Honeymoon to Mediterranean!

[KittyCat1229]

Hi there!!!

I'm so excited for our first cruise, but I feel like I have SOOO many questions still!!!! We booked a 12-day cruise to the Med on Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas. We are leaving just 5 days after our wedding and leaving our 6 year old with his grandparents (on both sides!!). Hopefully we can add to our family on the cruise ;) But I'm all ears. How can we make this special trip even MORE special?! We are staying in an ocean view suite. I'm looking forward to any and ALL feedback!

 

I used to live in Northern Europe, but my fiance hasn't been there at all. We are getting our passports before the summer so that'll be set. But there is going to be SO much to do and things to see! We are almost capped out on our budget with JUST the cost of the cruise.... I know we are going to want to drink as well on the ship (which I've heard now is an additional cost).

 

Cat

[Derryank]

Congratulations. A honeymoon and cruise to remember. Our best cruise yet. We took part on the honeymooners party's. Its fun and a great way to meet your fellow honeymooners.

[KittyCat1229]

Thank you! We are really looking forward to it. Any particular tips on Excursions or sights to see???

 

Should I call Royal Caribbean and let them know its our honeymoon?

[CruiserBruce]

Come over to the Med Ports board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=603

 

for buckets of info. As we don't know what ports you are going to, or what your interests are, hard to recommend excursions or other things to do, or how to do them.

[Talisker92]

I have many suggestions and thoughts. First, instead of an ocean view suite, can you get a minisuite with a balcony or even a cabin with a balcony for the same price?

Also for your budget, do not forget to figure in the autotip which runs about $300 and is never fair to stiff the staff.

Also just being on the ship is not enough, when both my stepson and my son got married I sent them each $500 to cover the cost of shore excursions. It makes no sense to go and a cruise and not see the ports and surroundings.

To see the story and pictures of our honeymoon cruise, go to this link:

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/veniceistanbuloctober2007.pdf

We are always happy to answer any questions.

Edited January 2, 2015 by Talisker92

[cb at sea]

Get guidebooks on your ports...that's the best way to get the most of your time ashore.

[Captain Canuck]

-drinking is expensive on cruises...one way of dealing with it is to buy a drinks package....gives you certain amount of drinks and wine per day. there will be all kinds of info when you board and probably tables set up with staff to explain the details

 

-excursions are another place you can extend your budget. its easy to book with the ship but much cheaper to do on your own. cruise critic is great for getting involved in passenger organized excursions. find your roll call and check out what is being planned.

 

since you have lived in Europe you are likely comfortable with public transportation. most ports are easy to access excursion sites with public transport. factor you want to consider is getting back to the ship on time. only time I use ship excursions is when you can expect to be late getting back to the ship. ship will wait for its excursions but not for people on their own. example is the Amalfi coast. did the ships tour and traffic was insane. half hour late getting back and yes the ship did wait.

[wassup4565]

There are some great ideas for keeping costs down on another thread here on CC. Worth looking at.

 

Most ports in the Med are possible to do on your own for little or no extra money. You don't need expensive excursions to enjoy the places and see some of the highlights. The suggestion to check out the Ports section is very good. You can also look at Trip Advisor (look for the "More" choice near the top right part of the page, then choose "Forums.") You will find excellent info from other travelers about taking local buses and subways, and doing things on your own. I find the people on Trip Advisor are a little more adventurous than CC, and more willing to figure things out for themselves.

 

You need to plan in advance however. Get to know these ports through guidebooks, as suggested (local library and second-hand bookstores have lots of books). Many ports and islands have their own websites and there's good info there. Rick Steeves' Med Cruise book is terrific, and you can get it in electronic form so you can have it on your phone to consult as you wander around on shore.

 

But never forget the Golden Rule: get yourselves back on the ship before it sails away. It won't wait for you.

 

You're going to have a wonderful time!!!

[ger_77]

If budget is an issue, I suggest going to the front desk every couple of days and getting a copy of your statement. That way you can take a look at it, see if you've overspent, and plan some lower cost (or no cost) entertainment. Don't forget that tea/coffee/ice tea is free and usually available 24/7 in the Lido area. As nice as it is having the "froo-froo" drinks, you don't need to have them in order to enjoy your cruise.

 

BTW, when you board the ship and they offer you the lovely drink of the day in a souvenir glass, you have to pay for it, it isn't free.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic & Congrats on your upcoming marriage.

 

Since you are going place you have never been, you will want to take tours of the places. I don't know your itinerary, so I can't comment on the ports specifically. However, many ports are easy to do on your own. You can often take buses, trains or even walk to the main attractions. If you are Do It Yourself types, get a copy of Rick Steves' book Med Cruise Ports. It saves us a bunch of money in Europe.

 

Also, join the Roll Call for your cruise. Often people are planning private tours and have room for a few more people to help share the cost. These are usually significantly cheaper than those offered by the ship and, we feel, much better.

[KittyCat1229]

This is our itinerary...

 

 

Sailing Itinerary

 

 

 

Day Port *** Arrive Depart Activity

 

25-Sep Barcelona, Spain 5:00 PM

 

26-Sep Villefranche (Nice), France 10:00 AM 7:00 PM Tendered

 

27-Sep Livorno (Florence), Italy 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

 

28-Sep Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

 

29-Sep Naples (Salerno), Italy 7:00 AM 6:30 PM Docked

 

30-Sep Cruising

 

01-Oct Venice, Italy 3:00 PM Docked

 

02-Oct Venice, Italy 4:00 PM Docked

 

03-Oct Kotor, Montenegro 2:00 PM 10:00 PM Tendered

 

04-Oct Dubrovnik, Croatia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

05-Oct Cruising

 

06-Oct Cruising

 

07-Oct Barcelona, Spain 6:00 AM

[Captain Canuck]

Day Port *** Arrive Depart Activity

 

25-Sep Barcelona, Spain 5:00 PM

 

26-Sep Villefranche (Nice), France 10:00 AM 7:00 PM Tendered

close to Monaco. when we did this we walked into town and took a bus to Monaco. there are postings with this spelled out. we had it mapped out but there were enough people doing this on their own that we just followed the gorup

 

 

27-Sep Livorno (Florence), Italy 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

 

took train into Florence. stopped on way back in Pisa. if you do this be sure to leave get back on the ship in time. suggest not trying to time to the last possible train to the port.

 

28-Sep Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

 

train into Rome easy. just remember to punch your train ticket before boarding the train. day ticket good for metro and buses in rome too.

 

29-Sep Naples (Salerno), Italy 7:00 AM 6:30 PM Docked

you can walk a short distance from port and get the train or a local bus to Pompeii. our ship put on bus transport to and from Pompeii for a reasonable price. port area in naples is very industrial so not a nice place to walk so if they offer this I would go for it.

 

 

30-Sep Cruising

 

01-Oct Venice, Italy 3:00 PM Docked

get a vaperetto pass ..lets you use the water buses for the time period bought. there is one boat that circles the grand canal. try and get on the far back of this one for great photos

 

if you do the doges palace I recommend the secret tour. show where 6'4" Casanova was imprisoned in a room in which he could not stand up. after tour you can check out the rest of the palace on your own.

 

 

02-Oct Venice, Italy 4:00 PM Docked

 

03-Oct Kotor, Montenegro 2:00 PM 10:00 PM Tendered

 

04-Oct Dubrovnik, Croatia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

go up on the wall for great photos.

 

 

05-Oct Cruising

 

06-Oct Cruising

 

07-Oct Barcelona, Spain 6:00 AM

[wassup4565]

Civitavecchia/Rome: It's worth taking the train to Rome, b/c there's not much in C. You can look at the Trentitalia website to get an idea of train times and prices - it's pretty reasonable. Get started as early as you can as it's about an hour-long train trip in each direction. Rome is huge, and you can't do everything, so pick a few things and give them the time they deserve. There are admission fees for some (Coliseum, Vatican) - you can find out prices and even book in advance through their websites. For restaurants and gelato, remember, the closer the place is located to a major highlight, the more expensive the food. Walk a couple of streets away, and you'll do better.

 

Venice: Captain Canuck is right. The vaporetto pass is your best friend. You have unlimited rides with a pass, and these water buses go everywhere, even to nearby islands. Everything is expensive in Venice, but riding around on the vap and walking don't cost much. We didn't go into San Marco cathedral or or the Doge's palace. I'm sure they're lovely, but everything in Venice is lovely, so why not look for free? As you're there in the evening, be sure to get out after dark and enjoy Venice by night. Very safe. If you want to see the duelling orchestras at San Marco in the evening, you will pay a huge price to sit down and have a drink. You won't pay anything to stand and watch. Restos are expensive and often not really good. Eat dinner on the ship and go back out for the evening.

 

Kotor: The highlight of this place is free. Find a comfy seat with a good view outside about three hours before you're due to arrive. The ship sails for many miles down a narrow passageway - the view of this is the highlight. Not much in Kotor, but there is a very steep hike up to a scenic spot on the mountain, if that appeals to you.

 

Dubrovnik: There is a modest cost for admission to the walk on top of the wall. It's a very beautiful place, but if there are many ships in port, it can be crowded shoulder-to-shoulder. I found it very hard to get an appreciation of the old city because I was looking at everything over someone's shoulder.

 

Look at the Ports thread and join your roll call group. You'll get many more ideas there.