Med cruise with RCI-recommendations or advice?

toby2111

Hi all,
Very tempted to book a Med cruise with my girlfriend.Saw one which sails from Rome June 27th with Royal Caribbean(Navigator of the Seas) calling to Messina (Sicily), Italy; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Iraklion (Heraklion), Crete and back to Civitavecchia (Rome).Never cruised before so looking for advice.Has anyone taken this cruise before?Good or bad?Would be flying with Ryanair so is it a big trek from Ciampino to the port?Would be landing at 10.30,cruise leaving at 5pm so hopefully should have time to get bus/train.What time do they allow passengers to board ship at?Any other tips/advice greatly appreciated,thanks

Jumpy

5pm leaving means your should be there around 12-3 I think. You need to be on the ship well before it sails.
Also Civitavecchia is a distance from Rome central also.
Do all this via a travel agent under one package. If you organise the flight yourself you are not covered with the current volcano situation.
I have been on the Navigator before, its a great ship, I would recommend a balcony if you can afford it. I dont know that Route though, but I do know Civitavecchia, its a hole. It was the worst place we stopped on the cruise, very industrial.

toby2111

Thanks Jumpy,
I rang a travel agent but they were quoting me mad money for the fly/cruise option so it works out way cheaper if I piece it together myself.But youre right about the volcanic ash thing,it could ruin the whole holday.I wonder will I have enough time if plane lands at 10.30 to get to ship for say 1ish?Or should I fly in day before?
Cant really afford balcony cos we're stretched to the limit already.Are the inside cabins really small and uncomfortable?Is it better to organise shore excursions myself or let people on the ship do that?Another thing-do you really have to dress up for the formal night?Hate tuxedo's,not renting one out!!

Jumpy

toby2111 wrote: »

Thanks Jumpy,
I rang a travel agent but they were quoting me mad money for the fly/cruise option so it works out way cheaper if I piece it together myself.But youre right about the volcanic ash thing,it could ruin the whole holday.I wonder will I have enough time if plane lands at 10.30 to get to ship for say 1ish?Or should I fly in day before?
Cant really afford balcony cos we're stretched to the limit already.Are the inside cabins really small and uncomfortable?Is it better to organise shore excursions myself or let people on the ship do that?Another thing-do you really have to dress up for the formal night?Hate tuxedo's,not renting one out!!

A suit is fine for the formal night. I didnt wear a tux.
The cabins are all pretty much the same size until the Suites, its just the view that changes, but if you get an inside cabin you might get the concourse view, which if you think about the fact you are on a ship its pretty spectacular.



Dont bother with the expensive restaurants, the normal nightly one is fine, and great fun. The servers seem to be trained to be completely nuts.

I would look up the shore excursions on the website first, then pre book them if you want or buy them from the TV on board. Dont do it from the desk, there is a massive queue. Doing it yourself would be a hell of a planning job as you stop at city ports, not the city itself.
Some of the excursions will be "drop off and explore" which means they will get you into the city and let you off. Make sure you get back on time though!

toby2111

Sounds cool,thanks.I might just pre book through ships website,it may be a little more expensive than piecing it together myself but I imagine they will pick up and drop off at ship.Im still unsure as to whether I'll have enough time to collect bags at Ciampino and make my way to the port on time.Defo dont want to miss the boat!!

Jumpy

toby2111 wrote: »

Sounds cool,thanks.I might just pre book through ships website,it may be a little more expensive than piecing it together myself but I imagine they will pick up and drop off at ship.Im still unsure as to whether I'll have enough time to collect bags at Ciampino and make my way to the port on time.Defo dont want to miss the boat!!

If the ash is still an issue you should definitely book via a travel agent. We are due to go on another cruise soon and bricking it that we will miss the sail date from the ash.

toby2111

Well they're saying it could run right through the summer.Think I'll ring RCI tomorrow to find out what time I need to be at port.Any other recommendations re cruise or things to do onboard?

munstergirl

www.cruisecritic.com tells you every thing you need to know about cruise ships.
Cruise ships make lots of profit from shorex sometimes its cheaper to do it yourself.
Don't forget tips cabin steward + dining room about $10 per person per day.
You really can do a cruise cheap or expensive (its up to you) once onboard cruise lines try to get every cent of your money from souveniers, to drinks, photos, bingo.
I would recommend a cruise to everyone. You don't have to get off the ship in every port, you can just stay onboard and enjoy ship + sunbathe.

toby2111

Thanks munstergirl,
Yeh everyone I've talked to says cruising is brilliant.Has anyone here done that 7 night eastern Med cruise that I'm looking at?Are they good stop off locations?Are the ports close to the main attractions of each city?Or are they like Rome were you gotta hike for an hour or so to get into city??