kmurph22

thanks for posting! I don't have 4 hours to watch the youtube videos, this is a nice summary of the action!

looking forward to your other videos.

ChipLondon I've had this same thought since learning about the voucher program.

I'm one of those who typically drinks just under the 'breakeven' for the package - anywhere from about 3 drinks (port day) to 5 drinks (sea day). But I like the package concept, because I like the idea of trying new things, and the flexibility. So if it were discounted, I would try it.

So from the perspective of RCCL: they are giving me a voucher for 3 drinks. Average revenue for that would be what, about $25? So by discounting the package by $25 (which they've already give me), to $30, they would get me to commit spend another $30 a day that I might not otherwise spend. Without the package, I will confine most of my drinking to the CL hours of 5 - 8:30 and maybe only buy one more drink later in the evening or a glass of wine at dinner, less than $30 for sure. Seems like a no brainer for them. They come out ahead. And I'd feel like I 'got' something for being Diamond.

RCCL are you listening?

Hi Lindypops

I am on the same cruise. Maybe I can allay some of your fears...

First of all, not all restaurants are even available for prebooking. There are many casual spots which do not even take reservations, beyond the Windjammer, including Michael's pub, Sorrento's, and Johnny Rockets.

Also, not all dining seats will be made available to prebook. They are holding a certain % for those who want to book while onboard. I don't know the exact %.

And finally, it's highly likely that our Maiden voyage will sail well under capacity... increasing seat availability at the many restaurants.

"Dynamic Dining" is remarkably similar to Norwegian's "Freestyle" concept, although Royal is trying hard to make it sound different/better. As you can see from my signature I have sailed NCL several times. On my most recent NCL cruise, I booked only one meal ahead of time. All others were done on the ship, on the day, and sometimes even just walking up to a restaurant. There were availability schematics around the ship, showing each restaurant's availability at different 30 minute time slots... green means plenty of availability.... yellow means it's filling up, red means it's full. Hopefully Royal will provide something similar.

Can you walk in to the most popular restaurant at 8:00pm and expect to get a table immediately? Probably not. You may have to wait awhile or have a drink, or go elsewhere, just as would happen in New York City if you didn't have a reservation on a Saturday night.

Looking at reservation availability for our cruise, the most popular venue appears to be The Grande, the formal 'main dining room' which is complementary. Or, they may just be holding back a lot of reservations for that venue. If I really want to eat there, I may try to make a reservation on board. Or be flexible with my time and eat early or late, or for lunch if it's open. It's all sea days, after all! If I don't eat there at all, I won't be upset as there are so many other choices.

In the end I made 4 upfront reservations and left the other 4 nights to "wing it". I'm quite sure I won't go hungry. On my last two NCL cruises I never ate once at the buffet... I love taking advantage of the variety and specialty dining options.

Now all that said, the reservation system has certainly had its glitches. Along with the fact that this is a new concept for Royal, I do have concerns (or perhaps expectations) that it will not run completely smoothly on the Maiden voyage. Hopefully employees will be well trained and fellow passengers will pack their patience if this is the case. But even with that concern I am not expecting to be stuck at the WJ every night!

hope that helps. Check out the roll call thread(s) if you haven't been there! It's quite lengthy :O but very friendly.

Thanks JB. It's so nice to get confirmation of my thinking from someone who's actually there.

Will discuss with hubby - he tends to be cranky after an overnight flight so I think he'll vote for the car service despite the higher cost. Appreciate the recommendations.

Hello all, this is a very informative thread and just what I was looking for.

We need to transfer from Heathrow T2 to Southampton for a stay at the Novotel for a night before cruising in November.

It looks like the Novotel is very walkable from the National Express bus station, am I correct? Maybe 1/2 mile or less?

HOWEVER... when I check the National Express bus schedule, I'm not sure if this makes sense. Our flight arrives at 8:35. I think the chances of our making a 9:30 am coach are pretty slim with immigration and baggage. Am I right? The next direct coach isn't until 11:30... after an overnight flight I doubt we will be too keen on sitting around the airport for an hour or more waiting for a bus. Am I looking at this right? Date of arrival is Sat. Nov 1.

So given all that, does anyone have a car transfer service they recommend?

my son turned 13 while on the cruise; he was not admitted to Entourage until his birthday. They are very strict.

I plan to try to board by about 11. I figure if I knock really loud they'll let me in....

we will be in Barcelona the day of the World Cup Final (July 13)... anticipating craziness! Any tips or thoughts?

Hi Keith,

thanks for posting!

Perusing the dailies, I have to ask, was there any impact from the National Train strike shown on Day 5 in Livorno?

Interesting that there was no officers' dinner event... wondering if this is typical for med cruises or just this one.

Anyway, getting me more excited for my upcoming cruise!!

Thank you so much for posting! Good tip about reserving/paying for dining in advance to avoid the VAT. We sail in a few weeks, can't wait!

I found Dropbox and I'm working with it... seems like it will work perfectly! thanks all.

Wish the OP would come back and tell us the rest of the story!

Kenlorz -

can you share what you software/ site you use to upload your info? I upload everything to an iPad and password protect the documents, but if the iPad is stolen, well we're still in trouble. Your idea sounds like a better one. Although I don't think a scanned passport will work at airports or on ships, it would certainly make the replacement process a bit easier I imagine.

OP - What a sad story. I am so sorry to hear. We would like to hear the rest... I hope there was some redemption in the trip! Good lessons to be learned. I also like the idea about taking a photo of your luggage receipt.... I like to think I'm going to stay organized, but I've lost those little slips of paper before. I guess I've been lucky up to now that nothing has happened to my bags!

(ok I know I just jinxed myself....)

oh wow thanks! I do go to the port boards periodically but I guess it's been a few weeks....

we are planning to walk from our hotel (the San Giorgio) which is only a few blocks from the port. They do have a shuttle service available too, for a fee...

I will check out the Italy board and see what's up in Civitavecchia!

Hi Keith,

Thanks for posting these!

you may be able to answer a question for me. We are embarking in Civitavecchia. There is reference on page 1 of the "Day 4" daily to a Complementary Shuttle Bus, that is "a short distance away from the main entrance to the port".

Was this shuttle station relatively easy to find relative to the port entrance? I've read some random reports that it can be hard to find the right shuttle in Civitavecchia.

If you can shed any light it would be appreciated!

my then 10 year old got his finger stuck in the elevator door. Got it x-rayed. Fortunately not broken, but the $150 charge was covered by insurance. Covered the cost of the insurance.

on another cruise it was me; a minor respiratory infection developed into a major one and I made several visits to the infirmary which included steroid treatments. Over $750 in medical bills, all paid by insurance with very little hassle.

Although neither of my cases would have been "break the bank" situations where we needed an emergency medical flight, or had to miss the cruise, it was still nice knowing we were covered.

I will not cruise without it!

TSU Mom I am also going Rome/Rome in the Haven for the first time.

I look at it this way.... on a ship with 4000+ passengers, I'm happy to go against the flow and do whatever everyone else isn't doing!

For example:

We may not really need "priority embarkation" because from what I read, we will just walk onto the ship! No lines!

When we board in Civitavecchia, everyone else will be exploring Rome and we will have the ship to ourselves!

In Barcelona, we can take our time disembarking, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and see the city when we want to, while the hoardes wait for their luggage tags to be called!

From the other thread posted by bugeater, I understand that some things may be a bit different from our typical cruise experience, with sail away parties and all, but I am looking forward to something other than a typical cruise experience. We'll have a sail away party right in our suite, thank you very much! I'll be prepared for a little confusion when we reboard in Barcelona, yes. I can live with that for all of the other benefits :)

Our main reason for booking Rome/Rome is that we want to spend extra time there post cruise. While neither Barcelona nor Rome is really a city you can properly see in a day, for us Rome is the priority so that's enough for me.

Hope this helps ease your anxiety... hey it's a cruise in the Haven!

Thank you so much for the wonderful detail!

We'll try the bus and knowing the stop names ahead of time will definitely help. I know it will be somewhat crowded but with our limited time in port I want to stay fairly close.

I can't wait for our visit!

Thank you for the updates and information, Elmartellama!

We will be docking in Palma on the Epic in July, a family of 4 with 2 teenage boys.

We're looking for a beach day, and I think Palma Nova looks like a good choice for us, given the time constraints (1pm - 8pm docking time).

What is the best way to get there from the cruise port for 4 people? Taxi? Is the bus very easy to navigate? Exactly where would I ask to be dropped off? I know it's a long beach... we would want to be somewhere near we could rent chairs and umbrella, restaurant, and toilet.

You posted photos of the Melia - can non-guests use their facilities?

Thanks in advance!

thank you for the good advice all! realtrip I will definitely look into the yellow cars, sounds fun!

and I think we will just wander around Cannes.

I did book a private half day tour for Pisa and Lucca. I like the idea of a)air conditioned travel; and b)the ability to change direction if one of us is grumpy.

Palma definitely looks like a beach day in Palma Nova... seems easy with a taxi.

yes aprilrad I am looking at segway tours, especially for Barcelona or Cannes, two ports where we don't think we're going to make a big day trip. They look like fun! I've done one before but kids have not. I did notice at least one company had an age 14 minimum though.

does anyone have experience going to the beach in Palma? I'm curious about the availability of taxis for the return, and how difficult it is to get a lounger/umbrella since we wouldn't be arriving until the afternoon (1pm - 8pm port time).

This topic is of great interest to me too, so thanks to all who replied. We are sailing the Epic in July.

I'm looking to "deintensify" for a different reason... 13 year old boy who I know will get bored and complain if we drag him around too much. Here's the plan so far:

We are boarding in Rome, spending 3 days there after the trip, so Civitavecchia will be a "sea day" for us. We'll get on the ship as early as possible and just enjoy.

In Livorno, we selected a half day trip which includes Lucca (pretty little medieval town, not as far as Florence) and a quick stop at Pisa for photos. Kids gotta update the instagram you know!

Cannes - still debating whether we want to do the big day out to Monaco or just putter around Cannes. We honestly may make this decision on the fly when we get there and either do the train or find someone to take us around at the port.

Palma - probably a beach day.

Barcelona - either a DIY "hop on hop off" or wander Las Ramblas and shop/eat/people watch. No more than a half day.

Naples - all day tour of Pompeii (of great interest to the boy and his instagram) and then an Amalfi coast drive/visit. This will be a long day but it comes on the heels of a sea day.

Any advice or thoughts from others are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for posting!!! Very helpful for those still planning!

We booked this exact concept with Rome Cabs. Pick up at ship, take us to our choice of sites, drop off at hotel around 1 for check in. We booked a half day tour but full day is also available, just more expensive.

They have been very responsive and easy to work with so far, check their website for the post cruise package. We also booked them for transportation back to the airport after our stay in Rome and were offered a small discount.

Hi GGBNJ,

I just posted a review of this cruise too. A couple of thoughts/ responses to your review:

Most of the staff and passengers were quite polite, I didn't experience anyone yelling at anyone. That's terrible about the old lady with the cane, I'd like to think I or my kids would have helped her up if we had been there... It was very crowded at times but we generally found ways to go against the flow, which helped.

I agree about the bumpiness the first couple of days, I was very surprised. The ship seemed to jitter a lot. I actually got seasick on Monday for the first time ever in 12+ cruises.

"90% of this cruise's passengers were Asian".... Not quite, sorry. Maybe 20%? Certainly noticeable, and more than I've seen on any other cruise though.

We also skipped the Ice Bar. The price is excessive.. they should just make it a one drink minimum. They would get a lot more traffic that way.

Similar experience at Moderno, although we didn't dine so late... we only saw like 5 different meats. Had to beg 3 times to get the lamb chop (which was eventually worth it).

My burger in O'Sheehans was cold the first day... but pot pie another day was wonderful and overall we were happy there. Did you eat in the bar area or in the regular table area? That might have made a difference?

sorry I missed the wine tasting class, I would have liked that!

One other note: I used the fitness center twice (yay me!). It was darn hot & humid in there! They could pump up the AC, I think the cardio equipment users would appreciate it.