5/19/09 Noordam Western Med trip report - LONG

[CoralReef]

“15 Days, 2 Continents, 8 Ports, 17 Churches”

In May of 2009, my husband and I took a 10-day Western Mediterranean cruise on Holland America’s Noordam. We also stayed in Rome for three nights before the cruise and one night after. This was our sixth cruise (fourth on HAL, plus two on Celebrity), and our second in Europe (we did Eastern Med last year). We toured independently in every port. Our photos are at http://community.webshots.com/user/coralreeftravel .

This report will cover:
- HAL Noordam experience
- Rome: Stayed at River Palace Hotel and Hilton Airport. Saw Ara Pacis, Etruscan Museum (Villa Giulia), Borghese grounds, various churches including Sant’Agostino and Santa Maria del Popolo, Through Eternity “Underground Rome” tour, Vatican Scavi tour
- Livorno (Florence): Accademia, Duomo, Bargello, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Medici Chapels
- Monte Carlo: Formula One Grand Prix trials, palace gardens
- Barcelona: Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, Las Ramblas, La Boquería
- Palma de Mallorca: Cathedral La Seu
- Tunis: Carthage by train
- Palermo: Monreale Cathedral by bus
-Naples: Pompeii by train
- Conclusions & Budget


HAL Noordam Cruise

We have always booked cruises through travel agents in order to get onboard credits. Although we have gotten some nice freebies this way, it has been frustrating having to do everything through a TA. This time, we booked through a giant online agency (the one with the gnome). Never again! At the time we booked, they were the only ones offering any onboard credit. It was only $100, and they charged a $20 booking fee, but I figured that was $80 we wouldn’t have had otherwise. I knew the price might go down and we could adjust… but what I didn’t realize, is that they would make us cancel and rebook. We did get a lower price, but they were no longer offering the OBC, so it went away. To add insult to injury, the gnome later offered a $300 OBC for our cabin category, but only for new bookings. I asked if we could at least have back our original $100, and they said no.

Even worse, the gnome’s customer service was HORRIBLE! We had two issues (getting our dining preference changed, and the wrong amount being charged for final payment). Each took multiple phone calls to get straightened out. They would put me on hold for up to 15 minutes and then cut me off, or say they’d call back but never did. They refused to credit the insurance difference between the two bookings, even though I had a written quote from their agent promising the credit. Lesson learned: book directly with the cruiseline so I can take care of things myself. Consider a transfer to a TA for onboard credit only after arrangements are finalized.

The cruise itself was lovely. The Noordam is the newest boat we’ve ever sailed on, and it shows. Everything is elegant and comfortable. The cabin had more comfortable design features than any we’ve ever had (bed high enough for our largest suitcase to slide under, cabinets everywhere, multiple electric plugs on the desk, great closet space, hairdryer which can be used in either the bedroom or bathroom, etc.) We had booked a VE guarantee and were upgraded to VC 5048, which was a nice surprise. Good location and a lovely verandah. Just one issue: the mattress was saggy where people had lain, so it didn’t offer good support for my bad back unless I lay on the edge. It needed to be turned or replaced.

The ship was so comfortable. We loved the Explorations Café and library with its cushy loungers, plenty of seating, and a wide variety of interesting books—not just castoffs from previous travelers. We were disappointed in Explorations’ Internet pricing ($3.95 activation plus $0.75 per minute), which discouraged us from using the service. The Crow’s Nest also had comfortable recliners and was a lovely place to relax. The Noordam’s public areas were all more comfortable and spacious than we’d previously encountered. The gym was excellent, and we never had to wait for a machine. We did miss the interesting sea-day lectures that Celebrity offers, but the port guide Tom was unusually knowledgeable and his talks were helpful.

The food was very good (except for the coffee, which was wretched!). Salads were especially fresh and tasty, and the beef was excellent. I did get dry and tasteless lamb kebabs one night in the dining room, but that was the exception. The Lido served most of the same elegant entrees as the dining room each night. No trays in the Lido, but plenty of stewards to carry things. This was a contrast with Celebrity last year, when we often had difficulty getting a steward’s help, and often couldn’t find an empty table at peak times. On the Noordam, there were always tables free. We rarely had to wait for anything; even the omelet lines were never more than a couple of people per chef. We liked Celebrity and would sail them again for the right itinerary and price, but we felt that the food and service were a bit better on HAL, and there were more dinner options.

In order to pack lightly, we planned have the ship do laundry. This worked out OK, but there were a couple of snags. The “Unlimited Laundry” sounded like a great deal until I tried to sign up and found out it was for three days only! I don’t know how they can call that “unlimited”. So OK, $20 laundry by the bag was a good deal (amazing how much you can get in the bag if you roll tightly!) but it was a lot of work to stuff the bag to its maximum capacity. Also, the instructions said to allow 48 hours, but when I put a bag out midday on Day 7 of 10, I was told that it was too late. Not having that last bag of laundry was an inconvenient surprise, which could have been avoided if they had just put the deadline in the daily program or listed it on the laundry ticket. The whole laundry process could have been more convenient and better explained, but the actual laundry service was fine.

We hadn’t sailed HAL for several years, and were hoping they hadn’t gone downhill. Far from it! If anything, they were better than ever. Disembarkation had been a hassle with them several years ago—this time it couldn’t have been smoother or calmer. Service was great, and port information was better than before, especially the “Where Do We Go From Here” transportation information. One small problem with the accuracy of their port info: the Monte Carlo port guide stated that the casino was open during the Formula One Grand Prix trials and accessible via an overhead bridge. Only when we got to the casino did we learn that it was closed, blocked off, and the entrance guarded.

Overall, we had a great experience with HAL, and would happily sail on the Noordam again.

Ports to follow...

[CoralReef]

Rome

We arrived in Rome on the morning of 5/16, after the usual exhausting travel day. We were met at the airport by Stephano of RomeCabs himself and whisked to our hotel. RomeCabs charges 45 € for this transfer, only 5 € more than the standard taxi rate, and we think it is well worth it to have someone reliable and helpful waiting for us. The only hitch was that RomeCabs only takes cash, and I had to try three ATMs at the airport before I found one that worked. It was time-consuming because they didn’t just say “out of order”. You had to go through a failed transaction with no error message, and then watch other travelers to make sure it wasn’t just your card. It wasn’t just me, a lot of travelers were frustrated until we found one that worked, and then there was a line. I thought we might have to ask Stephano to stop at an ATM, but finally one of the airport ATMs worked.

I had reserved a Deluxe room at the River Palace Hotel for 140 €, about six months in advance. I thought this was a pretty good deal for such a nice hotel, especially since their rates just kept going up with time. When we checked in at about 10 AM, there were no Deluxe rooms ready, but they offered us immediate access to a Superior for 20 € more per night. I hadn’t booked a Superior because I didn’t think a few additional square feet of space were worth 20 €, but it’s a different story when you arrive jet-lagged and grimy. We basically paid an extra $84 (20 € per night for three nights) just to get a shower right away. At the time, it seemed like a bargain! Just be aware, if you get a good deal, you might have to pay more if you are not willing to wait.

The River Palace hotel facilities, staff, and room were all very, very nice. Not too small for a Rome hotel room, and every amenity you could ask for-- including a digital safe, Sky TV, thermostat-controlled air conditioning, and bathrobes. They even provided turn-down service with chocolates, weather forecast card, and a linen towel by the bed to step on. I wasn’t too fond of the “musk” scent of the shampoo and conditioner, but they were good quality. The only problem we had was (ironically) our $84 shower. I would call it a “sprinkle” rather than a “shower”. The water pressure was low, and even with the cold tap turned entirely off, the water was more warm than hot.

The hotel breakfast was fabulous! It was even better than last year’s hotel (which was very good). In addition to the standard breads, cheeses, cold cuts, yogurt, cereals, muesli, milk, juices, and fruit, they also offered hot dishes such as scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon. All delicious. You could get a cappuccino with some effort to make a request, but their regular coffee was so good that I only bothered once. And their pastries were incredible! I still miss their hazelnut cookies, and the chocolate mini-pies with shortbread crusts. We often skip lunch while sightseeing, so we really enjoyed having such a substantial and yummy breakfast to keep us going.

Our first day, we napped for about an hour, then headed out. Since we were staying close to Piazza del Popolo, our first stop after the Flaminian gate was the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which contains notable art. (This was the first of seventeen churches we entered during this trip.) It was Martin Luther’s home church when he visited Rome, and is attached to the historic monastery where he stayed. I was a bit disappointed that the famous Chigi chapel was covered up in restoration. And the marvelous Caravaggio paintings of St. Peter and St. Paul actually look much better in art books than they do in situ, where they are not displayed to best advantage (set at the back of a fenced-off chapel, angled partly away from the viewer, and dark). Still it was a thrill to see the originals.

Then we visited the Ara Pacis museum (Altar of Augustan Peace), of great interest to us as avid Roman history buffs, though maybe not to all visitors. Spent quite a while trying to identify all the players in the Julio-Claudian dysfunctional family depicted on the imperial procession. Augustus’ mausoleum is right across the street, but is so involved in restoration that we couldn’t see much. The Ara Pacis entry price of 6 € is probably a little steep for what is displayed, for most people, but we enjoyed the museum, its diagrams of the Campus Martius, and its scholarly bookstore. We also just wandered around a lot this day, as we love to do in Rome (“taking a walk” or “getting lost”... all a matter of perspective). As usual, went past the Spanish Steps about a million times, but still have never been to the Trevi fountain-- despite actually setting out to look for it this time.

Our first night in Rome, we couldn't wait to get back to our favorite restaurant from last year’s trip, Alla Rampa in Piazza Mignonelli near the Spanish Steps. Love their incredible antipasti buffet (one medium-size plate 10 €), which included wonderful bitter puntarelle greens, marinated seafood, rabbit legs wrapped in prosciutto, spicy anchovies, and too many other treats to mention. The antipasti are enough for a meal if you’re not ashamed to load the plate. Bread, 2 antipasti, 1 artichokes alla Romana, 1 spaghetti with clams, 2 waters, and 1/2 liter house wine came to 53 €. Everything was delicious. They opened at 6:00.

The second day, we had much-anticipated reservations at the Borghese museum for 11:00. Last year we had no difficulty popping up early, but this year we were so tired (and the blackout curtains were so good at the River Palace hotel) that we didn’t wake until after 10:00. I guess it will have to be next time for the Galleria Borghese. We did follow the rest of the plan for this day, visiting the Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia, which was fascinating, and probably enough museum-ing for one day. They had fabulous treasures, and informative displays about this mysterious group of tribes... but ironically the biggest hits with most tourists were the sun-hogging turtles in the courtyard fountain. We also enjoyed a long walk around the Borghese grounds, taking in a dog park packed with romping German shepherds, children’s play park full of romping Roman families, and some gorgeous views of Rome from the Pincian Hill.

Then we headed towards the Centro Storico, serendipitously arriving at Sant’Agostino right at 4:00, just as they opened for the afternoon. This is a charming and artistically significant church; I highly recommend a visit. We saw Sansovino’s Madonna del Parte, surrounded by ribbons and teddy bears advertising the successful births she helped with. She gets a lot of attention from worshippers. In fact, her foot had to be covered with a metal sandal to keep it from being kissed out of existence. The church also boasts the tomb of St. Monica; a visionary Caravaggio of Mary as a Roman woman blessing worshippers with dirty peasant feet (that guy was sure ahead of his time in painting realistically!); a lovely family sculpture by Sansovino of the Virgin and child with doting grandmother St. Anne; and a fresco of the Prophet Isaiah by Raphael. I love the story about the Raphael, which was stylistically inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel work. Not surprisingly, Michelangelo greatly admired it (even though he was not generally a fan of Raphael). When the patron complained about the price, Michelangelo characteristically snapped, “The knee alone is worth what you paid!”

We tried to get into St. Luigi but found it closed. Revisited the Pantheon with much enjoyment, as it was far less crowded than last year. (In general this year, we saw far fewer non-Italian tourists, less crowding, fewer street vendors, and not as many sketchy-looking idlers who seemed like they might pick a pocket.) Admired the spiral dome of Sant’Ivo della Sapienza, and took a swing by the Largo Argentina—which appeals to us on two levels: the Republican-era temples, and the cat sanctuary. Then we visited the Campo dei Fiori, paid homage to the statue of Giordano Bruno, and looked for the restaurant San Pancrazio in the corner of Campo dei Fiori. We had read that anyone could ask to see the remains of the Theater of Pompey in San Pancrazio’s basement. With a little nerve and some attempted Italian, this turned out to be true. (“Possiamo andare alla Teatro di Pompei, per favore?” worked for us.) The owner showed us the stairs and warned us that the lights stay on for two minutes. There are significant Roman remains, and they have a nice map showing the footprint of the Theater over the present-day Campo. For hard-core history fans, getting as close as possible to the place where Julius Caesar was assassinated was an interesting experience.

Dinner was at our new Roman favorite, Alfredo alla Scrofa. There are two restaurants in Rome that claim to have invented fettuccine Alfredo, and our research led us to this contender as having the better claim. Maybe, maybe not-- but they sure serve a good meal (though expensive)! I thought from their website that they opened at 7:00. We showed up at 7:10 and were asked to wait until 7:30, but were seated and served water. Outside seating was charming, since the street is not too busy and they have a nice courtyard. At 7:30 we ordered: 2 bread & coperto (6 €), seafood antipasti (25 €), fettuccine Alfredo (19 €), tagliatelle funghi bosco (16 €), insalata Alfredo (15 €), “broccoli” (which looked like cauliflower to me) (18 €), mousse cioccolato (10 €), 2 waters (8 €), 1 bottle of Frascati San Marco (20 €), & servizio (13 €). I asked for a grappa, which turned out to be comped when we got the check. Total 140 € -- hardly cheap, but this was a special occasion. Everything was delicious! The fettuccine includes a nice tableside preparation ceremony. The chocolate mousse was a delightful surprise—much richer and thicker than the norm, and altogether delectable. Great service. We will definitely return to this restaurant at the first opportunity!

Our last pre-cruise day in Rome, we started by metro’ing to San Giovanni in Laterano. The River Palace Hotel is conveniently close to the Flaminio metro stop, so today we used it. A medieval movie was being filmed by the old city walls as we walked from the metro to the Lateran, so we watched that for a while. The church is huge and ancient, has a cold grandeur. We enjoyed seeing the bronze doors from the Curia (Senate) house in the Forum. They also claim to have the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul, which is interesting since we later saw the supposedly complete bones of St. Peter at the Vatican. We attended 11:00 mass, and toured the cloisters, which are notable for artistically twisted and decorated columns, and a small but fine museum. The cloisters were well worth the 2 € per person admission. We finished at 12:00, just as the Scala Santa around the corner closed, so we were not able to see the Holy Stairs.

Then we walked back to the metro and traveled to Santa Maria Maggiore (church #5 if you’re counting). Also grand, but not particularly fascinating unless you’re into relics (Jesus’ crib, parts of the cross, etc.). We liked the bronze relief showing the pope shoveling snow after a miraculous snowfall in August denoted St. Mary’s preferred church location. We had a humorous Italian moment here, when I sat on the back steps by the gift store to examine my metro map. Of course I know that you can’t sit on the front steps of a church, but this was around back by the bathroom, and there was a woman with a badge already sitting there smoking. I sat down and then she said to me, “It is not possible to sit on the steps.” I’m thinking, “Tell that to your own butt.” I was so amazed I could only blurt out, “But you are sitting!” “Yes,” she replied, “I work here.” Things that make you go hmmm..... On the metro after leaving Maria Maggiore, our tickets were inspected for the first time in Rome. Glad we’d remembered to validate!

Then it was time for our Through Eternity tour of “Underground Rome”. It met across from the Bocca della Verita, so we arrived a few minutes early for the requisite photo op at this tourist attraction. Allow a little time; the line to have your picture taken with the Mouth of Truth was about 10-15 minutes.

I highly recommend the Underground Rome tour to history fans who like to walk. Our guide, Thomas, was excellent and knowledgeable, a Yale medievalist. We toured scavi of churches we didn’t even know had scavi-- even after years of reading Rome guidebooks. We started at Santa Maria in Cosmedin (don’t miss the mummified head of St. Valentine… so romantic), then visited St. Nicola in Carcere with its Roman temple structure, the theater of Marcellus, temples of Bellona and Augustus’ Apollo, Portico d’Ottavia, Jewish ghetto, Isola Tiburina, St. Cecilia (a charming church with lovely crypt, fascinating scavi, and famous Maderno statue), and St. Chrysogonus’ extensive scavi. From Through Eternity’s website, it looks like they have now added San Clemente to the tour, which would be great for those who haven’t already seen it (we had) but probably adds to the walking. The tour was a long walk, but fascinating, and Thomas did a great job of explaining architecture, history, styles & symbology, and tying it all together.

We were tired when the tour ended in Trastevere, so we basically collapsed at the nearest random restaurant, Carlo Menta, which luckily turned out to provide an excellent meal at reasonable prices for Rome. 42 € total for: 2 waters (4 €), 1 bottle Montepulciano (10 €), 1 antipasti Italiana (6 €), 1 grilled vegetables (3 €), 1 penne (specialty of the house with peas and salty dried beef) (5 €), 1 spaghetti carbonara (5 €), 2 servizio (3 €), 1 chocolate truffle ice cream (3 €), 1 tiramisu (3 €). The tiramisu was quite simply the best either of us has ever tasted. I don’t even particularly care for tiramisu usually, but this was fantastic. Must be the fresh local mascarpone. Everything was tasty and fresh. The outdoor seating was pleasant. You share a long table with other parties, so it wouldn’t work for a romantic date, but the atmosphere was friendly. After the rich dessert, we needed exercise, so we walked back along the Tiber from Trastevere to the River Palace, soaking up Rome’s quintessential charm. On the way, we swung by Santa Maria in Trastevere (church #9), very attractive in the evening light. Were picked up by RomeCabs the next morning, right on time, and whisked to the port.

After the cruise ended, we had one more night in Rome. We had another flawless RomeCabs transfer (130 €) from Civitavecchia to the airport Hilton, where we checked our bags, put our valuables in their safe, walked a couple of blocks to the train station, and took the Leonardo Express into Rome (11 €). The Hilton has a free shuttle, but it wasn’t running for another hour, and we’d have taken our chances on seats being available. Our train tickets were inspected, and we saw lady get fined for not having one. She must ride regularly and take her chances, because she didn’t blink, just pulled out a large bundle of euros and handed them over.

From Termini, we metro’d to the Cipro Vaticani stop and walked to the Musei Vaticani. Arrived at 11:05 AM Friday May 29, and there was no line at all. There were about 20 people between us and the security scanner. Other than that, we walked right in. On the walk from the metro to the Vatican, the tour touts were all shouting warnings about the line and offering to get us past it, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that the line didn't even exist. I had worried about not making a reservation, but we didn't know what time we'd get off the ship and get our bags dropped off at our hotel. Not having a reservation worked out well for us because we didn't have to wait for even a minute. If I’d made reservations, they would have been for 11:30 or later, and we would have had to wait.

Admission to the Vatican Museums was 14 €. First we headed to the cafeteria, which started serving full lunches at 11:30. Lunch was 24.70 € for 2 waters, 2 pasta (3 choices, we both picked gnocchi), 1 secondi, one tiramisu—all good. Pizza and panini were available for a low price, starting earlier in the day. They also had cappucino and pastries for the real early birds. We had toured the Vatican Museums last year, so this year we concentrated on sending postcards with Vatican stamps, visiting favorites from last year, and spending serious time in the Raphael rooms. Rick Steves has good advice to pick what you most want to see, and spend your time there. You can’t see everything in the Vatican Museums on one trip, and shouldn’t try. Last year it was the Roman sarcophagi, Roman statuary, and Sistine Chapel. This time it was Raphael and the Sistine Chapel. Took the right-hand (“Tour Groups”) door out of the Sistine Chapel directly down to the basilica, instead of following the “Exit” signs back to the museum front door.

We had a Vatican Scavi tour reservation for 1:45, made 6 months in advance. We were not allowed through the Holy Office Gate until 10 minutes before our Scavi time. I suggest doing what we did: find the gate so you know where it is, then walk down the Colonnade away from St. Peter's, to the restroom on your right. It's free, clean, and you won't get another chance once the tour starts. The tour was great. Such a thrill to be walking on Roman roads, 30 feet below St. Peter's. We saw incredibly well preserved late imperial mausoleums, with beautiful mosaic floors. The tour ended in the crypt at John Paul II's tomb, which was an emotional experience.

We exited into St. Peter’s basilica and toured the Treasury for 6 € per person. This was much better than the guidebooks said. They had beautiful things, including our favorite, a gold monstrance topped with Bernini’s baldacchino and angels in miniature. Unfortunately we could not get a postcard of that piece. The tour includes a free audioguide, but you cannot take photos, and you’ll long to... so budget for postcards. The Treasury had some good souvenir options in their gift shop, different from the other Vatican shops. Loved the plastic Mary bottle that you can fill with holy water.! Also some nice Venetian glass pieces for a good price, and a different selection of postcards.

Then we attended 5:00 mass at St. Joseph’s chapel, halfway along the left side of the basilica (past the Treasury). First we made a tactical error... it was 4:40, we decided on a bathroom break before mass. Went down the colonnade, enjoyed the nice restroom, went back to enter the basilica. We had entered the basilica from the Sistine Chapel twice, from the cupola once, and from the Holy Office/Scavi once... so we had no concept of the security line. Had to stand in this line and nearly missed mass! Made it just in time. They were blocking off the center of the basilica with chairs for the Pope’s Pentecost mass in two days, and an usher tried to keep us out of St. Joseph’s chapel, but let us in when we kept saying “For mass! For mass!” It was a lovely “Latin mass” (in Italian) with a guest choir from Rutgers University in New Jersey. After the mass, we enjoyed seeing St. Peter’s nearly empty of tourists, and lit up by the late afternoon sun.

We then left the Vatican and collapsed at the nearest restaurant listed in my guidebook, Borgo Nuovo. Pretty good-- 47 € for 2 waters, 1 Diet Coke, 1 mixed seafood appetizer, 1 vegetable pizza (good mushrooms and grated squash, but no eggplant as pictured on the menu), 1 seafood pasta, 1 “cannoli of Sicily”. We are not usually cannoli fans, but they did not have our first dessert choice, and the owner recommended his cannoli of Sicily, “fresh today”. We had been in Sicily two days before and indeed found the cannoli quite tasty, so we tried this one. Wow! Imagine your average cannoli, but with a super-crisp shell, very fresh ultra-sweet ricotta, a chocolate lining, the best candied fruits you’ve ever tasted, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream! (Low-cal, I’m sure.) The waiters and owner did tend to stand right next to us as we ate, and hovered over our shoulders in a fashion disconcerting to most Americans (the owner held onto the paper and my pen as I signed the check!), but we enjoyed the meal. The outdoor seating was charming.

More ports to follow...

[CoralReef]

Livorno (Florence)

Our first port after a smooth embarkation. We wanted as much time as possible in Florence, but without a schedule so we could spend time on what interested us. So we opted to take the train from Livorno into Florence. We got off the ship as early as possible (2nd couple off), right at 7:00. There were many taxis waiting near the ship. The first one quoted 20 € to the train station, the standard fare according to the research I’d done. We said we’d wait for another couple, and sure enough the next couple to arrive were also going to the train station. We probably could have packed two more people into the van, but the driver was anxious to get going, and we figured 5 € apiece was fair. The drive to the station took about 10 minutes, and we were able to buy tickets right away and get on the 7:30 train. (I had only hoped for the 7:43 or at latest the 8:11, since after that there is not another train for an hour.) We were in Florence by 9:00! We definitely gained time by not waiting for a ship’s tour or shuttle, which didn’t even start until 8:00. The other couple reminded us to validate our tickets before boarding, and we were glad because we did get inspected. (If you forget to validate, you can write the date and time on your ticket, so carry a pen.)

After getting off the train in Florence at Santa Maria Novella station, we walked through the underground pedestrian exit/mall, then walked about 6 blocks to the Accademia. I had called them several weeks before to make a reservation for 10:00. (I was unable to make a morning reservation on their website, but the call was no problem—English was spoken, and it only took two minutes.) We arrived at 9:40, and the reservation line looked about as short as the non-reservation line. I knew we would be charged 4 € more per person if we used our reservations, so we decided to wait in the non-reservation line until closer to our reservation time, and see how fast it moved. By 9:45, we had hardly moved at all, and the reservation line had disappeared, so we used our reservation and got in for 6.50 € per person plus the 4 € reservation fee.

Seeing David was a thrill. He is even more impressive in person than in the art books. I didn’t really realize how massive he was. We briefly walked through the rest of the Accademia, but didn’t find much else of interest. So it was on to the Bargello a few blocks away.

The Bargello entrance fee was 7 €, and there was no line. Admission cost more than usual because of a special exhibit of Bernini busts, which luckily interested us a great deal. The Bargello is a great museum for those who like Renaissance sculpture. They have several significant Michelangelo pieces. We especially enjoyed the sculptures of Gianbologna, with whom we were not previously very familiar. The very old Bargello building itself is quite interesting because of its history as a prison and a police station. We enjoyed this visit very much. Go early because they close in the afternoon.

We stopped for a snack at a sidewalk restaurant, then walked on to the Duomo. What a beautiful and unusual church! The line to get in took about 10 minutes. We had Rick Steves’ guide to the Duomo and Baptistery, so we got a good look at all the listed sights. Debated whether to climb the Duomo or the belltower, but both had somewhat lengthy lines, so we passed.

Then it was on to the Piazza della Signoria, where we again consulted Rick Steves and checked out the courtyard of the Medici palazzo, the replica of David, and the statues in the Loggia. I was eager to see how the David replica looked in what I understood to be his original position, but the replica seemed smaller, and not as high up as I thought he was originally placed. The replica was not as impressive as the original, and the hands still seemed out of proportion to me even in the elevated placement. It was interesting to see this pretty piazza, and the Loggia art included some excellent pieces by our new favorite Gianbologna.

We sauntered down to the Ponte Vecchio and spent some time window shopping and taking photos. Then headed back to the center of town. My husband needed a new bag for work, so we stopped at some leather stalls “just to look”. He had been shopping in the U.S. and didn’t find any large leather bags for less than $300. He had resigned himself to vinyl or canvas, but even those were over $100 and he didn’t really like them. I reminded him that Florence is known for leather, and sure enough he found a bag that he loved right away; very stylish, and even the internal dividers were sturdy leather. The salesman demonstrated the bag’s durability by holding a lighter to it, a piece of showmanship I hadn’t seen before. We bargained a bit and ended up spending 115 € for a wonderful souvenir.

As the afternoon was advancing, we decided to make our way towards our last “must-see” attraction, the Medici chapels. Admission to the Museo delle Cappelle Medicee was 7 €. The church itself (#11) was quite impressive, but the New Sacristy with Michelangelo’s amazing sculptures was the star attraction.

We were now tired, near the train station, and had absorbed about as much great art as possible in one day. So we caught the 2:27 train back to Livorno. Upon arrival at the Livorno station, we were taken aback to find no taxis at all. (I’ve since learned that we could have called a taxi from the newsstand.) We knew that the #1 bus went to the port, so we hopped on it for 1 € each. Our only concern was that walking is not allowed in the port, but we hoped that either the bus would go most of the way to the ship, or we could get off somewhere with taxis. Turns out the bus went to Piazza Grande, where we had read the ship’s shuttle picked up, so we hopped off there and followed the obvious tourists to the pickup spot around back. Holland America was charging 5 € per person round trip for the shuttle. However, we hadn’t been on the morning shuttle when everyone bought their tickets, and the afternoon driver wasn’t equipped to sell tickets, so he let us ride for free. We tried to tip him and he refused. We were back in our room by 5:00 after a tiring but fascinating day. It was great to move entirely at our own pace, and I don’t think we could have seen so much on a tour.

[CoralReef]

Monte Carlo

We anchored off Monte Carlo and were tendered to the Fontvieille yacht harbor, to the west of the main harbor and Monte Carlo town. The yachts were fun to admire, and there is good souvenir shopping right by the yacht dock. Our port day here happened to be during the Grand Prix Formula One trials, so the town was pretty much turned over to Grand Prix events. We could even hear the racecar engines from the cruise ship out at sea! We planned just to meander around and relax this day.

We walked up the hill towards the palace. On the way, we had a great view of the Grand Prix racetrack. They had tried to block the view as much as possible, but there is so much elevation surrounding the town and harbor, they couldn’t block all the views. We watched the races for a while, then continued on up to the palace gardens. There was no admission charge, and we felt very safe with guards everywhere. The gardens are lovely. We also toured Ste. Devote church, saw the changing of the palace guards, and puttered around the charming cobblestoned shopping area on the palace hill.

We headed down towards town and shopped the Grand Prix stalls and the vegetable market. We wanted to visit the casino, so we took a series of elevators up to the main road. I had some bus schedules from the Internet, and was surprised that most of the buses said “Gratuit / Free” on the front. I don’t know if that was normal or special for Formula One, but it was nice.

One small problem with the accuracy of HAL’s port info: the Monte Carlo port guide stated that the casino was open during the Formula One Grand Prix trials and accessible via an overhead bridge. But on the bus, locals were telling other tourists that the casino was closed. I couldn’t believe they had closed the main moneymaker, but sure enough, when we got to the casino, we found it closed, blocked off with barriers, and the entrance guarded. Oh well, maybe next time. We bused back to Fontvieille at about 3:45, when the tender line was about 25 minutes’ wait. They were still tendering after the 4:30 “all-aboard” time, but we did sail approximately on time, just a little after 5:00.

[CoralReef]

Barcelona

We were advised to take a cab to the church of La Sagrada Familia first thing in the morning, in order to beat the crowds. This turned out to be good advice. As we left the terminal building, there was a stall with free maps of Barcelona. We took one, and it was really helpful, with all the attractions and metro stops marked. (Also all the McDonald’s … three guesses who paid for the map.) We waited a few minutes to see if anyone wanted to share a cab, but it seemed that most people getting off the ship were going on tours or to other locations. So we took our own cab. It was metered and the ride to Sagrada Familia turned out to be 18 €.

We expected Sagrada Familia to be mildly interesting in a weird way. We were completely blown away by this incredible piece of art and architecture designed by Antonio Gaudì! We spent 2.5 hours there (and were glad we got there early, because the lines were very long when we finished). We especially loved the Passion façade by Josep Maria Subirachs—it was as timelessly weird as Gaudì’s vision, but at the same time completely unique. You can admire the exterior for free with no line, but if you want to go inside, it’s 11 € per person for admission & museum, plus 2.50 € if you want to ride the elevator to the top. The inside of the cathedral is pretty, but still very incomplete and not yet as interesting as the outside. However, the admission charge was worth it for the excellent museum, where we spent a lot of time. The elevator was also worthwhile for the great views and the ability to see the towers up close. There is another line inside for the elevator, but it is helpfully posted with signs to let you estimate how long the wait will be. We also saw this feature at Casa Milà, later than day. If only all tourist attractions had this!

Sagrada Familia stoked our appetite for Gaudì, so we entered the metro (the stop is right at the corner of the church) and traveled due west to Diagonal stop, then looked for Casa Milà (aka “La Pedrera” or “The Quarry” for its stony façade). We enjoyed the unique exterior; but alas, the line to get in was more than an hour long, a little before noon. We will have to come back to Barcelona for many reasons, this being one.

We got back on the metro and went north to Lesseps stop. From the metro, it was a walk of a bit less than a mile (some of it steeply uphill) to Gaudì’s Parc Güell. There are direction and distance signs to follow once you get a block or so from the metro. The walk was an interesting one, past the city’s shops. We saw some incredible shops filled with all kinds of cured meats, and nearly drooled on the sidewalk going past the pastry shops. Once you get into the park, the walk continues to be steeply uphill, so those with stamina problems might prefer to take a taxi from the metro area to the upper park entrance and work downwards.

Parc Güell was beautiful, but the entrance and main areas were a seething mass of humanity! I hadn’t expected so many tourists, since it’s so far north of the other tourist attractions, but it was incredibly crowded. Still well worth a visit. It’s free, and there are snack bars, restrooms (with the longest lines of our whole cruise!), vendors, and buskers. Great views of the city.

We metro’d back down south to Passeig de Gràcia, near the start of Las Ramblas, where we looked for Casa Batlló and its two famous neighbors on the “Block of Discord”. No line here, perhaps because all the guidebooks say the interior is not as interesting as Casa Milà’s. We admired the exterior, then switched our mission from architecture to tapas.

The first restaurant we saw was Costa Gallega, which was on my Google map ( http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=109587518410179936269.00045c61b654a3d9c79db&ct=onebox&cd=2&cad=onebox,cid:18184079250146400597 (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=109587518410179936269.00045c61b654a3d9c79db&ct=onebox&cd=2&cad=onebox,cid:18184079250146400597) ) of Internet recommendations from travelers. I heartily second the recommendation! This was one of our best meals of the cruise. The tab was 61.75 € for: 2 Pan con Tomate (3.40 €), 2 waters (4.10 €), 1 pitcher sangria (14.95 €), 1 crab salad (4.80 €), 1 fried mixed seafood (10.35 €), 1 anchoas (5.50 €), 1 fried clams (13.05 €), 1 stuffed pepper (2.10 €), 1 plate txistorra sausages (2.10 €), 1 idiazabal cheese with preserves (1.40 €). All so delicious! Best sangria I’ve ever tasted, and I especially recommend the fried seafood plate. Another reason to come back to Barcelona: now I want to try all the restaurants on the list, and discover new ones!

We rambled down Las Ramblas in the general direction of the port, stopping to gawk at flower stalls, buskers, fancy stores, a sex shop with peepshow (yes, you read that right), and La Boquerìa market. At the market, we bought delicious fresh cherries to snack on. The market is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, well worth a visit. We detoured briefly into the Barri Gotìc, where we admired the old buildings and I bought a lovely silk scarf from a sidewalk vendor for 3 € (would have been even cheaper if I’d wanted 3 or more). When we got to the Columbus statue at the bottom of the Ramblas, we knew we could take the port bus back to the ship, but it was a lovely evening, we were still full from our tapas, and we had hours before sailaway, so we walked. It was about two miles, and there were two girls ahead of us also walking to the ship, so it’s certainly not an impossible walk as I’d previously read. Maybe not for everyone, but we enjoyed it.

[CoralReef]

Palma de Mallorca

We planned to take it easy in Palma, and it’s a good thing, because on Sunday just about everything was closed. We toyed with the idea of taking the train to Sòller and the bus back, but discarded the notion in favor of relaxing, especially when we found that the bus schedule was much reduced on Sundays. Instead, we took the port bus #1 from opposite the terminal building, for 1.25 € to Plaça Espanya downtown. A lot of people from the ship were taking the bus, and the driver packed us in like sardines, standing room only!

We meandered around the old town for a while, admiring the Gaudì-influenced “modernist” buildings. I had read about the local coiled pastry specialty “ensaimada”, so when we saw a pastry shop offering free tastings, we ducked in for a delicious sample, and stayed for coffee and chocolate-coated palmeras. This was one of the cheapest snacks of the cruise at less than 3 €—obviously there was no “tourist price” here.

Eventually we made our way to the magnificent Gothic Cathedral La Seu by the water. The outside is majestic, but the inside altar area is pure visual delight, with its Gaudì-inspired crown of lights. We so wished we were allowed to photograph the interior, but had to make do with postcards. Mass was starting while we were there, so we joined the service. Sadly, there were many rude visitors walking over the ropes into the services area, taking flash photographs despite the prohibition, and talking loudly even while their tour guide shushed them. There were lots of devout local people attending services, and the disrespect they were shown by our shipmates was shameful.

We enjoyed a little souvenir window-shopping—lots of fake pearls (“Majorica” brand artificial pearls are made on the island), and lovely but pricy textiles. We wanted another Spanish tapas meal, and I had a guidebook list of restaurant recommendations in downtown Palma, but many of them were closed on this Sunday. We eventually chose a random restaurant, off the beaten path of the main street, which looked promising but was disappointing. The service was poor, the food was only average, and the sangria tasted like sugary soda pop with fruit juice added. What a waste of 25 €. From the Cathedral area, we walked back to the ship. The distance was about 2-3 miles, along a pretty seaside promenade.

[CoralReef]

Tunis (La Goulette) to Carthage

We are huge history buffs, and wanted to see as much as possible of Carthage, at our own pace. So we decided to take the train independently to Carthage. We were very happy with this decision, since we got to see everything leisurely, and without waiting for restrooms or carpet shop tours. Some of the most enjoyable sites we saw were those where the tour buses didn’t even go. I haven’t seen much specific detail posted on how to see Carthage by train, so here’s the scoop.

We got off the ship to find that there were two irresistible attractions right at dockside: camels and Roman soldiers. The camel ride guy must have thought this was his lucky day— before he could accost us, we trotted up to him and practically begged to ride the camel. We paid 10 € and got a long ride and lots of pictures, since most cruisers were waiting on the ship for tours to start. Later in the day, when the tours were returning, the camels got a lot more business, but the rides weren’t as long. Hubby also couldn’t resist wearing Roman armor, holding two hawks, and sitting on a throne being hailed as Imperator of Africa Province while Roman soldiers beat drums. Yes, we are history geeks.

After doing our bit for the local tourism economy, we headed for the train to Carthage. The hardest part was getting out of the port. The taxi drivers were so annoying! They kept demanding to know our plans, and offering us lower and lower prices for tours. We like to walk and see the streets when we travel, and we didn’t want a driver waiting while we explored leisurely. But they just wouldn’t accept that we weren’t interested. One even followed us to the train station to inform us that we needed Tunisian dinars for the train (which we already knew) and that the banks didn’t open for money exchange for two hours. He wouldn’t leave us alone until he saw that we had located the train station and were getting dinars from an ATM. Then another driver appeared to pester my husband while I withdrew money. They all spoke English, French, and Arabic, so I advised my husband to claim that we spoke only German. This strategy has worked for us many times in Mexico, but what a mistake here! This guy spoke fluent German, too. Aargh.

Anyway, assuming you can get past the pesky taxis, here’s how you get to the TGM train for Carthage from the La Goulette port: go out the port gate. Turn left and walk along the wide port street for a couple of short blocks, until you get to a roundabout and can see a bridge just ahead. Turn right onto the street that has a wall running along its right side. (The right turn is just after a big gas station.) Train tracks are on the left and the city wall on the right as you walk along. You will see the train station in a couple of blocks.

To get Tunisian dinars for the train fare, turn right at the train station and go one block into town; there is a prominent ATM at the end of the street. The train fare is less than 2 dinars per person each ride, and we only took it twice, since we found that the Carthage sites are all easily walkable from each other. We spent about 30 dinars all told (including some drinks), and were able to discreetly change the excess back to euros at the shopping building in the port, before we boarded the ship.

We got off the train at the Salambo stop and walked east towards the coast along Avenue Farhat Hached until we saw the signs for Carthage Tophet and/or “Sanctuaire Punique”. You turn left onto Rue Hannibal, go just past the hotel Residence Carthage, and the Tophet entrance is on the right. Here we purchased our combo tickets to all the sites for 8 Tunisian dinars each, plus 1 TD for photography rights. The ticket comes with a helpful map on the back showing how to get to all the sites. However, for better walking directions and historical background, I highly recommend Amanda Hinton’s Blue Guide to Tunisia, pp. 76-92. I think it’s out of print, but you can order it from Amazon or borrow it through Interlibrary Loan. We made a copy of that section, and found it an accurate and useful guide despite being several years old.

We explored the Tophet necropolis, which includes a fascinating Roman underground vault, Punic stelae, and possible remains of human sacrifices. We left just as the first tour buses were arriving, went back out on Rue Hannibal, and walked north a few blocks through charming bougainvillea-lined suburban streets to the circular military harbor of ancient Carthage. The tour buses didn’t stop at this site. It was thrilling to walk along the shore and imagine Carthage’s naval might in the days when hundreds of ships lined the harbor.

We walked back west to the main drag, Avenue Habib Bourguiba. Turn right on this thoroughfare, and in a few blocks you see the Musée Paleochretienne on the left. There are significant Carthaginian and Byzantine ruins, plus a free, clean restroom (but take your own tissues). Unfortunately, the museum was locked, but the ruins and mosaics were interesting.

To get to the next site, the Magon Quarter, go north along Avenue Habib Bourguiba. Turn right when you get to Avenue de la République, which is a beautiful parkway lined with stately palm trees on both sides. At its end, you can see the ocean. We detoured briefly to the lovely seaside promenade, to admire one of the prettiest pieces of Mediterranean shoreline we have ever seen. Then we entered the Magon Quartier and toured its little museum, showcasing the Roman seawall and excavated Carthaginian artisans’ houses. This was another site the buses didn’t visit.

We went back along Avenue de la République, turned right on Rue Septime Sévère, and followed the signs to the Parc des Thermes or Antonine Baths, one of the main attractions, and well populated with tourist buses. Saw the still-impressive remains of the huge baths (4th largest in the whole Roman empire!), as well as Roman houses and mosaics, a Punic burial site, and an underground chapel. This site boasts plenty of restrooms and a snack bar. The Tunisian president’s villa overlooks it—look for the white walls, flag, and armed guards.

The next site is the Villas Romaines or Roman Villas. We went west on Avenue des Thermes d’Antonin past Avenue Habib Bourguiba, then under the railway bridge. This was the only point where the walk was briefly less than comfortable, because there was a short section (10 yards) under the bridge, overgrown with shrubbery, where there wasn’t really a sidewalk and we had to walk with traffic. Take the first right turn after the bridge and follow the signs to the Villas Romaines. This site was great! Almost as impressive as the baths, but we didn’t see one single tour bus here. It was worth touring independently just to get to see this wonderful site. There were well preserved villas and stunning mosaics. Just after you enter, look for a long wall on the left with tunnel-like entrances. It is filled with beautiful mosaics salvaged from the site. Be sure to climb to the top of the hill to see the palatial villa restored to near completion, and the remains of the Odeon. The view from the restored villa’s terrace is breathtaking, and it has one of the best Roman mosaics in existence.

Our guidebook said to go back to the main street to enter the Roman Theater. But from the Odeon hill, we spotted an open gate, which turned out to lead to the Theater. It has been restored to performance readiness, so it was easy to imagine how it looked in Roman times. There are still several rows of the original seating left undisturbed. Winston Churchill spoke here to the Allied troops.

The final Carthaginian site was the Byrsa Hill, where the Punic and Roman governments were located. It’s easy to find by looking for the majestic Cathedral St. Louis at the top of the hill, just south of the Theater. We found that the most direct route was via some concrete steps set into the side of the hill, which you can readily see from the street across from the Theater. The guidebook called it “a stiff walk”, but it was really only about three flights of steps. Go around the Cathedral, admiring its mix of Gothic and Moorish elements, to the terrace and museum entrance. From the terrace, there is a stunning view all the way to the port. There are excavated Carthaginian insulae, and a good museum with a large mosaic floor and several fascinating inscriptions. Also restrooms, snack vendors, taxis, etc.

Finally, we went back down the steps, and down the street to the bottom of the hill, where the Hannibal train station was easy to spot. We could easily have taken the train a few stops north to Sidi Bou Said, but we decided to leave that for another visit. Rode the train back south to La Goulette. The ride was entertaining because the train was full of schoolkids cutting up. There were even some teenaged boys riding the outside of the train and trying to knock each other off. From Goulette Vieille stop, we walked the couple of blocks back to the port, shopped a little while in the terminal building, changed our remaining dinars for euros with a vendor, and boarded the ship.

We had such a great day exploring ancient Carthage at our leisure. It was very easy and cheap and safe; I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in ancient history and able to walk about 4-5 miles over the course of several hours. Tunisia was so much prettier and more charming than I expected. We hope to return some day and spend more time.

[CoralReef]

Palermo

Although we docked in Palermo on schedule at 7:00, the ship was not cleared until 8:20. Our plan here was to see the Norman cathedral at Monreale. We walked a couple of miles to Piazza della Indipendienza. Palermo traffic is nuts! But they have good sidewalks, and lights at the pedestrian crosswalks. At the ATAC shed on the north side of Piazza della Indipendienza, we bought 4 tickets (round trips for both of us) at 1.20 € each. Then crossed Piazza della Indipendienza to the church at the south side, in front of which we found the 389 bus to Monreale. The buses run every 24 minutes. The bus ride to Monreale took about 20 minutes, and was very interesting. We got to see quite a bit of Palermo. They didn’t seem to have supermarkets, but rather small sidewalk markets every few blocks with eye-popping seafood and produce displays. Although the city is huge, crowded, and bustling, the stores were all little mom-and-pop types.

We were glad we went to Monreale, because it’s a lot more charming than Palermo. The buildings are old with red terracotta roofs, the streets are cobblestoned, and it’s set high on a hill with great views. The cathedral has some of the best Byzantine mosaics in the world. Its interior is in perfect condition for a church 900+ years old. It’s a real jewel box. The gold and mosaic decorations are stunning. We loved it.

There is a public bathroom at Monreale that costs 0.50 € per person. You actually get a souvenir ticket for your 0.50 €! There are also plenty of restaurants, souvenir shops, and cafés. I had read that Sicily is known for its pastry, so we indulged. The guidebooks are right: Sicilian pastry is great! I never even liked cannoli much until I had them here. We waddled back to the bus, then walked back to the ship via different streets, to see a bit more of Palermo. We shopped at a few stores, and did duck into the city cathedral briefly. (Church # 16, with St. Peter’s after the cruise bringing the grand total to 17.) We had hours left before disembarkation and could have seen other sights, but decided to take it easy this day.

[CoralReef]

Naples & Pompeii

Our goal for Naples was to visit Pompeii. First we walked to the Circumvesuviana train station. Naples’ traffic is even crazier than Palermo’s! It was an easy walk of less than a mile, though. Exit the port, turn right, walk along by the water until you get to Corso Garibaldi (a major street, just past an old church). Turn left on Garibaldi, go a couple blocks, and you’ll see the Circumvesuviana station on the right. It’s easily identifiable by the buses and taxis outside. You can also take the train to Pompeii from the main station, Napoli Centrale, two blocks further on, but I don’t recommend it. We got off at the main station when we came back, in order to see more of the city, and it’s much bigger and more confusing than the Circumvesuviana station. It was easy to buy our tickets and find our train at Circumvesuviana, and we were already seated when the hordes started pouring on at the main station. The tickets were 2.40 € per person; be sure to validate them.

The train ride to Pompeii Scavi took about 25 minutes. We and some fellow cruisers on the train had fun talking to some young folks who had the day off from school and were going to the beach. When they heard us speaking English, they wanted to practice their English. In return, they let us practice our Italian. They told us that Napoli is the best city in Italy and the world, and I thought how nice it was that they felt that way. Most American kids would be too cool to say such a thing about their hometown.

At Pompeii, we paid 11 € each for admission. There is an excellent map and guidebook available for free at the Tourist Information booth next to the ticket counter, but you have to ask for it. We decided to join a guided tour for 10 € per person, group size of 10. There were plenty of licensed guides and all were offering the same deal. It only took a few minutes for our guide, Mario, to collect the rest of the group. He led us on a 2-hour tour around Pompeii. What a marvelous opportunity to see how people lived in the Roman Empire!

After the tour, we had a drink at the snack bar and enjoyed the beautiful day. I hadn’t realized that Pompeii boasted such great views of Vesuvius and the sea. The sea was closer in Pompeii’s day, but you can still see it. Took the train back, getting off at Centrale (Piazza Garibaldi) this time, because we wanted to see more of Naples. If we were going straight to the ship, we could have stayed on for one more stop, to Circumvesuviana station. We wandered around for a while, seeing a street market and lots of shops. Crazy traffic! Eventually we headed back to the ship, well content.

[CoralReef]

Conclusions & Budget

What a great cruise! We loved every port and had a great time exploring them all. It’s hard to pick a favorite... we would go back to each, gladly.

Here’s the price breakdown:
$1,799 each for VE veranda guarantee
$179 each for insurance
$19.95 for the horrible gnome’s fee
$96.33 each for cruise taxes and fees
$341 onboard charges (laundry, gratuities, and drinks)
$1,100 each for airfare (only one plane change, paid a little more for this)
$643 for three nights pre-cruise at River Palace Hotel
$245 for one night post-cruise at Airport Hilton
$408 for 3 RomeCabs transfers (we could have saved a good bit by taking the train, but made the decision to opt for speed and convenience with our luggage)
$932 in cash expenses (mostly taxis, buses, trains, site admission, snacks, and drinks while touring)
$1,540 on the no-fee Capitol One card (mostly meals and souvenirs)

Grand Total: $10,477.61 and worth every penny.

[djpart]

Susan, I just happened to check out the boards and came across your itinery update... Thank you so much. We are leaving in a week for the 20 day B2B and are so excited. Your diary (info) is absolutely wonderful. I had decided to keep a diary this time due to missing or "forgetting" a lot when we went to Baltic Russia. Did you write in a journal the whole tme or are you one that has a wonderful memory? I love your pictures... The camel pics are awesome... I hope we are able to do that.. What an experience!! I was excited but now I am ecstatic... Only 6 more day!!! We are spending 4 days in Rome following the cruise. We already have reservations for the Sistene; Vatican; and Sistene Chapel. Other than that we are "winging" it.
Any other suggestions... Thank you again for doing such a wonderful job of letting "us" that follow have a glimpse of the enjoyment and pleasure we are about to ecounter. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

dianne

djpart1230@yahoo.com

[CoralReef]

Hi Dianne,
So glad you enjoyed the trip report. It was fun for me to remember the cruise as I wrote it.

Did you write in a journal the whole tme or are you one that has a wonderful memory?
I made a few notes, mostly names and amounts... was too busy to do more at the time! The photos and souvenir tickets helped me remember.

I love your pictures... The camel pics are awesome... I hope we are able to do that.. What an experience!!
It was great-- a little painful, but so much fun! I'm sure you'll be able to do it, the camels were waiting right there when we got off the ship. They were very popular!

[kao2002]

Thank you so much for all the detail you put into your review! I will be going on the Noordam soon and have printed out all the great info you provided.

[English_in_Spain]

It was really good of you to share with us what things cost you. I know lots of people will find that a great help.

[SDadw01]

Thanks for your review!

[happy cruzer]

Fantastic review, loved the price breakdown. I do one for myself on every trip we take. It makes it so easy to see the best values received, normally the cruise; with hotels running 200+ a night and food expensive too. Makes it really easy when it is time to put the deposit down on the cruise because you know it's the best value around.

Your review of Tunis/Carthange was GREAT! I want to go now. If we enjoy Morocco, then DH will be more open to exotic ports.

Thanks again!

[Sirdar]

Thank you for this great review. Have you considered writing Guidebooks? DW and I were planning this same itinerary aboard Noordam later this summer (Our good friend will be the priest aboard the ship). Then the sceptic system at home went!!!! No cruise for us this year or next! At least reading your review helped me to know something of the experience.

[tennisobo]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this comprehensive review. We are doing the Eastern Med on the Noordam so I concentrated on you experience in Rome Great information!

Thanks again...

[CoralReef]

Thanks, folks, glad you are finding the review helpful!

I realized that I counted the hotel costs twice, both separately and as part of the credit card total. So the grand total was actually a little lower, $9,589.61. What a bargain. :p

[dell0]

Susan
Thanks for a great write-up on your trip.
We are planning basically the same trip in mid Sept
and reading yours provided us with a lot of things that will be a great help to us
Thanks.
Dello

[Loreto]

Susan, Thank you for your detailed review and photos! We leave soon for our Noordam Cruise, and all your information was very helpful, I am so grateful! You did a lot of walking...the best way to experience the ports.

We have a starboard VF...were offered an upsell to an SS but said no. We were able to use FF miles on Delta from Ontario, CA so that made the trip more affordable.

We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn at FCO post cruise. Were you at that one or the Hilton? I read the shuttle to the HGI was tricky.

I am very intrigued by Tunisia...your pictures afe fantastic...again, thank you for posting!:)

Karen

[Bobblsc]

Thank you very much for your great review. I was especially pleased to learn that your HAL ship was in good shape and that the food was for the most part good. We don't eat much, but do care for good presentation and quality. Our last Celebrity was somewhat disappointing in this regard. Our only HAL cruise was on the Westerdam, a sister ship of your Noordam. This was a TA, for which I found a really good price for a small suite. The suite was extremely good.

We lived in Northern Italy for four months back in 1991. Our location was Pordenone, a city about 80 km north of Venice. We took two trips to Florence during that time and have been back an additional three times. So we have seen all you did, plus some.

I hope you do not mind if I alert you to a couple of other things. These are certainly not corrections. Your report is outstanding.

Livorno (Florence)
.....
Seeing David was a thrill. He is even more impressive in person than in the art books. I didn’t really realize how massive he was. We briefly walked through the rest of the Accademia, but didn’t find much else of interest. So it was on to the Bargello a few blocks away.
......
Then it was on to the Piazza della Signoria, where we again consulted Rick Steves and checked out the courtyard of the Medici palazzo, the replica of David, and the statues in the Loggia. I was eager to see how the David replica looked in what I understood to be his original position, but the replica seemed smaller, and not as high up as I thought he was originally placed. The replica was not as impressive as the original, and the hands still seemed out of proportion to me even in the elevated placement. It was interesting to see this pretty piazza, and the Loggia art included some excellent pieces by our new favorite Gianbologna.
.........


Of course we have seen David. The word awesome is not enough to describe him. I have read that Michelangelo took a block of granite which had been rejected by others and carved this beautiful object. We saw him (David, not Michelangelo :D) during our first visit to Florence. By design, we have not seen him again. I carry a vivid mental picture of David, and do not want it confused with a second mental picture.

I have read that Michelangelo made David's right hand and head larger than normal to convey the images that his thoughts were massive at that instant, and that his hand with the sling was powerful.

The Signoria's Palace is good to visit if you like sculpture. There are about a dozen fine pieces lining the sides of the great hall there.

In addition to the Uffizi, there is a fine art museum across the Ponte Vecchio. The name now escapes me, but it is in a huge building with gardens surrounding. It is now far from the bridge, at least for you youngsters.

If we cruise out of Civitavecchia again, I intend to investigate trains from Florence to Civitavecchia. We would much rather visit Florence than Rome again.


Thank you once more for your great review.


Bob :cool:

[CoralReef]

We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn at FCO post cruise. Were you at that one or the Hilton? I read the shuttle to the HGI was tricky.

We were at the Hilton Rome Airport, not the Garden Inn. We used the Hilton shuttle to the airport, and it was very fast & convenient. Not sure if they use the same service for Garden Inn or not.

[swalm22]

Thanks for your review, very helpfull.
We go 28 july with the Noordam and also stay 3 days before in Rome.

[Loreto]

We were at the Hilton Rome Airport, not the Garden Inn. We used the Hilton shuttle to the airport, and it was very fast & convenient. Not sure if they use the same service for Garden Inn or not.

Thanks Susan!

Karen

[corkpopr]

We were on that cruise with you and i agree completely. Best review i have ever read!

[CoralReef]

Thanks, corkpopr! Hope you had as much fun as we did.

[daisydriver]

susan -- i am doing this trip on Noordam in october with my 85-year-old mom and 80-year-old MIL (we all get along great!) -- your insights are invaluable and much appreciated as this will be our first western med experience. You seem as if you are a very observant traveller: if you had been travelling with two seniors, what advice would you have for me re safety, security, mobility, etc. (the moms are pretty spry for their age but they do slow down) -- i booked private limo tours in rome (we will be there for 4 days prior to the start of the cruise), as well as for port days in livorno, monaco and naples so that our sightseeing is as stress-free as possible. we are doing HAL tours in barcelona, mallorca and palermo. not sure yet what to do in tunis. thanks so much --

[kalliekae]

Thank you for your detailed review! We enjoyed this same cruise in 2008 so your review brought back many happy memories. We also loved touring Tunis and Mallorca was absolutely beautiful! I am sure your budget figures will help others in their planning. Thanks for taking the time to post all this.

[Loreto]

Susan,
Again, I appreciated your review! We had a wonderful but different experience on the 6/28 sailing. We missed embarkation because our flight was cancelled, and rescheduled the day of sailing, 6/28. We flew to Rome and learned Delta didn't put any baggage on our flight. We took the Leonardo Express into Rome Termini....it would have been a struggle if we had our luggage....bought 1st class tickets on the noon Eurostar train to Livorno at the kiosk. The 2 hr 40min ride was wonderful.

As you said..no taxis at the station (but we had 5 hours to get to the ship) An Italian woman saw our plight and called the cab co. We would have called ourselves, but were grateful for her kindness. Cab came and another couple came out of the station and asked to share, so we were whisked past security and onto the ship. Our bags came 4 days later. HAL was wonderful in this situation..Champagne, chocolates, complimentary 24hr laundry and a daily report from guest services. Some people on our flight never got their bags the whole cruise.

In spite of everything we were determined to have a good time. It is amazing how you can get along with very little. Tunisia was our favorite port....very clean!

Thanks again.

Karen

[jerseyridgearts]

Fabulous report Susan - we're sailing the western Med next May on the Eurodam and your port information (and cost breakdowns) will be invaluable for our planning. Off to see your photos which I bet are equally fabulous!

Catherine

[CoralReef]

susan -- i am doing this trip on Noordam in october with my 85-year-old mom and 80-year-old MIL (we all get along great!) -- your insights are invaluable and much appreciated as this will be our first western med experience. You seem as if you are a very observant traveller: if you had been travelling with two seniors, what advice would you have for me re safety, security, mobility, etc. (the moms are pretty spry for their age but they do slow down) -- i booked private limo tours in rome (we will be there for 4 days prior to the start of the cruise), as well as for port days in livorno, monaco and naples so that our sightseeing is as stress-free as possible. we are doing HAL tours in barcelona, mallorca and palermo. not sure yet what to do in tunis. thanks so much --

Private limo tours are a great choice if you are traveling with low-mobility tour members. I would especially recommend private transport in Monaco, which is very steep. They do have lots of elevators, but it's still a lot of walking.

I would go with a private tour in Tunis, as well, in your situation.

I wouldn't worry as much about security as mobility-- except perhaps in Barcelona, where I hear that seniors are targeted. In that port, I might have the younger person carry all the valuables, or invest in a safety belt or zippered socks.

[CoralReef]

Susan,
Again, I appreciated your review! We had a wonderful but different experience on the 6/28 sailing. We missed embarkation because our flight was cancelled, and rescheduled the day of sailing, 6/28. We flew to Rome and learned Delta didn't put any baggage on our flight. We took the Leonardo Express into Rome Termini....it would have been a struggle if we had our luggage....bought 1st class tickets on the noon Eurostar train to Livorno at the kiosk. The 2 hr 40min ride was wonderful.

As you said..no taxis at the station (but we had 5 hours to get to the ship) An Italian woman saw our plight and called the cab co. We would have called ourselves, but were grateful for her kindness. Cab came and another couple came out of the station and asked to share, so we were whisked past security and onto the ship. Our bags came 4 days later. HAL was wonderful in this situation..Champagne, chocolates, complimentary 24hr laundry and a daily report from guest services. Some people on our flight never got their bags the whole cruise.

In spite of everything we were determined to have a good time. It is amazing how you can get along with very little. Tunisia was our favorite port....very clean!

Thanks again.

Karen

Karen, my goodness! I have to admire your positive attitude during what must have been a trying time. Glad you had fun anyway.

We loved Tunis, too. After reading some trepidatious reviews, we were amazed at what a beautiful, clean, safe place it was.

[Ann262]

That has got to be the best post cruise write up I have ever seen! Thank you!

[RuthC]

That has got to be the best post cruise write up I have ever seen! Thank you!
As OP hasn't posted to the HAL board in many, many months, it's quite possible she won't see your thanks.

[canadianbear]

I missed this review before so am glad it was bumped up. Even if the original poster doesn't see this the review was wonderful to read and gave many, many helpful hints. This is one of the cruises we are interested in so glad we got to read about it. Thanks so much for doing such a detailed report.

[wyaz]

I am also glad that this thread was bumped up and I am doing so again so that others on our July 26 Roll Call may see it. Great review of the ship and ports. Many of the same ports we will stop at.

I hope the OP finds out about this new life and the new kudos.