Life onboard
We always try to explain to our clients before booking a cruise that it is vitally important to understand that a ship is not a hotel. For example, early boarding in all destinations is a prime necessity for your enjoyable holiday - because the ship will never wait for you. Therefore, we also recommend sufficient time for arrival at the port, as you must allow for the possibility of delays during your journey to the port. Find out more about what life on a boat is like in this article.
Arrival at the port and embarkation process
If you are travelling with transport and a delegate from RIVIERA TOUR, we usually arrive at the port around 9 o'clock. After getting off the bus, there is a short personal free time and at about 10.00 a.m. the check-in procedure for the ship begins. In some ports, up to 3500 clients may board. Nevertheless, thanks to our experience we can handle the embarkation quite quickly. As a standard, we are checked in in about two to three hours. On the first day of embarkation, there is no way to get ahead of yourself, because you will be given your personal number, depending on when you arrive at the port, and then, according to this number, you will board the ship itself. At the initial check-in you will need your boarding pass and passport.
All travellers staying in the same cabin must check in together. At check-in, your documents are checked and you are issued a magnetic card, which is your ticket to the ship, your cabin key and your wallet on the ship. All payments on the ship are made using this magnetic card. Therefore, in case of loss, please contact the reception or your delegate immediately to block your magnetic card. You will always need your card when disembarking and boarding the ship. The cards cannot be replaced as your face is scanned on them for security identification when boarding the ship.
Pregnant women and persons who have electronic heart devices are required to report this medical condition upon embarkation.They must not pass through safety frames. They shall be subject to a security check after check-in. Your hand luggage and your clothing are checked. Nowadays, this procedure is really necessary. Please respect the instructions of the security staff. In your hand luggage there must be no knives (not even a fish!!!), large scissors, needles, guns... After successful security check you are already entering the ship. On entry you present a magnetic card to register your entry.
Your cabins will be ready for check-in usually after 1pm to 2pm. But how to 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 beginning of the ship and numbers around 200-250 are at the end of the ship. The boat is always divided by sides - even and odd numbers. So if you have a cabin e.g. 9015 - your cabin is on deck 9 at the bow of the ship. If you have cabin number 13190, your cabin is on deck 13 aft of the ship.
Upon entering the cabin, check the equipment and completeness of the cabin, especially the minibars. The safe is located in the wardrobe or behind the mirrored wall and is free to use. There are two bottles of water and a minibar in the cabin. Everything in the minibar, including the water bottles in the cabin, is charged to your account when consumed. There is a telephone in the cabin. Calls on the boat are free - the cabin number is the phone number. Your staterooms are generally cleaned twice a day. On the first day, contact your cabin steward to arrange the language of the daily programme. The daily programme is not in Czech.
Safety drill before departure
A safety drill always takes place before the actual departure of the ship. All clients, including children, are required to participate in the safety drill. Failure to participate in the drill is a gross violation of the conditions and the captain has the right to disembark you in such a case without any further compensation. Usually, a safety signal will be sounded before departure 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 the cabin. Next, follow the instructions of the ship's staff, who will show you the rendezvous point. Before entering the rendezvous point, everyone, always present your magnetic card to register you to participate in this exercise. Next, follow the instructions of the ship's personnel.
Baggage on boarding
On the day of embarkation, you will receive your luggage outside your cabin in the afternoon. It is common that due to the large amount of luggage, it is not delivered when the ship departs. However, you do not have to worry. If you do not receive your luggage during dinner, please contact the reception or our delegate. It is possible that the luggage tag has been defaced during handling, in which case you will need to identify your luggage. It is also possible that your luggage has not passed the security check. In this case, you will have to open the baggage and hand over the dangerous item to the security service. Please note that knives, large scissors, needles, guns, machetes and metal irons are not allowed on board! If your luggage has been damaged during handling, please claim it immediately at reception and always ask for a claim report. Without a claim report, the claim cannot be accepted.
Catering
Meals during the cruise are full board, consisting of breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, or snacks during the day and an evening buffet. Water and some soft drinks from the vending machines are available free of charge during meals. During the day, meals are not subject to any increased social rules.
The rule of thumb is that you can't be hungry on a boat. For breakfast and lunch, in addition to the buffet restaurants, you can also take advantage of the served restaurants, usually on deck 5. When you arrive, the service staff will seat you at a table and you choose from a menu. Clients who have ordered wine packages will receive them on the first evening from the restaurant manager. Please inform your waiter about ordering the packets. If it's your birthday, you can order birthday cake, chocolate covered strawberries, sparkling wine, etc. at the restaurant (this service is at an additional cost). Drinks ordered in restaurants are charged to your bill. It is recommended to participate in dinners served in the restaurants during gala dinners and Italian Day at Sea.
Dinners in the main restaurant are a social event and require appropriate dress according to the scheduled schedule. Guests who prefer to dispense with formality can take advantage of the buffet restaurants. In some specialised (ala carte) restaurants, advance booking is required and a reservation fee (approx. 20 - 25 EUR) is payable. The ship's restaurants, or parts of them, are themed and can therefore offer a wide range of cuisines: a classic buffet for every diner, light Italian cuisine, gourmet delights with the signature of French chefs de cuisine, exotically scented Asian specialities and succulent steaks from the American prairies. You'll also be taken care of if you choose to spend all or part of the day in the privacy of your cabin. Room service (extra charge) is available 24 hours.
The ship's chefs don't forget about diners with special requirements. (Please note that no shoes or outer clothing are allowed in any restaurant, i.e. no swimwear is allowed, for example). Approximate serving times: breakfast 6.30 - 10.00, lunch 12.00 - 15.30. Dinner service is divided into two sessions on most ships: 1. around 18.00 and 2. around 21.00 (times may vary from company to company or ship to ship, see 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 floors. It is usually open from early in the morning until late at night (about 2:00 am), when it is also possible to go here during the late evening for pizza or sandwiches.
Served dinner
CK RIVIERA TOUR has prepared a ticket for you in the departure instructions, translated into Czech. The dinners are held in Italian style of comfort and enjoyment of great food and wine and you must allow for a dining time of about an hour and a half. In general, it can be confirmed that the gastronomy on the ship is really of a high standard and you need to watch your slim line. During the cruise there are sometimes special presentations of Italian cuisine combined with preparation right in front of the clients. The choice is very varied on the ship and will satisfy even the most demanding diners. Moreover, if fish is welcome on your menu, you win - the local fish specialties and fish soups are really great.
For our clients we try to arrange mostly first sessions, but this is not the rule. When you purchase a cruise in the Bella category you do not have the option to choose your seating. This will be determined by the cruise company. Dinners are served in specialty restaurants, the name and time of which is listed on your magnetic card. It is necessary to observe the early arrival for dinner, as well as social etiquette. In case of late arrival you will not be admitted to the restaurant. Beverages from the vending machines are not allowed at dinner.
Food in destinations
In case you are leaving the ship for a day trip, it is not possible to prepare meals for this private trip. However, it is possible to purchase cruise company trips with lunch.
Disembarkation
Before the landing
Usually two days before disembarkation you will be invited to a Gala evening where the ship's staff will bid you a slow farewell. Bring your cameras to the restaurant and theatre, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. The last evening is already relaxed and informal. You have the opportunity to shop for gifts in the shops and or photos from the cruise, or videos of the cruise. If you have purchased alcohol in the shops on the ship, take the receipt from your purchase and pick up the alcohol on the last evening before disembarkation. Alcohol confiscated during embarkation will be returned to your cabin. Should this not be the case, please urge the matter to the front desk along with the appropriate receipt. In the evening, you will receive luggage tags for your cabin, which you will label with these tags and place your packed luggage outside your cabin by midnight, unless otherwise stated in the daily programme. During the night you will usually receive a final bill for your cabin, which you will pay in the morning. As a rule, the bill cannot be paid in the evening.
Disembarkation
In the morning you pay the bill at the reception or accouting desk, usually deck 5. We recommend you sit down, long queues are standard. After paying your bill, you will have breakfast and leave your cabin, at approx 7.00-8.00am. Please check all your personal belongings-you cannot return to the ship after disembarkation. Disembarkation follows according to the cruise company's schedule, which has a fixed meeting point and disembarkation time. Disembarkation times are variable and it is recommended to be at the disembarkation meeting point earlier than stated in the ship's program. If you have had items confiscated during embarkation for security reasons, please collect them from the security agency - usually at the exit of the ship - before disembarking the ship with proof of the confiscation of the items.
Luggage
After getting off the boat, you will arrive in a large hall where the individual sectors will be painted with colours. You will arrive at the sector with the colour of your luggage. Attention! Some colours are distinguished by numbers 1-2-3. Pick up and check your luggage. Report any damaged luggage to the responsible staff on the spot and have a damaged luggage report issued. Without this record, a claim for damaged baggage cannot be accepted. Please note that the customer may carry one main piece of luggage with a maximum weight of 25 kg on the tour. At the time of carriage, the luggage must be labelled inside the luggage and also on the outside of the luggage with basic customer identification details, including address and telephone number. Each piece of luggage must be locked with a lock. Valuables, jewellery, computers, cameras, glass bottles, guns, knives are expressly forbidden in luggage. In addition, 1 hand luggage and a laptop weighing a maximum of 12 kg may be carried on the tour. Weapons and knives, scissors must not be carried in hand luggage. In the event of damage to luggage, there is a flat-rate compensation of up to a maximum of CZK 800 for canvas and plastic luggage and a maximum of CZK 1100 for leather luggage. In the event of damage to luggage, a note must always be made when disembarking at the port. Without such a record, the claim for compensation for damaged luggage is forfeited. In the event of loss of luggage, a flat-rate compensation of a maximum of CZK 7,900 for the contents of one piece of luggage is provided. In the event of loss of luggage, a note must always be made at the port of disembarkation or by the local police. Without such a record, the claim for compensation for the damaged luggage is forfeited.
Departure from the cruise
Disembarkation is followed by departure to their homes according to the mode of transport. In the case of cruise company transfers, follow the instructions of the ship's staff who will direct you to the buses that will take you to the respective airports. Passengers with transportation and a delegate will have the bus picked up at the port. Car passengers will collect their car keys (Genoa) and check their vehicle before departure. Any damages must be dealt with immediately on the spot and a note taken of everything.