Ocean princess venice to rome

[searoses]

Love the pics of the library....so reminds me of visiting the grandparents and great grandmother....can almost smell the talcum powder she always used...so vivid....I will likely never be on a ship like this and have so enjoyed seeing it from your eyes...you are an excellent observer of life....thank you for taking the time...

[SpinnerCOyyy]

I remember hearing the Happy Birthday song during dinner. We were at table 49 in MDR.

 

But my group if four are in the end of this video playing with balloons! That was a cool surprise, thanks!

 

My husband and I were trying to get as many photos of me with crew members from around the world. I ended up with 23 different countries represented. I was thinking one of them was the waiter on the left, but in looking through them, I'm not sure.

[Jasperdo]

The Library looks gorgeous. I wish the Grand Class ships had libraries as nice and inviting as that. I'm really enjoying your ship photos. Don't see very many of the Little Girls.

[SpinnerCOyyy]

I am attaching a video of our first MDR experience. In it, one of the few ship's photographers makes his appearance as he worked the room. He was a fun guy that we met many times and bantered with. He was from Ukraine I think as were several of the waiters (male and female) Carol bought I think all of the pro photos that he took of us or was a part in (he was a great ham actor too as you'll see in Sorrento)

 

Norris

 

Two of the photographers were from Serbia, one was from England. The only reason I know this was when we were trying to get photos of crew members from around the world, I had the two guys from Serbia joking about a Serbia sandwich. I then got a photo with the guy from England in another shot.

Serbia by rollingspinner, on Flickr

 

England by rollingspinner, on Flickr

[rdsqrl]

Carol's unidentified appetizer was antipasto of roasted vegetables.

 

That video made me extremely hungry.

 

But, Caesar salad with no anchovies?? This has shaken the foundations of our friendship, Norris. I just don't know who you are anymore.

[MJSailors]

I am continuing to read about your adventures in some interesting places on your recent trip.

The Ocean Princess is a lovely ship! The decor reminds me of the Elbow Beach Hotel in Bermuda before it was redecorated with marble and some glitz.

The ship's library is beautiful-a comfortable place to get lost in a book or a Kindle on a rainy day.

Being that it was such a rainy arrival in Palermo.were you and Carol able to go into the city for a look around?I would be interested in photos and/or video of Palermo.

I was there ,briefly,about forty (!) years ago to get a train to Florence after visiting with a friend's family in a small town in the Sicilian countryside-cue in the theme from The Godfather ! I have fond memories of that trip.

Some of your photos are bringing those memories to mind.

Thank you ,Norris -and Carol too!

[MMDown Under]

Thanks for the photos of the beautiful library, which was one of our favourite spots on the ship. On cruises with a lot of sea days, we visited the library every day. There was always a couple of jigsaw puzzles on the go, which were left until finished. Each day there was a different Suduko and quiz to collect to complete. Regulars sat in the same big seats enjoying their thick books. Me - I loved the travel corner with its big book of maps and travel books, which I borrowed to peruse in my spare time.

 

Despite my daily visits, I don't recall that beautiful ceiling.

 

You are doing a great job in demonstrating why many people love cruising on the Ocean Princess.

 

Were some of the ships, other than MSC Lirica, ferries?

[SOLIVITA LADY]

Norris, still reading and enjoying every minute of traveling with you. Enjoy your weekend visit to see the Fall colors.

 

Jackie

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

[scubacruiserx2]

Well I can certainly guarantee you MORE Ira.

 

We are taking a long fall drive up the coast of Michigan on Saturday-Mission Fall Foliage on the beautiful Mission Peninsula. Staying in a winery atop a hill and have reservations in some restaurants recommended by Mario Batali (famous chef who has a home in the area) and I am trying to get as much on screen as I can before then.

 

Glad you are still reading.

 

Norris

 

We're enjoying your great review and pictures Norris , keep up the great work. Have a great trip to that beautiful area . We have fond memories of Mackinaw , Sleeping Bear Dunes , and Bay City 2 years ago in the Fall. :D

[Bimmer09]

Love the pics of the library....so reminds me of visiting the grandparents and great grandmother....can almost smell the talcum powder she always used...so vivid....I will likely never be on a ship like this and have so enjoyed seeing it from your eyes...you are an excellent observer of life....thank you for taking the time...

 

Searoses thanks for coming aboard. Nice to see new names appearing as this sails along.

 

I was just wondering why you will never likely be on a ship like this? Princess has two of them currently (Ocean is up for sale apparently) and there are 6 others of the same build with other cruise lines. Holland America also has some small ships which have decor that harks back to a more stylish age.

 

Thanks for the kind compliments and keep reading this until we are on a plane out of Rome!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I remember hearing the Happy Birthday song during dinner. We were at table 49 in MDR.

 

But my group if four are in the end of this video playing with balloons! That was a cool surprise, thanks!

 

My husband and I were trying to get as many photos of me with crew members from around the world. I ended up with 23 different countries represented. I was thinking one of them was the waiter on the left, but in looking through them, I'm not sure.

 

So I caught you on video huh? I'll have to go back and watch it again. At what point? (minutes/seconds) Thanks for identifying that tall photographer as being from Serbia, not Ukraine. I like your idea of photos with the crew members-I usually remember on the way home-oh I should have taken a photo of ____.

 

I really seriously need to make a reminder list for myself on the ships so that I don't leave things too late . Luckily I catch some crew on the videos.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The Library looks gorgeous. I wish the Grand Class ships had libraries as nice and inviting as that. I'm really enjoying your ship photos. Don't see very many of the Little Girls.

 

True regarding photos of the small ships. Many more interior shots to come.

I'm a fan of the Teresa Anderson decor on the Grand Class ships but this small ship has an English Stately Home kind of decor-very rich and warm with the dark woods and red carpets, comfy furniture not trying got be "modern".

 

I love the Club Bar for pre-dinner drinks and similarly the Casino bar. The Renaissance designers had some nice ideas.

 

Norris

[sawtooth]

Thank you for this report. I would love the opportunity to experience this small ship. It is like an old world elegant hotel. Your stateroom looks lovely and comfortable.

I understand that the Ocean Princess has been sold. IS that true. Is her sister ship, the Pacific Princess similar in decor?

[Bimmer09]

Carol's unidentified appetizer was antipasto of roasted vegetables.

 

That video made me extremely hungry.

 

But, Caesar salad with no anchovies?? This has shaken the foundations of our friendship, Norris. I just don't know who you are anymore.

 

Carol gets the anchovies from my plate.

 

We dine in a tapas place (owned by TV Iron Chef Jose Garces) in Chicago and there I order a plate of WHITE anchovies and I eat them much as a humpback whale would. They are not salty and pickled like the ones you get on a Caesar or Greek Salad.

 

The white ones are very unfishy.

 

Norris not officially anti-anchovy

[Bimmer09]

I am continuing to read about your adventures in some interesting places on your recent trip.

The Ocean Princess is a lovely ship! The decor reminds me of the Elbow Beach Hotel in Bermuda before it was redecorated with marble and some glitz.

The ship's library is beautiful-a comfortable place to get lost in a book or a Kindle on a rainy day.

Being that it was such a rainy arrival in Palermo.were you and Carol able to go into the city for a look around?I would be interested in photos and/or video of Palermo.

I was there ,briefly,about forty (!) years ago to get a train to Florence after visiting with a friend's family in a small town in the Sicilian countryside-cue in the theme from The Godfather ! I have fond memories of that trip.

Some of your photos are bringing those memories to mind.

Thank you ,Norris -and Carol too!

 

Video of my walk into Palermo is coming up next. Carol stayed in the library.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Thank you for this report. I would love the opportunity to experience this small ship. It is like an old world elegant hotel. Your stateroom looks lovely and comfortable.

I understand that the Ocean Princess has been sold. IS that true. Is her sister ship, the Pacific Princess similar in decor?

 

I imagine the Pacific to be identical but will look for photos/videos just to confirm.

The Ocean is offered for sale but not yet sold as far as I know.

 

The majority of people I spoke to had never sailed on a small Princess ship and everyone was loving their experience.

 

Old world elegant hotel is a very good way to describe it.

 

Thanks for joining us here!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for the photos of the beautiful library, which was one of our favourite spots on the ship. On cruises with a lot of sea days, we visited the library every day. There was always a couple of jigsaw puzzles on the go, which were left until finished. Each day there was a different Suduko and quiz to collect to complete. Regulars sat in the same big seats enjoying their thick books. Me - I loved the travel corner with its big book of maps and travel books, which I borrowed to peruse in my spare time.

 

Despite my daily visits, I don't recall that beautiful ceiling.

 

You are doing a great job in demonstrating why many people love cruising on the Ocean Princess.

 

Were some of the ships, other than MSC Lirica, ferries?

 

Yes-ferries galore, some of them carrying cars too. Oil tankers in Palermo-small coastal ones. The giant Crane Ship (not Ship Crane as I called it on the video)-all manner of ships and we love to see harbors like that, full of industry.

 

Carol spent 3 hours in the library. Only one other person came in during that time.

 

Norris

[dramirez]

Thank you for your attention to detail. I have been reading your review since you started and decided that I would pop in to reassure you that your European itinerary does have a following.

 

While I have lived in Europe I have never cruised in Europe (except for crossing the Atlantic and cruising the Greek islands when I was in college in Switzerland - Jr. Year abroad.) I love your reviews and am currently trying to plan a European cruise next year. It's between a river cruise and a 12 day Princess cruise. And yes, I know they are VERY different!

[Bimmer09]

Thank you for your attention to detail. I have been reading your review since you started and decided that I would pop in to reassure you that your European itinerary does have a following.

 

While I have lived in Europe I have never cruised in Europe (except for crossing the Atlantic and cruising the Greek islands when I was in college in Switzerland - Jr. Year abroad.) I love your reviews and am currently trying to plan a European cruise next year. It's between a river cruise and a 12 day Princess cruise. And yes, I know they are VERY different!

 

Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you have stuck with it this far as the big icing on the cake is coming closer (Pompeii, Positano and Rome)

 

I have looked at River Cruises (Carol is gung-ho, me not so much)and I'd say read every review you can for the time of year you will travel as rain and high river levels can keep your boat at the dock and force you onto daily bus trips.

(that's the worst-case scenario but one needs to be aware)

 

I've seen many sleek and wonderful River Boats while in Germany and now that many have balconies and big sliding glass doors they are even better than ever.

 

Use youtube and CC to research. There's a wealth of good material out there.

 

Have you a preference regarding which line to sail?

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The big rain storm in Palermo was over within 40 minutes or so and the sun came out and evaporated much of the water which meant that it was hot and humid by the time I left the ship (now wearing the money belt again as I took it off on the ship).

 

By the entrance to the dock I met new friends Beverly and Chris from Chicago, coming back from a brief taste of the city. They said they had been hounded by vendors, didn't like how busy the streets were and how the drivers viewed stopping at pedestrian crossings as an option.

 

Hovering behind them was a 30 year old toothless fellow who hadn't shaved in a few days and immediately they left he approached me saying "bonjour!". I wasn't expecting French and had no idea why he thought it was appropriate for me but I responded "bonjour" as a reflex and off he went jabbering in French showing me a map of the delightful tours I could buy. I humored him by listening as I was actually understanding him and then politely told him in French that I was just out for a walk and not buying any tours, and he left me alone.

 

There's no buffer between the port and the city-you are immediately in very busy, noisy streets and need to keep your wits about you, especially when crossing the road. Quiet Italian cafes were not jumping out at me so I sought to get off the beaten track and saw down a side street palm trees and green space and headed over there to check it out. It had benches! Yay! I noted them in Carol's Bench Log which she makes me carry.

 

There was a very strange fetid odor when I sat down. Yikes! Standing up again I looked over the low wall behind me and there was a patch of dirt where apparently all the dog owners in Palermo let their animals use it as a latrine and don't bother to pick it up in a plastic bag for safe disposal.

 

Really people? A nice tranquil square with palm trees and benches and you use it as a toilet for your dog?

 

Nearby two big public refuse dumpsters overflowed onto the sidewalk .

 

I walked on along streets lined with old apartments with balconies,lived-in buildings with outward character. I found nice quiet narrow streets and had a pleasant stroll on the shady side of the streets. Some mothers were waiting outside a school to pick up their kids.

 

I would have liked to have sat at a nice outdoor cafe but -and maybe it rains hard a lot here- most had plastic or canvas structures covering them from the elements and that wasn't the experience I was looking for.

 

After an hour off the ship I was happy to get back on. I wasn't getting a Mediterranean vibe. It was just too busy, noisy and dirty for my taste.

 

I stopped into a shop for a fridge magnet and walked back to the dock.

 

Photos from my walk will follow. I may post the video-not sure whether it will earn me my favorite horse's severed head on the pillow next to me in the morning.

 

Norris

[SpinnerCOyyy]

So I caught you on video huh? I'll have to go back and watch it again. At what point? (minutes/seconds) Thanks for identifying that tall photographer as being from Serbia, not Ukraine. I like your idea of photos with the crew members-I usually remember on the way home-oh I should have taken a photo of ____.

 

I really seriously need to make a reminder list for myself on the ships so that I don't leave things too late . Luckily I catch some crew on the videos.

 

Norris

 

We show up in your video at 4:31. Starting with my mother in law in the black shirt. Followed by my father in law in the coral and white striped shirt. To his right will be my husband in the tan shirt. Then myself, or mostly my shoulder bending over to pick up balloons from the floor.

 

I'm sure you saw us elsewhere. We were usually playing cards by the grill. We also met the Captain by the grill. We snagged a pic of he and I and I was able to put Norway on my list. Unfortunately, after that, I accidentally gave the Captain's hamburger to my FIL. The look on the face of the grill cook was priceless.

Captain Norway by rollingspinner, on Flickr

[Bimmer09]

The ship was docked next to this structure. Had you woken from slumber and looked out the cabin window you might have thought "what? We're in Bora-Bora?"

but no- it's Palermo an industrial port. I don't know what is in the tanks and why they look so drab and bleak. A paint job and a colorful logo would cheer them up a bit.

 

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Squeegee-man on a bicycle mopping up with a piece of carpet after the deluge

 

 

Ocean and Lirica

 

 

Palm trees-nice.

 

[dramirez]

Norris, Your day in Palermo reminds me of a day I had in Italy when I was a junior in college. I was trying to return to Geneva from Venice and the train tracks were being repaired. The train was, of course, delayed. My friends and I missed our connection in Milan. I was trying to find a cheap place to spend the night. I was asking for information but the person did not speak English. I asked if they spoke French, Spanish, or German and the reply was, I speak Italian. I told my friends, "Now I know why my grandparents left Italy."

 

I also laughed because the story reminded me of Paris (where I lived as a child in the late 1960's.) There were no pooper-scooper laws back then.

 

Yes, I have been researching river cruises and it is a daunting task. I am interested in AMA, Uniworld, Vantage, and Viking. It is VERY hard to compare cruise lines because some are inclusive and some are not. You also have to compare the ships (which might be called boats), the itineraries, whether they cruise at night, when you have to pay, etc. I do my research and I'm still confused. I think it will come down to a spreadsheet and the best price for what you get. I read reviews and the itinerary I am looking at tells me that the boat for one of the lines I was considering is old and tired and has small cabins. And they are not cheap!

 

Keep up the good work.

[Bimmer09]

Ah! A pretty park...

 

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I love all the balconies

 

 

However.......

 

 

and......

 

[SpinnerCOyyy]

Looking forward to the video from Palermo. We didn't have anything planned because of the short plan window that resulted from the port change. We did venture off and walk around a bit. Found it to be a really dirty area. And of course we were warned of drive-by purse and camera snatchers. My MIL I think wished she would have done like Carol, and stay on the boat to read. Our next port was a whole lot of walking.

 

We managed to find an old store and picked up a bronze lion head door knocker. Best tour souvenir ever!