MicDay

In Italy I would take excursions through Royal.  I can't comment on Spain or France.  The tour groups we were in weren't that large, and there can be traffic issues that delay your return.  Thus, the peace of mind associated with a Royal excursion might be worth it.  That said, in many countries trains are easy to use -- did that in Germany for business trips.  I do believe that in Italy the tours in Cruise Planner cover a lot of options.  Whatever you choose, have a great cruise.

We did an med cruise this summer on the vision.  We did all our excursions through the company “Tours by Locals.” With our kids ages 15,13, and 8 yr old twins we didn’t think they would get anything out of the large bus tour groups and being herded through cities.  Our tours were all private for  often cheaper than RCI and we could customize them for what we wanted 

We sailed to Rome and Florence last year and specifically used the cruise excursions in those ports since the sights were far.   We were happy we did as the trip in Rome barely got back to the ship in time.  Experience was awesome and worth the extra in both cases.
D

The first time we cruised to Florence and Rome we did the ships excursion called ‘Rome on your own’ and the same to Florence. Basically you are taken into the city and then you wander on your own and meet back at a prearranged time. This is cheaper than a guided tour and you have the security of knowing the ship will wait for any delays. Since then we have caught the train independently and just allowed plenty of time to return. On one cruise the ‘Rome on your own’ passengers were on our  train so we knew we were safe. Same with the ferry to Capri. If you catch the same ferry as the tour group, make sure you take the next to last one back as the tours usually catch the last ferry.

LEAVING FROM:Barcelona, Spain onboard Allure of the Seas VISITING:| Palma de Mallorca | Provence (Marseilles) | Florence/Pisa (La Spezia) | Rome (Civitavecchia) | Naples (Capri) |

LEAVING FROM:Barcelona, Spain onboard Allure of the Seas VISITING:| Palma de Mallorca | Provence (Marseilles) | Florence/Pisa (La Spezia) | Rome (Civitavecchia) | Naples (Capri) |

Wow - respect !
I can barely remember name of the ship from my last cruise (in May)....

People bring their dogs everywhere now.  Just was at Lowes and a family had their poor hot poodle in the shopping cart.  He couldn't get comfortable sitting in the front of the cart, his paws were too small.  My husband was getting pissed, it was very hot and you could tell the puppy was hurting. 
I've even seen someone take their dog into a movie theater??!! 
On the Harmony in May there was a guy with a little poodle, carried him around everywhere.  I have two dogs, I love dogs, but what is a poor dog suppose to do on a cruise ship?  My fur babies would be miserable stuck like that.
If you can't vacation without them go places that are pet friendly, I don't think a cruise ship is it.
Totally my take on it.

People bring their dogs everywhere now.  Just was at Lowes and a family had their poor hot poodle in the shopping cart.  He couldn't get comfortable sitting in the front of the cart, his paws were too small.  My husband was getting pissed, it was very hot and you could tell the puppy was hurting. 
I've even seen someone take their dog into a movie theater??!! 
On the Harmony in May there was a guy with a little poodle, carried him around everywhere.  I have two dogs, I love dogs, but what is a poor dog suppose to do on a cruise ship?  My fur babies would be miserable stuck like that.
If you can't vacation without them go places that are pet friendly, I don't think a cruise ship is it.
Totally my take on it.

Same with us, we were on the Harmony of the Seas and it was very quiet.  We were on Deck 10 by the elevators and did not have any issues.  We are booked on the Allure for next May and I picked rooms by the elevator again.

The biggest benefit is MEI supports this site.

People bring their dogs everywhere now.  Just was at Lowes and a family had their poor hot poodle in the shopping cart.  He couldn't get comfortable sitting in the front of the cart, his paws were too small.  My husband was getting pissed, it was very hot and you could tell the puppy was hurting. 
I've even seen someone take their dog into a movie theater??!! 
On the Harmony in May there was a guy with a little poodle, carried him around everywhere.  I have two dogs, I love dogs, but what is a poor dog suppose to do on a cruise ship?  My fur babies would be miserable stuck like that.
If you can't vacation without them go places that are pet friendly, I don't think a cruise ship is it.
Totally my take on it.

My immediate reaction reading this was "whatever you do....do. not. call. royal. Caribbean."  lol
Lucky you!!!

My immediate reaction was "Thank the intern!" lol

People bring their dogs everywhere now.  Just was at Lowes and a family had their poor hot poodle in the shopping cart.  He couldn't get comfortable sitting in the front of the cart, his paws were too small.  My husband was getting pissed, it was very hot and you could tell the puppy was hurting. 
I've even seen someone take their dog into a movie theater??!! 
On the Harmony in May there was a guy with a little poodle, carried him around everywhere.  I have two dogs, I love dogs, but what is a poor dog suppose to do on a cruise ship?  My fur babies would be miserable stuck like that.
If you can't vacation without them go places that are pet friendly, I don't think a cruise ship is it.
Totally my take on it.

People bring their dogs everywhere now.  Just was at Lowes and a family had their poor hot poodle in the shopping cart.  He couldn't get comfortable sitting in the front of the cart, his paws were too small.  My husband was getting pissed, it was very hot and you could tell the puppy was hurting. 
I've even seen someone take their dog into a movie theater??!! 
On the Harmony in May there was a guy with a little poodle, carried him around everywhere.  I have two dogs, I love dogs, but what is a poor dog suppose to do on a cruise ship?  My fur babies would be miserable stuck like that.
If you can't vacation without them go places that are pet friendly, I don't think a cruise ship is it.
Totally my take on it.

People bring their dogs everywhere now.  Just was at Lowes and a family had their poor hot poodle in the shopping cart.  He couldn't get comfortable sitting in the front of the cart, his paws were too small.  My husband was getting pissed, it was very hot and you could tell the puppy was hurting. 
I've even seen someone take their dog into a movie theater??!! 
On the Harmony in May there was a guy with a little poodle, carried him around everywhere.  I have two dogs, I love dogs, but what is a poor dog suppose to do on a cruise ship?  My fur babies would be miserable stuck like that.
If you can't vacation without them go places that are pet friendly, I don't think a cruise ship is it.
Totally my take on it.

People bring their dogs everywhere now.  Just was at Lowes and a family had their poor hot poodle in the shopping cart.  He couldn't get comfortable sitting in the front of the cart, his paws were too small.  My husband was getting pissed, it was very hot and you could tell the puppy was hurting. 
I've even seen someone take their dog into a movie theater??!! 
On the Harmony in May there was a guy with a little poodle, carried him around everywhere.  I have two dogs, I love dogs, but what is a poor dog suppose to do on a cruise ship?  My fur babies would be miserable stuck like that.
If you can't vacation without them go places that are pet friendly, I don't think a cruise ship is it.
Totally my take on it.

I'm designing new fighting vehicles for the Army.  Maybe....nah...it would never fit in the suitcase.

We did a small group tour of Rome which we booked thru Viator rather than RCL which we all agreed was the best excursion. RCL offered the same thing, but at a much higher cost. We ended up getting a van with the four of us plus a mother/daughter in the van. Marco, our driver, was super knowledgeable about Rome, which was great. The van was able to get much closer to the attractions, which meant less walking (it was a heat wave when we were there). It was nice to be ale to leave things in the van, and get into a air conditioned van between stops. Sites were actually further apart than I expected, so trying to do anything on foot would be brutal. 
We also went to Capri and took a boat tour of the island and went in the Blue Grotto, which everyone liked as well. We did have to wait on a bobbing boat to go in the grotto for 90 mins, but it was worth it. However, if you did not want to go in the grotto, you can skip that. Again, did not book thru RCL (except for transportation to Capri), but booked online. IN Capri, you basically have the choice of seeing the island by land or by sea, but not really enough time to do both.

If we cruise the Mediterranean again (which we definitely plan to do) I would cruise out of an Italian dock so there could be time before and after cruise to explore Italy a bit. We sailed from Barcelona and spent a day touring after we got off the ship and we felt that we really did not need a whole lot more time in Barcelona, but would have like more time in Rome/Italy.

I will say this, after our disappointment in Pisa, we got on the ship and ate lunch, then headed into La Spezia for a walk - it was more enjoyable than the morning. Very pretty town. We walked up to the Castello San Giorgio (physically exhausting in the heat) and  the effort was worth it. Beautiful panoramic views of the town and harbor.

I booked it, like Matt said "You have to play to win"
We don't even drink but love the refreshment package and the deluxe was way cheaper (if I got to keep it)
My daughter and her boyfriend will be 21 this trip, so IF they would like to try a drink or two (or more), this is the way to go.
I will not be mad they cancel it, just checked still there, but would be nice if they got a better IT team.
Let the big complainers go, less on the boat to deal with!

I guess what I'm having difficulty with us why people are so irate.  They knew it was a mistake and they are infuriated that it won't be honored.  I get that RC initially said they would, and that it's annoying....another reason for us to shake our heads at the IT department and how the different departments aren't talking.  But I'm not going to stop cruising royal like some people are threatening.  Good grief.  This company was immensely fair over my Cuba trip and this drink thing doesn't remotely impact my experience on the ships.  Wish people would get a little perspective.  Jane

I think everyone knew this was a pricing mistake from the moment it was spotted, especially if you have been following drink package prices.
I bought it at the $18/day rate for a couple sailings knowing full well it was a mistake and very likely refunded. Like they say in the lotto business, cant win if you don't play!