LIVE from Constellation - May 2nd - Italy & Spain 10nt cruise

[WonderMan3]

We finished off Sunday with a fantastic dinner at La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali which is located on Via della Madonna dei Monti near the Forum area. The food was excellent and the service was extremely prompt and friendly. I would highly recommend it. Reservations are a must though. We saw them turn away people all night who didn't have reservations. You can't book online, you have to call. I had my hotel make the reservation for us. Showing photos of some of the dishes we had including a pork bruschetta, mozzarella & tomato, Cacio e Pepe with truffles and chicken with lemon and almond sauce.

 

 

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[clj7181]

An european cruise is pretty high up on my bucket list with 2019 looking to be the year so I am really looking forward to reading your review and enjoying it so far.

[WonderMan3]

Our adventures in Rome continued today. May 1st is a holiday here so many sites were closed (or so we thought). We reserved a private car and driver through Rome In Limo in advance so that we could explore some of the lesser known spots around the city. We found out later during the day that the sites we wanted to see like Palatine Hill and the Baths of Caracalla were actually open after all. Our driver Enrico told us that we wouldn't want to go to the big sites on a holiday anyway as it gets way too crowded. We still had a great day. After picking us up at our hotel, he drove us up to Savello Park a quiet place with an orange grove and views overlooking the city, followed by a stop to look through the famous keyhole of the Knights of Malta, then over to the Pyramid of Gaius Cestius. We continued on to visit the underground Catacombs of San Callisto followed by a walk along the ancient Appian Way. Then we got close up to some of Rome's aqueduct ruins (I never realized there were so many still standing around the city). After making a stop to see the inside of the St. Ignatius Church and it's beautiful ceilings we paused for lunch at a restaurant in the Testaccio area that Enrico recommended. It was a place frequented by locals but the service was oddly slow and the food was mediocre. We finished up the day by driving up to Gianicolo Hill for more views of the city. We had the driver for a total of 6 hours including 1 hour for lunch. He gave us a lot of information about Rome history and culture as we drove around and was able to accompany us at several of the sites we visited to give explanations. It cost 330 Euro for the time which many people might find pricey but it was worth it to us.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

After our driving tour we took a few hours to relax at our hotel and then went out to walk around. We walked from our hotel at Largo Argentina to the Ponte Cestio and then wandered through Trastevere to the restaurant we reserved for dinner. Trastevere is a wonderful neighborhood where you can meander down cobbled streets lined with colorful buildings and full of lots of quaint shops and restaurants. It has become very touristy but is still charming.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

We ate dinner tonight at a restaurant in Trastevere called Taverna Trilussa. I had an appetizer called Suppli which is a fried ball full of rice, cheese and meat, similar to Arancini which I've had in the States. That and my pasta dish, Bombolotti alla Norcina were fantastic. Mike had a pasta dish Bucatini all' Amatriciana which he also loved, but his main entree steak was not good.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

We finished our night with a walk around to see the monuments and fountains lit up in Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. Great way to end this brief but busy visit to Rome. Onward to the ship tomorrow!

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

I will be following your review as I am on the same cruise as you. We have been in Rome since Saturday and are heading to our hotel in Civitavecchia this afternoon after a tour with Rome in Limo. Maybe I'll run into you on board. Enjoy your trip, I know we will enjoy ours.

 

 

We did Rome In Limo today. What tour did you do with them? Did you like it? I thought they did a great job. We have them booked for our transfer to the ship tomorrow and then for an Amalfi Coast tour on Wednesday. Can't wait to sail away tomorrow!

 

 

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[Dunmore2]

Your pictures are spectacular. Despite your trip getting off to a "rough" start, it's great to see that you are seeing a lot of Rome. I've been hesitant about being there on May 1, but it looks like it was a perfect day to be out seeing the beautiful city. Rome in Limo is a great company.

Congratulations on your anniversary. Hope you have an amazing cruise.

[sportbeef]

You and Mike have a fantastic time, Celebrate and keep posting updates.

[alilstp]

Excellent photography! I really enjoy your pics and review to date. May I ask what type of camera your are using? Carry on and have fun.

Alan

 

 

We finished our night with a walk around to see the monuments and fountains lit up in Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. Great way to end this brief but busy visit to Rome. Onward to the ship tomorrow!

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

Woke up this morning to unpleasantness; we had no hot water in our hotel bathroom. Taking a cold shower was not the way I wanted to start the day but it certainly woke me up right quick! After having some breakfast at the hotel we went down the block to a grocery store to grab a few snacks for our cabin. At check out the hotel took a small bit off our bill for the inconvenience of the hot water issue. We had reserved through Rome In Limo again for our transfer to the ship. The driver was there promptly and we had a comfortable ride to the port (Cost is 160 Euro for the transfer), although the drive took about 90 minutes as there was a lot of traffic trying to get out of Rome. We had possibly the fastest boarding ever as security took all of 2 minutes and we had no wait for the ship check-in. It was then on to Luminae for a nice lunch. Mike had the Lobster Bisque which seemed to be pretty short on lobster, and then we both had the Chicken & Waffles which was tasty once you added the honey Tabasco syrup. We finished lunch just as the rooms ready announcement was made.

 

 

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[Living4acruise2day]

My goodness. Your pictures make me feel like I am there. You get the Cruise Critic Award for best photos of the Year.

[WonderMan3]

Just got back from the spa after making some appointments. Mike has a pedicure scheduled for the first sea day while we both scheduled deep tissue massages for the second sea day. Now just relaxing in our cabin. We are in a handicapped accessible Sky Suite (S2) on Deck 9 near the elevators so it is super convenient. The cabin is a bit wider than the standard S2 which is a plus. The bathroom does not have a tub or rain shower head but instead has a "roll-in shower" with the detachable hand held shower head. Room is in good shape but could definitely use a sprucing up, especially the balcony. We met our butler Jesus and he was very pleasant. We requested to have the afternoon treats delivered to our stateroom each afternoon as we rarely make it to Michael's Club and he said that was fine. One thing I am noticing in the cabin is there is no iPod dock or Bluetooth speaker so glad I brought my own Bluetooth speaker.

 

 

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[pmymmw]

We are on constellation from 26th after the dry dock, definitely looking forward to embarkation lunch in Luminae.

Would be interesting to read any information you hear about the dry dock.

Have a great cruise.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

Here is today's Daily including list of ship officers

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

There have been a lot of questions about the changes to The Blue Chip Club lately. Blue Chip guests should be happy to know that you will receive a letter in your cabin when you board outlining the benefits of the new program and what your current level is. I have attached copies of what we received. We were pleased to see that we are at Sapphire level which is the second highest ( not sure how anyone can possibly reach that top level unless you cruise at least 3-4 times a year and spend A LOT in the casino). The specialty restaurant and spa benefits will come in handy for this cruise as will the free play of course. Also have attached copies of our Elite Level benefits they left in the cabin.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

They are loading our suite with treats.

 

 

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[Deb922]

Great pictures. This is a bucket list trip

[Swann5]

Thanks for posting the dailies and other informational literature, interesting to read about the 22% VAT being charged on ship purchases and glad we don't plan on making any large purchases on board, but wonder if it includes duty free alcohol. Have a great cruise!

[Beanb41]

Thanks for posting the dailies and other informational literature, interesting to read about the 22% VAT being charged on ship purchases and glad we don't plan on making any large purchases on board, but wonder if it includes duty free alcohol. Have a great cruise!

 

The payment of VAT will not apply to the 2th May cruise as our itinerary will take us Montenegro which is a non EU country

Edited May 3, 2017 by Beanb41

[WonderMan3]

Had a great first evening on Constellation. We were invited to the casino at sailaway time for a drink and to meet the casino staff. They explained details about the Blue Chip club changes and it seems very promising. After finishing our unpacking we changed and headed down to our favorite bar The Martini Bar for our first martinis of the cruise. We had Raspberry Lemonade and Cherry Lane. Then it was on to Luminae for dinner. We arrived at 6:30 and it was not very crowded although all window seats were already taken. Dinner was very quick but tasty and service was friendly. Mike asked for a Bucatini entree to be turned into an appetizer while I had the Burrata. We both had the Filet Mignon for main entree. For dessert who both had the Almond Cake. After dinner we headed to the casino where luck was on our side. I won a free Tuscan Grill dinner for 2 as part of a raffle and then I hit a nice jackpot on the slots. We left by 11 as we had an early morning coming up.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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