zooma

On 9/29/2019 at 4:45 PM, Norwich Cruiser said:

Cruised on ROTS the past three years.

Returned home yesterday from a fantastic B2B on Rhapsody if you need any up to date information.

Lucky... B2B! Glad to hear you enjoyed and I may well hit you up as our trip gets closer!

On 9/29/2019 at 12:32 PM, SConnolly said:

 

Shout with questions, will try to help.     

 

All excellent info -- thank you so much! Can't wait for this trip!

20 hours ago, livylotte said:

We had no problem getting off and there were no queues for tender or cable.  Getting back on board we boarded early to avoid the queue.  Again no waiting. 

Do you recall approximately what time you headed back to the cable car to return to the ship?

16 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

In my 25+ years of cruising, I've never used Air2Sea or whatever it used to be called.

 

But I'm wondering if they're worth checking out for my trip to Europe next year.    Right now my dates aren't open yet, but the ones just prior to my dates are insanely high, like 3 times what I would normally pay.    

 

I'm assuming Air2Sea won't be much different but maybe just maybe I can stumble upon something cheaper through them.

We also have never before used Air2Sea (and I am the skeptical type who almost always just books directly through airlines), but we were able to find (imho) nice business class fares on flights to Italy when we took a look a few weeks ago. Much better than going via airlines. Will keep watching, of course, but I guess there's something to this group booking thing....

@bayareacruiser6 -- Thank you for all that info, and nice photo!

1 hour ago, mslaabs said:

I found flights that were not available on Air2Ses website, but I called and the rep was able to book the flights for me. She did say flights had to meet certain criteria before they could book it (for my cruise, flights had to depart The port city after noon). So if you don’t see a flight you want, it’s worth a phone call to see if rep can book for you.


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This is good to know -- thanks. Did you book with one of the airlines that Air2Sea was showing other flights for, or a wholly separate airline?

12 hours ago, bayareacruiser6 said:

I just returned from the July 13 sailing out of Venice.  Cabin 8000 was very comfortable. There were 4 of us, 2 adult women and 2 teen aged girls.  It was very nice to have two bathrooms.  The decor is dated, the photos that I've seen before are accurate, but the amount of space in this cabin is wonderful, and the beds were quite comfortable.

 

This cabin gets full suite benefits, access to the concierge lounge, breakfast in chops, access to galley, bridge and theater tours.  If you have "my time" dining in the main dining room there is a separate line for guests with gold sea pass cards.

On the last day the suite guests gathered in Chops and the concierge Alan escorted us off the ship as soon as we had cleared customs around 7:30 and directed us right to our luggage.

Hope you had a great cruise! Do you mind saying whether you took advantage of any of those special tours and, if so, how were they? Also, how crowded was the concierge lounge during happy hour? And did you have priority tenders at any ports and, if so, were they particularly advantageous?

19 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

On Rhapsody the Deck 8 JS corners are 8096 and 8596

 

I got 8596. 

And we'll be in 8096, prob a few weeks before you 🙂

I've been to Italy five or six times (only once via a cruise) and never tire of it!  So so much to experience and see and ... eat!  If  you're going all the way over there, I think you're going to want to hit at least some of the must-sees in that amazing country.

That being said, we love that Rhapsody Croatia/Greece itinerary and are planning on it for next summer ourselves. If you really have the time/means to do Italy plus the cruise, I second (or third) the idea of starting your trip in Rome. Fly directly there (might even be less expensive than flight to Venice), spend 2 days seeing the main sights and start in on all that yummy pasta. Easy train ride to Florence, which is beautiful and easily walkable . . . with scrumptious gelato spots. Spend at least a night or two there if you can before heading to the wedding. The Tuscan countryside will be a perfect counterpart to the few busy days prior. If you eat meat, be sure to enjoy some Bistecca alla Florentine while you're amongst all those gorgeous vineyards. Then, as you're thinking, head on up to Venice via train and take in the wonder that is that incredible city. (Note: imho, food is not the highlight there, though we really loved our cicchetti food tour.) And then hop on Rhapsody to cruise the Adriatic! What an awesome combo trip that would be.

This would give you a great little taste of some of the main cities in Italy and likely will whet your appetite for a return trip (sorry -- not meaning to plan out your future vacations for you 🙂). Maybe then you can go explore the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, other parts of Tuscany, eg Siena, and (only if you must) that tower in Pisa). And, because you will already have seen the main sights in Rome and Florence, you can just wander and enjoy those places in a less-touristy and less-hectic manner. Alternatively, since you'll probably be hooked on Mediterranean cruises at that point, you could do your next one in and out of Barcelona, making your way all the way over to Rome, still being able to get in more Italy along the way but, again, not feeling like you've got to cram things into single-day port excursions.

We personally have found that there have been several opportunities to visit Italy over the years (not all of them feasible) -- whether it's weddings or family trips or cruise stops or kids studying abroad -- and we hope to continue with those in the future, whereas Croatia/Montenegro/Greece (again, for us) are a little less mainstream and likely will not be done as often (though we are looking at our cruise as a precursor to more Croatia later). If you are able to swing the "Intro to Italy" plus the more "exotic" cruise, go for it! Looking forward to reading about what you decide.

18 hours ago, Artemis908 said:

Just an FYI - I wasn't able to access my flight/choose seats until I paid for my cruise in full. Then I was able to do everything through the airline's website when Air2Sea provided a reservation locator number. Not sure if this is true for all flights or not. 

We were given an airline record locator number as soon as we booked with Air2Sea (before having made any real payment). With that, it was easy to find our reservation directly on Delta's website and choose seats/meals, etc.

As mentioned above, here is a Recent thread re Rhapsody out of Venice.

We had questions similar to yours and, after some due diligence, went ahead and booked our cruise! Very excited about it and have gleaned lots of helpful info re ship, ports, excursions, etc. by doing some searching on these boards.

When searching for an outside TA to use for your cruise, I'd suggest interviewing them up front and asking if they've got experience with such reunion group reservations and, as others have said, nailing down what they can do for you. We recently went on a family reunion cruise, and the TA that many in the group used was entirely unhelpful with regard to group dining, etc. I handled that myself through phone calls directly with RC beforehand and then a couple of logistics conversations with very helpful MDR manager and Specialty Dining restaurants immediately upon boarding. 

Also, one of the most fun group activities we did was the Escape Room. That and an adult dinner at Wonderland. Oh and Silent Disco 🙂 (Not sure which ship you're thinking of going on, but these were on Anthem.)

Bus might be cheaper, but the $7pp minibus/shuttle "assist" up and down that hill at Horseshoe Beach might be worth it to you. Someone over on the Bermuda forum said it has been referred to as "Heart Attack Hill." 😳

6 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

In 2020, must see Dubrovnik is only visited by Rhapsody of the Seas. Venice is Rhapsody's home port. Her 7 day itinerary which includes Dubrovnik, Kotor, Santorini and Olympia from Venice all in one cruise is absolutely outstanding!

Vision & Jewel (only twice in Sept 2020) also visits Venice and Kotor, two of the very best sail in/sail aways you could possibly experience from an aft balcony.

Vision includes Split Croatia, the only Royal sailing with two stops in Croatia... plus the Western side of Italy including Rome and Florence, so this may be your #1 itinerary to see a bit of everything, and deserves to be at the top of your list of itineraries to consider

Rhapsody also has a 2020 sailing with both Dubrovnik and Split. 8-nighter form Venice in June or July, I believe. Timing did not work for us, but wish we could hit both those Croatian ports.

(Editing to say you were prob referring to Vision class, not ship, right? It's just that I had my eye on that itinerary for a bit!)

On 6/29/2019 at 10:12 PM, snapshot617 said:

Just curious if those with 1105am flights actually made the flight?

Wondering same thing as I just booked same flight for next year.... Hoping ships are still sailing from Venice at that point!

38 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

I would think a good travel insurance policy for your trip could provide the same cancel protection for a range of reasons...and much less than a $200 fee.

Yes, true -- I should've been more clear. That (change "may" encounter $225 fee) was the language the Air2Sea rep used when I asked him to tell me all the fine print. 

11 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

You can cancel the flights for a full refund?

I just booked international round-trip flights as well -- refundable with fees, meaning we can cancel or change til Final Payment date for no charge (if, eg, we find a better price). Beyond that time, a change "may" encounter a $225 fee (Assuming this is $25 to Air2Sea and $200 to airline). No actual payment due til Final Payment for cruise.

We've already gotten confirmation, and our airline profiles show the flights as confirmed (and we were able to pick seats). The price was so good compared to what I found direct through airlines or other sources that I feel like I'm missing something. Please chime in if you think I have!

No clue what the mysterious connection is, but I see you're from the Fireworks Capital of America! (Have family in the area.) Read the festival was "saved" this year through local efforts and Zambellis probably did the show, but ... connection?

Have a great cruise! Will be following along.

Thanks so much for your review, @cliftoncruiser -- glad you had a terrific cruise! Maybe I missed this, but do you mind saying what kind of suite you were in? And how was it space-wise for the 4 of you?

5 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

It is just the wine dispensers.  The servers at Vintages on the Anthem are happy to honor your drink package.  As you stated, if the glass of wine you want is $13 or less, it will be covered.  If it is more, you are charged the difference + 18% of the difference.

They also have a full bar and can make you any other drink-package drink, if you happen to be with a bunch of wine drinkers and want to, instead, enjoy something else 😉

2 hours ago, peacefrogdog said:

 

Yes, the one that departs from Venice and returns to Barcelona looks fantastic.  Has a Port-Port-sea-Port-Port-sea schedule which seems like good opportunity to rest.   Doesn't have Greece included in it, but realizing we won't be able to check off all of our wish list items in one cruise.

Might also check the itineraries that are in and out of Venice and do get down to Greece -- those are also port port sea port port sea. Though the one to Barcelona does have some great ports that would be must-see ones in my book, if you have not been before. And with an extra couple of days in Venice on the front end and Barcelona on the back? Sweet!

Wish I had figured it our earlier in our cruise, instead of our last day. And by that time, I really just needed the caffeine from my coffee so sadly declined the extra. 🙁

1 hour ago, dpostman said:

On our Anthem cruise, La Patisserie even kept a few of the coffee favorite mixers on hand so you did not have to find a bar to add it... Stuff like Bailey's, Kahlua, Tia Maria and the like.  Not sure if they still do.

 

dp

On Anthem just a few weeks ago and, yes, the very kind barista offered to add Bailey's to my coffee, so I imagine those goodies are still available there.

10 hours ago, mar915 said:

We went to Dubrovnik did a GOT tour, awesome and plenty of time. Kotor we did a speed boat to the blue cave, Santirni did a private tour. My mom doesnt do alot of stairs so when we went to Oia she stayed with our driver at a coffe shop, olympia did the ruins.

Thank you for the info. Did you do the ship's excursions for these, or book your own private ones? We usually plan our own outings, but I'm thinking some of these might be worth doing through ship because of tenders/timing/ease.

Not sure this next question even makes sense, but what would you consider being the biggest perk of being in a GS on Anthem? (I assume not the suite sundeck, not the lounge....)