Twolittleboys

1 hour ago, ampurp85 said:

They don't give you cans in the MDR, they are fountain drinks. In fact most bars and restaurants will give you fountain. I believe the lounges differ and maybe the bar at shows. I know on Mariner every place gave me fountain except the Royal Theater, who gave me a can and a glass....you can taste the difference.

Oh no, did that change? I am almost completely sure that they used to give you cans in the MDR. That's why after trying the soda package one year (and getting soda that did not taste right) I went back to paying as I go after.

6 minutes ago, matt1 said:

If I can piggyback off of this thread with another question, specifically about the Classic Soda Package: do the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines generally have the same assortment of Coke soda flavors and their flavored waters as land-based machines? 

And do they even use them in Europe (I seem to remember they used not to)?

Does anyone currently (or recently) on board know if we can eat at Chops on embarcation day (Rome) with the unlimited dining plan? If yes, do you just go there when you board and ask to be seated?

12 should be plenty

Oh no, that drink promotion sucks - I will be travelling solo and this is no help at all.

Thanks, everybody! The refreshment package may be worth it.

I know in the past none of the packages really were a good fit for me, but this will be a bit different as I am cruising solo instead of kids, it will be less port intensive (3 sea days), I have the unlimited dining, and pretty sure there are changes due to COVID.

Good to hear that the virgin cocktails are tasty! 

Can someone still say though whether you get fountain soda or cans if ordering in MDR/specialty restaurants without a package? I know it used to be cans in the MDR but it may have changed. If it is fountain soda either way, the refreshment package does sound good.

Thanks for the replies so far! I realize that it is quite an individual decision - that's why I asked specific questions to help me decide.

I did get the soda package once before and did not really like it. Mostly I did not think the fountain sodas tasted as good in the MDR as the cans I usually got when I didn't have the package. Especially the second glass of the evening tasted quite "flat" - I wondered if they maybe filled two glasses from the beginning. As I do enjoy the lemonade, I probably do not drink enough soda to make the soda package worth it, especially on port intensive cruises. I generally had two sodas with dinner and maybe a third one from the fridge in the room.

I KNOW I do not drink enough alcohol to make the deluxe package worth it, but on the other hand I would rather prepay as I tend to skimp with spending money once on the trip.

32 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

Hopefully someone will fill in the blanks I am unsure of 
(Answers in the quote) 

Thanks for your answers. As far as the question about the non-alcoholic cocktails is concerned, I was wondering if people who have tried them before generally think there is a decent selection/they taste good/similar to regular cocktails. I do enjoy drinking the occasional cocktail but might not miss the alcohol in them as long as they are tasty.

I am still undecided whether a drink package would make sense for me. It has been several years since I have cruised with Royal and anyway things are likely different due to the pandemic. So I am wondering:

- I believe it is allowed to bring a number of soda cans on board, correct? Can these be put in the minibar/fridge?

- In the past, if you ordered a soda e.g. in the main dining room you got a can. If you had a beverage plan you got fountain soda instead. Is that still the case?

- How are the non-alcoholic cocktails/juices?

- Do they still have free lemonade in the Windjammer? How about the specialty restaurants - any drinks included there? Is it possible to go to the Windjammer just to get a drink or is that problematic due to needing a reservation etc.?

- In the past it was fairly easy to get a free drink most days (I know I am cheap - sorry) with captain's reception, C&A events etc. (unfortunately not Diamond yet though). Is that still at all possible or did Covid put an end to it?

We were on another ship of the same class a couple of years ago and both kids enjoyed it. I think it was my older son's favorite cruise because he loved the teen club. I don't think they did anything extra-special but the kids just got along really well. On the other hand he very much disliked the kids club on Oasis. So I think if your kids will be going to the club, the actual facilities don't matter that much.

They also offered pretty nice family activities (like a Halloween scavenger hunt). However, our cruise was also rather port intensive so there wasn't that much time to do ship activities anyway.

11 minutes ago, Tanya_from_FI said:

Just curious of the prices on the cruise at the moment. Was there some special discount when boarding? 

 

 

Not sure what you mean? I am not on the ship yet, getting on next Thursday, so I do not know about discounts at boarding. If you are refering to the app, I just changed the week I look at so I can see the current schedule (even though I won't be on until the 7th). Let me know if I misunderstood your question though.

9 minutes ago, Tanya_from_FI said:

Hi! 

 

I will cruise next sunday 3rd Oct and just wondering the prices of beverage packages. 

Deluxe or refreshment... Is there any special discount for those? 

 

And what about specialty restaurants? 

Is there any package for those? Just counting my budget 😉

 

In RC app doesn't have any mention about shows, there will be some? 

 

Any other solo travellers boarding next sunday? 

I believe the shows only get loaded into the app closer to the time. You could take a look at the current week on the app to see what is offered (obviously, there may be some changes next week but it probably will be similar). 

I will also be travelling solo but not boarding until Thursday next in Rome.

3 minutes ago, Eragon666 said:

Nope, no excursions. Wasnt worth the price for me, we did Rome after the cruise. Napels/La Spezia are cheaper for us to just fly to from Netherlands and stay a few days than doing a single day excursion. And especially with all restrictions now, it didnt seems to be worth the price. Instead we bought the dining package and did a lot of flowriding 😄 

Makes sense. Actually, I am thinking of doing the same thing for La Spezia (well, other than the flowriding - not brave enough). I did book the Amalfi/Pompeii excursion in Naples - have been to Pompeii before but it was a while ago without any sort of tour/explanation and it sounds like Amalfi is difficult to do without some sort of excursion. The price was quite dear but I am okay with that as long as the excursion is worth it - we will see.

Could someone maybe also say how much the beverage package is if bought on the ship?

43 minutes ago, Eragon666 said:

We boarded sept 16 from Rome. Indeed everything is scheduled around Barcelona departure, but that didnt bother us too much. 

Reservations are easy, just walk to the royal promenade on boarding day and you can book all shows at once. If you want to book another day, call the phone number or walk to the venue/customer service. 

For the (speciality) restaurants, we went 4 nights, all nights at most 50% of the tables are filled. So we just went to the restaurant a few hours before we wanted to dine, and reserved for that evening. 

With 1100 guests, almost nothing is fully reserved 🙂 

Thanks so much - I have been a bit concerned about this. I have booked UDP and was a bit worried that it might be difficult to get reservations at least for the first couple of days. But it sounds like that won't be a problem (hope our week isn't significantly busier).

Did you do any of the excursions?

2 minutes ago, BigRoger said:

Yep we got the feeling that RC actually don’t want people to get off but feel obliged to offer something at each port (and then are disincentivising people going on the tours through pricing - and if too few end up booking the tour gets cancelled…).
 

I understand why though because the last thing they want is a press story about ‘Covid rampant’ when in reality it might be a couple of people who went on a tour…. They rightly want the stats that shows how many people have sailed and how many cases were found on board to ‘prove’ effectiveness of protocols…..

Yes, but we can get off in Spain to do our own thing so it isn't really a bubble anyway.

14 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

We are enjoying our cruise. 🙂

We are not doing any excursions as they are outrageously expensive.

Definitely book in advance in the cruise planner; they are even more expensive on board. If you tell me which ones you're interested in I will get you the onboard prices.

So appreciate all the information you are providing!

I am also especially interested in excursions. If you should hear anything specific about the Amalfi/Pompeii excursion in Naples (have that one booked but would cancel it if reviews are unfavorable) or in La Spezia (nothing booked there as nothing seems worth the price but you never know) I would appreciate it.

Also, I was wondering how difficult it is to make dining/show reservations. I will board in Rome so can't use the app and will be off timewise (i.e. when I board guests who got on in Barcelona already had four days to make reservations for the first two or three days of my cruise). I am also a little concerned because on the app it looks like everything is set up for guests getting on in Barcelona (e.g. tour of spa, Bingo with suite as price etc.). Any information on that would be appreciated.

The roll call is unfortunately very slow, probably partly because there are two embarcation points for this cruise and most people seem to get on in Barcelona (people getting on in Rome can't even use the app to book shows etc. because IT can't handle it). But as it is at the end of the cruise I would always have the option to share the transfer with someone if I happened to meet someone on board who is interested.

Staying at the Hilton does sound like a pretty sound plan though like cruisemom I am a bit tempted to stay IN Rome.

Seriously considering the Hilton now as it would make getting to my 8am flight so much easier. It seems somewhat cumbersome/silly though to go from the port to Rome to get a train to the airport to check into the hotel and then turn right around to get back to Rome (and direct transfers port to airport are apparently quite a bit more than I had expected). 

So now I am thinking the best option might be to take a train to Rome, deposit my suitcase somewhere, spend the day in Rome (or Tivoli etc.), pick up the suitcase late afternoon, take the Express train to the airport and then check into the hotel. Does that sound like a good plan or am I overlooking something? Not crazy about being "homeless" during the day but I guess I could always go to the hotel earlier if necessary...

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

The Hilton also has an complimentary hourly shuttle bus into central Rome that is convenient.  

Unfortunately suspended for the moment (a great tip for the future though!)

My cruise is about 8 days out and so far no cabin assigned.

28 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Just as an FYI, the express train from Termini to the airport (FCO) has its first departure at 5:20 am and takes just a bit over 30 minutes to reach the airport. 

 

I think you mentioned that you live in Europe, so you don't need to allow quite as much time at FCO as those on flights bound for the US, but I'd still probably want to be there a full 2 hours in advance (if not slightly more) in case there is extra process around showing documentation of COVID testing and/or vaccination. 

 

Taxis to the airport are a flat rate of 48 euros from central Rome if you want to stay IN Rome that night. Your hotel can arrange for an early morning pickup. Or there are several hotels at Termini, including a Hilton and a Hilton Garden Inn. The Hilton is connected to the airport so only a bit of a walk. The HGI has a frequent shuttle that drops off at each area and is also very convenient.

Thanks so much for all your help - I really appreciate it!

I did see that the first departure is at 5 something but think it might still be okay given that the flight isn't until after eight and I only have a carry-on suitcase. I guess I will see how the flight there goes to decide if I feel okay doing this or if a taxi is needed.

Maybe the Hilton is an alternative - I thought I saw that it is quite expensive but now checked again and it isn't that bad. Maybe my best option would be to go directly from the port to the Hilton on the Thursday after leaving the ship. Once checked in I could take the fast train to Rome to do stuff and then not have to worry the next day.

So I have now booked a hotel for the two nights pre-cruise. I went with the IQ Hotel as it has good reviews and I think the location close to the main train station will work well for getting there late on Tuesday night and getting a train to the port early on Thursday morning (I hope).

I am having a difficult time deciding on the hotel for the one night after the cruise though. I will get off the ship in the early morning and have all day but my plane leaves early (8am) on Friday morning. I am looking for either a decent but fairly inexpensive hotel or possibly a bit of a splurge (the Parco dei Principi looks nice). Or maybe I should get something closer to the airport?

Okay, I have now spent some time trying to figure out the different tours offered for the Vatican and it seems my only options are:

Either on Wednesday the early morning tour with breakfast at 7:30 am or a regular tour at 3:30 pm (there are some other times but that seems the best).

Or on Friday the week after I could do the garden tour (on a cart) at 12 followed by the regular guided tour at 2:30 pm

So my questions are

- is it worth paying extra and getting up quite early for the morning tour? The breakfast sounds nice but I am not really a breakfast person. Early access does sound great but not sure if it will make a huge difference.

- Any reason I shouldn't be able to make a 12 pm tour of the gardens if I get off the ship that day in Civitavechia?

- Any other considerations I am forgetting?

12 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Once you get beyond the first couple of miles, you are right -- the road turns into the real "old" Roman road with big basalt blocks and no vehicles allowed (although the bikers at times threaten to run you over). This is the more scenic are with scattered, modest Roman funerary monuments. And a couple of villas that you can visit (although I'm not sure if they can both be access via the Appian side).  

 

However keep in mind that the section with the catacombs and the very large tomb of Cecilia Metella is located on the more heavily trafficked area, which is also where you can catch a bus back into town.

I actually don't care that much about necessarily going by the catacombs etc. but just want to enjoy the atmosphere of the road (at least it looks very neat on pictures). But getting a bus or some sort of transport is obviously necessary. I will have to look into that a bit more.

I am trying to make a bit of a plan as I still need to book my hotel and am unsure about which area would be best. However, as my plane arrives late and leaves early somewhere close to the main train station is probably best.