Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise i need tips and things like that?

Question

going to be on the brilliance of the sea

Answer 1

I cruised the Mediterranean on the Brilliance a couple years ago.  Its a beautiful ship and my favorite, along with its three sister ships the Jewel, Serenade, and Radiance of the Seas ships.

When we cruised on the Radiance we did a 12 day cruise and it was rather tiring because there were parts of the tour when there was a port stop each day.  But after you fly all that way you don't want to miss all of the historical things to see, especially Rome.  I am not sure which port stops you will have but I'll tell you about the ones we did just so you know.

Our first stop was Nice/Monte Carlo and we did a tour that went first to a Mideval city of Eze, then to Monte Carlo and a casino and changing of the guard at the royal palace.  That was nice but not a must do.  If you go to where the Monte Carlo Casinos are it cost $10 a person to go in and you cannot take cameras and things in and its really not worth the price to see.  There are much better casinos all over the US.  the city of Nice was OK but you can really see that on your own from the ship rather than a tour.

Our next stop was Florence/Pisa and we did a tour of both cities.  It was quick but I did not want to miss the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  You really need a tour from the ship or on your own to see these.

Rome was our next stop and it is a good hour or more from the port city of Civitavechhia.  So its not advisable to do Rome on your own, unless you goon the ship's tour that lets you do it any way you want.  They drop you at a point in the city in the morning and then pick you up there later in the afternoon.  We took a tour that went to the Vatican City and the Colosseum, plus lunch in an Italian restaurant.  It was very nice; its should be in your book of tours.  Our tour got to Rome later because of a traffic accident on the highway and then we got caught in traffic headed back to the ship and were an hour late.  Good thing we were on a ship sponsored tour.

Mykonos is a beautiful place (if you go there) and you don't really need a tour.  Just explore the town on your own.  Same with Santorini.  We did a tour that included a stop at a winery but it wasn't that great.

In Athens we did a city tour that included the Acropolis.  The Acropolis is a must but be prepared to walk up steep hills.

Kusudasi (Ephesus) is a must and worth the tour.   You have to do a tour as its a good ways from the port.  We had a great tour guide.  We did the tour that included lunch at a Turkish restaurant and that was nice.

In Naples we did a tour that went to Pompeii and to Sorrento to a lemon and Olive farm.  The Pompeii part was great but not the lemon/olive farm.  If you can do just Pompeii, skip the other.

I don't know if you have cruised before so I am going to add a bunch of stuff that you may already know (but you asked for "tips").  So if you know this already just disregard the following (or as necessary parts of it).

Here's some advice from an experienced cruiser. First, check in at the cruise ports goes like this.

-You arrive at the port by car or bus and drop your luggage with a porter who works for the port, not the cruise line. So tip the guy a couple dollars at least. These people put all of the luggage in carts based on the luggage tags on your bags. The porters take your bags to the ship's doors and there ship's personnel send then through a scanner, one bag at a time just like at the airport, with someone watching content. I don't know for sure but my bet is they have dogs sniffing for bombs and other stuff too. Then your bags are delivered to your cabin door.  If you are leaving from Barcelona the cruise port is right downtown; your cab/bus will have to go across a bridge to get to it so you cannot walk it.  The port is about 30 to 40 minutes from the airport.  Its a really nice port and RC has a nice procedure for getting you on the ship quickly.

Meanwhile you get in a line where they check first to see if you are even supposed to be there; RC uses a Set Sail Pass, a self print pass that says you are to sail at that date and time. You are supposed to print it off on your printer at home and bring it with you (one for each person in your cabin).

Then you get in line to go to a window to have your passport and other paperwork checked and to give your credit card so they can set up your on board cruise account. All transactions on ship are cashless. Everything you buy on ship goes on the cruise account established for you at checkin. You will need cash for things you buy off the ship in port stops, unless you use your credit card, but no cash on ship except to gamble in the casino.

Then the cruise lines take your photo at the check in desk; its embedded in the magnetic strip on your card. Then they issue you your cruise card which serves as your room key, pass to get off and on the ship in ports and your charge card for everything you buy on ship.

Then you and all of your carry on things (including handbags, camera, cell phone, and all packages) go through a scanner just like at the airport. Everything you are carrying goes on a belt to go through an X-ray machine, just like at the airport.

When you clear the scanner/x-ray machine you head to the gangway and put your card in the scanner to get on the ship.

As soon as you get on ship there will be lunch available, so go eat and then you can explore the ship. Your ship will have pools and hot tubs and a Solarium (a cover area) with a pool and hot tubs for adults only. This is in addition to the regular pool and hot tubs for everyone.

Each day you will receive in your cabin a newsletter telling you the times and location of all activities on the ship (other copies of this are usually available at the purser's desk). The cruise director will organize games and activities around the pool, especially on "at sea" days when there is no port stop. They may also have a midnight party on the pool deck with a buffet, music and dancing one night. Each night there will be a show and it is usually run twice so that no matter what time you go to dinner you can see the show. Your ships will have a channel on the TV in the room that recaps activities for the current and next day. If there is a port stop the next day your ship will have a presentation in the show room or a lounge that talks about where to shop; then this is repeated on TV.

WHAT AND HOW TO PACK

Always pack your passport and cruise documents in your carry on bag ONLY.  ALSO, watch out for pickpockets in Barcelona and in Italy ports.  Stay away from the Gypies who will be begging for money, they will rip you off.  If you have not already planned for it its a good idea to fly to the departure port a day early so that you do not miss your cruise due to a flight delay or missed flight.  Travel insurance is also a good idea.  I have done 3 European cruises and got travel insurance each time (I use Travelex) and it did pay off on one of my cruises when the ship had to make a detour to a different end port and I had to make other arrangements to get to teh airport.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM, so take:

-swim wear (at least 2),

-shorts, tank tops and "T's"

-sandals,

-beach shoes,

-your snorkel equipment if you have it,

-sun glasses and sun screen,

-lotions,

-a cap or big hat for the sun,

-a book if you are a reader,

-your music player,

-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym,

-good walking shoes,

-your camera, and

-other personal toiletries including tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool and beach towels, and a hair dryer. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc. Don't over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice. If you are going to the Caribbean you will likely be in shorts and/or swim wear most of every day so evening clothes don't usually get much wear.

Your cruise will have a formal night or two when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up. A gown or party dress for women and a suit or tux for men. Some people dress up both formal nights, some don't.

Packing Tips

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

- Pack using the vacuum clothing bags (about $20 for 3 at Target) so that you can get more in your bag AND so that if the TSA at the airport opens your bag they can see what's inside without rummaging through your things.

-Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water and soft drinks in your carry-on for your cabin. You will have to pay for both on the ship and its nice to have those handy in the cabin.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugge

Answer 2

Brilliance of the Seas is a gorgeous ship.  There are pictures of her sister ship, Serenade, here: http://www.cruisesavvy.com/journals/savv...

In terms of general tips, if it's your first cruise, check out the Introduction to Cruises, which covers what a typical day is litle onboard, what costs to expect, etc.:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/in...

For tips on getting ready, like a packing checklist, info on cell phones and internet, check out the Know Before You Go guide:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/kn...

And more generally, if you're going to Kusadasi, do NOT miss the Greek ruins at Ephesis.  It's the best excursion of any Eastern Med cruise. =)

Hope you have a great trip!