Med Cruise on the Brilliance~ June 7, 2016 ~ My Diary

[maxs mom]

Daily check in from McD's! Hi Everyone.

 

So sad to hear the news from Nice! Sounds like that was the area where we spent our day. Yikes!

 

The reason we took the "shuttles' in Venice is because John has mobility issues with walking......can't do to much of it. He didn't even go the second day.You can certainly walk it, but that's not for me either. Our friends, Ann and Vic did, though. Believe me.....we got a lot of walking in on both days! But these fees for shuttles are horrible. Can't believe that about Ravenna. I understood that the town provided that shuttle in order to get shoppers in. I don't think we would have gone in to town if there had been that shuttle fee on our cruise.

 

Gotta run.......going home tomorrow,s o I'll be back with more review tomorrow afternoon! Thanks, y'all! it

[Setting sail for fun]

Thanks for the suggestion' date=' Steve. My husband tries to get me to do it that way, but this way is just easier for me......less frustrating and I'm just so used to it. (Don't like change!) Ha!

 

I have enjoyed looking at your beautiful photos. Keep up the good work![/size']

 

Enjoying your review as always! Please don't change a thing. Your reviews are great just the way you do them.

 

 

Debbie

[SteveinPhilly]

Daily check in from McD's! Hi Everyone.

 

So sad to hear the news from Nice! Sounds like that was the area where we spent our day. Yikes!

 

t

 

 

I was Jane! And EXACTLY 4 weeks before the tragedy. I have my photo but it's too big to attach here.

 

We were VERY lucky!

 

S

[stowapple]

So sad what happened in Nice.

 

Keep them and families in your prayers.

 

Regards to all,

Jim & Nancy

Stow, Ma.

[heatherb1958]

Daily check in from McD's! Hi Everyone.

 

So sad to hear the news from Nice! Sounds like that was the area where we spent our day. Yikes!

 

The reason we took the "shuttles' in Venice is because John has mobility issues with walking......can't do to much of it. He didn't even go the second day.You can certainly walk it' date=' but that's not for me either. Our friends, Ann and Vic did, though. Believe me.....we got a lot of walking in on both days! But these fees for shuttles are horrible. Can't believe that about Ravenna. I understood that the town provided that shuttle in order to get shoppers in. I don't think we would have gone in to town if there had been that shuttle fee on our cruise.

 

Gotta run.......going home tomorrow,s o I'll be back with more review tomorrow afternoon! Thanks, y'all! it[/size']

 

Jane, how dare you? Keeping us in suspense!! Lol.

As you know there is usually someone we know in your photos and I am keeping my beady eye open on this review.:).

 

 

 

Venice shuttles - we have cruised out of Venice and had Venice as an overnight stop more than once. We walked or took the people mover to the bus station then bought a 24 hour Vaporetto ticket and just rode the water bus with no agenda . We went to Murano, jumped on and off wherever we fancied and even visited the cemetery on the island. It was all fascinating.

I love Venice.

[SteveinPhilly]

 

 

Venice shuttles - we have cruised out of Venice and had Venice as an overnight stop more than once. We walked or took the people mover to the bus station then bought a 24 hour Vaporetto ticket and just rode the water bus with no agenda . We went to Murano, jumped on and off wherever we fancied and even visited the cemetery on the island. It was all fascinating.

I love Venice.

 

Heather the "shuttle" was an issue on our (6/7) cruise because we were in the furthest away berth. It was a 20 minute (unmarked - and not lighted" walk just yo get to People Mover OR the Shuttle. There was a "bus parking lot at the port area but there were no buses". None of this is an issue if you are not the "last ship in".:cool:

[Setting sail for fun]

We had an easy tender in. We just planned on winging it on our own today since the next three days were going to be intense.

 

 

The weather was very nice!

 

 

We decided that we would take the bus over to Nice and try to find the Promenade Anglais and just hang out for a while. We didn't exactly know where to go but we followed the crowd up a very steep hill and finally found the bus stop. This little sign was helpful.

 

 

It was not a easy walk' date=' but we made it. The bus was 1.5 euros over to Nice and it was packed. Standing room only. Thank goodness it was a short ride.

 

 

 

When we got to Nice, we had no clue where to go from where the bus let us off. We couldn't see taxis or anything. But this HOHO bus came along and we just hopped on it. We had a nice ride around the city and we finally reached the Promenade Anglais. We hopped off there and looked around and then found a nice little sidewalk café to have lunch. Of course John spotted a McDonalds and had to go there for some Wi-Fi. Andrea, Michael, and I went to the café and John joined us later. We got a look at the very rocky beach there and decided that was not the beach experience that we would like to have.

 

 

I get chills just looking at your photos of Nice. It is such a lovely place to have such a horrific attack!

[maxs mom]

So True. Hard to believe. And it just keeps happening! A good friend of mine was in Paris when those attacks happened.

 

Heading home today so I should be up and running some time this afternoon.

 

Thanks for holding down the fort!!

[BonTexasNY]

Jane, as always, your reviews are fabulous and your pictures are awesome. Love seeing the great time everyone is having.

 

I loved your Caribbean beach reviews and as you, I too look for uncrowded beaches with available shade. However, this one is probably my favorite review. It takes me to places I wish I could visit. One day......sigh

 

Continued safe and smooth travels to you and John.

[maxs mom]

I'm back!!

 

Wednesday ~ June 15, 2016 ~ Ravenna

 

We had planned to just stay on board today, but when we woke up and saw how pretty and quaint the port looked......we decided that we would, indeed, go into town and look around. The shuttle was free (ha ha), so why not. The town of Ravenna provided the shuttle....which makes sense. Looks like RCI just had to get their fingers in the pie by charging now! From the ship, you could see the beach area and it looked pretty nice. Will have to check that out next time. (Not paying $22pp for a shuttle!)

 

 

 

We had a wonderful breakfast in Chops. Best ever! This is what I get every day:

 

 

 

Here is the beach area that you can see from the ship:

 

 

While on the way to breakfast, we were walking by the stairwell on deck 6 and noticed some officers there. We looked down and saw that a woman had fallen down the stairs. She did not look too good! We went on to breakfast and later heard the Alpha call. When we left breakfast, we walked by that stairwell again......and an officer was there with a tape measure, measuring every aspect of those stairs!! I think that I heard that the woman had to leave the ship for a nearby hospital, but that's all I know.

 

Here we are parked at the dock. Really nice facility.

 

[maxs mom]

So we got ourselves together and made our way to the shuttle bus. You have to walk outside the gate to get the bus and one came right away. Very nice bus and a pleasant ride into town.....probably about 20 minutes.

 

 

They drop you off in a convenient little square. Very neat place.

 

 

 

There was a very nice lady there to explain to you where to go, etc. So we struck out in the direction that she pointed! Now if you can do a lot of walking, you can get a map that shows you where the churches are with the beautiful mosaics. We couldn't do that much walking......so we just found the main area and looked around a bit and grabbed a cappuccino.

 

We were warned to watch out for the bicyclists......and there were a lot of them!! Most of the streets were cobblestone, but there was a neat middle of the road that had smooth pavers for the bicycles. Really cool.

 

We had a leisurely stroll over to one of the main squares, then walked a bit on the side streets. Quite a lovely little town.

 

 

 

[maxs mom]

More shots from Ravenna:

 

 

 

 

 

[maxs mom]

Lots of high end shopping here!!

 

Some other cruise buddies went in and did the church route to see the mosaics and they said it was really fabulous.

 

Anyway .....we had a nice visit here for the morning and it is definitely a nice cruise stop. We went to the shuttle to go back to the ship and we were there before noon.

 

Cappuccino stop!!

 

 

 

I always run into these little buddies everywhere!

 

 

Some nice tree lined streets:

 

 

Our bus was waiting for us!

 

 

Home, sweet home!!

 

 

[maxs mom]

Meanwhile....back on the ship.....Andrea and Michael did not get off today, and I found them camped out by the pool......so I joined them. I felt like it was just the right time for a mojito!!!

 

 

 

Can't go on a cruise without getting a mojito!! I hate how expensive these drinks have gotten! Anyway.....we enjoyed sitting out by the pool when it wasn't so crowded. Most folks were still off the ship....out and about. I kept falling asleep out here.....so I finally had to go back to the cabin and do that there!!

 

Drinks in the DL that evening.

 

 

 

 

We were able to have dinner in the MDR again. Another strange menu......things I have never seen before. And things that did not appeal to me and I'm NOT a picky eater! So I got the salmon off the alternative menu. It was ok. John and I split a white chocolate cheesecake.....again....just ok.

 

 

A little casino time tonight and then off to bed. It has been so hard to feel rested on this trip. Great trip......but exhausting!

[maxs mom]

Thursday ~ June 16, 2016

 

Well.......I've saved the best for last!!

 

When we were looking at Med cruises for this year, I saw that this itinerary had Kotor at the end. That sealed the deal!! On our last Med cruise, Kotor was substituted for Corfu....and we were at a loss for what to do. I wasn't familiar with this port at all. But it turned out to be the highlight of that cruise. More later.

 

We didn't drop anchor until 12:30 today, so we were able to sleep in a little bit. We had a nice breakfast in Chops once again. Only a few people there.....great service!

 

We spent the morning in the DL. Andrea and Michael joined us in there and had their breakfast. We were able to watch the magnificent sail in to Kotor from there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one wonderful sail in!! Don't miss it!

[maxs mom]

 

The wonderful Ricardo got us tender tickets for Tender number 1 for our whole group. There were ten of us today.

 

 

 

Around noon we prepared to get off. We met in the Schooner Bar and listened for them to call tender number one. It was fairly organized and we were soon on our way. Lots of tenders......one after the other!

 

 

John and Linda had the best seats!!

 

 

Of course the photographers were there on the pier to document our arrival!!

 

 

[maxs mom]

Ha! We ran into Hayden and Chelsea on the pier. They were in line for their tour on 4x4's!

 

 

Today we rented a yacht (sailboat) from a former Russian Submariner that we used the last time we were here 4 years ago. I accidentally discovered him when another sailing venture fell through. It worked out perfectly last time, so I got in touch with him again. He not only remembered us, but used some of my pictures that I sent him on his website.....and oh, by the way.....you can go for free this time!! Ha!! Anyway.....I have kept in touch with him over the years. Glad I did!! The owner of this company (Parus M) is Yuri and his lovely wife, Vesna, works with him on the boat. Four years ago......they had no idea how to get reviews started on Trip Advisor, so I set that up for them and they were very grateful.

 

 

They were assisted today by the first mate....Alexi.

 

 

Vesna met us first out by the boat.....which was a short walk from where we got off the tender. We were soon all on the boat and I had my reunion with Yuri. Such a nice guy!

 

 

We all got settled in and first sailed right by the Brilliance!!

 

 

[maxs mom]

I got our group of 10 together right from our roll call and that worked out great. It was about 1:15 when we got underway and we sailed all over the bay. Beautiful views.....very relaxing.....either under cover or out on the bow of the boat. We all settled in for a fabulous ride. We were treated to beer or wine, fruit juices, and water. Cherries and nectarines were there for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maxs mom]

 

 

 

We stopped in a nice place good for swimming. Even though the air temperature was warm......the water was pretty cold. Only two of us went in the water.....me ......and Ed.....from Canada!! It was very refreshing!!!!

 

 

 

[maxs mom]

 

 

 

 

 

Ed......my swim buddy!!

 

[maxs mom]

 

 

 

Brrrrrr! As I said.....it was refreshing! The rest of the wusses stayed on board. When we got out, Yuri rinsed us off with some warm water! That felt good.

 

We sailed on some more and took in all the sights!

 

 

The Lady of the Rock church. It was crowded when we sailed by the first time, so we waited and went back onto the rock later.

 

 

[Trekker954]

Its a shame Royal hasn't removed Charmaine as everyone seems to have issues with her. She really has this superior attitude and honestly talks down to people. We had issues way back when on the Oasis and I again had issues with her on Brilliance last year on the New England cruise. I was traveling with a non D guest and no I was not bringing her to the lounge. But I did expect Charmaine to book an excursion for me and my guest. Wrong, she would not do that for my cabinmate. How could we be together on the same excursion, one where there are multiple buses. I rarely went to the lounge but one morning stopped there for coffee and a couple came in concerned how to use their excursion ticket. She was so dismissive to them, telling them to read their ticket, it will say where to meet. Such a bitoche.

 

And the be end, was when once we were into Canada a few days, I decided to use my internet coupon for two devices (my cell and my ipad), and when I verified the value for the two devices still met the coupon value. She launched into this tyrate of was I using one of the two devices to give to my cabin-mate and its a D+ coupon and my cabinmate was not, blah, blah, blah. I told her she was insane and there had to be something seriously wrong with her to assume or even accuse me.. First I never said that and even if I wanted to, its my coupon to use as I wish. I get along with everyone, so this was very upsetting to me.

 

I marched right downstairs to Customer Service and reported her. The next day, we were one of those Canada ports with the huge tabled wifi area and there I was with both my ipad downloading something while on my cell and my cabinmate off shopping when I felt I was being watched. I look up and there at the next table Charmaine and a male friend giving me the stare down. WTH

 

The CS manager called me down the next day to apologize for Charmaine behavior but that she denied it all and said I was the one who got up in her face for no reason. I couldn't believe she would lie and deny what she said to me.

 

But so many people complain about her,, I just can't believe she stays. Although I thought the only place she may do okay is a Suite's only lounge. She has no use for D+ members.

 

It must be true, as Royal gave me and my cabinmate quite a hefty future cruise certificate without asking and she did ruin quite a bit of my cruise

I did not report her to get anything, I reported her because I think she is their worse employee.

[maxs mom]

So relaxing and having a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

Vesna treated us to some delicious open faced sandwiches.

 

[/uRL]

[maxs mom]

Its a shame Royal hasn't removed Charmaine as everyone seems to have issues with her. She really has this superior attitude and honestly talks down to people. We had issues way back when on the Oasis and I again had issues with her on Brilliance last year on the New England cruise. I was traveling with a non D guest and no I was not bringing her to the lounge. But I did expect Charmaine to book an excursion for me and my guest. Wrong, she would not do that for my cabinmate. How could we be together on the same excursion, one where there are multiple buses. I rarely went to the lounge but one morning stopped there for coffee and a couple came in concerned how to use their excursion ticket. She was so dismissive to them, telling them to read their ticket, it will say where to meet. Such a bitoche.

 

And the be end, was when once we were into Canada a few days, I decided to use my internet coupon for two devices (my cell and my ipad), and when I verified the value for the two devices still met the coupon value. She launched into this tyrate of was I using one of the two devices to give to my cabin-mate and its a D+ coupon and my cabinmate was not, blah, blah, blah. I told her she was insane and there had to be something seriously wrong with her to assume or even accuse me.. First I never said that and even if I wanted to, its my coupon to use as I wish. I get along with everyone, so this was very upsetting to me.

 

I marched right downstairs to Customer Service and reported her. The next day, we were one of those Canada ports with the huge tabled wifi area and there I was with both my ipad downloading something while on my cell and my cabinmate off shopping when I felt I was being watched. I look up and there at the next table Charmaine and a male friend giving me the stare down. WTH

 

The CS manager called me down the next day to apologize for Charmaine behavior but that she denied it all and said I was the one who got up in her face for no reason. I couldn't believe she would lie and deny what she said to me.

 

But so many people complain about her,, I just can't believe she stays. Although I thought the only place she may do okay is a Suite's only lounge. She has no use for D+ members.

 

It must be true, as Royal gave me and my cabinmate quite a hefty future cruise certificate without asking and she did ruin quite a bit of my cruise

I did not report her to get anything, I reported her because I think she is their worse employee.

 

Oh my! Sorry you had that experience! That was god that you got some compensation. As I said earlier......she was not rude to us....... but she made it very clear that she was there to serve the suite guests, and please don't ask her for any help!! So that's why we did not remain in the CL Ricardo was more than happy to do many things for us. We enjoyed spending time with him!.......

[maxs mom]

More sailing around:

 

 

 

 

We finally made it back to the Church on the Rock and practically had the place to ourselves: