6-15-Greetings from Barcelona--Almost LIVE from Brilliance

[Travelgrrl]

The Compass will not only show you the sailaway time for the next day, but also the "all aboard" time; we usually make our plans to be back at the pier at least an hour ahead of time, if not more...

[Ellie]

Glad you are having a great time I know there are alot of people on board however a friend of ours are on your sailing also her name is Linda she is sailing with her daughter very pretty about 23ish her name is Jennifer - Linda can be seen at a bar laughing very loud!!! If you do see them Jeff & Ellie said hi and hope everyone is having the time of there lives

 

Thanks

[Brandis]

RDeagazio,

 

We did a med cruise on Brilliance 3 years ago and are booked again for the June 26, 2007 cruise which is the same you are doing at the moment. We picked it because it includes Venice. On that cruise 3 years ago, we did all excursions on our own, it was quite easy. This time, we will be 5 people, some with mobility issues, so taking a tour might be better. I found the websites for the taxi in Barcelona and also for the tour company in Villefranche, but when I google Limo and Rome, there are lots of different companies. Which one did you use?

 

Concerning the fear to miss the boat: There is usually a sign when you leave the ship with "Crew aboard", "Passengers aboard" and sailing time.

 

Marc

[Fran Harp]

RDeagazio,

 

We did a med cruise on Brilliance 3 years ago and are booked again for the June 26, 2007 cruise which is the same you are doing at the moment. We picked it because it includes Venice. On that cruise 3 years ago, we did all excursions on our own, it was quite easy. This time, we will be 5 people, some with mobility issues, so taking a tour might be better. I found the websites for the taxi in Barcelona and also for the tour company in Villefranche, but when I google Limo and Rome, there are lots of different companies. Which one did you use?

 

Concerning the fear to miss the boat: There is usually a sign when you leave the ship with "Crew aboard", "Passengers aboard" and sailing time.

 

Marc

 

Two other things: First, from Villefranche you can take train or bus to Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo etc. We took a taxi to Nice - it was 30 Euros for the four of us. About a ten minute drive. Then wandered Nice for a couple of hours and took the bus back to Villefranche, which is a lovely town. You actually don't *need* a tour. I'd personally skip Nice and go on to Cannes.

 

Second, allow lots of time to return to the ship. Don't wait for the last tender in Villefranche. Your captain (if it's still Captain Sundet) recently sailed from Costa Maya in Mexico and left three people behind - of course, they were an *hour* late returning....:eek:

 

Fran in Toronto

[TheMiz]

Two other things: First, from Villefranche you can take train or bus to Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo etc. We took a taxi to Nice - it was 30 Euros for the four of us. About a ten minute drive. Then wandered Nice for a couple of hours and took the bus back to Villefranche, which is a lovely town. You actually don't *need* a tour. I'd personally skip Nice and go on to Cannes.

 

Second, allow lots of time to return to the ship. Don't wait for the last tender in Villefranche. Your captain (if it's still Captain Sundet) recently sailed from Costa Maya in Mexico and left three people behind - of course, they were an *hour* late returning....:eek:

 

Fran in Toronto

 

We set sail on the Brilliance Aug 15th

I was wondering just how far Monte Carlo is from

the ship?

 

Some want to go to Cannes and most want to try and beat the house in Monte Carlo.. Any idea what the train cost to Cannes and how long is the trip?

[cruisersnorkler]

we will be on the Brillance Venice cruise next July, so I am reading this with great interest. How soon should we book the hotel you mentioned?

 

Right now, we are flying using RCCL. Will we be able to fly in a day early and use the mentioned hotel? Also, how do we contact Angie for transfers? If the airline prices become cheeper than RCCL, we will make our own arrangements.

 

Thank you in advance for your response, but please answer only when convienent, your on vacation.

[Brandis]

I have also another question.

 

Do you know if there is an embarkation lounge for C&A Platinum Members in Barcelona?

 

Marc

[cruisersnorkler]

Please post the tour guide information for the different ports. How soon you book them in relation to your trip?

[Fran Harp]

We set sail on the Brilliance Aug 15th

I was wondering just how far Monte Carlo is from

the ship?

 

Some want to go to Cannes and most want to try and beat the house in Monte Carlo.. Any idea what the train cost to Cannes and how long is the trip?

 

I believe the train trip to Cannes is under half an hour. It's around ten minutes to Nice, not including the hike to and from the train station (so more like half an hour walking and half an hour on the train). Ditto for the bus. The trains were on strike the morning we arrived in Villefranche, which is why we used a taxi to Nice. The bus was something like 1 Euro 50 (I think) from Nice to Villefranche (so maybe a bit more from Cannes) - and was a ten minute ride, following a 20 minute wait in line at the station, only to have all kinds of French shove their way ahead to get on the bus. They don't observe lineups the way we orderly Canadians do:D . The bus went from Cannes to Monte Carlo with various stops along the way. On the return walk from the bus to the ship we got lost, but managed to find our way back down the hill (and through the old castle and fort) in time for the second-last tender. The casinos in Monte Carlo don't open till the afternoon, so there isn't much time to get there and do anything.

 

The harbour in Villefranche, the restaurants and the old castle are all well worth your day. The beach in Nice is not a beach, but a very rocky shoreline. I was quite disappointed. The market is fun, though. The word is that the best beaches are in Cannes if that's what you want. I'd say allow yourself plenty of time to return to the ship, (like an hour and a half) just in case of unforeseen circumstances. You can always wander around and sip wine in the harbour in Villefranche (and the beer isn't too bad either!).

 

And do say Hi to the Captain from Fran:cool:

 

Fran in Toronto

[Fran Harp]

And do say Hi to the Captain from Fran:cool:

 

Fran in Toronto

 

Actually, belay this last. Your captain will likely be Captain Arnolf Remo.......

 

Fran

[Brandis]

You can look up train schedules and ticket prices for France at http://www.voyages-sncf.com (English language flag somewhere on the left towards the bottom of the page).

 

From Villefranche (choose Villefranche sur Mer (06)) to Monaco it's only 15 min. It's runs about once per hour and one way is €2.30.

 

By the way, Eze is a nice and quaint village to visit as well.

 

Marc

[RDeagazio]

Where has the time gone. We're presently docking in Dubrovnik after having spent he last 2 days and 1 night in Venice.

 

What a great city Venice is!! We entered the Grand Canal at 12 noon just in time to hear all the city's chimes ring in the noon hour. The ship made it's way down the canal which took approx. 45 mins before reaching our dock.

They will try to sell you the ship's shuttle tickets to Plaza San Marco at a cost of $26.00 USD per person, round trip which can get a little expensive if you plan to make multiple trips into town. The ship will also tell you that you'll have a very long a complicated walk to get the local vaperetto service -- WRONG! The Vaporetto station at Piazza Roma is a 5-10 min walk from the ship and is very easy to use. Buy a Venice Card for 17 Euro and you'll have unlimited use of the public transport and toilets. The number 82 vaporetto goes all the way down the Grand Canal and has a stop right at San Marco. The trip takes 40 mins or so, but you get a nice tour of the Grand Canal. For faster service take the #1 vaporetto as it makes less stops.

 

Since the ship didn't dock until 1pm, we took the #82 vaporetto down the canal for a quick tour. I had arranged dinner for my clients (remember, I'm escorting a group of clients on this trip) at the Do Leoni Restaurant in the Londra Palace Hotel. This is one of the best restaurants in Venice and is in a lot of the guide books. It's also VERY expensive-- a dinner there with appetizer, salad, entree and dessert could easily run you more than 90 EURO per person. I had made arrangements with my contacts there prior to leaving home and the Executive Chef designed a special menu for my group which was a 4 course dinner, with wine, mineral water, dessert and coffee at a cost of 43 Euro per person!! This dinner was by far the best food we had eaten this entire trip. The service, ambiance and presentation was over the top. After a nice meal I had arranged for the group to take a nighttime gondola ride down the canals. We needed 3 gondolas and I was able to get them down to 100 Euro per gondola. Our trip lasted 45 mins and we were serenaded as we floated down the windy back canals of this beauiful city.

 

The following day, we went back into the city and spent the entire day walking around the small, winding streets. We made a stop at the Rialto Bridge for lunch and enjoyed the day exploring the little nooks and crannys of this beautiful city. We got back to the ship around 2pm to enjoy a swim and a nap on the pool deck.

 

Last night was the Venetian Masquerade Ball-- it looked well attended but was nothing too special. Mainly a bunch of people dancing to the ships band in the Colony Club.

 

Today we're in Croatia, and I'll post later on...

[RDeagazio]

I'm going to do my best to answer a few questions from memory (not a good thing since I've only had 4 hrs sleep last night and I'm still on my first cup of coffee).

 

Sunnj-- Don't worry about any schedule changes. We had plenty of time to see everything we wanted and still made it back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Villefranche and Florence times were changed when we got our documents in the mail and it wasn't enough to make us have to re-work our plans. When we got on the ship, we also noticed they changed the times again-- please check your Compass for all the correct and current times. Again this was not anything to worry about, we simple told our driver what time we wanted to be back at the ship and they adjusted our tour schedule accordingly.

 

I highly recomment Alain at Dream Tours for Villefranche-- we saw much more than those on the ship's tours and our cost was far less for much better quality guides.

 

Claudio at Limo in Rome was excellent for Florence and Naples and we are looking forward to seeing him in Rome in a few days. http://www.limoinrome.com should get you to him.

 

I will post a full review with links to all the web sites when I get home--

 

I hope I didn't forget anyone... time for me to get ready to explore Dubrovnik...

[RDeagazio]

We spent yesterday in Dubrovnik and enjoyed our time there very much. The ship runs a shuttle bus service to the Old Town for a cosgt of $4 per person, however we chose to hire a taxi on the pier for a tour of the surrounding area at a cost of 40 Euro. Our driver took us to the top of the mountains where the remains of a castle/fort are. He took us inside and showed us the corner where he sat for 5 days while the bombs were going off. From there he took us around parts of the country for spectacular views of the harbor and walled city before dropping us off outside the walled city.

 

Once inside the walled city, we walked down the main street occasionally veering off down the side streets to explore the shops and restaurants. We then continued to the Pile Gate at the far end of the street to climb up to the top of the wall. The enterance fee is 50 Kuna per person and be warned this climb is fairly strenuous. The steps are steep and there are a lot of them. Once on top we walked the wall along the ocean side and it was absolutely beauiful. Some of the group opted to stay in the city and shop. While others hired a taxi and driver for the day to explore further down the coast.

 

We had a nice lunch at one of the restaurants along the harbor, followed by ice cream to cool us off from the 96 degree heat!

 

We returned to the ship in the late afternoon to enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool and take a nap poolside before sail away.

 

Had dinner last night in the Windjammer which was very nice.

 

Today we're in Corfu, and will be heading to the beach for a day of sun and sand. We've invited 2 crew members with us for lunch as they have treated us very well on this cruise and we'd like to show our appreciation.

 

The weather has been fantastic so far if not a bit on the hot side.

[RDeagazio]

Yesterday we were in Corfu and decided that after all the touring, walking, climbing etc we needed a day at the beach. We took a local taxi from the pier to Dassia Beach and spent the day swimming, sunning and had lunch and drinks at the local beach-- I believe the place was called Malibu Beach Club and they had a bar and restaurant as well as a swimming pool. The beach was narrow and rocky, but the water was very refreshing. We rented chairs and an umbrella for 9 Euro. The drinks were expensive, but the food was not.

 

We took a few of the crew members with us to show our appreciation for the fine service they've given us this cruise and a good time was had by all.

 

After we dropped the crew back at the ship so they could get ready for work, we went into town and were very disappointed. It was very dirty and the shops and restaurants all close from 12p-4p. It was blaxing hot again so we decided to head back to the ship to enjoy the pool deck.

 

The ship runs a shuttle into town for $8.00 per person round trip.

 

Today is a sea day and we're using it to recharge our batteries before arriving in Rome tomorrow where we have another full day of touring with Claudio from Limo in Rome.

[Murphy]

Thank you so much for taking the time to keep us posted. I almost feel like I'm on this trip! Enjoy your remaining days!

[zotzer]

Bob,

Ditto! When I log in to CC in the morning, the first thing I do is go looking for your "late night" updates! :)

Tracy

[heatherb1958]

Thankyou for finding the time to keep us posted.

 

I am sorry you found Corfu town a dissappointment. We have been to Corfu 3 times for 2week vacations and love the narrow streets,alleyways and architecture. I must admit we have always been in October or May when the temperatures are in the comfortable low 70's f. We never found shops or restaurants closed for a 'siesta' but perhaps at this time of year it is essential.

 

once again , thankyou.

[RDeagazio]

Greetings everyone-- today was our much needed second day at sea.

Lots of activities around the ship-- big poolside BBQ with grilled lamb chops, pork, roasted potatoes and tons of fresh fruit.

 

We sailed around the "boot" of Italy this morning and later this afternoon the Capt. altered our course to take us close to the active volcano Stromboli. He slowed the ship to almost nothing and we spent a good hour or so going around the volcano so everyone onboard could get a good look. There was lots of smoke coming from the top and a little bit of a lava flow going into the sea but nothing major. Apparenly 2 weeks ago the volvano erupted while the ship was passing by. I was surprised how close we got, but the views were incredible. Tonight around sunset, we were treated to spotting a few whales close to the ship and hundreds of dolphin who seemed to enjoy playing in the wake of the ship for a good hour or more. They were jumping out of the water and riding the wake along the side of the ship.

 

Tonight we had dinner in Chops which was excellent but of course we ate way too much. The show was Tango Buenos Aires which was very different from the normal production shows onboard but was quite good. A word about the production shows on this ship= the RCI dancers are very good but the singers wouldn't make the auditions of American Idol-- they're terrible.

Apparently this is a new troop and they are not as good as the former entertainers-- that said-- there is far too much to do onboard this trip to even consider seeing a show. The entertainers around the ship have been excellent-- good music in all the lounges and Centrum every night and the ship is alive with activity even though everyone must wake up early for the ports. The disco has been going strong until almost 5am.

 

It's now 2am, and we have a 530am wake up call for our long, busy hot day in Rome so I'm off to bed.

 

Will post again tomorrow-- I'm glad you all are enjoying my posts...

[Brandis]

Wow, the passengers on this trip seem to be far more active than they were on our Brilliance Med cruise 3 years ago. We had second seating dinner and sometimes made it barely through the show (and we weren't the only ones I observed) after the show, the ship was really calm and felt almost empty.

 

Marc

[extremelybusymom1989]

Dear Bob,

 

Thank you for such detailed posts. My parents, Renee and Alan (senior citizen couple from Coconut Creek, FL) are on this cruise. It is nice to know that the trip has been great. I am living vicariously through your posts. We usually cruise in the summer but now the kids are too busy for us to get away. Will have to wait until our Thanksgiving Freedom of the Seas cruise.

Ellen

[Brandis]

Bob,

 

what are the dinner times on your cruise? I remember from our last Med cruise that they were quite a bit later than what we expected from previous cruise experience, I think 9.15 PM for second seating.

 

Marc

[TheMiz]

Bob,

 

what are the dinner times on your cruise? I remember from our last Med cruise that they were quite a bit later than what we expected from previous cruise experience, I think 9.15 PM for second seating.

 

Marc

 

Asked the same question myself but I am not sure it was in this thread. The seatings are 8:30 and 9:00

[RDeagazio]

We spent the full day in Rome. We used Limo in Rome and although Claudio wasn't available he assigned us to Claudia who is an archeologist and gave an awesome, detailed tour of Rome. We visited the Coliseum, Forum, Circus Maximus, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, St. Peters, Vatican etc-- there ws no way we could have done more in one day than we did-- the heat was brutal and we all came back totaly exhausted.

 

Dinner seatings on this cruise are 6p and 630p for Main and 830p and 9p for Second.

[extremelybusymom1989]

While you were touring Rome, Italy won its Round of 16 game in the 93rd minute on a penalty kick. Was there a lot of activity related to this game as you were touring? We are huge soccer fans. My parents who are on this cruise promised my son a Ronaldinho Barcelona Jersey.