LIVE From the Ruby Princess - Our European Adventure - July 4th to 16th

[ShipOFools]

Were there shuttles to take you to town from the port? After reading some posts, it sounds like the walk from the port is dangerous. We did not purchase an excursion in Mykonos since we just want to see the town, shop and have a beverage or two! Thanks!!!

 

Yes because we docked in the new port. These buses however were run by independents and I think they were $15 round trip- purchased on the ship the day before or that day- can't remember- into an area 3 blocks from town.

 

As an aside to Kimmer17- we boarded buses at the same station but chose not to go to Paradise Beach as it was rated a party and nudity beach and we had our grade school daughter with us

[ShipOFools]

Did you tender in Mykonos? I want to do my own thing when I get there as well, so I hope that I am able to navigate the bus schedule to the beach and NOT miss the boat!!! Gets me a little worried, but all the Princess excursions to the beach are already booked solid, so it's either do it on my own or see if a lot of people cancel! Thanks for all the good info! Maybe we will see you in Barcelona as you are getting off the ship and we are getting on!!!

 

Do it on your own anyway- much cheaper- and leave EARLY. If you tender you go right into town if you dock in the new port you need the shuttle to town and then walk through town to the South bus station

[Colo Cruiser]

Nice day!

[jkocpa]

Kimmer, loved your comment about the gyro on a pita. We also had those at a small shop in Mykonos. I loved seeing that they sold canabis tea at the shop! I, however, had water.

[Weluv2cruise2007]

I just found your blog yesterday. I am travelling this itineray in August and I found myself this morning running straight to the computer to read about your day in Mykonos! Your updates are making me that much more excited for our trip!! I have been to Mykonos before and LOVED it as well! Did you see the resident pellican? :)

 

As for clothing optional beaches....I believe most of the beaches in Mykonos are. For those who are worried about their kids, or ut's just "not your thing" you may want to do some research so you're not caught off guard when you get there. On the other hand, my Hubby is so excited about it it's crazy! We went to a clothing optional in St Maarten and it made his day! Lol! Just use lots of sunscreen! ;)

[mdrngrl]

Bible thumpers at a nude beach. . .*giggle*

[margord]

Still with you and still enjoying.

[cruisemom42]

Day 3 – Athens

 

 

Now although we are on a cruise ship, in a foreign country, and signed up for a tour, Kim and I hate to feel like tourists. I don’t have much interest in just seeing things….I want to experience them, if that makes any sense. Alas, there was no way around this today. Our trip began with a delay, and travel on the very busy streets of Athens. Our guide was very nice, and informative, but we were an hour behind schedule even before we began.

 

Our tour guide tried to keep us together as we headed up to see the Acropolis. I have never seen so many people trying to move through a line in my life. I had heard that the Acropolis can be busy, but the crowds were overwhelming. To make things even more difficult, the line was not really organized. Essentially, the entrance and the exit are one place, with multitudes of people crossing the rope barriers keeping them apart. At one point as we slowly made our way up the multitude of steps and inclines, the line narrowed to a width that maybe 3 people could walk up at a time. It was here that people at the top were getting sick of waiting to come down, and crossed into the up line, clogging it even further. What a mess.

 

Once at the top, the ruins are quite spectacular. Unfortunately, to keep our schedule going, we only had about 10 minutes to explore the actual ruins. It was all very rushed, and as a result, we didn’t really get a chance to experience it.

 

We then drove to the Plaka to do some shopping. While Kim and I found some really neat shops in there, we really didn’t have enough time to explore. We would have loved to have just sit there in a café for a while and people watch over a drink. The shops in the Plaka strictly cater to tourists, with a great many selling typical tacky tourist items.

 

After lunch we loaded back on to the bus for a long drive (at least an hour) along the coast of Greece to the Temple of Poseidon. The coast drive was beautiful, passing by nice beaches and resorts along the way. The Temple itself was quite impressive, with small crowds, and lots of room for checking things out. Again, it was unfortunate that we didn’t have a lot of time there (maybe 20 minutes). I would re-think this tour if I were to do it again.

 

.

 

Day 6 – Istanbul (not Constantinople)

 

 

One of the places I have always remembered studying is the Hagia Sophia. The images I studied twenty years ago still remain vivid in my memory. Of all the places I wanted to see on our European Adventure, the Hagia Sophia was tied for number one with the Vatican. ( Side note….I would now include St. Mark’s Square in Venice, and most definitely the Ancient Ruins of Ephesus).

 

Entering the Hagia Sophia was incredible for both Kim and I. What an incredible sight. Again, I will not even try to describe something so vast, and beautiful. After Mourat gave us a 20 minute spiel about some of the aspects of the now Mosque, we were told we had ten minutes to look around before we had to meet the bus. TEN MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TEN FREAKIN’ MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!! This after spending 2 hours at the Bazzaar to buy trinkets. Anyways, I will assume I don’t need to explain our disappointment any further. We could easily have spent an entire day looking around. The Mosque, which was originally built as a Catholic Church, remains one of the only sites in the world (and certainly the most grandiose in both stature and history) where the Islam and Catholicism exist together. Sometimes in an effort to pack everything into a day, the most important needs are not attended to. Kim and I looked around, and held the group up for about 10 minutes. While we felt a little bad, we also felt a little better. A little selfish, I know….but the Hagia Sophia still remains on our list of places we need to explore. We still leave with a sense of awe and satisfaction.

 

 

 

Your comments should absolutely be mandatory reading for everyone seeing these ports. The ships' tours are just so frustrating in many places (and yes, I know of what I speak -- when I sailed with my mom to the Med and Egypt on Princess, we did almost the same Istanbul tour you had; the results were exactly the same -- about 10 minutes in Haghia Sophia, a crime!).

 

It is so easy to do most of these ports on your own. Really, it is. Abandon the overplayed fear of being left by the ship (by planning to be back WELL in advance of sailing), and DIY.

 

In Athens, for example, you can get a taxi for about 20 euros to take you straight to the Acropolis. You can be there and enjoying the wonderful monuments for a full hour to 90 minutes before the tour busses come rolling in. The Plaka is right at the foot of the Acropolis and you can eat lunch and shop at your leisure before taking another (very available) cab or metro back to the port. The nearby Greek agora is also in walking distance and well worth a visit. Total cost: about 32 euro per person for the day (plus lunch and any shopping) by cab; cheaper by metro -- but more walking!

 

Istanbul is about the easiest city to DIY imaginable. There is a tram that stops right at the port and goes directly into the old town (Sultanahmet) -- where all the main sites are located within about a 10 minute walk of each other. Really, it's faster than driving, it's cheap, and it's just about idiot-proof.

 

When you DIY, you do get to "experience" a place on your own terms, not just get herded around. After my first Med cruise on Princess in 2006, I will never again willingly endure the frustrations of a ship-based shore excursion unless it is the absolute ONLY possible option.

 

Also, a plea for Athens. Athens is a bustling, huge, and yes dirty, modern city. It's not Disney World, but it has its own charms, many of which aren't fully appreciated on a rushed one-day port visit when you spend most of the time shut up in a bus several yards above the street looking out.

 

Enjoy the Acropolis for what it is. It is a miracle that it has survived at all, considering its history and how much of the ancient world has disappeared.

[Woobstr112G]

Day 7 – Mykonos

 

You know, every once in a while a day comes along like no other….memorable in every way, in every nuance….in every detail. While this trip has already given us a plethora of memories and new experiences, today stands out as pretty damn close to a perfect day.

 

Our morning began with a sleep in until 10:00 AM (already starting on the right track!). We got ready and had a quick buffet breakfast before meeting the Hillbillies and the Bible Thumpers, as well as the City Folks outside of the Sushi Bar. While we had originally booked a Princess Beach Getaway, we decided to cancel it a couple of days ago and finally venture out on our own. To answer an earlier question, all of our previous excursions have been through Princess. While we like to think of ourselves as somewhat adventurous, we really weren’t very confident in our knowledge of the ports, and certainly didn’t want to come close to the nightmare of missing the boat.

 

We headed out to find busses that take you to the Mykonos Marina, which is right on the edge of town. This shuttle is only a couple of minutes, but there is nowhere to walk safely from the port to town, so Princess will get you started. There was no charge for this.

 

We had heard that there is a beach within walking distance, so we followed the crowds who, apparently, also had no idea where they were going. The town is beautiful and clean, filled with the white buildings one would expect to see on a Greek Island. The streets are much like a maze that take you all over the place. Kim spotted a great number of shops she wanted to check out, but finding a beach was priority number one.

 

We asked a shopkeeper directions to a beach, and were told the nearest beaches were a bus ride away. She directed us to the bus depot, which is little more than a place to part 3 or 4 busses. We decided to head out to Paradise Beach, which was one of three that had busses scheduled to go to. The bus left every half hour (the same coming home). We bought our tickets, which were 2.60 Euros return.

 

The bus takes you up the hills of Mykonos, through barren, but beautiful countryside. It was great just looking at the homes and fields along the way. The roads in Mykonos are a little scary and tight. More than a few times the bus would have to stop while an oncoming car reversed out of the way. I am very happy I haven’t had to drive any of the streets on this Adventure.

The bus dropped us off a minute walk from the beach, where there is a little store. We purchased a couple wobbly pops and walked down the beach. Paradise Beach is a fitting name for what we saw. There are a number of bars and restaurants which cater to the hundreds of people on the beach. We found a spot for the 8 of us, getting 4 palm umbrellas with two beach chairs at each. We settled in and spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming in the Aegean Sea. We all could have sat there for days on end. As a little side, Paradise Beach is a clothing optional beach. If I could quote Forrest Gump, ”That’s all I have to say about that.”

 

After eating, drinking, soaking up the sun and swimming the afternoon away, we headed back to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the town of Mykonos. Here, we all split up for shopping and wandering. We visited shops along the maze, and had a great early dinner of Gyros on a Pita, while we sat outside and soaked up the atmosphere of the town. I’ve had Gyros on a Pita at home in Toronto, but this was something special.

 

The line to catch the shuttle back to the boat was quite long when we arrived at the Marina, but it went very quickly. We headed back to the room for our now customary nap. I love the fact that we can nap from 7-9 PM and head out for our evenings on the ship. We decided to just have a quick second dinner at the Buffet, which, as usual, was sufficient. The Buffet is a place where we eat to suppress hunger, and really not too much more than that. Again…….”That’s all I have to say about that.”

 

After checking the score of the soccer game at the Movies Under the Starts (which was packed again), we headed out to our old haunt of the casino. Now I must give a little info about our casino time, as it is a place we frequent. All of the staff at the casino are amazing (as are the rest of the crew, for that matter). I don’t necessarily play cards (3-card poker is my game) to make money, although that would be a bonus. I just have fun playing, and hope to win enough to stick around. While the cards were not too kind on this occurrence, we still had fun. I am a little sheepish when I say that every time I enter the casino, I kind of feel like Norm entering the hallowed halls of Cheers….”That’s all I have to say about that.” As well, I am fearful that I have turned Kim into a lover of cards as well, as she has moved from being a little shy and watching, to playing as much as me. Some couples share gardening, or cooking…..we will be forever bonded by our new found gambling addictions. lol.

 

From here we headed up to Skywalkers to meet the New Yawkers for a drink. We didn’t find them there, but we stayed as Kim wanted to dance. The DJ was doing his best to keep everyone happy, as there were a wide variety of musical tastes in the club, as it was busy. As the music shifted from the Stones to Salsa, a group of couples from Puerto Rico took the floor. It was so amazing watching them dance together that Kim and I decided to join them. While Kim is a great dancer, I am certainly challenged, particularly when the salsa is so hot. We commented to one of the couples how beautiful they danced, and they quickly broke us off with them. Kim was able to dance with a man who had rhythm, and my new found partner tried ever so hard to teach me. We had such a blast dancing for a couple of hours.

 

Seeing as we still were nowhere close to tired, or end this memorable day, we headed back to the casino to close up the night, where we managed to win back our earlier losses, and then some. A 2:30 AM club sandwich from room service distracted Kim long enough for me to start my nightly writing ritual.

 

Our Mykonos day was all we had hoped for and more. We only wish that we could have spent a night there and enjoyed the nightlife, which is said to be incredible. We are now off to sea, with a full sea day tomorrow. We are looking forward to our Champagne Breakfast (thanks, Judy!) tomorrow morning, and our Couples Massage in the afternoon. I am hoping to get in a round at Pebble Beach on the golf simulator as well. In case anyone was wondering, the Casino opens up around 11 on Sea days. As we go to sleep we realize all we have to look forward to is a private tour of the Amalfi coast, and Day in Rome seeing the Treasures of the Vatican, as well as a host of other incredible experiences (including five days in Paris after the cruise). It’s going to take a year at least to wipe the smiles off of our smug little faces when we return to real life back home. Ciao everyone.

 

Sounds like a great day.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Weluv2cruise2007]

Your comments should absolutely be mandatory reading for everyone seeing these ports. The ships' tours are just so frustrating in many places (and yes, I know of what I speak -- when I sailed with my mom to the Med and Egypt on Princess, we did almost the same Istanbul tour you had; the results were exactly the same -- about 10 minutes in Haghia Sophia, a crime!).

 

It is so easy to do most of these ports on your own. Really, it is. Abandon the overplayed fear of being left by the ship (by planning to be back WELL in advance of sailing), and DIY.

 

In Athens, for example, you can get a taxi for about 20 euros to take you straight to the Acropolis. You can be there and enjoying the wonderful monuments for a full hour to 90 minutes before the tour busses come rolling in. The Plaka is right at the foot of the Acropolis and you can eat lunch and shop at your leisure before taking another (very available) cab or metro back to the port. The nearby Greek agora is also in walking distance and well worth a visit. Total cost: about 32 euro per person for the day (plus lunch and any shopping) by cab; cheaper by metro -- but more walking!

 

Istanbul is about the easiest city to DIY imaginable. There is a tram that stops right at the port and goes directly into the old town (Sultanahmet) -- where all the main sites are located within about a 10 minute walk of each other. Really, it's faster than driving, it's cheap, and it's just about idiot-proof.

 

When you DIY, you do get to "experience" a place on your own terms, not just get herded around. After my first Med cruise on Princess in 2006, I will never again willingly endure the frustrations of a ship-based shore excursion unless it is the absolute ONLY possible option.

 

Also, a plea for Athens. Athens is a bustling, huge, and yes dirty, modern city. It's not Disney World, but it has its own charms, many of which aren't fully appreciated on a rushed one-day port visit when you spend most of the time shut up in a bus several yards above the street looking out.

 

Enjoy the Acropolis for what it is. It is a miracle that it has survived at all, considering its history and how much of the ancient world has disappeared.

 

I completely agree with you about the DIY...I haven't paid for a tour the last 3-4 cruises and probably saw more. One time we actually rented a car for a fraction of the cost (there was 4 of us) and practically followed the tour bus! Difference was, as they were herded out, we just waved and continued to take our time exploring!

 

Sorry...didn't intend to appear to hyjack! I'm anxiously awaiting the next update from Italy!!

[Kimmer17]

Day 8 – Sea Day

After four straight days of go-go-go, it was quite nice having a day of rest today. Part of the fun of cruising thus far is sitting with friends we have met and talking about our various experiences. Everyone’s experience is varied and unique, which makes for some great discussion.

We rose today around 10:00 AM to sunny skies, calm seas. We were quite worried of sea sickness beforehand, but haven’t had any problem thus far. It is rare that we feel any movement in the boat at all. We had our Champagne Breakfast delivered at 10:30 this morning, compliments of our wonderful travel agent, Judy. After a very slow wake up, we were out of the room at 1:00.

We headed up to the golf simulator to see if I could get a booking. The whole golf simulator has been a bit of a disappointment for me, as the time of operation is very limited (it was only open for six hours today on a sea day). It was all booked up, and has been every time I go by. It’s not really that big a deal, but I would think it isn’t very hard to staff, and I know it is in high demand, as I’ve come across a number of other people who are experiencing the same. They only take bookings on the day of, so late risers like us aren’t able to work it out. My own fault, I guess, but it just seems there are better ways to operate this.

I’m sure you will all be surprised to hear that we then headed down to the casino. The staff have become our friends there, and we have a great time, even when we just hang out. Two of the dealers are joining us on our private tour booked for tomorrow, which should be a blast.

From there we headed up to our Couples Massage at the Spa. It was a great experience from start to finish, although an hour went by really fast. While it was a great time, it was a little steep for $300 including tips. Kim also had a pedicure later in the day that she thought was great, but also expensive.

We decided to skip the last formal night tonight, and head up early to the Movie Under the Stars area to get seats. We met up with the gang (Hillbillies, Bible Thumpers and New Yawkers), who already had eight chairs up on the top deck. With the Final World Cup game still an hour away, we picked up some great pizza and beer to prepare ourselves.

Now we had noticed that some of the hand rails were being stained on another part of the boat. We had the option of grabbing some chairs and settling down to watch these hand rails as the stain dried. Instead, we sat and watched the football game. I think we may have chosen incorrectly. All I can say is that we will never get those 2.5 hours of our lives back. lol. My apologies to all the socce…..er….football fans out there, but that had to be one of the least interesting sporting events I have ever watched. We cheered the goal by Spain, as it put an end to the game, more or less. It’s good to know that hockey season is just around the corner.

We are up ready for bed early tonight (1:00 AM) as we are really looking forward to our trip along the Amalfi coast tomorrow. This is the only excursion we have pre-booked privately, so we’re hoping all goes well. Not much to say for a sea-day, but for us it was a day of R and R.

A big hello to our family who we spoke to today briefly. You are all missed, appreciated and loved from the other side of the world. Xoxox

Ciao.

[seamwoman]

'Have enjoyed reading your posts. They bring back wonderful memories of our cruise on the Ruby in May. The Almafi coast was my favorite - every turn has a different, fabulous view! Enjoy!

[rdsqrl]

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your posts! Your day in Mykonos sounded so fabulous, it was all I could do from rushing to the airport to grab a flight there! Thank you for taking the time to prepare such lovingly detailed reports; they're being savoured!

Your comments re stain drying versus soccer cracked me up. We are of the same mindset there . . . At least it's now over for awhile, even though, like 17-year locusts, it will inevitably reappear to plague mankind in just 48 short months.

[J&Jtravelcouple]

Day 8 – Sea Day

 

After four straight days of go-go-go, it was quite nice having a day of rest today.

 

Thanks for another interesting and helpful post!

 

It’s good to know that hockey season is just around the corner.

Cheers for that, and I hope you're talking ice hockey there! But let's not rush winter just yet....

[seafoam33]

Just wanted to say that I would love to hear your impressions when you all cruise later this month! We are going in mid-Sept on the Ruby Princess and I am already stressing about flights as we have so little connection time in-between! As for the Orioles, my new hubbie of three weeks is a former-obsessed fan and he tells me all the time how sad he is that the stadium is so empty these days. I have such a great ad campaign idea that would get more butts in seats. Anyway, please do post your experiences so we can read! HAVE A GREAT ANNIVERSARY TRIP!!!

[suenruss]

I missed a day! - at work :( - but that meant I could read 2 days this morning. Your time in Mykonos sounds like the idyllic day we spent at Santorini; you must go there sometime; and we 're really looking forward to it. I don't think the world is ready for me on a 'clothing optional' beach though :rolleyes: so it will be wandering, shopping, eating and drinking for us!!!

[goose30]

Great posts by Kimmer17. keep them coming.

 

Just love the folks that have to quote the entirety of the post to make a one line comment.

[Pia1913]

 

Just love the folks that have to quote the entirety of the post to make a one line comment.

 

I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they probably don't know how to do otherwise.

[Suz13]

Can't wait to see how your at sea day is!

 

Is the Bingo pot still progressive until the end of the cruise or are they splitting it into smaller pots?

[Kimmer17]

Day 9 – Naples/Amalfi Coast

I am starting to fear that this cruise is going to cost us a fortune. By saying this, I am not actually referring to the cruise itself, but for all the places we feel we must return to in the future. It’s too bad Canada is so damn far from Europe, or we would be travelling extensively in the future.

The 6:30 wake up call was promptly answered and forgotten about this morning, as we continued sleeping until 7:15. Seeing as we were meeting the City Folks at 7:45, it is needless to say that we were rushed and in a panic as we managed to get down to Vines for 7:50. We were expecting a couple of our dealer friends to meet us, but apparently there was a big party for the crew last night, and they were nowhere in sight. We headed out of the ship, and found our tour guide for the day, Vittorio, waiting patiently for us.

We loaded up the Mercedes Van and headed out into the traffic of Napoli (Naples). Our day would include very little time in Naples, as we wanted to see the Amalfi Coast as much as possible. We drove past Vesuvius and Pompeii, which were interesting to see. We didn’t want to spend time exploring Pompeii, as we wanted to get the most out of our scenic day. We sit here, back in our cabin, very glad that we made this decision, as our tour today was exquisite.

Vittorio was such an amazing guide. I would highly recommend him and AP Tours, as he was both knowledgeable and catering. It didn’t hurt that Kim now feels like she finally has an Italian boyfriend, as he was very charismatic. He took us and the City Folks up the mountains, through the top and headed down to Ravello. The scenery of the Amalfi Coast is beyond words. If you are into winding roads, with beautiful sights at every turn, then I urge you to explore this area. I’m sure there are other places in the world that might rival it’s blend of urban living and mountainous beauty, but I am not aware of them.

We walked around for a short time in Ravello, exploring a wonderful ceramic shop (We bought some bowls to be shipped home……wonderful) before hopping back in the van and heading to Positano. What a beautiful and majestic small city. While it is difficult to get lost in this area, as there are only a couple of roads, the driving is quite a task, as the roads narrow quite often. Vittorio was an excellent, safe driver which made the day even better.

He dropped us off in Positano, and we walked down the road towards the beach. It is a long walk down a sloped and staired road/walkway, filled with great shops along the way. We decided to head down to the bottom, and shop as we came back up, knowing that any break would be welcomed. It was a beautiful day today, but quite hot, holding around 33 degrees Celsius. When we arrived at the beach, we took a quick look, and headed back up. It was very full of tourists (as we don’t consider ourselves tourists, although that is exactly what we are), but there was still lots of room to walk and explore. By going off the beaten path, we happened upon a small church, where the man there let us look around and take a few pictures. It was both humble, and beautiful. As we moved our way up, we bought a few linen clothes.

Arriving back at the van, Vittorio was there waiting, still in his tie and suit, ready to take us way up the mountain for lunch. Earlier in the day he had called the Restaurant and made a reservation for us. They were ready for us, having a window table with a beautiful view down on Positano waiting for us. Before we knew it, we were brought homemade wine, beer, Sparkling water and 8 various appetizers to eat. The restaurant is a family operated restaurant, where they grow all their vegetables (we also overlooked the gardens) and make their own pasta. Now, for the record, I am an incredibly picky eater ( I know…..I have problems….), but I tried almost everything they brought for us, and savored every single bite. The father and mother make all the food, and the kids wait on the tables. We felt like part of the family. After the appetizers were done (we were already pretty full), then came the pastas. Oh how we ate. I am now quite aware of what my friend Piero means, when he says, ”Nobody knows how to eat like the people of Italy!” I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to find out he was Italian, but I now know of what he speaks. A second bottle of white wine was brought out as we finished our pasta. We were then treated to a big plate of a selection of deserts, which perfectly complemented the meal. After an espresso, and an after lunch drink (Limoncello? A lemon alcohol) we got our bill of 25 Euro each. I would have paid 50, easily.

We headed out along the coast to Sorrento, where we had about an hour to explore the shops there. Another beautiful town, but different from the other two. We had a Gelato from a little shop recommended by Vittorio, which was out of this world. We did a bit more shopping and headed back to the Van. Vittorio took us the final short distance to the Ferry for Naples, and we said our goodbyes. Even the 45 minute ferry (10 Euros each) was spectacular, as I had a chance to look closely at Mt. Vesuvius along the way.

It is one of nature’s cruel twists how such an area can exist. With all the beauty of the mountains, and the incredibly fertile grounds for growing some of the tastiest fruit and vegetables comes the price of living in a place where the next disaster is not a case of if, but when. One day, ultimately, Vesuvius will once again decimate this area, and people will die. One day, ultimately, an earthquake will rock this area with such a force that death and destruction will be beyond comprehension. I suppose this inevitability is just an assumed risk for the people of this area. It is shown in their joy of life, which seemed to be evident in every person we met.

As we arrived back at the pier, finding our shuttle back to the boat, we reflected on yet another incredible day. We thought of the day we just experienced, and all the beautiful land and wonderful people we bumped into along the way. I am writing my entry today as we sit in our room, still docked in Naples. We are still an hour away from leaving port. Kim is having a little nap after a long day of travel, and an early morning. I imagine our night will include a lovely dinner at one of the restaurants (later), and a trip to the casino to visit friends, and find out just how good the party was last night.

We are looking forward to a long day of touring Rome tomorrow, back in with the herd. Tomorrow is our last completely organized tour with Princess, as we are exploring Florence and Monte Carlo on our own. I leave our first day in Italy having a much better understanding of all my Italian/Canadian friends back home. For years I have endured watching them wave their flags at World Cup time, discussing which little town and area of Italy they come from, and hearing that nobody can make pasta like their Mom’s. While I’m not ready to go out and buy a red, white and green flag, I will forever admire anyone who says they are from the Amalfi Coast, and I have a new appreciating for how Italian Momma’s make a meal. Ciao, Amalfi…..you are truly a spectacular and magical place. I hope to see you again in my life.

[caber]

I have just started reading your reports. That was a good one. I will now have to go back and read the rest.

 

We missed our tour in Naples as my DH was unwell that day and had to cancel.

 

Thanks for the excellent report.:)

[Colo Cruiser]

Very nice!!

[Lynda90]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful cruise with us. Can't wait until your next installment. Very informative and entertaining. :p

[seamwoman]

We were on the Ruby in May and although I loved seeing the sights in the cities the Almafi coast and the trip to Monte Carlo/Eze were my favorite days. We did see Pompeii which was amazing but I'll never forget our guide playing a Dean Martin CD singing That's Amore and Return to Sorrento! I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat, skip the cities and take alternative tours! I've enjoyed reliving memories through you cruise - thank you. Continue to enjoy your cruise!!! Karen

[hjonesokc]

Kimmer, Why did you choose Positano over Capri?