Royal Princess Port Review - Athens to Barcelona

Someone from the Princess board suggested I put these posts over to this board, due to the info I've given on doing each of the posts (mostly) on your own.

Ports of Call/Itinerary:

Athens (embarkation)

Sea Day

Istanbul

Canakkale

Santorini

Sea Day

Valetta, Malta

Sea Day

Sorrento

Cittecheveccia

Portofino

St. Tropez (missed port/extra sea day)

Barcelona (disembarkation)

I'm going to split this up into several posts in this thread, so I don't get cut off.

My Posts:

Athens and Embarkation:

We've completed our muster drill here on the Royal Princess, and I have a few minutes before dinner, so I thought I'd start this.

Pre-cruise, DH and I spent two beautiful but very hot days in Athens. We saw all of the major sights (except for the changing of the guards:( - saw the guards, but never timed it right for the changing).

The Acropolis was amazing, even with all of the restoration going on. (The only downfall - after we had seen 4 of the 5 sites we wanted to, we managed to lose our joint ticket. No biggy, really, just 2 Euros each to see the last sight, but I wanted to save the ticket stub for my scrapbook. Anyone have an extra stub or two they can spare? Respond here! :D )

The antiquities Promenade: We did see all but one of the sights on this promenade, I think. However, the promenade itself was not well marked at all. I think we may have been on it at times, but I'm not sure. We did see the Theatre, the Agora, the Roman Forum, the Acropolis, and the Temple of Zeus. The old Acropolis Museum is closed, with a small temporary one open. The new museum looks quite nice, but is not open yet.

The architecture of the ancient Greeks and Romans was amazing! Some of the best examples of the old ruins, amazingly enough, were found in our treks through the Athens subway - when they built them, they saved the artifacts they found.

Boarding - we had no problem boarding this morning. Took a cab to the port (20 Euro + tip), and arrived before noon. I'd say we were on board within a half hour - we had a little wait as they boarded a Costa cruise ship.

On board, it's beautiful. Everyone is very friendly, including the purser's desk, who answered my one question so far very nicely.

Not much else to report about the ship, except that service so far has been stellar! We're not too picky, but everything & everyone has been quick and wonderful!

First Sea Day:

10am ship time now. Surprisingly, the internet cafe is empty - just me and one other guest for the 6 terminals. Whoops- just looked up - there's now three of us!:D The cafe is very small - it's in a re-converted corner of the upstairs lounge - nice view to the bow/front of the ship - at least when the art auction pictures aren't blocking the front view!:( :D (I do plan to pop into the auction today - free champagne - yum!)

Last night's dinner as open seating from 6-9. I think they planned very poorly - embarkation started at noon-ish, and departure from port was set for 10pm, so they must have expected more people to eat in port. We arrived around 7-ish (late for us), and had no line. However, service was very slow, and a long line started around 8:00. At 9, there was still a fairly decent line, with people waiting for a while. I think the last group got seated around 9:30.

Apart from slow and non-existent service, dinner was very nice.

The slow: we got seated at 7, and didn't get out until just before sailing, around 9:50. We walked out, having rushed through dessert to get out to watch sailing. Usually we'll linger.

The non-existent: somehow, only half of our table got drinks ordered. I think several people in a row just wanted water, and then they kind of skipped the last four of us - I made a point of it around the salad service, and we did get our drinks shortly after our entree was served.

The good and wonderful: our waiter himself was very nice. I've never eaten traditional, and this may be a facet of traditional, but he went around the table for orders and for service serving first the ladies, and then after all the ladies, going around the table again for the gentlemen. We did have the new menues, and the food was wonderful. I especially recommend the flourless chocolate torte with double cream - yum! The Princess Love Boat Dream has changed. I didn't try it, and do plan to, but the guest across from me said it was just "okay".

The odd: we were seated randomly with a group of mostly "older" guests - we may have been the youngest at early to mid-thirties. Anyway, having been randomly seated, we were discussing our normal table seating, trying to figure out where we would be seated (I do know my table number, but still haven't asked or looked where it is). When we said our number, the guests across from us did a double-take, re-checked their card, and confirmed that we're at the same table/same seating! They seem like a lovely couple, and we'll enjoy sitting with them.

Didn't go to the show last night - Alan and Alanna. May try the show tonight - a production show.

The bed seems okay. Didn't ask for an egg crate, and don't think we will.

Posting later in the day: We had a nice sea day. We have a nice range of view off of our balcony, and DH spent much of the day out there watching the view. Around 11, I went and met a group of people from our on-line cruise group (of course, here on CC :) ). They seem like a nice bunch of folks, and we'll see more of them, since this ship is so small - we keep running into everyone over and over again.

We passed through the Dardenelle Straits (I know I spelled that wrong), and had a nice view of both sides of the straits - Europe and Asia (I think - I'm not looking at a map right now). DH watched off the back of the ship, and I went up to the spa deck, where I had a nice forward view.

Dinner was very nice. We had our first taste of "traditional" cruise dining, where we got assigned to sit with a group of people. Our table is a table for 8, and all the people seemed very nice - we had a lot of nice conversation. After dinner, we walked for a little, looking at the different outfits. Yesterday was formal night, but unlike other reports we've seen from the ship, people weren't all that overly formally dressed - many dark suits and nice dresses, but very few tuxes.

There are a bunch of kids on this cruise - enough that they opened part of the card room as a "kid's club" - and they'll only do that if there's more than 20 kids. Apparently this is the "holiday" time for Great Britain, so a bunch of the kids are from British households that took advantage of the holiday time to go abroad.

Istanbul:

Now I'm REALLY annoyed. I spent probably 45 minutes describing our day in Istanbul, and hit the wrong key while trying to figure out how to spell Canakkale, and lost everything. So I'm going to try to recreate most of what I had written, but maybe do it in half the time.

So yesterday was our Istanbul day. As I said, we decided to go it on our own, despite some warnings (and others saying no problem). With the help of Rick Steve's Istanbul book, I think we had a pretty good day. We spent a total of 80 YTL during the day, including souvenirs, witch equates to about $55 for the both of us. This is probably a sixth of the cost of a Princess tour of the same sites, with souvenirs not in their price.

We walked out of the port, hit the ATM, and caught the tram. (We caught the tram 4 times yesterday, for a total cost for the two of us of 10.40 YTL, about $7.) We went to the main touristy area, where we did a short walking tour of the area, before going to the Blue Mosque.

Unfortunately, we hit the Blue Mosque right when the Princess tours were getting there, so we had a bit of a line getting into the main building (though not the square), and it was a little crowded inside. We had to remove our shoes, and anyone in shorts or a tank was gettting a scarf (or two) to cover themselves. I had worn a skirt over my shorts, and brought a scarf for my head, and DH was actually in pants all day :eek: - I don't know how he stood the heat - it was about 95 degrees yesterday.

Inside the mosque, it was quite beautiful, with all the ornated decorations. I saw so much yesterday, that I can't remember if it was ornate tiles, or ornate mosaics, or both. I know the ceiling was beautiful. I also walked into the "women's section" to see it - basically just a screened off section in the back of the room. DH gave a small donation as we left, and I got the "receipt" as a souvenir, to put with all the rest of the stuff I save.

After the mosque, we hit the Hippodrome area, which is now a grassy park area, with a few important sculptures - 3 columns, and a fountain. That fountain was nice - it has spigots where you can drink from, and we refilled our water bottles. We refilled them several times today, as well as bought a couple of bottles from a vendor.

Then, it was off to the Hagia Sophia. Once a Christian church, then a mosque, now it's a museum. Apparently it's been under restoration work for years and years, and 1/4 of the main dome area was covered from floor to ceiling with a scaffolding structure. another 1/4 was taken over by a temporary exhibit with some Islamic history exhibits, including some extremely decorative Korans. Maybe I'll be able to go back in 50 years, and they'll be done with the dome restoration. :D

Other than that, there is a lot of mosaic and tile work inside the museum - both Christian and Islamic imagery, and even some old Greek imagery. (Dolphins and a pitchfork reminds you of Poseidon, doesn't it??;) ) It was beautiful inside, as was everything yesterday. We spent a while there, than it was off to the Tokapi Palace.

At the palace we went through all four courtyard areas, with the various buildings. We did not go into the Harem area - that would have been extra cost. Everything was quite impressive, especially the porcelain and treasury collections. The porcelain collection had some Ming, Qing, and other Chinese dynasty porcelain - quite beautiful, and quite expensive. The treasury was full of jeweled objects. The most impressive were a basket full of emeralds and other green gems (I've never seen such large or so many emeralds in one place), and a diamond the size of a small goose egg. Got a little souvenir of a spinning top for a couple of family kids here at the palace.

After the Tokapi Palace, we caught the tram to the Grand Bazaar. We did get a little "lost" getting there - we got off at the stop that Rick Steve had recommended, and took the shortcut through the mosque courtyard that he said, but then DH didn't remember the rest of the route, and of course we didn't check the book:rolleyes: . We didn't go more than a short half-block the wrong way though.

I'm not sure if there's a "main" entrance to the bazaar. It's a covered structure that encompasses many "streets" (and they could be a regular pedestrian street, except for the roof over your head), and one could spend hours in there. We were careful to only go a couple of streets up and a street or two over, and only spent about 10-15 minutes in there. Once I had found my mandatory t-shirt, we went back out.

Then, the tram again. Over to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, where I got the cinnamon. (What a deal - maybe 1/3 pound?? for $1.40?? Plus 8-10 sticks for another $0.70) Outside the bazaar, there's a city square (actually a triangle, I guess), bounded by the bazaar, a mosque, and a main street. Inside this square there's people selling bird feed to feed the pigeons, and some calligraphy artists. Today, however, is Turkey's national elections (I think they're electing district chiefs, or something like that), and yesterday the square was filled with booths of people handing out election literature, and vans with loudspeakers, etc. I thought about picking up some literature, but figured it was probably safer not to.

After the spice bazaar, we trammed back to the ship. We were exhausted. Even though we had more time available to spend in Istanbul, we were ready to relax. Another nice dinner last nice, with a nice bottle of wine we shared with the table.

Canakkale:

Today, we were in Canakkale. We went to the ancient site of Troy, and saw lots of ruins. Not much to describe about the site, really. More marble, more columns, more sand bricks. What can one say?? There was a big replica of the Trojan Horse, which I climbed up in, and DH took my picture. On the way back, we stopped at a small souvinier stand, where I bought some postcards (no t-shirt for me today, *pout* ) and small nick-nacks. We were going to go into Canakkale for a bit, but ran into someone just back from a different tour, who told us that everything was closed, probably due to the elections. So, we went back to the ship and relaxed.

Santorini:

Today we were on Santorini (island), Greece. Santorini is the island with all the white buildings with blue roofs. If you've seen a picture of those, it was probably from Santorini. The ship anchored in the middle of an old volcanic crater (now covered by the sea) that is in the middle of the three islands of Santorini. Some figure that this island may have been Atlantis.

So we took the tender (small boat) to the shore, and had to go up the cliff to get to town. You have three options - walk up a long, back and forth path in the heat, ride up a smelly donkey in the heat (same back and forth path, so if you walk it, you're still smelling the donkey), or ride a cable car/funicular up the cliff. We took the cable car up & down.

Once in town, we found the bus stop, and rode to the town of Oia/Ia, where most of those white building/blue roof spots are. We walked around for a couple of hours and did a little shopping, before riding back to the town of Thira/Fira, and walking around some more there. Everything was truly beautiful, but it was quite hot.

Tomorrow's a sea day, so we plan to sleep in and then relax all day. Tomorrow's the "Captain's Circle Party", so we'll have the chance for some free drinks, and watch somebody with way too much time & money get a bottle of wine for being the passenger with the most cruise days.

For those of you planning this same trip over to Oia/Ia - here's how you do it:

Go up the cable cars (or if you truly want to, the donkeys). Go away from the port a couple of pedestrian streets until you get to the car-traffic street. Turn right, and walk. And walk. And walk. Someone we asked for directions told us 400 meters. I'm not sure if I believe that it was that short. Eventually, you get to a taxi stand that is pretty clearly marked. Further behind the taxi stand, kind of on the street behind it, is a bus stand. This is also clearly marked, at least from the taxi stand area.

The bus stand is a large parking lot with a shaded sitting area and a small stand (with a very unfriendly guy manning it, at least when we were there). On the stand is a bus schedule. In general, buses from Thira/Fira to Oia/Ia leave from Thira on the half hour and hour, every hour. The guy will give you a schedule if you ask, and I'd get one so you know when to catch the bus back from Ia.

Once on the bus, it will stop several times at smaller stops. One of these may still be in Thira, but I'm not sure how to get to it, or if it's any closer. Eventually, it makes a final stop in Ia, and everyone else that hasn't gotten off before, gets off there (most of the bus).

You pay on the bus, and the guy'll give you a ticket. (A ticket-taker walks around while the bus is driving). Save the ticket, in case it gets checked (so the signs say, though ours was never checked). Today, it cost 1.20 Euro / person (one-way).

Second Sea Day:

Early in the cruise, on the first sea day, I had sent a letter to the Captain (on our personalized suite stationary, no less), mentioning the friendly service we'd seen so far, mentioning our anniversary, and mentioning how much DH (especially) and I would enjoy a Bridge tour. That night, the Head Waitor surprised us with a gift of a botle of wine from the Captain! (We chose a nice Rosemont Chardonnay, which we enjoyed the next evening.)

Later, we got a phone call, and then a letter, inviting us for a tour of the Bridge! So, today, we took the tour of the Bridge, getting to see all the various instruments, and learning how they sail the ship. It was quite cool. I don't know that we'll ever get the opportunity again, so we were both very excited. I took lots of pictures, of course, and we both asked questions, along with the other couple that were on the tour with us. We were told to keep it hush-hush, so we're not letting others on the ship know until late in the voyage. I guess they don't want to be bombarded with requests.

That evening was the "Captain's Circle" party, and we got a picture with the Captain (as did everyone else who came), and spoke to him for a moment. He even remembered (after I had thanked him for the Bridge visit and the wine - yes, I sent a note too) that it was our anniversary, and wished us well for that. I was very impressed.

Valetta, Malta:

Yesterday, we were on Malta. We decided to brave the bus system here as well, despite the warnings of slow, old buses. We woke up early to watch the ship come in to Malta - a nice harbor. It was lovely. Unfortunately, it was so humid that my camera wouldn't cooperate for a couple of minutes, so I missed us actually entering the harbor. (Though I did catch us leaving at the end of the day.) Then, we went back to the room.

We decided to leave around 8:30. We exited the ship, got the required port picture taken, and started to walk towards the port. Then, what do you know, my weak ankle caught the only rough pavement (quite a deep little spot, actually), and down I went. I sat on the ground for a few mintes, sat in a chair a few minutes, and then we went to the room for about 15 minutes. I put an ace bandage on (of course I had brought one with me), and around 9:00, we tried leaving again. (I walked on the ankle all day, with the help of 800mg of ibuprofin. I didn't have much pain all day, though I felt it. I'm wearing the ace again today, though I think I won't tomorrow.)

So, at 9:00, off we left the ship (again). This time, we walked to the nearest bus stop and caught the bus into Valletta. We ended up paying 3.50 Euro each for an all-day pass. We might have paid a Euro or so less by paying each bus driver individually, but Malta hasn't switched over offically to the Euro (from the Maltese Lira) yet, and so it could have been iffy as to whether or not the driver would have the correct change. So, we bought the all-day pass, and just had to show the receipt each time we boarded.

From Valletta, we took the bus straight to Mosta, where we saw the Mosta Dome, the 3rd largest dome in Europe. (Or maybe the 4th - the one in Goza is wider but shorter, but bigger in volume, I think. But Mosta claims it's the third larges, no matter what Goza says.) We saw the dome, and a replica of the bomb that pierced the dome in WWII (it didn't explode), and we think we figured out where it went through - you could kind of see the repair. Surprisingly enough, though the books had said skirts and long pants were mandatory, they were letting in people with long shorts. Shoulders did have to be covered, as well as short shorts, and they had scarves to wrap around if you didn't have one. I had brought a skirt and a t-shirt to put over my tank, and used both, but the guy at the entry protested, and said I just needed to cover my shoulders. (It was very hot that day, and I think he knew how hot I'd get.) However, we were trying to be polite, so I wore both. (Just until I got out - it was very hot.)

From Mosta, we caught the bus again, catching a "short-cut" bus to another city, which went through the places we wanted to go. On Malta, most of the bus lines go to and from Valletta, but you can catch a few "short-cut" buses that go across. We went to the Craft Village (can't remember the name of it), and watched the potters and glass-blowers at work. Here, I bought a little Maltese glass and Maltese lace, and a couple of postcards.

Catching the same bus, we continued on to Mdina, which is the original walled capital of the island (I think the capital. Walled, certainly.) Here, we walked around the city for a while, looked over the walls around the island, and walked back out. The walled city of Mdina is very small - only a long city block long and wide, I'd say. There were several streets each way, but very short blocks. The "walking tour" that the Lonely Planet book gave us was only 1/2 hour. We didn't go in the cathedral here - they wanted to charge for both the museum and the church, and you couldn't do just the church. Outside Mdina is the suburb of Rabat, where the have some underground tombs/catacombs. I've heard that these are interesting, but we didn't go into Rabat, other than to grab the bus.

From Rabat/Mdina, we caught one of the main lines back to Valetta, where we walked halfway down the main thoroughfare, looking at some of the sights. Again, we didn't go in anything, because of the costs. However, I did buy my required t-shirt :> before we left, catching the bus back to the port.

All in all, we did have a long day. We got back to the ship around 3:00, and my ankle had had had a long day. The Lonely Planet book on Mosta/Goza was invaluable, and we also picked up a bus schedule at the main Valletta bus terminal.

In the afternoon, I played Trivia again, losing again. Last night we actually went to our first "show" on the ship. There was a comedian, Tom Fletcher (I think). He wasn't the best we've heard, but he wasn't the worst. He kept us entertained enough that I didn't leave to go read my book in the piano lounge, which I was prepared to do. So, good enough.

Third Sea Day

Today is another sea day. We watched us go through the Messina straights between Italy and Sicily. Later today, we'll pass by the island of Stromboli, where an active volcano is. Hopefully we'll see a little show. Then, I caught a little of the cooking demo (I've sat through a couple, and purposely tried to only catch the end of this one), and then went through the galley tour. I wanted to see how it is on a small ship. This galley has stairs and an escalator in it! That was different. I reckon they use the escalator when they're carrying a tray of food - it seemed to go up only (we took the stairs down), and connected two areas of the kitchen. Though that was interesting, I think the best galley tour I've been on was on the Crown.

Later today, also, we'll probably go to the last art auction. They are always interesting, even though we've never bought anything. We did, at the last one, actually see one painting in the $5-6,000 range get sold. We've never seen one of the really expensive ones go, though.

Later..... We did pass by Stromboli, and saw some steam, though not any actual lava. Oh well, such goes life.

Sorrento:

(You're going to have to excuse my spelling on this one. Italian names. Oh Mama mia!!)

It's late evening here - 8:45, so I'm sitting looking out at a darkening ocean as we sail (moter?? I guess it would actually be) from Sorrento to Cittechevechia. Sorrento is near both Pompeii and Capri (Island), as well as Herculaneum, another Mt. Veseuvius victim. (Cittechevechia is near Rome, where we'll go tomorrow.)

We tendered into shore a little later than we had anticipated today, and so got to Pompeii around 10:45 or so, but we didn't leave until 2:00, so we got 6 hours in. It is lovely - so many wonderful murals, mosaics, etc. Very nice if you like ruins and such. A couple of the buildings that we would have liked to see were closed for restoration, but we still saw quite a bunch.

Wouldn't you know, I had decided my ankle was recovered enough to leave off the ace bandage. Well, luckily I had it in my purse! 5 minutes before we left Pompeii, having been so careful all day, I was turning (with camera in hand, no less), and caught another hole. I'm walking fine now, and put the ace back on before we left, but I think I'll keep it on all day tomorrow, in Rome. Hopefully the camera is okay as well - it seems to be fine, but I guess the real key is whether or not the lens got knocked out of whack. Luckily, we also brought DH's digital SLR and my slightly cheaper point and shoot digital, so we'll be fine. But, it'll be a shame if this one's done.

After Pompeii, we took the train (yes, we braved the Italian train system on our own, too) back to Sorrento, where we walked around the streets a little, tasted some limoncello, and bought some of course. Limoncello is one of my favorites - straight vodka seeped in lemon zest with a little sugar solution. Very strong, and very good!

Then, it was back to the ship for some much needed food, and a good shower - it was blazing hot AGAIN today - we're going through 3 sets of clothes a day (since we have to dress for dinner). Yick!!

Getting to Pompeii: We got up later than we planned, and had no time for more than Pompeii and a little Sorrento. However, our table-mates (from Canada, no less) managed to get off the ship on the first tender (around 7, I think, with the first tours, maybe??). Anyway, whatever time it was, they got off at the first tender. Then, since Sorrento is way up, either a steep walk or a shuttle, you have to get to the train somehow. They found somewhere at the bottom, where you could buy a round-trip train ticket WITH a bus ticket to and from the tender area. So, they took the bus straight to the train station, and upon their return, they got the bus straight back to the bottem. At Pompeii, they hired a guide with 3 other folks for about 80 Euros - they said it was 16 each, and got a two hour guided tour. Then, they hit the train and bus, back to the bottem. It was so early, that they went over to Capri, TOO! They didn't get to see Sorrento at all (and thus no limoncello, except from Capri, which they actually did find), but they did manage to do both.

We took the train also, and I'm not going to try to give directions. If you are facing the port area from the shuttle stop, it's to the right, and back a little. Try to get someone to give you slightly better directions, and a good map. It's actually not too hard, but we went wrong. From the shuttle, hit the main street and go a long city block, I think. There's another Piazza area on your left, and a short street on your right, and if you go up that short street, the train station is in front of you. However, if you get lost, it's hot walking!!

Cittecheveccia (Rome):

We ported in Cittecheveccia today, which meant a train ride to Rome for Gary and me. We got off the ship as soon as possible (7 am - blech!), and caught the 7:36 (I think) train to Rome Termini (main Rome train station). In Rome, we then navigated the Metro system to get closer to the Colleseum. That was the last time today we took public transportation, until we caught the train back - we walked ALL over the city today - walked our legs and feet off.

We saw most of the important stuff today, I think.

At the Colleseum, we ended up getting tickets from the Palentine Hill area (a combo ticket covers both sites whether you want to or not, so might as well get it with the short line!), and bypassing the 1/2 hour line to get tickets. We were glad we got there when we did (it was about 9:15 when we entered), because by the time we left, there was also a long line to get through security, and it looked like there might be quite a wait, whether or not you had a ticket. We walked all over the Colleseum, including looking at a temporary exhibit of artifacts from the area. The steps up and down weren't much fun, though there was a lift (elevator) if you chose to do so - we were still fresh, so did the stairs. (Upon hindsight, maybe we should have saved ourselves then!)

After the Colleseum, we went to Palentine Hill, which is the site of an ancient emporer's palace, plus the Circus Maximus, and the possible site of Romulus and Remus's ancient huts (we actually skipped that last part - we were getting tired).

From Palentine Hill, we walked through the Forum, seeing many of the temples and buildings (well, the ruins of them, anyway) from the ancient Roman times. We took lots of pictures of course - DH went through almost his entire memory card, as did I.

Then, we walked past the Trevi Fountain - which was OVER-RUN with tourists - we saw a couple of Princess tours there!! and then on to the Pantheon - a domed church. The Pantheon has no lighting, other than a hole in the roof (with drains on the floor for the rain), but has numerous beautiful paintings, frescoes, and other artwork.

After the Pantheon, we walked on to a Piazza, where we ate lunch - a couple of Roman pizzas, plus soda. At this Piazza is one of Bernini's (I think Bernini, at least - I don't have the map with me) most famous fountain sculptures - something about the Four Winds - or maybe the Four Waters - or something like that. Anyway, we couldn't see it! Unfortunately, it was covered with scaffolding, and must have been undergoing restoration. What a shame.

From there, we walked over to Vatican City, where we changed into a skirt (me) and long pants (DH), so we could enter St. Peter's Cathedral. Wouldn't you know?? They were letting in numerous people in shorts! Someone said they were stopping people if they were above the knee, but I'm not sure. We were both in long shorts, so we would have been okay, and I wouldn't have had to schelp the stuff all over Rome in my shoulder bag! We've found this to be true all over Europe, in all the churches (even the ones with signs). The only place we truly did need the "proper" clothes was at the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul.

Anyway, we did go into the Cathedral, which was magnificantly ostentatious. Lots of paintings and sculptures. We didn't go anywhere other than the main Cathedral - by this point in the day we were simply exhausted. We did get many pictures, including a couple of the Vatican Guards in their Michelangelo-designed outfits. Very Cute! ;)

Then, we walked on to the St. Peter's train station, and managed to catch an earlier train than we had figured (we left about a half-hour earlier than the "early" time we had planned to). So, we were able to walk back from the train station to the port area, catch the shuttle, and get back on the ship by 5:15.

Even with getting back that early, we skipped the traditional dining room. They didn't change the dining times tonight, even with the late departure and full day. They did extend the buffet hours, so we ate there instead (and may check out the Italian "Bistro" later as well). I wish they had turned the dining room tonight into an "open seating" night - that would make the most sense, in my opinion. I'm sure the early seating was quite empty tonight - the last people didn't even board the ship until 1/2 hour after the early seating started.

Oh well, we've had QUITE a busy day! I'm watching the sea right now, close to sunset, as we sail towards Portofino. I don't know what we'll do there - we had thought about training over to Pisa, but we may just stay in the port area and relax.

Portofino:

We have a half hour or so until sailaway, and I've invited a couple of friends to watch it from our balcony, so I won't write too much, but I thought I'd give a quick update about Portofino.

We didn't do much today. We tendered into shore, and walked around the port town a little bit. Portofino is not a place for people in DH & my standard of living to visit. Let's just say that in one group of stores, there was a Hermes store, a Gucci store, an Armani store, and a Rolex store. Definately not shopping for us! I had not gotten an "Italia" t-shirt in either of the two other Italian ports, and won't get one here - what would have cost 5-6 Euros in Rome would have cost 15 or more Euros here. So, I guess I'll be looking on Ebay for a t-shirt! I did buy a couple of postcards, and a bottle of Amaretto (small, 6 Euros) that was made here in Portofino.

DH's feet were too sore to continue (from our day yesterday in Rome), so he came back to the ship. I decided I wanted to climb out to the tip of the penninsula, where the lighthouse and a gelatto stand are. It's only a little over 500 meters there (and the same back). Not so bad if it's on level ground. However, I probably went up and down (you're going over a small mountain/hill to a point on a cliff) about 200 steps to get there - and then the same coming back. It took over an hour for me (with my asthma) to do it, but I succeeded! On the way back, I paid 4 Euros to see a small castle. The castle may not have been worth it (in my opinion, worth more like 2 Euros), but the view made up for it.

When I got back down, I rewarded myself with another Granita (icy drink), and tendered back to the ship. Ate lunch and hit the pool for a short time, then came here.

Tonight after dinner, I think I'll play some Trivia (my team has won 2 of the 4 times I've played - I'm now the proud owner of several Princess lanyards - I want a baseball cap!!! :mad: ;) :) ), in order to keep myself awake for the Champagne Waterfall. This is my third cruise, and I have yet to see one! (The first one didn't happen, due to the Crown Tilt, and the second one I forgot about, and was fast asleep before it happened.)

Tomorrow is St. Tropez, and actually the final art auction (after we're at sea). DH and I actually did buy one painting last time - an inexpensive lithograph that we've looked at several times.

St. Tropez / Extra Sea Day:

If someone looking at the ship's cam's figured it out, we are currently at sea - we missed St. Tropez. The seas were simply too rough. Oh well, DH got another day at sea, which he wanted! We weren't going to do anything other than wander around, and look at all the over-priced shopping we couldn't afford to do. :D So, no big deal.

Mostly a lazy day - we slept in (woke up in time to see St. Tropez receding behind us - apparently we went in, anchored, and then went right back out. Kind of rough seas - they've closed the top deck, and warned everyone about walking around. However, it's not really too bad - they changed course a little to get calmer seas, since we have extra time to get to Barcelona (missing the port and all).

Today, so far, I've read a book, eaten twice (b'fast and lunch), surfed the internet a little, and played a little trivia. In a 1/2 hour it'll be art auction time, and then off to pack the bags. :( It's been a wonderful cruise, too bad it's almost over.

Extra info on our suite:

Through happy circumstances, we were in a suite this cruise. Our first suite experience, and probably our last for a long, long, time. We were in one of the aft OS (owner suite) staterooms, on the 6th deck (6088). DH says that it (and it's twin) are the best on the ship, I think due to the size of the balcony.

I don't have any pictures on my computer yet, so I can't post pictures yet. But, suffice it to say, it was gorgeous, and HUGE. Walking into the entry area, you are walking on marble flooring (or fake marble), with a half bath to the right. Then, you enter carpet, and the living area. The first, main, room has a sofa sitting area (sofa, two chairs, coffee table, end tables), a dining area (round table, 4 chairs), and an entertainment center (tv, stereo, dvd player). We actually didn't use this tv all week, except when we had the bridge cam station on (you can hear the hallway announcements on the tv when that station is on). On the coffee table is a fresh flower arrangement all week, and on the dining table is an ice bucket tray, and fresh fruit (refillable all week).

Through an wall opening is the sleeping area. Double bed (maybe queen size???), writing desk, night stands, tv, safe, and LOTS OF CLOSET SPACE. I'm usually impressed with the closet space in the balcony cabins, but this was huge! Three double doors with hangers (two shirt/pant double shelves, and one single dress-shelf, with small drawer cabinet inside), and 4 empty shelf areas. Also, a vanity area, with mirror and more cabinet space.

Then, the main bath, with a jacuzzi tub (though very tall to enter - no step, and only a handle on the side to help you in and out - I don't know how the frail, elderly, or short would handle it). This tub is your shower, also. We got the "upgraded" shower amenities, including a loofah sponge and eye-mask.

The balcony area was huge, with both a table & four chairs and 2 loungers and a table.

What other amenities??

*Suite stationary with our names

*Free internet (which is how I made all those updates - sorry, didn't spend my own money, though I appreciate the thanks :D)

*Free laundry - much appreciated on this port intensive, hot itinerary - we were going through 3 sets of clothes each day

*Free mini-bar set-up (which we were able to get changed to our requests very promptly and easily)

*Free hot-meal room delivery (we only did breakfast, although the lunch and dinner menus were in our room each day, and could have had delivered upon request

*We didn't get our "corsage and boutonnière" for the first formal night, though we didn't care. I don't know if it was not available due to the small ship

*Upgraded linens and pillow availability, though we used the pillows on the bed

*Robes (the nice ones) and slippers (never used)

*Daily canape delivery - if I forgot to order my chocolate covered strawberries, they delivered an assortment automatically (personally, I didn't like any but the strawberries, so I remembered to order those almost every day)

*tote bag

*access to the spa deck - the best view to the front of the ship, since if you stand on the deck to the "thelasso-therapy spa pool", you can see forward without glass - the Royal Lounge has a nice forward view, but it's all glassed in

*early tender tickets (we never actually used)

*welcome glass of champagne

That's all I can remember that we used, though they are all viewable on princess.com - just put "suite amenities" in the main search box, and click on the one that seems most obvious.

QUESTIONS????

I'm happy to answer any questions. I think I've put in all of my ports, but if you see that I've missed one, let me know, and I'll add it!

Also: I'd still like that Acropolis ticket - anyone has one to spare, post here and I'll give you my email to arrange things! :D

Thanks for reading!

-Cathy

Great review.

Are Euros widely accepted on Malta?

Pat

Great review.

 

Are Euros widely accepted on Malta?

 

Pat

Currently, they are in a transition phase from the Maltese Lira to the Euro, and all stores are required to post both prices on items. However, places generally use the Lira, and may not have enough change in Euro. In addition, the bus drivers may not carry enough change. That's why we went ahead and got the all-day bus fare, even though it may have cost us a little more.

I used Euro all over the place - places would use calculators to calculate the Euro price from their register-produced Lira price. The only place I had trouble was when I was buying lace, and I had either 3 Euro or a 10 (for a total of 4.50, or something like that). She only had 3 or 4 Euros in her Euro box, so I had to put back one of the pieces of lace, to bring the price down below what I had little coins for.

I'd say you could use Euros everywhere, but be sure that you have little coins - a lot of them. That way, you could make whatever change you needed to be under a Euro.

BTW - water was available very cheaply, everywhere but Italy. In both Istanbul and Rome, you could find fountains (one in the central Hippodrome area in Istanbul and one Tokapi Palace, and all over the darn city in Rome. They look just like garden spigots, with a turn-handle, but are cool and fresh - in Rome, quite cold). In Athens, Istanbul, Santorini, and Malta, it was cheap to very cheap to buy water, compared to the States.

-Cathy

Thanks for the great review.

Do you know if your balcony was the same size as those on Deck 6 and

Deck 8. It looks on the deck plan as if some may be larger or smaller.

Thanks,

Sondi

Thanks for the great review.

 

Do you know if your balcony was the same size as those on Deck 6 and

Deck 8. It looks on the deck plan as if some may be larger or smaller.

 

Thanks,

 

Sondi

We were on deck 6. From what my DH knows, the aft balconies on 6 have the largest balcony, bigger than deck 7 or 8.

-Cathy

Thanks, Cathy for the info. I appreciate it.

Sondi

Thanks for a great review!

Cathy:

Thanks for all the wonderful information. I appreciate the time you devoted to the this.

I have a question about the walk you took in Portofino. Is the path readily marked and where does it start? Thanks.

Cathy:

 

Thanks for all the wonderful information. I appreciate the time you devoted to the this.

 

I have a question about the walk you took in Portofino. Is the path readily marked and where does it start? Thanks.

I walked down to the point. If you get a map at the info desk, it's pretty obvious where the path is. However, there are two ways up - one from in town, and one closer to the port. If you're ready for an initial steep climb, then just to the left of the Portofino Marina sign, there's a set of stairs, with a sign that says to "Faro" (which must mean either point, or lighthouse, I assume). You climb the steep stairs and turn left. At one point, past the castle, you'll have a choice to go left and down to the public beach, or straight and further up to the "faro", or the point.

Not trying to criticize DH, but I have been told that the balconies on all of the owners suites aft have the same size deck. It only appears that the deck 6 balconies are larger, because they jut out further.

The back of the ship swoops up at an angle, so deck 6 only appears to be larger, because the suite starts further aft. If you see a profile diagragm, then you will see what I mean. Otherwise, the room in your suite would be smaller to accommodate the size of the balcony. Do I make sense? Does anybody really care? I am sure that all of the suites are wonderful. We will be in an OS on deck 7 at the end of August. Our itinerary will be reversed of yours.

Do the suites have wifi in them? Will I be able to use my laptop in the suite? Or will I have to go the the internet cafe? Thanks for the great review.

Cathy, I did forgot to ask...How private are the balconies in the OS suites, aft? I realize that when you are at the railing that you can look up and down and see people, but how much is covered overhead, closer to the sliding door? Also, can you see or be seen from the suites, next door? Thanks!

Not trying to criticize DH, but I have been told that the balconies on all of the owners suites aft have the same size deck. It only appears that the deck 6 balconies are larger, because they jut out further.

 

The back of the ship swoops up at an angle, so deck 6 only appears to be larger, because the suite starts further aft. If you see a profile diagragm, then you will see what I mean. Otherwise, the room in your suite would be smaller to accommodate the size of the balcony. Do I make sense? Does anybody really care? I am sure that all of the suites are wonderful. We will be in an OS on deck 7 at the end of August. Our itinerary will be reversed of yours.

 

Do the suites have wifi in them? Will I be able to use my laptop in the suite? Or will I have to go the the internet cafe? Thanks for the great review.

Cathy, I did forgot to ask...How private are the balconies in the OS suites, aft? I realize that when you are at the railing that you can look up and down and see people, but how much is covered overhead, closer to the sliding door? Also, can you see or be seen from the suites, next door? Thanks!

Okay, now DH is saying that if you look at the description of the suites, some of the suites may be smaller than others, and his understanding is that the deck 6 ones are the largest. Not that slightly smaller would make any difference - there was so much room, that we were swimming in space! :)

No, no wifi in the suites - we couldn't pick up any signal. (Occasionally in the ports, you could get a signal, but they all seemed to be locked signals.) Also, wifi is not included in the free suite internet usage - only the internet cafe. I did all my "live from" blogging in the internet cafe.

Nearer to the sliding doors, it is all covered - You could sit in either the table/chairs or the loungers without anyone being able to see you. I'd say maybe about the outer 3-4 feet were uncovered, but that still left 3-4-5 feet covered. You can't see or be seen from the rooms next door, except if you're both at the railing. (Again, all this info is for the 6th deck, though probably same for other decks.)

-Cathy

Did the free mini bar set up include free alcohol in the suite?

Extra info on our suite:

Through happy circumstances, we were in a suite this cruise. Our first suite experience, and probably our last for a long, long, time. We were in one of the aft OS (owner suite) staterooms, on the 6th deck (6088). DH says that it (and it's twin) are the best on the ship, I think due to the size of the balcony.

 

I don't have any pictures on my computer yet, so I can't post pictures yet. But, suffice it to say, it was gorgeous, and HUGE. Walking into the entry area, you are walking on marble flooring (or fake marble), with a half bath to the right. Then, you enter carpet, and the living area. The first, main, room has a sofa sitting area (sofa, two chairs, coffee table, end tables), a dining area (round table, 4 chairs), and an entertainment center (tv, stereo, dvd player). We actually didn't use this tv all week, except when we had the bridge cam station on (you can hear the hallway announcements on the tv when that station is on). On the coffee table is a fresh flower arrangement all week, and on the dining table is an ice bucket tray, and fresh fruit (refillable all week).

 

Through an wall opening is the sleeping area. Double bed (maybe queen size???), writing desk, night stands, tv, safe, and LOTS OF CLOSET SPACE. I'm usually impressed with the closet space in the balcony cabins, but this was huge! Three double doors with hangers (two shirt/pant double shelves, and one single dress-shelf, with small drawer cabinet inside), and 4 empty shelf areas. Also, a vanity area, with mirror and more cabinet space.

 

Then, the main bath, with a jacuzzi tub (though very tall to enter - no step, and only a handle on the side to help you in and out - I don't know how the frail, elderly, or short would handle it). This tub is your shower, also. We got the "upgraded" shower amenities, including a loofah sponge and eye-mask.

 

The balcony area was huge, with both a table & four chairs and 2 loungers and a table.

 

What other amenities??

*Suite stationary with our names

*Free internet (which is how I made all those updates - sorry, didn't spend my own money, though I appreciate the thanks :D)

*Free laundry - much appreciated on this port intensive, hot itinerary - we were going through 3 sets of clothes each day

*Free mini-bar set-up (which we were able to get changed to our requests very promptly and easily)

*Free hot-meal room delivery (we only did breakfast, although the lunch and dinner menus were in our room each day, and could have had delivered upon request

*We didn't get our "corsage and boutonnière" for the first formal night, though we didn't care. I don't know if it was not available due to the small ship

*Upgraded linens and pillow availability, though we used the pillows on the bed

*Robes (the nice ones) and slippers (never used)

*Daily canape delivery - if I forgot to order my chocolate covered strawberries, they delivered an assortment automatically (personally, I didn't like any but the strawberries, so I remembered to order those almost every day)

*tote bag

*access to the spa deck - the best view to the front of the ship, since if you stand on the deck to the "thelasso-therapy spa pool", you can see forward without glass - the Royal Lounge has a nice forward view, but it's all glassed in

*early tender tickets (we never actually used)

*welcome glass of champagne

 

That's all I can remember that we used, though they are all viewable on princess.com - just put "suite amenities" in the main search box, and click on the one that seems most obvious.

 

QUESTIONS????

I'm happy to answer any questions. I think I've put in all of my ports, but if you see that I've missed one, let me know, and I'll add it!

 

Also: I'd still like that Acropolis ticket - anyone has one to spare, post here and I'll give you my email to arrange things! :D

 

Thanks for reading!

-Cathy

Did the free mini bar set up include free alcohol in the little bottles?

Also, did someone do your free laundry, or did you have free access to machines and you did your own?

Did the free mini bar set up include free alcohol in the little bottles?

Also, did someone do your free laundry, or did you have free access to machines and you did your own?

The free mini-bar set-up is the same set up for suites and for elite guests. It includes bottles of liquor and cans of soda/pop/beer, and bottles of water. If you don't like something, you can swap out for equivalent items - you can swap vodka for brandy, or Coke for Diet, etc.

There are bags for the laundry in the closet. You fill it up and leave it for the steward. He/She takes it to the laundry for you. If you're not in a suite, there is a charge, if you are in a suite or elite, it gets charged/charged back, so free.