Dirk

Watch out for the attached sign. There you can exchange currency, shouldn't be a problem on a Sunday. 
Have you any Euros? The exchange rate for the EUR is much better than for the US-$, they charge an extra 10% fee for Dollar exchange.
If you only need some money for tipping, you could use your Dollars, people are always grateful for that.

These are not movie theaters. Nor is it dinner theater. These are professionals who are working extremely hard at their chosen career who are performing live for the your entertainment. Eating is quite disrespectful to them not to mention to the people sitting around said eater listening to them crunch on Fritos or ooh and ahh at the deliciousness of their chocolate cake.
 
Everyone should enjoy their dessert before or after they attend the theater.

I've been to some of this great ports, so here is my view:
- Rome: The biggest problem could be coming to Rome. The ship will be in the port of Civitavecchia, which is approx. 70 km away from Rome city centre. A guided tour will probably go to Rome per Bus, another choice could be the train. But the trains in Italy are not very wheel-chair-friendly. The best option could be a guide private tour in a car, but this id definitely also the most expensive one. And don't forget that Rome is located on 7 hills, so it is not very flat and always an ups and down. 
- Naples: The port is is in walking distance to the city centre.
-Barcelona: The port is about 3km away from the city centre, there are shuttle buses wich bring you to the city. The station in the city is close to the "Ramblas", the main shopping street in Barcelona.
-Palma: same as Barcelona, also a bit outside the port.
 
Public restrooms could be a problem in any of this cities, as well as public transportation.

During peak times one has to wait a little bit longer for an elevator, so what? I am on vacation and have all the time in the world and who cares if I am coming 1 minute too late? I will never understand why people are on stress mode when being on a cruise ship. So, when you have to wait make the best of it, gives you time for some social studies and people watching :-)

During peak times one has to wait a little bit longer for an elevator, so what? I am on vacation and have all the time in the world and who cares if I am coming 1 minute too late? I will never understand why people are on stress mode when being on a cruise ship. So, when you have to wait make the best of it, gives you time for some social studies and people watching :-)

Watch out for the attached sign. There you can exchange currency, shouldn't be a problem on a Sunday. 
Have you any Euros? The exchange rate for the EUR is much better than for the US-$, they charge an extra 10% fee for Dollar exchange.
If you only need some money for tipping, you could use your Dollars, people are always grateful for that.

I would prefer May, June or September. July and August are very hot. Two years ago we spent 3 nights in Rome after our cruise and since then I know why the Romans leave their city every August.
 
I also would spend sone nights in Venice. Moist of the tourists are staying only a few hours in Venice and the city is totally packed during daytime. A whole different experience late at night and during early morning hours, you will love it.
 
And July/August is also high season for the "Meltemi"-Winds in Greece, which can last several days and may reach 8 Bft. 
 
The greek isles are definitely worth a visit, especially Santorini is an absolut highlight and should be on everybody's bucket list!

Hello friends of RCCL,
 
just four more weeks for us until embarkation and time has come to think about the cruise details and the things we want do do and see in the different port of calls. 
 
I was wondering what the favorite form of shore excursion would be among the community. Do you prefer organized tours or do you go on your own? 
 
For ourselves we prefer the individual approach. Yes, it takes more time to plan and prepare the excursion but I always have the good feeling that the I really can do and see things I really want to see. And I can take my time if a special place is of more interest than expected, nobody forces us tu hurry up and we are not depending on a group. Sometimes we do something together with other people we have met on board that share the same interests. I just have the feeling that one have a deeper experience when you are traveling around buy feet, with public transportation or a rented car than driving around with a tour bus. 
 
In some places organized tour are making perfectly sense, for example in Ephesus/Turkey (too far away from the port or St. Petersburg/Russia (without a purchased tour ticket you won't cross the russian boarder (if you don't have a valid visa), but most places can be explored individually, just give it a try!
 
What do you think about it?
 
Greetings from Germany
Dirk
 

1. How is the wifi on Navigator? Has anybody used it since the "upgrades"?
 
I am on Navigator right now and I must say that voom is working pretty well. We had some problems during the first two days in the North Atlantic but since we are in the Mediterranian Sea it is good. I always can stream Netflix and Amazon videos and listen ti my spotify. Had some issues wirh Periscope, but now it is also working fine😄

1. How is the wifi on Navigator? Has anybody used it since the "upgrades"?
 
I am on Navigator right now and I must say that voom is working pretty well. We had some problems during the first two days in the North Atlantic but since we are in the Mediterranian Sea it is good. I always can stream Netflix and Amazon videos and listen ti my spotify. Had some issues wirh Periscope, but now it is also working fine😄

Always 1 pm on my cruises so far. And luggage came between 2pm and 5pm.

Always 1 pm on my cruises so far. An luggage came between 2pm and 5pm.

Always 1 pm on my cruises so far. An luggage came between 2pm and 5pm.

We always choose MTD because of the flexibility that we have with it. And we only made reservation for a certain time once. I don't like the idea of making reservations for diner, otherwise I could do the traditional dining. I like the idea to go to diner when I am hungry and not because i have made a reservation for a certain time, but that is just my personal preference .
Even when the waiting line seems to be long, we never had to wait more than five minutes to get a table for two. I only would recommend to make a reservation when you are a group of more than 4 people.

Before taking any pills or other things with side effects, I would recommend to try ginger ale. Ginger in any form is good for the stomach and helps to prevent sea sickness. And eat enough, but that should be no the problem on a cruise ship  :)

Terrific topic, so here is my top-five-list:
 
1. Binoculars - I could sit on the balcony and watch the horizon for hours.
 
2. Books - I could not travel without any "real" books. I also use kindle, but I will never gip up old school reading. And I always buy at least 2-3 books at the airport before boarding.
 
3. Pills for stomach and anti-sickness - on our first cruise we experienced the Noro-virus on board and that was not so amusing. 
 
4. Enough earphones for my iphone/ipad - I am always searching those and never have enough at hand.
 
5. My Pipe - Enjoying a pipe after dinner is a real pleasure for me an I never got negative response from nonsmokers. 

Terrific topic, so here is my top-five-list:
 
1. Binoculars - I could sit on the balcony and watch the horizon for hours.
 
2. Books - I could not travel without any "real" books. I also use kindle, but I will never gip up old school reading. And I always buy at least 2-3 books at the airport before boarding.
 
3. Pills for stomach and anti-sickness - on our first cruise we experienced the Noro-virus on board and that was not so amusing. 
 
4. Enough earphones for my iphone/ipad - I am always searching those and never have enough at hand.
 
5. My Pipe - Enjoying a pipe after dinner is a real pleasure for me an I never got negative response from nonsmokers. 

On our 12 night cruise on Brilliance back in 2013, the menu changed every day and they had one local speciality of the visited ports every day. We enjoyed it very much and had not the impression, that there was too less variety.
 
The bes dining experience was on our 16 night transatlantic cruise, where they tried new things and the food was better than on any other cruise before.

On our 12 night cruise on Brilliance back in 2013, the menu changed every day and they had one local speciality of the visited ports every day. We enjoyed it very much and had not the impression, that there was too less variety.
 
The bes dining experience was on our 16 night transatlantic cruise, where they tried new things and the food was better than on any other cruise before.

We did a transatlantic last year. It was an absolutely amazing experience. If you love sea days, than it is the right choice for your. Plenty of time for any activities, a lot of things are going on the whole day long. We especially love the trivia team competitions and lunch in the Main Dining Room withe the salad bar. Even enough time every day for a visit in the fitness center to loose some pounds. But what I enjoyed most, was that my cell phone and my ipad weren't online and I couldn't check my emails and messages, it was such a peaceful atmosphere, like a time travel back some centuries ago.

On our 12 night cruise on Brilliance back in 2013, the menu changed every day and they had one local speciality of the visited ports every day. We enjoyed it very much and had not the impression, that there was too less variety.
 
The bes dining experience was on our 16 night transatlantic cruise, where they tried new things and the food was better than on any other cruise before.

Install automatic doors in the restrooms to avoid contact with the doors after washing the hands.

Just back from our transatlantic crossing on board of the Serenade and we were given a couple of WOW-cards.

Hello friends of RCCL, my name is Dirk and I am from Cologne / Germany. I did my first cruise with Royal C. back in 2012 when my wife Claudia and I sailed on the Mariner in the East Mediterranean Sea. Now we are looking forward to cross the atlantic on board of the Serenade (from New Orleans to Barcelona) in April  :)

when I was on board of the Mariner back in 2012 they were televising the CL-Final between Chelsea and Munich, so I think you will have a good chance to see some great soccer games!