Vision of the Seas Mediterranean Review Aug 10-22, 2019

[erby2283]

I know, I know, this is extremely overdue. But since we are all spending more time at home and I finally had time to download and merge all the pictures from my multiple camera sources (which was a task in itself), I thought I would come here to post a review.  I know many of us are disappointed with travel plans being cancelled.  I hope that by posting this review, it will help those of you who are still looking forward to your trips, need help with tours/what to do, or just trying to keep the excitement going when it seems like future cruising is so far away. I don't cruise very often so please be gentle with your responses. 😀

Background

My mom passed away in September 2017. We are of Italian descent and my mom had always wanted to visit Italy. Her father was born was in Sicily and emigrated to the United States when he was 7. But due to health issues, she was never able to travel more than an hour away from home, much less overseas. After her death, I decided instead of cruising the Caribbean that I would save up and take a Mediterranean cruise instead. Life was too short and I was not going to wait. In hind sight, I am so glad I did given the current situation with Covid-19.

 

It took me a while to decide on what I considered the perfect cruise. Since it was my first trip to Europe, I wanted to maximize every day. The only caveat my boyfriend wanted was a couple days in Portugal since that's where his family was from. So we settled on a 12-night Royal Caribbean cruise from Barcelona with stops in Villefranche, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Salerno, Venice (overnight), Split and Kotor. Then we flew post-cruise to Lisbon for a few days. My TA (and friend) had group space and was able to get me great pricing on balcony - which is a must have for me; especially in the Mediterranean. 

 

I knew that August was an extremely hot and busy time to go to Europe. The heat and humidity doesn't really bother me. And since I have never been there before, I can't really compare how busy everything was compared to other times of the year. I am a HUGE planner but found myself very anxious with reading about pickpockets and with the fact that this was a new experience and I had never been to any of these places before. 

As with every cruise, I met a few new friends on my roll call here on CC and we all met up on the cruise and am happy to say I am still in touch with several of them even today. 

 

So bare with me as I try get this review going - I'll try to answer everyone's questions as I go.

Edited April 20, 2020 by erby2283

[erby2283]

Travel Day

 

We originally had a great travel day planned. A two-hour flight from Charlotte to Toronto, a short lay-over followed by an overnight flight to Barcelona. But Air Canada (or their subsidiaries) changed my first flight a few months before the trip which meant a nearly 6-hour layover in Toronto.  I debated leaving the airport and taking the train/shuttle from the airport into downtown Toronto but figured it was just easier to stay put.  

 

In fact, the night before we left and I was checking in for our flight, I did a crazy thing and upgraded our seats to premium economy. Why not, right? It was a couple hundred dollars a person to do so but I figured it was my once in a lifetime trip and I was going to have to pay for our checked bags bc we booked the cheapest airfare so I went for it.  I very much enjoyed being spoiled but learned it's probably better to upgrade coming home....when you're actually awake for most of the trip. 😀

The Toronto airport is very nice. Food is plentiful and has very good seating and outlets for you to charge your devices. The six hours actually went by pretty quickly - which it usually does when you're on way to vacation; not so much on the way home.

 

 

[erby2283]

Barcelona Day One - 

 

Upon landing in Barcelona, it took around an hour to clear customs/immigration.  They seemed to have very few people working but we managed to get through pretty quickly.  I had pre-arranged transportation with a company called "Welcome Pickups." I was fairly nervous about using them bc should my flight be delayed or if I was really late getting through customs, I was worried my ride would leave (I had read some not so good reviews about this happening to a few people). But you can adjust the pickup time up to a certain time before pickup (I'm sorry I can't remember the cut-off time) - meaning if you're flight is delayed, you can log on before your flight leaves and adjust the time accordingly, etc. Most of the drivers use Whatsapp to communicate with you.  Our driver was already waiting for us when we got out of customs and we immediately were on our way to our hotel, Hotel Arc la Rambla.

 

 I had read that the biggest tip to surviving and getting used to the time change was to stay up as long as you could upon arrival and fight the urge to take a nap. We arrived at the hotel where they provided us with change to store our luggage in lockers until check-in time (at this time, it was still about 11AM).  After storing our luggage, we just ventured out and started walking around Las Ramblas.  We enjoy getting off the beaten path and away from the crowds. We did end up at the popular Barcelona Cathedral but we also found this beautiful smaller church called Sant Just i Pastor; I lit a candle for Mom there.

PS - Not sure what I am doing wrong with this but we used to be able to post pictures and type in between them. I am posting this review from my computer and it it doesn't seem to allow me to choose where to insert pictures so I am having to post them all in a bunch at the end of my post. If someone knows what I am doing wrong please let me know. Otherwise, I may have to break-up future posts so the pictures don't all run together. 

 

[erby2283]

Barcelona Day One continued

 

We went back to the hotel and they finally let us check in at 3pm - and not a minute before.  I had researched hotels for a very long time. I wanted something central to things within walking distance but also close to the metro.  I finally settled on Hotel Arc la Rambla.  I also booked so far in advance that their nicest room, #509, was all for the taking. There weren't very many reviews on this room prior to my trip so after this review, I'll have to be sure to head over  some of the other sites and post a review and some pictures.  The room is absolutely wonderful - especially if you have children since it's two floors, has two full baths with a pull out sofa on the first floor. It also has a private balcony that is completely yours and overlooks La Rambla. I have read that hotel rooms in Europe are quite small so I was quite happy with this find. The hotel is actually located towards the end of La Rambla near Columbus Circle, with the Drassanes metro stop literally within a 3-minute walk. I have read that other rooms in this hotel are not that great - especially with the view. But if you have the opportunity to book this room, I would definitely jump on it.  In case anyone was wondering, we pre-paid for the room and included breakfast 10 months in advance of the trip and paid 354 euro total.

FYI - I always purchase travel insurance including CFAR and this was no exception especially bc of the cost of this trip so I felt  comfortable making reservations relatively early. 

 

We grabbed an early bite to eat, took some money out of the ATM across the street and were in bed by 8pm. We had a busy day ahead of us and wanted to make sure we got a good night's sleep.

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by erby2283
grammar

[TRUEBLUE66]

We did this itinerary in 2018. Had a great time. Following along for the memories. Thanks!

[erby2283]

47 minutes ago, TRUEBLUE66 said:

We did this itinerary in 2018. Had a great time. Following along for the memories. Thanks!

I'm glad someone is.....lol

[erby2283]

Barcelona Day 2

Today we had a tour booked with Barcelona Day Tours. I had read so many wonderful reviews about their tours and they did not disappoint.  Our pick up point was just down from our hotel (we were the last to be picked up) and then we were on our way. I was so happy when I saw that Marta was our tour guide as she was the one receiving all the wonderful reviews.

 

The tour started with sights of Parc de Montjuic which includes beautiful views of the city and of some of the locations from the 1992 Olympics - like the diving competition. A lot of the buildings have been abandoned and are no longer kept up. 

 

The only thing I would have liked was the opportunity to get out of the van and take some pictures at some of these early locations but I understand the necessity to stay on schedule.  The above is the view from Parc de Montjuic.

 

Some of the Olympic buildings

 

View of Barcelona from the National Art Museum of Catalonia

 

Our next stop was my first introduction to the architecture of Antoni Gaudi - at Park Guell (pronounced gway). Gaudi's work is all over Barcelona and his work was not well liked during is lifetime. However, I left Barcelona in awe of his work...and with two books about his works.

Park Guell is a beautiful place. You can sense what Gaudi wanted this place to become but never quite came to fruition. I could have sat there all day just taking in the sights.

 

 

At the top of Güell Park is a terraced area where you get a wonderful view of the park and of Barcelona City. "Antoni Gaudi’s trencadis mosaic tile bench at Park Guell is a major tourist attraction in Barcelona’s Gracia district. Trencadis is a type of mosaic using broken tiles and was popular with the Catalan modernism style. Gaudi used this style in many of his designs. The serpentine mosaic bench at Park Guell is an exceptional example of mosaic tile used in a functional architectural design."

The benches are actually extremely comfortable - this was a very important factor to Gaudi.

 

 

Directly below that huge terrace is this area filled with columns.

 

The beautiful mosaic dragon fountain.

 

Our guide, Marta, showing us that this area makes a wonderful backdrop for pictures. Literally every area of this park is beautiful though.

 

 I thought this section of the park was amazing.  Marta told us that Gaudi was always playing with angles and curves with his architecture. This area was envisioned from ocean waves. 

You really needed more time here to fully enjoy the park. I think we had about an hour here before heading to our next stop.

 

 

[John&LaLa]

Looks like you mastered picture inserting.👍

 

Great job so far

[tdeyette]

Also following, we did this cruise in 2018, had a great time and I'm sure you did as well.

 

Brings back great memories.

[erby2283]

14 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Looks like you mastered picture inserting.👍

 

Great job so far

I did figure out the picture thing...by accident. Thank you.

 

1 hour ago, tdeyette said:

Also following, we did this cruise in 2018, had a great time and I'm sure you did as well.

 

Brings back great memories.

It was amazing! This year I was tempted to go back but instead had a girls trip planned to Scotland/Ireland (which of course is not happening 😪).

[tdeyette]

11 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

It was amazing! This year I was tempted to go back but instead had a girls trip planned to Scotland/Ireland (which of course is not happening 😪).

 

I hear you, my wife and I had a May trip planned to cruise the Greek islands then meet up with her sister and brother in-law in Italy for a week. All the plans were coming together so nice! 😞

Edited April 22, 2020 by tdeyette

[erby2283]

Barcelona - Day Two continued - Barcelona Day Tours 

 

After we left Park Guell, we had an approximate 30 minute ride to Montserrat. Marta narrated the whole way and answered any questions we had which kept the ride interesting and informative. 

Our first view of the mountains as we approached Montserrat.

 

The below picture was the drop-off area. As you can see, they were doing some construction to this area. Our guide, Marta, gave us a couple options here at Montserrat as (again) we had limited time - about 1.5 hours.   We could either leave and explore the area on our own or Marta offered to take us on a brief tour to show us the abbey/basilica at Montserrat and share the story behind the "Virgin of Montserrat," followed by time on our own.  This is also where we had time to eat lunch. They had  a buffet style restaurant (which was pretty expensive) and a couple sandwich style places.

 

A few pictures as we made our way to the abbey and basilica.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People wait in line, sometimes for hours, to be able to walk by the Virgin of Montserrat.  

 

Here a few pictures of the basilica - the Virgin of Montserrat is "housed" in that golden archway area. You'll see people walking by as you sit in the basilica. As with most places of worship I noticed in Europe, many people do not seem to respect the "no talking" request that is made upon entry and quite often someone came in to hush/silence the crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to get a close-up of the Virgin of Montserrat using one of my cameras - forgive the blur.

 

 

 

We then made our way back out of the basilica to grab a bite to eat.

 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2020 by erby2283

[erby2283]

Barcelona - Day Two continued - Barcelona Day Tours 

 

Now...when we first got to Montserrat, Marta had pointed out St. Michael's cross off in the distance. She said it provided a beautiful view and was an approximate 20 minute walk.  We had decided we wanted to fit that in to our short visit.

 

 

 So for lunch we decided to grab a quick sandwich and snack on it as we took this walk to St. Michael's cross.  What Marta failed to mention was that this walk was entirely uphill.....🤨 Oh my....and it sandals...on gravel....

 

 

But the view when you get there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and did I mention it was just a tad warm during the hike. 🙂

 

 

 

[erby2283]

Barcelona - Day Two continued - Barcelona Day Tours 

 

After leaving Montserrat, we headed back into the city of Barcelona to finish up our tour. Our second to last stop was another Gaudi piece of work, Casa Mila.  It used to be a private residence but is now filled with office space.

 

 

 

 

 

We walked back to the van which dropped us off a few blocks away from the finale of the tour, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. I really didn't have any words to describe my first thoughts when I saw the basilica.  It is MASSIVE. I kind of feel like it looks so out of place - sticking out like a sore thumb compared to everything else around it. Marta gave us a brief description about Sagrada Familia and then we walked around the block.  We were taking a tour of the inside the next day, prior to embarkation as the tour did not include going inside. 

 

If you have never been, pictures seriously do not give this place scale.

 

 

 

 

I'll post more pictures of Sagrada Familia on day three. Some people from our tour stayed here at the basilica as they had entry tickets for later that evening. The rest of us walked back to the van for our return to our hotels.  In total, the tour was approximately 10 hours and was a very fulfilling day. I really felt like I saw many wonderful sights of the city. I would highly recommend Marta and Barcelona Day Tours if you ever go to Barcelona.

Dinner consisted of us wandering around trying to find something exciting to eat - but we ended up just eating at the restaurant attached to the hotel and we were in bed early again as tomorrow was embarkation day for Vision of the Seas! 

Edited April 22, 2020 by erby2283

[ckmedsec]

Love reading your review and your pictures are beautiful.  We did a 13 night cruise in 2015 on board the Vision of the Seas.  We arrived in Barcelona one day prior to boarding but stayed for 5 days after the cruise.  So much to see.  It was one of our best cruises.  Thank you for sharing.

[bobmacliberty]

Great job so far with this review.  Love seeing something here that discusses an actual cruise!!

[erby2283]

On 4/22/2020 at 5:16 PM, bobmacliberty said:

Great job so far with this review.  Love seeing something here that discusses an actual cruise!!

Thank you. I may really late to the party but I thought people might enjoy reliving a cruise or seeing some pictures.

 

On 4/22/2020 at 4:15 PM, ckmedsec said:

Love reading your review and your pictures are beautiful.  We did a 13 night cruise in 2015 on board the Vision of the Seas.  We arrived in Barcelona one day prior to boarding but stayed for 5 days after the cruise.  So much to see.  It was one of our best cruises.  Thank you for sharing.

I was really surprised at how quickly the 12 nights went by. It was my longest cruise to date and I wanted more. All the port days had a lot to do with that.

[John&LaLa]

On 4/22/2020 at 11:51 AM, erby2283 said:

People wait in line, sometimes for hours, to be able to walk by the Virgin of Montserrat.  

 

We visited 15+ years ago, and the thing to do was kiss the ball. I did, Laura wouldn't, but 15 years later she did kiss the Blarney Stone.

[erby2283]

Day Three Barcelona / Embarkation Day

 

I had purchased tickets months in advance to visit the Nativity Tower at Sagrada Familia. I figured it would be a great way to kill time in the morning before we embarked. We had tickets to get into the Basilica at 9:15 and entrance time to the Nativity Tower at 9:45. 

 

We got up early to pack our stuff and then stored our luggage in the hotel lockers (can't remember how much it was but probably 5 eu or so for all our bags - 4) and then headed to have breakfast which was included with our room (again 374 eu for two nights which included a wonderful breakfast).  After breakfast, we walked the short distance to the metro to purchase our metro cards and make our way to Sagrada Familia.  I had done my homework prior to our trip and had printed out maps of exactly how to make our way from the hotel to Sagrada Familia via the metro - including how many stops before having to switch lines, etc. The hard part was checking the info without looking like a visitor. But I have to admit, being in a new place and being overly-paranoid about pickpockets did not make this part of the trip enjoyable. I can now say, after my visit, that if you are vigilant about your belongings, have a decent over the shoulder purse (mine even locked), you will be fine.  As a southerner, I had to remind myself not to talk to people and try to keep people from getting behind you. 😜

 

 

After going through security and walking inside Sagrada Familia, for a moment I have to admit I had no words. I can honestly say that the inside of this basilica is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life. I had never seen anything like it. I guess I just didn't know what to expect.  When you see the outside of the basilica, you don't expect to come inside and see such openness and all the beautiful colors emanating from the windows.  We walked around the Basilica until it was time for us to take the elevator to the Nativity Tower. My bf was already complaining about the humidity and it was only 9:30! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We rode the elevator to the top of the Nativity Tower. The view of Barcelona was quite stunning. Although I don't consider myself to be claustrophobic, I must admit that at times I felt overwhelmed  by the tight spaces while making my way down the tower. You'll need some patience. The people around you will want to walk both slower and faster than you. Try not to let their pace ruin your enjoyment. Just be mindful of others and let them pass if you want to spend more time in certain areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we made our way back down, we spent some time taking pictures of the outside but my bf spent much of his time complaining about the heat and he just wanted to head back to the hotel so we could head to the ship. I guess this means I will have to come visit again.

 

 

 

[TRUEBLUE66]

Great photos! We did the same tour, and it was unlike any other place we had been to.

Hope you agree, but photos alone do not do it justice. It has to be experienced!

 

 

 

 

[bobmacliberty]

2 hours ago, erby2283 said:

The hard part was checking the info without looking like a visitor.

 

I've given up trying to not look like a visitor.  No matter what you do, the locals will know your not from around them parts.  I just practice the vigilance that you mentioned.  If you happen to see someone who looks suspicious, make eye contact with them so that they know that you know.  They'll move on to an easier target.  The good ones though will blend in and you won't see them coming, so keeping a close eye on your stuff is important.  I'm more nervous in Barcelona and Rome because of their reputations, but it's good advice in any major city.  

 

Been to Sagrada Familia twice, 2 years apart.  It was so impressive, and enough had changed in 2 years, that it was worth it.  We'll probably go again the next time we're in Barcelona.  Did you get the audio guide?  Lots of good info in the audio guide about the amazing symbolism all over the place.  

[Jimbo]

On 4/22/2020 at 11:51 AM, erby2283 said:

Barcelona - Day Two continued - Barcelona Day Tours 

 

After we left Park Guell, we had an approximate 30 minute ride to Montserrat. Marta narrated the whole way and answered any questions we had which kept the ride interesting and informative. 

Our first view of the mountains as we approached Montserrat.

 

The below picture was the drop-off area. As you can see, they were doing some construction to this area. Our guide, Marta, gave us a couple options here at Montserrat as (again) we had limited time - about 1.5 hours.   We could either leave and explore the area on our own or Marta offered to take us on a brief tour to show us the abbey/basilica at Montserrat and share the story behind the "Virgin of Montserrat," followed by time on our own.  This is also where we had time to eat lunch. They had  a buffet style restaurant (which was pretty expensive) and a couple sandwich style places.

 

A few pictures as we made our way to the abbey and basilica.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People wait in line, sometimes for hours, to be able to walk by the Virgin of Montserrat.  

 

Here a few pictures of the basilica - the Virgin of Montserrat is "housed" in that golden archway area. You'll see people walking by as you sit in the basilica. As with most places of worship I noticed in Europe, many people do not seem to respect the "no talking" request that is made upon entry and quite often someone came in to hush/silence the crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to get a close-up of the Virgin of Montserrat using one of my cameras - forgive the blur.

 

 

 

We then made our way back out of the basilica to grab a bite to eat.

 

 

 

Awesome pictures inside the  basilica !

Edited April 24, 2020 by Jimbo

[Missusdubbya]

Wonderful review so far, thank you!

[RKHOOKER]

Thanks for the memories.  

We did Vision Med in July 2019 return Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Athens, Mykonos, Chania & Valletta, & absolutely loved it.

We had booked B2B Med cruises out of Venice for August 2020 visiting Croatia, Montenegro & the Greek Isles.  Maybe we’ll get there next year?!

I’m really enjoying your journey of last year & reliving some of mine.

Cheers!

[erby2283]

On 4/24/2020 at 6:09 PM, RKHOOKER said:

Thanks for the memories.  

We did Vision Med in July 2019 return Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Athens, Mykonos, Chania & Valletta, & absolutely loved it.

We had booked B2B Med cruises out of Venice for August 2020 visiting Croatia, Montenegro & the Greek Isles.  Maybe we’ll get there next year?!

I’m really enjoying your journey of last year & reliving some of mine.

Cheers!

So sorry about your cruise(s). I'm trying to think of the positive about losing my vacation - maybe I can do a better job at planning - concentrate on planning the future trip instead of dwelling on what's not happening. 😞 Glad I could help you relive some good times! 

 

On 4/24/2020 at 5:03 PM, Missusdubbya said:

Wonderful review so far, thank you!

Thank you for reading. You're very welcome!

 

On 4/24/2020 at 4:37 PM, bobmacliberty said:

 

I've given up trying to not look like a visitor.  No matter what you do, the locals will know your not from around them parts.  I just practice the vigilance that you mentioned.  If you happen to see someone who looks suspicious, make eye contact with them so that they know that you know.  They'll move on to an easier target.  The good ones though will blend in and you won't see them coming, so keeping a close eye on your stuff is important.  I'm more nervous in Barcelona and Rome because of their reputations, but it's good advice in any major city.  

 

Been to Sagrada Familia twice, 2 years apart.  It was so impressive, and enough had changed in 2 years, that it was worth it.  We'll probably go again the next time we're in Barcelona.  Did you get the audio guide?  Lots of good info in the audio guide about the amazing symbolism all over the place.  

Very true about the pickpockets. I just know that I was so paranoid about it that I was worried it would ruin my trip. A couple times I found myself becoming complacent but my bf would remind me to zip the purse or keep it in front of me, etc.  

I checked the email from my tickets purchase. It did say audio guide but we didn't get them. Most certainly it was because of (A) the line to get it or (B) after we came down from the tower, my BF was so hot he didn't want to stick around.  My guess is B. LOL

 

On 4/24/2020 at 4:16 PM, TRUEBLUE66 said:

Great photos! We did the same tour, and it was unlike any other place we had been to.

Hope you agree, but photos alone do not do it justice. It has to be experienced!

 

 

 

 

No, photos really don't do it justice. Even at Montserrat. The shear size and beauty of everything is not explainable to people who haven't been there.