nybumpkin Posted August 30, 2016 Author #51 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Absolutely loving your review. Thank you so much.Glad you're enjoying it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginjer2911 Posted August 30, 2016 #52 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Amazing review! Love seeing your pictures and all that you were able to see. new to the bucket list....med cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettienets Posted August 30, 2016 #53 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Thanks for posting review and wonderful pix. So enjoyable. Sent from my BLU STUDIO 6.0 HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #54 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Like Civitavecchia, Livorno is a very industrial port. We had to meet our tour at 8 a.m., so we were up early on Lido for breakfast. We were greeted with the Invasion of the Towel Animals, which definitely were hogging the deck chairs! We saw this last year on Carnival Breeze, and in that time the stewards have become even more creative. 449 Livorno Dock by baxted, on Flickr Livorno Port 450 Lido Towel Animals by baxted, on Flickr Towel Animals 451 LIdo towel animals by baxted, on Flickr Lots of Towel Monkeys 454 red Frog by baxted, on Flickr The Frog, outside Red Frog Rum Bar 453 Lido towel monkeys by baxted, on Flickr Towel Monkeys 455 Lido towel animals by baxted, on Flickr Hanging out at the bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #55 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Amazing review! Love seeing your pictures and all that you were able to see. new to the bucket list....med cruise.This is definitely a bucket list cruise. My problem is the more I get to see, the more I want to see.:cool: Thanks for posting review and wonderful pix. So enjoyable. I hope you have a great time on your B2B! I'd love to do that cruise, but the timing just didn't work for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #56 Share Posted August 31, 2016 For this day, we booked Carnival’s “Florence and Pisa On Your On,” which provides you bus transportation to both cities and free time to explore. We had a very good guide on our bus. The downside: since we did not know whether we would visit Florence or Pisa first, we could not book advance tickets for the Duomo or the Accademia in Florence, and the lines were too long to buy tickets that day. We visited Pisa first – about an hour drive from Livorno. Once at Pisa, we had 50 minutes to explore before we met our guide for the walk back to the bus. We did not go inside the buildings – just walked around. There were the usual people taking photos of themselves pushing the tower upright, but that’s just not for me. 459 Pisa City Wall by baxted, on Flickr Pisa City Walls 460 Cathedral and Tower, Pisa by baxted, on Flickr Cathedral and tower. I was shooting into the sun, but I have better tower pictures. 464 PIsa by baxted, on Flickr Pisa tower 471 Boys, Pisa by baxted, on Flickr The guys with the tower 472 Baptistry, PIsa by baxted, on Flickr Baptistry 475 Cathedral, Pisa by baxted, on Flickr Pisa Cathedral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #57 Share Posted August 31, 2016 We were dropped off in Florence at Piazza Santa Croce, with instructions to meet at a particular store on the piazza about 3 hours later. 482 Santa Croce, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Santa Croce Church 480 Piazza Santa Croce, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Piazza Santa Croce First we stopped for lunch on one of the streets headed to the river – pasta with pesto for me (and a half carafe of the house red wine), salad for DH, and pizza for the sons. (Younger son got his pizza “diavolo,” with some of the hottest pepperoni he’s ever had.) Then a walk down to the river and over to the Ponte Vecchio. Very crowded. 486 Boys, Ponte Vecchio, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Sons, Ponte Vecchio Then a walk over to the Piazza della Signoria, with its replica David taking the place of the original. We also stopped here for gelato – and they were very generous servings of gelato. 488 Palazzo Vecchio, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Plazzo Vecchio 491 Steve and Gelato by baxted, on Flickr Gelato. Seventh heaven. 497 Florence by baxted, on Flickr Florence Street Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #58 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Finally, a walk over to Duomo and its beautiful baptistery (the enjoyment of which was somewhat marred by the crowds of people sitting on the steps in front of the magnificent bronze doors by Ghiberti and Pisano). Then back to Piazza Santa Croce, where I did some shopping – extra virgin olive oil and a tomato-basil spread. 498 Duomo, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore by baxted, on Flickr Duomo, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore 499 Duomo, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Cathedral facade and bell tower 501 Baptistry, Duomo Florence by baxted, on Flickr Baptistery, bronze doors 504 Baptistery, Duomo, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Baptistery 509 Boys, Piazza Santa Croce, Florence by baxted, on Flickr The guys, Piazza Santa Croce 511 Piazza Santa Croce, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Piazza Santa Croce A note about pickpockets and panhandlers: before we traveled we knew that many European cities have problems with pickpockets. In fact, John Heald had written about this issue on his Facebook page, noting his own experience in Barcelona some years earlier and a couple in Florence on one of Vista’s earlier cruises who had lost all of their money and credit cards to pickpockets. DH and I put together a plan. He wears compression stockings, so he took a small wallet for our cash and his photo ID and placed it well down one of his stockings. I used a cross-body purse with a zippered compartment inside another zippered compartment for my photo ID and a credit card. Older son had a backpack – but just for our water and sunscreen. Twice in Florence he caught someone trying to get into the backpack. We found the panhandlers particularly aggressive – if you said “no,” they would try to wear you down until you gave them some change. One actually hit DH on the nose with her cup. About all you could do was move away from where you were sitting or standing. We had a good time on this tour, but if I were to do it over again I would book a tour similar to what we did in Rome – small group with a driver and advance tickets. Nothing to do with pickpockets, but everything to do with maximizing our time. I would have liked to have had "skip the line" tickets in Florence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #59 Share Posted August 31, 2016 This evening was the second cruise elegant night. It had been another long day so we again ended with a walk on Promenade, drinks, and music. 515 Leaving Livorno by baxted, on Flickr Leaving Livorno 513 Kathy, Balcony by baxted, on Flickr Yours truly, on the balcony 516 Towel Animal, Florence by baxted, on Flickr Towel animal Livorno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettienets Posted August 31, 2016 #60 Share Posted August 31, 2016 The invasion of the towel animals were super pix. What a trip of a lifetime for your boys! Sent from my BLU STUDIO 6.0 HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #61 Share Posted August 31, 2016 The invasion of the towel animals were super pix. What a trip of a lifetime for your boys! Thank you! We've always been happy that we've been able to give our sons a love of travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettienets Posted August 31, 2016 #62 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Thank you! We've always been happy that we've been able to give our sons a love of travel. Not just love of travel, love of learning. Lucky boys. Sent from my BLU STUDIO 6.0 HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #63 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Our last port of call. Mercifully, we did not dock until 9 a.m., so we could sleep in a bit. When I looked out, we were sailing by some amazing coastline as we approached Marseille. Just beautiful. 519 Shore near Marseilles by baxted, on Flickr Shore, approaching Marseille 521 Shore near Marseilles by baxted, on Flickr Shore near Marseille 525 Marseilles Harbor by baxted, on Flickr Entering Marseille harbor 528 Marseilles Harbor by baxted, on Flickr Inside the breakwall, Marseille 529 Marseilles Harbor by baxted, on Flickr View from the pier 526 Forward Mast, Marseilles by baxted, on Flickr Forward mast, Marseille Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #64 Share Posted August 31, 2016 We had booked a “Best of Provence” tour through ItalyTours.eu, the same agent we used for our Rome tour. The tour was provided by Provence Connection and I can’t say enough good things about them. Chris, our guide, met us as we exited the ship. In Marseille, the independent tour operators are not permitted to park near the ship, so we had to walk down the pier to a parking lot. This was an issue for us when we returned, but I understand – the tour companies that have contracts with Carnival get the rights to parking close to the ship. Our tour was to visit four towns: Avignon, home of the Palace of the Popes; St. Remy-de-Provence, where Van Gogh was once treated (and where he painted Starry Night) and the birthplace of Nostradamus; Les Baux-de-Provence, a beautiful medieval village and the site of the discovery of the ore Bauxite; and Arles, an ancient Roman city and also a place where Van Gogh painted (and where he cut off his ear). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #65 Share Posted August 31, 2016 We headed first to Avignon; as Chris explained, the town hosts a huge music and arts festival each July, and the streets are shut down between 1 p.m. and the early hours of the next morning, so we needed to be there early. We walked through the old town, past the Palace of the Popes (DH and sons thought it looked like the castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and then drove over for a view of Pont d’Avignon on the Rhone River. 536 Palace of the Popes, Avigon by baxted, on Flickr Palace of the Popes 542 Overlooking Avignon by baxted, on Flickr Family at Notre Dame des Doms, overlooking Avignon 545 Castle, Avignon by baxted, on Flickr View from Avignon across the Rhone River 547 Pont d'Avignon by baxted, on Flickr DH and me with Pont l'Avignon behind 549 Avigon by baxted, on Flickr Avignon street 551 Pont d'Avignon by baxted, on Flickr Pont d'Avigon. Those are lavender plants in the foreground, but we were past lavender season. You need to sail late June/early July for lavender. However, there are many, many shops that sell lavender products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #66 Share Posted August 31, 2016 We had lunch in St. Remy. Chris took us to a boulangerie where we could purchase sandwiches, quiche, etc. I had a ham and cheese quiche – very good. Chris was very happy to act as our interpreter. We then walked around the town and drove over to where Van Gogh had been confined. 553 Lunch in St. Remy by baxted, on Flickr Lunch in St. Remy. "Boulangerie" generally means "bakery," but in addition to various breads this shop had sandwiches and the quiche. The store had tables outside, which made for a quick, pleasant lunch. This is the type of shop to visit for a quick meal - as Chris explained, there is no such thing as a quick meal at a restaurant in France. 554 St. Remy Street by baxted, on Flickr St. Remy street 555 St. Remy Street by baxted, on Flickr St Remy street 558 Nostrdaus Birthplace, St. Remy by baxted, on Flickr Birthplace of Nostradamus 557 Nortradamus Birthplace St. Remy by baxted, on Flickr Plaque at Nostradaus' birthplace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #67 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Les Baux does not allow cars in the old town, so Chris dropped us off to do a tour on foot. It’s a very quaint village with sweeping views of the valleys below and the Alpilles mountains. 559 Les Baux by baxted, on Flickr Alpilles mountains. Van Gogh painted these mountains while in Provence. 560 Les Baux by baxted, on Flickr Entrance to Les Baux 562 Les Baux by baxted, on Flickr Les Baux church. I should note that the church and hall both had signs advising of terrorism threat levels - this was days after a priest was killed while saying Mass in northern France and two weeks after the attack in Nice. However we felt very safe throughout Provence. 563 Les Baux by baxted, on Flickr The guys at Les Baux 564Les Baux by baxted, on Flickr Les Baux street 565 Bauxite by baxted, on Flickr Bauxite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #68 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Arles. Our last town on our last port day. Here’s where we hit a problem. DH has chronic cellulitis, and inflammation in his leg due to a bacterial infection. He doesn’t travel without a supply of antibiotics. As we arrived in Arles, he let me know it had flared up – I figured we overdid it, with so many tours back to back, and it just made him susceptible to the infection. At any rate, he wasn’t doing any more touring on foot, so he sat on a bench. 566 Coliseum, Arles by baxted, on Flickr Arles amphitheater 567 Coliseum, Arles by baxted, on Flickr Arles amphitheater 568 Arles by baxted, on Flickr Arles 569 Arles by baxted, on Flickr Arles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #69 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Once back at the port, Chris asked the port guard for an exemption to be able to drive us right to the ship, since DH really shouldn’t walk distances. The answer was no, so we had to walk slowly and carefully to get DH back to the ship. Once back in the cabin, he took his antibiotics and crawled into bed. Sons and I went to dinner without him for the last night. 572 Marseilles Harbor by baxted, on Flickr Marseille harbor 573 Waiter Dragan by baxted, on Flickr Dragan, our headwaiter 574 Havana Lounge by baxted, on Flickr Havana Bar 575 Havana Pool by baxted, on Flickr Havana pool 577 Vista Wake by baxted, on Flickr Vista wake 576 Marseilles Sunset by baxted, on Flickr Last sunset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted August 31, 2016 Author #70 Share Posted August 31, 2016 We were docked early and off the ship before 7 a.m. The airport transfers were right there; they checked our names off the list and loaded us onto buses. We got a few glimpses of Barcelona – the Christopher Columbus statue, and a fleeting sight of Sagrada Familia. The flights home worked fine (although Customs and Immigration in Philadelphia is a nightmare). I'll finish with some thoughts about sailing in Europe and sailing on Vista. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted September 1, 2016 Author #71 Share Posted September 1, 2016 (edited) This is not a relaxing cruise. It’s very port-intensive, and the port days are long. I know some folks will say to take one of the port days and turn it into a sea day – but if it’s Europe, and you’ve never visited any of these ports, that’s not really an option. While we enjoyed our sort-of port day in Messina, we didn’t go to Mt. Etna or Taormina, which other people really enjoyed. The best purchases I made pre-cruise were (1) a pair of Cushion Aire sandals and (2) a pair of Soft Spots huaraches. Both held up well to all the walking we did, and the Soft Spots have turned into my go-to shoes for everyday work. The second-best purchase was a broad-brimmed hat. Between the hat and the sunscreen (we brought six cans with us), I came home without sporting a sunburn for once. Take water with you in port. As Platinum cruisers, each of us had a large complimentary bottle of water waiting for us in the cabin – and we went through them, even refilling a couple of times. (BTW, in France if you want regular bottled water the phrase is “eau minerale,” not just “eau.” I learned that on a prior trip to France and needed it for DH when we were in Arles and his leg flared up.) And it’s hot. However, I’ve learned to deal with that – right now, we’re limited to vacations in July. Overall, this was a very rewarding cruise. I think we came home with over 1000 photos between us. The sights are unbelievable. I’d like to see Carnival Horizon’s 2018 itineraries, because I’d consider doing this again. I'd like to see Cinque Terre in particular. Once again (as was the case for us in the Baltic and Alaska), you can only scratch the surface of everything there is to see and do. And Vista – she has something to offer just about anyone. As I said at the beginning, given the nature of this cruise I knew there would be a lot that we just wouldn’t get to experience. No IMAX, no Thrill Theater, no Ji Ji’s, no Cucina, no Cherry on Top, no Alchemy, no Playlist Productions (although that was by choice). We walked through the Havana area but that was it. One thought I had was that there’s almost too much. Matt Mitcham is an excellent CD. For those of you who will be sailing with Jaime Dee when Matt is on vacation, though, you will have a great CD as well. We've sailed with Jaime twice - very nice, and very high energy. Two big pluses for me: (1) the exterior promenade with its sitting areas. We loved sitting outside Red Frog or Ocean Plaza both morning and evening. (2) Pixels, with the ability to download photos to your phone. When you get your picture taken, you give your cabin number to the photographer and when it’s ready, it shows up on your phone. A click and it’s purchased. No more mad scrambles to look through printed photos – it completely changed our morning routine. I think they could do something extra with package pricing, though. I enjoyed a lot of the music available around the ship. You could choose classical, rock/pop with Velvet Vibes (really liked them a lot), an acoustic guitar duo, Edd Carr’s pub guitar in Red Frog, Ben in the piano bar, or Mambo Magic at the Havana Bar. I think Vista will be well suited to Caribbean cruising, particularly on cruises with at least three sea days. As for our next adventure? Already booked. Carnival Pride, July 2, 2017. It will be our first Bermuda cruise. Two sea days out, 2 ½ days in port, 1 ½ days back to Baltimore. It should be relaxing…. Edited September 1, 2016 by nybumpkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted September 2, 2016 #72 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Thanks for the recap. Really nice photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted September 4, 2016 Author #73 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Thanks for the recap. Really nice photos.Thanks so much! Most of the photos were mine with some from DH - particularly Malta, where my camera died at the Tarxien ruins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettienets Posted September 4, 2016 #74 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Thank you from me too for all the photos and commentary! [emoji259] Sent from my BLU STUDIO 6.0 HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted September 4, 2016 Author #75 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Thank you from me too for all the photos and commentary! [emoji259] I hope you have a wonderful B2B! Please share your experiences when you return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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