Back to Black and the Med too.... Live from the Prinsendam

[Vict0riann]

I'll be interested to hear what happens with the bottles of wine you let them keep! Might try the same thing.

[innlady1]

Thanks, Jacqui, for such a wonderful blog. I'm enjoying reading about your adventure.

 

I, too, will be interested to hear what happens with your wine. In February, we're doing two separate cruises on the Ryndam (instead of a Collectors). Our mutual TA told me that would be a good idea since the 7 day segment may go on sale.

 

So I was wondering what would happen if I brought wine on board and stored it...they deliver the last night...

[sppunk]

Jacqui, great reporting! Loving your blog, much better than mine!

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Jacqui, for such a wonderful blog. I'm enjoying reading about your adventure.

 

I, too, will be interested to hear what happens with your wine. In February, we're doing two separate cruises on the Ryndam (instead of a Collectors). Our mutual TA told me that would be a good idea since the 7 day segment may go on sale.

 

So I was wondering what would happen if I brought wine on board and stored it...they deliver the last night...

 

 

Probably.......

let us know. :)

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

We were on the cruise prior to hers, and they were vigilant about accounting for wine/spirits people brought aboard at each port. I felt sorry for the poor crew member who manned the table, as he got an earful from folks who were unaware of the policy. One of our stops was in Porto, Portugal and many of the ship's tours included a tour of a port wine cellar and tastings, and of course lots available to purchase. There's were some unhappy folks that day!

Edited September 28, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[kazu]

I'll be interested to hear what happens with the bottles of wine you let them keep! Might try the same thing.

 

I will certainly report. I don't expect to get it until the end of the collectors' cruise which is fine, but we shall see.

 

Jacqui, great reporting! Loving your blog, much better than mine!

 

Yours was fabulous. I wish I had your skill:D

 

Spoke to Captain Andre last night so I have some additional info on the Nieuw Amsterdam tender issue. Ni will post it on that thread.

 

Oh, and before I forget the couple that missed the ship in Monaco are now back on board! They got on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Monaco when it arrived in Livorno, they took the train dorm there to Civi and are now back on board.

[northernphoenix]

Probably.......

 

let us know. :)

 

 

 

 

 

On the Statendam, August 17th, our stored wine was delivered to our stateroom around 7.

Marilyn

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[1of4]

 

Oh, and before I forget the couple that missed the ship in Monaco are now back on board! They got on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Monaco when it arrived in Livorno, they took the train dorm there to Civi and are now back on board.

 

I can't imagine what was worth the hassle.

 

Back on point, fantastic travel blog Kazu. Next best to being on board seeing it all for myself.:)

[Vict0riann]

We had a couple miss the ship last year in Malaga. They had to overnight there, then got a car and driver to take them to the next port the next day, just along the coast, still in Spain. No problem, I think they enjoyed themselves. Fortunately, once you're in the EU, I don't think you even need your passports, but maybe you do to check into a hotel. I wonder?

Edited September 28, 2014 by Vict0riann

[sail7seas]

On the Statendam, August 17th, our stored wine was delivered to our stateroom around 7.

Marilyn

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

Thanks. :)

 

[LindaM]

Jacqui,

 

It's official. We made it to the playoffs for which we have tickets...all the way to the World Series. I am clairvoyant...good thing we canceled that cruise, because we would have been kicking ourselves. Next year, we do a TA in November, after baseball season!

 

I've been enjoying your writing...you are doing a brilliant job!

 

Linda

[blue whale]

Thank you for your report.

 

As you sail along, would you give your opinion of the ship's physical condition: elevators, heating/cooling system, sanitation system? thank you ahead of time.

 

Appreciate.

 

We may go next year on the same cruise.

 

D

[iancal]

We are currently visiting a small village on the island of Gozo, Malta.

 

Picked up an island tourist brochure. One page shows a full page photo of the Prinsendam..presumably arriving at the island. Never seen anything like this before.

[kazu]

Thank you for your report.

 

As you sail along, would you give your opinion of the ship's physical condition: elevators, heating/cooling system, sanitation system? thank you ahead of time.

 

Appreciate.

 

We may go next year on the same cruise.

 

D

 

 

Of course. Elevators are fine. No issues with the sanitation and an air conditioning surgeon ( as the captain called it) was brought on board in Civi for those rooms that had issues ( I only heard Of one, but one is enough for this ship. In fact we delayed leaving until he was on board.

 

The ship is looking in great shape to us. Service is fabulous and we are having a fantastic time

[kazu]

Well, Dh and I have done breakfast, lunch and dinner in the PG.

 

All three are getting a huge thumbs up from us so far.

 

Service is very good and attentive without being obtrusive.

 

Some of the service by our manager Elvira made me think back on a thread about tipping and what is exceptional service.

 

Here was our experience. When they said see you tomorrow after our dinner, we said no we wouldn't be at breakfast as we had to get off at 8:00 am and the Pg didn't open until 7:30.

Elvira said no, please come for 7:30. Tell me what you would like and I will have it ready for then And you won't be rushed. We arrived at 7:30 and coffee, juice were quickly delivered along with our omelettes. We enjoyed our breakfast and we're ready in time to get off.

 

What else have I seen?

 

People arrived late the other morning (closing times vary depending on if it is a port day or not.) and they were 15 minutes late. Elvira told them she would be happy to offer them

Continental breakfast and to please take a seat. She asked if they were having the same as usual and scurried to the kitchen. The couple had a hot breakfast. While she was in the kitchen another couple arrived and finding out it was closed proceeded to leave. When Elvira found out they had left, she went to find them and offered them coffee, juice and continental breakfast. ( by now the kitchen would have been closed).

 

That to me, is pretty dam good service.

 

The PG on this ship still shines for me.

 

We still have our Cellarmaster and Le Cirque dinner to do yet but somehow, I don't think we will be disappointed

 

By the way, that volcano chocolate thing is really good :)

[kazu]

Split

 

We arrived at Split at noon. This was designated as a tender port, but because of the Elegant Explorer's size, we were able to dock. :). We chuckled softly as we watched Celebrity's tenders going back and forth..also docked was the Azamara

 

Our guide Maja (pronounced Maya) was waiting for us. Gigianne had arranged this private walking tour. This was Our first time In Split so we were glad we had done so. The Ottomans did not reach Split but the impressions of the Romans and Venetians abound here.

 

Emperor Diocletian retired here and also had his mausoleum built here. He originally came from the sheep herders in this area and climbed his way up to be the Emperor of Rome. He was the only Roman Emperor to voluntarily retire.

 

The top part of the palace was destroyed over time but the subterranean area is very much intact. Because it was used as a dumping ground, it helped preserve the subterranean portion of the palace. When archaeologists dug it put they discovered many artifacts that told them about the daily lives of people as well as the palace itself. This area is fascinating. The ceilings are self supporting and the walls are built without mortar. Following the different rooms below, you can envision the rooms that would have been above.

 

Then we were on to his mausoleum which is now a church. Originally built to hold the emperor's sarcophagus, it became a church when the remains of St. Duje were brought there. No one knows what happened to the remains of the emperor, although the story goes that his remains were scattered in many places. There are several places where the Saint's remains are in the cathedral, one place for his bones by the altar which can be viewed on certain days and his ashes are in the sarcophagus. Once the Saint's bones remains were placed there the mausoleum became a Catholic Church and the decor and architecture are intermingled. The smallest church in Europe (I believe) and very unique.

 

Then we were off to Jupiter's temple and then to the main square of the palace. Sphinxes from Egypt are seen here. We went into a tunnel like area with wonderful architecture and fabulous acoustics as we listened to Dalmatian performers from the area. Moving on to the old quarter we were enraptured by our guides stories and insights.

 

At the end of the tour we had enough time to enjoy some of the local ambience and chose an outdoor spot to take a break. No euros here - only kuna or credit cards. Fortunately we had some, so we sampled some local wine And a desert. It was called frozen vanilla and lemon curd tart. Yum!!! Maja had told us that they do make good wine here but it is not exported as they do not make enough, so we tried a Malvazija to test it. Quite nice so as we walked back we kept our eye out for a place where we could pick up a bottle or two. We did indeed find some and happily paid the corkage fee to the ship and left a bottle in their care to have at the end of the journey. These are the types of wine we like to bring on board - the ones that aren't available at home.

 

Split is a very beautiful city. Filled with history, charm and gorgeous architecture. Totally different from Dubrovnik and so glad we had the chance to visit this magnificent place.

 

We had a marvelous day Here with a great guide and great company on our tour.

 

Tonight in the Showroom at Sea....Penny Mathisen. She's performed at the Sydney Opera house to London's West End, so we went to check it out. OMG - she was fabulous. What a voice! She had everyone cheering and No ONE was leaving the show room early. I hope she stays on and performs again. Absolutely wonderful.

 

And our Filipino crew show was tonight. Always fun!

[kazu]

Wow, it's Sunday the 28th - one week ago we had boarded! The time is flying by all too fast.

 

With so many tours booked Racenna looked like it should be an easy DIY port. Theoretically it is but......

 

The port was providing a shuttle that was supposed to leave every 30 minutes. To wait, you stand out in the sun. I don't know how long it took, but I can tell you that it was a lot longer than 30 minutes that we were waiting. Finally one shuttle arrived ( thank heavens we were at the beginning of the very long lineup) and we Were on our way. Ravenna does offer a hip hop on and off bus, but it isn't that large so we decided we would walk. We had maps, had researched and besides there were signs to the sites. There were also maps on boards everywhere. They had that dot at the bottom that said you are here but I discovered there was no dot on the map itself showing where here is. Hello?

 

We passed by a little market with the most gorgeous olives. He would only sell them if you tool so much. I said fine, we have lots of days left to eat them and got the mix and the real green ones. 13 euros! Ouch , but we are not in Ravenna every day. Even though it was Sunday some shops were open. Cruise ships do not frequent this port a lot. In fact the hip hop bus only runs on Saturdays and Sunday's and cruise days. And all the days were listed on their brochure.

 

As we headed to find Dante's tomb, I discovered that the signs pointing the way had stopped so we must have taken a wrong turn, but, here was a beautiful garden in front of us. We just had to stroll through it and at the end an intriguing church, Omg what a find. Exquisite withe mosaics that Ravenna is so famous for. We would have never found that on a hip hop and on bus. I asked the security guard for help in the direction and we headed off. Ran into fellow cruisers who had been to the tomb. We told them how to get to the church and we told them how to get to the tomb. It was worth the hunt. Now, to find those mosaics, but first we thought we had best have a light bite ( we docked at 10:00 am so didn't get to Ravenna until early 11:30)

 

Rounding the corner we ran into our fellow cruisers again! It seems on this day that as we went in what seemed to be circles sometimes we were bound to run into them a lot and a few others as well. We stopped at the square and found a table and tried this "light bite" for two. It had huge prawns, lovely salad and other munchies on it. It was beautiful. I took a pic of it and when we get to Corfu. I will try to figure out what I did wrong in Ravenna and upload some pics for you. One nice thing about Ravenna. Free wifi. Sadly the wifi in the port terminal stank. That seems to be the case I several of them which is a bit disappointing as you need to get back when you are relying on a shuttle, so I like to be back in a timely manner and use the wifi in port knowing I can get on the ship in two minutes.

 

We did find the mosaics after. Wow! Ticket for entry to the five spots is 9.50 euros whether you are going to one or all five, but it was so worth it IMO.

 

It's Hard to believe that some are nearly 2000 years old as the colours are still so bright. Some from 52 AD, 547 AD! Etc.

 

Tonight the Adagio put on a performance in the showroom. They created it themselves. You just can't miss a performance by this talented duo. They just add so much to this cruise. The weather was not kind to poor kazu's wrist But the warm air is helping now. Just glad I improved as much as I did before I tackled this.

 

Tomorrow is Venice so we wanted to eat earlier if we could as I was feeling a tad under the weather. PG was good enough to give us a reservation and it was a fantastic meal. Filet mignonette cooked to perfection and scrumptious. fabulous cedar salad and the lava volcano thing (which we never do) was delectable. We did it under the insistence of the staff and shared it and I dint regret one iota of the calories.

[ger_77]

It sounds like you're having a wonderful time onboard (and off) the Elegant Explorer. Thank you for providing these great travel reviews for the rest of us. I hope you're feeling better, and that your wrist doesn't cause you much discomfort.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

[puppycanducruise]

Loving your reports.

Thanks for taking us along.

Looking forward to reading more.

[Mtn2Sea]

Fantastic updates! Enjoying hearing about these out-of-the way places in such detail - my bucket list is growing.

[scubadawg]

THe Pinaccle Grill on the Pdam has the best manager (Elvyra) in the whole fleet imo....We were on the cruise before yours and ate there twice. Filet was the best I have had , cooked perfectly. The second time we went we casually mentioned that it was lobster night in the dining room, she said let me see what I can do as a surprise. She came back with a lobster appetizer that the chef had whipped up so we wouldnt miss the lobster! It was to die for! The chef also came out to chat with us the first dinner, very personable and I really got the feeling that he would do anything to make your dinner perfect! Elvyra had also been on the Noordam a few years ago and she was just as terriic on that ship.....

[MissShelllly]

I'm loving your reports Jacqui. Can't wait to hear what you did in Venice. I photographed your side of the ship as you sailed past St. Mark's Square (more than I've posted in a separate thread). Please let me know if you'd like any emailed to you.

 

Michelle.

[xjust4fun]

enjoy reading your trip report, fascinating............... educational.

[blue whale]

Thank you for the info about the ship itself. We are getting more certain that we will do so e back to backs next fall on prinsendam.

 

D

[kazu]

I'm loving your reports Jacqui. Can't wait to hear what you did in Venice. I photographed your side of the ship as you sailed past St. Mark's Square (more than I've posted in a separate thread). Please let me know if you'd like any emailed to you.

 

Michelle.

 

Thanks Michelle. What thread is this on Please? Sadly, I don't have time to look too much ;)

 

Thank you for the info about the ship itself. We are getting more certain that we will do so e back to backs next fall on prinsendam.

 

D

 

I should add that some workers were getting off at Corfu today. They were doing work that would Normally be done in a refit. Nothing wrong, they just want this ship up to snuff all the time.