Advise on Footwear / Wine packages
 

Hello out there to everyone,

The wife and I, will be taking our first cruise around the Med in September to celebrite our 50th Birthday's.

We will obviously have a lot of sight seeing to do, so I was wondering what footwear would be recommended for us, to help our aching bones.

I also see RC have a choice of wine packages available - are these good value for money and which one would be recommended. We aren't big drinkers but a glass with our meal and a glass in our cabin enjoying the panaromic view would be nice.

Thanks.

You want to wear shoes that have been broken in, not a brand new pair. Tennis shoes or good walking shoes with cushion and support. In the Mediterranean there are lots of cobblestone streets and uneven payments.

Never bought the wine packages. Compare to average prices of $6/$7/$8 a glass. If celebrating your milestone birthdays on your balcony with a glass of wine creates memories that last forever, then it's worth the price right there.

Welcome to Cruise Reviews.

Hi MarkandPam, welcome to CruiseReviews! Congratulations on your upcoming cruise, what a fantastic way to celebrate your birthdays! The wine packages usually are a decent deal. I won't say they're going to save you a ton of money, but in the long run, it will work out about $1-2 a glass less expensive. The drink packages, not so much. With the wine packages, you do not have to drink the entire bottle at one sitting. Whatever is left over, they will re-cork and serve the following evening.

Cruise Fanatic is totally on point, don't bring new shoes to walk around ports:) Your feet will thank you for that!

Just a warning, cruising is addictive. We hope to see you back on the board, time and time again, telling us where you next cruises are heading.

Best wishes!

Hi I just wanted to say that the wine package is great if you like drinking wine. If you rather just buy one bottle you can. The prices are similar to any resturant. We bought one bottle last time we sailed and we had it for dinner one night then they corked it and brought it back out for the second night. The wine cost us $22/bottle. Have a great time!! We are sailing Oct. 1/11...and celebrating our 30th anniversary and my husband's 52 birthday...we will be buy a bottle of wine. ....amm

Hi MarkandPam, and welcome to cruise-chat. Like others stated, wear shoes that have already been broken in. I haven't done a Mediterranean cruise, but it sounds exciting and fun!

As far as the wine packages, it depends on how much you think you'll drink. I haven't bought any, as I was just by myself on the cruises I've went on, and tried various wines each night at dinner. I didn't want to buy a bottle, and limit myself to just that type of wine each night. Yes, it is cheaper maybe than buying a glass or two each night at dinner, but if you're like me, I wanted to try different wines each night, and not limit myself to just the bottle I bought if I did it that way. Personally, I like just about any type of red wine, but not so much white wine.

Maybe someone else can shed some light on this, but I'm not sure if they'll let you take the bottle of wine back to your cabin after dinner. I know if you purchase wine at a port of call (on shore), you have to let them know, and they will store it for you, and it will be returned to you on the last night of the cruise.

First, happy birthday to you and your wife!

I agree completely with Cruise Fanatic, having done a Med cruise last year. I do a lot of walking at home (3-5 miles per weekday), and my feet were yelling at me after our walking tour of Rome. My mistake was wearing a relatively new pair of walking shoes. While they were eventually comfortable, I purchased them too close to my cruise departure date -- a week was not enough time to break them in, in my case. Cushioning and support are definitely essential.

McPayne, you need to try the wine tasting on board sometime. I usually do it at least once a cruise. I like the martini tasting, too. I, too, like to experiment with different wines. I have bought a bottle or two for dinner, though.

Penny, thanks for the suggestion. I may try the wine package one day. I was thinking about cruising this weekend. The reason being, we drove down to DC for a baseball game yesterday, and when we were passing Baltimore, saw the Enchantment of the Seas in port (I assume for embarkation). Similarly, today, driving back, we saw the Carnival Pride in port in Baltimore.

I'm thinking my next cruise may be an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Not sure which line. Now that I mentioned Carnival, I actually was thinking about giving them a try, to see how it compares to Royal Caribbean, but from what I've heard, Royal Caribbean is supposed to be near the top in cruises. I realize and respect that everyone has their own opinions. On my last cruise, a couple I was lying next to on the beach in Cozumel stated that now having been on an RCI cruise, they wouldn't go on Carnival again unless it was a newer ship.