Renaissance R2 Iberian Peninsula Cruise June 3rd to June 16th, 2000
Reviewed by:Mike Mastellar
email: Mmastell@aol.com

Prologue:

In February of this year my wife and I took our first cruise on Celebrity’s Mercury to the Western Caribbean. After returning we were suffering cruise withdrawal so we booked this cruise one week after returning.

In preparation for our first cruise and after booking I learned a lot about pricing, categories, itinerary’s and the different cruise lines. Our first cruise was booked with a Travel Agent and we got a fair price but mediocre service. This cruise was purchased off of the Egghead cruise auction site at a very good price and the service I received from the Renaissance agents was very good. All of my questions were answered honestly, quickly and completely.

There have been a number of negative comments about Ren on the cruise message boards and news groups. I will just say that from my experience before, during and after my cruise that these comments are mostly negative propaganda generated by individuals that have their own interests in making Ren look bad. The majority of severely negative comments seem to come from people who have never taken a Ren cruise. Ren is by no means perfect but they deliver a quality product at a reasonable price. The only other product I have personal knowledge of is Celebrity. I believe that overall Ren is in the same league.

Pre Cruise:

We were scheduled to leave from JFK on Monday, June 5th 2000. Because of this we decided to fly into New York on Saturday the 3rd and experience Manhattan. We had a great time. We booked a room at the Park Central Hotel. It is a good hotel in a great location. It is two blocks from Central Park and just a block from the Ed Sullivan theatre and less than ten blocks from Times Square. My last visit to Manhattan was in ‘92 and this part of the city has changed greatly for the better. It is much cleaner, less seedy businesses and a greater police presence. My wife and I were in the Times Square area at midnight on a Saturday and did not feel the least bit worried. One thing though, Manhattan is expensive. Be prepared to spend quite a bit on food. You can expect a per-diem of $50 per person if you eat conservatively. It will be more if you want to be a bit more extravagant.

We spent Sunday doing the tourist thing. We awoke early and hopped on the subway to Battery Park and purchased tickets on the Circle Line tour to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We enjoyed the Statue of Liberty. It is interesting to stand next to one of the most prominent symbols of the United States and realize what this symbol has meant to millions of people.

Ellis Island is not to be missed. We were only able to spend about 2 hours there but wished we could have had more time. All of us, except for Native Americans, are immigrant’s and I enjoyed seeing where many of our ancestors first stepped foot on American soil.

After leaving Ellis Island we took the subway back to the hotel for a change of clothes and went to “Moon for the Misbegotten”. This is a play by Eugene O’Neil. It starred Gabriel Byrne and was done quite well but my wife thought it was a little too depressing. I think she secretly wanted to see the singing kitties.

On Monday we went out and had breakfast and then checked out of our hotel. We had the bellman store our bags and once again we boarded the subway to the World Trade Center. We did the tourist thing again and went up to the observation deck to view Manhattan from it’s highest vantage point. After that we rode the subway to mid town and went to the Empire State Building. After that we had a late lunch and went back to the Park Central to get our bags and catch a taxi to JFK.

The cab ride to JFK was an adventure. Due to the time, 3:30 p.m. , I negotiated a flat rate of $35 for the trip to JFK. The traffic was very heavy. Our driver knew that unless he got back on the meter soon he would be losing money. He used every inch of the roadway, curb, sidewalk etc. to get around the traffic. I got a little nervous when he went off the road and onto the sidewalk to get around a parked car. But we made it to the airport in about 40 minutes. I knew that World Airways was in terminal 4 but I did not know if it was 4 East or 4 West. The driver was nice enough to go to both until we found it.

Leaving for Lisbon:

When we entered the terminal at 4:30 we saw that there were about 30 people already in line for check in. Check in was scheduled to begin at 5:30. This was delayed for about 15 minutes due to a problem with their computers. Once this was corrected check in went smoothly. We were lucky enough to get an exit row. This made the trip over and back much more comfortable.

I will note that having to check in 6 hours before a flight in order to get a decent seat is not good. Ren needs to work out something with World Airways to have advanced seating assignments. This arrangement leaves you with little or nothing to do for almost six hours. Ren also advocates that you arrive a day early. You are told this long before you find out that the flight leaves at 11:30 p.m. If you do not want to spend a day in New York or if weather is not a major concern, I would book a flight the same day.

We boarded the plane at about 11:15 and took off for Lisbon about 30 minutes late. This was mostly due to people taking longer than normal to board. Editorial Comment: Why do people feel they have to be the first on the airplane? Planes are boarded from rear forward. This makes the boarding much quicker. But some people who may be in row 10 have to be the first on the plane with their multiple carry-on’s and take all the time they want to get situated while 100 other people are backed up in the jet way. I really wish that airlines would check the seat number of people who are boarding and if they are not in the rows being boarded then they get out of line and wait until their row is called. I have seen this done on many scheduled airlines but charters rarely do this.

The flight to Lisbon was a good one. The plane, flight attendants and the food were all good. Liquor and drinks were complimentary in economy, which was a nice touch.

Lisbon:

We arrived on time in Lisbon. Customs was a breeze and only took about 5 minutes. Our luggage arrived within 10 minutes and we proceeded out of the baggage area and followed the directions of the Ren rep’s and handed our bags over to the baggage handlers and boarded the bus to our hotel. We were booked in the Sheraton Lisboa. Passports were collected on the bus by the Ren rep. I had color photo copies of ours and gave these to the rep instead of the passport. They actually prefer this. The rooms were ready when we arrived.

I had done a lot research before the cruise and decided that we would not do any Ren tours except for Alhambra. Ren did have a highlight’s of Lisbon tour but instead we started walking the streets around the hotel. I really liked the location of the Sheraton. It is not in the “heart” of Lisbon but it is in a commercial district with many local people and businesses. I enjoy being around local people, it seems that you find the best restaurants and interesting places by speaking with them rather than what you hear from tour guides or some tour books. I was fortunate that my wife is from Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese. Even though Brazilian Portuguese and Portugal’s Portuguese is a little different she still did quite well.

We found a nice Pasteleria near the hotel that was good for breakfast and quick snack. We also found a small restaurant a couple of block further that had very good dinners. I really enjoyed Bacalhau.

On our second day in Lisbon we had booked with Van Travel for a private tour. At about 4:30 in the afternoon on the day before we received a call in the hotel from Fernando Mendez. He would be our driver/tour guide the next day. He confirmed that we would meet him at the concierge desk at 09:00. The next morning at 09:00 we went to the concierge desk and standing next to it was a man in a nice suit. We first thought he was the concierge but soon found out this was Fernando. We proceouto his car to begin our tour. Fernando’s car was a new Mercedes 320 that was very comfortable. We proceeded from the hotel to Sintra. We saw the palaces, the ruins of the Moor castle and the beautifully restored castle near it. I will not go into detail about the tour but we went to Caiscais, Estoril, the harbor etc. The tour was eight hours tour but it seemed like four. I highly recommend Fernando.

That evening we ate dinner at the same restaurant as the night before. I had a version of Bacalhau that was not as good as the previous night. It was baked cod and was just too salty for my taste.

The Cruise:

The next day we had our luggage outside our room at 08:00 for pickup. We were scheduled to leave for the ship at 14:00. This meant that if you did not take the Ren tour you were on your own until that time. We asked the Ren rep for the location of the R2 and proceeded out at 10:00 on our own to tour the heart of Lisbon. We had a wonderful time looking through the shops and stopping for a beer or a quick bite.
We arrived at the R2 around 13:00. We did have to wait until two before we could check in. Once check in started we were in our cabin in less than 15 minutes.

We had a Cat D cabin, 6069. The size of the cabin was good. Enough room for both of us and plenty of storage space for our clothes. The bathroom was small but adequate for one person at a time. The shower was small but not awkward. I am 6’2” and 240 lbs. The furnishings were nice and the love seat was larger and more comfortable than the one in our suite on Mercury. The balcony was large enough for two people but not huge by any means. Approximately 3’ x 8’. It was nice to sit out there and see us dock and watch the sea at night. One thing that is true is that Ren’s bed’s are hard. I did not find this uncomfortable but I know many would. You can ask the cabin stewardess for a pad if the bed is too hard for you.

The cabin stewardess Jennifer never introduced herself to us but performed her job well. The cabin was always clean and neat.

The Cabaret lounge is a nice size and is used for Bingo, lectures and the shows. The Sports bar is nice sized with a good front view.

The Casino is very small. 15 or 20 slot machines. 3 blackjack tables, 1 Caribbean Stud poker table. 1 Roulette/Crap table. The casino may have been small but the personnel were very friendly. My wife and I did quite well there. I did very well playing blackjack. Even if I got confused once and said split to a pair of fives instead of double down. I was the subject of some good natured kidding after that. But all in all the casino paid for half of our cruise.

There are four restaurants on the R2. The Club (main dining room). The Grill (Steakhouse) The Italian Restaurant (Name says it all) and the Panorama Buffet. The first night we made reservations in the Grill and had a nice dinner but nothing extraordinary. We ate almost all other meals in the Club. I was very impressed with the Club. The waiters and waitresses, except for one, were very good. The food ranged from good to excellent. The negatives were: The pancakes at breakfast were horrible. Cold hard and basically inedible. The meats and fish were very good. The tournedos of beef were better than the Filet I had in the Grill. Desserts were very good but the selection was limited. The Panorama Buffet was a different story. The breakfasts were bad, very bad. Runny eggs, almost all food slightly warm or room temperature. We ate breakfast at the buffet only once. Lunch was not much better. The fish was overcooked and dry. Beef was the same. The bread on the sandwiches was dried and seemed old. The desserts seemed like leftover from the night before. Not a venue I would recommend.
We did not eat in the Italian Restaurant. We had heard three separate negatives about it and decided to skip it. One incident stands out about the Buffet. At the dessert station a waitress was serving desserts. When I asked for a piece of chocolate cake it fell off of her serving spatula and fell in the ice below. She then proceeded to pick it up and put it on my plate. I asked her to remove that piece and give me another. She complied but did not look happy about it. A few minutes later my wife went up to get dessert. After she had been given her piece of cheesecake my wife pointed out that there was a fly on the cheesecake. The same waitress proceeded to swat the fly with the spatula. This was the one incident and individual that I complained about.

One area of the ship that was very underused was the Spa deck. This is an area outside the exercise area and spa and it holds the Thalasotherapy pool. You do have to pay extra to use this facility. We really enjoyed the Thalaso on Mercury so we paid the $50 extra per person and enjoyed it for the cruise. Only once was someone else in the pool or on the Spa Deck. The rest of the time it was our private area for relaxation. We used it every day at least once. It was worth the $50.

We also played team trivia on three nights of the cruise. We won the first night and got a couple of wooden nickels and we also won on the last night and received a bottle of Champagne. We redeemed our wooden nickels at the end of the cruise for our fabulous prizes: Two Ren luggage tags. 

The ports were fun. We did all of them on our own. The only exception was that we took the Ren tour to Alhambra. Alhambra is not to be missed. It is one of the most beautiful and interesting sites I have ever visited. It is crowded however. The negatives to the tour are the bus ride, the bus tour guide (boring) and the stops at the roadside service’s area going and coming. There was also a lunch at a restaurant with music and a show. I would have gladly bypassed this for more time at Alhambra.

In Gibraltar we walked into the down town area and negotiated a tour. Do not take the ships tour or the tours that are offered at the pier. They are all overpriced and the cab drivers and tour vendors will tell you that the cable car is not operating. This is not true. Only in very high wind situations do the cable cars shut down. If you want to do the cable car to the top, go for it. If you do book a tour make sure it includes the caves, the Ape’s, and moor castle. Also make sure it includes the price of admission to the caves. It should not run more than $30 per person for a 2 hour tour.

In Cadiz we just wandered, shopped and enjoyed the city. Be careful of the cab drivers. Make sure you agree on the fare before you get in. Also, watch closely when they give you change. I had one cab driver try to give me 300 peseta change for a 700 peseta cab ride. I paid him with a 2000 peseta note. I was not with my wife and my Spanish is poor but when I told him I gave him 2000 he thumbed through a wad of bills and showed me a 1000 p note and said that was what I gave him. I reached over took the 1000 p. note out of his hand got out of the cab and walked to the gangway.

Barcelona:

Barcelona was very enjoyable. We did the Turista Bus for all of our sightseeing. This is the best way to go to see Barcelona. For 2000 pesetas a day you can ride the bus and get off and on as much as you like. There is a Red bus that takes the northern route and the blue bus that takes the southern route. We were at the Barcelo Sants and the blue bus stops right at the station under the hotel. You can transfer to the red bus in various locations for no charge.

We were very impressed with the Gothic district and the Gaudi architecture. My wife especially liked the Sacred Familia cathedral.

As I said we stayed at the Barcelo Sants Hotel. The Sants is not close to many of sites of Barcelona but with the Turista bus everything is easily accessible. As in Lisbon it was nice to be in an area that was more local than tourist. The Sants sits atop the Estacio Sants train s. This getting around very easy. The room was nice with a comfortable bed and pillows and it was large room.

There has been a lot of discussion about pickpockets. Ren and the tour guides do warn you about them. Especially the ploy of having children try to sell you a flower or spill something on you and try to clean it off. We had no problem with this or witnessed any incidents. We did take precautions by using travel wallets and only carrying one credit card, an ATM card, and just enough cash that would not be really missed, if it was stolen.

Another word of warning: When you are in the hotels, lock up you valuables in the room safe. Friends we met had $80 dollars and a travel wallet stolen out of their suitcase, in their room, at the Sants in Barcelona.

Leaving Barcelona:

We had to have our luggage ready for pickup by 09:00. Because of government regulations you have to give your luggage to the person who picks it up instead of leaving it outside your door. They then take it and load it on the bus that will go to the airport 5 hours later. You must travel on the same bus as your luggage. You are assigned a color code that lets you know what bus you will be on.
This is just going through the motions to satisfy the regulations. Once you hand off the bag to the person you have no idea where it is until you get to the airport six hours later. I really think they should just have you bring your luggage down to the bus and load it before you go to the airport.

The flight back from Barcelona was uneventful other than the obnoxious 18 year old seated next to us who enjoyed making smart remarks about overweight people. (He was 5’ 9” and 275 lbs. Himself) He also whined that there was no one his age he could relate to. I don’t think there was anyone of any age he would relate to. His grandparents had brought him along as a graduation present.

Once we arrived back on American soil we made it through customs with no problem and proceeded into the confusion of JFK. We waited about 30 minutes for the airport shuttle. Not a pleasant wait.
We checked in to the Sheraton JFK. It was a nice hotel. Small room but it had the most comfortable bed I have slept in a long time. Including my own. It was very soft without being mushy. We stayed over night, had breakfast the next morning and then proceeded over to Laguardia for our return to Minneapolis. We made it home unscathed and not too tired.

Final Impressions:

Ren has a very good product and I would recommend it to anyone. The people on the cruise seem to be made up of mostly retired, experienced travelers who look for value without sacrificing comfort. Ren more than delivers this.

I am glad to hear that Ren is discontinuing the pre and post hotel stays and giving more time in the ports and on the ship. If I would take each segment of our trip I would rate each as being very good. But combining the segments together detracted from the overall experience. This is an example of where the whole is less than the sum of its’ parts. One of the main things I like about a cruise is the convenience of only having to unpack and pack once. With the multiple pre and post hotel stays it seemed like you were having to pack and unpack and repack constantly.

Food:

Overall good but it was not as good as Mercury. One other thing that I did not like was the lack of food service after 10:00 p.m.. If you wanted something to eat your only choice was the limited room service menu that did not receive any positive comments. I don’t think they need 24 hour dining but at least pizza until midnight or 1:00.

Ports:
Very Good. I just wish that there had been more and more time in each.

Ship:

Excellent. The R2 is a very well maintained and nicely appointed ship. The crew and staff were overall very good and accommodating. I did notice more movement on this ship than on Mercury but Mercury was almost twice the size and our cabin was more amidships than on R2.

Most Impressive: Open seating dining. I really enjoyed this. It is nice to be able to choose when you want to eat. Some days you want to eat earlier and others later. You also can choose to eat alone or with a group. This was by far superior. I also enjoyed the smaller ship. Even though on the Mercury you never really felt crowded the R2 seemed more cozy and you got to know your shipmates much better. The cabins also impressed me. For the money I would say the cabin was excellent.

Most Unimpressive: I actually got irritated in the way Ren scheduled your arrivals, departures, boarding times, sail times etc just to get you to take their tours. It seemed like they were purposely putting 4 to 5 hours of down time in just to get you to take their tour for something to do. If you are adventurous and plan ahead you can make your own choice. Ren also informs you in their literature and in their videos that rooms would not be ready at the hotels so you should book their Highlights tour instead of sitting and waiting at the hotel. At each hotel the rooms were ready when we got there and if all anyone can do is sit in a hotel lobby and wait instead of going out and exploring the city then they should have taken the tour.

Would I cruise with Ren again? Yes I would, especially now that they are lengthening their cruises and eliminating their pre and post hotel stay’s. I also am glad to hear that they are no longer combining the cruise and air in one package. I thought that World Air was great but I would like to have the choice of when I want to fly and to where. If I want to spend extra time in a city at either end of the cruise, I want that to be my choice and not dictated by the cruise line. Our next cruise will probably be to Tahiti and Ren will be our choice.