Oct. 3 Brilliance Greek Isles Review

[kyriecat]

We had breakfast on the balcony compliments of room service before the tour in Santorini. We took the Pyrgos Village tour, which was only 3.5 hours long – really short compared to most of the other tours we took. We started by boarding the tender then transferring to a bus. We drove around the island and stopped at the highest peak for a scenic view before moving on to Pyrgos. Santorini has some beautiful black sand beaches along the SW side of the island. They looked very inviting but the wind was blowing fairly strong and the weather was a little too chilly for swimming or lying on the beach. If it were summer, we definitely would have made a beach stop! After the scenic overlook, we drove on to Pyrgos. The black sand was a gorgeous contrast to the brilliant blue of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Pyrgos is a typical Greek island village – the houses are built up and around a hilltop for protection from the wind. The island is very windy and our guide mentioned that wind gusts of 50 mph were not uncommon. The houses are whitewashed with blue roofs and courtyards with high walls surrounding the homes. The houses are built very close together and the stairs wrap around like a labyrinth. The guide mentioned that no one has any secrets on the island because their neighbors can see over the walls or hear everything that goes on. There is an old fortress at the top of the hill that was converted into a church. There was another good view of the island from the courtyard of the church. I was very surprised by the number of people with canes and walkers who attempted this trip since the excursion brochure was very clear about the number of steps and amount of walking involved. The bus could not get into the village due to the steps and incredibly narrow streets so walking was essential to look around.

 

Before returning to the main village of Fira, we stopped in a local restaurant for lunch. Lunch was a selection of typical Greek island foods, such a potato fritters, fried tomatoes, cheeses, bread, and fish. Most everything was really good. We returned to Fira after lunch.

 

In Fira the guide showed us where the main shopping area was and how to get back to the ship. We had several hours before sail time so we walked through the shops. We found a bakery with excellent baklava and bought most of the gifts for people back home. There are a couple of interesting cathedrals in Fira. When we finished shopping, we thought about taking a taxi to Oia but decided to have a snack in a cliff-top café then head back to the ship. We met a couple from our table who went to Oia. They said it was very similar to Fira but not as crowded. We had enough shopping by then so decided to return to the ship.

 

Fira is located at the top of a cliff. To get back to the ship you can either take a cable car, a donkey ride, or climb the stairs down the cliff. As part of the tour, we got tickets for either the cable car or donkey ride back to the ship. I think it was 3.50 euro pp if you didn't get tickets through a tour. Hubby was not feeling adventurous so we did the cable car. The wait was very short and the ride was only a few minutes. Some of the others who took the donkey ride said it was very jarring as the donkey went downhill. The stairs were covered in manure so sandals are not recommended for climbing the stairs.

 

One of the couples at our dining room table got married in Santorini that afternoon so dinner was extra festive. They wore there wedding clothes to dinner and showed us the photos of the ceremony. They had a beautiful ceremony on the roof of a house overlooking the bay. After dinner J&J asked everyone to join them in the Centrum for a celebration dance. The singer introduced them and they had a dance together before inviting the rest of us to join. We danced for a couple songs then the newlyweds excused themselves for bed.

 

It was toga party night so we went to the Colony Club to watch the dancing and see how many people dressed up. The ship provided togas from 10:15 until 11 for those that wanted them, but it seemed very few people actually wore togas. They were playing oldies and big band era music (not our type of music) so we didn’t stay long in the Colony Club before heading upstairs to the Starquest for some dancing before bed.

[BuyReallyLow]

I would echo her fantastic thoughts on Ephesus and the cities surrounding it in Turkey. It is one of the wonders of the world - and should not be missed. A positive and possible negative of these locations is the access that you actually have to the ruins. You can often sit in the amphitheaters and touch and feel the ruins. In Greece, it is less common - it often feels like a bit of Disney World (especially in/around Athens.

 

I was blessed enough to spend the better part of a month in Greece and Turkey last year touring ancient biblical sites - it was the trip of a lifetime! I am VERY excited that you got to see Ephesus and am now more certain than ever to include my wife on the cruise.

 

Thanks for the review.

[kyriecat]

We took the Athens and Cape Sounion tour with Melena for a guide. We started out by boarding the bus and heading south to Cape Sounion to visit the Temple of Poseidon. The temple was built by Greek mariners at the southernmost point on mainland Greece at the entrance to the Saronic Gulf to honor their god of the seas.

 

The drive was very nice. We drove by marinas and saw large luxury yachts. We also went through the downtown area and saw the old and new Olympic stadiums. As we left the city, we drove along the coastline, admiring the blue waters and islands off the coast. The drive to Cape Sounion took about 45 minutes. Along the way we passed officials clearing a fairly serious multiple car/motorcycle accident. It was very disheartening to see an accident like that while vacationing. Hopefully everyone involved will be okay. One thing I noticed was traffic in Greece slowed down but continued to move as we passed the area. No one stopped to get a better view of the scene the way people in Houston seem to do.

 

We arrived at Cape Sounion around 8:30 and had to wait about an hour for the Temple of Poseidon to open. I thought it was poor planning on the tour guides part. They should have known the opening time and planned the tour accordingly. The area is extremely windy and there is only a small souvenir shop and a café in the area. With four buses of people ready to tour the site, there simply wasn’t enough room for everyone out of the wind. However, the long wait provided enough time to use the restrooms. Normally there is a huge line for the women’s restroom and not enough time for everyone to go. This time, there was a huge line but plenty of time for everyone to take care of business.

 

I’ll go ahead and mention a tip for the ladies – on tours wear long skirts without hose or pants/shorts with an un-tucked shirt. One of the main things that hold up the line for the women’s room is women who spend forever tucking-in their shirts or fighting with their pantyhose.

 

They finally opened the gates to the temple at 9:30. There is a somewhat steep climb over uneven areas to get from the gate to the temple, which is on a hill. The wind was really whipping through the area, blowing dirt around. I wore sunglasses but still ended up with dirt stinging my eyes. The remains of the temple are impressive with 30-ft tall white marble columns rising from the cliff. There is an excellent view of the islands and coastline while walking around the temple. We walked around the temple but were not allowed to walk inside or get too close due to structural concerns. The winds and earthquakes have taken their toll on the columns. We were ready to leave the temple area before our time was up to get away from the strong winds and stinging particles being blown around.

 

After Cape Sounion, we returned to Athens for a tour of the city. We stopped by the Panathenaic Stadium originally built in the 7th century and restored for the 1896 Olympic games. We also drove by the Royal Palace, the university, library, and Parliament buildings, all build in the neoclassic architectural style. We were able to stop briefly by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside Parliament to watch the changing of the guards. The bus simply pulled to the side of the road so we could watch out the windows. The guards were the traditional Evzones uniform, which looks like a very short, pleated white skirt with an embroidered black vest, white tights, and black clogs with red pom-poms. We drove by the remains of the Temple of Zeus and the Arch of Hadrian located near the base of the Acropolis before stopping for lunch.

 

Lunch was typical Greek cuisine. We had salad to begin, followed by a casserole of layered ground beef, mashed potatoes, eggplant slices, and a tomato based sauce, then risotto with beef in a spicy sauce. I wish I knew the names of the dishes because they were very good. The only disappointing factor was our dining companions. Because lunch is open seating, we don’t always get ideal companions. In this case, we ended up sitting across from a couple from Toronto. As soon as the man learned we were from Texas, he would not stop talking about how embarrassed he was for Americans because we elected G. W. Bush, how if he were a Texan he would never admit to it because Bush is from Texas, etc. He kept going on and on. I was ready to cram a roll in his mouth just to get him to cease talking for 5 minutes. Rather than get sucked into a debate (argument) over the merits and fallacies of the US President, we quickly finished our meal and excused ourselves. I don’t always agree with Mr. Bush, but that doesn’t mean I want to listen to someone pontificate on his being the worst American president ever.

 

After lunch it was time for the highlight of the trip – the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a large flat-topped rocky hill located near the center of Athens. Because of its height, it was considered one of the holiest places in the city in ancient times. On the Acropolis are the Temple of Nike, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erechtheum. We had to walk about ¼ mile from the bus to the entrance to the Acropolis. Once Melena had bought the tickets, we entered the gates and had to climb some very steep, uneven stairs to get up the Acropolis rock. The stairs were added to aid tourists. In ancient times, the rock of the Acropolis was considered too holy to damage so the people climbed the steep sides of the hill to reach the temples at the top. It’s amazing that they were able to get the stones up there to build the temples.

 

On the climb up the Acropolis we overlooked the Theater of Dionysus and the Odeon of Atticus, which is still used for musical performances today. At the top of the Acropolis we walked past the Temple of Nike, which is under construction so very little of it can be seen through the scaffolding, through the Propylaea (also under construction) to the Parthenon (more construction). All the structures on the Acropolis were under varying degrees of construction/restoration so everything was covered in scaffolding. Melena gave a talk about the history and significance of the Parthenon, which was built to honor the goddess Athens for whom Athens was named. I thought she talked a little too long about the construction techniques and her childhood when people were allowed inside the Parthenon. She described Lord Elgin and his removal of many of the Acropolis treasures in less than favorable terms. I can understand the Greeks wanting the return of some of their artifacts from the British, but Melena went off on a ten-minute diatribe against the British “vultures”.

 

I thought she would give more history on the other structures besides the Parthenon but she didn’t. We wished we had started walking around on our own while she was discussing Lord Elgin, but we still had about 45 minutes to walk around before we had to return to the bus. We walked all the way around the Parthenon, which has a fence around it to prevent visitors from entering. The outside of the Parthenon had some lovely friezes but we were unable to enter to see some of the elaborate ones we heard are inside the temple. That was disappointing. The area around the Parthenon is very uneven and we saw a couple of people slip on the rocks. Shoes with good soles are a must for walking around. I wore a pair of mules to breakfast, intending to change shoes afterwards but I forgot in the rush. I’m lucky I didn’t slip – I took my shoes off and walked barefoot on the rocks part of the time. It hurt my soles but at least I didn’t fall.

 

We walked around the Erechtheum with its southern porch held up by 6 columns shaped like nymph maidens. From the top of the Acropolis there is an excellent view of Athens, stretching out across the valley. There are also good views of the remains of the Temple of Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, the Arch of Hadrian, and the Temple of Hephaestus.

 

After being in Ephesus, Athens and the Acropolis were somewhat disappointing. The temples in Athens are beautiful and better preserved than those in Ephesus. However, not being able to walk inside the temples reduces the experience in my opinion. The guides talk about the murals, friezes, and carvings inside the temples, but tourists aren’t allowed inside to see them. You have to rely on the descriptions of others. Also you cannot get within 15 feet of the structures because of the fences. In Ephesus I felt like I was part of the history because I could touch the columns, sit in the theater, and examine the inscriptions.

 

We had a few minutes before we needed to return to the bus so we decided to leave the Acropolis and climb the neighboring Areopagus, also known as Mars Hill. The Areopagus is a small rocky hill adjacent to the Acropolis. It originally served as a meeting ground for the Athenian courts and later became a place of worship. The Areopagus is where St. Paul delivered his sermon about the “unknown god” during his journey to Athens. There is a plaque written in Latin at the base of the hill describing the sermon (wish I could read Latin!). The hill has a set of stairs to reach the top, but the top is uneven and it’s easy to slip while walking around. Another place good shoes were needed.

 

As we left the Acropolis, Melena said the shops close to the Acropolis were too crowded so we would go to another shopping area. That turned out to be one shop a few blocks away from the Acropolis where Melena appeared to be very good friends with the shop keepers. We wanted some Greek tee shirts for nieces and nephews, but this shop didn’t have any. There were postcards, lots of replica temples and busts, and jewelry but not much else. Also, the shop is located on a narrow one-way street. Our driver couldn’t get the bus turned onto the street he needed, so we ended up having to backtrack almost to the Acropolis so we could get onto the street he needed where there was more room to maneuver.

 

Traffic was thick on the way back to the ship and we made it back 30 minutes before sail time, but we still had to get through the security check at the dock. As soon as our group got onboard, they pulled up the gangplank and headed off. That was close!

 

We planned to go to the “Love & Marriage” show, but lingered too long at dinner and missed it. We ended up watching some karaoke then to the Midnight Gala Buffet. The buffet was gorgeous with ice sculptures, decorative food displays, etc. We ate a little but were still too full from supper to enjoy eating again so quickly. The sushi was just okay (husband tried it), but the cakes and strawberries were really good. We sat with J&J from dinner. J tried some kind of vegetable gelatin. It was really pretty on the plate, but from his facial expression, I think it tasted horrible.

 

We had a sea day next so we stayed up really late. We played a round of mini-golf (an interesting experience on a moving boat!) then attempted shuffleboard (another interesting experience since we didn’t know how to play). The men (hubby & J) tried out some ping-pong while the women (me & the other J) decided the hot tub sounded really good at 3 AM. I think we finally went to bed around 4:30, but had a great time. Everything was so quiet that late that it was like having the ship to ourselves.

[jstducky]

Wow thanks so much for this reveiw. I am doing almost the same exact cruise as you did in July 06. In fact it was the same exact cruise until last month when RCI added Corsica as a port city.

 

Anyhow, I had a couple of questions:

 

I noticed you went to Delos. I was debating whether or not to take this excursion. I see you said that the seas were rough. But was Delos itself worth having gone too? Did you feel that by going to Delos you missed out on Mykonos? Was it really hot? I've heard people complain that after seeing all the ruins at Pompeii and other excavations that Delos wasn't really worth it. Did you feel this way?

 

In Santorini, did you stay long enough to watch the sunset? If so, were you up at Oia? Did you ever make it down to the ruins at Akrotiri?

 

Thanks so much for the review, this is very helpful!

[balconyonly]

Love Barcelona.

Been there twice just for the architecture of Antoni Gaudi. His buildings are fascinating, way ahead of his time. La Sagrada Familia is by far his most famous but many of his smaller buildings are equally mesmorizing.

 

http://www.sagradafamilia.org/eng/index.htm

 

http://www.photoguide.to/barcelona/sagradafamilia.html

 

I think it is impossible to see it without scaffolding, been around it since my first look back in the 80's and again in the 90's. All the possibilities and no real plan of his intentions.

 

That's the one cruise we want to do, the Greek Isles from Barcelona, it will have to wait til the kids are a little older. I don't think they'd get much out of it yet. But in 2 or 3 years.

[kyriecat]

Jstducky,

 

I'm jealous! I want to see Corsica. I told hubby that we need to go to the Med again, but he says I already booked an Alaska cruise for next year and Galapagos the year after. He only does one cruise a year. Maybe in 2008 unless I find something else (like Scandanavia and Fjords!).

 

I really enjoyed Delos, but I like history and architecture. I chose the Greek Islands Med itinerary because I wanted to see the ruins of the Greek and Roman empires as well as the Renaissance and Medieval architecture found in Florence, Rome, and Nice.

 

Personally, I would visit Delos again. The architecture is very similar to Pompeii but the blocks are not assembled in most places. It really does look like a giant threw his Lego blocks around the island. I thought it was a good way to see the challenges faced by the archeologists who are rebuilding the ancient cities. There are some houses and the theater that are mostly intact as well as several statues, but nothing on the scale of Pompeii or

Ephasus. If you really like history than go to Delos. Just remember to book this one early because it was the only excursion offered on Mykonos when I was there so it sold out. If you are not really interested in archeology, history, or architecture then skip Delos because Pompeii and Ephesus have much better ruins.

 

We arrived at Mykonos around noon and the tour left around 2. The main town was a couple of miles from the boat dock so we decided to stay onboard until the tour rather than run into town for an hour then return to the ship. Two of the other couples at our dining table skipped the Delos excursion. One rented a 4-wheeler and drove around the island (Island is very small so you cannot get lost) and the other couple went through the shops in town. Both couples thought Mykonos was very similar to Santorini. The buildings use very similar designs and the shops carry similar goods. It was getting dark when we got back from Delos so we didn't really get a good look at the island in daylight.

 

None of the stops were really hot. Most of the time the temperatures had highs in the upper 60s and low 70s. Morning and evening were a little cooler, usually in the upper 50s to low 60s. Turkey was the hottest, but it was only the mid-70s. I heard that July is MUCH warmer with highs in the low to mid 90s. The good thing is the weather is good enough to go to the beaches on the Greek islands. Santorini has a really nice black sand (really small pebble) beach on the SE side of the island. If the weather were warmer, we would have spent a few hours there.

 

In Santorini we took a tour of the island, shopped, ate, and walked around Fira. We didn't make it over to Oia, but we heard from a couple during dinner that Oia is very similar to Fira just a little smaller. We didn't go to the Akrotiri ruins. I read about them, but decided we were getting ruin overload by then and needed some relaxation. Also since we only took a morning tour, we had plenty of time to shop in Santorini for gifts for nieces and nephews.

 

We left Santorini at 7 pm so we were already moving when the sun was setting. The sunset started around 7 and was gone by around 7:30. We did see the sunset several evenings over the water from the balcony. We were only in port a few of times (Naples, Villefrache, and Mykonos) while the sun was setting. At most stops we left by 7 pm at the latest.

[kyriecat]

After Athens we had a day at sea. Basically it was another opportunity to sleep late and wander around the ship. We finally remembered to eat lunch at Sea View Cafe. It was great. The customized pizza and pasta beat anything served in Windjammer or the dining room during lunchtime. We read on the balcony, sat in the hot tub, and played another round of mini golf. I stopped by the loyalty ambassador to book another cruise.

 

We had our second formal night. People in general didn't dress up as much as the first formal night. I wore a cocktail dress and hubby had his rented tux. There were more pantsuits on the ladies than I noticed on the first formal night. This was also lobster night. Alif brought everyone seconds on the lobsters (everyone at our table were pigs!). The lobster wasn't as good as some I've had in the Caribbean or on land, but it was a nice change since I don't get to eat lobster very often.

 

I started organizing our things so I wouldn't spend all of the last day packing. It's a good thing we brought an extra suitcase because we needed it! I bought at least one book at each of the ports so I could look back and remember our trip.

[jstducky]

kyriecat - thanks so much for your wonderful review. I am definitely into history and archaeology, etc. so I think I will definitely go for the Delos tour. I am definitely more of a history person than a beach/shopping person.

 

can I ask you how many photos you took while on the trip? I have a digital camera and I love taking pictures. I'm debating getting a 1GB memory card for my trip, but I dont know if its worth spending the extra money. I don't want to buy it and not use it, but I don't want to not buy it and then start to have to ration pictures because I don't have enough memory!

 

Anyhow, I need to read the rest of your review, but I am sure I'll have more questions for you, if you don't mind.

 

You'll love ALASKA! I've been there 3 times and I am in love!

[jstducky]

kyriecat - thanks so much for your wonderful review. I am definitely into history and archaeology, etc. so I think I will definitely go for the Delos tour. I am definitely more of a history person than a beach/shopping person.

 

can I ask you how many photos you took while on the trip? I have a digital camera and I love taking pictures. I'm debating getting a 1GB memory card for my trip, but I dont know if its worth spending the extra money. I don't want to buy it and not use it, but I don't want to not buy it and then start to have to ration pictures because I don't have enough memory!

 

Anyhow, I need to read the rest of your review, but I am sure I'll have more questions for you, if you don't mind.

 

You'll love ALASKA! I've been there 3 times and I am in love!

[kyriecat]

jstducky,

 

BUY THE CARD!!! I took over 1100 pictures while I was away, but I'm photo crazy. On an average 1 week trip (Colorado, DC, etc.) I usually take 300-400 pictures. Hopefully that gives you a basis to compare. This was the first time I've taken a two-week trip. I really like it so I'm trying it again in Sept.

 

I'm thinking of getting a 4 Mb card before Alaska so I won't have to carry extra cards. I'm sure I'll take around 1000 pictures there also. I'm doing the 1 week NB cruise on Radiance than 1 week touring AK.

 

I always seemed to be so busy on the trip that I didn't want to sort through pictures so I saved everything for when I got home. Plus I didn't want to bring my laptop because of the weight restrictions. It's so much easier to sort through them on the computer than on a camera screen anyway. I got rid of all the ones that I didn't like (about 1/4). Now I'm going through them to get the cropping, etc the way I want. I'll print my absolute favorites for a scrapbook and burn everything onto CD.

 

I think you will like Delos. The crossing was rather rough (similar to the Cozumel to Playa del Carmen one if you are familiar with that), but it didn't bother me. The boat has an upper and lower deck, both open. We stayed on the upper deck so didn't get much wave splash, although we did get a couple waves break high enough to splash us. We enjoyed the tour and the opportunity to see a site under excavation. The tour boat picked us up right next to the ship but dropped us off in town so we had time to run through a few shops after the tour.

 

I'm not a big shopping person. Basically I look for a shotglass for me, postcards, a picture book, and a trinket or two for the niece and nephews. I don't understand people who spend 4 hours looking at jewelry, but they probably don't understand my need to climb the next hill because I MIGHT be able to get a better picture there than on the previous hill. I am a constant source of amusement (and irritation) for my husband.

 

Ask any questions you want. I had such a GREAT!!! time on my trip that I want everyone else to have a great trip, too. Also there are some things that the excursion and trip brochures just don't describe very well.

 

I still have to type up Rome (our last stop), which will be long. It's a good thing I took notes while I was gone. I've had so much going on since I've been back I haven't had enough time to write the reviews as quickly as I wanted.

 

You will love this trip. Have you been to Europe before? This was my first trip, which added to the excitement.

[Host Karen]

Reading this review brings back very pleasant memories of our Brilliance Med cruise in June, although we did private tours or walked around on our own. Glad to read you enjoyed yourselves. It was our favorite cruise of eight, followed by a tie between Alaska and Hawaii.

 

jstducky, definitely buy the bigger memory card, especially if you won't be downloading your photos to a laptop. DH and I shot almost 900 photos in addition to 4-1/2 hours of videotape. If we hadn't brought our laptop along, we would have run out of memory before we got to Athens!

[jstducky]

Karen - I have to thank you for all of your help as well in answering my questions from before!

 

Kyriecat - I guess I'll have to buy the extra card! I currently have 2 - 512mb cards, 1 - 256mb card, and 1 - 16mb card. I was on a 7 day roundtrip Vancouver Serenade of the Seas cruise and I took just under 1000 pics in 7 days! I can only imagine that I'll take tons more on a 2 week trip to the Med, especially with all of the ruins and the beautiful scenery.

 

I can't wait to read your review on Rome. that is the city that I am most looking forward to going to.

 

I've done so much research that my head is spinning, but hearing first hand accounts are wonderful, because you're right, there's so much that a person can tell you that a book or magazine or brochure never could!

 

I've been to Europe before when I was younger, but not to any of the countries on this trip, expect for France but that was to go to Paris, not the South of France. I'm so excited. And I'm delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful time.

 

You've convinced me re Delos. I will go! I've done the Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen ferry. I took bonine in advance and I was fine, no problems at all. Now that I know that the water can be a bit choppy, I'll just make sure to be prepared!

 

You'll absolutely love Alaska. A 1 week cruise and 1 week inland tour is a perfect way to see Alaska and all its beauty!

[kyriecat]

I was glad that RCI switched Rome and Naples on the itinerary. I think Rome is better experienced with a sea day before and a sea day after to recuperate. There is so much to see that a single day does not do this city justice. Also, Rome has a mixture of neoclassical, renaissance, and modern buildings. It was much better to see the blending of the old and new after having seen examples of the styles individually during previous tours. I can understand why they call Rome the "Eternal City".

 

We arrived in Civitavecchia about an hour behind schedule due to heavy traffic at the port. A few people were getting very irritable since we were packed in the Colony Club. The tours were supposed to be staged so that the 7:15 tour was out of the room before the 8:00 people showed up. Unfortunately the late arrival prevented that from happening so we ended up with twice as many people in the room as we should have. The ship staff in the room was unable to answer questions about when the tours could start and a couple passengers became rather rude. The staff insisted that we wouldn’t have to cut our tours short due to the late arrival and that calmed people down.

 

We finally cleared customs and left the ship about an hour behind our 7:15 start time. I wish I had known ahead of time. I could have really used another hour of sleep! We took the Best of Rome tour with guide Francesco. We were on a small 14-passenger mini-bus instead of the large 40+ passenger buses that were used on the previous tours. It took about 90 minutes to get from the dock to Vatican City, which was our first stop. Once we got close to Rome, the traffic became a snarl typical of rush hour in large American cities (like Houston).

 

The line to get into the Vatican museum stretched down the block and around the corner. We had to wait nearly an hour to get inside. As soon as we got inside, Francesco began to irritate me. He was constantly telling us that we were running late and we needed to move faster. The Vatican museum is gorgeous and should not be rushed. The ceilings (not just the Sistine Chapel) are painted or decorated and the floors are covered in mosaics. The museum houses the largest collection of Egyptian, ancient and renaissance art in the world. There are sculptures, tapestries, paintings, and maps all along the walls. There is really too much to absorb in a short amount of time. I could have very easily spent the entire day just in the museum. However, we had lots to see and not much time. We barely scratched the surface of the exhibition areas before moving on to the Sistine Chapel.

 

The Sistine Chapel (named for Pope Sixtus) is absolutely amazing. The chapel is about 120 feet long and 50 feet wide. The entire ceiling and most of the walls are covered with frescos by such famous artists as Botticelli, Rosselli, Signorelli, and Michelangelo. The ceiling and walls are just incredible. I have never seen any photos that really do them justice. The details, colors, and shear size are utterly magnificent. The fresco as the back of the chapel, The Last Judgment by Michelangelo is so stunning that I cannot adequately describe it. The figures are not incredibly lifelike, but the colors used and emotions on the faces of the figures as Christ banishes some to hell are breathtaking. The painting is immense (around 40 ft X 50 ft), and covered in detail. I have to say that visiting the Sistine Chapel was the second greatest moment of my life (right behind my wedding day). I was absolutely devastated that we were only allowed 15 minutes to look around. You simply cannot absorb the atmosphere and take in the details of the chapel in 15 minutes.

 

After being dragged out of the Sistine Chapel we made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica. The basilica is another breathtaking experience. It is larger and more elaborate than any of the previous cathedrals, churches, and basilicas that we had visited. The basilica is home to Michelangelo’s Pieta which is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding the body of the Christ carved from a single piece of marble about 6 ft X 6 ft X 3 ft. The basilica was built on the site of Nero’s Circus where the apostle Peter, who was the first head of the church, was crucified. Peter was buried in the ground of the circus and early Christians added monuments to the grave. Eventually a cathedral was added around 200 AD, followed by the basilica in the early 14th century. The basilica took over a hundred years to build and was an incredible engineering feat for its time. The interior of the basilica houses the tombs of most of the popes as well as tributes to saints, prophets, and martyrs in the form of sculptures, statues, mosaics, and paintings. The baldachin and altar located under the center of the domed roof are directly above the acknowledged burial location of St. Peter.

 

Outside the basilica is the piazza. The piazza is surrounded by a covered walkway with figures of saints and prophets across the top. It is where people congregate to listen to the pope’s speeches or wait for church decisions, such as the designation of Benedictine as pope following the death of John Paul II earlier this year. At the center of the elliptical portion of the piazza is the obelisk that was originally at the entrance to Nero’s Circus.

 

We took a shopping break after leaving the piazza. Francesco took us to a small shop located near the gates of Vatican City. We had a little language problem in the store. I picked up a few items and was waiting for my husband to select a rosary for one of his friends when a clerk came by and asked if I wanted her to hold my items. I gave her my items, which included a bell for my sister that was the last one on the shelf. When my husband finished his selections I looked for the clerk who had my items, but I couldn’t find her. None of the other clerks spoke English and I don’t speak any Italian so I couldn’t make them understand that I wanted to buy the items that the other clerk had set aside. Our shopping time was over at this point so Francesco wanted us to leave without making our purchases. I was adamant that I wanted that bell so Francesco left in a huff after saying we had 5 minutes or he was leaving without us. He didn’t even try to help us locate our items, which angered me. Another shopper spoke Italian and was kind enough to translate for us. One of the other clerks found our items once she knew what we were looking for so we made it to the bus just when they were leaving.

 

We stopped for lunch at the Hotel Minerva about a block from the Pantheon. Francesco told us that we had 90 minutes then the bus was leaving. If we ate fast, we could walk over to the Pantheon after lunch. Lunch was reasonable – not gourmet but not bad. I wanted to have time to look around the Pantheon so I ate quickly. Hopefully my luncheon companions did not think I was too rude for not lingering over the coffee and wine.

 

The Pantheon is one of the few buildings that have survived two thousand years intact. Cesar Augustus’s son-in-law Agrippa originally built the temple around 25 BC. You can still read Agrippa’s name on the front of the Pantheon. Agrippa also oversaw the construction of the arched gateway to the agora in Ephesus. Obviously he was well traveled. Hadrian added the bricked portion of the Pantheon including the open dome about 125 years later. The Pantheon was converted to a Catholic church and currently houses several artifacts, paintings, and sculptures.

 

After the Pantheon we drove around Rome while Francesco point out some of the sights. We drove past the Capitoline Hill, Triton fountain, several pizzas, churches, the offices where Mussolini gave his speeches, and several museums. We then stopped near the Trevi fountain. We had to walk a few blocks through narrow alleys to reach the fountain. The area around the fountain was packed with people and Gypsies circulated among them asking for money among other things. There were also several people selling fake designer goods around the fountain. Since we had been warned against purchasing them no one stopped to look at them. My husband and I threw coins (over our left shoulder, using our right hand) in the fountain to guaranty our return to Rome. The fountain was much bigger than I expected and the sculptures were beautiful. The ingenuity at the time is still amazing. Modern structures seem to lack grace and elegance when compared to the neoclassical designs.

 

After leaving the fountain we headed for the Coliseum. The Coliseum is incredibly large and remarkably well preserved considering I was built around 75 AD. We climbed to the top level where Francesco discussed the history of the Coliseum. We then walked down to the lower level for a better view of the exposed passages, cells, and cages that were once under the Coliseum flooring. From the Coliseum we were able to look over the Roman Forum and see the Arch of Constantine. We walked by the Arch as we left the Coliseum for the bus.

 

I was upset at this point because we did not get our full tour time. The tour was supposed to be 10.5 hours long. It was 1.5 hours back to the ship, but we had only been gone 8 hours. I pointed this out to Francesco but he said he had an appointment already so he had to end the tour at the time it should end if we started on time. He rushed us through everything so he could skim an hour off the tour time. I was irritated about the shortened tour since we had paid almost $700 for the two of us and didn’t think we got our money’s worth. I was also irritated because Francesco did not return to the ship with the tour. He left us at the Coliseum with the bus driver who didn’t speak any English. If there had been a problem during the drive back, we would have run into a language issue. Fortunately nothing serious came up since no one on the bus spoke Italian. One woman tried to get the driver to turn the air conditioner on since it was a little stuffy, but the driver kept shrugging and replying in Italian.

 

I complained at the excursions desk when we got back, but they didn’t seem to care. I was told that the tour guides are independent contactors and can adjust the tour as needed. I still don’t think it was right that we had to rush through our tour because the ship was late and our guide had another obligation. We were told that we were supposed to get our full tour time before we left the ship and that ship would leave dock at 8 instead if 7 that evening to make up the shore time. The other excursions got their full touring time. We watched several buses pulling into the dock after we did.

 

We also saw one couple almost miss the boat. We were getting ready for supper but still somewhat looking out the balcony. The crew had just pulled up the gangway to start sailing when we heard a horn honking and the sound of squealing tires. A taxi was coming down the road with the horn blaring. The crew put the gangway back down. The taxi screeched to a halt next to the gangway, a couple got out and ran onboard, and then the crew pulled the gangway up again. We started pulling away from dock less than a minute later.

 

In retrospect, I should have gone with a private tour guide for Rome so we could set our pace instead of spending the money to be rushed. We got to see a few more things than the cheaper ship tours but at a faster pace. One of the cheaper tours had Vatican City and the Coliseum but not the Trevi Fountain or Pantheon. Another tour had the Coliseum, Roman Forum (I wish we could have seen this up close), and St. Peter’s Basilica but not the Vatican Museum, Trevi Fountain, or Pantheon. I’ll hire my own guide next time. I wasn’t comfortable doing that this time because it was our first trip to Europe and I was unsure of the conditions.

 

Because we spent so much time people watching instead of getting ready for dinner, we were a little late. I always hate being late because I know it throws off the dining staff. Fortunately we weren’t the only ones running late. One of our dining companions felt ill so her husband was also late coming in just in case she felt better and wanted to eat.

 

The midnight chocolate buffet was also that night. We decided to attend because I wanted some chocolate covered strawberries. The white chocolate ones were so good that I could eat them even when I wasn’t hungry. The displays were gorgeous with ice sculptures and desserts. We ate a little then headed for the dancing in the Starquest.

[imsulin2]

Just want to say that this is definitely one of the best reviews I've ever read!

[jstducky]

Kyriecat - after reading more of your review, i had some questions if you don't mind.

 

How did you get from BCN airport to your hotel? Via cab? Do you remember how much it was? Did you pre-book the cab or did you just get one at the airport? Was it difficult to find one?

 

When you went to the Sagrada Familia, was it worth it to have paid admission to go inside and up the top of the tower? I've heard some people say that its enough to wander around outside and take pictures. what do you think?

 

You said that of the people at your dining table, you were one of the "old folks".. I'm glad to hear that there was a younger crowd. I'm only 25 and I was thinking I'd be one of the really young ones on the cruise. What was the general age distribution of the cruisers?

 

Finally, I don't have time to do Nice, Eze and Monaco on my cruise since our time is being cut short due to the change in itinerary to Corsica. If you could only choose 2 of the three cities to visit, which would you choose?

 

Thanks in advance!

[kyriecat]

Jstducky,

 

I have absolutely no problems answering questions. That's what this board is supposed to be for! ;) My e-mail is kyriecat@yahoo.com if you want to e-mail me directly.

 

We didn't prebook a cab. We arrived at BCN around 6:30 PM. There were cabs lined up outside the airport along the taxi stand. We just walked up and got in, no waiting. It cost around 26 euros (approx. $32) for 2 people + 5 suitcases from the airport to the Atrium Palace. Unless you are arriving very late at night or early in the morning, there will be plenty of cabs available.

 

I thought it was worth it to go inside the Sagrada Familia. Some of the exterior requires a close up look to take in all the details. On the day we went, they were putting together one of the mosaics inside. We watched the workers arranging the tiles and securing them. The inside is not completed yet. Some of the accents are in place, but some of the walls are missing or still bare. I really liked going up the towers and walking across the bridge. You get a great view of the city and also a close-up view of the decorations around the towers. Some of them are too bizarre to be believed. Some of the towers have giant fruit on them that looks like a Dole plant blew up.

 

We got a coupon when we boarded the Barcelona Bus Touristic so the entrance was 7 euros each instead of 8. The lift up the towers was 2 euros each. It's not that much to spend, considering some of the other things we did. I think we were at the church for a couple of hours looking around.

 

However, if you have very limited time, I would skip going inside the church and make time to visit Parc Guell. The park also features the works of Gaudi (I'm still pondering genius or drugs!). There are several winding paths that lead up the hill to an excellent view of the city, including Sagrada Familia. In particular, climb to the top of the hill with the Tres Cruces (I think I spelled that right) monument. That has the best view of Barcelona. We spent a couple of hours there just walking around and looking at everything. It's a bit of a walk from the bus stop, but worth it! Plus, you can pre-burn off some calories that you'll gain back on the cruise.

 

On our cruise I would estimate we had less than 100 people under 18. I had absolutely no problems with ill-mannered children. It was such a change from my last cruise. There were about 400 under 40. The balance seemed to be 40 and up (mostly UP!). The ship holds a maximum of 2500 people and we were nearly filled. There are supposed to be a few more families and younger people in the summer since schools are out. Even then the 50 and up crowd are in the majority.

 

We specifically chose to cruise in October because we knew there would be fewer children and college-age party animals. We had enough of that on Majesty in January! Our TA warned us that because this cruise was long (12 days) and in Europe, there would be around 75% of the passengers 50 and up. Young Europeans don't seem to go on cruises very often, and the airfare from the US and length of cruise keep many of the younger Americans away. We knew we would find some people our age to visit with. Of course, RC did a good job of placing us with a great group of people. We met a few people on tours that we chatted with and joined for after-dinner drinks or dancing.

 

I have to admit the night life was really quiet compared to past cruises. It was almost always our dinner table and a few other people in the Starquest every night. There were two late-20's sisters who were a riot! On an average night after midnight there were only about 20 of us left. We made our own fun. The bartenders in Starquest are great.

 

If I had to pick only 2 places at Villefranche, it would have to be Eze and Monaco. Nice was nice (bad pun!) but very similar to Florence or Monaco. The tour of Nice was like taking a tour of "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous". Everywhere was the home of someone famous. The houses (what we could see from the street through the gates and bushes) are well-kept mansions in the Mediterranean style, but nothing spectacular.

 

Monaco seems a little more exclusive than Nice. The houses are more ornate, and the casino is absolutely gorgeous inside. Plus we got to see the palace, part of the Grand Prix track, and the cathedral where Princess Caroline was married and Princess Grace and Prince Ranier are buried. There is a rich history blended with a bit of fairly tale in Monaco.

 

Eze was the only stop we made that was a European style medieval village. It's wrapped around the hilltop with a good view of the ocean. The whole village is built like a fortress with high stone walls and narrow passages. There villages in the Greek islands are similar (narrow passages and stone walls) but the architecture is completely different. The village has several shops that sell handmade goods so we watched some of the craftsmen at work, using tools from the 15th century - potters and leather workers.

[jstducky]

thanks Kyrie!

 

Your detailed descriptions are a huge help!

 

I knew going into this that there wouldn't be a lot of young people on the cruise. The longer the cruise and the further away from the US, the less likely you'll get young people. Its ok. But I also knew I didnt want to do a HAL cruise or anything for fear that everyone would be a super senior citizen.

 

Thanks for the advice re Nice/Eze/Monaco. I think I'll go with your suggestion. I've had a couple of people tell me that Nice is the least desirable of the 3 cities. That mainly people go to Nice because its well known and to say they've been to Nice!

 

As for Barcelona, I think my problem may be that our cruise leaves on Saturday at 7:00 pm. I haven't purchased air yet, but I'm look at a flight that leaves LAX on Thursday and arrives at Barcelona midday Friday.. so basically I figured I might be able to go and see on thing on Friday and then walk around Las Ramblas on Friday night. But then my sightseeing in Barcelona would have to be done on Saturday before getting on the ship. I know it doesn't leave us much time, but considering that hotel rooms are expensive and I can't really take extra time off of work, thats all I could work out.

 

Did you buy your own airfare or purcahse through RCI?

 

Anyhow, thanks so much for all your help. You've really helped me make up my mind on several things I was wavering between!

 

I am going to try and read the rest of your review in the next day. I am sure I'll have more questions for you!

 

Thanks again!

[kyriecat]

Our time in Europe ran by entirely too fast. It was very hard to believe that the 12 days were almost over. It seemed like we just got there.

 

We slept late since we didn’t have a tour and wandered around the ship before lunch. We ate at Sea View Café again. It was definitely the best place for lunch. We had one really weird thing happen on the last day. We were outside on deck 12 overlooking the pool deck where some ice sculpting was taking place. I heard a buzzing type noise and looked up in time to see a military type plane diving out of the clouds. The pilot pulled up and banked right very low over the ship before disappearing back into the clouds. He just made the one pass before leaving. It was really strange because I did not see any type of identification on the plane – no call letters or country flags. It was a gray jet but I have no idea what type. I felt very jittery for a while after that happened. I half expected to hear about new terrorist attacks on the news. Several people said they have never seen a plane swoop that low over a cruise ship before. Very strange!

 

We relaxed and packed for the most part. A little soak in the hot tub then headed back to the cabin to finish the packing. I bought too many books about our port stops (not really, I love to look back at the pictures). They were very heavy so I had a hard time getting the suitcase weights distributed so they didn’t all weigh over 50 lbs. After packing, I read on the balcony for a while. This was my last day to enjoy it. I don’t think I’ll ever cruise without one again!

 

Dinner that night was a little subdued. We passed around e-mail addresses and talked about getting drinks later. We said our goodbyes to Alif (waiter), Shmi (asst. waiter), and Sing (head waiter). Everyone at the table thought Sing was amazing. He was so personable and he remembered everyone’s names. He could even remove a lobster tail from the shell without making a mess. We saw Sing several times outside the dining room during the cruise. Each time he came by and chatted with us for a few minutes. Hopefully Sing’s efforts are recognized. I really enjoyed my dining companions and miss them. We really managed to bond well during the cruise (several drinks helped too). We returned to the cabin briefly after dinner to put our bags outside the door. Those poor porters! I know how much my bags weighed. I cannot imagine having to move around bags for 2500 people.

 

We met our friends in the Starquest for a final round of drinks, dancing, and mayhem. We even managed to get the DJ to play “Time Warp” for us. Nothing like a dozen partially drunk people on the dance floor doing the pelvic thrust! I miss the bartenders in the Starquest. They are THE BEST on the ship! Not only do they mix the best drinks (Thanks for all the Bushwackers, Eric!), they also provide entertainment. I think they had a new bar game every night. It’s always fun to watch the drunks trying things that require good hand/eye coordination, like trying to wedge a quarter between two glasses stacked on each other using only a straw. I’m surprised we didn’t break any glasses doing that one! I heard plenty of jokes (most of them at least slightly risqué so unfit for publication here!). We had a round of hugs, kisses, and tears before breaking up around 2:30.

 

We had a 10:30 AM flight out of Barcelona. We had the second tags off the ship (white) right behind those needing special assistance. I am so grateful that we did not encounter the problems with the fishermen. We docked in Barcelona around 5 AM. We got up and ate breakfast in the Windjammer then returned to our cabin to collect our bags. We waited in the Pacifica Theater until around 7:00 when our tags were called. Getting off the ship was very easy and took no time. We didn’t have to go through customs, which I thought was unusual.

 

The terminal was a zoo. One of our bags ended up mixed with the wrong color so we had to search for it. There weren’t enough porters so there was a line for their services. We received transfers to the airport with our air package, but we weren’t sure where to go. We finally found a Royal Caribbean person who told us to take our bags to a truck for transport to the airport. We stood in line to load our bags on the truck (I wasn’t too enthused about our bags being on a different vehicle than us) but when we reached the front we were told that we needed to put our bags on the bus not the truck. We moved our luggage over to the bus and loaded it on. When we started to get on the bus we were told that this wasn’t our bus. We needed to get on a different bus. We unloaded our luggage and tried to find a RC employee to ask what we needed to do. We found someone who pointed us back to the bus we just got off. He said he would find out what to do and walked off. We figured we’d never see him again so were pleasantly surprised when he came back and pointed us to the correct bus, which was a couple spots over from the other one. We got on and were on our way to the airport by around 8:20.

 

It took about 30 minutes to arrive at the airport where we were greeted with more confusion. The bus driver told us that porters would unload our luggage and place it between terminals A and B. Rather than walking off towards the terminals like most of the others did, we stayed by the buses to make sure our luggage got off. Good thing we did because the porters we only unloading the bags and stacking them by the curb. They were yelling at the bus driver since no on was collecting their luggage. We grabbed ours and headed for the terminal.

 

Guess what! More confusion! The lines to check in stretched around the terminal. The Serenade of the Seas, and a Pullmantur cruise ship all docked that morning. The lines for the different airlines were wrapping into each other and the people who finished their check in but needed to go to the gate were trapped by the people waiting in line. It took us a little over an hour to get to the front. I figured we would need to pay extra for at least one overweight bag, but we didn’t. Security to get to the gates wasn’t any worse than US security. We spent about 10 minutes waiting to get through. We made it to the gate with about 10 minutes until flight time, but they were just starting the boarding process as we were walking over.

 

I felt sorry for the British Airways passengers. As we were heading for the gate they announced the BA flight to Heathrow was delayed 2 hours. Those with connecting flights needed to check with customer service. People were running to get in the customer service line. One of the couples from our table got stuck spending the night in London when they missed their connection because of the delay. They weren’t very happy about it!

 

KLM plane loading is different than American style. KLM loads first class first, elite passengers second, then everyone else regardless of seat location. Talk about cattle call! People were pushing past passengers putting their luggage in the bins. I saw one man jump over a seat to get through. I’m used to boarding by rows, back to front to prevent people from tripping over each other. Since so many people were late trying to check in, our flight was about 30 minutes late taking off. I was very worried since we only had 1.5 hours originally to make our connecting flight, and we just lost 30 minutes of that. We made up some time in the air and were able to make our connecting flight in Amsterdam (it was close!) despite the incredibly unorganized “lines” for customs clearance. Basically there was a mass of people trying to push to the front. There were no line dividers or any type of control. I hate getting stuck in big crowds. I tried to stay close to my husband and when people tried to push him out of line, he pushed back.

 

We made it home safe with all of our luggage. Customs in Houston was a relief after Amsterdam. Our cats were very happy to see us when we got to the house. I was glad the flight was over but wanted to stay on the ship longer. I don’t like flying, although I have managed to convince myself that it beats driving.

 

I think we did pretty well for packing. We wore everything we took, but had to send a few things to the laundry. I packed 4 skirts, 1 pant, 2 shorts, 2 formals (one long, one short), 12 shirts, 2 swimsuits, 1 cover-up, 3 shoes (1 for walking, 1 slip on sandal, and 1 dressy sandal), a light jacket, and associated socks and underwear. Hubby brought 4 pants, 2 shorts, 12 shirts, 2 swim trunks, and 2 shoes (1 walking, 1 casual). We rented a tux and formal shoes from the ship. We spent about $30 to send 2 shorts, 2 pants, 4 shirts, and 1 skirt to the cleaners. I thought it was a little pricey but at least I didn’t have to wash them. We should have brought small umbrellas or rain jackets since we had rain nearly every morning. The only thing I probably didn’t need was the second swimsuit. Since we didn’t make any beach visits and we were so busy we didn’t spend much time in the pool, the swimsuit was dry by the time I needed it again. I also probably brought too much jewelry, but that doesn’t take up much space.

 

I somewhat regret not having taken my laptop. It would be nice to have for downloading pictures. Also, we spent way too much on Internet access from the ship. We used the ship computers so I bought the 150 minutes for $50 package but we used that up. I heard there were unlimited access packages for laptop users but didn’t get prices. The connection speeds are too slow and every time you swiped your sea pass card to log in, it charged you for at least a minute whether it connected or not. I got the dreaded “page cannot be displayed” message more than I got my email. There was rarely a connection when we were in dock. Also there was no warning when the connection dropped so if it dropped while you were typing an email, you didn’t find out until you hit send. I needed to check on some things at work occasionally and also my parents had some damage from Rita so I wanted to keep in touch with them. Hubby had to check on his Astros almost daily since they were in the play-offs. We ended up spending more time on the Internet than we normally would. Those 5-10 minutes here and there added up quickly.

 

If anyone has any questions, I’m happy to answer. I’m off to plan next year’s trips now. We’re doing a land trip for Hubby to either Virginia with a stop to see the Astros play the Nationals in May or to the Grand Canyon with a stop to see the Astros play the Diamondbacks in April. (Anyone see a theme here?) My trip is in September – cruise/land trip to Alaska. I haven’t been before so I’m really excited.

[kyriecat]

I accidentally posted twice.

 

Jstducky,

 

We booked custom air through RC. I didn't want to go through US customs before we reached Houston. I had a bad experience with that in Miami. We had a choice of flying direct from Houston to London, Amsterdam, or Paris. I heard about several people with luggage problems in Paris so I didn't want that, and I heard about London being a nightmare to get through (found out in person those stories are true!) so we went with KLM through Amsterdam. Fare through RC was about $100 more than direct from KLM, but I decided it would be better to get through RC since we also go the transfers.

 

If we were on last week's cruise with the fishermen blockade, sounds like those buying air from RC got priority for flights.

[Northern Bear]

Great report. We were on the same cruise as you, so now I don't have to write one! :D

 

NB.

[zeldaone]

We ended up sleeping until around 11 since we went to bed so late the night (or does 5 AM count as morning) before. We docked in Mykonos, which is one of the Greek islands, around noon, but our tour didn’t begin until 2. We ate another bland lunch in the WJ. We meant to try Sea View, but forgot about it until we had already started through the buffet. We considered getting off the ship to explore and coming back for our tour but heard it was about 2.5 miles into town so we didn’t really have enough time. The main town was around the bend from where we docked so we couldn’t see much of it from the deck.

 

We had left a note before we went to bed for Nikki not to bother cleaning our room that morning since we knew we would end up sleeping really late. We didn’t want to throw off her schedule since she has several rooms to clean. By the time we returned to the room after lunch, Nikki had been by anyway to leave ice and make the bed.

 

We met J&J a little while before the tour since they were going also. The only tour on Mykonos is the Delos trip. We got off the ship and transferred onto a large boat for the 30-minute ride over to the island of Delos. The ride was very windy and rough. I was surprised that no one got seasick.

 

Delos is an island founded by the Greeks to honor their god Apollo. According to their mythology Apollo was born on this island so the Greeks built a community there to honor him. The community was accepting of foreigners and open to tourists wanting to make the pilgrimage so the community became a major residential and trade area. The Greeks in Athens became jealous of the status of Delos and began to pass laws to limit the number of residents and reduce trade. The laws along with the limited water supply on the island eventually drove people away until it was deserted and fell to ruins in the 1st century BC. The island is currently deserted except for the group of archeologists digging through the ruins. Delos is very different from Pompeii and the ruins we would later see in Greece and Turkey since they have not been excavating the area for very long. There are pieces of columns and bricks from walls scattered throughout the area. There are very few structures that are rebuilt. My husband and I thought it looked like a giant had scattered his Lego blocks around the island.

 

The commerce and religious sections of the island are almost completely gone. There are a few walls and columns still standing to indicate where structures were. The residential section of the island has several homes with walls and floors intact. Several of the homes have lovely tiled mosaic floors. The theater is the only structure that is almost completely intact. We wanted to climb up to the Temple of Isis that is on a hill overlooking the island, but didn’t have enough time.

 

Delos was interesting because we had the opportunity to see what similar excavated sites looked like before the archeologists had a chance to put things back together. It gave a new appreciation for the work done in Pompeii. The trip back to Mykonos was even bumpier than the trip over. Several times waves went over the boat, spraying the passengers. The guide told us that the waters were worse in the summer. That must be some ride!

 

We docked in Mykonos and were able to explore the town a little before returning to the ship. It was already 6:30 and we had 8:30 Portofino’s reservations. Most of the buildings are typical Greek-island architecture – whitewashed stucco walls with painted blue roofs and shutters. Most of the buildings along the pier are restaurants and shops catering to the tourists. There are a few places to rent motorcycles, ATVs, and cars for those interested in seeing the interior of the island or heading to the beaches. There are a few vendors selling junk foods (candies and chips) near the shops. There were the typical American versions of Lays and Doritos along with some regional flavors. I bought a bag of paprika and tomato flavored Cheetos to try later. My husband and J&J also bought a few bags of chips. There is all this food on the ship and we bought chips. Pretty sad!

 

We received shuttle bus tickets back to the ship with our excursion so we used those to get back to the ship and change clothes. J&J mentioned that they were interested in trying Portofino’s sometime so we invited them to join us. I called Portofino’s when we got back to the ship to see if changing our reservation from 2 to 4 was a problem. They were very accommodating.

 

Dinner was amazing. The service was impeccable and the food was perfect. I ordered the tiger shrimp appetizer, the lobster pasta, and the halibut with lobster ravioli for my main course. Dessert was the tiramisu. Everything looked and tasted amazing. After dinner, they brought a small tray of cheeses and chocolates to finish the meal. We really enjoyed Chops, but Portofino’s was just incredible. I’m glad we went to Chops first because we would not have been nearly as impressed if we went after Portofino’s. I prefer seafood and seasonings to cuts of meat, and Portofino’s really delivered! It was without a doubt the best meal that we had onboard.

 

We watched a little karaoke then tried a little midnight hot tubbing before bedtime. The hot tubs are really empty around midnight so there was no waiting. Plus the crew had just finished cleaning it. Nice and soothing after a BIG meal. Then off to bed since Kusadasi was an early stop.

 

 

 

Hi,

I read that the best thing to do when you dock in Mykonos is to just go to the beach. What do u think?

[kyriecat]

We took the Delos tour in Mykonos and didn't make it back to the island until after dark. We didn't have time to see much of Mykonos besides the shops around the dock area. It was a little too cool in October for the beach anyway. If you have a trip planned for the summer, the beaches might be nice. I thought the ones on Santorini looked really nice, but again a little to cool for swimming. Here's a link to some Mykonos information from the Europe board. There are other discussions on Mykonos on the Europe board if you do a search.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=298735&highlight=Mykonos