Feeling the heat on the Beyond: Review of 10 day Italy, Greece and Croatia Cruise 7th- 17th July

[Scottishclover]

MESSINA, SICILY

 

What did we do?

Celebrity Shore Excursion “In the Footsteps of the Godfather”. When we booked it ages ago it was reasonably priced. 

What did others do?

Taormina was very popular, Mount Etna Tour also. 

Need to Know

The ship docks very near the centre.10 mins walk to the cathedral. On leaving Messina it’s a great sail through the Straits of Messina and you will  also see the active volcano Stromboli.

 

New day, new port. That’s what is very special about cruising, waking up in a new place each day. When researching this port, I realised that we would probably need to get out of Messina and asked my sister for advice. She had done a big Sicily road trip last October. My options were Taormina or Godfather Tour. The Godfather tour was a resounding yes from her. She had been to Taormina and said it was so crowded and we would like the mountain towns much better. How right she was. 
 

Our tour lasted from around 8:30- 2:30pm. It took you to two mountain top towns where scenes were filmed. You actually didn’t need to have watched the Godfather films to appreciate the beautiful scenery. DH and I have seen the films but the DDs hadn’t. 
 

After about an hour on the bus, we stopped at the first village, Forza d’Agro.The journey there was quite hair raising! It reminded me of some of the roads on our favourite holiday island of Madeira. 

The bus driver coped well with all the hairpin bends. 

Forza d,Agro was so genuine and completely untouched by tourism.

 

2 different churches were used in filming the scenes for Michael and Apollonius’s wedding. This was one used for inside filming. 

I thought the skull under Jesus was interesting. I’ve never seen that before. 
 

The sleepy main square. 
 

An espresso here cost €1. That was more like it. 
 

There were lovely views of the Sicilian coastline and our guide pointed out Mount Etna across the hazy sky. 
 

After some free time to wander, we got back on the bus for a 40 min drive to Savoca. Here we got an included lemon granita ( so refreshing) with what I can only describe as a giant breadstick to dip in it. Then we had a short walking tour with our guide up to the church followed by some free time for a look around on our own. 

We walked altogether from the main square up to the church perched on the cliff. As it was so hot, we took our time. 

 

The exterior of this church was used for the wedding scene. 

You could get this little tuk-tuk up to the church instead of walking.

DD1 admiring the views. It was so pretty in every direction. 
 

The famous Bar Vitelli had a room inside with lots of photos from the filming. 

A sculpture to honour Francis Ford Coppola.

 

We thought the tour was brilliant. The guide was lovely and gave the right amount of information. If you were really into the Godfather, you might have liked more information about that but I thought the information about the actual mafia activities in Sicily was more interesting. It’s all about corruption of government organisations these days. 
 

Back at the port, we decided we might as well see what Messina was like. We found most of the cafes and shops closed. I wondered if they had a siesta time here due to the heat? We couldn’t even find a gelateria open😭 Maybe we were looking in the wrong place but everywhere seemed to be deserted. Even the Cathedral Square was quiet.

Messina Cathedral

 

Sailing through the Straits of Messina was an added bonus. You are very close to land on both sides. On sea day 2 we passed through and it was a little rocky but it was much calmer heading north this time. We managed to be in the right place at the right time ( Sunset Bar) to see Stromboli at its best.

Stromboli is active at the moment.

This was the daytime view of Stromboli taken on sea day 2.

 

Sicily Verdict

Be prepared for it to be hot. This was the first day I heard people complaining about the extreme heat. I would definitely recommend the Godfather tour. It gave you a great sense of the true Sicily. I think you need to do a tour here as Messina doesn’t have a great deal to offer. We absolutely loved our day here and would love to come back to Sicily for a longer holiday. 

[wineoclock]

We are booked on 20 October beyond. So excited. So pleased I saw this thread as it made me realise how much I wanted to sail on the Beyond. So thank you very much for this thread. 

 

I wasn’t blown away by Apex so this will be interesting. Cruise director on Silhouette said they had fixed some of the previous issues.

 

I’ll be on holiday so I’ll go on board knowing I won’t be cooking or cleaning! 

Edited August 3, 2023 by wineoclock

[Blighty770]

22 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

A tall ship sailed into the bay as we were walking.

That tall ship is the Royal Clipper. She's a 5-masted beauty! We sailed on her in the Caribbean this year in March from Barbados. We're hoping to sail on her in the Med at some point in the not too distant future.... 😁

[Nancycat]

I did the Edge in Mediterranean in October, loved everything about it,food was fabulous, loved the ship 

Did the Apex in the Caribbean in March was disappointed in the food, loved the ship,

Doing the Reflection in September French and Italian Rivera ..

 

[MikeMary4449]

On 7/31/2023 at 9:31 AM, Scottishclover said:

KATAKOLON

Need to Know

 . . . don’t expect much from Greek plumbing😜

We are really enjoying your review from your July cruise on the Beyond.  How special that you can share these memories with your daughters!  One small question: As we will be going to Katakolon in October and taking the "Olympia site and Archaeological Museum" tour, I am curious about your comment regarding the "Greek plumbing".  Was there a Western-style restroom at the museum or would you consider it "primitive"?  I just want to be prepared.  If you would feel more comfortable discussing this offline, you can email me at:  mserraino AT outlook DOT com.  Thanks so much.

Mary

[Scottishclover]

4 in an Inside Cabin? Are we mad?

 

Given the hullabaloo on another thread about the scrapping of butlers, I’m not sure how relevant this section will be to most of you. Surely not everyone who posts here stays in suites? I’ll keep it light anyway. 

 

It only works if: 

-The extra 2 are your kids😉😂

-Your kids aren’t too tall for what the DDs affectionately called the rock and the trundle. 
- You keep on top of clutter and mess (note to mums, just pick the clothes up yourself, nagging on holiday does not go down well!!)

- You get ready at different times for dinner. Two of you go indulge in the drink package, then swap over. It’s really not that onerous 🍹🍸

- You haven’t brought the kitchen sink with you in your luggage. The bathroom sinks are a good size to do a wee bit of hand washing if needed. You guessed it - this cheapskate isn’t paying for someone else to do her laundry. I even managed to get a full glass of Campari spritz out a white sundress 🦸‍♀️ 

 

Seriously,  everyone knows what suits their own budget and tolerance levels. My in-laws said once you go to a balcony from an inside there’s no going back. Well, for us there is. Would we have liked an IV like last year? Yes of course, but I would rather have an extra holiday or use the extra money for activities in port. We only use the cabin for sleeping and dressing. On Edge class, the deluxe insides are roomy and have plenty storage. We also loved the location on deck 12. Close to the resort deck, gym, Oceanview Cafe and Secundo  al Bacio for morning coffee. 
 

Next up….. La dolce vita in Naples

[Scottishclover]

26 minutes ago, MikeMary4449 said:

We are really enjoying your review from your July cruise on the Beyond.  How special that you can share these memories with your daughters!  One small question: As we will be going to Katakolon in October and taking the "Olympia site and Archaeological Museum" tour, I am curious about your comment regarding the "Greek plumbing".  Was there a Western-style restroom at the museum or would you consider it "primitive"?  I just want to be prepared.  If you would feel more comfortable discussing this offline, you can email me at:  mserraino AT outlook DOT com.  Thanks so much.

Mary

Glad you are enjoying the review. Regarding the plumbing in Greece, in many toilets in Greece you are not allowed to put toilet paper down the toilet. Instead there is a little bin at the side in the cubicle for this. This was the case for the toilets at Olympia and also for a toilet we used at The Old Fortress in Corfu. There is normally signage on the doors to let you know. I went to Turkey around 30 years ago and it was the same there. Things might have moved on since then though. 
 

There was quite a commotion from some of the ladies when they came out the toilets at Olympia. Better to be prepared for it.
 

Enjoy your cruise, the temperatures in October will be much more pleasant. 

[MikeMary4449]

20 minutes ago, Scottishclover said:

Glad you are enjoying the review. Regarding the plumbing in Greece, in many toilets in Greece you are not allowed to put toilet paper down the toilet. Instead there is a little bin at the side in the cubicle for this. This was the case for the toilets at Olympia and also for a toilet we used at The Old Fortress in Corfu. There is normally signage on the doors to let you know. I went to Turkey around 30 years ago and it was the same there. Things might have moved on since then though. 
 

There was quite a commotion from some of the ladies when they came out the toilets at Olympia. Better to be prepared for it.
 

Enjoy your cruise, the temperatures in October will be much more pleasant. 

Good to hear that there ARE toilets!  That beats the hole in the ground I experienced at the Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi, UAE and the National Aviary in Cartagena, Columbia recently!  (Ladies beware!)  I can deal with the "little bin".  Yes, the weather should be cooler in October.  Thank you so much for your prompt response.

Mary

[wineoclock]

3 hours ago, MikeMary4449 said:

Good to hear that there ARE toilets!  That beats the hole in the ground I experienced at the Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi, UAE and the National Aviary in Cartagena, Columbia recently!  (Ladies beware!)  I can deal with the "little bin".  Yes, the weather should be cooler in October.  Thank you so much for your prompt response.

Mary

You will need to layer up in October in the mornings & evenings as they are a tad chilly. 

[hcat]

9 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

MESSINA, SICILY

 

What did we do?

Celebrity Shore Excursion “In the Footsteps of the Godfather”. When we booked it ages ago it was reasonably priced. 

What did others do?

Taormina was very popular, Mount Etna Tour also. 

Need to Know

The ship docks very near the centre.10 mins walk to the cathedral. On leaving Messina it’s a great sail through the Straits of Messina and you will  also see the active volcano Stromboli.

 

New day, new port. That’s what is very special about cruising, waking up in a new place each day. When researching this port, I realised that we would probably need to get out of Messina and asked my sister for advice. She had done a big Sicily road trip last October. My options were Taormina or Godfather Tour. The Godfather tour was a resounding yes from her. She had been to Taormina and said it was so crowded and we would like the mountain towns much better. How right she was. 
 

Our tour lasted from around 8:30- 2:30pm. It took you to two mountain top towns where scenes were filmed. You actually didn’t need to have watched the Godfather films to appreciate the beautiful scenery. DH and I have seen the films but the DDs hadn’t. 
 

After about an hour on the bus, we stopped at the first village, Forza d’Agro.The journey there was quite hair raising! It reminded me of some of the roads on our favourite holiday island of Madeira. 

The bus driver coped well with all the hairpin bends. 

Forza d,Agro was so genuine and completely untouched by tourism.

 

2 different churches were used in filming the scenes for Michael and Apollonius’s wedding. This was one used for inside filming. 

I thought the skull under Jesus was interesting. I’ve never seen that before. 
 

The sleepy main square. 
 

An espresso here cost €1. That was more like it. 
 

There were lovely views of the Sicilian coastline and our guide pointed out Mount Etna across the hazy sky. 
 

After some free time to wander, we got back on the bus for a 40 min drive to Savoca. Here we got an included lemon granita ( so refreshing) with what I can only describe as a giant breadstick to dip in it. Then we had a short walking tour with our guide up to the church followed by some free time for a look around on our own. 

We walked altogether from the main square up to the church perched on the cliff. As it was so hot, we took our time. 

 

The exterior of this church was used for the wedding scene. 

You could get this little tuk-tuk up to the church instead of walking.

DD1 admiring the views. It was so pretty in every direction. 
 

The famous Bar Vitelli had a room inside with lots of photos from the filming. 

A sculpture to honour Francis Ford Coppola.

 

We thought the tour was brilliant. The guide was lovely and gave the right amount of information. If you were really into the Godfather, you might have liked more information about that but I thought the information about the actual mafia activities in Sicily was more interesting. It’s all about corruption of government organisations these days. 
 

Back at the port, we decided we might as well see what Messina was like. We found most of the cafes and shops closed. I wondered if they had a siesta time here due to the heat? We couldn’t even find a gelateria open😭 Maybe we were looking in the wrong place but everywhere seemed to be deserted. Even the Cathedral Square was quiet.

Messina Cathedral

 

Sailing through the Straits of Messina was an added bonus. You are very close to land on both sides. On sea day 2 we passed through and it was a little rocky but it was much calmer heading north this time. We managed to be in the right place at the right time ( Sunset Bar) to see Stromboli at its best.

Stromboli is active at the moment.

This was the daytime view of Stromboli taken on sea day 2.

 

Sicily Verdict

Be prepared for it to be hot. This was the first day I heard people complaining about the extreme heat. I would definitely recommend the Godfather tour. It gave you a great sense of the true Sicily. I think you need to do a tour here as Messina doesn’t have a great deal to offer. We absolutely loved our day here and would love to come back to Sicily for a longer holiday. 

Your photos are amazing.

We did the ship's tour to Taormina...enjoyable and well organized,   but at times our guide droned on a bit much.  We got to see a wedding party emerge from the local church...very exciting. Nice shops and  places to eat.. it was an expensive outing.

 

As your photos show..it is very hilly.  The bus took the  mountain curves okay but sometimes I just closed.my eyes!  if anyone gets bus sick,  wear your bands!

[LizikinsLivesToCruise]

On 8/1/2023 at 6:01 PM, Scottishclover said:

DUBROVNIK

Prices in Dubrovnik old town are extortionate.

 

This will be an unpopular opinion,I’m sure, but Dubrovnik was probably my least favourite port of the trip. While the old town within the walls is drop-dead gorgeous, there isn’t a lot to it. Yes we could have walked the walls for half an hour but for €35 a person.  I think not. Cable car? Again totally overpriced. Coffee/coke… not at those ridiculous prices. €5,90!!!! I could get a cappuccino in Italy for half the price. I just felt like tourists were getting completely ripped off and it left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

 

Dubrovnik Verdict

As it is, all I will ever remember about Dubrovnik is how overpriced it was. 

 

 

 

Agree with your verdict on Dubrovnik. Could even add more. Enjoying your review, thanks for taking the time to write it, @Scottishclover.

[kabmab]

6 hours ago, MikeMary4449 said:

Good to hear that there ARE toilets!  That beats the hole in the ground I experienced at the Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi, UAE and the National Aviary in Cartagena, Columbia recently!  (Ladies beware!)  I can deal with the "little bin".  Yes, the weather should be cooler in October.  Thank you so much for your prompt response.

Mary

I agree, bins are no big deal (remember old and inadequate pipes) compared to " squat toilets".  Last time we were in Turkey I went into a bathroom stall with a squat toilet.  Before I could close the door, an attendant came running saying "no no" and led me by the hand to a stall with a standard toilet.  Funny to me because living in Europe for almost four years, I had encountered squat toilets in Turkey, Greece and Italy.  I guess she had dealt with many shocked ladies.

[Scottishclover]

NAPLES

Naples has an embarrassment of riches so….

 

What did we do? 
Actually, we went a bit left field and caught the hydrofoil to the island of Procida.

What did others do?

Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Pizza in Naples, the options are endless. 
Need to Know

It’s an easy 10 min walk into town. You are very close to where the ferries leave for Capri, Ischia and Procida. Hydrofoils are not for everyone.

 

So while the ferries leave close to where you dock, the Beyond was actually in the worst possible berth ( thanks for that Captain Kate) so we had a very sweaty sprint to catch our 8:25 hydrofoil. I ordered tickets online direct through SNAV (around €40 return each) and I would recommend this if you are catching a ferry. On the way to Procida it was a sell out. Caremar also have ferries but the SNAV times were better.
 

The ferry pier was absolutely mental😱 What is the point of having an electronic board up with gates that are wrong? Nobody knew where they should be and the staff were not friendly. The majority of people getting on were locals going for a day trip to the beach ( it was Saturday) although there were a few folks with luggage. When the gates eventually opened for the hydrofoil it was every man for himself. Now, there was a Celebrity tour getting on this hydrofoil, presumably going to Ischia. I know the kind of money people had shelled out for that trip and I would have been mighty unhappy about the scenario. There was no way the guide was able to keep everyone together. By some miracle, we managed to get seats together for the crossing.
 

Fair warning - the hydrofoil can be rough. We were just about ok but I was relieved we were getting off after 40 mins at Procida and not going on to Ischia like most. The crew were handing out sick bags left, right and centre, and everywhere you looked people were throwing up. Note to self: next time take the car ferry instead. 
 

It was all worth it though when we arrived at Procida.

Marina Grande port as we stepped off the hydrofoil.

 

The shops here weren’t too touristy.

 

The blue and white ribbons were still out celebrating Napoli’s Serie A title win. Even though he played for the team 30 years ago, Maradona is still a legend in these parts.

 

We walked from the port up winding, narrow streets until we reached Terra Murata for the instagrammable views of Marina Corricella. 

The colours were just beautiful against the blue skies.

 

The DDs coordinated in white today for some photos. 
 

Lots of steps took you down from the viewpoint to the harbour at Marina Corricella which was filled with small fishing boats. 
 

Procida was the location for the films The Talented Mr Ripley and Il Postino and it’s easy to see why. The island still retains a very Italian atmosphere. We only heard two English voices the whole time we were there. The island is tiny so very walkable but there is a public bus and also bikes for rent too. 
 

After a picnic lunch of some fruit and some pastries ( there’s even a gluten free bakery on the island) and a stop for an afternoon espresso, we spent a little time on the beach. There’s quite a few beaches on the island with dark volcanic sand. We picked the closest one to the port so as not to miss our boat. It was very busy but lovely to paddle in the clear water. It was like walking into a bath, especially when you’re used to the North Sea!

 

We were very grateful that the hydrofoil back to Naples was much quieter and seemed a bit smoother.

 

I would have liked some more time to explore Naples. Some of the buildings looked interesting.We’ll  just need to come back. 

 

Naples Verdict

It wasn’t the most exciting of days but I think it worked well for us - we were ready for something low key.  Pompeii would have been good but I think unbearably hot and I was worried about the traffic getting back to the ship if we had done a private tour to the Amalfi Coast. Capri, I imagine would be too flashy and busy for us. I also heard from other guests the boat to Capri wasn’t kind to sensitive stomaches either. All in all, we had a lovely day. 
 

Next up….. our last port of Livorno and final thoughts about our cruise on the Beyond.

 

 

[Scottishclover]

17 hours ago, hcat said:

Your photos are amazing.

We did the ship's tour to Taormina...enjoyable and well organized,   but at times our guide droned on a bit much.  We got to see a wedding party emerge from the local church...very exciting. Nice shops and  places to eat.. it was an expensive outing.

 

As your photos show..it is very hilly.  The bus took the  mountain curves okay but sometimes I just closed.my eyes!  if anyone gets bus sick,  wear your bands!

Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed Taormina. I will just need to be content with what I’ve seen of it on “White Lotus”.

[Scottishclover]

17 hours ago, LizikinsLivesToCruise said:

 

Agree with your verdict on Dubrovnik. Could even add more. Enjoying your review, thanks for taking the time to write it, @Scottishclover.

Thank you. I’m glad you agree with me. I wondered if we were just living up to the Scottish stereotype of being a bit tight with our money! 

[Scottishclover]

ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW 

 

We were totally impressed with the entertainment on the Apex last year and wondered how the Beyond would measure up. I would say the 3 production shows on the Beyond are maybe even better. I especially loved Arte. The guest acts are always a very personal thing but we enjoyed most of them. Going to the evening show as a family is a big thing for us on cruises. We did go to a couple of shows in Eden. These are enjoyable but you do need to go early to get a decent view. Some evenings we also attended some of the game shows but I preferred the Apex for this. 
 

Mum and Dad still know how to have fun at 80s Flashback in the Club. 
 

There was definitely more offerings last year on sea days on the Apex. A lot of the guest acts did matinees in Eden/Grand Plaza. DH and DD2 were disappointed not to get a chance to retain their title in the archery competition this year. Maybe not as much is planned on warm weather cruises during the day as everyone is on the deck sunbathing. One criticism from DH is that there should be separate competitions for adults and children, e.g., golf chipping/table tennis. He wanted to take part but said he would feel guilty beating a young lad and at the same time didn't want to be hammered by them either. 
 

Everyone cruises for different reasons and I think the entertainment is a big draw for us as evenings on land holidays can drag a bit. We are not musical in anyway but appreciate the talented performers onboard. I especially love the adaptability of the orchestra to accompany so many different acts. I do wish people would show them respect by arriving on time and not leaving before the end. 
 

 

 

[hcat]

DDs look great in their whites.. hope they were able to shop.. shops .looked nice..not touristy!

[Scottishclover]

@hcat DDs are not big shoppers. They don’t buy into fast fashion. DD2 buys all her clothes second hand so has no interest in hitting the shops when we are abroad. One thing Dad is very pleased about 😂

[LizikinsLivesToCruise]

On 8/2/2023 at 11:13 AM, Scottishclover said:

I have heard that since the currency changed from the Kuna to the Euro prices are much higher. I suppose 15 years ago Croatia was still up and coming and prices were reasonable. I think for prices like that Albania might be a good shout. I noticed the ferry going there from Corfu was very busy!

 

We went last year, when they were still using the kuna. I had an Aperol Spritz (or two, or three...) at every port over our 14-day Eastern Med cruise. The price of a glass in Dubrovnik was at least a third more expensive as everywhere else.

[hcat]

39 minutes ago, Scottishclover said:

@hcat DDs are not big shoppers. They don’t buy into fast fashion. DD2 buys all her clothes second hand so has no interest in hitting the shops when we are abroad. One thing Dad is very pleased about 😂

both women look so posh.. mom too

great sense of style!

[cruise47]

Excellent reviews and Outstanding Photos 

[Ski Mom]

Beautiful photos! Fabulous review! Your daughters are lovely and so is mom! I love their style! I will be on a Celebrity cruise in late September. I have limited mobility and will probably be seeing Naples in either a transport wheelchair pushed by DH or a mobility scooter I will be renting for the cruise could you please recommend an activity for us to do in Naples?

[Shir Hayam]

Fantastic review! Thank you. It brought back such wonderful memories of our Reflection cruise to the Mediterranean last year. We will be on the Beyond in January for a Southern Caribbean cruise and are very much looking forward to it.

[AllRightJack]

On 8/3/2023 at 12:46 PM, Scottishclover said:

MESSINA, SICILY

 

What did we do?

Celebrity Shore Excursion “In the Footsteps of the Godfather”. When we booked it ages ago it was reasonably priced. 

What did others do?

Taormina was very popular, Mount Etna Tour also. 

Need to Know

The ship docks very near the centre.10 mins walk to the cathedral. On leaving Messina it’s a great sail through the Straits of Messina and you will  also see the active volcano Stromboli.

 

New day, new port. That’s what is very special about cruising, waking up in a new place each day. When researching this port, I realised that we would probably need to get out of Messina and asked my sister for advice. She had done a big Sicily road trip last October. My options were Taormina or Godfather Tour. The Godfather tour was a resounding yes from her. She had been to Taormina and said it was so crowded and we would like the mountain towns much better. How right she was. 
 

Our tour lasted from around 8:30- 2:30pm. It took you to two mountain top towns where scenes were filmed. You actually didn’t need to have watched the Godfather films to appreciate the beautiful scenery. DH and I have seen the films but the DDs hadn’t. 
 

After about an hour on the bus, we stopped at the first village, Forza d’Agro.The journey there was quite hair raising! It reminded me of some of the roads on our favourite holiday island of Madeira. 

The bus driver coped well with all the hairpin bends. 

Forza d,Agro was so genuine and completely untouched by tourism.

 

2 different churches were used in filming the scenes for Michael and Apollonius’s wedding. This was one used for inside filming. 

I thought the skull under Jesus was interesting. I’ve never seen that before. 
 

The sleepy main square. 
 

An espresso here cost €1. That was more like it. 
 

There were lovely views of the Sicilian coastline and our guide pointed out Mount Etna across the hazy sky. 
 

After some free time to wander, we got back on the bus for a 40 min drive to Savoca. Here we got an included lemon granita ( so refreshing) with what I can only describe as a giant breadstick to dip in it. Then we had a short walking tour with our guide up to the church followed by some free time for a look around on our own. 

We walked altogether from the main square up to the church perched on the cliff. As it was so hot, we took our time. 

 

The exterior of this church was used for the wedding scene. 

You could get this little tuk-tuk up to the church instead of walking.

DD1 admiring the views. It was so pretty in every direction. 
 

The famous Bar Vitelli had a room inside with lots of photos from the filming. 

A sculpture to honour Francis Ford Coppola.

 

We thought the tour was brilliant. The guide was lovely and gave the right amount of information. If you were really into the Godfather, you might have liked more information about that but I thought the information about the actual mafia activities in Sicily was more interesting. It’s all about corruption of government organisations these days. 
 

Back at the port, we decided we might as well see what Messina was like. We found most of the cafes and shops closed. I wondered if they had a siesta time here due to the heat? We couldn’t even find a gelateria open😭 Maybe we were looking in the wrong place but everywhere seemed to be deserted. Even the Cathedral Square was quiet.

Messina Cathedral

 

Sailing through the Straits of Messina was an added bonus. You are very close to land on both sides. On sea day 2 we passed through and it was a little rocky but it was much calmer heading north this time. We managed to be in the right place at the right time ( Sunset Bar) to see Stromboli at its best.

Stromboli is active at the moment.

This was the daytime view of Stromboli taken on sea day 2.

 

Sicily Verdict

Be prepared for it to be hot. This was the first day I heard people complaining about the extreme heat. I would definitely recommend the Godfather tour. It gave you a great sense of the true Sicily. I think you need to do a tour here as Messina doesn’t have a great deal to offer. We absolutely loved our day here and would love to come back to Sicily for a longer holiday. 

I’m new to cruise critic but have been following your blog with real interest. I was also on the Beyond at the same time and it’s so interesting to read your thoughts on the experience. Wonderful pictures. Do you think you will cruise the Artic Circle next year after cruising two years in succession? DH can’t be so mean if he signs off on three cruises in a row😀

[Scottishclover]

LIVORNO 

What did we do?

Quick look round Livorno then treated it as a sea day.

What did others do?

Pisa, Florence but plenty had the same idea as us and stayed on the ship. 

Need to Know

You are not allowed to walk through the port on your own so City of Livorno provided a free shuttle to Piazza Municipio in the centre. There were people waiting to sell tours to you there.

 

Originally, we had decided to stay on the ship given we had already been to Florence, Pisa and Lucca on our trip. However, the temptation of a free shuttle to Livorno was too much so me, DH and DD2 hopped on . DD1 decided to stay on the ship and do a run ( shock, horror). Her running app worked much better when the ship was docked than at sea and she really chalked up the miles.

 

As it was Sunday, there wasn’t much open in the centre of Livorno so we had a wander around the canal area. Had the weather been cooler we might have walked out to Terazza Mascagni. I think we had all reached our threshold in terms of sightseeing ( and the heat🥵) by this point so gave it a miss. After all, we had been on the go for 18 days.

Some parts of Livorno are quite scenic.

 

Once back on the ship we had a lazy day. I thought I might get a swim but the pool was busier than ever. Lots of people had obviously decided to stay on the ship too. 
 

After doing the packing, we decided to change it up for our pre- dinner drinks and went to the Martini Bar. We hadn’t been all cruise for some reason. Last year that was our bar of choice.

Sadly, I discovered too late how delicious a rose martini is. DD1 had passion fruit but preferred mine.

 

After dinner we watched the production show Elements. It was the opening night with a new cast. It was nice to see the previous cast who did Stage Door and Arte supporting them in the audience. All to soon it was time to head upstairs for our final sleep on The Beyond.

 

Livorno Verdict

You really need to do a tour as there’s not a great deal to hold your interest in the town itself. My suggestion is either Pisa or Lucca. Florence would be a really long day. 
 

QUICK-FIRE Q&A

I thought I would address some questions often asked here on the forum.

 

Captain?

It was Captain Kate’s first cruise back. DH enjoyed her riddle of the day.

 

Cruise Director?

Alejandro. We thought he was quite entertaining. Activity Manager Alexa was great. A cruise director in the making for sure.

 

Chair Hogs?

Of course. When I went to the stretch class at 7 am on Sea Day 1,  most of the loungers directly around the pool had people’s stuff on them. 
 

Wifi? 
The basic package was rubbish. The girls could message friends but photos wouldn’t upload. DD1 said the WiFi was best in Cafe al Bacio🤷‍♀️

 

Dinner in Oceanview Cafe?

We went one night and I was impressed by the amount of choice. There was carving station, stir fry, Indian etc, nice selection of desserts. Plenty folk were eating there.

 

Drinks Package worth it?

For us probably not. We are not big drinkers , though we do like our coffee. You need to do the maths. Next time I think we might go cruise only. 
 

Favourite Drinks?

Alcoholic: Marrakesh Mule, Elderflower Blush

Non-alcoholic: sparkling mint lemonade - so refreshing on a hot day

 

Gluten free beer on board?

Yes, at Craft Social. DH found it was quickest for him to get it there and join us in other bars. 
 

Kids on Board?

Not too many wee tots, mostly older teens. I didn’t see any unruly behaviour

( and being a teacher, I would have noticed!)

 

Any other questions you have, I’ll try to answer😀