Couple of questions regarding Independence of the seas cruise in September.

[Babynan]

Hi.

My wife and I are booked on this cruise to the mediterranean for 2 weeks at the end of September.

I have a couple of questions we are not sure about. (I'm sure there will be more before we go)

 

We were looking at getting the Soft drinks package. Now do we pay for the whole 14 days at once, or is it better to buy the package per day while we are on the ship?

 

Also, if we prepay for the soft drinks package, what do we do about gratuities?

 

And the last question for now, If we don't want to do some of the shore excursions, does Royal Caribbean have shuttle transport to take you into the ports so that you can go around on your own.

[leaveitallbehind]

Hi.

My wife and I are booked on this cruise to the mediterranean for 2 weeks at the end of September.

I have a couple of questions we are not sure about. (I'm sure there will be more before we go)

 

We were looking at getting the Soft drinks package. Now do we pay for the whole 14 days at once, or is it better to buy the package per day while we are on the ship?

 

Also, if we prepay for the soft drinks package, what do we do about gratuities?

 

And the last question for now, If we don't want to do some of the shore excursions, does Royal Caribbean have shuttle transport to take you into the ports so that you can go around on your own.

 

If you purchase a soft drinks package it is for the entire cruise, but it can be purchased in advance or on board. There is no daily package - only soda's charged each time purchased. Gratuities are included with either the package or individual purchases.

 

As to transportation in the ports of call, you can arrange transportation to any destination you want independent of the excursions, but there is no transportation provided by the ship directly without a purchased excursion through them.

[Babynan]

Thanks for the reply. Thats answered those questions.

I went onto RCI and looked at our reservations. I think where I am getting confused is because it quotes the drinks packages as "per day" so I assumed that you could buy it daily or maybe a few days at a time.

[John Bull]

It's possible that the arrangements for the soft drinks package on RCI is the same as their alcoholololical ('scuse me) package in that you can buy in advance, or you can buy on the ship.

On the ship you don't have to buy straight away - you can buy at any time up to 3 days before the end of the cruise and you will be charged at the pro-rata daily rate.

So you can see how you get on for a few days, do the maths, and decide whether to switch to the package.

You can't duck in and out of the package, when you buy it's for the rest of the cruise.

 

That's how it works with RCI's alalicololic (beg pardon) package, but I don't know if its the same with the soft hic drinks package cos I'm allerergic to sofft drings.

 

The pre-purchased RCI alicol burp (pardon) package includes the gratuity, not sure if it's separated out on the soft drinks package.

 

To give you good answers about transportation in the ports, we need to know which ports you'll be visiting.

- At some, you don't need transport at all, the ship berths close enough.

- At some, you need transportation of some sort (taxi, train, local bus, hop-on bus, tram, ferry, whatever), at least to visit the prime sights.

- At some, RCI or the port authority will provide a shuttle. Broadly, if the port provides just as far as the port gate (eg Civitavecchia) it's free, but if its into town (eg Livorno) it's payable.

 

Most ports can be explored without a ship's tour (yes, even by a newbie), but there are rare occasions when it's the best or only option.

 

Lots of info on your ports at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=5

 

JB :)

[Babynan]

Thanks for that JB. We do like alcohol as well, but for the amount we drink, it didn't seem worth paying for one of the alcohol packages. We will just buy the drinks as and when (which may be more often than we think ;);) ) The soft drinks, we thought we would probably drink more of.

 

The ports we are stopping at are:

Malaga (Spain)

Cartagena (Spain)

Civitavecchia (Rome)

Livorno (Florence)

Provence (Toulon)

Gibralter

Lisbon (Portugal)

 

Any help and advice on things like, distance from the cruise terminal. Local transport etc. would be very helpful.

 

We normally go to Florida for our holidays, but this year decided on a cruise.

I am fine with Florida. I know the currencey, places to go and things to avoid. But this cruise has, i'm afraid managed to put me well out of my comfort zone. :confused:

[John Bull]

 

The ports we are stopping at are:

Malaga (Spain)

Cartagena (Spain)

Civitavecchia (Rome)

Livorno (Florence)

Provence (Toulon)

Gibralter

Lisbon (Portugal)

 

 

Malaga.

There's a hop-on bus stop at the port. Use it to visit the castle (there's little left of it apart from the walls, but marvellous views), then to the town cwentre (various sights), then back to the ship.

Cartagena

Sorry, can't help

Civi

For Rome, about an hour from Civi.. Free port shuttle to the gate (walking in the port not permitted), walk (nowadays about 20 to 30 minutes) or bus to the rail station, regional train to Rome costs about 12 euros return & includes Rome's city buses & metro.

Too much to see in a short day, you'll have to ration yourselves. You do need to research & have a (reviseable) plan before you go & know the return train times. With good research & getting off the train at one Rome station inbound (eg Rome Ostiensa for Colosseum) and back on at another station for the return to Civi (eg Rome San Pietro from the Vatican) you can see a fair bit.

Hundreds of your fellow-passengers will be taking the train

For Rome as a port-of-call don't bother with its hop-on buses - they waste a great deal of your time and pass by or close to very few of the sights.

Livorno

For Florence or Pisa (or both at a gallop). Another that needs careful research if you're going to DIY by train. RCI provide a payable shuttle to Livorno centre, but it's not very convenient for the train station - I guess they don't want to make it too easy for independent sight-seeing.

There are also independently-booked tour-transfers by van (minibus) - not a lot more expensive than the train & a lot cheaper and more fun than ship's excursion, and probably worth the extra for a first-timer.

Another city where the hop-on bus is a waste of time - the roads in Florence's interesting quarter are too narrow for buses & everywhere except Statue of David is easily walkable from the rail station or a drop-off point.

Toulon

Sorry, can't help.

Gibraltar

Easy peasey. From the cruise terminal take a minibus tour of the upper Rock ( viewpoints, St Michael's Cave, apes' den, Great Siege Tunnel / galleries). The marshal arranges sharing at the pick-up point, cost currently around £25 per person, takes something under two hours. After the tour the driver can bring you back to the ship, but most folk choose to bale out at Casemates Square for a beer or a coffee or a snack & then meander the shops, pubs and minor sights of Main Street before walking back to the ship (about 20 minutes, all on level ground)

Lisbon.

Depends where you berth.

City centre berth is a five minute walk from the main drag (Av Dom Carlos 1)

The other berth is a couple of miles downstream from the city centre, near the Belem Tower. This needs transportation - there'll be hop-on buses (worth the ride, even if you berth in the city centre), taxis, local buses & I think trains and/or trams.

 

We've visited all those ports with RCI - Livorno is the only one where they provide a (payable) shuttle.

 

Go onto the Western Europe and appropriate Mediterranean ports-of-call forums for more detail.

In the "search forum" box (near the top on the right) type in the name of a port (eg in the Italy forum, type "Livorno" or "Florence") and this will bring up all the posts which mention that port, including lots of useful info and links..

 

And check on your RollCall whether anyone is seeking sharers for a private tour or transfer - esp for Florence/Pisa and Rome.

 

JB :)

[jocap]

Cartagena is easy... the ship moors right by the town, so once you've left the terminal, you walk along a path on to the promenade, and it's easy, flat walking into town. There will probably be tourist people to hand out maps; there's a marine museum to the right (seniors need proof for cheap entrance); much of the rest is walkable. A lovely, friendly place, with lots of history from Carthage (which the town's named for) to Roman and beyond.

People like the chocolate drink in the cafes along the front. :cool:

[leaveitallbehind]

Thanks for that JB. We do like alcohol as well, but for the amount we drink, it didn't seem worth paying for one of the alcohol packages. We will just buy the drinks as and when (which may be more often than we think ;);) ) The soft drinks, we thought we would probably drink more of. :confused:

 

Just as a reference, the typical approximate break even for drinks as you go v an alcohol beverage package is about 6-7 drinks per day every day. And with a lot of ports of call that means a lot of time off the ship not using the package other than when back on board. And just to be sure, the packages are sold individually - it is not necessary for all in the stateroom of age to buy one.

Edited May 1, 2017 by leaveitallbehind

[Babynan]

Thanks for your help Jo and JB. Cartagena sounds very easy to get to. The ones we are not too sure about are Rome and Florence/Pisa. We may look at one of the excusions to Rome, (not sure yet). The Pisa and Florence looks quite awkward to get to. It seems that you should choose one or the other.

 

JB. When you say it is not necessary for both of us to buy the soft drinks package. Does that mean we can both get drinks on the one package? Also, have you any idea of the drinks prices on board (soft and alcoholic)

 

Sorry I have a lot of questions. (I told you I was out of my comfort zone with this. :)

Thanks again

James

[leaveitallbehind]

Thanks for your help Jo and JB. Cartagena sounds very easy to get to. The ones we are not too sure about are Rome and Florence/Pisa. We may look at one of the excusions to Rome, (not sure yet). The Pisa and Florence looks quite awkward to get to. It seems that you should choose one or the other.

 

JB. When you say it is not necessary for both of us to buy the soft drinks package. Does that mean we can both get drinks on the one package? Also, have you any idea of the drinks prices on board (soft and alcoholic)

Sorry I have a lot of questions. (I told you I was out of my comfort zone with this. :)

Thanks again

James

 

No you cannot share any package. It only means that all in a stateroom do not need to purchase an alcohol beverage one. There was a time a few years ago where if one bought an alcohol package all of drinking age in the stateroom had to. But that was changed and they are now sold individually, but no sharing is allowed. Soft drink packages have always been sold individually. Each SeaPass card has a code loaded on it (or a sticker placed on it if bought on board) to identiy who has what package available.

 

Prices run from about $5 - $12 for beer to mixed drinks and I think around $3.50 for soft drinks. Perhaps someone else can confirm current pricing.

[Sancho_proudfoot]

The ones we are not too sure about are Rome and Florence/Pisa. We may look at one of the excusions to Rome, (not sure yet). The Pisa and Florence looks quite awkward to get to. It seems that you should choose one or the other

 

 

 

Florence and Pisa can be done in the same trip. We took the ship's excursion, mainly because if things run late they'll wait for you (not the case if you're going independently).

 

Early morning start, got to Florence by 8.45, which was great as the place was relatively quiet.

 

Pisa after lunch, and back.on board by about 7pm

[John Bull]

 

JB. When you say it is not necessary for both of us to buy the soft drinks package. Does that mean we can both get drinks on the one package? Also, have you any idea of the drinks prices on board (soft and alcoholic)

 

James

 

It was Leaveitall who said that, James, but their answer below is right - a package is only for the person who bought it - no sharing.

 

 

No you cannot share any package. It only means that all in a stateroom do not need to purchase an alcohol beverage one. There was a time a few years ago where if one bought an alcohol package all of drinking age in the stateroom had to. But that was changed and they are now sold individually, but no sharing is allowed. Soft drink packages have always been sold individually. Each SeaPass card has a code loaded on it (or a sticker placed on it if bought on board) to identiy who has what package available.

 

Prices run from about $5 - $12 for beer to mixed drinks and I think around $3.50 for soft drinks. Perhaps someone else can confirm current pricing.

 

Leaveitall kinda muddied the water by mentioning that until a couple of years ago, if one person had an alcohol package, everyone else (other than minors) in that booking had to have one too. For the fairly obvious reason that folk would cheat the system by that one person ordering all the drinks one-drink-at-a-time.

Leaveitall probably mentioned that rule for the benefit of other readers who might not know that the all-must-buy rule has been dropped.

The no-sharing rule remains, though doubtless there's some fudging here and there ;)

 

Here's a reasonably comprehensive price-list dated January 2017

https://www.******************.com/royal-caribbean-drink-prices

Although it's on a Royal Caribbean website, it was posted by a blogger so its accuracy can't be 100%guaranteed - but it looks about right.

 

And note that those prices don't include the service charge, which is mandatory and will be added to every bar tab.

I might be out-of-date here, but

1. - that blog post quotes a service charge of 18%. It was 15% last time I sailed with them - perhaps a recent RCI cruiser would be kind enough to say whether the blogger is wrong or I'm out-of-date?

2. - last time I sailed RCI out of Southampton there was no drinks service charge - they know that charge vexes us Brits. Again, can a recent RCI cruiser out of Southampton please confirm.

 

Even without the service charge those prices are very heavy compared to the likes of P&0, Fred Olsen and Thomson (whose prices are about the same as provincial pubs & no service charge), but about average for US cruise lines. And not helped by the drop in the value of sterling.

On-board costs such as drinks and "tips" are something I take into account when choosing a cruise - I always add to the cruise ticket-price on a US or Italian ship the overall cost difference of a mental £200 or thereabouts per person.

 

Wine by the bottle is cheaper than by the glass. If you don't finish a bottle at dinner the waiter will store it for you and bring it to table next evening. Or you can take it away with you and finish it in a bar or wherever.

 

Wine packages (buy 3(?) bottles for a discount) will save a few bucks - but try the house wine first, it's cheaper than the wine packages.

 

Take advantage of RCI's policy of allowing you to take aboard at embarkation two bottles of wine per cabin (and soft drinks), to drink in your cabin / on your balcony.

 

Off the subject of drink but still on the subject of costs..............

I'm presuming that you're a Brit?

Your on-board account will be in US dollars. At some point you'll be asked whether you'd like it converted to the currency of your credit card "for your convenience". Decline that "kind" offer - leave it in US dollars because your card issuer will convert to sterling at a far better exchange rate. And if you have a card with no foreign-transaction fee, so much the better.

Likewise, don't use ship's currency exchange for your shore spending. All ships' currency exchange is poor value, including Brit ships. But with US ships you have the double-whammy of their converting from sterling to dollars to euros. So buy before you go from the usual suspects M&S. Sainsbury, Tesco, Post Office, etc, or use ATMs in the ports. And use your credit card for larger transactions - again, decline any offer to charge in sterling and leave the transaction in euros or whatever.

And don't forget to tell your card issuer about your cruise, otherwise a transaction might be automatically declined for fear of fraud.

 

As usual, I've made it all sound complicated & fraught. :rolleyes:

It isn't, it will all drop into place. :)

 

JB :)

 

ps We've been to Florence and Pisa independently by train in one day. But you may feel more confident sharing a private tour or even ship's tour.

There's a big big difference in cost between Rome independently by train and ship's tour. Of course ship's tour is also pretty inflexible. But yes, Rome is quite daunting for a first-timer.

If I were to take two ship's tours on that itinerary, those are the two ports I'd choose.

 

PPS I see that link to the drinks prices has been automatically blocked. Hope the moderators won't mind me getting round the block for this purpose

www dot royal caribbean blog dot com slash royal hyphen caribbean hyphen drink hyphen prices

Edited May 2, 2017 by John Bull

[Babynan]

Hi JB. Thanks for all that information. My apologies to Leaveitallbehind. I am extremely grate ful for your help and advice as well. (You can probably tell, I am not great with these boards. Still learning)

 

I think the idea of doing both the Rome tour and the Florence/Pisa tour with the ship tours is probably worth looking at. I just felt that £50 each for Rome seemed a bit high. It looks like all you get is transport to and from Rome, because the rest of the time seems to be left to our own devices.

 

Florence/Pisa seems more complicated.

 

The information about the onboard account and and the finance is really a great help. Also the drinks part as well. I'm still not sure if we buy the soft drinks package, do we pay gratuites each time we get a drink, or is it included in the price of the package?

James

[Babynan]

Thanks also to Jocap for your information about Cartagena. (Really looking forward to the chocolate)

And also Sancho Proudfoot for your welcome advice about Florence and Pisa.

This cruise is starting to grow on me now.

[Clarea]

... Also the drinks part as well. I'm still not sure if we buy the soft drinks package, do we pay gratuites each time we get a drink, or is it included in the price of the package?

James

You pay gratuities on the drink package at the time you purchase the package. No additional gratuity when you order drinks, unless the drink you order exceeds the value limit of the drink package, in which case you will be charged the difference between the drink price and the package value limit, plus 18% of the difference for gratuity.

[Babynan]

Thanks very much Bob. You have cleared that up for us.

[Clarea]

Thanks very much Bob. You have cleared that up for us.

You're welcome.

[John Bull]

 

I think the idea of doing both the Rome tour and the Florence/Pisa tour with the ship tours is probably worth looking at. I just felt that £50 each for Rome seemed a bit high. It looks like all you get is transport to and from Rome, because the rest of the time seems to be left to our own devices.

 

Florence/Pisa seems more complicated.

 

 

James

 

Rome pros & cons.

Apart from the cost, ship's "Rome-on-your-own" has the disadvantage that you are dropped / collected from the same place.

Understandable. cos everyone knows exactly where to return to.

But with the train you can plan to (eg) get off the train from Civi at Ostiense station, metro to the Colosseum, cross the road to the Forum, walk up thro the forum to Vittoria Emanuelle , narrow streets to Trevi, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, walk or bus or taxi across the Tiber by Sant Angelo castle to the Vatican, walk to San Pietro station for the train back to Civi.

ie no need to double-back to your start point.

On the other hand, ship's transfer saves the time getting to Civi station & waiting for the train. And the often-serious over-crowding on the trains. And provided that you're at the assembly point for the return to Civi, any delay on the return journey is Royal Caribbean's problem, not yours.

 

Livorno to Florence / Pisa.

Other than getting to Livorno station (shared taxi from the pier to station, or ship's shuttle to city centre & local bus from there to station), going to either Florence or (especially) Pisa is very easy by train.

Tying the two places together is more complicated cos you need to be very careful about train times - and it's a long swim to the next port if you get it wrong. ;).

 

With both ports it's not possible to recommend whether ship's tour or DIY is best.

It's more a matter of what you're comfortable with.

 

Considering how easy it is to DIY at the other ports, mebbe bite the bullet on those two if you can't find a shared private tour via your RollCall.

 

JB :)

[Babynan]

Thanks JB. I'm tempted to try it the DIY way. (Just because I really should be more adventurous)

 

I'll check train times and see if I think we can do it. If it looks too awkward, we can always revert back to the ships excursion. Although the cost of some of these seem to be a lot more than I would have expected. (I'm not being mean, :D:D) I just object to paying for something that may not be worth the amount they are charging.

 

The tours to Florence/Pisa don't jump out at me to say "these are the best tours" So it looks like a lot more thought about this one. We would like to go to both Florence and Pisa.

 

The other ports look fairly straghtforward.

 

James

[griffy116]

We did Florence and Pisa in the same day, but we booked a private driver, which is a bit different from a private tour. The driver picked us up at the port and we did the reverse of an earlier poster. We went to Pisa first and it really doesn't take very long, then it was on to Florence where we had lunch and toured various spots. We chose a company from recommendations here (on ports of call) and by double checking their credentials on Trip Adviser. It was worth every penny. There were five of us and this worked out more reasonable than the excursions offered by Royal. If you go to your roll call, you'll probably find another couple or two that are interested in doing the same and you can personalize what you want to see. You'll find a lot of helpful information on the ports of call section. We had never been to any of the ports and by the time we had read everything from cruisers who had been to the ports, we were well prepared for what we wanted to see and do.