.  Large enough space to make us both happy, and the balcony was lovely.  Plenty of storage space.

Let us give you the good, the bad, and the ugly from this cruise.To summarize, lots of good but some bad news on this NCL cruise.

Norwegian Jade Review

Cairo and Malta on the same cruise - don't miss it!

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Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony

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