Ciao Italia! My birthday cruise adventure on Brilliance of the Seas 7/1/2016

[cinnamon]

Taking this cruise next year. Following along. :)

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I will be the first to admit that I had never heard of Kotor before booking this trip. So I was pretty much open to anything on this day.

 

It started as a beautiful day sailing. Everyone I'd read discussing Kotor - as well as the Cruise Compass and Jerome and Jeremie - promised the sail in was beautiful and reminiscent of Norway's fjords - though it is actually (as information left in our cabins clearly stated) a ria, an ancient river valley that was flooded by a change in sea levels. (Fjords are formed by glacier activity.)

 

Or, in my thought process, another day like glacier day in Alaska but warmer with spots staked out on deck early.

 

But there was a slight wrinkle. This time they were clear on all fronts that to get off prior to 2:30 you would need a tender ticket. Which would be fine except they were starting distribution at 10:30 when we were entering the ria around 10. Not horrible if you were part of a group and one person didn't really care (or the others would hold a rail place for them and/or switch out since there was no prohibition on that), but was challenging as a solo. Still, I figured that I wouldn't miss that much - and I might even be able to catch it on the way out later that night since sunset was so late.

 

I got up, had breakfast in the Windjammer, and took my nook to a chair close to the desk when distribution would happen. In spite of the whole thing with Villefranche and do-we-or-don't-we, it didn't look like people were taking any chances. I was the first one in the area, but people gradually came up and settled in chairs around - including a couple who came very late comparatively and plopped right in the chairs in front of the desk. It was clear there was going to be drama, and there was - including women who were in the party with those men, and who didn't show until around 10:00 insisting that the men were the first ones there. I was all set to be like "You know what, go ahead." but the guy from England who was the second person in the area was very vocal that I had been there first and pushed me to the front.

 

They started distributing a little before 10:30, but not by much. And guess what? Everyone who was fussing about place in line got group number 3 - the first group they were handing out as 1 and 2 were reserved for RCCL shore excursions. And the most vocal protesters weren't even on the first tender after group 3 was called!! All that fuss about nothing.

 

The ticket distribution time was my biggest quibble with the process. If you know that the much talked about sail in starts around 10, AND you know from just a casual walk around the pool deck on a sea day that people are quite capable of having one person in a party get up early to deposit towels on chairs, why not just have the distribution take place earlier in the morning?

 

ANYWAY. I went out to deck and watched most of the sail in from the helipad. It was just as gorgeous as promised! And we actually spotted a turtle next to the bow of the ship at one point!

 

When the time came, I took my tender in - these were small, locally operated boats, hence the need for tickets. Once at the tender dock, I wove my way through the numerous people hawking bus tours and taxi drivers trying to snag tours of their own and got to the town gates.

 

The entrance to the village is still through the ancient walls. It is a charming village. I wandered my way through the little streets towards the back where I knew the entrance to the climb to the fortress remains was - explored a couple of little churches along the way.

 

Finally after some twists and turns I made it to the fortress path entrance. I think it's something like 1351 steps? Something crazy like that. And it is UP!! Major elevation gain! On some very slippy rocks - seriously, I had running shoes on and I was slipping. I don't know how people in sandals or flip flops did it! And this climb was in the heat. With possible reptiles (I missed that lovely bit of info before starting - luckily I didn't see any.) And we pay 3 euro for the privilege of doing this! :rolleyes:

 

But the views were so worth it!! There is a little chapel about halfway up distance wise (I think it's maybe 1/3 of the way up elevation-rise wise.) The joke with the chapel is that you stop there and pray for the strength to make it the rest of the way. Ha!

 

Along the way there are some Kotorians (is that what the residents are Kotor are called?) who had climbed with coolers and were selling water and sometimes Coke (or other soda) and beer. And amazingly they weren't really scalping them. The most I saw was 2 euro for water at the top. I'd taken my own water bottle, but emptied it by the top, so I bought a bottle of water and refilled it which got me down to the bottom where I refilled the bottle at the public fountain. I only almost slipped badly once, but caught myself on the doorframe. I was happy and proud of myself that I'd done it - especially in the heat we had that day.

 

I meandered back through town and pondered visiting the cat museum - apparently cats are kind of a big deal in Kotor as I saw several shirts and other souvenirs that had to do with cats, but I ended up just grabbing a Coke and taking advantage of some decent free public internet (something difficult to find in Rome or Venice but amazingly easy in Ravenna and Kotor) to check in with the cat sitter as well as my mom and sister. Then I headed back to the ship for some time in the pool, hot tub, and a shower along with continuing to rehydrate. Then it was time for dinner.

 

The show tonight was a 60s tribute band from England called The Zoots. They were ok - nothing really to write home about, but not horrible.

 

The sail out was very pretty with the light constantly changing due to the sunset.

 

All in all, tender ticket drama aside, it was a really great day in beautiful Kotor!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Today was a very chill day - sort of a day of eat, read, work out, repeat. :)

 

I did breakfast and lunch (and dinner, but that's kind of a duh thing - at least for me) in the MDR. I love the design your own salad thing they do at lunch! And other than the dessert section, there were some gluten free options. I ordered the chicken sliders, but apparently they were out of, couldn't find, or never had gluten free buns. I said they could just do them protein style - sandwiched between lettuce leaves - but they ended up improvising and giving me some slices of the bread I got at dinner. Yummy, but crumbly and did not make for good chicken sandwiches. They tried though - I have to give them credit for that.

 

After a shower, I put on a yoga tank and some yoga shorts and found a chair on deck to get a little sun and let the wind and sun dry my hair (I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to hair and don't like to use lots of product on it OR use a hair dryer when I can avoid it).

 

After dinner, I headed to the Centrum for a short set of "Tango Music and More" featuring a couple of the musicians and the tango dancers from Tango Buenos Aires. It was good, and it was fun to see the dancers so up close. As is par for tango-wear I suppose, her dress was slit VERY high and the skirt swung out a bit on spins and lifts - a fact which led to a LOT of teenage boys hanging out around the Centrum watching with intense interest - pretty sure it wasn't the dancing so much that they were observing so closely if you know what I mean. ;) But it was a nice break from the usual evening act in there.

 

Then it was time for the final production show (though why they don't do that on the final night I don't understand) called "Center Stage". I did have a mild freak-out/cold sweat moment when it started with "Come Sail Away" - which is what the nightmare show on the Radiance last summer started with - and the guy's outfit was very similar. But there was no fake ship and no attempt at a storyline. Just some great music performed by a really good cast and orchestra. While not totally Broadway level (or even Disney level), I had no complaints about the production show entertainment group on this cruise or the production shows.

 

I went back to my cabin and got about as packed as I could so I'd have less to do the next day. Hard to believe the trip is coming to a close!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

In most ways, today was a carbon copy of yesterday, which was fine. After such a port-intensive cruise it was nice to have some time to decompress.

 

I did cry when I was saying good-bye to Yara, my stateroom host. I never get attached, even when they are amazingly wonderful, but I got attached to Yara. I'm really going to miss her - and not just because she makes the bed and gives me fresh towels. She's a genuinely nice person.

 

I used most of my remaining OBC to buy one final glass of wine before closing out my account (I got a whopping $4.67 back), then I headed to Deck 5 aft to take what is becoming my traditional end of cruise selfie with a glass of wine and the wake in the background.

 

I had one final dinner in the MDR. Amazingly I STILL never saw my head waiter!! I had fully expected him/her to come over, big smile and hand out to reinforce the "excellent service" speech. But never saw whoever it was. (Yes, I'm mentioning that in an email I'm sending since I'm not punishing Mohit and Mikail with a lower score because the head waiter never showed face. More on that in my "final thoughts and observations" post to come.)

 

I took one final walk around the ship and then went back to my cabin to wash my face and pack everything but pajamas, clothes for the trip home, brush, and toothbrush and toothpaste, then put the bags in the hall.

 

Then I just chilled and watched TV. No "See You Real Soon!" celebration party as on Disney to go to. The show in the theater was some hula hooper - pass with gusto on that.

 

I knew that the morning would come early.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

"Morning" came a lot earlier than even I'd thought as we ran into one of those random Mediterranean storms.

 

Big time!!

 

We were definitely rocking and rolling - and I was fairly sure I was hearing the punching bag occasionally hitting the ceiling above its hanger as well as a wave or two crashing onto the helipad.

 

I turned the tv onto channel 17 - the bridge information - and discovered that actual winds were at a Beaufort Scale rating changing between 9 and 10 (47-55mph winds and the potential of waves up to 42 feet!!). First thing I did was pull the empty hangers off the closet rail and put them onto the floor to stop that clanging around. The movement didn't bother me - but it took a while to get back to sleep.

 

I managed though, and soon the alarm on my phone was going off to tell me it was time to get up and get ready to go. Went to grab breakfast in the Windjammer and back to brush my teeth and pack my final stuff. Then I headed to the theater and waited for my number to be called to debark, collect my bags, and get on the RCCL shuttle to the airport.

 

I do like that with RCCL you can go back and brush your teeth and you don't have to drag your carry-on bags to breakfast with you - on Disney you go to breakfast with your bags and leave from there, so no going back for a tooth brushing afer breakfast. BUT they did seem to get ahead of the baggage handlers when calling numbers as it was a good 10 minutes after they called my block before ANY bags with tags in that number block appeared on the belts in the terminal. But they did eventually show up and I took them to load onto a truck and then load me onto a bus for the ride to El Prat.

 

The flight home was nice - I watched The Jungle Book, My Big Fat Greek Weding II, and Sisters. The food was pretty good for airline food - even if I did leave the fish "starter" pretty much untouched (I don't make a practice of eating things that live in the water most of their lives. I did try the scallops on the ship and got them down, but they aren't my favorite.). There were quite a few of us from the cruise on the plane.

 

CBP was kind of a clutster at JFK. I have the mobile passport app and that helped a little, but especially after baggage claim there is little signage for the correct lines to enter, so people end up gathering and creating lines which sometimes work and sometimes don't. Finally it was clear that Global Entry and Mobile App people were to be in the same line - and then a lady pulled those of us with the Mobile App into a different line which totally breezed us through.

 

Headed to AirTrain and the subway and then made it to my apartment - where my cat hid and meowed at me for a few minutes until he came out enough I could grab him and give him cuddles. Once he smelled me he was all over that and has been Velcro-cat ever since!

 

I missed the ship, but it was good to get home. And one big advantage of being a teacher on summer break is that I didn't have the usual day after vacation return to work! Yay!!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Overall it was an amazing trip! Not perfect, but really, really good.

 

Oh yes. As I said earlier, I don't get all wrapped up in "OMG, those people are not following the dress code! They are ruining my dinner!" - I subscribe to the "As long as you're covered in all the right places and it makes you happy, go for it." - especially when it is a "suggestion" and not carved in stone. But I know people are interested in formal nights and such. We had two nights where the dress code suggestion was formal - for us it was night 6 and night 11 - the first two sea days. Given that this was a Europe-based cruise people did seem to dress a bit more than on Caribbean itineraries. But not everyone did, and no one was forced to the Windjammer or room service - which I'm fine with (see my final point at the end of this post). On night 8, the night we left Venice, the suggestion was "elegance" - and there was a masquerade ball (I didn't go, but it was on the Compass).

 

The "Elegant" night combined with Jeremie's mentioning of a new class of ships "Edge Class" that is planned makes me wonder if there is going to be a lot more synergy between the RCCL side of the company and the Celebrity side of the company given that Celebrity has gone to the suggestion of "Evening Chic" (which sounds like the same description for "Elegance") and I'm pretty sure I've only seen "Edge Class" mentioned in relation to Celebrity. I asked Jeremie about the Edge Class and thinking that was Celebrity, but he said that the memo he'd seen indicated that it would be RCCL. So it will be interesting to see what comes of this and if there are cross-overs between the two branches of the company as time goes on.

 

I have completed my post-cruise survey, but I knew going in that it wouldn't cover everything. So I wrote Michael Bayley a letter - with praises and suggestions (praises on both sides like an Oreo so it's more palatable).

 

Some of my concerns...

 

* There were two windows that I saw in the Colony Club that between whatever the magic is that keeps shattered glass from totally coming apart were clearly shattered. It definitely made me nervous and not wanting to go into that area. It seems like that kind of thing should be replaced ASAP after happening!!

 

* Regarding the gluten free thing... Generally I was comfortable with the service and the options. However. I'm very much accustomed through friends' experiences as well as my own with a peanut sensitivity (that I pretty much don't mention and will just ask if something has peanuts as I'm an adult and it's not anaphalactyc (spelling, I know) level) to Disney's method of handling it when everything in the MDR is handled through the Head Waiter. I felt comfortable with Mohit and Mikhail's handling of things, but I was very surprised at never seeing the Head Waiter, especially having the gluten sensitivity noted on my record.

 

* Also, in the Windjammer there was occasional inconsistency in the location of the "Gluten Free Corner" which was really just one side of one of the buffet stations. I noticed one night when I went in to grab some nibbles that it was on the opposite side from where it usually was...and it wasn't changed back in the morning when it was over the side with pancakes, waffles, etc. I pointed it out to one of the cooks, and the sign totally disappeared for breakfast. That did lead me to question how accurate the sign was to begin with. (The location of the pudding or mousse also changed from time to time on the dessert stations.) It would be nice if they would find a way to put the gluten free "corner" actually in its own location (perhaps convert one of the dessert stations?) so that it was more isolated and people who don't need gluten free wouldn't be AS likely to go to it for food, especially given that I'm fairly sure they make a limited amount of the gluten free stuff.

 

* And it would be nice if they realize that there are other options for desserts such as cookies and cupcakes; other things for breakfast like french toast sticks; other things for meals like chicken fingers. Even if we have to ask for them, that would be ok. I mean, we had to ask for gluten free bagels or pizza and wait for those. I practically jumped for joy when they had Baked Alaska as that was just about the only gluten free dessert I saw that wasn't a pudding or mousse!! (The following night they had Starwbarry Kiwi Pavlova which was also not pudding or mousse.) If I never see pudding or mousse again it will be too soon.

 

* I really wish that they would use a strap to secure the mattresses together when the beds are set up together. This time they stayed a little closer together than last year on the Radiance, but they did still separate. And also make sure that the beds are on the same level! This year I had one bed that was about a centimeter lower than the other one! Craziness!!

 

But those didn't break my trip! It was still great!!

 

A few other observations I made just for my own knowledge for future trips...

 

* For me, it will be worth it to get a beverage package when available just so that I have the option for drinks without having to worry about the cost. I had prepaid pretty much everything and had some money for souvenirs and so forth, but not a lot extra for drinks. I didn't think I'd want them, but a glass or two of wine each night with dinner would have been great. I might not break even, but having that security blanket of knowing it's already covered will be nice. (I know I've already got a beverage package included for my upcoming Celebrity cruise, so that will be a test to see how much I really do use it. IF I find that I don't really come close to a break even point, I will just make a point of buying a good bit of OBC to use.)

 

* Ship-based shore excursions are NOT evil incarnate and don't have to be avoided. Yes, there can be other things that are awesome, but they are not necessarily the best - or most economical - fit for everyone. And those of us who choose ship-based excursions should not be made to feel bad on message boards because we're not singing from the "private excursions are the best thing ever" song book - and on the flip side, those who do private excursions shouldn't be made to feel bad for not doing ship-based excursions. Ditto taking advantage of ship-offered transportation vs. private transportation options. Everyone has to figure out what is best for them and their situation.

 

* I really don't need to stress about wearing a bikini if I choose. Given the multitude of body shapes I saw wearing them while I was walking around on sea days, no one really cares!

 

* Where there are people, there will be drama - deck chairs, tender tickets, pre-boarding for flights with assigned seats so it really doesn't matter WHEN you get on the plane as long as you're on prior to the doors closing. Just chill and go with the flow. Vacations will be so much better that way.

 

Overall I enjoyed my cruise. I like RCCL and aspects of it - but I'm looking forward to trying Celebrity in February (and hopefully Fathom in December). I think that for me, even as a solo adult, Disney will pretty much always be my first choice, at least for now - just for a multitude of reasons that fit for me. I won't rule out RCCL in the future, but I'm personally ready for some magic. :)

 

Thanks for reading!!

 

If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them if I can. :)

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I don't know if this is a) something they're testing, b) something they're just doing on the Brilliance and/or in Barcelona-based sailings, or c) something new fleet-wide, but...

 

They were offering a "Stay Awhile" program that could be purchased for something like $31/person where on debarkation day you could "remain onboard and continue to enjoy everything the ship has to offer and depart the ship when you choose, up to 3:00pm." You would be able to use the pool, gym, Windjammer, and other public areas and use your credit card at the bars. I think they would store the luggage in the terminal and you'd pick it up when you disembarked.

 

I don't know if anyone took advantage, but if you had a later flight and didn't want to do a tour it might be an option for people.

[Bobal]

I don't know if this is a) something they're testing, b) something they're just doing on the Brilliance and/or in Barcelona-based sailings, or c) something new fleet-wide, but...

 

They were offering a "Stay Awhile" program that could be purchased for something like $31/person where on debarkation day you could "remain onboard and continue to enjoy everything the ship has to offer and depart the ship when you choose, up to 3:00pm." You would be able to use the pool, gym, Windjammer, and other public areas and use your credit card at the bars. I think they would store the luggage in the terminal and you'd pick it up when you disembarked.

 

I don't know if anyone took advantage, but if you had a later flight and didn't want to do a tour it might be an option for people.

 

They have had that for some years on Mediterranean cruises. I only wish they do it in the US

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

They have had that for some years on Mediterranean cruises. I only wish they do it in the US

 

Gotcha. This was only my first Mediterranean cruise and my second on RCCL, so I didn't know if it was new or something itinerary-specific.

[flightycow43]

Hi Beth - I have really enjoyed your blog - it has been really helpful. I am doing the same cruise leaving Barcelona next Monday. This will be my first cruise and I haven't much of a clue. I know 2 ports involve tenders - Nice and Kotor - from your blog I gather this means you have to queue to get a ticket at a specific time. If you missgetting a ticket does it mean you can't get off the ship at all. This is probably a daft question but I am confused about the tender issue!

[cincicruisers]

Wonderful review.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Hi Beth - I have really enjoyed your blog - it has been really helpful. I am doing the same cruise leaving Barcelona next Monday. This will be my first cruise and I haven't much of a clue. I know 2 ports involve tenders - Nice and Kotor - from your blog I gather this means you have to queue to get a ticket at a specific time. If you missgetting a ticket does it mean you can't get off the ship at all. This is probably a daft question but I am confused about the tender issue!

 

No problem!

 

We did not need tickets at all for Villefranche. I don't know if that will change based on what happened in Nice (as in if there will be more security and so a slower process) or not. Your best bet is to check the Cruise Compass (it will be put in your room each night for the following day) and then watch the morning show with Jerome and Jeremie on Channel 14. They'll clarify I'm sure.

 

The way it was explained for Kotor was that if you wanted to get off prior to 2:30 you needed a ticket. I knew I wanted to climb to the fortress and wanted as much time as possible, so I got a ticket. I think if you're just going in to look around and don't mind waiting until 2:30 (or I guess they would call something like "open tender" when you no longer need the ticket) you could go in at the point they stop calling ticket numbers.

 

I hope that makes sense!

 

Have a wonderful trip!!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Wonderful review.

 

Thank you!! I really tried to go into this cruise with an open mind and heart and a sense of adventure. :) I know there will always be little things - as someone's signature on here says "If you want perfection, don't travel" or something like that - so I try to balance the glitches in the great scheme of things.

 

Thanks for reading!

[flightycow43]

thank you Beth that has clarified things - I didn't even know what the ship's compass was! Hopefully we'll take it easy and muddle through. Many thanks for replying so swiftly

[Jennybear2299]

No problem!

 

We did not need tickets at all for Villefranche. I don't know if that will change based on what happened in Nice (as in if there will be more security and so a slower process) or not. Your best bet is to check the Cruise Compass (it will be put in your room each night for the following day) and then watch the morning show with Jerome and Jeremie on Channel 14. They'll clarify I'm sure.

 

The way it was explained for Kotor was that if you wanted to get off prior to 2:30 you needed a ticket. I knew I wanted to climb to the fortress and wanted as much time as possible, so I got a ticket. I think if you're just going in to look around and don't mind waiting until 2:30 (or I guess they would call something like "open tender" when you no longer need the ticket) you could go in at the point they stop calling ticket numbers.

 

I hope that makes sense!

 

Have a wonderful trip!!

 

 

We didn't get tickets for Kotor, because we didn't want to miss the sail in. I think it was around 1:30 when they called for open boarding without tickets, so much earlier than anticipated.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

thank you Beth that has clarified things - I didn't even know what the ship's compass was! Hopefully we'll take it easy and muddle through. Many thanks for replying so swiftly

 

Sure thing! The Cruise Compass is like a daily newsletter - it lists the events that are going on, the suggested dinner dress, information about the ports, the show (or movie...one night they showed the latest Star Wars installment in the Pacifica Theater - another pass for me as I'm not into Star Wars) in the Pacifica Theater for the night, and so forth.

 

The tender process sounds confusing, but it's really pretty simple. :) There will be signs and crew members directing you to the right place (and usually announcements as well) - just ask! :)

[Miryam1234]

Thanks for the wonderful review. I enjoyed reading it a lot!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thanks for the wonderful review. I enjoyed reading it a lot!

 

Thank you for reading!!

[lovesthebeach2]

I just found this thread and I'm following too since we will be cruising in September. Thanks!

[lovesthebeach2]

I don't know if this is a) something they're testing, b) something they're just doing on the Brilliance and/or in Barcelona-based sailings, or c) something new fleet-wide, but...

 

They were offering a "Stay Awhile" program that could be purchased for something like $31/person where on debarkation day you could "remain onboard and continue to enjoy everything the ship has to offer and depart the ship when you choose, up to 3:00pm." You would be able to use the pool, gym, Windjammer, and other public areas and use your credit card at the bars. I think they would store the luggage in the terminal and you'd pick it up when you disembarked.

 

I don't know if anyone took advantage, but if you had a later flight and didn't want to do a tour it might be an option for people.

 

We bought the transfers from the ship to the airport. Does anyone know if we could still get this "Stay Awhile" deal?

[TLC535]

Thanks for the great review ~ enjoying all the detail :D

 

Wondering if this is the excursion (below) that you did in Rome, we have been before, done the "main sites" and considering doing this in May on the same cruise so we can just wander where we choose, though I didn't see you mention anything about the GPS-enabled smart device....Thank for any input. ;)

 

Navigate Through Rome

 

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

 

Overview

 

Explore the Eternal City’s ancient ruins, sacred spaces and bustling cityscapes at your own pace as you spend more than five hours sightseeing with the help of a pocket-sized, GPS-enabled smart device. In the comfort of an air-conditioned motor coach, delight in a narrated drive past Rome’s most notable landmarks. You’ll enjoy a passing glimpse of The Baths of Caracalla, built between AD 212 & 217; see the Circus Maximus chariot-racing stadium; view the ancient open-air Theatre of Marcellus; drive by Venice Square, a popular gathering place; admire the English-styled landscapes of Villa Borghese Gardens; and hear tales of gladiators who battled in the gigantic Colosseum. You’ll then be dropped off in St. Peter’s Square, home to the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world. From here you’ll have more than five hours to experience the city’s sights all with a Smart Cruise Tour Device that brings to life everything you see with audio-visual technology. Feel free to browse museum exhibits, marvel Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, shop for souvenirs, or dine on authentic Roman cuisine in a sidewalk trattoria. You’ll even use your smart device to map your designated meeting point for your return trip back to the ship. CVS2

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

We bought the transfers from the ship to the airport. Does anyone know if we could still get this "Stay Awhile" deal?

 

That I don't know. I'm sorry! I didn't save the little inserts that talked about it. I want to say there was that possibility - to have transportation to the airport - but I'm not 100% on that...or if that would lock you into a set time and you'd be on your own if you left before or after that set time.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thanks for the great review ~ enjoying all the detail :D

 

Wondering if this is the excursion (below) that you did in Rome, we have been before, done the "main sites" and considering doing this in May on the same cruise so we can just wander where we choose, though I didn't see you mention anything about the GPS-enabled smart device....Thank for any input. ;)

 

Navigate Through Rome

 

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

 

Overview

 

Explore the Eternal City’s ancient ruins, sacred spaces and bustling cityscapes at your own pace as you spend more than five hours sightseeing with the help of a pocket-sized, GPS-enabled smart device. In the comfort of an air-conditioned motor coach, delight in a narrated drive past Rome’s most notable landmarks. You’ll enjoy a passing glimpse of The Baths of Caracalla, built between AD 212 & 217; see the Circus Maximus chariot-racing stadium; view the ancient open-air Theatre of Marcellus; drive by Venice Square, a popular gathering place; admire the English-styled landscapes of Villa Borghese Gardens; and hear tales of gladiators who battled in the gigantic Colosseum. You’ll then be dropped off in St. Peter’s Square, home to the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world. From here you’ll have more than five hours to experience the city’s sights all with a Smart Cruise Tour Device that brings to life everything you see with audio-visual technology. Feel free to browse museum exhibits, marvel Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, shop for souvenirs, or dine on authentic Roman cuisine in a sidewalk trattoria. You’ll even use your smart device to map your designated meeting point for your return trip back to the ship. CVS2

 

It's not - though that might have been the other group meeting at the same place we did. I simply took the Transfer to Rome - which was just the bus in and back. Sorry!!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thanks for reading along everyone! Sorry I've been lax in getting back to you - between my older laptop wanting to argue with me and the modem deciding it pretty much wanted to give up the ghost I've been off and on the past few days.

 

I did hear back from Laura in Michael Bayley's office regarding the email I'd sent - mostly complimentary, I might add - and can report on a couple of things...

 

* Regarding Soul Inspirations who usually played in the Centrum, shipboard management had noticed the same thing I had - that the female was basically a semi-glorified karaoke singer who appeared totally unfamiliar with the majority of the songs they were performing - and it is under review with those in charge currently.

 

* Regarding the windows that appeared shattered, they were in fact new but were shattered on installation. They were inspected - as they had to be ordered - and deemed safe and reportedly were replaced on the last itinerary that went through Athens.

 

* Regarding the bartender in Starquest who glared at anyone who dared enter her empty bar, I received an apology and an assurance that more training was being done.

 

* Regarding the tender ticket timing for Kotor, they apparently used to offer them earlier but people complained about having to be up that early (ignoring that many of them were up early reserving chairs on sea days). She did say they were usually offered at 10 - I'm pretty sure it was 10:45 that was advertised - but did acknowledge that we began the entrance a little earlier than normal.

 

* Regarding the shuttle charge into Ravenna, she said that between the first cruise there and our cruise there the port authorities changed their minds about offering it for nothing. I personally still think that in this case the company should have eaten the cost given that the word was already out about no charge thanks to the internet, but it is what it is. Plan on the $22 shuttle or waiting on a taxi to get into Ravenna if not doing an excursion.

 

* Regarding the gluten-free section of the Windjammer, they had occasionally moved things so that "it didn't look the same" but they understood how that could be confusing when we are used to going to one location and it will no longer be rotated. She said that my suggestions for other options of things (chicken fingers, desserts besides pudding and mousse) were shared and will be considered to "enhance the selections offered".

 

She thanked me for making a point to name the crew members who made my cruise special and assured me that information had been passed along to their supervisors.

 

So... I feel good that I contacted them - and that most of my comments were positive. And of those that weren't, I was not the only one who had observed it.

 

I'm crossing my fingers I'll have a new computer within a week or so and will be able to post pictures. :)

[Virtopia]

Such a great review, thanks for sharing! I'm flying into Rome but sailing from Venice in September on the Rhapsody so this perspective from a solo female traveler was great.