ucfknight07 Posted October 28, 2011 #76 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi Pam... Thanks for the great review... Your pictures are stunning! I see that in Rome you used Rome in Limo.... Did you use them in Florence/Pisa as well? If not, who'd you go through? I'd like to visit both Florence and Pisa but I'm not crazy about RCI's excursion options for that... Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #77 Share Posted October 28, 2011 What a great report. Wonderful pictures. This takes me back to my Med cruise over the summer. Keep it coming !!!! I am interested to hear you final impressions of RCCL. Thanks so much!! I will give my final thoughts at the end. We had a bit of trouble but it all worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #78 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi Pam... Thanks for the great review... Your pictures are stunning! I see that in Rome you used Rome in Limo.... Did you use them in Florence/Pisa as well? If not, who'd you go through? I'd like to visit both Florence and Pisa but I'm not crazy about RCI's excursion options for that... Thanks for the help! Thanks so much!!! In Florence/Pisa, we took one of the ships excursions. We took the Florence and Pisa full day tour. In the morning we were in Florence and walked about3 1/2 miles. After lunch (included in the price) we headed to Pisa and probably walked another mile or so. It was really a great day! It took some convincing to get my family to agree to the private excursion in Rome.. lol. Now that we have done it, I am sure they will be more open to those types of tours in the future. I just finished the Vatican pictures and will be posting those tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidari Posted October 28, 2011 #79 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi Pam ... good to see you enjoyed the places you visited, it is a shame that RCI chose Villafranche over Cannes as Cannes is a much nicer place,the last time we were there the Film awards were taking place. We did the opposite with our trips and took the Train from Cannes to Monaco which goes through Villafranche and the following year we went to Nice, make sure the next time you visit Pisa to go up the tower because the view is really good but in general the waiting time can be the 2 hours you mentioned. The one place we were not overkeen on was Florence! a case of Venice without water for us. Again we took the Train into Rome and did the HoHo bus there, due to time we decided not to go up the Spanish steps and decided to buy some Pizza instead close to the Trevi Fountain lol. Look forward to the rest of your review. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #80 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi Pam ... good to see you enjoyed the places you visited, it is a shame that RCI chose Villafranche over Cannes as Cannes is a much nicer place,the last time we were there the Film awards were taking place. We did the opposite with our trips and took the Train from Cannes to Monaco which goes through Villafranche and the following year we went to Nice, make sure the next time you visit Pisa to go up the tower because the view is really good but in general the waiting time can be the 2 hours you mentioned. The one place we were not overkeen on was Florence! a case of Venice without water for us. Again we took the Train into Rome and did the HoHo bus there, due to time we decided not to go up the Spanish steps and decided to buy some Pizza instead close to the Trevi Fountain lol. Look forward to the rest of your review. Dave. Thanks Dave! We really did enjoy all of our stops. I think our next trip over will be a land based trip. There is just so much to see. We thought about taking a week or so and doing 2 days in Rome, 2 days in Florence/Pisa and 2 days in Venice... since we missed Venice this time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regnig Posted October 28, 2011 #81 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Good morning Pam, just caught up with the last 2 pages. Hope the cold is better... no, hope the cold is GONE! Great pictures! :D Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #82 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Good morning Pam, just caught up with the last 2 pages. Hope the cold is better... no, hope the cold is GONE! Great pictures! :D Barb Morning Barb, no its not gone. Its a bit better, but the cough is about to drive me nuts!! Thanks about the pictures. I will be posting the Vatican tonight!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantocruisemore Posted October 28, 2011 #83 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Quick Barcelona question. I know you emnarked there but my guess is the dock area is the same for RCCL cruise ships that stop for the day. How accessible is the dock to everything? Best way to get from dock around city to important sites? Thanks, still really enjoying your review and photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucfknight07 Posted October 28, 2011 #84 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Thanks so much!!! In Florence/Pisa, we took one of the ships excursions. We took the Florence and Pisa full day tour. In the morning we were in Florence and walked about3 1/2 miles. After lunch (included in the price) we headed to Pisa and probably walked another mile or so. It was really a great day! It took some convincing to get my family to agree to the private excursion in Rome.. lol. Now that we have done it, I am sure they will be more open to those types of tours in the future. I just finished the Vatican pictures and will be posting those tomorrow. Pam, I looked back through RCI's excursions for Florence/Pisa. It looks like there are two that do both Florence and Pisa. Do you recall if you did the "Exclusive Florence and Pisa" (LV04) or "Florence and Pisa" (LV05)? They both are full day tours, but the "Exclusive" tour is almost twice the price! The Mediterranean excursions are more than I anticipated, that is if you want to do the ones that let you actually see more than just a couple sites... I'm debating the pros and cons of biting the bullet and going with the 'safe option of one of the mid-priced RCI excursions or doing a private tour, so your review of Florence and Pisa has been very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #85 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Quick Barcelona question. I know you emnarked there but my guess is the dock area is the same for RCCL cruise ships that stop for the day. How accessible is the dock to everything? Best way to get from dock around city to important sites? Thanks, still really enjoying your review and photos. We took a van to the port and then the bus from the port to the airport. I know the HOHO bus runs near by, but not near the where the ships are actually docked. I honestly can't tell you how far it was. I was happy with Barcelona Day Tours. They were there at the airport when we landed and took us right to our hotel. I wanted to book a tour with them, but my family wanted to do the HOHO bus. BDT also picked us up at the hotel and took us to the port. Check to see how much they might charge for a tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #86 Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) Pam, I looked back through RCI's excursions for Florence/Pisa. It looks like there are two that do both Florence and Pisa. Do you recall if you did the "Exclusive Florence and Pisa"(LV04) or "Florence and Pisa" (LV05)? They both are full day tours, but the "Exclusive" tour is almost twice the price! The Mediterranean excursions are more than I anticipated, that is if you want to do the ones that let you actually see more than just a couple sites... I'm debating the pros and cons of biting the bullet and going with the 'safe option of one of the mid-priced RCI excursions or doing a private tour, so your review of Florence and Pisa has been very helpful! We took LV05. I was very happy with it. We got to see most of the important sites in Florence and our guide was wonderful as she explained everything. We learned a lot while there. The walk is about 3 1/2 miles and you stop for periods of time while she explains what you are looking at. In Pisa, once we got to the outer wall, we were given an hour and a half on our own which was great too. It was a great day!!! Glad I could be of help!! Edited October 28, 2011 by chasinraynbowz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucfknight07 Posted October 28, 2011 #87 Share Posted October 28, 2011 We took LV05. I was very happy with it. We got to see most of the important sites in Florence and our guide was wonderful as she explained everything. We learned a lot while there. The walk is about 3 1/2 miles and you stop for periods of time while she explains what you are looking at. In Pisa, once we got to the outer wall, we were given an hour and a half on our own which was great too. It was a great day!!! Glad I could be of help!! Thanks for the clarification on the excursion you did in Florence/Pisa. The price for the "exclusive" tour is outrageous... I can't imagine paying almost $700 for the two of us! While this cruise will be one we won't repeat for many years, I'd rather take that kind of money and use it for a short 4-nighter here! Thanks again... looking forward to the rest of your review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantocruisemore Posted October 28, 2011 #88 Share Posted October 28, 2011 We took a van to the port and then the bus from the port to the airport. I know the HOHO bus runs near by, but not near the where the ships are actually docked. I honestly can't tell you how far it was. I was happy with Barcelona Day Tours. They were there at the airport when we landed and took us right to our hotel. I wanted to book a tour with them, but my family wanted to do the HOHO bus. BDT also picked us up at the hotel and took us to the port. Check to see how much they might charge for a tour. Thanks, I will. We're setting up a private excursion for our stop in Cannes since we prefer to go to the Medieval Villages. We have a long day in Barcelona and although we could probably do it on our own it would be better having the tour if it is not too expensive. Plus the day we're in Barcelona is my youngest DD's birthday. I want it to be special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #89 Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) 10/19/11 - Rome (cont'd) Once back in the van, Mauro called ahead and made reservations at a restaurant near the Vatican. It was great!! The food was wonderful, the staff was great and it was nice to rest, eat, drink wine and relax before our next big tour at the Vatican. When finished with lunch, Mauro took us around the corner and introduced us to our guide for the Vatican. She is originally from Canada and has dual citizenship. She has done this tour for 12 years and is very passionate about it. We could not have asked for a better guide!! (Sorry, I can not remember her name for the life of me… lol) We got to see St Peters Basilica (with Bernini’s pulpit), the Sistine Chapel, Hall of Tapestries, the Animal Room, Pope John the 23rd, the Pope’s room and balcony and many, many other things. It was almost information overload. The pictures tell the story!! Our first view of the Vatican (other side of the wall) The Vatican Wall St Peters Basilica in the background All of us in front of St Peters Basilica Edited October 28, 2011 by chasinraynbowz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 28, 2011 Author #90 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #91 Share Posted October 29, 2011 This used to be a fountain. Our guide told us that historians are not sure how it was cut/made. Same with the tubs above. The Courtyard from inside the Vatican Hall of Tapestries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #92 Share Posted October 29, 2011 St Peter's Basilica See the letters? To give you an idea of how high up they were, each letter is over 6 feet tall!!! To get the full affect, you really need to see it in person. Michelangelo's Pieta Pope John Paul II tomb Pope John the 23rd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #93 Share Posted October 29, 2011 As I said earlier, the letters are 6 ft in height. See what appears to be a white oval surrounded by yellow? That oval actually has a dove in it and the wing span is 6 feet wide too. It's all larger than life and you wouldn't realize it unless it was pointed out to you. Bernini's Pulpit The top of the dome is large enough for the Pulpit to fit thru if they were to lift it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #94 Share Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) Tomb of Pope Alexander VII See the grey building behind the brown buildings? See the second to the last window? It's the Pope's window. The window is one in the papal study. His living quarters are on the fourth floor. But his daily work is done on the third, in that study. The balcony After some shopping (rosaries, post cards, crosses, etc), we headed back out of the Vatican to meet up with our driver. I paid extra for our private tour of the Vatican, so I paid her at that time and included a nice tip. Mauro got us back to the ship by 5. I paid him at that time and included a nice tip for him also. NOTE: After speaking to the people at the table next to us in the main dining room one night, I know we did the right thing with hiring a private tour. They told us that every tour stops for a bathroom break on the way to Rome, which takes at least an hour (I have to assume there is some shopping there) and they didn’t get to see nearly as much as we saw. They asked for my information so that the next time they come, they can do a private tour too!! The cost for the private tour, split between the 6 of us was about the same cost as the ships tour and we got to see so much more. We headed up to our cabin to drop our stuff off and met Bob and Melissa in the Windjammer for dinner. What a great 3 hour dinner we had!!! Hahaha…. After that we headed to the casino for a bit and then Greg headed to the Schooner Bar for some Elton John music while I went to the Cupcake Cupboard and got me a cupcake. I think I was in bed sleeping when he finally got to our cabin!!! Edited October 29, 2011 by chasinraynbowz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #95 Share Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) 10/20/11 Our last port, Naples. We chose the Taste of Sorrento and Pompeii tour thru the ship and I am so glad we did. I think this was our funnest excursion!! We met down in Studio B and then headed to the bus. Our first stop was Pompeii. We had to go to the cameo factory first before starting our tour. He gave us 15 mins to explore (bathroom break) and then we all headed into the ruins for a wonderful tour. He was able to explain a lot to us and we got some great pictures! We lost a guest right at the end of the tour, so while we were all shopping (FUN FUN), our guide went to find her. My mom and sister bought me a cameo for my birthday present and Greg and I bought some other fun things. Once everyone was together, including our lost tourist, we all got back on the bus for our trip to Sorrento. By the way, our guide was an archeologist who worked in Pompeii before doing tours. Port of Naples Mt Vesuvius Pompeii Edited October 29, 2011 by chasinraynbowz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinskier Posted October 29, 2011 #96 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Pam, really enjoying your review! Thanks for all the pictures, especially Monaco as we were not able to dock there back in May. Makes me want to head back to the Med...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #97 Share Posted October 29, 2011 After 5 VERY busy days, I wished I had the energy of those kids who kept running up and down the stairs!!! lol Pompeii's road and sewer!! See the crevices for the wheels? A bakery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #98 Share Posted October 29, 2011 The bed in a bordello Mt Vesuvius in the background. You see the mountain behind the clouds? And then the dip and the other rise to the right? When the volcano blew up and destroyed Pompeii, it was all one large mountain and a lot taller than it is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted October 29, 2011 #99 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I know you may have said above, but who did you book your tour via again? Right now we're looking at RomeInLimo.. And your guide took you inside the vatican or just to the vatican? After some shopping (rosaries, post cards, crosses, etc), we headed back out of the Vatican to meet up with our driver. I paid extra for our private tour of the Vatican, so I paid her at that time and included a nice tip. Mauro got us back to the ship by 5. I paid him at that time and included a nice tip for him also. NOTE: After speaking to the people at the table next to us in the main dining room one night, I know we did the right thing with hiring a private tour. They told us that every tour stops for a bathroom break on the way to Rome, which takes at least an hour (I have to assume there is some shopping there) and they didn’t get to see nearly as much as we saw. They asked for my information so that the next time they come, they can do a private tour too!! The cost for the private tour, split between the 6 of us was about the same cost as the ships tour and we got to see so much more. We headed up to our cabin to drop our stuff off and met Bob and Melissa in the Windjammer for dinner. What a great 3 hour dinner we had!!! Hahaha…. After that we headed to the casino for a bit and then Greg headed to the Schooner Bar for some Elton John music while I went to the Cupcake Cupboard and got me a cupcake. I think I was in bed sleeping when he finally got to our cabin!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted October 29, 2011 Author #100 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Cast of a man Cast of a woman Cast of a child kneeling, covering his face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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