Royal Caribbean cruise in Europe
- Thread starter Hessian
- Start date
Beta
Smile!
I'm not sure what your question is exactly, because RC food/staff/room are just like any other RC trip. I did an RC cruise in Europe (Mediterranean) but I think it was a 7 day cruise. It's nice to get a taste of Europe (Barcelona --> Marseilles --> Nice/Monaco --> Livorno/Florence --> Civitavecchia/Rome --> Naples --> Barcelona) but it goes by so quick that it's like a teaser of each location. I did another one with a different line that also added Malta (which is a waste on a Sunday), Athens, and Venice.
Since I hadn't been to Europe it was great. You can see a lot at each port, and probably all you care to see in some places, but you just can't do Florence or Rome in ~10 hours. RC has decent food and the room was just like any other "whatever" room on a cruise ship (it's probably a sister ship of the ships they use here). You'll probably never be on the ship for lunch and half the time you may miss dinner because you had an excursion that kept you away until late in the evening.
Just remember for those cruises you will probably pay more money for the excursions and you will probably want to take an excursion at most of the ports. It's nothing like a Caribbean cruise where you can walk from the ship to most of the destinations. Those cruises are almost a complete waste of time if you skip the excursions, unless you research the ports you're going to and make sure that there are easy ways to get to the stuff you want to see. That's probably not the case at most ports. I remember in Naples I skipped the excursion because I was sick. We got a cab, rode to Pompeii ($$$$), and didn't really know what we were looking at using a guide book (because we didn't set up a tour guide). Went the next time on an excursion and it was obvious how much I had missed out on, and how fortunate I was to get the chance to go again. In some ports (like Livorno & Civitavecchia) you pretty much need an excursion if you want to go to the ACTUAL attractions, which are in Florence/Pisa and Rome. Venice and Barcelona were probably the two ports where we didn't need anything extra out of the ones I listed above.
I hope you enjoy if you decide to go!
TPD
the poor dad
We did a 12 night med cruise on Celebrity in 2012. Barcelona, Rome, Naples, Mykonos, Santorini, Athens, Turkey, and Malta. We did some ship sanctioned excursions and some stuff on our own. We boarded the ship in Barcelona, but flew in the day before in order to have time to see more of Barcelona. Since it is an hour long train ride from the port into Rome, we decided to get a hotel room in Rome & take the train the following day to Naples to catch back up with the ship. This gave us more than 24 hours total in Rome.
We tried to go to a local cafe in each city to partake in the local cuisine and drink. Activities onboard the ship were similar to any other cruise. The hoho busses are a great value to see aeuropean cities if you are there for 24 hours or more.
I know this didn't answer your questions specifically about Europe but probably similar. A European cruise that includes Moscow is on our bucket list, though we have spent time in Stockholm, Helsinki, Estonnia, and Amsterdam already.
Our pictures of the Med if interested - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dptennyson/sets/72157631606548084/
We tried to go to a local cafe in each city to partake in the local cuisine and drink. Activities onboard the ship were similar to any other cruise. The hoho busses are a great value to see aeuropean cities if you are there for 24 hours or more.
I know this didn't answer your questions specifically about Europe but probably similar. A European cruise that includes Moscow is on our bucket list, though we have spent time in Stockholm, Helsinki, Estonnia, and Amsterdam already.
Our pictures of the Med if interested - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dptennyson/sets/72157631606548084/
Hessian
Well-Known Member
TPD,....that Stockholm-Estonia trip is the one we are looking at for a summer run. Leaves from England.
I think that since I plan on spending more time in Germany,...we have to figure out the logistics of taking the cruise,...then finding a way to get over to Lower Saxony.
The ONE cruise we took was out of Baltimore (Carnival) and I found it a good adventure,...but rate it no higher than a B-
Beta,...you reminded me to do my research when it comes to excursions. The OVERPRICED offerings from Carnival were not tempting at all. I am fit enough to wander a town but...Americans may not be as welcome as in decades past. Denmark, Baltic ports...sounds very interesting/scenic.
Biggest worry for me is trying to line up the air-flight with ground transport to get to port of departure,...
then transit over for another 6-7 days on the continent,...better check my home equity line of credit!!
Appreciate your tips!!
Hessian.
I think that since I plan on spending more time in Germany,...we have to figure out the logistics of taking the cruise,...then finding a way to get over to Lower Saxony.
The ONE cruise we took was out of Baltimore (Carnival) and I found it a good adventure,...but rate it no higher than a B-
Beta,...you reminded me to do my research when it comes to excursions. The OVERPRICED offerings from Carnival were not tempting at all. I am fit enough to wander a town but...Americans may not be as welcome as in decades past. Denmark, Baltic ports...sounds very interesting/scenic.
Biggest worry for me is trying to line up the air-flight with ground transport to get to port of departure,...
then transit over for another 6-7 days on the continent,...better check my home equity line of credit!!
Appreciate your tips!!
Hessian.
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TPD
the poor dad
Estonnia is great - very old city. Been there a couple times. I've had one of the most memorable meals of my life there. Estonnia, Helsinki, Stockholm are all cities you can probably do on your own without ship excursions. No problem with English. Most swedes & Finns speak English as a second language.
Check the ChoiceAir website of RCCL for airfare. Excellent pricing for oddball arrangements - flying into one city but leaving from another. Plus when you book through this website, RCCL/Celebrity guarantee you will get to the ship.
TPD
the poor dad
Oh yeah, Estonnia & Finland are an easy 2-3 hour ferry ride apart, so depending on the cruise itinerary, if you wanted to spend an overnight in one of these cities to see more, you could easily catch up to the ship the next day via the ferry. Simple & easy and usually docks in the same ports as the cruise ships.