Very late review of 2012 med cruise on adventure of the seas

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

:DJust to get your mouth watering already... these will be the ports we'll visit this summer:

 

Barcelona

La Spezia

Civitavecchia

Salerno

Venice (OVERNIGHT!!!!)

Ravenna

Dubrovnik

 

and the binder filled with stuff we want to do is ever growing! It should be lots and lots of fun stuff to report afterwards! Hope you all will join in again.

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

:DSlowly getting stuff ready for the next cruise and just wondered when and where to start pictures for the next review. Is anybody interested in "packing photos"? Or will it be boring and too lengthy to add all this pre cruise stuff?

 

My question is: should the review be --

 

"the more the better with all the planning beforehand and getting ready process"

 

or

 

"down to the basics -- ship and ports once we travel"

 

 

thanks for your feedback!

 

Stef

[Wriggler]

:DSlowly getting stuff ready for the next cruise and just wondered when and where to start pictures for the next review. Is anybody interested in "packing photos"? Or will it be boring and too lengthy to add all this pre cruise stuff?

 

My question is: should the review be --

 

"the more the better with all the planning beforehand and getting ready process"

 

or

 

"down to the basics -- ship and ports once we travel"

 

 

thanks for your feedback!

 

Stef

 

Hi Stef

 

I love reading reviews and the ones that include the planning part are some of my favourites.

 

I've just finished reading Gabee's review of NCL Breakaway and his reviews include all of the planning

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1851007

 

I'm not suggesting that you go into as much detail as he does but it gives you an idea of the planning he does - he creates spreadsheets with where they're going to eat each day for each meal :D

 

Carol

Edited June 10, 2013 by Wriggler

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Carol,

 

I actually started a spreadsheet like that after I booked the MTD reservations for our cruise...Tanja saw it and wasn't too happy...she thinks I'm overdoing it with the planning and she doesn't want to feel crammed into a schedule while on vacation. Hmmm, of course we do have a schedule and there are a ton of things that just need to be planned ahead..but I'll have to try to deliver the mandatory time slots to her in a more subtle way;). I think I can do that! So there will be a spreadsheet for me and afterwards for all of you to see, but it'll not be out in the open during the cruise, while Tanja is around. (Sneaky, isn't it:D?) Even the kid is rolling his eyes at me for beeing cruise- obsessed! If I didn't know better you could think he's Tanja's biological kid. Now I have two of that kind in my family...sigh...more to love.

 

Stef

[KansCocoa]

I LOVED your review! I wouldn't change any of it - everyone's review should be as personable and unique as the writer - and your review reflected your personality, which is awesome....!

 

To know that I was your inspiration - I am so honored and humbled...truly! I SOOOOO look forward to your review of the Serenade - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that ship! :)

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

I LOVED your review! I wouldn't change any of it - everyone's review should be as personable and unique as the writer - and your review reflected your personality, which is awesome....!

 

To know that I was your inspiration - I am so honored and humbled...truly! I SOOOOO look forward to your review of the Serenade - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that ship! :)

 

:eek:Oh my God!!!! The Queen herself...I feel the need to bow, kneel down or something like that! And you read my review!!!! I'm giggling like a maniac right now! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!

 

humbly moving backwards to hit the reply button (never turn your back towards royalty:D)

 

Stef

[joand452]

Just found your review today, Stef, and enjoyed it immensely! Loved your writing style, and you're right up the with Sherri!

 

I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the Serenade review--you have only 35 days now!!

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Just found your review today, Stef, and enjoyed it immensely! Loved your writing style, and you're right up the with Sherri!

 

I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the Serenade review--you have only 35 days now!!

 

Thank you Joand452,

 

yay-- 35 days:)!!!

 

but I beg to differ in one part....Sherry is way up there...I can only try to follow her footsteps...but I'm really glad to hear that you thought my style compairs to hers...what a compliment! Thank you:p!

 

Stef

[Wriggler]

I LOVED your review! I wouldn't change any of it - everyone's review should be as personable and unique as the writer - and your review reflected your personality, which is awesome....!

 

To know that I was your inspiration - I am so honored and humbled...truly! I SOOOOO look forward to your review of the Serenade - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that ship! :)

 

Whooo Stef!! You got a comment from Sherri :D:eek:

 

Carol

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Whooo Stef!! You got a comment from Sherri

Carol

 

Hi Carol,

 

:eek:I know!!!! Isn't that the coolest thing ever:eek:?

 

now I'll try even harder to get a "Sherry-ish" review of the Serenade going!

 

OMG -- only 35 more days!!!!!:D:D:D:D

 

Stef

[Wriggler]

Hi Carol,

 

:eek:I know!!!! Isn't that the coolest thing ever:eek:?

 

now I'll try even harder to get a "Sherry-ish" review of the Serenade going!

 

OMG -- only 35 more days!!!!!:D:D:D

 

Stef

 

Ha ha!! This time in 5 weeks we will be onboard and I will have a fabulously outrageous drink in my hand!!! :D

 

Carol

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

:D33 days to go:D!

 

what's up with those dresses in the stores? Are the 70s back again? Or is it just Germany? Sigh, I need clothes! I can't find any I like! I can't even find a white long sleeve shirt that fits...gah! and pyjamas--I just don't want to wear anything with a cartoon character at night. Why do they have only those in the ADULT sections right now?

 

LOL -- I guess if I'm complaining about dumn stuff like clothes, life is pretty okay otherwise:D.

 

Packing slowly progressing (only mine... Tanja and Tarik think I'm nuts)

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

I just returned from a weekend seminary in Berlin...We had to cross the River Elbe. Usually not a big deal -- but this time I felt like crossing the everglades ( LOL -- I 've never been, but seen documentaries). A train ride usually takes 1:50 h to Berlin (very fast train) but this time it took 4:30 h !!! The water was JUST below the tracks! We were snailing along! What a sight!

 

 

so now back to cruise preparations! Only 30 more days! 29 until we fly to Barcelona!

 

 

Stef

[hightownCO]

Loved your review! I've booked the Serenade for my daughter and I next year - about the same itinerary as yours (Kotor instead of Dubrovnik). Will certainly look forward to your review of your July trip. Hope you guys have a wonderful time.

 

Just a shoutout to Sherri (DramaQueen) So loved your review too. Took all of a Friday night and I had to recharge my Kindle fire twice! So worth it though.

 

Happy cruising to all and thanks for all your time and effort to put these reviews together!

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Thank you HightownCO,

 

glad you liked the review!

 

We'll check out this cruise for you in only 29:eek: more days!!!!

 

and you'll get a looong review afterwards to start dreaming of your cruise next year.

 

Duhh, :)I'm sure you're doing that already after reading Sherries review:).

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

:DYAY -- just printed our setsail passes for the Serenade!!!! It really feels close now! :D

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

!!! Only 24 more days !!!

 

Printed our Dubrovnik cards today!

 

Only 3 more school days....yay -- no getting up at 5:30 for a couple of weeks!

 

Stef

[Wriggler]

!!! Only 24 more days !!!

 

Printed our Dubrovnik cards today!

 

Only 3 more school days....yay -- no getting up at 5:30 for a couple of weeks!

 

Stef

 

3 more school days!!??

 

Wow - it's getting sooo much closer, Stef!!

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

well, a little episode of our Adventure cruise popped back up in my mind because of a "wine" discussion in our roll call for the upcoming Serenade cruise. Sorry guys, no pictures on this one (wait -- I did find one at least:))...just a story to add to the review:

 

Tanja and I were on a budget. We knew we'd spend a bit of money on our port explorations. We scanned the wine packages or drink packages of the ship and decided for ourselves that it was just too much money. Yes, we would treat ourselves to a beer, glass of wine, or coctail once in a while onboard, but spending more than $35 on a bottle of wine ....and you'd have to prepurchase at least 5 bottles to get this "cheap" price was just a bit too much for our wallet.

 

We wanted to try out the local wines though... I mean we started in Malaga (SPAIN --> Rioja) and visited northern Italy (Chianti) and Korsika (no idea what the wine is called -- but boy was it yummy). We didn't really want to try those wines excessivly in the local cafes -- again the budget. So we thought, since there will be local supermarkets everywhere, we'll just buy the wine there for 3-5 € , bring a corkscrew along and enjoy it either in the hotel room (Malaga) or some beautiful spot while on tour (Ajaccio).

 

Lol-- little did we know how much of a problem this little corkscrew would be....but more on that later.

 

The vacation -- winewise -- started as planned. We picked up a bottle of Spanish wine in a very small supermarket (about half the size of our interior stateroom) in one of the lovely sidestreets in Malaga. The woman who sold it to us must have been WAY in the eighties. She pointed out a bottle we should try...maybe because it was the most expensive one, but we like to believe she wanted us to have a good experience. She was very friendly and we'll remember her for a long time. She hobbled over to the cashier's desk (as the place was as tiny as she was this only took about three steps) and off we were to our hotel room. Here we could use our corkscrew without any hassle

Sheer delight! It was a good choice -- thank you nice little Spanish lady! Plus the wine helped us to digest the shock of the separated beds -- gah!

 

and no -- these are not the toothbrush glasses from the restroom...we're a little picky with that. We actually brought these little glasses with us from Germany, wrapped them and took them along in our backpack.

 

more to come!

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Next morning our glasses were back in the backpack, wrapped in paper towels, together with the corkscrew. Off to the ship. We knew one wasn't allowed to bring liqids along then (now 2 bottles of wine are allowed per cabin!). They had big waste buckets lined up before you re-entered the ship at each port.

LOL-- you can't see it because the big lady with the pink backpack is blocking the view:).

 

Well, we didn't carry any liquids.

 

We only had glasses and a corkscrew. We thought we were safe. On embarkation day actually everything worked out. They scanned our bags ( quite sloppily I guess) and we were on the ship -- WITH our little corksrew. It looked like this one by the way

 

 

see the itsy bitsy knife thingy on top of the left side? About the size of my thumbnail?

 

Well, returning from Florence this suddenly was a HUGE and DANGEROUS weapon:D! We were treated like terrorists and the lady who found this malicious device got very hectic and called some other people over...Boy, that was awkward. I told the whole security crowd around us, that we only take this along to use in the ports...not on the ship... and if they seriously believed anybody could be harmed by this miniscule piece of metal (I can't even bring myself to call it a knife)...

 

well, they were dead serious on this and there was no way they would return this weapon to me...For crying out loud, I got a little upset now-- told them I would like to use this when in the ports and if they could agree to hand it out to me then. Well, they could! But the bureaucracy of getting there was lengthy. We needed to check with security before we wanted to leave the ship and then they had someone come over to get the corkscrew out of a little numbered bag to hand it to us. Sigh! It was unnerving and not worth it...but I wanted to make a point of this not beeing a deadly weapon. Sometimes I can be pretty stubborn. So we felt like secret service agents being handed a VERY IMPORTANT device to go save the world:D. Once boarding the ship again we dutifully returned our "weapon" to the security. So no more corkscrews for us on our next trips. I heard that you can ask your room attendant for a corkscrew to use in your cabin...I bet those don't have a malicous little knife on them... If they do .... and I'll check in three weeks from now, I'll feel a little "verarscht".

 

So this was it...one more little memory from our adventure cruise...

 

3 more weeks till our grand med cruise on the Serenade. Since we're travelling with a kid, there will probably be much less wine involved this time. First "family" vacation ever!!!! I'm sooooo excited! ...and will tell you all about it afterwards!

 

until then,

 

see ya,

 

Stef

[solaris88]

LOL!!! Great story! I'll make sure my corkscrew doesn't come with a very dangerous "knife"!!! :p

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

LOL!!! Great story! I'll make sure my corkscrew doesn't come with a very dangerous "knife"!!! :p

 

Hi Tatiana,

 

we're such whimps...the regular corkscrew thingies and us just don't match...we never seem to be able to pull out the cork with those:o. Too weak I guess -- not enough muscle power -- must visit the gym...but wait - we'll be on the ship in 3 weeks:eek: with a free gym including an incredible oceanview:)! I guess the building of strength can wait until then.

 

Getting panicky -- still need clothes:eek:!!!

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Whoohooo, only two more weeks to go till the next cruise!

 

And I'm completely done with the planning of it all. The binder is humongous! (Pictures will follow in the coming Serenade review -- promise)

 

Severe washing and ironing going on right now:). What is a nuicance on "regular" days, becomes fun cruise preparation now. I get to look at all my stuff and picture myself wearing it on the cruise...the packing progresses.

 

I never thought snorkeling gear could take up so much space and weight:(. I need to snatch space from Tanja's and Tarik's suitcase!

 

Finally they're starting to get excited too:).

[suekay]

I'm looking forward to your review (almost) as much as you're looking forward to the cruise:)

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Thank You Suekay!!!