robint

We have signed the waivers online. So now my kids can just show up and do the activities without me by showing their card correct?

 

Thanks,

LC

Warning: on our 2014 Serenade cruise, I had to be there in order for my younger daughter to climb (9 years old at the time), but not for my older daughter (13). I'm not sure what the cutoff age was, but they wouldn't let my younger daughter climb without an adult to watch, even though the waivers were signed.

We're Diamond and definitely prefer Royal to other lines. My son graduates in May and we're looking to have a blowout cruise in summer 2017 before he goes off into the world. I'm definitely looking for a longer cruise, at least 9 nts and up to 14nts. The kids have been to Paris, Amsterdam, London and we like them all enough to visit again.

 

I've checked out the cruises out of Southampton but not sure about the ports of call as they seem kind of uninteresting. Looks like we're favoring either Northern Europe or Mediterranean. I'm wondering if the kids will find northern europe boring and I'm concerned about terrorism in Turkey if we got that far east. We're not too concerned about the boat, looking for quality ports and lots of time in them. Thanks!

We did the 12-night Greek Isles/Med cruise on Serenade a few years ago, when my daughters were 13 and 9. We really enjoyed it, but it was exhausting--by the end of it we were all very tired. We found that any excursion that was "look at the old buildings!" got old very quickly; on the other hand, anything that involved actually doing something was much more fun. So we climbed Mt. Vesuvius before going to Pompeii; we went up inside the Leaning Tower of Pisa instead of just looking at it, and in Turkey we went to Priene and had a much better time there than we did in Ephesus. (All done on our own, not through the ship.)

ETA: We went mid-July. It was SUPER hot. I'd avoid going in the middle of summer if possible, since it really sapped our energy and made things less fun.

We did this through the ship. Depending on what kind of heart attack you want to have going up depends on how much time you have up top. I took the mild one and had about 10 min up there. Hubby is the picture person so he had the major attack but had 30 min up there.

Yes, our RomeInLimo driver originally told us we'd be good with 45 minutes on Vesuvius. By the time I got to the top it had been 45 minutes...and we then spent at least another 45 minutes up at the top and coming back down.

(This was the great thing about booking through RIL--as long as the other 4 people in our group agreed, we could change the agenda on the fly. And did. The only thing our driver asked was that we not be late for the after-lunch pickup, because it was in a spot that was very hard for him to wait for us due to local traffic.)

Greetings fellow cruisers! We are considering the Mt Vesuvius & Pompeii Hike during our Oct 4 sailing on Allure. Does anyone have experience with this excursion? Any input is appreciated - TIA

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We did a Vesuvius/Pompeii excursion through Rome in Limo last July. We absolutely LOVED it. Warning: Climbing Vesuvius is HARD. You drive most of the way up, but then have to hike the rest of it, uphill, on a surface of what is basically lava dust. I likened it to running on the beach, uphill. My calves were not happy, and I was finding Vesuvius-dust in my shoes and between my toes for days! And be careful coming down--we slipped all the way down.

That said, it was absolutely worth it. You get to one point where there's a little shelter, and you can wait for a guide to take you the rest of the way, or go on by yourself--wait for the guide. He added a lot to our tour.

Last July, there was a company right outside the port (I think it's called DH consignment?) we dropped off our bags with them; they took them to the airport and we picked them up there. I think it was something like 10 euros per bag.

We did book independently (through Rome in Limo), but we climbed up Mt. Vesuvius. Really, really pretty view, and there's a guide who'll meet you half way up to show you everything. We did that in the morning, then Pompeii in the afternoon.

(It's murder on the calves, though!)

Is there any one out there that has taken this trip or perhaps visited any of these countries? If you have any tips on excursions & places to see I would appreciate it. (Right now on RCCL I'm unable to view any of their excursions because I am booked for June 2016 & it doesn't go through until next year) I always sailed to the Caribbean ( just got off of Quantum) this is our first trip to the Mediterranean. Right now we are quite overwhelmed! Thank you. :)

Mediterranean Greek Isles (Royal Caribbean Inter.)

 

Leaving from Barcelona, Spain, on the Brilliance of the Seas

 

• Barcelona, Spain
  

 

• Monte Carlo (Cannes), France
  
• Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy
  
• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
  
• Athens (Piraeus), Greece
  

 

• Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
  
• Santorini, Greece
  
• Valletta, Malta
  

I was in several of these ports last July.

Florence and Rome: we booked with Rome in Limo. For Florence, we did the Tower of Pisa and Vinci; I highly recommend AGAINST going to Vinci (wasn't worth it.) For Rome, we booked the Catacombs tour, but didn't end up actually going to the Catacombs. (This was basically our choice--we wanted to do the Coliseum underground/3rd level tour, which was FANTASTIC but took a long time, so we didn't make it to the Catacombs.)

For Ephesus, we booked with Ephesus Tours Best. We went to Priene in the morning (VERY highly recommended, if you can manage some climbing; it was our favorite stop on the whole trip) and Ephesus/Terrace Houses in the afternoon.

We did not regret doing the non-ship tours at all. Our tablemates at dinner did all ship tours, and from what they said, we saw a lot more than they did, and we were very comfortable with our groups.

Be sure to look at the port-specific boards; I got so much information there. Also, check in with your roll call--either you can get people to join your tours, or you can join someone else's.

We were on Serenade for a 12-night cruise last summer (Greek Isles) with my then 9 and 13 year old daughters.

Neither really liked the kids/teen clubs. My 9 yo felt like there wasn't much going on for her age, and my 13-yo is introverted and didn't feel like participating in much.

The slide is ridiculously slow. My 13-yo had to push herself down it. The pool is saltwater; once my 9-yo realized this, she pretty much refused to go in for fear of getting salt in her eyes.

Their favorite part of the ship? The ice cream machine and the ever-present french fries.

We were on a very port-intensive cruise, so it was fine, but sea days were pretty boring for them.

I agree with those that say one of the bigger ships might be better for kids.

Just curious to get your input on how many Euros to take- will be in Barcelona two nights prior to cruise- all excursions/transport and trips at various ports are prepaid so only need to consider taxi from airport, food, snacks, incidentals, spending money for gifts, tips to drivers, etc...I have purchased 600E already- wondering if we should take more- thanks for the advice!

That's probably fine. I spent more than that, but I had to pay cash for excursions. I did find that I spent a lot more cash than expected; I had expected to use my credit card more, but it was a whole lot easier to use cash.

Also, keep in mind that the ship can break larger bills for you; I ended up going down to Guest Services each morning to have larger bills broken up into smaller ones to make it easier to pay tips, etc.

We will be doing the Splendour of the Seas this coming July. A roll call has not yet been started for my group and I would love some advise from those in the know. My husband, our 11 year old son and I want to start planning our days. We will be stopping in Dubrovnick, Croatia/ Kusadesi, Turkey/ Santorini, Greece and Katakolon, Greece. Any port excursions that are highly suggested? Oia, volcanic springs and Ephesus seem like highlights. We are open to ones through RCL, but are willing to book a private excursion too. Hoping to do 2 ports via an excursion and 2 ports on our own...how would you break it up. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Many Thanks!

For Ephesus, I recommend Elgin at Ephesus Tours Best. And I'd highly recommend going to Priene--it was our absolute favorite stop! Elgin took us to Priene in the morning, where we spent several hours; then we did Ephesus in the afternoon, stops at the Temple of Artemis and a few other places, and lunch at a carpet factory (absolutely delicious lunch, totally worth the 20 minutes of watching them get silk from silkworms, etc.) And we finished with a stop at a Turkish Delight store.

To us, Ephesus felt very...pristine. Clean. Touristy. Priene, on the other hand, was great for really exploring and experiencing ruins.

We were on the Serenade in July 2014/

I ditto everyone saying rent an apartment; I got one through AirBnB that was much cheaper than it would have cost to put the four of us in a hotel.

Also ditto on getting Sagrada Familia tickets ahead of time. You walk right in at your scheduled time instead of waiting in line. Also, we climbed one of the towers and really enjoyed the views (elevator up; walk down.)

Other than that, we mostly just rambled through the area of the city near our apartment. It was a great way to see some non-touristy things.

We had a day in the city on the way home, too (flight didn't leave until 11pm); that day, we got the HOHO ticket. We finished the day by taking the HOHO to the train station, and took the train to the airport, which was much cheaper than a cab. (And, meant that on that day we were on a ship, in a cab (to Columbus circle to catch the HOHO), on a bus, on a train, and on a plane!)

[There is a company that collects bags right outside the port, and delivers them to the airport for you. You pick them up there. Well worth it!]

We saw Sovereign in Villefranche in July!

https://tutteuropeancruise2014.shutterfly.com/pictures/484

We did a med cruise this past summer when my daughters were 13 and 9.

They both love the Percy Jackson books, which gave them a great basis in Greek and Roman mythology, so we could relate a whole bunch of what we saw to that.

For our Italy ports (Florence, Naples, and Rome), we went with tours by Rome In Limo. This was fantastic because we could adapt it to anything we wanted, and find stuff that specifically interested my kids. It also meant that our driver could find us food that my sometimes-picky family could eat for lunch.

In Rome, we did the Underground/3rd Level tour of the Coliseum. Then we did a whole bunch of other sites: Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, etc. Because they have small vans, our driver could get us very close to places so there wasn't a whole lot of walking to get to various places.

In Florence, we climbed the Tower of Pisa (highly recommended unless you have vertigo problems, but get tickets beforehand)--the staircase here was one of my 9-yo's favorite things. Then we went to the Da Vinci musuem, which I would NOT recommended.

In Naples we climbed up Mt. Vesuvius (which was absolutely amazing, but killer on the calves) and went to Pompeii. Through Rome in Limo, we hired a guide to take us through Pompeii, which was fabulous, because it was one guide for 8 people instead of the large groups of 20 or more that we saw from the cruise ship tours. My daughter found some teeth embedded in the ground--I emailed the guide later, who said that he talked to one of the Pompeii directors who analyzed them and said they were dog teeth. That's a memory we will NEVER forget.

My pictures (with commentary) are here: https://tutteuropeancruise2014.shutterfly.com/pictures

We were there in July (kids age 13 and 9 at the time).

For both places, we set up tours through Rome In Limo.

For Livorno, we did the Tower of Pisa (and got the tickets to climb the tower, which was AWESOME, but only if you don't have vertigo problems.) Then our driver took us to the Da Vinci museum (which was not awesome--I dis-recommend it.) Then we had lunch at Castello Sonino (http://www.castellosonnino.it/en/).

[Our tablemates did the ship's tour, and said they had something like 5 minutes at Pisa. Get out, take pictures, get in.]

For Rome, we did an Underground/3rd Level tour of the Coliseum (also very awesome). Then the other family we were with wanted to do the Vatican, so we dropped them off. Our driver took us all over Rome--the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Typewriter Building, Piazza Navona, Circus Maximus, Capitoline Hill, etc... We saw SO much. Our last stop was for Gelato!

My one caveat would be that in my experience, FitBit doesn't handle time changes well. It tended to sync, but do so by matching the device to the website (instead of matching the website to the device). Since the website was at zero...

Anyway, just a warning that it may be a good idea to take note of how many steps you have before you sync, just in case you need to do a manual update afterwards.

We used DW Consigna last July. They were just to the left as you get out of the port building.

Then we took a taxi to Columbus Circle, where we got on the HOHO. We spent the day going around in the HoHo, got off at the train station, and took the train to the airport where we met the DW folks to pick up our bags.

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On all my cruises, the only beach that we found sea glass was in Mykonos, Greece. I have some pretty aqua blue pieces.

The beach at Villefranche, France was amazing for sea glass, too.

Which helps the OP not at all.

Except for the early times, the tendering process is available quite frequently. Take a walk thru the town and enjoy the various restaurants, walk especially up the hill and you will smell sweet aroma coming from the bakery making bread and pastries. What I found amazing is that the bread is wrapped in newspapers.

 

Also, Monaco is about an hour from the town.

We wandered through the Citadel, which has some beautiful gardens and several tiny (and free) museums. It's right next to where you get off the tender, and you can do it in probably no more than an hour. It was a lovely slow start to our day.

I did a 12-night med cruise this summer, and found that I used way more cash than I expected. A few of the restaurants took credit cards, but in all the little souvenir shops, etc, it was far easier to pull out cash. (Also, all my tours had to be paid in cash).

I was on Serenade this summer for the Med Greek Isles cruise. My pictures from the ship are here: https://tutteuropeancruise2014.shutterfly.com/pictures/2119

My kids are 9 and 13. Neither of them really enjoyed the kids' club, but they very much enjoyed the ice cream machine!

We did a Med/Greek Isles cruise this summer.

For Ephesus, we used Ephesus Tours Best, and we visited Priene as well as Ephesus. I highly recommend Priene--it was our absolute favorite stop on our cruise (even better than Ephesus). Elgin, our tour guide, was an archaeology student, and really added a bunch to our tours. Our cost was $80 per adult, and $40 per child, which included lunch, and we all paid it at the end of the tour.

We did ALL private tours, and don't regret that one bit. All of them were pay-at-the-end-in-cash. Our largest group was 20 people; others were 15, 8, 7, and 6. Which meant that we could go anywhere we wanted, and even change plans on the fly. The small tour vehicles could zip around the crowded cities with ease. The tours were very much exactly what we wanted. And we got back to the ship in plenty of time in each port--their business relies on good word-of-mouth, and missing the ship would not be good for them, either!

I did the Serenade 12-night Med/Greek Isles cruise in July. We had a balcony; the kids had the interior across the hall from us. I enjoyed the balcony, but I wouldn't say it was necessary. It was cool to watch going in and out of ports, and it was nice to be able to check the weather and put on sunscreen out there.

For Turkey, I'd recommend Ephesus Tours Best. And if you're physically able to do so, I'd very much recommend seeing Priene as well as (and maybe even in place of!) Ephesus. It's also an ancient ruin, but it's in the woods on a hill (thus the "physically able" part). But WAY fewer tourists, and much more intimate than Ephesus. Ephesus felt like a tourist trap to me.

They did take us to a rug factory, but the rug factory provided us with an absolutely delicious lunch, and in addition to showing us the rugs, also showed how they dyed the yard and got silk out of silkworms. We spent maybe 60-90 minutes there, and maybe 20 minutes was selling? I didn't mind it. He also took us to a Turkish Delight store, but there were lots of free samples and no pressure to buy anything.

Thanks. My daughter would really like to climb Mt. Vesuvius if possible. Any suggestions on tours that do this? I can find two of three stops but not all three. Also how fair s Vesuvius from Pompeii?

We did the "Pompeii and Vesuvius" tour through Rome In Limo. We did Vesuvius first (our driver said that both would be hot, but at least Pompeii would be hot and flat!). We absolutely loved climbing Vesuvius, but it's not for the weak! Because of the volcanic dust, it's like walking on a beach, uphill. And be careful coming down again, too--very slippery! That said, it was well worth it, and we really enjoyed it. Your driver can take you to the ticket office; from there, you walk up a portion of the way to a guide post. You meet up with a guide, and walk with them up the rest of the way. (You don't have to wait for the guide, but I highly encourage it, as we got a lot out of it). I think we easily took an hour to walk up and back, possibly longer.

From there our driver took us to lunch in Sorrento. I was very glad to have our driver; he knew all the shortcuts and back roads that a bus couldn't have possibly gone down.

Then we went to Pompeii. I think we spent about two hours there? We hired a guide (also through Rome in Limo) who walked with us. It felt a little rushed, and we could easily have spent the whole day in Pompeii, but we were glad we did Vesuvius, too.

Our driver took us back to the ship all along the coast, and made sure to stop at a few scenic areas for views and pictures.

I actually just put our Pompeii and Vesuvius pictures online last night, here: https://tutteuropeancruise2014.shutterfly.com/pictures

It was offered on our July Serenade cruise, but I don't remember how much it was or how late you could stay.

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We had a flight out at something like 11pm. What we did: gave our bags to DW Consigna at the port (10 Euros/bag), took a cab to Columbus monument (about 10 euros), got on the hop-on/hop-off bus there (free wifi!), and rode the bus around for the morning/early afternoon. We got off the bus at the train station, and took the train to the airport (something like 3 Euros per person?). Then we picked up our luggage and hung out at the airport for the rest of the evening.