OCD Planner's Mah-valous Mediterranean Adventure on Serenade of the Seas

[ace1zoe2]

You have done an amazing job so far, I can imagine how much fun it must have been. I must say I liked your keyhole picture, not what was expected but still a very interesting shot.

 

I have one question, is the Vortex open to all people during the day or just diamond or ??

 

Connie

 

 

Vortex is open to everyone except maybe during 5-830pm for DL overflow. But it still may be open then as well. I never saw it from that side since we were in the DL a few times.

 

Thanks for taking time to comment & ask questions.

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Probably one of the best reviews I have read so far. You have put a lot of information into your review giving people some ideas and tips when doing their planning. Keep up the great work.

 

 

Thank you so much for the complement. I like to read reviews with lots of detail & ideas of things to do in port.

 

I'll be continuing on with lots more information & pictures tomorrow.

 

 

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[Julia’s Journey’s]

Thank you for sharing. What Insurance did you use for your trip? We are in the process of booking and was wondering what you used?

 

 

Have a look at insure my trip dot com

Prices are good and you can compare different plans easily before buying etc

[Coralc]

This was my only visit to the gym.

 

But you can tell people at home you went to the gym! :D:):D

[betsyl]

I lurk more than I post. Have been reading your review for the past couple of weeks. Love it. Am reliving our trip to Italy 10+ years ago! Keep up the good work (please)....

[ace1zoe2]

I lurk more than I post. Have been reading your review for the past couple of weeks. Love it. Am reliving our trip to Italy 10+ years ago! Keep up the good work (please)....

 

Thanks Betsyl. It's nice to know that folks are taking time to read what I am posting. I will definitely keep on it until I am finished!

 

 

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[Raxter54]

I've debated on where/when to put in all the compasses, daily offers, ship info, etc. and I guess that I have decided that now is as good a time as any. I'm just going to post them all together at one time and get it over with. So if this is of no interest to you, you will just have to scroll on by for a few posts.

 

As for myself, I say THANK YOU for posting copies of the Compass. This gives me a better idea about what to expect on a daily basis when we are sailing on the Serenade.

 

As for the entertainment, I was wondering if you watched Vibe*Ology and Stage To Screen, and what did you think of them? We plan on watching them when we sail, and was just wondering if they were enjoyable.

 

Thanks again!

[lemonade-sails]

Thanks so much for the great pictures of Serenade!

[ace1zoe2]

As for myself, I say THANK YOU for posting copies of the Compass. This gives me a better idea about what to expect on a daily basis when we are sailing on the Serenade.

 

As for the entertainment, I was wondering if you watched Vibe*Ology and Stage To Screen, and what did you think of them? We plan on watching them when we sail, and was just wondering if they were enjoyable.

 

Thanks again!

 

Raxter,

 

Sorry, we didn't go to any of the shows except Jacqui Scott and she was amazing. We just didn't have enough time on the ship with this port intensive itinerary!

 

Cindy

[Raxter54]

Our cabin was located on the 10th deck on the top left hand side. You can see here how much larger the balcony is. Decks 7, 8, 9 & 10 all have aft balconies. Above deck 10 is the outdoor seating for the Windjammer.

 

 

And that will be us 3 decks below in the lower left corner, by the little ladder. We've heard alot of good things about aft balconies, hope they are true :)

[Raxter54]

Raxter,

 

Sorry, we didn't go to any of the shows except Jacqui Scott and she was amazing. We just didn't have enough time on the ship with this port intensive itinerary!

 

Cindy

 

That's OK. From what I've heard, these shows have been running on the Serenade for a few years, so they should have the kinks worked out of them :D. My wife and I haven't attended any musicals in our life, so it will jsut be a new experience for us.

 

I have heard that the Headliners usually change pretty often, so we will just have to wait til out cruise to see who we get...

[ace1zoe2]

And that will be us 3 decks below in the lower left corner, by the little ladder. We've heard alot of good things about aft balconies, hope they are true :)

 

 

So are you in 7388? We've had 7688 in the past & the balcony was awesome! It is 2-3 times larger than a normal balcony & has a huge porthole on the side so you can side aft & side. Part shade, part sun. We participated in a cabin crawl & everyone was super impressed with the size of the balcony for it being a non-suite cabin. You can probably fit 15-20 people on that balcony!

 

Enjoy.

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

So are you in 7388? We've had 7688 in the past & the balcony was awesome! It is 2-3 times larger than a normal balcony & has a huge porthole on the side so you can side aft & side. Part shade, part sun. We participated in a cabin crawl & everyone was super impressed with the size of the balcony for it being a non-suite cabin. You can probably fit 15-20 people on that balcony!

 

Enjoy.

 

 

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Sorry, I lied. I was thinking that this was a Voyager class ship and it's not! You will still have a large oversized balcony but I don't believe it is the one with the porthole. We were on Voyager of the Seas when we had that balcony. You will still love the aft balcony.

[Raxter54]

Sorry, I lied. I was thinking that this was a Voyager class ship and it's not! You will still have a large oversized balcony but I don't believe it is the one with the porthole. We were on Voyager of the Seas when we had that balcony. You will still love the aft balcony.

 

our cabin is 7172. We took the corner because you have a wider view due to there being no balcony divider on the right side. And big enough for two loungers :D

[ace1zoe2]

As I have stated before, this was a very port intensive cruise. We sailed 8 nights and of the 8 days, 7 of them were spent in port. There was only 1 sea day which was basically our only down day for 2 weeks.

 

Our first port stop was the Port of Livorno. From here most people choose to go to Florence and/or Pisa and a few to Lucca. Since we had 2 1/2 days in the Tuscany before boarding the ship we had already visited both Florence and Pisa. Livorno is fairly close to Pisa for those who might be interested in doing it on their own. I'd say with 7-8 hours in port you would have plenty of time. Florence would be doable but time there will be extremely limited with the majority of your 7-8 hours in port being spent on a bus or shuttle just getting there & back.

 

 

We were actually pretty lucky, in that we were in port 12 hours which gave us about 11 hours off the ship, if we stretched it to the max. Originally when we booked this itinerary our first port was supposed to have been La Spezia which is very close to Cinque Terre. We had already made plans and gotten really excited about visiting CT when we noticed the port changed... that did not make me very happy since our original itinerary from Venice had already been redeployed.

 

After reading, researching, getting train & ferry schedules, checking on rental cars, tolls, gas prices, times, contingent plans, backup plans to my backup plans... I decided we were going to Cinque Terre after all!

 

The first thing that I did was to reserve a rental car thru Sifra Car in Livorno (http://www.sifracar.com) They have a rental counter inside the port terminal building as do several other car companies. Sifra Car is the local Hertz dealer and that will be the counter that you go to. They bring the cars to the port terminal at 7:30am. We arrived at Livorno at 7:00am which allowed time for us to get off the ship, meet up in the terminal and we only had to wait about 10 minutes for them to get there and open the counter. We were in our car pulling out of the port by 7:50am.

 

 

We rented two vehicles for 10 of us. In Italy the largest vehicle you can rent is for 7 passengers. Anything larger and you have to have a commercial driver's license. I had reserved a 7 passenger van and a 5 passenger car both with standard transmission. It took about 10 minutes to do the paperwork and pay for the rentals. We were upgraded on the van to a brand new VW van with automatic transmission for the same price. Six of our group went in that van with my SNL driving, he was used to it since they had been traveling in Europe for the last few months. Charlie drove our car which was a Ford Fiesta.

 

I think we reserved the cars about 10 months or so in advance and with no deposit. You could pay by cash euros or credit card at pick up. I had emailed ahead and asked a general idea of the time to CT, ask about tolls and the approximate cost of petrol. They were very easy to work with, answered emails promptly and gave us great service at the counter. They ask that the cars be returned to the port by 6pm, left unlocked with the key above the visor.

 

I had read that in Italy you are required to have an International Driver's License and both my husband and son in law obtained one thru AAA a few months before our trip. The cost was $15 and you can apply in person or by mail by supplying a copy of your current DL, 2 passport photos and a signed application. The rental agency didn't ask for the Int'l license or proof of insurance. Pretty much in Italy they require insurance thru the rental and that is what we did. I think where the Int'l license comes in to play is if you are stopped by the Italian police you are fined if you can't produce it. So we went with the "better safe than sorry" philosophy and spent $15 as a precaution. For info visit the AAA website:

http://www.aaa.com/PPInternational/IDP_IADP.html

 

We paid 160euro for the van with all insurance and 90euro for the car. So we took the 250euro plus 9,10euro toll each way per car, 15,50euro parking in Riomaggiore per car and 51euro of petrol (for both cars) and divided by 10. Our cost per person for the transport was 32euro.

 

We each purchased a CT Train Card which provided unlimited travel on the trains between the villages of CT and access to the trails for 12euro per person, children 4-18 are 7,30euro. For lots of information about CT you can visit the website: http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card

 

 

Train schedules can be found here: http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable

 

For the return trip we purchased a one way ride on the ferry which operates up thru the first few days of November. The cost per person for the ferry was 9euro and allowed us to see all the great views of the villages from the sea. Had the ferry not been running we could have taken the train back to Riomaggiore for no additional cost. Current ferry schedules can be found here:http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/boat-excursions

 

We had a great day in CT for a total of 53euro (about $66USD) per person plus lunch. A similar tour thru RCI was priced at $135.75USD and you went by bus, then a train ride then a boat ride and then bused back and you only visited 3 villages. Our group of 10 saved right at $700 over what the RCI tour would have been.

 

I'm not saying DIY port excursions are for everyone. You have to do the research, planning and timing. You have to make sure you will be back to the ship on time and have an alternate plan if things don't work out. Since we had 11 hours, new vehicles, major roadways and access to taxis if there were problems, we were more than comfortable doing this port on our own. Worse case scenario we could have rented a car one way and driven to the next port and caught the ship the following day.

 

Ok, that's my recommendations on how to do Cinque Terre on your own if you feel comfortable doing so. We were there during shoulder season and it was less crowded, the trains were running on time and the ferries were running. Plus we had a 12 hour port day. If we had only a 7-8 hour port day from Livorno we would not have chosen to go to CT - it's just too far and all the majority of our time would have been driving.

 

That's it for tonight. I'll post pictures of the villages that we visited tomorrow and tell you what we saw and/or did in each one.

 

Until then, this is what you have to look forward to:

 

Edited November 25, 2014 by ace1zoe2

[Coolcruise02]

Great review and beautiful pictures!

[ace1zoe2]

Great review and beautiful pictures!

 

Thanks for the compliment! I appreciate you taking time to post. I hope to get the next installment done by tomorrow.

[hipster1]

Hi Cindy!

I just want to say what an amazing job you are doing:) You have given me some great ideas for our upcoming cruise in 2016 ( wine tasting and the apartment in Rome) I am glad you were able to see Cinque Terre. I think I have the exact same shot you posted! We were lucky that we docked in La Spezia, but it seems that its very doable from Livorno if you have the 12 hour day like you said. Were you able to hike any of the trails??

 

Looking forward to reading more.

 

Ali

[wnycruisefam66]

Hi:

 

I recently found your review & got about halfway thru so far. Love all the pictures and details! Great job! We did our first Med cruise (& trip to Europe) this summer, so I'm reliving my trip by reading about yours. I also recommend renting an apartment for a larger group. We rented for 3 nights in Barcelona & it was great to have space for everyone & not pay for 3 hotel rooms. Looking forward to reading more on my lunch break today.

 

Tina

[ace1zoe2]

Hi Cindy!

 

I just want to say what an amazing job you are doing:) You have given me some great ideas for our upcoming cruise in 2016 ( wine tasting and the apartment in Rome) I am glad you were able to see Cinque Terre. I think I have the exact same shot you posted! We were lucky that we docked in La Spezia, but it seems that its very doable from Livorno if you have the 12 hour day like you said. Were you able to hike any of the trails??

 

 

 

Looking forward to reading more.

 

 

 

Ali

 

 

Hi Alli!

 

Thanks for your kind words. Unfortunately we did not have time to hike any of the trails. A lot were still closed from the mud slides as well.

 

Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to return before I get to old to do the hike!

 

Cindy

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Hi:

 

 

 

I recently found your review & got about halfway thru so far. Love all the pictures and details! Great job! We did our first Med cruise (& trip to Europe) this summer, so I'm reliving my trip by reading about yours. I also recommend renting an apartment for a larger group. We rented for 3 nights in Barcelona & it was great to have space for everyone & not pay for 3 hotel rooms. Looking forward to reading more on my lunch break today.

 

 

 

Tina

 

 

Hi Tina,

 

I'm glad that you found my review & have taken time to read about our adventures.

 

I hope to have time to post the next installment soon.

 

Cindy

 

 

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[Sunny AZ Girl]

Happy Thanksgving! Will look for the newest update after the holiday.:)

[ace1zoe2]

It seems like it's been forever since I last posted. It's been a busy week with Thanksgiving, camping over the holidays, putting up the Christmas tree, etc.

 

Now I'm ready to get started again (and finally finish) my trip report.

 

When we last left off I gave you all my info for the DIY trip from Livorno to Cinque Terre. Today I am going to post pictures of what we saw.

 

We left Livorno around 7:50 and drove straight to Riomaggiore, arriving there at 9:35 (so about 1 hour 45 min drive). We drove in to "town" and paid to park very close by. Parking was 15,50 euro per car for 6 or 7 hours (can't recall which we paid for) and it was close walking distance to the center of the village. If we had been here during peak season I think parking could have been a problem... in that case I would suggest stopping in La Spezia, parking at the train station and taking the regional train to whichever village you wanted to visit first.

 

After paying to park, we walked down a very steep roadway to the edge of the port area. Easy going down but we would pay for it later coming back to the car.

 

 

Sights along the way:

 

 

 

Arriving at the port area:

 

 

Looking back up at the village from the sea:

 

 

The boats pulled from the water sit in the middle of the village until they are needed. Some of them appear to have been there a while.

 

[ace1zoe2]

We had decided, with input from my daughter & SNL who had just visited C-T the week before, to take the train in the morning to visit the villages. In the afternoon the trains are more crowded and as the day goes on they sometimes get behind schedule, which was the case for them the previous week. By early afternoon the train was 1 1/2 hours behind schedule for one of there stops. We definitely did not want to chance not being able to get back to Riomaggiore in time to get to the ship before sail away.

 

So after a few minutes in Rio and stopping at the little "hut" where the ferry tickets are sold to get information we walked thru the tunnel in Rio that lead to the train station.

 

 

In the interest of time, I went in the station and purchased all 10 Cinque Terre train cards so that each couple didn't have to stand in line. This was a good call because we would not have made the next train and would have wasted time standing around waiting for a later one. As it was we only waited maybe 5-10 minutes on the platform before catching the train to Manarola.

 

 

The local trains when we were there were clean, there was room to sit if you preferred. We all stood as it was only 5-10 minutes between each village.

 

 

After arriving in Manarola it was an easy walk to the village from the station. It was very picturesque.

 

 

We passed this art display on our walk and at first glance I thought it was metal "yard art" that someone had made to sell. After looking a minute longer I realized that it was the manger scene from Christ's birth complete with the stable, shepherds, camels, angels and more. After all the times I had researched CT I do not recall having seen this mentioned... or maybe I just missed it.

 

 

We walked further into the village getting closer to the port area. There weren't too many shops or tables open early this morning. It also was not too crowded. Since I'm not a shopper, I much preferred the cooler weather, lighter crowds and the room to move around without trying to squeeze my way through!

 

[ace1zoe2]

Once we arrived in the heart of the village and neared the port area, looking to your left (facing the sea) you are greeted with this opportunity... a VERY steep walk if you are up to it. Most of our group stayed behind at a little shop and sat outside under a covered area and had a soda.

 

 

My daughter (who had scoped everything out for me the week before, my friend Debbie, my SNL and I headed up the steep walkway to the perfect picture spot! If you look at the picture above you can also see the "trail" that goes from Manarola to the next villages. So we finally made it to the top of the steep walk and this was my reward!

 

 

To get to this great picture taking spot, you have to actually walk thru the villages mosoleum area which is high up on the hill.

 

 

I took this next picture just to point out where the ticket sales office for the ferry is in Manarola. They have a small hut like this in each village and you can buy your tickets just minutes before the ferry leaves.

 

 

This is one of the ferries headed in to Manarola while we were there:

 

 

A few more shots of Manarola: