Review: Jewel of the Seas Western Mediterranean

[cruizeblues]

I will begin my review by saying that I have been a member of CC since my first cruise 15 years ago. I have enjoyed reading many, many reviews, but never wrote one of my own until now. Before each of my cruises I spent a ton of time reading reviews and gathering info on everything from cabin choice to excursions. There have always been tons of relevant reviews for my Caribbean cruises, but I was only able to find a handful for the Mediterranean. The best review, by far, was by Hoopster

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2536756

He describes in full detail and great pictures ports for both East & West Med. as well as time spent in Rome before & after. We used his tips extensively to make the most of our time in Rome and in the ports. So, with my review, I will attempt to pay it forward for all the hundreds of reviews that have helped me over the years!

 

Background info, DH and myself (50ish) took this trip to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. My first recommendation for the a Rome/Mediterranean vacation is don’t go in August! Mid 90’s the entire trip made the touring less than pleasant (and I usually don't mind warm weather) I would suggest September or October as a better alternative because Rome, Barcelona, Cannes and Palma were walking intensive ports, there is so much to see and do.

[cruizeblues]

Neither DH or I have been to Europe before; this was an exciting, bucket-list trip for us. The planning process was a bit overwhelming at first, then I decided to start with the most important place first, Rome. DH would only take a week and a half off from work (workaholic) so our time in Rome was limited to about a day and a half. Which brings me to my second piece of advice, plan AT LEAST two full days in Rome before your cruise if possible (3 would be better) We crammed a tour of the Vatican and the Colosseum into one day, which can be done, but not recommended! Next thing I would suggest, if you know you want to go, book early. When I was first thinking about the Med cruise in October (10 months prior) airfare to Rome was about $650 from Newark. When I finally made the decision to book in February prices had gone up to $989 per person for the same flight! The cruise price also increased by $400 per person :( snooze you loose! We took our lumps and started planning! Another financial tip: get a travel credit card (like RCCL) that doesn't charge an international transaction fee and use it for your airfare if it is not a US company. I forgot to use my RCCL card when I booked with Norwegian Air and got charged an extra 3% (almost $60 extra). After that lesson, I used my RCCL card for the hotel and tours that could be booked in advance.

[cruizeblues]

A few more general observations: read a lot of advice about pick-pockets that made me nervous about touring Rome & Barcelona. We didn't encounter any problems, and didn't feel unsafe at all while walking around the streets of either city (and we walked all over Rome, early morning till night) Just keep in mind that it is possible and don't be careless with your purse or wallet and you should be fine. I suggest walking around Rome to see the sites. It is a beautiful city with so much to take in. We used GoogleMaps along with a map our hotel gave us to find our way around Rome. With so many tiny side streets, it is tough at first to figure out how to get where you are going. We managed to find all of the major landmarks and great places to eat by wandering around. If you have a specific meeting time for a tour, I suggest taking a cab though so you aren't late. GoogleMaps will tell you it's a 10 minute walk, but if you get lost like we did it can take you a lot longer!

[cruizeblues]

Ok, now on to the review: Day 1:

 

We had an 11:30 pm direct flight out of Newark, about a three hour drive for us. We used Park/Sleep/Fly to book the Ramada Inn for long-term parking plus a room after our return flight (more on that at the end of review). We arrived around 8:30, grabbed the parking ticket for our car and jumped on the shuttle for the airport (easy so far) Check in with Norwegian and getting through security was a breeze, our flight was delayed an hour :( so we waited around the very crowded gate area and waited. Our flight was uneventful, long and very uncomfortable! We booked Norwegian because it was a direct flight, 8.5 hours, and it was supposed to be onboard their new Dreamliner which gets great reviews. Not this time :( they subcontracted the flight to a truly awful airline, Privileged Air. I guess we were privileged to land in Rome in one piece, other than that, I will be sure to ask Norwegian in the future if they plan to subcontract the flight before booking! I thought I would be able to sleep, lol! If you want to sleep on the flight, upgrade to premium seats! With the time difference, we arrived in Rome at about 2:45 pm. Getting through the airport was easy (signs in English) and we were able to find our driver easily. After reading reviews on CC and Trip Advisor, I decided to use Rome Cabs for all our transfers. Great choice! Drivers were on time, friendly and safe in the crazy Rome traffic. I paid online ahead of time using PayPal. Otherwise you need to pay the driver in Euros as they don't take credit cards. The company was super easy to work with via email, they always got right back to me with answers etc. I would highly recommend them.

[Jax129]

Looking forward to your review. I'm planning a Med cruise in 2 years

[cruizeblues]

Day 2: Rome

I used Trip Advisor to pick our hotel in Rome, read hundreds of reviews and settled on Navona Palace Residenze di’ Charme, located about a block away from the Piazza Navona. Lots of reviews said to stay near Piazza Navona for it's central location, we were happy with our choice as it was easy walking distance to all the major sites. The Vatican, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Colosseum are all very within 20 minutes walk. Also, tons of restaurants, cafes and gelato places at your doorstep! Hotels are different than we are used to in the States, they are more like small inns, each with their own personality. We had a suite which was really large, bedroom, living room with kitchenette and bathroom. The bed was comfy and the room was clean. No terrace and not much of a view, but large windows overlooking a courtyard. Many mentioned being disturbed by the bars at the street level, but we didn't hear anything (and I am a light sleeper). We booked directly on their website and requested a quiet room away from street noise. Also, the website and reviews mention a free breakfast buffet, but for some reason (not explained to us) it was not free for us. No worries for us, plenty of cafes nearby to get awesome espresso and croissants.

[cruizeblues]

Outside the hotel, amazing that cars drive on these tiny, narrow streets!

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

So we took about an hour to get settled into our room, shower and change then headed out to explore Rome! We didn't have anything planned for the first day because we weren't sure how we would feel after the overnight flight. The desk clerk gave us a map and explained how to get to the main attractions, with that and google maps we managed to find things although at times it felt like we were wandering around in circles. It started to sprinkle, but not bad enough to dampen our spirits. The streets in Rome are really narrow but somehow the cars, motorcycles & scooters seem to navigate them while avoiding running over the tourists. We passed many little shops and cafes are tucked into the buildings along the way to our first destination, the Pantheon. I did a little research on Rome (history nerd) and discovered that this is the oldest building that is still in tact. It was built in 27 BC [emoji15] It survived because it was converted to a church in around 600 AD. It is still in use as a church, it pretty spectacular and free to walk in a look around.

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Next stop was the Trevi Fountain a few blocks away, we grabbed our first of many gelatos and ate it on the way. It was very crowded at about 6 pm, couldn't even get close to the fountain for a picture or the traditional coin toss :( DH hates crowds and we were starting to feel the effects of the overnight flight so we decided to eat dinner then call it a day. We stopped at a restaurant around the corner from our hotel, can't remember the name and I didn't take photos of the food, but it tasted really good! I had lasagna and DH had pizza while sitting outside, exactly how I pictured a restaurant in Rome would be! On our way back we peeked into a church that was open. It was beautiful! We learned that if the door is open to a church, take a look! Even the smallest churches we encountered had beautiful artwork and sculptures on display.

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

 

 

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[Hoopster95]

Thank you for the kind words cruizblues... following this for sure!! :D

Great photos so far... keep'em comin' (y)

[cruizeblues]

We had an early-entrance tour of the Vatican in the morning, so I set the alarm for 6 am and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!

 

 

Day 2: Vatican Early Entrance Tour and Colosseum/Roman Forum Tour

At 7 am the front desk called to say that our driver was waiting, S*%#! My alarm was set for M-F @ 6 am, it was Saturday so it didn't go off! We threw on clothes, brushed our teeth and headed out the door...no coffee or breakfast, but we made it in time to meet our tour at 7:30. This was the first tour I booked for this vacation, called The Privileged Early Entrance Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel, booked with The Roman Guys. I also booked our afternoon Colosseum with this company. They were very easy to work with by email. Although I was disappointed when they cancelled the Colosseum tour two weeks before our vacation, they were very apologetic and accommodating and helped me reschedule it with a different company. So this tour is well worth the $$ as it gets you into the museum an hour before it's open to the public. You aren't alone as there are several tour groups with this same early entry privilege. However, it is MUCH more crowded as the day goes on. We had a group of about 10 and an enthusiastic tourguide that was good at explaining the history of what we were seeing. She bypassed everything and took us straight to the Sistine Chapel, we were there with about 25 other people, it was pretty awesome! She gave us about 20 minutes to take it all in before moving on to the rest of the museum. A few things to note here, you can't have bare shoulders or knees in the chapel, many women just wore a scarf to cover their sundress or tank tops. Also, you aren't supposed to take photos inside the chapel, DH may have snapped a few prior to being reminded by the guard. They also ask that you don't talk inside, so the guide describes everything before you go in and answers questions after leaving.

I am an extremely-lapsed Catholic, haven't been inside a church in over 10 years, but this place is truly moving! Maybe it's more about the history and art than the religion, or maybe a combination of all, but I would say that this is not to be missed! We spent another hour or so looking at the vast collection of art, tapestries, sculptures and antiquities before heading out the back door shortcut to St. Peter's Basilica (we had the option to stay in the museum longer our own if we wanted) St. Peter's is amazing! It is huge and full of beautiful art, mosaics and sculpture. Also, I was surprised to see quite a few dead Popes under various alters. Some visible, some in marble sarcophagus(s)(i) ? The guide showed us the highlights, and explained what we were seeing. The tour ended at about 11:30, we could have stayed and explore on our own, but unfortunately we had another tour in a few hours and we were starving, jonsing for caffeine and hot (did I mention that it was 90+ degrees?) So we headed back to our hotel to change into shorts and rest a bit before heading back out to the Colosseum.

[cruizeblues]

I’m hoping the fountain will be less crowded in September when we’re there :(

Stay tuned for our day 3 tips! :D

[cruizeblues]

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Same hallway an hour later:

 

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Thank you for the kind words cruizblues... following this for sure!! :D

Great photos so far... keep'em comin' (y)

 

 

I'm looking forward to reading your British Isles review! Ireland is on our wish list for next year, probably a land vacation though.

[cruizeblues]

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

If you look close you can see that these giant murals aren't painted, they are mosaic! Amazing and very beautiful, each one tells a different story from the Bible. Also, look under the alters...dead Popes! [emoji15] I didn't realize this until our tour guide pointed it out! If you had the time and desire you could also go down to the catacombs downstairs (not for me, gives me the creeps!)

 

Check out the stars that make up Mary's halo in this next mosaic, they are actually huge diamonds! Wow!

 

 

 

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Edited August 31, 2018 by cruizeblues

[cruizeblues]

This sculpture stopped me in my tracks! Stood and stared at it for a good ten minutes and wished I could have stayed longer! Absolutely beautiful! Michelangelo's Pieta'

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

The pictures really don't do any of these masterpieces justice, but their image will be burned into my memory forever! I saw these famous works in books but never thought I would see them in person.

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Ok, anyone need to go to confession? Forgive me father, it's been 35 years since my last confession....[emoji23]

 

 

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[kftw]

Looking forward to more!

[cruizeblues]

And one more pope, because I just couldn't get over the fact that they were really out in the open like that! Yikes!

 

 

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[cruizeblues]

Last words on the Vatican:

The early entry tour is definitely worth it. Also, having a tour guide your first time through is definitely worth it because you will get a better understanding of what you are looking at. The downside to a group tour, however, is that you have to move along at their pace when you might not want to move on yet. I would have loved more time to go back on our own and really look at everything in the museum before moving on to St. Peter's, and we could have done that if we didn't have a second tour later that day. Also, an hour is really not enough time for St. Peter's. If we had another day in Rome, we probably would have gone back for a more leisurely look around. If you are going without a guide, book your tickets online ahead of time, the line at 11:30 was huge! Also, there is no admission charge to St. Peter's, only the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel.

 

 

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