BREEZEing through the Mediterranean 6/27 - 7/9/12

[luckybecky]

Once again the heat was our nemesis. We had by now been on our feet for several hours and were worn out from the heat. We found a place to stop for a drink and rest in the shade. Then we headed off again, wandered the streets for awhile and eventually settled on a spot to have a late lunch at Al Sportivi on Campo Santa Margherita. This place had page after page of pizza choices including some very unusual combinations (even horse meat!). Prices were very reasonable. We each ordered a pizza – wrong! The pizzas are very large and one would have been plenty to share. I had a spinach and gorgonzola pizza.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Although we did not have to be back on board til 6:30pm, we were exhausted from the heat and nonstop walking. We got back on board around 3:30.

 

 

Now, as you can clearly deduce from this review, we are not the types to just lie around sunning ourselves for days on end. Here we are on day 9 of our cruise and we had never put a toe in the pool! Well, we finally rectified that situation! After returning from day 2 in Venice, we hit the pool! – and to make things even better, we had an ice cold DOD. Now this is the life!



 

 



 

 



We took a short dip in the aft pool but it was crowded, so we moved on. We checked out Water Works and had a blast going down the slides several times. There are two slides. The Twister seemed most popular and had a wait, but the line moved along fairly quickly. The Drainpipe usually had little or no line and was very fun. We found a good spot to sit in this area and enjoyed a nice cold drink.

 

 

 

 

 

[Froufie]

We found Campo San Barnaba, with its church which was featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

 

 



 

 



And here I am standing at the very spot in the square where Kathryn Hepburn fell into the Canal in the movie Summertime (you must watch this film before you go to Venice!)



 

 



 

 



We made our way to the Peggy Guggenheim museum and spent a pleasant couple of hours here. This is a must for art lovers. Very impressive collection of 20th century artists like Pollack, Dali, Calder, Picasso. The A/C didn’t hurt either. ;)

 

 

Somewhere along our walk we saw this. It’s a shame they have to remind people to behave!

 

 

 

 

Just had to comment on this cuz I think it lost something in the translation?

 

In the other languages it indicates you should 'be respectful and dress appropriately' (and not indecently) - however somehow in English it was translated to indicate you should not 'behave indecently'!!! (unless that is some sort of 'freudian slip'? LOL) :)

 

P.S. Loving your review by the way- esp the pics of the Breeze!

[luckybecky]

We dressed in time to watch sailaway, which was just as beautiful as our entry into Venice.

 

 



 

 



Then we went to the MDR for supper. I had the asparagus vichyssoise, which was OK but I thought would have been better hot (yes, I know vichyssoise is by definition served cold). Then I had the grilled chicken. Very simple preparation, was a good healthy choice. I guess I felt the need for something lighter after days of eating restaurant food. I finished with tropical fruit and orange sherbert for dessert. I’m sorry that my attempts at food porn were again a miserable failure. The food was actually much better than my photos imply.



 

 





 

 



 

 



We lost a few dollars in the casino and finally collapsed into bed after two fabulous days in Venice.

[joytravels]

Hi, Becky: This is the BEST review I have ever read on a vacation!!!

 

As we are doing pretty much the same Itinerary in October on the same ship, it is SUPER helpful, and I will follow so much of your GREAT advice!!

 

Also, I can leave my camera at home, because your pictures are so much better than this camera-challenged tourist can take!!

 

Thank you so much for generously sharing this Review! I wish there was a place where I could put 10 stars beside it!!

 

Joyce

joytravels@aol.com

[lifeisgoodPat]

Hi, Becky: This is the BEST review I have ever read on a vacation!!!

 

As we are doing pretty much the same Itinerary in October on the same ship, it is SUPER helpful, and I will follow so much of your GREAT advice!!

 

Also, I can leave my camera at home, because your pictures are so much better than this camera-challenged tourist can take!!

 

Thank you so much for generously sharing this Review! I wish there was a place where I could put 10 stars beside it!!

 

Joyce

joytravels@aol.com

Hi Joy, I also am following this fantastic review. Can't wait to be there ourselves…..

[JWGrayson]

Hi Becky, Great job on the review! We will be on the Breeze for 27 days starting 10/25 for B2B Med/TA cruises. We are going into Barcelona a few days early and also staying at the Hotel Continental Palacete. I really appreciate the info on the Aerobus and about getting to the ship the day we embark. You really did your research! Thanks again! John

[Mparis184]

Thanks Becky - I will be traveling with Joyce in October and all your helpful hints are greatly appreciated. I always look for those 'secret' doors leading to special out of the way places on the decks. Now I won't have to hunt around for any of them on the Breeze.

 

Your photos were wonderful and you can't notice the smudges on the photos. Only the great photographer who took the photos knows exactly where they are located!

 

Marion

[Kik35]

Becky-Thanks so much for this review. Your pictures are fantastic!! I'm another cruiser on the 10/1 sailing along with Joyce, Pat & Marion and really can't wait to see everything!!-Claudia:D

[AtoZgirl]

Loving it!! Thanks :)

[DEERINH2O]

Love this review so much. We are just in the planning stages for doing this type of cruise in 2014 for our 25th.

 

I know this sounds silly but I can't figure out the whole euro thing so I have to work on that so I can figure put how much we need in spending money. Any tips would be great.

 

Thanks again

 

Kathy

[bjd2]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are so feeding my excitement for our Lido balcony (we do have an adjoining room but oh well, I'm not changing it :)) for our cruise in February on the Breeze! Loving this review and pictures.

 

Bobbie

[corkpopr]

Wow, most comprehensive review ever. Great pics!!! we are on the nov. 6th transatlantic

[maryinFL]

I am thoroughly enjoying your review. The ship photos, photography in the ports and even the food porn are only topped by your narratives. I see so many others from our 10/1/12 roll call here. We are all learning so much. I appreciate you sharing your cruise with all of us.

 

Note to self: pack earplugs.

[luckybecky]

Thanks everyone for your kind words! I'm glad you are finding some useful info.

 

Love this review so much. We are just in the planning stages for doing this type of cruise in 2014 for our 25th.

 

I know this sounds silly but I can't figure out the whole euro thing so I have to work on that so I can figure put how much we need in spending money. Any tips would be great.

 

Thanks again

 

Kathy

 

Kathy, obviously how much money you'll need is a very personal thing, but I'll tell you what we did and maybe that will help give you a starting point to help you start thinking about what you'll need.

 

I had read over and over that you should not bother exchanging money here in the US, that it is easy and cheaper to use ATMs in Europe, etc. However, I just did not feel comfortable landing in Barcelona with absolutely no cash (euros) on me. We only took about $50 in US money, and did not spend any of it, except for a few $1 tips when we got room service.

 

We wound up exchanging $1000 to euros before we left. We got about 775 euros for this amount of dollars (I don't remember now precisely how much).

 

We spent all of this, and ended up pulling a few hundred more (maybe $600? I'm not sure, might have been more) out of ATMs in Europe. We paid for all of our excursions in cash, so that ate up a huge chunk of our money. We paid for many of our expenses in port in cash(taxi, admission tickets, train tickets to Rome, etc), although we also paid for many meals with credit cards. We paid for our hotel in Rome in cash because they offered an 8% discount for doing so, so that was almost another 100 euros of our cash gone.

 

On the other hand, we are not big shoppers. I bought very few souvenirs so we did not need a lot of cash for that. We tend to be pretty frugal. Spending 40 euros (about 50 bucks) for a bottle of wine in St. Peter's Square seemed high to me. :o If you expect to be bringing back lots of souvenirs and gifts, then obviously you'll need to adjust your budget for that.

 

And don't worry about the euros. You'll get used to it pretty quickly if you go.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Becky

[luckybecky]

Friday July 6 Our Second Sea Day

 

I don't have very many photos for you on this sea day, but I'll tell you what we did.



 

 

We needed a rest, so we were glad for a sea day. We slept late and skipped breakfast. Went to the Cucina Capitano for lunch. This restaurant has a $12 charge for supper, but is free for lunch. I liked the setting and décor. Sorry I did not get photos. Here’s the lunch menu. You just check off your choices and they bring it to you when it is ready. Personally, I’m not a fan of Caesar salad. I wish they also offered a garden salad. The bread and salad were brought at the same time as the pasta. I would have preferred salad and pasta served as 2 separate courses. However, even with those quibbles, I still liked the pasta a lot, service was good and the restaurant was very nice. Wish we had eaten there more often.



 

 



 

 



We walked past Fat Jimmy’s C Side BBQ. It looked good and seemed very popular with lots of people eating there.

 

 



 

 



There was an ice carving demonstration. I watched for awhile but didn’t stay long enough to see what he was making.



 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Radu had a photo seminar in the afternoon. I only got to stay for the first half hour or so because I had some items in the dryer and wanted to get them out on time so someone else could use it. (Hint, there were 2 washers, 3 dryers. So you could snag a dryer sometimes even if washers were busy. I handwashed some clothes and then tossed them in the dryer)

 

 



The part of the photos seminar I saw was just Mr. Radu showing his photos from throughout his career. He is a very talented photographer. Hopefully he did move into providing some tips for your own photography.

 

 



This was the second formal night of our cruise. I was just worn out from days on end of sightseeing, so we elected not to dress up and did the buffet for supper. Buffet really wasn’t that great. Reminded me of why I don’t do buffets anymore. Salad bar: wish they would add some leafy lettuce blend or spinach, iceberg was the only choice. Brisket – I did not like it at all. Paul liked the sushi, though, and the desserts were good.

 

 



We wandered through the shops. Prices were astronomical. $5 for 3 oz of Listerine, $19 for a pair of plain flip-flops (I needed some but refused to pay that price when they can be bought at WalMart for $2!). I can’t remember what day it was, but once we went to the jewelry store when they were having a drawing for a free watch. You’d have thought they were giving away bars of solid gold! It was very crowded. After the drawing, they had a sale on watches – people went nuts buying those things! We got out of there as fast as we could.

 

 



We had another spin in the Thrill Theater and later went to the Divas Show. This show was very high-energy and included music by Christina Aguilera, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Beyonce, etc. Lots of strobe lights and cool light effects.

 

 



When we went back to our cabin that night, we found disembarkation info and an invitation to the past guest party the next day.

[luckybecky]

Entering the port of Messina.

 

 

 

 

 

We had a tour with a bunch of other roll call members, 18 of us total. The cost was just 40 euro per person and was the best deal of all our tours. We were picked up right on time in a large van with a driver and a guide. Laura, our guide, spoke English very well. We drove first up a mountainside to Castelmola. We had the place almost entirely to ourselves. It’s a narrow winding road and I’m pretty sure tour buses can’t go there. This is a very charming, picturesque village (population about 1100) high above the sea with views of Mt. Etna.



 

 





 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked around the ruins of a centuries-old fortress at the top of the city.

 

[luckybecky]

Back in the van, we drove down the mountain to Taormina. This is another charming town, but unlike Castelmola, it was packed with tourists. We did not have as much time to explore as I would have liked. I think if you get off the main drag, it is less crowded. We went to the Greek Theater which was very picturesque with great views.

 

 





 

 





 

 





 

 





 

 



 

 

 

[luckybecky]

We saw this little kitty guarding her master’s wares.

 

 



 

 



Of course we had to have a gelato!



 

 

 

 

 

We had only a little time for lunch. It was about noon and cafes were just beginning to open. We found this charming spot on a side street. It’s called La Dracena and I recommend it.



 

 





 

 



 

Here's Paul coming back up the street from the restaurant. It's down at the bottom of the steps.

 

 

 



 

 



We found a very cool shop that sells funky ceramics and other artsy objects. It's called Don Corleone and it's up a side street. Definitely worth a visit. I’m not sure how to give you directions to find it, except to say that it is on a side street off the main tourist street, heading up toward the hills, on the side away from the sea. I'm sure if you asked around, someone could tell you where it is. Paul is an artist, and the funky art, t-shirts and even post cards appealed to us. Maybe you would like it too.

 

 

We met back up with our group and headed back to Messina. Here we visited a beautiful monument that houses the tomb of the unknown soldier, and the cathedral with its stunning clock tower.



 

 

[luckybecky]

Here’s the Breeze docked in Messina

 

 



 

 



We got back to the ship around 2:30. We still had an hour before back on board time, so we wandered around the retail area near the port. However, we found only one shop open. Everything else was closed up tight for siesta. This is the only port where we ran into this issue. So we just headed back on board. We went through security with a bottle of wine with no questions asked. (Yes, we drank gallons of wine on this trip. Hey, we were on vacation!) There was only a short line at that time.



 

 

The past guest party was scheduled for 3:30 pm. Buses from excursions were still arriving at 3:20-3:25. I took this photo of the line to go through security at about 3:25. I hope none of these folks were planning to go to the party.



 

 



 

 



The party was fun. One of the stars of the entertainment staff was singing and Funship Freddy was there. There were many waiters with plentiful drinks and delicious canapés. We saw a bunch of our fellow roll call members there. We did a little dancing and enjoyed the snacks. I hear that they are changing the format of the party from what we had. I see that someone recently posted a thread about how terrible the past guest party was, but this was not the case for us at all. The party ended promptly on schedule at 4:15.



 

 



 

 



Then we watched the sailaway from Messina from our favorite spot on deck 10 forward.



 

 



 

 



Here’s another view of the statue that guards the entry into the port. I think I heard somewhere that she is a Madonna blessing the travelers who pass by. Look how blue that water is!

 

[luckybecky]

We had dinner in the MDR. Chateaubriand was excellent, very tender. It is not made-to-order though, you have a choice of medium-rare (which I had, and it was fine) or medium-well. Escargot had been listed on the TV menu but was not on the menu in the dining room. Reportedly there has been a shortage and they have been trouble sourcing this product. It was replaced by shrimp and corvina ceviche, which Paul said was very good. I believe I recently read a report that the escargot may be coming back soon. Here are photos of the ceviche and the chateaubriand. (Paul is wearing his new Don Corleone t-shirt!)

 

 





 

 



 

 



The Talent Show was fun, but only 3 acts. John told his Bedtime Story which was very funny. He swore it was all spontaneous, but I’m not convinced that his helpers from the audience hadn’t been coached. That’s ok, though. It was still a lot of fun.



 

 

Oh no! The sun is soon going to set on this marvelous cruise! It seems like the time is flying by!

 

[luckybecky]

7/8 sea day

 

 

We had a lazy day. The chair hogs were out in force. Can you see the two shirts, one red and one white, on chairs by the center aisle? Those chairs stayed empty from mid morning til about 5 pm when I finally saw 2 college-age guys sitting in them. They weren’t the only ones hogging.



 

 



 

 



We spent some time in the pool and went down the slides a few more times.



 

 

We found a couple of loungers on the Serenity Deck and rested for awhile. We got in the serenity hot tub too. We have a hot tub at our house and we love it, using it year round. However, the weather was so hot during this trip, the last thing I could think about at the end of each day of sweating in the summer heat was getting in a tub of hot water. Was I ever wrong! As soon as I set foot in the hot tub on the serenity deck, I started kicking myself wondering why I had not done this sooner! Unlike many other commercial hot tubs I have tried, they don’t overheat the tub on the serenity deck. It was absolutely divine to soak in the tub with a DOD.

 

 

 

We wandered by the Taste Bar for the very first time. They were offering a ham and provolone grilled on brioche, and a roasted tomato soup, which were both very good. Just small samples, not meal-sized portions. I wished we had tried this sooner.

 

 



We had Guy’s Burgers one last time for lunch, and dinner in the MDR. I had arugula mint salad, navy bean soup, and prime rib, all of which were superb. This night was the only time we had really slow service in the MDR. We asked for iced tea, and it took a long time to arrive, then was never refilled. It took about an hour to get through 2 courses. We finished our entrees and waited for quite a long time, and then finally left before ever ordering dessert. I’m not sure why service was so slow tonight. Somehow I only managed to get a photo of the salad.



 

 



 

 



We gave the casino one last chance and it finally paid off!



 

 



 

 



After this I got three more ‘four of a kinds’ within 20 minutes! I ended up cashing out almost $400.

 

 

 

We had packed up in the afternoon so we would be ready to debark in the morning.

[Crusin Karen]

Oh, this is absolutely amazing...congrats on the casino winnings. I am getting so upset this cruise is almost over. I have enjoyed going along with you! :p I swear, this should be the best cruise review of 2012 winner! The weather you had...wow!

[rtw68]

Oh, this is absolutely amazing...congrats on the casino winnings. I am getting so upset this cruise is almost over. I have enjoyed going along with you! :p I swear, this should be the best cruise review of 2012 winner! The weather you had...wow!

 

AGREE!!!!! This is making the 100+ days we have to wait to get on the Breeze a lot easier. Fantastic review! :D

[kiwibor]

Becky - This was the most incredible cruise review I have ever read. It was everything a review should be - interesting, informative, and FUN. The photos were a fantastic plus. I'm on the Breeze TA in Nov, but I'm going to start saving up for a Med cruise because if I have half as wonderful an experience as you've had, it would be the trip of a lifetime. Thank you so much for sharing your cruise with us in such a helpful fashion with marvelous reporting!

[mara93]

What a great review! Subscribing