Vision of the Seas Mediterranean Review Aug 10-22, 2019

[erby2283]

Day Three Continued....Embarkation

 

After coming back from Sagrada Familia the hotel called us a cab and we headed to the ship. By this time it was around 11:30. This was our first cruise since RC introduced the simplified boarding and to the best of my memory, we walked right onto the ship. I remember thinking that was the quickest and easiest we had ever gotten onto a ship before.

 

Like everyone does, we went straight to the buffet to have a quick bite to eat. I remember thinking it was pretty busy considering how quickly we got on the ship; maybe they all showed up 10!

 

After lunch we met up with a few friends we met on the roll call on cruise critic at the Schooner Bar (while we waited for them to open up our rooms). As usual it was nice to finally put faces to names.  We also walked around the ship and took a few pictures.

 

 

 

 

As you can see, there is no one waiting to embark. 🙂 

 

 

 

We had a balcony room, #7546.  I really enjoyed the location of the cabin; although I must admit I really did enjoy the size of Vision of the Seas in general.  My last cruise was Anthem of Seas in 2016 - my first and only mega-ship. But I knew coming in to this that I was sailing for itinerary and not the ship.  No refrigerators in the rooms - but plenty of storage! I would definitely book this room again.

 

 

 

 

3 months prior to the cruise, I purchased the 3-night dining package for $69 for both of us. FYI - I am a crazy loon when I book trips - I will price check a dining package, a beverage package, an excursion, a flight, etc.,  for a price decrease every day. 😉 I had purchased the refreshment package (neither of us drink) at an incredible price ($19/day) and then I applied a credit given by my TA so it was even cheaper. 

 

I had also gone online ahead of time and pre-booked all our dinner times according to what time we were coming back from port and how long I thought it would take us to take showers/get ready for dinner.  One of my favorite things to do is sit on our balcony and watch us pull out of port. So I sat with the our cruise schedule in front of us, notated our formal nights, then made dinner reservations according to when we returned to port; giving us a couple hours for sailing out of each port and getting ready for dinner. If we had a late port, I figured we'd be eating dinner on shore - I mean who wouldn't want to eat as many meals as possible in Italy!   Then I selected which three nights we'd eat at the specialty restaurants.  We did adjust a few of our times and we had an AMAZING Head waiter - of course 8 months later I have forgotten his name - luckily I did the Royal Caribbean survey right away to give him his props.  But he was so wonderful - as was our waiter. Probably some of the best dining experiences we have had - mostly because of their wonderful personalities.  This is the first time I actually saw a head waiter working - and not just clearing a plate here or there - he was setting tables, clearing tables, taking orders, seating people - whatever needed to be done. Always a smile on his face. Just wonderful. Our waiter would bring us appetizers that weren't even on the menu and they were so good. I am a simple meat and potatoes girl who loves her chocolate and every night, he would bring me the most delicious desserts in addition to what I ordered.  Of course even though I had any-time dining, we asked for our same waiter every night and we tipped all of our servers at the end of the cruise.  I also wrote each of them notes thanking them for their time apart from their families and for making our cruise so special.  

 

The first night we had dinner at Chops. Service was a little slow and I saw one couple complaining and asked for the head waiter. But we just took it with a grain of salt - we're on vacation and it's the first day. Everyone working there usually has other duties and on turn around day, I'm sure they're a little behind in getting back into the swing of things.

 

Dinner started with their bread and butter followed by steak and 3 shareable sides of asparagus, mac-n-cheese, and mashed potatoes. I think we had dessert but for some reason, I don't have a picture. We left a cash tip for our waiter as well.

 

 

 

 

This is a shot looking down into the Centrum area. This area seemed to have the largest crowds in the early evening and after dinner when they'd have bands playing, or game shows going on.  

 

 

I might be  a little worried if you had a room near the centrum but they did have these huge heavy doors leading to the cabins that seems to block off a lot of the noise - but they are pretty loud when they close. So keep that in mind if your booking a room near the Centrum - no matter what deck you're on. 

 

We did head to bed relatively early as our first port, Villefranche, was a tender port and I had a non-ship excursion booked that required us to be in one of the first tender boats. Therefore, we had to be up and in line early to guarantee an early number for the tender boat.  A goodbye view of Barcelona from our balcony! 

[Oceansaway17]

Enjoying this. I WAS supposed to fly Wed May 6th to Barcelona and board the Vision on the 8th.

 

Having done parts of Italy before I WAS looking forward to Cinque Terre as well as Marseille France.

Having done larger ships on RCI, I WAS looking forward to my first cruise on a Vision Class ship.

 

I WAS supposed to have gotten off Symphony of the Seas yesterday in Miami on May 2nd with a 4 day turn around before leaving for BCN. 

 

Lots of WAS's but then again with folks losing their lives, jobs, graduations and weddings, I should just humbly be quiet when not on CC.

 

Oh well Darn that virus and the place it started. I have also lost my trip to Norway from Amsterdam on one of those new DAM ships.   

 

Some day I will plan again to fly to BCN or try for the Vision of the Seas, but thanks for the beautiful photos of Familia.  I was concerned about pick pocketing in Barcelona.  Look forward to rest of the story.  toodles

[erby2283]

On 4/27/2020 at 7:15 PM, singinalot said:

we’re supposed to be in Barcelona for the November Allure TA. Thank you for sharing this. 

Hope cruising is back on schedule by then! 

 

 

On 5/3/2020 at 6:13 PM, Oceansaway17 said:

Enjoying this. I WAS supposed to fly Wed May 6th to Barcelona and board the Vision on the 8th.

 

Having done parts of Italy before I WAS looking forward to Cinque Terre as well as Marseille France.

Having done larger ships on RCI, I WAS looking forward to my first cruise on a Vision Class ship.

 

I WAS supposed to have gotten off Symphony of the Seas yesterday in Miami on May 2nd with a 4 day turn around before leaving for BCN. 

I'm sorry. I know how disappointing it is. I was supposed to be going to Scotland and Ireland on 5/21....doubt that will even happen this year now.  Disappointment is a strange things, we all have to deal with it in our own ways...yet we have to deal with it...bc there is no other choice at the moment. I hope you make your trip happen soon - maybe it will be even better planned than the original (that's what I'm telling myself).

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by erby2283

[Oceansaway17]

And today my Aug and Sept cruises are gone.

Looks like next year will be busy instead for me.

 

But as I look at all my rescheduled stuff and changes I am actually happier with next years batch of cruises. 

I am hoping for Oct and Nov cruises.

 

I can not believe how so much has changed on 3 months.

 

Toodles all and stay safe

[erby2283]

Sorry for the delay of the next installment, everyone. Got busy the past few days.

 

Day 4 of the trip, Day 2 of the cruise - Villefranche, France (Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze)

 

Villefranche is a tendered port and I had to be up early to ensure I was in the first tender off the ship - as instructed by my tour company. I had booked an excursion with a company called ItalyTours.EU. Yes, the same tour company that offers the tours in Italy, also offers tours in other ports but doesn't necessarily advertise it on their web page. But I had read about it here on CC and sent them a message about a tour in Villefranche. As you know, these are shared tours and rely on you to help gather other cruisers to help fill other spots. I worked really hard on my roll call to get others to join me on all 4 tours I had booked with them and luckily all of them went on as planned.

 

I set my alarm for 6 AM to go down to wait in line. They begin to distribute tender tickets two hours prior to scheduled arrival. Our hours in port were 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. so that meant they would start to distribute tender tickets around 7 a.m.   As luck would have it, I awoke with one of my killer migraines but I sauntered downstairs and was the first in line.  I was surprised when 15 minutes later my bf showed up and took my spot in line so I could go back to bed and lie down in hopes of getting rid of this migraine.  As I would find out....that would not happen for quite a while. My BF came back to cabin at 7:10 with a tender ticket for boat #1.....success! I was quite worried about this as I had read horror stories about getting tender tickets.

 

After we got ready, we waited in the internet cafe for Stacie and Andrew, a wonderful young couple from Ireland, whom I met here on CC, and would be joining us on the tour. Once they gave the signal for those with tickets for tender #1, we made our way to the lower deck. I boarded the two story tender, and took a seat inside, downstairs. Stacie was so sweet and concerned about me and my migraine and wanted to make sure I was okay to sit downstairs on the tender. While we were waiting for the boat to fill, I quickly realized sitting downstairs in the tender with the lack of air was not good.  🤢 i quickly rushed my bf up the stairs of the tender and found a seat on the upper deck. While the fresh air was helping some, there was a few seconds of shear terror as I seriously thought I was going to be sick on this boat. I'm sorry if this is TMI for some people, but it was really scary for me. I was praying not to get sick - around strangers, with nothing to use. I just concentrated on staying calm and tried to breathe in the fresh air.

 

We finally got underway once the boat was full and we were on our way to shore on a cloudy morning in Villefranche.  

 

 

 

 

Our ItalyTours guide, Guy (pronounced g ee) showed up a few minutes later and the four of us were off. Hilly, winding streets led us to our first stop which was a mountainside view of Nice, France.

 

Right after we left here and we were back in the van was when it hit me....yes... it was coming. I told guy he needed to pull over. He didn't understand what I was saying until my bf said, "You need to pull over or she's going to throw up in your BMW van."  😄 I actually was relieved bc I knew I would start to feel better. I took another migraine pill and we continued on our tour. 

 

Once we got closer to the city of Nice, Guy found a parking spot and we started the downhill walk towards the city.  Guy was an amazing guide - filling us in about bits of history as we walked. Once in town, we stopped at a little local place called Chez Theresa for a taste of one of their local street foods called Socca (a chickpea pancake).  The place we stopped was the location where they actually bake their goods and they also have a woman who takes these goods over to the market to sell.

 

I forgot to take a picture of the Socca but this is from their website so you can get an idea (and this thing is HUGE).

 

We also stopped by Nice Cathedral, had some drinks at an Irish pub called Ma Nolan's (we were with an Irish couple, remember...lol), and also walked the Cours Saleya open air market. We took a walk down to water before making our way back to the van before heading to Monaco. Luckily, Guy did all the walking uphill to retrieve the van while we were enjoying all the time at the pub and market. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruise Day 2 Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze to be continued......

Edited May 6, 2020 by erby2283

[erby2283]

Day 4 of the trip, Day 2 of the cruise - Villefranche, France (Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze) continued...

 

After we left Nice, we took a nice scenic drive to Monaco. Our guide Guy parked in a parking deck and walked us to our drop-off location, the Oceanographic Museum. It was almost lunch time and he suggested a nice restaurant for us while we were in Monaco (he even walked us in and the owner's seated us right away among the crowd). Guy gave us approximately 1.25 hours to eat and walk around before meeting back up. Since there were only for of us on the tour, it was a really enjoyable lunch and we spent time eating and walking around Monaco snapping pictures.

 

 

 

Prince's Palace of Monaco where Grace Kelly once lived and where Princess Caroline of Monaco was born.

 

The town itself has some cute, quaint areas and shops.

 

 

Monaco also had some of the most beautiful views. I have always heard amazing things regarding the French Riviera and Monaco.....and now I can see why.

 

 

We would later take that street by the water and head to Monte Carlo.

 

 

 

Walking back from the Prince's Palace to the Oceanographic Museum, our guide told us to take the "lower" pathway which takes you through the Les Jardins Saint Martin et Sainte Barbe gardens. We had to walk rather quickly through here in order to meet Guy on time but it was so beautiful. 

 

Just beyond the two lush trees is where I took the 2 pictures immediately above this one (overlooking the water). It was an amazing view - although extremely hot.

 

 

 

 

Monaco had such a unique feel to it. It's own little piece of the world upon its own rock. I would love to go back one day.

 

 

We then headed on to Monte Carlo along the infamous streets where the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix takes place annually.

 

[erby2283]

Day 4 of the trip, Day 2 of the cruise - Villefranche, France (Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze) continued...

 

Our time in Monte Carlo was very brief since none of us wanted to venture into the Casino. We walked around the outside snapping pictures of the expensive cars outside the casino and hotel next door, Hotel de Paris - Monte Carlo. It seemed like everyone just walks around marveling at cars, and just taking in being "in" Monte Carlo.  If you want to go into the Casino, there is an entrance fee and a dress code.

 

 

The Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our quick stop in Monte Carlo, it was on to Èze.  I don't think I was prepared for the little hike uphill that was about to happen.  I averaged about 20k steps a day while we were in port.  We parked in a gravel lot and walked up....and up...and up. If you've never heard of Eze, below is some information.

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Èze, renowned tourist site on the French Riviera, is famous worldwide for the view of the sea from its hill top. Its Jardin botanique d'Èze is known for its collection of cacti and succulents, as well as its panoramic views. Walt Disney spent a significant amount of time in Èze.

 

The oldest building in the village is the Chapelle de la Sainte Croix and dates back to 1306. Members of the lay order of the White Penitents of Èze, in charge of giving assistance to plague victims, would hold their meetings there. The shape of the bell-turret is an indication that the village once belonged to the Republic of Genoa.

 

The small medieval village is famous for its beauty and charm. Its many shops, art galleries, hotels and restaurants attract a large number of tourists and honeymooners. As a result, Èze has become dubbed by some a village-musée, a "museum village", as few residents of local origin live here. From Èze there are gorgeous views of the Mediterranean Sea. Èze Village can be reached by train from Nice via train station Èze-sur-Mer or by bus from Nice. Close to the train station is a bus stop for buses bringing tourists to Eze Village.

 

This is after we walked up from the car to the train station area. You then just follow the crowd up farther.

 

And up.......

 

And up......

 

Once you get near the top, you can pay an additional fee (I don't remember what it was - maybe 4EU a person) to walk around the gardens, which we did. From the gardens you get the most amazing views like this:

 

 

 

Almost directly in the middle of this picture, is the Vision of the Seas cruise ship (remember it's a tender stop). 

 

Always amazes me to see roads built along the side of mountains like this. So beautiful.

 

 

 

That building in the middle at the bottom of the picture below, that's where we parked the car. 

 

 

After taking in the views, we found a place to grab a quick drink for the descent back down. There are many little shops and even a hotel here. It was quite a scene to go from the opulence of Monaco and Monte Carlo to Eze. I think it's so hard to take it all in - in the moment. 

 

 

 

 

 

Guy then drove us back to the tender where the tour ended. Being of Italian descent and having never been to Europe, I really thought my favorite port would have been in Italy.  Maybe it was our tour guide, Guy, maybe it was the company and new friends, Stacey and Andrew, maybe it was a combination, but I do believe this was one of my favorite days of this trip! And it shocked me because I didn't really expect it to be such a fabulous day; especially starting off so badly with a migraine. But it was an amazing day.  I know tipping is a hot topic while in Europe, but I say to each their own. We tipped Guy very nicely - based on his level of professionalism and how wonderful he made our day.

Tonight was the first formal night on the cruise - but another early port day with Livorno (Florence) tomorrow - arriving at 7 - which meant getting up at 5:30.......who's idea was this cruise?!? lol

Edited May 15, 2020 by erby2283

[erby2283]

36 minutes ago, singinalot said:

so beautiful!

It was. I'm slowly realizing this is more about pictures than anything else....lol. 

[bobmacliberty]

Loved our stop in Villefranche.  We went to the same places as you, although in a different order.  Our guide took us to Eze first so that we got there before the big tour busses.  It was great having the place almost completely to ourselves, although some of the shops had not opened yet.  We then went to Nice and picked up some picnic supplies while there.  Our guide took us to the top of the mountain that overlooks Monaco where we ate an amazing lunch with a bottle of wine and had this view:

 

 

[erby2283]

19 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

Loved our stop in Villefranche.  We went to the same places as you, although in a different order.  Our guide took us to Eze first so that we got there before the big tour busses.  It was great having the place almost completely to ourselves, although some of the shops had not opened yet.  We then went to Nice and picked up some picnic supplies while there.  Our guide took us to the top of the mountain that overlooks Monaco where we ate an amazing lunch with a bottle of wine and had this view:

 

 

Oh wow, that is a magnificent view. Don’t you ever look back at pictures you took and say to yourself, “I can’t believe I was there and had that view?!” How lucky were we, right?  

 

Had you also booked a private tour?

[bobmacliberty]

3 hours ago, erby2283 said:

Had you also booked a private tour?

 

Yes.  There was supposed to be another couple traveling with us but they had to cancel at the last minute.  Ended up being just my wife and myself.  Small group private tours are definitely the way to go.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Keep ‘em coming; this might just be the only Europe review of 2020!! I’m really

missing Europe; thank you for taking us there!

[TRUEBLUE66]

Enjoying your review and photos! Bringing back some good memories and a few ideas for future visits.

We have done the lift & shift for our 12 night Med cruise on the Jewel to October 2021, so a long time to wait, but can't be helped in the current situation. 

We hadn't planned on going to Eze but may well reconsider after seeing your photos. 

[erby2283]

8 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Keep ‘em coming; this might just be the only Europe review of 2020!! I’m really

missing Europe; thank you for taking us there!

Will do! I feel like I am spending too much time on each day but there are so many beautiful pictures to share I can't help it. 

 

 

7 hours ago, TRUEBLUE66 said:

Enjoying your review and photos! Bringing back some good memories and a few ideas for future visits.

We have done the lift & shift for our 12 night Med cruise on the Jewel to October 2021, so a long time to wait, but can't be helped in the current situation. 

We hadn't planned on going to Eze but may well reconsider after seeing your photos. 

It does seem so far away but it will be here before you know it. Trip advisor also has some nice photos on Eze if you're interested.

[bobmacliberty]

6 hours ago, erby2283 said:

Will do! I feel like I am spending too much time on each day but there are so many beautiful pictures to share I can't help it. 

 

No such thing as too many pictures in a review.

[erby2283]

Day 5 of the trip, Day 3 of the cruise - Livorno, Italy 7am-7pm 

 

We had another tour booked with Italytours.EU. We were advised to meet outside at 7:30. A couple I met on our roll call, Marcia and Kevin, were joining us and when we hopped in the van, there was another lovely couple from the UK, Stephanie and Scott. I already knew we got along great with Marcia and Kevin and was hoping we'd all have a great day. That would prove to be an understatement!

 

When I walked off that ship and my feet hit that ground, ahhh, what an amazing moment. This Italian had finally made it to the Motherland! The view in the port wasn't exactly the greatest, but none the less, I was in Italy and it was something my mother was never able to do and I was going to enjoy every second of it.

 

It's about an hour ride from the port of Livorno to Florence. Our driver offered to show us a video of Italy while we drove but we just preferred to enjoy the scenery and ask him questions.

 

We arrived a little early and had some time to kill before meeting our tour guide. In most ports (unlike the tour from yesterday in Villefranche) Italytours uses a separate driver from their tour guides.   They hire an independent licensed guide to show you around on the tour.  Our first stop while we waited was Piazzale Michelangelo, which offers a beautiful panoramic view of Florence; it was quite breathtaking.

 

My first view of the Ponte Vecchio.

 

 

There she is! The dome at Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

 

 

 

 

Now, I forgot to mention the one bad thing about Florence today. We were visiting on a Monday. That meant that state museums, including the Accademia - which houses the statue of David, were closed.

 

We drove close to the Florence Cathedral where our driver introduced us to our tour guide. It was roughly 9 am when the tour began and crowds were still at a minimum but the heat was already working it's way up. It was here we got out of the van and turned over to our guide.

 

 

It may have only been 9am but as you can see, the line to get into the Cathedral was already insane.  Our guide said you need to buy tickets in advance in order to climb the dome steps.

 

 

We meandered down side streets until we ended up at Palazzo Vecchio; the town hall of Florence. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's David statue and an adjacent gallery of statues.

 

We continued towards the Arno River to the one thing I wanted to see most. We walked out of an alley and there it was...the Ponte Vecchio.

 

These pictures don't really do it justice...and the clouds didn't help.

 

 

 

 

 

to be continued.........

[erby2283]

Day 5 of the trip, Day 3 of the cruise - Livorno, Italy 7am-7pm  continued

 

After our pictures and stop at Ponte Vecchio, it was time for lunch.  Our walk took us past Porcellino, the bronzed boar. If you rub the boar's snout, it's supposed to guarantee a return trip to Florence. I'm glad I remember the boar bc it was close to the boar that we found the restaurant we stopped for lunch (google earth is a wonderful thing!).

 

The restaurant was called Mamma Mia! It was so good - probably one of the best meals of the whole trip. It was amazing just sitting there with new friends taking the ambiance of Florence. I think I had to pinch myself for a second to make sure I was still there.

 

If you see pictures of pizza, chances are I ordered it!

 

 

Huge calzone.

 

If you see seafood and pasta, my bf ordered it! lol

 

Marcia ordered the Gnocchi ai 4 Formaggi

 

 

We decided to walk a little bit after lunch. We wanted to go back to Ponte Vecchio and over to that area. Oh, well would you look at that....gelato! I mean, who can say no to gelato?

 

After gelato, we wanted to get a little bit of shopping in, so we took a few photo ops and heading back over the bridge for some shopping.

 

I just absolutely adore this picture. The genuine joy, laughter and newfound friendship found while cruising is like no other; with the Ponte Vecchio as an amazing backdrop.

 

 

After a little shopping, we met back up with our driver for our trip to Pisa. It's about an hour drive from Florence to Pisa and I have to admit that I felt myself nodding off a little bit in the van. I've always heard people say they were surprised with how small the Leaning Tower of Pisa was. I guess I just didn't know what to expect but I didn't find it particularly small. You can definitely see the "lean" a lot more from different angles. You can go inside and climb the steps of the tower but again, be prepared to buy your timed ticket in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

We had about an hour here at Pisa but there really isn't much to do. After we were done taking pictures, it was a 30 minute ride back to the ship.  Our driver was kind enough to gift us a little souvenir statue of  Pisa. We did tip both the guide and the driver for their services accordingly. 

Florence is a wonderful city. I would definitely love to go back. Good thing I touched the boars snout!

[erby2283]

So sorry for such a long delay. Back at work in the office = less time to write my review. 😪

 

Day 6 of the trip, Day 4 of the cruise - Civitavecchia, Italy 7am-7pm 

 

It was another early wake up call and another tour with ItalyTours.Eu. I had decided the night before to order room service for breakfast. This isn't something I normally do, but I knew that Civitvecchia was quite a distance from Rome so I figured it would be best to get something to eat before the journey. The port itself is rather industrial and while I was enjoying my breakfast on the balcony, the Aida Nova came sailing into port. 

 

 

Our tour instructions were to meet between 7:35 and 7:45. Stacie and Andrew were joining us again for this tour and we had another couple Leah and Scott along with their 2 year old son, Fitz - currently living in the UK, joining us. Everyone was on time and ready to go and so we were off to start the journey to Rome. I knew it was going to be a jam packed day - full of historic sites and basilica's so I tried to dress appropriately with capris and brought a pashmina scarf to throw over my shoulders when needed.

 

Our first stop (mostly to bide some time until our tickets were ready for the Colosseum) was the Basilica Papale San Paolo (Basilica of St. Paul). It is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. It was here at this first stop that I came to realize the shear beauty and magnitude of the sites that were in store for me today. It is a lesser known and out of the way Basilica so the crowds are minimal.  It is here that you can see a picture of every Pope since Peter. We were left alone for about half an hour to take pictures and well...marvel at its beauty.  There was a organist playing when we arrived which really added to the ambiance. I just couldn't stop staring upwards.

 

 

 

 

This is the view underneath those columns in the picture above

 

View upon entering the basilica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our time here we headed to the Colosseum. Most of us had purchased skip-the-line tickets - which was crazy in itself. As mentioned earlier in the review, I am quite the planner. I would check quite often for anything that needed to be booked. The skip-the-line tickets go on sale a certain number of days in advance. I would check every few days. And then one day when I logged on, they not only were on sale, they were SOLD OUT for the time the tour advised us to buy tickets for. Due to the fact that they have to keep this tour on a schedule, I started getting upset. I couldn't go to Rome and not go inside the Colosseum! I emailed the tour company and they told me I could purchased advance tickets to any of the tours as long as it was during the 9:25-9:45 time slot. Although it was a few more dollars, we purchased the skip-the-line with audio tour and I then went to the roll call here on CC to tell the others to book ASAP as I knew they wanted to go as well.  Luckily, we all got tickets. Sadly, this was the one area of the tour that I would have liked more time to explore.  Even though we had advanced tickets, we still spent about 15 minutes in line going through security which only left us with approximately 15-20 minutes inside. I wish I had the time to listen to the audio tour and take in the history of this place, it is an amazing sight (and site) for sure!

 

 

 

 

Palatine Hill

 

 

 

 

continued......

 

 

[erby2283]

Day 6 of the trip, Day 4 of the cruise - Civitavecchia, Italy 7am-7pm continued...

 

After we left the Colosseum, we drove to the nearby Circus Maximus.  It is situated in the valley between Palatine and Aventine Hills. One of my father's favorite movies is Ben-Hur, so he wanted me to make sure I got pictures of this (as he did when he visited). It has no affiliation to the movie other than the fact that it is here that they held Chariot Racing in Rome. You can still make out the long, oblong track but nowadays its used for public gatherings, music festivals, etc.

 

 

 

 

We then drove by Vittoriano, also know as the White House (because of its color). It is located between Capitoline Hill and Piazza Venezia.  It was built for Victor Emmanuel II,  the first king of unified Italy. 

 

Our next stop was the Pantheon, which was a Roman temple, now a Catholic church. I forgot to mention that even though we have a driver who is advising us of a few facts along the way, we really don't have a "tour guide" at these locations. We will later on at the Vatican but this is more of an on your own thing until then. 

 

 

 

 

Dome of the Pantheon

 

 

From the Pantheon, we then went to the Trevi fountain. We approached the fountain from the side so it kind of snuck up on me. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting but it seemed rather small to me. Was still surreal to be here when you've only seen the fountain in pictures or in movies. We also grabbed a quick bite of gelato at a nearby shop before heading back to the van.

 

 

 

 

 

continued....

 

 

[shofer]

We did this itinerary on Vision in May, 2015.   Enjoying your prose and pictures.  Making me remember how much fun we had.   Even if I broke my foot getting off the Barcelona Day Tour bus on our first day.  

I wrapped it and tied up my shoes tightly and walked all over for the entire cruise.  Didn't get an Xray until we got home and then found out it was broken.  The doctor was amazed that I walked on a broken foot for 2 weeks!  

[shofer]

On 4/22/2020 at 3:15 PM, ckmedsec said:

Love reading your review and your pictures are beautiful.  We did a 13 night cruise in 2015 on board the Vision of the Seas.  We arrived in Barcelona one day prior to boarding but stayed for 5 days after the cruise.  So much to see.  It was one of our best cruises.  Thank you for sharing.

We did this in May, 2015.  Were we on the same cruise?

[ckmedsec]

Maybe? May 3, 2015?  It was a great cruise.  

[shofer]

20 minutes ago, ckmedsec said:

Maybe? May 3, 2015?  It was a great cruise.  

I just looked up my review and we departed May 16, 2015.  So the week after you were there.  So glad we went then and not any later and it was plenty warm and everything had plenty of tourists.  We used Romecabs for all our Italy tours.  In Turkey it was ephesusdelux.com which was a great tour.  In Athens we signed up for one called privategreecetours.com  All private tours with small groups and cheaper than the ship.  Using these tour operators made for a fabulous custom experience.

 

[erby2283]

3 hours ago, shofer said:

We did this itinerary on Vision in May, 2015.   Enjoying your prose and pictures.  Making me remember how much fun we had.   Even if I broke my foot getting off the Barcelona Day Tour bus on our first day.  

I wrapped it and tied up my shoes tightly and walked all over for the entire cruise.  Didn't get an Xray until we got home and then found out it was broken.  The doctor was amazed that I walked on a broken foot for 2 weeks!  

Omg! I cannot even imagine. You either have a high tolerance for pain or were just on a vacation high. Quite a story to remember. Writing this review is reminding me of what an amazing trip it was and how thankful I am that it was last year. How disappointing for everyone who had cruises this year (as well as my missed Ireland/Scotland trip). 😢

[bobmacliberty]

16 hours ago, erby2283 said:

So sorry for such a long delay. Back at work in the office = less time to write my review. 😪

 

Welcome back!  Looking forward to some actual cruising content on CC.