18 Nov 09 -12 Day Eastern Med cruise Long-winded Review on BOS

[S10Catman]

Nov 18 to 1 Dec 09 Eastern Med (Barcelona, Malta, Alexandria (overnight), Cyprus, Rhodes (Rhodos), Athens, Sicily, back to Barcelona).

This was an absolute brilliant cruise on the Brilliance. We (DW and I) traveled with my DM and DA (Dear Aunt) and friends from Kansas City, KS area. We all met in JFK and arrived in Barcelona on 17 Nov for a day roaming one of my favorite cities. On arrival, we took taxis to the Hotel Regina (99 Euros a night without breakfast, 139 with– 4-star hotel, part of Starwood Best Western Hotels) on Calle Bergara, a block off the Placa Catalunya, at the top of Las Ramblas. We arrived early, 9 am, and they had rooms available and we were in our rooms by 9:30 without being charged for the early check-in. This is our third time staying there and they did not disappoint this time either. The staff speaks English, although DW and I speak some Spanish, the rest of the group did not so this was very helpful. The staff was always courteous and helpful for any of our questions or requests. We went to the Mercado Boqueria and Gothic Barrio to visit the cathedral. We had lunch in a nice little restaurant off Las Ramblas (toward the Barrio) and had a great lunch of paella and other Spanish dishes, if I could remember the name of the restaurant would be nice but … We had tapas at the Cerveceria on Las Ramblas for supper since we had a late lunch.

Embarkation:

We took a taxi from the hotel to the port (15 minute ride) for 12 Euros (6 people and 12 pieces of luggage); it was quite a sight driving around Barcelona with all the luggage on the roof rack of the taxi! The Spaniards were pointing and chuckling as we drove by, must have been a bunch of touristas. Embarkation was quick. We arrived about 1030. Since we are platinum, the line was short and we were onboard within 20 minutes and were sent to the Windjammer till the rooms were ready. We had a nice lunch, roamed around the ship and the rooms were ready at about 1 pm. We went to the room (9606 – D1) and my luggage was already waiting on me. The DW’s luggage arrived about an hour later, go figure. There was plenty of storage for everything. The room was nice sized but the bathroom was a bit cramped and had the dreaded shower curtain from h…, but once we figured out how to place it correctly it no longer attacked us while we were showering (remember to close the door so there is no draft). Connie was our cabin steward and she kept everything spotless. Since we don’t spend a lot a time in the cabin there isn’t much else to say. The TVs need updated to use DVDs, since we took our laptop with us it wasn’t a problem. They have pay-for-view for movies which I thought was petty since every cruise line we’ve been on has free movies.

Ship Overview:

The Brilliance was well-maintained and clean throughout. We quickly learned the center elevators were totally ineffective. 2100 people trying use the elevators caused considerable consternation around the elevators. We soon discovered the front elevators which nobody seemed to use so we were able to avoid most of the hassle at the center. It is obviously too late for RCI to correct that problem but it is not something to ruin an otherwise great cruise. Food in the Windjammer was always good. There were a couple items that were warm versus hot but it was still good. The daily sushi was enjoyed by all of us. We ate at Chops and the food was fabulous as expected and the service impeccable. We did the dinner theater at Portofino’s and the food was good but they drug out the play way too long (3 and half hours)! We had My Time Dining in the Minstrel Deck 5 and the food was always good. There were some items offered that I didn’t care for (personal choice) but there was always something to eat that was delicious. The Casino was TIGHT, in 2 weeks of gambling we saw only one $500 hit on the machines. Even the table gods were tight. I hit 2 triples and a straight flush on 3 card poker but for the most part, we donated to the casino. I guess that’s why it’s called gambling. The shows which we went to were good for the most part. The most notables were the Pop opera (De Voe) quartet and the aerial acrobatics shows. If they have them again, they are definitely worth seeing. DM and DA went to the scrapbook workshop and were very disappointed. Our friend went to the beading workshop and she as well was quite disappointed. Apparently their idea of a workshop is: here’s your materials, use your imagination! We played bingo in the Colony Club and it is a nice bar at the rear of the ship that actually allows smoking. We used the Colony to get together when we took different tours to meet and discuss what we did and enjoyed our before dinner drinks. The Sports Bar is another nice bar which allows smoking but it is on the main path to the theater and some of the of the nonsmoking fanatics couldn’t figure out the other side that led to the theater was nonsmoking and equally accessible through the nonsmoking side of the casino. Enough said. I particularly enjoyed the peace and quiet in the cigar bar on deck 13. They don’t carry habanos but when in Europe they can be had at most duty-free shops and tobacco shops. The cigar bar did carry an assortment of good cigars just not habanos.

Disembarkation: It was well organized and went rather well. They placed everybody throughout the ship based on their tag colors and then sent you off by colors as your bags were sent to the baggage pickup area. We got a porter and were out of there in 20 minutes. We got a taxi back to Hotel Regina by 9 am. Again the Regina was able to get us in immediately. They put us up in family suites which are quite large for European hotels, again superior service from the Regina. You can find other hotels but for 99 Euros (off-season rate without breakfast included) a night and the level of service provided, I will always try to use the Hotel Regina when visiting Barcelona. We spent the day roaming Barcelona by going to the Egyptian museum (4 Euros) and having pastries and cafe con leche. We had a late lunch at Happy Bar and Grill. The food was good but not totally authentic Spanish food, kind of a mixed menu of American and Spanish dishes. We had a late dinner at La Poma on Las Ramblas. This is a case of a poor choice for supper. The food was cafeteria food, overcooked and for the most part tasteless but edible. I wouldn’t recommend La Poma to anyone. Again we took taxis to the airport, I think we were overcharged (44 Euros) but for 4 people and 8 suitcases I wasn’t going to argue since the suitcases were very heavy and the poor cabbie had to work to get them in the van.

Excursions:

In Malta, we took the city tour and armory tour. We enjoyed this one because the armory had some very unique pieces we had never seen before.

Alexandria, Egypt (overnight in Cairo) - We did a private tour through Nile Blue Excursions. They provided a driver (Mr. Sahib) and Egyptologist guide (Rasha). We saw all the major sights (Sakkara, Giza, Mohammed Ali Mosque, National Museum, and Bazaar). We also did a Nile River dinner cruise which was quite nice. The only warnings I have for Egypt are: 1. be prepared for severe culture shock if you’ve never lived overseas. 2. Beware of the extremely aggressive hawkers (souvenir sellers) at the sites especially Giza. The road to Sakkara and Giza goes through a very poor section of Cairo and what you will see can be very disturbing. There were dead horses laying along the road, dead cows floating in the canals, and trash like you’ve never seen before floating in the canals. A lot of folks we talked to after Egypt couldn’t get over this and harped endlessly about how filthy Egypt was and in the process overlooked the beauty of the sites and desert beyond this very poor section of Cairo. Plus there was a garbage strike going on at the time we were there so things probably were a lot worse than normal. We stayed overnight at the Le Meridian Hotel (a 4-star Starwood Hotel). The rooms were large and comfortable with a large bathroom. The hotel was adding a new section but the construction was non-intrusive and we never heard any noise from it. The we had breakfast in the hotel (included in the room price) and it was pretty much a typical European breakfast with some American choices available.

Limassol, Cyprus – We went on a ship excursion the Kourion, Temple of Apollo, and Om. The site was quite well-preserved with some reconstructed pieces with a beautiful Roman amphitheater overlooking the Aegean Sea.

Rhodes, Greece (Rodos to the Greeks) (ship excursion) – We split up. I and our Kansas friends went to Lindos (huge fortress with a small Acropolis on top of the mountain). The ship explanation said 220 steps up to the Acropolis. Well they can’t count; our guide informed us it was actually 330 very steep and varying length steps up to the top. I definitely got a workout but the views from the top were worth every step. The DW and DA (79) (DM (77) was not feeling well stayed on the ship) did the scenic Rhodes tour and had a great time doing the walking tour and going to the ancient city of Kamiros, definitely a beautiful island.

Athens – DM and DA went on a ship tour. It was a bus tour of Athens up to the Acropolis and to La Plaka. We did a self-adventure to 3 museums (the Agora, the ancient cemetery, and the National Museum) and went through La Plaka. A word of warning about the Athens Metro, they are working on a section of the Metro going to Piraeus (sp?). On our return we decided to be adventuresome and take the Metro. It costs 1 euro to take the Metro from Athens to Piraeus versus 30 Euros for a taxi. We got on the metro and tried to figure out the stops since the spelling on the guide doesn’t match the spelling on the train, we obviously looked lost. A nice, Greek lady helped us out by explaining that the current metro takes you so far south, you get off, get on a bus that takes you past the section being worked on, to the next section of Metro to Piraeus. She was nice enough to guide us though the station to the bus and on to the next stop. Once we were back on the Metro it ends in Piraeus about 1.2 kilometers from the cruise terminal. Be careful not to take the 1st entrance to the port as it only goes to the ferry terminal not the cruise terminal. Leave at least an 2 hours to get back to the ship if you use the Metro. The sign in the La Plaka terminal says 75 minutes but it doesn’t tell you about construction and bus to metro detour you have to take plus the walk back to the terminal.

Sicily – We all did the Mysterious Palermo ship tour except DM (she wasn’t feeling well again). The Norman fort was to me a waste of time. The guide spent 30 minutes explaining how the Normans came to Palermo and the construction of the front entrance and the fort. The actual tour of the inside took 10 minutes max without being able to take pictures of a very stark interior. The Cathedral of Palermo was definitely the highlight of the tour. It is a wonderful piece of architecture with a beautiful interior. We went back to the ship and walked back into Palermo for lunch at one of the local Osterias. The food was typical Sicilian fare and the place was full of locals so we knew the food would be good and it was. We had gelato on the way back to the ship.

Since the itinerary was the primary reason for this cruise, we were very satisfied with RCI and the Brilliance, her great staff and amenities. I highly recommend the ship for any cruise not just this itinerary.

[DetroitMark]

Thank you for this. I think I'm about to put the deposit down on this cruise for next December.

[S10Catman]

Thank you for this. I think I'm about to put the deposit down on this cruise for next December.

 

If Dec is the only time you can take this one, be aware the weather can be a bit chilling around the Med.

[flsun]

Alan - thanks for the review. We board Brilliance this Saturday for an 11-day. How were the temperatures? Were the seas rough or calm (I've heard both)?

 

Thanks!

[S10Catman]

Alan - thanks for the review. We board Brilliance this Saturday for an 11-day. How were the temperatures? Were the seas rough or calm (I've heard both)?

 

Thanks!

 

Barcelona was the coldest spot, 40s and 50s on the return (30 Nov and 1 Dec). It was the northern most port which we expected colder weather and were prepared for it.

The weather for beginning of the cruise was in the mid-60s to high 70s (Egypt), the seas were mostly calm. A couple of days the seas were 6 foot but on the BOS we didn't really notice it. One night they must have been a bit larger because we could feel a slight rocking of the boat in the casino. The 3 previous cruises, from what the crew told us, were rough. Enjoy your cruise, calm seas, and sunny weather to you!:)

[DetroitMark]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm from Detroit though so I'll be going from 10s and 20s to 50s and frankly I stopped looking good in speedoes about 20 years ago. So I'm good as long as I have an astounding place to eat or something I've never seen before.

[BrendaInToronto]

Alan,

 

I thoroughly enjoyed your review, especially Egypt. DH and I are hoping to make it there in the next couple of years.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[poncho1973]

Nice review. We are thinking about this one and it is very helpful.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Alexandria, Egypt (overnight in Cairo) - We did a private tour through Nile Blue Excursions. They provided a driver (Mr. Sahib) and Egyptologist guide (Rasha). We saw all the major sights (Sakkara, Giza, Mohammed Ali Mosque, National Museum, and Bazaar). We also did a Nile River dinner cruise which was quite nice. The only warnings I have for Egypt are: 1. be prepared for severe culture shock if you’ve never lived overseas. 2. Beware of the extremely aggressive hawkers (souvenir sellers) at the sites especially Giza. The road to Sakkara and Giza goes through a very poor section of Cairo and what you will see can be very disturbing. There were dead horses laying along the road, dead cows floating in the canals, and trash like you’ve never seen before floating in the canals. A lot of folks we talked to after Egypt couldn’t get over this and harped endlessly about how filthy Egypt was and in the process overlooked the beauty of the sites and desert beyond this very poor section of Cairo. Plus there was a garbage strike going on at the time we were there so things probably were a lot worse than normal. We stayed overnight at the Le Meridian Hotel (a 4-star Starwood Hotel). The rooms were large and comfortable with a large bathroom. The hotel was adding a new section but the construction was non-intrusive and we never heard any noise from it. The we had breakfast in the hotel (included in the room price) and it was pretty much a typical European breakfast with some American choices available.

 

 

We'll be on the Navigator in Oct '10 with an overnight in Alexandria. We are thinking about a private tour such as you did but have some safety concerns. Would you do this tour again?