italia103

Does anyone know how late the shuttle runs when you're overnight in port (Livorno). I read that the gangway is open 24/7 but wondering how late the bus runs from town. Any info is very appreciated!

We're on Reflection with an overnight in Livorno. Just wondering how late the shuttle bus runs from town to the port. I know the gangway is open 24/7 but does the bus run all night too? 

We are long-time Celebrity cruisers who recently took a seven-night Med cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. We had been looking to try another line and Royal's itinerary and timing seemed like the right time to get them a try. Based on our experience, I don't think we'll be giving it another go.

First, the daily pricing was higher. We did opt for a spacious veranda cabin but it wasn't any bigger than our previous Celebrity cabins and the interior was definitely dated. They probably lost us when we walked out on our veranda for the first time.  A dirty window and plenty of rust greeted us. We knew that Brilliance was an older ship but didn't expect to see such negligence since it was supposedly refurbished in 2018. While we thought the public spaces were generally beautiful, we hated the fact that smoking was still allowed in the casino. We also had a neighboring cabin who decided the non-smoking rule didn't apply to him but the ship responded quickly when we reported it. Shows were better than on Celebrity and we actually enjoyed the mini-golf course so we found other ways to be entertained.

The food was okay (especially in the MDR) and we liked the cafeteria space and the way it was set up but the scrambled eggs definitely tasted weird (do they use powdered eggs on Royal???), we couldn't get a poached egg and they closed the cafeteria every day from 4 to 6, actually locking the door to get to the back of the ship. Super inconvenient. Celebrity always keeps a station or two open offering afternoon tea or snacks of some kind. The only option for any kind of food during those hours on Brilliance was in the Solarium and that was definitely lacking.

We were also disappointed in the service on the ship, which I had heard others rave about on these boards. Often dishes laid on our table in the cafeteria until we eventually removed them ourselves. Our stateroom attendant, while pleasant, didn't do anything over and above and looked at me as if I had two heads when I asked her about cleaning the balcony window. (She did do it, tho.) The muster drill was chaotic and disorganized and took way longer than it should have.

Since we are definitely not candidates for Royal's massive new ships, I'm not sure we'd be willing to try Royal again. Anybody want to try and convince me otherwise?

Does anyone know if Royal makes you check out towels on European cruises? I've read many posts about this on Caribbean cruises but was wondering if it's the same on cruises that don't usually involve taking towels ashore. Also, is there a limit on number of towels you can take? Seems like a giant pain. Never had to worry about this on Celebrity!

Where can you go on land that allows smoking indoors? Nowhere! I've been a loyal Celebrity user predominately because of their strict smoking rules. I'm about to try Royal for the first time and am praying they change this annoying, unhealthy policy before I sail. If it was just a matter of passing thru a smoky casino, that wouldn't be so bad but the way smoke travels and the smell of it lingers on your clothing forever makes it intolerable. For all you smokers that disagree, would you mind if I coughed in your face for several hours at a time? I bet you would.

Hate that they changed internet options. The one hour anytime package used to work out perfectly for us to send an e-mail on sea days or whenever we had trouble finding access in port. Now it's one hour of continuous use, 24 hour, or unlimited options only. All overpriced and more than we need. Typical.

Usually there are some great price drops after final payment date which is now 90 days before cruise date (used to be 75). The Tuesday specials are a good place to start looking but often those are guarantee cabins with no choice of stateroom. Of course, choice of staterooms is more limited closer to sailing date but if you're not too picky about where you're located on the ship, the deals can be well worth it. We found a 12 night Med cruise in May 2016 for $999 for a Concierge Class cabin. No perks but at that price, we could pay for our own wine! Have fun searching for that great last minute deal!!

Our best was May 2016 for a 12 night Eastern Med out of Civitavecchia. $999pp for C3. Unrest in Istanbul resulted in that port being canceled and replaced with an overnight in Athens. Lots of people must have bailed but we jumped all over it. We even ran into friends on board so I guess it was meant to be. Next best is coming up in Oct 2018. 12 night 1B out of Barcelona with 2 perks for $1649 pp. It's now $1000 more with only one perk. You've got to stalk the website to grab the bargains but when you do, it makes cruising that much sweeter!

Regarding Europe prices, while the Edge prices are indeed crazy, there are bargains to be found. My DH and I have taken 5 Med cruises with Celebrity and have usually booked no more than 6 months out, paying between $1500-2200pp for 10-12 nights. Cheapest was unbelievable deal for a 12 night Concierge class for $999 when Istanbul was canceled! Will probably never top that but our next trip will be fall of 2018 for $1650pp with two perks for 12 nights. Same cruise is now $1100pp more! I am super-vigilant (some might say anal) about checking prices several times a week for any price reductions all the way up to final payment. Bargains are there to be found but you have to do research on a regular basis to find them. Can't say we'll be on Edge anytime soon but I'll be happy to scoop up the good deals that are bound to surface on other ships until we do.

As a relatively new cruise junkie (getting ready for our 7th next year) and someone who has enjoyed many all-inclusive beach vacations with our kids and other couples, I see the great points of both but we have figured out a great combo. Addicted to European travel, we start most of our trips in a major city some distance from our embarkation port. We then take a week or so exploring a different route to our destination before parking our suitcases under the bed in our cabin. We then enjoy whatever we can see in the ports on our itinerary before repeating the land exploration during the week after our cruise. Yes, we're now fortunate enough to be able to spend 3-4 weeks in Europe whenever we go but the chance to rent a car and drive through Tuscany or catch a train to unexplored gems like Chiavenna as well as enjoy the pampering luxury of cruising has turned out to be vacation nirvana for us. With a little research and price stalking we have been able to do these trips for much less than you would think and can't imagine doing one part without the other for the foreseeable future.

Yes, I have them from the 5/16 sailing which I think was the same itinerary. What do you need?

Here's another idea. We have stayed in Pisa or Sestri Levante for one or two days before our cruise out of Civitavecchia. There is a direct train line to the port that doesn't have to go thru Rome. Super convenient, cheap and fast. Pisa is lovely and you're in Civitavecchia before noon with no stress with more money in your wallet!!!

Just thought I'd weigh in because it sounds like you might be leaning toward a trip that is exactly the kind of adventure my DH and I have done four times in the last seven years. It took me fifty-five years to get to Italy and we are now planning our fifth trip back to the Med so we definitely have started to get this down to a science.

If I were you, I would look for an itinerary that goes Venice/Rome or Barcelona/Rome. Our first trip was the former and we used Trip Advisor to find hotels in both cities before and after the cruise and used booking.com to reserve them since you don't have to pay in advance (for most). In between, we got to see a little Croatia, Greece and Italy. I agree with other posters that the Rick Steves' Mediterranean Port Guide is a must if you are planning the land portion of your trip. He is so specific in his directions, tips, and advice that it is almost impossible to mess it up! (And no, he doesn't pay me to say this.)

If you have 3-5 days before embarkation, 10-12 nights on the cruise, and 3-5 days after your cruise is over, you will have an amazing opportunity to really see a couple of cities and get glimpses of other places you might want to return to someday. It's easy to see train schedules on a site like trenitalia.com (Italy). Trains in Europe are frequent and reasonable and super romantic but it is tiring schlepping luggage up and down platforms (and often stairs so pack light if you are going to have any land adventures).

As for cruising, we are partial to Celebrity. They offer a great cruise product at a fair price and usually offer a couple of nice perks to go with it. Demographic skews younger than HAL, food is great and the cabins are well-designed. Go with the balcony. You won't regret it. If you want to get a great price, you can always go with a guaranteed balcony or concierge class which are always great deals but you don't get to choose your cabin. In that case I'd go with either Concierge or above since there's very few obstructed view cabins in those categories.

Sorry this has been so long but I always get excited at the chance to share my love of cruising with someone who hasn't experienced it yet. Our trips have each been trips of a lifetime. Yes, it took a little planning but your friends on CC and other websites make it pretty easy to DIY. If we can do it, anyone can!

When I first looked into doing a guaranty, the advisor at Celebrity said to look for a good deal on a Concierge Class cabin as there really aren't any bad ones and only a couple on board that have any kind of obstruction. With a balcony guaranty, you could be anywhere. Much less chance of a bum cabin with Concierge but you might be further forward or aft than you might like. Seems like a small price to pay for saving $800 pp!

Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's the first time we're going with a guaranteed cabin rather than picking our own so we were a little nervous but the price was too good to pass up! First time on The Reflection after enjoying both The Equinox and Silhouette. Can't wait!!

Not new to Celebrity but never had a Concierge Class cabin and always been mid-ship before instead of so far aft. Any pros and cons about this cabin (or others close to it) other than it's a long walk to the elevator? Also never been on Deck 9 before. Any downside to being there?