Cool Girl & Crazy Mom do the Med-Venice: A (very delayed) review of a Serenade voyage

[krev]

Loving your review, I'm only on page 10. We just got back from a 16 night Med cruise on Sunday and the jet lag has be up at 0500, so like mini legs I'm not human til I've had coffee, the review and coffee are helping me! I had to laugh at the laundry photos, our first port was Gibraltar, the first thing I said to my husband was "look at the laundry" he laughed at me😳 I thought it was interesting how it was hung on the side of the building. You'd have to make sure you had a firm grip on your knickers when pegging them!! You remind me so much of one of our table mates from our last Caribbean cruise, I think you were separated at birth. Ok, time for a second cup and more reading!

 

 

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[Steamboat Holly]

I'm really enjoying your review. I hope my Mom and I can do something like this someday. In December my husband and I are taking my parents and our young kids on their first cruise. Maybe she will get bitten by the cruise bug!

 

Sent from my ZTE_N9511 using Forums mobile app

[crusinpeg]

Ernie "of the small beer" looks too angelic here! :D

 

Enjoying your review, Melissa. I didn't tell you this on the cruise, but DH thought CM was your sister.

 

You are right Marla...he does look "angelic" but we all know differently!

Peggy

[crusinpeg]

Hi Melissa.....Peggy here. We just got back from the Allure this morning and the first (well maybe the third!) thing that I did was check to see if you had posted anything new.....have to tell you Ernie has been very busy causing trouble and I have been even busier( reigning him in)

We are off to see our son in Pennsylvania the end of this week and are stopping by on our way to see your "in-laws" I know we'll have a ball reminiscing about our adventures!

 

I an just loving your review..it seems like only yesterday we were all together...sure hope we get invited to the wedding (I promise I'll make sure Ernie behaves!)

[kirian]

After our nice, semi-relaxing day strolling through Ravenna, Crazy Mom and I boarded the Serenade shortly after 4p…. perfect timing to get good seats for the “Napkin Folding” demonstration at 4:30p. Now I know, most of us have probably been to one of these before (along with the “Towel Animal” demos), but I never tire of them. As with most of the events such as this, it was held in the Centrum. So, we grabbed some seats and settled in for the demo, determined that this time, I would still remember how to do at least one of the napkins by the time I got home.

 

Disclaimer #24: I didn’t remember a single napkin “trick” they taught us. Oh well, there’s always a class on the next cruise, so there’s still hope!

 

After ooooing and ahhhhing over cloth napkins being turned into swans and such, we headed for our favorite snack spot, the Park Café in the Solarium for a light snack of salads and cookies. It ended up being a good thing I had this snack, since dinner was a bit of an “effort” for me that evening….

 

When we departed Ravenna, we headed diagonally south east across the open waters of the Adriatic Sea. It was here that the seas really picked up for the first time all cruise. I decided to pop half a Dramamine, but it was really too late in the game for it to do much. However, I gamely made my way to the MDR, determined to enjoy dinner.

 

Sadly, I have to report I did not have a very good dining experience…. Mostly due to the fact that I had a hard time evening swallowing the first two courses due to the queasiness I was feeling in light of the ship’s motion. But, in the spirit of the review, I will still give you the details on the food (just take it with a grain of salt since my impressions may have been clouded by the fact that I was turning slightly green).

 

I started with the papaya/lychee/strawberry salad, which on the surface, sounds like it would be yummy. Sadly, it was just ok and there was absolutely no (I mean ZERO) effort put into its presentation. Next I had the cheese cannoli topped with a mushroom & meat sauce. The cannoli itself was fairly decent, but my rolling stomach just couldn’t the sauce (it was too greasy), so I pushed that to the side and therefore, can’t really rate the sauce. I finished with a light dessert of coffee ice cream and green tea and by then, I was starting to feel a bit better (either because the Dramamine kicked in finally or because the seas calmed, I’m not sure and really didn’t care… just so long as I was able to rest assure I was going to be able to keep my dinner down).

 

Crazy Mom had the fried mushrooms which she reported as being very good. For her entrée, she had the steak (from the daily selections menu). Cleevdan, as usual, gave her hassle over asking for it to be a little more than medium well. When it came out, it was technically done to her liking but she reported that it was dry and tough…. And this is from a woman who likes her steak very well done, so it wasn’t the doneness factor that made it this way for her, it was actually the cut of beef itself. For dessert she had the phyllo stuffed with chocolate and hazelnuts which sounded absolutely divine, but sadly, she said it was very tough and she told me to put in my journal that she did not recommend it to the folks who would later read my review (which would be all of you…lol).

 

So, all in all, dinner tonight was fairly lackluster, but it’s not like we were going to go hungry or anything and there was always a chance things would improve the next day! (We’re very “glass half full” people if you couldn’t tell :D).

 

After dinner, we made our way back to the Centrum where the aerial show, Aquatronic, was about to start. The show lasted about 10 minutes and in my opinion, was just ok (as I look back on the whole day. maybe it was a “just ok” day in general for me and others may have differing, more positive thoughts on their dinner and the show that night).

 

For those of you that might never have seen one of these shows, this is a photo of one of the dancers coming down from the top of the Centrum.

 

 

Here you can see the large "ring" that supports many of the aerialists' cables as they are hoisted up and down. The ring itself can also float up and down as needed. (sorry for the metal flower sculpture that's intruding on the photo... we were sandwiched behind it for the entire show)

 

But, things were about the change in the final 45 minutes of my day….

 

After the aerial show, the Centrum turned things over for the 50s-60s dance party with the Activity Staff. And what a time we had!!! Although I really didn’t care much for the Cruise Director (Casey Pelter… whom I know some of you adore… his personality just didn’t sit well with me), his staff was FABULOUS in every event/activity I saw them conduct!!!! They had the entire floor and surrounding areas of the Centrum packed with dancing people for the entire 45-60 minutes. At one point, we even had a special appearance of “Fat Elvis” on stage (I’m really not sure how else to describe him, so I hope no one takes any offense). He was dressed in the traditional white jumpsuit complete with Elvis scarf… or in this case, a roll of toilet paper that he would use like a scarf and pass off lengths to the ladies swooning in the audience. It was a riot and a wonderful way to end the day.

 

The Centrum is such a great venue for the dance parties. As you can see here, people are crowded around many of the upper decks enjoying the party from above. It's so easy to find a place where you can have a great view of the fun taking place in the Centrum!

 

A close-up of "Fat Elvis"

 

So, practically breathless from laughing and dancing, we made the short trip back to our room (I truly loved being on deck 4… we were so close to all the fun it seemed). By midnight, we were both in bed and getting rested up for our next stop (and one of my favorite places in the world)… Dubrovnik!!!!

 

Cool Girl

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Melissa,

 

Whoohooo -- can't wait for your insider`s description and hopefully pictures of Dubrovnik!

 

Crap, it's only monday. Damn, sunday is pretty far away yet.

 

But since I'm simultaneously writing up our first Scotland stop, I guess that will keep me busy until then:o.

 

Still absolutely loving your review! Thank you!!! I really hope you're not regretting to have started it, because of all the work. You're doing such a wonderful job! It is such a fabulous, fun and informative report! Oh -- and I forgot absolutely addictive!

 

Stef

[pattle66]

Hi Melissa,

 

I have enjoyed reading your review, thank you for posting. We are heading to the med next month and will be cruising b2b on Splendour of the Seas. My husband and I have enjoyed reading about the ports we will be visiting too and helping us get excited about our trip.

 

I cant wait to read about Dubrovnik and see your photo's.

[kirian]

Wow, this is really awesome! I never thought of using my fellow roll call members as match makers :D This might work out well. I'm heading out on a cruise with my Crazy Mom next fall, and it's one of those two week Canada cruises during the school year which means I'll probably be one of the youngest on the ship. I'm sure some of our fellow roll call members have single sons. I'll have to start putting the word out :eek: :D

 

Hi Karen,

 

I never thought of using my fellow roll callers as match makers either, but now that I have seen it in action, I will have to encourage its use among my friends, family and other single cruisers. Obviously, I won't be making use of it in the future since I am already "taken"... even if I have never met him yet...lol!

 

PS - Somehow, your post got hidden among the others and I missed it on my first pass of the page it was on.... so sorry for the late reply :eek:

 

Melissa

[kirian]

This is my lucky day. I stumbled across your thread and I found out that you managed to find the restaurant that I had had researched earlier. And that it got a thumb's up from 6 people and I have 6 people.

 

What are the odds of that happening?

 

Unfortunately we are not stopping in Split, that would have been my ideal stop. Our last stop is in Montenegro which I think could be even more sleepy than Ravenna.

 

Totally forgot that I need to do some shopping at Dollar Tree. Maybe this weekend. What are the chances they still have the masks one year later?

 

Now to search out those other reviews I started reading and forgot about...

 

Sheal

 

Hi Sheal - I'm so glad you stumbled across my review and have already gotten some good tidbits out of it!

 

Split is a very nice town (I was there one night during a land tour of Croatia in 2008) but you will love Dubrovnik just as much (if not more so) if you get to stop there (not sure of your itinerary).

 

I bet you will be able to find those "sticky masks" at the Dollar Tree. In my stores, they are always near the party supplies (and technically they are listed as Mardi Gras decorations, but they served my Venice purpose perfectly!) I found all sorts of neat things at the Dollar Tree for my trip and because they were only $1 each, I didn't mind tossing them at the end if they wouldn't fit in my luggage :D

 

Have a great day!

Melissa

[kirian]

Loving your review, I'm only on page 10. We just got back from a 16 night Med cruise on Sunday and the jet lag has be up at 0500, so like mini legs I'm not human til I've had coffee, the review and coffee are helping me! I had to laugh at the laundry photos, our first port was Gibraltar, the first thing I said to my husband was "look at the laundry" he laughed at me😳 I thought it was interesting how it was hung on the side of the building. You'd have to make sure you had a firm grip on your knickers when pegging them!! You remind me so much of one of our table mates from our last Caribbean cruise, I think you were separated at birth. Ok, time for a second cup and more reading!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Hi Kelly - thanks for your kind words on my review... so happy you are enjoying it!

 

I am positively obsessed with taking photos of laundry in Europe. It all started when I spent a summer in the Balkans. So few people in the States hang laundry out for all the world to see.... it just struck me as so interesting. I actually plan to one day make a big collage of all of my favorite laundry photos. If nothing else, it will be a conversation piece when friends visit my house :D

 

Melissa

[kirian]

I'm really enjoying your review. I hope my Mom and I can do something like this someday. In December my husband and I are taking my parents and our young kids on their first cruise. Maybe she will get bitten by the cruise bug!

 

Sent from my ZTE_N9511 using Forums mobile app

 

Hi Holly - I'm so glad you have decided to follow along on my journey and that you're enjoying the review! Knowing that so many folks like it makes all the work of doing it so worth it!!!!

 

My mom and I have really enjoyed traveling together since I took her on her first cruise in 2005. Funny how things change because you could barely get us in a car together when I was a teenager and now we travel for days on end crammed into an inside cabin and we don't even argue or get on each other's nerves (I don't think :eek:)....lol! I hope your mom gets bitten by the bug (I'm sure she will!) and that you two can plan a "girls cruise" together in the future!!!

 

Melissa

[mjldvlks]

. . . By midnight, we were both in bed and getting rested up for our next stop (and one of my favorite places in the world)… Dubrovnik!!!!

 

Cool Girl

Dubrovnik is one of those places I never would have gone if it hadn't been on an itinerary we chose for other reasons -- but is now one of my favorites. There is almost always one on every cruise. This kind of surprise is one of the things that makes cruising better than all-inclusives or other kinds of land vacations.

[paylady]

You are right Marla...he does look "angelic" but we all know differently!

Peggy

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks he looked angelic. :p

 

I hope you and Ernie are doing well. We will be moving to Florida next year. Can't wait to leave the snow and ice!

[crusinpeg]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks he looked angelic. :p

 

I hope you and Ernie are doing well. We will be moving to Florida next year. Can't wait to leave the snow and ice!

 

Good for you leaving the snow..what part of Florida are you moving to?

[flpab]

Loving your review. I have never visited those places on a cruise ship but by myself and knew exactly what you were going to say about the bathroom in Cinque Terre. My four girlfriends were dying. We all had to go so bad after hiking and getting ready to board the train. I would have found a bush had I known. So sorry you didn't get to hike. Highlight of Italy for me.

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

:(:oAre you okay? Starting to worry.

 

:);) Or is it the premarital arrangements with your new inlaws that keep you from continuing this review -- in that case of course we'll patiently keep on waiting:D.

 

Stef

[kirian]

Are you okay? Starting to worry.

 

Or is it the premarital arrangements with your new inlaws that keep you from continuing this review -- in that case of course we'll patiently keep on waiting:D.

 

Stef

 

Hahaha!!! Too funny! No, not any sort of wedding planning (unfortunately :(... or not :p). It has just been extra crazy since last weekend (which is why I missed my weekly post then as well). I had a very creepy potting shed in my backyard that simply had to come down. It actually needed to come down when I bought the house 2.5 yrs ago, but the last straw was my dogs becoming obsessed with whatever was living in it (which turned out to be a rat-mouse thing). So, I spent most of last week tearing it down with a crowbar and sledgehammer (yeah, I'm hardcore like that....:D) Then, yesterday, I got a last minute invite to visit a friend at a small vineyard/winery he just bought, so off I went.

 

But....... I do have some good news!!! I have been working on not one, but two posts today. I may even have 3 segments ready for tomorrow. I need to go though all my photos though before I can post.... so I probably won't get them up tonight, but hopefully I will have a special 3-fer treat for everyone tomorrow (it the least I can do after missing last Sunday and this Sunday... stupid Creepy Shed! :mad:)

 

Melissa

Edited October 19, 2014 by kirian

[denisey]

Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'.......

[crvng4mr]

Yay!

[crvng4mr]

Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'.......

 

Funny![emoji23]

[kirian]

Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'.......

 

Yay!

 

LOL - you two are funny!!!! I am just waiting on my pic to finish uploading to Photobucket and then I will post a couple new segments (woohoo!)

 

Melissa

[kirian]

 

Ahhhhhh, Dubrovnik! It seemed as though for many of the cruisers, this was to be their first time in this lovely town. For me, this was probably my 5th or 6th and I was so excited to finally get to show off “my town” to Crazy Mom.

 

I will say right up front, I am totally biased when it comes to Dubrovnik. I have loved her from the very first time I set fort within her gated walls in 2008. I was set to spend the summer working in Bosnia (internship during grad school), but before the “work” started, one of my dearest friends and I did a 10 day tour of Bosnia & Croatia. The tour started and ended in Dubrovnik, and so we spent a couple of days here on either end of the tour. I also made a couple of day trips (via a 4 hr each way bus ride) from the town I was working from in neighboring Bosnia (Mostar).

 

Now, you might be thinking, “You were willing to spend 8 hours round drip on a bus, just to spend the day in Dubrovnik?!” Of course!!!! First of all, not only is Dubrovnik simply fabulous, but if I hadn’t of taken those days trips, I would have gone insane in Mostar. Mostar is a nice enough city, but the people are extremely stressed out (and sometimes downright cranky… but they have good cause to be (high unemployment, left over internal strife from the war, etc.)) It really gets to you after a while, so the trips to Dubrovnik were a godsend! Anyway, I was thrilled to be able to show the Munchkin around and give her a taste of how I spent that summer abroad.

 

We were scheduled to be here from 10a-7p today. I could have used more time, but I was determined to make the best use of the time we were to have here. We were up at 7:30a so that were could get ready, have breakfast and be ready to leave the ship as soon as allowed. Plus, I wanted to be able to enjoy all of the sail in from the outside decks.

 

 

 

In chatting with folks from our Roll Call (both before and during the cruise), I had agreed to play the role of tour guide (at least for part of the day)…. Or at the very least, help with the logistics of getting to and from the places some of us wanted to see. As in Ravenna, we would spend much of the day with Peggy & Ernie and the FIL, Laura & Scott. Our little band of merry travelers met in the Centrum at 10a and we were off the ship at 10:15a.

 

Our first stop was to the tourist info building where we would be picking up our Dubrovnik Cards. I had learned about these while reading Stef’s (Kreuzfahrtnueling) review on CC. So first, let me explain this card. Better yet, I will let DubrovnikCard.com explain:

 

The Dubrovnik Card is a unique pass allowing entry into 8 cultural-historical monuments, the top attractions of Dubrovnik. It is designed to accrue savings in time and money.

 

Depending on the length of stay in Dubrovnik, you can buy 3 types of cards: 1, 3 or 7 days.

 

By purchasing a Dubrovnik Card, you will get a bus card that is valid throughout the city of Dubrovnik, which will simplify and accelerate your sightseeing around the city. By presenting the Dubrovnik Card, you get discounts, especially created for you, in specially designated restaurants, stores, souvenir shops, jewelry shops and tourist agencies (Dubrovnik Partner Card).

 

For each Dubrovnik card purchased, you will get a free 150-page travel guide with a plan of Dubrovnik in Croatian-English, with photos, descriptions, working hours and the addresses of all the cultural, historical and religious heritage in Dubrovnik, useful general information and a list of the Dubrovnik Card partners where you can benefit from a discount on their services.

 

The Dubrovnik Card offers you sightseeing, where you can pick and choose from 8 top attractions and so create a trip of your choice with a free guide. Once you buy a Dubrovnik Card, you can forget about using money to buy an entrance ticket to cultural-historical monuments or on public transport.

 

The Dubrovnik Card gives you savings of more than 40%, as compared to individually purchased tickets, and you get discounts at numerous restaurants, stores, souvenir shops, jewelry shops and tourist agencies (Dubrovnik Partner Card).

 

There…couldn’t have said it better myself!

 

The 1-day card (at the time I am posting this) costs 150 Kuna, or about $25. You can get a 10% discount by purchasing online… which is what we did. So, why did we feel the need to buy this card? Well, we knew we wanted to walk the wall and we knew we wanted to take the public bus to and from town. For the bus, we would need to have Kuna and I didn’t feel like getting any. This card would allow us unlimited rides on the bus, as well as admission to the walls (plus a bunch of other stuff…. But we didn’t end up using any of the other things because we sadly ran out of time). Now, we didn’t really save any money by purchasing the card. We basically broke even. But for us, it was the convenience factor that convinced us to use it.

 

Now, if you have purchased the card online ahead of time, you need to take your printed receipt to the T.I. building in the port. Stef had “warned” us that it was a tad difficult to find, and boy was she right! So, let me try to explain where you need to go once you exit the ship (assuming you are docking at Gruz and not tendering in closer to Old Town):

 

As you exit the ship, head to the right (the harbor will be on your right so you are walking parallel to it). Go all the way to the end (and I mean alllllllllllllll the way… for us this was fairly far, but it all depends on which “slot” you are docked at). You will see a customs station (for us, this was the 2nd customs gate). You go through this gate and the T.I. is immediately on your left.

 

This is VERY important (and something we didn’t really warn the others of since we had pre-purchased our card online)…. If you are buying the card that day, you MUST pay in Kuna. They do not take credit cards. Ernie and Scott had to cross the street and walk a block or so to an ATM. Fortunately, once we all had our cards, the nearest bus stop is right by the T.I. You can catch bus 1a, 1b or 3 (double check this with the person in the T.I… just in case I wrote it down wrong). They all stop at the main gate to Old Town and they run every 10 minutes (be sure to validate your card when you get on the bus).

 

The buses are very clean and super easy to ride. Your other options are to take a taxi at $15-20 each way for a taxi, use the ship’s shuttle for about $15, or walk for 30 minutes. A day pass for the bus is 30kn (one way is 15kn (about $2.50), so this pays for itself in one round trip). I believe you do have to have exact change if buying the ticket from the driver, but you can also get tickets from kiosks (which saves a bit and you don’t need exact change). Honestly, the buses are almost as convenient as a taxi and you can spend the money you save on gelato….yum!

 

Now, let’s get to the fun stuff….

 

The buses let you off almost directly in front of one of Old Town’s two main gates. The one you are at is called the Pile Gate. The six of us had a plan. We were going to do the cable car first, then walk the wall before it got too hot and then stroll around town. So, we entered at the Pile Gate; then we basically walked straight to the other end of town (about 5 minutes) and went out the other gate (Ploce Gate).

 

To get to the cable car is a little bit of a hike. As soon as we exited the Ploce Gate, we made a sharp left and headed up the street. When you come to a large cross walk (you’ll see a pizza place across the way), cross the street. You will see a set of very long stairs (about a hundred or so…ugh) tucked between some buildings. Head up these to the cable car landing. We all purchased our tickets here. The cost was 90 Kuna and they take credit cards. We had to wait about 15-20 minutes before it was our turn. For the best views, stand in the back of the car on the way up (that way, you can see the city and water…. Otherwise, you will just be looking at a hillside).

 

Once at the top, we were all rewarded with what ended up being some of the most stunning views during the entire cruise. I think at this point, I will let the photos speak for themselves….

 

 

 

 

Cool Girl

[kirian]

After soaking in the spectacular scenery, we headed back down (the wait to go down was super short…. In fact, I think we got on the 1st or 2nd car that was heading that way). We worked our way back to the Ploce Gate. We entered the gate and then just before the “street/path” enters the main part of town, we entered the wall. There are a couple of entrances to the wall… this is one of them. There is another right as you enter the Pile Gate (and there might be a couple of others, but these are the two I know of). Since we already had our Dubrovnik Cards, we didn’t have to purchase anything. We just handed the card to the man at the counter, he stamped it and gave it back along with a ticket. We then walked up some stairs and gave the gentleman at the top our tickets.

 

NOTE – There are no “in & out” privileges for the wall. Once you are on it, you can’t leave and then come back later to continue the circuit. It’s also basically one way…. Counter-clockwise.

 

On this trip, we walked about 1/2 - 1/3 of the wall. I had previously made the complete circuit. I would have loved to have done that this time, but not only were we short on time, it was getting crazy hot! There are a couple of spots along the way where you can buy a drink or use the restroom, but they are few and far between. Take advantage of them when you come to one. There is very little shade anywhere else along the top of the wall. BTW - in case I didn’t mention it, it can get VERY hot in Dubrovnik… so dress accordingly… and if you plan to walk the wall, weather permitting, do it early in the day before it gets blistering outside.

 

There are so many beautiful views from the top of the wall (I actually prefer these views over those from the top of the cable car… but that’s just me). I have always loved the rooftops in Old Town, and of course, the laundry that is hung out in the lines. I also like that from here, you can peak into the daily lives of the people that live in Old Town (no, not in a creepy way…lol). You just get to see their pretty porches, lovely gardens and such. When up on the wall, I really felt like I could get a true feeling for what like is like to live inside those walls.

 

So, without further ado, some photos from atop the walls…

 

 

 

 

 

I have confession.... I was OBSESSED with taking photos of this lady's laundry. I probably have about a dozen shots from different angles (the lady is even in some of them). I have just never seen whites so white before!

 

Bonus pic with CM and the FILs

 

Cool Girl

[costalb2002]

Melissa,

 

just come back from another wonderful cruise on Serenade !

We had good time,good weather and smooth seas.

I also met the wonderful Janet onboard and spoke about your enthusiam and your ability to transmit your emotions !

I also took a picture together and wait for her authorization to post it here when she will read us here.

The only downside of this cruise was...disembarking !

 

A big ciao from Italy

 

Alberto

 

No worries - hijacks like this make my day! I'm positively thrilled that my review can bring folks together (or back together)!!!

 

I'm just jealous I can't be part of the "bar takeover" group.... I bet y'all will have a blast!!! However, now you and Alberto really do need to come back and post some groups pics on this thread :D

 

Melissa

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

I love your Dubrovnik pictures -- especially the one from up the hill with all of old town below is breathtaking!

 

Lol -- a tiny request. It doesn't really matter and I'm just being picky, but sometimes when you write my screen name you switch the e and the u...When I read it, it feels odd, since nueling sure isn't a word I know...sounds like some sort of furry animal.

 

I'm sorry I picked such a hard name to pronounce for you guys, but would you be so nice to switch it around in the future (you probably won't mention me anymore anyway) just for my peace of mind?

 

Lol -- thanks.

 

Stef