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Mediterranean Cruise with Children Review – Legend of the Seas 7 Night W. Med

Travel R
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Travel R

Travel R

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It has been more than a week since we have returned from our wonderful Mediterranean cruise. The Legend of the Seas was a beautiful ship and we had a magnificent time aboard her and at the ports we visited. Due to time limitations I will add to this review in segments and hope to provide the full review within two weeks. I still have not uploaded my pictures, so my first few posts will be textual only.

My DW I were fortunate enough to bring our two daughters / DDs (ages 13 and 8 going on 18) with us to Europe and on this cruise vacation. Although I will provide a review of the ship (including food, activities, entertainment, service, etc.), I will especially provide a sizable discussion to planning a European cruise vacation for a family with a teenager and tween, and the things that we and the kids did on this vacation. This is written from the perspective of an American going to Europe, but much of the information is also pertinent no matter what country you may live in.

I am going to provide many of my own opinions during this review. They reflect the opinions of no-one else besides myself. Some opinions such as itinerary, size of the ship, food, dress on formal night, etc. may be different than what you, the reader may agree with. I am not trying to start any arguments, but trying to express my honest opinions.

I am going to try to break up the posts for reviews of the ships activities, entertainment, ports/excursions, kids clubs, planning, etc., so if you do not want to read about a specific portion of the cruise, skip over it and read what interests you.

Also please note that I will probably complain about some things that occurred during the vacation, but let me state this right now, anything that went wrong was less than one percent of the vacation, and pretty much rolled off our shirts as soon as they had occurred. So if I do (and I will) complain about certain things, they really did not have any real affects upon our vacation – including losing my DW early during the vacation and almost missing our plane from Lisbon back to the U.S.

If you have any questions, please ask and I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge, but as I mentioned, I returned to a very hectic time at work and may not be able to answer your questions immediately. Prior to the cruise, I have also begun an “All Things Legend of the Seas” thread, and many of the basic questions may already be answered there http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39056252#post39056252 or on one of the other wonderful recent reviews of the Legend of the Seas.

Although it was tiring, and way too short. This was a fantastic vacation, with visits to some amazing ports. I hope you enjoy the reveiw . . . . .

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Travel R

Travel R

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Although my DW and I have been on a few prior cruises and have vacationed in Europe, this is the first time our children – daughters aged 13 and 8 have ever done either. We have done a number of trips in the Northeast United States, and have made a few trips down to Orlando, Florida to visit the House of the Big Mouse and the other associated parks. We wanted to take a “big trip” this year – including one that included a cruise.

Where to Cruise? Choosing an Itinerary.

We did look at a number of options, first in North America, including Alaska, Mexico, and even Hawaii. We did consider the Caribbean, but my DW and I have been to a number of the islands (cruise & non-cruise) and did not like those itineraries. We then started to upgrade our sights beyond North America and had a family discussion as to where in the world would you want to go (cruise or land vacation). France (actually Paris) and Italy (anywhere) were the two destinations that we agreed upon. I, being the planner of the family took a look at land and cruise options. A Western Mediterranean cruise seemed to be our best option. It would allow us to visit Italy and France (although not Paris, but my DW and I have already been there), and would also provide us with a third option, Spain, and to cities we have also not visited. We also had only about a week, or a Spain, France, Italy, Greece, etc. would have been great, but too long for our purposes. So the Italy to Spain was the likely selection of the itinerary (as it wound up being).

Is Europe A Good Place for Kids?

My next step was to make sure that a Med. cruise would be good appropriate for children. My older DD had just learned about ancient civilizations in class and was really interested in seeing the ancient sites in Rome. There were also some kid-amiable ports that we could possibly visit. A cruise can also be kid-friendly. Our itinerary, we realized would also have to reflect kid-centric excursions, and we may have to forego some popular sites for those that would keep the kid’s attention. In each port, we did have at least some mild to great success with this. My younger daughter (8 years old) may have been just a tad too young to really understand everything she saw, but when someone this weekend asked her about what she liked in Rome, she not only told them that she liked visiting the Coliseum, but also went into some detail about the ruins inside the arena and what it was famous for. [i was glad that some of it stuck with her.] From what we had seen during past cruises, it would be a good place for a kid when not ashore. Although worried about a possible issue with language barriers, it was a wonderful cruise for them.

Choosing the Right Time to Go

Because we had kids, we needed to be wary of when we can go – we did not want it to overlap with school or summer camp. During the Winter/Spring vacations did not work for us this year, and the cruises are more expensive during those times as well as limited in Europe. During the summer was our only real option. We know that the middle of the summer can get very hot in Europe and wanted to avoid those times. There was a week between school and the start of camp and a week between the end of camp and the start of school. I figured the end of August would still be too hot, so the end of June seemed to be our best shot at normal sight-seeing weather (and I was mostly right).

Picking a Cruise Line and Ship

Because I was cruising with the family, the upper-tier cruise lines were out (not that I would have been able to afford them anyway), which left the so called “mass market” cruise lines. I did a search on each of the cruise line’s websites for the week we wanted to go with W. Med. itineraries. A few lines have ships that cruised in the Western Med. that week. Although I considered Disney, the cruise was too short and would have limited us to the number of ports. I cannot remember now, but I believe NCL had a similar itinerary, but there were two from Royal Caribbean that caught my eye. Not to sound like an RCI cheerleader, but with three past cruises on RCI that I have enjoyed and had no problems with, and with all of the money I was going to spend (the airfare to Europe was just as much as the cruise itself), I wanted to keep the odds of things going wrong in my favor (they did right by me before, so I am confident that they will do right by me again). In addition, RCI has a great reputation for being kid-centric – and we have spoken to many RCI passengers in the past with kids that have confirmed that (besides what fellow members on CC have written). Now, it was choosing between the Legend of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas. Some may have picked Liberty because of Shrek and the H2O zone, and it included Pisa on its itinerary, but it is a much larger ship and the price I would have paid were significant (I lucked out with a great C&A deal at the right time that also gave me a nice OBC for the Legend). In addition, we were able to board Legend from Rome and have some time before embarking to explore that worked with our schedule. Although I have not been on anything bigger than the Explorer, it may be unfounded, but I like the smaller ships (Legend is now the smallest in the RCI fleet). I had also heard great things about their kids clubs. This was also a very, very port intensive cruise, and most of the time, I expected, would be spent off the ship.

Our Itinerary

To give you a sense of our cruise, and the ports we visted, I have listed them below:

  • Rome (Civetavecchia) [including time pre-cruise]
  • Genoa
  • Marseilles (tour to Cassis)
  • Barcellona
  • Palma
  • Valencia
  • Sea Day
  • Rome [departure]

Cons

In retrospect, I would have spent another full day or two in Rome pre or post cruise. Although I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, I am not sure how long it will be before I ever get back to Rome, if ever. There was too much too see in the day and a half we had, but we did see most of what we wanted. I also wished I had performed a little more research on where to eat while in port. Our choices in Cassis and Barcelona were not great (much more detail will be provided when I review those ports). I will also pay much more attention to the signage for Baggage Claims in FCO airport (a story that we can now laugh about).

Pros

This was a fantastic opportunity for travel, education, and social awareness that are immeasurable for my children. They visited places, had experiences, and met people that I would never have imagined at their age [i did not have vacations even close to this as a kid]. My older DD is still talking/texting with some of the kids she met on the cruise from different countries/continents. Barcelona and especially Rome were amazing. The cruise experience (with minor exceptions) was one that I really enjoyed. I picked a great ship for this cruise, and I am happy I went with my instincts with RCI and Legend -- the ship itself was great, and we had outstanding service from the room steward (Richard) and the Assistant Waiter (Anthony) [we lucked out with Virgil (waiter) and Anthony after a mishap in the MDR on the first night at another table].

Next up . . . . packing for a European cruise vacation with kids/teens, and our journey from Newark to Rome.

Edited by Travel R
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Travel R

Travel R

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Sounds like you had a busy cruise - if you have any photos of the refurbished Legend of the Seas we would love to see them too.

 

I will post a bunch of photos of the ship, but nothing as extensive as iluvcrusing2's pictoral review at: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1813495

 

Also there are some nice pictures in NHDisneylover's review at http://hadleyswanderingsandramblings.blogspot.de/2013/06/boarding-legend-wait-for-it-of-seas.html - or Cachecruiser at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1860825 and one other review that I cannot remember at the moment, but will post a link to it a little later.

 

You will probably have to give me until this weekend before I can download and go through the pictures before posting. Some of my pictures are not going to be "normal shots" - and will include such images as a row of chairs by the pool that were already being reserved at 6:00 am (I believe I have the almost rising sun in the background), or a reflection of the ship off the mirrored windows at the port in Valencia.

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powelweb

powelweb

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looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

 

We have a 9 yr, almost 10 yr old, DD who has done several cruises to the caribbean, a TA and last year to Alaska, but we have been saving more of Europe for when she is older, so I'm curious to see how your kids enjoyed it.

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Deebs2

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We leave on 7/14 on Liberty with a 9 and 12 year old...if you could finish the review before then it would be great!! ( just kidding)

Can't wait to read your review!!! Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed one.

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Travel R

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Booking the Cruise & Flight

Preparation began months before the cruise. After booking the cruise itself (I booked directly through RCI itself) I began looking for airplane tickets. Although I knew airfare would be expensive, I was in for a sticker shock when I actually started seriously looking. As mentioned above, the airfare was just as much as the cost of the cruise. Going to Europe I booked an overnight flight. My thinking is that the kids (and us adults) would sleep during this time, so we would not have to worry about occupying ourselves during the evening hours. It was not a direct flight. I booked one on TAP that stopped in Portugal. I made sure that there was plenty of time during the stopover to have something to eat (we landed at 6 am) and the time to get to the connecting flight to Rome. I did not leave as much time coming home, which almost led to missing our flight home.

 

When travelling with kids for such a long distance, seat arrangement is crucial. I did use a TA to book the flight, and she was able to get us 2 sets of window seats directly behind each other on the long transatlantic flight. No, the whole family did not sit together, but each kid was able to have a window seat and mom & dad got to play musical chairs throughout the flight. On the shorter flights I was able to get a 2+2 and a 3+1 (mom got to sit by herself once).

 

Pre-Booking Excursions, Drink Package, etc.

One another board, a newbie cruiser asked if there are things that need to be pre-ordered for the cruise. In my own answer, I said yes. For this vacation/cruise I did pre-book a few items.

1. The first was pre-paid tips (and I will get more into this later on) – I feel it is just part of the cruise price, so figured I would pay it in advance and not have to worry about it later (then just give extra tips in cash to those that provided great service).

2. My DW and I went back and forth on whether we should order a soda package for the kids. We knew we would do so for ourselves (we unfortunately drink too much soda, so the package saves us money in the long run – if you purchase 3 sodas a day, you will, at the very least break even). We normally do not let our daughters, especially the 8 year old, drink soda at home. However, since we usually allow them to enjoy it when we go out, we contemplated if it would be worth it. We came to a conclusion when I read on CC a member stating that they give their child the package for when they go to the teen lounge with the rule that if they ever put down their glass and walked away or turned away for any period of time, they should just order another soda. I told my DW about it and we decided to give our older DD the package (with the same rule). Just to make it easier on us, we also gave the package to my younger DD.

3. Things that I did not order in advance for this cruise, but may be a good idea:

· We did not order any room decorations for this cruise, but I had in the past (for my DW’s birthday a few years back). A nice touch if you are cruising for your kid’s birthday.

· It has become a “tradition” that my DW gets a spa treatment once each cruise. As usual, we book when we get on the ship. Although we were thinking about a mommy-daughter treatment, it was too expensive to do something for all three of them (so they did this post-cruise)

· DreamWorks Experience Breakfast & Barbie Experience – The Legend does not have the DreamWorks experience, and after looking at the limited information out there, I decided that the Barbie Experience (available on Legend) was both too young for my 8 YO daughter and it was not really ideal for a port-intensive cruise

· I would have loved to sign up for the Meet & Mingle, but because of the multi-embarkment ports, it was not available.

4. Excursions: Excursions took a lot of time to decide upon. I am an over-planner and wanted to make sure that whatever I picked would be as kid/teen-friendly as possible. I looked at RCI ship excursions, private tours, and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) options. I believe I booked our last excursion only two weeks before we cruise, and never booked anything for Palma. Some excursions you may want to book in advance before they sell out (some did). The important thing was to make sure that there was something during each excursion that would interest the kids. I also had to keep in mind that the interests of an 8 year old are at times much different than a 13 year old. Also, my DW and I had to make some concessions on what we wanted to see so that the kids would be enjoy themselves. I’ll go over the excursions briefly now (much more detailed review of each individual excursion will be provided later on). I did go with three tours through Royal Caribbean – it just seemed to work out better for us.

· Rome – Do-it-yourself. We arrived in Rome pre-cruise. I looked at a number of private tours and many seemed to either not work out time-wise, or I thought would not be of interest to my kids. Being a history buff, I decided to play tour-guide and we did our own DIY of the Eternal City. I was able to provide the tour and talk to them so that they would understand what they were seeing in terms they (especially the 8yo) would understand. This worked out very well.

· Genoa – Genoa City & Aquarium Tour (RCI). There is not much in the city and could have toured it ourselves. The aquarium was also a disappointment. It was a good idea when I booked it (my kids love aquariums), but would have taken a different tour next time.

· Marseilles – Cassis Tour (RCI). The idea of spending time in a French seaport with great views on the drive, and a train ride sounded very interesting. The sights of the sea shore from the bus were excellent; however, many of the shops & restaurants were closed in Cassis when we got there. We were also not very happy with the tour guide. It was still a nice day.

· Barcelona – Barcelona Tour (RCI). It was a 4 hour tour of the city that brought us by all of the major “must sees” in the city (although we were unable to actually go into anything). It also ended early enough to spend the day DIY on Las Ramblas. An awesome day for all (although the kids were not that impressed with Gaudi’s architecture).

· Palma – Nothing. This was going to be our play-it-by-ear day. We just decided that we would take a quick stroll off the ship (just to say we were there) and then enjoy the ship devoid of most passengers (it was our pool day). An enjoyable day with no regrets.

· Valencia – DIY. Basically we took a cab to the City of Arts and Sciences and hung out there. We visited the Science museum and saw an IMAX film. Note: All of the signage was in both English and Spanish and they provided headphones for the film that translated to four languages. A very nice family day.

 

Packing

You would think that I was crazy if I showed you the list (it is extremely precise). You would have thought that we over-packed, but in reality, we used almost everything we took (and there was almost no clothing left unused at the end of the trip). But when traveling with pre-tweens/teens, there are a few things you may want to make sure you pack: Camera (disposable if they do not have their own); hair pieces (for girls); Kindle/iPad/DS3 (to keep them busy); small flashlight; small pair of binoculars; caps/hats; braces emergency kit; kids medication prescription & non-prescription (I was able to find chewable allergy medicine, aspirin/fever reducer, and stomach aid) [which were all fortunately never used]; pool goggles; flip-flops; pool cover-up; snacks (for plane/hotel); room for souvenirs; sunscreen; small backpack/carry bag; pencil/crayons & paper; patience; smiles; laughter; plenty of hugs & kisses; small sticky notes w/ pen

Next up . . . . Travelling to Europe

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MomtoCCC

MomtoCCC

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Wow! Can't wait to read more. Would like to take our dd (she is 9yo right now) to Europe at some point (I've never been). I keep looking at the Western Med itineraries and would love to spend time in Rome. :)

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Travel R

Travel R

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Okay, so the big day that we were going to Europe had arrived. It was early Thursday morning, and we were busy shuffling our kids out the door in the morning for the last day of school. Hey, it was a half-day, we were not leaving until later that afternoon, and it was a fun day to say goodbye to their friends for the summer. My wife and I spend the morning running around doing last-minute chores and getting haircuts (if I am taking a suit across the Atlantic Ocean I might as well top it off with a nice haircut – my kids received theirs the weekend before). I also went over all of my documentation and we double checked our packing list to ensure everything was packed and ready to go. I also pre-registered for my flight that morning.

More Preparation

Some notes on our pre-cruise preparation:

  • Airlines tell you to get to the airport 3 hours before international flights. In our case, I was glad that I did. It seems that there is a large block of flights that leave out of EWR in the late afternoon. The person at check-in said we got there at a good time, but to hurry up and get on the line for customs. The line was not very long and we went right through it in about 10-12 minutes. However, in that short time, looking behind us, the line had already grown to twice the size when we had gotten there, and by the way the tape was set up, it was going to get much longer.
  • The question of “how much should I exchange into Euros” was something we had to figure out. Besides the cost of the cabs (that we had to pay in cash with Euros), we had to make our best guess of what we would spend in ports each day. We went with the idea that we would not use our credit cards for anything but the hotel & on the ship itself (I had already had an issue pre-cruise which I will explain when I discuss the hotel). Basically we looked at each day’s proposed itinerary and decided on how much we would spend each day if we were to have lunch on shore, souvenirs, incidentals, and tips. We did convert extra dollars to Euros at the end of the cruise (just in case), we came home with about $70 euros at the end of the vacation. [FYI – we exchanged the money in a bank in NYC that had good rates – and also note, the exchange rate on the Legend was very close to the rate we had received in the States.]
  • Since we were going to be gone for a number of days, we cleaned out the fridge for anything that might spoil in the mean time.
  • Emailed family with travel info
  • Made sure someone was picking up the mail
  • During the time prior to the cruise, we had tried to psych up the kids with information about the places they will be traveling to.
  • I spent many, many hours researching the ports that we were going to be visiting on our own, including Rome, where we would be staying and seeing the city. I purchased a number of books including Rick Steve’s Mediterranean Cruise Ports (very good for the ports I visited and well worth the money, especially the walk-throughs of Rome, but some of the ports were not in the book), Mediterranean by Cruise Ship (it was a good secondary book with basic information about the history of the ports and the region – and also included some information on ports not in the Rick Steve’s book); Rome Then and Now (I got the smaller version so it was easy to carry with me during our walks in Rome – it especially helped the kids (as well as my DW and I) visualize the size and majesty of the architecture during the height of the Roman Empire. I also got the Rick Steve’s French, Italian, and German Phrase Book (never needed to use it), and already had the Portuguese and Spanish Phrase Book from a prior trip (also did not use it, but we do know a little Spanish). [Note: My kids would look at the Italian and French phrases prior to the trip and they had fun learning some of them.] Last but not least, the Streetwise Rome Map (it is useful when you can find a street sign).
  • Pre-booked cabs/car service for travel from the airport (FCO) to the hotel in Rome, from Rome to the port, then at the end of the cruise from the port back to FCO. Although our hotel was less than a 10 minute walk from the Termini station in Rome, and I had initially thought about taking the train, after reading (too much) about crime there, I decided that a car would be the safest means of travelling with my family. It was the quickest way to get from the airport to the hotel, and from the port to the airport at the end of the trip (we had an early flight). Although expensive, compared to the train, I wanted to be as cautious as possible. If it was just myself and my DW, I would have taken the train, but I figured between looking for where to go in the station, and watching over our kids, and looking like tourists with our suitcases, we would be targeted right away. Even as a “hardened” New Yorker for most of my life and haven taken the NYC subway system and going through Penn Station and Grand Central Station at all hours of the day and night, I did not want to take the chance. Cautionary Tale: I felt really sorry when one of our fellow passengers told us that they did have a few items stolen from them on the station on the way to the cruise. She thinks it may have been a man that “accidentally” dropped coins near her and when he went down to pick them up, he also swiped her stuff.

The Airline and The Airflight from Newark to Lisbon to Rome

One of my best buddies was kind enough to drive us to the airport and he was uncharacteristically on time. We had everything packed and checked twice to make sure we had everything (and uncharacteristically of us, we actually did not leave anything behind). We got to the airport a little over 3 hours before takeoff, and as I mentioned above, it was a good thing, since we breezed right through customs (in fact, they even moved us quicker through the line since we had my young daughter with us). We arrived at the gate and relaxed. My kids happen to enjoy flying, so there was no anxiety from any of us (although my younger daughter always wants to sit next to me when taking off – I think she feels safer that way).

We chose to fly TAP Portugal. Why? Because they offered the best prices, and even those were not cheap. I have always used domestic (US) airlines throughout my life and had heard good things about the service on international airlines, so I figured this would be a good time to try it out. I have to tell you, I was not happy with the service. It seemed like the only job the stewardesses had, or wanted to do after takeoff was to serve the food and snacks – don’t bother them with anything else. For instance, soon after takeoff, I tried to put on my headphones and noticed that they were cracked. I put on the little light on top for some help, it was not until at least 20 minutes later, when they were coming by with the food that I was able to ask the stewardess for new headphones – at which she replied that I should have put on the light (which was on for 20 minutes and she had just turned off), and I would have to wait until after they finished serving the food. Eventually I received my headphones (FYI – you could not use regular headphones in the jacks provided). The flight itself was very smooth, and what was really cool, was that this flight included an individual screen that included options for game (to play yourself or against other players on the airplane, movies (on demand), TV shows (on demand), and radio). I sat next to my younger DD and of course, as we finished with dinner, we played many of the games against each other. I had also heard that the food aboard international airlines was also better than US airlines – what they served was not bad, but it is the same airline food you would get on any airline. This was great for occupying her until she decided that she had enough. She watched a movie, then at some point, fell asleep. I am someone that cannot fall asleep on airplanes, and only managed at most 30-40 minutes total on the way to Lisbon. My older DD did manage to sleep (she switched with me after my younger daughter fell asleep), which allowed my DW and I to hold hands and watch movies (of course, we did not watch the same one). Also, every seat had a blanket and a pillow on them when you boarded, I guess so you would not have to annoy the stewardesses during the flight.

Just in case they did not have the TV/movie/game screens, we were ready to occupy the kids. They both brought their Kindles (the newer ones with color and they can play games or watch TV/movies – my own kindle is a black and white first generation), a DS3, pads, pencils, books for reading, and activity books. I had also brought snacks on the plane in case they got hungry (which they took advantage of), and of course, I had many sticks of gum so we could chew and swallow while ascending and descending so our ears do not pop.

The flight landed in Lisbon, Portugal at just before 6 AM and we were served a “breakfast” before we landed of a turkey sandwich with mayonnaise (dry and not great tasting). I have always travelled to Europe direct and did not think about it until we started walking towards a long line for customs, that we would be going through customs in Portugal. The line was fairly long already and the room way very, very hot – and it was not moving very quickly (not all of the counters were open yet). After a long flight and not much sleep, standing and waiting on line for over 35 minutes was not how we wanted to spend our morning (not to mention we were all hungry). Talk about long lines, by the time we got through the line, the people waiting at the back would probably have a wait of an hour or more. So once we got through, we went to the Water Closet (can’t call them restrooms in Europe), went to a food counter to pick up some snacks and drinks, then made our way to the next gate. Then when we got through the entrance of the gate, it led down stairs to a hot bus that filled up, then we had to wait for a second bus to fill up behind us, before taking us out to the tarmac to walk up the stairs to the awaiting airplane.

One thing I do like about travelling with an 8 year old, is that when they say that passengers with young children can board early, we can go to the front of the line – I know we will not be able to do that for much longer. One note about waiting on lines for a European (or at least a Portuguese) flight – they begin to form an actual line at the gate. Flying with US airlines and mostly domestically, I am used to everyone hoarding around the gate waiting for your seat numbers to be called. Here, everyone forms a nice straight line and waits patiently.

The shorter 2 ½ hour flight was uneventful (although I did not notice any improvement on the part of the attitudes of the stewardesses) and my daughters slept again, so we did not have to entertain them. So an overnight flight was a good choice when flying to Europe with the kids.

Losing the Wife; Going From FCO Airport to our Hotel in Rome

I had prearranged a car to pick us up from the Fiumicino (FCO) airport. I used Rome Cabs after reviewing options on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor. The drive was outside of baggage claims and waiting for us when we arrived – although getting there was not easy and we almost lost my wife along the way.

After we got off the flight, we walked through the terminal and stopped off at one of the restroom. My daughters came out and I told my older daughter to tell my DW that we were going to baggage pickup and will wait for her there. Somehow, following the signs, I was taken to the baggage claims area for a completely different terminal. One of the big problems was that once you entered baggage claims, you “left the terminal” and would have to go through customs to return. So, after I and my DDs figured out we were lost, we asked a worker who rudely told us to go out of some doors and make a right (I am sure we were not the first people to ask her), and when we got to that door there was a sign (in English) that told where the other terminal was (I guess going to the wrong terminal is fairly common). [Note we had also waited for a few minutes to see if my DW would show up, but after a while figured she made it to the correct claims area.]

So after exiting this terminal and going around the airport buildings (yes, outside), we made it back to the correct area, but outside of the baggage claims – however, I was able to find my driver (he had a sign with my name). I told him and another driver from the company what had happened and they told me (in broken English) where I had to go. If my older DD was younger, I am not sure what I would have done, but since my older DD is responsible and I did have a little trust in the people from the car company, I left my DDs there (with explicit instructions not to move an inch), and went through customs that was supposed to used by airport staff. They lucky let me through after going through the scanner, taking off my shoes, looking closely at my passport, and looking at the printout of the flight itinerary (my DW had all the ticket stubs), they let me through. My DW was not far away and had all four of our luggage bags not knowing what to do. She had asked someone about paging us, but the person said they could not (or would not) do it. Also note, since I did all the planning so she did not know the name of the cab company nor the name of the hotel we were staying at.

Well, she told me she would not forget it (me trying to lose her), and she meant it. [Moral of Story: Never split apart until we get on the ship. I am so lucky she loves me.]. However, we walked out to the pick-up area where the driver left us for a few minutes and brought out a nice Mercedes van. The drive to Rome was about 40 minutes (the driver was driving very fast – even within the city limits), and although we did not pay for it (the can company can also be hired to provide paid tours), he gave us a quick driving tour of the city (and even stopped in the middle of the street once or twice for views of some monuments). He finally dropped us off at the hotel where the next stage of our vacation continued.

Next Up . . . Our Hotel in Rome and Walk Through the Heart of Rome

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Travel R

Travel R

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We leave on 7/14 on Liberty with a 9 and 12 year old...if you could finish the review before then it would be great!! ( just kidding)

Can't wait to read your review!!! Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed one.

 

Deebs - sorry, the way this is going, I will not be finished by 7/14 - I hope to begin writing about first day of the cruise itself by then, but if you have any specific questions, please ask and I'll try to answer them ASAP. If not, have a great cuise, your family will have a great time.

 

Everyone else - thank you for the kind word and encouragement. I hope this is not too much detail - especially about all the planning and pre-cruise stuff.

Edited by Travel R
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Travel R

Travel R

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What a stressful start to Rome! I'm glad you were able to find your wife as quickly as you did--but it probably felt like forever to the both of you.

 

Although there was some stress at the momement, it was something that quickly passed as soon as I was able to get into tbe (correct) baggage claim area and found my DW. It was all part of the adventure of travelling and provides us with a story to tell and laugh about for years to come.

 

The thing is that as soon as we were in the car service on the Italian highway, any stress from the event had already worn off, although my wife would mention it from time to time in good humor throughout the trip. Whereas in "real life" I am not always as laid back as I want to be, on vacation I can usually get into a Jimmy Buffet state of mind.

 

Note to everyone - I will try to get my post about Rome out today and pictures, and maybe the review of the cruise day1 up on Saturday.

 

Loving your review! Keep it coming! Can't wait for pictures! We'll be off to a med cruise on the Serenade of the Seas in 5 days (whoohoo) -- also with a 13 year old -- so I'm really looking forward to the part with how the kids liked it!

 

My 13 year old loved this trip (although sometimes interpreting what a 13 year old girl likes and does not like can sometimes be challenging). Although there were no rides like in a Disney theme park to run to, she was still excited about seeing places that she had learned about in school and was able to "connect the dots" between her lessons and the places. We have always gone to Revolutionary and Civil War sites since she was young, but seeing the places of the ancient civilizations was a different experience for her. The cruise itself is fabulous for a young teenager - she had a lot of freedom she would not have otherwise had while at home. She also met a lot of other kids on the ship, and the teen lounge encourages the kids to get along and become friendly.

 

If you or anyone have any specific questions, even about a port I have not written about or the ship, please let me know and I will try to answer it -- especially for those of you leaving on your own Med. advantures in the next few days.

Edited by Travel R
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LizC

LizC

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I sail Legend in August, looking forward to more and thank you for the "All things Legend" thread!

 

Just heard no lobster on formal night was that true....will have disappointed Son!

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Clarea

Clarea

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I am reading elsewhere that RCCL will charge an exchange rate? If I am a US citizen using a Visa card is there an exchange rate charge on Med cruises?:confused:

If you are talking about using a USD denominated Visa card to pay for your on board charges, there are no exchange rate or foreign transaction fees.

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