Swathi, a Banker and Kairav, a Consultant with Accenture Business Consulting were MBA batchmates. They got engaged in May 2010 and tied the knot in Mumbai on 5th May 2011.

The Decision– 12 Night Royal Caribbean Cruise across the Mediterranean.

After getting engaged, we started looking at various options like Switzerland, Italy, Cyprus and islands like Seychelles, Maldives, etc. But we wanted an experience that we would remember forever and we thought why not go for the cruise! We fancied going on the Mediterranean cruise due to the variety and beauty it had to offer. We shortlisted some, based on the dates factor, and the feedback on the web, and then we saw the 12 night Royal Caribbean itinerary which covered Spain, France, Italy and Greece. We knew this is it!

What we loved– almost Everything!

The cruise had excellent service, comfortable rooms, variety of buffets all day round, wonderful live entertainment shows and many relaxing pools! We loved the coastline in the French Riviera, were excited to walk on Monaco Grand Prix Track, took in the beautiful architectural wonders of Florence, Pisa and Athens and were bowled over by the beauty of Santorini and Amalfi! We took guided tours in Rome, Vatican City and Ephesus (Turkey) and the hop-on-hop-off buses in Nice & Barcelona.

Recommendations:

1. Research well about the cruise lines (Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity) and places you plan to visit. The itinerary is the most important part of the cruise vacation.

2. It’s easy to plan well and see the places on your own. Hop-on-hop-off buses are very convenient. Take guided tours at places where travelling on your own may be difficult (especially, Rome where our tour ensured we didn’t wait in lines to enter Colosseum or Vatican)

3. There are cruises all year but spring & fall are considered to be the best time

4. Take full advantage of the facilities onboard. Learn a new sport, go to dance classes, relax in Jacuzzi, enjoy the Broadway type shows in the theatre and try various cuisines.

5. Have fun shopping in the duty free shops on the cruise- especially during sales!

6. Carry your walking shoes as this trip involves a lot of walking at some ports

Must do:

1. Acropolis, Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica are beautiful architectural wonders

2. Take a motorboat to Amalfi coast– one of the most beautiful coastlines

3. Go up to the Fira on a cable car at Santorini Island– one of the steepest rides I have been on

4. For the F1 lovers, a visit to Monaco Grand Prix is a must!

For more details and pictures you can check our wedding website
www.mywedding.com/kairavswathi