Questions from a Newbie about Eastern Med

[sparkins_mob]

Hello everyone!

 

My fiance and I are planning to go on a 12 night Eastern Med & Greek Isles cruise next May (assuming that the itinerary still exists in 2014) for our honeymoon. I've been lurking a bit, but I have a few questions that I hope you might be able to answer. Neither one of us have ever cruised before, so please be patient if my questions are stupid.

 

1) The itinerary we are interested in departs out of Rome and ends in Venice. Neither one of us speak any useful Italian (being able to name some pasta dishes and specialty coffees has very little practical value) so we are worried we may have some trouble at the airport/customs/hotel before and after the cruise. Has anyone had trouble with this, or is there usually someone that can speak English for the silly North Americans?

 

2) Er, has anyone heard of any trouble with pirates in the Med?

 

3) Are the formal nights usually on sea-days? DFiance doesn't do formal. Ever. Doesn't even own a jacket. The best I've been able to do is a shirt and tie for weddings, and even then he tries to convince me that a golf-shirt or sweater should be good enough. Therefore, I would like to pre-book a specialty restaurant for the formal nights as they seem to be okay with "smart casual." Will they tell you which nights are formal nights prior to the cruise?

 

4) People talk about preferring cabins on "the hump" for a better balcony. Are they talking about the angled part of the hump, or the flat part?

 

5) I've seen some posts about people making signs for their doors and I think this may be a good idea for us (DF has no sense of direction especially if we've had a few celebratory cocktails). Does Celebrity allow this? Are the doors magnetic? Does it advertise to the whole ship that you are a hopeless newb?

 

6) When tipping on the ship is it better to tip in US Dollars or Euros? Obviously in port I would tip in the local currency, but I wasn't sure about on the ship itself. From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong) the crew (stewards, waiters, bartenders etc) tend to get paid in USD and don't get much chance to go ashore very often. So would I be better to tip in USD? From what I've read, the staff (spa & salon employees, dancers, retail employees, youth group employees) on the other hand, get some time off at port. So for them would it be better to tip in Euros that they can spend on shore? Am I just really over-thinking this whole thing?

 

Thanks for any insight you can provide me!

[bengaltiger1]

We are on this cruise at the beginning of June this year. You should have no difficulty with people speaking English. Most officials and locals know some English in Italy. We sailed on Silhouette last August on the Adriatic cruise which leaves from Venice and finishes in Rome.

 

You can avoid the formal nights and there are lots of posts on here that give advice. We travel Aqua class and dine in Blue and I believe you can go smart casual very night in there, but as we like to dress up I have never dined in there in anything less smart than a cocktail dress, but I do appreciate that it is not for everyone.

 

I have not heard of pirates being a problem. That seems to be more of an issue in the Indian Ocean and off the East African coast. When a friend of mine cruised in that region they had anti pirate measures in place on the ship and had to have a blackout in place on the evenings.

[deserttraveler]

I believe that either Euros or dollars will be fine. You are cruising at the beginning of the season, and Euros may actually be more useful to the crew. I am guessing they can swap among themselves as needed also without paying fees or high exchange rates. If you are leaving from Rome to go back to the States rather than staying on in Europe, it's a way to use any remaining Euros that you have.

 

Note that Croatia may not be using Euros yet and you might need to get some of their currency if your ship stops there. Euros were OK in Montenegro and Slovenia last fall.

 

Especially since it's your honeymoon, I hope you'll spend some days in Venice at the beginning. And, as the earlier poster said, the Italians are very generous in their knowledge of English, and it's not an issue even in smaller cities.

[DavidYYC]

Hi there...we did the Eastern Med in 2010, and our son and his new wife did a very similar itinerary last year for their honeymoon. Its wonderful.

 

1) Grab a small simple phrase book and have it ready but most/many Italians at places like airports, hotels etc speak good English. They always appreciate the effort you make though so its good to have the basics -hello, good-bye, thank you etc ready and use the phrase book if necessary.

 

2) not at this point :)

 

3) Usually but not always - we had a formal night after we left Dubrovnik on the 10 day cruise.Closer to the date you will be able to decide about the Speciality restaurants when you see the actual itinerary and maybe talk to others who have done the same one.

 

4)Both are good, but some of the "flat" parts are taken by suites.

 

5) Not sure

 

6) I prefer US dollars but I'm sure Euros are also fine.

 

have fun!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Italy is very friendly to US visitors and English is spoken in most places (except in Naples and the environs- where the average person doesn't speak English- cab drivers and shop owners usually do).

 

There is no problem with a room sign on the door. Bring tape in case they aren't magnetic. I can't tell you with any certainty about magnets sicking on them. I think it is a good idea- unless some little brat takes it or something.

Shouldn't be too many kids in May.

 

I've not heard any reports of pirates- don't worry about that.

 

We didn't want to do any formal nights so on our last two Celebrity cruises we did Qsine on formal nights where it is always casual. Jeans are fine. Shorts and flip flops are not. Keep in mind that the rest of the ship people will be dressed formally for the most part- so you will feel a bit under dressed in other areas of the ship on those nights.

 

The cabin steward will be happy with Euros or dollars I'm sure.

 

Happy Planning- you'll love the Eastern Med.

[BubMunkeyBles]

I lived in Italy for two years (DH is military) and spoke no Italian. We lived about 40 minutes outside Venice so went there all the time with no issues and flew out multiple times with no issues. We also went to Rome 5 different times so you'll be fine there too. :)

[sparkins_mob]

Thanks everyone!

 

I just thought of another question:

 

Does it matter whether your balcony is on the starboard or port side of the ship? Is one side sunnier/hotter? In theory it would depend on which direction you were sailing, but sometimes I learn things that would make a difference.

[2theship]

Regarding tipping - you will rarely need to tip cruise staff directly. Your tips will be added to your onboard account. When you purchase a drink in a bar or order a bottle of wine at dinner, the tip will be added to the check.

[deserttraveler]

Regarding tipping - you will rarely need to tip cruise staff directly. Your tips will be added to your onboard account. When you purchase a drink in a bar or order a bottle of wine at dinner, the tip will be added to the check.

 

Yes, and if you have room service, you will want to tip with a few dollars or euros, and if your room steward goes above and beyond, you may want to give him or her an extra $20 or $40 in cash.

[CathyCruises]

Thanks everyone!

 

I just thought of another question:

 

Does it matter whether your balcony is on the starboard or port side of the ship? Is one side sunnier/hotter? In theory it would depend on which direction you were sailing, but sometimes I learn things that would make a difference.

 

Impossible to say. In general, if sailing from west to east (Barcelona to Venice, for ex.) we try to get portside cabins, but can only infrequently catch a glimpse of land. And when you're in port, anything could happen--no way to predict which way you'll face as it all depends on the number of ships in port that day, etc.

 

Now, on transatlantics, many people prefer starboard cabins for west to east and port cabins on the reverse, so you have more sun on your side of the ship--but even that is dubious IME. Might be cloudy the whole way!

 

Your questions are all good ones, but no worry at all abput pirates!! Just enjoy your cruise!!

[deserttraveler]

Since you are coming from Canada, you can really do this trip entirely in euros to avoid a third currency (other than Croatian).

[skylight]

Hi we used euros in Croata in May last year. Also I have a cash card in US and Euro from forex and they have ATMS on the ships one for EURO and one for USD. Never seen any pirates.

Go Aqua Class and dont worry about formal nights my hubby just wears long sleeve shirt and trousers. Good Luck with your cruise.

[dln929]

You've gotten some really good advice to start you off and of course now you've found Cruise Critic (stay a while and you'll amaze yourself what you learn here!). To that I would add--get some books! Go to the library and check out some cruise books. Cruising has become really popular and there are many books available now about cruise vacations, several of which deal specifically with Mediterranean ports. I have the Rick Steves book on cruises on my Kindle, for example, and it's great. (Last summer he cruised on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.) What I like about cruise-specific travel guides is that they answer many of the same questions that you asked and give you the confidence that you can do it, and that you'll have a great cruise in the process. ;)

[ghstudio]

Some additional thoughts...

 

Smoking is only allowed in a few areas of the ship, all on the port side....therefore, I suggest booking on the starboard side, just to avoid smelling cigarette smoke on your balcony.

 

You will not feel out of place in "smart casual" clothes on formal nights as long as you don't eat in the MDR. All other dining venues and public spaces are "smart casual" every night. If you are in Aqua, dining in Blu, depending on the cruise, you may find that up to 90% wear at least a sports jacket, but I've worn "smart casual" and there are always a few others.

 

As far as tipping, euros or dollars are fine...on our last cruise we left all our extra foreign currency for our cabin steward...bills and coins....because the ship is going back to all those places three or four times (asia).

 

Study the ports...you may want to do some "on your own"...just walk around with/without a guidebook. Don't be afraid to take non ship tours...find others forming or looking for tours on your roll call (on CC). Do research on tour guides/companies on tripadvisor and the ports of call section of CC.

 

You will have no trouble with english...most restaurants these days seem to have english menus or pictures...of course this doesn't apply to street vendors :)

 

Before you travel, get a credit card that doesn't charge for foreign transactions...most charge 3% but there are a few that don't. Even if you charge in $'s outside the US, the credit card companies will charge that 3%.

 

People put signs on their doors for all kind of reasons...it doesn't brand you as a newbie....but do take some magnets to hold papers/schedules on the wall in your cabin....

 

hope this helps....keep asking questions.

[gek]

Italy is wonderful for English speakers. You will have no problems making yourself understood.

 

As for port or starboard I would go starboard if only for the entry into Venice. Not too many ports you visit will have any thing better than the view over St Mark's Square as you cruise in.

 

And forget the sea pirates. Worry about the land-pirates (or Gypsies). They are basically harmless but will be out to trick you out of your money any way they can. A polite and forceful "No" usually sends them off to find another mark.

 

Check closer to the cruise date about formal nights or just do what we do and book Aqua class.

[sparkins_mob]

Since you are coming from Canada, you can really do this trip entirely in euros to avoid a third currency (other than Croatian).

 

That's what I was hoping, but if USD are preferred, then it's not really a problem to get USD. I live near the border so I always seem to have left over US $ kicking around.

 

Smoking is only allowed in a few areas of the ship, all on the port side....therefore, I suggest booking on the starboard side, just to avoid smelling cigarette smoke on your balcony.

 

Thanks for the heads up! One of the things we found appealing about Celebrity was the no (or limited) smoking policy. Starboard it is!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Hello everyone!

 

My fiance and I are planning to go on a 12 night Eastern Med & Greek Isles cruise next May (assuming that the itinerary still exists in 2014) for our honeymoon. I've been lurking a bit, but I have a few questions that I hope you might be able to answer. Neither one of us have ever cruised before, so please be patient if my questions are stupid.

 

1) The itinerary we are interested in departs out of Rome and ends in Venice. Neither one of us speak any useful Italian (being able to name some pasta dishes and specialty coffees has very little practical value) so we are worried we may have some trouble at the airport/customs/hotel before and after the cruise. Has anyone had trouble with this, or is there usually someone that can speak English for the silly North Americans?

 

2) Er, has anyone heard of any trouble with pirates in the Med?

 

3) Are the formal nights usually on sea-days? DFiance doesn't do formal. Ever. Doesn't even own a jacket. The best I've been able to do is a shirt and tie for weddings, and even then he tries to convince me that a golf-shirt or sweater should be good enough. Therefore, I would like to pre-book a specialty restaurant for the formal nights as they seem to be okay with "smart casual." Will they tell you which nights are formal nights prior to the cruise?

 

4) People talk about preferring cabins on "the hump" for a better balcony. Are they talking about the angled part of the hump, or the flat part?

 

5) I've seen some posts about people making signs for their doors and I think this may be a good idea for us (DF has no sense of direction especially if we've had a few celebratory cocktails). Does Celebrity allow this? Are the doors magnetic? Does it advertise to the whole ship that you are a hopeless newb?

 

6) When tipping on the ship is it better to tip in US Dollars or Euros? Obviously in port I would tip in the local currency, but I wasn't sure about on the ship itself. From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong) the crew (stewards, waiters, bartenders etc) tend to get paid in USD and don't get much chance to go ashore very often. So would I be better to tip in USD? From what I've read, the staff (spa & salon employees, dancers, retail employees, youth group employees) on the other hand, get some time off at port. So for them would it be better to tip in Euros that they can spend on shore? Am I just really over-thinking this whole thing?

 

Thanks for any insight you can provide me!

 

Wow, you sound like you could be me! My fiance and I are also hoping to do this same trip next may for our honeymoon :D We went on an X med cruise last summer (you can read my review in the link in my signature). It was my fiances first cruise ever and my first time on X. And his first time to Europe, my 2nd. My review might have some good tips for you since it will be your first time. And you can get an idea of what we wore to dinner, I use lots of pics.

 

Funny you ask about the pirates, my fiance kept asking me that before we left last summer :cool: LOL! No, you will not encounter pirates haha!

 

Yes, formal nights are usually sea days. However on our cruise last summer the 2nd night was a formal, and non-sea day. The other two formals were sea days

 

We tipped in USD.

 

Maybe we will see you next May! We are anxious to see the itineraries!

[rugbypopsie]

Yes you are over thinking things...language...english widely spoken in tourist areas everywhere, pirates are all in the shops! The crew would appreciate tips in any currency, they will be able to change onboard..relax cruising is the must flexible of holidays...have fun.

 

Sue

[sparkins_mob]

Wow, you sound like you could be me! My fiance and I are also hoping to do this same trip next may for our honeymoon :D

 

Funny you should say that. I'm reading your report right now and your enthusiasm for Europe sounds very similar to mine. I have my Bachelor of Education (though I'm not an active teacher) and your note-taking at Pompeii, and regimented schedule sounds very much like something I would do.

 

Maybe we will see you next May! We are anxious to see the itineraries!

 

Us too! Wouldn't that be funny if we ended up on the same cruise?!

[midwestchick]

We''re doing an Eastern Med cruise next fall too. As far as language, we did a French and Italian Riviera cruise last fall....no problems with a language barrier...except in Capri. We were asking directions for a good restaurant...we ran into the sweetest little old man in a shop...hand gestures finally gave him a clue what we were looking for...pretty soon he said..I show you..pretty broken language...he walked us to a restaurant he recommended. How sweet!

Our gratuities were included but some crew members went above and beyond...specifically one of the bartenders at the pool bar...I had asked for a frosted mug for my beer...he didn't know what that was. Once I told him, each day when we would return to the ship and go to the pool bar, he would have a frosted mug ready for me and always said "here you go Miss Nancy"...he was so cute and always tried to please..not just to me but everyone passenger.

Our tips to some were in Euros...we needed to get rid of them anyway. I still have 300 Eruo burning a hole in my pocket. :D

I did open a new Capitol One card last year...great perks and no FTF...love that card.

[Hawks11]

Hello everyone!

 

My fiance and I are planning to go on a 12 night Eastern Med & Greek Isles cruise next May (assuming that the itinerary still exists in 2014) for our honeymoon. I've been lurking a bit, but I have a few questions that I hope you might be able to answer. Neither one of us have ever cruised before, so please be patient if my questions are stupid.

 

1) The itinerary we are interested in departs out of Rome and ends in Venice. Neither one of us speak any useful Italian (being able to name some pasta dishes and specialty coffees has very little practical value) so we are worried we may have some trouble at the airport/customs/hotel before and after the cruise. Has anyone had trouble with this, or is there usually someone that can speak English for the silly North Americans?

 

2) Er, has anyone heard of any trouble with pirates in the Med?

 

3) Are the formal nights usually on sea-days? DFiance doesn't do formal. Ever. Doesn't even own a jacket. The best I've been able to do is a shirt and tie for weddings, and even then he tries to convince me that a golf-shirt or sweater should be good enough. Therefore, I would like to pre-book a specialty restaurant for the formal nights as they seem to be okay with "smart casual." Will they tell you which nights are formal nights prior to the cruise?

 

4) People talk about preferring cabins on "the hump" for a better balcony. Are they talking about the angled part of the hump, or the flat part?

 

5) I've seen some posts about people making signs for their doors and I think this may be a good idea for us (DF has no sense of direction especially if we've had a few celebratory cocktails). Does Celebrity allow this? Are the doors magnetic? Does it advertise to the whole ship that you are a hopeless newb?

 

6) When tipping on the ship is it better to tip in US Dollars or Euros? Obviously in port I would tip in the local currency, but I wasn't sure about on the ship itself. From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong) the crew (stewards, waiters, bartenders etc) tend to get paid in USD and don't get much chance to go ashore very often. So would I be better to tip in USD? From what I've read, the staff (spa & salon employees, dancers, retail employees, youth group employees) on the other hand, get some time off at port. So for them would it be better to tip in Euros that they can spend on shore? Am I just really over-thinking this whole thing?

 

Thanks for any insight you can provide me!

 

1. You will get by, just take things slowly.

2. Never say never as the Med is quiet a big sea but the real answer is no.

3. Yes.

4. ?

5. Better to enjoy getting lost at first like everyone else. It is surprising how quickly you will find your way about.

6. Don't worry about the tipping, the norm is via you shipboard account. Euros are the only other currency you will require.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Funny you should say that. I'm reading your report right now and your enthusiasm for Europe sounds very similar to mine. I have my Bachelor of Education (though I'm not an active teacher) and your note-taking at Pompeii, and regimented schedule sounds very much like something I would do.

 

 

 

Us too! Wouldn't that be funny if we ended up on the same cruise?!

 

Haha yes I am quite the time-keeper/scheduler of the family, I run a tight ship!:p

 

We will have to see if we end up on the same ship :)

[nojoke]

Just a couple of comments: We did an E. Med. sailing in Dec. 2012. We absolutely loved Italy.(Actually spent days pre-cruise in Rome.) You will have no trouble with not knowing how to speak Italian. BUT do get a CD from the library--put it on your Ipod and teach yourself some numbers and common phrases--it is so much fun to say something in Italian and be understood! Only once did I try to buy some bus tickets at a pub and the attendant knew no English--I was so glad I at least knew my numbers and the word for “tickets”. Also, try to exchange your money for € at ATM’s--the ship exchange rate is very high. Do have a marvelous trip--I envy you!