Review of Nieuw Amsterdam, Mediterranean Glamor

[We_like_to_cruise]

Rome !

 

Well, ok, Civitivecchia.

 

Up early, we eat a hearty breakfast preparing for our day running around the Eternal City.

 

We have all kinds of maps and papers and train schedules and a tablet with a GPS to guide us today. Early off the ship we take the port shuttle into Civitivecchia. Then we follow the instructions provided by Tom Sheridan’s Port Guides and the Ron in Rome website. I would like to give a plug for Mr. Sheridan. He has written numerous (free) port guides that you can download as a pdf. Very, very detailed. We also received tons of information from numerous people on the Italy ports section of CC.

 

There is no line at the train station and we purchase our €12 Birg tickets allowing us round trip fare on the commuter train and the use of the Metro and the buses. Oops, I almost forgot to validate my ticket.

 

We take the hour plus ride on the train (just like the Long Island Rail Road) and get off at Roma Ostiense, then taking the Metro to Colosseo. Exiting the station we are astounded at the Coliseum. Right there in front of us! Now we feel like we are in Rome! Awesome! Huge!

 

And the line, well, fortunately not so huge. Actually, not much of a line at all. Until we get inside. Ah, the Disney Illusion. The line does not appear so long, until you realize that it snakes back and forth from one end to another, back and forth and back and forth. The line is long. :(

Waiting patiently, we are accosted by a young man who inquires if we would like a 45 minute guided tour in English for an additional €5. And, we will go straight to the head of the line. He seems to be wearing some kind of official looking uniform, so it didn’t look like a scam. Sounds good to us.

 

True to his word, he pushes us through the crowd, “Scusi, scusi” until we are at the ticket booth. The ticket agent, appearing to be in the middle of a transaction, stops when our guide starts talking to him in Italian. We pay for our tickets and are instructed to wait nearby for our guide. After about ten minutes our group expands to about 20 people.

 

A young lady introduces herself as our guide; her English is very good, although with a heavy Italian accent. Her tour was great – she talked non-stop for 45 minutes, as advertised, and made the Coliseum come alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wandered around the Coliseum for a little bit more, but have a lot of ground to cover today. Walking past the Arch of Constantine, we head towards Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum, more briskly than we would have liked.

 

 

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

We have a route planned out, but upon exiting the Forum we are stumped. Where are we now? We are at the intersection of a number of streets with cars and scooters blasting by us in every direction. The street signs are small and on the sides of buildings and are too far away to see. Our maps and papers and GPS prove useless. Would love to get lost in Rome, but not today! We press on, and eventually find tourist signs pointing us in the right direction.

 

It is interesting how we walk down narrow streets and then all of a sudden are entering a large open space , like the Piazza Navona:

 

 

Not too far away is the Pantheon, which was my favorite. It was the least “ruined” of the ancient ruins we had seen.

 

 

Obligatory picture of the oculus, the sole source of light in the Pantheon:

 

 

 

We also of course had to visit the Trevi Fountain, throwing in a coin to guarantee our return to Rome, and the Spanish Steps.

 

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

There are posts on CC about people who spent the one port day in Rome, and in addition to everything we did, also went to the Vatican. Our hats off to them. We decided in advance to specifically save the Vatican for our next trip to Rome due to the time constraints.

 

Now it is already time for us to head to the Roma Termini, after a mandatory stop for gelato.:) As we eat, we discuss renting an apartment and staying in Rome a week or more in the near future. Gelato will do that to you.

 

Having been in Penn Station and Grand Central Station in NYC many times we anticipate no problems at the Termini Station. WRONG! What track is our train on? DW attempts to decipher the huge schedule on the wall which appears to have information on every train (along with its every stop) that will enter or exit the station.

 

Ahh, there is a tourist information window. I impatiently wait in the long line, repeatedly checking the time on my watch. Finally, I get close enough to see a small sign posted next to the window: “No train information.” ARRGGH!!!

 

Fortunately, DW is successful and announces we are at Track 29, but the signs to figure out exactly where is Track 29 are confusing or non-existent. We eventually ask a police officer who stares at us and points.

 

We make it to the train only three minutes before it departs and are lucky enough to find two seats together. Whoa, that was a close one. Actually, to play it safe, we purposely took the second to the last train to arrive back in port in plenty of time. We did not want to miss our ship!

 

Dinner tonight is lovely. We are surrounded by Australians and enjoy their friendliness and sense of humor. Somehow the conversation turns to electric kettles and the woman next to me is astounded that they are not de rigueur appliances in American kitchens.

 

“Well, how on earth do you boil water?”

 

“On a pot on the stove.”

 

“A pot on the stove? “ (incredulously) “I thought that the USA was the most advanced country, but now…”

 

Hoping to forestall an international incident, I swear to put an electric kettle on DW’s Christmas List.

 

After the kettle brouhaha we head to a lounge for an after dinner drink.

 

 

Why is the atrium so crowded???

 

Earlier we had walked through and it was deserted. Now it is desserted:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three decks of high calorie entertainment!

 

Despite having just eaten dinner, we manage to nibble on a few items. (I admit a soft spot for marzipan.)

 

We dance off the calories with DJ Jazzy in the Northern Lights disco, but, how should I put it. You didn’t have to worry about bumping into someone next to you on the dance floor. :D

[petrakae]

Have been following your travels and we are doing the same cruise in May next year. PROBLEM, you have made us so excited by your reports/photos, that the time seems to have slowed down dramatically for our countdown:D Thanks for your wonderful posts.

[We_like_to_cruise]

I hope this is the only "problem" you encounter. :D

 

We find the advance research and reading about an upcoming cruise is part of the fun!

 

Enjoy, and thanks.

[brazilgirl]

A truly wonderful review ... 2 good friends are currently on the NA and I know they are enjoying it too.

 

You are piquing my excitement about my first HAL cruise on the Eurodam!

 

Thanks!

[mkam2821]

Not wanting to leave things up to chance, when we traveled the Med last year, I booked Easy Italy for our excursions in Rome, Florence and Naples (check out my reviews on Trip Advisor). Fantastic. Not only did we hit every site (and go to front of line at Coloseum and have a private guide for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel) but no stress. Air conditioned Mercedes minivan and our driver stopped every ten minutes to give us a history lesson. I checked reviews, itinerraries and prices on CC and TA and then put together a group from our CC roll call of people with similar interests. Fantastic. Every driver was knowledgable and courteous and every day was wonderful with Rome being THE BEST. Would do it again that way in a heartbeat

[FX8081]

Excellent review and look forward to more as i am pondering a HAL cruise in the Caribbean.

[We_like_to_cruise]

Not wanting to leave things up to chance, when we traveled the Med last year, I booked Easy Italy for our excursions in Rome, Florence and Naples <snip>

 

Your way was certainly less stressful, and you definitely got more accomplished in the same amount of time than we did. :D

 

Our CC Roll call had people looking to get together tours in Rome. However, the only reason we decided to DIY, and walk everywhere was because we have plans to return to Italy in the (hopefully near) future. At that time we would like to stay in Rome for an extended period of time and also visit Florence and Venice.

 

This for us was just a taste of Rome. :)

 

Oh, and BTW, our comment about visiting the Vatican in one day as well really had to do with others planning DIY, and not on an organized tour where we imagine it is much more manageable.

 

We will keep Easy Italy in mind when we get back to Italy. Thank you.:)

[momatibm]

If you are serious about an electric kettle you should consider a 'two piece' version. This allows you to pour the hot water without having the pot attached to the cord -- example:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Cordless-Kettle-1-8-Liter/dp/B0078XHWVM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351256875&sr=8-4&keywords=electric+kettle

 

Also be sure it has an 'auto turnoff'

[cyncorrell]

We were on the Solstice and ended our cruise when you began yours. We stayed a few additional days in Barcelona. Standing in the very LONG taxi line waiting for a ride into the city we learned of the marathon that you were in the middle of! Miss gelato and Italy!!!

[We_like_to_cruise]

If you are serious about an electric kettle you should consider a 'two piece' version. This allows you to pour the hot water without having the pot attached to the cord -- example:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Cordless-Kettle-1-8-Liter/dp/B0078XHWVM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351256875&sr=8-4&keywords=electric+kettle

 

Also be sure it has an 'auto turnoff'

 

Thanks, that looks just like the types we used in Barcelona. (Although we think they were made of metal).

[We_like_to_cruise]

We were on the Solstice and ended our cruise when you began yours. We stayed a few additional days in Barcelona. Standing in the very LONG taxi line waiting for a ride into the city we learned of the marathon that you were in the middle of! Miss gelato and Italy!!!

 

I wonder if the marathon messed up the traffic; we were able to get a cab pretty quickly after disembarkation the week later. ;)

[sharks48]

WLTC: Thoroughly enjoyed your review! We got off in Barcelona the day you embarked.

 

We had problems getting to our hotel, as the cab had to keep trying another route to get around the marathon! We, too, loved Barcelona.

 

Loved the "macaroni" sign. We are always on the lookout for unusual signs when we travel and have a good collection of them.

 

We, too, love to play trivia and really enjoyed Dave. Our "team" ended up winning quite often, so we had several bottles of champagne [even one at 9 a.m.! - which we saved for the later trivia] and lots of little prizes. Great fun!

 

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a really nice ship and, since you liked her, you may someday want to consider the Noordam. She's our favorite. She has a separate [huge!] library and that entire area up top is devoted to the Crow's Nest. She doesn't have all those "private cabanas" that waste so much space.

[We_like_to_cruise]

<snip>The Nieuw Amsterdam is a really nice ship and, since you liked her, you may someday want to consider the Noordam. She's our favorite. She has a separate [huge!] library and that entire area up top is devoted to the Crow's Nest. She doesn't have all those "private cabanas" that waste so much space.

 

Thanks for the suggestion about the Noordam. We will keep that in mind when we book our next cruise.:)

[We_like_to_cruise]

Today we are upgraded from a fully obstructed ocean-view cabin to a full ocean-view.

 

 

Our view yesterday:

 

 

 

Our view today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite an improvement, at no additional cost. :D

 

Actually, our lifeboat has been lowered and will be in use at our tender port, Santa Margherita Ligure, on the Italian Riviera. This is on the northwest coast at the upper thigh of the boot – I guess anatomically and geographically speaking. Today we decide to visit both Santa Margherita and Portofino.

 

Although initially surprised when we pulled the drapes in the morning, I realize something. The noise of the lifeboat being lowered (and it was pretty noisy when we watched it being replaced) did not wake me. But somewhere in that fuzzy state between slumber and consciousness I am now aware that I did hear something.

 

There is no wait when we pick up the tender tickets, and we walk right onto the lifeboat. After a short ride, we dock in Santa Margherita. On the same dock, there was a ferry to Portofino arriving shortly, so we decide Portofino first.

[We_like_to_cruise]

It is only a short ferry ride to Portofino.

 

 

 

It is a picture-perfect day and Portofino is a picture-perfect spot. The harbor, the (expensive) shops, the view. I had so many nice pictures of Portofino it was difficult to choose. Believe me; this place was so pretty all you had to do was hold up your camera and push the button.

 

 

We walk up and down the streets and stop in the shops and galleries.

Many years ago we decided to make a purchase from a local artist as a souvenir while on vacation. When we hang it on the wall at home, it brings back memories of our travels more than any t-shirt would. :)

 

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

Along with other cruise passengers, we wander into assorted shops for the next few hours.

 

 

 

 

And take pictures of the scenic harbor:

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

Since this is the longest port day (until 11 p.m.!) we decide to take the ferry and then the tender back to the ship. Then we can leave our purchases on board, grab some lunch and head back out to Santa Margherita.

 

There are numerous tenders commuting back and forth from NA to the dock and we merely wait for ours to fill up before heading back.

 

The ride was smooth, but, I have to say, it was a little rocky transferring from tender to ship. There are crew members in charge of providing verbal and physical assistance, cautioning you when it was safe to jump the threshold.

 

Typically we had salad at the buffet for lunch, saving the good stuff and our appetites for dinner. Along with the usual veggies you would expect, we’d liven things up with some chicken or meat from the carving station.

 

 

 

Between the greens, and all of the different international stations we never went hungry. :p

 

And, always found room for a little dessert!

[We_like_to_cruise]

Back on Santa Margherita:

 

 

 

 

 

we walked by the beach:

 

 

And did some more shopping.

 

 

 

At least they are honest:

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

Oh, if only we hadn’t just eaten lunch:

 

 

 

 

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

We climb the hill, a little steep, to the castle for some more pictures of the harbor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

Fortunately the tender back wasn’t as traumatic as before.

 

We read by the pool for a few hours, and then enjoy a glass or two of wine in our cabin.

 

After a late dinner DW heads to the enjoyable Filipino Crew Show as I practice my card-counting skills for our next port – Monte Carlo. OK, that may have been in my dreams. ;)

[Ineke]

Thank you SO much for your great review! And especially for the details about the ROV ceremony, it has really piqued my interest and we'll check it out. Of course a 'Bohemian' ceremony might not be quite as suitable for a couple of 'older' folks like us, but we'll check it out regardless. Of course, that's hoping we'll get to HMC, as we had to miss that stop the last time:) Love the pictures, and this has definitely confirmed the fact that we will have to go back and see more of the Mediterranean, we've only done the Eastern Med. cruise, on the Noordam. Please keep up the great review, there may be 'travel writer' in your future?

[Love the beach]

Thanks for your review and these fabulous pictures!!!

I can't wait to go back to Italy and these pics make me sigh even more!

Marge