Ocean princess venice to rome

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

Love keeping up with your thread. Two questions; Did you arrange private tours with other CC's or did you take ship's tours? Have you felt any vibration in your aft suite and if so,has it been annoying?

We willbe on the OP for 52 days in March.

Thanks

 

No private tours only Princess tours. The only place we have taken private tours is Alaska with Harv n Marv , Era Helicopters and Island Wings.

 

As we were much closer to the propellers on the Ocean P (versus our usual Caribe Deck Grand Class) yes there was vibration.

I noticed it when there was a metal room service tray with glasses and cutlery on it sitting on the dining room table in the cabin. Very noisy. Once I set it on the carpet it was quiet. Easy fix.

 

52 days? Wow. Half a World cruise?

 

Norris

[shredie]

Maria set a good pace and I am glad she did considering how crowded it became later in our walk.

 

The worst tour guide I even experienced was one named Maria in Pompeii. (Not your Maria!) She announced when we got there that she was going to keep ahead of the other guides so they wouldn't crowd her. She took us in through the back entrance and then whipped us along at such a fast pace, several people in our group got left behind more than once. When she had to slow down, she chastised the stragglers (mostly older people). She was very short in her commentary: "This is a villa. Let's move on." It was a nightmare. Someday I'm going back to see the place on my own without any guide. Yes, this was a Princess tour.

Edited November 2, 2014 by shredie

[Jasperdo]

Why do you think you'll never walk the streets of Pompeii in person?

Money. I'm retired, and really can't afford the airfare to Europe, plus the pre-cruise hotel, shore excursions, etc. I was fortunate to go to Europe four times while I still was working. (Never took a cruise there, though.) Just never got to Italy. Edited November 2, 2014 by Jasperdo

[Bimmer09]

The worst tour guide I even experienced was one named Maria in Pompeii. (Not your Maria!) She announced when we got there that she was going to keep ahead of the other guides so they wouldn't crowd her. She took us in through the back entrance and then whipped us along at such a fast pace, several people in our group got left behind more than once. When she had to slow down, she chastised the stragglers (mostly older people). She was very short in her commentary: "This is a villa. Let's move on." It was a nightmare. Someday I'm going back to see the place on my own without any guide. Yes, this was a Princess tour.

 

Wow-That certainly wasn't our Maria for sure as no one had any complaints about her. A poor guide can ruin your one and only chance to visit something like Pompeii. We got a good grasp of it so there is no need to go back in our case.

 

I would do it again without a tour but instead with a Rick Steves audio guide so you can stop and linger and contemplate and move on at your own pace.

 

I may not get back there as so many other places in Italy beckon. We WILL return to Rome, no question about that as it worked it's magic from minute one.

Bellagio would also give us a flavor of the lakes and Tuscany would be a must-do maybe by renting a villa or just driving through for a day or two. We like setting our own pace on driving holidays.

 

Thanks so much for commenting- getting responses helps me push on and want to show you more.

 

Norris

[SpinnerCOyyy]

The worst tour guide I even experienced was one named Maria in Pompeii. (Not your Maria!) She announced when we got there that she was going to keep ahead of the other guides so they wouldn't crowd her. She took us in through the back entrance and then whipped us along at such a fast pace, several people in our group got left behind more than once. When she had to slow down, she chastised the stragglers (mostly older people). She was very short in her commentary: "This is a villa. Let's move on." It was a nightmare. Someday I'm going back to see the place on my own without any guide. Yes, this was a Princess tour.

 

I understand completely how a snotty tour guide who rushes the group can ruin what should be a wonderful educational experience. We were on this came cruise with Norris and Carol and did a mix of private tours and Princess tours.

 

We had private tour at Dubrovnik and Malta, Princess tour on Sorrento (our tour was just of Pompeii). When we were in Venice, we had private transfers but Rick Steve's guided tours of St. Marks and Frari. Rome we had private transfers, large group tours of Colosseum Underground and Crypts and Catacombs one of the guides who actually handled the Colosseum underground and top level was a snotty and the audio equipment made it impossible to follow what she was saying. She rolled her eyes when we requested to take the elevator up to the third level. Bit of an attitude, and she made the statement that our group was special because we used our legs to get to the level gladiators would have fought. The comment just hit me wrong.

 

We had personal tour of Vatican which blew our sock off. Tiny little guide led us back ways and used elevators and when we reached the mass of people she plowed through and led us to the next spot like a champ. Rick Steve's guide on our ipods led us in Popolo, Borghese Gallery and St. Mary Maggiore.

[SOLIVITA LADY]

I'm loving the review and can't wait to see your pictures in Rome. I've planned three nights there after our cruise and hope to get to see some of the things we missed on our other trips to Rome. You were my inspiration for booking the Island Princess from Venice to Rome in 2015. Keep the pictures and commentary coming.

 

Jackie

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

Edited November 2, 2014 by SOLIVITA LADY

[Bimmer09]

Money. I'm retired, and really can't afford the airfare to Europe, plus the pre-cruise hotel, shore excursions, etc. I was fortunate to go to Europe four times while I still was working. (Never took a cruise there, though.) Just never got to Italy.

 

Understood. The airfare adds greatly to the cost and the Euro is stronger than the dollar so everything costs more. Given how much we spent we could have had 3 Caribbean cruises-in an aft suite. You can of course price out everything from an inside to a suite and give up water taxis for buses and Vaparettos in Venice. A bigger ship like the Regal is cheaper than a small one like the Ocean ( Regal is not my kind of design but most would enjoy it). You can fly economy, find more economical restaurants in Venice and Rome. Cut down on excursions and wander the ports, have lunch.

 

You should just cost such a trip out on paper and if the number is not doable under any circumstances then it is off the drawing board. But you need to see the number first and decide where you can cut corners. We spent $300 just getting from the airport to the hotel and then to the ship. It can be done for a tenth of that for example. Stay near Piazzale Roma and walk your luggage from the airport bus etc. Eat where Venetians eat and so on. You will still have the most memorable vacation!

 

We had to do it-and I am glad we did as it was our BEST vacation ever (of the 60 or so we have taken together, not counting weekend trips) but it wasn't a flippant spend and compromises had to be made before and after to accommodate the splurge.

 

I hope you see Italy someday, I really do. It is incomparable. I remembered it for 49 years before this trip!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I'm loving the review and can't wait to see your pictures in Rome. I've planned three nights there after our cruise and hope to get to see some of the things we missed on our other trips to Rome. You were my inspiration for booking the Island Princess from Venice to Rome in 2015. Keep the pictures and commentary coming.

 

Jackie

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

 

Amazing that you have been swayed to book the Island on this great itinerary after reading this. My work is done!! LOL. It's a doozy of a cruise and the Island will be a great ship ( We Loved the Coral)

 

I can't wait to show you our visit to Rome. It's maybe a day or two away now.

 

Norris, with thanks.

[Bimmer09]

I understand completely how a snotty tour guide who rushes the group can ruin what should be a wonderful educational experience. We were on this came cruise with Norris and Carol and did a mix of private tours and Princess tours.

 

We had private tour at Dubrovnik and Malta, Princess tour on Sorrento (our tour was just of Pompeii). When we were in Venice, we had private transfers but Rick Steve's guided tours of St. Marks and Frari. Rome we had private transfers, large group tours of Colosseum Underground and Crypts and Catacombs one of the guides who actually handled the Colosseum underground and top level was a snotty and the audio equipment made it impossible to follow what she was saying. She rolled her eyes when we requested to take the elevator up to the third level. Bit of an attitude, and she made the statement that our group was special because we used our legs to get to the level gladiators would have fought. The comment just hit me wrong.

 

We had personal tour of Vatican which blew our sock off. Tiny little guide led us back ways and used elevators and when we reached the mass of people she plowed through and led us to the next spot like a champ. Rick Steve's guide on our ipods led us in Popolo, Borghese Gallery and St. Mary Maggiore.

 

You certainly used your time off the ship well ! You have to get off and see what is out there-be a tourist. A good guide is essential but I'll get to that more when we hit Rome. Rick Steves is certainly a safe bet for the DIY tourist. He is in a class of his own when it comes to Europe and we are avid fans. I could hear his voice coming out of some headphones in the Frari. Carol was following him on her iPhone while I was just walking around in a Norris stupor, soaking up what I could see without explanation and consequently only getting half of the whole picture.

 

Thanks for the comments. I wish we had met on the ship and could have compared notes. I was the guy who always had a Canon camera bag on his shoulder.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Soon and sooner than I would have liked, we had to get up from our table, sip the last precious drop of wine, wipe our mouths with linen napkins and leave this wonderful restaurant.

 

[/url]

 

Could I stay in Positano for a week?

No.

A couple of days of lounging on the beach and eating breakfast lunch and dinner?

Oh yes.

 

One last look back at our amazing lunch hosts..

 



 

A long walk uphill awaited but we walked at an easy pace and some, easier still.

 

Plenty of shopping along the way. I bought a fridge magnet of course.

 

 

Houses fit wherever there is a ledge deep enough.

 



 

 

Two by two we assemble by the bus and prepare for the trip home to the Ocean Princess. I take photos from the bus window again.

 

[MJSailors]

Continuing to read along,Norris.

Your lovely lunch in Poisitano looked very inviting!

I could just imagine dining there at the beachfront restaurant with some good company,food ,wine and the view.

It must have been so relaxing!

Looking forward to your posts of Rome.

PS You reference Rick Steves for tourist guides. His travel shows are favorites of my DH and myself.

We heard him speak at a travel show in NYC a few years ago- very interesting to listen to his views about the travel experience.

[homeinboca]

Wow! Just finished this whole review from beginning to end, on a Sunday afternoon, and missed most of the football games, enjoying it so much. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your travel experiences. Great pics and videos!

 

Your time in Venice brought back wonderful memories of our times there. I laughed when you talked about the bench outside the Frari church as DW was on that bench while I went inside to admire Titians Assumption and the other great works in the Basilica. I too found early Venice earily quiet. We spent 3 days there post cruise.

 

We have never sailed on one one of the small ladies, but hope to try it soon. You have a great attitude about travel and enjoying very much. Looking forward to Roma, one of our most favourite cities!!

 

Ron

[enidcruiser]

Norris,

Been out of pocket doing other things so am late to this party.

We did a land trip to Italy 5 years ago and enjoyed both Rome and Venice. Thanks for the pictures and comments.

I'm subscribed and enjoying.

Julia

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SpinnerCOyyy]

You certainly used your time off the ship well ! You have to get off and see what is out there-be a tourist. A good guide is essential but I'll get to that more when we hit Rome. Rick Steves is certainly a safe bet for the DIY tourist. He is in a class of his own when it comes to Europe and we are avid fans. I could hear his voice coming out of some headphones in the Frari. Carol was following him on her iPhone while I was just walking around in a Norris stupor, soaking up what I could see without explanation and consequently only getting half of the whole picture.

 

Thanks for the comments. I wish we had met on the ship and could have compared notes. I was the guy who always had a Canon camera bag on his shoulder.

 

Norris

 

I had your CC name in my notebook that I carried for this trip. I even had told my spouse, and my in-laws that if they saw a guy with a video recorder in his hand, they needed to smile and waive hello. I'm sure I saw you once near the grill. We would have been the table of four playing cards. In my mind, I think I was looking for a old school large video recorder akin to one a news team may carry. :)

 

One of the main things that allowed us to see so much in Rome was our decision to use Uber. It ended up saving us a HUGE amount of money on transportation as well. Plus it was always a Mercedes that picked us up.

[rdsqrl]

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

 

Positano is ridiculous. No place can be that gorgeous, that picturesque, that scenic. How will I ever get to Asia and the South Pacific and southern Africa if I'm getting lured back to Italy by your fabulous photos . . . ?

 

Edited November 3, 2014 by rdsqrl

[searoses]

Oh norris you are singing my tune....I intend to have my lunch in the same lovely place after a dip in the sea

....my true goal....will take a small private tour that day so I may linger in the water....not a very good walker but I can swim like a fish in the very cold maine ocean.....this shall feel balmy to me! .....my husband is a saint.....he will take your cue and have a wet cappichino and a pipe while I frolic......I will never see any of these people again so I shall do what I want....a short,round, special goggle wearing so I can see my hand in front of my face grandmother taking in the sun and experiencing joy.....seems more real with every page....thank you

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

Been out of pocket doing other things so am late to this party.

We did a land trip to Italy 5 years ago and enjoyed both Rome and Venice. Thanks for the pictures and comments.

I'm subscribed and enjoying.

Julia

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Julia-never too late to come on board!

 

Welcome to you and your DH

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I had your CC name in my notebook that I carried for this trip. I even had told my spouse, and my in-laws that if they saw a guy with a video recorder in his hand, they needed to smile and waive hello. I'm sure I saw you once near the grill. We would have been the table of four playing cards. In my mind, I think I was looking for a old school large video recorder akin to one a news team may carry. :)

 

One of the main things that allowed us to see so much in Rome was our decision to use Uber. It ended up saving us a HUGE amount of money on transportation as well. Plus it was always a Mercedes that picked us up.

 

No big News camera for me! The tiny canon records in 1080p HD which looks like TV broadcast quality on our TV at home. It is dumbed-down to 720p on Youtube so much of the detail is lost. It's way better than nothing though or how camcorders used to look on VHS or 8mm. I've been using camcorders since 1994 so have seen the improvements every step of the way.

 

The microphones are tiny and built in so if there's a wind it destroys the sound entirely and the commentary gets lost even though I am talking loudly to compensate so a headset mic might work better.

 

I can carry both cameras and lenses easily as they are compact.

 

I did not even know Uber was available in Italy and thought it an American thing!

 

You certainly did your research for your trip and picked some great tours too.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

 

Positano is ridiculous. No place can be that gorgeous, that picturesque, that scenic. How will I ever get to Asia and the South Pacific and southern Africa if I'm getting lured back to Italy by your fabulous photos . . . ?

 

 

I wish Annie that I had had more time in Positano to wander off the track and take more photos.Also we only saw Sorrento from a moving bus. My camera lingered longingly over those big outdoor cafes...would have loved to have frittered some time away at those, people watching.

 

Positano was a surgical strike-park, walk to beach, eat a delicious lunch, walk back to bus, drive.

 

If we ever do a driving tour of Italy, like we do in Germany, then I would love to rent a stick-shift convertible BMW and drive those corkscrew roads and visit Positano again. I would park the car in Rome though and walk or take the subway.

 

Your bucket-list has some great locations on it but you'll just have to shoehorn Italy in there somewhere.

 

I must say I have shied away from Italian food for years as so many places in the USA and Canada have served me slop "like mamma used to make". Well mamma obviously didn't go to culinary school. I am not one for heaping plates drenched in tomato sauce (from a giant can) and melted cheese. The plates in the Covo that I just showed were perfection- no "can I have a doggie bag?" portions slopped on the plate. Just a few ingredients but cooked well-this is what I consider Italian food now that I have eaten at the source with an adult palate.

 

Also every bottle of wine that came my way became my instant best friend. It was all good.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Wow! Just finished this whole review from beginning to end, on a Sunday afternoon, and missed most of the football games, enjoying it so much. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your travel experiences. Great pics and videos!

 

Your time in Venice brought back wonderful memories of our times there. I laughed when you talked about the bench outside the Frari church as DW was on that bench while I went inside to admire Titians Assumption and the other great works in the Basilica. I too found early Venice earily quiet. We spent 3 days there post cruise.

 

We have never sailed on one one of the small ladies, but hope to try it soon. You have a great attitude about travel and enjoying very much. Looking forward to Roma, one of our most favourite cities!!

 

Ron

 

Ron, good to see you here! Thanks for the compliments. Carol complained of "not enough benches" in Venice but gave Rome a big thumbs up.

 

I am very glad we chose the Ocean Princess.

 

In the story we are on our last day of the cruise and next morning would be docking in Civittavecchia....

 

Read on.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

[/url]

 

 

 

Soon we were back at the dock in Sorrento and taking a tender back to the ship.

 

We had had one of our longest excursions ever at 8 hours and our heads were full of Pompeii and our stomachs full of delicious Italian food and wine.

 

Nap time!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Here is the video of the tender return to ship and then leaving Sorrento in our wake.

 

This would be our last night on the Ocean Princess.

 

 

Norris

[Solar Yellow]

Thanks to Rhonda (Atlantic Cruiser) bringing this thread to my attention, I too am following along and enjoying every minute of it. I've been lucky enough to go to pretty much every place you've gone (sometimes more than once) on this cruise and it brings the great memories flooding back in. I love your sense of humor and enthusiasm! Thanks so much for posting this review.

[Bimmer09]

Thanks to Rhonda (Atlantic Cruiser) bringing this thread to my attention, I too am following along and enjoying every minute of it. I've been lucky enough to go to pretty much every place you've gone (sometimes more than once) on this cruise and it brings the great memories flooding back in. I love your sense of humor and enthusiasm! Thanks so much for posting this review.

 

Thank you-it's great to welcome a new name. I am glad you found it.

 

Norris

[laughing husky]

I love the ocean princess, but now that she may be sold, and you have talked me into a cruise to Italy, guess I will look for another ship. thanks guy, for making me spend more $$$$$$$$ that I will love spending..... :D