12 Day Grand Mediterranean Review on the Norwegian Spirit

[Cruisercl]

Went on the same cruise last Apr/May...........loved it and would do it again in a minute!

Your review is great; love to hear what others took as shore excursions. :)

I will continue to read and reminisce. ;)

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this....:D

[nolatravelgirl]

Part 16

 

Sufficiently buzzed (we tasted 10 different wines across the two wineries!) our driver then drove us to the beautiful town of Cassis where we had free time to do as we pleased. She didn’t pressure us to any specific restaurants but pointed out several around town. We meandered a bit and decided on a pretty little restaurant near the square. We both ordered mussels and they were delicious. If I recall correctly this big cast iron pot of mussels was only 11 €.

 

[/url]

 

We then meandered through the streets and happened upon Autrefois Terrior a biscuit shop. I bought a small assortment of biscotti that were delicious.

 

 

We ran into some others from our tour and they had just stopped and bought this beautiful gelato.

 

We met back up with our tour guide where she had one more stop left. Thankfully this stop didn’t include any food or drink, just a beautiful view!

 

Our guide dropped us off back at the ship where we decided to hang out on the back tiered decks. Here was our view at sail away.

 

 

Tonight’s dinner was in the Windows MDR. We originally had reservations for Le Bistro but I wanted to try the MDR at some point. I was intrigued enough by the fried brie appetizer on the MDR menu. We made our way to the MDR and we only had to wait about 10 minutes in the holding area (seated) for a table. Hoping for something that was more along the lines of baked brie in puffed pastry I was bummed to find that it was along the lines of fried mozzarella sticks. It was just okay and one of the few dishes that I tried in 12 days that didn’t live up to the hype of the description. It wasn't bad, but I had built up a different dish in my mind. I have to say that I was pleased with the Windows MDR. It was spacious, nicely decorated and the majority of the tables were for 2 or 4. I have heard horror stories of being made to wait on other lines for tables of 10 or 12 to be seated before being seated. NCL Freestyle did a really good job of servicing small tables more like a "real" restaurant rather than the traditional cruise ship model. Based on this dining experience (my first in an NCL MDR) I would definitely dine again in the MDR.

 

TIP: All the specialty menus are on display in the buffet if you want to decide if it is something you may want to do. The specialty menus do not change night to night.

 

We again did not check the Daily and ended up having after dinner drinks in Maharini’s lounge. After yawning a lot it was off to bed.

 

For those interested in the tour:

 

Port of Provence - Wine Tour Around Cassis & Bandol

This tour is for a maximum of 8 persons. You need to book direct with the company

Tour costs 95 Euro per person.

Description of Provence Tour

[jlajr]

I've also enjoyed the review up until now, and look forward to the rest.

 

My last cruise, in late 2013, was on the Spirit, and a 2016 edition of your cruise is a possibility.

[cardbucfan]

OP-did you have any concerns about traffic or making it back to the ship in time? We are planning a trip to Aix and Cassis but of all I've read this can be the port with most time concerns due to traffic and we are scheduled to be there on a national holiday. Yikes!

[tmackel]

Love your review, can't wait to read more!

[nolatravelgirl]

OP-did you have any concerns about traffic or making it back to the ship in time? We are planning a trip to Aix and Cassis but of all I've read this can be the port with most time concerns due to traffic and we are scheduled to be there on a national holiday. Yikes!

We were back to the port probably 1.5 hours prior to all aboard. These tour operators are well aware about time and get you back in plenty of time.

 

I would be nervous going out on my own without a tour guide as I am not comfortable driving on streets I don't know and would worry about getting lost, but I would not hesitate using a reputable private tour operator who is familiar with the drive.

[Tyskie]

Glad to hear you enjoyed. We have this tour booked in 2weeks, can't wait! In fact we're doing a tapas tour in Barcelona - similar to yours. Thanks for the review & pictures.

[dexddd]

When we were last on the Spirit they had a wok station set up between portions of the buffet. It was kind of like a guy with a cart and burner with various foods. Did they still have something like that or even within the buffet itself?

[nolatravelgirl]

Part 17

Day 3 – Florence / Pisa

Port Time – 8am – 7pm

 

The next three days were going to be long touring days with long drives to and from the ports in Italy. First up was Livorno. Livorno was not a very picturesque port. The Italian ports were fairly expensive and as much as I wanted to do truly private touring it was just cost prohibitive IMHO. The next best thing was doing a tour share via “Rome in Limo.” We booked tour shares for Rome, Florence/Pisa and Naples so we got a $50 credit per tour (not per person) for each tour.

 

Rome in Limo has a tour sharing website where you can create a group for a specific day and ship. Others than can sign up and hold their spot with a credit card. One thing of note with RIL is that payment is made on the day of the excursion in cash, so be sure to bring cash!

 

We docked right on time. We grabbed a quick breakfast on the ship (breakfast offerings were all good and all the standard items were available – waffles, pancakes, eggs, cereals, etc.) before heading out to meet our guide. Nicola was our guide and she had a sign holding my name. We were in the same type of Mercedes van as the day before which meant two people sat in the front seat with the driver.

 

As we were driving to Pisa our guide Nicola donned a headset attached the car’s radio and gave us commentary on the passing landscape and also some historical information on what we were about to see. We pulled up practically right outside the Leaning Tower. One point of note with RIL is that these are drivers and they cannot accompany you inside the attractions. Niki let us out and said to meet her back at the appointed time. I think we had maybe 40 minutes, which was plenty time.

 

TIP: If you want a guide to walk you through each attraction then RIL is probably not for you. We did see several of the ship’s tour groups out and about at the various sites and they did have a tour guide lead them through each attraction. They also were each given headsets that were wirelessly connected to the guide so they could easily hear. The downside is the tour groups were in the 20-25 person groups.

 

You can’t visit Pisa without taking some funny photos!

 

 

 

There are several leaning buildings

 

We met back up with our guide and headed towards Florence. Before making our way to the walled city we stopped at a scenic overlook of the city of Florence where she pointed out the major sites and gave us a bit more history.

 

[jensravnaas]

Part 17

Day 3 – Florence / Pisa

Port Time – 8am – 7pm

 

The next three days were going to be long touring days with long drives to and from the ports in Italy. First up was Livorno. Livorno was not a very picturesque port. The Italian ports were fairly expensive and as much as I wanted to do truly private touring it was just cost prohibitive IMHO. The next best thing was doing a tour share via “Rome in Limo.” We booked tour shares for Rome, Florence/Pisa and Naples so we got a $50 credit per tour (not per person) for each tour.

 

Rome in Limo has a tour sharing website where you can create a group for a specific day and ship. Others than can sign up and hold their spot with a credit card. One thing of note with RIL is that payment is made on the day of the excursion in cash, so be sure to bring cash!

 

We docked right on time. We grabbed a quick breakfast on the ship (breakfast offerings were all good and all the standard items were available – waffles, pancakes, eggs, cereals, etc.) before heading out to meet our guide. Nicola was our guide and she had a sign holding my name. We were in the same type of Mercedes van as the day before which meant two people sat in the front seat with the driver.

 

As we were driving to Pisa our guide Nicola donned a headset attached the car’s radio and gave us commentary on the passing landscape and also some historical information on what we were about to see. We pulled up practically right outside the Leaning Tower. One point of note with RIL is that these are drivers and they cannot accompany you inside the attractions. Niki let us out and said to meet her back at the appointed time. I think we had maybe 40 minutes, which was plenty time.

 

TIP: If you want a guide to walk you through each attraction then RIL is probably not for you. We did see several of the ship’s tour groups out and about at the various sites and they did have a tour guide lead them through each attraction. They also were each given headsets that were wirelessly connected to the guide so they could easily hear. The downside is the tour groups were in the 20-25 person groups.

 

You can’t visit Pisa without taking some funny photos!

 

 

 

There are several leaning buildings

 

We met back up with our guide and headed towards Florence. Before making our way to the walled city we stopped at a scenic overlook of the city of Florence where she pointed out the major sites and gave us a bit more history.

 

I am doing this cruise in exactly one month, so I really enjoy reading your stories.

[nolatravelgirl]

Part 18

 

We snaked our way down into the city and while we were in the car Niki was “kind enough” to call a local restaurant near the church where would be visiting next and she had a “lovely” restaurant for us. She assured us it was not touristy and the food was “excellent.”

 

We were parked right next to the Basilica di Santa Croce where we had a few minutes to wander the plaza before our lunch reservation. I happened upon the beautiful Luciano’s leather shop and bought the most divine pair of red gloves.

 

Basilica di Santa Croce

 

Lovely red gloves!

 

We then were led by our guide to a plaza side restaurant and it should have been a red flag that it looked like nothing but tourists. We were seated quickly and our orders taken. Drinks were distributed and not 10 minutes later our entire meal was brought out in one swoop even though we ordered two courses.

 

I am not saying it was awful, but it wasn’t anything wonderful to write home about. I know what al dente pasta should taste like but this was just plain undercooked. After reading several trip advisor reviews many mentioned how their RIL driver called ahead and made them a reservation there.

 

TIP: water (even water in a carafe placed on the table) was extra. There was a clearly marked service charge on the bill so there is no need to tip anything additional.

 

Once again Nikki loaded us back into the van and we were dropped near Ponte Vecchio for a 45 minute stop. The shops on the bridge were incredibly expensive and even the gelato was overpriced! There is also a replica David nearby.

 

 

 

 

Next up the Duomo and The Accademia!

[Carlaclaw]

I'm loving all your photos so far. Thank you so much for the detailed posts. We will also be using Rome in Limo so I'm very curious to see how things went :)

[nanody]

NCL Spirit Room 10558

 

 

Sorry to go backwards, seeing that you had a balcony cabin was there a fridge in there... This seems to be a reoccurring question in many posts. I've not yet seen an answer for it.

Enjoying your review - love the wine tour you did!

[nolatravelgirl]

Sorry to go backwards, seeing that you had a balcony cabin was there a fridge in there... This seems to be a reoccurring question in many posts. I've not yet seen an answer for it.

Enjoying your review - love the wine tour you did!

The room did have a small mini bar fridge that was full of small liquors, water and soft drinks. These are not included in the UBP.

 

I don't think it was as cold as a regular home fridge so it may not be suitable for perishable food such as milk.

[fabnfortysomething]

Sorry to go backwards, seeing that you had a balcony cabin was there a fridge in there... This seems to be a reoccurring question in many posts. I've not yet seen an answer for it.

Enjoying your review - love the wine tour you did!

 

I can endorse the wine tour-we did the same one in 2012 and think we visited 3 wineries,1 specialising in white the others rose and red, Cassis and the scenic viewpoint were definitely required after the wine tasting to clear the head!

I recognise the guide as Gaetane

 

As to the fridge-at the time not all cabins had them-we requested one for medical purposes to store my husbands medication but have heard in a dry dock at least balcony cabins have been fitted with them

Edited September 12, 2015 by fabnfortysomething

[hdowney]

Yes I must make sure my Outside room on the Spirit has a fridge for my mothers insulin. We are sailing this itinerary October `16.

 

I have a fridge (already emptied) on my MSC cruise in April as they ask about that from the beginning.

[nanody]

Thank you heaps looking forward to more of your review

[nolatravelgirl]

Yes I must make sure my Outside room on the Spirit has a fridge for my mothers insulin. We are sailing this itinerary October `16.

 

I have a fridge (already emptied) on my MSC cruise in April as they ask about that from the beginning.

I certainly can't tell you what to do, but you should talk with your Mother's doctor about what temp insulin should be kept at. Prior to this cruise I had traveled nearly 20 years with my insulin dependent father. Insulin meds have come a long way and pre-filled pens can now be kept un-refrigerated for up to two weeks. The in room mini bar should be fine/excellent for 2 week storage. If you are really concerned you can make a cocoon of ice (from the room steward) then place the wrapped item in the mini fridge.

[hdowney]

I certainly can't tell you what to do, but you should talk with your Mother's doctor about what temp insulin should be kept at. Prior to this cruise I had traveled nearly 20 years with my insulin dependent father. Insulin meds have come a long way and pre-filled pens can now be kept un-refrigerated for up to two weeks. The in room mini bar should be fine/excellent for 2 week storage. If you are really concerned you can make a cocoon of ice (from the room steward) then place the wrapped item in the mini fridge.

 

No worries. Yep the pen and cartridge she is currently using can be kept at room temp (except when the temp flys into the 30+ degrees celcius (which has happened a few times!), but she always brings extra cartridges (especially on this cruise, which will be a couple days in Barcelona, followed by the 12 cruise, followed by time in Venice) and they are stored in the fridge :) I'd say the minibar will be perfect for storage, just to keep the item cool. Thanks :)

[nolatravelgirl]

Part 19

 

We again piled in the van and Nikki drove us within a block of the Duomo. I seem to recall only having about 30 minutes for pictures and a bit of wandering. I really wanted to go inside but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time for that.

 

 

 

You guessed it, back in the van we go! Nicki again got us within a block of the entrance to the Accademia. She illegally parked the van and we handed her our ticket vouchers where she popped into a shop and magically came out with our tickets. She showed us which line to join and said she would meet us back at the van at the appointed time. I don’t recall how much time we had, but the museum was smaller than I was expecting.

 

I didn’t check if there were audio guides to rent but I was in luck I had downloaded the Rick Steves Audio Europe guide. This was a huge help. Several of the tracks were walking tours of the major attractions. The Accademia was one of those tracks and I popped in my earbuds and proceeded to listen to the details rather than having to keep reading all the plaques. The track was only 20 minutes so it didn’t cover everything it did cover the major.

 

TIP: Download the Rick Steven Audio Guide. You also need to download the tracks so you don’t have to incur any overseas data charges.

 

 

I loved the room to the side that had hundreds of busts and plaster casts

 

 

Our time was drawing to an end so we had one last ride in the van. It was pretty quiet in the van and many of us dozed on the way back. With RIL you need to pay cash at the end and so I mentioned to everyone while we were at the Accademia to make sure they had cash available so we didn’t have a problem when back at the port.

 

Overall I thought RIL with my corresponding Rick Steve’s guide was a good way to see Florence/Pisa in a timely fashion. I liked being dropped near the attractions. I did feel like I was in visual information overload by the end of the day. RIL lets you see more attractions, but it may just all be “too much” for one day. The ship’s tours take in fewer attractions but you will likely get to spend more time at those attractions. RIL is great for seeing it “all” in a day but you are just scratching the surface.

 

[nolatravelgirl]

Part 20

 

We were hot and sweaty and a nice long shower felt good! I am pretty sure I mentioned this once already but I have to say I was very pleased with the shower water pressure and the water temps!

 

Dinner tonight was at Teppanyaki. We had the late seating at 9:30pm which was almost too late for my tastes. I would aim for the one prior. There are only 4 dining times for Teppanyaki and 10 seats at the table. At most 40 people may join each evening. I have to admit that I am a huge fan of this type of food. I know the show is corny and the food predictable, but I quite enjoyed it.

 

The chef on board the NCL Spirit was really good. He had a great show to entertain us. I ordered the land and sea combo and the steak was cooked perfectly. The protein portions were generous, though I would have liked an additional serving of the veggies!

 

 

 

 

We now take a short break from our regularly scheduled programming. We were heading down the coast of Italy and the temps were getting warmer. I wanted to share some of the things I packed to the beat the heat.

 

If you have never heard of Birchbox or Ipsy then I highly recommend that you hop on over and sign up! They are both subscription boxes that are $10 a month and send you tons of sample size products and many times full size items. I was able to stock my travel beauty case with lots of products including samples of two of my favorite products.

 

The Smashbox photo finish primer and Too Faced Shadow Insurance kept my makeup on my face rather than melting off and onto my clothes. I also get several “311 baggy” approved travel sized sunscreens that were specially formulated for the face.

 

My other holy grail beat the heat product is Body Glide to combat “chub rub”, which is expensive but thankfully I have now found a suitable drugstore alternative. Gold Bond Friction Defense is sold at Wal-Mart and is roughly half the cost of Body Glide. Bonus is that I can just pick it up locally rather than having to head to a specialty running shop to get it. I promise I am not a spokesman, just trying to help out as having chafe skin while walking is awful!

 

Now back to our cruise!

[Educators2]

loving your review. Can't wait until our cruise on the Spirit in less than one month.

[nolatravelgirl]

Part 21

 

Now back to our cruise!

 

Port: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Time in Port: 8:00am – 7:00pm

 

Based on everything I read this was going to be our most intense tour day. I had read the tour description on RIL website and it sounded like a lot to do in one day. There would be more stairs today so I decided to wear a long maxi dress and a pair of skechers. So far I had only been wearing flip flops as it was mostly light city touring up to this point.

 

We met our guide Nick (are you seeing a pattern that there are a lot of Nick/Nikki in Italy. This guy was larger than life and I don’t know if he was just playing the part but he totally sounded just like what you would think a hot Italian guy in a movie would sound like. He was hot and looked a lot like an Italian version of George Clooney except he didn’t have George’s money since he was working as a van driver. :) I will call him HIB (Hot Italian Boyfriend) for the remainder of this review.

 

We were a group of 8 and thankfully had a larger van today which made spreading out much easier. HIB told us some history of Rome on the drive into the city from the port. The drive took about an hour and twenty minutes. He told us that his friends call him Nicaloni de Americano because he is a big guy and he loves to ride Harleys. I am not sure if I believe him or if he was just pandering to us as Americans, even still he was nice to look at so he can tell me whatever he wants.

 

We pulled up outside St Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica and parked illegally. HIB got out and pointed out the signs on the building marking how high the water had gotten in the city during many of the floods that occurred before the city was built up with flood defense. This was rather poignant for me considering 10 years earlier on this day I had just left my home in New Orleans not realizing that I was getting ready to lose almost every worldly possession I owned.

 

 

We then walked a block and he showed us the sides of the Pantheon and how much of the marble had been stripped. HIB then got a bit political and said that the Vatican “stole” the marble from the Italians. He gave us a bit of time to explore the Pantheon and met him back at the van.

 

To admit to a blonde moment I got the Pantheon and Parthenon confused and was confused when we just walked right in.

 

TIP: Learn the difference between the Pantheon and Parthenon

 

 

 

Rain can get into the Pantheon so be sure to look for the drain holes on the floor!

 

[nolatravelgirl]

Part 22

 

We hopped back in the van and we sped over to Altare della Patria where there was a big round about outside. HIB circled a few times pointing out the major sites. He finally pulled over and we got to hop out and cross over to the piazza in the middle to take our pictures. HIB continued to circle since he couldn’t really park. Anyone else having flashbacks to European Vacation “Look kids! Big Ben! Parliament”

 

The “Wedding Cake”

[

 

Mussolini’s Balcony

 

We crossed back over and HIB pulled over for us to hop back in. We drove just a little ways to this pretty overlook on the Roman Forum. HIB said he wasn’t really supposed to be driving this close but he said we likely won’t get caught. HIB explained several of the ruins and we got to take a few more photos.

 

Arch of Septimius Severus

 

Roman ruins

 

I was starting to feel like I was on some sort of Amazing Race scavenger hunt as we kept jumping out all over town to take photos.

 

Edited September 13, 2015 by nolatravelgirl

[nanody]

The theme song to Mission Impossible comes to mind MI with HIB! [emoji23]

Edited September 13, 2015 by nanody