Serenade of the Seas - Venice Itinerary Review (Aug 11, 2013)

[windjamming]

Hang in there, folks (is anyone still around). Almost done with the sail away installment of Venice. Will try to post tonight.

[Member123]

Yeah!

I just want you to know that, even though your review is so different from Stef's, it is amazing and interesting in its own right.

 

This is exactly what I love about cruising! The multi-generational ease of being together as a family is going on in one stateroom while the younger, DIY-ers are loading up backpacks in another stateroom. All at the same port with different agendas and all making wonderful memories.

 

I. Just. Love. It! :D

 

Waiting patiently to sail from Venice.... I can wait! I love Venice; I'll just stroll around the streets, in my mind, until it's time to sail....

[paylady]

That last installment was a hoot! First the I am now the proud owner of a lightweight chair/cane combo comment and then the return of the broken item. Loved it!

Edited September 18, 2013 by paylady

[hptraveler2]

Your posts have become a must read for anyone considering this itinerary. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful information!!

Bravo

[windjamming]

Yeah!

I just want you to know that, even though your review is so different from Stef's, it is amazing and interesting in its own right.

 

This is exactly what I love about cruising! The multi-generational ease of being together as a family is going on in one stateroom while the younger, DIY-ers are loading up backpacks in another stateroom. All at the same port with different agendas and all making wonderful memories.

 

I. Just. Love. It! :D

 

Waiting patiently to sail from Venice.... I can wait! I love Venice; I'll just stroll around the streets, in my mind, until it's time to sail....

 

Aww, thanks Member123. I agree. I love that we did absolutely nothing the same as Stef's family, yet both had a super time. And now I get to read her review as a "bonus" cruise.

 

Enjoy your cruise - Venice is really special!!

Edited September 19, 2013 by windjamming

[windjamming]

That last installment was a hoot! First the I am now the proud owner of a lightweight chair/cane combo comment and then the return of the broken item. Loved it!

 

LOL, paylady, we definitely had our share of adventures that day, some self-inflected. Thanks so much for commenting!

 

Your posts have become a must read for anyone considering this itinerary. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful information!!

Bravo

 

Thanks, hptraveler2. Very kind of you! I know I was looking for this type of information during my prep, so, I'm really glad this is helpful.

Edited September 19, 2013 by windjamming

[windjamming]

Venice (Part 6)

 

After our morning of sightseeing, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch on the ship. The Serenade would be leaving Venice at 3pm.

 

After lunch, not quite ready to leave Venice yet, Mom and I decided to wander around the port area for a little while. Stepping off the ship at around 1:30, we were reminded multiple times that all aboard was 2:30. Security really does not want you to miss the ship!

 

Walking off the gangway, we entered the (not surprisingly) deserted pier but we couldn't find our way out! I had brief visions of being stuck in the Port of Venice and missing the ship after all!

 

Fortunately, we eventually found the exit. We had originally ignored it because it was not lit and looked abandoned, but alas, it led us to freedom. We walked around a little, and not finding much outside of a newspaper stand, we headed in the direction back towards the ship.

 

At Venice, we were docked at the same pier where ships could embark passengers, thus the gangway on Deck 5. Today, a Costa ship was docked behind us, and people were checking in. There were also a few shops (expensive relative to town), and a duty free kiosk.

 

Here, security is done outside of the ship, and IDs are checked against SeaPasses by Venetian port officials in uniform. They were extremely friendly - and, again, most of the time, women. There is also an airport style x-ray machine where people would have to run their bags through.

 

Here is where we ran into some rude people. As at the airport, sometimes there are slower people. Unless I am about to miss a flight, I don't mind too much because people have different paces, and, really, I doubt anyone tries to be slow.

 

This afternoon, there was only one security lane open, and an older lady was being a little slow placing her stuff on the belt. Mom and I patiently waited behind her. It was well before all aboard time, and the ship was right there. No reason to rush.

 

Apparently, a couple thought otherwise, and they rudely shoved their way in front of the older lady, plopped their shopping bags right in front of her, and smugly walked through the security detector.

 

Well, it turns out, the contents fell out of their bags while passing through the security belt. Yep, they had bought what looked like emergency underwear. Not even cute underwear. When they went to retrieve their bags, they ended up having to pick up their pieces one by one and shoving them into their bags -- holding up the entire line in the process!

 

I guess I'm mean because I couldn't help but giggle. Schadenfreude, maybe?

 

Past the underwear people, we stepped aboard the Serenade and prepared to say goodbye to Venice.

 

Now, some pictures of sail away. We were on the starboard side, so we'd have the reverse view of what we saw sailing into Venice the previous morning.

 

Here we are pulling out of the dock. Notice the churn in the water. I believe there are serious discussions to have cruise ships dock elsewhere as this type of activity is damaging Venice's infrastructure.

 

 

Some "typical" Venice cityscapes:

 

 

 

(I won't post a picture for privacy reasons but Elton John has a house right on the lagoon!)

 

Beautiful Church of San Giorgio Maggiore:

 

 

When the ship started leaving the lagoon and turning, we were able to get a look back at the entrance of the Grand Canal:

 

 

And one last look at Doge's Palace and St Mark's Campanile (bell tower), this time in the early afternoon:

 

 

Summary

 

Port: Venice (Day 2, afternoon)

 

Excursion: None - sail away from Venice

 

- The reverse from the sail in. Our balcony was on starboard so we got to see the "other side" leaving Venice.

 

- If you wander around the dock area in the afternoon, the exit is not lit. Don't worry, just walk through.

 

- Rude people sometimes cause some giggles.

 

Tomorrow, we'd be in Croatia, or as I call it, the land of unbelievably gorgeous and nice people.

Edited September 19, 2013 by windjamming

[xxHadleyxx]

Hi Windjammer, I finally caught up on Stef's review and made my way over to yours. I am truly enjoying your very different experiences.

 

You have lovely photos of Venice!

 

Thanks for writing this. I am looking forward to the last bit.:)

[nelblu]

Hang in there, folks (is anyone still around). Almost done with the sail away installment of Venice. Will try to post tonight.

 

You did not mention how foggy it was at about 8-8:30am. I went jogging at about 6:30 am and it was clear. Went for breakfast and it was so foggy that the we could not see the Holland America's "Niew Amsterdam" that was docked across from us. Everything sailing shut down for about a couple of hours. I think I can see some of the fog in one of your pictures.

[mjldvlks]

. . . I love that we did absolutely nothing the same as Stef's family, yet both had a super time. . .

 

Confirms my theory. In pretty much any port [especially one like Venice] you cannot possibly do everything. So do your research, pick out the "must do" things you can comfortably do within the time you have and don't worry about what you miss or try to cram a three month visit into an 8 hour port of call [or two day I guess in this case]. -- And pick up the extras by reading someone else's review.

 

Enjoying your review -- thanks.

Edited September 19, 2013 by mjldvlks

[nelblu]

Confirms my theory. In pretty much any port [especially one like Venice] you cannot possibly do everything. So do your research, pick out the "must do" things you can comfortably do within the time you have and don't worry about what you miss or try to cram a three month visit into an 8 hour port of call [or two day I guess in this case]. -- And pick up the extras by reading someone else's review.

 

Enjoying your review -- thanks.

 

You can do a lot in the allotted time spent in Venice (1.5 days). It is a compact city that you can do and see a lot on your own. The basic problem is that when we went in August, it is a tourist month and there's is a lot of them, plus the vendors that you have to avoid. That is why on the 2nd day we go very early, when the motoretto/shuttles are available, and avoid a lot of congestions. Unfortunately, we started late because of the fog.

 

FYI. We chose the 2 day pass from RCL which cost $40 per person and it included a "Chorus Pass" which covers the visit to about 10-12 Churches, on the 1st day. Unfortunately, the 1st day was a Sunday and they were closed to tourists. We had to utilize the pass on the following day. The cost has really risen since we last visited 3 years ago and we found out why--on one of the church visits, we picked a brochure which indicated that if you want to purchase a similar pass it would cost E10 per. I guess it's a contribution to maintain these mostly museums and their precious contents.

[ccahope]

Love, Love, Loving this review! I just finished part 1 but I COULD NOT WAIT to say how much I am enjoying it. I now have a new cruise destination for my bucket list! Thanks a lot!

[windjamming]

Confirms my theory. In pretty much any port [especially one like Venice] you cannot possibly do everything. So do your research, pick out the "must do" things you can comfortably do within the time you have and don't worry about what you miss or try to cram a three month visit into an 8 hour port of call [or two day I guess in this case]. -- And pick up the extras by reading someone else's review.

 

Well said, mjldvlks! Comfort was the priority on this trip, and it made all the difference. We've tried the "cram everything" route, and while we did see A LOT, it was overwhelming, especially for a 12-day cruise. This time, we stuck to a few highlights at each port, built our day (or two) around them, and included a lot of downtime. Huge difference in enjoyment.

 

Love, Love, Loving this review! I just finished part 1 but I COULD NOT WAIT to say how much I am enjoying it. I now have a new cruise destination for my bucket list! Thanks a lot!

 

Aww, thanks ccahope!! You sure know how to warm a reviewer's heart. : ) Glad you are enjoying it, and, yes, definitely an awesome itinerary!

 

Sorry, folks, for the delay in the review. Work has been crazy since summer ended, and every weekend seems to have filled up with errands and doctor's appointments. I'm about halfway done with Dubrovnik (spoiler: LOVED IT), so hopefully should have something tonight.

Edited September 23, 2013 by windjamming

[windjamming]

Dubrovnik (Part 1)

 

Although we were sad to leave Venice, we knew we still had one big highlight left on the cruise, and that was Dubrovnik.

 

Croatia was high on the reasons why we chose this itinerary. We'd heard for years about its beauty, and the few Croatians I'd had the pleasure of knowing were all really nice people (not to mention beautiful, too). Do you ever have the feeling that you're going to adore someone even before you've met them? That's how I felt about Croatia.

 

Would Dubrovnik live up to the expectations? (Spoiler: YES and so much more!) This was what we saw from our balcony when we docked at around 10.

 

 

Today we would be on the Panoramic Dubrovnik & City Tour by Coach excursion. There is a similar one on boat, but we'd just spent 2 days on the water so we thought we might enjoy being on roads again. It was suggested as "Moderate", which was fairly accurate, as we had to walk through Old Town. No distance mentioned, but I would guess probably about a mile in total, with only one (optional) staircase in the Rector's Palace.

 

We were picked up at the port, where 2 guides met us on the bus. They drove out of the port area, past Old Town, and took us first to a scenic viewing point. (The Costa Fascinosa is tendered.)

 

 

On the way towards Old Town, we saw a road that led to Bosnia. Dubrovnik is in a narrow strip of coastal Croatia which is separated from the main portion of Croatia in the north. It is almost entirely surrounded by Bosnia, with a small border in the south with Montenegro. Apparently Bosnia has been resistant about building a highway connecting Dubrovnik with the rest of Croatia, and the only way to travel between both sides is by water. Although the guides were extremely gracious, it was clear that feelings still ran deep in this region.

 

We got off the bus at the entrance of Old Town, where there were no lack of beautiful Croatians offering tours, water adventures, and other excursions. Our group split into two, to follow each of the guides. We went with Nadija, who would charm us for the next few hours with her knowledge and self-deprecating wit. Here is a map of the area:

 

 

Here are some pics of the entrance area. The phrase "LIBERTAS" was often seen, as it represented a long held belief in the region. (In fact, per Rick Steves, in 1776, the Republic of Dubrovnik was the first to recognize an "upstart" experiment called the United States of America.)

 

 

 

To be continued…

[windjamming]

Dubrovnik (Part 2)

 

This is the Stradun, the 5th Avenue of Old Town. It was VERY crowded today, and the temperatures were well into the 90s, making the walk a bit uncomfortable. Note the material of the streets. The internet seems to be divided on whether it is limestone or marble. Either way, it's slippery, so be careful.

 

 

We saw some charming side streets, and Nadija pointed out where good ice cream could be found as well as some other popular spots. She also helpfully suggested that if it was too hot for us, and we'd had enough of the tour and would rather sit and have a beer, to just return the Whisper and let her know you were leaving the tour. She would understand. It was this genuine sweetness that endeared her to me, and I was convinced we'd stay with her tour no matter what.

 

 

We went to the Dominican Monastery and saw this 14-century still-working well. During the 1991 war, it provided water to the city.

 

 

These divots were for horses to drink water. I believe they were ordered by Napoleon, but I am not sure if he himself ever made it to Dubrovnik.

 

 

The museum in the Monastery had some interesting metal work and paintings (by Titian), but truthfully, it was not much compared to the grandeur we'd seen in the Doge's Palace the previous day.

 

We next moved to the Rector's Palace. The Rector was the leader of the Republic of Ragusa (the name of the republic to which Dubrovnik belonged). There was a decent bathroom here, with great plumbing (hey, you start noticing these things while traveling) and ice cold water in the sink.

 

We went upstairs to the rooms, where they had some sparse furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries. I believe we were not able to take pictures here, as I have none. I did take a picture of these interesting "hand rails". Get it? (Credit to Rick Steves)

 

 

After the Rector's Palace, our tour ended, and we thanked Nadija for the insightful tour. We had one hour to spend in Old Town before the bus would take us back to the ship. As in Venice, we also had the option to take the shuttle back at our leisure.

 

We walked around Old Town for a little while, browsing the shops on and around the Stradun. They sold mostly the same things: lavender, figs, t-shirts, soap, olive oil. There was one shop, Aqua, which sold cute nautical themed things, but I didn't see anything I loved. It felt a little kitschy, to be honest, and I didn't feel like I saw anything truly Croatian. Most shops in Old Town seemed to take Euros.

 

After a little while of walking and squeezing past skinny side streets under the hot sun, we'd had enough. Although it wasn't an hour, we decided to head back to the ship by the RCI shuttle. While we absolutely loved the charm of Old Town, the crowds and the heat were too much.

 

Heading back to the entrance, we quickly found the RCI shuttle, and made our way back to the ship for air conditioning and lunch.

 

But our adventures in Dubrovnik weren't over…

 

Summary

 

Port: Dubrovnik

 

Excursion: Panoramic Dubrovnik & City Tour by Coach

 

- Absolutely stunning. Dubrovnik is everything you think it would be, and I thought a perfect followup to Venice. While Venice was full of mystery and romance and who-knows-what-might-happen, Dubrovnik was just nice. And not in a boring way. Just sweet and beautiful and wholesome.

 

- Nice doesn't mean it's quiet. It was very crowded in Old Town when we were there on a Tuesday in August. Bring water and wear sunscreen. The reflection off of the light stones that make the streets can be very bright.

 

- There is a decent bathroom in the Rector's Palace, but that is towards the end of the 3:45 hour tour. Not many opportunities beforehand.

 

- As in Venice and Ravenna, the shuttle from Old Town is free for those with a tour sticker. This is very convenient, though you can only use it once.

 

- One thing I forgot to mention: on tour buses, there are usually 2 doors. One in the front, and one in the middle. The seats right after the door tend to have a little more room, just as airplane seats in the exit row do.

[windjamming]

Hi Windjammer, I finally caught up on Stef's review and made my way over to yours. I am truly enjoying your very different experiences.

 

You have lovely photos of Venice!

 

Thanks for writing this. I am looking forward to the last bit.:)

 

Hadley! Wow, I'm honored! I've taken a peek at your blog and your adventures sound like so much fun. (I, too, am a Disney lover.) It's true - Stef's family and mine had such different experiences that it's been really fun to compare and contrast between our cruises.

[jrmint427]

Venice (Part 4)

 

I love how there is a different personality to the city at all different times of the day.

 

I loved this about Venice too! I was frustrated early in the day with the crowds and feeling so lost, and thought that I was glad we only had one day there. But by evening I had fallen in love with the city.

[windjamming]

Dubrovnik (Part 3)

 

After we got back to the ship, we had some lunch and relaxed for a bit. I couldn't believe how beautiful the water was:

 

 

We weren't leaving until 7, but it was way too hot to go back to Old Town. Mom and I decided to check out the Port Gruz area, as we'd seen some stores and a supermarket while leaving the port in the morning.

 

No pictures, as I had wanted to travel light. I brought some dollars, some Euros and my SeaPass only.

 

Our target was the Konzum supermarket. In Old Town, we had browsed a few stores, but we didn't see anything really local, and we also hadn't bought any snacks to bring home on this entire trip.

 

We walked out of the port gate, which was manned by a very friendly port official. (I have yet to meet an unfriendly Croatian.). Heading towards the general direction of the supermarket and past the bus station, we realized that we had no kuna. Confirming with a crew member coming back from the supermarket that it indeed only accepted kuna, we decided to proceed onwards and check out the store first before exchanging any money.

 

It was a typical, mid-sized supermarket. 2 aisles of cookies and candy, which we spent some time studying. Seeing that there were enough things in the store that we could purchase, we then went back to the bus station currency exchange.

 

We paused before the window and looked at the exchange rates. Amongst other currencies, they bought both dollars and Euros. We had more dollars than Euros on us and exchanged our dollars. (We still had the Barcelona airport to use our Euros.) The rate worked out to just over 5 kuna to $1, and we exchanged about 150 kuna.

 

Empowered with kuna, we went back into the supermarket and got a cart. We were serious shoppers now. We picked up some cookies and candy that we'd seen earlier and then browsed the store. Some observations:

 

- Really cheap local beer. A liter bottle for about 1 EUR. I have no idea what a liter of Bud costs, but 1 EUR seemed cheap to me.

 

- Tiny pineapples. Were they a different species or just really small? No idea.

 

- Product that I never thought of being international: Sensodyne toothpaste

 

- An interest in health: a dedicated sugar free section and shelves of vitamin supplements.

 

- They like their 80s music, which was fine by me. Bopping to Huey Lewis' "Power of Love" while browsing chocolate, I was ready to move to Croatia.

 

- Prepared foods section included burek!! A burek is a circular, flaky pastry made of phyllo with both sweet and savory fillings that is local to the region. I've tried it from a Bosnian food truck and loved it. It it hadn't been day 10 of a cruise that I'd been eating NON STOP, I would have been all over the burek. Today, I had to be satisfied at just seeing it.

 

We finally made our way to the register and paid. I said hvala (thank you), the register woman said hvala, and we had now completed our maiden Croatian supermarket shopping experience.

 

Feeling pretty pleased with ourselves, we headed back towards the ship and past the friendly gate officer again. In the area right outside the ship, there are a few shops. We first walked into one that said it was duty free. It was expensive, and many of the same things were also sold in the supermarket for far less. We quickly left.

 

Next, we went to the vendor stalls right outside the ship. It felt like half the ship was there, and we ran into tons of people we'd met on our excursions and around the ship. It was like a high school reunion, and everyone seemed to sense that these were the last few hours at our last port on this amazing cruise. It seemed like everyone was buying something - a scarf or a postcard or a random knickknack. The vendors took Euro.

 

We bought a few items for friends' kids (I can't even remember what now) and made our way back onto the ship. We knew we had 2 more days at sea to relax, but I was sad to leave Croatia. I really liked Dubrovnik, and even though we did not have too many encounters with Croatians, I just felt very comfortable there.

 

View from the balcony. Hvala Dubrovnik!

 

 

Summary

 

Port: Dubrovnik

 

Excursion: Konzum Supermarket and Port Gruz Walking Tour

 

- Supermarket only accepts kuna. Typical supermarket, and also a great place to resupply anything you need - soap, toiletries. We saw crew shopping there. We bought some local Croatian candy (Kras brand) and cookies.

 

- Shop around before buying anything at the duty free shop at the port. Prices for some items can be found cheaper at the supermarket.

 

- Exchange counter at the bus station.

 

- Ship-side vendor stalls take Euro.

 

- A "hvala" (thank you) goes a long way.

 

Next, some thoughts on the ship, dining, activities, and services.

[windjamming]

Some assorted thoughts on the non-port portion of the cruise. (It's now been a month since the cruise, so the details are starting to get fuzzy.)

 

SHIP

 

The Serenade has undergone the Royal Revitalization. The biggest differences:

 

- The Centrum has been renovated and rigged for aerial acts. The decor is nice - a bit more modern - and although we missed both aerial shows, we heard great feedback. Overall color palate on ship appeared to be scarlet.

 

- New dining added: Park Cafe, Izumi ($), Rita's Cantina ($), and Giovanni's Table ($). We did not try the pay venues, but we loved the Park Cafe. More on that in the Dining section.

 

- No more library on Deck 9. The space has been remade as a stateroom. If you have sailed the Radiance class pre-revitalization, it feels odd to see a wall where the library used to be. There are now some bookshelves on Deck 5, in Vintages, as a semi replacement.

 

- The Loyalty Ambassador's office has been moved to Deck 6, across from the billiards tables. It is now called the Next Cruise lounge. I guess they are making it clear how they want you to use the space.

 

- Electronic signage all over the ship. Dining room paper menus no longer posted outside the Dining Rooms. Large touch screens allow you to look at the menus electronically.

 

Other random notes about the ship:

 

- There was a very diverse group of passengers on the sailing. I want to say something like 50+ countries, with 900 Brits, 400 Americans, 300 Spaniards, and many Arabs and Asians as the major groups. As expected, some cultural differences (e.g. queueing issues). Announcements were made in both English and Spanish.

 

- Deck 9 starboard side often had a faint chlorine smell. Not always, but we found out why when we saw a deckhand with a huge cart of chlorine in the hallway. He said he was taking care of the pool.

 

- Had a chain smoking couple on the balcony next to ours. Not sure if they had the exact schedule as us or if they never left the ship, but it felt like they were always out there. Limited our usage of the balcony somewhat. Neighbors on the other side were a charming Spanish family of 3, with whom we chatted sometimes.

 

- Didn't see the captain once, but I also didn't go to any of the events he'd be at - his reception or captain's corner. I believe it may have been last cruise (or second to last), so he may have been busy with handover.

 

- Sofabed was comfy. I preferred it over the pullman, but it also reduced floor space when the sofa bed was pulled out.

 

DINING

 

Main Dining Room

 

- We had originally booked for late seating, but when we heard it was at 9, we moved to main (6:30) seating. They were able to give us an awesome table right by the window, and we got to see sailaway a few times, including leaving Dubrovnik, while enjoying dinner. (They have remote control blinds to prevent the sun from being too bright.)

 

- Our waitstaff team (their names are now slipping my memory) were fabulous. Fun and fast. The waiter would chat with us at the end of dinner every evening, and we enjoyed hearing about his ship life. Head waiter Monte would show up every couple of days to make sure things were ok.

 

- New menus. They were fine. This was our second cruise with the new menus, and just to show that every ship is different, some dishes that we loved on the Jewel were not so great here. The seafood spaghetti, for example, was overcooked on the Serenade but perfectly al dente on the Jewel.

 

- 3 formal nights - Day 2 (Monaco), Day 6 (At Sea), and Day 11 (At Sea). Very wide range of dress - anything from formal gowns to people in their regular day wear. A couple in shorts were turned away.

 

- They do not sing on the Venetian Feast night anymore. They sing O Solo Mio on another night. Not sure why. They also sing on the last night. On one night, they also had chefs come out and ask how we were enjoying the meals.

 

Windjammer

 

- At breakfast, they had fried eggs already prepared. Not having to stand in line to get them made to order was great!

 

- Not overly impressed with the Windjammer lunch as a whole. Selections weren't too varied, but then again, on most port days, it wasn't too crowded. I suppose they figured most people were on shore so didn't want to overdo it.

 

- That said, the best dessert on the ship was at the Windjammer: they served a huge pan of warm bananas with ice cream at lunch one day. I had a huge bowl of it (and I hate bananas) and proceeded to use up my entire recommended caloric intake for the day.

 

- Theme nights in the Windjammer for dinner - Indian, Asian, American, French, British. For Indian night they had the Windjammer crew dress up in traditional wear. It was fun. French night was fabulous - crepes, Napoleons, duck. Because we had early seating, sometimes we'd come to the Windjammer after dinner just to check out what was being offered.

 

- We skipped the first formal night in the MDR (exhausted), but the dinner selections in the Windjammer were fabulous. They even had the roast duck that we love!

 

- Slow service in the Windjammer the first half of the cruise. Dishes would take a long time to be cleared, and we barely saw people working. There would be maybe 1 or 2 waiters working hard in the area. When we were asked in the MDR by our HW how service has been, we told him we loved our dinner waitstaff, but the Windjammer seemed a bit…off. Not sure if our comments made an impact, but in the second half of the cruise, there was a noticeable difference.

 

- Drinks station outside the Windjammer was open 24 hours a day.

 

- Afternoon tea had some decent snacks and warm desserts. They also had small sfogliatelle!

 

Park Cafe

 

- Love, love, love. Great selection, fantastic service, and no crowds. There were only a few times there weren't tables readily available, but we just had to wait a couple of minutes for something to open up. (Tip: on the port side, there are a few tables as well. We did not use them, but they're available.)

 

- For breakfast, they had some pre-made sandwiches (I had an Egg McMuffin type thing a few times), yogurt, oatmeal, fruit, and a bagel bar. I discovered the honey/almond yogurt parfait on the last 2 sea days - DELISH! (No sesame bagels - just plain, poppyseed, and cinnamon raisin.)

 

- For lunch, they had a made to mix salad bar, where you could select various salad ingredients and the waiter would mix it up for you. I had this a couple of times. (Note - I saw one girl ask for 3 different dressings on the same salad. Is this a new thing?)

 

- The desserts are fabulous. They had a black forest cake every other day, that I faithfully had every other day. Also, cannolis.

 

- And the late night snacks! They had all kinds of tapas (polenta, grilled veggies) that you could serve yourself. Nachos, too, but I never tried them. I *loved* the tapas. It wasn't until mid-cruise that I realized they were there, and then it became a nightly ritual. I think probably one of my favorite memories from the cruise is sitting in the Park Cafe with my parents after we'd come back from our gondola excursion.

 

- The roast beef sandwiches were fine. I probably had 2 during the entire cruise. The bread is a bit salty, and the mustard had stuff in in - onions or something. On my second sandwich I asked to hold the mustard.

 

- They had bags of potato chips available, and it happens that temporary tattoos were the free gifts in the bags. Lots of kids (and some adults) walking around with temporary tattoos.

 

Next, activities and entertainment, services, and conclusion.

[kirian]

Thanks for the extensive review of the ship (looking forward to part 2 of it). I love reading all about your thoughts on the various restaurants (I'm such a foodie! :D)

 

Oh, and I absolutely loved the photos of Dubrovnik. I have been there on a few occassions and have always loved it. You are absolutely right about the water... it is the most amazing shade of blue/green. And I had to laugh when I saw your pic of the "hand"rail. I took the exact same photo when I was there (I'm sure lost of folks do, but it was just so funny seeing "my" photo on your review :p)

 

Melissa

[paylady]

Keep it coming! I loved your assorted thoughts. There was some new information that I hadn't seen before.

[Blanche Vesuvio]

Thank you for your thorough, thoughtful review! I'm very much enjoying it.

[Ba' Datz]

Some assorted thoughts on the non-port portion of the cruise. (It's now been a month since the cruise, so the details are starting to get fuzzy.)

 

 

- That said, the best dessert on the ship was at the Windjammer: they served a huge pan of warm bananas with ice cream at lunch one day. I had a huge bowl of it (and I hate bananas) and proceeded to use up my entire recommended caloric intake for the day.

 

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A question regarding the ice cream. Was it soft serve or hard? Is there hard ice cream available in bowls or cones at the buffet or only in the MDR?

[windjamming]

Oh, and I absolutely loved the photos of Dubrovnik. I have been there on a few occassions and have always loved it. You are absolutely right about the water... it is the most amazing shade of blue/green. And I had to laugh when I saw your pic of the "hand"rail. I took the exact same photo when I was there (I'm sure lost of folks do, but it was just so funny seeing "my" photo on your review :p)

 

LOL, I do the same thing when I see pictures of things I recognize, especially when it's something kind of obscure, like these handrails. It's like, "hey, I've been there!"

 

Thanks so much for following along, Melissa. I am so looking forward to hearing about your cruise and especially your thoughts about Dubrovnik, comparing it to how "it used to be". As charming as it was when we were there, I've heard it was even more so in the past.

[windjamming]

Keep it coming! I loved your assorted thoughts. There was some new information that I hadn't seen before.

 

Thanks for your continued encouragement, paylady! I really appreciate your feedback!

 

Thank you for your thorough, thoughtful review! I'm very much enjoying it.

 

Thanks very much, Blanche Vesuvio. Some might call my writing overly detailed. I like your description better. : )