Vista Photo Review: 10-night Mediterranean Cruise from Athens to Barcelona

[sailawaybellaluna]

I am loving your review and enjoying the photos. We are doing a cruise in January with a lot of the same ports. We maybe a little cooler than you guys are since it is in January. Thanks again for taking the time to review. I love exploring the ports beforehand through other's perspective.

Rachel

 

Thanks for reading along! January is my favorite time in Europe. No crowds, no heat, and massive sales in all the shops! :D Have fun!

[Dave & Mel]

We are enjoying your review, thanks for taking the time to do this. We will be doing the same ports in October followed by the Trans-Atlantic.

[Cruiser_89]

Really enjoying your review! Don't mean to hijack but quick question for you...how was cruising with your little one? We're taking our will be 13 month old with us in January and are hoping it will be a good experience. If you have any advice I would love to hear it.

[kidstwo2]

After wandering a bit, we found a cute little street off of Socrates street called Menekleous. This street was full of little outdoor tavernas and restaurants, and we decided to sit and eat lunch at Romeo Restaurant. I'll be honest: I chose it solely based on the ambiance and the big beautiful trees hanging over the tables. I didn't even really look at the menu! Ha!

 

 

 

 

 

The food was good. Nothing spectacular, but very good value and fresh. We had some local house wine which was delicious, and they had special kids meals which were a bargain! 6E for a pasta dish, milkshake and ice cream. And they were so thoughtful and brought out some little toys for both of the kids. And of course, lightening fast Wi-Fi, which is always a treat while traveling!

 

Overall, we loved our afternoon on Rhodes! With such a port-intensive cruise, we had kind of decided in advance which stops we wanted to take it easy in, and which we were going to hit hard. Rhodes was a "take it easy" stop for us, and the perfect place to do that.

 

On the walk back to the ship, my son and I jumped in the water, and it was so warm and crystal clear!

 

(It was really really windy as you can see by my hair!)

 

I would definitely return to Rhodes!

We were on this cruise and I am enjoying it all over again through your review and then i had to stop and do a double take - that is my husband in the water in your picture of the beach with the ship in the background - how funny-I thought that guy looks familiar!!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Really enjoying your review! Don't mean to hijack but quick question for you...how was cruising with your little one? We're taking our will be 13 month old with us in January and are hoping it will be a good experience. If you have any advice I would love to hear it.

 

Oh yes! I love cruising with kids! This was our little daughter's 2nd cruise, and I really think it's so easy to do with little ones!

 

Now granted, we packed like hundreds of pounds of stuff (bottles, bottle drying rack, stuffed animals, portable high chair, etc etc etc). But It's so nice to unpack once and see so many places!

 

One thing I've found really useful on our last two cruises is a white noise machine for babies. We've had it in her nursery since she was born, and it plays white noise similar to a heartbeat with some swooshing sounds. We cranked that up every night and it really prevented us from overhearing any noise from the walkways or other cabin doors slamming.

 

We also bought a little portable booster seat/high chair that folds up really tiny but then self inflates when you need it! This was so nice - especially in ports when we'd duck into little cafes that most likely didn't have any high chairs.

 

I'm not sure if it's just the three of you or what your cabin configuration will be like...but on our previous two cruises, our 6-year old was in a fold-down upper bed. So, we requested several extra bath towels and hung them from the side of the upper bed (tucked tight under the mattress)straight down. Then, we put our daughter's portable crib under that (right up against the sofa). This really eliminated most of the lights and made her sleeping area nice and dark.

 

We took our jogging stroller and had no problem fitting it into random rental cars/taxis (although I should say our tires are removeable). We also took our own carseat, because I don't really trust the ones at rental companies. The ship staff allowed us to leave our stroller folded up in the hallway, which was so nice...

 

The staff are so nice to children. Many of them have left their own kids back in their home countries during their 6-month contract, so they genuinely enjoyed chatting and interacting with our children.

 

And honestly, I think it's nice for both parents to be on a cruise. Because if one is out doing something and one has to stay back while the baby naps...you're not just stuck in a hotel room. You can sit on your balcony and watch the world go by!

 

I will try and think of more specifics if I can!

[sailawaybellaluna]

We were on this cruise and I am enjoying it all over again through your review and then i had to stop and do a double take - that is my husband in the water in your picture of the beach with the ship in the background - how funny-I thought that guy looks familiar!!

 

Oh, how funny! What a small world! :)

[sailawaybellaluna]

I'm sorry for the pause in my review everyone! We had a fun, unexpected weekend away in Palm Springs and just got back...I'll get back to posting tomorrow!

[brightfeather]

Hi,

 

I hope you'll have time to keep your review going here? I love hearing about your adventure! :-)

[sailawaybellaluna]

Hi,

 

I hope you'll have time to keep your review going here? I love hearing about your adventure! :-)

 

Yes! I'm sorry about the delay! I was having problems with Photobucket...

 

And then our summer plans have been keeping us busy! I will try and get my act together! :)

[sailawaybellaluna]

I'm sorry, I can't locate the Fun Times from our day in Malta, but if I do, I wil post them!

 

Up next, Sicily!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Today we arrived into Messina, Sicily. It also happened to be my birthday!

 

We had a gorgeous arrival into the port around 7:30am.

 

 

 

The patron saint of Messina welcoming us:

 

 

The day before my birthday, my husband said he has reserved a taxi company to take us up to the Gambino Winery to do a wine tasting. However it was going to be 300 euros + 25 euro/each for the wine tasting. He hadn't paid the deposit yet, and when he told me I said yowza. Too expensive. So he emailed the guy to cancel. And here it was, the day before and I wondered what I could do that would be special? We had been to Messina before, and honestly, it wasn't our favorite. Last time (in 2012 on the Breeze - review in my signature if you're interested), we went to Taormina. And while I'm glad I got to see that and experience it, it was way too crowded and touristy for me.

 

So, my husband got out the Carnival Excursions brochure in our cabin and suggested my mom and I take the cooking class offered while he and my dad and the kids stay onboard the ship. Sounded good to me! So that evening, I waited in line at the shore excursions desk to book for both my mom and myself. I asked how many people would be going (because I really don't like large tour groups). There were 15 others! Perfect!

 

Here is the description of the Carnival Excursion from their website. The price is $129/person:

 

Board a comfortable, air-conditioned motor coach at the pier and journey approximately 60 minutes to the charming village of Mascalucia. You will stop to explore the famous botanic gardens at Villa Trinitá. Villa Trinità is an agricultural and farm that has been the Bonajuto family for at least eight generations. Built in 1609, the Villa, which in 2009 celebrated its 400th anniversary, is named after the nearby sixteenth century church of the Santissima Trinità (Holy Trinity) and still has the same simple look of the rural building that was its original design. Set amid the lava stones from Mt Etna, you will find vegetable gardens, fruit trees and a mandarin plantation. Next, the owners of Villa Trinitá will host a cooking demonstration featuring delicious Sicilian cuisine. Enjoy a daily cooking course and lunch in the villa’s relaxing garden setting.

[sailawaybellaluna]

It was a nice drive to the villa where the cooking class would be held, although I'd say it was a little closer to 90 minutes to get there...

 

We had a lovely tour guide who told us about various landmarks during our drive, and that was interesting.

 

Upon arrival the bus parked next to a very old church that had been destroyed during the last earthquake. This was also right where the gate of the villa was.

 

 

Upon arrival the owner took us on a tour of his property. One thing I loved about this tour is that it wasn't touristy or commercialized whatsoever! The owner is the 8th generation in his family to live in this villa. He used to summer here as a child. He's also a landscape architect, an avid gardener, and he collects pre-Roman pottery. So we spent about an hour touring the property, learning about the lemon trees he grows, his vineyard, the blood orange grove, etc. It was very interesting and he was so passionate about his plants!

 

 

My mom and I at the start of the tour on the beautiful patio of the villa:

 

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

During our garden tour, we picked some leaves from the lemon tree to be used in the recipes we were making...

 

At the end, we went into the large kitchen of the villa, where the owner's sister-in-law was waiting to begin the cooking demonstration. She was a very kind lady, and it was a very fun atmosphere (although, pretty hot in there without A/C).

 

She had already created a menu for us, and had several things prepped out on a large cooking space. We got a little booklet with all of the recipes, and our tour guide did a great job of translating. (My mom also has a dairy allergy, and she was so kind to put some food aside as she was cooking and make it without cheese for her. Didn't make a big deal of it, just made it happen).

 

A few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lemon leaves were used to wrap little handmade meatballs, and then were pan-fried in olive oil! They were amazing!

 

 

We really loved this! Now as I mentioned, it was pretty warm in there and some members of our group went to another area of the villa to just sit it out, which was unfortunate. So they missed most of the presentation.

 

But I loved the instructor and thought it was a lot of fun and very interesting to see how she made things and the types of ingredients she used.

 

If you've taken a cooking class at Sur La Table (for example), this is quite different. You don't each have your own work station and all of your own ingredients. This was really more of a presentation, with various people volunteering to do different portions of the cooking.

 

More to come...

[sailawaybellaluna]

After the instruction was finished, we all moved into another room of the villa to sit down and eat. They had set the tables, and it was so enjoyable! Besides my mother and I, there were three other families! So, it really felt like an authentic Italian experience vs. a big tour! I loved it.

 

The food was brought out to us, plated, course by course. Everything was delicious! We had a zucchini salad, a pasta dish, the meatballs, and a tart made with orange marmalade using the blood oranges grown on the property. The owner also set out bottles of red wine which he made with grapes from his vineyard. Everything was amazing!

 

 

 

Following our meal, we boarded the bus back for the ship. We arrived back around 3pm, and browsed around some of the vendors selling their wares right near the pier. Everything was knockoffs made in China, so we didn't buy anything.

 

 

Once on board, my cabin was empty, so I took some time to enjoy the peace and quiet! Within a few minutes, there was a knock at the door and a delivery of chocolate covered strawberries and a red rose - from my husband! :)

 

Then, I was reunited with these guys.

 

 

We wandered around the ship a bit, and then headed to dinner in the Horizons Dining Room. I ordered a bottle of the special wine that was featured that day - an Italian Soave. Our waiter brought out a Pinot Grigio (which I'm not a fan of). As he began pouring it I said I thought that was the wrong wine...but he kept pouring. I asked him if that was the right label, and he said yes. Well, no, it was not...A Soave and a Pinot Grigio = not the same thing... No one had touched their glass yet, so I again said something, and he said, "Oh, you can order the Soave tomorrow. It's available every night". Err...no, not so much. Then finally my husband had to pull him aside and explain that this wasn't the wine we ordered, and a mistake was made. And, since it was my birthday, can he please bring the correct wine...About 20 minutes later, he came back and said he spoke with someone, and that he would be taking the wine back and serving the correct wine. Phew. I wasn't looking to get any free wine - only what I had ordered. This was only like a $28 bottle of wine, so it's not like it was a $400 mistake. Again, I guess it just illustrates some of the bad luck we had in the dining room with regards to service...

 

But things did perk up. We all enjoyed our meals (sorry, no photos in this review since I was wrapped up trying to get a 10-month old to eat puffs!). At the end they brought dessert and sang Happy Birthday to Sharon - to me. Except...my name isn't Sharon! We were all laughing so hard. I was crying, it was hilarious. They never realized Sharon wasn't my name, which made the whole thing even better!

 

Later that night I got the perfect birthday sunset as we left Sicily!

 

[etwright]

Where did you go? I have been enjoying following along with your review before we leave next week.

[WishesAndGlitter]

This is so awesome!

Thank you so much [emoji177]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Sailwithbars]

Loving your review!!! : ) Your kids are adorable and your family looks lovely!!! And your outfits are on point! : )

 

Can't wait for my cruise with my BF... we will be aboard Carnival Vista in October. We are doing the opposite itinerary though---Barcelona to Athens. We also booked a cabin on deck 6... hopefully there's no issue with noise since we are above the Ocean Plaza.

 

Subscribing! ;)

[dosi58]

Thanks for taking the time to post such a wonderful,easygoing review

[shellysh]

Thanks for your review. I so enjoyed it. Your pictures are awesome! What kind of camera did you use? Glad to see how much you and your family enjoyed the cruise.

[sailawaybellaluna]

I'm sorry for the pause in my review! We went camping, and are actually getting ready for another camping trip here soon...I will try and work on it tonight and tomorrow if I can!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thanks for your review. I so enjoyed it. Your pictures are awesome! What kind of camera did you use? Glad to see how much you and your family enjoyed the cruise.

 

Thanks for reading along!

 

Sadly, these are all photos from my Samsung S5. I typically use a Canon DSLR, but with the heat and managing a little baby this time around, I didn't pull it out of my purse as often as I would've liked!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Loving your review!!! : ) Your kids are adorable and your family looks lovely!!! And your outfits are on point! : )

 

Can't wait for my cruise with my BF... we will be aboard Carnival Vista in October. We are doing the opposite itinerary though---Barcelona to Athens. We also booked a cabin on deck 6... hopefully there's no issue with noise since we are above the Ocean Plaza.

 

Subscribing! ;)

 

Thanks so much for the kind comments!

 

You'll have the BEST time in October! I would've rather gone then if I didn't have a little one in school! AND, I think Barcelona to Athens means you'll have the busy ports at the beginning of your trip and the Sea Dea towards the end, right? I actually think this is a better itinerary so you're not as exhausted when heading home! Hafe fun!

[sailawaybellaluna]

I'm going to try and get my act together and finish this up this week! :)

 

Here are the fun times from our day in Messina, Sicily:

 

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

Our arrival into Naples was on a cool, overcast morning. A nice reprieve from the heat we'd been experiencing everyday during our trip so far!

 

Our plan today was to buy ferry tickets for the Alilauro ferry that travels to Sorrento. There are only a few boats/day, and you can purchase ticket in advance online. However, I found it just as easy to purchase tickets when we got to the counter.

 

Once you exit the ship, you walk to the "Beverello" and there you will find the ticket counters for various boats and ferries that travel to the islands near Naples.

 

The Alilauro ferries leave Naples daily for Sorrento at: 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3:05pm and 5:15pm. They return at 8:10am, 10:00am, 12pm, 2pm and 4:25pm. Of course, this may change with the seasons, so double check on their website if you're planning to do this.

 

We decided to take the 9am ferry to Sorrento (arriving around 9:45am), and return on the 2pm ferry back to Naples. I might have preferred the 4:25pm, but I was worried there may be a delay or an issue and we could potentially miss our ship.

 

So, off we went. We asked a few guards where "Beverello" was, and it was an easy 5-minute walk from the ship.

 

I went the ticket counter to purchase our tickets, and within a few minutes we were waiting in line for the boat to arrive. Adults tickets are 12.30E each way, and children are 9E each way. You should note that only cash is accepted.

 

A pic of me and my girl, waiting for the boat to arrive:

 

Once onboard, the ferry was really comfortable. Nice seats, A/C, and plenty of space.

 

 

Once we arrived to Sorrento, the rain had stopped and it looked like it may turn out to be a nice day!

 

 

 

 

We started to make our way to the top of the town, using the pathway leading to the elevator. This is wonderful for those in wheelchairs, or in our case, with a stroller. I believe the elevate was just under 1E each. Along the way, there are many beach clubs with cabanas and restaurants where you could choose to spend the day.

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

After strolling for 5 - 10 minutes, we arrived at the elevator, where we paid to go on up. At the top is a cute little park with benches, and AMAZING views! We stopped to take some family photos:

 

 

 

 

At this point, it was around 10:15am, so we decided we'd wander around. Look into some shops and just explore. I liked the shopping on Sorrento! I bought some lemon soaps, a lot of spices (including a mix for lemon spaghetti), some hand painted pottery, and tea towels. There were also some gorgeous fruit stands!

 

 

Shopping for Limoncello:

 

 

And enjoying a Limoncello granita! At this point, it was ALMOST noon.