Dr. rdsqrl's Renaissance Passage: Review of the Pacific's Rome to FLL

[flamomo]

Loving the photos .... quite a few of which are of places I visited a year ago, and seeing them make me want to be back there RIGHT NOW!!

The ones of the Forum are calling me to come see the place in person.

 

Thanks for the heads up about the light issues for photo taking at this time of year.

 

Please keep 'em coming, along with your wonderful narration.

 

Mary Lou

[skrapngal]

Love it, love it, love it...

 

and this cat lover thanks you for thinking of us LOL

[JimmyVWine]

Can't wait for the rest.Glad the pictures are coming through.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Annie, Really! You are in Rome where the coffee is sublime and you miss STARBUCKS!!!!

 

Love the location of your hotel. I was standing there only last year.... loved Rome but I am sorry, I am one of the majority that loves Florence! :D

[rdsqrl]

Meet the Pacific Princess.

 

 

I adored my cruises on the two original Love Boats, although it’s been 11 years since I was on a ship that small. In the interim, I’ve sailed on every class of Princess ship (excluding the new Royal; don’t hold your breath on that one) and enjoyed the amenities on all of them: freshwater pools, aft pools/aft public decks, lots of lounges/bars for variety, wrap-around promenade decks, International Cafes, etc. etc. So while I was very much looking forward to the small-ship experience I had loved a decade+ ago, part of me wondered if I would miss some of the things from the big ship. Honesty compels me to say . . . NO WAY! (Well, okay, I did miss having a freshwater pool.) I remembered everything about why I loved the smaller ship – the way you get to know the crew and the way they get to know you, the way you get to know your fellow passengers (for good or ill, there’s no hiding or being anonymous). The way you can pop back to your cabin to drop something off you bought on impulse at the ship’s store and not have to pack a lunch and hire a Sherpa . . .

 

The Pacific is a gorgeous ship, inside and out. Photos of her exterior don’t do her justice: I’ve always thought she looked kind of boxy and plain, but in person, she has lovely lines and looks just right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior is so different from the other Princess ships that it’s at once odd and welcome. One minor thing I really liked: not having cabin doors paired up – that really seemed to keep noise down, as your neighbours weren’t right there in your face, so to speak, as they came and went from their cabin.

[rdsqrl]

Speaking of which, I had 4002, the second-from-the-front oceanview cabin on (duh) deck 4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice cabin, indeed. There was a pillow-top mattress – I know this not because I looked, but because the silly flat sheet that they use as a bottom sheet came untucked nearly every night. Either dear Stewart, Leo, didn’t know how to make a bed properly or else I unmake beds in my sleep. Big window with a lovely deep windowsill, excellent for extra storage. Cabin Steward #2 used it for the bedliner and throw pillows at turndown (yes, I had 3 cabin stewards – don’t ask).

 

Of course, we all know by now that on the little girls, even the steerage cabins have sofas. Never been a big deal to me until this cruise. I think partly because the first few days were so exhausting from my pre-cruise walking and then the two full days of excursions, and partly because those first few days were chilly. Whatever the reason, I did find myself on my sofa during the day reading with my feet propped up on the desk bench more than a few times. And it was nice to have my evening pillow chocolate/Love Boat watching/Patter reading routine whilst seated on a sofa instead of propped up on a bed.

 

 

 

However, FYI to people who go on and on about flat-screens (what is it with this obsession anyway?): the picture on a flat screen is distorted unless you’re eye-level with the screen – which, on this ship, you decidedly are not when you are seated on the sofa – unless your eyes are located about 2 feet higher than mine. So the Love Boat looked like it suffered from a lack of interior lighting and Julie had black hair instead of blonde.

 

The closet space was much less than on the other ships, and I found the doors annoying to continually have to open and close. This was my only complaint, though. I really liked having the safe right there at the desk, so much easier to put on jewelry with the mirror at hand.

 

Most of all, I really, really, really liked this location. It was nice and bouncy here, and was away from the bustle of the elevator lobby. There was a crew door just past cabin 4000, with what I assume were crew cabins forward the rest of the deck, so there was some considerable traffic up and down the corridor. Not enough to disturb, but I’m noting it. Also, opposite cabin 4000 was a steward closet.

 

 

 

On this ship, a cabin near the elevator lobby is not a good choice: everything is on a smaller scale than the bigger ships, so cabin 4018’s door was Right There, just 8 feet from the elevator door – I imagine those people heard the elevator dings night and day.

 

 

 

Also, you might want to avoid 4026 – you’d be right across the hall from the Medical Center, and unless you want to meet a handsome Jewish doctor (in which case, you’d be on the wrong ship, as the doctor is a lovely Gentile woman), you’ll have a front-row seat for sick call every morning and afternoon.

[rdsqrl]

On embarkation day, there was a team decorating the ship for, oh, what’s that holiday? It’s in all the papers . . . . The décor was understated but okay – mostly in shades of red and white. Not as pretty as I’ve seen on other ships, but then the décor on the Pacific is so rich, you really need to do something more outstanding than red and white to make seasonal decorations pop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some public room photos:

Aft stairwell [note blue carpet; the forward stairwell has red carpet]:

 

Carousel Bar:

 

 

 

 

Casino Bar:

 

 

 

Club Bar, or site of the pre-dinner martini:

 

 

 

 

 

The second-to-last day, as I mentioned in my live, all the seating beyond the bar (from the second lamp back to the wall) was removed and replaced with tables displaying gingerbread houses. Ridiculous waste of precious space. I could hardly squeeze in to get my pre-dinner martini (thank goodness for those childhood games of tackle football with the other neighbourhood kids).

[rdsqrl]

Panorama Buffet entrance and bar which made the better mochas:

 

 

 

More buffet:

 

 

 

This was the dessert section and further along, past that guy, is the salad bar:

 

 

Pacific Lounge, home of my trivia triumphs ["Victory is mine!" -Stewie Griffin]:

 

 

 

 

This was also the late-night dj space. Just dj, bartender(s) and me most nights . . .

Edited December 30, 2013 by rdsqrl

[rdsqrl]

Pool, running/walking track:

 

 

Promenade Deck:

 

 

It was small, to be sure, but still a relaxing place to have that late-afternoon mocha and read and watch the sunset. Some chilly nights out there for the first part of the cruise.

 

And my favourite room, the Library:

 

 

 

 

I shall have more to say about the ship, but let’s move on to …

 

 

 

Ports: Naples.

This was definitely the highlight for me on this itinerary. I was thrilled to be seeing Pompeii and Herculaneum, and managed to squeeze both of them in, thanks to the generosity of my brother, who gifted me the two Princess shore excursions, morning in Pompeii and afternoon in Herculaneum. On my own using the train I would have done one or the other, worried about timing, so it was nice to be “forced” to do both. While Pompeii is huge and there is a lot of see, I felt that our guide was good and we saw a great deal. H. of course is much smaller and there, a half-day is definitely sufficient.

 

Both tours included a stop at a cameo factory, albeit not the same one. I used the bathroom at the first one; I stayed on the bus and read during the afternoon stop.

[rdsqrl]

So let’s start with Pompeii:

Incredible. I can’t imagine why anyone wastes time on any other excursion when they could go to Pompeii. It’s really awe-inspiring, although not at first. You enter by walking along a huge wall of volcanic rock, and then find yourself in the amphitheatre, which just could be any old place. It’s only gradually that the enormity of the tragedy begins to hit you, as you walk and walk and walk along streets past ruin after ruin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved the bits of frescoed wall still visible, even some graffiti.

 

 

 

But it was the floor mosaics that really hit home – that these floors were the same ones walked on by people 2000 years ago. Amazing.

 

 

[rdsqrl]

This was a nice Roman villa’s courtyard:

 

 

 

 

Part of a wall fresco -- note the flowers and what looks like the Geico gekko:

 

 

 

 

The anteroom [i don't remember the Latin name; feel free to look it up yourselves], with the pool to catch rainwater:

 

 

[rdsqrl]

I did not take photos of the brothel because the crowd there was too much to fight through. One funny thing: every time our guide mentioned the brothel, this older woman would start muttering “Disgusting” and “I’ve had about enough of this.” I’m not sure what got her knickers in a twist, but Church Lady eventually went and sat down on a paving stone and stewed in her own outrage.

 

Speaking of paving stones, a road with tracks worn in the stones from the iron cart wheels and the elevated stones for crossing wet streets:

 

 

 

One thing to be mindful of in Pompeii as you walk around is how the sidewalks can go from a typical six inches higher than the road to a foot higher or even two feet. At some crossings, it requires leaping skills and balance to navigate from curb to crossing or down to street level.

 

Note the reflective white chips in the road – they’re designed to give illumination at night. Very clever, those ancient Romans.

 

 

 

 

Rome has cats; Pompeii has dogs. These two approached one another, met up nose to nose, and licked one another’s nuzzles. In unison, my tour group all said, “ahhhh.” Funny.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we arrived in the forum.

 

 

 

 

Note Vesuvius back there, brooding over the town. It’s very close; can you imagine the horror of that nice mountain literally in your backyard suddenly come to life?

 

Best quotation of the day: as we foregather at the meeting point outside the site itself, one of our group rushes up to the guide and says, “I lost my husband in the Forum!” How many times over the centuries has that been said? She found him; we all were present and accounted for and headed back to the pier.

Edited December 30, 2013 by rdsqrl

[Wehwalt]

I was on the PP in October-November, then spent five days in Rome, so your experience was the opposite direction from mine. I recommend the Best Western Spring House, a stone's throw from the Vatican Museums. I also used RomeCabs this spring getting off the Ocean Princess, it went well.

 

I certainly agree with you regarding the better mochas to be found at the Panorama Bar, the guy I see in the background there does a very good job with them.

 

I think you meant to label the large venue as the Caberet Lounge.

 

I also did Pompeii from Naples. I did it on my own. You are right. it is huge.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Wehwalt

[rdsqrl]

Herculaneum was next, after a quick lunch and a change of shoes. I don’t like wearing tennis shoes but this afternoon, I was glad I had. I’m not sure if it rained earlier, but places in H. were kind of muddy and icky, so bear that in mind when you go.

 

Unlike Pompeii, where you are above modern-day ground level, in H., you’re below it – I believe the guide said 27 meters, but I don’t speak metric, so it might have been 27 furlongs or 27 fathoms. Anyway, here’s a nice view of it, and then a view of the walkway you come in on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a different guide for this afternoon, of course, and he was younger and more handsome than the morning’s Pompeii guide, so I for one enjoyed the commentary immensely. He also spent a good bit of the bus ride over to H. talking about how poor Naples was misunderstood and really wasn’t such a bad place. By the time he was done, I felt so guilty that I was ready to buy a second home in downtown Naples.

 

Herculaneum is definitely better preserved, or preserved in a different way, than Pompeii: ash versus rock falling, which meant that roofs didn't cave in. It’s smaller (only about 25% has been excavated) and you get a more human sense of what life was like there, since lots of wood and other bits remain. The first sight was the boathouses, complete with skeletons. I didn’t realize that’s what they were until I had taken the photo, so sorry. I have a policy against photographing dead bodies; it seems disrespectful (which is why I don’t have any photos of the mummified casts from Pompeii). Anyway, I liked the boathouses architecturally, so I decided not to delete the photo.

 

[rdsqrl]

 

 

 

 

The colours are still so vivid:

 

 

 

[

 

 

Here is a beautiful wall mosaic from the temple:

 

 

My favourite food stall. These stalls were all over Pompeii, too, but this one in H. was quite the largest we saw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous wine shop with its menu. Sadly, the bartender was on a break.

 

 

[Wehwalt]

I walked around Naples a lot the second time we were there (the first time was supposed to be Sorrento but there were high seas, it was something of an adventure leaving Naples). I didn't feel unsafe. But then my driver on the way back from Pompeii gave me a quick tour of the town and showed me some places that didn't seem at all safe to walk around in. So it's a mixed bag.

[rdsqrl]

This was the floor in the bathhouse -- note the trident (for Neptune. Or is it Poseidon? Well, whichever one's the Roman one.) and the seashell.

 

And here she is, looming over the town she destroyed two millenia ago:

 

 

 

Both Pompeii and Herculaneum were fascinating. If you haven’t been, go. In fact, if you haven't been, you shouldn't have been looking at these photos. I had seen virtually no photos of either site before I went and it really was exciting to see it all in person for the first time. I love Google Satellite and Google StreetView as much as the next map geek, but I have to say that they've sucked a lot of the OMG moments out of travel.

[rdsqrl]

Next port was Trapani, Sicily. I had prepared for this port by reading Salt: A World History (did I mention that I prep for cruises by reading? I should give a reading list at the end of this review. How very academic of me.), mostly because guide books don’t spend a lot of time on Trapani, forsaking it for its better known cousins, Palermo, Messina, etc. Trapani is on the western edge of the island and is a hidden gem. I have two regrets about Trapani, the first one is that we didn’t spend more time there. The second one, I’ll get to in a moment.

So, after four or five days of intensive walking, I had the foresight to plan a more relaxed excursion. The best sight really seems to be going up to the historic town of Erice, but I thought I might be sighted-ed out by this point and chose the “Archeological Museum and Marsala Winery” tour. I was feeling not a little guilty about this history-lite tour . . .

Our first stop was at the salt flats. I was very happy to have read Salt, because our guide did little (as in nothing) to explain the significance of what we were seeing. I highly recommend the book, by the way, and no, I’m not going to give you a lesson. Here are some lovely photos, though:

 

I really like this; it has atmospheric photo contest winner written all over it, no?

 

[rdsqrl]

Our next stop was the museum. This was fascinating. Apparently, there’s a huge archeological zone in Marsala which they’re still excavating. The highlight of the museum is a Punic-era warship, or rather, the fragments thereof. There were also terrific exhibits with all kinds of artifacts, both military and everyday. Much of the labelling was in Italian (not a problem if you can read/speak Spanish); however, our guide did a pretty good job of taking us around and explaining some of the key items. I could have spent longer here, but some of the group seemed restless.

One big bummer was a prohibition on any photography at all, even without flash. This bummer was exacerbated by the museum’s lack of any literature – nary a brochure or postcard or flyer. I got the impression it was a fairly new museum, and they certainly had some empty literature racks at the entrance, so perhaps they’ll ramp it up as time goes on. It was still worth the trip and I’m very glad I went, but it’s funny how without photos, it seems like it never happened – the Brigadoon of museums!

Then it was off to the winery for our wine tasting. The Florio winery is a very slick, professional operation (I don’t mean that in a bad way). First of all, it’s in a beautiful location right on the water (why I didn’t take a photo here is beyond me, but trust me -- it was beautiful with the sun sparkling on the water). The grounds are gorgeous:

 

We had to wait a few minutes for our winery guide, but she was worth the wait. She was exceptionally informative, very friendly, and had a great sense of humour. We toured the long room with all the casks and she explained how the different kinds of Marsala are barreled and aged.

The winery was bombed during WW2 (one of our tour members grumbled that the guide didn’t say by whom. First of all, this wasn’t a tour about military history, and second of all, does it matter? My guess is it was by us and she was too diplomatic to say.). Anyway, these barrels are the only remaining “old” wines left. You can see the dates there on the ends:

She then led us to a different building where was laid out a beautiful spread of finger food: pizzas, bread rolls stuffed w/spinach and cheese, and something hammy. We tasted a very nice white wine with this. Then we had a sweeter Marsala with a delicious almond biscotti. Separately, the sweet wine was over-the-top and almost unpleasant, and the cookie was meh. Together, they were a symphony; I could have eaten and drunk two of each. In fact, I may have done that very thing.

We then had some time in the gift shop. Great prices on all kinds of wine; I bought a bottle to bring back onboard (with no notice paid to it by the security staff upon embarking, by the way). They also had various food and other gift items, and there were quite a few customers in the shop besides just us “tourists.” It was a thoroughly enjoyable visit and I was really pleased with my choice of this low-stress, “history-lite” tour.

 

It was also only a half-day; we were back at the ship by about 1 or 1.30. I had a small salad (to soak up some of the alcohol!), and then was going to get off and explore Trapani. We were docked so close to downtown that I think the captain had to feed one of the parking meters. However, I went back to my cabin after my little lunch, brushed my teeth, sat down on the sofa to study the port guide map, and fell asleep. I never nap; I blame all that walking and those early mornings. Anyway, I slept for about 2 hours and then it seemed like too late to head off the ship. So sorry, G., I did not get you that coveted postcard from Trapani. I didn’t even get a photo of the town from the ship, but take my word for it, Trapani is really lovely. Lots of palm trees, colourful buildings, very walkable-looking downtown. It’s on my list to go back to, when I can stay awake . . .

 

 

Edited December 30, 2013 by rdsqrl

[rdsqrl]

After a delightful day at sea, which was a little too cold to sunbathe but nice enough to sit outside fully dressed and read in the sun, we arrived in Barcelona. I have been here before, twice, and so planned to do nothing much touristy. I had shopping on the agenda and a visit to Starbucks. I accomplished both, and even walked through the Gothic Quarter. I left the camera on the ship, so sorry, no photos here.

We were in Barcelona until about 10pm and dinner this night was open seating. A flamenco act came onboard to perform; I did not attend. I heard one review that said they were good and one yutz complained that there was too much Spanish music. Okaaaaay . . . .

[rdsqrl]

Gibraltar.

I love Gibraltar and was looking forward to visiting again. I was also looking forward to not having to get up at the crack of dawn for an excursion. However, my cabin window is right above where every tug boat in every port chooses to park itself to shove the Pacific into place. Between the noise of the tug’s engine and the delightful vibration and noise of the ship’s own thrusters, I was up and about early. I went up to the walking deck to get in a quick run and it seemed a little windy, so I retreated to the elliptical. I then headed out to town. Not a good day weather-wise – very overcast and remarkably windy. Very windy. In fact, the wind in my face on the walk into town had turned and was again in my face on the walk back to the ship. Cue ominous music foreshadowing trouble ahead . . .

 

 

Casemates Square:

The streets of Gib were crowded with Christmas shoppers, although not with cruisers. I barely saw anyone from the ship. I guess they all went up the Rock and then stayed onboard after that. I found two bookstores and the post office, completing my key errands of buying a book or two and mailing postcards home. I also found a Marks & Spencer, which was out of the candies I needed to buy. I then found a pub and had a drink and a snack, then did some more walking.

 

I really liked the lines and angles in this photo:

 

About this time, you’re beginning to get restive and think that this isn’t a very exciting cruise, aren’t you? Well, I didn’t promise excitement. I picked this cruise for two reasons: Pompeii and 11 sea days. The fact that half the ports were repeats for me was a bonus. I’m celebrating the end of grad school here and didn’t want to do any research or have more than the minimum touring responsibilities. In fact, I just wanted to putter around.

[rdsqrl]

So, I puttered on back to the ship (buying another bottle of wine along the way, which again I brought on board without so much as a raised eyebrow).

 

And then, what’s that noise? I hear a dinging sound . . . why, it’s Captain Austin on the public address system. We might have noticed the wind, he begins with that lovely English understatement that can occasionally made you want to slap him. The wind had caused the port to be closed and this meant that our bunkering could not take place as the fuel barge was unable to come alongside. Without it, our trans-Atlantic would have been curtailed at about the Azores. Apparently it was solely the fuel barge that was the problem; the captain’s tone left the listener with the impression that if it weren’t for that fuel gauge on E, there was no port so closed that he and the Pacific couldn’t break out.

 

 

As I mentioned and lamented in my Live, the gangway remained closed. That’s right: more pubs per square inch than any other place in the world, and we were locked up onboard. I started to mutiny, then Eric at the Club Bar served me my Chairman of the Board and I kind of lost track of what I was complaining about.

 

 

The fuel barge arrived. At 3am. Right outside my window. It had a big searchlight. I may have made a rude gesture.

 

 

And finally, about mid-day on day 2, we bid adieu to foggy, chilly Gibraltar.

 

 

The pilot boat:

Cheerio, Rock:

And we're off to Madeira, land of the other wine starting with "m." I think for next year, "From Marsala to Madeira" or "The Drunken Passage" might be a better name for this itinerary.

More to come tomorrow . . . if anyone is still reading. If not, I'll happily continue talking amongst myself.

[meemeec]

• 
  

Keep writing, we're reading!

Edited December 30, 2013 by meemeec

[windsor26]

Don't stop Don't:D:D:D I am ;living vicariously as I cannot get DH to consider Italy

[caribill]

On this ship, a cabin near the elevator lobby is not a good choice: everything is on a smaller scale than the bigger ships, so cabin 4018’s door was Right There, just 8 feet from the elevator door – I imagine those people heard the elevator dings night and day.

 

 

 

I have had a cabin on this ship right by one of the elevator lobbies. Never heard a sound. Not a ding. Not people talking.