Odyssey of the Seas 8 night Med cruise: Misc questions

[SunnyDays]

Hi!  We are booked on the 8 might Mediterranean Cruise round trip from Rome in a couple months.  I have a few random questions:

1. If you buy no drinks package.. what drinks are free? Tap water and anything else?  The tap water is obviously ok to drink then, yes? 
2. We are a family of 4 people.  I can buy myself Wiwi surfing package for $19/day, but an add up to 4 devices.  What seems cheaper than getting 1 device for each of the 4 people.  What's up with that?  If you buy multiple device under 1 person, can I share that with my family?  Can they all be logged in to the Wifi at the same time? 
3. Our larger party is 14 people of extended party.  What is the best way to get from FCO airport in Rome to the cruise terminal - any suggestions for a reputable transport company and what is the expected price?   I think RC offers this at $140pp one way which is very pricey so trying to do better than that, but still have something reliable.
4. We are doing the Flexible "My Time" dining.  Will there be formal nights?  How formal is formal?  I will have a 13 and 15 year old boys with me, they only dress up to a certain level!  Do men really wear a Tux and ladies a formal dress?  
5. Is there a room key or is that all digital on the phone now?  If there is a room key, do people wear it in a lanyard? 

Thank you!

[KristiZ]

4 hours ago, SunnyDays said:

Hi!  We are booked on the 8 might Mediterranean Cruise round trip from Rome in a couple months.  I have a few random questions:

1. If you buy no drinks package.. what drinks are free? Tap water and anything else?  The tap water is obviously ok to drink then, yes? 
2. We are a family of 4 people.  I can buy myself Wiwi surfing package for $19/day, but an add up to 4 devices.  What seems cheaper than getting 1 device for each of the 4 people.  What's up with that?  If you buy multiple device under 1 person, can I share that with my family?  Can they all be logged in to the Wifi at the same time? 
3. Our larger party is 14 people of extended party.  What is the best way to get from FCO airport in Rome to the cruise terminal - any suggestions for a reputable transport company and what is the expected price?   I think RC offers this at $140pp one way which is very pricey so trying to do better than that, but still have something reliable.
4. We are doing the Flexible "My Time" dining.  Will there be formal nights?  How formal is formal?  I will have a 13 and 15 year old boys with me, they only dress up to a certain level!  Do men really wear a Tux and ladies a formal dress?  
5. Is there a room key or is that all digital on the phone now?  If there is a room key, do people wear it in a lanyard? 

Thank you!

Welcome to the boards!

1. Free drinks are water, tea (hot and cold), coffee, lemonade, apple juice, milk, and sometimes other fruit-punch-type drinks. Yes, the tap water is good .

2. Yes, the multi-device plans get you a small (or sometimes not so small) discount. You can tell anyone you want what the login is. If you buy a 4-device plan, then 4 devices belonging to anyone can be logged in at once. If you want to switch people or devices, you just log out of one and into another. Note that a 5th device trying to log in may have the option of disconnecting one of the currently logged in devices, and you will not have a choice of which one -- just something to be aware of.

3. We took the train in Rome, so that might be something to consider. Others will probably have transfer suggestions.

4. Dress suggestions for the various nights are just that, suggestions. While you may see more people dressed up on a Med cruise than a Caribbean one, you will certainly see a full range of clothing options. If you can get your boys to wear a collared shirt they will certainly not be the worst dressed!

5. You will have a room key (your SeaPass card). I use my pocket or cell phone case, lots of people use lanyards. Do a search of the boards and you'll get many suggestions!

[Jenn Pritchard]

2 hours ago, KristiZ said:

Welcome to the boards!

1. Free drinks are water, tea (hot and cold), coffee, lemonade, apple juice, milk, and sometimes other fruit-punch-type drinks. Yes, the tap water is good .

2. Yes, the multi-device plans get you a small (or sometimes not so small) discount. You can tell anyone you want what the login is. If you buy a 4-device plan, then 4 devices belonging to anyone can be logged in at once. If you want to switch people or devices, you just log out of one and into another. Note that a 5th device trying to log in may have the option of disconnecting one of the currently logged in devices, and you will not have a choice of which one -- just something to be aware of.

3. We took the train in Rome, so that might be something to consider. Others will probably have transfer suggestions.

4. Dress suggestions for the various nights are just that, suggestions. While you may see more people dressed up on a Med cruise than a Caribbean one, you will certainly see a full range of clothing options. If you can get your boys to wear a collared shirt they will certainly not be the worst dressed!

5. You will have a room key (your SeaPass card). I use my pocket or cell phone case, lots of people use lanyards. Do a search of the boards and you'll get many suggestions!

Hey KristiZ!

How was your experience with the train in Rome? We are there for a day and looking to go from the cruise port into the city. Would just love your thoughts
Jenn

[Jill]

@SunnyDays in regards to the Wi-Fi, this is a port intensive cruise and you’ll likely be off the ship most of the day. If it’s to keep the kids happy while onboard, get the 2 device package. If you need to hop on, you can boot one of them off. If all 4 of you are heavy users of the internet, then the 4 devices would be best but it’s so much more. 
 

We are using Daniele Your Driver in Rome for all of our transfers. He has wonderful reviews. You can find him on Facebook. If he can’t accommodate your group, he will be able to recommend someone I’m sure. 

[MichelleB]

We booked private transfers through Civitavecchia Shuttle Express. It will be much more convenient to have door to door transportation and the price was reasonable. We have not used them before, but they have good reviews and the communication through the booking process has been great. 

From what I've read the train is a good and economical transportation option. We decided against it because the train station in Civitavecchia requires a decently long walk with luggage plus a bus ride into port or a cab from the train station to the ship. We also preferred to stay near the Pantheon in Rome which is not convenient for train/metro access. I figured that the private transfers didn't end up being that much more expensive for our group and it will make our travel days much easier. 

[KristiZ]

12 hours ago, Jenn Pritchard said:

Hey KristiZ!

How was your experience with the train in Rome? We are there for a day and looking to go from the cruise port into the city. Would just love your thoughts
Jenn

The train was super easy and not very expensive (maybe $15 per person?). However, if you're stopping in Rome just for a port stop, I'd recommend just using the Royal transportation excursion. That way you're more assured of returning to the ship on time. The city is actually quite a ways from the port, so the train takes more than an hour one way.