FManke

Happy 50th!

I even tipped the porters who were cleaning the restrooms a Euro or two when I ran across them. It's not much, but it was a way to show them that I appreciate their hard work. If you notice when a bathroom is dirty, you should notice when it's clean. Happy Cruising!

I'm not sure if they would have more options on your cruise but Cafe Latte-tudes on Brilliance last week only offered sugar-free vanilla as an option. They also used Illy coffee for their espressos.

If your booked in a suite, the suite concierge can pretty much get the time you want with a quick email to them. We just did that last week. One of the nice perks of sailing in a suite. We had 7:00 dinner reservations, which for most is considered prime time and there were still quite a few tables available. Happy Cruising!

After some confusion last week on our cruise concerning dining times and such, we just went to the MDR on embarkation day and received an early dining reservation for 2 with a window seat to boot! There was quite a bit of empty 2 tops during our cruise early. I would just head to the MDR after boarding and talk to someone. Good luck! Happy Cruising!

If you are looking for a B&B before or after a cruise out of Ravenna, may I suggest M Club De Luxe. It's a great B&B right in the middle of Ravenna. It's a short walk to many great sights. Multiple basilicas and churches filled with beautiful Byzantine mosaics and Dante's Tomb. Also, a short walking distance to great shopping and restaurants. It was a quick 20min, 25 Euro taxi to the port. We were served a great continental breakfast of cappuccinos, yogurt, cereal, salami and cheese and a breadbasket with some of the best croissants we have ever had. Happy Cruising!

Next time!

So let me start by saying we enjoyed this tour very much. The star of this tour was the Acropolis. It was fantastic and worth the price of the tour on its own. BUT, if your idea of seeing "highlights" of Athens is getting out and exploring them, this is not the tour for you. Highlights were pointed out as we drove passed them on the bus to and from the Acropolis. Having bad knees, I was afraid the walk to the top of the Acropolis would be too much. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. After the Acropolis, we headed back into town for a short walking tour of the Plaka and independent time. Because of the terrible rush hour traffic, the 3hrs of independent time was cut to about 2hrs. We still had time to explore the Plaka, just as not as much as we had wanted. Like a lot of excursions that we have taken in the past, you spend a lot of time on the bus getting from one place to another. I guess it can't be helped that the port is 30min from downtown Athens and getting around Athens is like any other major world city of 3million people. Traffic is the same everywhere. If I had to do it again, I would have done the Acropolis on its own and just walked to the other sites I wanted. Things are pretty compact around the Acropolis and easy to walk to. Happy Cruising!

If anybody is looking for a hotel in Venice, may I suggest the Hotel Moresco. Just stayed there 3 nights before our Greek Isle cruise. It was fantastic! Service was outstanding. Rooms were modern and very clean. My wife is a stickler for that, and it passed her test with flying colors. It's located on a canal about a 5min walk to the Piazzale Roma, which is the major transportation hub for Venice. From there you can catch any bus, taxi or water bus you want or need to get anywhere. It's in a quieter part of the city, which we enjoyed. It's only about a 25min walk or Waterbus ride to St. Mark's Square. If I can be of help answering any other questions about Venice, I'll try my best. Happy Cruising!

I'm not sure if anybody plans on sailing BOTS anytime soon. But if you are and are interested in a GS, may I suggest Suite 1060. We just got off of her on Sun and loved every minute of it. Check out this fabulous balcony! By far the biggest one on the ship for the size of the cabin. Even larger than the adjacent OS balconies. It is the first balcony off of the centrum and adjacent to the elevators and stairways. For full disclosure, we did hear some music coming from the centrum at night, but that did not bother us. Happy Cruising!

The free room service is available for any suite, GS and above. We enjoyed MDR dining room service after a full a day in Athens, getting back just as ship sailed. Nice to get the upgraded meal without having to clean up and go the MDR. Also enjoyed a quick afternoon snack on the balcony one afternoon. Happy Cruising!

This is what I just did. Not an issue even when getting a drink at the same time. They just looked at your Seapass card and gave you the water. They didn't even enter it into the register or anything. If you want more than 2 at a time, just swing pass multiple bars on your way and pick them up as you go. And don't forget to get some on your way off the ship for excursions. They always had somebody near the gangway with them. Happy Cruising!

Just got off Brilliance and saw everything from t-shirts to tuxes on "Dress your Best" nights. My advice is to wear what you're comfortable in. Just an FYI, our "formal" nights were nights 3 and 6. Happy Cruising!

I had no issues with that, just having got off Brilliance this week. I swapped out veggies, changed potatoes, mixed and matched as I wanted with no issues. They are very accommodating. Happy Cruising!

This is the safest bet. But you will always be able to get a drink and a couple of cans of water per trip. I always did this to keep the fridge in the cabin stocked. And don't forget your water as your leaving the ship on port days. There was always someone at the gangway with water. Happy Cruising!

This was in fact what happened. Happy Cruising!

If anybody is considering coming in early for a cruise in Ravenna, I might suggest staying in Ravenna for the night. Ravenna is a great town with a lot of Byzantine mosaics and a lot to do in a small area. We stayed in the middle of town, which was about a 20min, 25 Euro taxi ride to the port. Happy Cruising!

We booked a one way through our TA from Venice to Ravenna, so I'm pretty sure you can do the same. I'm not sure what your plans are, but you should only book the shuttle to Tronchetto, if you plan on staying in Venice. Otherwise, you should book the shuttle directly to the airport. Happy Cruising!

Just got back Mon from Greek Isle cruise. The shuttle from Venice to Ravenna was easy as stated above. Shuttle buses picked you up from the Tronchetta transit station. This was less than a 10min walk from our hotel, the Hotel Moresco. It is a fantastic hotel near the Pizzale Roma area. All Vaporetto, or water buses make stops here so it is very convenient getting around Venice this way. If you are staying anywhere around there, I suggest hiring a luggage porter to help you with your bags, especially if they are on the big size. It was only 5 Euros a bag and well worth it. We booked the shuttle from Venice to Ravenna with our TA, but needed to book the shuttle from Ravenna to the airport in Bologna on the ship. RC would not book that ahead. TA wasn't sure why. We had issues with our flight out of Bologna, which we knew ahead of time, so we would up taking a car instead to airport. If anybody has any other specific questions I might be able to help with, feel free to send me a private message and I'll do my best to answer your questions. Happy Cruising!

Just got this as well and confirm test no longer needed! Hurray! Happy Cruising!

Aren't they all?

We got our concierge email yesterday and he indicated that MTD starts at 7:30, but on our reservation it states our reservation was at 6:30. I'm a little confused. Whatever the situation is, we'll address it when we get on board. It just seems a little odd. Happy Cruising!

Brilliance of the Seas leaves Sunday. Flying out today for 3 nights in Venice on the front end. 3.5yrs and two cancelled cruises in the making. Excited its finally here! Happy Cruising!

To your face or behind your back?

Beam me up to Izumi Hibachi, Scotty!