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

[LH2015]

The hotel looks beautiful, I wish we'd had longer in Barca.

 

I have an Irish friend and she says you have to work hard to find a bad chippy where she is from. Those looked yummy!

[twiggycat]

Thanks so much for your great review.

 

We will be in Barcelona in May and the Pepito Tours are looking like a good way to go.

 

Majestic is also looking good. Is there any reason you picked them over Princesses other 2 hotels ( Gallery or Claris)?

 

Thanks

[jlf1]

Norris,

 

I love the pics of your hotel. I'm taking note for future reference. You are spot on that a city with lots of sidewalk cafes are the best.

 

Sadly, not something that we see a lot of in North America.

 

Judy

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

I love the pics of your hotel. I'm taking note for future reference. You are spot on that a city with lots of sidewalk cafes are the best.

 

Sadly, not something that we see a lot of in North America.

 

Judy

 

No Judy,we have the car culture here and downtowns that are dead on the weekends and evenings.

 

I'm glad we have compelling reasons to visit Europe! From 1994 to 99 we never set foot out of the USA.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The hotel looks beautiful, I wish we'd had longer in Barca.

 

I have an Irish friend and she says you have to work hard to find a bad chippy where she is from. Those looked yummy!

 

We wish the same re Barcelona- I will later list all the things we didn't experience that we wanted to. But it was a first date and we are dying to see her again.

Tomorrow marks 5 weeks since we were there. It's till very vivid indeed.

 

I have yet to find good fish and chips in the USA but when we go to Canada we get our fix of haddock and chips that remind me of the UK. Here we get the cod in 4 inch frozen strips instead of a fish-sized filet like back home.

 

More hotel coming up!

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

Thanks so much for your great review.

 

We will be in Barcelona in May and the Pepito Tours are looking like a good way to go.

 

Majestic is also looking good. Is there any reason you picked them over Princesses other 2 hotels ( Gallery or Claris)?

 

Thanks

 

Hi, and thanks for joining us here!

Nice to see a new name and to see that you are enjoying.

 

Why the Majestic?

 

First I didn't know of a Princess connection with any of those hotels until I walked into the Majestic and now reading your post.

 

When I looked at TAdvisor Majestic was on the first page and the facade spoke to me immediately. The other hotels are listed # 40 and #86 in popularity so I may not have spent a lot of time looking at them and in returning to them they don't speak to me, decor-wise, like the M did. We tend to avoid words like "modern" and "trendy". Classic and elegant are what we look for.

 

I looked at all rated higher than the M's # 16 and at least 15 below. I read some reviews, check the customer and hotel photos etc. Look at google maps too.

 

The fact that the M looked the way it did and has been in business since 1918 spoke to both of us. Longevity is a good sign. Gaudi would have passed it as he has two houses, each two blocks away.

 

Actually experiencing the hotel in the flesh made us very happy with the choice and that's where we'll stay next time.

 

We've hit bullseyes in Cologne (Hyatt) Berlin (Hilton) Salzburg (Sacher) Lucerne

( Schweizerhof) Vienna (Grand Hotel Wein) Castle Shoenberg (Oberwesel on the Rhine) and boutique hotels in Munich. Palazzo Sant'Angelo (Venice) and the excellent Albergo del Senato (Rome) I've reviewed most of those on TA in great depth and won't stay anywhere else.

 

Hope this explains it.

 

Norris

 

[Fan of cruising]

Hi Norris,

 

Love the photos of Barcelona, which is where our cruise will be starting from.

 

I've enjoyed your commentary and photos so much that I decided to check out your other Mediterranean cruise adventure. Stunning photos on your way in to Malta. (Currently have two tabs open on the iPad, which at times has left me a bit dizzy.)

[cormike1]

Jeez Norris, do you think the guys you shared the elevator with were going to try and pick pocket you and if you hadn't said anything, might have tried? We were almost robbed at the Louvre metro station by young gypsies. Thank goodness we managed to push them away. You just can't let your guard down!

[perfect match]

Norris, just checking in to let you know I'm up to page 20 now and still happily reading along. Wish I could continue, but alas, sleep beckons. I will be back as soon as time allows. :D

[DebbieMacG]

Norris did you get to see the museum and Gaudi's workshops under La Sagrada Familia? I found them totally fascinating :)

 

We love Barcelona, it's our favourite port to cruise from as its so easy. You wouldn't have seen the Equinox on a cruise timetable as a visiting ship because she embarks and disembarks from there. We will be on her again in April and will stay another three nights pre cruise and one night post cruise in Barcelona, our fourth time! :D

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris,

 

Love the photos of Barcelona, which is where our cruise will be starting from.

 

I've enjoyed your commentary and photos so much that I decided to check out your other Mediterranean cruise adventure. Stunning photos on your way in to Malta. (Currently have two tabs open on the iPad, which at times has left me a bit dizzy.)

 

Malta harbor is spectacular! I had to be up early for that one.

 

If any of the pics in the Ocean Princess review are blank-just click on the big X and you'll see the photo on FLICKR.

 

Thanks for the kind comments!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Jeez Norris, do you think the guys you shared the elevator with were going to try and pick pocket you and if you hadn't said anything, might have tried? We were almost robbed at the Louvre metro station by young gypsies. Thank goodness we managed to push them away. You just can't let your guard down!

 

I've read about all those Paris scams with the gypsies-I'm glad you were aggressive with them. The scams are all mentioned on Rick Steves "Graffitti Wall"

with many of the writers having lost their money and cameras etc on day 1.

 

The pickpockets in my elevator were just made up for a joke.

 

We haven't lost anything on our Europe trips yet- I was carrying our money in a money belt under my jeans. Camera bag around my neck and over my shoulder, always closed with the snaps and usually with my arm resting on top holding one of the straps-a pickpocket goes for the easiest steal and that's not me.

 

Carol's bag is around her neck and shoulder and carried in front of her.

 

We don't use backpacks.

 

When we sit at tables outside or in we loop the straps of bags around the chair legs that we sit on.

 

It's a shame you have to be on the alert so much in some countries/cities.

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

Norris, just checking in to let you know I'm up to page 20 now and still happily reading along. Wish I could continue, but alas, sleep beckons. I will be back as soon as time allows. :D

 

Nancy, you are halfway there!

No rush.

 

Thanks for following along.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris did you get to see the museum and Gaudi's workshops under La Sagrada Familia? I found them totally fascinating :)

 

We love Barcelona, it's our favourite port to cruise from as its so easy. You wouldn't have seen the Equinox on a cruise timetable as a visiting ship because she embarks and disembarks from there. We will be on her again in April and will stay another three nights pre cruise and one night post cruise in Barcelona, our fourth time! :D

 

Debbie, we didn't get to see the workshops and museum in Sagrada Familia.

I saw them only when I came home and got back to reading the great deladane review on the Carnival board. NEXT TIME!

 

With Barcelona there has to be a next time as there is just too much to see in two days.

 

In the story we nixed the Picasso Museum in favor of a nap and we nixed a visit to Bouqeria market which was going to be crammed in after the Picasso. It was closed Sunday so the market (a must-see) is for NEXT TIME.

 

Thanks for explaining the Equinox berthing. The S Class Celebrity ships are stunners.

 

We look forward to our second time in Barcelona-you're way ahead of us!

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

We were refreshed after a two hour nap followed by showers in that nice bathroom. I stepped out onto the balcony.

 

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The clean and orderly street down below

 

 

There's always a crowd of people in line to visit Casa Batilo

 

 

 

Back in the room I hooked up my laptop to check e mail and found that there was no internet wi-fi signal available. I went down to the front desk on my way out for a cigarette and was told that it was currently down. Bummer. What about the Business center on the lower level? Also down. Rats!

 

Carol was wanting to book tickets online for Casa Batilo and La Pedrera the other Gaudi house nearby. We need to print the tickets so her iPhone won't do.

 

There are benches outside the hotel,as there are up and down Passeig de Gracia where a person (and I just about qualify) can sit and watch the world go by. After my brief bench visit I'll show you a few more pics from the hotel and after that we will go eat. The hotel has reserved a table for us outside at El Passatge del Murmuri and we are ready for some tapas!

[twiggycat]

Thanks so much for your answer.

 

The Majestic looks perfect.

 

We have traveled all over the world and some times stay in Princess but most I book my own. Same with getting around . We always go with private tours and limo so having Pepito tours as a name is a great start. If they can handle a fold up wheelchair we will use them.

 

The only place we have ever had trouble booking hotels and limos is in NYC.

 

Taxi will not stop if you are in a wheelchair because they have to (by law) put the chair in the trunk and they don't want to get out of the taxi. So

I would stay back and DH would hail one .

 

Limos count a chair as 2 pieces of luggage with a limit of 4 for 4 people so it gets tricky.

 

Sorry to get windy. Thanks for your help. Booking Barcelona will now be very easy.

[Bimmer09]

Thanks so much for your answer.

 

The Majestic looks perfect.

 

We have traveled all over the world and some times stay in Princess but most I book my own. Same with getting around . We always go with private tours and limo so having Pepito tours as a name is a great start. If they can handle a fold up wheelchair we will use them.

 

The only place we have ever had trouble booking hotels and limos is in NYC.

 

Taxi will not stop if you are in a wheelchair because they have to (by law) put the chair in the trunk and they don't want to get out of the taxi. So

I would stay back and DH would hail one .

 

Limos count a chair as 2 pieces of luggage with a limit of 4 for 4 people so it gets tricky.

 

Sorry to get windy. Thanks for your help. Booking Barcelona will now be very easy.

 

Yes, the Majestic was perfect for us so no need for us to try elsewhere. We don't look for stripped down modern nor the ostentatious type with gold bidets and the Louis XIV over the top decoration. Classic comfort and elegance is US and the Majestic is just that. Service impeccable.

 

Pepito was flawless. Down to earth ordinary folk with a passion for their city and their job. Informal and easy to talk to. We don't look for talking guide books.

 

We are going to NYC on the 19th and have been there many times. It's where we pay the most for a hotel (besides the $1,000 a night Venice hotel) but where the service has sometimes fallen short of expectations. The cabs are the worst compared to Europe. In Germany a taxi is a cream colored Mercedes, BMW or Audi which the driver is always cleaning while he waits at a rank. The driver is careful and stress-free. Our system of hailing cabs as they drive on crowded streets leads to aggressive drivers, scary rides and a lack of customer service. The cars are usually cramped American cars and uncomfortable because the driver has to be protected in our crime-ridden society. There will be an annoying Jackie Mason advert blasting when you get in.

 

If you lean towards the Majestic and Pepito I think you'll be as happy as we were.

 

Norris

 

[twiggycat]

 

One more question(maybe).

 

We booked The Intercontinental, princess hotel, in NYC ourselves thru Expedia and paid for a room with a view. Upon arrival the hotel would not honor the room with view without more money ( $60).We felt like we had already paid Expedia so we declined. Hotel claimed when you book thru a Expedia type service you get what ever is available upon arrival not what you asked and paid for.

 

So my question is did you book thru the Hotel or a service.

The difference is about $100 but I don't want to go thru what we did in NYC.

We must have your room at Majestic, do you remember the number.:D

[Bimmer09]

This is the kind of mosaic bench you'll find along Passeig de Gracia. Could it be a Gaudi design?

 

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Let's go back into the hotel

 

 

on the way to the elevator is the elegant bar area

 

 

 

On the way out to dinner later after a drink and some sunset watching (too cloudy) on the rooftop we passed by the bar here. It was busy with conversation and cocktail drinking. A Pianist was playing Spanish classical music.

 

When I had asked the concierge to book us a table at El Passatge del Murmuri he told me that the hotel owned it and gave us a map with directions. It was only 3 blocks away. The hotel had 4 restaurants, including the rooftop tapas but we wanted to visit La Rambla and dine outdoors with the world walking by.

 

See you there?

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

 

One more question(maybe).

 

We booked The Intercontinental, princess hotel, in NYC ourselves thru Expedia and paid for a room with a view. Upon arrival the hotel would not honor the room with view without more money ( $60).We felt like we had already paid Expedia so we declined. Hotel claimed when you book thru a Expedia type service you get what ever is available upon arrival not what you asked and paid for.

 

So my question is did you book thru the Hotel or a service.

The difference is about $100 but I don't want to go thru what we did in NYC.

We must have your room at Majestic, do you remember the number.:D

 

We never use those cheapest room rate services. We don't like middlemen so we book directly through the hotel website then follow-up with e mails. We don't use travel agents either-tried that for our first cruise and had to dump them and do it ourselves. We may pay more but we always get what we ask for. We've had friends use Priceline and get rooms looking over the dumpsters. Cheaper is often not the way to go...Joseph A Banks suits...buy 1 get two free...LOL!!

 

The Majestic has several room types and prices-we booked "Passeig de Gracia view" and got it. Our room was 723 on the front of the hotel. The ones not at an angle to the street have balconies too (also Passeig views).

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

We had read about lines at restaurants for dinner and we wanted to avoid crowds so we booked for 8 pm as the concierge said 9 pm is when most Spaniards will sit down for a meal.

 

Two blocks North and then one West and we were on la Rambla. As the restaurant was on this corner we didn't have to walk down La Rambla. This is the upper end of the street anyway where things are more refined and less crowded. The part you usually see on videos is the lower part from Playa de Cataluna (a huge square) down to the port area (where the Columbus monument is)

 

The restaurant we will eat in is in the middle of the pedestrian street part.

It's an outdoor terrace and has no kitchen. Just tables, chairs and servers.

 

The real restaurant with the kitchen and bar and indoor tables is a swanky looking affair with great art on the walls and a look of comfort and luxury-but that's inside and we, in a climate like this- a warm 70 degree night-like to eat outdoors. Better people watching and I can smoke.

 

Only half a dozen tables were occupied when we arrived on time. Carol speaks Spanish and introduced us. The waiter offered us a choice of tables and also spoke decent English. A young handsome guy with a big smile for everyone and a work ethic that impressed. He was working alone at this time.He looked like he enjoys his work.

 

The menu had Spanish and English descriptions. By the way although Catalan is spoken here they all learn Spanish in school and many speak English.

 

We are tapas fans. Small plates. Variety. Our favorite restaurant in Chicago is within walking distance, in the Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Avenue. We became aware of it 5 years or so ago when the owner won the title of Next Iron Chef on TV. His name was Jose Garces.

 

We go there for special occasions-Birthdays, before a show etc. It says it serves "Authentic Barcelona Tapas". When we were in Barcelona we had to compare and see if they were speaking with forked tongue Kimosabe.

 

They tell the truth. The only difference is the Chicago one has a wider menu and many of the dishes overpower the Barcelona meals we tasted in flavor. I kid you not. However we will go back to Barcelona and see if we can find a restaurant that can match the Chicago one for taste bombs that explode in the mouth. That should be fun next time!

 

The Iron Chef isn't in the kitchen anymore of course but he trained his brigade so well. The restaurant is called Mercat a la Planxa. Check it out when in Chicago.

 

And, yes, we have eaten at Mercat since BCN. We celebrated 21 years since we met at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on October 27th and ordered some of the dishes we had in BCN. It's a taste of Barcelona in the Midwest. I wrote about them on Tripadvisor Nov 25th 2014 and included photos. My TA screen name is Bavarian Chicago USA by the way.

Anyway-where's the food porn????

[Bimmer09]

We love dining out. Although we both cook at home and enjoy great meals it's nice to let someone who is a pro do the cooking and have someone bring it to you. I guess the world's first restaurateur though of that before me (probably a Roman). We have eaten in high end foodie places and McDonalds (only when they had the Angus Burger) and everywhere in between.

 

We love dining out. With the emphasis on the OUT. Outside. At night especially.

It was at this restaurant on La Rambla that I fell in love with Barcelona. I was too busy Gaudi-ing my brains out earlier to notice. Now I was relaxed outdoors on a warm evening. I had a draught Estrella and an ashtray and the excited Carol talking to me. We had ordered food. The waiter had sent the order to the kitchen across the street (cars get one lane each way on La Rambla).

 

Around us others were finishing dessert or just getting aromatic entrees delivered.

 

We were salivating. Oh-here comes the food! (ashtray goes on the floor)

 

The impending arrival of food makes for a Happy Carol

 

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I am always happy to see anchovies on a plate swimming in oil. These are brown anchovies @ 3 Euro each.

 

 

Here's the dish we order in Chicago-white anchovies in vinegar with pine nuts

 

 

Carol, a slave to her salads, orders one. It's gigantic. Will I help her eat it? Sorry-she is on her own. I have a 4 ingredient rule for salads (one being beets). Less is more! If someone brings me a 12 ingredient salad with the final insult on top-a strawberry, I simply raise my eyebrows and stare up at them, saying nothing, until they take it away.

 

 

A local dish that appears on each menu is tomato bread. Just toasted bread with a tomato rubbed onto it and absorbed. Nice!

 

 

And the Chicago alternative

 

 

We're not finished ordering....

[Bimmer09]

I'm just loving it here. Warm night, Beer. Cigarettes. Great food. There are no bugs flying around-unless you count the Indian guy who came to us and everyone else trying to sell us a rose? I am always polite to them- I can't blame them trying to earn a Euro-they're not begging. But I'm eating here.

 

Here's one thing I love about Europe that I don't see much in the USA....couples strolling hand in hand, smiling , enjoying the night air. Husbands and wives pushing the kids in a pram. Families with granddads and grannies,all together out sharing a warm evening stroll. We enjoyed the same sights in Rome.

 

There's no yelling. No drunkenness. No car going by with a stereo blasting some attempt at a "song" where the word "Motherfu..... is there for all to hear. People are enjoying the simple pleasure of walking in a beautiful city with their friends and family. They bother no one. No sirens. No gunshots. This is a nice city, he said, taking another sip of Estrella. Oops-more victuals arriving!!

 

The Spanish cheese platter! We cleared the slate on this one.

 

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Now we have a HUGE plate- it's Patatas bravas. Not the dainty dish I was expecting. It was about 2 lbs of roasted potatoes.

 

 

In Chicago it is this-like deep fried tater tots with a spicy aioli on top

 

 

All the food has been eaten-nothing gone to waste. The waiter now has a helper as the place began to fill at 9 pm. A man comes along with a guitar and tiny amplifier and plays Spanish music and sings. He even does a Beatles song.

I always tip a good busker and go give him a Euro in his empty Coke can.

No dessert for me. Another beer. Carol orders the yogurt and fresh mango pannacotta...

 

 

In Chicago I have a go-to dessert....Chocolate balls, deep fried (Yikes!) on a bed of a banana flavored meringues. OMG!!

 

 

The bill with 10% tax included was 74 Euro and we tipped the excellent waiter 10 E. He served so many tables, with a big smile and never got flustered or messed up an order. We had a great meal and walked the two blocks down la Rambla, past several other packed outdoor restaurants and back to the hotel.

 

Up to the rooftop bar for a nightcap (although neither of us wear one)

 

 

We awoke this morning at 5 a.m on a ship. Now it was 10.30 p.m. and the end of our first amazing day in Barcelona.

 

Time to sleep.....

[MGnut]

Norris, I just have to comment again on how much I am enjoying your review. We did a Grand Mediterranean cruise (12 days) in 2009, followed by the TA (18 days) on the Ruby Princess. We had two nights in Venice between the B2B cruises. We visited most of the ports you have covered, and several more including two stops each in Laverno, Rome and Naples ports. We started from Barcelona, with three nights there before the cruise, and a port stop there on the TA portion. You are bringing back some great memories.

 

Most of Barcelona is as I remember it, but when we visited, the Famila Sagrada's interior was a construction zone - nothing like what your pictures show. Thanks for the update pics for that.

 

When (not if) you get back to Barcelona, I recommend a trip to Montserrat. It is truly spectacular up there.

 

I agree with you in liking sidewalk restaurants - we had our favorite-ever Paella on a sidewalk restaurant in Barcelona.

 

Thanks again.

 

Howard

[Bimmer09]

Norris, I just have to comment again on how much I am enjoying your review. We did a Grand Mediterranean cruise (12 days) in 2009, followed by the TA (18 days) on the Ruby Princess. We had two nights in Venice between the B2B cruises. We visited most of the ports you have covered, and several more including two stops each in Laverno, Rome and Naples ports. We started from Barcelona, with three nights there before the cruise, and a port stop there on the TA portion. You are bringing back some great memories.

 

Most of Barcelona is as I remember it, but when we visited, the Famila Sagrada's interior was a construction zone - nothing like what your pictures show. Thanks for the update pics for that.

 

When (not if) you get back to Barcelona, I recommend a trip to Montserrat. It is truly spectacular up there.

 

I agree with you in liking sidewalk restaurants - we had our favorite-ever Paella on a sidewalk restaurant in Barcelona.

 

Thanks again.

 

Howard

 

Howard- I'm happy that you are still following along!

 

Yes I am glad we saw Sagrada Familia without scaffolding and bags of cement inside.

 

Montserrat was discussed at length- Pepito do a tour there. No time. We will be back in Barcelona, no question.

 

We made new memories for ourselves with this cruise but if it serves to bring back great memories for you then it has been doubly worth it.

 

Thanks for reading and commenting. Much appeciated!

 

Norris