First Time in the Mediterranean

[KKMurphy2]

We are booked on an 8 day Greek Isle tour leaving from Rome in September on the Rhapsody. Any insights on the ship? We have done many Caribbean cruises and have no idea what Europe will be like. Are the shows in English? Are they similar to what we see in the Western Hemisphere? Do they have the regular MDR menus?

 

We typically choose balconies, but the prices were outrageous. We are cruising in an inside for more than we usually pay for a balcony. We will have to accept the tight space! Oh well, we are cruising~

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Pretty much the same dinner options in the MDR and elsewhere. English was the primary for everything, although we sailed out of Barcelona so the had a spanish speaking interpreter that followed line by line of the CD.

 

The crowd was about 75% European, the balance a mix of Irish, English and American. Boleros was all Latin music and latin dancing.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[hallasm]

you probably will not notice any differences - perhaps a little more Spanish and Italian speaking

[yolanda1]

Don't worry, everything will be in English, with translations in the other major European languages. There is normally a good mix of European, British, American, Australians etc.

 

European cruises often are more expensive than Caribbean ones. In my opinion much more enjoyable too. So many fabulous places to visit, and a great mix of nationalities! Have a wonderful time :)

[celebrity]

Rest assured that everything that you are familiar with will stil be there....BUT you will realize how magical a European cruise can be.Make sure you research, research and then research again all of your ports of call so you maximize your experience.

Enjoy every minute..I'm excited for you!

[SPacificbound]

We won't be on our first Mediterranean cruises until October but just wanted to say I love Rhapsody Of The Sea. :)

 

We will be on her sister ship Vision Of The Sea in October.

 

Have a wonderful voyage!

[griffy116]

We did a Med cruise last year and then the year before. They are so port intensive that you will spend far less time in your cabin than you have ever spent on a cruise. When in your cabin, all you will want to do is sleep. We had a balcony cabin, but we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we usually do. The MDR food is the same and so are the show. The difference is that they usually repeat the instructions in a couple of other languages. We would do it again in a heartbeat. LOVED it. Best cruise ever.

[nekzaadvakil]

Absolutely love the Med. Waking up to a new city/town everyday is an awesome experience. Done 3 Med cruises in Inside rooms and 1 in a veranda. The others are right, one spends a little time in the balcony, but it is yet awesome.

 

All shows are in English, as are the announcements. Its usually followed by Spanish/ Italian and that has a charm about it. Personally we preferred the itineraries of Celebrity cruises in Europe/Med and hence tried out their S class ships. We absolutely love them and it feels right at home as we do on RCCL.

 

May I suggest you have a look at some of the Celebrity itineraries on their S class ships? If you're ok with the size of the Rhapsody, then even the Celebrity M class ships wont be a problem. They have some amazing itineraries and at better prices.

[KKMurphy2]

Thanks for all of the wonderful input. I am getting more and more excited for this trip!

[LEtue]

You will absolutely love sailing the Med!

 

I have only done two so far but both times in an inside cabin. No regrets and I haven't missed having a balcony at all. I spend the savings on tours and shopping in the ports. :) There can be significant savings by sailing in an inside cabin and our cruise on the Serenade in October was only $754 pp (inc. taxes and fees) so watch for sales ;)