Emerald Princess Rome to Barcelona September 26 -October 3 2015 in photos and video

[Bimmer09]

Big tour buses can't get into the center of Florence where all the goodies are so our driver had to pull over on a street a few hundred yards away from our first stop-L'Accademia where the big draw is Michelangelo's statue of David who doesn't wear any underpants making it impossible for Goliath to give him a "wedgie" in their battle. I can't even say David has a surprise up his sleeve as he's not wearing a shirt either.

 

So here we are walking on the narrow sidewalks of Florence following Paula who has a sign held up. She sets a good pace. We have already put on our radio receivers and earphones so we can hear her.

 

We come to a narrow street where she has us wait while she goes inside to get our tickets. There are already lines at 8.30 a.m for people without reservations.

 

Carol waiting in line

 

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I look around for something to photograph while I am waiting.

 

 

Ordinary folks going about their morning business

 

 

 

While standing we were a captive audience for the ladies selling Pashminas or the Nigerian men selling leather handbags who are either in every Italian city or are following us around on our cruise.

 

Soon Paula ushers us forward and we go in and pass our bags through the X Ray scanner under the watchful eyes of security. As we have been on a bus for over an hour our first stop is the bathrooms downstairs...

 

 

Let's go back upstairs and see David...

[Bimmer09]

David draws a crowd

 

If you came hoping to gaze quietly at David and take all those shots you have planned then your hopes may be dashed when you walk in and see a crowd before you. Just be patient but ready to hit the shutter button when the opportunity arises. Also the chances are that some of the people waiting outside to buy tickets are pickpockets as conditions within are ideal for their profession.

They are the ones not taking photos I guess.

 

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I'm getting closer...

 

 

Some folks had selfie sticks but were told to put them away by security.

 

 

I had to shoot over the heads and outstretched arms of people, unable to get David's feet in this next shot.

 

 

I moved to one side

 

 

 

 

More to come

[esmo]

Norris – I too am coming out of Lurkerville (love that!) to let you know how much I am enjoying reading this. When I see your name on a review/travelogue I immediately subscribe and then check many times a day to see if you have updated. (Shhh…don’t tell them at work!). Thanks you so much for taking the time to share. One day we’ll make it on this itinerary! It was your reviews of Alaska that were the final tipping point in getting my husband on our Alaska cruise.

OK – scuttling back into the alley to peer out.

Esmo (aka Kathy).

[Bimmer09]

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People keep coming in as others leave

 

 

A hallway that doesn't have David in it, nearby

 

 

More to follow

[Bimmer09]

Norris – I too am coming out of Lurkerville (love that!) to let you know how much I am enjoying reading this. When I see your name on a review/travelogue I immediately subscribe and then check many times a day to see if you have updated. (Shhh…don’t tell them at work!). Thanks you so much for taking the time to share. One day we’ll make it on this itinerary! It was your reviews of Alaska that were the final tipping point in getting my husband on our Alaska cruise.

OK – scuttling back into the alley to peer out.

Esmo (aka Kathy).

 

Kathy, thanks for coming out of the alley to say such kind words.

If one of my Alaska reviews helped get you up there then that is very gratifying indeed. We loved our Alaska cruises and will go back. It's already been three years since we were there.

 

Plenty more coming up. All lurkers welcome!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I stepped away from David for a short while to be away from the crowd.

 

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There are some paintings here too

 

 

 

I asked one of the Docents if they had a Thomas Kincade section but they just looked at me like I was weird.

 

Just then I heard Paula's voice in my ear saying it was time to leave but first we would pass through the gift shop

[Bimmer09]

They have a gift counter just after the security checkpoint

 

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The main gift shop however is on the way to the exit back to the street

 

 

 

 

They had no fridge magnets, alas

[jsm4730]

Norris,

 

I first happened upon your review of the January 2015 Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Ruby and after I finished it I needed more! It is like reading the last page of a book you love and then discovering the author has many more books you can devour. The Mediterranean is my favorite part of the world so this review can't be beat... unless your Sept 2014 Ocean Princess review turns out to be better. Many thanks for all the work you put into your reviews.

 

Janet

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

I first happened upon your review of the January 2015 Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Ruby and after I finished it I needed more! It is like reading the last page of a book you love and then discovering the author has many more books you can devour. The Mediterranean is my favorite part of the world so this review can't be beat... unless your Sept 2014 Ocean Princess review turns out to be better. Many thanks for all the work you put into your reviews.

 

Janet

 

Janet, thanks for the kind words re my rambles/Gentleman's Seafaring Journals.

 

I'm glad you stumbled upon that Ruby review. That was a great cruise for us.

 

Nothing so far beats the Med when it comes to getting off the ship in port.

Even the ports where you start and finish are stunning places and as we like to get there early and leave late after the cruise that adds a lot of icing on the cake.

 

Ocean Princess was great due to Venice and Rome and for introducing us to Croatia and Malta. Great itinerary. The ship was a beauty and we hope to sail on an R class ship again with Azamara or Oceania, if not Pacific Princess.

 

If you read the Ocean Princess one (after this one maybe) watch out for missing photos that say "Photo not available". Just click on the big X and you'll see it on Flickr. It means toggling back and forth but the photos are essential to the review.

 

Thanks for joining us here. Hope to hear from you again.

 

Norris

[jtagphillycruiser]

Wowzers....it's getting so good. Could you only imagine if your group could have the place all to yourselves with sweet David.....hmmmm

 

Joanne

[Fan of cruising]

Elite members can request to their cabin in the afternoon too :)

 

Sadly it will be awhile before I hit elite. But I have my eye on the prize!

 

Thanks!

[Bimmer09]

And we're walking....

Just so you know what lies ahead if you book this excursion in 2016, we walked a total of 3.2 miles today( a lady wore a Fitbit) in Florence, much of it along narrow sidewalks in narrow streets with cars going by. The walk back to the bus after the Uffizi was about a mile along such streets. If you are a Zulu tribeswoman who walks 10 miles each way in the morning returning with a huge pitcher of water on your head then 3.2 miles is nothing. For a lot of people though it may be an ordeal on that last mile.

 

The tourist towns are overcrowded and the big buses have to be kept out of the centers. So you walk. And walk.

 

We were walking to the Duomo-Florence cathedral, whose full name is cattedrale di Santa Maria del flore (St Mary of the Flowers)

 

It has a giant dome by Brunelleschi and the buildings were finished in 1436, having been begun in 1296 from a design by Arnolfo di Cambio. Marble is the main material on the facade and brick for the dome. The Dome is 376 feet high and you (not me) can climb up stairs for a view near the top. I'll wait for you down here.

Here's some pics

 

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What a head-turner facade!

 

 



 



 



 

[Bimmer09]

Wowzers....it's getting so good. Could you only imagine if your group could have the place all to yourselves with sweet David.....hmmmm

 

Joanne

 

Joanne, he's not so sweet.

 

I got close enough to have a word with him.

 

He said "Dude, you should have been there! I whacked him with one stone bro!

Dude was pissed" (he then gave that one hand,thumb and pinkie finger Hawaiian hand gesture that I find annoying.)

 

I said "whatever" and walked away.

 

But if you like him that's all that matters.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

As you can see we had the place all to ourselves...

 

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People staring at the famous Ghiberti doors- the Gates of Paradise on the Baptistry facade.

 

 

The building is under renovation

 

 

 

Horse and carriage rides available

 

 

First glimpse of the dome

 

 

More to come

[Bimmer09]

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I couldn't wander away from the group, closer to the Dome to get better shots as we were about to move on....

 

 

Let's walk on....

[Kauai Kid]

Norris,

Still loving the thread. Pictures are wonderful.

I'll be following you on your X cruise also. Can you give me /us the dates?

Mark.

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

Still loving the thread. Pictures are wonderful.

I'll be following you on your X cruise also. Can you give me /us the dates?

Mark.

 

Mark-I'm happy to know you are still following!

 

The Silhouette cruise is January 17 to 24 with a day before and after in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Our first X cruise and on a ship I've always admired from afar. I'll review on the X board and then probably do a comparison review and post it on both boards later using my Princess photos but it will be Grand Class vs S Class as I don't plan sailing on the Royal class anytime soon.

 

Aft suite on Silhouette so the suites will be a good place to start a comparison.

 

Itinerary only covers San Juan PR, St Maarten and St Kitts with total of 3 sea days. Can't wait!

 

Thanks for asking, Mark.

 

Norris

[tigerbeth]

Norris, loving your ramblings as usual . Love that part of the world & hope to go back one day !

When we visited we took a private tour , small bus with less walking ,great guide very flexible with our itinerary, let us spend more time in places we were interested in .

Our time with David ,wasn't as crowded however we weren't allowed to take photos !!!!

Looking forward to reading the next episode !

[Kauai Kid]

Norris,

Thanks for the information. We've cruised X and really like there ships, but have been with Princess for the last 10 years. We really feel at home on the Grand Class.

Mark

[Bimmer09]

Norris, loving your ramblings as usual . Love that part of the world & hope to go back one day !

When we visited we took a private tour , small bus with less walking ,great guide very flexible with our itinerary, let us spend more time in places we were interested in .

Our time with David ,wasn't as crowded however we weren't allowed to take photos !!!!

Looking forward to reading the next episode !

 

WOW- not allowed to take photos??!!

 

Private tour sounds good but we never even thought about it-we might have been able to use Rome in Limo but for way more $$ considering transfer from Livorno.

 

The crowds-on a Wednesday with just one ship in Livorno- took me by surprise.

 

OK next episode coming right up!

 

Thanks for popping in and letting me know you're here.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

Thanks for the information. We've cruised X and really like there ships, but have been with Princess for the last 10 years. We really feel at home on the Grand Class.

Mark

 

Mark we feel the same way on the Grand Class-but are keen to see what else is out there. Just time for something new. We are both curious about Azamara too for the small ship/overnights experience. So many choices. Carnival nor NCL ever figure in my daydreams though.Ditto Costa and MSC. Oceania is a contender.

 

Carol wants to do a TA someday and that would give us a reason to try Queen Mary 2.

 

It's fun to think of all the places a ship can take you to. We've even looked at Diamond Princess from Sydney to Perth as Carol has a lot of relatives in the latter.

 

Back to the review in hand...

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

We're walking again and this time to Piazza della Signoria, the central square of the city.

 

We're walking on a wide street with shops either side and I always like to look in to see daily life being lived.

 

Here's one with a back wall of melted chocolate-the biggest chocolate fountain I've ever seen. The smell was intoxicating!

 

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Passing a side street

 

 

 

Postal delivery

 

 



 

[Bimmer09]

Of course I would like to spend more time in Florence someday. It would be nice to be there after the tourist coaches leave for the day:to sit and have a nice dinner outdoors and to see the Italians out for a stroll. To sleep and wake up there.

 

Not this time. This is just 7 hours on the streets and in the crowded museums without the flexibility to go where we like.

 

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Gelato!

 

 

 



 

 

It's a church and museum

 

 

 

 

Still to come....

 

Piazza della Signoria

Ponte Vecchio

Coffee in the Piazza

Lunch

Uffizi Gallery

Death march to bus

[Bimmer09]

* This marks my 300th post in this review in 20 days. Yikes! We are currently on day 7 ( day 5 of cruise) of our 11 days in Europe. Just a couple more hundred posts and I'm done. This calls for a beer!

 

We enter a square which I have seen on TV before as some of the buildings are familiar. I am still listening to our guide through the earphones but am distracted with taking photos and trying to avoid other tourists taking their photos. Wary of pickpockets too. Got my money belt on of course.

Seen this before?

 

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A very good long time friend of ours worked in Florence for a couple of years after leaving college and married his sweetheart in this very building (above)

 

 



 

 

 

Around the square there were cafes and I could smell that dizzying aroma of espresso. Every fiber of my being longed to be lifting a cup to my parched lips...

 

By the way- if you want the names and history of these buildings you see you can search Piazza della Signoria on Wikipedia and have everything explained.

[jtagphillycruiser]

Norris: I remember that gelato shop.....yum yum. Hubby & I talk about returning to Florence for a land trip with a few days by train to Venice. In 2013, we toured Florence with Rome in Limo - it was a long & exhausting day. Your pictures are fantastic. I loved seeing the Tuscan countryside.

 

Joanne