Help and advice needed

[Moordown]

We have booked our first ever cruise for next year, independence of the seas going around the Mediterranean, departingfrom Southampton in May.   Really looking forward to it,  but have so many questions that I can't seem to find answers to.   I know it is a year off, but I do like to be as prepared as possible.   Some of the extensive questions I have are:

Are the fridges in the cabin suitable for keeping medication cold?  If not is it possible to get a small fridge for the room and if so how.

What is the average cost of excursions?  Does the cruise ship dock in towns or do you have to get transport to and from the dock?

Are the drink packages worth the cost and are they cheaper to book on board?

Do you have to settle your bills in dollars or Stirling as it is an American ship?

Is there a weight limit on luggage?

 

I'm sure I have lots more, but I'm hoping some experienced cruiser can help? Any advice, hints and tips would be great and help put an over thinking mind at rest for a while! 🤯

[toxicfairy]

I can answer 2 questions.  It is cheaper to get the drink packages pre cruise. Keep an eye out for a good sale. It's worth it if on average you drink 4-5 drinks a day. 

The fridge in the room is basically a cooler. If needed for medication contact the special needs department.  They will get you a medical one which will stay cold enough for medication. 

Sorry that's all I can answer.

Edited January 25 by toxicfairy

[Moordown]

12 minutes ago, toxicfairy said:

I can answer 2 questions.  It is cheaper to get the drink packages pre cruise. Keep an eye out for a good sale. It's worth it if on average you drink 4-5 drinks a day. 

The fridge in the room is basically a cooler. If needed for medication contact the special needs department.  They will get you a medical one which will stay cold enough for medication. 

Sorry that's all I can answer.

Thank you,  that's answered a couple of questions. 

[Biker19]

35 minutes ago, Moordown said:

What is the average cost of excursions?  Does the cruise ship dock in towns or do you have to get transport to and from the dock?

Do you have to settle your bills in dollars or Stirling as it is an American ship?

Is there a weight limit on luggage?

Welcome to CC.

The dynamic excursion prices are (or will be) in your planner. Distance from dock to town varies by port - search the port section for details.

All accounts are in USD.

No. 

[lovesthebeach2]

As @toxicfairy said, the drink package is best to buy before the cruise, buy anytime and keep checking for price drops, especially around Black Friday deals in November.

 

prices of excursions have gotten more expensive this year, and depending on where you’re going, the prices could be high.  Again, you can purchase now and keep checking for drops in price in November and cancel and rebook. Same for WiFi.

Some people book private tours, and I suggest you look for this cruises “Roll Call” on this site and you’ll get lots of information, or you can do the same on FB

[TravelinTess]

Excursions range from around $80 USD to over $500 USD, really depends on what you choose to do. In my experience, it is better to book as soon as you see something you want to do and reprice should the price drop. I have found the earlier I book, the less I pay. I also book through other tour operators so be sure to check out Viator and Get Your Guide. Rick Steves has a great video on cruising the Med that you may want to check out!

 

You will have a credit card on file with the cruiseline, onboard expenses will be charged to that card. You can choose to pay cash as well. Just stop by the customer service desk once onboard if you go this route. I would avoid the first day- it gets busy 😀

Edited January 25 by TravelinTess

[smokeybandit]

If you need a true fridge for meds you contact the special needs department in advance.

 

[h20skibum]

Not knowing your ports, some of them may be tender ports, and some the ship may be docked.

 

As others have said, excursion pricing can vary, depending on what day you look at it.

 

I did a live review of our Mediterranean sailing from Southampton on the Independence.  Here is a link to that review.   It may answer some of your questions if you have any of the same ports.  
 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

[Mum2Mercury]

2 hours ago, Moordown said:

We have booked our first ever cruise for next year, independence of the seas going around the Mediterranean, departingfrom Southampton in May. 

I love Indy!  

2 hours ago, Moordown said:

Are the fridges in the cabin suitable for keeping medication cold?  If not is it possible to get a small fridge for the room and if so how.

What you'll have in the room is a cooler, not a real refrigerator.  It will keep cold things cold, but it won't really bring room-temperature things down to cold.  

You can put your medicine (or drinks) into the ice bucket, surround it by ice, wrap it in a wet hand towel, and it'll stay COLD.

2 hours ago, Moordown said:

What is the average cost of excursions?  Does the cruise ship dock in towns or do you have to get transport to and from the dock?

- Prices vary widely. 

- A few excursions will require you to catch a taxi /bus to here-or-there, but most begin at the pier where the ship will dock.  Typically your tour guide will be standing on the dock with a sign saying "Blue Water Tours - Dolphin Swim" -- or whatever your specifics might be.  When you reserve an excursion, you'll receive information about where /when to meet your tour guide.  I like to make up an envelope for each island stop -- on the outside I write the date /name of tour company /meeting place /contact information; I tuck inside confirmation print-outs and any money we might need, including money for taxis, tips, etc.  

- You didn't ask this (it's a case of, you don't know what you don't know), but look into private excursions rather than the ship's excursions.  They tend to be smaller groups, and you have more interaction with your tour guide /more options to choose what you want to do.  That they're cheaper is just a bonus.  Don't worry about getting back on time -- this is their livelihood, and we never hear about tour groups returning late.  This board is a good starting place for information.  

2 hours ago, Moordown said:

Are the drink packages worth the cost and are they cheaper to book on board?

No.  Drink packages will always be cheaper ahead of time.  Always look at the bottom line price, not the 20% off or the BOGOF.  

2 hours ago, Moordown said:

Do you have to settle your bills in dollars or Stirling as it is an American ship?

It is not an American ship, but since I am American, I have always paid in US dollars.  

Vendors on the islands have always welcomed US dollars.  They tend to assume you're American (because most cruisers are, though your sailing may be different since you leave from SouthHampton), and if you ask, they'll give you a price in US dollars.  

2 hours ago, Moordown said:

Is there a weight limit on luggage?

No, but you don't need to bring lots.  

[h20skibum]

17 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I love Indy!  

What you'll have in the room is a cooler, not a real refrigerator.  It will keep cold things cold, but it won't really bring room-temperature things down to cold.  

You can put your medicine (or drinks) into the ice bucket, surround it by ice, wrap it in a wet hand towel, and it'll stay COLD.

- Prices vary widely. 

- A few excursions will require you to catch a taxi /bus to here-or-there, but most begin at the pier where the ship will dock.  Typically your tour guide will be standing on the dock with a sign saying "Blue Water Tours - Dolphin Swim" -- or whatever your specifics might be.  When you reserve an excursion, you'll receive information about where /when to meet your tour guide.  I like to make up an envelope for each island stop -- on the outside I write the date /name of tour company /meeting place /contact information; I tuck inside confirmation print-outs and any money we might need, including money for taxis, tips, etc.  

- You didn't ask this (it's a case of, you don't know what you don't know), but look into private excursions rather than the ship's excursions.  They tend to be smaller groups, and you have more interaction with your tour guide /more options to choose what you want to do.  That they're cheaper is just a bonus.  Don't worry about getting back on time -- this is their livelihood, and we never hear about tour groups returning late.  This board is a good starting place for information.  

No.  Drink packages will always be cheaper ahead of time.  Always look at the bottom line price, not the 20% off or the BOGOF.  

It is not an American ship, but since I am American, I have always paid in US dollars.  

Vendors on the islands have always welcomed US dollars.  They tend to assume you're American (because most cruisers are, though your sailing may be different since you leave from SouthHampton), and if you ask, they'll give you a price in US dollars.  

No, but you don't need to bring lots.  

OP’s sailing is the Med from Southampton, not the Caribbean 

 

Not many of the ports are close to things you want to see. As their first cruise, I would recommend sticking with ship excursions from those ports. 
 

The exception would be Gibraltar, if that is one of their stops. We hired a taxi to take us to the top of the Rock. 

[SoloAlaska]

USD are really handy because they come in low denominations for small tips. My last cruise was mostly in Europe and I had USD to tip and Euros. Mostly the Euros for tipping for excursions and USD for the bar on the ship. I wouldn’t bother carrying Sterling since turnover day is when most of the crew are working their hardest and won’t be getting off the ship, they have little use for currency that they won’t be able to use. Euros they can use in most ports where they may actually get off the ship.

[Tatka]

Huge part of planning for European cruise is a research. If you don’t do it you will miss a lot … and it’s not like you will be flying there every year. Check section Ports of Call. Check group for your cruise, what people are doing. Sometimes cruisers organize private tours. Ports vary. Sometimes this are right in port, other times you are 1 hours from it. Check Rick Steves books. He describes everything in defiles 

[ONECRUISER]

16 hours ago, toxicfairy said:

I can answer 2 questions.  It is cheaper to get the drink packages pre cruise. Keep an eye out for a good sale. It's worth it if on average you drink 4-5 drinks a day. 

The fridge in the room is basically a cooler. If needed for medication contact the special needs department.  They will get you a medical one which will stay cold enough for medication. 

Sorry that's all I can answer.

Yes, these "Coolers" on older Ships were only meant to keep things like Chocolate from melting. Starting on Voyager Class these were stocked with Candy, Chips, Water and Soda Pop to purchase-charged to your room. 

[sddsddean]

I've been to most of the Med ports, so if you let us know where you are going, we can let you know what to do. Most experienced cruisers don't use ships excursions, as you can usually do the same thing yourself cheaper, but the big advantage is that if something happens (like the coach has a flat tyre) and you are late back, the ship will wait for you. If you are on your own and you are late, the ship will go with out you (lots of youtube vids of pier runners available). So my number one piece of advice to a new cruiser is DON'T MISS THE SHIP!!!

 

Simon

[cj_one2000]

It’s been a while since we lived in Europe and did two Med cruises. Every port is unique so like others have said, join a roll call and research. We never used a ship sponsored excursion and saved money booking our own land based tours for sight seeing and enjoyed all of our experiences. They were reviewed and rated companies and all of them got us back to the ship on time.
 

We used euros for onboard tips to staff since we lived in Europe at the time so it was super easy for us. €1 and €2 are coins, so that’s a great way to tip if you get coins. 

 

Pack for comfort and the weather. We even made it on a 7 night Med cruise with just our carry ons. A baggage handler strike in Brussels (we took a flight from there to Rome) caused our checked bags to not make it to us in time. That was an interesting cruise 😂 but you will need good shoes for walking everywhere so keep that in mind. Sight seeing in most European cities requires a lot of walking. 
 

Happy cruising!

 

Edited January 26 by cj_one2000

[life is to be happy]

You will love the independence of seas. I cant answer all the questions but I can help with the drinks package question 

We always get the drinks package and yes it is expensive but it is worth it ... if you have some drinks during day and night. We usually have a few cocktails during day and  then have drinks at night so for us it is worth it... although we dont go over board excuse the pun... we just get what we want... but we dont over do it. It means if you dont like a cocktail you can buy one you do like

Im sure I have read somewhere if you buy the drinks package and then it is cheaper before you sail you can cancel free of charge and then buy again but I am not 100% on that. 

I do believe it is always cheaper to purchase before you sail...

Enjoy