?s from a Newbie

[mclipper]

My wife and I are not new to cruising, but we will be taking our first Regent cruise this August from Monte Carlo to Athens on the Navigator. We will be flying to Paris five days early and will eventually make our way to Monte Carlo for embarkation. At the other end of the cruise, we'll have a week more of travelling before heading home.

 

It may be a challenge to mix a very casual and cheap carry-all-our-luggage-in-one- backpack trip with a "luxury" cruise, but we will try.

 

I have gotten a lot of info from the RSSC web site, but I need to turn to you expert veterans for advice and answers. So -- two questions:

 

1. Does anyone know how close the docks are to the train station? Is it walkable? (Yes, I know Monaco is steep, but I figure we are heading downhill.)

 

2. How formally must we dress? We have one dinner reserved in Portofino. We both like to dress up, but since we have to carry everything on our backs, should I bring a suit and tie? (I have a decent travel suit.)

[hillorama]

My wife and I are not new to cruising, but we will be taking our first Regent cruise this August from Monte Carlo to Athens on the Navigator. We will be flying to Paris five days early and will eventually make our way to Monte Carlo for embarkation. At the other end of the cruise, we'll have a week more of travelling before heading home.

 

It may be a challenge to mix a very casual and cheap carry-all-our-luggage-in-one- backpack trip with a "luxury" cruise, but we will try.

 

I have gotten a lot of info from the RSSC web site, but I need to turn to you expert veterans for advice and answers. So -- two questions:

 

1. Does anyone know how close the docks are to the train station? Is it walkable? (Yes, I know Monaco is steep, but I figure we are heading downhill.)

 

2. How formally must we dress? We have one dinner reserved in Portofino. We both like to dress up, but since we have to carry everything on our backs, should I bring a suit and tie? (I have a decent travel suit.)

Yes, bring a suit and tie, and one nice dress for your lady. There will be one formal night. The other nights are like nice slacks and shirts.

You can probably get a taxi from the train station. I do remember seeing train tracks fairly low in Monte Carlo, but I think I would still take a cab.

You'll have a grand time!

Elena

[Peek-a-boo]

My wife and I are not new to cruising, but we will be taking our first Regent cruise this August from Monte Carlo to Athens on the Navigator. We will be flying to Paris five days early and will eventually make our way to Monte Carlo for embarkation. At the other end of the cruise, we'll have a week more of travelling before heading home.

 

It may be a challenge to mix a very casual and cheap carry-all-our-luggage-in-one- backpack trip with a "luxury" cruise, but we will try.

 

I have gotten a lot of info from the RSSC web site, but I need to turn to you expert veterans for advice and answers. So -- two questions:

 

1. Does anyone know how close the docks are to the train station? Is it walkable? (Yes, I know Monaco is steep, but I figure we are heading downhill.)

 

2. How formally must we dress? We have one dinner reserved in Portofino. We both like to dress up, but since we have to carry everything on our backs, should I bring a suit and tie? (I have a decent travel suit.)

 

Hi mclipper!

This will be our first Regent cruise also. I think that we might be on the same cruise...Aug. 7/Navigator, Monte Carlo to Athens. If we are, there are no formal nights on this cruise. There are two informal nights and the rest are CCC. I am traveling with my husband and two teenage boys and they are going to bring sport coats for the informal nights but no suits or ties.

Sounds like you are ready for an adventure! :) We will be staying in Monte Carlo before the cruise and in Athens for two nights after.

I would love to hear your opinion on the excursions available...Debi

[UUNetBill]

My wife and I are on the July 10th Monte Carlo - Athens cruise on the Navigator and I'm also going back and forth on attire. I had originally planned on a dark suit, but now after reading everything I could find online, I think I'm going to just go with slacks and a navy blazer. I'm hoping this will be sufficient - if it's not, I'll be sure to let you know!

 

Bill

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You will have a challenge packing for this trip, but if you concentrate on lightweight crushable separates you should be able to do it. And of course the ship has several laundry rooms for passengers, so you can have the luxury of doing laundry when you board and before you disembark to keep the weight down. Take dryer sheets.

 

In the past we have engineered such trips specifically so that we could take an extra suitcase of "cruisewear" and dump it at a hotel or storage locker at an airport/train station for a few days or a week. This has worked out quite nicely but does take planning. In Athens, for example, we did first/last night in an Athens hotel, storing most of our luggage there while we went off to tour by ferry. Also dumped luggage after a cruise at Heathrow storage before flying off to Portugal for a week.

 

Hopefully some of the experts on packing light will chime in here.

 

Oh, and if you can find a sports jacket that is packable, it will be just the ticket for those pesky informal nights.

[gdlamberth]

UUNetBill is on target I believe.

 

I just looked on the Regent web site and they list all evenings you're on board as either Country Club Casual or "Informal." For Informal I have usually worn just a Blazer with dress slacks or khakis.

 

It looks (on first blush) that all Med itineraries are Formal Night free on Navigator.

 

Greg

[summitpost]

My wife and I took the train from Paris to MC earlier this year on a land trip. We have friends nearby who picked us up. There is a taxi stand at the lower side. The station seems to be built on the side of the hill (actually everything is.) You will need to take a taxi to/from the dock unless Regent can arrange something. I don't think it is walkable. There is a new longer/extended dock built in the last few years to accommodate the larger ships. Your view from the ship back to the town should be spectacular, especially in the evening.

 

You should look into a Eurail pass of some variety before you leave. Beware that not all trains running along the coast make it all the way to MC. It is not that far from the Italian border - one more town - Menton I believe. There is a subsidiary company of the European railways in the US (NYC area) that facilitates the passes and books seat reservations which you will need before you leave home. They were very helpful for us.

 

Good luck.

[mclipper]

This is all good stuff. Thanks guys. I think we have decided to stay the night before in Nice. Then on the morning of the cruise, we'll take a bus to MC. I have learned the bus stops right near the dock, and is not full of chickens and goats.

 

I especially appreciate the info about no formal nights.

 

As to excursions, we have just picked from the free ones, since they sound good. My wife is especially interested in historical sites, so we lean heavily toward them.

 

This will be a special trip for us, as it has been 40 years since we last visited Europe. That first trip was our honeymoon and it was for 3 full months. We bought an MGB GT and toured everywhere, camping when we were on the continent. I remember griping about the price of gas, which was over $1.50 per gallon.

 

I also very nostalgically remember how far a dollar went. 17 cents per bottle for champagne in Spain. Six pence for a bus ride.

 

Oh well, times have changed, but here we are still together and celebrating our anniversary 40 years later.

 

We are going for three weeks, not three months, and it's going to cost about ten times as much. But when its over, both trips will be priceless.

 

Thanks again.

 

By the way, I suggest if you are looking online for lodging in Nice, don't enter "Nice Hotel" into your search engine. That returns about 115 million hits.

 

I'll be keeping an eye on these boards for more good info before we leave.

[UUNetBill]

By the way, I suggest if you are looking online for lodging in Nice, don't enter "Nice Hotel" into your search engine. That returns about 115 million hits.

 

:D Har!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

This will be a special trip for us, as it has been 40 years since we last visited Europe. That first trip was our honeymoon and it was for 3 full months. We bought an MGB GT and toured everywhere, camping when we were on the continent. I remember griping about the price of gas, which was over $1.50 per gallon.

 

I also very nostalgically remember how far a dollar went. 17 cents per bottle for champagne in Spain. Six pence for a bus ride.

 

 

Oh man, you're making me nostalgic! I did the same thing with my (first) spouse, also almost 40 years ago (1970-71). My memory of Nice was a hard slog through the city wearing our backpacks, trying to hitch from Spain to Italy. Later we also bought a car, a beetle and zipped around for the remainder of our nine month trip. Mostly youth hostels.

 

1 pound got you a B&B for two! Never spent more than $7 a day!

 

I went back to Nice in 2006 with my husband David and we had a "nice" hotel, Le Grimaldi--have to be careful with that name too, since it's the family name of the royal family of Monaco and is therefore ubiquitous. Sounds like you will have an amazing time.

[DebbieH103]

If you haven't been to Nice, I recommend staying near Old Nice and going down to the market area for dinner, especially if you like shellfish (though many things are available). This can be one of the most interesting experiences.

[Host Dan]

One hotel I would NOT recommend is The Park Inn- Nice. Its at the airport, but service and rooms are horrible, and no A/C.

 

Host Dan