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

[RNGALNG]

Simply amazing that these structures still stand. . . all these years later. Having lived with an engineer for the past 38 years and knowing what is involved in designing something like this, I am in awe. I think if I had been there (on your tour) my mouth would have remained open the full time and I would not have remembered to point and shoot the camera(s)!

 

Thank you so much for taking all of us there so we too could admire the past.

[Bimmer09]

Simply amazing that these structures still stand. . . all these years later. Having lived with an engineer for the past 38 years and knowing what is involved in designing something like this, I am in awe. I think if I had been there (on your tour) my mouth would have remained open the full time and I would not have remembered to point and shoot the camera(s)!

 

Thank you so much for taking all of us there so we too could admire the past.

 

I am glad I had to opportunity to see it for myself and to share it with you.

Going forward everything we see will be from much later times.

 

Thanks for the response!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Once back over the bridge you can take a look back at where you have been

 

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There is a bookshop so you can continue learning after you leave. If you rented an audio guide to take advantage of the street markers you saw then return it here.

 

 

The restrooms are on the far side of the bookshop as you leave the bridge...down a short ramp-just follow the guy in blue on the right

 

 

If you didn't visit a cameo shop you would have had time for an espresso or cold drink and a snack before entering the site or after. There's a nest of shops between the buses and the site entrance. We had 15 minutes to get back to the bus but for a lady using the restrooms her time would be absorbed by the wait and the walk. I did my fridge magnet shopping but had no time for a coffee or a beer as I like to sip and savor

.

 

 

 

 

Back on the bus!

[dott]

Norris -. I feel like I'm in the classroom of Ancient History 101 surrounded by your photos and actually learning so much being there with you. You are a great storyteller.

Looking forward to the next stop.

[richsea]

We visited Pompeii on our last visit to Naples, & thought it was fascinating, but seeing your photos, I think that Herculaneum would be even more so. It looks like a town that is still alive today. Your photos of the poor souls lost are hauntingly beautiful, & very moving.

 

Can't wait for the rest of your journey.

[Bimmer09]

Norris -. I feel like I'm in the classroom of Ancient History 101 surrounded by your photos and actually learning so much being there with you. You are a great storyteller.

Looking forward to the next stop.

 

Thanks Dott.

 

Next stop will be Florence!

 

First I have to spend some time on the ship.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

We visited Pompeii on our last visit to Naples, & thought it was fascinating, but seeing your photos, I think that Herculaneum would be even more so. It looks like a town that is still alive today. Your photos of the poor souls lost are hauntingly beautiful, & very moving.

 

Can't wait for the rest of your journey.

 

Pompeii bigger town, more big buildings, vast public square, amphitheaters-but a sprawl over hill and dale. Amazing place to visit.

 

Ercolano/Herculaneum a once popular seaside resort a fraction of the size built on a gentle slope, less structural damage and an easier walk. In two hours I think you can say you've seen all of it which wouldn't be the case with Pompeii.

 

I can imagine that both had beautiful well-made and brightly colored buildings and were not shanty towns but the opposite. Schools, libraries, temples of worship, administrative buildings of grandeur, tradeshops-blacksmiths, sandal makers, armorers, clothing shops, butchers, fishmongers, kids playing in the street, lovers strolling on the beach at sunset, the smell of baking bread and those fast food stands. Lively prosperous towns, people with dreams of the future but all snuffed out very rapidly.

 

I have just driven 300 miles from the North of Michigan to our refuge at the Southernmost corner, so I can carry on with my Mediterrannean Journey.

 

Thanks for the kind comments!

 

If memory serves I was on a cruise....oh yes (flashback.....)

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The drive back to the ship docked in Salerno was quieter as the guide didn't have to give a narration. This is good as it leaves one to think about what you have just seen-or to take a quick nap if preferred.

 

My mind was still in ruins....

 

[YOUTUBE]hCD7ZmJgg_Q[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

 

Starting early in the morning allowed us to see Ercolano and have an afternoon on the ship to simply relax. We were glad we had nixed the Amalfi boat trip.

 

A few more out the window pics as we rode the slalom path back down from the heights of Salerno.....

 

The Emerald was still there. Two thumbs up!

 

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So was Salerno!

 

 

Losing altitude

 

[Bimmer09]

The Port Authority of Salerno have painted a nice colorful welcome on some containers

 

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The tour buses (left) and the dock Shuttles (right)

 

 

The town viewed from the dock

 

 

And viewed from deck 16 of the Emerald

 

 

The Costa neo Riviera is still with us

 

 

[Bimmer09]

My first order of business on getting back on the ship was to go to the cabin and charge up my camera battery.

 

Second order of business was to run (i.e take an elevator) up to the Tradewinds Bar where I heard they were selling beer. They were and a raised eyebrow and some French-mime work depicting a man crawling in the desert with his tongue hanging out brought my go-to gal Maria from the Philippines to my table with a cold Grolsch in hand.

 

It was only 1 pm by now and the ship wouldn't leave Salerno until 7 so I had a nice relaxing day ahead. It was sunny and there were plenty of folks to chat to near the bar. None of them By the way were familiar with Cruise Critic... (yikes!)

 

As I didn't have my camera bag with me for once there will be no photos of my lunch (sorry Annie and Judy).

 

One deck below I joined the line at the Trident Grill. They had a team of 3 ** working so my knackwurst with sauerkraut and those golden crispy French Fries didn't take long to get.

(** remember this. Later there will be a quiz)

 

Some salt, Heinz Malt vinegar and a little pool of HP Sauce for dipping and I was all set (try it!) Brits will instantly recognize one of their own when they see the HP sauce being pressed into service.

 

I wish I could remember to eat at the Trident Grill more often. Note to self.

 

Truth be told I was trying to under-eat on this cruise. I know-wrong place to try that. We've had a year of great eating in Chicago but also on the Ruby Princess where the food was remarkably good, then a week in Houston and those amazing steak houses, then two weeks in San Francisco where there is no shortage of good eats and now this. Suffice to say I had to order new clothes in a bigger size before I left home.

 

Carol texted me to let me know that Afternoon Tea was being delivered to our cabin at 4.30....

 

I didn't photograph the Tea as such- just the goodies that come with it

 

Cookies

 

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Fruit Scones still warm from the oven

 

 

Savory Sandwiches

 

 

And these cakes!

 

 

Oh dear. My belt is too tight. I need a nap on the balcony. Great idea. zzzzzzz

 

Norris

[Fan of cruising]

Hi Norris. These photos of tea look even yummier than the last. How much does it cost?

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris. These photos of tea look even yummier than the last. How much does it cost?

 

It costs nothing.

 

Served during cruise 3.30 to 4.30 in da Vinci MDR and Sanctuary

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Monday September 28th and we sail away at 7 pm.

 

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Tonight's plan was to attend the Ricky Jay show-the British stand-up comedian who had impressed at the Welcome Aboard show on Saturday night. We chose the 8.15 show in the Princess Theater and reserved a table in Da Vinci for 9.15.

[YOUTUBE]JEkAIj8f76g[/YOUTUBE]

 

Norris

[Woobstr112G]

Simply amazed at your pictures. Thanks for posting.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Bimmer09]

Ricky Jay had the crowd rolling in the aisles-either that or the sea was rougher than I thought. He's loud, full of manic energy and armed to the teeth with quick original jokes. His show was about 45 minutes.

 

Off to Da Vinci afterwards for our 2nd visit there. At 9.15 the room had thinned out. A table for two ONLY is what you ask for when you don't want to share.

 

This was the table next to us after the diners left. It remained like this for 10 minutes before a busboy cleaned it and re-set it. Not what I would have expected.

 

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Anything to drink sir?

Yes, I have a bottle of Pinot Grigio stored here.

 

5 minutes later....

 

Here we are sir.

No-that's my bottle of red.... (doh!)

 

** Note to wine drinkers. The Princess wineglasses are cheap rubbish-small bowls,thick heavy glass. They use the same glass for red as they do for white. They are by Luigi Bormioli and at retail cost $20 a dozen.

You can ask for Reidel stemware on Princess and they have it in the MDRs. What a difference it makes to enjoying the wine. They also have aerators in Crown Grill (the tall Vinturi ones) but when I asked for an aerator in Da Vinci the waiter thought I wanted a window open or something.

It was Italian night and the waiters were dressed in red and white hooped tee shirts with a little black neck scarf. A nice touch but a subtle one and I didn't think I was back in Italy (Salerno) for a moment. Regular readers might remember my Song of Norway tales from the mid 80s when Italian Night on RCCL meant a strolling band in the dining room playing Neapolitan songs on trumpets and accordions and the head waiters dressed as Italian Policemen. Much more festive. The Singing waiter Hector, on the Caribbean Princess when we sailed her brought a flavor of that back to me by singing O Sole Mio and Time to Say Goodbye.

[YOUTUBE]D1qK69I48mw[/YOUTUBE]

 

More low-key tonight. They weren't even pushing sales of Limoncello which is an opportunity lost.

 

On to the food.

What soup do you have tonight?

We have an out-of-focus Minestrone sir

Ok, I'll have a bowl of that.

 

Minestrone

 

 

Carol's Prosciutto with the melon hiding at the back of the plate

 

My veal Saltimboca-always a favorite

 

Carol had a very out of focus Fettucini Alfredo in a parmesan basket. The only miss on this otherwise delicious dish was that the edible basket was stale rather than crunchy.

 

We decided to give Da Vinci a miss for dinner in future and try Michelangelo instead. The staff just seemed a little sloppy in DV, like their minds were elsewhere.

 

It might be down to the Maitre d' who was the Invisible Man on this cruise. Oh I saw him each day in his shorts and Hawaiian shirt having a smoke and a drink up at Tradewinds but only once near a dining room-standing at the entrance to Da Vinci with a faraway look in his eyes. He was (probably still is) Mario Propato.

 

Let's have Hector sing another song on the CB

 

[YOUTUBE]RYA9Ih7VNBM[/YOUTUBE]

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Simply amazed at your pictures. Thanks for posting.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Bob, thanks for reading along this far.

 

It's a pleasure to share what I saw on this superb itinerary.

Florence, Cinque Terre and Barcelona still to come-as well as a boatload of Emerald Photos.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

You may have noticed that I increased the size of my text. I saw Carol reading this review on her iPad and thought I'd make it easier to read.

 

You'll also notice we are not going to Karaoke each night and that's mainly due to the early morning excursions. We'll go to the finale of Princess Pop Star and see the best of the best much later.

 

Our room steward Jose from Philippines proves himself a star each day. He made a difference. Laundry for each of us came back within 24 hours in case you were wondering.

 

I had the spirits in the mini-bar changed out for beers but my request for Grolsch was nixed and I settled for the less expensive Stella. The price differential on 10 bottles would have been $10.

 

Every room steward in the hallways-and we walked the entire length of deck 10 to go forward-greeted us with big smiles when we passed. A good example to ship's officers.

 

Room stewards are responsible for removing your used dishes-don't waste your time calling Room Service.

 

It's not OK to set fire to the mail in your mailbox, although tempting. Just dump it in the trash and it will be recycled.

 

Room Service on this ship was fast-after returning from the ruins Carol ordered a Chef's Salad and it was delivered within 15 minutes. It was yummy apparently.

 

Norris

[Woobstr112G]

Bob, thanks for reading along this far.

 

It's a pleasure to share what I saw on this superb itinerary.

Florence, Cinque Terre and Barcelona still to come-as well as a boatload of Emerald Photos.

 

Norris

 

Definitely looking forward to it.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Bimmer09]

There was only one scheduled sea day on this voyage. Today, Tuesday September 29th and we were looking forward to it. We had booked the Sanctuary all day.

We could have a leisurely breakfast in Sabatini's, one of the best Suite perks there is. There was a Meet n Greet I would pop into. There would be a Pub Lunch. There were beers in my future as I sat in the sun preaching the gospel of Cruise Critic to all who would listen. I would improve on my Mediterrannean tan and rejoice in the sunshine.

I was up in time to greet the sun

 

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There was only ONE THING that could put a literal damper on our day...

 

 

RAIN

[jlf1]

Norris,

 

Those savoury sandwiches sure look yummy.

 

Judy

[Bimmer09]

Now we would definitely have a leisurely breakfast in Sabatini's. Our Suite perk wouldn't get a lot of use this week according to my Itinerary Spreadsheet. We would be using Room Service for those early excursions.

 

I'll show you the Food Porn first and then the elegant room that it is served in.

 

We both start with a "Cappucino with 3 extra shots of espresso" trying to mimic the kick of Sant Eustachio in Rome. It's worth a shot (or 3)

 

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I always start with my yogurt granola parfait which you've seen. Carol has a fruit plate.

 

 

My French toast with apple cinnamon compote. I asked them to give me just one slice as part of my dieting campaign. Maple syrup made the dish sing.

 

 

Carol's Belgian Waffles minus the whipped cream which she spurns much as one would a rabid dog.

 

 

Italian music, mainly Neapolitan songs or Opera plays softly in the background as waiters return with the pastry trays to tempt a person. Oh well, I guess I'll just have one more apple turnover...

 

Next I'll show you the room...

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

Those savoury sandwiches sure look yummy.

 

Judy

 

We cleaned the plate!

 

What we didn't get was the coleslaw sandwich that the Ocean Princess served up.

 

More food porn in your future Judy!

 

Norris

[jlf1]

Norris,

 

As always phenomenal photos, especially your veal with those mushrooms that look to die for.

 

The sunrise shota are amazing.

 

Judy

[Bimmer09]

Reception desk

 

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We like a table by the window, looking out over the stern

 

 

 

 

More to follow

[Bimmer09]

A nice space for a large dinner party

 

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Pastries and whole loaves of rustic Italian bread

 

 

We always bow down to the meat slicer on the way in

 

 

Operating hours for breakfast are 7.30 to 9.30 on port days and until 10.30 on sea days. There was a Meet n Greet in Adagio scheduled for 10 a.m and I wanted to make that. Carol would be attending a port lecture on Livorno in the Princess Theater meanwhile. We would meet again at 1 pm for Pub Lunch