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

[kat228]

My husband saw the same episode of No Reservations!

 

We found the recipe for Cacio e Pepe online and have made it. It's super easy and very tasty...

 

Hmm, I apparently can't post the link. Hopefully this works: http://*******/aNJFSU

 

Ugh, ETA: the *** is "bit . ly" (no spaces)

Edited September 23, 2012 by kat228

[lovestx]

Glad you enjoyed Rome so much. We've been there twice in the past 18 months and just love it.

 

But I do want to correct one thing you mention. It is possible to tour the Underground section of the Colosseum NOW. You must sign up for a small group tour through http://www.pierrici.it but we did it in May 2011 and it was fascinating. Maybe by 2014 they will be allowing all visitors to go there.

[Coolcruise02]

Great review! Can't wait for more. :)

[satchiesmom]

This is such a fun read! The suspense of waiting for the engagement is killing me!

[ariawoman]

This is such a fun read! The suspense of waiting for the engagement is killing me!

 

You and I both!!!!!!!!!!! lol

[boastud]

love the review...

[Waterlily777]

I just LOVE your enthusiasm!

[Julesy]

Love this review. hurry back [/

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[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post #10: That’s Amore!

 

5/27/2012, Sunday

 

Note: You can click on pictures to make them bigger, I suggest this for the Pompeii collages so you can see the detail better

 

Solstice: Today marks the third day of intense touring and our last Rome in Limo tour. I am most excited for our port today, Naples, as this is port if the gateway to cities none of us has been to and know very little about. I did enough research to know what to see/do/etc. but wanted to be surprised so I watched very little shows on tv about Pompeii, Amalfi, etc. I did this because when I went to Europe in 2004 everything was a surprise to me and I loved that feeling so I wanted Naples to be a surprise too!

Breakfast again on the balcony; and as routine we met our Rome in Limo driver at 7:30. We often debate over who was our favorite RIL driver. Today’s driver, Rafael, did something that makes him a large contender for spot #1, you will soon find out!

 

Naples: Upon meeting our driver, Rafael, he informed us of some disheartening news… we could not go to Capri as planned. There was a ferry “Strike” and the ferry workers were refusing to allow anyone off of the ferry and onto Capri. Bummer. But “no need to worry!” Rafael informed us. He planned a very special day for us, so special that we would be saying “Capri who?” Ok, we put our trust in him! Lets go!

 

**just wanted to add, this is another part of the magic RIL provides. They are able to have back up plans that are just as spectacular as your original plans!

 

Oh, and I will go ahead and mention this now. Rafael greeted us with a take-home bottle of limoncello and these pretzel-puff type crackers that were pizza flavored, he said we would need them!

 

Pictured below: The winding, cliff-side roads along the Amalfi Coast

 

Pompeii: Our first stop of the day! We were all very excited for Pompeii from what we heard from other people who have been. We refused to watch any tv specials on Pompeii so it would all be new to us. We greeted our guide GINO! Sorry for the caps-lock, but I just loved GINO so much I get so excited I have the urge to type in all caps! Ok, GINO, Gino was AH-mazing. Gino has been giving Pompeii tours for 30 YEARS, TWICE A DAY, yes you read that right! How the heck is he now sick of tourists like me asking a million questions? He just LOVES his job and Pompeii so much he encourages the questions. I think this is why Gino was so great, he has an authentic passion for his job and city. Of course he was full of information and was able to answer my millions of questions. And I probably did have close to a million questions.

 

Gino also had this was of being quick and efficient with his facts to avoid blobs of tourists in large groups! I took in this trait and the rest of the trip I would say “Gino Time” and that meant my family needed to scoot out of the way and “pull over” because I had something to tell them. I kinda became the guide for the rest of our ports since we did not hire any. My family soon started calling me Miss Gino. I miss Gino!

 

Pictured below: My best friend for the day, Gino!

 

 

I am not going to tell you all the facts about Pompeii, I will let you find them out for yourselves. But if you are a history fan, or just like neat old civilizations, I recommend you bring a notebook to take notes. I am so glad I did so when I look back on detailed pictures I know the stories and facts behind the pictures. Instead of telling you stories, I want you to find them out for yourself, you can just look at some of my pictures.

Pictured below: Just a small piece of Pompeii, as I stated, I am not going to tell you the stories behind the pictures, I do not want to spoil any of the fun!

 

 

By now we are getting towards the end of our Pompeii tour and the crowd is rapidly growing. I did not want to leave Pompeii, I wanted to hang out with GINO all day! We even dressed alike! I have to thank my family for putting up with me and not getting a word in all day with GINO because I was glued to his side trying not to miss a single word. Moving on, it was time to part with Gino and Pompeii. Gino told Tyler and I that when we have a family one day we must come back and he wants to be our tour guide! I will remember that! Wish there was a way to get his personal contact information! Thank you GINO for an unforgettable day!

 

Pictured below: More pictures from around Pompeii (I took 300 pictures just in Pompeii!)

 

 

Pictured below: Last set of Pompeii pictures. I am not sure if I mentioned this, but I am a teacher. Tyler found it hilarious that I was taking notes. Hey, I want to remember the facts from my pictures!

 

 

 

Post #10 Continued below...

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post # 10 Continued from above

 

Amalfi: Next up was when our original plans change, we were suppose to go to Capri. However Rafael would now be taking us along the enchanting, majestic Amafli coast, and he has a few surprises in store! He informed us we had a long ride ahead. It was now time to rip open the bag of pretzel-pizza puff things and enjoy the view.

 

Pictured below: One of our few family group pictures from the trip, a great one!

 

There really is no way to accurately describe the Amalfi coast and give it justice. Think jagged, tall cliffs; winding roads; water in shades of blue that you did not know existed; street-side fruit vendors; pockets of charming towns; horizons that blend so well you are not sure where water meets sky.

 

...That is the Amalfi coast...

 

 

 

Positano: From now through the next 3-4 hours are some of the most magical hours my family has spent together. I will attempt to tell you about it now. Forget worrying about car-sickness, no time to even think about that! We even forgot how hungry we were! Rafael had planned to take us to the most scenic restaurant any of us have/or will ever go to. In fact Tyler and I were discussing this last night and we could not think of a more scenic place for lunch, perhaps you can, but this is our opinion.

 

Lunch was at this quaint, family-owned cliff side restaurant. The city was called Positano, some of you may have been there. We were handed menus and the process were actually very decent! The inside décor features white stucco walls with rustic wood beams and wooden tables with white table clothes. Windows with wooden shutters were open to allow the breeze from the coast to creep in. Flowers were blooming on the window ledges. Laugher and limoncello filled the room. We were greeted by the owner who was very charismatic. He told us about his trip to New York City and his attempt to find “fresh” mozzarella, to no avail.

 

Pictured below: Inside the restaurant, and the owner.

 

We ordered, gnocchi, pizza margherita, and a fresh “fish” plate. We were served bruschetta appetizer. First, I do not eat tomatoes, I do not like anything about them. However, whatever tomatoes were on that bruschetta must have had crack or something in them because I could not get enough! And the bruschetta was complementary. The mozzarella we ate was 1 day old. We found ourselves eating slowly as we did not want this (or this day) to end. But we knew it had to. To finish our meal, the owner provided complimentary limoncello shots that were ice cold! And the most amazing cake I have ever had in my life! SERIOUSLY. Not sure if you caught on to this, but I have a rather large sweet tooth, I am kind of a dessert fiend. So for me to say this was the best cake I ever had that means a lot. Of course I am sure the atmosphere added to that. This is actually what I wrote in my diary “fresh, OMG worthy, amazing lemon cake, wowwww!”

 

Pictured below: Some of the food we had for lunch, including the cake! Tyler actually took a picture of me writing in my mini-excursion journal “best cake of my life” but I did not have room for the picture

 

We were able to wander around the town of Positano a little and do some shopping before we had to get back in the van and head for our next stop, Sorrento. This is when Rafael score major brownie points… As we are driving along he is playing music for us that matches the landscape.

 

OUT OF NOWHERE he bursts out

 

“When the moon hits your eye

Like a big pizza pie

That's amore… EVERYBODY”

 

Is this for real? I think I cried a little! How more scenic could it get? Driving along the Amalfi coast, beautiful weather, full bellies, and out driver starts singing one of the most recognized songs and ask us to chime in. Do I sing? NO, not even in the shower, however you better believe I did not pass this opportunity up! I have a video and will try to post it if I can figure it out. Stay tuned! Advice: Use RIL!

 

Next we were dropped off in Sorrento.

 

Sorrento: We had to drive some distance to Sorrento. The water along the way si as clear as a swimming pool and beaches dot the coastline. Sorrento is another charming Amalfi coast town. This is where Rafael lives, he pointed to us the street he lives off. We did some exploring and shopping down the narrow streets. We visited some factories that made limoncello and bought some souvenirs. We met up with our driver and had to make the long drive back to the ship. Does this really have to end? Why?

 

 

Solstice: Back on the ship. I know this is TMI but since I am being very detailed I will go ahead and include this next part. As I stated in my last post, the lunch we had in Rome gave me heartburn for the first time. I was still feeling very uncomfortable. We bought some weird medicine in Sorrento that they said was for heartburn, well lets just say I have never had any medicine like that in the states! So on to plan B. The front desk people have some tums like things they gave me, but they were stronger than tums. These did seem to help. So if you have some stomach issues I suggest you ask the people at the relations desk; I did not want to wait for a doctor as this was not an emergency, just discomfort. I do not have any notes about dinner from this night, probably because I was not feeling the greatest.

 

 

Tomorrow will be out first sea day, WOOHOO, we need a break! SO we stayed up a little later than normal and explored the ship at night. Just some advice, this itinerary is very intense. Having 3 big ports back-to-back was a lot. I would not change a thing, but just be prepared. The Amalfi Coast was mom’s favorite part of the entire trip. She says she could live there.

 

The only way to sum up this day is to sing “That’s Amore”

Come on, everybody with me… when the moon hits your eye….

 

 

Next up: A day at sea!

[lovestx]

OMG...you are just too cute! No wonder Tyler wanted to marry you :) Love both of your outfits including the Converse and love your unbridled enthusiasm for all that you experienced.

 

My daughter had a 6th grade teacher who visited Pompeii at some point in his life and devoted a full week in her Geography class to showing pictures, descriptions, etc. Our daughter (now in 11th grade) never forgot it and always wanted to visit Pompeii because of it. So when she learned we were stopping in Naples on our Equinox cruise this past June she insisted that we go to Pompeii. But I had my heart set on the Amalfi Coast. So we compromised and she and her brother went to Pompeii and my husband and I did the Amalfi Coast tour (could not combine the trips as my daughter gets very car sick so we could not take her on that drive!).

 

Still looking forward to hearing about the engagement and the wedding plans :)

[ColleenFL]

Ok my sweet daughter, I am ready to go back now and you are not even to the halfway mark of our trip! I would even do the exact same itinerary that is how much we loved this trip! I can't think of anything that you may have left out of the trip so far! In sorento your father and brother to a boat ride back to Naples to the ship after beers at a cafe in sorento while the rest of us explored sorento and shopping! We should have bought more stuff for ourselves especially the olive oil, next time! Can't wait to read the rest to re-live our trip again! For those of you waiting to hear about the engagement, that is how we felt waiting for Tyler to propse. Asheys dad was begining to wonder if hevwas going to propose or not. Believe me it is worth the wait here she is getting closer to the engagement :)

[searoses]

heartburn you say....hhhmmm.....the first time i had that as a young woman it turned out to be....nevermind....will patiently wait for the rest of this wonderful story....:D

[ariawoman]

Ok my sweet daughter, I am ready to go back now and you are not even to the halfway mark of our trip! I would even do the exact same itinerary that is how much we loved this trip! I can't think of anything that you may have left out of the trip so far! In sorento your father and brother to a boat ride back to Naples to the ship after beers at a cafe in sorento while the rest of us explored sorento and shopping! We should have bought more stuff for ourselves especially the olive oil, next time! Can't wait to read the rest to re-live our trip again! For those of you waiting to hear about the engagement, that is how we felt waiting for Tyler to propse. Asheys dad was begining to wonder if hevwas going to propose or not. Believe me it is worth the wait here she is getting closer to the engagement :)

 

How many days til we get to the engagement? I leave for my cruise on 10.9 and I need to know LOL :-) :-)

[satchiesmom]

how many days til we get to the engagement? I leave for my cruise on 10.9 and i need to know lol :-) :-)

 

lol!!!!

[Ma Bell]

You are absolutely delightful. What fun to see things that we've seen before through your eyes. So glad to hear you had such a wonderful time.:)

[Sinppu]

Hey Ashley,

 

you are doing just great with your review! Thanks very much, I know it's an effort (but a lovely one) :)

[LouisV]

I am so hooked on your review!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait for the next instalment :) Please hurrry.....:D

btw - what kind of camera where you using?

 

Mo

[djwcruisejunkie]

hi Ashley! we are going on this same cruise on the Solstice in 2 weeks and I am loving your review :)

 

I have beentrying to decide how to do Pompeii and Sorrento, and your recommendation for RIL means I am off to their website now to see what they have available.

 

And I agree with earlier comments, your review is addictive, and I NEED TO KNOW about the proposal :D

 

Can't wait for the next instalment!!

 

Deb

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I am so hooked on your review!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait for the next instalment :) Please hurrry.....:D

btw - what kind of camera where you using?

 

Mo

 

Thank you! I forgot to mention my camera. A few people asked earlier too. I did a lot of research before the trip for a new camera. I debated between a point-and-shoot vs. DSLR. I decided not to go with the DSLR because I did not want to carry around all the lenses and the bulk.... and I would be worried about pick-pocketing.

 

I ended up with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V

 

here's the specs from Amazon: 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Still Camera with 16x Optical Zoom G Lens, 3D Sweep Panorama and Full HD 1080/60p Video

 

The number one reason I chose this one was because of the super-clear 16x zoom, panorama, and video. My old camera only had 3x zoom! :eek:

 

hi Ashley! we are going on this same cruise on the Solstice in 2 weeks and I am loving your review

 

I have beentrying to decide how to do Pompeii and Sorrento, and your recommendation for RIL means I am off to their website now to see what they have available.

 

And I agree with earlier comments, your review is addictive, and I NEED TO KNOW about the proposal :D

 

Can't wait for the next instalment!!

 

Deb

 

I can't give away the proposal just yet! :p Like my mom said above, everyone was on pins and needles waiting for it! He kept it a secret from everyone on when he would do it. And he sure fooled me! That is all I am going to say :D

 

And yes, I highly suggest RIL as you could see LOL. Jany is who you will contact and he/she (not sure) is VERY helpful! And responds back within hours. Maybe you can get the same guide we had!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I figured out how to get videos uploaded! WOOHOO :D I took more short videos than I realized.

 

This first video is only 17 seconds but you can see the halls we walked through leading to the Sistine Chapel. You can see the World Map Tapestries I mentioned and the glowing ceiling. You will also hear our guide talking in the beginning.

 

I will try to post more videos! IS there a way to post the video in the forum? Or can I only use a link? Until then, here is the link

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post# 11, Today we become Hot Glass Show Addicts

 

5/28/2012, Monday

 

Today is a much-needed day or relaxation! I will have 2 video links in this post. If anyone can tell me how to post the videos (instead of the links) please let me know.

 

First, here is the link to the video of us driving along the Amalfi Coast while our Rome in Limo driver sings “That’s Amore” (sorry I was not able to capture the water, I was just so excited about the moment).

 

Make sure you have your volume on:

 

Those of you that have done this itinerary know how port intensive it is. Therefore, we were all looking forward to a day of sleeping in and doing whatever we wanted. The past few days gave us a taste of what the Solstice had to offer but now we could truly enjoy all the amenities.

We all kind of did our own thing today but would meet up a various times to check in, say hi, relax with each other etc.

 

Early morning: Everyday I wake up so excited I cannot get back to sleep. No one else seems to have this problem but even if I try to force myself back to sleep- no good. I want to take in every moment of this trip regardless of how much sleep my body craves, my mind is up. As routine, I was up before Mr. Sunshine around 5am. Again, the ship was sleepy but today we had an exciting event that I did not want to miss! We would be passing though the Strait of Messina, which is the 1-mile (I think) wide strait between the “toe” of Italy and Sicily. When you are little you think of Italy as the “boot” so I could not wait to pass around the “toe” of the “boot.”

 

 

Pictured below: Patiently awaiting sailing through the Strait of Messina before the sun rises; a sail boat gently sails by

 

 

We were moving very slowly, so I waited, and waited, and waited, took some pictures and waited again…

 

 

Finally, there she is! You can see in this picture above on the left is the “toe” and on the right is Sicily. Look how calm and majestic the water was. The picture below is once we have gone through the strait.

 

 

 

 

Here, I even took a video so you can hear and see the ripples and wake from the Solstice: (it is a little long so you might have to fast forward to the end)

 

 

Morning: Tyler finally wakes up and we head upstairs to have breakfast at the buffet for the first time. It was such a gorgeous day out. I swear this is the best time to see Europe weather wise. It was just right, hot enough to lie in the sun but not hot enough to get in the chilly pool. We headed to the outside area to eat.

 

While watching the mesmerizing wake, and filling our bellies with more carbs than I had in the past year, we used the Celebrity Today and a highlighter to plan our day. A top priority for Tyler and I was to go see one of the hot glass shows. I read on here that it was something not to miss. Just wait until you see what kind of people we turn in to! HAHA! We became a little obsessed with the Hot Glass Show, just wait.

 

 

 

 

After breakfast we headed back to the room to change into pool gear. I stopped to do some journaling that Tyler decided to take a picture of. I loved the set-up of our cabin; the vanity made a perfect desk.

 

Next we played some backgammon, this is a family tradition. We carry that backgammon board every trip we take… even all the way to Europe. I was surprised at all the people that commented on us playing it and they wanted to join in! I thought no one played backgammon anymore. This was definitely a highlight, playing backgammon pool-side while sailing past Italy!

 

Afternoon: Everyone in our group soon discovered their favorite place on the ship. This made communicating easy, if we needed to find someone we would just go to his or her favorite spot. Here are our favorite spots:

 

Tyler & Ashley: Lawn Club

Dad: Bar at the aft of the ship on the Lawn Club deck

Mom: Deck 5 and pool deck

Brandon: Very top sun deck and library

Picture below: Tyler and I enjoying one of our favorite spots, the Lawn Club

 

 

 

For communication we would leave notes for each other, call rooms from phones all over, or go to the “favorite spot” this worked out well for my family.

 

We also wanted to try the canapés today as we would have time. Today was Caviar! This was on my bucket list to try. I will let you look at the series of events to see if I liked it:

 

 

 

Well to be honest it was on a cucumber, and I do not like cucumbers so I think that had a lot to do with my dislike. However, I did try Caviar again later on the trip NOT on a cucumber and it was okay, it just tasted salty?

 

 

 

Post 11 continued below…

[CruisingGatorGirl]

… Post 11 continued from above

 

 

Late afternoon: We headed back out to enjoy the Lawn Club and get ready for the Hot Glass Show! WHOA NELLY! Why did no one tell me how amazing the Hot Glass Show would be?? Well, okay, I guess I did read on here it was AMAZING. And the CC friends were right; it is amazing. Tyler and I have never seen hot glass blowing so we were intrigued! From this moment on, we attempted to see EVERY, yes EVERY Hot Glass Show possible. And they said there would be an auction after the last show of the trip.

 

We joked that we became Hot Glass Show “Regulars” or “groupies” we were insane haha.

 

Picture below: Playing backgammon, Hot Glass Show (day 1), Journaling, and pool time

 

 

 

Dinner: Tonight was a formal night. We all dressed up and had professional pictures taken. I wore my PROM dress from 2003! I know it looks dated, but hey, when else would I get to wear that dress? It even had a train. I do not have the professional pictures on this computer so here are just the ones we took:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight we had excellent steak and an amazing soufflé!

 

 

 

Post-Dinner: Hot Glass Girl Sighting!!!! ATTENTION! That was how Tyler and I felt when we saw the Hot Glass Show girls dressed up in their best enjoying the classical strings. We felt like they were “celebrities” on the ship. We didn’t want to be creepy and sound like stalkers so we did not go up to them but we were excited to see them!

 

 

The rest of the evening we just strolled around and enjoyed the beauty of the ship.

 

 

 

 

Ahh, goodnight Solstice!

 

 

** I also just wanted to note because this is the point in my physical journal I complained about this. I found the conditioner to be horrible. I am not a conditioner snob, I just use what is on sale from the grocery store but this stuff was horrible. I could not even get a brush though my hair. Next time I will bring my own. Just wanted to put this out there for those of you who like your brush to be able to go through your hair after you shower.

 

 

Next up: Kotor, Montengro! Will Tyler and Brandon make it to the top of the fort, or do they kill me first?

[lhbsurf]

 

Early morning: Everyday I wake up so excited I cannot get back to sleep. No one else seems to have this problem but even if I try to force myself back to sleep- no good. I want to take in every moment of this trip regardless of how much sleep my body craves, my mind is up. As routine, I was up before Mr. Sunshine around 5am.

 

I am the very same way!!! I am now 46 years old and I still do the same thing every trip - I can sleep when I get home!!! I often take pictures of the sunrise to show my husband - that's the only way he sees it lol!!!

 

Love your review - we did a similar cruise for our 25th anniversary - love revisiting it!!

[travellink]

Clicked on your link of the drive along the Amalfi coast but it was blocked due to copyright. The other link worked fine . Really enjoying your review!