Reluctant to cruise again and if I ever do it will not be through RC. Port times were not always the greatest, internet was trash inside the rooms, ship dampening could be improved for better sleep comfort, and it is not necessarily the fault of RC but the customers that RC attracts can be rude and unruly and underaged guests are not necessarily supervised or reprimanded for disturbing the peace. Overall, the experience on the ship was generally not relaxing - at worse it was upsetting and stressful, at best relieving and only because we had a private balcony to retreat to.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Simple, no carry on bag check, felt a bit unorganized
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room was basically what was in the buffet but plated nicely and with a long food prep wait time. Food overall good most days. Breakfast was basically the same everyday. Cafe on the Promenade was great for late night tea, snack/dessert and pizza.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Rock climbing and jacuzzi were nice, liked that the fitness center had a sauna and steam room. Some of the jacuzzis looked a bit grimy.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Some of the stage shows were cringe. The musicians were good.
Children's Programs
Attended the parade and realized it was for kids and not entertaining personally.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward came at different hours and walked in once while we were getting ready and then started knocking after. Didn't initially receive the magnet to note we were still sleeping. Waiters and other personnel were generally pleasant.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Not the best signage for how to view the ships bow/helipad (through the right door in the art gallery room or up the stairs on the muster point deck) or looking into the control room (same deck as the gym). Common areas were generally clean and well-maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Apparently our room could have up to 3 guests. Felt good enough for the 2 of us. Recommended for room size and type. Did not get good sleep as bed shook from the ship.
Ship tip
If you must cruise on this ship, get a balcony room. Don't get a room overlooking the promenade because they play loud music until midnight and many guests don't open their windows because rooms directly across can see clearly into your room.
Flew in the morning into Venice and got a transfer to the ship through RC, recommended to explore Venice - public transportation (ACTV) was easy to navigate.
Nothing against Kotor but between terrible organization of the tendering situation which left us with maybe 2 hours while accounting for time getting back on the ship and some rude restaurant workers that clearly ignored us, it was just not the greatest time. We walked away from that restaurant and found another that was much more pleasant with good food but with a bitter taste from the earlier experience.
Did an excursion and the personal highlight was the food tasting and visiting a desserts factory and bought most of our gifts and souvenirs this day. Felt good because it was a productive gift-buying day, we had some authentic food and also because the disembarking area was a long walk from the port town.
Signed for a hop on - hop off bus immediately after disembarking, preplanned this day and already had tickets for the Acropolis Museum and a bundle pass for Athens historical sites to skip the ticket line. Only had time to see the Temple of Zeus, eat, see the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis area but it was more than enough to make it the best day. Pleasantly surprised with minimal wait times.
Spent less time than expected at this port. Needed to get a tender boat this day and was one of the first ones to arrive. Many businesses weren't open yet because we got there around 7 and not many other tourists aside from those on our cruise which made it the best time to see the sites which were reasonably walkable. Good walking shoes recommended. Most restaurants don't start lunch until 2 but thankfully we found a place where they serve the best gyros we've ever had near the windmills. Overall, glad I didn't book an excursion because it was all walkable. We spent around 4 hours in the town near the port and by 11, it was crowded and uncomfortable with small cars driving through the walking streets which is not great. The windmills were smaller than I expected and the blue and white buildings look prettier in pictures. Just get good food!
Did an excursion to see a monastery and the lake and wish we did another excursion that ended earlier. Information felt like a regurgitation from Corfu but with no time to get food since we spent an hour waiting for the lake and could only briefly stop in a port town on the other side of the island. Felt like there was no point that we had to stop when we lost so much time waiting that it would've been better to just skip it so we don't add unnecessary travel time and could at least have some extra time near the cruise port to get food. If I could redo it, I would still do an excursion but stayed with my initial decision to do the Natural Wonders tour because the lake was beautiful but instead of going around the whole island, the natural wonders would be more of a straight line since all the natural sites are in the same area.
Thank you for sharing your cruise experience. Sorry it didn’t meet all your expectations. Cruising is not for everyone but don’t let one cruise/cruise line turn you off to cruising. There are many options of ships and cruise lines. Research will help you find a cruise line/ship that matches your expectations. A good travel agent may be able to be help as well.
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