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

[shofer]

13 hours ago, erby2283 said:

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). 😢

I think it was a combination of both.  As I told everyone who asked, it only hurt when I walked on it.  LOL.  At least I had relief when I sat down and could sleep.  I took 2 Advil every morning before we went out and 2 Advil before bed.

 One of the ladies in our tour group had a collapsible cane she had brought with as a precaution for her knee and she lent it to me.  That really made a big difference.  I would have had to purchase one as I couldn't have done all the walking without it.

[erby2283]

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

 

After Trevi Fountain, the next brief stop was at the Spanish Steps.  You may remember they had just recently passed new laws that banned congregating on the steps. I'm not sure how crowded it would have been before that law but this was about 11:30 a.m.   We walked all the way down the stairs and came back up and hopped back in the van because it was time for lunch.

 

 

 

I tried to find the restaurant where we ate on google earth but I was unsuccessful this time. Note to self: take a picture of the menu next time. We asked our driver to join us but he decided to remain in the van while we enjoyed a delicious lunch outdoors with really wonderful service.

 

 

Of course this is my bf's. lol

 

MMMMM gnocchi! 

 

Surprisingly, the pizza is not mine this time! 

 

 

 

After lunch our driver took us to meet up with our Vatican tour guide, Valentina. I really had no idea what to expect on this portion of tour - other than to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. I wasn't aware of all the different things available to tour here: The Sistine Chapel, The Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms, The Gallery of Tapestries, and several different types of museums - all housing artworks from the Egyptian and Roman times to artists of the Renaissance. It was an extremely hot and crowded day at the Vatican. They even had us wind around parts of the museum that our guide said they usually never have to go through. Valentina was very knowledgeable but with so many people it was hard to keep us all together and able to hear her. In the Sistine Chapel, of course no pictures are allowed and you're not supposed to talk. It is mind blowing to think of Michelangelo up there painting the ceiling for four years. 

 

We waited here until it was closer till our time to enter the museum. They are time stamped.

 

 

Information regarding the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

 

Our guide, Valentina, pointing out facts of an ancient bath tub.

 

A ceiling within the museum.

 

Another ceiling down a long hallway. 

 

On the sides were maps of different areas of the world.

 

Valentina pointed out that these are the actual stairs the Pope walks down after he has been elected.

 

continued......

[Luckynana]

I am so enjoying all of your pictures, as well as your narratives of your daily adventures!  So far, I've been to all of your ports, and have been to most of your stops on my two Mediterranean cruises.  I am looking forward to following you on your journey!  Do you have any pictures of the Vision of the Seas?  I was looking at a 2022 cruise on the Vision.  My DH and I were supposed to take our first TA out of Southampton this coming November on the Anthem of the Seas, but don't see that happening.... 

[erby2283]

On 6/16/2020 at 5:04 PM, Luckynana said:

I am so enjoying all of your pictures, as well as your narratives of your daily adventures!  So far, I've been to all of your ports, and have been to most of your stops on my two Mediterranean cruises.  I am looking forward to following you on your journey!  Do you have any pictures of the Vision of the Seas?  I was looking at a 2022 cruise on the Vision.  My DH and I were supposed to take our first TA out of Southampton this coming November on the Anthem of the Seas, but don't see that happening.... 

I don't have the pictures from my bf's phone but he definitely may have pictures of the ship. I surprisingly didn't take that many - probably bc it was such a port intensive cruise. I'll let you know if I am able to get any from pictures from my bf. I have also sailed on the Anthem and it's a completely different animal. I sailed the Anthem more for the ship than itinerary. I don't think I attended a single show on the Vision. When you have to get up at 5 am almost every morning it's hard to stay up late...I'm getting old...lol. I spent the most time in the casino with my $20-$30 dollars a night - big spender. 😄 Although one night we did win $240 on a penny slot machine so that was good. Sorry about your TA for November - maybe things will be better by then?

[erby2283]

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

 

After we left the museums at the Vatican, we headed over to St. Peter's Basilica.  Valentina went in to get us all headset's so we would be able to hear her talk while we were inside. As was everything else, it was extremely crowded. I believe St. Peter's is the largest church in the world and right in front of the church is St. Peter's Square. Coming from a Catholic family, but not a practicing Catholic, I still tried to take it all in. It would have meant so much to my mother to have seen all this (more on this in a minute).

 

There is so much to see inside the basilica and we spent a good 45 minutes inside seeing most of the important artworks and pieces of history. I really am glad we had a guide rather than trying to just walk around and look at things.

 

St. Peter's Square

 

 

St. Peter's Basilica

 

Michelangelo's statue Pieta

 

 

After we left the Vatican it was time to head back to the ship. It looks like the last picture of St. Peter's was taken on my phone at 4 PM. It's about and hour ride back to the port so that would give us approximately 2 hours before the ship was to depart (7 pm). I think we were all very tired from the day and crashed in the van on the way back to the ship.  There really is a ton to see in Rome and if you're ever thinking about a Mediterranean cruise, Rome would definitely be the type of place that would require either a few days pre or post cruise in order to see everything. Also, you would definitely need to plan transportation to the port if you planned on staying within the city of Rome because it is nowhere near the port - but I do believe there is a train that could take you. 

 

At dinner, our waiter brought us an appetizers that was not on the menu. He did this quite frequently and it was nice, personal touch. These were tasted like spring rolls with a sweet and sour sauce.

 

[erby2283]

A personal note about Rome.

 

Earlier in my review, I mentioned how much my mom, who passed away in September 2017, always wanted to go to Italy since that's where her Dad was born and well, both sides of the family are Italian. Unfortunately, due to her health the last 30+ years of her life, it was just not possible.

 

While I was going through her belongings, I cannot tell you the number of Rosaries I found at her condo. Every time I would find one, I would look upwards and jokingly say, "Did you think you'd make it into Heaven faster by having so many of these?!" It really made me sad to think that this kind, faithful woman; a woman who barely traveled during her lifetime would never make it to Italy. 

 

So that got me thinking. My mom may not have been able to make it to Italy, but gosh darn it, one of her rosaries could...and would! One night before the cruise, I wrote a note briefly describing my mom and her life, her faith and her dream of making it to Italy. My ultimate plan was to hopefully visit a church or see a local and pass on my mom's rosary to them - knowing it would stay in Italy. But you're on such a fast-paced, time schedule that this didn't really work out. So, I had explained the situation to Valentina, our Rome tour-guide. As it turns out, Valentina either works or volunteers at a church in Rome and had a better plan for my mom's rosary.  She kindly placed the rosary, my note, and my mom's prayer card from her funeral in the grotto of her church and then sent me pictures. Although not what I originally had planned, I am at peace knowing that a piece of my mom will forever remain in Rome even if she couldn't make it there herself. 🥰 Forever grateful to Valentina for her act of kindness. We still exchange emails today.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by erby2283

[TRUEBLUE66]

Great photos again!  I remember that we were exhausted by the end of the day too!

When we went 2 years ago, on the Vision, we took the train direct from near the port to a station near the Vatican. Took approx 1 hour each way and gave us about 5 1/2 hours to explore. Hoping to get the chance to do it again in 2021.

[Luckynana]

Elisa, you really must get back to Rome.  On my first time in Rome, we were on a ship-sponsored excursion and saw so much that day...it was a full 10 hours of touring.  While in the Vatican, I was once again able to see the Pieta in person.  My first time was at the NY World's Fair, and the Pieta was on display at the Vatican Pavilion.  My Mom was a volunteer at the Pavilion, and so I spent many days at the Fair, traveling with my Mom on many occasions.  

 

On my last Mediterranean cruise, my DH, myself, and our traveling pals stayed in Rome for several days before heading to the Civitavecchia Port.  There is so much to see in Rome, so much history, so much beauty.  One of our tour guides told us you could visit Rome a 100 times and still not see everything.🙂

[batoryfirst]

What a wonderful daughter you are. 

[shofer]

On 6/16/2020 at 4:04 PM, Luckynana said:

I am so enjoying all of your pictures, as well as your narratives of your daily adventures!  So far, I've been to all of your ports, and have been to most of your stops on my two Mediterranean cruises.  I am looking forward to following you on your journey!  Do you have any pictures of the Vision of the Seas?  I was looking at a 2022 cruise on the Vision.  My DH and I were supposed to take our first TA out of Southampton this coming November on the Anthem of the Seas, but don't see that happening.... 

We thought the Vision was a lovely ship.  I have recently discovered YouTube on cable and you can search individual cruise ships to view peoples video blogs.  Lots of information!

[erby2283]

18 hours ago, TRUEBLUE66 said:

Great photos again!  I remember that we were exhausted by the end of the day too!

When we went 2 years ago, on the Vision, we took the train direct from near the port to a station near the Vatican. Took approx 1 hour each way and gave us about 5 1/2 hours to explore. Hoping to get the chance to do it again in 2021.

Exhausting but oh so worth it, right? I believe Marcia and Kevin, our friends who went with us on a few tours took the train as well. I think I would feel a bit more adventurous to do things on my own if I went back. Since it was my first trip, I wanted to be sure to have all my travel planned out in advance so I wasn't left wondering what to do. I so hope you get to go back in 2021. I told my bf last night we needed to start another fund so we could go back. And every paycheck we deposit $25 each. In 3-4 years, we'd have enough bc well, you know, I'm spoiled and need a balcony. 🙂

 

 

 

17 hours ago, Luckynana said:

Elisa, you really must get back to Rome.  On my first time in Rome, we were on a ship-sponsored excursion and saw so much that day...it was a full 10 hours of touring.  While in the Vatican, I was once again able to see the Pieta in person.  My first time was at the NY World's Fair, and the Pieta was on display at the Vatican Pavilion.  My Mom was a volunteer at the Pavilion, and so I spent many days at the Fair, traveling with my Mom on many occasions.  

 

On my last Mediterranean cruise, my DH, myself, and our traveling pals stayed in Rome for several days before heading to the Civitavecchia Port.  There is so much to see in Rome, so much history, so much beauty.  One of our tour guides told us you could visit Rome a 100 times and still not see everything.🙂

I'm surprised they would let the Pieta travel. I'd be worried about damage during transit.  What were some of your favorite things you did in Rome?

 

 

 

16 hours ago, batoryfirst said:

What a wonderful daughter you are. 

This was very kind of you to say and brought some tears to my eyes. I miss her so....all she ever wanted was to be a mom.

 

 

[erby2283]

Day 7 of the trip, Day 5 of the cruise - Salerno, Italy 7am-6:30pm

 

Today was one of the days I was looking forward to the most! So many times I had seen the beautiful picturesque views of Positano online. I needed to make it there. Only problem was, I needed to see so many others things as well. How could I fit it all in?

 

I started getting so excited as I could see us getting closer to port. These types of towns, built on the sides of these cliffs, are just so amazingly gorgeous. The sky was overcast but would later give way to beautiful sunny skies. I caught the pilot on his way out to the ship and even though I wasn't finished getting ready that morning, I had to stop and enjoy the sail in to port.

 

The Pilot coming out to the ship

 

An overcast morning

 

I would never tire of this view

 

 

 

 

Almost there...

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by erby2283

[erby2283]

Day 7 of the trip, Day 5 of the cruise - Salerno, Italy 7am - 6:30pm

 

Today was another tour with ItalyTours.Eu.  Stacey and Andrew were joining us again. The tour included Pompeii (with guide), Sorrento, and a drive down the Amalfi Coast. Some days, depending on traffic, the tour company says they do make it to down to Positano. But usually it's just from the coastline overlooking it - from as close as traffic allows them to get. This tour company does offer several options but I really had a hard time deciding. When you think it's your one and only dream trip to Italy, you want to see as much of it as possible and I really wanted to see Pompeii as much as I did Positano. I even thought about booking a private tour with them but it was just too expensive for me to do by myself. Had I known I would become such good friends on earlier excursions with people on my roll call, I easily could have convinced them to do a private tour with me.

 

Meeting time for the tour was 8:20.  This was by far the largest tour of the trip. They had enough to fill up a small bus. Now all my life, people have commonly mispronounced my last name. You know us Italians; we have to have all those vowels in our names. Not sure why I was taken aback when I found the driver holding up the sign with my name and as I pointed to it, my name rolled off his tongue like he had said it a thousand times. I told him I was quite impressed and he said, "Your family is from the Naples area!" 

 

By the time we got to the bus, which was not late at all, the only seats available were in the back.  Comfortable enough but certainly lacking cool airflow! I think the rest of the bus was fine, just where we were sitting.

 

Our first stop was Pompeii and is about a 35-40 minute ride from the port of Salerno.  The tour wanted to take us here first before the heat of the day got too much. We met our guide once we got there and then had to deal with getting tickets as they were not included in the tour. So she either had to collect money from you (which if you were smart, you brought along Euro and prepared for since the amount of the ticket was mentioned in your confirmation email), or you had to go with her while everyone paid by credit card. So imagine 6-7 different transactions, one at a time, because everyone had to pay separately. I'm not sure if Pompeii just doesn't allow pre-paid tickets or the tour company doesn't allow it but it seemed to waste about 20 minutes.  During this time people used the restroom, bought bottled water and looked around at the souvenir stands outside the entrance.  Once we all had tickets, we began our walk in to Pompeii.

 

This was my very first look at Pompeii.  For those that don't know, Pompeii was a city near Naples that was buried under pumice and ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. I always thought it happened instantly and people were killed right away but our guid said they did actually have notice and time to get away but many people did not heed the warning or came back to check on loved ones.

 

While artwork can sometimes bore me after a while, archaeology does not. I've always been fascinated by places like Pompeii. It's amazing to think about how civilization built these towns and cities so long ago and how we are still unearthing them today. I believe our guide said about 2/3 of the site has been excavated.

 

I'll post some of the best pictures from Pompeii below.

 

The Amphitheatre in Pompeii

 

 

The 3 stepping stones were used so people didn't have to get their feet dirty or wet in the streets. 

 

The size of your house in Pompeii depended on your wealth. The richer you were the larger it was and it was ornately decorated. 

 

Mount Versuvius in the background

 

This was a local bathing area - you would sit naked on the benches until it was your turn.

 

Many people think this is an actual body that was covered in pumice. But I looked it up online. To summarize,  in 1864 a man named Giuseppe Fiorelli found a way to reconstruct the bodies. They noticed air pockets that indicated the presence of human remains in a street dubbed "the Alley of Skeletons."  So Fiorelli and his team decided to pour plaster into the air pockets. Once the plaster hardened, they chipped away the outer layers of ash, which left behind the cast of the volcano's victims at the time of their deaths. 

 

This is clearly the home of a wealthy family. Notice the tile! Amazing for 79 A.D.!

 

 

The view of Mount Vesuvius. 

 

Our guide pointed this out and I thought it was really neat. They placed these bright white stones so that as people traveled at night, they could see where they were going.

 

It wasn't until I was leaving that I realized exactly how big Pompeii was. We spent about an hour here and we really only spent our time in one little section of Pompeii. When I got home and took out the map, I could REALLY see how big it was.

 

 

 

 

 

[Luckynana]

Elisa, your pictures of Pompeii are beautiful.  All of your pictures are beautiful, and are bringing back memories of our trip to Pompeii, Salerno, and Positano.  Italy is such a wonderful Country.  

 

You asked what some of the things we'd done while staying in Rome.  We were escorted around Rome in a Golf cart on one of our days there..the Golf cart was able to bring us up and down, all around the streets where tour buses couldn't.  One such place was a very small street with the Church that has St. Peter's Chains in it.  Boy, was that was something to see that wasn't on our list!  It also was great to have a tour guide all to ourselves!  There were six of us..four in one cart, two in another cart with driver/guide.  It was somewhat pricey, but definitely worth it!  We also took a tour (bus) that took us to the Capuccian (sp?) Monks Catacombs on another of our days in Rome.  We toured inside the Coliseum and surrounding area, taking as much time as we liked.  We also visited the Pantheon.  We enjoyed the ambiance of the many restaurants we dined in, of course!  We again visited the Trevi Fountain, and once again threw our coins in the Fountain to ensure our return, just as we did 5 years earlier!  So much to see, so little time!!!!

[erby2283]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

You asked what some of the things we'd done while staying in Rome.  We were escorted around Rome in a Golf cart on one of our days there..the Golf cart was able to bring us up and down, all around the streets where tour buses couldn't.  One such place was a very small street with the Church that has St. Peter's Chains in it.  Boy, was that was something to see that wasn't on our list!  It also was great to have a tour guide all to ourselves!  There were six of us..four in one cart, two in another cart with driver/guide.  It was somewhat pricey, but definitely worth it!  We also took a tour (bus) that took us to the Capuccian (sp?) Monks Catacombs on another of our days in Rome.  We toured inside the Coliseum and surrounding area, taking as much time as we liked.  We also visited the Pantheon.  We enjoyed the ambiance of the many restaurants we dined in, of course!  We again visited the Trevi Fountain, and once again threw our coins in the Fountain to ensure our return, just as we did 5 years earlier!  So much to see, so little time!!!!

Seeing those chains would have been amazing. I feel like when you see things like that, it’s kind of surreal. You’re not fully appreciating what you’re taking in. 
 

I had friends that said  instead of seeing the Colosseum, they did a tour of Palatine Hill. They said it was amazing and actually preferred that over the Colosseum as it was way less crowded. The thing about Rome is that you kind of need to pay for the expertise of a guide to enjoy the stories of the history. If you just want to look at amazing art and Renaissance works that’s one thing. 
 

This covid stuff needs to go away. I havent been anywhere since August. Even if it’s to Charleston or Gatlinburg for a long weekend I need to go. Lol

Edited June 19, 2020 by erby2283

[shofer]

I really liked Pompeii which was my primary reason for doing a Mediterranean cruise.  We went in May and it was hot even then.   All our tours were with romecabs.com and we pre-ordered all our tour tickets when available.  Pompeii was not one of them.  In 2015,  the ticket was 13 euros/pp and we had a private guide through the tour company.   There were only 8 of us on all of our tours in Italy which was a great way to see so much.

[erby2283]

5 hours ago, shofer said:

I really liked Pompeii which was my primary reason for doing a Mediterranean cruise.  We went in May and it was hot even then.   All our tours were with romecabs.com and we pre-ordered all our tour tickets when available.  Pompeii was not one of them.  In 2015,  the ticket was 13 euros/pp and we had a private guide through the tour company.   There were only 8 of us on all of our tours in Italy which was a great way to see so much.

Sounds like you probably can’t get Pompeii tickets ahead of time then. I had such a hard time getting people from my roll call to join tours. Seems like people aren’t as active on here as they used to be. 

[shofer]

9 hours ago, erby2283 said:

Sounds like you probably can’t get Pompeii tickets ahead of time then. I had such a hard time getting people from my roll call to join tours. Seems like people aren’t as active on here as they used to be. 

I guess we were lucky in that respect.  When I organized the tours of Greece and Ephesus, I had to limit the number to 20 as that was the number of seats on the bus.  

While reading your review, I went back and re-read mine and became quite nostalgic.  I did that trip with a single friend while hubby supervised the kitchen remodel.  Now he would like to go on a Mediterranean cruise but with all the uncertainty, we are taking a wait and see attitude.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Thank you for continuing; it’s marvelous! You really accomplished a lot in Rome; it’s a shame you couldn’t have had more time in the Colosseum, but you did get to see that lesser known basilica. Your story of leaving a part of your mom in Italy was spectacular! 

[erby2283]

On 6/24/2020 at 8:07 AM, cruisequeen4ever said:

Thank you for continuing; it’s marvelous! You really accomplished a lot in Rome; it’s a shame you couldn’t have had more time in the Colosseum, but you did get to see that lesser known basilica. Your story of leaving a part of your mom in Italy was spectacular! 

I'll get back to it soon. I've been so busy with work. :( 

[erby2283]

I apologize for the long  delay between posts. I don't really have a good excuse except that I haven't really been on CC much as of late but I really wanted to finish this review.  It was exactly a year ago that I was on this cruise so seeing all the notifications popping up on my social media feeds has reminded me to come back here to finish it up.

 

Day 7 of the trip, Day 5 of the cruise - Salerno, Italy 7am - 6:30pm continued...

 

After we finished up at Pompeii, we boarded the van to start the journey to Sorrento, where we would be having lunch.  It was on the way to Sorrento where we encountered about a 45 minute delay (mostly in a tunnel) where several major roadways seemed to converge. I just checked the times of the pictures on my phone and my last picture at Pompeii was taken at 11:07 and my first picture in Sorrento was at 12:37 so it was roughly 1.5 hours between the two with traffic. But once we got through traffic, the view was beautiful as we started to descend into the town of Sorrento.

 

 

Our guide gave us a specified time to meet at the van and offered to take us to a restaurant that he recommended for lunch.  The four of us were the only ones to take him up on his offer.  It was about a 15 minute walk from where we parked but we enjoyed walking through town and peaking into the local shops along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

We sat down to the most amazing view!

 

It was probably the one time I remembered to take a picture of the menu.

 

Some food porn pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we snapped a few final pictures and decided we wanted to walk down towards the water. I was thinking the island off in the distance might be Capri but it's actually Isola d'Ischia (which I googled and looks quite beautiful).

 

After we walked down to the water it was time to head back to the van for our drive down the Amalfi Coast.  We popped into a shop near the van to grab a quick limoncello (of they did - bc I don't drink) and then we were off.

 

I do believe this is one view I will never forget. I'm sure the others didn't have such a good view where they ate. 😝

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by erby2283

[erby2283]

When I booked this tour, I was so hoping to make it to Positano. It was the one place I had seen on postcards and on the internet that I wanted to see more than anything.  I could have booked strictly a Positano tour - but then I also wanted to see Pompeii - so I figured I would take my chances and hope we'd be able to make it all the way to Positano. Unfortunately we didn't make it....as you know, these independent tour companies do a wonderful job making sure you get back to the ship on time and if timing is even questionable, they'll cut out certain elements of the trip.  It was well documented in their forms to me that it was not a guarantee to make it to Positano and that most of the time, the view is only from the Amalfi Coast highway from above. So while disappointing, it was not a surprise.  The following are several pictures as we drove towards Positano. We stopped at several points and got out to take pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

And there is Positano....so close and yet so far.

 

Top pic was with my iphone - bottom pic was with my point and shoot camera (cannon).

 

 

 

We then turned around to drive back to the port.  We did make a stop at the "World Famous Limocello Factory."  I did buy some lemon and olive scented soaps (which reminds me I have yet to use them!).  Even the view from the limoncello factory was beautiful (minus the tree).

 

 

 

 

 

[TRUEBLUE66]

Yes, very good reason to return! We did a taxi tour that visited Positano, Amalfi and Ravello and got to spend time in each on our own when we went on Vision in 2018. Definitely has to be experienced first hand for the amazing views. 

Great photos!

 

[erby2283]

3 hours ago, singinalot said:

oh I'm so sad you didn't make it to Positano!  Now you just have to go back!

I was too. For months I would check the Positano web cam every day leading up to the cruise. But you're right. Now I have to go back. Not going anywhere this year is going to make that happen a whole lot faster!  Had a week at Myrtle Beach, SC planned for 9/6 that is being cancelled now too....no biggie though, I'll just bank those vacation days. 🙂 

 

 

32 minutes ago, TRUEBLUE66 said:

Yes, very good reason to return! We did a taxi tour that visited Positano, Amalfi and Ravello and got to spend time in each on our own when we went on Vision in 2018. Definitely has to be experienced first hand for the amazing views. 

Great photos!

 

You have no idea how much I am itching to go back.  It's so tempting to go back to the same places but also want to experience some new places as well. I heard Ravello is amazing! 

[erby2283]

44 minutes ago, TRUEBLUE66 said:

Great photos!

 

I also just remembered you are in Scotland!  We were supposed to go there in May on a girls trip! May I ask where in Scotland you are? My Grandma was born in Edinburgh - her maiden name was Kinniburgh. We are hoping to re-book our trip for next year.