Med cruise question

[irishayes]

The Med cruise we are taking in June is extremely port intensive, with many nights leaving port at 7 pm.

 

My question is, will the MDR be extremely busy with late diners on those nights?

 

How do you fit it all in??

 

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[chicagopaul]

Good question! We were on the Reflection, 11 day eastern med this past October. We had select dining and we found that MDR was most crowded between 7:45 and 8:15pm. Sometimes you'd have to wait 15 minutes or even longer for a table. No big deal though. We'd go sit at the Martini bar and they would come get us when the table was ready. We always requested a table for 2 and always got one.

 

While the later seating was a bit more crowded, many of the tours did start early and many people got back to the ship in the afternoon; not everyone used the entire day in port.

 

For booking tours / excursions: Book them early if you are booking through the ship. Some of the better ones sold out quit fast. There are many private tour companies throughout the Med that offer great private tours for a pretty good value. This might be a good route to go. We never booked full day tours, only half day. We like time to explore on our own and do our own thing. Depending on the ports you are stopping in, this is very easy to do.

 

Make reservations when you can in select (if that is what you go with) and enjoy your cruise! The Med is absolutely gorgeous.

[irishayes]

I'm assuming then there is no time for shows etc when eating that late correct? When do they normally do the talks about what to see in the next days port?

 

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[chicagopaul]

We attended all the shows and ate late; they would always have a late show that would be truly late, around 10:45 / 11pm on port days. First show would usually be around 8:45 / 9pm.

 

They would typically do the destination talks on the sea days. Usually they would cover a couple different ports on the same day. We never went, but they would always broadcast them on the TV throughout the entire cruise at least a day or so in advance. We would usually watch them as we were getting ready in the morning.

 

Which med cruise are you on?

[Phxazzcruisers]

On European cruises the late dining is always busy. Most Europeans on board eat later rather than early. Many people eat dinner off ship when the boat leaves that late, so they can get some local flavor. Do not worry, I promise you will not go hungry on your cruise. The intensity of the ports are your chosing, visit the ones you want, and only stay a short time at the ones that may not interest you. You will be able to fit in what you ant to, including the shows. Enjoy the cruise, it will go by im the wink of an eye

[irishayes]

We are going on the June 1 Classic Mediterranean. I'm not worried about going hungry, mainly worried about missing the port talks, but if they are on seas days, that solves that problem! Thanks.

 

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[heatherbelle]

Can I ask the dreaded question about shorts. On port days do they relax the no shorts for men rule or do we have to go get changed if we are late back first on the Med cruises?

Edited March 19, 2014 by heatherbelle

[Christine Frances]

Can I ask the dreaded question about shorts. On port days do they relax the no shorts for men rule or do we have to go get changed if we are late back first on the Med cruises?

 

Just eat in the Buffet if you are late back to the ship and don't want to change. Another option is room service.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Christine Frances

[sddsddean]

When we were on the Eclipse last year, there were a few days we couldn't be bothered changing for dinner, so went up to the Oceanview. We discovered that in the evening they do cook to order steaks which were brilliant! One night I had 2 fillets...just because I could!! If the Equinox is the same as the Eclipse, you can still have a good feed 'in shorts' in the Oceanview.

 

Simon

[Phxazzcruisers]

Sorry, no shorts in MDR, but as stated above, if you do not want to change there are other options. Enjoy

[drarill]

The Med cruise we are taking in June is extremely port intensive, with many nights leaving port at 7 pm.

 

My question is, will the MDR be extremely busy with late diners on those nights?

 

How do you fit it all in??

 

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We do early dining, plan specialty restaurants for days that we know we are coming late, and eat at the Oceanview Cafe some days too. :)

[2theship]

Depending on what you're doing in port, shorts might not be an option ashore. Places like St. Peter's Basilica in Rome require long pants and covered shoulders. But, if you can be casual in port and don't feel like changing for dinner, the buffet can be a very nice option.

 

 

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[buzzybuzzbuzz]

Why not try and switch to Select Dinning then you can go when you want, we did this on our Med cruise and also used the Buffet when we couldn't be bothered changing for dinner, it worked out perfectly.

 

Only one warning you will have to pay grats up front if you go Select Dinning.

 

Either way you will love it

 

 

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[kevinyork]

Why not try and switch to Select Dinning then you can go when you want, we did this on our Med cruise and also used the Buffet when we couldn't be bothered changing for dinner, it worked out perfectly.

 

Only one warning you will have to pay grats up front if you go Select Dinning.

 

Either way you will love it

 

 

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But still no shorts....which is what they were asking.

 

 

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[4774Papa]

Many posters have answered your questions, but I will add my own two cents.

 

Cruising the Med will involve some long tours, especially for Rome, Florence and Naples.

 

Try to determine when you are likely to return to the ship before you select your dining choice. We like early dining, but if you miss it, then its the buffet.

 

If you select late dining, eating at 8:30, you may be ok on dining, but when is the last show? Select dining is a good compromise, but we like have the same tablemates and waiters.

 

Europeans tend to eat late, so late dining may be more crowded than early.

[ClaudiaB]

We never do the port talks. Before we go to a new port we look on the port section here, look on Frommer's Guide (and other similar guides) and get on the roll call. I find the information there better. Much of the stuff on the ship's talks are geared to their own excursions and stores who paid to be recommended.

As far as shopping, the port talks are a great way to find out what stores NOT to shop in. If they are paying the cruise line for advertising we find the "deal" and "guarantees" are worthless and shop at other local stores that are recommended by people who live there or who have been there.

Have fun!!!

[buzzybuzzbuzz]

But still no shorts....which is what they were asking.

 

 

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OP never mentioned shorts?

 

My suggestion still stands for the OP.

 

 

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[irishayes]

We have already chosen Select Dining, as we do not like to be tied to a "must eat at a certain time" routine.

 

We tend to eat later, much as the Europeans do.

 

How late can you be seated in the MDR?

 

There is so much I want to do and see--that's what I was wondering about how you fit it all in?? I am glad to hear that on days when you leave port later, they have very late shows.

 

Sigh . . I know. . . I must make choices.

[Lastdance]

No one is really able to "fit it all in," but once you have all the information, just prioritize, knowing that even though you have a plan, anything could disrupt it. Just go with it. If you are too uptight, you miss smelling the roses, so to speak!:)

[buzzybuzzbuzz]

We have already chosen Select Dining, as we do not like to be tied to a "must eat at a certain time" routine.

 

We tend to eat later, much as the Europeans do.

 

How late can you be seated in the MDR?

 

There is so much I want to do and see--that's what I was wondering about how you fit it all in?? I am glad to hear that on days when you leave port later, they have very late shows.

 

Sigh . . I know. . . I must make choices.

 

 

I believe. The seating in MDR for select is between 6 - 9.30pm

 

 

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[Christine Frances]

We never do the port talks. Before we go to a new port we look on the port section here, look on Frommer's Guide (and other similar guides) and get on the roll call. I find the information there better. Much of the stuff on the ship's talks are geared to their own excursions and stores who paid to be recommended.

As far as shopping, the port talks are a great way to find out what stores NOT to shop in. If they are paying the cruise line for advertising we find the "deal" and "guarantees" are worthless and shop at other local stores that are recommended by people who live there or who have been there.

Have fun!!!

 

I think you should attend the port talks as they have really changed for the better. If you don't want to attend they rerun them on the TV. When we were on the B2B in Asia last month the port talks were excellent. No shilling stores etc at all' Just really good pertinent info, ie what to wear, options to get into town, what to see and how to get there. We took notes lol I cannot speak to the Caribbean cruises but X on our Baltic and Asia cruises had great speakers with informative port talks.

[LouL]

We'll see you on the June 1 Classic.. Can't wait. Did Rome to Rome on

Equinox 4 years ago and had 2nd seating, which is what we prefer.

We usually got back the ship well before the time stated, to relax by

the pool, get ready for dinner, grab a martini and have a nice relaxed

dinner at 8:30. We booked all specialty rest. 8 or 8:30, too.

[chicagopaul]

I just looked up your itinerary and am very jealous! Oh to only go back! I've been everywhere on the list with the exception of Croatia but would love to visit them all again.

 

I've been to Rome several times for extended periods (I absolutely adore the city) and here is my 2cents. You won't be able to see it all from 7am to 7pm. The port is roughly 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic from the center of Rome. Some people try to do a tour that encompasses a little bit of EVERYTHING. I believe the problem with this is that you end up seeing so little, of so many different things that you don't get to appreciate any of them.

 

My recommendation for Rome is pick a couple places you want to see and stick with that. Avoid any tours that include lunch or dinner, the food won't be good. Eat on your own and you'll find amazing food. I'm not sure how much you want to spend on a tour but consider (perhaps through people in your Roll Call as well) a private tour. RomeCabs is AMAZING and you can tailor a tour specifically to what you want to do.

 

Vatican is a must, but unless you have a huge desire to see the vatican museum you can skip that. There is so much there it is really overwhelming. Your time is better spent elsewhere but definitely see St. Peters. It is truly amazing. Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps are amazing because they are in the center of the city and walking around the area gives you a great feel for Rome. The Roman Forum is also great....ugh....you're right it is hard to choose!

 

For the Amalfi Coast, look into tours that can take you to Pompei. I don't believe you will be too far away and it is an incredible historic site.

 

Ok, I digress. Enjoy your cruise!

[irishayes]

It is a great itinerary, isn't it? I'm so excited!

 

But hubby and I are not into the excursions where they load you onto a bus and you visit 25 different places in a day. We would rather do it ourselves, and take our time to visit a couple of great places each port.

 

Good info about the port talks being on the TV.