71Bruin

We loved walking up Vesuvius and visiting Pompeii. We did the ship excursion (granted, it was back in 2004) and loved it. Naples itself was pretty industrial. Have a great time!

The two main benefits of a JS are the space, especially on longer cruises, and the double cruise points (especially if you are going to cruise RCI in the future). We did a Grand Suite in the Baltic in June and it was really nice (It actually cost us LESS than the JS we booked at first! It pays to keep checking the web site!). The main advantage to the GS is access to the Concierge Lounge, a separate seating area for lunch in the windjammer (no fighting to find a seat), a cooked to order breakfast with great service in Chops Grill (at least on Brilliance in the Baltic) and reserved seating at the shows. Because we are already Diamond on RCI we get access to the Diamond Lounge and on the Baltic cruise we actually used the Diamond Lounge rather than the Concierge Lounge because we met great people there and the Diamond Concierge was absolutely wonderful! We booked two additional cruises while on the Baltic cruise and booked JS's on both. Have fun!

We did Brilliance in 2004 for 12 days from Barcelona to Venice and back. Of the 12 RCI cruises we have sailed, it is still our favorite cruise because of Venice, Rome, Naples and Florence. We just did 12 days on Brilliance again in the Baltic in early June. We love the Radiance class of ships (sailed twice on Brilliance, twice on Radiance). We are Diamond on RCI (soon to be Diamond Plus) but have yet to sail the Vision Class of ship. It is smaller and older than Brilliance with less balconies etc. However, I think the itinerary should be the key factor and while I like the pack/unpack once scenario, the fact that you can see both Italy AND the Greek Isles back to back would probably be the way I would go, especially since this is your first sojourn to Europe. Either way, you will have a great time. Good Luck!

Hi. We did the Baltic from May 30 to June 11 on Brilliance. It was a very good cruise for us. We did not experience the Chefs table ourselves but had discussions with others who rated it very high. It is located very near the Colony Club at the rear of Deck 6 (Just to the right of the stage). You should have a great time!

Feeling assured now that RCI didn't go off the deep end with their treatment of Diamond level cruisers and their happy hour. I sure wish they did a better job of keeping up their web site with correct information. Looking forward to the Baltic at the end of the month and my pre-dinner drinks! Really liked the decision to preload the cards with 3 drinks (sometimes they get things right!). It allowed us to "treat" our adult children before dinner and do trivia at the same time on our last cruise. Now, if they can just figure out dining and better and more affordable internet!!

Just checking to see if what I read is correct. Since we have been Diamond, we have been able to drink for free in the evening from 5 - 8 pm. Last cruise, they also loaded our sea passes with 3 drinks each which could be used at all the bars around the ship (Allure) when we didn't want to go to the Diamond Lounge. I was roaming around an e-mail I got today on cruise "deals" and found my way to the Diamond benefits page. There in the small print was a statement about the nightly Diamond event which essentially said "free wine and champagne AND 25% off beer and other liquor drinks". While we are not "big" drinkers, a couple of beers or gin and tonics before dinner was a nice benefit of our loyalty to RCI. Am I missing something? When did they change this? We leave for the Baltic at the end of May and this has me bummed out! Am I right or wrong? Thanks!