This might seem like an odd question, but does anyone know if RSSC allows bicycles on board? Have you ever seen a passenger with one?

I'm contemplating bringing my bicycle with me on my May '05 Med cruise, for several reasons. First, I'm seriously considering doing a triathlon in mid-June, so in the early part of May I'll be in the thick of training, and taking two weeks off would be very bad. Riding on stationary bikes in the gym doesn't cut it, either. Clearly I can run (both in port and on the ship), and I can swim in the pool (hope it's not too cold, but hey NOTHING is worse than swim-training in the Pacific in winter, which I've done!), but the bike part is what I'm concerned about.

Second, several of the port stops are in areas where it seems like there would be some lovely riding. Especially when we get to Livorno - I've already been to Florence, Pisa and all the other hot spots in Tuscany, so rather than do a shore excursion, I would LOVE to spend the day riding in the beautiful countryside. Third, we'll be spending three days post-cruise in a castle out in the country north of Rome, and it would be nice to be able to get out and do some riding on those days.

And finally, I keep dreaming of all the amazing meals I'm going to have in Compass Rose, Signatures & Lattitudes, but those dreams turn to nightmares when I think about trying to squeeze into my formal dress after a few nights of this! Cycling is a great calorie-burner, doncha know. :)

I called RSSC, but the person I spoke to had no idea, she said I'd have to find out from the ship itself. Not sure how to do that! I know I can get my bike there -- I have a shipping box for it, although I need to find out how much it'll cost to bring it with me on the plane. And I'm thinking about the logistics of carting it around with me -- not sure how that's gonna work either. But if RSSC doesn't allow me to bring it on board, then it's all a moot point anyway.