'Live From' the Quest. 30th April - 7th May.

[ellbon]

Thanks Robin,

 

Hope he has had a chance to see his friends and family in Boston. He had been on Quest for so long without a break

 

He saw 2 brothers that i know of. Pictures were on facebook. also i know his mother is still around so i am sure there were visits with her. i think he is very happy on the Quest as he belongs on a ship.

[cinnamon]

Good morning.

Just coming alongside the dock in Siracusa. Weather overcast and quite cool plus showers forecast. Hoping for free Wifi for photo upload later.

 

Yes we have heard Tony Markey's wife on our previous cruise.

 

Christine, so sorry to hear of Op cancelled! God bless for a speedy rescheduling. Xxx

 

Ann, have a wonderful time with Shirley and everyone preparing for the wedding. Xx

[Grandma Gilly]

Thank you for your fab posts. I also love the 'live' reports. Hope you are feeling better and enjoy!

Gill

[kikki21]

Glad you are feeling better - saw the Quest pic on Twitter sailing so close to Stromboli - very jealous - we sailed past on the Jade last year and were no way that close although we did see several eruptions which was very memorable - we did sail close by during the day though and Stromboli was smoking! :)

[cinnamon]

Spent a good morning in Siracusa. We shared a taxi up to the Archaeological park at the top if the town. We visited the Greek Theatre, Roman Amphitheatre, a grotto nicknamed the Ear of Dionysius and the place where they sacrificed bulls in Roman Times. It was absolutely heaving with tourists and organised groups with guides talking in many languages.

 

Another shared taxi back to the old town, 10 Euros between 4, and sat having coffee in the square. Quest docks right alongside Ortigia, the old area of the city. Unfortunately I did not find a Wifi hotspot, so no photos. One street leading off the square had a busy and fascinating market. Great looking fish on sale plus nuts, olive oils and all sorts of fruit and veg. Being a Saturday it was very busy with locals as well as tourists.

 

Lunch back on board in Windows and now a siesta. Mind you, John has found the Spurs game live on TV. ;)

 

Tonight is the White Nights Deck party. We will probably have dinner in Discoveries first then go up for Crepe Suzette dessert at the Pool Deck. However there is a strong wind getting up. It is fine now after early rain but may be a bit cool this evening.

[Spursgirl]

Spursgirl is not happy with the result of the Spurs game John watched on TV!!! But perhaps John supports West Ham?

 

Hope the weather is kind for your White Night party. Enjoy!

[christine848]

Sounds very interesting in Siracusa....we must visit sometime...great archaeological interest!

Love the fact that Quest can come right into the old part of the City. The market sounds fun!

Hope you've enjoyed the party!

:):)

[Andy]

Spent a good morning in Siracusa. We shared a taxi up to the Archaeological park at the top if the town. We visited the Greek Theatre, Roman Amphitheatre, a grotto nicknamed the Ear of Dionysius and the place where they sacrificed bulls in Roman Times. It was absolutely heaving with tourists and organised groups with guides talking in many languages.

 

Another shared taxi back to the old town, 10 Euros between 4, and sat having coffee in the square. Quest docks right alongside Ortigia, the old area of the city. Unfortunately I did not find a Wifi hotspot, so no photos. One street leading off the square had a busy and fascinating market. Great looking fish on sale plus nuts, olive oils and all sorts of fruit and veg. Being a Saturday it was very busy with locals as well as tourists.

 

Lunch back on board in Windows and now a siesta. Mind you, John has found the Spurs game live on TV. ;)

 

Tonight is the White Nights Deck party. We will probably have dinner in Discoveries first then go up for Crepe Suzette dessert at the Pool Deck. However there is a strong wind getting up. It is fine now after early rain but may be a bit cool this evening.

 

Thanks for the update Cinnamon ! Hope you continue to enjoy your Quest.

[cinnamon]

Good morning.

We are anchored off Giardini Naxos, near Taormina. For the first time this cruise we have blue sky and sunshine to start the day.

 

Yesterday there was dreadful internet connection. We had a wonderful dinner of Surf n Turf before heading up to the White Nights Deck party. However it was COLD. not what it should be for that event. As there was no other entertainment for the evening it was a bit of a damp squib.

 

Today we have a private tour to Etna, a winery and Taormina with a group from CC. The ship is charging $49 pp for the shuttle to Taormina and last night send round messages to every cabin to encourage people to book it by saying there will be no taxis on a Sunday.

 

Oh. And I am still streaming. :(

 

Back later!

[Spursgirl]

What a shame the weather was cold for White Night. Surprised they didn't move it to the Cabaret.

 

Glad the weather is good for you today in Giardini Naxos. We will be there with Journey in two weeks.

 

Enjoy your tour.

[syam]

Enjoying your cruise, vicariously! I stopped in my tracks, however, when I read that you must pay so much for the shuttle to Taormina! A few years ago, this was complimentary, as were shuttles to several other town centers on our Mediterranean cruise on the Journey. It was a big feature of their 'all inclusive' pitch.

Bonnie or Andy...Has Azamara quietly withdrawn this feature?

[ellbon]

Enjoying your cruise, vicariously! I stopped in my tracks, however, when I read that you must pay so much for the shuttle to Taormina! A few years ago, this was complimentary, as were shuttles to several other town centers on our Mediterranean cruise on the Journey. It was a big feature of their 'all inclusive' pitch.

Bonnie or Andy...Has Azamara quietly withdrawn this feature?

 

we had free shuttles last summmer in port. maybe it has to do with the port itself. that A has no control over it.

[dln929]

Good morning.

We are anchored off Giardini Naxos, near Taormina. For the first time this cruise we have blue sky and sunshine to start the day.

 

Yesterday there was dreadful internet connection. We had a wonderful dinner of Surf n Turf before heading up to the White Nights Deck party. However it was COLD. not what it should be for that event. As there was no other entertainment for the evening it was a bit of a damp squib.

 

Today we have a private tour to Etna, a winery and Taormina with a group from CC. The ship is charging $49 pp for the shuttle to Taormina and last night send round messages to every cabin to encourage people to book it by saying there will be no taxis on a Sunday.

 

Oh. And I am still streaming. :(

 

Back later!

 

Thanks for the updates Corinne. We'll be right on your heels port-wise and I am thinking that I ought to pack some sweaters. I had expected more summery weather but I guess not! I hope you're feeling better, too.

 

[cinnamon]

I am writing this offline, 4,000 feet up Mt Etna!

We have a private taxi tour with others from CC. Bob, Crickette, Gary, Sue, Rhodes and Lucy. Our driver/guide is brilliant. A Sicilian called Simon who has lived in London and whose English and knowledge are great. Earlier he took us off road into a lava field that was recently created. It was quite a hairy drive but he is a relaxed and confident driver.

 

We stopped for coffee here and the others have gone for a short hike. However it is 5C, 42F and foggy, so I have retreated to the comfort of the van.

 

Next stop due to be a Winery for some lunch and tasting then into Taormina.

 

One annoying thing for others. The ship heavily emphasised a lack of transport at the dockside for reaching Taormina. Not true! Certainly at 9.00 - 9.30 am there were plenty.

The ship want $49 pp. a rip off. I will post later the price we have paid for a whole day tour! Suffice to say, superhero value!

[cinnamon]

We are now in an Internet cafe in Taormina.

 

What a fabulous day. Had a great time at the winery, so much so that we are not actually going to make it down to the Greek theatre. We have agreed an hour here. John has started my cold so a little peace with a Cappuccino is needed.

 

Our driver tells us a taxi up here from the dock should be 20-30 Euros for the vehicle and they seat up to 8. Just donor leave it late and you should be fine.

 

Taormina is a beautiful town. We are having such fun that our driver is negotiating with a driver in Sorrento for us to tour with on Tuesday.

 

I will see if I can see upload a couple of pictures.

[cinnamon]

Sorry. Upload failed. No photos.

[Andy]

Sorry. Upload failed. No photos.

 

Thanks for trying, and for your informative updates. Enjoy your cruise !

[kikki21]

Mmm all the food you are posting about sounds great - coconut shrimp sounds amazing!:)

 

I really enjoyed Taormina when I visited Sicily on the Galaxy - we docked in Messina though so needed a transfer to Taormina - your private tour sounds excellent though - hope I get the chance to go back there again and do the same! :)

[English Tim]

I believe there's also a local bus service from near the dock to Taormina. However, I can testify, it's a long walk so this option only for the very fit!

[riandei]

 

 

 

One annoying thing for others. The ship heavily emphasised a lack of transport at the dockside for reaching Taormina. Not true! Certainly at 9.00 - 9.30 am there were plenty.

 

The ship want $49 pp. a rip off. I will post later the price we have paid for a whole day tour! Suffice to say, superhero value!

 

 

 

This is annoying. No need for the cruise line to lie to its customers

[cinnamon]

I am writing this offline, 4,000 feet up Mt Etna!

We have a private taxi tour with others from CC. Bob, Crickette, Gary, Sue, Rhodes and Lucy. Our driver/guide is brilliant. A Sicilian called Simon who has lived in London and whose English and knowledge are great. Earlier he took us off road into a lava field that was recently created. It was quite a hairy drive but he is a relaxed and confident driver.

 

We stopped for coffee here and the others have gone for a short hike. However it is 5C, 42F and foggy, so I have retreated to the comfort of the van.

 

Next stop due to be a Winery for some lunch and tasting then into Taormina.

 

One annoying thing for others. The ship heavily emphasised a lack of transport at the dockside for reaching Taormina. Not true! Certainly at 9.00 - 9.30 am there were plenty.

The ship want $49 pp. a rip off. I will post later the price we have paid for a whole day tour! Suffice to say, superhero value!

[cinnamon]

Monday 5th May, good morning.

Having a lie-in this morning after a very tiring day yesterday. I cannot praise our driver Simon highly enough. Although he was booked through an agency it is possible to book him independently.

His name is Simone Biglieri. His website is http://www.goingsicily.com

Having lived in London his English is very good and his accent very understandable. He charges 275 Euros for the day in a Mercedes van which seats up to 8. It would be a little comfier for 7 as one person in the middle of the front seat is a bit squashed but it is doable. With a tip making the fare up to 320, that was therefore only 40 Euros per person for an 8 hour tour! Around $56.

 

Last night we had dinner with a family we met on a round Britain Princess cruise in 2005. We had taken CC tours with them nine years ago and bumped into them in Mosaic a couple of days ago. It was lovely to catch up again and meet there 'children' again. They were teenagers when we last met and are young people in their twenties now who have been living abroad, one in Peru and one in Japan. A Med cruise being their reunion trip together.

We chatted so long over dinner that we missed the first 15 minutes of the show, Stage Door to Dreams. However, again we saw that on Quest last year, so although we enjoyed creeping in at the back and watching the rest, it wasn't too disappointing to miss the start.

 

So. This morning we have the Discoverer level Brunch in Aqualina at 10.30. We are due to arrive in Sorrento bay at 1.00. We will go ashore for a wander around that beautiful town. Tonight is the Azamazing evening. Apparently the plan is to have a small early dinner on the ship. There will be a Buffet in Discoveries and Windows from 5.30 to 7.00 pm. Tenders ashore start for the evening start at 7.00 for Wheelchair users and those with Mobility problems. Then we will be called by deck number, from 8 down to 3, between 7.30 and 8.10. The entertainment ashore is due to be from 8.45 to 10.00. Then we will leave in the same order between 10.00 and 10.30.

 

For those wishing to stay on the ship there is the usual A La Carte dinner in Discoveries between 7.30 and 9.00.

 

Our evening will be out of doors in the Agrumeto a Gardens of the Hilton Sorrento Palace Hotel and is a recreation of a Piedigrotta, the Neapolitan Song contest. There will be singers, actors, musicians, acrobats, cheese makers, photographers, caricature artists, and Pizza makers. The refreshments will be Cocktails and apparently generous Neapolitan appetisers. Quest did this particular evening two weeks ago and it was a success so we are looking forward to it greatly.

 

Now to get online and post this essay before a coffee and Pain au Chocolate in Mosaics.

[Lottie A]

I am loving your "Live From Quest" blog cinnamon. Thanks for taking the trouble to write it. I can't wait to be back on Quest as soon as possible.

 

I have stayed at The Hilton Sorrento Palace a few years ago and I hope you have a great Azamazing evening there.

[riandei]

We leave for the airport today to join you on quest on wednesday....looking forward to our first azamara experience

[cinnamon]

Lovely Discoverer Brunch in Aqualina as we sailed past Capri. Blue sky and sunshine but quite windy and cool. Going ashore shortly.