fabnfortysomething

Day 8 Motril 8-7

This was substituted     for Malaga and as mentioned at Latitudes party was a brand new port for Ncl. Perhaps this was why they provided free shuttles.

I was awoken by docking announcement but went back to sleep and next thing I knew it was 11am!

I drew back curtains but quickly closed them again as cabin steward was opening up balcony dividers to allow cleaning of balconies

I headed to thermal spa before lunch at garden café.I noted empty chairs on pool deck-many people had gone ashore

In the afternoon I headed to Spice and although busier than usual still plenty of loungers.

I was joined by D and K who had gone ashore and found an interesting cactus garden

However listening to other cruisers there was little else ofinterest.In fact talking to a crew member who had gone ashore the café she found insisted on closing for siesta.

6 was feeling ill off and on all day so rested up in cabin

I joined K and D in atrium and listened to pianist until we all had an early night.

Day 7 Alicante 6.30-4

This was a substitute port for Ibiza which should have been 7-2.30 which wouldn’t have given much time in sun so this was better but would affect Meet and Greet later at 3 till 4

We had booked shore excursion to utilise $50 credit-As 6 was staying on board this worked out a cheap excursion for me.

We have always avoided ships excursions preferring private but it had been a slow roll call and some of the ports we had visited several times so decided to give a big bus tour a go.

This was 4 ½ hours duration with a walking tour of Alicante for 30 mins then inland to Novelda

The desert landscape is very ugly on the way but Novelda itself pretty.

The personable guide told us that this area historically had 3 distinct communities

Arab/Moors ,Jewish and Catholic

We headed up a mountain on which were 3 places of worship looking down on valley below

A mosque in ruins

A synagogue converted to a restaurant

A church still active due to murals inside depicting Mary Magdalene who was supposed to have ascended to Heaven from here[despite zero evidence she ever lived in the area]

Down to valley floor for a tour of local vineyard and tasting of 2 wines.

We were back on ship by 2.30

Usually the Meet and Greet is held on the morning of first sea day and attended by ships officers.

On this cruise there were no sea days and chose today despite being late in cruise as should have been only day could accommodate people being back on board.

We originally were due to set sail from Ibiza 2.30 but change of itinerary affected turnout-there were 8 of us and group service co ordinators Anne and Malou greeted us

We knew no ships officers were to be present as busy with sailaway but we had a buffet set up and an interesting chat with Anne and Malou and fellow passengers about pre and post covid cruises.

We missed sailaway 4pm as Bliss was venue for meet and greet and an inside venue so no windows.

The latitudes party was 5.30 in Illusionarium theatre and was attended by ships officers

The captain did a talk and introduced his officers as we;; as doing a count of various latitudes level

We recognised some of our favourite bar waiters who had been called in for the event

Music was provided by guitarist and vocalist duo who we later followed to Sugar cane to end the evening.

Day 6 Palma Mallorca 7-6

I decided to get off ship with K and D and we met up around 9.

It was nearly 3 miles to centre so got 15 euro shuttle which dropped us near base of cathedral.The shuttle also provided a map with main attractions which proved useless.

We had difficulty finding some of the attractions and when we did our reaction was “is that it?”

A very old knarled tree in the centre which I remembered from a previous visit wasn’t listed and that was a lot more interesting!

There were lots of horse and carriages which no one seemed to be taking-you had to hold your breath as you walked past so would not have been pleasant riding in them as the heat intensified the smell of horse dung.

The marble steps everywhere also got very slippery so tread carefully

After 2 hours D and I had seen enough so headed back to ship whilst K explored a bit more.

I spent a couple of hours in Spice H20 then to thermal spa

The panoramic windows had view of Palma cathedral in the distance and yachts of varying sizes in the harbour.

Lots of apartments and hotels to the left of harbour.

Mallorca became a major holiday destination for sun starved Brits in the 1960s and 70s with cheap package holidays.

When the idea was to acquire as deep a sun tan as possible and SPF sunscreen wasn’t seen as important the result is a rapid increase in skin cancer amongst our generation.

I found 6 lying in darkened cabin and guessed he was having one of his off days

After his stroke he suffers neurofatigue which comes upon him with little warning and he needs to self isolate and switch off from stimulation

He calls it low Battery syndrome.

We were due to meet K and D for second free speciality restaurant le Bistro and at first he rallied chatting to K.However after meal he retired back to cabin.

D and I  headed to Syd Normans for the Rumours tribute evening which was very good.

if your expectations for dinner with officers are realistic it can be fun and actually the lower levels are more used to socail chit chat

our our last cruise they were Art gallery manager and stage manager-2 young girls who were entertaining tablemates 

Day 5 Barcelona 7-7

I had already decided to stay on board today as have been to Barcelona several times.

I spent a relaxing morning in the Thermal spa more or less to myself.

I Met 6 on the stairs-as already mentioned our cabin was about same distance between aft and forward elevators and stairs

Rather than waiting for elevators [which seemed to be a playground for kids amusing themselves riding up and down ] we both tended to use stairs most of the time.

These were also crowded at times with people of all ages sitting on them and some unruly kids who thought it was a good idea to play football at top of them!

I spent an afternoon in Spice H20 until was joined by 6 and D .K and D Had taken 9 euro shuttle to centre of Barcelona and walked and walked.

As if this wasnt enough exercise K was now doing his usual jogging route on ship in boiling heat!  

During covid lockdown I started a variety of online exercise classes one of which was a fan dancing course every 12 weeks which ended with an online performance of 2 routines open to family and friends.

The final clashed with this holiday so I brought along my feather fans to be able to join in from the cabin later tonight.

Believe me its not easy with low cabin ceilings!

My daughter was also joining in from home having found this a good way to get back into shape post childbirth-it does involve core strength.

Unfortunately the wifi signal on board was pretty terrible it kept breaking up so had to wing it!   

6 got some good shots of me in action though .

Afterwards we went to sugarcane to listen to pianist and vocalist Jacob till 11 then our usual balcony wine

we have just returned from cruise that embarked in Rome/Civitiveccia

there was no evidence of wheelchairs until we had walked length of terminal buildong both outside and in,gone through security and then check in

then we saw wheelchair assistance which would take on to ship but by that time my husband had already walked much further than his comfort leve;

Day 4 Marseilles 6-6

I was awoken by announcement that ship was cleared but went back to sleep till 9

I met K and D for breakfast then intended walking off ship with them.

Problem-there are 2 ports in Marseilles,1 close to centre of town and 1 in a large commercial port 5 miles out.

Guess which one we were at!

There was a note on shore excursion desk that shuttles were available for 15 euros taking 45 mins and every 45 minutes.

I decided to stay on board but they decided to give it a go.

I headed to Spice H2O for a morning of sun and headed back o cabin to find 6 who hadn’t got my message that had stayed on board.After lunch I headed back to Spice where I was persuaded by Kevin the bar waiter to have a Mohito and he asked where my friend was.

He was very attentive with drinks and carried a water spritzer which was very refreshing in the heat!

D turned up about 3 and informed me the info on shuttles was rubbish.

They walked off ship to find 6 waiting shuttle buses which only took 220 mins to get into town.

They spent 3 hours wandering then got an easy shuttle back.

4 o clock I went to shower and get changed for dinner with officers-we were told to meet in atrium 5.30

There were 10 of us and Harta the General Manager PA ticked our names off a list and guided us to Tropicana restaurant.

The officers were 2 ladies,Yolanda art gallery manager and McKenzie stage manager

Both were very engaging and it was a fun meal.

We had name cards so one of the guests recognised mine and said she had emailed me about the meet and greet.

We later headed for Syd Normans and McKenzie was introducing the band.

It was a very good night-after the show the singers come back out and mingle-they recognised us from prior night and were very impressed with photos 6 had taken on his semi professional camera.They asked him to forward to their Instagram .

Collecting our balcony wines we noted the ship was moving pretty fast to get to Barcelona for next morning.

There is nothing quite like sitting out on balcony on a clear starry night listening to the waves and sipping wine.  

Day 3 Villefranche 7-6

Originally was meant to be Nice but there were several port substitutions since we first booked

This was the only tender port -as Saphire latitudes we could have met between 7 and 9 in Illusionarium theatre to get priority but I decided to stay on board although K and D went ashore.

Not much chance of a lie in though as tender announcements were made every 10 minutes until about 10 when open tender was announced

I got a phone call from the General managers secretary asking us to confirm our places for Dinner with officers. After checking K and D were on same invite I confirmed for all of us.

I eventually drew back curtains and was faced with a beautiful view of the bay with yachts and forested hills down to sea level-can see why it’s a tender port!

I headed to Spice just before lunch to get some sun before grabbing some lunch at garden café where bumped into 6

He then joined me at Spice before heading to cooler climes-he doesn’t do sun tanning-he just gets redder!

The bar opened at 1pm and a touring bar waiter persuaded me to partake of a Mohito-very refreshing and I must admit it became my drink of choice for an afternoon in Spice-I became known as Miss Mohito.

I was joined about 3 by D .They had got off via tender and walked miles-she confirmed it was very hilly!

After she left to shower I headed to Thermal suite-it was busier than yesterday but still tranquil.

I watched the activity in bay with tenders gradually retuning with last one due 5pm.

Returning to cabin I found a towel animal of 2 swans kissing-usually done for honeymooners[well its been 37 ½ years for us until K and D who were about to celebrate 49!

I must admit to loving the towel animals and regret they are no longer routinely offered.

As I had organised the meet and greet We had an invite to the VIP cocktail party 7pm in Bliss lounge with Captain and Officers

Most of the officers are not natural mixers so we spent more time chatting to bar waiters we recognised!

We then met K and D 7.45 for our first speciality meal in Cagneys

The wine waiter spent a lot of time going through the wine list on his tablet and then on being informed we were on UBP and had a voucher for a free bottle of wine he then said most of wines he was showing us weren’t included!!!

This delayed our food waiter giving us menus and taking our order so we found service very slow and wouldn’t have been prepared to spend extra money there.

D and I wanted to catch Howl at the Moon duelling pianos at 9 so we left before dessert leaving K and 6-apparantly they weren’t offered dessert menus for ages because the waiters were waiting for us to return!.

Afterwards I found 6 in sugarcane bar listening to same Pianist who was playing earlier at VIP party

We got another couple of drinks to enjoy on balcony before crashing into bed.

thanks to those chipping in with facts and figures

thank you for this post

I also got 2 duplicate emails about an important notification and couldnt see any different info from original booking

glad I'm not the only one wondering whats going on

Day 2 Livorno

Awoken by the cruise directors announcement that the ship was cleared for leaving I reflected it was just as well we weren’t going on excursion as felt really tired and it would have been a long day meeting at 7.15am.

I checked the envelope slot outside cabin and found an envelope with tickets for Alicante tour later in week and a slip of paper saying Cinque Terre was full but I was on waiting list-no chance of that now

I went back to sleep and awoke around 9.

I visited the spa and had a guide round -I liked the look of it so signed up for cruise long pass for $319 and made sure I visited daily.

I had a couple of hours in the sun at Spice H2O The adults only area then after lunch headed for first thermal Spa session.

Its on the 15^th floor forward above navigation so good views over front and side panoramic windows.

Livorno is a very industrial port and you cant walk through it-a 7 euro shuttle is provided by the port.

4pm I returned to cabin to find no 6 but complimentary water had been delivered.

I sat on balcony watching tours return.

6 returned from his tour of the ships bars and making friends with bar waiters so we met K and D at Taste/Savor dining rooms 5.30 as they opened

It was quiet at that time but filled up by 7 and sailaway time

6 found with his back to wall he wasn’t overwhelmed and when we went to atrium he found sitting in Starbucks area again with back to wall he was able to sit through the New vs Not so newly wed quiz show#

We definitely noted the shift towards quiz shows and self entertainment such as karaoke at the cost of professional musicians which is a shame.

We were able to find some but weren’t spoilt for choice as on previous cruises.

K and D headed to bed about 9.30 but we caught Syd Normans show at 10 and managed to find a seat

Its high energy singing and dancing and lasts an hour after which bar staff are keen to clear you out!

We grabbed a couple of glasses of wine to enjoy on our balcony and listen to the sound of the waves.  

4 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

You haven’t said which ship and when was the cruise?

 

 

sorry NCL Getaway Rome to Lisbon 20 July

3 hours ago, RD64 said:

Correction -Civitavecchia is a regularly used port - and I believe it has the most passenger traffic in Italy. Disorganized chaos is a way of life in Italy.

I know Civiyiveccia is a regularly used port but didnt think it was used for embarkation port as much

That was me trying to find excuses for them 

Rome airport was also a mess

Day 1 embarkation

After a leisurely breakfast provided by the guest house we left the building 10.15 in what we thought would be plenty of time for our 11-11.30 embarkation slot.

Civitiveccia isn’t a regularly used embarkation port and today NCL Getaway  and an MSC ship were both starting cruises from here .NCL had 5000 passengers and the MSC ship was even bigger.

This could only be described as Disorganised Chaos

We walked the 10 minutes from guesthouse to port entrance fairly easily and could see the 2 ships a few hundred yards away.

However the road to the left leading to ships had no walkway so unable to go on foot with luggage.

To the right was a mass of people with suitcases waiting for shuttle -bear in mind Europe in middle of heatwave and no shelter.

We waited 10-15 minutes for a bus to turn up then there was a surge towards it with no regard for orderly lines.

Not wanting to be trampled by a herd of elephants with luggage we fortunately noted another bus pulling in behind it and went to that one. It did mean we had to wait for it filling up before we could enter the next phase.

This consisted of the bus driving along harbour front to the opposite end of the town to the bus station where we had to get off and enter said venue where another shuttle bus would take us directly to ship.

A teeming mass of cars and passengers with luggage were blocking access and there was no attempt to create a separate entrance and exit .Seemingly swimming against the tide[Now I know how the lone fish going in opposite direction on the carpets on NCL carpets feels] we fought our way into the bus station.

It took a while to work out that there were 2 lines inside, left hand side for NCL right for MSC

No staff to monitor situation till you got to head of line where they directed you onto a bus

The only non passenger visible was a man selling sunhats amongst crowd to stave off the beating sun as you waited in very slow moving lines.

It became apparent there were only 2 shuttle buses allocated to NCL and 3 for MSC. These were running to and from the ships and had to empty their passengers from ship before we could get on-hence the chaos at entrance.

Since his stroke 6 suffers from disorientation issues in crowds and I could tell he was struggling.

Several shuttles came and went before we were able to board ours and back along the harbour front passing the same point we had entered an hour before.

There was a delay getting past security gate as a uniformed officer boarded each bus and checked passengers boarding pass but eventually we arrived outside ship at 11.45-so much for our allocated port arrival time.

The bus driver went off for a cigarette and had to be tracked down as he hadn’t opened 1 side of the luggage compartment to allow us to get our bags out.

We had booked wheelchair assistance at pier but no signs so had to walk full length of terminal building to entrance then all the way back once inside to reach the baggage drop and security screening airport style.

Of course 6 set the alarms off and had to be checked before we could get to check in desks.

Fortunately as Saphire latitudes we could use priority and got our keycards fairly quickly. Only then did we see wheelchairs which by this time he decided he’s gone this far lets just get on the ship.

By this time it was 12.15-wheres the nearest bar!!!!

We headed for O Sheehans restaurant area where we had fish and chips and a beer.

Dand I headed to atrium to arrange our speciality restaurants and sign up for a couple of ships excursions to utilise our $50 credit including 1 to Cinque Terre the next day.

As this was also where our muster station was got keycard swiped.

As atrium was getting packed 6 went to find a quiet area[aka waterfront bar] and K D and I went to spice H20 to enjoy some sunshine.

2.30 there was a tannoy announcement that rooms were not yet ready so please enjoy rest of ship rather than sitting on stairs and blocking them!

3pm it was announced rooms ready and after waiting for rush to die down went to drop off hand luggage.

Our balcony cabin was mid ship deck 10 and as the ship doesn’t have central stairs and elevators was a long walk between aft and forward ones.

We went to Spice H20 for an informal sailaway we had arranged on out roll call but only 1 couple turned up.

6.30 we returned to cabin to find our cases had arrived then went to Garden café for bite to eat where we met K and D

As no excursion tickets had been left they visited the desk to be told our excursion next day was sold out and we weren’t on the list-wish they could have told us that at the time we booked!

As our complimentary water bottles and chocolate covered strawberries hadn’t been in cabin we went to cruise next desk and they signed us up for wine tasting and on list for dinner with officers. We declined ship tour as its interesting the first couple of times but been there seen it done it.

We managed to find a fairly quiet area in atrium where spent rest of evening listening to vocalist and enjoying the Ultimate Beverage package!

we found Civitiveccia to be a quaint and easily accessible town and our hotel was very central

however the port shuttle is a mess

we walked the 10 minutes with our suitcases from hotel to shuttle service within port-we could see ship close by but no walkway to get there

once shuttle bus arrived we got on only to betransferred all way along to bus station at other end where had to join long line to board another bus

this took us back past stop we had been an hour earlier going in opposite direction!

this was free service but would have been better to book taxi direct from hotel to ship

we have just returned from a cruise that started in Rome

we had a night pre cruise in Civitiveccia and the hotel arranged a taxi transfer for 130 euros between airport and hotel

it was a 7 seater minivan for 2 of us 

unfortunately dont know name of company but just to let you knw they exist and it was a very convenient option with our name on placrad as we exited airport

Several years I started a series of blogs relating our adventures[and misadventures] of cruising with someone who has walking difficulties ie my husband.

For anonymity I call him 6.

You may remember the 70s series about Steve Austin an astronaut who was severely injured and rebuilt with bionics to the tune of 6 million dollars.

Well as a result of Rheumatoid arthritis hitting him in his 40s he has had replacement hip surgeries totalling nearer £6000.[although rising]

We took to cruising around 2008 as a low mobility option to travel and were hooked ,cruising at least once a year and making some great friends along the way.

A brain haemorrhage in 2019 added insult to injury but we still managed a round UK and Ireland cruise that year.

That turned out to be our last cruise for a while for obvious reasons.

We both have a quirky sense of humour so this review is light hearted but focusing on issues relating to walking difficulties.

I had originally booked an Iceland and Norway cruise but doing research it was going to be expensive pre cruise in Iceland and excursions also expensive and no easy route for 6.

When our USA friends K and D said they had booked this unique itinerary I switched so we could cruise together again

We met on our second cruise and have kept in touch with several cruises and their visits to England

We had planned to visit them in 2020 but of course that didn’t happen but hopefully will get to see their home in Indianapolis sometime.

Because this cruise started in Rome and ended in Lisbon I booked airfare through NCL.

However it was a day of cruise flight which always makes me nervous.

Several weeks before cruise we heard that baggage handlers were going on strike and that gave me the incentive to change flights to day before. Cancelling NCL transfers meant cost difference wasn’t that great.

London Heathrow is 260 miles from our home but as our daughter, son in law and 2 granddaughters live close to Heathrow we drove down Wednesday so as to spend some time with them before our flight on Thursday.

There is now no spare bedroom at their house since the girls[almost 3 and 1 year old ] had their own bedrooms.

Actually as the nursery gets so hot they now share a bedroom but I decided to book a park and stay package pre and post flight at Hilton terminal 5.

This is a bit of a misnomer as it is 3 miles away unlike Hilton Gatwick which is adjoined to the terminal via walkway. They did however advertise a hoppa service and we could leave the car at hotel car park

We were given a complimentary upgrade as Gold members of Hilton loyalty club with access to executive lounge and free breakfast. Unfortunately as our flight was 6.30am this    was no use to us.

The receptionist informed us that the hotel hoppa didn’t start till 5.15am so no use to us[we later found out it actually starts 4.30]

He booked us a taxi for 4.15 and gave us a card from WeKnowLondon for our return which he said would be a cheaper alternative[again misinformed us of running times of Hoppa]

The taxi cost us £24 and then we were given misinformation at airport where to check in for wheelchair assistance[not good so far]

Once the man arrived with wheelchair it all went a lot smoother . He fast tracked us through security and passport control and went with us on train to terminal building opposite where we pre boarded and were able to settle into our seats.

The flight to Rome was an uneventful 2 hours but there was no sign of wheelchair assistance at the other end.

The flight crew rang and eventually assistance arrived.

Sometimes you get one person escorted you all the way, in this case there were 4 stages throughout airport with a series of 4 females who were getting younger and prettier-6 wasn’t objecting!

We had booked the same bed and breakfast place as our friends in Civitiveccia and the owners arranged a taxi transfer for the hour journey from Airport for 130 euros-this actually worked out better for us than trying to negotiate public transport. It also is nice to see your name on placard as you exit .

The driver had parked in adjacent rail station carpark and took one of our cases but set off at a pace 6 couldn’t keep up. Eventually he realised and slowed down.  

It was a pleasant drive along motorway with flowers self seeding in central reservation and we arrived at Il Borghetto guest house

This is a 2 bedroom unit on 4^th floor of apartment building which are rented separately but have common area with TV and kitchen area.

As our friends had booked the other room for 3 nights this worked out very well for us as we could make use of whole unit.

The owners were there to welcome us and show us the facilities and told us how to reach them in case of problems.

There were lots of steps to negotiate within building but 6 can manage these-its distance he struggles with.

K and D had taken train into Rome for the day so when they arrived back we  got pizza from local eatery and spent the evening drinking wine and beer and catching up before collapsing into bed.

we are on Getaway

started in Civitiveccia and so far LIvorno Villefranche Marseilles and Barcelona

no restriction on drinks and no signs up at guest services

so looks like the outcry worked 

we rein Civitiveccia now for 1 day/night ahead of catching our cruiseship tomorrow

we are staying in Il Borghetto guest house 5 minutes from th port which is well recommended

there is a tourist guide in the room which suggests a walk round taking in the medievel streets and round the harbour

its a seaside town with hotels and beaches frequeted by locals-I wouldnt suggest a long stay here but enough to filll in a day and we will check out a local restaurant tonight

4 minutes ago, MrsPeel55 said:

 

excuse my ignorance, what is an Esta?

its an electronic visa waiver-replaced the old green forms you used to fill out on the airplae and invariably I wrote on wrong line!

it costs $14 and lasts 2 years and required for entry to USA from UK

Bizarly you are recommended to print out an electronic form and it never fits the page correctly unless you adjust settings on your printer

and yes the requirement to get off the ship.go through immigration then sit in an area until allowed back on board is a pain-do an excursion that day 

as has been pointed out most of the bridges are not smooth slopes but steps up and down so awkward with luggage

yes the first thing you may associate with Venice is a gondola ride but reality is a bit daunting

the Grand canal is the main waterway and served by the equivalent of servce  trucks which can be quite a size

gondolas are sharing the same space unless you go down the smaller side canals

personally I have never found that appealing but look down from one of the bridges and watch the action then make up your own mind

you certainly wont run the risk of unavailability!

vaparettos are the cheaper water boat option to very expensive water taxis

however they can get very crowded on grand canal route which means luggage can be problematic

an in between option is the Alilaguna service which runs fewer routes but mainly between airport cruise port and some central areas

if your hotel is on a route that could be your best option 

the problem with Barcelona and its reputation for pickpocketing is that it is treated as a minor crime with a fine around £200

so basically prosecuted pickpockets can make back cost of fine pretty quickly!

lots of distraction techniques but invest in a travel bag with secure zips and enjoy the beautiful city

go to the europe section of cruise critic where there is a lot of information from previous cruisers about their trips

we have been to Berlin 3 times

twice we booked private tour with tour company and was fantastic with air conditioned vehicle whcih was not case with ship tour chartered train which apparantly was hot and stuffy

we had no worries with missing ship-our comapny guaranteed travel to next port in case of dalys[which they report have never had to do]

3rd time we spent  a few days in Berlin prior to cruise which we embarked in Warnemunde-didnt enjoy crowded train from Berlin to Rostock and that was a sheduled train! 

the thread no alcohol in UK ports went so hot NCL had to back down

wonder whether same happens here