BlueEyesMI

Any votes between Moderno Churrascaria and Le Bistro?

 

This is my first "freestyle" cruise, do you recommend making dinner reservations in advance? I'm travelling with my mother who appreciates a schedule.. just don't want to be in a situation where we are eating too late -or too early. Thanks.

My family used RomeInLimo for pre-cruise tours and also in some other Italian ports. I honestly can not say enough good things about them! All of the drivers spoke English, were professional, helpful and gave us great tours! If I were going back, they would be my first call to book something with. They will tailor tours to your needs - for instance, they picked us up at the airport and the driver sweet-talked his way at our hotel front desk to check in early and drop off our bags and quickly change, gave us a light tour of the city that day. We did a full day tour w guided Vatican guide the next day that was amazing! The third day we did a short morning tour on our way out to the port. The parking and driving in Rome is INSANE and I'm so glad we didn't try to manage it ourselves. Our driver would drop us off right in front of the attraction and often help us get past the queue:D

I would recommend the Navigator over the Empress all the way from what I know of the ships. We have not sailed the Navigator yet (but will in March) but have been on all three of the Freedom class ships (slightly larger than the Navigator) and love them.

 

 

 

I see you have the Oasis class ship for your 50th booked. Hope you have a wonderful cruise. The Oasis class ships are beautiful, though very different than standard ships in so that you do not feel you are at sea so much but in a LARGE floating hotel. Lots to do to celebrate your 50th.

 

Thanks, I'm super excited! I think comparing the two ships is "apple and orange"... but they are both cruises, can't go wrong!!;p

Poor Empress.. no love for her! I have yet to sail on a big ship (but I am in 47 days!!) but I was on the Empress last year and got one heck of a deal. Without all the fancy amenities there were very few children and it was super quiet and relaxing! We just had a room with a window (there are really no suites or jr. suites), and it was perfect - esp. for the right price! I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again, unless I want all the fancy things.

I also have a food allergy and would recommend traditional dining. The staff get to know you, the Maitre D stops by to check on you, they bring you the next days menu so you can select what you want to eat and they'll make it safe for you! I've never had MTD, but I just love the attention to detail so much I don't think I'll ever not go with traditional seating.

And by not having all these kids activities (and therefore kids!) it made for a great almost kid-free trip for those of us who were getting away from them :)

We were on the Empress in October, it was wonderful! Was it chock full of fancy amenities - no, but we knew that and didn't really want all that. Food was 4/5, service 5/5, entertainment 5/5 too! I think it has a few balconies, but not many - but plenty of outdoor space. I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again, esp for a no frills price like we had in October.

On another cruise line, there was a week-long scavenger hunt. My brother and one other kid were the only ones to show up at the event (everyone else gave up or forgot), and he won a ton of ship swag. On my RC Empress cruise in October, my friend "won" $100 toward acupuncture but then paid almost another $100, as it cost over $150, plus tip, etc. And I'm not really sure that acupuncture is a one and done kind of thing, I think it has to be ongoing to really benefit from it and she agreed afterward she wouldn't have done it on her own and she sat through a lot of upselling too. The take away is - it's not "won" if it costs you money! Oh, and we did win a bottle of the "champagne" at a trivia and it was absolutely horrible!

 

Yes, all the raffle events are listed in the Compass.

I've done two Princess cruises and just did a RC short cruise on the Empress - the tiniest ship ever... but LOVED it! I think the RC cruise has a bit younger vibe, but otherwise was pretty equal. The food was great - maybe an 8.5/10 where I'd rate Princess 9/10, but we ate very well. I wasn't sure if that was due to the fact it was a short cruise on a tiny ship or the difference between the two companies. I suggest you look for reviews of cruises that you were on and compare it with your personal experience. That will help you realize that some people can be more negative than you. We found a lot of negative reviews for the Empress - but we did our homework and knew it was a small ship without a lot of amenities - and that suited us just fine.

Just got home, and no complaints whatsoever! Did not notice a taste to the water at all. She's a small ship, no doubt, but as long as you read the specs on what she has to offer beforehand, you'll have a great time!

I haven't been on a small ship either... and I won't miss the expensive amenities that I don't use. Just looking forward to "vitamin sea"!

We're on Empress on Saturday too.. so excited!

These gluten free folk are abusive .......For most people .. gluten free is a dietary choice not an allergy. Less than 1 percent of the population is celiac.

Burden someone else with your fake dietary wants..just sayan:rolleyes:

 

 

Congratulations! You DO have a choice.. you could choose to be kind and understanding, but apparently you didn't.:mad:

 

My "choice" of eating gluten free keeps me from throwing up and having uncontrollable diarrhea for 3 days. Trust me - I would choose to eat gluten if I could.

Following! We're on board 10/15 :D:D:D

Hi - wondering if anyone has tips on which obstructed view window staterooms have better views (or worse) on RCI's Empress? This will be my first RC cruise and my first one without a balcony... debating if it's worth an obstructed window or just save the money and get an inside, but claustrophobic?, room? Thanks!

We had two days in Barcelona - our favorite city so far!- and we used Barcelona Day Tours and it was worth every penny! The first day they drove us around the city and took us to Park Guell, past the Sagrada, and some other highlights including a half day at Mont Sarrat - which was stunning and easily could have spent the whole day there! Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge on Gaudi and it made it so much more interesting than anything I'd read online. The second day we did a Costa Brava tour, different tour guide but just as wonderful! They helped us book tour tickets for Sagrada and dropped us off there. Oh - forgot to mention the first day they picked us up (with a small group) from the port and took us to our hotel at the end of the day.

We used Rome In Limo for 3 days in Rome, a day in Florence and a day in Amalfi coast. LOVED LOVED LOVED it! We actually had ship tours afterwards, and were so sad that we had booked ship tours and not more private ones.

 

In Rome, we had Alberto (and Frederica for Vatican tour). He showed us out of the way things that we would not have seen and gave us tons of info. We felt so spoiled having our own driver and had the best time with him!

 

Until we got to Alex for Amalfi... he was just as wonderful too! And Max for Florence. really, we ran out of words to tell our friends how amazing our experiences with Rome In Limo was. In fact, a flight attendant on the way home was going on vacation to Rome the next week, so I gave him the business cards I had collected from our drivers.

 

One day I hope to be back, and they will be the first call (after I book my plane ticket)!

We'll be spending the 4th of July, our Independence Day, on board the Emerald Princess. One of the international posters asked if Princess does anything to celebrate? Any ideas of what they might do? Probably no fireworks;)

We rented a car and had the most amazing day ever! This was two years ago, and my teenager just said yesterday how that really was the best day of her life :D

Did you check Rome In Limo?

thank you!! I'm not a big drinker, maybe a glass of wine here and there, mostly just water and COFFEE!!! but my husband would like some beer or wine with dinner. I also plan to do as much as possible and come back really tired...sounds like sooo much fun!

 

If you like fancy coffees, you'll want to get a coffee card. I've read mixed reviews about the dining room coffee but I didn't mind it. I don't think the bar package is worth it if you only have a couple drinks w/ dinner. If you order a bottle of wine, and don't finish it they will save the rest of it for you for the next night.

My parents, who cruise often, took the rest of us (finally!) on our first cruise to Alaska two years ago. We were on the Golden Princess and sailed RT from Seattle. The trip was absolutely amazing!

 

I agree w/ just packing layers - windbreaker/raincoat, fleece or hoodie and a hat. We had temps in the 80's (nice for touring, bad for the environment), and only were cold in the glacier cruising. I'd bought hiking boots and never wore them.

 

My brother got the ultimate drink package, but he likes soda and was also forcing himself to get mocktails so to feel like he got his money's worth. Personally, I felt we had enough calories and didn't need to force more - but I'm also not a soda drinker, so it was not worth it to me.

 

Internet on the ship is slow and expensive. Never missed it on the ship, but admit to checking my personal email when we got to a port. But I never checked work email :p

 

I don't think you'll be bored or restless. I loaded up my Kindle prepared to read, read, read and I don't even think I completed one book! Came back exhausted - so much to do, didn't want to miss anything- but loved every minute. It is quite honestly the only vacation I've ever been on where I was NOT ready to come home!

Is the upper berth more comfortable? My 17 y.o. DD will be with us, she gets her choice of sofa, sofa bed, berth or floor! :p

I noticed a huge price drop on our July 4 from Rome cruise. Not sure if it's because people weren't booking due to the planned Tunisia stop, or if they've cancelled because of the change? Either way - I'm happy... have been wanting to see Amalfi Coast and got a huge OBC as a courtesy from Princess.

If anyone was planning to be on our cruise (July 4, from Rome) we have now booked a Rome In Limo tour for Alamafi Coast, Positano and Ravello. The more the merrier, feel free to join us!

[url]https://www.romeinlimotoursharing.com/prenota.php?ig=2540&it=22&tname=Amalfi%20Coast,%20Positano,%20Amalfi%20&%20Ravello&pname=port%20of%20naples%20/%20salerno[/url]

If you have two guests booked in the suite, and your two children booked in another room - can you order off the menu for all four people? Or is it only for the two people in the suite?