Going on first ever cruise 7 nights eastern med - Fly to Civitavechia (Rome) to join cruise then to
Messina (Sicily), Piraeus (Athens),Kussadi (Turkey),Chania (Crete), then back to Rome. Questions are 1) How much do drinks cost aboard boat? Can I get an all inclusive drink package (does this save money?). 2) Shore excursions organised, how much do these cost? or DIY? or a combination of two? 3) Any other helpful tips?, pitfalls?.
Any ideas or help gratefully received.
Beers are around $4.25 to $5 depending on brand. You can get a bucket of beer (bottles) 5 for the price of 4. Mixed drinks are anywhere from $4.50 to $7.00 depending on whether you want house or premium brands. Drink of the day is usually around $6 which comes in a souvenir glass. There is an automatic 15% gratuity added to all drinks. You can only buy a wine package, not liquor. You can buy a soft drink package which runs about $6 per day for an adult or $4 for a child. They put a stamp on your seapass card so you can then get cokes/sprites anywhere- these are fountain drinks, not cans.
Shore excursions always cost more via the cruiseline, weigh up the cost of each excursion and see if it is practical for you to DIY- join a cruise enthusiast site (cruise.co.uk or cruise critic) and you will find pages of info on each port of call , with tips for DIY. Remember to allow plenty of time to return to the ship if going DIY- if you are late back the ship will not wait for you- a factor that makes a lot of people book via the cruiseline, if you are on one of their organized excursions, they will delay sailing till you get back. If you plan on just walking around the town and having a snack,doing some shopping , then just catch the local bus/taxi and you'll be fine. If you are going a distance from the ship I would book via the cruise line for the peace of mind..
Another good source of how to/where not to go is from the staff onboard, they always know the cheapest places to go, best beaches etc. We did the W Med on Navigator from Barcelona, so I can't advise on your resorts, but the ship is fabulous. Do not miss the Parade down the Promenade late on the first night, or the Ice shows, you need tickets for the Ice show, they will announce a couple of times when you just pick them up ( no charge) and don't miss the Quest Game.
Be sure and read your Cruise Compass daily- it is a bulletin of all the day's activities, you will have a copy in your room daily and you can get more at Guest Services, take one with you so you don't miss things, there is so much to do it's hard to do it all in one week.
BTW- it's a ship, not a boat.
Shore excursions always cost more via the cruiseline, weigh up the cost of each excursion and see if it is practical for you to DIY- join a cruise enthusiast site (cruise.co.uk or cruise critic) and you will find pages of info on each port of call , with tips for DIY. Remember to allow plenty of time to return to the ship if going DIY- if you are late back the ship will not wait for you- a factor that makes a lot of people book via the cruiseline, if you are on one of their organized excursions, they will delay sailing till you get back. If you plan on just walking around the town and having a snack,doing some shopping , then just catch the local bus/taxi and you'll be fine. If you are going a distance from the ship I would book via the cruise line for the peace of mind..
Another good source of how to/where not to go is from the staff onboard, they always know the cheapest places to go, best beaches etc. We did the W Med on Navigator from Barcelona, so I can't advise on your resorts, but the ship is fabulous. Do not miss the Parade down the Promenade late on the first night, or the Ice shows, you need tickets for the Ice show, they will announce a couple of times when you just pick them up ( no charge) and don't miss the Quest Game.
Be sure and read your Cruise Compass daily- it is a bulletin of all the day's activities, you will have a copy in your room daily and you can get more at Guest Services, take one with you so you don't miss things, there is so much to do it's hard to do it all in one week.
BTW- it's a ship, not a boat.
Post a Reply
Please sign in or register an account to reply to this post.
Similar Topics