English in Italy & Greece?

[welove2cruise*]

We booked our first European cruise for next October (for our 25th Anniversary) on the RCL Splendour of the Seas. The cruise goes out of Venice to the Greek isles. I am wondering how much I should learn of the Italian and Greek languages in order to not seem too much like the "just off the boat" tourist. ;) Will the crew on the ship speak english? I am so excited to see this part of the world. Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

[wwinfl91]

The crew will speak english because on the RCL ships the ones that deal with passengers have to learn or know at least basic english. So you won't need to worry about communications while you are on the ship.

 

We were in the Med in 2003 from Barcelona to Venice and made stops in Livarno (for Florence and Pisa) and Naples before we finished the cruise in Venice as far as our Italian stops went. We did private tours in both Naples and to Florence but even when we had time on our own everyone we met seemed to at least understand some English even if they didn't always feel comfortable speaking it. We stayed a few extra days in Venice and again everyone we met even in the neighborhood where our small B&B type hotel was seemed to understand some English although many didn't want to speak it but they would point on a map and show us where we were or where something was in the small store where we purchased some bottled water, soda (Pepsi Light) and wine. One thing we learned was to always greet the shop owner or clerk or anyone else before starting to ask questions or expect service. Also tell them good bye or chow when you leave.

 

Being able to speak some of the lanquage probably would have been an advantage, my wife understands and speaks a little spanish so she was able to pick up a little bit of what was being said in Italian which was much better than me. Unfortunately I am the typical american who can speak american (not english as I was reminded in London) and nothing else.

 

Have a great next cruise and don't worry about the language differences.

[LHT28]

In most of the Greek islands they speak English unless you go to some of the small out of the way villages you should be fine.

[BuckGuy]

In my personal experience about the need to become familar with a little bit of Italian, when I arrived at Civitavecchia city, Rome's seaport (my embarkation point), for a Med-Greek Isle cruise this past summer, I arrived at the port on a regional bus which I caught from the center of Rome. It was difficult for me to find my way to the ship, getting off the regional bus at the center of the city of Civitavecchia and entering the port on foot with all my luggage.

 

The port of Rome (Civitavecchia) is a huge port, a very complex busy place. I found the employees there very inhospitable, whether dock workers, cafe employees, or even the Port Authority Police.....they all seemed to pretend that they had no idea where the cruise ships were, even after showing them my ship brochures and cruise ticket book. The workers at McDonalds right there at the port didn't even know anything about the free cruiseship shuttle that was just a little ways away from their shop. The problem had more to do with a lack of hospitality toward an American tourist than with language.

 

In addition to my mother tongue of English, I speak Spanish enough to get by as a traveller. But not having any facility in Italian, it was very difficult. I would recommend becoming familiar with words like "cruise ship" and "pier" in Italian, and "How do I get there" etc. <smile>

[Balliett]

Just back from Venice-Greece cruise. I learned enough Italian to order drinks...I think one should learn enough Italian or Greek to start with "good morning" etc in their language. After that, try English or gesture. This worked in both countries, although we never wandered more than a mile or two from the tourist areas. Jim

[SheilaNC]

Suggest picking up a small Italian Phrase book...there are many under $10. Rick Steve's has one that contains most needed phrases with pronunciation hints. We've taken a brief conversational Italian course and at least now can speak a few of the needed terms. Like Grazie, Va Bene, Bennissimo, Prego, etc. There are also Web sites that do instant translations - just Google

English/Italian Dictionaries. Funny that we should expect people in other countries to speak English but not always do our part. We are in their countries, no?? Inhospitable, rude behavior is inexcusable any place, sorry to hear about the people near the dock in Livorno.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It always pays to learn a few phrases like please and thank you, hello, goodbye,. The locals, if you are in a port for any length of time, will appreciate it, and you can add a few nouns to your list, like "wine", "coffee", etc. A phrasebook is also useful for things like: "how much does this cost?" and "where is the washroom?" :)

[nparmelee]

I always try to learn a few phrases and numbers, it's amazing how much nicer people will be in most places if you even try to use their language. I'm working on Italian now in preparation for our trip next summer since we'll have 4 nights in Rome before our cruise. I'll also learn a little Greek and a little Turkish before we leave and then bone up a bit on the ship when we get to those ports.

[welove2cruise*]

Thanks! I really want to work on learning some of both languages. I found a site that sells language programs that work similar to a memory retention program -visual association. I might give that one a try first as it did sound interesting.

 

I can't wait to take our trip, but I am glad to have a year to plan and prepare.