Ruby Princess Jun 11-23 Grand Mediterranean review/tips with pictures

[AttilaTheFun]

Hi Attila!

 

More questions....did you find Piazzale Roma confusing or extremely crowded? I saw on another reviewer's post that they thought it was extremely hard to navigate??? Is it fairly self explanatory (on the self service kiosk) to purchase the ACTV tickets? Did you use your credit card or euros? Your help is invaluable! Thank you again!

 

Not at all! Once you get off the people mover, you're very close to the Grand Canal and can see the ACTV boats (or just ask someone for help if needed). When we exited the People Mover stop, I believe we took a left and could see the boats to our left and the ticket counter was right by them. We waited at the line for the window, to ensure we were buying the right kind of tickets and used a credit card to pay. Hope that helps!

[auburngirlie]

wonderful! that's what I was thinking, but wanted to verify. can't wait for the next installment of your review! :D

[AttilaTheFun]

Next up is Piraeus/Athens. For both Athens and Kusadasai/Ephesus, we joined private tours from the roll call board. To me, the tours were very reasonably priced and it meant 2 less ports for me to research and worry about!

 

Athens

 

• We were scheduled to dock in Piraeus at 9am, but the Patter published an arrival time of 8am the night before.
  
• Someone on our roll call organized a private tour with Athens by Taxi. There were 10 of us and it cost 50 euros per person, plus entrance fees of 12 euros for archaeological sites (Acropolis, Temple of Zeus) and 5 euros for the Acropolis Museum – total of 67 euros not including lunch/tip. The tour did include a licensed guide (not the driver), which was well worth it as he added a lot of helpful information and color to the places we visited.
  
• There was a heat wave sweeping Greece when we visited, so temperatures climbed past 100 degrees! Luckily, our guide was mindful of this and tried to find shade for us when speaking about the various sights. Definitely bring water and a hat. We weren’t visiting any places of worship, so shorts and bare shoulders were fine and welcomed.
  
• On our tour, we visited the Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Panathenic Olympic Stadium, Plaka district (for lunch only, no time for shopping/wandering), Parliament, and Acropolis Museum. There is a train from Piraeus into Athens and some of the sites are close enough that you can walk to themif you wanted to DIY, but I was so thankful for an air-conditioned van to drive us around.
  
• The Acropolis is incredibly busy, has very little shade, and is terribly slippery. Our guide was able to skip the normal ticket line for us, which was fantastic as the line was quite long and in direct sun the whole time. Be VERY careful when walking around the Acropolis as it’s definitely treacherous terrain – I guess they have no fear of lawsuits like in the US! As two 20-somethings, my sister and I still almost fell multiple times as the ground is uneven and the limestone in the ground is VERY slippery – avoid walking on it at all costs! Wear your best traction shoes and pay very close attention to where you’re stepping. I’m surprised more people aren’t hurt at this place. The various ruins and Parthenon are very impressive though and worth the hike.
  

Here's a view of the Parthenon, currently undergoing restoration:

 

 

 

Fantastic views of Athens (Temple of Zeus in the middle)

 

 

 

Tourists obviously following posted signs ;)

 

 

 

Entrance gate to the Acropolis area (after an uphill hike)

 

 

 

• After the Acropolis, we stopped for a short bit at the Temple of Zeus, which shares the same ticket as the Acropolis, but it’s only a few columns left. I’m not sure we would recommend visiting this sight unless you really like columns.
  

All that remains of the 104 columns and the temple:

 

 

(Due to limitation on number of pictures per post, I'll finish Athens in the next post)

[leavingocalaagain]

Thanks for the great information and pictures. The information on Venice and the port are very helpful.

[AttilaTheFun]

Athens (cont.)

 

 

• The Panathenic Olympic Stadium requires an additional ticket to enter, but you can see most of it very well from the sidewalk, so it’s probably not worth paying for a ticket.
  

 

 

• We stopped for lunch in the Plaka, but I didn’t write down the name of the restaurant, sorry. They had a prix-fixe menu of around 12 euros for bread, Greek salad, mousakka, and a beer or wine. The portions were very generous and everything was delicious. Our tour guide suggested the cheese-stuffed zucchini fritters and those were fantastic too, but they weren’t the only stuffed things by the end of the meal!
  

Beautiful Greek salad:

 

 

 

Gigantic stuffed zucchini fritters and my sister's chicken kebab:

 

 

 

 

• We missed the full changing of the guards at the Parliament building due to lunch taking longer, but still had a chance to take pictures.
  

 

 

• Our final stop was the Acropolis Museum, which only opened in 2006 and is very impressive. Having a guide point out information about the artifacts and building itself was very interesting. On the top floor, there’s a great video about the Parthenon that gives you a visual of what it once looked like, which is hard to imagine now. The air-conditioning was also a welcome respite from the heat. Pictures not allowed inside.
  

 

 

 

• We really enjoyed the tour and would recommend Athens by Taxi. We didn’t end up visiting all the sights mentioned in the itinerary (missed the Hill of Lycabettous and Greek Agora/Roman Agora/Tower of Winds, which I’m not sure was due to wanting to get back to the ship a bit early or scheduling issues), so if there are certain places that are must-sees, let your driver/guide know and they can probably accommodate your request. If we chose a quicker place for lunch, I think we could have seen more things too, but with the heat, it was nice to take a long break for lunch.
  

[caribill]

Here's a view of the Parthenon, currently undergoing restoration:

 

Actually, perpetually undergoing restoration. Photo below is from 5 years ago.

 

[auburngirlie]

Attila, another Venice question.

 

I have already pre-purchased tickets to the Church of San Marco (it was only 1Euro/pp to purchase ahead of time, and during my last visit in Venice it was SO crowded the line was not moving, and I didn't get inside, alas, I went ahead and purchased them)...but my question is...where did you purchase the Museum tickets to gain entry to the 2nd floor? Was this offered as you entered? I don't remember an option to add them to my pre-purchased tickets and this looks like a not to miss addition. Also--do you know which PacSafe bag you had (item name)? Looking for a new bag for Europe...my Kelly Moore camera bag might be a tad too big for an all day excursion....

 

P.S. I haven't even made it to your Greece review...too much to think about in Venice! :eek:

[AttilaTheFun]

Attila, another Venice question.

 

I have already pre-purchased tickets to the Church of San Marco (it was only 1Euro/pp to purchase ahead of time, and during my last visit in Venice it was SO crowded the line was not moving, and I didn't get inside, alas, I went ahead and purchased them)...but my question is...where did you purchase the Museum tickets to gain entry to the 2nd floor? Was this offered as you entered? I don't remember an option to add them to my pre-purchased tickets and this looks like a not to miss addition. Also--do you know which PacSafe bag you had (item name)? Looking for a new bag for Europe...my Kelly Moore camera bag might be a tad too big for an all day excursion....

 

P.S. I haven't even made it to your Greece review...too much to think about in Venice! :eek:

 

Hm, I've never heard about purchasing tickets in advance to St Mark's Basilica because entry is free. Does your ticket allow you to skip the line? The museum entrance is right next to, but separate from, the entrance to the basilica. The basilica forces you in a big loop so that you exit around the same place you entered. You walk up a giant steep and uneven staircase and pay at a small booth to gain entrance to the museum. It wasn't very busy at all in the morning, even when the basilica had a long line, so I don't think you need to pre-purchase anything for it.

 

The PacSafe bag we used was this one, but in black:

http://www.amazon.com/Pacsafe-MetroSafe-Shoulder-Grape-Wine/dp/B004JJ732Q/

 

It was the perfect size for us and we kept our money in the front pouch, which is covered by the flap and has a locking mechanism for the zipper. Hope that helps!

[AttilaTheFun]

Actually, perpetually undergoing restoration. Photo below is from 5 years ago.

 

Yes, they have been working on the Parthenon for quite some time now. Our guide said the work was supposed to be finished this year, but now they say sometime in 2013.

[pkt1976]

awesome review!! Thank you so much for the info. I'm going on a cruise with a lot of your stops in August.

[auburngirlie]

Hm, I've never heard about purchasing tickets in advance to St Mark's Basilica because entry is free. Does your ticket allow you to skip the line? The museum entrance is right next to, but separate from, the entrance to the basilica. The basilica forces you in a big loop so that you exit around the same place you entered. You walk up a giant steep and uneven staircase and pay at a small booth to gain entrance to the museum. It wasn't very busy at all in the morning, even when the basilica had a long line, so I don't think you need to pre-purchase anything for it.

 

The PacSafe bag we used was this one, but in black:

http://www.amazon.com/Pacsafe-MetroSafe-Shoulder-Grape-Wine/dp/B004JJ732Q/

 

It was the perfect size for us and we kept our money in the front pouch, which is covered by the flap and has a locking mechanism for the zipper. Hope that helps!

 

Great! Yes, it is a timed voucher that allows you to enter at a different place (unsure as to where the actual door is right now, but I will figure it out before we leave) and skip the line. I just got nervous about spending all my time in line (since I tried before and gave up). Thanks for the bag information! And I just figured out that the blue Aliaguna line does not go down the Grand Canal, but around the island...don't know how I missed that...so re-thinking our transportation to the ship (and will probably just do the ACTV down the canal instead of Princess' tender)...talk about disappointment...:(

[AttilaTheFun]

I forgot to post a picture of the most bizarre restaurant we saw in Piraeus - American House Toast. Yes, their logo is a female graduate with a large burger.

 

[hiworldtraveler]

Thanks for the informative review. What area is La Boutique del Gelato located?:p

[jaxw17]

Thanks. BTW, great review. We were on the same cruise (May 18th sailing) and had a great time. Fortunately we were able to go to all the ports and the weather wasn't as hot as it was for you, although we did get a bit drenched in Rome when it rained there for a couple of hours. We had Traditional Dining (early seating) and that worked well for us since we were traveling with my MIL (mobility challenged) and I wanted to make sure she got back to the ship early enough to eat rest up for the next day.

we were on that one as well did the any time dining with no problems

[SSAA33]

Great review! So glad I discovered this thanks to your post on another thread :)

 

Venice question:

Just to clarify about the Alilaguna stop at the cruise port - is it close enough to be able to bring our luggage from the ship to the Alilaguna boat easily?

We're going on this cruise in Sept and our itinerary is BCN-VCE so we will be disembarking in Venice and taking the Alilaguna to our hotel. On disembarkation, do they bring out our your luggage to the same spot as the 'luggage drop of area' on the map you posted before?

[AttilaTheFun]

Thanks for the informative review. What area is La Boutique del Gelato located?:p

 

It's north of St. Mark's Square and kind of near the Rialto Bridge. If you enter the address in Google Maps, it'll pop up:

Salizada San Lio, 5727, Venezia, Italia

[AttilaTheFun]

Great review! So glad I discovered this thanks to your post on another thread :)

 

Venice question:

Just to clarify about the Alilaguna stop at the cruise port - is it close enough to be able to bring our luggage from the ship to the Alilaguna boat easily?

We're going on this cruise in Sept and our itinerary is BCN-VCE so we will be disembarking in Venice and taking the Alilaguna to our hotel. On disembarkation, do they bring out our your luggage to the same spot as the 'luggage drop of area' on the map you posted before?

 

Hm, it's hard for me to advise because we didn't disembark in Venice. Do your cruise documents say that they'll dock at 117 in Venice? That's where we left from and it's not super-close to the Alilaguna stop. You might try calling Princess to see if they run a free shuttle on disembarkation day that takes you closer to the Alilaguna stop. If not, the walk would be about 15-20 minutes while dragging luggage, which is not fun. Your luggage would be waiting at the 117 terminal and NOT at the luggage drop-off point I noted, so you'll have to find a way of getting yourself and your bags to the stop. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[SSAA33]

Thanks! I will try to get more information from Princess. I'm guessing you didn't notice any free Princess shuttles when you were there? What about the People Mover - is that fairly close to 117?

 

I had initially assumed that the Alilaguna stop would be right by where we dock so I'm glad I found out ahead of time that it's not :)

 

Also, both the Alilaguna & Vaporetto come to the same area?

 

And..this maybe a dumb question but are the 'ACTV Water buses' you mentioned the same thing as Vaporetto??

[SSAA33]

We love seafood so I'll be sure to check out Trattoria alla Madonna during our post-cruise stay in Venice! Were most of the seafood dishes in the 10 euro range too? Sounds like a good deal for Venice (keep hearing about how overpriced the city is!).

[lovevacadays]

I really enjoyed Trattoria alla Madonna, which is near the Rialto Bridge. The prices were very reasonable - around 10 euros for pasta dishes - they had menus in English, nice service, and a good mix of locals and tourists. They specialize in seafood and I tried the squid ink spaghetti and loved it! My sister was grossed out by the black color though :rolleyes:

 

Here are some pictures - their sign is lit up at night, making it easier to find down a narrow street:

 

 

 

Remains of my squid ink spaghetti

 

 

 

Some of my sister's ravioli (she didn't like that they added a bit of cinnamon to the filling, but I thought it was declicious)

 

 

If you're looking for good, affordable gelato, we liked La Boutique del Gelato, which is a tiny store, but sells a giant scoop of gelato for about 1.5 euros. There's no semblance of a line, so once you've made up your mind on flavor, just go ahead and order it. We split a 2-scoop cone and it was gigantic - wish we had taken a picture!

 

We tried a sandwich place near the Bridge of Sighs that Rick Steves recommends, but were not impressed at all - surly workers and nothing special whatsoever. The other meals we had at the hotel, so our food adventures in Venice were pretty limited. Hope that helps!

 

Thank you. I'll add this to my info. The black "ink" doesn't bother me at all. I want to try new things and I am sincerely appreciating your answers.

 

I forgot to post a picture of the most bizarre restaurant we saw in Piraeus - American House Toast. Yes, their logo is a female graduate with a large burger.

 

 

I don't know why but this made me laugh!:)

[VinTek]

Thank you. I'll add this to my info. The black "ink" doesn't bother me at all. I want to try new things and I am sincerely appreciating your answers.

Hi Michelle,

 

You can actually have squid ink pasta or risotto in OC. Try Canaletto in Newport Beach.

[BugsyCruiser]

Attila, glad to see another review of Ruby on here. Your pictures are outstanding.

 

Disappointed to hear the the cruise activities onboard were so G rated. On my Caribbean cruise they seemed to be much more "risque" with what they did without getting too carried away and it made for a fun time. I was curious was Samantha the cruise director? She was on my cruise and she was a blast

[caribill]

And..this maybe a dumb question but are the 'ACTV Water buses' you mentioned the same thing as Vaporetto??

 

Not a dumb question. The answer is yes.

[SSAA33]

Not a dumb question. The answer is yes.

 

Thanks! :)

[LadyVolFan]

Great review! I love reading these things. Because I have a disability, I am unable to go to many of the sites you visited. Thank you for posting the pictures for me to live vicariously through your trip :D

 

And...I agree with your sister. Black ink spaghetti does not look good. Bravo to you for being brave.