KDK

I am not 100% sure, but I do know that if you book the transfer from Venice to Ravenna, this is the meeting spot, so I am assuming that this would also be the dropoff spot on the return journey:

Tronchetto People Mover Station Arrivals area on the Ground Floor.  33, Isola Nuova del Tronchetto 30135 Venezia.

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

It's no different than before in regards to ordering GF items with the new menus. You order the night before and the chef adapts (if possible) for the next night. 

 

Thank you, Smokeybandit. Unfortunately, a number of people across a few blogs have said that since the new menus came out, despite them ordering the night before, they had frequent incidences across their cruise of the waitstaff not being aware of what is gf with these new menus and being brought gluten food accidentally. So, I am hoping to educate myself so we can be as careful as possible. 

Hello! My 19 year old has to eat gluten free and I am hearing mixed reviews from people about GF safety now that the menu has switched. Can anyone who has travelled since the new menus were introduced either:

1) Tell about their experience and share what entrees worked out best for them?

2) List some of the dishes for each night's menu that were offered as gluten free options, since RC no longer labels that directly on the menu

Thank you SO much. I went from feeling very secure to nervous with the new menu changes. 

1 hour ago, barjpoe said:

How can I stop the above post from joggling?

I'm not sure what you mean. Did I do something incorrectly on my end? 

1 hour ago, ChessE4 said:

Correct, eat them ashore.  The ship has its own pastries, up to a point, so security staff aren't likely to be sympathetic.  We have purchased packaged cookies, however, which can be a real delicacy in some ports.

Our issue is that my one daughter is gluten free and so the ship has really limited options for her.

This was very helpful. I will be on a smaller ship: Explorer of the Seas, but hopefully we will be able to still get some cookies and a bagel for her!

3 hours ago, Woody14 said:

as long as it is in manufactures packaging and un opened.  so no fresh fruit veg et all

If we buy pastries in a bakery, that would be a no go?

Is it possible for us to order gluten-free bagels or or any other gluten-free versions of items for continental breakfast? My younger daughter and I can eat the regular food and would like to order continental breakfast but my older daughter requires gluten-free. I’m just wondering if there any options for her when continental breakfast is delivered.

Are we able to bring food from shore onto the ship?

3 hours ago, JennaRCB said:

I went on a similar itinerary last summer! I wrote a blog every day about what I did which may be helpful: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/rhapsody-of-the-seas-live-blog

This is so helpful! Thank you!

My two teenaged daughters (15 1/2 and 19 1/2) and I (50) are going on the Greek Isles cruise at the end of June. We are stopping in Kotor, Montenegro, Corfu. Athens, Mykonos, and Argostoli. Are there any excursions on this itinerary that you would recommend or things that are "must see?"

Also, some of the excursions suggested by third party vendors like Shore Excursions Group, suggest certain activities for our ship, but seem to end late and be cutting it close for boarding. Say, returning an hour and half before we leave port. Does anyone have experience with using this vendor? 

Where are you flying in?

On 3/17/2023 at 3:13 PM, Sea Squirrel said:

IMHO, the elephant in the AARP article comparison is as Ampurp85 was saying, not an apples to apples comparison. The land based options include all beverages, dining, internet and gratuities.  Most AI have multiple specialty dining restaurants on the upscale end, including the two referenced by the article. I could be wrong but I believe Oceania is also 100% all inclusive and more upscale. I’d think that to make an even remotely close comparison, AARP should have used the Star Class experience and pricing. As @Neesa said, it is really about what value means to you and I wholeheartedly agree. We’ve always loved RC but these days, maybe not always the best value for us when we are choosing a vacation and that is ok.  Doesn’t mean we will ever stop cruising, we may just pump the brakes a tad before pushing the deposit button. 

I think you raise an important point, I traveled on an Oceania trip to the Baltics in the summer of 2019. At the price point listed for Oceania in the article, we also had included: the equivalent of a refreshment beverage package, some excursions, 24 hour room service, a very elevated main dining room menu: duck, lobster, etc., internet included, afternoon tea service every day, lectures with professionals in the field almost every day, and  an impressive library with all of the newest NYT bestsellers. It is a very different experience. 

FWIW, I enjoy both types of cruising, but I don't think they are a fair comparison with one another.  

If you pre-purchase some thing, using the onboard credit, and then decide to cancel it, do you get reimbursed with onboard credit or do you just lose the credit totally?

On 3/3/2023 at 11:32 AM, Atlantix2000 said:

Yes, each drink gets 18% gratuity added when purchased outside a package.  But the package itself gets 18% gratuity added when you purchase it.  Does the $460 you've mentioned already include that?  If not, it'll really be $543 when you go to checkout.  I'm going to have to agree that paying for a pack of bottled water in addition to a package, is going to make it that much harder to break even on the package.  If the package makes sense for you, cancel that bottled water purchase!

Edited to add: Remember you can bring a limited amount of bottled water on board with you.  With that option, you'll always have a few in the cabin plus whatever you grab using the package.

How much bottled water are you allowed to bring to the ship on your own?

1 hour ago, RafaellaCG said:

You really don't need an excursion- Athens is very easy to explore on your own or with a 3rd party excursion. What are you interested in doing? We were there last August.

I just want to safely transfer from Piraeus to Athens, take my daughters to the Acropolis, eat at a restaurant and explore the Plaka. Thanks for any suggestions!

The phone app has not been as friendly as I would hope.

The app has not been as friendly as I would hope.

1) It completely doesn’t show our day 2 port.  I’ve called Royal Caribbean explaining that it’s missing and we can’t reserve any excursions while on the phone app for day two.

2) I know that this isn’t the proper cost for ordering bottles of water. It wouldn’t be over $20 per day per person! I went to order our water today and obviously now I need to wait until they fix the glitch.
 

I understand that if I wanted to purchase "The Key" VIP benefit, then everyone in my room would need to do so, as well. However, I can't clarify from the description whether each one of us would get Voom access or whether it allows for just one device for Voom access and then I'd have to purchase additional Voom access above and beyond "The Key" for the remaining family members in my cabin. 

Does anyone have any photos showing some of these upgrades and refreshes? I am so excited and curious!

Quote

2 hours ago, amanalo217 said:

You can see the MDR menus in the app. Go to dining and select main dining. Pick one of the dining rooms and select menu. Go to any day except 1 and you should be able to view the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus.

 

Perhaps my cruise is too far out still, when I pick the dining room, it doesn't give me an option to select menu on my phone app.

Does anyone have the menu for the Main Dining Room breakfast options? My daughter has food allergies and so we wanted to take a peek before we depart, so we are prepared.  Usually the buffet areas for breakfast create a cross-contamination situation, so we are thinking the main dining room might be a better bet. 

I just signed up for a 7 night cruise of the Greek Isles from Ravenna. When I looked at the excursions from Piraeus, many of the top ones were already sold out. When RC sees that the demand is high for a specific excursion, do they ever add on another section of that particular excursion, or am I now on my own to find an alternative activity? Thank you!

On 1/26/2023 at 6:30 PM, Funeegal said:

Did anyone notice that Koror looks to have been removed as a port stop and replaced with a sea day on the RCL app?

I saw the same thing in my app, but when I looked on a regular laptop computer, Kotor was still there. I spoke to a royal Caribbean representative today, and they seem to feel that that is a glitch on the Phone app or he, according to them, are still scheduled for the morning to be in the bay of Kotor, and from one to seven at the port in Montenegro.

This is only my second cruise and I was wondering what people do to ensure that they aren't accidentally being charged an arm and a leg by their phone company while onboard and in ports. Do you leave your phone on airplane mode the whole time? I know this is a really dumb question, but I am so nervous about having my device in all of these locations. 

10 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

Kids are inexpensive.  We prefer Allianz when we want extra medical coverage.  However Arch's policy (Royal) was improved a few months ago.  Aside from the total cost of the trip to be covered, age is the main driver of the cost of travel insurance -- due to the likelihood of medical claims when we are older.

For us, the most common claim (twice) has been luggage-related -- either delayed by airlines or lost by Royal.

So, did you feel that Allianz is the way to go?