cinesage

On 5/9/2019 at 9:06 AM, 2KentuckyCats said:

Any suggestions on a tour for Taormina and Mt Etna. We would like to join a private tour and share cost. 

 

We did Sicily with Mario with a group; it included Mt. Etna and Taormina with an excellent guide.

While we didn't eat lunch in Mykonos (our loss!), it only took a couple of hours for us to walk around town, exploring the windmills, streets and shops.  We had to take a water shuttle to/from where our ship's port (details in my review below).

We were there in October, but if it had been June, we probably would have explored Agios Stefanos Beach from the ship, a short (but somewhat hilly to walk) distance away.  See picture below.

It depends.  Remember, just because the ship has 'docked', doesn't mean you can get off.  They have paperwork etc. to be approved before disembarkation is allowed.

Having just taken a Greece cruise that ended in Rome's cruise port this past October, I can tell you that we were lined up ready to self exit the ship as early as 6:30 AM, but were not cleared to depart until 7 AM.

... you miss, from your cruise, after you've returned home.

Sure, cruising includes many obvious highlights - views from the ship, ports of call, excursions, entertainment, food, and service etc. - which are different from one's normal daily life, and one can quite naturally experience a melancholy when it's over.  It can even start to creep into the last day or night of the cruise, especially when one has to pack and/or contemplates the trip home (to reality).  This is a topic of its own, to be sure.

After returning from our most recent (and longest) cruise, I've also found that there are little things about the daily cruising experience which I also (strangely?) miss.  I won't count disconnecting from "the world" (one's job, the news, etc.), because I think most people do this (at least to some extent) on their vacations already.  In fact, I frequently 'fast' from the news when at home also (it's quite freeing, even healthy).  I also don't count taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon, because I do this at home, sometimes;-)

The little thing I miss the most is watching the ship's position channel.  It features a live camera shot overlooking the bow, then cuts to a world map graphic with a (directional) pinpoint representing the ship, followed by subsequently "zoomed in" and more focused maps indicating where the ship is and its path, before it cycles back through the same sequence again.  The live shot - which is sometimes a great view! - includes information about the ship's GPS position, its heading and speed.  My spouse says that I'm obsessed with this, and perhaps I am.  Neither of us watch any of the other channels except the ship's own programming:  daily highlights from the cruise director, schedule of activities, shore excursion overviews, and taped repeats of the entertainment.

Another little thing I miss is this - https://youtu.be/48etEql31D4 - not so much for the video, but I can't get the song out of my head (you're welcome;-)

What are some of the little things you miss from cruising once you're back home?

On 11/2/2018 at 1:38 PM, singinalot said:

I will look forward to your thoughts on Rhodes when you return. We'll be going there next year on the Jewel of the Seas

Your "I said yes" thread was so helpful to me as you'd posted it in the weeks prior to our own cruise; thanks!

My review has now been posted and you can scroll down to find what I wrote about Rhodes if you'd like:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=637845

14 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

I'm stumped.  I'm anxious to read your review since our group will be on Jewel for the first time doing the Greek itinerary next May.  But I can't figure out how to access your review since the CC revision!  What am I missing?

Help please.

Susan

Thanks for letting me know that the link in my signature (below) didn't work!  I've corrected it.

Just in case that link still doesn't work, try this one - https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=637845

Thanks again.

Peek at Jewel down the Ippoton - the Avenue of the Knights - which is the way from the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes to the port

The Chocolate Buffet Bar (Day 7 in the WJ)

Madonna della Lettera aka Madonna of the Letter (another correction from my review;-) from the Port of Messina, Sicily

You can see the tip of the boot of Italy in the distance, only two miles away

Three from Santorini, Greece:

- a reverse view of Oia (from the traditional, e.g. looking down towards the coast); we didn't have time to find the place for the signature shot that morning

- Santo Winery's perch in Pyrigos (Jewel below, Oia above it)

- a view of Jewel from Thera/Fira (yes, we were the only ship in port on October 20!)

... at least one crucial correction to my posted review, ugh!  I submitted my CC review of our cruise last Thursday and it's now up (link in my signature below).  Even though I'm usually pretty meticulous about editing, please excuse (at least) one glaring mistake:  our junior suite (#1570) is actually on the starboard (right) side of the ship, and not the port (left) side as I typed in my review.  Since I highly recommended choosing a cabin on the same side of the ship that we had, I felt that correcting this error was important.  If only I could edit my CC review.

In any case, since submitting my review, I've had more time to peruse the pictures we took, a lot of which are better as (iPhone) 'live' pictures for the few seconds of video they contain, and wanted to share some more here.  I've seen others post their entire review - complete with pictures - on these boards, but since I first found/joined CC in 2010 and have been sharing my reviews "there", I've continued the habit.  Plus, since there were so many negative reviews of this Jewel itinerary, I felt like my positive review was needed for balance;-)

Pictures to follow ...

14 hours ago, Thorswife59 said:

Hi! Long time cruiser here but new to RC.  Doing the TA to Rome on March 29, 2019.

I was wondering about restaurants. MDR, buffet, snacks in solarium ... is there a venue near the pools offering burgers, pizza, etc? Do they do any midnight buffets or theme buffets during lunch? Afternoon tea?  Also are the hot tubs actually hot? It seems every hot tub on every ship has lukewarm water. Are movies offered poolside everyday? TIA!

We just completed a 9-night cruise on Jewel to Greece (including two ports in Italy); read my complete - lengthy - review (in my signature below) if you'd like.

We thought the food was very good to excellent; with noted exceptions, we ate in the Main Dinner Room for dinner and the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch (didn't try any of the specialty restaurants).  The snacks in the Solarium were not as good as we'd experienced on Adventure in Alaska, just a few pizza choices, sandwiches (with mayo, ugh) and cookies - and there isn't a promenade of course for other snack-time options.

No midnight buffets, but there are themes for lunch and dinner in the WJ (listed on the Cruise Compass) and you won't want to miss the Chocolate Dessert Buffet!

The Solarium hot-tub was hot ... I'd heard that at least one of the pool's hot-tubs was not.  During the day, there seem to be blooper videos run on the pool's big screen, and movies run at night.

View of the Jewel from Fira, Santorini, Greece (only ship in port - October 20)

We normally eat in the MDR for dinner, second seating, but it's worth at least walking through the Windjammer on some nights before going to the MDR because they'll have specials - like Chocolate Dessert Bar night - which you won't want to miss that don't seem to be advertised anywhere in advance.

Oops, found it:

https://www.*****.com/2018/10/09/royal-caribbean-announces-2020-2021-deployment-opening-schedule-dates

Just got back from a 9 night cruise on Jewel and seem to recall, before the CC overhaul, that someone had posted info re: when the next phase of Royal Caribbean's cruise schedules will be released.  Now I can't seem to find it.  Is this information available on the new and improved CC?  I can't seem to find it using Search...

We just got back from a Jewel of the Seas cruise that stopped in both of these cities.  You might want to check out "Sicily with Mario" for Messina which I just reviewed on tripadvisor - https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187889-d2615234-r628178197-Sicily_With_Mario-Messina_Province_of_Messina_Sicily.html

For Naples we took a ship excursion which employed the Aloschi Brothers - http://www.aloschibros.com/ - for a visit to a farm near Sorrento where we got a taste of fresh mozzarella, olives, olive oil, wine and limoncello, before time in Sorrento for shopping and margherita pizza.  The tour finished with a 2-3 hour guided tour of Pompeii which was excellent.

Ship - Jewel of the Seas

Deck - 10

Stateroom # - 1570

Stateroom Category – J3, Junior Suite

Starboard or Port Side - closer to the Centrum than the Aft of the ship, on the port side

Quiet Stateroom? – depends on time of day as the suite is right under a Windjammer dining area; I thought it was quiet, spouse did not;-)  There is a plant stand directly above the center of the suite, with tables around it and the floor is carpeted.  A thirst quenching station is above the adjacent suite (1572), so that one might be a bit loud as its floor is linoleum.  My spouse likely heard the footsteps of someone vacuuming and moving chairs every night when awakened between 2-3 AM each night, while I was able to sleep through it.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - unobstructed; Centrum bump is about 35' to the left and another bump is about 35' towards Aft (there's another bump behind that one - not seen from the balcony - before the rear of the ship)

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal for a J3, Junior Suite

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None

Any other comments? -  Great cabin!

Thank you for these recommendations! I will check them out.

Mars Hill is next to the ticket booth for the Acropolis so any tour of the Acropolis would get you there. It is outside the entrance so no fee to go on it. It also has great views of the Ancient Agora below it. A private tour would give you as much time as you want whereas a ship tour may not give you time. We’ve used Private Greece Tours twice and had great service both times and thought they were very reasonable. You can also do Athens very easily on your own, but if this your first time in Athens a private tour is an easy way to get around.

Thank you so much for your response and the information re: the proximity of these two sites!

We'll be on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas in October, and have one day in Athens. Not sure any of their excursions specifically include Areopagus (aka Mars Hill) or not, but that's one of the sites we'd definitely like to see/climb while we're there.

Can anyone recommend an Athens (one day) tour that includes this historical site? I searched this forum and found mostly 4 years and older posts (which is not to say that the information still isn't valid). I'm just looking for a more current recommendation.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Convenient location, nice views from the balcony. Too close to the centrum for me.

As long as you're offering your valued opinion, how will JS 1570 be on Jewel (or the same class)?

Just curious how long generally a claim takes. Have not been contacted yet for any further documentation,

As someone noted, I suspect it depends on the company and completeness of your initial claim filing etc. For a reference point, however, our claim with Royal Caribbean took a day less than 5 weeks from submission of claim to checks received. I detailed our process here - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2494401

Good luck!

This review of mine may help you in your decision...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/07/14/one-way-to-do-santorini/

 

It certainly covers some of the pitfalls of getting away from the tender jetty at the old port...

 

Love it! Thanks so much for posting this and providing so much needed info!!!