Life on board

Before booking a cruise, we always try to explain to our clients that it is vital to realise that a ship is not a hotel. For example, arriving on time at all destinations is essential for a pleasant holiday, as the ship will never wait for you. We therefore recommend allowing plenty of time to arrive at the port, as delays during your journey to the port are a possibility. You can find out more about life on board in this article.

Arrival at the port and boarding process

If you are travelling with transport and a representative from CK RIVIERA TOUR, we usually arrive at the port at around 9 a.m. After getting off the bus, there is a short break, and at around 10 a.m., the check-in procedure for the ship begins. In some ports, up to 3,500 clients may board. However, thanks to our experience, we can handle boarding relatively quickly. We are usually checked in within two to three hours. On the first day of boarding, it is not possible to jump the queue, because you will receive your personal number according to when you arrive at the port, and you will board the ship according to this number. For the initial check-in, you will need your boarding pass and passport.

All travellers staying in the same cabin must check in together. During check-in, your documents will be checked and you will be issued with magnetic cards, which are your ticket to the ship, your cabin key and your wallet on board. All payments on board are made using this magnetic card. Therefore, if you lose your card, please contact reception or your representative immediately to block your magnetic card. You will need your card every time you disembark and embark. The cards cannot be exchanged because your face is scanned on them for security identification when boarding the ship.

Pregnant women and persons with electronic heart devices are required to report this medical condition upon boarding.They are not allowed to pass through security gates. After check-in, you will pass through security. Your hand luggage and clothing will be checked. This procedure is absolutely necessary nowadays. Please follow the instructions of the security staff. Your hand luggage must not contain knives (not even fish knives!!!), large scissors, needles, weapons, etc. After passing through security, you can board the ship. Upon boarding, you will be asked to present your magnetic card to register your entry.

Your cabins will usually be ready for occupancy between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. But how do you find your cabin? By its number. Remember that the first number always indicates the deck number and the last three numbers indicate the cabin location. Low numbers are at the front of the ship and numbers around 200-250 are at the rear of the ship. The ship is always divided into sides - even and odd numbers. So if you have a cabin number such as 9015, your cabin is located on deck 9 at the bow of the ship. If you have cabin number 13190, your cabin is on deck 13 at the stern of the ship.

When entering your cabin, please check its equipment and completeness, especially the minibars. The safe is located in the wardrobe or behind the mirrored wall and is free to use. You will find two bottles of water and a minibar in your cabin. Everything in the minibar, including the bottles of water in the cabin, will be charged to your account when consumed. There is a telephone in the cabin. Calls on the ship are free of charge – the cabin number is the telephone number. Your cabins are usually cleaned twice a day. On the first day, contact your cabin steward and agree on the language in which you would like to receive the daily programme. The daily programme is not available in Czech.

Safety drill before departure

A safety drill is always conducted before the boat sets sail. All clients, including children, are required to participate in the safety drill. Failure to participate in the drill is a gross violation of the terms and conditions, and in such a case, the captain has the right to disembark you without any further compensation. Usually, before departure, a safety signal is sounded in the form of seven short and one long blast of the ship's siren. After this signal, take your life jackets, which are stored in your cabin wardrobe, take your magnetic card and leave your cabin. Then follow the instructions of the ship's crew, who will show you the meeting point. Before entering the meeting point, everyone must present their magnetic card to register their participation in this drill. Then follow the instructions of the ship's crew.

Luggage upon boarding

Your luggage will be delivered to your cabin in the afternoon on the day of embarkation. Due to the large amount of luggage, it is common for luggage not to be delivered when the ship departs. However, there is no need to worry. If you do not receive your luggage during dinner, please contact reception or our representative. It is possible that the luggage labels were damaged during handling, in which case you will need to identify your luggage. It is also possible that your luggage did not pass the security check. In this case, you will need to open your luggage and hand over any dangerous items to security. Please note that knives, large scissors, needles, weapons, machetes and metal irons are not allowed on board! If your luggage has been damaged during handling, report this immediately to reception and always request a complaint report. Complaints cannot be accepted without a complaint report.

Download: Information about luggage (pdf)

Internet, telephone and electrical connections on board

Detailed information on this topic can be found in a separate section Internet, telephone and electrical connections on board.

Catering

Meals during the cruise are full board, consisting of breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, snacks during the day and an evening buffet. Water and some soft drinks from vending machines are available free of charge during meals. During the day, there are no special social rules regarding meals.

There is a rule on the ship that you practically cannot go hungry. For breakfast and lunch, in addition to buffet restaurants, you can also take advantage of served restaurants, usually on deck 5. Upon arrival, the waiting staff will seat you at a table and you can choose from the menu. Clients who have ordered wine packages will receive them on the first evening from the restaurant manager. Please inform your waiter if you have ordered a package. If it is your birthday, you can order a birthday cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, sparkling wine and similar items in the restaurant (this service is subject to a surcharge). Drinks ordered in restaurants will be charged to your account. We recommend attending dinners in served restaurants during gala evenings and Italian days at sea.

Dinners in the main restaurant are a social event and, according to the planned schedule, require appropriate attire. Guests who prefer to forego formalities can take advantage of the buffet restaurants. Some specialised (à la carte) restaurants require advance reservations and charge a reservation fee (approx. £20–25). The restaurants on the ships, or parts thereof, are themed and therefore offer a wide range of cuisines: a classic buffet for every diner, light Italian cuisine, gourmet delights with the signature of French chefs, exotic Asian specialities and juicy steaks from the American prairies. You will also be taken care of if you decide to spend the day, or part of it, in the privacy of your cabin. Room service (for an additional fee) is available 24 hours a day.

The ship's chefs do not forget about diners with special requirements. Vegetarian meals, for example, can be provided on request. (Please note that no restaurant allows entry without shoes and outer clothing, i.e. entering a restaurant in swimwear is not permitted). Approximate meal times: breakfast 6.30am–10am, lunch 12pm–3.30pm. On most ships, dinner is served in two sittings: 1st around 6:00 p.m. and 2nd around 9:00 p.m. (times may vary depending on the company or ship and are listed in the daily cruise programme).

Buffet restaurants

Throughout the day, you can visit the buffet restaurant, which is usually located at the stern of the ship on the upper decks. It is usually open from early morning until late at night (around 2:00 a.m.), when you can go there for pizza or sandwiches even late in the evening.

Served dinners

CK RIVIERA TOUR has prepared a menu for you in the departure instructions, translated into Czech. Dinners are held in an Italian style of relaxation and enjoyment of great food and wine, and you should allow for about an hour and a half for dinner. In general, it can be said that the cuisine on board is of a very high standard, so you will need to watch your weight. During the cruise, there are sometimes special presentations of Italian cuisine combined with preparation right in front of the clients. The selection on board is very varied and will satisfy even the most demanding diners.  What's more, if fish is welcome on your menu, you're in luck - the local fish specialities and fish soups are truly excellent.

We try to secure the first seating for our clients, but this is not always possible. When purchasing a Bella category cruise, you cannot choose your seating option. This will be determined by the cruise company. Dinners are served in specialised restaurants, the names and times of which are listed on your magnetic card. It is necessary to arrive on time for dinner and observe social etiquette. If you arrive late, you will not be admitted to the restaurant. It is not possible to consume drinks from vending machines during dinner.

Food at destinations

If you are leaving the ship for a full-day excursion, it is not possible to prepare meals for your private trip. However, you can purchase excursions from the cruise company that include lunch.

Download: Catering on board (pdf)

Disembarkation

Before disembarking

Usually two days before disembarkation, you will be invited to a gala evening, where the ship's staff will bid you farewell. Take your cameras and video cameras to the restaurant and theatre, where a pleasant surprise awaits you. The last evening is relaxed and informal. You have the opportunity to buy gifts in the shops or photographs or videos from the cruise. If you have purchased alcohol in the shops on board, take your receipt with you and collect your alcohol on the last evening before disembarking. Alcohol that was confiscated during boarding will be returned to your cabin. If this does not happen, please report the matter to reception with the relevant documentation. In the evening, you will receive luggage tags for your cabin, which you will use to label your luggage and place it in front of your cabin by midnight, unless otherwise stated in the daily programme. During the night, you will usually receive your final bill in your cabin, which you will pay in the morning. As a rule, it is not possible to pay the bill in the evening.

Disembarkation

In the morning, you will settle your bill at the reception or accounting desk, usually on deck 5. We recommend getting up early, as long queues are standard. After settling your bill, you will have breakfast and leave your cabin between approximately 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. Please check all your personal belongings – you cannot return to the ship after disembarking. Disembarkation follows the shipping company's schedule, which specifies the meeting place and time of disembarkation. The time of disembarkation is variable, and we recommend arriving at the meeting place earlier than stated in the ship's schedule. If various items were confiscated from you during boarding for security reasons, please collect them from the security agency before disembarking from the ship – usually at the ship's exit – on the basis of the document confirming the confiscation of the items.

Luggage

After disembarking from the ship, you will arrive in a large hall where individual sectors will be marked with colours. Go to the sector marked with the colour of your luggage. Please note that some colours are distinguished by numbers 1-2-3. Collect and check your luggage. Report any damaged luggage on the spot to the responsible staff and have them issue a report on the damaged luggage. Without this report, claims for damaged luggage cannot be accepted. Please note that customers are allowed to bring one piece of main luggage with a maximum weight of 25 kg on the trip. During transport, luggage must be labelled inside and outside with basic identification information about the customer, including their address and telephone number. All luggage must be locked. It is expressly forbidden to transport valuable items, jewellery, computers, cameras, glass bottles, weapons or knives in luggage. In addition, customers may have 1 piece of hand luggage and a laptop with a total weight of up to 12 kg when travelling on a trip. Weapons, knives and scissors may not be transported in hand luggage. In the event of damage to luggage, a flat-rate compensation of up to CZK 800 is set for canvas and plastic luggage and up to CZK 1,100 for leather luggage. In the event of damage to luggage, a report must always be made upon disembarkation at the port. Without this report, the claim for compensation for damaged luggage expires. In the event of loss of luggage, a flat-rate compensation of up to CZK 7,900 per piece of luggage is provided. In the event of loss of luggage, a report must always be filed upon disembarkation at the port or with the local police. Without this report, the claim for compensation for damaged luggage expires.

Departure from the cruise

After disembarking, passengers will depart for their homes according to their mode of transport. If transfers are provided by the shipping company, follow the instructions of the ship's crew, who will direct you to the buses that will take you to the appropriate airports. Passengers with transport and a representative will have a bus waiting for them at the port. Passengers travelling by car will collect their car keys (Genoa) and check their vehicle before departure. Any damage must be dealt with immediately on site and a record made of everything.