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

[jtagphillycruiser]

The Bar was awesome & those pictures are wonderful. Ok....soooo anticipating the engagement....could it be in Paris at the Eiffel Tower??? Come on, give us a littler teaser!

[Limesprite]

I have really been enjoying your "blog." I can't wait to hear about Paris. We are starting our trip there next year and then going on to the Med. Cruise.

 

I can't wait. And my family appreciates my binder full of information that makes our trips run smoothly. It's nice to know that there are people just like me out there planning away.

[Myari]

I have really been enjoying your "blog." I can't wait to hear about Paris. We are starting our trip there next year and then going on to the Med. Cruise.

 

I can't wait. And my family appreciates my binder full of information that makes our trips run smoothly. It's nice to know that there are people just like me out there planning away.

_____

 

 

I'm also really looking forward to the Paris portion.... I am also considering doing Paris along with a Mediterranean cruise next year and debating whether I should do it before or afterwards and how long I should stay in Paris.

[Limesprite]

We are going all out. 3 days in Paris, 3 days in Barcelona and then the Carnival Sunshine for the 12 day mediterranean. I have been researching for months, thanks to all these great reviews I feel like I could leave tomorrow and be all set.

[KrusII]

My daughter & SIL are sailing Oct 14th on this same ship. They are from Oveido, Florida. Have fun............

[Islandgirl4242]

I've been reading and a couple of times re-reading your posts and cannot tell you how much I'm enjoying and appreciate them. Croatia has been on my bucket list for awhile and after reading your posts it has been moved to the top of my list. You have a wonderful way of describing every place that you visited, your family, Tyler (soon to be family), and the cruise itself. Hmmmm, maybe being a travel writer is in your future.:)

 

You're obviously a busy woman with school, work, a fiancee' (woohoo), friends and family. To spend the time you are taking to share your adventurous journey with all of is sooooo appreciated...it's like visiting these places vicariously through you.

 

Thank YOU!! ~~Judy

[Iamthesea]

Ashley - Love the review! Thank you! :)

 

Thank you for posting a lovely review about Dubrovnik, my retirement home for the past 5 years. Discovering the Pearl of the Adriatic is often magical for many, as Dubrovnik in itself is a piece of art.

 

The Stradun (main promenade) is made from limestone, worn smooth by hundreds of years of people strolling.

 

The city wall only accepts Croatian Kuna or credit card - NO Euros.

 

There are two Buza bars and both are real. I much prefer the one you found as it is always less crowded and the views are spectacular.

 

If you want to learn more about Dubrovnik, visit my blog as it is how I see it as an American with Croatian heritage. Thank you for a lovely review, I enjoyed your posting very much.

 

Hi Dubrovniktravelady,

 

Could you please give in depth directions to the Buza Bar? :confused:

We have been to Dubrovnik before, and saw the bar from inside the wall, but were unable to find it. Going back in May and would love to spend time outside of the wall with a drink in hand, and then dip our toes in the Adriatic Sea. Thank you in advance. ;)

[Meadet]

Amazing review, well done for going to the effort of keeping such a detailed journal of your travels :)

[CruisingGatorGirl]

The Bar was awesome & those pictures are wonderful. Ok....soooo anticipating the engagement....could it be in Paris at the Eiffel Tower??? Come on, give us a littler teaser!

 

Hmmm I can't give it away ;) My parents were on their toes the whole time!

 

I have really been enjoying your "blog." I can't wait to hear about Paris. We are starting our trip there next year and then going on to the Med. Cruise.

 

I can't wait. And my family appreciates my binder full of information that makes our trips run smoothly. It's nice to know that there are people just like me out there planning away.

 

Awesome! We couldn't decided if it would better to start or end the trip there. Either way it is great :D And yes, suppler planners unite :cool:

[CruisingGatorGirl]

_____

 

 

I'm also really looking forward to the Paris portion.... I am also considering doing Paris along with a Mediterranean cruise next year and debating whether I should do it before or afterwards and how long I should stay in Paris.

 

You should consider it, highly :D We stayed 4 nights/5days and had about 3.5 full days to sight-see due to travel times.

 

We are going all out. 3 days in Paris, 3 days in Barcelona and then the Carnival Sunshine for the 12 day mediterranean. I have been researching for months, thanks to all these great reviews I feel like I could leave tomorrow and be all set.

 

We wish we would have spent more time in Barcelona, such a great city! You will love it!!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you everyone for the kind words and encouragement to keep on typing away! I will have time to do several posts this weekend :) so look for them :)

 

I've been reading and a couple of times re-reading your posts and cannot tell you how much I'm enjoying and appreciate them. Croatia has been on my bucket list for awhile and after reading your posts it has been moved to the top of my list. You have a wonderful way of describing every place that you visited, your family, Tyler (soon to be family), and the cruise itself. Hmmmm, maybe being a travel writer is in your future.:)

 

You're obviously a busy woman with school, work, a fiancee' (woohoo), friends and family. To spend the time you are taking to share your adventurous journey with all of is sooooo appreciated...it's like visiting these places vicariously through you.

 

Thank YOU!! ~~Judy

 

Thank you, that is so kind! Glad I helped you move Dubrovnik up on the list! It was such a nice break from the intense days at Rome, Naples, etc. You will really enjoy it!

[jtagphillycruiser]

No pressure....but you know we can't wait....hehe

[alwayshappytocruise]

Never mind....hate to be left dangling. Why do people start threads and don't finish?

Edited October 20, 2012 by alwayshappytocruise

[lovestx]

Never mind....hate to be left dangling. Why do people start threads and don't finish?

 

The lovely young woman who created this thread is studying for a masters degree and planning a wedding. So she's busy and adds to the thread when she can.

 

I have my own open trip report and can tell you that it has taken much longer to write than I expected when I started. Maybe we both should have written the whole thing before posting....mea culpa.

 

I am sure the OP will be back soon with more details. I, for one, can wait but am eager to hear about the engagement!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Never mind....hate to be left dangling. Why do people start threads and don't finish?

 

I apologize but I am a doctorate student (currently working on my dissertation), work, and planning a wedding. I enjoy writing these entries and reliving my trip through them. However, they take me 2-3 hours each to write/upload pics etc. I usually find time on the weekends to update. If you look at my history, I have been consistent with updating almost every weekend. I will be updating this weekend. Again, I am sorry if it takes me too long to update. I hope you will look for the updates this weekend.

 

The lovely young woman who created this thread is studying for a masters degree and planning a wedding. So she's busy and adds to the thread when she can.

 

I have my own open trip report and can tell you that it has taken much longer to write than I expected when I started. Maybe we both should have written the whole thing before posting....mea culpa.

 

I am sure the OP will be back soon with more details. I, for one, can wait but am eager to hear about the engagement!

 

Thank you lovestx; I am actually a doc. student and working on my dissertation. I agree, it is hard to find the time to work on this and not homework... maybe we should have typed the whole thing first :confused:

 

I will be updating this weekend :D

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post# 17: Taking it all in (post 1, of 3)

 

06/02/12, Saturday

 

Well we all now by now the cruise portion of our trip is coming to an end. You can feel the sadness in the air aboard; everyone trying to take in the last bits of vacation. We don’t want to waste or take a minute for granted that we have left; making the most out of every opportunity.

 

I started the day out at the gym- trying to get those pounds off before Paris (no luck! HA!). I let Tyler and my family sleeps in. We headed to the brunch just as it was opening. And just like you read here on the CC, there was a line waiting to get it. You enter from the 2nd floor of the Grand Epernay Dining Room.

 

 

Wow, it is quite a scene to take in! As the saying goes, a feast for the eyes. As you wait in the second floor watching the people fill up their plates… afraid they are going to run out even though you know they will not… patiently waiting your turn. Now, Tyler is not the biggest fan of waiting, especially for food. So he did not enjoy that part of the experience as much. And we had are table stolen from us? Even though they seat you, he saw a lady pick up our belongings and move them to another table. Tyler actually confronted her about it and she just gave a smug/snotty look. Whatever.

 

Some sweets:

 

 

I really enjoyed the ice-sculptures, chocolate Eiffel Tower, and bakery out of bread! I took some pictures but you can find a lot more around the boards.

 

 

 

 

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post# 17: Taking it all in (post 2, of 3)

 

The picture below has a story with it. I really like the chocolates on the ship (ok, well they were not amazing but I like any chocolate) and wanted to save them for home so I could think about the trip while I ate them at home. I was afraid if I left them on the counter in a pile our room attendant would think I did not like them and would not give us new ones! My solution, hide them in the safe! HAHA that is just how strong my sweet tooth is. And I ate the last one last week; I saved them as long as I could.

 

 

 

We spent the good part of the day by the pool. Today we did not have trouble finding chairs; tomorrow is another story. I actually journaled from the pool, which was nice. We had nice seats by the edge of the pool and watched the staff vs. guests volley ball game. And our favorite captain, Captain Yannis, made an appearance to watch the game and chat with guests.

 

 

 

Also, I got some one-on-one time with **Esperanza** today, that was fun! I like her a lot and she is fun to chat with. We actually ran across each other a lot during these 2 sea days.

 

After frying our skin to bacon status we moved to the lawn club for some shade and backgammon. I took this amazing picture that really, really set in we were in Europe and don’t want to leave:

 

Yes, that is Italy we are sailing past!

 

 

At 3pm we headed to the bow of the ship to watch us sail back through the strait between Italy and Sicily. There was a really strong current today that made the water look pretty. It was also super windy, like a wind tunnel. So those of you that do not want to wake up at sunrise to watch the sail-through, you have another chance on the way back.

 

 

 

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We decided we were not crispy enough so we headed back to the pool for more baking and backgammon. I went back to the gym (trying real hard here! But my sweet tooth always wins at dinnertime). We showered up and got ready for our last formal night. I also recorded that you really need a balcony for a med. cruise in my opinion.

 

I gave Caviar I second shot today, not as bad as the first time as I took it off the cucumber.

 

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Post# 17: Taking it all in (post 3, of 3)

 

We took some time before heading to dinner to take pictures at our favorite spots on the ship. We also took pictures with the captain but I cannot find those right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight is the last formal night, tear. We celebrated mom and dads 30th wedding anniversary tonight at dinner.

 

 

 

 

We had my favorite dessert tonight, baked Alaska. Tyler liked it a lot too but some members of my family did not care for it. We also had a presentation from the staff. Don’t watch the video if you want to be surprised. The banana sorbet is really good.

 

DSC02490 by ashleyqd, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

VIDEO: Last formal dinner surprise:

 

 

We watched the show after dinner, Ghostlight (or something) it was ok. We slowly walked around the ship, taking it all in, not wanting this night to end.

 

Goodnight solstice.

 

Next up: We get the present of a lifetime! What do you think it is?

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Never mind....hate to be left dangling. Why do people start threads and don't finish?

 

Alwayshappytocruise,

 

I just checked my e-mail and noticed you edited your original comment. Why take out the positive parts in the original without giving me a chance to respond? :( Maybe I am sensitive but I found that to be rude. I have priorities that come in life before CC. I just did an update, hope you enjoy,

 

Ashley :)

Edited October 20, 2012 by CruisingGatorGirl
spelled name wrong

[lovestx]

Ashley,

You have LOTS of fans here...don't let one person annoy you :)

 

Have to say I love your formal dress and tell your mom hers is terrific as well. Glad you were all able to enjoy a festive dinner for their 30th.

[satchiesmom]

Ashley,

Don't let one negative post get to you, I'm loving your review along with many other people and I think the anticipation of the next installment is part of the fun. Keep up the excellent work! And I agree with lovestx, both yours and your Mom's dresses are beautiful.

Edited October 20, 2012 by satchiesmom

[LouisV]

Hi Ashley!

 

I am really enjoying your posts and perhaps it's a good thing that you feed our imaginations gradually. It gives everyone something to look forward to and savour!!!:) Your family looks marvelous dahling! ;) You would make a fabulous cruise ship ambassador. We are sailing off on the Solstice on November 23rd from Singapour to Sydney. As I've never been on a S-class ship before, you really whet my appetite!!:D

 

Mo

[jsmeeker]

What a great review. I've enjoyed reading through it all. Did you eat in the main dining room every night or did you do some of the specialty restaurants? (I might have missed this in all the posts)

[Waihekean]

Wow!!! That is an amazing formal dress photo.

 

The sunset lilac is exactly the same colour as your dress!

[Member123]

The lovely young woman who created this thread is studying for a masters degree and planning a wedding. So she's busy and adds to the thread when she can.

 

I have my own open trip report and can tell you that it has taken much longer to write than I expected when I started. Maybe we both should have written the whole thing before posting....mea culpa.

 

I am sure the OP will be back soon with more details. I, for one, can wait but am eager to hear about the engagement!

 

Hmmmm.... it's kind of like getting involved with a story line and THEN we have the interruption of the summer layoff before filming begins again in the fall.

 

Is anyone else hoping that Ashley has some diversions in posting this trip report that she ends up telling us all about the wedding plans and, as an added bonus, we get to see graduation pictures and rehearsal dinner pictures and wedding pictures interspersed with Paris pictures?

 

I'm just sayin'..... :D

 

Ashley, I'm enjoying your trip report very much. And I agree with a previous poster who said that it was actually enjoyable to get the report in bite size pieces which just adds to and enhances the pleasure of the story! Thank you for taking the time to post; it's been a pleasure getting to know you and your family.