Thread: Navigating the Maze - Brilliance OS Nov 09

Lars, I will search around for your November 2, 2009 Roll Call. I am sure we will not add the overnight to this trip. I do want to visit Cairo but I have an Egyptian friend who has offered to be our guide in 2010 so we will wait. Can you leave the ship in Alexandria and re-board the following day at Port Said?

Char,

This is a great question. Lars may have the answer and I hope he posts it here. I am going to do some research and will post the answer when I find it.

Originally Posted by luckybluesman

Lars, I will search around for your November 2, 2009 Roll Call. I am sure we will not add the overnight to this trip. I do want to visit Cairo but I have an Egyptian friend who has offered to be our guide in 2010 so we will wait. Can you leave the ship in Alexandria and re-board the following day at Port Said?

Yes, you can But if you do, please notify the ship of you plans before you venture out. You could give them your tour itinerary and contact telephone number just in case. Also bring the name, address and telephone number to the port agents, just in case.

Lars, we are posting at the same time today. I have not been told anything diffrent. I am going to check my contract and will contact my agent as well. I was assuming that if I did not go shore, I would not need a visa. Seems I am wrong. I also assume I don't need to pay the 30 Euros or so if I stay on the boat. If this is wrong I will have to adjust my budget. I also assumed my Swedish passport would be all I need to go on shore in EU countries. That worked for me in Turkey, Portugal, UK, Finland and Greece for my "land vacations". I will do some serious research and will have the answer before I go. Thank you all for you contributions.

Lars, WOW this is so cool. It is like having a floating hotel. I will have to give this some thought. It may open up some new possibilities in the future. Once again thanks for your input.

Your passport should be fine for all EU contries. I am not sure about Egypt but I belive you need a visa for your stay there.
The ship can also arange one day visas for a fee but to be on the safe side I would have made sure what the requirements are.

You can call directly to the ship, Brilliance of the seas, and find out. I can give you the number but it will cost some money to call them unless you call them when the ship is in port.

Lars,

I have some requests for infomation which I emailed to a couple of companies that assist with visa stuff. The travel agents are not very helpful. You could e-mail me the number to the ship here on CLF. I can check the itinerary and give them a call when they are in port. I spoke with the Spanish consulate and they say I do not need a visa in Spain. I think the other EU countries will say the same. That takes care of Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Italy. It seems I will not need a visa in Egypt as long as we stay on the ship but I will need more information before I am sure.

Now for something completely different. For those new to cruising it is a good idea to ask your travel agent for a cruise reference number for the Royal Caribbean web-site. This will give you a summary of your account with them and also allow you to check out the detail of their land tour packages. It will also allow you to complete pre-boarding information which will probably speed up the process when boarding.

More to come.

The Telephone and fax number to the Brilliance of the Seas are:

From Europe: 00 871 331 136 113 or 120 (Fax)
00 1 732 335 3285 ext. 15 (Telephone)

This is the numbers given to me by the Guest Relations desk and its also to the Guest Relations desk onboard the ship.
It is a Miami number (??!!) so I suppose it will only work when the ship is in port.

Thanks Lars,

I give this a try when they are in port. I have to clear more snow from the driveway.

More to come.

After my review of some of the questions and comments on gratuities I think a trip to the "tips" forum posts is a good idea for anyone new to cruising. It is a hot topic. I will make a few comments about my tipping plans here.

I pre-paid my gratuities when I booked the cruise. Royal Caribbean allows pre-payment to cover your waiter, assistant waiter, and cabin steward. I think the pre-paid amount is a bargain. Check with your agent and decide for yourself.

There may be two sets of porters. I will tip them both a couple of dollars per bag at the beginning of the cruise and at the end if I see them. The maitre d' will only get a tip if I require him to provide special services like adjusting my seating time or table arrangements. The steward who delivers my breakfast, lunch, or dinner will get a couple of bucks for their service if it is good. The spa will get 15-20 % depending on service and if I book a tour with the ship a tip at the end is probably appropriate, if the service is good. That is about it for me.

More to come.