Anne Nebenzahl

Cruising is a great way to take a multi-generational family vacation, and one of my favorite vacations was with my brother, my nieces and our mom. The only thing that would have made it better was if my daughter had been able to join us. 

We chose a sailing I knew everyone would love. It went from Rome to Barcelona, stopping in Florence, Genoa, Portofino, St Tropez, Aix-en-Provence, and Ibiza.

We also took the advice I give all my clients—spending several days exploring the departure and final ports of the trip. This allowed us to explore two cities in depth without adding a lot of expense to our trip.  

In both cities, as well as at several of our ports of call, I arranged for a private guide, which was no more expensive than joining a group tour. Plus, our guide was able to engage with our family and take his cues from our interests and we were not tied to following a set program. 

In Rome, we hired a private guide and avoided the crowds by arranging for a pre-opening, special-access visit to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum. At the Colosseum, our guide took us underground to see where gladiators prepared before heading out to the crowds and we had special access to areas most visitors do not see. We also had an amazing evening in Trastevere, a cool Rome neighborhood known for its great food, where our guide took us from place to place to sample different specialties and wines and then we sat down to a small dinner and wine pairing.  

In Barcelona, we hired a guide to take us on an architectural walking tour focused on Gaudi’s influence on the city. He also took us to a lovely tapas place and a wonderful shopping area with great hand-crafted jewelry, accessories, and shoes where the sophisticated locals shop.

For our cruise, I chose Oceania, which tends to spend more time in each place. I also love the way staff takes such great care of you. Somehow, without asking or hanging over you, they are right there when you want something. The line is also great for germophobes like me because even when there is a buffet, the staff serves you, so passengers are not breathing on the food or touching it. To me that is huge. And of course, the quality and variety of dining are wonderful.  

Finding the right match in terms of cruising style and interests is one of the most important services I provide for my clients. For us, Oceania was great because our family was not looking for the nightlife of a mega-ship and we wanted the emphasis on the ports. The other nice thing about cruising is that we did could each follow our own interests, both on board and in port. So while we did a lot of exploring together, we also went our separate ways at times.   

Planning a cruise? Let me find the best match for you.