Review: Carnival Mediterranean 12-Night Cruise

[Breezy72]

I'm living vicariously through you right now!;) Sounds/looks like a great vacation. Can't wait to read more!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Superb photography & a great writing style. Best I've seen yet on CC. Time to start publishing coffee-table travel books!!!!

 

It looks like the ship has a much better decor style than others in the line. More upmarket & better quality.

 

In the picture of lunch in Rome what all was on that pizza (besides the mushroom that I could see). Was it a good pizza, or just so-so? Thanks.

__________________

 

Hi Stan, thanks so much for the compliment on my photos and writing! I've never written a review on here before, so I'm hoping it'll be helpful for a few people!

 

In the picture you see of lunch in Rome (in Campo di Fiori), the pizza was A-MAZING! My son's pasta dish was also delicious, and my husband's 4-cheese pizza superb too! I wish I'd note the name of the restaurant - I've eaten there several times over the years, and it's always been the same owner. If you're looking onto the fresh vegetable (not flower) corner of the market, the restaurant shares a wall with a small grocery store selling pasta, limoncello, etc. I'll see if I can do more research and find the name! The owner may appear a bit gruff at first, but he's a really nice guy. I spilled my wine by accident (all over the table), and he came and rubbed it behind his ears for good luck when helping me clean it up.:)

[sailawaybellaluna]

Goes to show that it is the hands the camera is in rather than the camera itself. Nothing wrong with the Canon T2i, but many of your pictures are much better than some I've seen with a $5000 camera. Having some of your work in a magazine........well that shows you just how good others think you are. Your colors are amazing. Do you shoot RAW? How much post shot work do you do? I'm a beginner so I'm looking into what people that I like their work do & use.

 

 

By the way, your son is beautiful. Isn't it fun traveling with a toddler?

 

Hi Jason'sMom! Thanks so much for your comments - I appreciate it!

 

You know, I don't shoot in RAW. In fact, I've been just trying to teach myself how to use my camera (it took me over a year to feel comfortable with a DSLR and figure out what all the gadgets were!). I did take a 4-night workshop at the local fine arts center and I loved it! The teacher (photographer) doesn't believe in post-shoot editing - nearly all of his work is straight out of the camera and unedited! I've tried to do similar - then it also saves me money on photo editing software! :p If I'm shooting sky with clouds or something where I want more drama, I use a graduated grey density filter #6 (you can buy them online for less than $10). The only editing I typically do is in Picasa online - sometimes editing to Black and White, and oftentimes, increasing the saturation just a notch or two!

 

And yes I agree - I LOVE traveling with a toddler! I have a collage of photos framed in his room with the Dr. Seuss quote, "Oh, the places you'll go"... :)

 

He's a good little traveler - probably because he never knew life any other way! Haha.

[sailawaybellaluna]

I'm living vicariously through you right now! Sounds/looks like a great vacation. Can't wait to read more!

 

Thanks Breezy72!

 

I'm going to try and write Dubrovnik this morning, and then I've gotta pay some attention to my house (dishes & laundry) - both of which are suffering due to the fun I'm having on CruiseCritic! :)

[ChrisRN320]

We chose to fly into Barcelona 5 days prior to the cruise. We found an apartment online to rent for all of us.

 

It was my husband and I (both in our early 30's) and our 3-year old son traveling, as well as my mom and dad. We all love traveling and cruising!

 

We stayed in the Gothic Quarter in an apartment which proved to be in good walking distance to almost anywhere in the city! If you have any specific questions on Barcelona that I can help answer, please let me know! I've been to Spain a few times before, but this was my first time visiting Barcelona. It is definitely a very special city as you can see below:

 

 

 

 

Can you tell me if the photos are working? This is the first time I've ever tried writing a review or uploading photos to CruiseCritic...

 

I am so glad I found this review! My husband and I will be traveling with our son next October and he will be 3 years old then. We are Leaving from BCN as well for 12 night cruise but a few different ports than the cruise you traveled. Look forward to reading and may ask a few questions too!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Dubrovnik was one of the ports I was most excited about on this cruise! My husband and I had never been to Croatia before, but my parents visited on a Celebrity cruise the year before and had really enjoyed it!

 

We chose not to book any excursions in Dubrovnik. I actually found a lot of great information here on CruiseCritic and also from the DubrovnikLady who posts here regularly...

 

If you have Rick Steves' Med Ports of Call book, he has several good suggestions for Dubrovnik as well!

 

We disembarked the ship pretty early because we wanted time to explore. Carnival contracts out a local bus company which takes you right to the gate of the wall in the old town. If I remember correctly, tickets were 8E round-trip per person, and buses were leaving and returning all day long, approximately every 10 minutes.

 

It was nice getting there early because we beat the crowds. We felt like we had much of the town to ourselves! Take a peek:

 

 

 

 

 

The morning market was still going on in the town square, and if you've read this review up to this point, you'll know I love markets and photographing fruits and veggies, etc! There were a few ladies there selling handmade sachets with lavender as well as lavender scented lotions, etc. There were also a few men selling hand carved wooden toys - mainly frogs that made a "ribbit" sound when you brushed a wooden stick across their back. We bought one of those for our son because I liked that it was locally made and not some cheap souvenir from China! Some pics of the market:

 

 

 

 

Next up: My favorite souvenir purchase, lunch and a walk around the old walls!

[sailawaybellaluna]

If you're looking to purchase something very special in Dubrovnik, I'd recommend the handmade jewelry. The Konavle style jewelry is intricate and beautiful. I bought a pair of solid sterling silver earrings and a matching pendant from a family in a tiny (old) jewelry shop. They made the jewelry as had their parents and grandparents. The shop had been there nearly 150 years! I paid around $100 for all three items and they're probably my most treasured souvenir from the cruise. A pic of the shop:

 

 

Next up: Lunch & Walking the Walls!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Most of the restaurants in Dubrovnik offer pizza or seafood! To be honest, they all nearly have the same menu. Rick Steves has a couple of good suggestions if you're looking for something special.

 

For us, we just wanted a pretty spot to rest, drink some traditional Croatian wine, use the bathroom, and check Facebook!

 

We found a cute little outdoor cafe in the central square, and all shared one pizza. It was the perfect amount of food!

 

 

 

Another option are these little fried calamari and sardines - I saw a lot of people walking around snacking on these!

 

 

The square where we were eating had a ton of pigeons, so our little man was very entertained chasing them around for a bit!

 

 

By this time, we were well fed and thought we'd explore the walls! It was perfect timing because the town center had started getting very crowded!

 

The walls were amazing...more coming up!

[sailawaybellaluna]

To be honest, we almost didn't walk the walls in Dubrovnik because it was getting warm and we felt like we had seen a lot. What a HUGE mistake that would have been!

 

Walking the walls was one of our all time favorite things we did during our 12-night cruise. The views are AMAZING!

 

I almost booked a walking tour through Viator, but decided I didn't want to be bound to a set time, so we did it on our own.

 

We bought tickets (you can use your credit card - there is a separate line for cash). I believe they were 70 Kuna each (around $12.50). We left the stroller at the bottom and our little guy walked with us. He did awesome!

 

If you stop frequently to take pictures like we did, you can probably walk them all in around 2 - 2.5 hours. There are various exit points along the wall where you can enter into the neighborhoods below, if you've had enough.

 

We walked for about 90 minutes, past the marina, before ending. Our little boy was getting a bit worn out, so we decided that was enough...

 

The views are breathtaking - don't go to Dubrovnik and skip this!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure you take plenty of bottled water! There are a couple of spots along the top of the wall to buy water or have an ice cream break, but they'll be at a premium. We stopped at one of the small grocery stores below for water and snacks before walking up...

 

To me, I didn't think it was worth paying for an excursion in Dubrovnik. It's so easy to do on your own! It's a small place so you can't really get lost, and part of the fun is just wandering...

 

After the walls, we boarded the bus back to the ship. The line was huge, but moved very quickly since there were several coaches coming and going constantly. Our little guy was fast asleep, and we headed back to the ship to get freshened up for dinner in the MDR!

 

It was a wonderful day!

[sailawaybellaluna]

I am so glad I found this review! My husband and I will be traveling with our son next October and he will be 3 years old then. We are Leaving from BCN as well for 12 night cruise but a few different ports than the cruise you traveled. Look forward to reading and may ask a few questions too!

__________________

 

ChrisRN320: You'll have a wonderful time, I'm sure! We've found that cruising with our little man is so easy and convenient!

 

Please let me know if you have any questions I can help answer for you! :)

[sailawaybellaluna]

I'm really trying to convince you to walk the walls in Dubrovnik, so here are a few more pictures to help entice you! :)

 

 

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

Before I touch on Venice, I thought I'd mention a few fun things we enjoyed on the ship...

 

I know the Hasbro game show has been talked about quite a bit on CC. We went once and thought it was "ok". If you're the type of family that has the guts to participate, it could be really fun! Again, I think a lot depends on your cruise director, and how funny (or boring) they are! John Heald is very entertaining!

 

We also really enjoyed the Dive-In Movie! We only went once (and unfortunately, it was Talladega Nights), but it was such a fun experience. They have warm cozy blankets they give you along with popcorn. They show two movies a night - usually around 7:30 and 10:30pm.

 

I also went to tea with my mom in the Blush Dining Room. I really loved the Blush Dining Room (in fact, I thought it was much prettier than the Sapphire, but unfortunately, those with "your time dining" are in the Sapphire).

 

I believe they host tea during the sea days. It was a lovely assortment of sandwiches and sweets and everyone got a little personal teapot. Very nice service. Although, I have to say, it was a bit strange that a couple of women showed up at our table in their pajamas...? :confused: When I've gone for "tea" in the past, it was usually a special/dressy event. I understand vacationing is all about relaxing, but I thought the PJs were a bit odd...Maybe for the Dive-In Movie!!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Next up, our two days in Venice! Another highlight of our trip!

 

We didn't take any excursions, but used the People Mover to get back and forth...I'll share details of how to do this, the costs, etc.

 

First, a sneak peak at our arrival. Sailing into Venice was a spectacular sight! People starting lining the decks at least an hour if not 90 minutes before our arrival time of 2pm. If you're wanting to get some photos of St. Mark's Square and the canal during your approach, I highly recommend staking your spot out on deck a good hour and a half before...

 

I've have to split Venice into several posts because CruiseCritic only allows 6 photos in each entry...So please be patient with me. I took well over 1000 photos in Venice!

 

Our arrival:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much more to come!

[cruiseclues]

Thanks for your great photo review. We have been enjoying it very much. Looking forward to more. :)

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Loving your review and great pics.

I am booked on the Legend in May so was looking for Carnival reviews from Europe and glad I found yours.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your travel info and pics :D

[TrikeRider]

I love your review. Wonderful itinerary and great pics. I need to check this one out if it is available spring 2014.

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thanks for reading along up until this point!

 

So, the sail into Venice was absolutely beautiful! Like I said above, you'll want to be sure to stake your claim on deck beforehand if you want to get some good photos!

 

A couple more as we were making our approach to our pier:

 

 

 

As we were maneuvering into port (once the photo opportunities were finished), we decided to make our way to the Lido for quick lunch before disembarking. This was the WORST time to go up there! Apparently everyone had the exact same idea and it was pure chaos! If you're on a similar itinerary, I'd strongly suggest ordering room service (from one of the decks even) about 30 minutes before you plan on eating. It'll save you a lot of hassle...

 

Once we finished our chaotic lunch, we disembarked. Our plan was to spend the day wandering at leisure. We walked a short distance to the People Mover and purchased tickets for 1E each. If you're interested in learning more about the People Mover (and getting into Central Venice from the pier), my mom wrote a detailed entry about it on her blog. You can read it here.

 

I really don't believe the ship transfers are worth the cost.

 

In addition, I LOVED walking from the People Mover station into the more central touristy areas of Venice. We got to see some quiet residential streets, schools, markets, etc. Places where some locals just living everyday life! That was very special, because once you are near the main touristy hot spots, everything is a bit more chaotic and expensive.

 

Some view from the more peaceful outskirts of Venice:

 

This first picture is just right near where you disembark the people mover...

 

 

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

 

The two photos below were taken at night, on our way back to the People Mover. This is the scenery right near the People Mover Stations - literally less than 2 blocks away. You can see how serene and empty it is compared to the busier sections of Venice. It was a real treat to walk through these little neighborhoods!

 

 

 

After wandering through some of the little streets, we decided to stop for a glass of wine. We found a cute little cafe and sat outside, just soaking in the atmosphere, drinking our wine! It was lucky timing too, as it started raining. As soon as we finished our wine, the rain stopped and we were ready to wander further!

 

We headed towards the Rialto Bridge. It was a little crazy, but definitely worth the views! A small tip: make sure to walk towards the "back" side of the bridge - to me, the views are even more amazing than the front which is more frequently photographed.

 

Views from the back of the bridge:

 

 

 

For the sunset shots I used a graduated grey density filter (level 6) and a tripod. People saw I had a tripod and assumed I knew how to take photos, so about 12 people (no exaggeration) handed me their phones, cameras, iPads, etc. to take pics of them!

 

 

Next up: St. Mark's Square, Bridge of Sighs and where NOT to eat!

[sailawaybellaluna]

We walked the very busy streets from the Rialto Bridge to St. Mark's Square next...we passed a Cartier store and I joked with my husband that I've been wanting one of their tank-style watches for ages, and wouldn't it be special to purchase it in Venice?! He just laughed. :p

 

I had been to Venice once before, and back then there were lots of stalls selling bird food to feed the pigeons in St. Mark's Square. Well, not anymore. Of course, I understand the reasons as to why (creating a dependent bird population, the mess, clean-up, etc), but I have to admit - I was really looking forward to letting my son feed the birds! Oh well, we had just enough time for some photo ops, and to frolic around the square before it started downpouring (again!).

 

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

We had planned to splurge and eat and order a bottle of wine in one of the little cafes in St. Mark's Square. However, just after we took the photos above, a huge storm passed through. It downpoured for only about 5 minutes, and everyone took cover!

 

We were standing under the covered walkway - not a bad view to wait out the rain storm:

 

 

Next, we made our way to the Bridge of Sighs. It was SO crowded, that we weren't even able to stand together! However, I did note there were ramps along the side of the bridge for anyone that might be in a wheelchair, making it accessible. I thought that was great! I took a few quick pics:

 

 

When you're standing near the Bridge of Sighs (at the end of St. Mark's Square), there is beautiful scenery if you turn around and look behind you - towards the water! So many gondoliers line their boats up here, and it's so picturesque with San Giorgio Maggiore in the background:

 

 

From there, we were worried it might start raining again, so we wandered back near the Rialto and decided to eat and one of the restaurants lining the Grand Canal there. Let me say, we had terrible terrible service and awful food! We really go on vacation to enjoy ourselves and rarely let a bad experience ruin our day, but this almost did. The men "hawking" outside the restaurants near the Rialto are extremely pushy. The food was terrible. In fact, several times we saw baskets of bread that were recycled - with the partly eaten rolls just tossed into the canals. Yuck.

 

To be honest, I knew we may not have a great experience since it was one of the busiest most touristy areas. However, I wanted to be near the bridge at sunset to take photos, and it allowed my husband to sit with a glass of wine for a half an hour while I played with my camera.

 

On the plus side, this was the view from our dinner table:

 

 

After dinner, we decided to wander around a bit more, get some gelato, and then head back to the People Mover. If you missed the post above, my mom wrote a detailed blog entry about our experience using the People Mover. You can find it here.

 

It was also a perfect time to get a photo of our ship, all lit up at nighttime!

 

 

When we returned to the ship, my son had a special treat waiting for him...!

[sailawaybellaluna]

When we returned to our ship our first night in Venice, I had a message waiting for me from my mom: the MDR was serving escargot that night!

 

A few months prior to the cruise, my son was playing in the yard and he found snails crawling on our fence. He tried eating one, and told me, "like they do in France mom!" Err. Yes. I removed what was left of the shell and gagged!

 

So, for ages we had promised him he could "eat snails in France". Unfortunately, during our day in Monaco he didn't have the opportunity. So, I was excited they were serving them in the MDR.

 

However, we were worn out from our day and just planned to have room service that night! I went upstairs to the MDR where Yvonne (our buddy from the 2011 Caribbean cruise we took) happily asked a waiter to get us a plate of escargot - to go! I was so excited!

 

I took it back to the room, and our little guy munched down on them like they were M&Ms. I caught a hilarious video of him "eating his snails" but I don't think I'm able to upload it to CC.

 

The staff in the MDR really went above and beyond, and we really appreciated it!

 

 

Our second day in Venice was even better than the first! More to come...

[sailawaybellaluna]

I love your review. Wonderful itinerary and great pics. I need to check this one out if it is available spring 2014.

 

Thanks so much!

 

I'm also excited for Carnival to release their 2014 schedule! :)

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thanks for your great photo review. We have been enjoying it very much. Looking forward to more.

 

Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it!! :)

[sailawaybellaluna]

Loving your review and great pics.

I am booked on the Legend in May so was looking for Carnival reviews from Europe and glad I found yours.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your travel info and pics

__________________

 

Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful time on the Legend!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Today started off early - we wanted to take full advantage of the beautiful city of Venice!

 

We went up to the Lido deck on Deck 10 and had custom made burritos made at the Blue Iguana Cantina. I ate there a few times during our cruise, and loved the quality of food and all of the possible choices!

 

Around 9am we got off the ship and again, took the People Mover as described here.

 

While walking through the less crowded parts of the city, we found a little local market - selling honey, cheese and fresh vegetables. It was fun to see where some of the Venetians do their shopping! We were the only tourists around! I love moments like that....

 

Today we just wandered...Across little canals - wherever we thought looked interesting! Before long, we found a "gondola garage" - where they repair all of the gondolas. It was so interesting, and the neighborhood around it was so picturesque!

 

 

 

 

We walked to a little neighborhood (I believe the San Polo District) where there was a beautiful little square with a church and a floating green grocer - a grocery store on a boat! It was such a nice area!

 

 

 

 

And fortunately (after nearly 250 attempts), provided the backdrop for our Christmas Card!

 

 

Next up...lunch near the Accademia Bridge and a Gondola ride!