Ocean princess venice to rome

[Bimmer09]

We had breakfast in Sabatini's during the approach to Dubrovnik and so were well-set for a 6 hour excursion featuring the Trsteno Arboretum which is a garden that has been in existence since around 1490 and was bombed during the civil unrest in the 1990s. There was also a damaging fire around the Millennium but nature bounces back with help from the Government who considers it a treasure.

After the Arboretum we would drive on to Ston to join a boat where oysters would be served. Then back to land to enjoy a sit-down seafood lunch with more wine.

 

We had a bus waiting on the dock and a very good guide carrying a purple umbrella and with her blonde hair it was easy not to get left behind during the walking tour of the gardens. There are many steps and a lot of walking up and down steep hills so bear that in mind.

 

The drive there was along spectacular coastline overlooking a sparkling blue sea- just like in the brochures!

 

The video will follow next then the stills will follow that. Cost was $100 each but included food and drink (some wine and very strong grappa) Bargain!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Here is the video of the Trsteno part of the excursion. The Ston oyster boat video will be uploaded separately later.

 

 

Weather for this excursion was perfection.

 

Norris

[maria1963]

My goodness, what a thread. It's amazing and has just taken me a good 90 mins to read, watch the videos and devour the photos. We have cruised once on grand princess and of course were hooked . However we are booked with Cunard for June 2015 as they offered us the itinerary we wanted. We sail from Rome to Venice, via Corfu, Dubrovnik and Kotor. So you're review is so exciting for me. I have visited venice a few times but not with my husband so I'm looking forward to sharing the experience , we've booked extra nights in both Venice and Rome to maximise the opportunity. Your suite looks amazing and maybe one day we may travel like that too. Meantime I shall be grateful for our balcony stateroom and will look forward to the journey. Your thread is helping me to imagine our adventure.

[Bimmer09]

My goodness, what a thread. It's amazing and has just taken me a good 90 mins to read, watch the videos and devour the photos. We have cruised once on grand princess and of course were hooked . However we are booked with Cunard for June 2015 as they offered us the itinerary we wanted. We sail from Rome to Venice, via Corfu, Dubrovnik and Kotor. So you're review is so exciting for me. I have visited venice a few times but not with my husband so I'm looking forward to sharing the experience , we've booked extra nights in both Venice and Rome to maximise the opportunity. Your suite looks amazing and maybe one day we may travel like that too. Meantime I shall be grateful for our balcony stateroom and will look forward to the journey. Your thread is helping me to imagine our adventure.

 

Maria-thanks for joining us on this adventure. It does take some time to read (but more to write! LOL) and will be of epic proportions but I knew that going in and am eating extra Wheaties. We have temporarily mislaid our Patters and I wasn't taking very good notes along the way even though I had meant to. Note to self-find Patters.

 

Venice and Rome are the bookends of this story so there will be as much as I can cram in on Rome now that you have seen Venice or at least our 20 hours there.

 

We are usually bummed when leaving a cruise ship but in Civitavecchia that was not the case-it was Rome-here we come! I hope to show how amazing it is.

 

Happy you have found this thread.

 

Norris

[flockerisch]

can you please the balloon drop in the atrium at youtobe set? would be very nice of you.

[Bimmer09]

can you please the balloon drop in the atrium at youtobe set? would be very nice of you.

 

Sorry no atrium on this ship nor anywhere high enough to drop balloons from.

 

Norris

[flockerisch]

okay thank you for your answer. have they taken from other cruises one? much fun and a good trip.

[Bimmer09]

Between taking videos, looking with my eyes and trying to get a grip on this walking while chewing gum thing (not so easy) I have to take photographs too, to show the folks back home and to remind us that it wasn't just a dream.

 

We got to the Arboretum in this-a very comfy bus which drove on smooth roads along the coast.

 

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There are long paths to walk while the guide talks knowledgeably about the history of the family who created this calming place so long ago by having sailors bring them back plants and seeds from their travels to the 4 corners of the Earth which is confusing as I thought the Earth was round-but no matter.

 

 

There are also steps to climb and descend

 



 

 

It overlooks the sea

 

 

There are flowers

 

 

[Bimmer09]

There are bushes

 

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Don't believe me?

 

 

Interesting plants are identified

 



 

A grapevine

 

 

Which leads us to this as the family made their own wine and sold it too.

 

[Bimmer09]

Beauty abounds as we walk slowly through the property

 

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But death also lurks for the Interlopers

 



 

 

The family Chapel

 

 



 

[Bimmer09]

I could hear the sound of running water....

 

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[Bimmer09]

The long climb back to the bus

 

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But you get to enjoy this eye candy whilst stopping for a breather

 

 

 

 

Ston and our oyster boat was about 20 minutes drive away.....

[rdsqrl]

". . . . the family who created this calming place so long ago by having sailors bring them back plants and seeds from their travels to the 4 corners of the Earth which is confusing as I thought the Earth was round-but no matter."

 

 

That was a long time ago. Over 500 years' time, the corners have been rounded down by wear.

 

[bonus points to anyone who gets the reference]

[perfect match]

The arboretum looks beautiful! Thank you so much for all the time and effort I know you have put into this review. I'm headed off to the CB soon. I'll be back to catch up with you when we get home.

 

Nancy

[Bimmer09]

The arboretum looks beautiful! Thank you so much for all the time and effort I know you have put into this review. I'm headed off to the CB soon. I'll be back to catch up with you when we get home.

 

Nancy

 

Nancy have the time of your life on the CB and tell us about it when you return!

 

Bon voyage!

 

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

While in Venice I forgot to mention that as we were late arriving to the ship on Embarkation Day we had to attend a make-up Muster Drill on the Sunday morning before the ship sailed. A note was put in our mailbox and we joined maybe 60 others in the Tahitian Lounge at 11 a.m. We were asked to bring our lifejackets which I was very glad to see. Anyone who thinks this is a chore needs to imagine trying to keep your head above water without one in a cold choppy sea at night when you are terrified. I think by now we could put ours on in the dark or in a corridor filled with smoke and give ourselves a chance at staying alive.

 

I was already up in the Tahitian relaxing and watching a dance class in progress led by the affable and patient Jason Parsons the Assistant Cruise Director. He'll make a dancer of you! Infectious enthusiasm.

 

He led the Muster Drill. Cruise cards were scanned.

 

Our station, had it been an emergency (the alarm wasn't sounded by the way) would have been the Club Restaurant on deck 5, one deck below our cabin.

 

Unlike some Princess ships the Ocean has a very wide Promenade deck to accommodate a mass evacuation.

 

 

It doesn't go all the way around the ship as it would on a Grand Class vessel but it is wide and it is covered from the elements.

[Bimmer09]

We like two-stage excursions like the one we are currently on as there's a variety of experiences and lots of time OFF the bus.

 

After a 20 minute or so coastal drive (video baking in the youtube ovens) we stopped first in Ston which has a long protective wall around much of it to ward off invaders. People were walking the wall on hopefully tireless legs.

 

The bus parked and we were able to walk the streets with our guide leading the way which is exactly what a guide should do if they are worth their salt.

 

Speaking of salt this area of Croatia has a long history with the production of salt and I think on the video the guide explains this. I ran the camcorder during part of the bus ride to catch the scenery and some commentary too. Back in the day (odd expression) salt was a great find as it could season and preserve food and it's hard to imagine fish and chips without it.

 

So we are now on the streets of Ston. You'll see in this amazing piece of 3D street art a wagon on rails tipping some of it's cargo of salt....

 

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Our group listens to the guide

 

 

The local cats have heard the guide before and continue perfecting the art of napping. Nice to see that someone has put water out for them as it was a hot day.

 

 

Except this one who looks like he could use a nice juicy pork chop.

 

 

Savory smells wafted from the outdoor restaurants around the square

 

[Bimmer09]

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Souvenir shops and cafes abound. Some take local currency (the Kuna), dollars or Euros at a rate of 5 kn to the dollar and 7 kn to the Euro. We used Euros to pay for drinks during a break from the tour.

 

 

 

 

The mighty wall of Ston-the longest city wall in Europe according to our guide. It had been part of the Ston Wall Marathon just the day before. Yikes!

 

 

Next we would drive for 5 minutes or so to Mariston where we would meet our oyster boat....

[Bimmer09]

I wasn't so sure in the early days of planning this trip that I wanted to go on an oyster boat. I had eaten one oyster once many years ago and it was like dredging the sandy bottom of a slimy harbor with my mouth.

 

While in San Francisco this past July we ate outside at the Watermark restaurant in the shadow of the mighty Bay Bridge where oysters were their signature dish and people were tucking into big ice-heaped bowls of a dozen oysters.

 

They were available by the piece so I told the waiter of my upcoming trip and ordered one as a tester for my gag reflex.

 

A huge bowl of crushed ice appeared with one small oyster and some lemon.

No sand! They oyster was from Oregon and having no time to welcome him and ask about the filming of Portlandia I squirted him in the face with lemon and he slid down in a refreshing fashion.

 

Now we were on a bus in Croatia heading for an oyster feast on sea and land...

[Bimmer09]

To stop you getting bored, scrolling through photographs, I'll drop the video in here and get to the stills later.

 

I filmed on the bus to capture some of the great scenery and the guide's narration. There's a long take where one of the crew speaks good English and gives an overview of the oyster farming process his family has been operating for generations.

 

A potent grappa was served on board as was some excellent local white wine.

 

The crew were very professional and helpful.

 

Although I didn't eat my fill of oysters they were very good indeed having been pulled from the water as we listened to the young man and served within minutes. You can't get fresher than that.

 

Back on land we see a fine seafood platter being served, again with good white wine. My favorite on the plate were large grilled sardines. A great lunch before the 45 minute drive back to the ship in Dubrovnik.

 

Come aboard!

 

 

Norris, happy in Croatia. Carol loved the excursion.

[Bimmer09]

I just had to edit the video as Youtube's stabilizing made the movie very jerky so I have told it/him/her/them to revert to my original upload. This may take a few minutes....

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

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On the boat

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

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Before

 

 

and after

 

 

Once back on shore we had a great cooked lunch and then it was time for the drive back to the ship....(photo taken from the moving bus). Our cabin is the lowest on on the stern, port side. The Club Restaurant is the row of windows below us.

 

[Bimmer09]

When we arrived in Dubrovnik there were at most half a dozen taxis (Mercedes and BMW) at our pier and on the way back and still with 45 minutes before all on board I had thought we might take a quick ride into Dubrovnik and see the walled harbor there. However when our bus pulled up at the ship to let us off there were no taxis so that idea was snuffed out so we never did get to see the sights of the city. We had had a great, different, peaceful afternoon though and said "we'll be back in Dubrovnik someday" and I imagine we will.

 

Once on board I made a beeline for the pool bar and there met some of my smoking buddies who had spent the day climbing the wall in the city. The said it was too hot and crowded to enjoy and that there was a fee to climb up on the ramparts. The fee wouldn't have bothered us but HOT and CROWDED is not our idea of a fun day.

 

All the other cruise ships bar one had departed and we would be the last to leave at 6 p.m.

 

I had a craving for knackwurst and fries and went back to the Trident Grill even though there was no signage to that effect on board. It was listed as BBQ.

It is hidden around a corner behind the pool, starboard.

 

There was a lonely Serbian guy there. No line unless I count as one. I ordered my knack, sauerkraut and fries and they were cooked to order. I asked him about the BBQ and he said there is none..."but the signs say....". Another thing PCL needs to correct on the ship which they have had for 14 years.

 

As I was waiting the Captain came behind me to order and I spoke to him for a few minutes and touched on our luck with the weather as we hadn't had a spit of rain all day. He said that tomorrow (Tuesday) a sea day we would have no rain and the wind would be at our stern. I said well that's no good as I have an aft cabin-could you maybe reverse all the way to Malta? He laughed. I was serious.

He said he loves the grub at the Trident Grill and patted his stomach-"too much so". His name was (and probably still is) Rikard Lorentzen from Norway.

 

I asked him how we were going to maneuver out of the harbor and he said he would back up around the corner when the Ventura left so he could leave bow first and not have to turn in the channel under the bridge.

 

He told me I would love the harbor in Malta which was our next port after our only sea day on this trip.

 

I stayed up on deck as I could see that the big P & O ship was about to leave her berth when I had finished my snack-the Trident Grill is some of my favorite food onboard Princess ships as the include Malt Vinegar for the crispy chips (fries)

 

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Now the route was clear

 

[Bimmer09]

The light was beginning to dim now in Dubrovnik and a big cloud was heading it's way. We had enjoyed our day there immensely thanks to our tour and the nice Croatians we interacted with for such a brief spell.

 

The tourist day was over for Dubrovnik. Tomorrow would bring another.

 

This cool fun boat was done for the day.

 

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Storm clouds are rolling in but we are ready to cast off