Review of 24-Day HAL Cruise Barcelona to Venice - Sept 5- Sept 29 - long

[NAJNLA]

This review is a few weeks late, but we thought others on the forum might still be interested in our notes from the 24-day cruise we took September 5-29 on the Holland America ship Zuiderdam between Barcelona and Venice. These are just notes, so please excuse the grammar.

 

Our Delta frequent flyer flights from San Francisco to New York to Paris to Barcelona and return flights from Venice to Paris to Houston to San Francisco were all pretty much on time and our luggage made it there and back without any problems. The service on the long Air France flights to and from Europe was better than expected – lots of food on both flights and serve yourself Haagen-Dazs ice cream bars and sodas on the return flight - pretty good for flying in economy coach section.

 

This was our first cruise with Holland America, and we found the Zuiderdam to be a very nice ship. The pool areas, dining areas, pool deck areas, theater, lounges, and other public areas were very nice – comparable to other ships we’ve been on. We’re one of those couples who are rarely in our cabin unless we’re sleeping or changing clothes, so have no need or desire to spend the extra money for a balcony room. By personal choice, we selected one of the new inside cabins that were added during a recent drydock on the 8th floor at the rear of the ship. The room was very nice, had plenty of room for our needs, the bed was very comfortable, and our cabin steward was very polite and efficient.

 

We thought the HAL staff did a very good job with AYW (anytime) dining, and we found the food and service to be very good – but no better, no worse than Princess and Royal Caribbean ships we have been on. We had specifically signed up for AYW (anytime) dining on this cruise because of our good experience with anytime dining on prior cruises with Princess – mainly because of the flexibility it gave us in planning our day and evening and secondly because we got to meet a lot more people on the cruise. We could go to eat whenever we were good and ready, depending on what we had done that day and which shows we wanted to see that evening. During this particular cruise, we ate in the dining room 22 nights of the 24 day cruise, and showed up without prior reservations at the dining room at times varying from as early as 5:30 to as late as 8:00, and never had to wait over a minute to be seated. We also always asked to be seated at a table of 6 or 8 and as a result met new friends each night. During the course of the cruise we sat at many different tables and had many different wait staff.....and were well satisfied with the service provided by almost all of them.....including the famous Hunky Dory! Every time we saw Hunky in the dining room or in the Lido, he greeted us by our first names. Our only minor complaint about the dining room was that we had some difficulty early in the cruise getting a glass of cold skim milk (their first attempt was a room temperature mixture of powdered milk served in a warm glass?) with our meals, but after talking to the Food and Beverage Manager, this issue was pretty well resolved to our satisfaction for the rest of the cruise. We ate breakfast every morning and usually early or late lunches (depending on shore excursions) and dinner a couple times in the Lido Buffet, and found the food there to be pretty good – usually the same menu as in the dining room. We often went to the Lido after the late entertainment shows for some pasta (very good) and/or a dish of ice cream.

 

We really enjoyed most of the entertainment on the Zuiderdam. Except for two nights when we were in port in Barcelona and Venice, we went to the late show in the Vista Lounge Theater almost every night. We thought the ship’s 7-piece orchestra and singers and dancers were outstanding, and most of the featured performers to be of professional caliber. The Karaoke contests were made very entertaining by the hilarious host Jesse, the ship’s DJ. The Newlywed games also provided some good late night laughs.

 

The main reason we selected this cruise was for its port intensive itinerary. Except for Rome and Venice, we had never been to any of the port stops, so it gave us a chance to see a lot of places where we had never been. With lots of help from this forum, we had done extensive research on all the ports and took with us printed notes and maps of each day’s itinerary. Every port stop was as good as or better than we had expected. We didn’t do any ship excursions on this cruise because we like to have a flexible schedule and see what we want to see at our own pace instead of at the pace of the slowest person in a group excursion. We rarely stop to shop unless something of interest catches our eye. On this cruise we used local buses, trains, vaporettos (water buses), and did lots of walking – often as much as 5 to 8 miles per day in places like Florence, Rome, Verona, Athens, and Istanbul. We’re an active couple in our mid-60’s and often walk 3 to 4 miles a day at home, so the walking was not a problem for us. We had good weather for most of the trip except for a few short cloudbursts in Corfu, Dubrovnik, and Istanbul. Every morning before leaving the ship we loaded our backpack up with daily itinerary notes and maps, raingear, a spare camera, a few bottles of water and Gatorade, and a few granola bars for snacks. Some of the things we saw and did in the various ports are described in four following posts.

[NAJNLA]

#1

 

Thursday, September 4 thru Saturday, September 6 –Barcelona:

Arrived a day early so we would have over 48 hours to see local attractions before the ship sailed. We had slept a little on the flights over and didn’t have any significant effects from jet lag. Took the train from the airport to downtown Barcelona and checked into the Hotel Continental for an overnight stay. As noted by others on this forum, the Hotel Continental is quaint but clean and reasonably priced and with a great location on the very busy Las Ramblas. During the next couple days we had very nice weather and used the Metro subway and lots of walking to see some of the major attractions including walking up and down the full length of Las Ramblas, the La Boqueria marketplace, Sagrada Familia (both night and day), the Magic Fountain of Montjuic (beautiful at night), the National Palace, Park Guell, the Barri Gòthic area, Barcelona Cathedral, and Christoffel Columbus Monument. We thought Barcelona was a very unique city with a lot of neat attractions. The late afternoon sailaway under overcast skies from the port area of Barcelona was nothing to write home about.

 

Sunday, September 7 –Monte Carlo and Eze:

Sailed into Monaco before noon. Caught a tender to shore and walked around the Monte Carlo harbor along the route of a triathalon taking place that day, up the hill behind the casino, and caught a local bus to Eze, France (had to transfer to another bus for the ride from the coastline up to Eze). Spent a couple hours in Eze walking through and taking pictures of the picturesque medieval walled village, a neat place with some quaint and very expensive shops and hotels. After dinner back on the ship that evening, walked back up by the Monte Carlo Casino to see beautiful views of the casino and ships in the harbor lit up at night.

 

Monday, September 8 –Livorno (Florence):

Got off the ship about 7 AM and shared a taxi ride to the train station with two other couples (25 Euros for six). Bought round trip ticket to Florence (13 Euros each). Walked from the train station to the major attractions. (The Accadamia and Uffizi were closed that day). Saw and/or toured Piazza del Duomo, the Duomo (beautiful in side), the octagonal Florence Bapistry, Ponte Vecchio Bridge (lined with expensive shops), walked along the very picturesque Arno River, Ponte Alle Graze Bridge, Santa Croce Basilica (beautiful in side), and the Piazza della Signoria (copy of Michelangelo's David and other ancient and Renaissance statues). Took a lot of pictures and then walked through lots of shopping areas before catching a train back to Livorno (we had already been to Pisa) at mid-afternoon.

 

Tuesday, September 9 –Civitavecchia (Rome):

Got off the ship before 7 AM. Took port shuttle to port entrance and then walked a few blocks to the train station. Bought all-day regional transportation (BIRG) ticket for 9 Euros each. Got off the train at about 8:30 at Roma Ostiense, walked a few blocks in an underground tunnel to Piramide Metro station, and took the subway to Circo Massimo Metro station. Walked through the remains of the Circus Maximus (where chariot races once took place) and then walked about a quarter mile to the entrance to Palatine Hill, where we bought a combined ticket (no lines) that included entrance to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Walked through the ruins at Palatine Hill where we had a great panoramic view of the Roman Forum and central Rome. Walked another block or so under the Arch of Constantine, and then toured the inside of the Colosseum (bypassed the ticket lines) before walking along the Forum to the Piazza Venezia, where the Victor Emmanuel Monument is located. Walked up the many steps of the Monument past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and back to the rear balcony where we had a great view of the Roman Forum with the Colosseum in the background. Walked to Piazza della Rotonda to visitthe Pantheon and then ate lunch in one of the nearby restaurants. Walked to the banks of the Tiber River and went down a long stairway to a pathway that gave us great river level photo ops of Castillo de San Angelo and St. Peter’s Basilica. Walked into St. Peter’s Square about 1:30 PM. No waiting line for tickets, so spent the next few hours touring the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica, including the Tomb of the Popes. Walked a few blocks to Piazzale Stazione S. Pietro station and caught a train back to the port of Civitavecchia and were back on the ship by about 6 PM.

 

Wednesday, September 10 –Messina, Sicily:

On the way to Messina, the ship sailed close by the Stromboli Volcano, an active volcano which is one of the Aeolian Islands of Italy. As we approached Messina about noon, we sailed through a very narrow strait less than three miles wide with the island Sicily on one side and the mainland of Italy on the left – it was a very picturesque sight. We got off the ship after lunch and spent a few hours walking city streets viewing three different churches. From the Tempo Cristo Re church, we had a very good view of the city and harbor below. Walked downhill from there to the very picturesque Cathedral (very nice inside) and its associated Bell Tower and Fontana di Orione in Duomo Square. Sadly, the city has nice buildings, parks, and other facilities, but is poorly maintained, with quite a bit of litter on the streets and graffiti on walls and buildings.

 

Thursday, September 11 – Sea Day

A day of relaxation – mostly out on deck reading and/or in the hot tub.

 

Friday, September 12 –Navplion, Greece:

Got up early and were on the upper deck when we came into port and watched a beautiful sunrise over Palamidi Fortress, which is located at the top of a cliff several hundred feet above the town. The Bourtzi Fortress, built on a small island in the harbor, was silhouetted in the glassy waters of the harbor. We caught an early tender to the port, walked to the far side of town, and began the climb up the 999 steps (700 vertical feet) to the Palamidi Fortress, which took about 30 minutes including a few stops for pictures from outstanding viewpoints of the surrounding area. After walking through the fortress for an hour or so, it took us about 20 minutes to walk back down the steps. From there we went on an easy mile long walk on a very nice marble waterfront walkway that loops the peninsula where the old part of Navplion is built – there were lots of very nice viewpoints on our way back into town. Meandered through city streets for a couple hours, bought some gelato, and took some more pictures. Navplion has a picturesque harbor area and nice shopping areas.

 

Saturday, September 13 –Katakolon (Olympia), Greece:

We were at the dock in Katakolon before we got up. Got off the ship before 8 AM and walked several blocks through town to the train station and caught 8:26 train to Olympia – 3 Euros each for a round trip ticket, less than an hour ride. From the Olympia train station, we walked several blocks around the edge of the downtown district and through the tour bus parking lot. Followed a pathway uphill to the right of the parking lot and toured a small but very nice free museum that housed some beautiful statues and artifacts that had been unearthed at Olympia. From the museum we walked downhill to the left about a quarter mile to the entrance to the Olympia ruins. We walked the track of the original Olympic Stadium and then walked through the other ruins for at least a couple hours. We were really impressed with what had been built during this ancient civilization – the archeological site of ancient buildings was much more extensive and interesting than we had anticipated. Took a lot of pictures and then walked several hundred feet from the entrance to the ruins on a very nice marble pathway to the main museum – a large building with several very impressive rooms and exterior areas full of beautiful statues and artifacts that were excavated from the Olympia site. Walked back to the train station through downtown Olympia – small town, lots of touristy shops – and then caught the 2 PM train back to Katakolon. Walked through the very small downtown shopping district of Katakolon and were back on board the ship by 3:30 PM.

 

Sunday, September 14 –Kerkyra, Corfu, Greece:

At about 9 AM, left ship and caught port shuttle to the port entrance, then walked about 2 miles along the waterfront and entered the Old City through an ancient archway that was once a gate through the wall around the city. Walked by the Palaia Anaktora (Old Palaces), a large complex used in the past to house the King of Greece. Walked along the edge of Spianada Square (a huge city park) on our way to the entrance to the Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio). One of the most picturesque sights on the fortress premises is St. George's Church, a recent vintage church that resembles the Parthenon. Spent a couple hours touring the fortress area, and had some good views of the city from the lighthouse at the top. From the fortress we walked a mile or so further along the waterfront, and then returned to Spianada Square, which is the biggest square in Southeastern Europe. One side of the Spianada is bordered by many outdoor restaurants which were filled to capacity with hundreds of people out for a Sunday afternoon dinner. During the 30-40 minute walk through the old city shopping area past the New Fortress on our way back to the ship, the skies changed from partly cloudy to dark overcast, and just as we were getting back on the ship a cloudburst started. We watched a pretty spectacular lightning/thunder display while we ate a late lunch in the Lido.

[NAJNLA]

#2

 

Monday, September 15 – Dubrovnik, Croatia:

Light rain was falling as we sailed into the port of Gruz about 6 AM. Took some pre-dawn pictures of the modernistic single tower Franjo Tuđman Bridge as we passed slowly beside it. Weather cleared a little at about 9 AM so we got off the ship and started walking the several blocks to a bus stop where we could catch a bus to Dubrovnik’s walled city. Before we got to the bus stop, it started raining hard again so we put on our clear plastic ponchos. The bus to the walled city was full, so we had to stand during the 15 minute ride to Pile Gate. When we got off the bus at Pile Gate, it was still drizzling but we were anxious to climb the steps and walk the city walls before the weather got any worse. Bought tickets to the walls and climbed the steps to find that because of the weather very few other people were up there. After a short time, it stopped raining and we were able to remove our raingear. During most of the almost two hours we were at the top of the walls, the weather was partly cloudy skies with occasional sunshine. While walking the walls we took lots of pictures from great viewpoints of the town below and the ocean on the other side of the wall. After walking the full perimeter, came down the steps near the Big Onofrio Fountain and walked around the town inside the walls. Walked through most of the streets within the walled city, visited a few very nice churches, and bought a few postcards. Suddenly a downpour started, so we took refuge under an awning in a narrow street until we realized that rain was getting past our umbrellas and soaking the stuff in my backpack. Ran across the street in the rain and took refuge from the rain for a while in one of the churches. After the rain stopped we caught the bus back to the ship at about 2 PM – inadvertently got off the bus at the wrong stop and had to walk an extra half mile to the port. While we were eating a late lunch in the Lido, the skies cleared and the rest of the afternoon we spent on the ship was pretty much blue sky.

 

Tuesday, September 16 –Venice, Italy:

Got up at 7 AM, ate breakfast, and then went out on deck to watch as we sailed into the outer edges of the Venice harbor at about 8:30 AM. The sun was shining, the skies were a little hazy but blue with scattered clouds, Pavorotti music was playing on the ship’s PA system in the background, and the views sailing up the Grand Canal were outstanding, especially as we passed the San Marco Square area. It was truly a memorable experience. After an early lunch we left the ship to do some sightseeing in Venice. We had been to Venice 20 years before, so knew our way around pretty well. Walked from the port to the Piazzale Roma and then over the Grand Canal on the new Ponte della Costituzione bridge, past the Venezia St. Lucia railway station, across Rialto Bridge, and on to San Marcos Square. Had advance reservations for free admission into St. Mark’s Basilica at 3 PM, so checked our bags at nearby Ateneo di San Basso church and then were able to walk in ahead of the long line waiting to get into St. Mark’s. Walked through the lower floor of the Basilica and then paid a fee to go upstairs to the second floor where we had access to the museum and the balcony with the famous horses overlooking the square. From the balcony we had great views of the Grand Canal, the Campinile bell tower, Doge’s Palace, and the other buildings that surround St. Mark’s Square. We were also able to get an up-close view of the replica horses on the balcony (made in 1978) and the storied original horses in the upstairs museum. When we came back out into the square, we noted that it was much more crowded than when we were there 20 years ago. Walked along the Grand Canal and visited the Santa Maria della Pieata Church – beautiful interior. Walked a different route back to the Piazza Roma and got back to the ship at about 6 PM.

 

Wednesday, September 17 – Verona, Italy:

We got off the ship at about 7 AM, walked 20-25 minutes to the St. Lucia railway station and caught a train to Verona. Got to the Stazione Porta Nuova in Verona at about 9:30 AM. Walked about a mile from the train station to the city center, Piazza Bra. We found Verona to be a very pretty and picturesque city with lots of outdoor cafes and pizzerias. Followed signs and walked in what seemed like a circle to the Arena, one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world. The Arena, which seats over 25,000 spectators, was built around A.D 100 and is still regularly used for concerts, plays, and other events. From the Arena, we walked down the Via Mazzini pedestrian thoroughfare to the ancient city center Piazza delle Erbe, which very crowded with tourists. Took a short walk from there to see the purported homes of Romeo and Juliet. There was standing room only at Juliet’s home, Casa di Giulietta, but very few people at Romeo’s home, Casa Montecchi. Went back to the Piazza delle Erbe and bought a sandwich for lunch and then walked to the courtyard under the very pretty bell tower Torre de Lamberti. Walked to the adjacent Piazza dei Signori, also known as Piazza Dante (monument to Dante is there), then to the banks of the Adige River where we passed by the Basillica di Santa Anastasia, which has a very pretty bell tower. After walking another 10-15 minutes, we crossed over the Ponte della Pietra, a Roman era bridge. Could see the remains of the Teatro Romano (Roman Theater) on the hillside, but it didn’t look like it was worth spending any time there. We walked along the Adige River for what must have been almost two miles, passing by the San Giorgio Church and a few very picturesque bridges. We eventually came to the Ponte Scaligero bridge, a very beautiful structure with 150 foot arches. On the other side of the bridge we walked through part of the Castelvecchio (the Old Castle), which was built in the 1300’s. From there we walked another half mile or so to the Basilica San Zeno Maggiore, a Romanesque church built between the 9th and 12th centuries. After touring San Zeno, we walked back to Stazione Porta Nuova and caught a train back to Venice. Walked from the Venice train station to the port and were back on the ship before 6 PM.

 

Thursday, September 18 – Venice, Italy:

Since we had been in Venice before and would be there again in two weeks, we slept in late and then spent the entire day relaxing on the Zuiderdam. Read some books for a few hours out on the mid-ship pool deck and spent some time in the hot tub. Late in the afternoon we went back up to the upper decks to watch the sailaway under a partially overcast sky. Sailaway from Venice that afternoon was nice, but not as memorable as when we sailed in two days earlier.

 

Friday, September 19 – Split, Croatia:

Got on one of the first tenders from the ship and were on shore by 9:30 AM. The area outside the old city near the small boat harbor was very clean with nice wide marble walkways lined with palm trees and benches. Walked the short distance from the waterfront to the entrance to the basement shopping area below Diocletian’s Palace, the landmark around which the city was built. The palace was built from white stone from the island Brac, the same stone used in construction of the White House. Came out of the basement area into the Peristyle, the main open space within the walls of the palace. Paid an entrance fee to view the inside of the Temple of Jupiter, a very small building that was converted to a baptistery – compared to what we had already seen, it was not worth the admission fee. Went into the Cathedral of St Domnius (Katedral Sveti Duje), which is the symbol of the city. The Cathedral was nice but again, not all that impressive compared to other churches we had already seen on this trip. Paid a small fee to climb the attached bell tower. The picturesque views of the Palace, harbor, and surrounding city from the top of the 197 foot high tower made it well worth the climb. Walked out one of the side gates of the palace walls where a large open air marketplace was in full operation. It seemed that lots of the people in the booths had very photogenic caricature type faces. Walked back inside the palace walls and found a small room with several computers where we could check and send out some e-mail for 15 kunas ($3) for a half hour. Walked outside another gate of the palace into the People's Square (Narodni trg) where there was a short bell tower and a very large bronze statue of Grgur Ninski (Gregory of Nin). Rubbing the polished toe of the otherwise green statue is thought to bring good luck, and many people (inlcluding us) were having their picture taken with their hand on the toe of the statue. Walked from there to a newer area of town for a while – found it to be a very clean city with pretty nice buildings. Found a gelato (ice cream) store where we each ate 2 gelatos to get rid of our last kunas. Caught a tender back to the ship about 2 PM.

 

Saturday, September 20 – Sea Day:

Another day of relaxation – mostly out on deck reading and/or in the hot tub.

[NAJNLA]

#3

 

Sunday, September 21 – Piraeus (Athens), Greece:

Got up early. The ship was already docked in the port of Piraeus, which is roughly seven miles from Athens. The weather was overcast when we got off the ship just before 8 AM. Walked from the ship terminal to the Piraeus train station and caught a light rail train to the Monastiraki station which is located in the heart of the Plaka shopping district below the Acropolis. Later that day we discovered it would have been a quicker and a shorter walk to the Acropolis entrance if we had gotten off the train a stop earlier at Thissio. Along the back way to the Acropolis entrance we walked through an area of ancient ruins that included the Tower of Winds. Including the longer walk and train trip we still made it to the Acropolis within about an hour of getting off the ship and were at the entrance when it opened at 9 AM. Bought tickets that included admission to most of the attractions in the Acropolis area. We then entered the upper Acropolis area by climbing up the 185 steps of the Propylaea, a huge unfinished columned gateway building that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis. The skies began to clear and we had some blue sky for a while. Spent about 1 ½ hours taking pictures of and walking around the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and other ruins on top of the hill. The skies became overcast again as we began to walk down from the Acropolis, through the Plaka area, and over to the Parliament Building in Syntagma (Constitution) Square to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Got there in time to get a front row close-up vantage point to see the full changing-of-the-guard ceremony, complete with about a hundred colorfully clad marching Evzone soldiers and a marching band, which reportedly takes place only at 11:00 on Sundays and lasts about 30 minutes. After lunch at a nearby McDonald’s, went down into the Syntagma Square subway station and viewed some beautiful displays of artifacts in the subway museum. Walked from there through the National Garden to the Panathenaicon Stadium, the site of the first Olympiad. From the Olympic stadium we walked back toward the Acropolis to the remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. Walked from there to the base of the Acropolis to walk through the remains of the Theater of Dionysos and the Stoa of Eumenes. Meandered from there along the Antiquities Promenade past the Odeion and the entrance where we had earlier gone into the Acropolis. Had some good blue sky photo opportunities looking back up at the Acropolis. We walked a few blocks to the right of the Thissio subway station into the Ancient Agora (marketplace), where the well preserved Temple of Hephastion sits on a hill overlooking one side of the area and the fully restored Stoa of Attalos overlooks the other side. Spent an hour or so walking around the area and taking pictures of these beautiful buildings and then walked through the very crowded Plaka shopping area back to the Thissio train station. Caught a train back to Piraeus about 3 PM and were back on the ship by 4 PM.

 

Monday, September 22 – Istanbul, Turkey:

Slept in late. After lunch in the Lido went back out on the less windy side of the Promenade deck to read a while and then went up on to the top deck to watch as we sailed into Istanbul. As we came into port under overcast skies, had distant views of the icon mosques of the city. The Zuiderdam docked at the Karakoy Cruise Ship Terminal near the Galata Bridge at about 3 PM. Got off the ship at about 3:45 PM and walked a few blocks to the nearest light rail station. Caught a tram for a 15 minute ride across the Galata Bridge to the Sultanahmet station near the Blue Mosque. The train was packed, standing room only. By the time we got off the tram, the overcast skies had turned to blue and it was a beautiful evening. Because we knew the Topkapi Palace would be closed the next day, we walked past the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia to the Topkapi Palace entrance – we knew that the next couple hours would be our only opportunity to see the inside rooms of Topkapi, which has examples of Ottoman architecture and large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, clocks, manuscripts, murals, and jewelry. We toured the Topkapi grounds for a couple hours and had some great views of the city and harbor from the walkways on the cliff at the back end of the palace grounds. Left the Topkapi as the sun was going down and wandered over to the bazaars on the street near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia area. It was dark when we walked along the street following the tram track – about 1 ½ miles – down the hill and across the Galata Bridge to the ship. Had very nice night time views of several lighted mosques as we walked across the bridge. Got back to the ship at about 8 PM.

 

Tuesday, September 23 – Istanbul, Turkey:

Got up at 7 AM, ate breakfast in the Lido, and walked off the ship at about 8:30 AM. The weather was clear with beautiful blue skies. Walked a few blocks to the tram station and caught a train back to Sultanahmet station near the Blue Mosque. Walked through the Hippodrome (a city park) and went to the tourist entrance of the Blue Mosque just as it opened at 9 AM, just ahead of many tour buses full of other tourists. Admission was free (donations only). As tourists, we didn’t have to wash our feet before entering, but did have to remove our shoes and carry them in plastic bags. The inside of the huge building is very beautiful, with many huge decorated columns and archways and many elaborately decorated tile covered domes in the ceiling. Spent about an hour inside and then walked a short distance across the parkway towards the Hagia Sophia. We inadvertently went to the wrong side of the Hagia Sophia and ended up taking a long walk almost entirely around the huge complex to get to the entrance. During our 15 minute walk around the building, the weather turned from blue sky to threatening overcast. Security at the Hagia Sophia was very tight, and we had to run our camera bag and backpack through a scanner. Especially considering its age, the Hagia Sophia is awesome inside, with beautiful walls and yellowish domed decorated ceilings. It has a massive central dome 102 feet in diameter and 184 feet above the floor that is covered with beautiful details and decorations. Some of the more famous mosaics on the ceilings and walls that have been uncovered show Jesus and the Virgin Mary. We climbed a long, narrow switchback ramp up to the second floor balcony of the building, where we were better able to see the immensity of the building. Looking down from the balcony was almost like overlooking Grand Central Station. When we came out of the Hagia Sophia, there was a full blown thunderstorm and downpour in process. We put on our rain ponchos and walked a short distance to the Basilica Underground Cistern. The underground open area of the cistern is huge – 460 feet long and 230 feet wide and 30 feet high. The cistern has twelve rows of twenty-eight 30-foot high fluted supporting columns, and has a mystical ambiance created by indirect colored lighting behind the columns. The Cistern was used as a film set for a scene of the James Bond movie From Russia with Love. The admission fee was well worth the half hour or so we spent walking around down there. When we came out of the Cistern the weather had cleared and we again had blue skies. Walked about a mile to the entrance to the huge Grand Bazaar. Once we were inside the bazaar we could hardly see the other end – and there were many, many side corridors perpendicular to the main corridor we were on, with shops selling everything from food to t-shirts and leather jackets to expensive jewelry and antiques. After walking through a few of the uncountable corridors, we walked out the far entrance into a large open air marketplace that sold what appeared to be lower quality stuff than what was inside. From the Bazaar we walked past the main entrance to Istanbul University on our way to the Suleyman Mosque. While continuing to walk toward the Suleyman Mosque, the call to prayer started to emanate from loudspeakers on many of the mosques in the area. When we got to the mosque, we found that we couldn’t go in because prayer time was starting. Several men were still sitting in the outside foot washing stations hurriedly cleaning their feet before they went into prayer. Since we were unable to get inside because of prayer time, we walked around the adjacent gardens and took some pictures of the building. From the Suleyman Mosque we walked in the direction of the Galata Bridge on our way back to the ship. Along the way, we meandered through a section of town with very narrow winding streets lined with open air shops on the sidewalks selling everything from underwear to automobile tires. After walking a few more blocks, we came to the huge plaza near the Yeni Mosque. We walked through the square and into another huge area of narrow streets behind the mosque filled with more open air shops selling food and produce. Adjacent to that area, we walked into the very large Egyptian Spice Bazaar which specializes in selling exotic spices, dried fruits, nuts, teas, spices and natural remedies, along with some high priced jewelry and other touristy things. From there we walked around the Yeni Mosque, where men were washing their feet before going into the mosque for prayer. Because it was prayer time, we did not go inside the mosque. Outside the mosque were three or four caricature-type old women in long dresses and shawls selling packages of some kind of grain to feed the thousands of pigeons in the square. Walked from Yeni Mosque through an underpass to the light rail station in the middle of the road and caught the tram across the Galata Bridge to the light rail station near the ship terminal. Got back to the ship at about 3 PM. Relaxed in the cabin for a while and then went up on the rear deck pool area for the sailaway party at 5 PM. Although the skies had again become partially overcast, we had great views of the city and the mosques. There were what seemed like hundreds of boats and ferries criss-crossing the harbor ahead and behind us as we sailed away.

[NAJNLA]

#4

 

Wednesday, September 24 – Mykonos, Greece:

Slept in late. Beautiful blue sky day. Went out on the Promenade deck and read for a couple hours and then at about 11:30 AM went back up to the top deck to watch as we came into the port of Tourlos on Mykonos Island, Greece. The hillside above the port was dotted with many whitewashed, flat roofed homes, most of them with blue doors and trim. At about 1 PM we got off the ship and caught the free shuttle bus that took us on a short ride along a very narrow winding road to the edge of Mykonos Town. Got off the shuttle bus and walked a few blocks along a nice sandy beach and past a small boat harbor to the main part of town. Stopped to take some pictures out on a harbor pier, and then walked a short distance to take some pictures of the Church of Paraportiani. Walked a short distance through narrow pedestrian-only streets to the Little Venice area of Mykonos which has buildings with red and blue balconies suspended out over the waterfront. Just beyond that we walked through a number of open eating areas for several very expensive eating and drinking establishments. From there we walked over to Mykonos’ iconic whitewashed Windmills that sit on a low hillside overlooking the town. From the hillside there was a great view of the harbor and the Little Venice area of town. We walked from there to a small very picturesque whitewashed church with red doors located at the edge of the low cliff along the ocean – took some pictures of the church and then walked a different route through the winding streets back into the lower section of town. All of the homes and businesses in Mykonos town are radiant white with very colorful trim and the narrow pedestrian-only streets are made of irregular shaped pieces of slate outlined with white paint – we stopped many times for photo ops. We eventually meandered back to the small boat harbor area where we finally saw the 3 famous pelicans that are also an icon of Mykonos. At about 5 PM we caught the shuttle bus back to the ship.

 

Thursday, September 25 – Kusadasi (Ephesus) Turkey

Got off the ship a little before 8 AM. The skies were overcast, so we made sure that we had our raingear with us. Walked about a half mile through the port area and downtown streets to a bus stop where we caught a small mini-bus to the Ephesus ruins. Except for us, the 18 passenger mini-bus was filled with locals, and the bus stopped at several points along the way to pick up and drop off passengers. After a 30 minute ride, got off at the Ephesus bus stop and began to walk up the road to the upper entrance to the ruins. A taxi driver talked us into letting him take us there for about $15 – glad we did, because it seemed like about a two mile ride around and up a fairly steep hill. We got to the Ephesus entrance just after it opened at 9 AM, and the big tour buses had already begun to arrive. Before entering the ruins, we stopped for a moment to use the rest rooms – had to pay about 75 cents each to enter. The line at the women’s bathroom was very long, so women just getting off the tour buses were directed into the men’s facilities – it was just a little disconcerting! Our 4 hour walk through Ephesus began in the remains of the Government Agora and took us to or through the remains of the Odeon Bouleuterion Theater, Prytaneion, Curetes Street, Temple of Domitian, Memmius Monument, Gate of Heracles, Skolastika Public Baths, Temple of Hadrian, Terrace Houses (well worth the extra fee), Library of Celsus (beautiful façade), Gate of Augustus, Commercial Agora, Marble Street, and the Great Theater. Climbed almost to the top row seats of the Great Theater where we had a great view looking down Harbor Street, a marble paved column-lined thoroughfare that runs between the Great Theater to a point where the former boat harbor once existed. While walking down Harbor Street and out the tree-lined exit road, we had some great views looking back at the Great Theater and Library. Did a little shopping in the bazaar area at the exit and then about 1:30 PM we were ready to go back to the ship. Had intended to walk the mile or so to the bus stop on the main highway, but a guy with a two way radio talked us into waiting a few minutes for a nominally priced shuttle bus. When we got back to the main road, we walked about 100 yards left to the kiosk bus stop, which was manned by a dispatcher with a two-way radio used to let bus drivers know in advance how many passengers were waiting. We got back to the bus stop in downtown Kusadasi by about 2:30 PM and then spent a little time shopping in the open air shops of the Kusadasi Bazaar during our half mile walk back to the port.

 

Friday, September 26 – Santorini, Greece:

Got up early and went out on deck for photo opportunities as we sailed into Santorini just before sunrise. When we sailed into the lagoon, or caldera, the skies were partly cloudy in the east, but cleared just enough to get a few shots of the sun rising over the rim of the caldera. The ship temporarily parked in the caldera a few miles south of Fira so tenders could take ship excursion passengers to a port where buses could come down to the shoreline and pick them up. There was a large floating oil containment barrier several hundred yards in front of where we parked marking the spot where the cruise Greek ship the Sea Diamond sank after hitting an underground reef in April 2007. By the time we finished breakfast, the ship had repositioned just off the port of Skala.

 

Got on the first tender and reached the dock at Skala just after 9 AM. We wanted to make best use of our time, so bought tickets for the cable lift. The views we had during the two minute cable car ride to the top were outstanding – we had a beautiful panoramic vista of cruise ships parked in the bright blue waters in the caldera. Our plan was to get to the picturesque village of Oia before all the tour buses got there. Once we got off the cable car, we walked several blocks through Fira’s business district to the bus stop and waited about 30 minutes for the next bus to Oia. By the time the bus was ready to leave, dozens of other ship passengers had arrived and we had to hustle to get in line for a seat on the bus. It took about 30 minutes to drive the five mile, 20 minute road to Oia through countryside that looked pretty sparse and bleak, with very little vegetation.

 

Sprained an ankle in a pothole while getting off the bus, but tightened the shoestrings to minimize the pain. Oia is very picturesque, and by then the skies were blue. We spent a few hours walking around taking pictures – it seemed that every place we stopped to look, there was an even better view. Walked back to the bus stop at about 1 PM and bought a sandwich at a nearby gyro shop. By the time the bus got there, the number of people waiting in line was more than the bus had seats, but we were lucky enough to be one of the first in line and we were able to get back to Fira by about 1:30 PM.

 

Walked through the Fira shopping area and took some pictures from the caldera overlooks where we had some great photo ops of the ships in the caldera below. We had planned to walk the scenic route back down to the ships on the donkey path, but because of the sprained ankle decided to get in line for the cable cars. Found the line to be over two city blocks long and were in line almost an hour before we got to the cable car entrance. Again, the views from the cable car on the way down were beautiful. Caught a tender and were back on the ship by a little after 3 PM. Went up to the rear pool deck for the very picturesque sailaway from Santorini at about 4:30 PM.

 

Saturday, September 27 – Katakolon, Greece:

This was a day to relax. Since we had already stopped at this port two weeks before, we slept in late. Got off the ship at about 10 AM and walked the short distance into the shopping area of Katakolon. The downtown is very small and the Carnival Freedom was also in port, so the streets and shops were pretty crowded. Walked through the entire downtown area, took some pictures of a local church, and were back on the ship having lunch by noon. Not many other people on the ship that day. Spent the afternoon on the pool deck reading books and spent a little while in the hot tub.

 

Sunday, September 28 – Sea Day:

Another day of relaxation – mostly out on deck reading and/or in the hot tub. Spent a couple hours late afternoon packing our suitcases.

 

Monday, September 29 – Venice, Italy and Paris, France:

Woke up at 6:30 AM, turned on the TV and saw that we came in early and were already docked in Venice – so much for watching us come into Venice before daybreak! It was a beautiful blue sky day. Got off the ship at 9 AM. We didn’t feel like dragging our luggage on a 25 minute walk over a bridge, so we had pre-paid $30 for a HAL bus transfer to Piazza Roma, the Venice transportation center. Since our flight to Paris was scheduled for late in the afternoon, we had decided in advance to spend a few hours this day on the Venetian islands of Murano (famous for glasswork) and Burano (famous for lace and its brightly colored homes and shops). We checked our bags at the Piazza Roma Left Luggage (Deposito Bagagli) facility, walked over to the nearby vaporetto station, and bought all day transportation tickets. Caught a vaporetto (water bus) for a very scenic early morning ride down the Grand Canal and across the lagoon to Murano.

 

Walked along the Murano waterfront from the vaporetto station to a glass factory where we watched some glassblowers doing their craft. Went past a lot of shops filled with very expensive glassware, but didn’t buy anything while we walked through the city streets along the canals for about an hour. Went back to the vaporetto station that was located next to a tall white lighthouse and caught a vaporetto for a 35 minute ride to Burano just before noon. While walking around the island, we noted some brick church towers that seemingly leaned as much as the famous one in Pisa. Burano is a quaint island with lots of shops selling various forms of fancy very expensive lacework. Most of the homes and shops in Burano are painted in bright colors, making it look a little like a storybook village. The island is very small, so we were able to walk through the shopping area in less than an hour and left on the vaporetto back to Venice at about 1 PM.

 

Got back to Piazza Roma at about 2:30 PM and picked up our luggage. The Piazza Roma is a huge plaza filled with numbered bus stops. When we picked up our luggage, the attendant told us the number for the bus stop to the airport. We pulled our luggage to that stop, and waited about 20 minutes for the bus. When we boarded the bus, the driver told us our tickets were for the blue/orange ACTV urban bus – and his bus was the blue ATVO express bus. Since time was getting to be an issue, we hurriedly pulled our luggage a few hundred yards to another bus stop where the bus was just pulling away. Waited another 30 minutes for the next bus, and even though this bus made a lot of stops, we got to the Marco Polo (VCE) airport in plenty of time. With the help of a very nice young lady from Air France, we quickly got our luggage checked (all the way through to San Francisco), went through security, and because our flight was running late, still had time to get a sandwich in an upstairs airport restaurant before boarding our plane.

 

During the 2 hour flight to Paris, we flew over the snow covered Swiss Alps, which were very pretty in the late afternoon sun. We were fed dinner on the plane and arrived at Paris CDG airport about 20 minutes behind schedule a little after 8 PM. Got off the plane and went through immigration very quickly. We had planned that if we got to CDG on time, we would take a quick trip into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower at night, something we had really enjoyed some 20 years before. It still seemed plausible, so we walked to the RER station in the terminal and caught the B train to Paris, transferred to the C train at the Notre Dame station, and got to the underground Champ de Mars train station near the Eiffel Tower at about 9:45 PM. The last time we saw the Eiffel Tower at night (1988) it was lit up in gold – so we were surprised when we came out of Champ de Mars and saw the tower lit up in blue with 12 yellow stars – apparently something to do with the European Union. At 10 PM, thousands of intense bright lights located all over the tower blinked in random order, creating a sparkling display effect for about 5 minutes – was very pretty to watch. Walked around the Eiffel Tower area and took some night pictures for about an hour and then walked back and caught the train back to a hotel a stop away from the CDG airport.

 

Tuesday, September 30 – Paris, France to San Francisco:

Got up early and had a complimentary breakfast in the hotel dining room. Walked across the street to the RER station, caught the train to the airport, went through check-in and security much quicker than expected and were at the gate a little after 8 AM – had to wait over two hours before our scheduled flight to Houston. Air France had great in-flight service and we were fed lunch, dinner, serve yourself Haagen-Dazs ice cream bars, sodas, sandwiches, and chips during the flight. When we got to Houston, had only 50 minutes to go through immigration, pick up our luggage from customs and check it back in again, and catch a train between terminals to catch our plane to San Francisco. We got to the gate when the plane was already halfway through the boarding process. Got to SFO on time just after 5 PM, picked up our luggage, and called an airport shuttle for a ride home. We were a little tired and jet lagged for a couple days, but bottom line, this was a great trip!

[Ardy53]

We were a little tired and jet lagged for a couple days, but bottom line, this was a great trip!

 

Wow !!!!

 

Firstly, that sounds like an amazing trip - I think "a little tired" must be the understatement of the year. I am exhausted just from reading about all your ports of call.:D

 

Secondly, I think this must be the definitive guide to doing the Med on your own. We also planned to do all the ports on our own recently, but that was only for a 12-night cruise. Sometimes we did succumb to taking the easy but costly option of a cab. (Actually, we were in Monte Carlo the day before you and also walked the route that you did with the triathlon preparations in place.)

 

Thank you so much for this review - very informative and well-written !!

 

Roy

[calenita]

Great review! Lots of useful information. Was this a Back to Back cruise? We are going to some of the stops you were at - Venice, Rome, Livorno, Split - on our upcoming 12night RCCL cruise.

[NAJNLA]

Great review! Lots of useful information. Was this a Back to Back cruise? We are going to some of the stops you were at - Venice, Rome, Livorno, Split - on our upcoming 12night RCCL cruise.

 

Thanks.

 

Yes, it was a 12-day Barcelona to Venice back to back with a 12-day Venice to Venice.....so we sailed into Venice twice and repeated the Katakolon stop.

[mountainmare]

In Livorno were you docked in the industrial port area or closer to the cruise port area?

Apparently (http://www.portolivorno2000.it) Livorno is trying to become more user friendly to cruise passengers.

 

Oops--I forgot--thank you for a great review.

[ToBe]

Najala,

Thank you so much for the information. We are taking this trip starting April 25. It is our first HAL trip and also our first Med. trip. We will probably do more planned tours: private of ship but you really help us decide where and when we will need transport.

 

Temma

[NAJNLA]

In Livorno were you docked in the industrial port area or closer to the cruise port area?

Apparently (www.portolivorno2000.it) Livorno is trying to become more user friendly to cruise passengers.

 

Oops--I forgot--thank you for a great review.

 

 

Thanks. We docked in an industrial area that was not suitable for walking out from. As I remember, we were docked where the ship is shown on this Google Maps link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=livorno,+italy&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=80.573574,111.269531&ie=UTF8&ll=43.552662,10.299833&spn=0.004689,0.006791&t=h&z=17

 

If you're not familiar with Google Maps, note that you can click on the buttons to go back and forth between map and satellite view, and use the slider bar on the left to zoom in and out.

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for a great review! :)

[Papa O]

Thanks for info. We'll try doing self tour @ katalon & Santorini. Looking @ Elko tour for Ephesus