jennny

OK. I just did this trip and thought that I would come back and post my thoughts as a service for all of the people "just like me" out there that want to know what to expect.

I was on the Sovereign. I went on it thinking that the Vision Class was always my favorite class anyway (don't like the big monsters), and this is still kinda owned by RCI so how bad could it be, right?!? ... well, it definitely was NOT what I was expecting.

The ship was old and dirty and not taken care of. I felt like they just bought it "As-Is" and then never did a single thing to it to keep it up. Royal Caribbean would cry if they saw it now. I was shocked. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't RCI either.

The chairs in the dining areas have never been cleaned. They are VERY worn and dirty. They are mix-matched, and there is not enough seating. All of the cool storage stuff in the staterooms is gone. No night stands or end tables. No shelves in the closets. It's like, if something ever broke, they just took it out and never replaced it. Beds were clean and comfortable. There were about 3 TV stations that worked. Food was good, but portions were Very Small. The Help was the B-Team, not your usual Superstars. If Holiday Inns and Old Country Buffets are OK with you, then you will LOVE this cruise!! If you are a Loyal RCI Traveler and have expectations - stay with RCI. I would do this cruise again, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is PICKY at all.

Most everything was in Spanish. Shore Excursions were HIGHLY unorganized. Announcements for Shore Excursions were mostly made in Spanish until the English Speaking Passengers started to near riot to get them to make announcements in English.

Passengers were mostly from Spain and mostly Spanish Speaking. They were all very friendly. Dress was pretty casual, even in the dinning room - but NO SHORTS!!

I have been on about 25 cruises. I'm pretty adventurous and have relatively low expectations. I would do it again because it's CHEAP and you get what you pay for. I am single and travel alone, so the Low Cost and Single Supplement brought me here. It's not RCI.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!! Bon Voyage!! :)

The traveling solita thing is the main reason I'm going on Pullmantur..... you know, that whole double occupancy thing..... (ugh!)

Pullmantur did have a great Single Supplement Price, but even then, it still adds up. But, I'm looking forward to a totally cool experience!! Ya know, if I wanted to go on vaca with a bunch of 'Mericans, I'da just gone to Disney. ;)

I think the whole Spanish thing is cool and I'm looking forward to it in a new and adventurous kinda way. :)

Thank you so much for the reassurance Kim!! I really appreciate that!!! :D

The Itinerary is Barcelona, Nice, Toulun, Naples, Rome, Florence... I'm taking two weeks off work so that I can spend 5 nights in Barcelona. 2 nights pre-cruise and 3 nights post. (I loved Barcelona!!!). I also found out that there is a home game Sunday night after we return Saturday morning, so I'm hoping to get to see my first live Futbol!! :D

I probably won't be as adventurous traveling solita as I would if I had a running buddy, but no one else wanted to go and I'm only sitting out one summer. (This is my first time in 8 years NOT going to Europe and I hated not going!!). I've got a new guy and he doesn't like to travel quite as much as I do..... (pooey on him).

The only stops on this itinerary that I have been to are Barcelona and Rome, the rest are all new to me. I have never been to France. A few years ago I discovered the Greek Isls and .... well, they are amazing!! But it's time for me to see something other than Greece. I appreciate any and all input. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

This is why I LOVE CC. You guys ROCK. :)

Hello All!!! I just booked this trip the other day. I have had a hard time finding any real information and decided to try here.

I'm actually a long time CC member, but after 25 cruises I took a break and haven't been on in so long I guess my profile got deleted?!? Anyway, had to create a new one.... :cool:

CC has always been so helpful in the past I know you guys won't let me down.

I'll be sailing on the May 13 cruise. I'm already booked and paid for including air, so I hope I didn't make a huge mistake by not doing my research first. I am traveling solo and I don't speak Spanish. I'm good with both of those, but I'm worried after finding out that excursions aren't guaranteed in English? That worries me just a tad. (I don't speak French either.) I was hoping to book English excursions. All of the other cruise lines offer excursions in so many languages. I've never had any problem on Carnival, Costa, MSC, RCCL, Norwegian, etc booking English Excursions in the Med..... I guess I just took it for granted that it wasn't going to be a problem. :(