Sensational Serenade 12 night Med with Venice overnight and Montenegro Review.

[Irish Cath]

Thankfully the ferry ride went without incident but I sure was glad to see Amalfi approaching. We had decided on Amalfi and Ravello today as we have previously spent a week in Sorrento and had visited Pompeii, Vesuvius, Herculaneum and Positano at that time and so wanted to try somewhere new.

 

 

We had a little wander around the harbour area when we arrived and I admit that I momentarily had my head turned by the allure of some sun beds on a little beach area.

 

 

 

Dragged away by the promise of food we found a tabacchi shop and purchased our bus tickets for our trip up to Ravello. Already the day was getting very warm and I scoffed down a reviving banana as we waited for the bus. Now I knew that this 20 to 30 minute journey would be hair rising but I really wasn’t quite ready for it today. I did indeed close my eyes and recite a selection of prayers as we swerved around hairpin bends. It actually didn’t really matter if the bus driver had his eyes closed too because most of the time he was completely blind to what might be approaching. Honk your horn and hope for the best was a strategy that seemed to work well. He obviously had somewhere he needed to be because he was in the most tremendous rush, Sunday lunch at his Mama’s maybe.

 

A view I caught with one eye open

 

 

 

 

Stepping off the bus in Ravello I wasn’t sure that I would make it back down. Looking around and catching my first view of the Amalfi coast from up here I wasn’t sure if I cared that I might not make it back down.

 

[Irish Cath]

Our first stop in Ravello was Villa Rufolo the jewel in the crown of the immense historical and architectonic heritage of Ravello. Built in the 13th Century in its prime it had ‘more rooms than there are days in the year’. Today, some of the villa has been eroded by time and neglect. Nevertheless, it is easy to imagine how impressive this structure must have been and walking around you still can glimpse many architectural masterpieces.

 

The Cortille or Moorish Courtyard.

 

 

The tower and garden pavilion.

 

The stage was being assembled for the annual Ravello festival

[Irish Cath]

Of course the most outstanding aspect of the Villa is Il Giardino or should I say the indescribable beauty presented in front of you from one of the many viewing platforms in the garden. We must have stood for half an hour, mostly silent at the magnificence of the Sea and Coast in front of us. We laughed how this trip kept outdoing itself. In just four days now we had moved from Villefranche to Cingue Terre and now here we are in Amalfi each place blowing us away with its beauty only to be out done by our next port of call. I may have shed a tear here at the sheer appreciation for what was in front of me and also for how fortunate I was feeling right now.

 

 

 

 

 

[mj]

Beautiful pictures. Taking a private tour from Rome in Limo that takes us to Amalfi Coast, Positano, and Ravello.

 

Thanks again for sharing your journey.

[Irish Cath]

Beautiful pictures. Taking a private tour from Rome in Limo that takes us to Amalfi Coast, Positano, and Ravello.

 

Thanks again for sharing your journey.

 

Thank you MJ and I am glad you like my photos. You will love Ravello, its a wonderful little place.

[windjamming]

Irish Cath, your review is so vivid and charming and FUN that it's like you're taking us along with you. From the beauty of each of the ports to the gelato to even the hangovers, you make it all sound like a ball.

 

OH, but what I'm truly thankful for is your post of the fried seafood in Cinque Terre. You see, I had planned to get a similar fried goodness at Amalfi, at a place that had come highly recommended from TripAdvisor (yes, because that's where I track down fried seafood places in Italy). Alas we were there on an Italian national holiday, and it was closed! I was so sad!! But through the joys of vicarious cruising, I feel like I've at least experienced it a bit.

 

Thank you again for the time and effort you're putting into the review. Very appreciated, and very much enjoyed!!

[Irish Cath]

Irish Cath, your review is so vivid and charming and FUN that it's like you're taking us along with you. From the beauty of each of the ports to the gelato to even the hangovers, you make it all sound like a ball.

 

OH, but what I'm truly thankful for is your post of the fried seafood in Cinque Terre. You see, I had planned to get a similar fried goodness at Amalfi, at a place that had come highly recommended from TripAdvisor (yes, because that's where I track down fried seafood places in Italy). Alas we were there on an Italian national holiday, and it was closed! I was so sad!! But through the joys of vicarious cruising, I feel like I've at least experienced it a bit.

 

Thank you again for the time and effort you're putting into the review. Very appreciated, and very much enjoyed!!

 

Hey windjamming

Again,thanks so much for saying all those nice things about my review. As you know too well they are so time consuming and it's such a nice feeling to read that people are enjoying /reliving /learning something from it.

 

I guess I'm happy for you that you at least get to see what the fried fish would have looked like :eek: poor you, I do remember reading that part of the review where you were fortunate enough to find a sign for the shop but very unfortunate that it should be closed. Fried fish that good is reason enough to return to amalfi!

Unfortunately there won't be any new installments until next week from me as I'm very lucky to be in Portugal at the moment on a scaled back version of the trip we cancelled in order to cruise. I'm a very lucky girl!

[denisey]

Wow! Enjoy Portugal Cath!

 

I've been so enjoying your post. The Amalfi Coast pix are great, especially since I don't think I will ever make it there (seasickness on little boats and in cars on windy roads!)

[crvng4mr]

Love it and waiting for more!!!!!

[Irish Cath]

Wow! Enjoy Portugal Cath!

 

I've been so enjoying your post. The Amalfi Coast pix are great, especially since I don't think I will ever make it there (seasickness on little boats and in cars on windy roads!)

 

Thanks Denise. We're having a ball, our last bit of sunshine (probably ;-)) before the long wet Irish winter. Ya know you should never say never, you may just make it to the amalfi coast one day, you should look into super strength anti nausea meds. I promise to get back to the review as soon as I'm home, maybe some more photos of amalfi will make you more determined to get there.

[Irish Cath]

Love it and waiting for more!!!!!

 

Straight back to it as soon as I'm home, pinky promise. Looking forward to catching up on you and Melissa's also. And then we have stefs to look forward to! September nights are looking good!

[stefanny28]

Dear Catherine;

 

I just love reading your review. And the pictures are so gorgeous...

More ideas for my excursions next year :-)))

I can't wait to read about Venice, Ravenna amd Kotor. Those are the ports that I have no idea what to do.

 

Stefanny

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Cath,

 

Just checking back in. Caught up with the review....oh my God, your Amalfi pictures are breathtaking! Lol -- we actually had a tiny bit of sun in Ireland as well;) --- but I guess the temperatures in Portugal were a little warmer:o. But I won't tell any more now...you 'll have to wait:). Love your review -- come back soon!

 

Stef

[tradewind2424]

Hi Catherine;

 

We just got off the Liberty of the Seas barely 6 days ago.

Just got back to Montreal, Canada and we are still jet lagged.

 

We are traveling with a teenage daughter and she did not want to get off the ship.

So as soon as I got back, I started looking into our next summer cruise. Yes, it has to be an European cruise since we fell in love with Europe.

 

Did you like the Serenade ? I think the Vision is in the same class.

Was there a lot of teenagers? If yes, DD will be happy.

 

I just called my travel agent to let her know that I want to book this cruise but she has not called back yet.

 

I can't wait for your review. We just visited Villefranche, Florence, Rome and Capri less than a week ago and we are looking forward to see Venice, Ravenna and Kotor for the first time.

I did some research on what to do in Ravenna and I can't find much. We usually do our own tour, not with the ship.

Is there anything you think I shouldn't miss in Ravenna and Kotor?

What did you do in Venice?

 

Sorry to ask so many questions. I like to start the excitement of the trip by planning things and reading up on what we are going to visit.

 

Have a nice evening.

 

Stefanny

 

PS: I forgot to tell you that we were planning to fly to Londond a few days before the cruise, maybe 3-4 days, then fly to Barcelona and get on the ship.

So actually, I have to plan for 2 trips (London and cruise) at the same time.

Any suggestion on what to do, where to stay in London?

 

Hi Stefanny,

My family was also on this cruise, we traveled with our teenage daughter (18). I just stumbled on this review so I have only ready the first few posts and wanted to give you a response about the teenagers! This was our 2nd cruise on the Serenade of the Seas. Our daughter was 16 on our previous cruise in 2012. There were not as many teenagers on this cruise as there were on the 2012 cruise and I think the major difference was the time of the year that you travel. The 2012 cruise was in July and there were many more families at that time. My daughter had the trip of a lifetime and met so many friends from all over the world. She was 16 at the time and was able to participate in the teen club. This teen club was divided by ages ( she was in the 15-17 age group) and they have their own special "club" area on the ship. There is a separate teen itinerary sent to the cabin each night along with the "adult" cruise compass. The curfew is 1 AM for anyone under 18. They had so much fun playing games, dancing and just hanging out on the ship. They were not required to stay in the teen club. This 2nd cruise left 06/04/2014 and there were significantly less families traveling with teenagers. I presume that most schools were still in session. However, there were about 20 or so of them and they all found each other by the 5th day. Our DD, being 18, was no longer eligible for the teen club. Her age group all seemed to gather in the Vortex around 11 PM and they danced the night away.......We were told on the ship that there were significantly more children/teenagers scheduled for the next cruise following our return. So here are my recommendations regarding teenagers:

#1. Consider your departure month in regards to families and when they are in or out of school

#2. Make sure that your teenager goes to the teen club, especially the first night. It is a great way to meet other teens on the ship

#3. I thought 1 AM was way too late for a curfew, however, after a few nights of her safe return to our cabin, I learned to just let it go.......I just asked that she be ready to go for the next days tour!

#4. As Irish Cath stated, this is a trip of a lifetime, so sign up for this cruise. We liked it so much the first time that we went again 2 years later to enjoy the alternate itinerary! It is a great way to spend some quality time together as a family.

Hope this is helpful!

Susan

[Irish Cath]

Dear Catherine;

 

I just love reading your review. And the pictures are so gorgeous...

More ideas for my excursions next year :-)))

I can't wait to read about Venice, Ravenna amd Kotor. Those are the ports that I have no idea what to do.

 

Stefanny

 

Thanks Stefanny,

 

Venice, Ravenna and Kotor coming soon !

[Irish Cath]

Hi Cath,

 

Just checking back in. Caught up with the review....oh my God, your Amalfi pictures are breathtaking! Lol -- we actually had a tiny bit of sun in Ireland as well;) --- but I guess the temperatures in Portugal were a little warmer:o. But I won't tell any more now...you 'll have to wait:). Love your review -- come back soon!

 

Stef

 

Fabulous, you were here on the one sunny day of the Summer ! Lol, actually when the sun shines in Ireland there's no where more wonderful. Looking forward to hearing about it ( and seeing pics ). Yes it was difficult coming back from 30 degree C in Portugal to 16 deg C here - I need to get back to this review to dream about sunnier places...

[Irish Cath]

Hi Stefanny,

My family was also on this cruise, we traveled with our teenage daughter (18). I just stumbled on this review so I have only ready the first few posts and wanted to give you a response about the teenagers! This was our 2nd cruise on the Serenade of the Seas. Our daughter was 16 on our previous cruise in 2012. There were not as many teenagers on this cruise as there were on the 2012 cruise and I think the major difference was the time of the year that you travel. The 2012 cruise was in July and there were many more families at that time. My daughter had the trip of a lifetime and met so many friends from all over the world. She was 16 at the time and was able to participate in the teen club. This teen club was divided by ages ( she was in the 15-17 age group) and they have their own special "club" area on the ship. There is a separate teen itinerary sent to the cabin each night along with the "adult" cruise compass. The curfew is 1 AM for anyone under 18. They had so much fun playing games, dancing and just hanging out on the ship. They were not required to stay in the teen club. This 2nd cruise left 06/04/2014 and there were significantly less families traveling with teenagers. I presume that most schools were still in session. However, there were about 20 or so of them and they all found each other by the 5th day. Our DD, being 18, was no longer eligible for the teen club. Her age group all seemed to gather in the Vortex around 11 PM and they danced the night away.......We were told on the ship that there were significantly more children/teenagers scheduled for the next cruise following our return. So here are my recommendations regarding teenagers:

#1. Consider your departure month in regards to families and when they are in or out of school

#2. Make sure that your teenager goes to the teen club, especially the first night. It is a great way to meet other teens on the ship

#3. I thought 1 AM was way too late for a curfew, however, after a few nights of her safe return to our cabin, I learned to just let it go.......I just asked that she be ready to go for the next days tour!

#4. As Irish Cath stated, this is a trip of a lifetime, so sign up for this cruise. We liked it so much the first time that we went again 2 years later to enjoy the alternate itinerary! It is a great way to spend some quality time together as a family.

Hope this is helpful!

Susan

 

Thanks so much for this very informative post Susan. We are considering doing this same cruise again next year we loved the itinerary so much.

[crvng4mr]

Yeah, where have you been? Lol

[Irish Cath]

Yeah, where have you been? Lol

 

More to come later today ( provided I don't drink too many glasses of wine first) :D:o

[PathfinderEss]

Great review and awesome photo's. Thanks for posting.:)

[Irish Cath]

After spending a significant amount of time admiring the sheer beauty of the coast from Villa Rufolo we reluctantly left the garden. To be fair, this small town was also pretty as a picture and a joy to walk around.

 

 

 

Although that ‘walk around’ didn’t take more than 10 minutes and that was at the very slow pace my weary body would allow. Not unlike any other Italian settlement, the town’s main square is flanked by a Cathedral.

 

Duomo Square

 

 

The Duomo is dedicated to San Pantaleone and we had intended on visiting to witness the relics of the saint which are behind the altar. Being Sunday there seemed to be a service in progress so we felt it would be wrong to breathe alcoholic fumes on the congregation. We sat and enjoyed an obligatory gelato and then made our way to a viewing point only this time with an inland vista. Along the way we passed some of the boutiques selling ceramics for which the town is famed.

 

 

 

How would I fit this on the bus to get it back down the hill !

 

 

 

 

Gazing inland now we were surprised by how populated this hilly area appeared to be. Again, here we were in a spectacular place where human life is perched precariously up and down steep valley walls. A shining testament to the tenacity of the human spirit.

 

[Irish Cath]

Soon it was time to bite the bullet and board the bus back down. Feeling a little braver I managed to open my eyes for a few pictures. What a spectacular area this is and I just wish I was quick enough to snap some of the views of Amalfi as we approached the town from this angle.

 

Twisty turny.

 

Down and down we went.

 

The bus dropped us back near the harbour and we decided it was time to seek our lunch. Feeling famished after last night’s antics I decided I needed a huge portion of carbs and Ger said he knew just the place! As the only planning he had really done for this trip was either food or drink related I knew he wasn’t about to let me down. We made our way past Piazza Duomo, which is unsurprisingly the heart of the town, and up one of the narrow alleyways to a tiny pizzeria, which was not much more than a hole in the wall.

 

 

You gotta eat here !

 

 

We made our selection from the small menu and watched as the young husband and wife team quickly assembled and baked our choices. This was a perfect lesson in Italian culture in itself. What was produced after 7 or 8 minutes deserved a Michelin star – in my humble ravenous opinion.

 

Exceptionally ccrumptious thin crust with a fresh sweet tomato sauce and oozing creamy cheese. Yummo.

 

May I please note that the beer in the above picture is not mine ;)

Edited August 30, 2014 by Irish Cath

[crvng4mr]

Love it!

[Irish Cath]

After lunch we made our way back towards Piazza Duomo, stopping in souvenir shops and the many fruit and vegetable stores to admire the lemons which this area is famed for, some of which were almost the size of my head, almost. Amalfi is also famed for a high quality handmade paper. From the main square there are signs directing you towards the Museo della Carta which is housed in an ancient paper mill. This wasn’t our idea of fun so we gave it a miss and made our way towards the Cathedral which in all honesty wasn’t really our idea of fun either but we couldn’t visit Amalfi and not see its famous Cathedral!

Dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew the Amalfi Cathedral is a 9th Century structure overlooking the Piazza Duomo from high atop 62 steep steps. The façade of the Cathedral is very unique with striped marble, Byzantine in style. The bell tower on the left has a highly elaborate top with four turrets at the corners surrounding a central cupola. Although it is not very evident from my photo all are decorated with green and yellow tiles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again I have no photos of the interior of the Cathedral so although I cannot remember I assume photos are forbidden. The interior is as impressive as one would imagine from the outside with paintings on the walls and ceiling depicting the life and miracles of St. Andrew. Inside the Cathedral there is entrance to the Cloister of Paradise and indeed what a fitting name. This place is certainly the highlight of the Cathedral for me. Built in the 1200’s, there are white marble columns with a beautiful garden area in the centre. Its purpose was to house the tombs of Amalfi's wealthy merchants. A shelter from the stifling afternoon temperatures this really was a little part of paradise.

 

 

 

 

 

From the Cloisters we made our way into the Basilica of the Crucifix dating from the 9th Century and which now house’s a museum and treasury. Here there is an interesting display of religious paraphernalia and artefacts many of which are hundreds of years old. Stairs from this small museum descend into the Crypt of Saint Andrew where the Saints relics are kept. These relics were brought here in 1206 from Constantinople. There is some evidence that a liquid or ‘Manna’ seeps from the Saint’s tomb annually which is collected in a vile. We spent a little time here enjoying the silence of this sacred place before making our way back into the Cathedral and finally back out into the atrium to be treated to a great view of Piazza Duomo.

 

 

The alter where Saint Andrews relics are kept.

[Irish Cath]

Soon it was time to make our way towards the harbour to catch our ferry back to Salerno. We purchased our ticket from a lady in a little hut whom surprisingly had the facility to take debit cards. We were a little early and my head was pounding from the strong afternoon sun. There was absolutely no shelter in the harbour area and the glistening sea gently lapping against the low harbour wall was very inviting. I had to remind myself that I could not swim. But, feeling very brave and way too hot, I taught to myself I can at least paddle! Sitting precariously along the harbour the cool water around my swollen ankles was just heavenly.

 

 

 

Soon the ferry arrived from Positano and as we boarded I was more than surprised when Ger said oh look there’s Ron! I mean who doesn’t bump into people on a ferry in Amalfi that they are chums with! Turns out they had been chatting the previous day in the Schooner bar on board when both were waiting on their wives. Ya see girls it’s good to keep your partner waiting sometimes – it helps them make new friends.

 

The journey back was way too quick as we enjoyed our last views of this glorious coastline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived in the little ferry harbour back in Salerno we were glad that our new friends were with us as we realised we had no idea how to find our way back to the complimentary port shuttle. First we all had a wonder around a large gypsy market which had lots of fake sunglasses and other such tat. The walk to the shuttle was thankfully completely flat and basically followed along parallel to the harbour. Everybody on the shuttle seemed to be in real jovial spirits but all absolutely exhausted by a mixture of busy days and the high temperatures. As I sat down I commented how I was looking forward to a long shower and someone from two seats forwards shouting ‘don’t use all of the hot water’. It was one of those moments where I was reminded that even though there was maybe close to 4000 people on the ship from over 50 countries we all had so much in common and was predominately here to enjoy ourselves. Just like one big cruising family.

Back on board we enjoyed sail away for one very last glimpse of the Amalfi Coast. After a casual dinner the activities of last night had caught up with us so we did something we have never done before. We paid $12.95 for an in room movie. We watched Orange Osage County and ate snacks and had a very pleasant evening.

 

Waving goodbye to Amalfi.