Here is a repost of last years Med. cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas

[SteveS]

Another fabulous cruise! Our second with RC. My wife, Betty, found a good price for the cruise. We used mileage for the flight so we decided to splurge and use the private tours I found on the Cruise Critic board. Thank you to all the past cruisers who posted their experiences. Private tours are great as I hate riding on busses and having no choice of what to see.

 

Mon. 7-21, 8 PM we left Newark for Madrid-arrived 9:30 am Tues. with no sleep. I'm too big for those cramped seats! Long layover, but we used mileage. Too tired to take Metro to downtown Madrid. 6:30 PM arr. Barcelona. Taxi to Rivioli Rambla (E 20). Very nice room. Great air conditioning. It was 90 degrees and humid outside! We walked around a bit, ate tapas in a court yard and then enjoyed the nightly scene on the Rambla.

 

Wed 7-23: We ate breakfast and stopped at Champion supermarket for wine. I bought two one liter boxes and 1 bottle of red wine and two bottles of Cava for E 12. Noontime we took a cab to the ship E 10. Check in was very fast, as I had filled out the pre-sailing form on line. We just had to show passports (they don't keep them anymore) and credit card. Bought a bottle of Sangria on the dock. In our cabin by 1 PM. Cabin 7530 has a wonderful balcony much bigger then most of the other E category rooms and is near the bow and low enough to enjoy the sound of the waves. We went to the CC party and met a few fellow posters and Clo the Cruise Director.

 

Thu. in Villefranche: Tendered ashore and toured with Dreamtours 10:30 -7:30. info@dream-tours.com Saw Monaco, Nice, St. Paul de Vence and Cannes went for a swim at Cannes. E 270 + 30 tip and 30 lunch. The driver John Mark was very nice and did a good job even though it was his first time. The tender ride back to the ship was very slow.

 

Fri. Livorno 7:30 met Alessandro Cammilli at the gang way. He has a green Fiat Kangaroo and I could see him waiting from the upper deck as we tied up. We had a wonderful time. I'm glad we decided not to take the train because it was not running that day due to a strike. First we went to Pisa. We were the only ones there. Then on to Florence. First a panoramic view from a hill top then a walking tour over the Ponte Vecchio bridge to the Duomo and Sinagoga. We took a ride to Chianti for lunch then we spent two hours at the Uffizi. We were back at 5 PM. We saw much more with Alessendro than we would on own. He had purchased advance tickets for the museum so we didn't waste time on line and showed us what we want to see. At E225 the cost is the same as the ship's tour for two people and half for four. E-mail him at alcemma@hotmail.com.

Sat. Naples: We met Marcello Maresca at 7:30 and went to Herculaneum, smaller than Pompeii but better preserved. We than toured the Amalfi coast with a stop for lunch at a scenic restaurant high atop the mountain overlooking the sea. We had a fabulous five course meal with wine. Betty likes to try the local foods. It cost E 350 and E60 for lunch expensive but memorable. If we were six it would have been cheap but nobody onboard was adventurous and went on the ship's bus. info@seesorrento.com

 

Sun. at sea: I was very glad I had my balcony. The pools are much too small and the decks crowded. The ship was 110 percent full. Extra tables had to be added in the dining room. The formal dinner that night, was excellent the beef Wellington perfect.

 

Mon. Venice 1 PM: The sail in is awesome we sailed up the canal turned around and docked just past San Marco Sq. We bought a 24 hour ticket for the Vaporetti (E 10) and went to Murano (skip the glass museum) we returned and took a gondola ride.

Tues. We toured the Doge's Palace then took the Vaporetti to the Jewish Ghetto then walked to the Rialto bridge and shopped had pizza and walked back to the ship. We sailed at 6 PM. We ate at chops it was nice but if you are happy with your table mates I would skip it.

Wed. Dubrovnik 10 am: Took the shuttle ($4 PP each way) to Old Town toured the Monastery, Rectors Place and synagogue. We climbed the wall to the fort. I went to the top, good exercise. I bought some peaches from an old woman (E1) washed them in the fountain and ate them. They were the best I had ever tasted. I went back to get more but she was gone I walked around and found an old man and ask for 2 Euros worth of peaches but he gave me two kilos by mistake but took the 2 Euros anyway. We really enjoyed the peaches with our wine on the balcony while watching the waves and listening to classical music. I always bring my CD player.

 

Thu. Corfu: I rented a car on the dock for E60. The ship's shuttle to town was $4 per person each way. They only have standard shift which I have only driven once before, but I learned fast and didn't stall too often. We went to St. Mary's, two beaches, Ermones and Gayfada, and drove around. We ate a Greek salad for lunch at a taverna on the beach and had ice cream at the Golden View snack bar on a verandah high on a hill top over looking ocean. It was a wonderful way to spend the day!

 

Thurs. night: The lightning was spectacular I have never seen it like that before! At 5:30 am a blinding light and clap of thunder shook the ship! It rained harder than I have ever seen. The wind, I later learned, reached 125 mph and the ship listed 10 degrees to port. $20,000 dollars worth of glassware and china were broken in the dinning room! Some people panicked put on their life jackets and went to the life boats. The Captain got on the intercom and said everything was all right and everyone should return to their cabins. It didn't bother us at all.

 

Fri. at sea: We ate our romance package breakfast on the balcony while passing through the Messina Straits. Room service was right on time even though the elevators were out. The galley tour was interesting and the Captain's talk very informative after the storm. Second and last formal night. Chef's dinner was fabulous -- rare fillet and lobster tail.

 

Sat. 8-2 Rome: Yes, You can do it all with a private tour! We toured Rome with Max Leotta. He meet us at the gangway at 8:30. We were at the Vatican Museum at 9:30. After that we went into Clisto's Catacombs, the Coliseum (he had prepaid tickets so we didn't have to stand in line) , the Pantheon, St. Peters and tossed our coin in the Trevi Fountain and saw the Spanish Steps. All of which except the catacombs are musts in Rome! We even had lunch and stopped at a supermarket on the way back. We were back at the ship by 5:30 and not too tired to enjoy the show and dinner. At E450 it wasn't cheap but it sure beat the bus! If you are four the price is E500 which is less than the shop's tour. max@maxleotta.com We drank the Frascati we bought in the super market with fruit and cheese on the balcony. Life is good. Even though the sailing was delayed due to engine problems. We finally sailed at 12:30 AM. Dinner was great it always gets better as the cruise progresses. The production show was fantastic. Numbers from Broadway shows, some done better than on Broadway!

 

Sun at sea: Time to pack.

 

Mon. Up at 6, out of room by 7 , off by 9, at Rivioli Rambla by 10:30. Our room was ready! Even nicer than the first one. And only $139 booked on Hoteldiscount.com. Off to the beach. Ate dinner at The Convent on Jerusalem St. behind market, very good inexpensive.

 

Tue morning: Breakfast at Dunkin Doughnuts for good coffee and fresh squeezed OJ, I love the machine. Looped around the city on the Bus Turistic and saw Sagrada Familia, a must. We took the elevator up the tower (be warned it's a long, long climb back down). Rode both loops and got off at a few places. Dinner at Tapa Apat on the bottom of Rambla-very nice but expensive. The seafood sampler was delicious. You pay for the show of passing people and street performers.

 

Wed: Back to the beach. Dinner at Convent again.

Thu: Up at 5:30, to the airport at 6:15 for an 8:00 flight. Arrived in Madrid at 9:15 and departed 11:30. We arrived at Newark at 1:30 and were home by 3 PM. to start the laundry!

 

Another vacation over! Oh well, we are booked on the Golden Princess.

 

Some new stuff: Rembember price will be higher this year. Use a debit card at ATMs if you have one. Buy a bottle of Limoncello in Italy and Kumquat liquor on Corfu.

This was our best cruise yet. This Aug. we are off to the Baltic.

 

Dawn Princess 11/97

Regal Princess

Grand Princess 7/99

Renaissance R4 7/13/00

Rotterdam 7/20/01

Radiance of the Sea 12/22/01

Royal Princess 8/10/02

Brilliance of the Sea 7/23/03

Golden Princess 12/27/03

[cruisintwinsmom]

Thank you for the information. Taking notes --especially about the restaurants.

 

Happy Sailing!

[ewong]

Hi Steve,

 

Thanks for the detailed report. Based on your recommendation, we have booked Alessandro for our Florence tour. Did you spend just the morning in Florence and did you see all you need to see? We are thinking of visiting the Chianti too (is that worth going?) and spend a couple of hours in the outlet mall after. Does this plan seem too aggressive based on your experience?

We plan not to take any tours in Venice. I wonder if the vaporetti takes you to Murano? How much is a typical gondola ride?

Did you like the tour you had with Dreamtours? We are thinking of booking with them but they seem pretty expensive for 2. If we stay in Monte Carlo only (that's our port), do you think there are things to see/do for the whole day or should we visit Nice too?

 

Thanks,

Evelyn

[Cruise Cat]

Thanks for the info. I realize this is a bit dated, but I will check our some of the tours for stops on my cruise.