ChefSpencer

@mom2mybugs Our favorite post dessert dessert while cruising with the deluxe beverage package is a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, a shot of espresso, and a shot of baileys. Our table in the main dinning room had them every night.... Man I miss being on a cruise ?  The trip looks awesome so far! 

It looks like the boat leaves at around 7-8pm in most places which to me means dinner off the boat should we want it. I am also very willing to believe there are big cultural differences on what time of day a meal is traditionally served. My thought on the drinks is similar to yours so we will hold off on a drink package for now. 
 
Thanks so much for the help!

Hello everyone!
My wife and I just booked our first European cruise and we are very, very excited! As the booking excitement wears off I am finding myself wondering about things that I had not worried or thought about on past Caribbean cruises we have been on. I am looking for some guidance or tips for this new experience for us! I used some of the tips I have seen on here when it came to booking flights and I have already taken a look at the trains and other transportation to the cities where the ports are not as close to the city in question.
As my name may imply I love food and my wife and I love to eat, and experience different foods and culinary cultures. One of my big questions I guess is have any Royal Caribbean Blog foodies here been on a trip similar to mine? How did you help control the costs of food? One of the things I have loved about cruising is, aside from a little spending and tipping money, the costs are up front making it very easy to plan for. That has held true over the cruises we have been on so far, but now we are going to be in Nice, Rome, Barcelona, Naples, and Portifino. I would by lying to myself if I pretend that we would be back to the boat to eat in the windjammer or even the dinning room when we are in this gastronome's paradise. I am also wondering about if past cruisers have felt the beverage packages are still "worth the money" when, in theory, we would be on the ship less than a Caribbean cruise. We did the deluxe beverage package on our last cruise and loved it, but we were also on the boat a lot more than we are planning to be for this adventure. 
As an additional note I would love to hear about favorite experiences or adventures in these stops or things you don't think we should miss out on! My apologies for rambling a bit, and I appreciate any help or input!
Edit. I forgot to mention that when we get back we have an extra day in Barcelona before leaving so any ideas on possible day trips or places to see that are possibly outside the city would be awesome!

Thanks so much for the tip! We were already looking at excursions or tours of pompeii