T
Ted_D
Guest
We got back home last night from Barcelona, having spent the last two weeks on Millie touring the Mediteranean. The ship is fine overall, though she is beginning to show her age. We noticed a few places where carpet seams have separated and some worn chair fabrics in the Rendevous Lounge. Otherwise, the normal X attention to detail and continuous cleaning was in place and working.
The cruise was not sold out, though the ship was about 90% full. As expected, the passengers were on average an older set and roughly 2/3 American.
We got a pleasant surprise on boarding in Venice, where we received a free suite upgrade. Having the extra space for two weeks was great, of course.
The weather was unseasonably dry and warm, with the only rain a slight drizzle on our Venice arrival day. In Venice, the temperatures hovered around 50 degrees, with the day time highs elsewhere being between 60- 65. We lucked out in the weather department, as well.
Venice was charming as always, and unlike any other city on earth. We tool the obligatory gondola ride, though it was outragsously expensive. We also toured St Marks (a disappointment) and the Doges' Palace (magnificent). We used X's water taxi over to San Marco Sq and back, but were never charged for it as in the past. We never did figure out whether it was just a mistake on their part or complimentary. We decided not to ask too many questions. . . .
Dubrovnick is also charming, and we enjoyed the city wall walk and browsing through the many little shops in town. It is inconceivable to me that this little town was bombed in the Serbian / Croatian war. There is absolutely nothing of military or strategic value there.
Next we visited Athens, where we thoroughly enjoyed an excursion that included a visit to the Acropolis and Pathenon, followed by a walk-on- our-own visit through the Plaka. We had a fabulous Greek lunch there. I will say that Athens drivers were as I remembered -- the worst on the planet. We saw many motorcycles and one car driving on the sidewalks, many occasions where they simply disregarded stop lights and never lowed up, and a complete disregard for pedestrians.
The ship ported next at Kusadasi, Turkey for a two-day stay. We took an excursion to Ephesus and were very surprised at how large it was.
Our guide was excellent, and we came away with much more information han we typically get. I also dodged a bullet in Kusadasi when my dear wife's two day bargaining marathon with a rug dealer resulted in no purchase. The local bazaar was a little intimidating for some, but we found it fun. Yes, they tried to lure you into their shops, and they we "in your face" a little. But, we never had a merchant actually touch us, and when we said no thank you we invariably received a polite response like "enjoy your vacation".
Our next stop was Naples, where drivers are apparently hell bent on vertaking Athens in the competition for World's Worst. We made a visit on our own to Pompeii, and enjoyed seeing it again. Otherwise, we spent most of that day on the ship, largely by ourselves.
We next had a two day port call at Rome (Livorno). We did a 10 hour excursion each day, spending one in the Vatican and the next in Imperial Rome. I'll never tire of that city, and doubt that you could see it all if you spent a week there. Our Vatican tour included the Basilica, the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, and the crypt area under the Basilica where St Peter and 140 other Popes' remains are. Sadly, we also got to watch a pick pocket at work inside Saint Peter's Basilica. I suppose he gets the direct, nonstop trip to hell when the time comes. Thankfully, we were not his victims.
Florence was our next stop, and following the back-to-back Rome walkathons, we were really dragging. We had intended to spend the day in Florence, but at the last minute decided to shorten our day by 2/3 and opted to run over to Pisa instead. We had been before and nothing has really changed there except you can once more climb the tower which was closed for nearly a decade.
Next, we stopped at Villefranche. This stop was really disappointing. By total accident, the Presidents of both France and Italy were in Nice for a mini-summit. Their security had Nice tied up in knots, with entry to the old town prohibited altogether. And, due to the time of year, probably half of the chops and restaurants in Villefranche itself were closed.
Our final stop was Barcelona, where we added an overnight hotel stay to allow a real visit to the city. We toured the Gothic Quarter, made a stop at both Gaudi's Sagrada Familia (strangest building I ever saw) and the Cathedral, and spent a couple hours walking La Ramblas (a must do) end to end. We ate a fabulous Spanish seafood dinner at a restaurant recommended by the hotel.
Overall, the trip was outstanding and one we would repeat. We have been in the Med before, and were hesitant about going so late in the year. On our previous summer visit, we baked to death and endured ndless crowds. Our fear was that we were trading cold and rain for fewer tourists, but that turned out to be a needless fear.
X food and service remain about the same, with a few small changes to the menus being obvious after the end of Michele Roux's contract. We ate all of our breakfasts in the buffet, and nearly all of our dinners in the main restaurant. We did make a trip to the Olympic Restaurant, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The ship's entertainment was more than adequate for us, excepting a 30 minute torture session that my wife insisted on to listen to a Turkish gypsy "band". It sounded just like 10 high school English teachers squeaking chaulk on the blackboard. I absolutely reject the notion that it was music.
Ted
The cruise was not sold out, though the ship was about 90% full. As expected, the passengers were on average an older set and roughly 2/3 American.
We got a pleasant surprise on boarding in Venice, where we received a free suite upgrade. Having the extra space for two weeks was great, of course.
The weather was unseasonably dry and warm, with the only rain a slight drizzle on our Venice arrival day. In Venice, the temperatures hovered around 50 degrees, with the day time highs elsewhere being between 60- 65. We lucked out in the weather department, as well.
Venice was charming as always, and unlike any other city on earth. We tool the obligatory gondola ride, though it was outragsously expensive. We also toured St Marks (a disappointment) and the Doges' Palace (magnificent). We used X's water taxi over to San Marco Sq and back, but were never charged for it as in the past. We never did figure out whether it was just a mistake on their part or complimentary. We decided not to ask too many questions. . . .
Dubrovnick is also charming, and we enjoyed the city wall walk and browsing through the many little shops in town. It is inconceivable to me that this little town was bombed in the Serbian / Croatian war. There is absolutely nothing of military or strategic value there.
Next we visited Athens, where we thoroughly enjoyed an excursion that included a visit to the Acropolis and Pathenon, followed by a walk-on- our-own visit through the Plaka. We had a fabulous Greek lunch there. I will say that Athens drivers were as I remembered -- the worst on the planet. We saw many motorcycles and one car driving on the sidewalks, many occasions where they simply disregarded stop lights and never lowed up, and a complete disregard for pedestrians.
The ship ported next at Kusadasi, Turkey for a two-day stay. We took an excursion to Ephesus and were very surprised at how large it was.
Our guide was excellent, and we came away with much more information han we typically get. I also dodged a bullet in Kusadasi when my dear wife's two day bargaining marathon with a rug dealer resulted in no purchase. The local bazaar was a little intimidating for some, but we found it fun. Yes, they tried to lure you into their shops, and they we "in your face" a little. But, we never had a merchant actually touch us, and when we said no thank you we invariably received a polite response like "enjoy your vacation".
Our next stop was Naples, where drivers are apparently hell bent on vertaking Athens in the competition for World's Worst. We made a visit on our own to Pompeii, and enjoyed seeing it again. Otherwise, we spent most of that day on the ship, largely by ourselves.
We next had a two day port call at Rome (Livorno). We did a 10 hour excursion each day, spending one in the Vatican and the next in Imperial Rome. I'll never tire of that city, and doubt that you could see it all if you spent a week there. Our Vatican tour included the Basilica, the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, and the crypt area under the Basilica where St Peter and 140 other Popes' remains are. Sadly, we also got to watch a pick pocket at work inside Saint Peter's Basilica. I suppose he gets the direct, nonstop trip to hell when the time comes. Thankfully, we were not his victims.
Florence was our next stop, and following the back-to-back Rome walkathons, we were really dragging. We had intended to spend the day in Florence, but at the last minute decided to shorten our day by 2/3 and opted to run over to Pisa instead. We had been before and nothing has really changed there except you can once more climb the tower which was closed for nearly a decade.
Next, we stopped at Villefranche. This stop was really disappointing. By total accident, the Presidents of both France and Italy were in Nice for a mini-summit. Their security had Nice tied up in knots, with entry to the old town prohibited altogether. And, due to the time of year, probably half of the chops and restaurants in Villefranche itself were closed.
Our final stop was Barcelona, where we added an overnight hotel stay to allow a real visit to the city. We toured the Gothic Quarter, made a stop at both Gaudi's Sagrada Familia (strangest building I ever saw) and the Cathedral, and spent a couple hours walking La Ramblas (a must do) end to end. We ate a fabulous Spanish seafood dinner at a restaurant recommended by the hotel.
Overall, the trip was outstanding and one we would repeat. We have been in the Med before, and were hesitant about going so late in the year. On our previous summer visit, we baked to death and endured ndless crowds. Our fear was that we were trading cold and rain for fewer tourists, but that turned out to be a needless fear.
X food and service remain about the same, with a few small changes to the menus being obvious after the end of Michele Roux's contract. We ate all of our breakfasts in the buffet, and nearly all of our dinners in the main restaurant. We did make a trip to the Olympic Restaurant, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The ship's entertainment was more than adequate for us, excepting a 30 minute torture session that my wife insisted on to listen to a Turkish gypsy "band". It sounded just like 10 high school English teachers squeaking chaulk on the blackboard. I absolutely reject the notion that it was music.
Ted
