Happy Cruisers

The early cruise bag-full pressing deal (if offered) and Downy Wrinkle Release are usually the best options. I've also hung up things in the bathroom and left it there with the shower running full hot for a while - mixed success, plus it ties up the whole bathroom since it's hard to co-exist in that small space with the shower blowing off so much steam. Even without a discount, I find the pressing service is priced reasonably enough if you stick to "nice" clothes. I forget the exact cost of the discounted pressing service, but my recollection is that it is usually around $20 for the bag. Otherwise, I believe the charge is a few dollars per piece, depending on the piece (e.g., pressing a dress usually costs more than pressing a pair of trousers). As for the toiletries, unless you're in a suite, I would concur with the advice of others above to bring your own products. The "all in one" product in the shower-mounted pump has never been from a brand I recognized, nor has it ever visually appeared to be particularly compelling. I'm not in a position to opine as to its quality because I've never been inclined to try it. When we've sailed in RCCL suites in the past, we've had L'occitane products available to us. The non-suite offering, however, is not something I would personally want to depend on.

Thank you, Mary and Jill! Your insight is very much appreciated.

Mary, many thanks for your helpful response! That is wonderful information and I appreciate you sharing it. We're on a 10 day itinerary that also has two sea days, so I suspect our experience with the port day marathon will be very similar to yours. We booked this trip on a bit of a whim, so we're behind the curve on planning. Mrs. Cruiser picked it because of Santorini and Crete, but there is so much more to do to maximize our time at all of the other great ports. It'll be fun to plan, although we need to get on the ball! I had considered My Time in lieu of my specialty restaurant-based solution that I noted above, but had originally written it off based on a really bad experience with it on Liberty circa 2014. Your experience sounds so much better than ours was back then, and maybe it is the way to go for our European itinerary. I hadn't appreciated the angle that we may be too tired from touring all day to appropriately enjoy a specialty restaurant, so I appreciate that call out. Thanks also for the Bob's Limos suggestion. That appears more cost-effective for a private car than similar options I had researched so far. Le Meridien looks like a very nice option, and we'll give it a closer look. Thanks for sharing your airport experience, as well. We're carefully considering springing for business class to make the trip more comfortable; mitigating the Sunday morning craziness at FCO seems like another great reason! Did you find that the evening activities on the ship were toned down from a Caribbean cruise since there were so many ports? We typically enjoy the shows and going dancing in the evenings on cruise ships, but I sort of worry that not as many evening activities would be offered because most people are tired from a day of touring. Kind regards, HC

Thank you, both! We'll get the dining time issue fixed, one way or another.

Hi friends! I just booked a Greece-focused cruise out of Civitavecchia departing early next summer. Although we are seasoned RCCL cruisers, this is our first cruise that isn't going to the Caribbean. I was hoping to consult the collective wisdom of the Blog to answer a few basic questions we have: Any recommendations for hotels in Rome? We're looking to make this trip very special. We'd be there for at least two nights before our cruise exploring the city. How does one conveniently travel from Rome to the Civitavecchia port, and then from the Civitavecchia port to the airport (FCO)? I read something elsewhere that alluded generically to rail service/public transit; is a car service practicable, or is the train really the only way? Recommendations for either would be appreciated. I'd rather not take a bus if possible (just a personal preference from past bad experiences). Since I booked so close in, we're stuck with the 6 pm dining time. We're scheduled to leave each of our ports at either 6 pm or 7 pm, and we'd want to have the freedom to get back on board around an hour prior to all-aboard and still have time to get properly gussied up for dinner and a night "out" on the ship. With that in mind, should I just purchase the unlimited dining plan and, once aboard, try to book specialty restaurants for more convenient times? Odyssey of the Seas, so we have plenty of good options and would at least do the 3 day dining plan even if our MDR time was convenient for us. How early is "too early" for a flight out of Rome after the cruise? We're scheduled to be back in Civitavecchia at 5 am. Is 12 noon too aggressive? I don't want to be rushed, but it would be great to make a 12:45 that would get us home at a very reasonable time all things considered. Any tips for a European cruise generally? While we've taken a land tour in Europe before and we're Diamond C&A members from running laps around the Caribbean, we're all but first timers for this itinerary! Thanks in advance for any advice you may offer! HC

We stayed at the Kimpton Epic August 18-20. Location relative to Port Miami is outstanding, but I have another thread on this forum where I was a bit critical of that Kimpton overall. If you can get it at the right price (whatever that may be to you), it's fine for an overnight. My quibbles were with service standards, not cleanliness. Next time, I'd probably stay at the Intercontinental (as @Ryan79 suggested) if I were looking to be close to port. BTW, I've learned from experience that the delta between the cost of a midrange hotel (e.g., Hampton, Hilton Garden Inn, etc.) and the cost of a full service hotel (e.g., Kimpton, Intercontinental) can be relatively negligible in south Florida around a cruise date. I'm a frugal guy by nature, but sometimes ponying up the extra few bucks to move up to a full service hotel has been a good decision. I'm sure others have differing experiences, that's only mine and is offered as fodder for consideration as you shop for hotels.

Agreed with @karl_nj that the price paid was ultimately reasonable for what we received, and perhaps my firm's corporate account with IHG improved my past experiences at their "big city" properties. Different folks look for different things in a hotel/motel; this just wasn't a fit for us, but others may find the Kimpton to be quite acceptable. The location relative to the port was objectively excellent, which is important to many people. The rest of my view is just the subjective opinion of some guy on the internet

Just an update on this: we ultimately selected the Kimpton Epic. Super convenient location relative to the Port, which I suppose is what one wants for a pre-cruise stay. In no universe should the property be mentioned in the same breath as MO and Faena, though. I regret having not booked one of those two properties instead, but I know for next time and will not repeat my mistake. If you're considering the Kimpton Epic, know that the location relative to the port is patently excellent. The room is just a step nicer than your typical roadside motel (Hampton Inn, Fairfield, etc.), so to the extent you pay a premium over any other motel to stay here, ensure that the premium is justifiable solely for the location (for which you'll get a decent ROI) and not an assumption of enhanced quality (for which you likely will not). If my above narrative about a special and memorable stay with exceptional service is what you have in mind for your stay in Miami, you will not find it here. If, like me, you've stayed at other Kimpton properties in places like New York and DC, you will no doubt be unpleasantly surprised by what is apparently acceptable to IHG for a "luxury" property in Miami. Good luck!

That's great to hear - thanks!

Hi everyone! We're spending a couple of days in Miami before our August sailing on Explorer of the Seas are are looking for a full service hotel option to make the pre-cruise stay special. We're currently booked at the Kimpton Epic, but we're also looking at the Mandarin Oriental, the Intercontinental or the Faena Hotel. Anyone have experience with those properties? I have quite a bit of experience with Kimpton and Intercontinental from work (albeit, not in Miami), but the others I really don't. Although we've cruised from south Florida before, we're typically only there for a quick overnight before the cruise for which a limited service hotel is more than adequate. Since we have a couple of days, we're looking to secure an excellent and memorable experience. Beach access isn't important, but a high level of personalized service is incredibly important (something akin to the Ritz Carlton, but we've been there/done that in Miami and want something new to us). I'd take any suggestions not on the list, too. Look forward to any recommendations. Thanks!