Croatia-Itinery Help Please

Old Jul 30th, 2022, 12:57 PM
  #21  
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Coral22, thank you for that tip about the cruise ships! What a great thing to know!!
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Old Jul 31st, 2022, 04:31 AM
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loves2sing,
Sure, the apartment I stayed in was Kirigin Apartments, which, as I mentioned, is a lovely 15 minute walk outside of the old town. It's on Booking.com., it's in an old villa and there are about 6 apartments to choose from. Kate, the hostess, is lovely and very helpful. I stayed in a one-bedroom with sea view and WHAT a view!! My bedroom had two windows facing the water and there was a well stocked kitchen with microwave, coffeemaker, hot plate, sink. table and mini-fridge. I only ate breakfast there and loved relaxing on the large, beautiful terrace each morning with my coffee. There are 2 mini-markets between the old town and the apartment so it's convenient to pick up snacks or whatever.

As for 7 days in Dubrovnik, there really is a lot to see and do there. Aside from the two day trips I mentioned, there are others as well, including several involving boats so you will never be bored. I'm pretty sure it was rialtogirl who recommended Perla Adriatica to me so you have two recos from Fodorites. If you book with them ask for Stefan as your guide. He is wonderful. Some of the things you can do from Split can also be done from Dubrovnik. There are also two beaches between the apartment and the old town, which should please your husband! I arrived on a Monday and boarded the boat the following Saturday. At first I thought it would be too much time in Dubrovnik b/c a lot of people say 2-3 days is sufficient, but, honestly, I could have stayed there forever. I truly LOVED every part of Croatia but Dubrovnik was my favorite. Part of it was that I loved my apartment so much, the weather was glorious, and the old town was so interesting. There were a number of evening concerts when I was there. Oh, and did I mention the food?? This is true for all of Croatia but the fresh fish was to die for! I had it every day.

You could probably use two days in Split but in one day you can see Diocletian's palace and the old town, have dinner and relax on the waterfront. Actually, the cruise arrives in Split on Friday afternoon but you don't disembark until Saturday morning. On Friday afternoon we had a tour of Diocletian's palace and the old town and there was plenty of time to explore further, have dinner, etc. You disembark early Saturday morning. Would you be there Saturday night as well, or are you departing Saturday? If it's the former, I think that is more than enough time in Split. If it's the latter, I think you will still have enough time to see the highlights. So I guess you need to decide.
The Croatian people are wonderful, the scenery is glorious everywhere you look and it's just a wonderful place to vacation. LMK if you have any more questions.

Last edited by panecott; Jul 31st, 2022 at 04:40 AM.
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Old Jul 31st, 2022, 07:04 AM
  #23  
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pannecott - I did see that on the last full day of the cruise, Friday, they tour you though Split in the morning, and then you have the rest of the time on your own, and still sleep on the boat that night. AND, our flight doesn't depart until Sunday morning so we'd have all of Saturday to spend the day in Split. So I think this can work out

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Old Jul 31st, 2022, 09:37 AM
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Panecott - After seeing the palace in Split on Friday...walking around, dinner out in the evening, and sleeping on the boat....would you suggest we spend our last day/night, Saturday, in Split also? This would require getting up and out pretty early in the morning for our 8:30am flight out of Split. OR, would you suggest we depart the boat Saturday morning and go to Trogir for our last day/night instead? This would have us much closer to the airport for the early morning flight out.
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Old Jul 31st, 2022, 02:57 PM
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loves2sing,
It's true that the airport is much closer to Trogir so you might have a plan there in spending the night. If you decide to do that you could probably spend the morning in Split and go to Trogir in the afternoon, which will give you plenty of time there. I went in the afternoon, wandered around, had a nice dinner and even happened upon a wedding in one of the squares where they were singing and dancing and I just stayed and watched. Great fun. I got back to Split in time to see an opera at the National Theater that evening. BTW, if that interests you, that might be a factor in your decision as to where to spend your last night. Either way, I think you can't go wrong.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2022, 09:58 AM
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Okay, so I've refined my Itinerary a bit. All parties have agreed to it, even the husbands, lol. The only things left are to determine where to stay in Mostar, Trogir, and what the best rental car place is near the port. In Mostar, what is more important in that area? The location? A place with a great view? Any recommendations? And in Trogir, should we plan to stay in the old town or is the island across the bridge better for one night? Any recommendations? And when I say better/important, I'm talking ambience, charm, convenience to restaurants, shops, etc.

Friday, May 12 - Fly from Southern California to SFO to meet up with our friends
Saturday, May 13 - Fly SFO-JFK-MAD-DBV

AirBnB in DUBROVNIK - 5 nights
Sunday, May 14 - Arrive 2:50pm, Taxi to AirBnB
Monday, May 15- Mostly recover from jet lag, maybe a beach day? (Cruise ships in port)
Tuesday, May 16 - Visit Old Town (NO Cruise ships in port), Dinner in Old Town
Wednesday, May 17 - Maybe Kayak? Ride the cable car? (Cruise ships in port again)
Thursday, May 18 - Pick up Rental Car, Day trip to Kotor Montenegro area

MOSTAR, BOSNIA - 1 night
Friday, May 19 - Drive to Mostar, Bosnia (stay overnight)

BOAT CRUISE - 7 nights
Saturday, May 20 - Drive back from Mostar, stopping in a couple of places along the way (TBD), Turn Car in at port late afternoon, Board Cruise around 5pm, Dinner and overnight on boat in Dubrovnik
Sunday, May 21 - Slano
Monday, May 22 - Mljet/Korcula
Tuesday, May 23 - Vis
Wednesday, May 24 - Bisevo/Hvar
Thursday, May 25 - Bol/Pucisca
Friday, May 26 - Omis/Split

HOTEL IN TROGIR - 1 night
Saturday, May 27 - Off boat by 9am, Taxi to Trogir
Sunday, May 28 - Flight Home 8:35am
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Old Aug 4th, 2022, 06:44 AM
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loves2sing,
Well, I see you have decided to take the cruise! I think it's a great decision and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Are you going on the Splendid or did you choose another yacht?

Your trip looks very similar to mine, with a few differences. I can't comment on places to stay in Mostar or Trogir b/c I did only day trips there but both towns are pretty small so location should not be a big factor.

I will say that Mostar was the most crowded of all the places I visited, with literally wall to wall people on the main street in the early afternoon walking to the bridge and crossing it. No cruise ship crowds b/c it's inland but loads of buses so bear that in mind. I stopped for lunch and it was less crowded on the way back to the bus so I suppose it calms down when all the day trippers - like me - have left.
When you drive to Mostar be sure to stop at Kravice Falls. There is a nice hike down to the falls and you can even go in the water if you like. And when you go to Montenegro be sure to stop in Perast and take the little boat ride to the island.
I think I can guess your logic in leaving your overnight in Mostar to the end and I'm sure everything will work out fine but bear in mind that you are driving on a weekend. We breezed through customs on both of my day trips in both directions but I have no idea what weekends are like so you just might want to give that some thought. The van driver warned us that you never know what the borders will be like but we lucked out. I'm not trying to instill dread in you but just so you know.
I think there are other posters who have done it more than I have so maybe they will weigh in.

Last edited by panecott; Aug 4th, 2022 at 06:57 AM.
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Old Aug 4th, 2022, 07:31 AM
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Thank you, the border crossing is something we will definitely take into consideration. We cross the Mexico border often and we know the dread of the 3 hour wait, lol. But fortunately the boat is still in Dubrovnik that night and we can get on whenever we get there. And yes, we decided on the Splendid, price was much more reasonable than what I had seen and it looks like a perfect way to see and experience more. Thank you so much for all your help!
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Old Aug 4th, 2022, 08:03 AM
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That's great you found a cruise that worked in your time frame.
For Trogir, I prefer the old town, but if you are very close to the bridge in Ciovo, it is easily walkable.
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Old Aug 4th, 2022, 09:43 AM
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Yorkshire, this was the last thing I was holding out on, hoping to hear from someone about the location....so thank you!
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Old Aug 6th, 2022, 08:53 AM
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Hope you have a wonderful trip, Loves2sing. If you have any more questions between now and then, ask away. And now you have almost a whole year to look forward to it.
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Old Aug 10th, 2022, 09:33 AM
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Hi Panecott, I'm about to book the cruise. Is there anything I should consider when booking? Are any of the rooms worth the upgraded cost? How much should I expect to tip at the end? Are the drinks expensive on the boat? Did you do the Blue Grotto or any of the other additional excursions?
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Old Aug 14th, 2022, 06:39 AM
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Loves2sing, I was on the main deck and my cabin was the first one in the bow on the starboard side. I had a nice sized bathroom with a bigger shower than some of the others. (I boarded early and the bartender gave me a little tour, altho' the cabins are pre-assigned. The cabins on the main deck were all similar but my bathroom was slightly bigger, which was nice.) I liked that my cabin had two windows in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. I preferred that to one of the inside cabins on the lower deck that had only portholes. For me, it was worth the price difference but a family of 4 who had 2 cabins on the lower deck said they were fine. So, it's your choice. Because there were only 9 of us on a boat that held 32, I'm pretty certain no one was on the upper deck, although I'm not sure if there's a price difference between it and the main deck or if there is any difference in cabin size, altho' I suspect the cabins are the same as the main deck. For me the main deck was perfect.

We didn't do the Blue Grotto b/c that was the one day when the water was too rough. I'm not wild about boats in caves so I might not have done it anyway, altho' years ago I did the Blue Grotto in Capri. You might enjoy it. On the last day, Friday, there was an optional tour to Krka National Park but everyone opted out of it b/c it would have been very hectic with the tour of the town and the palace. I did Krka on one of my days in Split. It was a lovely excursion but since you have only limited time there, you should probably skip it. And as I suggested above, when you go to Mostar, you should stop at Kravice Falls. It's smaller than Krka but will at least give you a nice taste of the waterfalls.

There is some literature in the drawer in the nightstand that suggests what to give for tips. If I recall, it was around 200-225 Eu pp, split between the crew (one envelope) and the cruise director (one envelope), with the cruise director getting more. You might want to ask when you book how the tips should be divided, just to be sure. I also gave a little extra to our bartender, Matteo, who was also our server at lunch and breakfast and was at our disposal all day, every day for drinks, etc. He was wonderful and a beautiful, charming, friendly young man. I hope you have the same crew b/c they were great. The cruise directors rotate from week to week but I hope you get Bernarda. She is the female equivalent of Matteo! I drank only wine and I think a glass was pretty reasonable.
You should know that Croatia is currently on the Kuna but is expected to switch to the Euro in January 2023.

I hope this helps. Any other questions, ask away! I love reliving my trip.



Last edited by panecott; Aug 14th, 2022 at 06:44 AM.
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Old Aug 16th, 2022, 07:38 AM
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One more thing, loves2sing. I did the van tour of the island in Vis. In fact we all did and it was quite nice. It went to several vantage points on the island and a wine tasting at a nice vineyard at the end and there was still time for exploring and dinner on your own. I climbed to the castle in Hvar and to the castle/tower on the last day in the final stop before Split. Can't recall the name, starts with an "O". That was beautiful with wonderful views. On the walk up to the castle in Hvar there was a wonderful family owned restaurant that served only Croatian specialties. On the way up they were giving out samples of the best prosciutto I've ever tasted. Some of us stopped there for dinner on the way back. If you're interested I'll try to find the name.
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Old Aug 16th, 2022, 01:38 PM
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Panecott, maybe the town that starts with an O is Omiš?
and that restaurant in Hvar could be Konoba Menego.
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Old Aug 16th, 2022, 05:59 PM
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Yes, rialtogirl, you are right on both counts. Thank you!
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