Middle Aged Drama Queen's Eastern Med Review: Serenade, Pics, Surprises & Fun!

[BettyPC]

I want to go NOW to see all those wonderful sights. Instead I will just read the next review of FOS ! Thanks again for sharing.

[jpg1747]

I did a 12 night med cruise on the Carnival Magic last year, flew RT DC/Barcelona and spent one night each pre- and post-cruise in Barcelona. We had 8 ports, including an overnight in Venice. I did a combination of ship tours and private tours, plus a couple of days on my own. As a solo it cost me around $5,000 for the entire trip.

 

Sherri, thanks so much for all the useful information included in your most entertaining report. I wish I'd know some of that before I went on my cruise last year. However, it will be very useful for my upcoming TA and pre-cruise days in Rome. I'm doing self-guided walking tours in Rome with fellow cruisers and it was good to find out that we needed to get tickets for the Coliseum in advance.

 

I don't know if you've been to Naples before, but if you haven't you didn't miss anything. The best things about it were the pizza and the great chocolate I found in a little grocery store. I'm glad I spent the morning at Pompeii and only had a few hours in Naples in the afternoon.

 

We're using RomeinLimo for a Tivoli/Gandolfo tour one day and for transfers from Rome to the port. I was happy to hear such good things about them.

[FloGaleRNTX]

Sherri, where are you with the final installments?

 

Barbara

[celebrity]

3000 for the balcony is a giveaway! i paid 4100.00 for a 12 night this past april on the celebrity silhouette to the carribbean. i would kill to pay only 3,000.

 

I hear ya! Booked a 12 night for Sept 2013, E1 category, $2250 each with $450 on board credit. Hoping for a price drop. Currently selling for $2650 so we'll have to wait and see if there are price drops. Regardless, we are going.

[mrsfecura]

3000 for the balcony is a giveaway! i paid 4100.00 for a 12 night this past april on the celebrity silhouette to the carribbean. i would kill to pay only 3,000.

 

Agree!! We're booked in a D2 for this same Med itinerary, October 2013 at around $4000

[jtagphillycruiser]

I would appreciate some additional info on those international cell phones. Having only cruised to the Caribbean & Mexico I have used my personal cell phone. Why not use your personal cell phone with an international plan bought before the trip? Can someone give me the pros & cons on international cell phones. Thank you

[KansCocoa]

Sherri, where are you with the final installments?

 

Barbara

 

I'm HERE! My internet went down today...I've been on and off the phone all day with Comcast...argh.

 

I will be back with the final installments - never fear! I PROMISE to wrap this up by Thursday - at the latest!!!

[FloGaleRNTX]

YEAH!!! Thank you Sherri!!

 

Barbara

[demodawn]

Go to the "user CP" at the bottom of the box on the top. It's on the left. It will bring up any threads you've subscribed to.

 

Generally if you have posted to the thread, you are subscribed.

 

Just because you post you dont get subscribed. You can just subscribe to a thread by clicking on thread tools. You can follow without posting

[KansCocoa]

 

We last left our relaxed travelers exploring the north end of Las Ramblas in Barcelona...playing with the pigeons near the beautiful Plaza de Catalunya....

 

Little did we know that today...TODAY...would be the day that the Gelato Project would come to fruition.

 

Yes...the quest for the Perfect 10 in Gelato would finally be realized...

 

The day was gorgeous…albeit a bit hot. When we realized (okay, maybe it was when I realized!) that we were right across the street from Farggi Gelato – one of our favorite gelato shops – it gave us the perfect excuse to pop in and indulge in some sweets.

 

This is the little gelato shop that's RIGHT across from the fountain in the Plaza area...we'd indulged there at the beginning of our trip, and I remembered the gelato being good...and the shop was air-conditioned. Win-win.

 

So, we made our way over, where I branched out a bit of my comfort zone and tried a new flavor - something I've never tried (in gelato, anyway) before. I tried a gelato labeled "tartufu" - which was a blend of chocolate with hazelnut.

 

I took one bite...and I knew. I KNEW. I had hit the jackpot of gelato, the Holy Grail, the Perfect 10....in all places, Barcelona!!!

 

The place where our journey had started...we'd come full circle...and here was my Perfect 10 all along....

 

The chocolate and hazelnut blended together in perfect harmony, with an excellent combination of sweetness, texture and creaminess. It was pure heaven.

 

I'm almost giddy...who'd have thunk it? The Perfect 10 of Gelato...in Spain??!!

 

Now. I'm not saying that EVERY flavor this shop offers is a Perfect 10. No. Probably not. But THAT flavor - on THAT day - was the BEST DARN GELATO I'VE EVER HAD. PERIOD.

 

 

With all the excitement and celebration of finding the Perfect 10 in Gelato, the consensus was we now needed a nap. Yup. Hitting it hard for the last two weeks has somewhat taken it out of us - go figure - and we decided that the best place we could be now - at this moment - was back at the nice, cool, quiet apartment - relaxing. So, that's where we went. It was divine.

 

 

So...looking back...I'm actually glad that our Late Departure Option was cancelled...as it gave us the impetus to explore some things in Barcelona that we hadn't explored before. And it was nice to relax and move at our own pace, with no guide pushing us along....I just wish RCI had communicated the cancellation better, so we wouldn't have been caught so off-guard, and would have had transportation arranged. I guess things work out for a reason, sometimes, and they DO say that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. We made lemonade that day, for sure, and it was the BEST DARN LEMONADE EVER!

 

 

 

Around 5:30 or so, we freshened up and headed back out to Las Ramblas...but this time, we turned south. Whoa. I KNOW! Unchartered territory for us, as we'd never gone SOUTH before. What would we find???!!!

 

 

Well, the south end is where you’ll find the Living Statues…the people (I use that term loosely) who dress up and then pose...motionless...and prey on unsuspecting tourists who think they're REAL statues and then have a heart attack when they move. The Klingons LOVED standing and watching the Statues perform their magic....

 

 

The "Windy Guy"...he looked like he was perpetually being blown away in the wind, even though he was constantly standing perfectly still...I had to give this guy props on creativity!

 

 

 

Geesh...it took Mickey forever to get her nerve up to go drop a coin in the bucket to get her picture taken with this guy....! And check out those new shoes of hers - can't miss HER now in a crowd!!!

 

 

We walk as far south as the Christopher Columbus monument…supposedly built on the sight where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas.

 

 

If you get up close to the monument, there are various panels that tell the story of the voyage...we had some fun trying to figure out what each panel was depicting.

 

 

As something special to finish our journey, I had made reservations months before at the Tablao Cordobes, a little restaurant/buffet in Barcelona that has traditional flamenco dancing. I figured that the Klingons may find this interesting - as well as the adults - as we'd never seen "real" flamenco dancing.

 

Our dinner reservations are at 7:15, and it's just a very short walk back down Las Ramblas to the restaurant.

 

There we are, just a'walkin' down the street...you can see the restaurant just up ahead on the right....

 

 

Tablao Cordobes was founded in 1970, and is now regarded as one of the most important flamenco tablaos (theaters) in Spain. The biggest names in the history of flamenco have danced in this venue, which is now a legendary Tablao with a well-deserved reputation among flamenco experts.

 

 

When we arrive, we are taken upstairs and seated in a very interesting dining room…the ceiling is arched and the decor is over-the-top gorgeous....

 

 

 

 

Well...so...what would we get for dinner? Would the food be good? Would the Klingons enjoy it? And what would the show be like?

 

[KansCocoa]

 

 

The buffet at the Tablao Cordobes includes all-you-can-drink white wine, red wine, and sangria, as well as lemonade or tea for the Klingons. There’s a HUGE buffet of over 33 Mediterranean dishes, which were clearly labeled (which I like, as I like to know what I’m eating!).

 

 

 

We could ALL find something that we liked, and there was plenty of food…if you left this meal hungry, that was your OWN fault! They also had some fabulous desserts to choose from…

 

 

 

Eventually, they come in and get you, then escort you across the hall to the flamenco room. It’s a small, intimate room, with a stage and numerous chairs set very close to each other – as well as the stage. You will not only be watching flamenco, but you’re going to feel like a part of the show.

 

Soon…the show started…and what a show it was. No cameras are allowed for most of the show, but towards the end, the performers come out and encourage you to take photos.

 

...and our photos are awful. The lighting isn't the greatest for a cheap camera like ours, so PLEASE don't let this photo take away from the experience!

 

 

There’s music, singing, costume changes and dancing…and the dancing….WOW! The men AND the women were strutting their stuff with passion, and with intensity, and the Klingons were entranced.

 

ENTRANCED!

 

They loved it. We loved it.

 

By the end of the show, the audience (and it was sold out – so make your reservations early!) were on their feet, with a standing ovation.

 

And we were exhausted. Just from watching. Whew.

 

It's about a 3-hour experience, and afterwards, we headed back to the apartment, as we had a 7:30 am pick-up arranged to take us to the airport. Surely, the drama was over on our vacation...right? RIGHT? Or...was it???!!

 

 

[mjkrph]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review of your Mediterranean cruise. My husband, daughter and I are leaving for this same cruise tomorrow morning. You have given us so much to look forward to and such wonderful advice. Thanks again!

[rmurray847]

 

We last left our relaxed travelers exploring the north end of Las Ramblas in Barcelona...playing with the pigeons near the beautiful Plaza de Catalunya....

 

Little did we know that today...TODAY...would be the day that the Gelato Project would come to fruition.

 

Yes...the quest for the Perfect 10 in Gelato would finally be realized...

 

 

[/i]

 

 

Do you by any chance remember the name of the Gelato place? My wife and I will be in Barcelona in less than 2 weeks...and that Tartufo sounds like it woudl be right up our alley!

[bgyoshi]

Do you by any chance remember the name of the Gelato place? My wife and I will be in Barcelona in less than 2 weeks...and that Tartufo sounds like it woudl be right up our alley!

 

From her post on page 4, it looks like Farggi Gelato? At Placa Catalunya.

 

I google street view this address: Passeig de Gràcia, 94, Barcelona, Espanya

 

And ta-da! there it was. I won't be going till April 2013, but I'm ready for Gelato!

[lalabee79]

I stumbled across this review on Sunday and became instantly hooked! Sherri it's just amazing: great writing, awesome photos and a wicked sense of humor!! My husband and I are taking our first Mediterranean cruise this fall - different itinerary but some ports in common with yours. Thank you dedicating time to writing this wonderful review and getting me even MORE excited for our trip!

[Just The 3 Of Us]

I have so enjoyed your review and really quite sad that it is almost over :(

 

Barb

[Just The 3 Of Us]

OH and absolutely thrilled you were able to accomplish your goal at finding the "PERFECT 10 GELATO"... YOU GO GIRL!!! ;)

[FreshOffTheBoat]

I just wanted to say thank you again for writing this review. It was really fun to read. It also brought back some great memories from my last cruise.

[jewelinthesand]

I think she's referring to the famous New Jersey "Jug Handles" unknown in other parts of the country.

 

i know. i was joking around.

[jewelinthesand]

I'm also going with Clark's - great shoes for our cruise in Sept., also found on zappos.com

 

yours are cute. i think i might go with the ones sherri had though because they strap all the way around. with all the walking on the rocks, etc. i don't want open backed shoes.

[jewelinthesand]

We initially paid what you did. When we got the price drop we got $1600 back. Which we are using to pay for our next cruise. :D

 

For anyone I may have confused our price was $3000 TOTAL for two people. We paid $1399 pp plus taxes etc.

 

the only thing is i really like my location of our cabin and don't really want to do a balcony guarantee and end up in the back or very front of the ship. hmmmm, maybe there will be some other price drops without going guarantee. it just went up about 200 a person. wrong way royal, wrong way. :D

[jewelinthesand]

I hear ya! Booked a 12 night for Sept 2013, E1 category, $2250 each with $450 on board credit. Hoping for a price drop. Currently selling for $2650 so we'll have to wait and see if there are price drops. Regardless, we are going.

 

what sale date? we are sept. 16th, 2013

[marci22]

yours are cute. i think i might go with the ones sherri had though because they strap all the way around. with all the walking on the rocks, etc. i don't want open backed shoes.

 

Merrells are good as well. They have a lot of different styles and are very comfortable. I wore them on my Med cruise and I walked about 500 miles with no blisters.

[05mak05]

"SOMEONE needed to stay awake the entire time – in case the pilot needed to consult with me about all things flying-related. "

 

 

That actually made me laugh out loud. I think I am going to enjoy this review.

Oh, how I relate!

[jpg1747]

Do you by any chance remember the name of the Gelato place? My wife and I will be in Barcelona in less than 2 weeks...and that Tartufo sounds like it woudl be right up our alley!

 

From her post on page 4, it looks like Farggi Gelato? At Placa Catalunya.

 

I google street view this address: Passeig de Gràcia, 94, Barcelona, Espanya

 

And ta-da! there it was. I won't be going till April 2013, but I'm ready for Gelato!

 

If you can't find that particular place, I had the most wonderful gelato from a stand in the middle of Las Ramblas.