First Mediterranean Cruise planned, want to know everything!

[pilotswifey]

We are looking at the 9 night Mediterranean cruise with these ports: Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy • Messina, Italy • Mykonos, Greece • Kusadasi, Turkey • Santorini, Greece • Piraeus (Athens), Greece • Capri, Italy • Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

 

I have cruised when I was a kid on Carnival and then last year we took our whole family on the Disney Fantasy. I am not a new cruiser but I have never cruised on Royal Caribbean or in Europe. I want to know everything and not sure where to start. I did find my cruise under the roll call tool and joined but can't figure out how to post to that (if anyone can help with that I'd appreciate it).

 

Right now I guess I would like to know about food and drink on the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas. My understanding is there is only 1 free dining room and 1 free quick snacks area and that you pay for everything else? I also tried finding prices for soda and wine/beer packages and can't find that. We haven't booked yet so I'm sure more info will come then but I'd like to know that stuff before we book. When we are off port (which is nearly everyday) we are responsible for eating on our own as well so that confuses me, too, with the dining. On the Disney cruise all excursions were done by the time dining started (we had early dining and liked that). With this ship it seems sometimes we are off the boat all day so I'm assuming we miss dinner then onboard (which is more cost on our own)??? So I am nervous about how that all works. Any help would be great! Thanks!

Edited January 8, 2017 by pilotswifey

[Azulann]

What a wonderful cruise you will be doing in the Med.

I would check out the Port of Call forums on the first page of Cruise Critic, lots of good information about the ports and day trips to do from these ports.

On your roll call, just hit the reply button after the last post and introduce yourself in your post. It is just one long thread that keeps going. There you will find people who are orgainzing private tours which you can join if interested.

I would also check out Trip Advisor web site for each coutry and city. Also read up on these area in good travel book.

What do you want do see while in each port? What are you interesed in : muesums, churches, walking around histroic towns and ruins, and sitting in a sidewalk cafe etc?

Uusally we have a room service breskfast or go to the buffet early before we leave the ship. We have a light lunch on shore someplace. We get back to the ship about 1 hour before sailaway which is ususally 4- 6 pm if you are in port all day.

We then relax, have drink, a snack and go get ready for dinner. We usually eat at 8pm in the MDR or sometimes in the buffet or speciality restaurants which do have a cover charge.

When are you doing this cruise?

[pilotswifey]

Thanks so much for the info! If all goes as planned we are booking the Sept. 10, 2017 cruise.

[breeze123]

You get water, tea (hot and cold), regular coffee and lemonade for free onboard. You can purchase a soda package for $8.50/person/day.

 

The Royal replenish package is $26/person/day and includes water, soda, juice, premium coffee and non alcoholic drinks.

 

There is a select package with beer and wine for $46/person/day.

 

There is an ultimate package which is an unlimited alcohol and non alcohol package for $70/person/day.

 

Finally there is the premium package which is most bees, wines and spirits for $58/person/day.

 

 

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[breeze123]

The dining room (MDR) is free and there are multiple seatings per night. On a Med cruise, you may want to pick the late seating so you can return to the ship and still make dinner. We did this on our Med cruises with no problem. You can also order room service for free if you like.

 

There is also the Windjammer, SeaView Cafe, Cafe Latte-tudes, and Solarium Cafe for food which is included in your cruise. You'll need to check the hours of operation once onboard (Windjammer is usually open early for breakfast).

 

 

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[sanger727]

I haven't been on this ship but every cruise I've ever been on has at least 1 main dining room and buffet for free and usually a few other free dining options.

 

There's no reason it will be different than your other cruises in terms of timing. We usually had an early breakfast and got off the ship, lunch in port, and then dinner when we returned. We always choose anytime dining so we don't need to worry about a set dining time.

 

We did that exact same itinerary on celebrity. Definitely fly in a few days early. Rome is wonderful to tour and you'll want to adjust to the time change. We did shore excursions through the ship in Athens and kusadasi and Messina. Def recommend doing tours there because of the distance between the port and attractions. At kusadasi everyone will be going to Ephesus, do a tour that includes the terrace houses. That can only be seen if pre-arranged and is really neat to see.

 

At Messina we did some volcano tour.

 

Mykonos has a town you can walk around it, and we took a ferry to Delos which is an island completely made up of Greece ruins. We took the ferry and explored it on our own.

 

At santorini you will want to go to thira, which isn't where the dock is. There are two docks at santorini. The entire island is on a giant hill. The cruise ship tenders to a dock where there is a path you can walk or ride a donkey up or there's a cable car. The other dock has bus access but you have to get to it. You can do a cruise ship excursion and tender directly there, or do what we did. When you get to the tender dock they have a companies that sell transportation packages. You ferry to the dock with the buses, get a bus ride to thira, then at your leisure, they have scheduled bus returns to the town at the top of the cable car. Then you take the cable car back to the tender dock. It's an experience but the line gets LONG, don't wait till the last minute to return.

 

Capri you can just walk around, it's beautiful.

 

Have a great time, Greece and Italy are beautiful.

 

 

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[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Sounds like a great cruise. We love the Med. There is so much to see.

 

You will need to decide what type of touring you want to do. You have several choices. First, you can take ship excursions. Second, join or organize a group for a private tour. Last is to Do It Yourself. You do not have to use the same approach for all ports.

 

One of the posts above mentioned taking the ferry at Mykonos to Delos and touring on your own. This is a great idea IF the timing of your ship and the ferry workout. When we have been there, we could not get the ferry over and back during the ship visit.

[Essiesmom]

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and read up on your ports. He is the king of DIY and will tell you what there is to do in your ports, how much you can do in the time you have, and how to do it from the time you walk down the gangway until you walk back up.

Sept. is still going to be very hot in the Eastern Med, Kusadasi in particular. Lots of walking over rough ground and cobblestones, no shade. Also, do not book a cruise because it goes to Turkey/Ephesus. Several cruise lines have cancelled all calls to Turkey in 2017 due to the terrorist violence. EM

[Flatbush Flyer]

We are looking at the 9 night Mediterranean cruise with these ports: Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy • Messina, Italy • Mykonos, Greece • Kusadasi, Turkey • Santorini, Greece • Piraeus (Athens), Greece • Capri, Italy • Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

 

I have cruised when I was a kid on Carnival and then last year we took our whole family on the Disney Fantasy. I am not a new cruiser but I have never cruised on Royal Caribbean or in Europe. I want to know everything and not sure where to start. I did find my cruise under the roll call tool and joined but can't figure out how to post to that (if anyone can help with that I'd appreciate it).

 

Right now I guess I would like to know about food and drink on the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas. My understanding is there is only 1 free dining room and 1 free quick snacks area and that you pay for everything else? I also tried finding prices for soda and wine/beer packages and can't find that. We haven't booked yet so I'm sure more info will come then but I'd like to know that stuff before we book. When we are off port (which is nearly everyday) we are responsible for eating on our own as well so that confuses me, too, with the dining. On the Disney cruise all excursions were done by the time dining started (we had early dining and liked that). With this ship it seems sometimes we are off the boat all day so I'm assuming we miss dinner then onboard (which is more cost on our own)??? So I am nervous about how that all works. Any help would be great! Thanks!

 

 

Whatever you do, plan to spend at least three nights in Rome before heading to Civitavecchia to board the ship. If you do your research and reserve a truly good hotel, contact the concierge to arrange a driver for airport and ship transfer (usually less expensive than many of the CC recommended websites. Also consider adding a licensed guide, at least for the "must see" Vatican (and buy your tickets as soon as the website allows several months before your trip).

 

At Messina, which any Siciliano will tell you is not really "Italy," find a private excursion (e.g., Sicily with Mario) that takes you down the coast to Taormina with a stop at Savoca (where many of The Godfather movie scenes were filmed). If nothing else, eat Arancini and drink good Etna Rosso wine in Sicily. Though a cruise stop will generally not provide enough time to explore them, recognize that the best preserved and exemplary Greek ruins in the world are in Sicily (further south to Siracusa and Agrigento.

 

For the other ports, check out Rick Steves' Med Cruise guide.

 

As for posting on your Roll Call, I use the iPhone CC app. Just make sure you're logged on and either reply (at the bottom of the screen to an existing post or select the icon at the top right corner to display the option to post a new thread.

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited January 8, 2017 by Flatbush Flyer

[celebrity]

Congrats on considering the Med. My two favorite cruises sailed there.

Ditto regarding Rick Steve's Guide to Med. Make sure you fly out several days before your ship sails to enjoy Rome.

If you intend on visiting the Vatican and Coliseum I feel are must sees, reserve your tickets on line or you'll be stuck waiting for hours to enter.

One bit advice that was given to me was to not over plan your trip with all day non stop touring. Pick a port or two where you go with the flow and you won't suffer traveler's burn out.

If you get to Ephesus, secure a private guide to the ancient city and include the Terrace Houses which is an add'l charge. We joined a private tour from our roll call through Ephesus Shuttle. It also included the House of the Virgin Mary, St John's final resting place and lunch.

Mykonos is an easy DIY port and we are so glad we planned it that way.

Read up on the individual ports of call, Trip Advisor, You Tube and ask as many questions that pop up so you can fully enjoy your cruise.

[babydoc71]

I just booked Celebration Reflection for a 10 night Italy and Greece cruise leaving June 2018. So excited I couldn't sleep last night (even though it is so far away) I love to plan trips and prefer to do excursions on my own as I hate the cattle call that the excursions have become on Royal Caribbean. We haven't sailed Celebrity since having our son who will be 14 yo when we go. Any tips for excursions either thru the cruise line or private as well as hotels for pre cruise stay in Rome? This is a bucket list trip that I have been saving for so plan on splurging. Thanks for any help in advance

[sanger727]

Just as a side note, realized I mixed my cities up. At santorini the town at the top of the hill at the dock is thira. You will want to visit oia while in port.

 

 

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[4x4bob]

Buy your self some really good walking/hiking shoes. Because you will be doing a lot walking, Climbing, etc and some of it is on uneven surfaces such as really old paving stones.

 

Bob

[SuiteTraveler]

I just booked Celebration Reflection for a 10 night Italy and Greece cruise leaving June 2018. So excited I couldn't sleep last night (even though it is so far away) I love to plan trips and prefer to do excursions on my own as I hate the cattle call that the excursions have become on Royal Caribbean. We haven't sailed Celebrity since having our son who will be 14 yo when we go. Any tips for excursions either thru the cruise line or private as well as hotels for pre cruise stay in Rome? This is a bucket list trip that I have been saving for so plan on splurging. Thanks for any help in advance

 

You might want to repost this separately so you get more answers. Celebrity Reflection is a lovely ship and I'm sure you will enjoy it. Let me give you a tip. Wait until the final day to pay and look online and see if any Family Verandah cabins become available - these are the second largest cabins on the ship but don't count as suites. They have 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room and 1 bathroom and then you can also get a forward connecting cabin. I got one super cheap on Celebrity Eclipse for a Med cruise a few years back for only my husband and myself. Normally Celebrity only sells these cabins to parties of 5, but after final payment date, they often make these available to anyone who wants them, so I grabbed it. It was great to have all the extra space! However, be aware these cabins are all the way forward (not a problem in the Med which is smooth and tranquil most of the time.) Yes, there is extra walking but so what?

 

Get on your cruises Roll Call here on Cruise Critic and make plans with others to share private excursions. They are cheaper, you get to see more and since they are usually 6 - 8 people max, you won't feel like you are in a cattle call. In Rome we used througheternity.com to do a walking tour which was very inexpensive. Rome is made for walking and our guide was a historian who told us many interesting facts about Rome while we walked from the Termini rail station through Piazza Navona (Spanish Steps) past the Fountain of 4 Rivers, onto the Pantheon and then to the Trevi Fountain. From there we took a taxi to the Forum and colosseum. That took up most of a day from 9am to 3pm. On another day, we took a private tour through the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. There is a lot to see in Rome and it is easy to get around. There are so many hotels in Rome, but you might consider the Grand Hotel Palace which is near the Spanish Steps - a very central location for getting around Rome via foot or train or bus or taxi. If you want something more upscale, you might consider Hotel Lord Byron although it is 20 minutes away from the city center. It is an upscale hotel for Rome.

Edited January 8, 2017 by SuiteTraveler

[Marseydotes]

We have sailed from Rome several times and heartily agree with previous posters--get there early! Take a day to adjust and maybe soak up the atmosphere at a cafe. See the Vatican, walk as much as you can. Good walking shoes, scarf to cover your arms if warm (you must have arms and knees covered to go into churches).

It took us three trips to learn to pace ourselves, put the cameras down, and just ENJOY. My favorite place!

Yes, any ports where you are there all day will require your buying some food--and that is a good thing! Eat the local stuff. Street food in many ports is great!

As mentioned, your cheapest form of excursions will be joining a small group on your roll call. Be sure they are going where you most wish to go. You may, as we did, find you will see more than on ship excursions.

Plan, read up on it all, and have a great trip!

[whogo]

I found Tom's Port Guides a great help: http://www.tomsportguides.com/ Download his PDF port guides from this page: http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html

[celebrity]

I just booked Celebration Reflection for a 10 night Italy and Greece cruise leaving June 2018. So excited I couldn't sleep last night (even though it is so far away) I love to plan trips and prefer to do excursions on my own as I hate the cattle call that the excursions have become on Royal Caribbean. We haven't sailed Celebrity since having our son who will be 14 yo when we go. Any tips for excursions either thru the cruise line or private as well as hotels for pre cruise stay in Rome? This is a bucket list trip that I have been saving for so plan on splurging. Thanks for any help in advance

 

Congrats!

Celebrity is our favorite cruise line. I highly recommend Romeinlimo for private excursions in Italy. You can opt for a truly private excursion as we did on both our cruises in Italy with just your party in a Mercedes sedan or ask others from your roll call to join you in a shared van.

You will have a customized day based on your wants and needs and see far more than any ship

excursion.

If you go the Italy board here on CC, you will see a running thread for Romeinlimo and read the thousands of 5 star reviews. You can believe the hype..Romeinlimo truly delivers.

If you have any specific questions regarding them, just quote my reply and I will be happy to answer.

[wassup4565]

Here's what you need to understand. Almost every day you will dock in a new port and you need to get off the ship and do a full day if you have the stamina, because each port is different. Each one is rich with history, with things to look at, new things to see and do.

 

This means you will need to eat a good big early breakfast, and then get going. And at the end of the day, you will want a hot shower, a good dinner, and a few minutes to remind yourself about tomorrow's plans, before you drop into bed.

 

You have two choices for a good big sturdy evening meal on the Jewel (and you need to stock up on those calories because you'll walk them off the next day). The Dining Room or the Windjammer. In either one, you can get all the good food you need. Pick whichever appeals to you. In the morning you need to fortify yourself with a good big breakfast. You can order a whole bunch of stuff from room service (tip the poor overloaded server well, please) or go to the Windjammer. Don't even think about going back to the ship for lunch. If you do this right, you should spend all your time on land in these wonderful places and buy your lunch locally. The food is delicious, safe and all good. Don't worry about getting back too late for the Windjammer. I'm guessing you'll be worn out at about 5:30. Lots of time. We were always in good time for dinner in the WJ or the dining room, because by that time we were worn out and our feet were done.

 

Rick Steeve's book is wonderful, and you can buy it for your i-phone. That's where you need it, right at that moment when you're standing on a street corner, wondering which way to turn next. But even if you don't have that book, you can easily do most of these ports by asking a taxi driver (there are always taxi drivers) to take you around a for a couple of hours and show you his faves. Then just walk, look, explore, eat, watch. My daughter wore the thing that measures steps taken. In every port, we logged about 15,000 steps, even if we had a taxi. We hit the high point in Rome, where we logged 22,000 steps, and I had to wear my bedroom slippers to dinner because my feet were so beat up. It was sooooo worth it.

 

All the ports are wonderful, but I have one MUST for you. At Kusadasi, you MUST go to Ephesus. This will mean you have to arrange a tour, or get a taxi at the port (they will be there). The driver should drop you off at the top (high) end and come back to pick you up at the bottom. I also recommend paying the extra fee for admission to the terrace houses. This will let you see how ancient people lived and really help you see Ephesus as it once was. Then you can think about all the famous modern musicians who chose this place to give concerts. Be sure to buy a glass of orange juice as you go out the exit to meet your driver. No orange juice has ever compared with that, for me.

 

I so envy you. I'd go back in a moment. Eat lots, soak up those calories so you have the energy to soak up those ports. This cruise is not about the ship. It is about you in all these wonderful places!

Edited January 10, 2017 by wassup4565

[griffy116]

OMG...we did almost this exact same cruise almost 3 years ago with Royal. We arrived in Rome two days early to be able to acclimate to the time change and enjoy the city. We arranged for transportation (there were 5 of us) with Joe Banana. His driver picked us up at the airport and took us to the hotel, then picked us up at the hotel and took us to the ship. At the end of the cruise, the driver picked us up at the pier and drove us back to Rome for ONE last day and night, then picked us up at the hotel and took us to the airport. We got a discount because of booking 4 transfers and split between five, this was pretty economical. We bought our tickets to the Vatican in advance to skip the long line of those that had to buy tickets. Some excursions include lunch in with the cost, but most don't. You could take a half day tour and come back to the ship and eat. The ship will have the food at each meal, it's just that on a Med cruise, you don't usually have time to come back to the ship to eat. We had some WONDERFUL meals while exploring the cities in each port. In Turkey, EPHESUS is a MUST SEE. It's unbelievable. We hired a driver and guide and he explained everything we were seeing and it was well worth it. We used Ephesus Deluxe to book the tour. We did not go through the cruise line. They are extremely reliable. It's a once in a lifetime trip. In Athens, we went to the new Acropolis museum. It's a work in progress, as they are excavating under the museum's glass floor and you can actually see them working. We only had a car drop us and pick us up in Athens. We didn't need a guide there. Get some books and read up on each port and decide what you are most interested in seeing. We were so tired at night that all we did was eat our dinner and fall into bed to get rested for the next day's tour. I'm SO JEALOUS. We would go back on this cruise in a heartbeat!

[babydoc71]

Thanks for the responses so far. Keep them coming. Even though I am spoiled and have 4 cruises booked prior to this one, this is the only one I have been totally obsessing over (probably b/c I have never been to Europe). I really appreciate everyone's suggestions so far!

[taglovestocruise]

If you need transport from airport to hotel or hotel to Civitavecchia check out Bob's Limo Rome, they have great service and are far far cheaper than a cruise ship shuttle..

[wassup4565]

In Athens, the Acropolis Museum is excellent. One thing I didn't understand until I was most of the way through the main exhibit is that it actually a model of the temple of Athena. We went through the museum after we had been up to the parthenon and walked around and looked at it. In retrospect, I wished we had gone through the museum first. I'd have had a much better understanding of what I was looking at if I had seen the Parthenon after I saw the museum.

 

On the other hand, because we went early to the Parthenon, we got there just as the gates were being opened, and we heard the Acropolis dogs barking. It seems they live there, and they understood the place was open for business, so they were no problem to anyone. They're well-cared for and fed, and it's their home. I guess their job is keeping the place free of vandals and graffiti. There were also a number of cats, again, well-fed and healthy. It's a pretty charming sight to see a cat sitting on a pile of stacked-up ancient columns, washing its face in the morning sun. There are also many cats and some dogs at Ephesus, and again, they are fed and cared for.

 

Once you walk down the hill from the Parthenon, you are in the Plaka in Athens. Fantastic food in shaded outdoor restaurants, or from little take out places. Many, many shops featuring wonderful cotton clothing in rainbow colours. And the sandals and purses! Soft leather, every colour, every design and shape. I bought my daughter a peach-coloured Grecian dress, and then said I would look for sandals to go with it. The sales attendant grabbed me by the arm and took me and the dress to the sandal shop, where she and I and the proprietor looked at every pair of possible matching sandals, debated the merits, and finally decided on the right choice. Unforgettable!