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L-I-V-E from the Vision! 12 Days Sailing the Mediterranean!

Nicole721
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Nicole721

Nicole721

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Not a ton to share from today -- it was our second day at sea and aside from a couple hours of sun in the AM, it was overcast and a little cooler than yesterday.

 

We lost an hour as the clocks changed in advance of our visit to Greece tomorrow, where the time is an hour ahead. There wasn't a ton going on this morning and afternoon (aside from Mercedes the CD doing a lecture on Eva Peron) and we spent the day by the pool or napping.

 

Today was our second formal night and it seemed that people were even more dressed up than the first night. Dinner menu was the Sage menu, which featured a lot of English specialties that were actually quite tasty.

 

We dock in Athens bright and early. Super excited to see the Acropolis!

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Nicole721

Nicole721

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Good afternoon from Athens!

 

Today, we took the Taste of Athens tour, which allowed us to visit the Acropolis and gave us a few hours of free time downtown. We were surprised that the climb up the Acropolis was not all that difficult -- we were under the impression that it would take some kind of feat of strength to get up there and it wasn't bad at all. Our guide took it slow and made a few stops on our way up to give us the history of the Acropolis and Parthenon. The views from the top were spectacular to say the very least. I'll put some pictures up on Instagram after dinner.

 

After the Acropolis, we made a photo stop at the Sphendome, an Olympic stadium constructed completely of marble, and then made our way downtown towards the Plaka area.

 

We had just under three hours of free time, and we tried to make the most of it! Our ticket into the Acropolis also granted us access to other sites, so we visited the Olympieion site, we had the best iced cappuccino I've ever had, we shopped and bought coffee, soaps and some cooking spices and we had the *best* Greek food we've ever had!

 

Once we got back to the ship, we dropped our stuff off and went swimming for a bit -- it's been overcast for most of the day but when the sun is out, it's very hot.

 

I know a few people were asking about taxi's and such earlier and this is the first port where I think you could easily grab a cab and go on a tour independently -- there are cabs just lined up outside (someone at the pool told us they paid $86 and got a four hour cab ride with whatever stops they wanted). It's also a short walk to the hop on/hop off busses, and there are a handful of duty free shops at the port.

 

We're heading off to dinner soon, so I'll be back later to chat if anyone has any Athens questions!

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lawgirl

lawgirl

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Thanks again! I have a few Questions:

 

are there 3 formal nights? If so, which days? It looks like 2 (Cannes), day 6 (second sea day) and ???

 

Also, can you comment on drink prices? Rumor has it that drink prices are super high? Have you noticed that?

 

Finally, when you stop in Santorini, can you comment on how long the lines are to get back on the ship via cable car? How much time we need to leave to get down to tenders and back on the ship? I have heard lines can be long.

 

Thanks!! Enjoy! :D

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Nicole721

Nicole721

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Thanks again! I have a few Questions:

 

 

 

are there 3 formal nights? If so, which days? It looks like 2 (Cannes), day 6 (second sea day) and ???

 

 

 

Also, can you comment on drink prices? Rumor has it that drink prices are super high? Have you noticed that?

 

 

 

Finally, when you stop in Santorini, can you comment on how long the lines are to get back on the ship via cable car? How much time we need to leave to get down to tenders and back on the ship? I have heard lines can be long.

 

 

 

Thanks!! Enjoy! :D

 

 

1. I believe so and my best guess for the third formal night will be our next sea day in between Santorini and Naples, but I'll confirm once we know.

 

2. Can't comment on drink prices -- I do most of my drinking in port where wine is cheaper than soda [emoji4] I'll take a look at drink prices on our next sea day.

 

3. Sure can! We'll be in Santorini on Sunday, I think.

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Nicole721

Nicole721

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Good morning from the waters off of Santorini! Unfortunately, I can't wish you a good morning from Santorini because gale force winds have forced the captain's decision to cancel the port of call this morning. It really is windy -- there was heavy movement as they attempted to anchor.

 

We're pretty bummed but what can you do? I guess we'll have to do another Med cruise and hope for less winds :P

 

I'll be back later to talk about yesterday's port in Turkey.

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genealogygail

genealogygail

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Hi friends!

 

The wifi Gods have shined upon us, which is going to allow me to attempt my first live thread!

 

After two amazing days in Barcelona, we're finally onboard the lovely Vision of the Seas, sailing off to Cannes, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Santorini and Naples!

 

I'll try to post here a couple times a day with what we did and any interesting bits we come across, and I'll do a full review when we get back! And if anyone has any questions, throw 'em at me!

 

The Vision is a gorgeous ship and we're already enjoying her immensely!

 

[ATTACH]349493[/ATTACH]

 

Saw your posting on our site for Sept. 2015 and would like to know how I can follow your trip

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Nicole721

Nicole721

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So I've been putting off writing about our day in Kusadasi, in part because the day wasn't what we were hoping it would be and in part because I'm not sure if anyone is still reading along!

 

The port area of Kusadasi is actually quite nice, with free wifi in the port area, lots of shops and even a Starbucks! And there are dozens of local cafes, restaurants and shops within walking distance. Unfortunately, our tour wasn't what we were hoping it would be. We booked the tour to Ephesus and Sirence (the tour we wanted had sold out) and while it started out well, our guide was long-winded and our tour went over an hour and a half over, which made us lose our free time in the port. We got back to the ship right before back onboard. Our guide told us where the "best" place to buy souvenirs was (the Ephesus theme park we stopped at for lunch) and warned us other places would have higher prices and counterfeit items, only to discover that the theme park had the highest souvenir prices and some of the lowest quality. Our guide went on a long lecture about the Muslim religion and politics on our way back to the ship, and beyond all of this, there was *that* carpet presentation that was supposed to be optional and wasn't optional at all. Needless to say, the next time we visit Kusadasi, we're exploring on our own.

 

Today was supposed to be a port day in Santorini but due to forecasts of gale force winds, Captain Lis had to make the call to cancel the port. I can't blame her -- the winds were already high and the seas were very rough, so tendering couldn't have been safe -- but I wish the call came earlier than when hundreds of us were lined up in the Masquerade waiting to tender off to our excursions.

 

So we had a day at sea instead. Mercedes and her team rushed to create new Compasses with activities but it included activities like breathing exercises at the rock wall (totally serious) and between the colder air and the wind, it was kind of a long day of...nothing. We don't have movie channels in the room (let alone many channels in English aside from news ones), so we just kind of mosied around the ship. All bars (including Latitudes and Ben and Jerry's) were 25% off from 12-3 so we hit a few of those. We laid out for a bit. We went to a few activities. Mostly a lay-low kind of day.

 

The high point was our dinner at Chops, where wine was BOGO and service was above and beyond. The staff on this ship are truly extraordinary.

 

We have another day at sea tomorrow and then we'll (hopefully!) be docking in Naples on Tuesday :)

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WC57

WC57

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So I've been putting off writing about our day in Kusadasi, in part because the day wasn't what we were hoping it would be and in part because I'm not sure if anyone is still reading along!

 

The port area of Kusadasi is actually quite nice, with free wifi in the port area, lots of shops and even a Starbucks! And there are dozens of local cafes, restaurants and shops within walking distance. Unfortunately, our tour wasn't what we were hoping it would be. We booked the tour to Ephesus and Sirence (the tour we wanted had sold out) and while it started out well, our guide was long-winded and our tour went over an hour and a half over, which made us lose our free time in the port. We got back to the ship right before back onboard. Our guide told us where the "best" place to buy souvenirs was (the Ephesus theme park we stopped at for lunch) and warned us other places would have higher prices and counterfeit items, only to discover that the theme park had the highest souvenir prices and some of the lowest quality. Our guide went on a long lecture about the Muslim religion and politics on our way back to the ship, and beyond all of this, there was *that* carpet presentation that was supposed to be optional and wasn't optional at all. Needless to say, the next time we visit Kusadasi, we're exploring on our own.

 

Today was supposed to be a port day in Santorini but due to forecasts of gale force winds, Captain Lis had to make the call to cancel the port. I can't blame her -- the winds were already high and the seas were very rough, so tendering couldn't have been safe -- but I wish the call came earlier than when hundreds of us were lined up in the Masquerade waiting to tender off to our excursions.

 

So we had a day at sea instead. Mercedes and her team rushed to create new Compasses with activities but it included activities like breathing exercises at the rock wall (totally serious) and between the colder air and the wind, it was kind of a long day of...nothing. We don't have movie channels in the room (let alone many channels in English aside from news ones), so we just kind of mosied around the ship. All bars (including Latitudes and Ben and Jerry's) were 25% off from 12-3 so we hit a few of those. We laid out for a bit. We went to a few activities. Mostly a lay-low kind of day.

 

The high point was our dinner at Chops, where wine was BOGO and service was above and beyond. The staff on this ship are truly extraordinary.

 

We have another day at sea tomorrow and then we'll (hopefully!) be docking in Naples on Tuesday :)

 

Still following along Nicole, Sorry to hear about Santorini, Thanks

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cinnamon

cinnamon

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Still reading. :)

Sorry to hear that you had to miss Santorini. :(. It does sound like a disappointing day. On a poor weather day the lack of movies is a big retrograde step by RCCL.

 

I'm also interested in your comments on Kusadasi. We'll be there next month and having had a wonderful private tour in the past to Ephesus and Sirence we may just spend the day near the port.

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susancruzs

susancruzs

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I'm still reading along! When I was in Turkey, a group of us hired a private van, great tour but at the end we stopped at a rug shop. Is this a prerequisite for every tour in Turkey, I wonder?

 

Sorry to hear about Santorini but tendering can be a very risky situation. It is a nice port but not worth the risk.

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cinnamon

cinnamon

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I'm still reading along! When I was in Turkey, a group of us hired a private van, great tour but at the end we stopped at a rug shop. Is this a prerequisite for every tour in Turkey, I wonder?

 

.

 

 

On our wonderful private tour in 2012, with a great guide, we still had to stop at the carpet making Institute. Interesting demonstration of how they are made but it seemed impossible to avoid.

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Nicole721

Nicole721

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Still reading. :)

Sorry to hear that you had to miss Santorini. :(. It does sound like a disappointing day. On a poor weather day the lack of movies is a big retrograde step by RCCL.

 

I'm also interested in your comments on Kusadasi. We'll be there next month and having had a wonderful private tour in the past to Ephesus and Sirence we may just spend the day near the port.

 

 

Sirence was a high point of our excursion. Our server mentioned he got a cab to the Virgin Mary house for less than €30 RT. If you haven't been, that could be a viable option. The next time we visit, I think we'll just do some shopping and find a nearby cafe. There are plenty of lovely looking ones on the waterfront :)

 

Nicole, Thanks for information on Turkey, we will be stopping there on our Med. Cruise next year and the last place we want to stop is a rug store. Looks like we need to do this port on our own.

 

 

I think this is one of the easier ones to do on your own. Plenty of shopping and dining (and a public beach) within walking distance of the ship. Lots of cabs available to explore on your own. Nothing is more than 20 minutes away.

 

I'm still reading along! When I was in Turkey, a group of us hired a private van, great tour but at the end we stopped at a rug shop. Is this a prerequisite for every tour in Turkey, I wonder?

 

 

 

Sorry to hear about Santorini but tendering can be a very risky situation. It is a nice port but not worth the risk.

 

 

I think Captain Lis absolutely made the right call -- there was no way we were going to be able to tender safely. I wasn't so bummed about missing Santorini -- I'll get there eventually -- but more so over the loss of one of our last port days. As this trip winds down, losing the chance to explore was more of a downer than losing the chance to visit Santorini.

 

Re: the rug shop, I think it's on every itinerary of RCCL's excursions but many of them list it as "optional." Our guide didn't give us a choice, but beyond that, we were told that we were visiting a local weaving *school* to learn the art. I knew better but it's so misleading if you don't. We got a ten minute presentation on how these rugs are made, and then we were led into the basement and into a room where we were seated in a U while two men tossed and rolled out no fewer than 50 rugs in front of us and they attempted to ply us with wine, tea and lion's milk (their national drink -- a liquor mixed with water that yields a heavy licorice flavor). And when that was over, we couldn't just exit the way we came. Somehow in that basement was a fine jewelry store that led into a gold store that led into a fashion jewelry store, a high end souvenir store, a low end souvenir store and ended out back in a canteen. It was like a bizarre version of a house of mirrors. Certainly the oddest "school" I've ever been to.

 

Learning the art of carpet making, fine, I can get down with that. But this was so deliberately misleading that it made the experience feel kind of dirty, if that makes any sense. Just gave me a really poor memory to take home of Turkey.

 

Enjoying your report very much! We're sailing on Vision in September from Barcelona- exciting!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

Ahhh you'll love her! I'm not ready for this 12 day adventure to end!

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cinnamon

cinnamon

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Thanks Nicole, we did actually visit Mary's house as well. Will certainly just enjoy the port next month when we are on Rhapsody.

The carpet making was interesting, Yes, we were shown loads of carpets but then were able to go out and wander in the sunshine for 10 minutes. No other shops were there.

 

We'll be on the Vision for the Westbound TA. :)

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