Royal Princess July16-31 Greed Med Review

Just came back a few weeks ago from our 2 week Mediterannean cruise with 3 days in Barcelona pre cruise. It was two 7 day B2B starting in Barcelona ending in Athens. Istanbul and Kusadasi were on the intinerary but were cancelled and substitued with Kotor Montenegro and Corfu Greece. So another time and another cruise if we want to try to see those places.

After a lot of looking on line for hotels we chose Ciutat de Vella which looked authentic, had reasonable prices, great reviews and in a good location right next to La Ramblas.

But since the concierge desk is only open from 8:30-2:30 every day*we had to check in at another hotel which is open 24 hours and he gives us our key. Our taxi driver drops us off and directs us where to go and turn because the cars can't go down the narrow alleyways where our hotel awaits. So off we go (the 4 of us, husband and 2 teens) to our next adventure. To say we were a little worried is an understatement as we are hauling suitcases to last us almost 3 weeks we turn down a literally extremely narrow alleyway where a homeless person is sleeping with his dog and find our number 8 next to a grafitti marked door and think this is a cruel joke. We get to a small elevator which only holds 2 people and a couple suitcases and takes us 3 trips to get to the 4th floor. But once we enter it is exactly as the pictures on the website and know all is good. It's a large place with 2 rooms and a mini kitchen and one bathroom.

Exhausted, tired and hungry we put everything away and head out to La Rambla which is right where we were dropped off from the taxi. Can I say "restaurant heaven"? There is so much to choose from we really don't know which one to pick. Tapas, pizza, paella and more. We all agree on Moka restaruant and get a table towards the back. I had a vegan salad w/quinoa because after eating the airline food that tasted like frozen dinners I really needed something healthy. But first we ordered the cod filet w/honey as an appetizer which was amazing. I only had one as I looked down at my phone to do something and by the time I looked up they were all gone. Wow, thanks for asking if I wanted the last one. The teens had pizza and DH had paella which takes 20 minutes to make the rice so his came last. After dinner we decided to get gelato (and yes there are no shortage of gelato eateries here with every flavor you can imagine,even a Red Bull Flavor with the can on top for decoration) and walk down La Rambla. After about an hour of walking there was a lightening/rain down pour and laughed as everyone screamed and ran for cover. We decided then it was time to go back to our secret hideaway hotel and catch up on some much needed rest for tomorrows tour at Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia.

The front door of our hotel and alleyway. I don't have pics of the room which is way better than the outside.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks that Red Bull Gelato sounds good to me :D

Tony

We pre booked a "Skip the Line Guided tour of Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia" as we are going in the height of tourist season. After a quick stop at the corner La Pan we get fresh squeezed orange juice for only 2€, some cafe latte's and croissants for a quick breakfast and grab a taxi to Park Guell to start our tour. Because it was a hot day we thought we would be smart and buy some waters ( for about 3 € each) at the little store before you enter the park. But little did we know that all over the park are people selling water for only 1€ each after you enter. Who knew it would be cheaper inside? It's a beautiful park with great history and wonderful photo ops everywhere you turn. We were there for about a couple hours and then hopped on their tour bus to La Sagrada Familia where we turned in our vouchers for tickets and our tour guide took us all around the block to describe the outside before we entered the inside. If you don't pre buy your tickets you will face long lines. I'm not sure if they sell out or not but I thought I heard someone say that. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.*

When you walk in it will take your breath away. Even though you can take amazing pictures, it can't capture what you actually see in person all around you. It is enormous, wondrous, captivating and I can't even think of all the adjectives to describe it. We also went to the evolution of creating it down one floor. After 4/12 hrs. we were worn out. We decided to be brave and take the Metro back to the hotel as we were spending a little too much money on taxis and it was an easy 3 stops. The teens decided to sleep and we decided to go to a pub for tapas and beers. My DH always wanted to try anchovies and here was his chance, soaked in olive oil and all. The salmon tapas were great and that gave us a much needed break to continue our souvinier shopping. Since I forgot magnets for the cabins walls ( I can't use them on my stainless steel refrigerator at home) I bought a few Barcelona themed magnets to hang up the Princess patters and notes.

Back to get the teens for dinner and we discovered Placa Reial "the square" lined with restaurants all the way around. We picked Ocanas and had Mexican/Spanish styled food. Guacamole w/pomegranate and chips for appetizers and Cheese quesadillas with cheese and some sort of mushroom I can't prounouce but was actually really good. The restaurant is half indoors and half outdoors . We sat at the outside tables facing the center and people will come by and try to sell you roses, flashing sunglasses and toys that fly in the air. Note to self....do not pick the outside table facing the square.

I always have trouble posting pics so I will also work on my blog and post pictures there which I know I can do. Hopefully tomorrow.

Thanks that Red Bull Gelato sounds good to me :D

Tony

Yes Tony it might have been but I went for the Bailey's which tasted spot on.

Park Gruel,La Sagrada Familia

Great review so far.....:):):)

Bob

Looking forward to actually reading the cruise review. As per the title!

Lovely start to your review! Keep it coming please!!!

Enjoying the review.

Looking forward to reading more!

Enjoying your review! Always nice to learn the little things you learn from experience 😊

I'm following along, thanks for the review! I love Barcelona and Place Reial has some amazing restaurants.

Thanks for the reviews. We are doing the 7 day cruise in a few weeks Barcelona to Rome.

Can you tell me what evenings were the formal ones? Also, we like dancing, are there places yo dance in the evenings? Thanks.

Looking forward to the next instalments of your review.

I had pre-booked an electric bike riding tour for 2 1/2 hours and luck would have it, the meeting place was less than 5 minutes away. I thought I could cover a lot of ground and not get tired pedaling if I had a little help. Since we just did the "La Familia" and "Park Guell" we skipped those 2 places and rode through neighborhoods, the park, the beach , the landmarks, Gaudi's other houses and plenty of stops for some history about Barcelona. You have to be a little adventourous and agressive getting through a few tight places and traffic but overall was a great way to see the city. We covered such a large area and I really didn't use the motor too much becuase it was mostly level. All though it was fun to get that extra fast power every now and then. The park was beautiful off the beaten path and the huge landmark fountain was amazing, the beach was scenic and easy and I would definitely do that again. Taking the teens back to let them rest as usual we impromptu decided to check out the Picasso museum. Luck would have it this was also only about 15 minute walk from our hotel. We didn't get there till about 4:00 but they said they were sold out for that time but we could buy our tickets and come back at 4:45*. So we browsed a few stores, came back to pick up our "audio guides" and laughed about the old school way we would have to use them. It looked like an old big land line phone that you hold up to your ear to listen to. It was a little awkward as it looked like you were talking on the phone but actually you were listening to it. So instead of ear buds or head sets you had to hold up to your ear the whole time. *Not only that but it wasn't always in order. There were 1-53 numbers and you would go from room to room. Sometimes they were missing some because they would be somewhere else and sometimes it would be 5-10 in one room but you couldn't find #8 only to find out it would be in the next room of 11-15. We were constantly asking the people there, were was this or that. They could really use some improvement on that. Otherwise it was very interesting to learn about the history of this famous painter and actually see his original paintings. On the way back we went to the famous food market and bought fresh fruit and juices but just gagged at the stinky, disgusting animal parts everywhere. It's almost like you know it's going to be gross and you want to be shocked so I will skip the part where I tell you what I actually saw. I picked out a few fudge pieces (asking for the ones underneath that the flies did not land on) but have to tell you it's not like the American fudge that melts in your mouth. But I will tell you the fresh fruit that is only 1.5*€ is so ripe and sweet I could eat it all day.*

Tried doing photo bucket for the IMG image but didn't work . Not sure how to post full pictures yet

Thanks for the reviews. We are doing the 7 day cruise in a few weeks Barcelona to Rome

 

Can you tell me what evenings were the formal ones? Also, we like dancing, are there places yo dance in the evenings? Thanks.

 

Looking forward to the next instalments of your review.

Well there are 2 formals per 7 day. We thought the first one was sea day so booked Crown Grill to avoid the crowds but was still going to dress up. To our surprise, it was the Gibraltor day (the day before sea day). I got on to the elevator wondering why everyone was dressed up? So I wasn't formal that night and ended up going to Alfredos haha. I can't remember the 2nd formal. Possibly Florence.

Today is the day we arrive at *the ship for our 2 week Greek Mediterranean Adventure! We have our usual cafe latte, fresh squeezed orange juice and fluffy croissants. The shops close early Friday night and do not open up till Saturday at 10:00 a.m.*Also the prices are cheaper at the stores off the Main Street. So we grabbed some last minute souvies....magnets for the cabin, t-shirts and Barcelona souvies. The one thing that is pretty funny we noticed is that on La Rambla there were a group of Nigerians selling knock offs on these white sheets. The first time we saw them they all of a sudden pulled a rope that gathered all the stuff up like a Santa Claus bag and sling it over the shoulder and take off because the police spot them and chase them away.**It's like a cat and mouse game and was pretty funny to watch this all night long.*

Back at the hotel we have a taxi come to pick us up and take us to the pier to be on our way. Check in is seamless and Princess really has this all done to a science. Plus not everyone is getting off in Barcelona as some people are continuing on . We find our room, unpack our bags, buy our coffe cards, soda and more cards , check into the teen club and hit the buffett. One thing I learned is don't eat so much at the buffett otherwise you won't want to eat dinner. It's easy to get carried away and luckily there plates are normal size now. The Piazza is beautiful and we investigate the new layout as this is our first time on the Royal. We hit the sail away party , walk around the ship , have a couple drinks and before you know it, it's dinner time. The wait was only about 10 minutes and we have the salmon, vegetables, creamed artichoke soup and the famous "Love Boat Dream " dessert. This ship does not have the promenade deck so we opt for the walking track which is not as long as the promenade so have to do extra laps to work off what we ate. I have to say I really do miss the Promenade deck. We listen to music have a drink and head up to bed because tomorrow is Cartagena and we have an excursion booked.

The cabana, Skywalk (too bad I can't insert video walking over it) and views.

Thanks for the review.

We are scheduled to get to Cartagena around 12:00 and leave at 6:30.So when we have time in the morning we will eat breakfast in the dining room. If we are in a hurry or early we will do Horizon Court or IC. So this morning we do the restaurant because usually it's not so crowded. Our excursion is Murcia and Shire of Fuensanta. The description sounded way better than what actually happened. It was described as going to the Fuensanta Monastery in the Old City where we can browse the shops and explore on our own . *We would glide along the graceful sun-drenched coastline and arrive back in Caratagena. So my imagination led me to believe something quiet idyllic and different from what I saw. Yes the highlight for me was the Fuensanta Monastery which was closed from 1:00 to 4:00 on Sunday (when we would be there) and all the stores were also closed. Our guide had a such a thick accent it was really difficult to understand what she was saying and I think I'm pretty good at understanding most accents. So as she spent only a short time in front of this beautiful monastery we let them go ahead of us so we could *enjoy this amazing photo oppurtunity with no one around and take pictures. This was our favorite part of the whole tour and we got some beautiful photos with no people in the background. I think it would of been a shame to travel this far and only spend a quick 5 - 10 minutes there to see and explore when *something like that deserves more time to admire and explore. We weren't sure where they went to next and she was going to let us explore on our own so we went down the narrow streets of closed up shops and passed a few pan handlers along the way making our way back to the bus. The next stop was the *Salzillo Museum which I swear was 1 block *away. When she told us to get off the bus no one did because we weren't sure this was really it. She had to come back on the bus to tell everyone *to get off. The Museum is very small with some miniature figures in glass cases but we couldn't hear her because she didn't get everyone to move down into one area. We didn't mind because it was too hard to understand her so we just read the descriptions on our own to better understand what we were looking at. Then onto the church area where his statues are of biblical scenes. We all sat in the pews instead of going to each area to see the statues, so if some were blocked views I just got up on my own to get a close view but made sure to be behind the columns so as not to block the view of anyone else. Between the echoes and her accent again I found it better to read the inscriptions. Then off to one last stop to see the church on the hill with a great view of the city. We let everyone go into the church and we separated to go to the front and take photos and as they came out we went into the church to take photos and that seemed to work better for us as it was less crowded and my teens were having the same problem as we were and getting a little frustrated. The drive was not as scenic as we had expected but looked a little like flat desert drive to Bakersfield instead of a long winding seaside drive I envisioned. Maybe our expectations were high but we were a little dissappointed things were closed and not as we thought but at the end of the day *just kind of laughed everything off trying to make the best of it with our good humor and talked *about the fun time *basically having the place to ourselves in front of the monastery to take as many photos as we could as if we were in our own little *world. I bet that never happens to anyone. We thought we might have an hour to explore Cartagena but only had about 30 minutes left and didn't want to run 10 minutes into the city to see it and rush back so we just headed back to the ship. We decided on Alfredos ( freshly made pizza) *which is a great alternative to the dining room. If you order a Sangria it comes in al ittle cute pottery vase looking thing. I'm sure there is a name for it but I will call it a mini pitcher. Headed over to the theatre for the Soul Sounds to hear 60's and motown with the dancers who really have a tough job. They really put on a great show and I admire all the costumes and dancing. A few laps of walking around the track and time for bed. Tomorrow is "Gibraltor".

Cartagena monastery.

We had booked a tour of the Lower St. Michaels cave and had cleared the waitlist 2 nights before, but the night before we received a message via phone that the tour was cancelled due to operational reasons. Our backup plan (and original) was DIY to the cable car up the mountain to explore and say "We have climbed the "Rock Of Gibraltor" *and walk down into town to go shopping. We did a short walk through town to get to the cable car and had no idea how long the wait would be but it ended up being about 2 hours. My best advice for anyone going up (which I didn't realize till I got to the front) is you can pre-buy your tickets online and save a lot of time. There is one cable car going up and one going down that holds about 15-20 people. Once we got to the top we had a lot of fun taking pics of the Barbary apes and holding onto all our belongings with our dear lives. There were a lot babies and these monkeys are known to grab your glasses, hats , purses and anything else. As we started out we saw a monkey with someone's wallet and a wad of money and sunglasses. I have no idea where the owner was. After we had our fill of taking pics we headed towards the upper cave and did a quick tour of it. Because we had a long wait for the cable car we thought we shouldn't go too slow through the whole walk. These are the upper caves and are about 10 pounds to get in. When we came out we headed down the hill and skipped the apes den since we saw so many all ready and went towards the seige tunnel. There are signs but it does get a little confusing. So we kind of accidentally missed it but found the exit where someone stopped us and said you could only do a guided tour. Oh well, down the hill we went *past the Moorish castle and back into town. Lots of cute souvenir shops and "Fish and Chip" cafes. I think if I was to do it ever again I would either do the taxi/local tour that drives you to the top and to each stop or if I was going to do the cable car pre buy my tickets so I wouldn't feel so rushed. I was so sore for 2-3 days after walking down that hill and to think I saw people walking up to the top and then back down. All in all we had a great day and lots of laughs and screams.*Back to ship where we discovered it was formal night after we stepped into the elevator and couldn't figure out why everyone was dressed up. So we go to Alfredos for dinner and hit the Princess theatre for the Hawley magic show. He was on ( I think) America's got talent and my daughter later told me that she was called up to to stage at the one I didn't go to. She has made her group of friends from the first night so I don't see too much of her.

The monkeys in Gibraltar and the Caves