5/23/12 1st time X/cruise, med. engagement, Paris; oh my! Solstice Med. Trip Report

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post # 8 Continued from above...

 

We did most of the usual stuff: leather market, Duomo, Uffizi, churches (do not have many pics here) etc. Tried taking artsy photos to no avail.

 

 

I touched the pig/boar/something snout by the leather marker for good luck, I sat and touched the snout the same way I did in 2004… you know…. Last time I touched it there I came back! So if history repeats itself, I should be going back! (I am extremely sentimental and took several photographs standing/sitting in the same position from when I went in 2004. I will try to dig up my old photos)

 

 

Checked out all the "David" statues around the city

 

 

ate "Porchetta" street side for lunch

 

 

 

One last thing on our Florence bucket list was to have the best possible Gelato in Florence! Sabrina new just the place, Perche No! Which translates to “why not?” I suggest you go there RIGHT NOW, yes RIGHT NOW, why not (ha!)! Ok well that may be hard to do for must of us but we can dream. If you are lucky enough to be going to Florence soon and want the best Gelato go have a scoop, or 2, for my family!

 

 

 

Solstice that night: I made it to the gym! And did P90X in the cabin… still gained 9 pounds… hmm for some reason I don’t think ordering 3 desserts every night was the reason? No, maybe 5 desserts but certainly not 3! And we all went to bed earl because Rome was waiting for us in the morning!

 

p.s. next time we go to Florence, Tyler and I will be shipping an entire case of that olive oil home next time… I don’t even care how much it will cost! Here is the link to the Laudemio website: http://www.laudemio.it/home.page

 

By now we were all pretty tired. Long sleep, quiet drive back to the Solstice. We had another great meal. We also celebrated mine and Tyler’s birthday this night. We both just had birthdays.

 

 

 

I ended this journal entry by writing “ Great day! We Love Sabina”

As Sabrina would say, CIAO CIAO!

-Ashley

 

Next up: A “Cliff Notes” Version of Rome

I will try to post this tomorrow, if not it might be a few days before I post again. I am in a wedding this weekend.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you again everyone for the sweet remarks! I appreciate the time you take to leave a comment!

 

Seems to me like you should start a personal travel blog ... you'd be good at writing it, you could share it with others, and you'd have a place where you could look back on your travels ... think about it.

 

And if you decide to go for it, make sure you give us all a link ... so we can keep up with you.

 

I'm enjoying your journal.

 

Thank you! We actually were going to blog the trip while we were gone. We made the blog and had it all set up, but our internet air card ended up not working. I will not say names or anything "coughcough my brother cough cough." Maybe next time I will! Than you!

 

Great job on the trip report, honey! I am re-living our trip all over again, can't wait to do it again! Rome in limo is the best! Can't wait for your report my little miss Gino, lol, (everyone will know what I mean about that comment when you get to Pompei)!

Love mom

 

Hi mom! I am reliving it too. Tell dad to hurry up and retire so we can go again :p

 

Here's the link for my review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1516705

 

I don't have much advice. We did Aqua Class, so Blu was a real treat for the honeymoon since we didn't share tables it was a little more intimate.

 

Oh, and make sure you're still able to fly in the day before. We had flight issues because there was a huge snowstorm that hit the Northeast the day of our wedding (we were spared) but the flights the next morning were all messed up. And Delta royally screwed things up on top of that :rolleyes: Trying to scramble for flights is not the way to start your honeymoon!

 

We had Santorini and Athens on our cruise. We weren't fans of Athens (a little gray and dirty) but absolutely loved Santorini. We did a wine tour on Santorini and it was fantastic: http://www.santoriniwinetour.com/index.php/en/

 

Great! I look forward to reading it! Good advice. And good to know about Athens. I have not done any research on any of the Greek ports yet.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I have been reading your report since 1st day but had a panic attack earlier today when I logged on and couldn't fine your thread!

 

We are on board 2 weeks tomorrow, which will be our 1st cruise and we are so.... excited.

 

Loving your review and loving the enthusiasm, as a European (Scottish) we tend to take things a bit for granted.

 

Can't wait for the next installment.:D

 

I would have freaked out! I am already 13 pages deep in a word doc! Ahh! Yes, we do too! All our guides would talk about the wonders of America that we take for granted too!

 

Thank you for the kind words!

 

Loving your review so far and congratulations on your engagement! We got engaged on our first cruise last year in Florence. We are taking our first Celebrity Cruise for our honeymoon in November (Eclipse - Caribbean) - so excited!

 

Look forward to hearing the rest of your review!!

 

Wow lots of cruise engagements! Can't wait to hear about your honeymoon!

 

I am loving your review as well! I cant wait to do a Mediterranean cruise and CONGRATS on your engagement!! I got engaged on celebrity as well and we are having our honeymoon on celebrity in January! I feel like you can't go wrong with a honeymoon on a celebrity cruise ship!! They make you feel special even if it isn't a special occasion. We are doing aqua class for our honeymoon, as the previous poster has said it is a little more intimate since you can dine in blu! And I have read you are still close enough to other tables where you can have the chance to meet others if you want. I have never stayed in aqua, I never even stayed in a stateroom with a balcony so I am in for a big treat lol!. I can't wait to read more of your review, and see more pics! and you guys are a beautiful couple by the way!

 

Great info! And thank you for all the kind words :) Lots of celebrity engagement and love all over this board!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I am loving reading your reports. Just a minor technical point that might actually excite you. I think what you are referring to above isn't the Olympic Village. If you are referring to the area where the stadium, the pool, etc., on Montjuic are, that area was referred to as the "Olympic Ring."

 

The Olympic Village is where the athletes lived during the games. What might excite you is that the actual Olympic Village is now the Hotel Arts and the tower next door. In other words, some athlete who was in the games stayed in your hotel room.

 

I'm looking forward to your next installment!

 

 

NO WAY! You are right! That is awesome! Thanks for the clarification and information!! Woohoo!

[hansolosmom]

Absolutely lovely review.

 

Keep up the great work.

 

Love how your mom stopped in

[BrusselsGirl07]

Your review is fantastic - I was lucky enough to live in Europe for 3 years, and my reactions where exactly like yours the whole time. Before we left Australia for Europe the two main things I wanted to do were see the leaning tower of Pisa and Pompeii. As we lived in Brussels, we could easily go and spend weekends/long weekends and vacations all over Europe. So we were fortunate to have more than just one day to enjoy all of those beautiful places. We were so lucky! That statue of a pig you are patting in Florence? He is actually all over the place, I have photos of me patting him in at least 3 different locations - the first place I saw him was at the Palace in Brussels. Anyway, you are bringing back lots of fun memories for me. I can remember I cried with happiness when we finally visited Pompeii and Pisa! Plus lots of other places! Can't wait to see more of your photos.

[2552phxcrzr]

QUOTE "Thank you! We actually were going to blog the trip while we were gone. We made the blog and had it all set up, but our internet air card ended up not working. I will not say names or anything "coughcough my brother cough cough." Maybe next time I will! Than you!"

 

I wouldn't let not being able to blog on the road stop you :). I gave up doing so a long time ago ... I'm too busy exploring while I'm on the trip to spend time on it ... but blogging it after the fact has the added bonus of reliving your trip like you're doing now with these posts. ;)

 

Either way ... it's all about the memories.

Edited September 6, 2012 by h2so4

[bhughey]

Excited for the next recap! :)

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you everyone! I am back home in FL for a weeding, will try to post soon! I need to upload some more pictures first :) Wish there was an easier way to do so :p

[cyncorrell]

What type of camera did you use on your trip?

Anxiously awaiting your next installment!!

Your enthusiasm is infectious!

[Crusing Nut]

Wonderful review of your trip! Thanks for taking the time for writing this for those who will probable never get to Europe. Such history to be seen!

 

Again, Thank You,

[TLCOhio]

Thank you SO much Terry! Your report was what really inspired me and got us excited! I would read excerpts of your report to my family. You have excellent journalism skills! Thank you for your comment!

 

CruisingGatorGirl: Thank you everyone! I am back home in FL for a weeding' date=' will try to post soon! I need to upload some more pictures first Wish there was an easier way to do so [/quote']

 

Appreciate so much your kind comments and follow-up. Glad I helped inspired you. Is that going to be a Florida "weeding" or "wedding"??? Like your Florence pictures. Great city!! Keep up the great work.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 102,065 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[dforeigner]

Awesome review and pictures. Thanks!

[Louiangel]

Cant wait for next installments. My fiancé proposed in Rome and we have just returned from Paris

[lovestx]

Can't wait to read about the engagement!

[helen haywood]

Loving this review! Just made final payment for a Celebrity Med cruise today!

 

One question for all the seasoned flyers....was the medication the OP took the Ativan someone else mentioned? I am interested in taking something that will take my anxiety away. (It doesn't help when your husband is a retired pilot and says things like....long time ago in Hong Kong..."You know, this is the most challenging landing there is because the water is there and you must descend rapidly over the mountains..." or in China "Interesting!! This is an old Russian military plane.")

Edited September 12, 2012 by helen haywood

[Kat in CA]

I like Ativan when flying because it does not make me sleepy. It just takes away anxiety. I feel like I am not "out of it" or drugged; I just have an "I don't care and am not worried about flying" mood when I take it.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Appreciate so much your kind comments and follow-up. Glad I helped inspired you. Is that going to be a Florida "weeding" or "wedding"??? Like your Florence pictures. Great city!! Keep up the great work.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 102,065 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

HA :p Oops, wedding! You think I would fly home just to help weed my parents yard :rolleyes: I love my parents but.... ;)

 

Loving this review! Just made final payment for a Celebrity Med cruise today!

 

One question for all the seasoned flyers....was the medication the OP took the Ativan someone else mentioned? I am interested in taking something that will take my anxiety away. (It doesn't help when your husband is a retired pilot and says things like....long time ago in Hong Kong..."You know, this is the most challenging landing there is because the water is there and you must descend rapidly over the mountains..." or in China "Interesting!! This is an old Russian military plane.")

 

Thank you! I took Xanax. I had my doc prescribe me the lowest dosage (.25) that way I could "build" it up instead of taking too much at once all the sudden. So I took in stages and ranked my anxiety level to determine if I needed more. I think by the end of the flight I had 1.25 total. this is about the schedule I did:

 

.25 2pm, at my house packing car

.25 3pm in car, just left for air port

.25 4pm at airport, checking in

** by this point I feel myself in the relaxed zone, this is about what it takes

 

Next, as I see the plane and board, I my anxiety raises again

.25 5pm on flight, just sat down

 

.25 6ish hours into flight, took final pill

 

so I had 1.25 total. I know that sounds like a lot, but I am a real bad flyer. If I fly a short domestic flight I will take about .75. But due to the heightened anxiety of flying over the water for so long (part of my fear, not seeing ground) I upped the dosage.

 

Also this made me super drowsy but I never really fell deep asleep, just sleepy/kinda zombie like. Real tired. And it wore off about an hour after landed.

 

I know other doctors prescribe other anti-anxiety pills so I would just talk to her or him to see what is best for you.

 

I no longer interrogate pilots (seriously, I did, I had a check list I went over with them) or notify every flight attendant that I am a nervous flyer so it must be working :p

[nothriver]

I'm very much enjoying your trip report and can't wait to read more!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your expereince. I'm busy planning an eastern med cruise for next June and find trip reports so extremely valuable for planning and enjoyable to read!

[MrsKC08]

I just subscribed to this thread. I have not sailed Celebrity yet, although my hubby has (pre-me), but I'm so enjoying your review. Looking forward to more, so don't leave us hanging! :)

[ariawoman]

I want to hear about the engagement! lol Please come back and tell us all how it happened and where! (i might have a story after my october trip hehehe)

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you everyone! I will have a new post today! Typing it up very soon

 

Excellent report CruisingGatorGirl. We have the same cruise booked next October so I am taking lots of notes. As far as your comment regarding interrogating the pilots, let me put your mind at ease. I've been a pilot with a major international airline for over 30 years. The highlight of our flights used to be passengers coming to visit us in the flight deck while enroute. 9/11 ended that overnight. Now our only interaction is on the ground before departure or after landing. So please, if you're nervous and would like a quick chat, ask a flight attendant. If we're not too busy, we would love to see you.

Now, looking forward to the continuation of your trip.

Cheers,

 

Wow that is great information! Thank you! The pilots were always very, very nice to me. Glad to know they don't mind if they are not busy :o

[isnowman]

Excellent report CruisingGatorGirl. We have the same cruise booked next October so I am taking lots of notes. As far as your comment regarding interrogating the pilots, let me put your mind at ease. I've been a pilot with a major international airline for over 30 years. The highlight of our flights used to be passengers coming to visit us in the flight deck while enroute. 9/11 ended that overnight. Now our only interaction is on the ground before departure or after landing. So please, if you're nervous and would like a quick chat, ask a flight attendant. If we're not too busy, we would love to see you.

Now, looking forward to the continuation of your trip.

Cheers,

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post #9: Rome in 8 Hours

 

5/26/2012, Saturday

 

Rome, Italy: We woke up early and had room service on the balcony again. Man, I love the upgraded selections you receive with Concierge Level. We have been pigging, I mean, pigging out for breakfast. As I have stated, Tyler is trying to gain weight, and I am trying to maintain my weight. Impossible (for me at least) with all the food selections… and we are not holding back! By this point we have decided we would book CC again. Breakfast on the balcony has quickly become one of our highlights.

 

Ok moving on from the food…

 

We met our Rome in Limo driver at 7:30 again, this time we were greeted by Roberto. He had a surprise for us! We were in for a real treat he told us! We had arranged for a guide while we were touring Vatican City. Roberto informed us our guide would be Maura (I know I am spelling his name wrong, it sounds like Mar-A). And Maura happens to be well known around these streets, according to Roberto… which we would find true. However this was not our surprise. Maura would be spending the ENTIRE day with US! For NO extra charge! We got our own personal guide with us for the entire day! WOOHOO! Lets get this party started!

 

Then Roberto had some bad news…. There is something going on in St. Peters therefore the Basilica will be closed. Nooooooo, yes I actually said NOOOOOO out loud, very dramatic I know. There was ***rumor*** the pope was ill and this was the reason (we found out days later this was not sure).

 

We are Catholic. As I have been to Vatican City before all I did was talk about how excited I was for my family to see the Basilica and now they will not be able to. Roberto could sense my disappointment so he promised we would try and come back at the end of the day to see if they opened it up.

 

Vatican City: We picked up our lively guide for the day, Maura. He greeted us with smiles and enthusiasm. The love he has for his city was oozing from every pore in his body; we love him already! Our first stop would be the Vatican City grounds, museum, and Sistine Chapel. Maura was very knowledgeable about every single piece in the Vatican grounds and museums. I brought my notebook from my 2004 trip and asked Maura if we could see some of the same pieces I saw in 2004. As part of my 2004 trip I had to write my reactions to the pieces. I wanted to see how my view changed from being 18 to 26. He tried his best to show me everything but because of our time crunch we could not see it all. Laocoon was my favorite from 2004. Others I saw include Apoxyomenous, Augustus of Primo Porta, and Doryphous. I also had fun recreating some of my pictures from 2004 (such as a sad face in front of Laocoon).

 

Pictured below: Vatican. Bottom right is Laocoon, I was most excited to see this.

 

 

We started to make our way through the long journey to reach the Sistine Chapel. I remember from 2004 seeing the Sistine Chapel left a lasting impression on me and could not wait to see it again. We got a Michelangelo lesson along the way. The journey is long and anticipation is building as you walk. Along the way you will walk on amazing historic marble and see beautiful tapestries. Some of my favorite tapestries included the ones with maps of the world… or how they thought the world looked. Those were neat to stare at for a while. You also are lit be the glow of the gold and opulent curved ceilings. Hall after hall, we are almost there.

 

 

 

I don’t know about anybody else, but the closer we get the more I can feel it. The excitement is overwhelming. I remember you walk through this narrow, white-walled, little ally type section before BAM entering the room.

Maura gave us instructions and etiquette about entering the Chapel. No talking, phones, photography, etc. He also told us where we would meet him when we were finished. Before long, we were dumped into the Chapel.

I am not even sure how to describe the feeling I get seeing the Sistine Chapel. I get goose-bumps just typing about it. Tyler and I stuck together and the rest of us kept within eye-distance of each other. When you first walk in naturally you look up. Then you are able to start soaking it in and can take in the incredibleness of the Alter Wall. And your eyes start to play tricks on you, is the ceiling 3D? Are the painted arches really sticking out? I do not know, still to this day and I have not goolged it. Because that is part of the magic for me, everyone seed the Sistine Chapel differently. The longer I stare at it the more it feels 3D and real to me, and very spiritual at that.

 

My wondering was immediately halted when I heard someone yelling. I turn to my side and LONE BEHOLD Brandon, MY brother, has his CELL PHONE OUT! What the H-E-Double Hockey Stick was he thinking! I almost tackled him right there. He is lucky you are not allowed to talk in there! But I sure made up for it once we exited and after I apologized to Maura. Phew, ok, glad we got that over. I feel my heart racing again just thinking about it!

 

Rome, Italy: By now we were hungry. Tyler and I saw on the Travel Channel from one of Anthony Bourdines (sp) shows him eating this amazing looking pasta called Caccio e Pepe. He described it as the mac-and-cheese of Rome. Well what American doesn’t like mac-and-cheese? I asked Roberto if he knew a place we could get Caccio e Pepe from. He knew just the place. And as Rome in Limo is famous for, he called ahead and got us a table. He also informed the waiter that we were on a cruise so would not have time for a traditional Italian meal. Rome in Limo is also famous for maneuvering their car through any kind of traffic to get you where you need to go. See the picture below of Roberto literally parking his car in the middle of traffic for us.

 

We all ordered either Caccio e Pepe or Gnocchi. And both lived up to the hype! However, for the first time in my life I got heartburn later that night. But it was worth the heartburn. See the pictures below of the food.

Next we did the usual stops. And I accomplished the one thing I HAD to do before leaving Rome, throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain; hey it worked last time! I came back to Rome so heres to it working again! We did the over stops, Spanish Steps, Wedding Cake building, etc.

 

 

Pictured below: Our fabulous lunch! The Caccio e Pepe is in the bottom right

 

 

Continued below...

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post 9 continued from above...

 

After a whirl-wind ancient Rome drive-by, we went to the Pantheon, which is my favorite building in Rome. I will not tell you all the Pantheon secrets because I don’t want to spoil the fun! Make sure to ask your guide!

 

We would spend a good amount of time in the Roman Forum and Coliseum. Dad, being an engineer was very impressed with the Coliseum. Again I do not want to spoil any of the fun facts here. I will tell you one tid-bit- they said by 2014 the bottom area under the stage, where the trap doors are, should be safe enough for the public to tour! Ok, I am going to tell you one cool fact, believe it or not, but the Coliseum actually had a removable roof! The roof was made up of big sails that could be pulled in or out with pulleys.

 

 

 

I also noticed Brandon had been VERY quiet all day. Turns out he was just taking it all in and in awe of Rome. He hopes to come back to Rome one day and spend more time.

 

Vatican City: As Roberto promised, we drove back to Vatican to see if the Basilica was open. Nope. However we did have some time to walk around the Square and here some interesting facts from Maura.

I also got to take the picture of standing in 2 countries at once, see the pic below of my feet.

 

Also look at the picture of me standing on a disc, if you stand on that disc and look at the columns surrounding the square, you can only see 1 row of columns. However, there really are 3 rows but from that exact spot you can only see 1 regardless of where you look! Again, this impressed Dad.

 

Pictured below: Columns in the square, me on the disc that only allows you to see one row, Sistine Chapel from the outside, and standing in 2 countries at once!

 

 

 

 

 

It was now time to head back to our beautiful Solstice. We were too tired tonight to take any more pictures. We ate dinner in the grand dining room again.

 

 

 

Up next: Naples! I have no idea how I am going to limit my pictures and words! I took 300 photos alone in Pompeii!