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

[tahqa]

Ahhhh.... there we have it! Don't you just love Cruise Critic?! Not only do we learn about cruising, but also about architecture :D Thank you both sooooo much for your insight.... it was driving my mom and I nuts trying to figure out the reasoning behind this. Now I just wonder why my neighbors here in coastal NC don't have these on our roofs to protect us during hurricanes. Maybe I could start a trend :cool:

 

Melissa

 

Because we have building codes. :D

[grab007]

Hmmmmm,

 

My guess would have been to keep birds off. I don't think there's enough weight to keep the shingles in place. What we need here is a local.:rolleyes:

[BeeBerry]

Melissa - I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying your trip report. It's nice to read a Med report where you seem to be enjoying the ports the same way my husband and I do - with lots of food and wine! ;)

 

Karen

.

[crusinpeg]

Am loving reading your report and seeing pics of Cinque Terra..we did Florence that day but would definately love to see Cinque Terra on our return next fall. Would love to check out that restaurant!!

 

Peggy

[suekay]

Love love love your writing style. Yours is ONE of the best reviews I've read (don't want to upset Kreuzfahtneuling cos I love hers too :)) My 85 year old Mum and I cruise the Med together every year, and still go exploring on our own, but her hilly days are past. Just trying to work out how we can visit Cinqe Terra. Fast forward 25 years and see CM and yourself:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I am loving your review so far! this cruise is on my bucket list - probably a few years down the road. We are targeting 2017. Probably the Greek Isles version. In the meantime, I will cruise virtually along with you.:cool:

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Love love love your writing style. Yours is ONE of the best reviews I've read (don't want to upset Kreuzfahtneuling cos I love hers too :))

 

Lol -- :Ddon't you worry -- how sweet:p! I absolutely adore Melissa's review as well and it's absolutely okay for you to like hers more than mine:). I'm not upset at all!

 

....now back to Melissa....

[nellydean]

:Dlol -- that picture above your bed in the hotel room would have freaked me out...looks like you're about to be smashed by a tsunami while laying there :eek:.

 

I'm so glad to hear you loved the Sagrada as much as we did. I totally agree with the camera forcing pictures from you -- lololol I never knew it wasn't even in our strength to NOT take those...but you're sooo right!!! Can't wait to read more:D!

 

Stef

 

Completely random but, well done to Germany for winning the World Cup :)

 

Now, back to the review...

[kirian]

Because we have building codes. :D

 

Haha! And let's not forget about HOAs in some cases :D

 

Melissa - I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying your trip report. It's nice to read a Med report where you seem to be enjoying the ports the same way my husband and I do - with lots of food and wine! ;)

 

Karen

.

 

Thanks, Karen! Yes, my mom and I are DEFINITELY all about the food and wine (if anyone couldn't tell....lol :p)

[kirian]

Am loving reading your report and seeing pics of Cinque Terra..we did Florence that day but would definately love to see Cinque Terra on our return next fall. Would love to check out that restaurant!!

 

Peggy

 

Peggy, you and Ernie will love Cinque Terra! How cool that you are going next year!!!! You definitely need to check out that restaurant. The food and view were just perfect!

 

I am loving your review so far! this cruise is on my bucket list - probably a few years down the road. We are targeting 2017. Probably the Greek Isles version. In the meantime, I will cruise virtually along with you.:cool:

 

Thanks so much, Sunny! I believe Middle Aged Drama Queen has a review that includes the Greek Isle version, so be sure to check that one out as well (just don't forget to come back here when you're done :p)

[kirian]

Love love love your writing style. Yours is ONE of the best reviews I've read (don't want to upset Kreuzfahtneuling cos I love hers too ) My 85 year old Mum and I cruise the Med together every year, and still go exploring on our own, but her hilly days are past. Just trying to work out how we can visit Cinqe Terra. Fast forward 25 years and see CM and yourself:D

 

Wow - to be included along with Kreuzfahtnueling as one of your favorite reviews brings a MAJOR smile to my face. Stef if my "review" hero :D

 

That's awesome that your mom is still traveling with you at 85... I hope CM's little legs can hold out that long. Otherwise, she will make me carry her on my back because she's not about to stop cruising & exploring anytime soon....lol!

 

I think you two could probably still do Cinque Terra. Perhaps take a taxi to the train station (so you don't have to walk the 30 minutes... even though it's flat). You can explore the towns-proper without too much up and down hills and still get a great feel for the the area. CM and I just went off the beaten path and that's where we encountered most of the major hills. You'll be fine!

 

Lol -- :Ddon't you worry -- how sweet:p! I absolutely adore Melissa's review as well and it's absolutely okay for you to like hers more than mine:). I'm not upset at all!

 

....now back to Melissa....

 

Awwww..... Stef..... there you go, making me blush again :p

[kirian]

Sorry folks that there was no "review" post yesterday :( Work is a bit crazy this week as I have a presentation to give at a meeting tomorrow. I hope to have at least 1 addition to the review by the end of today (finishing up La Spezia back on board the ship) and maybe, just maybe, get us started on Rome (that part of the review is going to be doozy.... will probably be at least 5 sub-sections!!!)

 

Thanks to everyone who is following along :)

 

Melissa

[nellydean]

Just read through the entire thread, excellent, well done. :)

[bionicman97]

Really enjoying your review and sense of humor :)

[kirian]

Back on board the Serenade after our adventures in Cinque Terra….

 

We boarded the ship at 6:15p… 15 minutes before “last boarding”… and headed to our cabin. We had planned to finally crack open the champagne our TA had given us. In preparation, I had left a note for James, our cabin steward, before we left that morning asking to have our ice bucket filled so our bubbly could chill. When we got to our cabin, it was clear that James hadn’t seen our note… oh well, no worries. I grabbed the bucket and headed out the door for the Windjammer where I was going to fill it up. No sooner had I closed the door than I ran into James who asked what I was doing. Well, there was no way he was going to let me get my own ice (I mean, what a travesty it would have been for me to go up a set a stairs….for the 100th time that day!). He took the bucket and headed off to fill it up. He was back in no time and I proceeded to do a super-fast chill on the champagne (added water to the bucket and plunked the bottle inside… Tip - ice water will chill wine/champagne faster than ice alone). At precisely 6:45p I popped the cork and CM and I enjoyed our first glass of bubbly.

 

On the Compass for tonight was something called the “60 Second Challenge.” Well, I had no clue what that was about, but I was determined to find out. So, we headed down the hall to the Centrum.

 

Note – The cool thing about our cabin location on deck 4 is that we were just down the hall from the main level of the Centrum. It was so nice to be able to get to the “action” without having to go up/downstairs or wait an eternity for an elevator. This was also the same floor as the dining room which again, was very nice… especially on formal nights.

 

I quickly learned that the 60 Second Challenge was to consist of two teams of four, where a member from each team (and a competing member from the other team) were given 60 seconds (duh!) to complete a task (but they didn't tell you the task ahead of time). Me, being the social butterfly that I am (in case you couldn’t tell) decided I would volunteer for a team (heck, I wasn’t ever going to see most of these people again so what did I care if I looked like an idiot!). I also roped one of my MDR tablemates, Andrew, into joining our team (I can't recall the other couple's name at the moment, but they were adorable as you will see in the photo below).

 

OMG! We had so much fun!!! Andrew’s task was to put a stocking on his head that had a ball tucked into the end. Then, he had to swing it “elephant trunk” style and knock down as many plastic cups as he could (which had been laid in a circle) within, duh… 60 seconds. I never laughed so hard…. Well, not until later in the cruise when my fellow roll caller, Ernie, played the part of magician's assist… but we’ll get to that later (Hi Peggy & Ernie!):D

 

My “task” was to shoot rubber bands at a group of plastic cups that had been formed into a pyramid. My competitor and I were given…. Wait for it…. 60 seconds… to see who could bring down the pyramid of cups first. Well, needless to say neither of us were particularly good at this which just made it all the funnier. In the end, I ended up winning that round… and ended up with a VERY sore finger since I hit myself with the rubber bands more often than I hit the cups (although I did have one killer shot that went over the cups, over the crowd and made it all the way to the back of the R-Bar…. I was quite impressed with myself).

 

One of the other games involved Vaseline and cotton balls and I can’t recall the 4th “event”. However… drumroll please…. We won!!!! And what, you ask, did we get for winning this amazing event. Well, none other than the gold Royal Caribbean medal (and I mean, who doesn’t just yearn for one of those!?)

 

 

 

 

So, pre-dinner game over, it was time to get down to the business of eating. Fortunately, Cleevdan was in a better mood tonight (for a pleasant change). This evening I chose the tomato/feta salad, the lamb chops and the baklava. Everything was good… but I am happy to report that the baklava that I make every Christmas was better (it’s sort of the thing I am “known” for among my family & friends so I would have been a little sad if RCCL had bested me). Mom had the same salad that I chose, along with the sea bream served with potatoes and grilled tomatoes and the baklava for dessert (she concurred that “my” baklava was better…. Smart woman!;)). Also, we had no problems carrying our glasses of champagne from our room to the MDR…. Just an FYI.

 

Tonight we decided would be an early night for us. Heck, I think every night but the first one was an early night for us and most everyone else :p (remember, this was a very port intensive itinerary). So, we headed back to bed where we would dream of gladiators, lions, tigers and bears, because, Oh My… tomorrow we would be in ROME!!!!! :cool:

[kirian]

Just read through the entire thread, excellent, well done. :)

 

Thank you sooooo much, Nellydean!

 

Really enjoying your review and sense of humor :)

 

Thanks, Curtis! It's nice to know people get my sense of humor (I'm always worried I might be coming off "wrong" when really, I'm just trying to keep folks smiling :D)

[cruisenfever]

Melissa, I am so enjoying your detailed review of your trip. We were supposed to be on this cruise as part of a b2b, but sadly had to cancel when my husband was hospitalized unexpectedly 3 days before we were to leave.

 

You have given me the opportunity to experience the cruise from in front of my computer. Not exactly the same thing, but your style of writing is making it less painful.:D

[kirian]

Patti!!!!! I remember you well from our Roll Call and was so sad when you had to cancel. I do hope your hubby has fully recovered and you are back to enjoying cruising as much as possible :)

 

Thank you so much for your kind words regarding my review.... I truly hope to find myself on a roll call with you and Jim one day in the future!!!!

 

Melissa

Edited July 16, 2014 by kirian

[cruisenfever]

Patti!!!!! I remember you well from our Roll Call and was so sad when you had to cancel. I do hope your hubby has fully recovered and you are back to enjoying cruising as much as possible :)

 

Thank you so much for your kind words regarding my review.... I truly hope to find myself on a roll call with you and Jim one day in the future!!!!

 

Melissa

He is doing much better thank you. I too hope to see you on a future roll call. Would love to meet both you and your lovely mom.

[Realtor at Sea]

Your review is so much fun! And I love the laundry photos! So European!!!

[celebrity]

Back on board the Serenade after our adventures in Cinque Terra….

 

We boarded the ship at 6:15p… 15 minutes before “last boarding”… and headed to our cabin. We had planned to finally crack open the champagne our TA had given us. In preparation, I had left a note for James, our cabin steward, before we left that morning asking to have our ice bucket filled so our bubbly could chill. When we got to our cabin, it was clear that James hadn’t seen our note… oh well, no worries. I grabbed the bucket and headed out the door for the Windjammer where I was going to fill it up. No sooner had I closed the door than I ran into James who asked what I was doing. Well, there was no way he was going to let me get my own ice (I mean, what a travesty it would have been for me to go up a set a stairs….for the 100th time that day!). He took the bucket and headed off to fill it up. He was back in no time and I proceeded to do a super-fast chill on the champagne (added water to the bucket and plunked the bottle inside… Tip - ice water will chill wine/champagne faster than ice alone). At precisely 6:45p I popped the cork and CM and I enjoyed our first glass of bubbly.

 

On the Compass for tonight was something called the “60 Second Challenge.” Well, I had no clue what that was about, but I was determined to find out. So, we headed down the hall to the Centrum.

 

Note – The cool thing about our cabin location on deck 4 is that we were just down the hall from the main level of the Centrum. It was so nice to be able to get to the “action” without having to go up/downstairs or wait an eternity for an elevator. This was also the same floor as the dining room which again, was very nice… especially on formal nights.

 

I quickly learned that the 60 Second Challenge was to consist of two teams of four, where a member from each team (and a competing member from the other team) were given 60 seconds (duh!) to complete a task (but they didn't tell you the task ahead of time). Me, being the social butterfly that I am (in case you couldn’t tell) decided I would volunteer for a team (heck, I wasn’t ever going to see most of these people again so what did I care if I looked like an idiot!). I also roped one of my MDR tablemates, Andrew, into joining our team (I can't recall the other couple's name at the moment, but they were adorable as you will see in the photo below).

 

OMG! We had so much fun!!! Andrew’s task was to put a stocking on his head that had a ball tucked into the end. Then, he had to swing it “elephant trunk” style and knock down as many plastic cups as he could (which had been laid in a circle) within, duh… 60 seconds. I never laughed so hard…. Well, not until later in the cruise when my fellow roll caller, Ernie, played the part of magician's assist… but we’ll get to that later (Hi Peggy & Ernie!):D

 

My “task” was to shoot rubber bands at a group of plastic cups that had been formed into a pyramid. My competitor and I were given…. Wait for it…. 60 seconds… to see who could bring down the pyramid of cups first. Well, needless to say neither of us were particularly good at this which just made it all the funnier. In the end, I ended up winning that round… and ended up with a VERY sore finger since I hit myself with the rubber bands more often than I hit the cups (although I did have one killer shot that went over the cups, over the crowd and made it all the way to the back of the R-Bar…. I was quite impressed with myself).

 

One of the other games involved Vaseline and cotton balls and I can’t recall the 4th “event”. However… drumroll please…. We won!!!! And what, you ask, did we get for winning this amazing event. Well, none other than the gold Royal Caribbean medal (and I mean, who doesn’t just yearn for one of those!?)

 

 

 

 

So, pre-dinner game over, it was time to get down to the business of eating. Fortunately, Cleevdan was in a better mood tonight (for a pleasant change). This evening I chose the tomato/feta salad, the lamb chops and the baklava. Everything was good… but I am happy to report that the baklava that I make every Christmas was better (it’s sort of the thing I am “known” for among my family & friends so I would have been a little sad if RCCL had bested me). Mom had the same salad that I chose, along with the sea bream served with potatoes and grilled tomatoes and the baklava for dessert (she concurred that “my” baklava was better…. Smart woman!;)). Also, we had no problems carrying our glasses of champagne from our room to the MDR…. Just an FYI.

 

Tonight we decided would be an early night for us. Heck, I think every night but the first one was an early night for us and most everyone else :p (remember, this was a very port intensive itinerary). So, we headed back to bed where we would dream of gladiators, lions, tigers and bears, because, Oh My… tomorrow we would be in ROME!!!!! :cool:

 

Omg! 60 Seconds is the funniest game ever! I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. The vaelinr and cotton balls was the funniest ever! Thanks for the memories.

[nellydean]

Thank you sooooo much, Nellydean!

 

 

I am very interested in visiting the Cinque Terre but, as someone with dodgy knees, wondered what the practicalities of that would be, as regards trains/buses, eg, are the stations far from the centre of the towns/villages? And are the roads all very steep?!

[NS Girl]

Melissa you make this day sound wonderful. Including the 60 minute challenge. I don't remember seeing that, but then again there is so much to do on the compass. We did do Pisa and Florence. Florence was beautiful. Pisa was just ok. There was nothing there other than the church and the tower and we did not have enough time to go into either one. I would recommend skipping Pisa. There were gypsies in Pisa and they are pretty brazen. We were warned by our guide to watch out for them and not to trust anyone who got too close or offered to do you a favour. Do not allow anyone outside of your group to take a picture of your party. They'll just take off with your camera. Someone, approached us and luckily we were forewarned. The gypsies tried to pick pocket two people from our tour. A mother held up a sign in front of a man's face while her children tried to pick his pocket.

[celebrity]

Melissa you make this day sound wonderful. Including the 60 minute challenge. I don't remember seeing that, but then again there is so much to do on the compass. We did do Pisa and Florence. Florence was beautiful. Pisa was just ok. There was nothing there other than the church and the tower and we did not have enough time to go into either one. I would recommend skipping Pisa. There were gypsies in Pisa and they are pretty brazen. We were warned by our guide to watch out for them and not to trust anyone who got too close or offered to do you a favour. Do not allow anyone outside of your group to take a picture of your party. They'll just take off with your camera. Someone, approached us and luckily we were forewarned. The gypsies tried to pick pocket two people from our tour. A mother held up a sign in front of a man's face while her children tried to pick his pocket.

 

Thanks for the warning. I had no idea. Sad world we live in. :(

[denisey]

Oh Yay! Another great Serenade review, just started and I can't wait to see what happens!