Wonder of the seas Mediterranean live blog! 22nd May - 29th May 2022. Come cruise with us!

[Eragon666]

On 5/25/2022 at 7:02 AM, little britain said:

One complaint: Everything on this ship is so LOUD!!! Music is played at a much higher volume. Even the music of an evening in Central park was so LOUD we could not have a conversation whilst sitting inside Giovannis wine bar ( which is at the end of CP) without shouting.

 

Went to the aqua show InTENse last night.   Needless to say that was very LOUD too…. It was very dark in colour - I preferred Hiro with the glittery red shoes! 

Nice to see that they are doing the full show now, only saw the repetition of the full show on the last sea day (sunday). Last week they only did small parts of it, with the cruise director talking in between. Was the act with the ukrainian juggler also removed from the show? 

[little britain]

39 minutes ago, Eragon666 said:

Nice to see that they are doing the full show now, only saw the repetition of the full show on the last sea day (sunday). Last week they only did small parts of it, with the cruise director talking in between. Was the act with the ukrainian juggler also removed from the show? 

No Ukrainian juggler! 
They just need to get rid of the contortionist guy now.

 

 

I’m currently in Schooner Bar…. The singer is excellent, quiet…. Very Nat King Cole. 
 

Just over 4200 on this week now ( turnaround day in Rome). Ship delayed leaving as waiting for an ambulance … Captain said it would be 30 mins delay and it’s now an hour later. 

Edited May 26, 2022 by little britain

[CubedTofu]

Thank you so much for your detailed photos and summaries! Love the scenery. Here come the questions!!!

 

Would it be difficult to communicate if we cannot speak Italian? I studied Spanish and French in school so it's... "passable" but my only knowledge of Italian is from my classical musi and opera days!

 

Random side note: It'll be our first time to Italy and we do plan on travelling around Italy AFTER our cruise but were hoping to go to Cinque Terre via La Spezia. Is the only way to Cinque Terre by ferry? Some of my friends are prone to seasickness, which is why I ask. Would you say that maybe we should save this for the later part of our visit and perhaps visit somewhere else? Any suggestions?

 

Would you recommend earplugs? I'm very sensitive to sound - speaking of it being loud, are the doors in the suite also magnetic? I've heard reports that the bath door sometimes slam very loudly and people keep getting woken up. We are in a balcony room - not adjoining, but worried that it'll be loud in the rooms. We're also on deck 8 - near the back of the retail area of Central Park.

 

I've also heard that the TVs don't allow for HDMI cables? Could you confirm?

 

We plan to bring some magnetic hooks as some of the past ships have had metal walls and we could put the hooks on there - just wanted to check that!

 

Silly question but we are coming from Canada (originally from Aus) and was wondering whether you could recommend a mobile service that might be able to work on port days? We do not plan on purchasing Voom but would love to hear any thoughts on that. 

[TheHawk1]

7 hours ago, little britain said:

If you want to go to the train station you now catch the red or green bus €3pp from directly at the port now ( to the left as you exit the terminal) 

Would you happen to know how long that shuttle takes? Trying to figure out how much time I need getting off the ship to catch a particular morning train to Rome

[Cruisingcouple22]

9 hours ago, CubedTofu said:

Thank you so much for your detailed photos and summaries! Love the scenery. Here come the questions!!!

 

Would it be difficult to communicate if we cannot speak Italian? I studied Spanish and French in school so it's... "passable" but my only knowledge of Italian is from my classical musi and opera days!

 

Random side note: It'll be our first time to Italy and we do plan on travelling around Italy AFTER our cruise but were hoping to go to Cinque Terre via La Spezia. Is the only way to Cinque Terre by ferry? Some of my friends are prone to seasickness, which is why I ask. Would you say that maybe we should save this for the later part of our visit and perhaps visit somewhere else? Any suggestions?

 

Would you recommend earplugs? I'm very sensitive to sound - speaking of it being loud, are the doors in the suite also magnetic? I've heard reports that the bath door sometimes slam very loudly and people keep getting woken up. We are in a balcony room - not adjoining, but worried that it'll be loud in the rooms. We're also on deck 8 - near the back of the retail area of Central Park.

 

I've also heard that the TVs don't allow for HDMI cables? Could you confirm?

 

We plan to bring some magnetic hooks as some of the past ships have had metal walls and we could put the hooks on there - just wanted to check that!

 

Silly question but we are coming from Canada (originally from Aus) and was wondering whether you could recommend a mobile service that might be able to work on port days? We do not plan on purchasing Voom but would love to hear any thoughts on that. 

Hi! No problem.

You don't need to speak much italian, most of the people we've come across speak pretty good english, and if not then pointing and waving normally does the trick.

 

There are a number of trains that go to cinque terre, we were just unlucky with the fire! i think there is also buses that go to porto venere but i'm not sure if the go further. This website was super useful for planning - https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/

 

I think bringing some earplugs along would be a good idea, but i think the noise insulation is pretty good. We are next to the aquatheatre and with the door open the bass was shaking the picture frame, but when you shut it is really cuts it out.

 

unfortunately i can confirm that they make the HDMI ports very difficult to access and there is no button to switch source on the remote control. I've heard people mention bringing a universal remote but their software seems pretty locked down. There is an option to stream to the TV though like a chromecast, although this might require VOOM internet

 

Magnetic hooks are a must! We always travel with a little pack of 8 of so!

 

And with regards to mobile service, our uk provider automatically switches over to a local one so i'm not sure. Sorry i can't help

 

Have a good day!

[Cruisingcouple22]

 

 

 

[little britain]

9 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

Would you happen to know how long that shuttle takes? Trying to figure out how much time I need getting off the ship to catch a particular morning train to Rome

I’d allow 15 mins for the shuttle drive. I usually go for a train around 8:45 into Rome if I go. 

[Cruisingcouple22]

Time to get up bright and early for our day in Rome! Chased in by Costa with Celebrity already in!

 

 As you may have guessed by now, breakfast was room service again! This time we sat out on the balcony and enjoyed some very warm weather for so early. This should have been a warning of how hot it would get later in the day🥵

 

 

We decided to walk to the train station, it took about 20 minutes or so. As Littlebritain noted, the entrance to the port has been reconfigured, which works out very well for people walking. There is a clearly marked and segregated path all the way from the ship to the castle by the entrance to the port. You also don’t have to run the gauntlet of taxis and tour sellers that you previously had to walk through. No train dramas today, the train was running on time! We got the 0842 and it got to Roma Ostiense at 0936. There were plenty of seats when we got on but by the next stop it was standing only. The train ride was nice enough, especially as it only cost 4.60 euros. I wish our trains in england were this cheap! We got off and had a leisurely walk to the circus maximus and then onto the palantine hill and Roman  forum.

We passed by this, who knew that Rome had pyramids too! If you are going to the Colliseaum your ticket includes entry here, but they also do separate tickets if you aren’t visiting elsewhere that can be bought online. Highly recommend that you prebook any tickets online.

 

 

Circus maximus!

 

 

This site is quite large, hilly and lots of uneven/slippery pavements so be careful if you do decide to visit. There are some beautiful views though and the history here is incredible. You can look down on what were the emperors private rooms overlooking the circus maximus. And there are some areas of the site that date back over 2600 years! There are a number of free water fountains around the site as well as restrooms. 
 

 

Emperor’s private rooms!!

 

 

 

 

Emperor’s private fountain too

 

At least the lizards were enjoying the heat

 

Just make out the Vatican in the distance

 

It’s crazy to see what time does to the flooring

 

 

 

 

At this point the fountain looked VERY refreshing 

 

 

Some of the buildings are absolutely colossal 

 

 

 

 

I think they said this church dates from the 5th Century and the icon is one of the oldest in existence. This isn’t the original of course

 

 

Spare marble for when they have to make repairs

 

This is what the church looked when the found it. Amazing the work they have done

 

[Cruisingcouple22]

After finishing at the forum we needed caffeine (and shade) so popped into a little cafe for a break. It was quiet when we got there but must have been a favourtie with the locals as it was heaving when we left. We had a quick wander around the cat sanctuary, but as it was so hot we only saw the one who was searching for some shade.

 

 

We took a walk along to the pantheon, grabbing some delicious bubble tea on the way, and then walked along to the trevi fountain.
 

Bubble tea!

 

Bubble tea all gone!

 

We walked past a Venchi chocolate shop and the had a waterfall of chocolate flowing down behind their counter, yummy!
 

 

 

Very interesting looking sweet shop

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the fountain we took a walk back to the centre of room and the altar of the fatherland before deciding that the heat had taken it’s toll on us and we needed to head back. We caught the train from Roma Termini, and decided on the faster train that was a little more expenses, 11.60 euros, but was 30 minutes quicker than the other train. It was also a mum nicer and quieter train and i had a little nap to try and recharge. Back in Civitavecchia we took a wander along the waterfront before heading back to the ship.

 

We thought this was Charlie Chaplin and Walt Disney, turns out it wasn’t!

 

 

Be careful in the cantilevered hot tubs, people can see right in!!

 

We grabbed some Sorrentos pizza before heading back to teh room for a much needed freshen up.

 

And then it was to the suite lounge for an Aviation gin and tonic before our dinner reservation at Hooked.

[Cruisingcouple22]

Did anyone else see the construction progress on Icon of the seas? Very strange looking sphere being installed at the moment! no idea what it’ll be but very excited. And apparently Icon is going to be bigger than the oasis class too! 

[Cruisingcouple22]

We’ve been to Hooked on other ships before and really enjoy it, although the tiredness and heat meant nether of us were very hungry. The food was really tasty though, and my steak was cooked excellently. We didn’t even manage dessert!  After dinner we took a quick look around the shops, bought our christmas ornament from the ship and then headed to bed. Completed knackered, but i guess its not too surprising with the 33 degree heat, high humidity and 28000 steps! Heres to a nice long sleep and we’ll see you tomorrow for our last port day in Naples. Ciao!

 

Biscuits, partially eaten!

Soft shell crab

 

Crab cake

 

Surf and turf

 

Lobster Mac and cheese. Super cheesy!

 

Lobster roll 

 

[Garden_Girl]

On 5/25/2022 at 6:02 AM, little britain said:

One complaint: Everything on this ship is so LOUD!!! Music is played at a much higher volume. Even the music of an evening in Central park was so LOUD we could not have a conversation whilst sitting inside Giovannis wine bar ( which is at the end of CP) without shouting.

 

Went to the aqua show InTENse last night.   Needless to say that was very LOUD too…. It was very dark in colour - I preferred Hiro with the glittery red shoes! 

Totally agree that the music on the ship is way too loud and this makes it hard to find a quiet place for sunbathing anywhere on the ship. I mentioned this in my feedback. When we got off the ferry in Naples we could hear the music on the ship!

[Garden_Girl]

10 hours ago, CubedTofu said:

Random side note: It'll be our first time to Italy and we do plan on travelling around Italy AFTER our cruise but were hoping to go to Cinque Terre via La Spezia. Is the only way to Cinque Terre by ferry? Some of my friends are prone to seasickness, which is why I ask. Would you say that maybe we should save this for the later part of our visit and perhaps visit somewhere else? Any suggestions?

When you go through the port terminal there are booths set up to purchase the small mini-bus that goes to each ‘island’ of cinque terra. It’s drops you off at each island and returns every x minutes at the bus top of each ‘island’. They will give you a timetable for the little bus. 

[Cruisingcouple22]

There was a cool exhibition set up in the church in the forum showing what the art work used to look like

 

 

 

[AF-1]

Have fun in Naples;  your food pics are perfect; and loved your tour of Rome pics

[little britain]

15 hours ago, CubedTofu said:

 

 

Random side note: It'll be our first time to Italy and we do plan on travelling around Italy AFTER our cruise but were hoping to go to Cinque Terre via La Spezia. Is the only way to Cinque Terre by ferry? Some of my friends are prone to seasickness, which is why I ask. Would you say that maybe we should save this for the later part of our visit and perhaps visit somewhere else? Any suggestions?

 

 

You can catch the train to CT - just jump on and off at each station

https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable 

 

Wi-Fi  is $21.99/ $26.99pd.

Remember it drops by this amount daily so if you can hold out to after midnight on the first day then you have already saved $!

 

 

 

[TheHawk1]

6 hours ago, Cruisingcouple22 said:

We got the 0842 and it got to Roma Ostiense at 0936.

Can I ask what time you left the ship in order to make this train?  And how long did the line take for people disembarking?  With Wonder being such a large ship, wanting to gauge how much time we'll need for that process to be off as early as possible in the morning.  Rome is the biggest tour day for us, so we want to maximize our time there.

[little britain]

1 hour ago, TheHawk1 said:

Can I ask what time you left the ship in order to make this train?  And how long did the line take for people disembarking?  With Wonder being such a large ship, wanting to gauge how much time we'll need for that process to be off as early as possible in the morning.  Rome is the biggest tour day for us, so we want to maximize our time there.

There was no line for disembarking at 7:55am  - everyone goes down an escalator so everyone moving at the same speed…. It was very quick and I was outside in a few minutes after walking through the terminal. 

[trotzoll]

This is such a great follow along. Thank you so much for all the fun info.

[little britain]

Sitting in CP for a quiet drink before bed….. only a movie 🎥 (Dune) is BLARING out from the new screen position dominating one end of the park ( aft) and we can’t hear ourselves talk…,do not book a CP cabin on this ship!! The movie started at 10p and ends at half midnight. 

Edited May 27, 2022 by little britain

[little britain]

On other ships the Solarium buffet at dinner has the starters and puddings plated up and they take your order for the main course. Not on Wonder: all courses are plated up ready. It’s like a glorified WJ. 
Have I mentioned how the WJ is excellent on this ship? The quality and presentation is much better than before “C”! 

[little britain]

Voom. The fastest Wi-Fi at sea. 

[minnie mommie]

Thank you Cruisingcouple 22 and little britain.  Your reviews and pictures brought back great memories of a past trip.

[Cleous]

So suite guests get any free access to thermal spa area do you know

[Oceansaway17]

20 hours ago, little britain said:

Sitting in CP for a quiet drink before bed….. only a movie 🎥 (Dune) is BLARING out from the new screen position dominating one end of the park ( aft) and we can’t hear ourselves talk…,do not book a CP cabin on this ship!! The movie started at 10p and ends at half midnight. 

yes it can be loud.  When I was on the ship in April they moved the movie to the Aqua theater so that I could better see and hear it from by Boardwalk balcony.  Wasn't that nice of them.....NOT. But those folks in C Park had a quiet night I guess.

I hate the large screens on ships