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

[qtlikeme]

I am really enjoying your review, thanks so much for posting it!

My DH and I board the Jade on Jan 18th and your sneak peek is making me even more excited!

Great job keeping it interesting, very informative and your photography is fantastic.

Thanks again and hope I can catch some more of the posts before we leave home on the weekend!:)

[gbntmom]

Thanks to everyone for you very kind words. I truly appreciate it. I'm glad that you are finding the information helpful. In answer to some of the questions....

 

Temperatures in mid-late November were in the upper 40s to upper 50s. Obviously, cooler in the mornings and on those rainy days. I was comfortable in a heavy sweater (but then again, I'm always hot! Must be the age!) Long pants and long sleeves would be a must. Layers worked well and most all of the tours, we could leave things in the van. The temperature definitely dropped when the sun went down.

 

Here are the links for the Sea Day dailies (sorry about the inactive link):

 

Day 8-1.pdf

 

Day 8-2.pdf

 

For Pisa, our driver took us right up to the Field of Miracles, dropping us off at the fountain with the statue. I'm not sure about a trolley or how to get there on one's own.

 

Yes, Dad was quite surprised about the Lladro tour & factory. He said it gave him a new perspective about his collection and was a great "side trip"!

 

Again, many thanks to all who are reading along. I hope you continue to enjoy :)

[gbntmom]

Tunisia - Day 9 - 8am-5pm

 

Dailies:

 

Tunisia form.pdf

 

Day 9-1.pdf

 

Day 9-2.pdf

 

 

For disembarking in Tunisia, we were given a Tunisian Landing Card, with directions, to be filled out the night before. Once we left the ship, we had to go through a series of buildings, and at one point, present the card and our passport. Not a big deal, just something different.

 

 

The buildings to walk through to get out of the port area.

 

For Tunisia, I had arranged for a tour with Noureddine (boukari.noureddine@wanadoo.tn) I can not begin to say enough good things about him. Noureddine is very responsive to emails, wanting to make sure that everything is planned to your liking. He was extremely accommodating, especially when our group kept increasing in size (We ended up with a total of 52 people - the max for 1 bus!). Here is a description of what he offers:

"The Trip Consists on visiting;

 

1-Carthage the Legendary Roman City, where you will be able To visit the Roman Bathes of Antoninus pius , The Tophet of Carthage the military and commercial

Port and The Byrsa hill close to the Cathedral Of St Louis.

 

2-The Andalusian Village Sidi bou said known for it's Fascinating Architecture and colours blue and white. A good place to see something Typical and Over there

you will have the option To visit a small Museum Called Dar Annabi ( optional 2.5 euros per person) where you can admire the different wedding dresses of all

the regions from Tunisia.

 

3- The Medina of Tunis.

 

The Trip starts by picking you up at the port, take you to all these different sites where you will have a guided Tour.

 

The Price

350 EUROS for the whole group (from 8 to 16 persons) with a mini bus

Entrance fees to Carthage Not included. ( it cost 10 Tunisian Dinnars per person arround 5 euros)

Lunch is Not included.

 

Payment Cash after The Trip is Finished and you are back to the port fully satisfied with your Trip.

 

No Deposit Required

 

Usually the trip last around 6 hours between 8am and 3 pm, however we are very flexible in case you want to skip a place or stay longer .

 

If You need any further Informations please do not hesitate to contact me and I am also open to any suggestion from Your Side.

Looking forward to hearing from you

 

Kind Regards

NOUREDDINE"

 

Our final price was 550 euros for 52 people for the bus & tour. It was 5 euros per person for Carthage and 1 euro per person with a camera who wanted to take photos in Carthage.

 

We met him at 830am, outside of the port gates (a few minute walk). He was waiting with a sign with my name on it and we found him quite easily. Our first stop of the day was at an ancient Phoenician graveyard. We learned that it was customary to sacrifice your first born son as a gift to the gods. It was quite sobering, especially for all of the men in the group who are first borns.

 

Next, we moved on to the Punic Harbor, which was created in the 8th centruy by the Phoenicians. It was a military and commercial port. There is also an aquatic museum there (we did not go in).

 

 

 

 

From here, we made our way to the historic Carthage. Here, Noureddine, told us all about the history of the area. It was as if he was telling a story, not just giving you facts.

 

[gbntmom]

We spent a very interesting time in Carthage, seeing quite a bit of history, from many time periods. The mosaics were beautiful and the view overlooking the area was gorgeous.

 

 

 

Many of the statues were beheaded (not completely destroyed) when the area was overtaken from one group by another.

 

 

There were many old Roman columns just lying around - many of the artifacts brought by the Romans were reused by later groups - a first in recycling!

 

 

 

[gbntmom]

We headed out of Carthage and on our way, passed the aquaducts. Getting water has always been a problem for Tunisia according to Noureddine, as it is surrounded by salt water. People today still have reservoirs to store water.

 

 

We were on our way to the Medina ("the city") and the souk. We saw the tomb of the unknown soldier...

 

 

 

Inside the souk, Noureddine stayed with us, taking us to see various things in the market place. We saw how the traditional hats were made...

 

 

It was very tight and crowded in the marketplace, and this was on a Sunday!

 

 

We then went to get a view overlooking the city. We climbed up several flights of stairs at one stall of the market and got this view...

 

 

On the way down, we did have to sit for a rug presentation for about 20min. It was a good chance to sit and rest, and there was no hard core pressure to buy. The rugs are beautiful & all handmade....

 

[gbntmom]

Noureddine didn't just take us past the "pretty" parts of Tunis. As we drove, he showed us the poorer section of the area. We learned that people do not have to pay taxes on their property if they are still building on it, so there are many half-finished buildings all around. Also, people who can't afford to pay drop trash wherever. There were long expanses of roads with trash just piled along them

 

We came to a local restaurant where arrangements had been made for those who wanted to try some local food. Lunch for 2 of us was 16,50 euros and included 2 bottles of water, an appetizer (a poached egg in a wonton-like wrapper), a salad, a meat or fish dish with sides of couscous and vegetables. It was very good and I was glad that I got a chance to try the local food.

 

We headed to Sidi Bou Said (The Village of the Happy Man). All of the buildings there are white & blue - representing the sun and the water. For those interested, they could go into the Dar el Annabi - a typical house that is open to the public for tours. I think that the cost was about 2,50 euros per person, but I can't remember for sure.

 

 

 

The rooms were set up to show you how they would appear, even a prayer room

 

 

The view from the rooftop...

 

 

We had a chance to sample the mint tea as well. After that it was time to head back to port. Time to say goodbye to Noureddine and his fascinating history lessons. We were back on board by 415pm (We pulled into the parking lot at the port at 4pm on the dot!) I had a chance to call home and talk with my children & husband for a bit before we left Tunisia at 5pm.

 

[gbntmom]

An early dinner was planned, so that we could catch the early show. Dad was impressed that our server at dinner (who we had 2 nights before) remembered us & our drink preferences. He enjoyed talking with her.

 

 

Tonight's show was Beverley Davison - the Diva of the Violin. It was an interesting show. Good, as always. My favorite, not so much, but still very enjoyable. NCL really does try to accommodate diversity and people's likes by the sheer variety of the shows held on board.

An interesting note about the shows. It clearly states in the Freestyle Daily that no photography is permitted. This is also announced before each show in multiple languages. That is why I have no pictures from these nightly events, as I was respecting what I was being told. The number of people who were taking pictures (and with a flash yet) simply amazed me. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now, and finish up. Tomorrow we are meeting at 745am to start our day in Palermo. We came back & found this creature waiting for us. We're still taking bets on what it is....Any ideas? (no, I don't have a definitive answer)

[descal13]

Great review on Tunis, and especially Noureddine - he will be the guide for my group on our visit there.

 

Janet, I wanted to inquire about your "informal" meet and greet the first day. Did you need to schedule with NCL for use of the library? Where we have the same itinerary as you and many of us have organized tours and transportation on our Roll Call, this sounds like a great idea since we also will not have the "official" M&G until that one precious sea day following Valencia. Any advice or info you can give me on organizing one would be great.

 

I am pretty excited about Sardinia as we have booked a wonderful tour there, but those caves look amazing. I may have to build Palma into a future itinerary!

[jlee616]

Janet,

Thank you again for this amazing post. I was especially interested to read about Tunis. It's the port I'm most excited about, but I've heard many negative things. On another website someone from your sailing talked about how half the ship refused to leave and those that did came back with horror stories. Your trip sounded great though! Any advice?

Jodi

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

[AussiesJ&W]

We headed out of Carthage and on our way, passed the aquaducts. Getting water has always been a problem for Tunisia according to Noureddine, as it is surrounded by salt water. People today still have reservoirs to store water.

 

 

We were on our way to the Medina ("the city") and the souk. We saw the tomb of the unknown soldier...

 

 

 

Inside the souk, Noureddine stayed with us, taking us to see various things in the market place. We saw how the traditional hats were made...

 

 

It was very tight and crowded in the marketplace, and this was on a Sunday!

 

 

We then went to get a view overlooking the city. We climbed up several flights of stairs at one stall of the market and got this view...

 

 

On the way down, we did have to sit for a rug presentation for about 20min. It was a good chance to sit and rest, and there was no hard core pressure to buy. The rugs are beautiful & all handmade....

 

Thank you for the information on Pisa, and also on your review, i am getting more excited as i am reading it.

cheers

[nkellerot]

Really enjoying your review. Guess those stops will now be added to my ever growing cruise list!!

 

Niki

[gbntmom]

Great review on Tunis, and especially Noureddine - he will be the guide for my group on our visit there.

 

Janet, I wanted to inquire about your "informal" meet and greet the first day. Did you need to schedule with NCL for use of the library? Where we have the same itinerary as you and many of us have organized tours and transportation on our Roll Call, this sounds like a great idea since we also will not have the "official" M&G until that one precious sea day following Valencia. Any advice or info you can give me on organizing one would be great.

 

I am pretty excited about Sardinia as we have booked a wonderful tour there, but those caves look amazing. I may have to build Palma into a future itinerary!

 

You will thoroughly enjoy Noureddine! Tell him that I said "hello"!

 

Our Roll Call just planned our "Unofficial Meet & Greet" without NCL involved. We did not reserve or schedule the use of the Library. We figured (correctly) that not many people would be using the Library at 530pm on sail-away day. I just set it up through our Roll Call - posting the time & place that I chose and inviting anyone who wanted to come. After hosting this, I would suggest someone bringing name tags - we didn't have those & they would have been helpful. Also, I would bring your "master" schedule of tours & information with you, as people came & was wondering who organized this tour & was there any room left on this tour. Honestly, I couldn't remember all of them. Also, I would strongly suggest that members of your Roll Call share their cabin #s. I understand that some people do not want it posted for others to see, but I can tell you that when the sea day was changed, and I wanted to make sure that everyone knew when the Meet & Greet was going to be held, I wasn't able to get in touch with everyone. Whoever is organizing your "Official Meet & Greet" might want people to email their cabin #s to them privately. Most of all, just have fun! We introduced ourselves, people threw out questions, people found others who wanted to plan last minute excursions - I thought it was a great time. You at least could say "hi" to someone you met as you saw them walking around the ship and it was great to finally be able to put faces with names.

Enjoy your cruise! Looking forward to reading all about it!

Janet

[gbntmom]

Janet,

Thank you again for this amazing post. I was especially interested to read about Tunis. It's the port I'm most excited about, but I've heard many negative things. On another website someone from your sailing talked about how half the ship refused to leave and those that did came back with horror stories. Your trip sounded great though! Any advice?

Jodi

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

 

Jodi -

 

My advice, for all it's worth, is to keep an open mind! There has been a lot of negative press about Tunisia and people on my cruise were worried about safety and political unrest. When I mentioned those concerns to Noureddine, he assured me that while political protests do go on, they are not in the areas where he would take us. Also, he reminded us that the Tunisian people are not used to Democracy. Every day there will be some kind of demonstration or strike. They are struggling with the fact that as a country, they have gone from 1 political party to over 150!

 

In fact, this is the only sign of unrest that we saw. When we asked about the barbed wire, Noureddine explained that it was to keep people out of the demonstration areas.

 

There is much beauty to be found in Tunis. The history itself is amazing. Honestly, this ended up being one of my favorite ports & tours. Could I have done without the carpet demonstration? Of course. Did it offend me? Not at all, as I realize that all of these vendors are trying to make a living. Would I have been comfortable going out & exploring on my own, like in other ports? No, not at all. Was I comfortable and felt safe with our group? Absolutely!

Tunisia is not at all like the other ports, but definitely an interesting experience. Since our group was large (52), I didn't hear much from others who I had met about any "horror stories". I do know that many people were afraid to get off the ship due to the political unrest that is being expressed in the media.

Please understand that I am a person who enjoys the research and planning that goes into a trip just as much as the trip itself. Having the knowledge of what I am going to see and some of the information behind the tour, makes it that much more enjoyable for me. I love to learn new things about places that I visit, especially from local tour guides, who live in the area that they take you.

I hope this helps. If you are excited about it, go with your heart - you will certainly enjoy it!

Janet

[gbntmom]

Palermo, Sicily - Day 10 - 8am-5pm

Day 10-1.pdf

 

Day 10-2.pdf

 

Our tour today was set up by another member of our Roll Call. We used http://www.aroundsicily.com. Here is a description of our tour:

Corleone Anti-Mafia Museum & Palermo

Every effort is made to provide the tour as described below, however the itinerary may change due to situation beyond our control.

IMPORTANT: this excursion is submitted to the CIDMA availability (CIDMA fee: not included). CIDMA is an organization that collect all the docs and pictures of the most important mafia bloodsheds. It’s important to know that it is not recommended for family group with too young kids (up to 10 YO) to avoid to impress them too much.

 

IN ANY CASE visiting the Anti-mafia museum instruct people to understand how Sicilians hate mafia (as organized crime) and how important and honest judges and police staff risk their life trying to destroy the mafia’s power. For sure visiting this site is a great way to introduce yourself to understand also Social conflicts in combo with the visit to the small village of Corleone. This is for sure an educt tour.

 

Today you are greeted in Palermo and drive to small village Corleone, one of the attractive places in the environ of Palermo and is known primarily as the birthplace of Mafia. Beginning in the 1960s. The village became famous (or perhaps infamous) for its Mafia, being the town in which some well-known clans had their headquarters (the Clan dei Corleonesi). The name of the town was used as the adopted surname of the title character in Francis Ford Coppola's movie, The Godfather. In the novel, Vito Andolini emigrates from the village of Corleone, his last name gets changed by a miscommunication between the man helping Vito and the man logging in the names at Ellis Island by saying 'Corleone' instead of 'Andolini' because he was unable to respond when asked for his proper name, and is given the last name of Corleone by an immigration official. The town is very nice and typical Sicilian style.

Later we drive back to Palermo to explore the lively Capo Market, a large open air street market that captures the flavor of Palermo's Saracen Arab past. Capo is a blend of general confusion and a jumble of vendors' stalls, winding toward the old gate (Porta Carini) of what used to be the city wall. This afternoon we continue by seeing Piazza Pretoria and Via Maqueda, whose “four corners” converge Palermo at a quartet of baroque palaces left over from the heyday of Spanish rule dating from 1560. Later return to Palermo.

 

PRICE DETAILS FOR THIS TOUR

 

By Private Car and English Speaking Driver Escort:

- Price for 1 Person(s): 350.00 euros per person

- Price for 2 Person(s): 175.00 euros per person

- Price for 3 Person(s): 116.67 euros per person

By Private Van and English Speaking Driver Escort:

- Price for 4 Person(s): 98.75 euros per person

- Price for 5 Person(s): 79.00 euros per person

By Private Van and English Speaking Driver Escort:

- Price for 6 Person(s): 65.83 euros per person

- Price for 7 Person(s): 56.43 euros per person

- Price for 8 Person(s): 49.38 euros per person

 

***In the event that the ship does not dock at the scheduled port advised at time of booking (for weather conditions), all services will be completely refunded.***

 

This is one of the only tours we took that required pre-payment. I know that this makes some people nervous, but the above is their policy, should the ship not dock for some reason.

 

My Dad is very interested in both the Godfather movies and in the mafia in general, so I figured that this would be a perfect tour for the day.

Our guide for today was Josephina. We were to meet her at 830am on the dock once disembarking from the ship. I guess our group all got off the ship earlier than expected, as it took a while to find her. Turns out, we just passed each other - her coming toward the ship & us coming off. After a brief period of confusion, we found each other & began our day. We had a very nice van for the 8 of us. Josephina had a water bottle at each of our seats for us (a nice touch). We set out for our drive to Corleone - about 1.5 hours away. During the drive we learned about Palermo, Sicily and the island in general. We were amazed at the traffic, but learned that in Palermo, there is no subway - everyone travels by car, so traffic is very heavy, especially around 730-8am. Palermo is the 5th largest city in Italy and Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean.

 

 

 

These were views of the countryside along our drive. We arrived in Corleone in plenty of time and had a chance to walk around before the museum opened.

 

 

 

[gbntmom]

Our time at the Anti-Mafia museum was eye-opening! We learned about the history of the mafia (it didn't always have bad connotations). Also, we learned that the killings of the mafia have symbolism in them (for example, the way a person is positioned).They have done a lot of research into the stories behind the mafia and it is still ongoing. The displays in the museum are graphic (especially some of the pictures). While the museum may not be very large, there is a lot of information and history there. Our time flew by and our guide was very informative.

 

 

 

After finishing at the museum, we headed to a local bakery for a quick lunch before returning to Palermo. We had some fabulous Sicilian pizza (for 2 slices and a soda it was 3,50 euros) and I had to try a cannoli (0,60 euros). Everything was delicious!

 

 

 

We now headed back to begin our exploration of Palermo. There are 3 distinct sections of the old town of Palermo - the Norman, the Arabic and the Spanish. We stopped to see the Norman gate to the city, followed by the Cathedral.

 

 

[gbntmom]

We then headed to the Piazza Pretoria with it's fountain followed by a short walk to the Via Maqueda ("four corners") Each of the corners is dedicated to a season, which is represented by the statues on that corner.

 

 

 

 

This would be the "winter" corner.

 

We had learned from Josephina that there are more than 350 churches in Palermo. I think that her goal for today was to show us at least 10% of them! It seemed that every corner we turned, there was another church - some more simple and modest and others very elaborate. We also got to see a magnolia tree that is 300+ years old!

 

 

 

We had a very enjoyable day with Josephina and lots of fun with each other in the van. Since parking was at a premium everywhere we went, we made it a game of how quickly we could all get in and out of the vehicle. We did have lots of laughs! We got back to the ship and on board by 315pm, which was great timing as the rain started soon after. We stopped at the buffet for a quick snack & Dad had his siesta before dinner. Tonight we met up with a couple who we had done some excursions with. After dinner, we headed to the theater for the early show. Tonight was the production of Elements. All I can say is WOW!!! I had read and heard fabulous things about this show - all of them were true and more! It is definitely a must see! Whatever you do, do NOT miss this show! After the show, it was time for our ice cream snack then back to the cabin to get ready for Naples tomorrow!

[resordanis]

Jodi -

 

My advice, for all it's worth, is to keep an open mind! There has been a lot of negative press about Tunisia and people on my cruise were worried about safety and political unrest. When I mentioned those concerns to Noureddine, he assured me that while political protests do go on, they are not in the areas where he would take us. Also, he reminded us that the Tunisian people are not used to Democracy. Every day there will be some kind of demonstration or strike. They are struggling with the fact that as a country, they have gone from 1 political party to over 150!

 

In fact, this is the only sign of unrest that we saw. When we asked about the barbed wire, Noureddine explained that it was to keep people out of the demonstration areas.

 

There is much beauty to be found in Tunis. The history itself is amazing. Honestly, this ended up being one of my favorite ports & tours. Could I have done without the carpet demonstration? Of course. Did it offend me? Not at all, as I realize that all of these vendors are trying to make a living. Would I have been comfortable going out & exploring on my own, like in other ports? No, not at all. Was I comfortable and felt safe with our group? Absolutely!

Tunisia is not at all like the other ports, but definitely an interesting experience. Since our group was large (52), I didn't hear much from others who I had met about any "horror stories". I do know that many people were afraid to get off the ship due to the political unrest that is being expressed in the media.

Please understand that I am a person who enjoys the research and planning that goes into a trip just as much as the trip itself. Having the knowledge of what I am going to see and some of the information behind the tour, makes it that much more enjoyable for me. I love to learn new things about places that I visit, especially from local tour guides, who live in the area that they take you.

I hope this helps. If you are excited about it, go with your heart - you will certainly enjoy it!

Janet

 

Hi Janet,

Would you mind advising what currency they prefer in Tunis? I had read that it is GBP, (on another forum) but you seemed to pay for your lunch in Euro. We do not wish to exchange our money to Dinar unless absolutely necessary. Would they also accept US?

Thanks in advance.

[Sweetsbaker1]

I have been so impressed, intrigued, and entertained by your posts! I'll be on this same ship in March, with the same itinerary. We'll be traveling with our 26 yo son, his girlfriend, and her parents and I am so excited! I have hardly been out of the country (border towns in Mexico and a Western Caribbean cruise in 2000) and while it's always been a dream of mine to go to Europe, I'm probably MOST excited to go to Tunis...just to be able to say "oh yes, I've been to Africa" (even if just for a few hours). So I was very happy to hear that you enjoyed your time there and that you felt safe there.

 

All of our excursions were booked through NCL and now I'm wishing that I had arranged for private tours instead. Oh well, we'll just have to plan a 'next time' so I can do it right!

 

I was inspired that you said you have books on your Kindle for each of your ports. What a smart idea! I should think I'd like to do the same with my iPad. Do you have any specific recommendations? I'd like to have information at my finger tips about the history, the culture, and other fun facts for the places we'll visit.

 

Thank you so much for your reviews! Happy New Year and safe travels!

[ibcnusoon]

Really enjoying your review and dreaming of a Med cruise ... someday!

 

Thanks for the interesting peak at Tunisia. I don't think I've read a review of this port yet!

[descal13]

You will thoroughly enjoy Noureddine! Tell him that I said "hello"!

 

Our Roll Call just planned our "Unofficial Meet & Greet" without NCL involved. We did not reserve or schedule the use of the Library. We figured (correctly) that not many people would be using the Library at 530pm on sail-away day. I just set it up through our Roll Call - posting the time & place that I chose and inviting anyone who wanted to come. After hosting this, I would suggest someone bringing name tags - we didn't have those & they would have been helpful. Also, I would bring your "master" schedule of tours & information with you, as people came & was wondering who organized this tour & was there any room left on this tour. Honestly, I couldn't remember all of them. Also, I would strongly suggest that members of your Roll Call share their cabin #s. I understand that some people do not want it posted for others to see, but I can tell you that when the sea day was changed, and I wanted to make sure that everyone knew when the Meet & Greet was going to be held, I wasn't able to get in touch with everyone. Whoever is organizing your "Official Meet & Greet" might want people to email their cabin #s to them privately. Most of all, just have fun! We introduced ourselves, people threw out questions, people found others who wanted to plan last minute excursions - I thought it was a great time. You at least could say "hi" to someone you met as you saw them walking around the ship and it was great to finally be able to put faces with names.

Enjoy your cruise! Looking forward to reading all about it!

Janet

 

Thank you, Janet - I will give your kindest regards to Noureddine! For others like me who are soon to be visiting Tunis, Michael, one of my fellow cruisers, posted this excellent Conde Nast Traveler article on Tunis with beautiful pictures: http://www.cntraveler.com/features/2014/01/tunisia-new-travel-destination

 

I can't wait for Tunis. They had the show "Elements" aboard the Spirit once heading out from Boston, and it was so amazing. Honestly one of the very best shows I had ever seen, even counting Broadway and professional Boston theater. Get there early to get a nice, unobstructed seat.

 

I will start organizing our own informal sail day meet-up, I think in the library at the same time as you did it! Hopefully, Colonel Mustard will not be there with a candlestick! Thank you so much for your sage advice.

[gbntmom]

Hi Janet,

Would you mind advising what currency they prefer in Tunis? I had read that it is GBP, (on another forum) but you seemed to pay for your lunch in Euro. We do not wish to exchange our money to Dinar unless absolutely necessary. Would they also accept US?

Thanks in advance.

 

In Tunisia, at the restaurant for lunch, the souk (where I did buy a few things), and for our tour with Noureddine, all was paid for in euros. Noureddine had paid for the admission to Carthage in dinar, and we reimbursed him in euros.

 

Hope this helps,

Janet

[gbntmom]

I have been so impressed, intrigued, and entertained by your posts! I'll be on this same ship in March, with the same itinerary. We'll be traveling with our 26 yo son, his girlfriend, and her parents and I am so excited! I have hardly been out of the country (border towns in Mexico and a Western Caribbean cruise in 2000) and while it's always been a dream of mine to go to Europe, I'm probably MOST excited to go to Tunis...just to be able to say "oh yes, I've been to Africa" (even if just for a few hours). So I was very happy to hear that you enjoyed your time there and that you felt safe there.

 

All of our excursions were booked through NCL and now I'm wishing that I had arranged for private tours instead. Oh well, we'll just have to plan a 'next time' so I can do it right!

 

I was inspired that you said you have books on your Kindle for each of your ports. What a smart idea! I should think I'd like to do the same with my iPad. Do you have any specific recommendations? I'd like to have information at my finger tips about the history, the culture, and other fun facts for the places we'll visit.

 

Thank you so much for your reviews! Happy New Year and safe travels!

 

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you are enjoying. I used Rick Steves' books a lot and was able to borrow them through my local library. I also enjoyed The National Geographic Traveler Series and the DK Top 10 series. It was more difficult to find books on Tunisia, but I found that the Footprint Tunisia Handbook and The Rough Guide to Tunisia were great resources. If I can't borrow books from the library, I do buy them used online, generally for less than $3/book. Enjoy your trip!

 

Janet

[gbntmom]

Thank you, Janet - I will give your kindest regards to Noureddine! For others like me who are soon to be visiting Tunis, Michael, one of my fellow cruisers, posted this excellent Conde Nast Traveler article on Tunis with beautiful pictures: http://www.cntraveler.com/features/2014/01/tunisia-new-travel-destination

 

I can't wait for Tunis. They had the show "Elements" aboard the Spirit once heading out from Boston, and it was so amazing. Honestly one of the very best shows I had ever seen, even counting Broadway and professional Boston theater. Get there early to get a nice, unobstructed seat.

 

I will start organizing our own informal sail day meet-up, I think in the library at the same time as you did it! Hopefully, Colonel Mustard will not be there with a candlestick! Thank you so much for your sage advice.

 

Dawn -

 

What a great article about Tunisia! It is more difficult to find information about this particular port, so every little bit helps!

 

I haven't seen many professional productions, but Elements is right up there with the ones I have seen! Yes, do get there early for a good seat!

 

My guess, it's Professor Plum with the rope!

 

Janet

[resordanis]

In Tunisia, at the restaurant for lunch, the souk (where I did buy a few things), and for our tour with Noureddine, all was paid for in euros. Noureddine had paid for the admission to Carthage in dinar, and we reimbursed him in euros.

 

Hope this helps,

Janet

Thank you Janet,

Your advice as well as the review are all greatly appreciated. Cheryle

[gbntmom]

Naples - Day 11 - 8am-6pm

 

Day 11-1.pdf

 

Day 11-2.pdf

 

For Naples, I thought I would try a different tour company - Can't Be Missed Tours. (http://www.cantbemissedtours.com) For 65 euros per person, I thought it was quite reasonable. Granted, this is a bigger group than the 8 people of Rome in Limo, but I wanted to give something different a try. The description of their tour from their website:

"The Breathtaking Beauty of the Italian South!

 

For your convenience, we wait for you outside the main terminal exit for your ship from 8:00-8:30 with the sign ‘CBM Tours’.

 

Ride in comfort in a modern air-conditioned bus with both a driver and an English-speaking tour guide that will guide you throughout the day.

 

We start off our unforgettable day at the Pompeii ruins, the highlight for many of our guests, where you’ll get to explore an entire Roman city preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. During your two-hour guided tour of the ruins, you’ll walk the same streets that were walked two thousand years ago, and you’ll see the elegant remains of villas, baths, temples, and even an ancient fast-food restaurant! It’s truly one of the most remarkable sights in the world!

 

We then proceed to Sorrento, where because of popular demand, we are extending our visit for at least two hours. During your free time there, be sure to try some limoncello and admire the ingenious woodwork, and have lunch on your own or with the group in one of the most highly-rated local restaurants.

 

Continue our journey along the scenic Amalfi Coast, giving you the opportunity to take in the views of the sparkling blue sea, and colorful little villages. The summit of the drive is at the cliffs of Positano, where we will take a twenty-minute break for a photo-shoot of the incredible vista, and have time to browse for a souvenir.

 

Enjoy a relaxing drive back to the port of Naples, and as always, we’ll make sure you get back to your ship on time!

 

* There may be slight modifications to the itinerary depending on local circumstances."

 

This tour did require online registration and prepayment, but their refund policy is as on their website

 

"CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY

 

Cancellations based on clients change of mind or circumstance-

 

Cancellation more than 7 days in advance : Refund cost of tour, less 15% administration fee

Cancellation between 7 days and 48 hours prior to departure date: Refund 50% of total cost of tour.

Cancellation less than 48 hours prior to departure date and time or no-show : Tour nonrefundable.

Tickets for Events or Attractions are non-refundable

 

Cancellations based on ship’s cancellation or change of itinerary-

 

In the event that the ship does not dock on that day, but on another day at the same port, CBM Tours automatically rearranges your tour so that it will take place on the day of docking. We are constantly monitoring the ships during their sails and any changes that occurs with the itinerary.

If the ship cancels their cruise or cancels a port of call and does not dock at all, CBM Tours refunds your total amount within 10 business days."

 

We docked with no problems and were excited for the start of our day. As promised, they met us right outside the port exit, holding signs. We checked in with Stephanie and then were directed to where the buses were waiting. There were enough people (not all registered through the Roll Call), that we had 2 full size tour buses. Our bus was not completely full and had open seats scattered, especially towards the back of the bus. I loved it back there, as I ping-ponged from one side of the bus to the other to take pictures! Our guide was Gus - what a character! This was his last tour for the season and in a few days he was heading to Brazil for the winter months! Not only was he very knowledgeable about the area, as he is a native of one of the small towns along the Amalfi coast, but he had a great sense of humor!

 

We did the tour today in reverse - we first headed down the Amalfi coast to Positano, then back to Sorrento, then ended the day in Pompeii. As we began our drive out of Naples, we could see Mount Vesuvius in the distance. Gus told us that we were very lucky, as this was one of the few times Vesuvius was topped with snow!

 

 

 

The scenery was beautiful the entire drive. Gus kept us entertained with the history of the area. We learned that the entire Amalfi coast is protected by UNESCO. Residents can not build new structures in Positano & Sorrento - they can only restore current structures and they must be similar in fashion.

 

 

 

As we drove to Positano, we stopped at a shop that made wooden-inlay products. Across the street, was a great photo stop. Both were very interesting. The wood work was absolutely beautiful..