Cruise #26 (Officially) – Regal Princess – Rome to Ft. Lauderdale

This was quite the journey. The cruise, itself was from November 17th, departing from Civitavecchia and arriving at Port Everglades on December 2nd.

Suzi and I decided to fly into Rome several days early, so left from LAX on November 12th and arrived at FCO at noon on the 13th. We took ITA Airways and had a wonderful flight. It was 11 hours but after a couple of movies and a great meal and snacks, we were in Rome!

I had arranged through our hotel, Hotel White, for a car. The driver, Maurizio, was right at baggage claim and off we went. There was a marathon that morning, so we actually got some extra sightseeing in, to get around the closed streets.

The hotel was perfectly located. It was two shorts blocks from Trevi Fountain with many shops, restaurants and, of course, gelato eateries galore. 5 minutes away were the Spanish Steps.

We ate dinner at two restaurants. The Grill and Wine House was literally 10 steps from the entrance to our hotel. I had fish in a parmesan basket one night and Pasta Carbonara the other night. Suzi had Minestrone Soup and roasted potatoes both nights. Here is the fish dish:

The other restaurant we enjoyed was Hosteria Trevi. I had Carbonara one night (Carbonara is my litmus test for Italian Food). The next night, I had Oso Bucco. Suzi had soup and an Omelet / Frittata. Here was my dish:

We did a LOT of walking. Suzi’s fit bit logged about 15,000 steps per day.

Trevi Fountain

Tiber River near the Vatican

Fountain of Neptune

The Forum

Marcello Theater

On November 17th, we arranged for a car to drive us to the hotel where we met the Princess Rep and catch the bus to Civitavecchia. The ride took about 45 minutes and check in was a breeze. We were in Balcony Stateroom Lido 122. Very nicely located as we always try for the Lido Deck.

On our last Mediterranean cruise, back in 2006, we were unable to dock in Livorno. Livorno is normally the port to Pisa and/or Florence. So… we never got there.

After thinking about the time it would take to get to and from Florence compared the the amount of time actually in Florence, we decided to take a tour to Lucca.

About 10 minutes before we set sail from Rome, the Captain announced that due to poor weather conditions, we would not be docking in Livorno… However, Princess was able to secure us a spot in the port of La Spezia. This sent the entire Shorex crew into a frenzy as they had to contact all of the tour providers and redirect them to the new port, in addition to having to void and reprint all excursion tickets. After talking to one of the officers, the Shorex team was up until about 2 am making all the changes. Great job!

Port One – Lucca

Lucca is a city about halfway between the port at La Spezia and Florence. Like many old cities, the historical center is surrounded by a wall.

The journey back to the ship took us through some beautiful country.

Port Two – Genoa

Our second port of call was Genoa. We took a Princess excursion for a walking tour. We walked around the harbor, then into the old city and finally to the main piazza.

Port Three – Ajaccio, France (Island of Corsica)

Our next stop was the Island of Corsica and birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. We boarded a hybrid walking / highlights bus tour. Our first stop was the memorial for Napoleon.

Then we headed West to a beautiful beach area.

In this video, you hear the pebbles clicking together as the waves recede.

Afterwards, we drove back into town for the walking portion of the tour.

And from the Regal Princess.

Leaving Ajaccio

Port Four – Gibraltar

Our fourth stop was to the Rock of Gibraltar. It’s at the southern most part of Spain but part of the United Kingdom. We booked an excursion through Princess and gave us an overview of the town and surrounds before climbing up halfway of the “Rock” to the St. Michael’s Caves. Absolutely stunning. There is an amphitheater inside where they hold concerts. During touring hours, they run a lightshow every 10 minutes, or so. Fascinating!

And, of course, the infamous Apes of Gibralter.

Port Five – Santa Cruz De Tenerife

Next, and last stop before crossing the “pond”, was the Canary Islands, specifically, Tenerife. (Per our tour guide, Nico, it’s pronounces Tene-reef, not Tene-reefa.) We booked a tiur that took us over the Anaga mountain range to the other side of the island, Taganana. This is an extremely narrow, winding, road that sounds much like the Road to Hana in Hawaii.

Road to Taganana

After an included stop at a hillside restaurant, we headed back to Santa Cruz before heading to La Laguna.

Our tour let us have some free time in La Laguna in the city center where there was a thriving Farmers Market.

After returning to the ship, it was time to really relax as we had 7 full days at sea. The crossing was a piece of cake. There were a couple of days in the middle where there were some sizable swells.

We did, however, encounter several beautiful skyscapes along the way.

If you recall, we met several of the Band Members / Entertainers on Cruise # 23. We have stayed in contact with a couple of the crew, especially Tony “Tromboney”. In fact, when he had a layover in L.A. between ships, we took him for a tour of Santa Monica and Hollywood. When we boarded Regal Princess, the house band was performing in the Piazza, so I took a photo of the players and sent it to Tony to see if he recognized anyone. He immediately responded “Ramiro” (Trumpet / Flugelhorn). Tony said “Great Player”. After they finished, I introduced Suzi and I to Ramiro and showed him Tony’s photo.

Again, we found most of the entertainers and guest-facing crew seem to eat on the starboard side in the Horizon Bistro, so that’s where Suzi and I ate all of our meals.

As time went on, we were able to meet quite a few of the house band members, including James, the bassist and Music Manager. One night, James stopped by to say hi and noticed Suzi had a bowl of marinated asparagus. James’s eye lit up and asked where she got it. She told him where in the buffet to find it. He went searching but we noticed he came back empty handed. Suzi went back to the buffet and found the staff had, indeed, removed the asparagus as they were running low. Suzi asked if there was any left, so the staff gladly gave her what they had. She delivered it to James, who was beyond surprised. He said something to the effect of “We’re supposed to make your vacation special, not the other way around!”

A couple of days later, we saw James in the Piazza. He handed Suzi a bag with two stuffed animals and a letter of appreciation for tracking down the asparagus.

Of our 16 Princess Cruises, the entertainment staff was excellent. Gary, Natalie, Oleks, Erica and Jacinta led the activities. The Singers and Dancers were among the best we’ve seen and the house band were incredible. The show headliners are constantly rotated around the fleet. Those that require the band have limited rehearsal time so the band has to learn the music, often by sight-reading and perform like the professionals they are. Kudos to James (Bass / Manager), Ramiro (Trumpet), Jake (Sax), Roman (trombone), Gio (drums – a lefty), Vince (Guitar) and Samuel (Keyboards). During the sea days, a few of the singers were highlighted in matinee concerts. In particular was Sujana Chand. Quite remarkable.

Once we got to Florida, we chose a late disembarkation of 9:30. Due to the number of non-Americans on board, Customs slowed to a crawl. They were prioritizing those that had flights, so we got to stay a bit longer. As it happened, James popped into the Vista Lounge, so we visited with him while the Piano tuner was replacing a string.

We got off the ship around 12:30 and grabbed a transfer to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood airport to pick up our car, then headed up to our brothers place for 10 days.

All in all a great cruise. Looking forward to #27 in April. Going to Hawaii on the Crown Princess.

Cruise #4 – Mediterranean 2006

We’re back on track with our “cruise every 2 years” goal. This time, Europe in May, 2006 on the Carnival Liberty! 12 Day Mediterranean, round trip from Rome (Civitavecchia). It was the Three Musketeers (Suzi, Cousin Jerry and I) plus Suzi’s folks. After the cruise, Suzi folks were heading home but us Musketeers booked a hotel in Rome for 3 full days.

Suzi parents weren’t up for the flight all the way from LA to Rome, so they decided to fly to Fort Lauderdale and spend a few days with one of their their two sons and his family.

Our flight was from LAX to JFK, then JFK to ROM. Since all 5 of us booked air through Carnival, Suzi’s folks flew from FLL to JFK where we all met up. I would say the entire aircraft was carrying passengers going on the same cruise.

Landed in Rome and boarded the bus to the port. Instead of going directly to the port, however, they told us there was a slight delay and that we would be stopping into a hotel where we would would be checking in and getting our cruise card. All we wanted to do was SLEEP! After an hour to two, back on the bus and on to the ship.

So what is the first thing you do after you board? Buffet time! We got there and was surprised that the staff was plating our food and handling all the utensils. That’s about the time we learned that there was a norovirus outbreak on the previous cruise… Now we know why we were diverted to the hotel. They wanted extra time to thoroughly sanitize the ship. They must have done a great job as we don’t know of anyone getting the virus. After a couple of days, the buffet went back to self serve.

About three days into the cruise, I recognized Eva, one of our servers on Carnival Legend to the Caribbean. She didn’t recognize me right away, but recognized Suzi (Nothing new…) Sure enough, her brother I was on board, too.

First port was Naples. Suzi, Jerry and I booked an excursion to Pompeii. Our Cruise Director, the legendary John Heald himself, said the temperature would be the low 70’s… It was actually the low 90’s. What’s 20 degrees among friends!

Our tour guide was an older gentleman. As we got off the bus, our guide handed us all headsets, so we could hear his talk as we walked through the ruins.

Funny story… 3/4 of the way through the tour, our guide announced through his mic, that we were coming up to the restrooms. On my way out, I saw our guide going in. Apparently, he didn’t realize his microphone was still on, so… we were treated to a little extra “narrative”.

Second port was Dubrovnik, Croatia after a well needed sea day. Our first thought when we saw the itinerary was… Croatia? Dubrov what? Well, it turned out to be the jewel of the trip. Totally unexpected. All 5 of us booked an excursion. We visited a working farmhouse in the country, then the small seaside city, Cavtat.

On the way back to the ship, the bus stopped by the old walled city of Dubrovnik. Only Suzi and I took the opportunity to tour this truly medieval masterpiece.

Third port was Venice. Nothing can prepare you for the view you will experience cruising into Venice on the upper deck of a ship. It’s mind blowing.

Venice was an overnight port so we arrived at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday and didn’t set sail until 5:00 PM on Wednesday. Just as it started to pour. On Wednesday morning, Suzi, Jerry and I all headed from the port to the city and caught a vaporeto, the Venetian equivalent of a public bus. We decided to go to St. Marks Square. I would LOVE to show you pictures but… My battery died. No problem, I brought a spare… In my excitement of this cruise, it turns out I never recharged the other battery… Oh well, an excuse to go back.

After another “Fun Day At Sea”, we stopped in Messina, Sicily. We hadn’t planned on any tours, but Cuz did well in the Casino (I know, you are thinking “Somebody won at the casino on a ship?”) So Jerry booked a tour of Mt Etna for the three of us. Thankfully, it had been dormant for awhile.

Next stop, Barcelona Spain. Cuz and the folks went on an excursion. Suzi and I decided to walk up Las Ramblas. Problem is, it was a Sunday, so a lot of shops were closed. Since we were on a tight budget, we really didn’t get to fully experience the city. This has probably been my biggest regret out of all of our cruises. Barcelona seems like a photographers heaven. Well, we’ll just have to plan another trip. Hopefully, Barcelona will a departure or arrival port so we can spend a few days.

Next port was Cannes, France. It was also Suzi’s birthday. I am very happy to tell everyone I took my wife to Cannes for her birthday… Well, sorta kinda. The Film festival had just wrapped up so the red carpets were still out.

And the last port was Livorno for Florence. Suzi, Cuz and I were looking forward to our “Florence On Your Own” excursion. One slight problem. Livorno is an open port and we were experiencing 16 ft swells. The Captain made three attempts, then decided to opt on the side of safety and instead of another day in port, it was another “Fun Day At Sea”! We were all refunded our excursion and received a $25.00 Itinerary change credit. Hey, these things happen. Plus… We were spending 3 days in Rome, why not take the bullet train to Florence one day?

So we arrive early into Civitavecchia, said goodbye to the folks and the Three Musketeers took a Carnival provided transport into the Center of Rome, where we had to get a cab to take us to our self-booked Hotel Turner.

After checking in, we all bought bus passes and traveled back into town and then walked to the Trevi Fountain.

Then we headed towards the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

From there, you can see the Colosseum, or should I say THEE Colosseum.

Along the way, you pass right by the Forum. Or should I say THEE FREAKING Forum!

Now… How about that trip on the Bullet Train to Florence? Funny you should ask. We stopped by a travel agent to inquire. Little did we know that we were here during the “Festivale di Republica” or Italy Reunification day celebrating when all regions of Italy came together as one. Yes, we could get a train to Florence, however, we would have to pay First Class Fare but not have a seat both ways. Leave Rome at 6:00 AM and not return until 11:00 PM. So, our excuse to return is intact.

The next day was the actual Festival Day. Mass transit was really not an option, so we left our hotel, near Pio Pico Gate all the way to downtown. We decided to take a break at a park and “park” our butts. All of the sudden we heard multiple aircraft. I grabbed my camera and took this shot.

I would like to say that I spent all this time setting the correct aperture, film and shutter speed but honestly, it was all pure luck. I heard the jets, happened to have the zoom lens attached blindly pointed to the sky and this happened. Pure luck.

We continued on our trek, ultimately looking to get to the Pantheon. We made it. It is as amazing and I’d heard. Something this old yet so well preserved.

The first night in Rome, we ate at steak restaurant. Seemed to be really touristy. It was OK but… The next two nights, we ate at a little family owned place just around the corner from our hotel. Although the owners didn’t speak any English, Cuz, who speaks fluent Spanish, was able to translate well enough to make it a very pleasant experience. We had fish, which they filleted right at your table. Now I know what Italian Food is…

On the second night, there were two women sitting next to us. We had a carafe of wine and so did they. One was American and the other proper English. We ended up sharing the table and the wine. It turns out they were college mates in New York who decided to have a reunion in Rome. We had the best time laughing while they told stories of their college days.

When we all got up to leave, one of the women gave us her card and said “It’s just Stella”. Turns out she worked with Jonas Saulk and became a world renowned professor of immunology. Wow.

Time to go back home and plan the next cruise!