The Seaview in the Med - maybe not a review but some things you might want to know

[perakcruiser]

This was cruise number 8 with MSC, first our favourite ship was the Preziosa, then the Meraviglia, will it be the Seaview now?

 

Every day I will open a chapter, beginning with the route, certainly food will not be missing.

 

ROUTE

The Seaview is doing a little bit more interesting route in the Western med compared to other ships. While the ports Palma (boring), Genua (boring), Civitavecchia (boring) and Barcelona (boring) are boring, been there so many times with or without ships, the other three are not so common.  

 

Anyway we booked because we wanted to experience the one class of MSC ships that we have not tried yet. And of cause compare it with the Mera :)

 

But also the port of Ajaccio was new for us, so many good things heard about Corsica before. And to make the shortcut, all was true, Ajaccio was totally amazing. We took a public bus to the place on the frontpage of the tourist map you get at the port exit, Parata tower. Amazing, great area for short hiking, perfect for a half day trip for cruise visitors. On the way the bus passes a lot of beaches if you are in the mood for a swim. Many were from the Seaview, even it´s October! Certainly we were very lucky with the weather. 

 

In Genua it was raining heavily, well, we did not plan to leave the boat. But never been to Cinque Terre, you could do this from Genua, but we failed. So we prayed a lot for good weather on the next day. Successfully. Great weather, but off season the boat excursions along the Cinque Terre are a little bit limited. Can be booked on board for the same price than on land by the way. We planned to take the train and do some hiking. Well, it was a big hike and I was so happy that we had October and not August. And that all the terre had water refill stations. And gelato with Basil taste :) Wonderful place, don´t know many better in all over Europe. 

 

You can start this cruise probably at every port expect La Spezia (I guess as it is so close to Genua). We did at Cannes. Because I have not been to Cannes for many, many years and actually forgot everything. And in Europe it is very easy and cheap to fly to Nice. From Nice Airport you can directly go by train to Cannes every 30 minutes or so for friendly 12 Euro. We spent a couple of days before the cruise at the Cote d Azur, Cannes is definitely a good place to start this cruise. We took a flight not with Ryanair as usual, but with their daughter Laudamotion. Even it is the same company at the end the staff was much more friendly and the flights were great. Not too many people boarded at Cannes, so embarkation was very fast. But the day when we had to leave the Seaview heavy, heavy rain again. So we stayed as long on the ship as possible, almost until 14:00 when the rain finally got lighter. Cannes was the only tender port on this cruise, so the Gold advantage of priority tender tickets was useless for us. In the Caribbean we would have needed them so much, but at this time no Gold yet. More about the Voyager Club and the Experience levels later. 

Much later, tomorrow will be Service and Staff. Feel free to ask questions about anything. Pardon for my mistake, English is not my mother tongue as everybody easily can see/read ;)

 

Conclusio: When in Genua try to do the Cinque Terre. Not so easy as from La Spezia, but there should be excursions from the cruise company and with good planning you can make the northern part of Cinque Terre by train. I will not stay on the boat next time in Genua :) If there is a cruise with La Spezia available, I highly recommend. As I do with Ajaccio. Otherwise start from the place you want to see most. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by perakcruiser

[aprilF]

We are doing this ship next year. I was thinking of Cinque Terre from Genoa as it looks do able but you see most people doing CT from La Spezia. I was hoping to do it from Genoa so that if we didn’t get to explore it all, we could do more from La Spezia the next day. Or do Pisa if we felt we covered enough of CT on our Genoa day. 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for your comments.

[Norwich Cruiser]

We to have been to all the ports but have never found Palma and particularly Barcelona to be at all boring.

[perakcruiser]

23 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

We to have been to all the ports but have never found Palma and particularly Barcelona to be at all boring.

The problem is that the ships dock far away from Palma, so what to do? Palma itself is not something you need to see every year. And I would be happy for any idea that motivates me to leave the ship in Barcelona, I think I walked around every interesting part of the city. 

 

Now time for a song and part 2
 

Where have all the Indos gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the Pinoys gone?
Long time ago
Brazilians took their jobs every one
When will MSC ever learn?
When will MSC ever learn?

 

 

STAFF (skip if you are not interested)

OK, it is October "now", the Seaview will go to South America for the winter, probably and hopefully next year the Indos and Pinoys will return. I don´t want to start any sensitive discussion, but they do the jobs als room steward and waiter best. Why? Because they love this work, they are happy that the managed to get it, they can sail around the world on a so beautiful workplace and get a good salary. Sure, sure, no sterotypes please, but this is my experiece for many years, while the staff from Middle and South America (or Eastern Europe, Westerners anyway not present as well as Malaysians) seemed always a little bit annoyed and unhappy complaining many things. Last time on the Armonia in the Carribean I asked the room steward from Honduras why he not changes to an American line if he don´t like MSC and he said there life is even worse. Well ...

 

Our Brazilian waitress in the MDR seemed to be rather annoyed also. Her area was super-international with totally different nationalities. The biggest group was Chinese and here I need to ask again "When will MSC ever learn?". You need one of your Mandarin speaking staff and not Brazilians to handle Chinese, is this so difficult? Especially if you have them on board. On day 2 the Brazilian girl was missing and a Pinay did her area, she could communicate in Chinese (and many other, also little bit Bahasa), so I thought finally they learned. Until the Brazilian girl came back the next day, she only was sick, MSC did not learn. From day 3 onwards the big Chinese group stayed away from the MDR, that at least made service for us much faster :)

 

Conclusio: Overall service was OK, but we don´t care too much about service and as usually cancelled the evening turnover of the cabin. The factor that you go for dinner and look forward to meet your waiter again was missing, no big thing.

 

Tomorrow will be food (you will not skip this)

[perakcruiser]

Huh, few days passed already, time to continue ...

 

FOOD (you will not skip this)

Anyway, much more important than the service is the food itself. And now it is time for happiness, let´s start with the MDR. Many of our pasta favourites available, the fresh made pasta on board like the Tortelli stuffed with aspargus and mascarpone or the squid ink Tortelloni with salmon and sparkling wine, so, so, so amazing. Which I knew before, so certainly that days I skipped other courses and ordered two servings. Also the normal pasta dishes were spotless, and yes, sometimes Gragnano pasta was donated to the passengers, well, this is the reason why we sail MSC. If you ever read Paccheri (it is just a pasta shape, not a brand, but usually impossible to get outside Italy) on the menu, order, this is a order.

 

I don´t need to say anything about the Pizza, everyone knows. One thing is worth to mention, MSC did something new to please the Asian guests, black charcoal Pizza available, I would have never expected to see this outside East Asia. Made the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans happy, us also.

 

The above is not too spectacular, but this is. A very good beef fillet on the menu, not thin cut as usual with MSC, a real thick piece. Nice! And oh my god, that day even at the cutting station in the buffet they had beef fillet, this is completely unseen! Huge plus point, this will not be unrewarded.

 

The Seaview class has two buffets, a big one with the signature outside sitting area. Selection is great, every day so many different options, you cannot expect more (expect expensive seafood which is certainly restricted to the YC, we did not forget, that we still paid MSC prices). Nice, but we would still prefer the MDR. But the small buffet on the highest deck is a kind of gamechanger. There they do a speciality night EVERY night with - logically - a totally different menu. The theme nights include Asian (first time to see jiaozi on board), Bavarian (!), Mexican, Italian and so on. Mainly ONLY this regional food, so it is indeed special. And the food was really great and truely authentic, don´t miss the Bavarian night, even MSC as a quite big idea of Bavaria, it includes Austria and even Hungary :D

 

Well done, MSC, the food on Seaview gets full points.

 

Before anyone asks: The speciality restaurants were tucked away in an area you will not pass, but I had a look. As it was a cruise in the Med (that means almost zero Black Card holders), these places were as empty as they used to be. Actually on my visits I never saw any guests, but they continued to try to to sell this Trio-Dinner-Packages.

 

[WonderMan3]

It's not necessary to go all the way to the Cinque Terre to find something to do from Genoa. First of all Genoa itself is good for a walk around through the historic area if you've never been before (having a guide or at least a guide book would be recommended). We did a food tasting tour there that was wonderful. You definitely want to check out the focaccia and the pesto. The waterfront area has been revitalized in recent years with an aquarium, ferris wheel, restaurants, etc.

 

Going outside of Genoa you have Portofino, Santa Margherita, Camogli and Sestri Levante which are all wonderful seaside towns with great shops, cafes and beautiful views all an hour or less away by car (faster by train I assume).

 

And to call Barcelona "boring" is a bit of a head scratcher. But each to their own I guess...

[aprilF]

On 1/6/2020 at 12:37 AM, WonderMan3 said:

It's not necessary to go all the way to the Cinque Terre to find something to do from Genoa. First of all Genoa itself is good for a walk around through the historic area if you've never been before (having a guide or at least a guide book would be recommended). We did a food tasting tour there that was wonderful. You definitely want to check out the focaccia and the pesto. The waterfront area has been revitalized in recent years with an aquarium, ferris wheel, restaurants, etc.

 

Going outside of Genoa you have Portofino, Santa Margherita, Camogli and Sestri Levante which are all wonderful seaside towns with great shops, cafes and beautiful views all an hour or less away by car (faster by train I assume).

Maybe not necessary but it's something we would like to explore as an option anyway.  I'm going in May, when the crowds should be picking up.  I have concerns that this will impact how much we can do in the CT in one day.  By visiting there on the Genoa day, it gives us the option of going back a second day if needed on our La Spezia day.  Also, if I had a choice between the towns you list as accessible via Genoa and going to Pisa (if we dont need a second day in CT), I'd choose Pisa.  I'd love to hear more about why people default to La Spezia as the CT gateway though, perhaps I am making faulty assumptions about the ease of visiting there from Genoa.  Any thoughts?

 

Also, you really like that pesto.  Almost have me convinced I need to grab a jar while there.  Have you ever made fresh pesto?  It's pretty easy and you can alter the ingredients to your liking.  With an immersion blender it's stupid easy.

Edited January 9, 2020 by aprilF

[WonderMan3]

The reason people go from La Spezia is because it is much closer. The train only takes 8 minutes to reach the first town of Riomaggiore and around 29 minutes to reach the furthest, Monterosso al Mare (mainly because of multiple stops on the way). To drive from La Spezia would be between 24 minutes (to Riomaggiore) and 46 minutes (to Monterosso).

 

As a contrast it would an hour minimum by train from Genoa to Monterosso, then add another 21 minutes to reach the furthest town of Riomaggiore. To drive from Genoa would be around 1 hour and 20 minutes to Monterosso up to an hour and 46 minutes to reach Riomaggiore.

 

And just to give honest advice here, the Cinque Terre is nice but as you mention there will be crowds, and it’s very difficult to enjoy the towns with all the people around. I wouldn’t waste two port days going there twice. I would visit there from La Spezia. Use the train to maximize your time (if you feel comfortable; it’s safe but watch for pickpockets) possibly combined with a ferry boat to get a sea view of the villages. Go as early in the morning as you can to beat the crowds. I’d say do no more than 3 of the villages in one day. Do research to figure out which ones you want to see most.

 

Then on your Genoa day try doing some of the Italian Riviera towns I mentioned. Portofino and Santa Margherita will have more tourists (but it won’t feel near as crowded as the Cinque Terre villages). Camogli and Sestri Levante will have less tourists and I actually found them more charming.

 

Pisa is a waste of time IMO to visit from La Spezia. You’ll spend 2 hours of driving time total at least, and while the tower was an iconic thing to see, there wasn’t much else to see there. Unless you are combining it with a visit to Lucca (which is far more interesting than Pisa) then don’t bother.

 

And yes, I am aware that you can make pesto at home. You can make pretty much anything at home if you hunt down the right ingredients. I just enjoy trying regional foods and the pesto from Genoa had been recommended as the best. And they were right. I tried multiple pestos in the Genoa area though and one stood above the rest. Pestobene in central Genoa was the best I have ever tasted. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187823-d15188249-Reviews-Pestobene-Genoa_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

[aprilF]

17 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

The reason people go from La Spezia is because it is much closer. The train only takes 8 minutes to reach the first town of Riomaggiore and around 29 minutes to reach the furthest, Monterosso al Mare (mainly because of multiple stops on the way). To drive from La Spezia would be between 24 minutes (to Riomaggiore) and 46 minutes (to Monterosso).

 

*snip*

 

Thank you for your thoughts.  These two ports come towards the end of an almost three week vacation so I'm guessing we will be pretty tired by that point and I should probably try to keep that in mind as I am planning, we may not have the temperament for crowds by that point.  I'm still not sure about switching the plans but I will look into those villages you mentioned so I do appreciate the recommendations.

[WonderMan3]

49 minutes ago, aprilF said:

 

Thank you for your thoughts.  These two ports come towards the end of an almost three week vacation so I'm guessing we will be pretty tired by that point and I should probably try to keep that in mind as I am planning, we may not have the temperament for crowds by that point.  I'm still not sure about switching the plans but I will look into those villages you mentioned so I do appreciate the recommendations.

 

You can also just stay in Genoa. The city has a lot of history. It's not as interesting as Rome or Florence but there is enough to hold interest for a city tour for a day. I did a wonderful food tasting tour with a company called Lunaetours. It was about 3 hours and while there was a good amount of walking it was pretty low impact and included 4 different food stops (pastry shop, candy store, foccaceria and that pesto shop I mentioned above). It also included lunch at the end of the tour (we were so full!). If you reserve it ask if you can get Paola as your guide. She was wonderful!  https://www.lunaetours.com/package/flavors-of-genoa-guided-walking-tour/

[aprilF]

Just now, WonderMan3 said:

 

You can also just stay in Genoa. The city has a lot of history. It's not as interesting as Rome or Florence but there is enough to hold interest for a city tour for a day. I did a wonderful food tasting tour with a company called Lunaetours. It was about 3 hours and while there was a good amount of walking it was pretty low impact and included 4 different food stops (pastry shop, candy store, foccaceria and that pesto shop I mentioned above). It also included lunch at the end of the tour (we were so full!). If you reserve it ask if you can get Paola as your guide. She was wonderful!  https://www.lunaetours.com/package/flavors-of-genoa-guided-walking-tour/

 

I LOVED the sound of your food tour.  It's rare I feel I will want to partake in a food tour because I am vegetarian and have some restrictions due to medical issues.  Yours was one of the very few food tours I felt like I might ever want to take.  Your review has been bookmarked for awhile by me.  😉

[WonderMan3]

Just now, aprilF said:

 

I LOVED the sound of your food tour.  It's rare I feel I will want to partake in a food tour because I am vegetarian and have some restrictions due to medical issues.  Yours was one of the very few food tours I felt like I might ever want to take.  Your review has been bookmarked for awhile by me.  😉

 

Ah, so you saw my LIVE FROM thread then? Yeah, I've never been interested in a food tour in the past but was pleasantly surprised by this one.

[aprilF]

2 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

Ah, so you saw my LIVE FROM thread then? Yeah, I've never been interested in a food tour in the past but was pleasantly surprised by this one.

 

Oh yeah, see you'd think that might warn me off of MSC but it didnt.  LOL 

 

We arent doing YC (whirlpool suite instead) and know to adjust our expectations.  We did one MSC cruise on the Caribbean on the Armonia (writing that up now) and really liked it.  But I am certain reading about MSC and setting our expectations appropriately was a big factor.  Though every time I review your thread I want a mudslide!

[perakcruiser]

On 1/6/2020 at 1:37 PM, WonderMan3 said:

It's not necessary to go all the way to the Cinque Terre to find something to do from Genoa. First of all Genoa itself is good for a walk around through the historic area if you've never been before (having a guide or at least a guide book would be recommended). We did a food tasting tour there that was wonderful. You definitely want to check out the focaccia and the pesto. The waterfront area has been revitalized in recent years with an aquarium, ferris wheel, restaurants, etc.

While I don´t like the waterfront too much, I certainly agree that Genoa is a nice place for a city walk, certainly we also had a big focus on Pesto when we did that two times meanwhile, had some brillant stuff together with other food. But a third time I would not need to walk around Genua. 

 

On 1/6/2020 at 1:37 PM, WonderMan3 said:

Going outside of Genoa you have Portofino, Santa Margherita, Camogli and Sestri Levante which are all wonderful seaside towns with great shops, cafes and beautiful views all an hour or less away by car (faster by train I assume).

 

And to call Barcelona "boring" is a bit of a head scratcher. But each to their own I guess...

Misunderstanding. I don´t call Barcelona boring, I call the port boring and the walk from the port to La Rambla. As alternative we also walked up Montjuic, no need to do again. So I don´t really see anything to do in Barcelona nowadays off a cruise ship. While I would not say no at all if I would have to live there for the next years :)

 

Yes, the places outside Genoa are probably good recommendations. Will go to one next time by train. If we not start the cruise in Genoa. 

[perakcruiser]

On 1/9/2020 at 1:59 PM, WonderMan3 said:

Use the train to maximize your time (if you feel comfortable; it’s safe but watch for pickpockets) possibly combined with a ferry boat to get a sea view of the villages.

Unfortunately off season (October onwards) the ferry boats are very limited and not too helpful if you want to go to the - in my view - best villages. 

 

We took the train from La Spezia to Manorla and walked to Corniglia and Vernazza. From there train back to La Spezia, but there was enough time to hop of in Riomaggiore (careful, technically not allowed, but the crowds make it "safe"). I found Riomaggiore not worth the stop, the other places were much better. Note that the walk cannot be done along the coastline, it was closed in 2019 for some years already for "renovation". The hike up and along the hills is tough but the views are really great. The train ticket is always 4 Euro, no matter to which village you go. 

[perakcruiser]

On 1/9/2020 at 12:02 PM, aprilF said:

Also, if I had a choice between the towns you list as accessible via Genoa and going to Pisa (if we dont need a second day in CT), I'd choose Pisa. 

Don´t do this, Pisa is really too far away and Italian railway is not super reliable, especially the Toscana region is famous for trouble. 

[perakcruiser]

On 1/9/2020 at 1:59 PM, WonderMan3 said:

Pestobene in central Genoa was the best I have ever tasted. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187823-d15188249-Reviews-Pestobene-Genoa_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

Yeah, we have been to that place also, Pestobene is so amazing. 

But I enjoyed even better pesto, the place is called Cavour 21. But that was a couple of years before and the woman behind the pesto, Alfonsina Trucco, was already about 90 years old. Anyway, i highly recommend to visit Pestobene and Cavour 21. 

[aprilF]

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

Unfortunately off season (October onwards) the ferry boats are very limited and not too helpful if you want to go to the - in my view - best villages. 

 

We took the train from La Spezia to Manorla and walked to Corniglia and Vernazza. From there train back to La Spezia, but there was enough time to hop of in Riomaggiore (careful, technically not allowed, but the crowds make it "safe"). I found Riomaggiore not worth the stop, the other places were much better. Note that the walk cannot be done along the coastline, it was closed in 2019 for some years already for "renovation". The hike up and along the hills is tough but the views are really great. The train ticket is always 4 Euro, no matter to which village you go. 

 

Thanks, I had read that portions were closed but not the whole thing.

 

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

Don´t do this, Pisa is really too far away and Italian railway is not super reliable, especially the Toscana region is famous for trouble. 

 

Thanks for the warning. 

 

47 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

Yeah, we have been to that place also, Pestobene is so amazing. 

But I enjoyed even better pesto, the place is called Cavour 21. But that was a couple of years before and the woman behind the pesto, Alfonsina Trucco, was already about 90 years old. Anyway, i highly recommend to visit Pestobene and Cavour 21. 

 

For all the Genoa pesto lovers out there, have you ever had Trader Joe's Pesto Alla Genovese?  I really didnt care for it and I'm wondering if the Genoa pesto is similar.  I think it was either the inclusion of cashews (which I normally love) or Sheep's milk cheese (ick) that I dont card for because I like everything else in it.  It wont keep me from sampling it there either way but I want to have my expectations in check.

[WonderMan3]

4 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

While I don´t like the waterfront too much, I certainly agree that Genoa is a nice place for a city walk, certainly we also had a big focus on Pesto when we did that two times meanwhile, had some brillant stuff together with other food. But a third time I would not need to walk around Genua. 

 

Misunderstanding. I don´t call Barcelona boring, I call the port boring and the walk from the port to La Rambla. As alternative we also walked up Montjuic, no need to do again. So I don´t really see anything to do in Barcelona nowadays off a cruise ship. While I would not say no at all if I would have to live there for the next years 🙂

 

Yes, the places outside Genoa are probably good recommendations. Will go to one next time by train. If we not start the cruise in Genoa. 

 

There are plenty of other things to see and do in Barcelona beyond Montjuic and La Rambla; Sagrada Familia basilica, the Gaudi houses (La Pedrera and Casa Batllo), strolling through the historic Gothic Quarter, Parc Guell are what I can think off the top of my head. Or you could take an excursion outside of the city to the monastery in the mountains of Montserrat...

[perakcruiser]

On 1/11/2020 at 2:05 AM, WonderMan3 said:

There are plenty of other things to see and do in Barcelona beyond Montjuic and La Rambla; Sagrada Familia basilica, the Gaudi houses (La Pedrera and Casa Batllo), strolling through the historic Gothic Quarter, Parc Guell are what I can think off the top of my head. Or you could take an excursion outside of the city to the monastery in the mountains of Montserrat...

Yes, but these are the total mainstream things done before not just once. Even Montserrat already been two times, probably have to do it again when our kids are older so they can enjoy. That is the curse of Europes favorite cruise and weekend trips destination. 

[MANDMTRAVEL]

On 1/9/2020 at 12:59 AM, WonderMan3 said:

The reason people go from La Spezia is because it is much closer. The train only takes 8 minutes to reach the first town of Riomaggiore and around 29 minutes to reach the furthest, Monterosso al Mare (mainly because of multiple stops on the way). To drive from La Spezia would be between 24 minutes (to Riomaggiore) and 46 minutes (to Monterosso).

 

As a contrast it would an hour minimum by train from Genoa to Monterosso, then add another 21 minutes to reach the furthest town of Riomaggiore. To drive from Genoa would be around 1 hour and 20 minutes to Monterosso up to an hour and 46 minutes to reach Riomaggiore.

 

And just to give honest advice here, the Cinque Terre is nice but as you mention there will be crowds, and it’s very difficult to enjoy the towns with all the people around. I wouldn’t waste two port days going there twice. I would visit there from La Spezia. Use the train to maximize your time (if you feel comfortable; it’s safe but watch for pickpockets) possibly combined with a ferry boat to get a sea view of the villages. Go as early in the morning as you can to beat the crowds. I’d say do no more than 3 of the villages in one day. Do research to figure out which ones you want to see most.

 

Then on your Genoa day try doing some of the Italian Riviera towns I mentioned. Portofino and Santa Margherita will have more tourists (but it won’t feel near as crowded as the Cinque Terre villages). Camogli and Sestri Levante will have less tourists and I actually found them more charming.

 

Pisa is a waste of time IMO to visit from La Spezia. You’ll spend 2 hours of driving time total at least, and while the tower was an iconic thing to see, there wasn’t much else to see there. Unless you are combining it with a visit to Lucca (which is far more interesting than Pisa) then don’t bother.

 

And yes, I am aware that you can make pesto at home. You can make pretty much anything at home if you hunt down the right ingredients. I just enjoy trying regional foods and the pesto from Genoa had been recommended as the best. And they were right. I tried multiple pestos in the Genoa area though and one stood above the rest. Pestobene in central Genoa was the best I have ever tasted. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187823-d15188249-Reviews-Pestobene-Genoa_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

Mr. W. I have never been to Europe, this would be my first time and taking the family.  I am planning on checking the Pestobene and the other bakery you mentioned on you review while en Genoa. 

For La Spezia, I really want to see the Piza tower, what is the best way of doing this in our own?  

[Beardface]

On 12/29/2019 at 7:59 AM, aprilF said:

We are doing this ship next year. I was thinking of Cinque Terre from Genoa as it looks do able but you see most people doing CT from La Spezia. I was hoping to do it from Genoa so that if we didn’t get to explore it all, we could do more from La Spezia the next day. Or do Pisa if we felt we covered enough of CT on our Genoa day. 

If you are going to do CT, I highly recommend spending a few days there.  My wife and I did on our Honeymoon, and it was wonderful.  Each of the towns has its own little charm to take in, and you don't really get much time to do them all if you're reliant on the train schedule.  Too much to explore (and hike!) to take it all in during a single day's excursion.

Then again, I said the same about most of the places we went.

[aprilF]

20 hours ago, MANDMTRAVEL said:

Mr. W. I have never been to Europe, this would be my first time and taking the family.  I am planning on checking the Pestobene and the other bakery you mentioned on you review while en Genoa. 

For La Spezia, I really want to see the Piza tower, what is the best way of doing this in our own?  

Be aware that many of the eateries are closed one or two days of the week.  Be certain to check their schedules against yours.  I am there on a Monday and the confectionery is closed.  If you go to Wonderman's TR there is enough info to look up and find each of the stops, I was able to make my own little food tour loop doing that.

 

20 hours ago, Beardface said:

If you are going to do CT, I highly recommend spending a few days there.  My wife and I did on our Honeymoon, and it was wonderful.  Each of the towns has its own little charm to take in, and you don't really get much time to do them all if you're reliant on the train schedule.  Too much to explore (and hike!) to take it all in during a single day's excursion.

Then again, I said the same about most of the places we went.

 

Well, now that it is uncertain that we will be cruising (might switch to an all land based vacation), we may have more time in the CT.  I had briefly toyed with the idea of asking MSC if we could not re embark on the Genoa stop and get back on at La Spezia so we would have a night in CT but given MSC's inconsistent CS I thought that might not be the best plan.  They might say yes before hand and then say no once we are on the shoip...or say yes in Genoa but not let us back on in La Spezia. 

[Beardface]

32 minutes ago, aprilF said:

Be aware that many of the eateries are closed one or two days of the week.  Be certain to check their schedules against yours.  I am there on a Monday and the confectionery is closed.  If you go to Wonderman's TR there is enough info to look up and find each of the stops, I was able to make my own little food tour loop doing that.

 

 

Well, now that it is uncertain that we will be cruising (might switch to an all land based vacation), we may have more time in the CT.  I had briefly toyed with the idea of asking MSC if we could not re embark on the Genoa stop and get back on at La Spezia so we would have a night in CT but given MSC's inconsistent CS I thought that might not be the best plan.  They might say yes before hand and then say no once we are on the shoip...or say yes in Genoa but not let us back on in La Spezia. 

 

If that's what you decide to do, let me know.  My wife and I spent a couple nights at a wonderful little hotel in Monterosso, and had a private guided tour through all the towns before doing the hike from Vernazza back to our hotel.  Highly recommended, and was probably the highlight of our trip, which is saying something given the other places we went.  If you're interested, I'll see if I can't find that information in our archives somewhere.  It wasn't too long ago so I'm sure it all still exists.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Beardface