SunFunCruiser

Any word on the Dec 19th sailing?

Did you read the comments after the review?

Yes...it confirms inconsistency. I'm confident in time it will work out. It's also about expectations. 2014 will be quite the year in South Florida with so many ships to chose from year round. We'll see what happens :)

Happy cruising people!

Why did the travel agents bother you? I thought the group as a whole was pretty well behaved. In fact, I thought it was a bit quiet late at night. The send off of the ship was amazing.

Watch out, lots of TA's will be on the Dec 7th sailing too ;-)

This probably won't link here, but the review in Travel Agent Central was dead on!

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/sailing-diva-msc-divina-43651?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=susan_young&utm_content=sailing-diva-msc-divina-43651&spMailingID=18213202&spUserID=NDkzNjM2ODY4MzAS1&spJobID=239227879&spReportId=MjM5MjI3ODc5S0

For us slightly different as there was not a lot going on over 18 nights, I agree the ship is great and blingy,, , again over 18 nights consistency was key, you could be in a bar ask for something and be refused only to be able to get it in another bar, same with dining one waiter will one waiter wont, as I've mentioned bars I could never understand why it would take 7 minutes to get a drink even when the bar was empty, and that was when I am sat at the bar, we would often joke that because we was on drinks package they go slower so you don't drink more lol, but reality is also they may not be happy with some as they don't get the gratuity from you, so hence the inconsistency maybe

 

These guys work long hours and work very hard and they have my admiration, but having said that it is annoying constantly having to explain something because they don't grasp it

 

For those who read these posts take note of names people are saying are good, you will be thankful in the end trust me

This was EXACTLY my experience!!!!

And, BTW....Mario in the dining room was less than pleasant. I am not a complainer and was very patient. I was seated by myself, as in alone. All I wanted was a seat with anyone from my group. Seats were available. He was completely annoyed by me for no reason.

We had a lackluster experience. I think the biggest thing, and you can see this by the reviews is consistency! No consistency whatsoever!

The ship is beautiful and lots going on, I'll give them that.

You can buy it onboard.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone - Jim

Thank you!

Do you have to pre purchase the package or can you buy it on the first day?

How much was a cab ride to the port?

Thanks for the report and the amazing photos!!

We just re-booked Alaska. We went on CCL's Spirit Southbound in 2007. We did 8 nights pre cruise from Denali to Seward. It was amazing Weather was perfect! Saw Mt. McKinely out for 2 days straight.

I'm so afraid this trip won't compare because we had such good luck with everything last time lol

Anyway, we are doing a CT for 4 nights starting in Fairbanks, then the Radiance Southbound.

What side of the ship did you have and how was the view? I currently have deck 8 midship, port side.

Your bed is by the balcony (my preference :)

 

Here's link to drag it decks - free.

 

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Main/dragit2.php?ship=Norwegian%20Epic

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Thanks Karen, my preference too :)

I can see that 8193 is covered and not above a life boat. Anyone know the bedding configuration or noise level? Just got my cabin assignment today.

Haha I had that room on the june 20th cruise!!!! The balcony was nice, it had 2 lounge chairs, a little table and 2 regular chairs!!! :D how funny!

That was the cruise we were on. We were next to you, but only saw your husband once outside lol. Hope we weren't too loud, my son was a PITA at times!!

I liked your little signs on the door each day.

That cabin 8412 has a door adjoining the suite next door doesnt it? Was there any noise coming from the other room or are the adjoining doors pretty solid. I dont like hotel rooms with the adjoining doors for this reason and was wondering about the cruise rooms. Do you have any idea what the balcony on the room to the other side of your cabins was like..it says limited ocean view for that one.Any pics? thx

I goofed, we had 8410, the back corner aft cabin.

we are thinking about booking for May 2011 in an aft balcony on deck 10..has anyone stayed in these..i heard the balcony on the far aft cabins was much bigger than normal.

we had an aft on deck 8 (8412), much larger balcony. I love aft cabins. I'm not sure I would pick deck 10 as noise might be overhead.

TA sent the Freedom Class brochure which said there was wi-fi service in the Staterooms. Is this true or only true for some staterooms?

Just off the FOS, it said wi fi in the rooms, but it rarely worked. Our cabin was all the way aft and worked on the balcony, but nowhere else. It worked in the public areas. Everyone was complaining about it not working in the cabins.

They want you off early- 9:30am is latest- if you take your own luggage you are supposed to debark between 6 and 7am- then they start calling groups- they want you eat breakfast in Windjammer then wait around in the promenade or a lounge area so they can clean rooms- but by all means they will chase you off by 9:30am

The numbers were 1-25, we were 24 and they called us at 9:15 along with #25. Practically the last ones off.

I think if you email Jany about this and ask him to call you for the info, they would.

For those that used RIL and pre-purchased your tickets on-line (i.e Vatican, Coliseum), did you have to wait in any line to pick up the tickets once you got there or did RIL pre-arranged to have someone pick them up for you.

Second question, those that have been to Pompeii - how much was the tour guide at entrance if you didn't have one pre-arranged through RIL?

All that have used RIL - anyone traveled with young kids (ours are 6 and 4)? if so, how were their drivers and guides with young kids?

Thanks for all information provided.

No, we didn't have to wait in any lines for any tickets, RIL did it all.

Pompeii guide, I honestly can't remember, 100 Euro rings a bell. She was great, her name was Lucia.

The guides were great with the kids. Our Rome day was very hot and long, by the end our son had enough. Vinny took him for some coke while we explored a little longer. he remembers Vinny more than what we saw! LOL

No, we were originally booked on Oasis and ended up on FOS. You can get some ok prices on Oasis, but not during the summer.

we were also originally booked on the Oasis and now going on the FOS, very happy with the change! (especially the pocket change)!

My husband, I and two friends recently used Rome in Limo for a day excursion to Rome while on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Our driver, Vincenzo, was very gracious, courteous and patient and managed to get us around to almost all the sights we'd hoped to see in a limited amount of time. He was prompt in arriving to pick us up at the port and managed to get us back to the ship well in advance of departure. It may have been my own misunderstanding of what RIL supplied -- but I would have liked it if we had gotten a bit more history and background from V. on the places we visited. As it was - he dropped us off at the entrance to the Forum [albeit after helping us get our entry tickets] and we were left to wander around without any information as to what we were viewing. At the Colosseum, we happened upon a tour in English and signed up for that at the last minute -- which was very helpful. I would certainly use Rome in Limo again, but if you do choose this company -- make sure that you're clear on what you can expect from the driver.

Just so you know, if you read the RIL FAQ's, it's one of the first things they mention. It states that the drivers are not allowed to go into the sites with you. You can rent head sets from the sites with the information or hire a guide.

From their site:

"A guide- driver and a tour guide are different. A tour guide has a license, released by the City Hall. They got a degree after having passed a state exam.

A guide allowed to go into the historical sites with you and tell you all the most specific information about the sites you are visiting . Their service is separated from the driver cost.

A guide- driver is not licensed, has not attended specific schools and is not allowed to go inside the site telling you about the history. He will advise you about the most important information of all the sites you are going to visit but then you have to go in by yourself."

We also had Vinny. He was my favorite driver of all my tours. He was so great with my son.

It's pretty cut and dry, it's a 10% discount off for multiple bookings. I think for a private company that does such a great job, they are already reasonably priced. Compare to the cruiseline excursions. I think our rome tour was almost double without any discounts if you booked through Celebrity, plus you won't get much personal service with the CL excursions.

If you don't think the price is fair, shop around. For me, the fact that they have so many great reccomendations on so many message boards really made the decision for us.

Also, if you booked a 2010 rate before they decided not to raise the rates, you may be due a refund for that amount. They are keeping thier 2009 rates at this time for 2010 bookings. I think taht is great news!!

A technical question please-- If several couples (so far between 3 and 5) want to join up for a tour of Tuscany with ROmeinTours, how are reservations made? Their sight says they want a credit card to hold site and actual payment takes place at start o rupon completion of tour. Does each couple give thier card info to hold/book or should just one act as lead and hold and hope the others come thru(although I'd imagine not to hard to get a replacement couple or two from general ship population on day of tour)?//thanks..

We just used one CC for our reservation. Then we met on the ship and disussed the plan, one person collected the money before getting on the van and they paid for the tour at the end. We each tipped individually at the end. Usually it's pretty easy to find a replacement. make sure you get everyone's cabin # and private email address.

Hi all - There's been a lot of discussion about the various places that RIL uses for lunch and the extended time spent at lunch. About how long are we talking for lunch? An hour? 2 hours? Just wondering. I wouldn't mind giving up an hour for lunch but more than that is pushing it and I want to plan accordingly as to what to tell our drivers.

 

Thanks!

It's really up to you. We spent a bit over an hour in Sorrento, but in Rome we opted not to stop for any lunch. I only grabbed a quick slice of pizza for my son. You really set the rules, it's your tour. They will have a plan, but also ask you what you think or how you want to fit things in YOUR day! They are very flexible.