so me and my fiance are looking into taking a Mediterranean cruise for our honeymoon and we have a few concerns/questions. First off, the cruise would be through Royal Caribbean. We were wondering if they cater to Americans (ie: english language) or is the language barrier going to be a problem ? Second, how about the food ? We just recently went on a cruise to Maryland to Bermuda and the food was fabulous ! alot of it was american foods with other nationality foods thrown in there to choose from, but mainly american. Would a Mediterranean cruise have mainly american foods or will they be, well, Mediterranean ? Also, we will most likely be flying into Spain to get to our ship. Now, i have never been in another country before without a tour guide. When we fly into spain, we will be on our own til we get to the ship, so my next question will be, since we don’t speak spanish (or french or italian lol) will there be people in the foreign airport to help us out ? I know that these seem a little "out there" because im sure the answer is obvious, but any feedback would be great !!! thanks 
Mediterranean Cruise ….?
Apr 17th, 2010
by admin.
Posted in: Cruises.
Tagged: alot · american foods · bermuda · english language · fiance · fly · honeymoon · language barrier · lol · mediterranean cruise · nationality · quot · royal caribbean · Spain
I have done three Mediterranean cruises, two of which were on Royal Caribbean. I was just there this past November on the RC’s Brilliance of the Seas, so my information is current. I flew into Barcelona for each of the three cruises.
First thing is you need to do is plan on buying some Euro currency before you leave the US because when you get to Barcelona you will need Euros to pay for your taxi from the airport to the ship or hotel. In addition, you will need and be able to use the Euros in every country you visit. Spain, Purtugal, France, Italy, Greece, and Malta use the Euro as their currency BUT even in places like Turkey and/or Egypt, or Morocco they will accept the Euro at the markets. Your taxi fare from the Barcelona airport to the cruise port will be about $30 Euros; takes about 30 minutes depending on traffic. One option is to buy transfers (bus transportation between the airport and ship) from Royal C. However it will be more expensive as they charge per person. If you buy transfers RC personnel will meet you at baggage claim and take you to the bus and then the ship.
Second, consider flying into Barcelona a day early and staying in a hotel; that’s what I did on all three trips. I used this web site which shows the price in Euros and US Dollars: http://www.booking.com/hotels/city/es/barcelona.html?aid=301020;label=es|barcelona|barcelona-spain-hotel| That reduces the chances of you missing the cruise ship because of a flight delay or cancellation, or if you miss a flight. And trip insurance is also recommended so that if anything happens in the way of delays or missed flights you can get reimbursed. You can buy insurance through RC or through an independent insurer. Check this web site: http://www1.insuremytrip.com/p/myquotecalc?pid=1000&spid=0&linkid=13521&rid=43&DM=05&DD=01&DY=2006&RM=05&RD=20&RY=2006&agentcommission=&agentcommissioncalc=&predestination=8&triptype=Cruise&AGET1=62&AGET2=60&AGET3=&AGET4=&AGET5=&AGET6=&AGET7=&AGET8=&AGET9=&AGET10=&VIEWAGET1=62&VIEWAGET2=60&VIEWAGET3=&VIEWAGET4=&VIEWAGET5=&VIEWAGET6=&VIEWAGET7=&VIEWAGET8=&VIEWAGET9=&VIEWAGET10=&usedob=&T1DOBMONTH=&T1DOBDAY=&T1DOBYEAR=&T2DOBMONTH=&T2DOBDAY=&T2DOBYEAR=&T3DOBMONTH=&T3DOBDAY=&T3DOBYEAR=&T4DOBMONTH=&T4DOBDAY=&T4DOBYEAR=&T5DOBMONTH=&T5DOBDAY=&T5DOBYEAR=&T6DOBMONTH=&T6DOBDAY=&T6DOBYEAR=&T7DOBMONTH=&T7DOBDAY=&T7DOBYEAR=&T8DOBMONTH=&T8DOBDAY=&T8DOBYEAR=&T9DOBMONTH=&T9DOBDAY=&T9DOBYEAR=&T10DOBMONTH=&T10DOBDAY=&T10DOBYEAR=&TCI=3500&TCIT=7000&BI=&TAI=50000&Residence=NC&Feature=&product=&x=25&y=17&o=200601196027342&pid=1000&linkid=13521&rid=43&Run=QuickQuote&compare=false&printerfriendly=&printplan=. I always use Travelex: http://www.travelex.com/us/personal/travelinsurance.asp?content=tie
Third, yes the people in the airport and on ship speak English. Signs in the airport pointing you to customs and immigration, baggage claim, and taxis will be in English as well as Spanish. However, the taxi driver you get may not speak any English; had that experience several times. So what I suggest is print out on a 3/5 card or sheet of paper the exact address of where you want to go, the cruise port, a hotel, an attraction. This has worked for me on all of my trips. On the cruise ship you will have no problem with language as all announcements will be in English followed by 2 or 3 other languages. The daily newsletter will be in English as will all of the maps and other information. Announcements for tours and all other things will be in English, followed by other languages. The language of the ship is English so the crew and wait staff and everyone else serving you will speak English.
Fourth, the food and menus on ship will be American fare; the menu will probably be very similar to what you had on the cruise to Bermuda. There will probably be days when they offer Mediterranean dishes on the menu. One of the great thing about RC is that every day they have alternative options on the menu that are usually fish, chicken, and steak, a Caesar salad, and you can always order a baked potato or even a plain garden salad. Food and communication will not be an issue.
Finally, most passengers will be American but there will be significant numbers from other countries, like Spain, France, England, Germany, etc. That’s why they will have multiple announcements. On one Med cruise there was a crew person who gave announcements who spoke 8 languages.
Royal Caribbean is a great line and it is very much an English speaking line, or at least as much as any of them are since the staff comes from all over the world, but English is the main language used. They have great food and that doesn’t change because of where they are sailing.
Of course there will be English speaking people in the airports, but the easier option is to get transfers from the ship. Then there will be someone(English speaking) with a sign for you to be able to find them and they will take you to the ship and you will be brought back at the end.
I am a cruise specialist and would love to help you book this as it sounds like you are quite nervous about this and could use someone always available to answer your questions and who knows the answers and is not just giving their opinion. No fees involved in using an agent. Feel free to contact me at my web site below or call 1-800-892-8694