The Great Adventure! VISION OF THE SEAS 12-Night Med Cruise: A Full PICTORIAL Review!

[TxStacey]

Good Morning Nicole! Your pictures are spectacular as usual. One question..you sort of mentioned that you had wished that you had known the shopping in Florence was so good compared to your other upcoming stops. I am a shopper and will have my daughter and some other friends with us that also like to shop. Could you give me a run down of what is good to buy and where? I am specifically wanting to buy a painting of the Italian countryside. I know leather in Florence but any other insight would be awesome! Our itinerary is the following:

 

Barcelona Spain

Mallorca Spain

Provence (Marceilles) France

Florence Italy

Rome Italy

Naples Italy

 

Thanks! You are awesome!

[Davorah]

Great review Nicole, excellent pictures and commentary ! I was in Europe this summer on a land tour, visiting some of the same cities as you and am reliving my trip.

 

TxStacey - I would suggest clothes shopping to be saved for Barcelona as I found the prices here to be best especially for Spanish owned stores such as Zara and Mango. I like the store Promod - this is from France and will probably have the best prices there. There are a number of stores that the Zara group owns which I liked as well including Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius.

 

Provence is known for lavender and of course Herbs de Provence, also excellent seafood

 

Naples (Sorrento / Capri) is known for lemon based products (Limoncello) and I would try the pastry called Sfogliatella which is from this area

 

Rome 's Piazza Navona is known to have artist's sell their works and you might be able to find a painting of the Italian countryside here

 

Based on a recommendation and written about in a local Italian magazine I tried Pizzaurim in Rome for Roman style Pizza, excellent food and was told this place was visited on a food tour as well (address: Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Roma, Italy)

 

Florence but I am not sure which area would sell paintings, if you like steak try the Florentine steak here as well, my fellow travelers raved about it

 

I found shopping in grocery stores to be best if wanting to buy food for souvenirs

Hope these tips help and enjoy your upcoming holiday in the Mediterranean

[TxStacey]

Great review Nicole, excellent pictures and commentary ! I was in Europe this summer on a land tour, visiting some of the same cities as you and am reliving my trip.

 

TxStacey - I would suggest clothes shopping to be saved for Barcelona as I found the prices here to be best especially for Spanish owned stores such as Zara and Mango. I like the store Promod - this is from France and will probably have the best prices there. There are a number of stores that the Zara group owns which I liked as well including Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius.

 

Provence is known for lavender and of course Herbs de Provence, also excellent seafood

 

Naples (Sorrento / Capri) is known for lemon based products (Limoncello) and I would try the pastry called Sfogliatella which is from this area

 

Rome 's Piazza Navona is known to have artist's sell their works and you might be able to find a painting of the Italian countryside here

 

Based on a recommendation and written about in a local Italian magazine I tried Pizzaurim in Rome for Roman style Pizza, excellent food and was told this place was visited on a food tour as well (address: Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Roma, Italy)

 

Florence but I am not sure which area would sell paintings, if you like steak try the Florentine steak here as well, my fellow travelers raved about it

 

I found shopping in grocery stores to be best if wanting to buy food for souvenirs

Hope these tips help and enjoy your upcoming holiday in the Mediterranean

 

Thank you so much! This information is very helpful!

[cruzinlady1947]

A very beautifully written review, with photos to match. I am enjoying this review and want to thank you for taking the time to do it. By the way.....I love your choice of music and artist. ;)

 

Looking forward to the "rest of the story".....

 

 

Gwen :)

[made in canada]

great review cannot wait for more

[RVfromAZ]

Amazing review! Looking forward to reading more! Thanks for sharing your adventures!

[camofwilliamsburg]

Enjoying your review.

[Nicole721]

Another flawless update! I was hoping (and well assuming) you would stop for some gelato, I just had some from Mariano's the other day, wish I was eating it in Italy like you lucky ladies were!

 

Your pictures are divine. I think you can be a professional cruise reviewer

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yummm. I live half a block from a Marianos. $1.50 for two scoops? Best.

 

Wow, I can't wait to visit Florence. What a beautiful city.

Was your room on the port side of the ship? Our balcony is on the port side and I am hoping that I can look at the beautiful shoreline.:):):)

 

I believe our room was on the port side, yes :D

 

[Nicole721]

Yay!!! What an amazing update. Hope you enjoyed both of your trips.

 

Your pictures are amazing ... you almost have me forgetting that I'm going on a Caribbean cruise in 9 days. I almost wish I was going to the European one instead!! I'll be doing so much planning for this adventure.

 

Thanks, girl! Let me know how that cruise of yours goes! :)

 

Good morning,

...and WOW! I feel like I am on the cruise with you, your mom and sister. Our group visited the same leather factory in Florence and came away with some beautiful bags. Also visited Santa Croce for more great leather and GELATO. We were treated to Andrea Bocelli over the ship's loud speakers as we pulled into Venice. Honestly, reading your review is like re-living my trip.

As for the Leaning Tower on Touhy Avenue in Niles (or is Skokie there?)...........well, you know you'll have to visit the real thing on your next trip.

Can't wait for Rome...

Susan

 

I think it's Niles! Either way, I think we'll be making a return to La Spezia in May and Pisa will be on our list if we do!

 

Rome post coming your way. Hope you enjoy!

[Nicole721]

Good Morning Nicole! Your pictures are spectacular as usual. One question..you sort of mentioned that you had wished that you had known the shopping in Florence was so good compared to your other upcoming stops. I am a shopper and will have my daughter and some other friends with us that also like to shop. Could you give me a run down of what is good to buy and where? I am specifically wanting to buy a painting of the Italian countryside. I know leather in Florence but any other insight would be awesome! Our itinerary is the following:

 

Barcelona Spain

Mallorca Spain

Provence (Marceilles) France

Florence Italy

Rome Italy

Naples Italy

 

Thanks! You are awesome!

 

Sure!

 

Barcelona Spain -- We bought honey and some local liquors in Montserrat

Mallorca Spain -- Didn't visit on this trip

Provence (Marceilles) France -- Didn't visit on this trip but anytime you're in France, you'll want to pick up cosmetics/skincare (French skincare products are far superior) and perfume

Florence Italy -- Leather, art, scarves, textiles

Rome Italy -- Most of our time in Rome was spent sightseeing so we didn't get to explore the shopping :(

Naples Italy -- Buy a wooden music box. Seriously. You won't regret it. I'll touch on it for you when I get to the Naples post :) We also picked up some (more) perfume in Naples. Limoncello, too.

 

Great review Nicole, excellent pictures and commentary ! I was in Europe this summer on a land tour, visiting some of the same cities as you and am reliving my trip.

 

TxStacey - I would suggest clothes shopping to be saved for Barcelona as I found the prices here to be best especially for Spanish owned stores such as Zara and Mango. I like the store Promod - this is from France and will probably have the best prices there. There are a number of stores that the Zara group owns which I liked as well including Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius.

 

Provence is known for lavender and of course Herbs de Provence, also excellent seafood

 

Naples (Sorrento / Capri) is known for lemon based products (Limoncello) and I would try the pastry called Sfogliatella which is from this area

 

Rome 's Piazza Navona is known to have artist's sell their works and you might be able to find a painting of the Italian countryside here

 

Based on a recommendation and written about in a local Italian magazine I tried Pizzaurim in Rome for Roman style Pizza, excellent food and was told this place was visited on a food tour as well (address: Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Roma, Italy)

 

Florence but I am not sure which area would sell paintings, if you like steak try the Florentine steak here as well, my fellow travelers raved about it

 

I found shopping in grocery stores to be best if wanting to buy food for souvenirs

Hope these tips help and enjoy your upcoming holiday in the Mediterranean

 

Thank you!

[Nicole721]

A very beautifully written review, with photos to match. I am enjoying this review and want to thank you for taking the time to do it. By the way.....I love your choice of music and artist. ;)

 

Looking forward to the "rest of the story".....

 

 

Gwen :)

 

Thank you so much, Gwen! :)

 

great review cannot wait for more

 

Rome coming your way tonight!

[Nicole721]

Amazing review! Looking forward to reading more! Thanks for sharing your adventures!

 

Thanks for reading along, Roberta!

 

Enjoying your review.

 

Glad to hear it!

[Nicole721]

Mille viae ducont homines per saecula Romam. “A thousand roads lead men forever to Rome.” All roads lead to Rome. We didn’t follow a road to Rome, per se – we sailed in on a very large ship – but this entire adventure was centered on this port for me. Of all of the places I wanted to go and all of the things I wanted to see, Rome was towards the top.

 

It took us months (literally) to figure out what we were going to do. Colosseum? Sistine Chapel? Trevi Fountain? Spanish Steps? Vatican City? What about the Pantheon? The Piazza Navona? Santa Maria in Trastevere? We needed to have some pasta, that was undisputed. And wine. We needed to sip on Italian wine while we were in Rome.

 

Royal Caribbean offered dozens of excursions for Rome, but only one that hit all of the major spots:

 

See the essential sights of the Italian capital in a smaller group, limited to 26 guests per vehicle. At the Vatican, you'll tour St. Peter's Basilica and the museums, including the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. Visit the massive Colosseum amphitheater, site of ancient Roman spectacles, and admire the Baroque splendor of the Trevi Fountain. Relax on a commentated panoramic drive that will showcase key monuments and landmarks, and enjoy lunch at a 5-star venue.

 

The “Exclusive: Best of Rome” tour. And it sold out while we were beginning to book our excursions, leaving me with my very own version of Sophie’s Choice where I had to triage the importance of each site. Did I need to see the Trevi Fountain? Would I rather see the Sistine Chapel or the inside of the Colosseum?

 

Stephanie checked in on availability every day and, in some kind of measure of divinity, a few slots opened up a couple of weeks before we left. It wasn’t cheap (~$350/pp) and I’m sure we could have saved some money booking with a private company, but the port at Civitavecchia was a long ways away from Rome proper and we just felt safer with that extra reassurance that if traffic or crowds kept us from making back onboard time, the ship would still be waiting for us.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Nicole721

[Nicole721]

Rise and Shine, Roma

 

The ship was navigating into the port at Civitavecchia when we woke up bright and early at 6:00 am. We had an early meeting time on our excursion tickets, which meant we were up way earlier than is rational for any kind of vacation. Our stateroom window was frosted in early morning dew, but we could see rays of sunlight peeking through, giving promise to the day ahead.

 

 

I’ve found that the key to a peaceful early wakeup is two things: firstly (and most obviously), coffee. Caffeine will make anything better. Secondly, though, is making sure all prep for the next day’s activities is done the night before. For us, that meant outfits picked out, shoes lined up, camera batteries charged and purses packed and ready to go. So as the ship docked in Civitavecchia, we quickly (and efficiently) got ready for a long day of touring and headed up to the Windjammer for a quick breakfast.

 

Unlike our first two port days in Cannes and Florence, the Windjammer was packed and we couldn’t find a single table inside. It was the first time we really felt any crowding issues onboard. The Windjammer staff were slow to clear off any dirty tables and we didn’t really have time to waste, so we headed outside and dined al fresco, where there were plenty of open tables and we had a primo view of the pier.

 

 

Once we were full and I had two cups of coffee running some much needed caffeine through my body, we headed down to the Some Enchanted Evening lounge to get our stickers and meet our tour. Because we were booked on the exclusive tour, our tour group was capped at 26 and there wasn’t so much of a rush to get on the bus.

 

[Nicole721]

Civitavecchi-ugh

 

When they announced sticker #4, our group was gathered at the front of the lounge and escorted down to the gangway and led to our tour bus. To be frank, the pier at Civitavecchia was downright disgusting, covered in a thick layer of bird droppings across the pavement and an impermeable stench of rotten fish wafting through the air (which made more sense given that Civitavecchia is an industrial port that deals primarily in fish).

 

We began to realize that, unlike the Caribbean, most of the ports we were (and would be) docking in were industrial ports that weren’t built to cater to tourists. So unlike the Caribbean, there weren’t shops and restaurants nearby and if you aren’t on an excursion or have a pre-booked tour, and you’re not looking to explore what local life looks like in these industrial villages around the ports, there’s not much to wing it with in some of these ports. No taxi’s lined up at the pier, no drivers hocking tours.

 

Thankfully, it was only a short walk from the gangway to our tour bus. We were taken aback, at first, to be led to a full size motorcoach since the description of our tour was very specific that it be limited to 26 guests and we couldn’t imagine that they’d use a full motorcoach for a group so small. Alas, our group was exactly 26, which gave us plenty of room to spread out on this rather luxe bus, with leather seats and primo air conditioning (a relief to us, as there was a warning in the excursion packet saying that the air conditioning may not be up to US standards on any tours in Rome).

 

 

As the driver pulled out and we began the hour and a half drive to Rome, our tour guide for the day, Laura, introduced herself and detailed the day ahead: a stop at the Trevi Fountain followed by a tour through the Colosseum (as soon as it reopened for the day from the morning strikes – a big relief for us!), lunch at a top notch hotel and then an entire afternoon touring Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel.

 

 

 

The little fishing village made way to rolling green hillsides as we made our way towards Rome.

 

 

 

About a half hour into our drive, the bus pulled off at a gas station to make a comfort stop for anyone who needed to use the restrooms. Laura handed out cold water bottles as everyone re-boarded the coach and we pulled back onto the highway towards Rome.

 

[Nicole721]

Do as the Romans Do

 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so trying to hit all of the highlights in one was going to be a massive undertaking, but we were on the right tour with the right guide to get as much out of our one day as we could. Laura was a living encyclopedia of Roman history and regaled us with stories of the history and culture as we made our way towards the city. We faced heavy traffic entering the city, but with Laura providing a colorful history lesson on a city she clearly loved, the drive passed quickly.

 

 

 

The landscape outside our windows shifted quickly when we entered Rome. It was like we were entering a whole new world. One minute, it was non-descript buildings in industrial areas and the next, it was restaurants and shops mingling with high-end designer stores, surrounded by ruins of a society that once was. Rome has such a concentration of culture and I was immediately enthralled.

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Our first stop for the day was the Trevi Fountain. The Colosseum was closed in the morning due to the strikes and Laura wanted us to see the fountain before all of the other tour groups and crowds arrived. Our bus dropped us off a few blocks away and Laura led us on the short walk, giving us the history of the fountain as we walked. Even though our tour was advertised as a strenuous activity level, Laura maintained a slow, even pace throughout the day. We weren’t in a rush, we were in Rome!

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

While the Trevi Fountain is known now as a tourist spot that seems to appear in every romcom that takes place in Italy, it has quite the history behind it. The story behind the Trevi Fountain dates all the way back to 19 BC, when thirsty Roman soldiers were led to pure water by a beautiful, young girl. The Romans constructed an aqueduct from the water source to the city and named it Aqua Virgo (Virgin Waters) in honor of the girl, with a fountain to mark the end of the aqueduct. Hundreds of years later in the mid-1600s, the Pope commissioned famed Italian artist and architect Gian Bernini to renovate the fountain and though Bernini’s vision for the fountain never actually came to fruition (the project died with Pope Urban VIII), some of Bernini’s concepts were used by Nicola Salvi, the architect who ultimately designed the Trevi Fountain in the 1700s. The fountain was completed in 1762 and repaired in 1998, but a full restoration of the fountain has been underway since 2013 and is expected to be completed sometime this year. This meant that our visit wouldn’t be to the grand Trevi Fountain, but rather, a Trevi Fountain that was drained and covered in scaffolding.

 

 

 

 

 

Legend has it that if you toss a coin in over your left shoulder with your right hand with your back turned, you’ll return to Rome and clearly, I needed to ensure a return to Rome to see this fountain once restorations were complete. Tossing in two coins would bring you love, and if you toss in three, it brings divorce! Even though the fountain was drained, during renovations, they have a small pool where you can toss in a coin.

 

 

[Nicole721]

I thought the fountain was magnificent, even covered in scaffolding and incompletely visible. Laura timed our visit perfectly – we arrived before all other groups and had just enough time to get some unobstructed pictures and work our way to the front of the pool to toss a coin in without fighting against hundreds of people trying to do the same. We had some free time to explore the area, so once we tossed our coins in, we set off to explore. If you’re looking to buy traditional souvenirs in Rome, this is the stop you want to do it at, as the prices are the best and the selection is the widest. Beyond keychains and magnets, you’ll also find plenty of gelateria’s, coffee shops and even vendors selling hot roasted chestnuts on the street.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

I figured if the gelato shop was open, it wasn’t too early to have a little morning sweet treat and it was just as good as I’d hoped it would be. Gelato just tastes better when you’re eating it across from the Trevi Fountain.

 

 

 

We had just under an hour at the Trevi Fountain but the difference from the time we arrived to the time we left was staggering – we had to push through a never-ending sea of tourists trying to push their way to the front on our way out. Pro tip: if you want to visit the Trevi Fountain, the earlier the better.

[Nicole721]

The bus was waiting for us in the same spot it left us at and we quickly reboarded and began the drive to the Colosseum. I kept my eyes peeled, waiting for that first glimpse of this structure that has become synonymous with the city of Rome.

 

 

 

 

 

And then, there it was, right in front of me.

 

[Nicole721]

Our driver left us off at the top of a hill, and Laura assured everyone our pickup would not require a return walk uphill – the driver would pick us up elsewhere. As we strolled the blocks towards the Colosseum, Laura gave us another history lesson through our earpieces. The Colosseum is a large amphitheater in the center of Rome, constructed in 72 AD to hold upwards of 87,000 patrons at a time. It’s best known for the gladiator fights that used to take place there, but the Colosseum has also housed classical plays and dramatic reenactments.

 

 

 

Very few of the excursions offered through the ship do an interior tour of the Colosseum (most do a photo stop of the exterior) and even though there was a strike shutting down entrance for the morning and the ship wouldn’t guarantee entrance, Laura had been able to pre-purchase our tickets, so once the gates opened, we’d be able to enter. We arrived a little earlier than scheduled, so we had a bit of time to wait outside the entrance and admire the façade. The Colosseum is physically imposing and like just about everything else I saw on this trip, I was overwhelmed by it before we even entered. Standing there, taking it in, was unreal. I was really in Rome. I was standing in front of this structure I’d spent hours reading about during Roman studies of my World History classes. Laura was pontificating about whether or not this was the site of persecution of Christians during the Roman empire and all I had running through my head was “Holy **** this is really the Colosseum” and that all roads had actually led me here.

 

 

 

 

And as I was quickly realizing, if you find a structure in Europe you can attach a lock to, people have probably attached a lock to it.

 

[Nicole721]

As soon as the Colosseum opened to visitors, Laura led us in, tickets already in hand. Lines bottlenecked at security but it wasn’t long before we crossed inside.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Standing inside this space, with such a fabled history, it was beyond words amazing. It’s a can’t miss if you have any kind of affinity or appreciation for history. As Laura pointed out the barracks, the boxes and everything with any kind of significance, it all came to life in my head – that I was standing in the same space where people would watch Gladiators fight to the death hundreds and hundreds of years ago.