Ocean princess venice to rome

[Bimmer09]

Yes, Marasaxlokk was wonderfully colorful! Rita took us to Marasaxlokk first to avoid the anticipated crowds at St. John's.

I used CC almost exclusively for a cruise we took in the Caribbean in 2012. To find excursion tour companies, as well as the cruise itself. This time around, I found myself using TripAdvisor more. Because this particular OP med cruise had three overlapping cruises, the roll call I thought was a little sparse. Maybe the smaller ship resulted in a smaller pool of CC people.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/128837730@N02/15417510470/

 

I looked at your Venice album on flickr-saw you visited the Frari Church too!

 

That was indeed a long trek to the ship after security (we had luggage too). Was there a Ship Shuttle to St Mark's? Never saw a sign or tickets for one.

 

The roll call for my cruise died on the vine about a month out and was bogged down in a who wants to join our private excursion thread-so I lost interest.

 

I used Trip Ad. when choosing hotels this time and for Da Raffaele and in fact when I got back wrote up a review of Rome in Limo (Oct 6th under screen name Bavarian Chicago USA). I hadn't written a review in 6 years or so and TA tagged me as a "senior reviewer" LOL. Needless to say some of my old TA reviews are of epic length.

 

Norris, off to the Opera tonight

[MMDown Under]

Yes scones and tea only please!

 

I hope the room steward helped himself when he took away the dishes later (that's his task not Room Service as they are quick to tell you.)

 

Norris, in a Scone mood right now.

 

 

I used Trip Ad. when choosing hotels this time and for Da Raffaele and in fact when I got back wrote up a review of Rome in Limo (Oct 6th under screen name Bavarian Chicago USA). I hadn't written a review in 6 years or so and TA tagged me as a "senior reviewer" LOL. Needless to say some of my old TA reviews are of epic length.

 

Norris, off to the Opera tonight

 

I'm sure he did. I'm actually off to morning tea, with scones, jam and cream this morning, which is fitting after seeing your photo.

 

I also use Trip Ad. to verify my choice of hotels/tours, as well, and put in the odd review when I think one is justified. I noticed that I was tagged as a "senior reviewer" also. :)

 

Hope you enjoyed the Opera.

[ar1950]

........................

I was surprised at how few people had even heard of Cruisecritic among those I spoke to. Hopefully they followed my written instructions on how to find it and will use it as a resource.

 

Norris

 

And then there others of us who are a little slow on the uptake (raising hand here). I joined in 2010 and then didn't even use it for the cruise we were taking back then. I only re-engaged before our ill-fated Hawaii cruise that didn't happen in Feb of 2013. I really found out how useful it was in the fall of that year when we actually did a Hawaii cruise. Now I won't leave home without it (or at least not without doing a lot of pre-cruise research on it). Thanks to all who contribute, we have learned a lot! :cool:

 

The information about potential new destinations (pictures always appreciated, too) and memories of past destinations are great as well!

Edited October 23, 2014 by ar1950

[SpinnerCOyyy]

We had Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, and half day Sunday for Venice. I had purchased 72 hour vaporetto passes online which we converted to the "real" passes to get around. We also purchased city passes which got us into city owned museums and churches, wifi access for 72 hours, and public toilet passes 2 for each of us.

We used Viator private boat from airport to hotel on arrival day. We stayed at Ca'Gottardi in the Cannaregio district. The Viator private boat included meeting rep inside the terminal, escort to where the taxi's are lined up, and delivery to the hotel. The hotel agreed to open their back door, which meant we were dropped off with our luggage inside the basement of the hotel. No dragging our luggage over bridges!

Friday afternoon we went to St. Marks Square. We had purchased skip the line passes into St. Marks Basilica for 4:30. Highly recommend doing this as there were zero people in the skip line. Walked right up, and right in.

Saturday was Frari. It was a bit of a walk from Vaparetto stop San Toma, but it was a fresh new day so we thought we were golden. Turned out there was a wedding in the Frari on Saturday, so we had to go find some lunch before it would be open to the public again. After about 1:00 p.m., it was reopened for tourist and we went in to view the splendor. And enormity!

After touring Frari, it was back to the hotel to grab our bags (we had checked out before we left, but they held our bags for us). We then took a water taxi arranged by the hotel to the ship port to check in.

I'm still trying to figure out how to post pictures. I've tried a number of different angles, but the system is telling me my pictures are too big. Then in the my photos section, says my pictures were uploaded successfully, but I don't have authorization to view them. I usually use Imgur, but joined Flickr in an attempt to get CC to accept them. What am I missing?

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

Turned out there was a wedding in the Frari on Saturday, so we had to go find some lunch before it would be open to the public again. After about 1:00 p.m., it was reopened for tourist and we went in to view the splendor. And enormity!

After touring Frari, it was back to the hotel to grab our bags (we had checked out before we left, but they held our bags for us). We then took a water taxi arranged by the hotel to the ship port to check in.

I'm still trying to figure out how to post pictures. I've tried a number of different angles, but the system is telling me my pictures are too big. Then in the my photos section, says my pictures were uploaded successfully, but I don't have authorization to view them. I usually use Imgur, but joined Flickr in an attempt to get CC to accept them. What am I missing?

 

Yesterday, after days of ease and success, when sharing pics from the thumbnails that are shown in a horizontal bar on Flickr I was getting the "not authorized to view" message but if you click on the refresh (circular arrow on Mac) in the address line and re-click share the url link appears and you can copy then paste.

This problem wasn't present if I hit "back to album", found the pic I needed and had it dominant on my screen. Then hit share (curved arrow)

 

The expressions "really Flickr?" and "say what?" have become part of my Lexicon.

 

When it works it's a helpful tool though and I soldier on.

 

On the share screen you have to have chosen the 3rd choice-BBC code. In the list of sizes I used the test board on CC and settled on 1024 x 683 as big enough to fill the whole screen.

 

I hope this is understandable. Jasperdo and rdsqrl were very helpful in my battle with Flickr. My thanks to them!

 

We were in Frari at 9.30 Saturday morning so beat the crowds.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Here's a flawed video of our leaving Malta-flawed in that one of the early clips (20 secs in) is duplicated but it's just a few seconds long. It takes so long to get it on youtube again that I let it go.

 

It starts with the ship's horn and thereafter is pretty quiet.

 

 

The video cam was again on a tripod so I was free to take stills and shoot more video (to edit) than normal.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Malta disappeared over the horizon and we sailed toward Palermo rather than our hoped-for Tunis which would have been our first visit to Africa.

 

We had no excursions planned and my thought was just to go ashore, mosey around and enjoy some people-watching and a lunch at a cafe. The few meals we had in Italy all hit the spot. We don't often eat Italian food when dining out in Chicago.

 

Tonight, Wednesday, would be another MDR dinner. The card in my room for a comp dinner in Sabatini's had the wrong date on it, that much I had confirmed and had spoken to Roberto the Assistant Maitre 'd who booked us for an 8 pm on Thursday night after leaving Palermo.

 

I went up on deck. No glorious sunset.

 

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Once first seating dinner time hits the decks clear out so if you want the pool and hot tubs to yourself....

 

 

I love it when the lights come on

 



 

 

Ten minutes to seven p.m. These upper decks are usually quiet places to read or nap, as long as there isn't a band playing.

 

 

 

[SpinnerCOyyy]

Malta309 by rollingspinner, on Flickr

 

 

:eek:

[Bimmer09]

Photo is too large and needs to be 1024 x 683 otherwise readers have to scroll right to see it all.

 

Good photo though!

 

I used CCs test forum to see sizes.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Ok- another MDR dinner for you to see. Our waiter Oleg makes it into this one as he leads the Happy Birthday song (closest to camera-our busboy is far left).

 

Good food all week in the MDR once you applied salt and pepper and we had no complaints regarding our servers. They only had 4 tables to take care of which totaled maybe 16 to 18 people.

 

Stills and descriptions to follow if you can't follow my commentary clearly. Noisy room.

 

Norris

 

[SpinnerCOyyy]

Thank you for your photo posting help! I know that whatever I was doing, it was executed perfectly and wholly incorrectly. Now I won't hijack you're thread with my own photo posts. But I am going to mirror your style. I've been crafting my cruise review, however I will cut it into sections so as not to overwhelm. I am still following your thread, so keep up the excellent work!

[Bimmer09]

I love mushrooms so a mushroom tart with 3 different kinds (button are my favorite from way back) was a good appetizer for me.

 

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Carol's appetizer and I hope I described it on the video as I am drawing a blank..

 

 

Shrimp cocktail. Small shrimp but tasty nonetheless.

 

 

Caesar salad (no anchovies for me). I used the Pinot Grigio wine for light dishes like this and the Merlot for the meats. The wine glasses were way too small compared to a glass in a good restaurant but are probably easier (and of thicker glass) to put in an industrial dishwasher.

 

 

Tri tip roast beef with barbecue sauce on the side

 

[Bimmer09]

Orange Roughy-always a safe choice as Princess does fish well

 

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Black Forest Cake was on the menu and is one of my favorites as I am half-German (well 50% of my blood is usually Pilsner beer)

 

 

The fresh mint leaf was a nice touch.

 

After 6 Princess Cruises (see signature) I can take my hat off (even though I don't wear one) to the standard of shipboard cuisine. Most of it is cooked a la minute (soups and salads obviously not) unlike say wedding buffet food. Is it as good as a quality restaurant on land where you'll pay $200 for two? Not at all but it is included in the price of your ticket. Try staying in a hotel on land and eating this many good meals a day without having to get into a car and tip a valet or try cooking this many meals yourself -breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and late night snack to this standard and then imagine the time spent shopping, peeling, taking the trash out, boiling, frying, grilling and then having to serve it yourself and scrape the plates and load them into the dishwasher....all that is taken care of on Princess. All you have to do is dress up in clean casual clothes, leave the "make up my room" sign for the nice room steward who greets you with a smile every day, walk maybe 50 yards to an elevator, go up or down a floor or two and then find your table. So easy.

 

Some on the ship, like my Kiwi friend Scotty, never ate in the MDR as he liked to dress casually and eat alone when he got hungry. His choice.

 

I only ate in the buffet once-lunch in Palermo- and it is a viable alternative to the MDR, lacking only in ambiance and sense of occasion which a sit-down dinner is for me. It's not the buffet in the Bellagio, Las Vegas, but you will find many delicious treats in a Princess Buffet plus waiter service for drinks which is not always a given on other Cruise Lines.

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Norris,

Thanks for taking the time to write another adventure novel for us to live vicariously through. I'm a little late to the game, but have already made it through half of the write-up so far.

 

I got hooked on your reports with your CB review from January, while we were preparing for our first cruise on her. Now, I just look for anything that says Bimmer09.

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

Thanks for taking the time to write another adventure novel for us to live vicariously through. I'm a little late to the game, but have already made it through half of the write-up so far.

 

I got hooked on your reports with your CB review from January, while we were preparing for our first cruise on her. Now, I just look for anything that says Bimmer09.

 

Rob- better late than never! I haven't even made it through half the "adventure novel" yet as I leave it until the very end to look back and I only see my video an hour before everyone else as I haven't had the time to devote to a single sitting. We have been busy with life since we returned from Italy but we long to go back again and soon.

 

I am glad you read the CB review before you sailed on her and hope it proved helpful. Every little bit of info, every photo and video is a help I think. I know I do as much research as I can on a new to-me ship. Once I am on board my brain pretty much turns to sleep mode. Carol leaps into Miss Organizer mode and I am thankful for it. I need those elevator rugs that tell you what day of the week it is.

 

The Ocean Princess review has very few readers compared to my CB review. Maybe the ship isn't as interesting as a Super Grand Class and the Itinerary won't draw as many readers as a Caribbean one. Europe is a long flight away and is very expensive once you get there and is not the "impulse cruise" a sailing from Miami or FLL might be. I look at the Ocean as almost a well-kept secret.

She is the opposite of Big and Brassy and for me, instantly likable despite the staff not being as on-their-game as the big ships.

 

Our initial impressions of their organization were poor and we paid the most we have ever paid for the cruise-the boarding process was a debacle and I may have maimed some crew with my withering British sarcasm that night. Off on the wrong foot but that soon was cured by meeting some fun-loving Aussies and better members of staff.

 

If I had no regrets on leaving the ship it isn't a reflection of the ship and crew but entirely due to being excited to visit Rome and being in the hands of the superlative people of Rome in Limo.

 

All that will come later but in the meantime you will have to read on....

 

Good to see you here. Your name is obviously a reference to Indiana which we drive through twice a week on our way to our home in Michigan. I bought my beloved BMW in Indiana too but he is getting his face repaired in South Bend after someone backed into him at a traffic light in Chicago.

 

Great to see you here!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

As you saw in the video Wednesday night after Malta was Inernational Crew Talent show on the Ocean and those we always attend.

 

Sitting in the 2nd row as we usually did in the Cabaret Lounge was not the place to whip out the camcorder and video the performances -some of which were worth recording. Some poor souls got lost at sea due to nerves alas but the audience lifted their spirits at the end.

 

Some hammed it up nicely and had the crowd with them-one of the Jnr Engineers whose wife and kids were onboard sang a Queen song with some dance moves.

One of the young Bridge Officers from England played piano very well given the fact that his cabin is likely too small to have a baby Grand set up.

 

The best singer-no surprise to us was a Philippino girl called Michelle with a great voice under any circumstances. There was also a young Philippino guy from the laundry who delighted the crowd.

 

All of these great acts were followed by the CD Peter Roberts and the Asst. CD the multi-talented Jason Parsons in a funny musically skit where Jason sang and Peter kept interrupting him to make the lyrics more "politically correct".

 

Of course the evening ended with that corny old Princess chestnut from the Holiday Camps of the UK- If I were not upon the Sea. Cheap guffaws.

 

Go to bed laughing is the motto and we certainly did.

 

The Cabaret Lounge emptying after an SRO show is really the only time you will see a crowd on the Ocean Princess. There are only 2 immediate elevators so I would recommend using the stairs and walking back to your cabin. No matter where you are living on the ship it isn't very far away.

 

In the cabaret lounge you will have a table to set your drinks on and there is ample room between rows to pass others already enjoying the show. Another plus.

 

We slept well as always and awoke when we were still a mile from the harbor. It had rained during the night.

 

Clouds hung low over the mountainous coastline of Palermo as we made our way around the breakwater and into port

 

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Cranes! Ferries and cargo ships! A working port! Those we love.

 

 

 

 

MSC Lirica wasn't far behind

 

[Bimmer09]

Deep Sea Lifting Cranes- each jib is 140 ft long and each can lift 7,000 tonnes.

It is the 2nd largest Ship Crane in the World and is used to assemble oil rigs on site around the world.

 

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Drydocks and floating docks are found-a hive of industry

 

 

Looking at the morning sky I was glad we weren't going on a tour soon after docking.

 

 

We were at breakfast in Sabatini's when we saw this out the window

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Here's a video I shot soon after the Lyrica docked.

 

I was back on the outdoor deck of the buffet getting coffee when the sky opened.

I made my way from there to the smoking tables back by the pool without getting wet. While I was there I realized that the furniture on our deck was exposed as we had pulled it away from the overhangs in Malta and went inside and through the ship to our cabin.

 

Yes the padded loungers were in harm's way and getting drenched so I had to go out there and get soaked moving them away from the rail. Then I took all the padded cushions and laid them over the chairs upside down to drip dry.

 

Then I dried myself and put on fresh clothes.

 

Some folks were already off the ship on excursions and some had gone for a stroll into town....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK_DZ8_Cpj0&list=UUEvSQGerlsdVQOEeOV7rNlw

[I_r_a]

Looking forward to more, Norris.

 

Thanks

 

Ira

[Bimmer09]

Looking forward to more, Norris.

 

Thanks

 

Ira

 

Well I can certainly guarantee you MORE Ira.

 

We are taking a long fall drive up the coast of Michigan on Saturday-Mission Fall Foliage on the beautiful Mission Peninsula. Staying in a winery atop a hill and have reservations in some restaurants recommended by Mario Batali (famous chef who has a home in the area) and I am trying to get as much on screen as I can before then.

 

Glad you are still reading.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

While it was raining Carol found herself a cosy spot where she could watch the weather and stay dry- the Library just above the bandstand at the pool.

 

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[ar1950]

Here's a video I shot soon after the Lyrica docked.

 

........................................

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK_DZ8_Cpj0&list=UUEvSQGerlsdVQOEeOV7rNlw

 

 

Video link does not seem to be linking. Only get a general YouTube page when trying it. :confused:

[Bimmer09]

Video link does not seem to be linking. Only get a general YouTube page when trying it. :confused:

 

Ok try this

 

 

Should work now!

 

Thanks for the heads-up!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

On a port-intensive cruise it's unlikely you'll find much time to visit the library on a ship. In port on a rainy day though it's a fine place to curl up with a good book, or in Carol's case good Kindle. Reading is good for the soul and a great escape from whatever is around you. I hope it catches on.

 

The view from the wall of library windows

 

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The beautiful ceiling

 

 

 

Cards? Scrabble? ( I am a champ) Jigsaw? anyone?

 

 

[Bimmer09]

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Lots of travel books including some by Rick Steves

 

 

 

You'll find it on deck 10