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Renaissance Cruises

MS R Five

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Nelson Barros Pereira
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: July 9, 2001
Itinerary: Mediterranean

Very good value for your money.

The ship is brand new; nice pools & whirlpools, spacious and well equipped fitness center, two nice shops (they sell liquor), casino, a crowded internet center, a very good library, a small and always crowded laundry on deck 7 (there are also 2 irons and 2 ironing boards), four restaurants and excellent cabins.

The dining rooms are the Club (daily menus, open seating from 6 to 9), Panorama Buffet and the specialties Italian and Grill (there is no fee for these restaurants, but you have to make reservations as soon as you arrive on the ship, as everybody wants to go to these places). The food is excellent in the restaurants and very good in the buffet, barbecue stand and Pizzeria.

I particularly liked the Italian Restaurant, but this is a matter of taste. The wine list is similar to other cruise lines, but you can buy wine ashore and drink it in the restaurants (there is a corkage fee of $10). The service is simply outstanding, performed by a sophisticated and good-looking, mainly

European crew. The maitre D's are in charge of reservations, so they are very important keys on your cruise. I was nice to them and didn't have any trouble w/ reservations (2 on grill and 7 on Italian!). Cabin service is limited but very good. On days when you have to leave the ship very early I suggest having breakfast in your cabin, as it is also very punctual, so you don't waste time!

The cabin was excellent, always clean with adequate drawers, closet and space to put our belongings, safety box, spacious and comfortable bed, nice sofa, good bathroom (cotton towels, hairdryers, lots of soap, shampoos and body lotions but no bath robe), vanity desk w/ large mirror, TV with CNN, usual ship channels and movies changing every day but there is no minibar/refrigerator. We did enjoy the balcony, with two chairs and a small table - a nice place to enjoy the Mediterranean sunset drinking some Italian wine or to have breakfast while arriving at a port of call.

Entertainment is not really the strong part of the cruise but you can go to a show or listen to a piano player every evening. There is an interesting Captain cocktail party and daily 11 AM tours of the bridge for only 20 passengers, which have to be previously booked (no cost).

Dubrovnik
Take a taxi and go to the Old City ($10 each way). Ask the driver to show you the signs of the war.

Corfu
The center and the fortress are at walking distance from the ship. Take the tram tour (hourly from the main square, next to the McDonalds stand).

Napoli
Wake up early and take a taxi at the pier (I suggest a van for six passengers), go to Pompei (round trip $120 for six passengers, or $20 each) the driver will wait for two hours (do not waist time! Plan your tour and try to see the best of the ruins). Taxi drivers in Napoli are very tricky, they will try to take you to Cameo factories and to Sorrento (do not accept, go directly to the ruins and come back to the pier in time to catch the ferry to Capri). They will also tell you that the ruins only open at nine (not true - opening hour 8.30!). Do not be late when you leave the ruins, be at the taxi meeting point exactly two hours after arriving. They will use any excuse to break the deal and charge you more. Do not return to the ship, go to Capri (1 hour by boat, departures from the same pier) and enjoy a unique place. Take the funicular and go to the Villa. It's amazing! Do not go to Anna Capri, you will not have enough time and it is not interesting.

Livorno/Firenze
First day - take a taxi at the pier, the same kind of six-passenger van costs $240 ($40 per person) for the whole day, go to Firenze and return by Pisa. Try to find the driver Claudio, he is really excellent and quite different from Napoli drivers. He made many stops and showed us everything. Second day - return to Firenze or go to Lucca either by taxi or train (train station - 10 minutes by taxi). Be sure to come back on time for the departure, always remembering the strikes when choosing the train. There is little to see at Livorno, but you can find an interesting market, a nice department store (La Standa) and a good wine cellar at the main street, just off the port.

Portofino
Take a public bus (tickets at the newspaper stand) and go firstly to Santa Marguerita Ligure (about 15 minutes) and then to Rapallo (10 minutes more), walk around in both villages. Come back and enjoy Portofino (do not miss the view from the church up the hill on the left side, go up the street just on the back of the debarkation pier).

Cannes
Go to Saint Paul de Vence by taxi ($120 for four persons or $30 each) or stay in Cannes and take both tram tours, hourly from the pier in front Majestic Hotel. Walk around the center to see nice shops and go to a Brasserie to eat something and drink some French wine.

Civitavecchia/ Rome
Trains from Civitavecchia to Rome and back every twenty minutes; the train station is at walking distance from the port and there will be a shuttle bus from the ship to the entrance of the port. It takes from one to one and a half hour to get to Rome, the train schedule is available at the ship reception. In Rome you can use the hop on/ hop off bus ("Stop-n-go" City Tours) and see everything from the Vatican to the Coliseum and the Catacombs ($15 per person, all day). The bus departs every hour from 9.30 AM to 5.30 PM and the terminal is at number 66 of Piazza Cinquecento (which is in front of Termini Railroad and Subway Stations). You can get a Stop-n-Go flyer at the Termini Railroad Station Tourist Information Center.

99% American over 40 years. I would invite them.