Just Back - Brilliance, July 16th 12nt Venice

[brentp]

Overall Summary: WOW, . . . what a great cruise!!!!

 

General Items

 

Air: Traveled BOS -> BCN on our own on Iberia through Madrid. Nothing special, small seat pitch, limited entertainment, served a couple of meals each way, warm (too) climate. . . but got us to BCN and back on time. Price was also right! I must say, Madrid is a very nice gateway to Europe and far easier to traverse than Heathrow. These flights were all through the new T4S terminal, so we did not have to change terminals which might explain the transition ease.

 

Weather: Perfect. Sunny/Partly cloudy every day, not too humid or hot. Only a few occasional rain drops on one or two days. High winds for 2 days (one day > 55knots), . . . but the seas remained surprisingly calm the whole cruise. Ship noticeably listed before they could shift ballast on one day, . . . Captain came on to explain they were correcting.

 

Embarkation: Very smooth. Arrived at 4pm, . . . no lines, no waiting and we were on board in 10 minutes! What more can we say.

 

Ships Condition: We are not ones to go ‘looking’ for issues regarding the ships condition. So, . . . we didn’t find any. That said, there really wasn’t anything that jumped out at us as issues either. Is the ship ‘used’? – why yes, . . . they all are except for their very first sailing. I think the cruise line and crew has done a good job in keeping the Brilliance in very good ship shape.

 

Stateroom: Very nice. First time on this class of ship, . . . thought the accommodations were quit ‘roomy’ actually relative to some others, including the bath facilities. Only item was our stateroom (3006) was located on deck 3 right under the theater so we could hear the band from the late shows. Not a big deal.

 

Debarkation: Very smooth. Asked to be out of our stateroom by 8am. We left at 7:45am, went to the Windjammer for breakfast, then walked right off the ship at ~8:30am. Luggage was already on the turn table – out to the taxis, and we were off. Taxi queue took about 20 minutes to get through, but was orderly and kept moving.

 

Explorations (Excursions): Booked two through the ship, only used one – Nice & Eze (see below). Other was a post cruise “Montserrat and City Center Transfer” excursion. However, this excursion was cancelled 2 days before we returned to Barcelona for low participation. We had to scramble a bit to figure out our plan after this happened (which we ended up doing the same, but on our own – via Taxi/Metro/Train/Cable car). Frustrating at the time, but we worked through it.

 

Captain: Hernan Zini. If you ever get to sail with Capt. Zini at the helm, you are in for a treat. Of all our cruises, we believe we saw Capt. Zini more times than all past captains combined. He always provided very informative updates during the day, and was quick to come on and explain other things as they happened. Even came on the load speaker the last sea day to let everyone know there were whales spotted off the side of the ship. He showed up at our Meet & Mingle, . . . for all ~ 12 of us and took the time to introduced himself personally to each. Stuck around after to answer all questions. Saw this again after a technical brief in the theater later in the cruise. Always out and about, including in the Centrum the last night. His bio says he will sail the Oasis and Allure, . . . believe one will be the inaugural cruise (he commented on this at the M&M).

 

Cruise Director: Bill Brunkhorst. Bill did a fine job keeping everyone informed on the various activities multiple times throughout the day.

[brentp]

Dining

 

My Time Dining: Can’t rate. Due to itinerary with late port departures, this was our desired choice. As informed to do so by RCI, we went to sign up as soon as we got on board (~4:15pm), . . . no one was there (told they left at 3:30pm – this with a 7pm sail away?). Told to come back at 6:30pm as soon as the dining room opened for dinner service. We got there a little before 6:30pm, waited in line, and then we were told we would have to be ‘waitlisted’ to switch. Went back same day at 8pm, no status change and we were told they would contact us before tomorrow’s dinner service one way or the other. At this time we could see the waitlist was now very long. No one contacted us. We called on the 2nd day after dinner service started an were told we were not on MTD. So, . . . by this time, we felt we needed to select an alternate dining approach (see below). Moral: if you want My Time Dining, it appears to be popular (at least on this ship/itinerary) and you may wish to consider signing up in advance.

 

Main Dining Room (Dinner): Can’t rate. Originally assigned to main seating at 6:30pm. Second seating was at 9pm. After we were not able to change to ‘My Time’ on day 2, we decided to ‘opt’ out of dining room service for dinners for this cruise. We had never done this before and have always enjoyed the dinners in the main dining room on prior cruises. In hindsight, we definitely believe we made the right choice for this cruise. Most of the port departures on this itinerary were between 7pm and 8pm. Main seating would required an early return to the ports a few times and/or we would have been inside during the port sail aways. For us, there is nothing like being out on an open deck as you sail in/out of the ports. Likely would not have used the dinning room too much with main seating. For this cruise, we had the pleasure having dinner out on deck a number of times as we sailed away, which we enjoyed very much.

 

Windjammer (Dinner): Okay, . . . typical cruise buffet. We have not eaten dinner in the buffets too many times before on prior cruises. That said, we always found something we liked here (and some dishes that stayed on our plates). We eat dinner here a number of times during this cruise.

 

SeaView Café: Very good & a nice casual alternative (for both lunch and dinner). Combine pasta or pizza freshly prepared to order with a salad (not on the menu – but they were happy to prepare) and you have a nice alternative dinner meal. They also would add protein to the pasta on request, which also was not on the menu. We didn’t try any of their paninis. The 3 girls that serviced the area were very attentive and did an excellent job. They were always there to help and quickly delivered our food to the table and were always smiling. They even pulled together a desert for us one night – how nice. We eat here a number of times for dinner (if open – schedule varies day to day).

 

Solarium Café: Can’t rate – did not use.

 

Chops: Exceptional – would highly recommend. We eat here twice. Service was outstanding (thanks Amanda!) and the food was cooked to perfection and tasty. I had reservations about paying for ‘premium’ dining experience before this cruise. With us opting out of the main dining room, . . . Chops/Portofino gave us a few nights of fine dining during our vacation (plus one night non cruise dinner in Venice). We would do Chops again.

 

Portofino: Only fair (relative to price paid) – we ate here once and we would not recommend. Decided not to go the second time as we originally considered. Service was OK (not as good as Chops), . . . both dishes (sea food) were over cooked and dry. All the other meals (seafood skewers) we saw coming out of the kitchen appeared also to be overdone as well (some charring), so we ate what we were given. The deserts, however, were very good here and to us were slightly better than Chops. The deserts didn’t make up for the main course though.

 

Breakfast/Lunch: Ate at various locations – nothing out of the ordinary to comment on – typical items available for any cruise.

[brentp]

On Board Entertainment

 

All main seating shows were at 9pm (with possible exception of first night). Second seating shows were split; 50% at 11pm (post dinner) – the rest at 7:15pm (pre-dinner). We went to every show.

 

RCI Singers & Dancers: Fair: Not the best cruise troop we have seen, . . . maybe not the worse either, . . . but close. Two of the shows were entertaining, but not outstanding. Third show (Tango) is listed below and is the exception.

 

Barbara & Frank: Very Good. A Streisand & Sinatra impersonation group. They had the mannerisms down fairly well, good quality voices, and this was very entertaining.

 

Johan Wellton: Good. Juggler with comedy. He is an accomplished juggler, . . . with bits of humor through in. Seen better, . . . seen worse. Humor helped guide the show along.

 

The American Drifters: Good. The classical sounds of the 50s, 60s, & 70s. This troop was good, . . . but they wanted and demanded too much ‘appreciation’ from their audience in our opinion. Had a gimmick in the end to guarantee they would get a standing ovation. A bit too obvious.

 

Renato Pagliari: Excellent. Singer. He had a sore throat for this show, Bill said it was laryngitis at the end of the show. Even with this – this guy can sing. Sang many popular tunes, including a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti. Followed this show up with a short show in the Centrum on another night – again, very good.

 

Tango Buenos Aries: Exceptional. Dancers. Show included a tango dance couple (Majo & Fernando) from Argentina (as the primary act), the RCI singers & dancers (secondary acts), and a few key additions to the onboard orchestra. In our opinion, this show was the best show for this cruise! That couple can dance! Right from the opening musical number, you really felt like you were in Argentina for the entire show. The music was stuck in our heads for days after. The dance couple danced again on one of the last few nights in the Centrum, . . . again, very good.

 

David Howes: Good. Multi talented musician. Would play just about anything as an instrument (chairs, garden hose, and anything else) and was entertaining.

 

Gary Lovini: Very good. Violinist. Won a UK style ‘Star Search’ type of show many years ago. He can play. Very entertaining and it didn’t get old listening to a violinist as one might have expected through the show.

 

Jean Claude & Gaby: Exceptional. Aerialist, Cirque Du Soleil style act. This was the second best show of the cruise in our opinion. Performed short sets both on the first night and last night of the cruise during the opening/closing variety shows.

[brentp]

Ports of Call

 

Barcelona (Pre/Post): Excellent. Stayed at the Hotel Regina 1 night pre & 1 night post cruise. Very good, clean, nice rooms, and would highly recommend this Hotel for your stay in Barcelona. Staff is excellent and very friendly. Saw all the standard sights in BCN; Las Ramblas, Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and Montserrat. All are must see when in town. Also when to the cathedral and Montjuic. Metro is very well run and easy to use. Taxis – see notes below. FYI – this hotel uses DCC for the credit card charge transaction unless you ask for charges to be in Euros. I did not catch this the first night.

 

Livorno: Rome in Limo. Excellent. Standard Pisa/Florence trip. Many very good stops, leaning tower, overlook of Florence, David, old town. . . shopping, etc. Our group of 8 split in the afternoon, with my wife and I going to the Uffizi as preplanned – driver was able to ‘talk’ us in even though the reservation was made for 8 and the ticket agent gave him a hard time. Definitely a plus to have a local to help in cases like this.

 

Naples: Rome in Limo. Excellent. Standard Pompeii (with private guide) & Amalfi coast. Would very highly recommend doing Pompeii with a private guide. Too large and confusing to see everything in 2 hrs on your own. The guide will get you to the ‘hot spots’ and provide the insight and background needed for such a historical sight. Sorrento and Positano – what can be said, . . . this is beautiful country. You need to see for your self!

 

Venice: Oh Venice, . . . Excellent. Did this on our own. Walking, walking, walking, occasional vaparetto. We walked to Plaza Roma from the ship (~ 10 minutes), bought a 24hr pass, and then could go anywhere on the vaparettos. Cruise also offered a transportation pass from the pier to St. Marks square ($5 each way, or $35 unlimited). Did the obligatory gondola ride, . . . 70 euro for 30 minutes. Well worth it, . . . it is Venice after all. If you can, go to the Doges Palace museum. Venice is a city in decline, . . . but what a city. The sail in and out of Venice on a cruise ship can not be missed.

 

Dubrovnik: What a surprise, . . . Very good. Took a taxi (10 euro) to old town, walked the wall, shopped, had lunch, shopped some more, and took a taxi back. Cruise line also offered $5pp per trip transfers from the ship to old town (more economical than a taxi for 2). There is also an internet café right outside the old town. For 10 Kuna (1.50 euro), we were online for 24 minutes. Very nice old town and now happy we stopped here and to have this experience.

 

Civitavecchia: Rome in Limo. Very Good. By golly – we saw Rome in a day, our driver made sure of this. Very fast pace, only were able to see the Coliseum from the outside, but then again, we got to many other stops around the city because we avoided the security line there to get inside. Again, our driver wanted us to see everything and insisted this was the best thing to do. In hindsight, we believe it was. Took the private Vatican tour (2.5hrs). Went inside the museum, Sistine Chapel, and the basilica. Again, would highly recommend a private tour here – too much to see there on your own and this way you hit the high points.

 

Villefranche: Took the Nice & Eze tour through the ship. It was an afternoon tour with a 1pm departure. So, . . . we spent a number of hours in Villefranche in the morning waiting for the tour. Nice town. That said – Nice is only a 7 min. train (15 min Bus) ride away. Others we met later in the day did this and said it was really fast and easy. Also could get to Eze via bus quickly and easily. In hindsight – this would have been a better option for us and would have allowed more time in each town, . . . might have also been able to get to Monte Carlo if we did things on our own. Nice is nice, . . . and Eze is an easy uphill walk from the parking lot. Really nice visit to both towns. The cruise coach tour sure put our private 8 person van tours in a positive perspective. Really sad how a small few can not honor and respect other’s time and force the coach to wait for them – personally, I would have left them the first time.

 

 

A Few Nits/Notes

 

None of these are major items, and did not detract from our cruise experience at all. We are simply passing along so you can be made aware of our experience and opinion.

 

Barcelona Taxi (not an RCI issue): We had research taxi fares in Barcelona before our departure, . . . and were well aware on how the system works. Taxis are all metered, with surcharges added in at the end (eg: 1 euro per bag, airport/pier, etc.). We were quit comfortable in using taxi services in Barcelona During our stay, 3 out of 4 rides were completely legit. The 4th (hotel to port) – the driver tried to overcharge (via additional surcharges). Amounted close to 10 euro more. All possible surcharges are listed right on the back window for the passenger to look at (and in English too). Funny now – all the surcharges he mentioned did not add up what he put on the meter, . . . and he changed the surcharges twice in route and then again at the pier. Discussing this latter on with a number of other passengers – it appears this may be a somewhat common practice when going to the pier (we talked to 2 others that had higher fares then we did from the same Hotel – one was almost double what we paid). In our case – I disputed the fare with the driver when we arrived, he told me if I didn’t like it to go get the police, . . . so I did – one was standing about 100m away. The police came over, told me there was little he could do, then spoke to the driver in Spanish for some time. The driver then turn to me and lowered the fare to what it should have been approximately and told me it wasn’t him, . . . the Hotel must have “make a mistake when they called”. So, . . . I pass this along to those sailing out of Barcelona to understand how the taxi fares work and be cautious of your driver. We found it best to simply go out on the street and flag down a taxi with its green light on yourself instead of requesting the Hotel to call a taxi for you. Again, other 3 taxi rides were completely legit.

 

Portofino: I covered this issue above. Not sure if our experience is common across the fleet or not, but I would think that a ‘premium’ place to eat on these ships would have the cooking process well understood by now if they desire to charge extra for this service. We will not visit Portofino again (on the flip side, we will visit Chops).

 

My Time Dining: Issue covered above. We know this is a new offering for RCI, . . . but for the Brilliance this has been in place for some time now. One would think that they would have this well figured out by now, have data on how many people are likely to want to use it, and be able to accommodate all parties that wish to participate. If not on the first night, at least by the second by expanding the MTD seating area. So, . . . I believe RCI still has some work to do in this area. Frankly, they cost their dining room staff 2 chairs by not meeting our needs on this cruise and subsequently, our decision to opt out of the main dining room.

[brentp]

‘Best/Worse Of’

 

Best Overall Port: Venice (followed very closely by the Amalfi Coast)

 

Best Surprise Port: Dubrovnik – Very nice old town and the wall walk is not to be skipped.

 

Worse Port of Call: None of them. This was a an excellent itinerary and we would do this again in a heart beat. So much more to see.

 

Best slice of pizza: Sorrento – how can a simple cheese pizza taste that good? Seriously, I have never had a slice of pizza that tasted that outstanding!!

 

Best Memento: A 6 sided wooden inlaid jewelry box from Sorrento. These are popular in the region. Our van stopped at a mid-sized factory on the way to Sorrento so we could see how these items were made (and all their offerings – of course). Very nice works of art/craftsmanship. Our driver mentioned his father did this for a living a long time ago. No purchase at the factory, turns out all this type of merchandise is available in most Sorrento shops. That said, walking down a narrow alley in old town Sorrento, we saw a man working with wood through a door, he motioned us to come in, we then realized he was making these inlaid wood items in his ‘shop’. His son came out and took us to the ‘show room’ (~ 10’ x 10’ room on the side full of items) and told us their whole story. Needless to say, we bought an item from them – one must when they find these types of stops. It is really comforting to know you bought from the craftsman directly. Store’s name: Gargiulo Salvatore (google: Gargiulo inlaid). Address: Via Foro 33, in old town Sorrento.

 

Worse Memento: The head cold we brought home. :mad:

 

Best Singalong: Our driver in Naples, a Dean Martin fan, went and got his CD while we were in shopping in Sorrento. Needless to say, before long we were all singing ‘when the moon hits your eyes. . . that’s amore’ as we were driving the twists and turns on our way to Positano.

 

Best Memory: Sail in/out of Venice through the channel. Guess this is what this cruise was all about in the first place. :)

[Aubiecruiser]

Thank you for the review. We are cruiseing on the Brilliance Sept. 26th on the same basic cruise with the exception of going to Split Croatia instead of Dubrovnik, and Tunis instead of Malta. We also have Rome In Limo tours booked for three of the ports in Italy and plan on doing Nice, Venice and Split on our own. We'll be doing a ships tour in Tunisia. Thank you for your valuable information. We have already made our reservations for My Time Dining through our TA and have hopes that it will work out best for our schedules. 6:30 is too early and we all agree that 9:00 is a bit too late for such a port intensive cruise. If you have pictures posted to a website, please post a link. We leave from Atlanta Sept. 24th on a direct flight, will spend one night precruise and one night post cruise in Barcelona and then our direct flight back on Oct. 9th.

Again, thank you for your information.

Aubie

[tomko2]

Really enjoyed reading your review. We will be on the Brilliance next summer - can't wait to see Venice.

Kathy:)

[WindyWalks]

Great review brentp - so looking forward to this cruise after reading all the things you got up to... Only 5 more days to go...

 

Just a quick query I hope you can help with: how many formal nights were there on board on this itinerary and which nights were they on?

 

Many thanks in anticipation.

[brentp]

Great review brentp - so looking forward to this cruise after reading all the things you got up to... Only 5 more days to go...

 

Just a quick query I hope you can help with: how many formal nights were there on board on this itinerary and which nights were they on?

 

Many thanks in anticipation.

 

They had 3 Formal & 2 Smart Casual. For us, all formal nights were 'at sea' days (Day #2, 5 & 9). Smart Casuals were on Days #4, 7. Might be different if your sailing has a different itinerary.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we enjoyed our!!!!

[brentp]

I am so glad to hear from you as we are going on the same cruise in October. I will anxiously await your review. I am hoping to take private tours in Pisa/Florence as well as Rome and Amalfi Coast but so far have not found anyone on our cruise to commit to join. Was there any problem getting back to the ship on time and what private tour companies did you use? Did you find the first few days exhausting? That is why I think the private tours would be more enjoyable- not as much down time waiting- you can move on if you've seen enough. Hope to hear more.

I will write again if I think of more questions. Thanks again.

 

Schoolman - so sorry, this one slipped through and I didn't see it until now.

 

Anyway - I believe I have answered who we used question (RomeInLimo) for our tours now. We had no issues with getting back on time. They picked us up each day at 8am, and we were back on board by 5 - 5:30pm. The 'all aboard' times were; Livorno (5:30pm), Naples (7:00pm), and Civitavecchia (6:30pm) with the actual sailaway ~30 minutes later. These times might very based on itinerary. Each driver asked as soon as they picked us up when we needed to be back. They also had cell phones with them and were in contact with the office and the other drivers, . . . so I felt good that if there were traffic issues, they would at least know about it and adjust.

 

Your assessment of the private tours is spot on. They can get you right to the sights while the coach tours, at times, had to park a long walk away. Pisa is an excellent example, our driver drove right to the park where the tower is (and I mean - right next to it, you could have snapped the first picture before you stepped out). We heard later on the coach based groups had a 20 minute walk. Same thing in Rome.

 

Yes, exhausting, . . . but much less walking than the coach based tours and believe we saw more. Like you said, when we were all done, we were done and on to the next site independent of the time and we didn't have to wait for stragglers. Best way to go in my opinion.

 

Hope you get some others to join you on the roll call!

[English_in_Spain]

Loved reading your review brentp. We are going in January.

 

One question. What was the mix of nationalities on board? Were they mainly English speaking? Were announcements etc in different languages?

[brentp]

Loved reading your review brentp. We are going in January.

 

One question. What was the mix of nationalities on board? Were they mainly English speaking? Were announcements etc in different languages?

 

Mostly English (US/UK), but there were a number of Spanish on board as well. Announcements were always in both English and Spanish.

[NCBill]

I can add that we did a private tour in Kusadasi to see the city of Ephesus, through Ekol travel (they have a website) where we got an all-day, customized and personalized tour with a great guide (Ali), a driver, a private mercedes minivan for the two of us, for $150 US. In many of the other ports (Citavecchia to Rome, Naples to Sorrento, Mykonos, Santorini) we did tours on our own, using info from the web on self-touring these ports. In Mykonos and Santorini, after you've seen the tourist shops, rent a 4-wheeler or car and get to the beaches. In Naples, walk or take the port shuttle to the ferry port (1/4 mile away) and go to Capri, Sorrento, or any number of other Amalfi coast sites. The two ships tours we took, in Athens and Livorno to Pisa were fairly boring cattle drives. All told we spent $150 or less in each port for two people, doing it on our own. BE ADVENTUROUS and have a great trip.

[LisaH]

hi Brentp - thanks for a great review and so much good info. Some day will want to do this cruise, especially Pompeii.

 

I have a sensitive subject to ask about - restroom facilities. When you were on the tours, Pompeii, Rome, etc, what is the restroom situation like? I have heard that public restrooms are few and far between.

 

If it matters, one might have to limit coffee intake if you know what I mean.

 

Thanks as I am sure others may have the same question.

[brentp]

hi Brentp - thanks for a great review and so much good info. Some day will want to do this cruise, especially Pompeii.

 

I have a sensitive subject to ask about - restroom facilities. When you were on the tours, Pompeii, Rome, etc, what is the restroom situation like? I have heard that public restrooms are few and far between.

 

If it matters, one might have to limit coffee intake if you know what I mean.

 

Thanks as I am sure others may have the same question.

 

Ahhhh - finally, the toilet question. :) My wife told me I should address this.

 

Most of the museums where you have to pay to enter have free facilities available. In the larger citys (Rome, Venice, Florence), you can find public Water Closets (WCs) available, which required a fee to use (I believe we paid anywhere from 20 cents to 1 euro [each]). Think about that, upto $1.60 USD to use a toilet. The other option was to go into a bar/dinning spot and use theirs (they do like you to make a purchase to do so - of course). That said, our drivers for the private tours always knew where they could go, . . . so we could go. :) BTW - evidently the Italians are not big on having toilet seats, . . . so be prepared to see a porcelain toilet without seats.

 

Anyway, . . . it might not have been as convenient as it is in the US, . . . but then again, we always were able to find a place - even if we had to pay.

[LisaH]

Thanks brentp! Your wife was right! I am okay on the toilet seat thing. What about at Pompeii and the bus ride to get there. I heard it takes a while?

 

Your info is great.

[tomko2]

Thanks brentp! Your wife was right! I am okay on the toilet seat thing. What about at Pompeii and the bus ride to get there. I heard it takes a while?

 

Your info is great.

 

We took the excursion to Pompeii last summer; bus ride was about an hour with a stop at a Cameo factory which had excellent restroom facilities. Don't recall a stop on the way back. Pompeii was amazing; the more you read before you go the better you appreciate it.

Photos and review of our cruise in the links below.

Kathy:)

[Danielca]

My husband and I are going to cruise the Brilliance on Sept. 26th 2008, and are looking for couple(s) who are willing to split the Rome in Limo shore excursion packages at different port of calls with us. It is more cost efficient if we booked the 6 to 8 people package instead of just 2. If you are interested, please contact me at sj2ev@yahoo.com. We will be taking off from California on 9/23 staying at Barcelona 2 days pre-cruise, and returning home on Oct. 8th.

[tomko2]

My husband and I are going to cruise the Brilliance on Sept. 26th 2008, and are looking for couple(s) who are willing to split the Rome in Limo shore excursion packages at different port of calls with us. It is more cost efficient if we booked the 6 to 8 people package instead of just 2. If you are interested, please contact me at sj2ev@yahoo.com. We will be taking off from California on 9/23 staying at Barcelona 2 days pre-cruise, and returning home on Oct. 8th.

 

Perhaps there is someone on your Roll Call who would be interested in sharing. Here is the link to the Roll Call looks like a lively bunch!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=714048

 

Have a great time.

Kathy:)

[FreewayFortune]

Thank you for the review. We are cruiseing on the Brilliance Sept. 26th on the same basic cruise with the exception of going to Split Croatia instead of Dubrovnik, and Tunis instead of Malta. We also have Rome In Limo tours booked for three of the ports in Italy and plan on doing Nice, Venice and Split on our own. We'll be doing a ships tour in Tunisia. Thank you for your valuable information. We have already made our reservations for My Time Dining through our TA and have hopes that it will work out best for our schedules. 6:30 is too early and we all agree that 9:00 is a bit too late for such a port intensive cruise. If you have pictures posted to a website, please post a link. We leave from Atlanta Sept. 24th on a direct flight, will spend one night precruise and one night post cruise in Barcelona and then our direct flight back on Oct. 9th.

Again, thank you for your information.

Aubie

Enjoy your cruise. In Split we did Krka falls with the ships tour and thought it was beautiful, but very different from our parks at home. We also wandered through the town and enjoyed looking in all of the shops. You will either love Tunisia or hate it. It was definately an experience. It was exciting to get our passports stamped:)

[RicardoC]

A review is in the works and has been submitted, . . . will post the link here in the next day or to when it is posted. Until then, I would be happy to answer any question you might have.

 

Quick Summary: Wow, what a fantastic cruise!!!!

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise....still have to read your review....still working on mine...have been so busy since I arrived from the cruise...:rolleyes:

But I already posted half of it....If you all want to see...I have some pictures and we did the other itinerary....The review is very good....at least people are telling me..:o :rolleyes: :cool:

 

PS: I didn't meet in Barcelona in the 16th...hehehe...I was leaving the ship...that weird sensation that life stopped for 12 days and I was there....back in the port of Barcelona....:( ....I never felt this sensation so much like that day...maybe because It was my first 12 night cruise....and you were so Happy boarding....:D