Live from the Ruby 9/9-9/21 Greek Isles

[jaceyar]

OMG Wendy, the Sunset evening was eye-wateringly gorgeous. Don't miss it. Try one of the Sunset Margaritas.

Jacqui x

 

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[Princessmich]

Greece is certainly on my bucket list! Wendy, I hope you take some photos of that sunset! Have the seas been calm? Have fun at the Sunset party!:)

Good afternoon from Santorini

 

WOW – what a beautiful place. I have never seen so many white buildings and never ever saw marble sidewalks before. Simply incredible! It was a super hot day, being a Floridian I’m used to it, but many people were complaining about the heat and humidity.

We did find the place to take the boat to Oia and then the bus pack to Fira and we shopped in both. What lovely little towns. I would happily go back and spend a few days, we met some very nice people on holiday there who flew in from Manchester and simply love it.

We set sail at 730 but the captain plans to position the boat so we can watch the sunset before we set sail. There is a huge deck party called the Santorini Sunset Sensation tonight, they’re having music, food, and drinks on decks 15, 16, & 17 aft but we plan to order dinner in and watch from our balcony. I’m excited to have a front row seat for this sunset I have heard is spectacular from so many people. 

[mskaufman]

Good afternoon from Santorini

 

WOW – what a beautiful place. I have never seen so many white buildings and never ever saw marble sidewalks before. Simply incredible! It was a super hot day, being a Floridian I’m used to it, but many people were complaining about the heat and humidity.

We did find the place to take the boat to Oia and then the bus pack to Fira and we shopped in both. What lovely little towns. I would happily go back and spend a few days, we met some very nice people on holiday there who flew in from Manchester and simply love it.

We set sail at 730 but the captain plans to position the boat so we can watch the sunset before we set sail. There is a huge deck party called the Santorini Sunset Sensation tonight, they’re having music, food, and drinks on decks 15, 16, & 17 aft but we plan to order dinner in and watch from our balcony. I’m excited to have a front row seat for this sunset I have heard is spectacular from so many people. 

 

I guess in June the sunset was too late to have a party. We were gone long before sunset. Waiting for the pictures.

[luvcdays]

Good afternoon from Santorini

 

WOW – what a beautiful place. I have never seen so many white buildings and never ever saw marble sidewalks before. Simply incredible! It was a super hot day, being a Floridian I’m used to it, but many people were complaining about the heat and humidity.

We did find the place to take the boat to Oia and then the bus pack to Fira and we shopped in both. What lovely little towns. I would happily go back and spend a few days, we met some very nice people on holiday there who flew in from Manchester and simply love it.

We set sail at 730 but the captain plans to position the boat so we can watch the sunset before we set sail. There is a huge deck party called the Santorini Sunset Sensation tonight, they’re having music, food, and drinks on decks 15, 16, & 17 aft but we plan to order dinner in and watch from our balcony. I’m excited to have a front row seat for this sunset I have heard is spectacular from so many people. 

 

It sounds gorgeous Wendy. I'm glad you are having a good time! Maybe someday we will make it there.

[KPLIONMA]

Sounds like your having the time of your life! We are doing this cruise but reverse ports on October 24. We can't wait..keep the reports coming..just makes me more excited for the 42 days to come. :)

 

Barbara

[Luckynana]

Thank you for taking us along on your cruise! My DH and I did a Mediterranean cruise two years ago with friends of ours on RCCL; what an experience! We'd love to go back. Next year we will be on the Ruby, cruising the British Isles. Thank you for sharing..enjoy!!!:D

 

maryann

[redtogo]

Wendy, I love your posts. I can tell that you have an easy-going personality. I know you are savoring every detail of the trip, and thank you for passing on comments to us.

[WendyG]

Hello from lovely Kusadasi

 

What a busy hot day today with lots of walking!

 

Our cc group had a tour planned (Thank you Cheryl) so we were picked up at 830 and whisked away on a lovely and roomy tour van with Yelda. She took us to Ephesus first, to beat the traffic (hah!) and beat the heat (hah!) as I have never seen so many buses in one place in any port I have ever been and it was also 35c today (HOT!)

 

It was a great tour, very informative, we saw all the highlights here (Terrace Houses, Artemis Temple, Mary’s House, etc.) and visited a mosque. I LOVE the shops here in this port right by the ship. I did not have enough time to do much damage, but I could have spent hours at these stores.



By the way, if anyone is curious and if I haven’t mentioned it, no one bothers you when you bring wine onboard. We have bought a bottle in every port to have at sailaway, and no one says a word. There is actually a very nice duty free shop just after you pass security here and they have some good stuff in there! I bought a bottle of Chilean wine and a bag of smarties (we don’t get those where I live) and that is my idea of a perfect dinner!

 

Tomorrow is Mykonos and we do not have a tour planned. We are winging it!

[san diego sue]

Hi Wendy,

Glad you liked Yelda. We have her for our Kusadasi tour also. We leave on the Royal for Med. Sept 27th.

Lew and I will be in Ft. Lauderdale two days prior to our 2/7 cruise.

Was going to suggest meeting for drinks but see you are cruising on the 6th. We seem to be one step ahead or behind you. Maybe on the 5th of Feb.?

Have fun.

Regards,

Gloria and Lew:D:D

 

[WendyG]

Hello from Mykonos!

 

It was a very nice day today, we docked at 1am and apparently half the crew went ashore to party. :)

 

We woke at 8, had a leisurely breakfast at Sabatini’s and then went downstairs to purchase our 7 euro or $10 dollar roundtrip shuttle bus that drops you off in town. Not much to do here, the shops are very nice with a nice breeze right off the ocean, and we walked up to the infamous windmills. A quiet day which is nice since we are still exhausted from yesterday and have an all day tour tomorrow in Athens.

 

Trivia at 4:15 and there is a magician tonight (Mathew McGurk) so we will go see him. Our tour begins at 6:45 tomorrow morning so it will be an early night! 

[p0240]

Hi Wendy

 

Great to hear your report. We are boarding the Ruby on 21 Sept in Venice, and I was wondering what the weather is like now, temperatures seem a bit low, so is it shorts/tops for excursions or more jeans/top? Do you need a jacket when off the ship?

 

we must board as you get off!

travel safe and enjoy

Pat

[p0240]

Good morning from the sea!

Woke feeling blah (had my new Aussie friends over for limoncello last night) and we polished off ¾ of the bottle along with some red wine. I can’t keep up with them! I feel ick. Good thing we have a sea day!

Had a lovely breakfast in Sabatini’s (what a fab perk!) listening to Italian music playing in the background and enjoying a delicious (and much needed) café latte. The wait staff there are so wonderful 

The M&G at 10:30 was a huge success, SO many people showed up, many that never posted but apparently read the thread. Captain Romano attended (he is so nice and my neighbor in Florida!) and mingled amongst the guests and then spoke for a few minutes (Janis, you would have liked this M&G much more than our last one) There were several groups standing all around mingling and chatting and the Captain made his way to each one, then said a few words at the end. For anyone interested, the Captain is getting off this ship on 9/28 and said he will fly home and come back to the Ruby in November (5th I think he said?) He is always scheduled on the Ruby now. The Cruise Director made a quick appearance and said a few things, I got a picture with both Dan and the Captain so I was happy :) and the Maitre D was there, along with the F&B guy and the Captains Circle host (she told me there are 88 elite passengers onboard) and there were two other officers there who I didn’t get to meet because it was so crowded! A very nice M&G indeed, thank you Putterdude and Sailaway John for organizing it all.

OK…I need a nap…I’m never drinking again… (lol)

 

 

Can you take limoncello on board? Do they not confiscate it?

thanks

Pat

[bettycoop]

Thank you for taking the time to share your cruise with us all. We will be joining the ship next month and would like to know if the wine package is available? Thanks.

[WendyG]

Hi Wendy,

Glad you liked Yelda. We have her for our Kusadasi tour also. We leave on the Royal for Med. Sept 27th.

Lew and I will be in Ft. Lauderdale two days prior to our 2/7 cruise.

Was going to suggest meeting for drinks but see you are cruising on the 6th. We seem to be one step ahead or behind you. Maybe on the 5th of Feb.?

Have fun.

Regards,

Gloria and Lew:D:D

 

 

Gloria!

 

Drinks on the 5th. It's a date :D

 

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[WendyG]

Hi Wendy

 

Great to hear your report. We are boarding the Ruby on 21 Sept in Venice, and I was wondering what the weather is like now, temperatures seem a bit low, so is it shorts/tops for excursions or more jeans/top? Do you need a jacket when off the ship?

 

we must board as you get off!

travel safe and enjoy

Pat

 

Pat.

 

Its been HOT! It was 35 in santorini it was cooler in mykonos (26) and right now we are in athens and its 29. Shorts and a top are fine.

And there is a wine package available onboard but I didn't sign up for it and yes I was able to bring my limoncello back to my cabin along with any wine I've purchased in port. No confiscations! :)

 

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[sunsetbeachgal]

Enjoying your commentary...we were in Kusadisi in July off the Royal and it felt like the hottest place on earth!!

[I'm here]

:)Thank you for your postings. We are on Ruby in November . Interesting that you say no confiscations ! Limoncello is gorgeous, so I will be buying some. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[WendyG]

So, everyone has heard of George the crazy taxi driver in Athens? Well, we had his son Billy on our tour of 11 people today and what a delightful person he is. We had a great (but long) tour day.

 

We started at the Acropolis and beat the rush (it sure does get filled up quickly) then we went to the house of Zeus which was included in the 12 euro fee of the acropolis. We stopped at the original 1896 Olympic stadium and this is where I met a fellow princess passenger who told me my android takes panoramic pics so I got a really sweet one (already uploaded on facebook!)

 

We then went to watch the change of the guards (which only happens on Sundays at 10:45 am sharp) It was pretty cool seeing them all marching down the street and around the corner, then when they entered the gates, a swarm of people from the other side of the street went running across the road! It looked like a scene out of a movie, too bad I had turned my video of because it was a sight to see! Flash mob indeed!

 

Next was a great seafood lunch on the water on the way to Cape Sounion, I ordered the grilled red snapper and my plate came and the head was still on the fish. Eww! I made the waiter take the head away. :D



Last stop was the Temple of Poseidon before heading back to the ship. All in all a nice day, it was only 23 percent humidity and the temp I think reached about 84. Picture perfect weather, it was so hot the last few days so this was a welcome change.

 

On the way back, Billy received a call that possible strikes are happening in Athens and the Navigator of the Seas canceled their stop here on Wednesday. What a shame!

 

We just sailed away so I’m on the balcony enjoying a glass of wine and the sound of the wake.

 

Tonight they have the passenger feud show, movie poster trivia, and in the Princess Theatre is Stardust.

[fue-fue]

Enjoying reading your reports, thanks for posting

[luvcdays]

It sounds like your having a great time Wendy! Thanks for posting all of your adventures.

[WendyG]

Today we are in katakolon - its raining! First time I haven't seen blue skies on this trip! We are doing nothing today...we won morning trivia...only 3 teams so not too impressive :) and I'm now enjoying a glass of wine in a greek cafe and enjoying some free wifi as the rain passes by. :D

 

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[WendyG]

Today we are in Corfu. I'm not too excited about this port because I'm a shopper and am not finding anything worthwhile to buy, although I did have my very first fish manicure :)

 

Princess had a free shuttle to the bus stop (which isn't far) and then you take the local bus #16 and it drops you right in town for 1.50 euro. There is a nice restaurant right when you get off called the black cat with free (and super fast) wifi. BLACKCAT is thier password (all in caps) which is where I'm sitting now having a glass of red wine. Their wine is better than I expected! :)

 

We won trivia last night...19 out of 20 and there were over 30 teams so more impressve than morning trivia. :)

 

Tonight is Liars Club....I love that game :)

 

 

 

 

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[sminfiddle]

We had Maître d Pisano on the Crown this year. I think he brings at least one twin brother to work as he seems to be everywhere at once. I hope you get an opportunity to meet this funny gentleman.

I ordered the grilled red snapper and my plate came and the head was still on the fish. Eww! I made the waiter take the head away.

Awww. The snapper has some wonderful cheek meat. It's good on most fish. Give it a try some time. Maybe blindfold it with a piece of lettuce if the eyes are the issue? ;)

The waiter or kitchen staff probably appreciated your gift of a snack to them, I bet it wasn't wasted.

 

Wishing you a WONDERFUL voyage and continued good luck in those trivia matches!

[GeezLouise1]

Today we are in Corfu. I'm not too excited about this port because I'm a shopper and am not finding anything worthwhile to buy, although I did have my very first fish manicure :)

 

Princess had a free shuttle to the bus stop (which isn't far) and then you take the local bus #16 and it drops you right in town for 1.50 euro. There is a nice restaurant right when you get off called the black cat with free (and super fast) wifi. BLACKCAT is thier password (all in caps) which is where I'm sitting now having a glass of red wine. Their wine is better than I expected! :)

 

We won trivia last night...19 out of 20 and there were over 30 teams so more impressve than morning trivia. :)

 

Tonight is Liars Club....I love that game :)

 

 

Thanks so much for all the wonderful tips and for your terrific "live from"! We're doing this itinerary later in the fall and really appreciate all your help. We can't wait to experience it ourselves! Your reports were lots of fun to read, :) And congrats on winning trivia! Very impressive indeed:D Looking forward to your final comments as your trip draws to a close,

[tothemall&beyond]

Hi Wendy, how I envy you - we did the reverse itinerary in August. I may be telling you something you already know but a few money-saving tips:

Santorini - don't get the cable car, book a ticket (20euros) for the boat around to Oia whic includes a bus to Fira and the cable car down - a lovely day.

Kusadasi - omg, the shopping. We booked a tour to Ephesus in the mall just of the ship (20euros) - it was very good.

Mykonos - don't pay 10euros for the ship's coach transfer - there's a little boat just off the ship which transfers you for 2euros each way. It's also there at 12.30am when the ship docks (if you fancy a few drinks).

Athens - a taxi to the Acropolis cost 20euros.

Katakolon, we used Katakolon Express to Olympia (10euros) - there were spaces if you hadn't booked. Nice little shopping street and a small beach.

Corfu, there's a little harbour shuttle and then a bus which takes you into town.

Dubrovnik - a taxi to the Pile Gate cost 10euros - there were 4 of us, so cheaper than the ship's 10euros pp. We did a lovely boat trip around the bay for 10euros and also went to the top of the cable car for great views (and lovely toilets!).

Venice - fab. We used the ship's shuttle and bought a day vaporetto pass. It was crowded so we went to Murano which was more relaxing.

 

You probably know all this - ignore me.

 

Jacqui x

 

 

Jacqui,

 

Thanks for all the good info. I'd like to know more about how to get the boat in Santorini. I'm sold.

 

Nancy