Review of the Jade (Western Med) 11/16-11/27

[Have a magical day!]

Your trip report is AWESOME!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this! Your entertaining, informational, and personal writing style has me reading every word about the Jade even though we will be cruising with you on the Spirit this summer! I wish I was able to find a trip report this thorough with great pictures and enjoyable writing for the Spirit! I am so glad you were able to take this special cruise with your dad!! What memories you will treasure I'm sure!! Happy New Year! Can't wait to read more!

[gbntmom]

LIVORNO (Day 2) 7am-7pm

 

The plans for the day were going to keep us busy! I had made arrangements with Rome In Limo (through Jany) and can't begin to say enough good things about them! Jany, I swear, must sit at her computer, just waiting to respond to any emails sent - honestly, she's that fast! Since we were wanting to see as much as we could, we chose the Pisa & Florence tour. From Rome in Limo's website, the description:

 

"This day excursion is designed for those who wish to enjoy the highlights of PISA and FLORENCE.

 

You will be greeted at the Port of Livorno, and will make your way to the small city of Pisa. Here you will spend a portion of your morning at the Leaning Tower and the main square. Continuing on along the scenic route in the Tuscan countryside, before arriving at the Renaissance city of Florence.

 

Here you will explore the Church of Santa Croce, the Duomo and Baptistery, the Ponte Vecchio, the Pitti Palace, and the Piazza of Michelangelo prior to lunch. Moving on, you will stop at the Accademia*, which houses Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of David. You can also instead of the Accademia conclude the day with the Uffizi Gallery*, after which you will be returned to the Port of Livorno.

 

Please book your tickets for Uffizi or Accademia yourself, best option is to call them and book the tickets directly over the phone: 011 39 055 294883

 

* Please Book the tickets starting from 2 pm, note that the Accademia would take 40 min to visit and Uffizi about 1,5 hours.

** For the clients that form a group, please make sure everyone has the same time for each museum.

*** Because of lack of time you can only visit one of the museums.

 

Please note that the Accademia and the Uffizi museum are closed on Mondays!"

 

This was a 9 hour tour and for a group of 8 was 600 euros. We actually had 15 people (2 vans) and 2 drivers. We were to meet the drivers at 8am, right outside of the ship. They were waiting for us right as we got off the ship, holding a sign with our name on it!

 

I had requested that our group meet before disembarking, and we chose to meet at the Internet Cafe on Deck 7 at 745am. That seemed to be perfect in terms of timing, as well as it was not near as crowded as the Atrium was.

 

My van's driver was Vinny - just an awesome gentleman who was very professional and loves his job!

 

 

Me, my Dad & Vinny when he dropped us off at the end of the day!

 

We began the day driving to Pisa first, so that we could get the best pictures without crowds. Honestly, I figured, "yeah, right - no crowds, ha!". I couldn't have been more wrong.

 

Our first stop along the way was to this courtyard which housed the Enrico Fermi school - From what Vinny told us, it is very difficult to get into, but once accepted, the education is free. It is very prestigious and concentrates on Physics & Math.

 

 

 

 

We then continued a short way to Pisa and the "Field of Miracles" - the Leaning Tower, the Duomo & the Baptistery. Vinny gave us about 40 minutes here, with very clear directions of where to meet him, along with explanations of what there was to see and the ever important information of where the bathroom was!

 

 

Really - where are the crowds?!~

[gbntmom]

More pictures from Pisa...

 

 

The Baptistery

 

 

The Duomo

 

 

 

 

 

My Dad & I at the base of the Leaning Tower.

[gbntmom]

We had plenty of time to see the sights of Pisa and then were on our way to Florence. Along the way, we saw the 2nd leaning tower of Pisa - St. Michael's.

 

 

Vinny had asked us if we would like to stop at either a winery or an olive oil plant to see how either operate. We chose the olive oil plant. November is the month for harvesting the olives. Where we stopped, they pick and press the olives in the same day. Talk about fresh olive oil!

 

 

The olives gathered for processing.

 

 

Being washed.

 

 

 

Being pressed.

 

 

Vinny was a wealth of information during the ride. We learned that Livorno is a newer port city, with most of it being rebuilt after World War II when it was destroyed by the Germans & the US. It is now home to the largest US military base in Italy. He also shared his knowledge of the Chianti area of Tuscany with us and explained how the area wines were made. If there is a round label with a black rooster on it on the neck of a wine bottle, it was produced in the Chianti region.

 

Florence gets it's name from "florencia" or the city of flowers in Latin. This was due to the fact that the Romans who first came to the area arrived in spring when the valley was covered in white lilies. To this day, the lily is the symbol of Florence.

 

While driving to Florence, we stopped at this overlook to get a view of the city.

 

[lettienets]

Thanks for the info re where you actually pick up the Terravision bus from Rome airport to Termini, I will book it tomorrow instead of the Leonardo Express, try something different. I am enjoying your review. I hope I get the cruise director Gary who people rave about. Last Feb on Jade we had Simone.

I am planning to skip a couple of ports I have been to more than once and stay on the ship so thanks for the dailies.

[gbntmom]

 

At the overlook, there was one of the Davids of the city

 

 

Next, we headed to Ponte Vecchio

 

 

Along the bridge are many jewelers selling their gold & silver.

We then had a bit of time to walk around the shopping areas filled with vendors. We came across this fellow.....

 

 

Vinny told us that rubbing the boar's nose brings good luck & a return to Florence!

 

Our next stop was at the Santa Croce Church & square. Santa Croce is the Italian Westminster Abbey, according to Vinny. It houses the tombs of Galileo, Puccini and other famous Italians. There were many street vendors in the square - mostly selling scarves. Heaven help you if you looked interested ~ you would be surrounded by women trying to tell you that their scarf was better!

 

Vinny had arranged a lunch stop for us at a little cafe along Santa Croce square.

 

 

I ordered the cheese & spinach cannelloni. While this is not the best picture in the world, I think that I found the best cannelloni in the world! It was TO DIE FOR!!!!

 

 

After lunch, we had time to browse around the square until it was time to head over to the Accademia & David.

[gbntmom]

 

Santa Croce

 

 

Artwork on the buildings surrounding the square.

 

 

Dante's statue by Santa Croce

 

 

A bell tower in Santa Croce square.

 

My dad was not interested in going to the Accademia, so he & I walked around the area while the others went and saw David. While it was an overcast day, it was nice to just walk around, especially knowing that we would be sitting in the van for the drive back to Livorno. Now I had figured that the Accademia would be some impressive building that held such a famous piece of art. I'll let you be the judge of that ..... this is the entry for those who already purchased their tickets.

 

 

 

The statue where we needed to meet back up after the Accademia.

 

From here, we headed over to the Duomo. It was only a few minutes away. In which direction, I have no idea as I was so turned around at that point. We only had about 30 minutes here, which was no where near enough. However, the reason Vinny brought us here later in the day was due to the fact that it was Sunday, and church services were being held. If we had come earlier, we would not have gotten to go inside the Duomo.

[gbntmom]

 

The Duomo

 

 

 

 

 

[gbntmom]

Your trip report is AWESOME!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this! Your entertaining, informational, and personal writing style has me reading every word about the Jade even though we will be cruising with you on the Spirit this summer! I wish I was able to find a trip report this thorough with great pictures and enjoyable writing for the Spirit! I am so glad you were able to take this special cruise with your dad!! What memories you will treasure I'm sure!! Happy New Year! Can't wait to read more!

 

 

Thanks for the kind words. That is what I was trying to do - give a thorough report on all aspects of my trip. I like to live vicariously through others' travels as well. All this means is now we'll need to write up a review of the Spirit after our trip in June!

[gbntmom]

Thanks for the info re where you actually pick up the Terravision bus from Rome airport to Termini, I will book it tomorrow instead of the Leonardo Express, try something different. I am enjoying your review. I hope I get the cruise director Gary who people rave about. Last Feb on Jade we had Simone.

I am planning to skip a couple of ports I have been to more than once and stay on the ship so thanks for the dailies.

 

 

Thanks for the feedback - I'm glad that you are enjoying it! For a first timer, I thought that the Terravision bus was easy enough to do. What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that no one really forms a "line" - instead, it's just one mob of people, all trying to get on at the same time.

Our cruise director was JC Sanchez - he was good, but I've never had Gary - all I've read about him seems like he would be great!

I will continue to post the front & back page of the dailies - if you want any more info, let me know & I'll get it to you.

Janet

[smalltownmomwa]

Thanks for the review! We just started saving up for a Med. Cruise. Your review inspires me to toss in a few more $ so we can go sooner!

 

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk

[gbntmom]

Monaco - Day 3 - 8am-5pm

 

Had another early wake up call - 645am as we needed to get our tender tickets & we were planning to have breakfast in the main dining room. At 7am we were able to get tender tickets group #3 (not bad for starting at 630am). We headed off to breakfast figuring that we would hear the announcements for tender groups. That was so not the case - in fact, after breakfast we stopped by the tender ticket table and they were already onto group #7!! No big deal, we just exchanged our tickets and headed on our way.

 

Villefranche was very easy to maneuver with clearly marked signs along with agents helping passengers find their way. We headed to the train station where we got our tickets for a round trip to Monaco (5,60 euros per person) and waited for the train (only about 10 min). The train ride itself was only about 10min.

 

 

It was nearing 10am once we arrived in Monaco, so since it was a nice day, we walked our way up to the Jardin Exotique. It was a beautiful morning - balmy with a nice breeze. The views looking down at the city were amazing!

 

 

 

 

We spent some time taking pictures and enjoying the views and then figured that we should make our way to the palace so that we could see the changing of the guards. Now the dilemma was how to get there! We could see where we needed to go, but the winding streets were another story. We asked a person in the gift shop at the top for directions, and she told us to catch the bus. When we explained that we wanted to walk, she looked at us like we were crazy (which we are!), and then pointed us on our way. We managed to find our way to the old city walls using some of the "hidden elevators" that I had read about. Even with maps that included their locations, the "hidden elevators" have been given that name for a reason - they truly are hidden!

 

We got to the walkway to the old city. It was not a bad walk - gently sloping with wide steps. I was tickled by the signage that said we needed to wear clothing! The joke of the day was it's a good thing we're wearing underwear!

 

 

[gbntmom]

As we headed toward the palace, we ran into new friends from the ship who told us that the changing of the guards was cancelled for today, as it was a state holiday. We went anyways, to check things out, and did see the guards change - while it might not have been the usual ceremony, I would never have known otherwise.

 

 

 

We then followed Rick Steves' walking tour around the square and headed toward the Cathedral. Along the walk, we found a hidden little cafe/street vendor where we stopped and got some ham & cheese crepes. As we sat & ate, it began to drizzle and by the time we were finished, the rain was more steady.

 

 

The statue in the square dedicated to Prince Albert I

 

 

The statue of Francois Grimaldi who began the dynasty that rules Monaco.

 

 

Walkway to the cathedral.

 

Everything was decorated with the red & white banners and flags for the national holiday. We got to the cathedral only to find out that it was closed (from 11/15-11/19) for the state holiday. At least we got to see the outside ~

 

[gbntmom]

Since the rain became more steady, the temperatures started dropping and the wind picked up, we decided to forgo heading to the casino and instead passed the Aquarium on our way to catching the train back to Villefranche.

 

 

The Cousteau Aquarium

 

A simple train ride back to Villefranche and we were able to catch the tender back to the Jade.

 

 

 

 

Views in Villefranche

 

 

 

The train station.

[rocklinmom]

Gbntmom, I didn't recognize your name from our June 23rd Spirit roll call! I'm glad you are sharing this Med cruise "trial run" for us :)

What a great review so far! I love that you were able to go with your Dad.

[gbntmom]

Once we got back on board, it was time for a little snack. Headed to the buffet and indulged in some sweet treats! With all of the walking that we did, along with a full belly and a rainy, overcast day, the perfect thing to do was to take a little nap. After a nice rest, I got up & headed to the gym for a short workout. Came back, showered and got ready to meet some new friends for a 7pm dinner in the Alizar dining room.

 

 

The captain had announced that we would be hitting rough seas this evening, but that the rain should stop for tomorrow. After dinner, we headed to the 930pm show - The Tenors of Rock. It was an excellent performance. The seas were very rough tonight - 7-10ft swells. All of the outside decks & pools were closed due to the rain/wind & sea conditions. You could definitely feel the movement tonight. Lots of passengers felt sick & there were lots of bags located at each of the elevator areas for those who needed them.

 

When we returned to the cabin, we found this fellow waiting for us!

[deb63]

Our trip on the Jade is still over a year away. Your pics have me even more excited to go. . .

 

And how wonderful on getting to see the Dailies! thank you so much for sharing.

 

I look forward to reading more!

[jlee616]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review! I'll be doing the same cruise in April and appreciate all of the information. Thank you!

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

[pkt1976]

great review!! I loved my time on the Jade in 2012. You are bringing back memories :)

[CruiserTom10]

GBNTMOM, thank you so much for your review.

Was there any reason why the ship docked in Villefranche sur Mer instead of Monaco?

[lettienets]

I would like to know about the port too. Villefranche is a lot of hassle. I sure hope we are closer in Jan when I go there.

[squidf]

Thanks for the review. I am booked on the Western Med Jade cruise next November. We sailed the Eastern Med leg on 27 Nov 13. If you have any questions about it, just let me know.

Frank

[SylvieSoleil21]

GBNTMOM, thank you so much for your review.

Was there any reason why the ship docked in Villefranche sur Mer instead of Monaco?

Hi,

Thanks for the great review; we'll be on the January 18 sailing. I have the same question about Villefranche instead of Monaco...

 

Since we'll be leaving for Rome on January 11, and you may not be done with the rest of your review by then, I have a question about the disembarkation time. Did they set a time for self-disembarking passengers (or easy walk-off)? They usually indicate it on the Freestyle Daily and I need to confirm with our transporters on the time we will be ready for pick-up.

 

Thanks for the next chapters! :)

 

Sylvie

[gbntmom]

GBNTMOM, thank you so much for your review.

Was there any reason why the ship docked in Villefranche sur Mer instead of Monaco?

 

The reason was the rough seas. Waves were in the 7-10 foot range & according to what we were told, Monaco's port is unprotected from the surges, whereas Villefranche's port is more protected. What we learned later, as you'll see by the change in ports coming later, is that there was a hurricane that hit Sardinia during this time and the storm associated with it caused the rain & rough seas that we experienced.

[gbntmom]

Hi,

Thanks for the great review; we'll be on the January 18 sailing. I have the same question about Villefranche instead of Monaco...

 

Since we'll be leaving for Rome on January 11, and you may not be done with the rest of your review by then, I have a question about the disembarkation time. Did they set a time for self-disembarking passengers (or easy walk-off)? They usually indicate it on the Freestyle Daily and I need to confirm with our transporters on the time we will be ready for pick-up.

 

Thanks for the next chapters! :)

 

Sylvie

 

Sylvie -

 

You are definitely in for a good time! I'll keep writing, so hopefully you'll get to see most of the review before you leave. ;)

 

For easy walk off passengers, the times were 615am-930am. (posted in the daily). I know that our transport was for a 7am pickup. We disembarked at 645am & were outside before our van was!

 

Janet