Ocean princess venice to rome

[jlf1]

This one of the most memorable reviews thát I have ever read.

 

Thanks Norris for a super review once again.

 

Judy

[MMDown Under]

Still enjoying your review, photos and videos.

 

Seeing the photo of the omelette station, reminded me what a difference staffing makes. On my first cruise on OP, the omelette cook from Bali made everyone's day, greeting all like family, as he effortlessly prepared several requests at once. On my second cruise, the omelette cook, from an Eastern European country, looked dour and never smiled once. Why management placed him in that front role, I find hard to understand.

 

Was impressive how the person, who missed the ship, managed to rejoin the ship at the next port of call.

 

Good advice is always to take the name of the local shipping agency (on the daily patter) with you, in case of emergency.

Edited October 25, 2014 by MMDown Under

[searoses]

Norris.....thank you for your kind remarks....I have severe arthritis which prevents me from using ladders and while our accident was terrifying it was not considered serious....at least by everyone but me who had never so much as had a parking ticket.....alls well that ends well.....europe

Is calling!

[Bimmer09]

Hi Again Norris,

 

Just loving your review!. Have been on the Pacific Princess so very familiar with your wonderful photos. We had an interesting cruise to the Med. in Sept. 2001. Yes it was when 9/11 happened and instead of a 12 day cruise we ended up with a 24 day cruise on the MS Rotterdam. A fabulous cruise doing the black sea and then the western Med. A wonderful itinerary under very sad circumstances. Your cruise however has been so wonderfully highlighted by your great photos and exquisite sense of humor. I am enjoying this so much. Thank you again. Rhonda

 

Rhonda thanks for the kind words. It really helps when I know people are following and enjoying the trip along with me. Knowing that folks are waiting to see what comes next brings me back to the computer when I should be working on my Italian some more or raking up these leaves ( I am in Michigan now as we are leaving on a 300 mile drive at dawn.)

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

This one of the most memorable reviews thát I have ever read.

 

Thanks Norris for a super review once again.

 

Judy

 

Wow that is quite the compliment considering that my two favorite stops are yet to appear and I simply went nuts with the cameras.

 

I know "you ain't seen nutting' yet" sounds like hyperbole ....but you ain't!

 

Hang on for the ride.

 

We are off driving further up into Michigan tomorrow morning before sun-up so I won't be on the computer so much but I am going to bring it along and add what I can to the narrative.

 

I took the Mac to Italy as a matter of fact and used it on the ship a few times but left 80 minutes unused on my account out of the free 150.

 

Watch this space...

 

Norris

[Princess Patches]

This is a fantastic review. Loved all the photos!

[Bimmer09]

Norris.....thank you for your kind remarks....I have severe arthritis which prevents me from using ladders and while our accident was terrifying it was not considered serious....at least by everyone but me who had never so much as had a parking ticket.....alls well that ends well.....europe

Is calling!

 

When Europe calls-you must answer! I am glad you are not in a wheelchair. My heart goes out to anyone who is as I take my mobility for granted until I am reminded by them.

 

I'm European so feel very much at home in the Western European countries I visit.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

This is a fantastic review. Loved all the photos!

 

And I love the cat in your avatar! We just left our two white calico ones at home as we are driving for a few days and have great cat sitters lined up to feed and scoop. They are called Snowy and Bad Cat Lucy.

 

Glad you have joined us and thanks for the compliment! I have used maybe 40% of my photos so far and have some stunners lined up....

 

I don't know how much video I have left as I haven't watched it all yet.

 

Norris

[MMDown Under]

Hope you are enjoying your fall foliage tour.

[Bimmer09]

This is deck 4 as a security officer is setting up early in the morning. 3 and 4 were used for getting on and off the ship.

 

[/url]

 

 

 

Reception is down here.

 

 

 

A grand staircase leads up to deck 5, Promenade deck, the hub of ship life.

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Those stairs arrive on deck 5

 

[/url]

 

Shops are here

 

 

 

 

....and places to sit when you have exhausted yourself shopping

 

 

[New York Nana]

Those stairs arrive on deck 5

 

[/url]

 

Shops are here

 

 

 

 

....and places to sit when you have exhausted yourself shopping

 

 

Oh Norris! I LOVE LOVE LOVE! These pictures! It truly is exactly what I always envisioned a cruise ship to look like! I am DEFINITELY going to have to look into a cruise on this ship! Thank you so much for sharing!

[Westaussie]

Norris, thank you for your wonderful review and great photos, brings back memories of many places visited and most of them on R ships. Loved the Malta photos as I lived there for a few years! Vera

[Bimmer09]

Hope you are enjoying your fall foliage tour.

 

Very much so-stunning color at it's peak. Beautiful driving weather. I was just out side the winery we are staying at (Chateau Chantal if you want to Google Image It) and seeing a billion stars above which we are denied by the lights of Chicago.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris, thank you for your wonderful review and great photos, brings back memories of many places visited and most of them on R ships. Loved the Malta photos as I lived there for a few years! Vera

 

Thanks for being with us on this trip. R ships deserve their day in the sun. Not big and flashy, no bells and whistles-just comfort and elegance in a tight little package. Glad the Malta photos resonated with you Vera.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Back on the ship after my brief tour of the streets close to the dock I had a refreshing beer by the pool and asked everyone who came along if they had been on shore. A couple had been on an excursion and got rained on. The said that there was raw sewage coming up from the overflowing street drains and it was hard to find a way around it. All commented on trash in the streets and the dog mess. I had thought on the way back to the ship that I was maybe being hard on the town but I was glad to see it wasn't just me who was turned off by it.

 

They don't need to spend billions to clean the place up-just adopt a better attitude to cleanliness and remember they have to live there and we have to come ashore there and spend our tourists dollars. New rules/penalties for dog owners, no overflowing dumpsters in the streets, some better enforcement (cameras?) at pedestrian crossings...whatever they can do to make visiting tourists stop and shop/eat/sit a spell with a drink would help. I think many would have been happier with another day in Malta (if docking available) or a sea day.

 

Palermo did have one thing going for it though-a huge harbor to delight even the most jaded boat-nerd.

 

Lirica left well before us...

[/url]

 

The camcorder set to record another sail away

 

 

Small coastal tanker berthed near our stern

 

 

 

[SpinnerCOyyy]

Another thing we noticed when walking around in Palermo was the sidewalks were a mess. Shifting soils caused many of the bricks to shift and raise up and dip down. Lots of opportunities to trip or catch your shoe.

 

I would normally have tons of leaves to go rake up myself, but a massive hail storm hit here in Colorado on 09-29. It pretty much stripped all the foliage from the trees and bushes in my yard. I'm missing the lovely smell of fall.

 

Looking forward to your Sorrento entry. And of course Rome....what a city!

[Bimmer09]

Another thing we noticed when walking around in Palermo was the sidewalks were a mess. Shifting soils caused many of the bricks to shift and raise up and dip down. Lots of opportunities to trip or catch your shoe.

 

I would normally have tons of leaves to go rake up myself, but a massive hail storm hit here in Colorado on 09-29. It pretty much stripped all the foliage from the trees and bushes in my yard. I'm missing the lovely smell of fall.

 

Looking forward to your Sorrento entry. And of course Rome....what a city!

 

Hi Spinner-we are on our last full day of the Fall Tour and head back down south (to Lower Michigan) tomorrow so I should be back on line to continue the tale by Wednesday.... Leaving Palermo then our 8 hour excursion when we land in Sorrento.

 

Norris

[arctickitty]

Hello, very much enjoying your posts from very far north in Alaska. My other half and I will be visiting several of your stops in Italy later this winter (non cruise) and I'm enjoying your photos and stories. Please do continue your story (as you have time, of course). I've cruised twice now, Mexico on Princess and Alaska on Norwegian and boy is there a big difference between the two lines. I did Alaska on Norwegian because they stopped in Hoonah (Icy Straight Point) and I could ride essentially free in my parents' cabin. But I definitely missed the classic touches and European influence of Princess.

[dramirez]

Hi Norris,

 

Glad that you and your wife are enjoying your fall get away. I have been toiling away so I did not get a chance to respond to your query about what river cruise itineraries I was considering. The answer is Paris to Normandy as that is the one that I believe would most interest my husband. But I am also interested in a 12 day Princess cruise on Island Princess. I just read yesterday that that ship is currently in dry dock. I have never been on Princess but your reviews have sparked my interest. We'll see what the future holds.

 

All the best.

 

Diane

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris,

 

Glad that you and your wife are enjoying your fall get away. I have been toiling away so I did not get a chance to respond to your query about what river cruise itineraries I was considering. The answer is Paris to Normandy as that is the one that I believe would most interest my husband. But I am also interested in a 12 day Princess cruise on Island Princess. I just read yesterday that that ship is currently in dry dock. I have never been on Princess but your reviews have sparked my interest. We'll see what the future holds.

 

All the best.

 

Diane

I am just back from Northern Michigan where fall color is at it's peak. Cameras were busy and now I have got a 5 hour drive out of the way I'll get back to my story of our cruise.

 

I will now of course look at river cruise reviews Paris to Normandy. What date?

 

Regarding the Island Princess- perhaps one of the two most beloved ships flying the Princess Flag. Less than 2000 passengers (all of them grinning) on a big ship.

She's longer than most but slim at the waist so she can fit through the current Panama Canal locks. Read my Coral review and you'll see pics and video.

 

A great choice for your first Princess cruise. If it's a Med cruise then you are due to suffer a "Happiness Overload" as every port should be different from the one before and interesting as nothing will remind you of the USA.

 

Thanks for getting back to me, Diane.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

So I had ventured forth from the ship out of curiosity as it was in fact my first time in Sicily and saw just a small area of Palermo near the docks, which is probably what every passenger without an excursion saw and it wasn't pretty.

 

I hope and doubt that it is all like that. It is a busy port so there must be a lot of cruise visitors, ferry passengers waiting for their ship to come in, tourists visiting from other towns in Sicily and visitors from the mainland. All of those will have money in their pockets (or preferably money belts) and like me would be willing to sit down and have a beer or two to swell the merchants' coffers. Clean it up and make it more inviting and I'll be back. Tourism is great for boosting a local economy (ask Venice!) but get some diapers on your dogs, hang a few air fresheners from the trees and slow down or stop for pedestrians.

 

Although the city was a turn-off the harbor (if you like those kinds of things) is an absolute star. It's in a dramatic location with mountains as it's backdrop and all manner of ships visiting.

 

One of them in drydock was the Saipem 7000 (look it up in Wikipedia if you are a ship nerd). During the afternoon I watched them as they maneuvered the cranes independently and then in tandem. Each crane can lift 7,000 tonnes and combined they can lift 14,000! She is used for assembling oil rigs at sea and is registered in Nassau.

 

[/url]

 

The Ocean did not sail on time (4 p.m) as she was waiting for the mooring crew to show up. I was on Promenade Deck waiting to watch the casting-off. I think it was 4.15 when two guys wearing orange safety vests rolled up in a van at the dock and proceeded to saunter towards the bow. No rush.

 

The Lirica had already gone to sea and now it was our turn. There will be a video of each on youtube soon(ish) but for now I'll stay with the stills as we leave this amazing harbor. This was Thursday September 25 th and we would be off the ship on the 27th. The gangway board said we would be sailing to Sorrento and that was fine with us as we had a monster excursion planned.

 

More views from the harbor

 

 

Lirica's berth, now empty

 

 

A huge Italian ferry with a mountain backdrop

 

 

Coastguard cutter

 

[Bimmer09]

The Ocean has now backed out of her berth and we see that little coastal tanker again, sitting low in the water.

 

[/url]

 

The cruise ship berths are empty now

 

 

A ferry remains

 

 

 

Neighbors soak it all in

 

[Bimmer09]

Floating drydock, ship crane and another ferry

 

[/url]

 

This will give you a better idea of the scale of this ship crane

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Here's a video of the Lirica sailing away from her berth in Palermo. It may not be of much interest to Princess cruisers nor would I consider it riveting-but it's here for two reasons (1) I shot it as it was very close by (2) someone may be curious about the Lirica (3) I said there were only two reasons!

 

I find it calming watching a big ship glide slowly from port-unless of course you are supposed to be on it and are running down the pier waving at it.

 

 

Norris