Are you excited about the Gem and the Mediterranean?

[daring]

The spa opened and closed at different times depending on the port, it was lovely. It usuall opened early enough and stayed open late enough to usefrequently.

 

http://pandi77.smugmug.com/gallery/8355347_NfDWb/1/547948695_8jKrz

 

 

Oh thankyou! I am sooo there. I can see myself now with coffee looking out the window and I believe I'll have a rainshower too, to help refresh myself.

[Bannda]

Deb - did you go back to work on Monday? We were in lousy shape. But, we were delayed in JFK for an hour and half. We didn't arrive in MPLS until 10:00 p.m. which meant our body time was somewhere in the wee hours of the morning.

 

After we left you at your gate in Barcelona, we went to ours, which was downstairs in this really old, horrible area. Hoards of people and it was hot and very few chairs. Finally, they start boarding the plane which meant walking outside to get in a bus to drive to the plane, much like when we arrived in Barcelona. Anyway, we're waiting in line, present our boarding pass and they deny us boarding, said we by-passed a security point. Had to run upstairs, find an information booth with a Delta representative, go thru a security check, run back downstairs, to get on the last bus to the plane. We made it but it was scary and frustrating.

 

Here's the lesson for those doing carry on luggage in Barcelona... you still have to go to the main terminal check in (where you would present your checked luggage), even if you have boarding passes that you printed from the internet. They don't take those boarding passes but don't tell you that when you pass thru the first security area or immigration.

 

Wow, this is great information! I'll remember this when we come back!

[Bannda]

Its finally my turn! This weekend ought to be interesting since Barcelona won the soccer championships! The city will be full of people, I have heard. I hope it doesn't slow down our sightseeing too much.

 

I may check in while we are gone since DH is taking the laptop. I think our hotel has free internet.

 

Have a great week!

[daring]

Its finally my turn! This weekend ought to be interesting since Barcelona won the soccer championships! The city will be full of people, I have heard. I hope it doesn't slow down our sightseeing too much.

 

I may check in while we are gone since DH is taking the laptop. I think our hotel has free internet.

 

Have a great week!

 

Are you ready? That would be great if you could check in.

[Bannda]

Are you ready? That would be great if you could check in.

 

I am no where near ready! I just spent an hour trying to help my husband pack. He really hasn't even thought much about it.

Now I need to get mine finished.

 

Today and yesterday have just been nuts and haven't gone according to plan. I had some dental work go wrong and have spent the better part of the last two days at the dentist and the dental lab trying to get it right. I think its fine now, but it had me stressed a little.

 

I'm off to finish packing now. I'll wave in your direction when we get off the ship, daring! I do hope to pop in here again if I can while we are gone.

 

Bye for now.....

[daring]

I'll be thinking of you. Thank-you for spending time with me while everyone else was away. Maybe I'll see you in the AM but if I don't, have a great vacation!

[daring]

What time do you think is reasonable to get off the ship and catch the train?

[big green]

What time do you think is reasonable to get off the ship and catch the train?

 

 

Lots of information about the train schedule etc on the ports of call board;

LOads of good advice there from other cruisers than NCL etc--.

 

I have been reading it to plan our cruise.

 

 

Big green

[mickeysgal]

Its finally my turn! This weekend ought to be interesting since Barcelona won the soccer championships! The city will be full of people, I have heard. I hope it doesn't slow down our sightseeing too much.

 

I may check in while we are gone since DH is taking the laptop. I think our hotel has free internet.

 

Have a great week!

 

Our hotel was on Las Ramblas - Hotel Montecarlo (FANTASTIC by the way) - and boy was there a crowd when they won the semi championship two Saturdays before. Fireworks until 4am, crowds chanting, police barricades, police with riot gear on, police car sirens starting at about 4am and using the cars to push the crowds back. All outside our hotel window. Yes, I was the one to ask for the balcony overlooking Las Ramblas. Historic and very exciting. 5 stories up we had police lights on our ceiling all night.

[mickeysgal]

Okay, so here's a hint for those of you that soon will be returning from your cruise. Last night, first dinner at home which is horrible to begin with. Haven't done any grocery shopping so end up thawing hamburger, browned it and added the dreaded Ragu bottle. Ya know, Ragu is really a good product until you come home from Italy and a cruise. At that point, it's a really depressing meal. Added some wine but that didn't help the matter at all. So, plan ahead and don't make spaghetti for your first meal at home.

 

We didn't eat at all that night. Monday, Memorial Day, I took my mother shopping since she was cooped up with the kids for so long. We ended up at a restaurant. I was fooded out...just had soup. But I know what you mean. I just came home from a swim meet and just had a hot dog...without the bun. How gourmet. :rolleyes:

[daring]

Lots of information about the train schedule etc on the ports of call board;

LOads of good advice there from other cruisers than NCL etc--.

 

I have been reading it to plan our cruise.

 

 

Big green

 

Found it!

[mickeysgal]

You mean highlights of why we are laughing about the acupucture????

 

It's a cute story beginning with Deb's massage, followed by my DH's acupucture and all having to do with the hard sell that happens afterwards. Then there was my DH's initial apprehension to having the acupucture to begin with. He won it at the Latitudes Party. Plus, Phil can throw some hilarious one liners that gets you laughing until you cry. Basically, my DH's free acupucture turned into a $95.00 bottle of pills during the hard sell as well as a big tip too. I'll let Deb tell her side of the story. We had some good laughs!!!!

 

I had my massage and didn't realize that they add a 18% surcharge onto the bill. Yes, I tipped a lot on top of that. To make matters worse, they discounted my hot stone massage by about a third starting the day after I had mine. (Note: don't schedule your spa visit on the day at sea...premium prices. Wait another day.) The hard sell...yes, it is true. It's tough to resist. You want to buy the stuff just to make it stop. So I resisted the $40+ skin brush they were hawking (looked like something I'd scrub the floors with) and bought some other liquid skin stuff. We had a lot of laughs over my way over the top tipping and the fact that I dumped $60 on a bottle of stuff I really don't need. Then Why Knot Me's DH ended up buying stuff himself, lol. I am glad that our joking around wasn't taken seriously. I was worried there for a moment or two.

 

To add to the story, we got stopped going through the security line at the airport here. The overpriced spa stuff was in our carryon and honestly we didn't know it was there. They almost confiscated it. DH told them that he'd go back and put the whole bag through checked luggage to avoid it being confiscated because the stuff cost so much. He let us go through with it. And yes, we went through security in Barcelona with no problems.

 

Deb - did you go back to work on Monday? We were in lousy shape. But, we were delayed in JFK for an hour and half. We didn't arrive in MPLS until 10:00 p.m. which meant our body time was somewhere in the wee hours of the morning.

 

After we left you at your gate in Barcelona, we went to ours, which was downstairs in this really old, horrible area. Hoards of people and it was hot and very few chairs. Finally, they start boarding the plane which meant walking outside to get in a bus to drive to the plane, much like when we arrived in Barcelona. Anyway, we're waiting in line, present our boarding pass and they deny us boarding, said we by-passed a security point. Had to run upstairs, find an information booth with a Delta representative, go thru a security check, run back downstairs, to get on the last bus to the plane. We made it but it was scary and frustrating.

 

Here's the lesson for those doing carry on luggage in Barcelona... you still have to go to the main terminal check in (where you would present your checked luggage), even if you have boarding passes that you printed from the internet. They don't take those boarding passes but don't tell you that when you pass thru the first security area or immigration.

 

Wow. That's a great tip. I would have never know that.

 

Well, on the other hand, if you pack your entire wardrobe and bring it with you to Europe like I did, you have to check everything and you don't have this problem. Yes, I think I should have won the award for the most Overpacked Traveler on the cruise. Everyday, Phil opened drawers and had to make the remark, boy did you pack a lot. Why Knot Me and her DH...most efficient. Night and day in comparison. Simply amazing for them and embarrassing for me. I think Europe thought I was moving in with them.

 

Why did I pack a lot? Don't know. Ran out of time taking care of work, the house, the kids, my mother, the details, etc. When it came time for me, I had set aside clothes hoping to make a final cut but ended up just packing it all. 8 pairs of shoes...but really only used 2-3. :rolleyes: :eek:

[mickeysgal]

Ok - here's another pleasant surprise that I had on the cruise...

 

The hairdryer in the room is great. I'm adding that to my wish list of bed and pillows. And I don't know...it may be the way they treat the ship's water, but my hair was very manageable. Easier to dry, easier to style. More so than at home.

[SallyUK]

Found it!

 

Hi daring. We're not doing as intensive a day as you, but we pre-booked the fast train at about 9.30am (sorry, it isn't 9.30 but its about then, don't have timetable to hand). We're taking a later train because we only plan to go to the area around the Collosseum.

 

Although the slow trains are cheaper and include the metro in the BIRG ticket (or that's my understanding anyway), the faster trains as I understand it have A/C as well as gaining you a valuable extra 1/2 hour in Rome.

 

If you google fellow CC'er Heinblood and Civitavecchia, he's written a guide as to how to get a train, where to find the station, etc which is really helpful. Its to show people how to get to the Vatican, but the principles in terms of using the station at Civitavecchia are the same. Its on his own blog.

[Why Knot Me]

I had my massage and didn't realize that they add a 18% surcharge onto the bill. Yes, I tipped a lot on top of that. To make matters worse, they discounted my hot stone massage by about a third starting the day after I had mine. (Note: don't schedule your spa visit on the day at sea...premium prices. Wait another day.) The hard sell...yes, it is true. It's tough to resist. You want to buy the stuff just to make it stop. So I resisted the $40+ skin brush they were hawking (looked like something I'd scrub the floors with) and bought some other liquid skin stuff. We had a lot of laughs over my way over the top tipping and the fact that I dumped $60 on a bottle of stuff I really don't need. Then Why Knot Me's DH ended up buying stuff himself, lol. I am glad that our joking around wasn't taken seriously. I was worried there for a moment or two.

 

Never worry about that with us, the laughing and joking was so much fun! In fact, we've laughed about it several more times. I never had a chance to tell you guys that right up until the appointment, DH kept saying, I am not looking forward to this. I just kept telling him, it'll be alright, don't worry about a thing. I really thought he might cancel. Then, I just started laughing when I'm at the pool and he comes back from the appointment carrying a bag. The night in Grand Pacific was a blast. Loved the dentist story.

 

To add to the story, we got stopped going through the security line at the airport here. The overpriced spa stuff was in our carryon and honestly we didn't know it was there. They almost confiscated it. DH told them that he'd go back and put the whole bag through checked luggage to avoid it being confiscated because the stuff cost so much. He let us go through with it. And yes, we went through security in Barcelona with no problems.

 

 

 

Wow. That's a great tip. I would have never know that.

 

Well, on the other hand, if you pack your entire wardrobe and bring it with you to Europe like I did, you have to check everything and you don't have this problem. Yes, I think I should have won the award for the most Overpacked Traveler on the cruise. Everyday, Phil opened drawers and had to make the remark, boy did you pack a lot. Why Knot Me and her DH...most efficient. Night and day in comparison. Simply amazing for them and embarrassing for me. I think Europe thought I was moving in with them. LOL!!!!!!

 

And, I still had a pair of shoes, two pairs of shorts, a couple of t-shirts and a dress top that I never wore. By the way, I used a link from someone here to a You-Tube video about packing in bundles. It worked great for me but not so great for DH!!!!

 

Why did I pack a lot? Don't know. Ran out of time taking care of work, the house, the kids, my mother, the details, etc. When it came time for me, I had set aside clothes hoping to make a final cut but ended up just packing it all. 8 pairs of shoes...but really only used 2-3. :rolleyes: :eek:

 

Yup, been there too with overpacking especially when there was no planning time. We were going to Hawaii on a land trip followed by a cruise with the two kids, DH and me. Way over packed and transferring all that luggage with two kids... said no way, don't want to do this again.

[Bannda]

We are headed to the airport! I can't believe this is finally it! I think I overpacked a little, but I did take stuff out. I'm glad to hear the ship's water will make my hair more manageable. :)

 

See you all when I get back!

 

Daring, have a great trip since I will miss you when you leave!

[Why Knot Me]

We are headed to the airport! I can't believe this is finally it! I think I overpacked a little, but I did take stuff out. I'm glad to hear the ship's water will make my hair more manageable. :)

 

See you all when I get back!

 

Daring, have a great trip since I will miss you when you leave!

 

Have a wonderful, safe journey. Can't wait to hear how much you love it... because we know that you will.

 

P.S. I brought my hairdryer but never used it. The room on the ship had a great one... and I'm picky about my hairdryer. In the hotel, I couldn't get my converter to work and the room had one. It was okay, basically did the job.

[gbcruise]

I have enjoyed reading this thread as I will be on the Nov TA, Barcelona to NY. I am concerned though as Missi has dropped off, she went above and beyond in her review & really has me hanging on how Florence went, more though, she was such a active poster and now is MIA???

[daring]

Tell me more, tell me more. A few highlights from each excursion will do. You didn't have a meet and greet in the Magenta did you?

[mickeysgal]

Tell me more, tell me more. A few highlights from each excursion will do. You didn't have a meet and greet in the Magenta did you?

 

I typed in a very long post last night and then my computer locked. Second attempt here...I may break this up into multiple posts to make sure I don't lose everything in case the computers misbehaves again.

 

Yes, we had a Meet and Greet in the Magenta dining room the first (and only) sea day. NCL provided continental breakfast items and many of the ship's officers were there. They were very kind. We had a very strong turnout. I don't think many didn't show. Only a few name tags were left on the table. Thank you to Sweetbees and Detwings for helping organize. When I checked in at the door and gave my cabin number, they knew I was the organizer. Yikes. Glad to see so many people attended or else I was going to feel real bad.

 

The hour flew by and we did sort of break off into small groups - mostly those touring together. Wish we had more time. Very nice people. We were thrilled to meet so many.

 

A few of us cabin crawled to each other's staterooms to check them out. We went to mine - AE aft and also to Why Knot Me's Courtyard Suite. Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! Very decadent and so very private. Loved it. That bathroom alone was just fanstastic.

 

Excursions/Ports:

 

Malta - Shared a White Taxi three hour tour with Why Knot Me and her DH. Had a blast. Started off like a Universal Studios thrill ride. Here's a tip. When you're approaching a blind corner and there is a man waving you down telling you to stop, then maybe stop? Else there may be a huge tanker truck bearing down on you head on around that corner. A quick swerve and voila, instant stunt show ride and a few new gray hairs for me and my hairdresser to work on.

 

We stopped at a crafts village where there are shops for Malta glass and filigree crosses (bought two - very reasonable). Headed to Mdina - loved it. Beautiful views from up there. Also stopped at the palace gardens and the Mostra Dome. Beautiful church. It was bombed in WWII and the bomb didn't go off. Didn't see the bomb inside - missed that room. Why Knot Me saw it. Thought I was going to have to break into the church to get them out. When we exited, they locked the doors with them inside as it was noon and the church was closing for the day. Here it is Day 2 of the cruise and I'm contemplating breaking into a historical church. Just kidding. ;)

 

Taxi driver dropped us off in Valletta where there were huge throngs of people. DH and I went into St. John's (you have to pay to enter and you get these handheld devices that tell you about each section of the church.) Later we met WKM and her DH. We strolled the streets, had gelato, and headed back to the ship. We all bought some street artist water color pictures that were very reasonable.

 

A perfect day.

[chapichapo]

Have a nice safe trip Bannda! :)

[mickeysgal]

Naples:

 

DriveAmalfi tour with dillymw and her family. There were 8 of us total. We all clicked and now we feel like family. Later in the cruise we all had drinks (ok, a lot of drinks) and dinner together. Hope to see some of you soon! We miss you guys.

 

First stop, the Amalfi Coast. Words cannot describe. Has to be one of the most beautiful places on this planet. Did not get car sick. I suspect I may have if were were in a big tour bus since you can't really see forward in a bus and the front of the bus may be turning while the back of the bus is still going straight. The curves are that tight.

 

Very foggy when we started out. A bit disappointing, but later in the afternoon it was clearer. Drove along and stopped in the town of Amalfi for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Three cruise ships were in port and they seemed to be all in Amalfi. Very crowded. A bunch of us headed for the nearest lemoncello store (quaint little place) and bought bottles to take home. Quick stroll up and down the street and that's about all we had time for. Couldn't find a bathroom. Have to wait until the restaurant.

 

Headed to a restaurant where we had a delicious lunch with a stunning view. You could order either pizzas or a set menu which had a variety of things. Many of us did the set menu. The lasagna was the best I have ever tasted. Simply amazing. It melted, literally melted, in your mouth.

 

After lunch we headed to Pompeii. Had a wonderful tour guide named Sasha. Very knowledgeable and funny. We did a two hour tour and could have done more. Completely fascinating. Bought DD a Pompeii book as it is a special interest to her.

 

After Pompeii, headed back to the ship. Another perfect day.

[mickeysgal]

Rome or should I say Roma -

 

Romeinlimo with another roll call family. There were five of us total. Hi there if you're reading! Romeinlimo picked us up in a spotless minivan and off we went. Very nice driver, very gracious and knowledgeable. Zipped into Roma where we saw site after site after site. Coliseum was my favorite..., no St. Peters was, no, the Trevi Fountain (crowded!). Ok...they were ALL my favorite.

 

The driving in Rome. Wow. It's all they say it is. As our driver put it...it's psychological warfare. I can't imagine renting a car and driving on our own.

 

The downside of this day was that it was a religious holiday and the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum were closed. Instead we went to the catacombs. We weren't there long and I'm not sure if the Chapel and Museum were open, whether we'd have enough time there to get more than a passing glance. We were that busy.

 

Rome deserves more than one brief day to wander and submerge yourself in the city. It's high on our list to go back. We're looking - just looking - for cruises that either starts or ends here.

 

We went to lunch at a very nice restaurant. Strange thing is, we didn't have any menus nor knew what the prices were. We were given a choice of either gnocchi or pasta. Regardless of what we ordered, we all got gnocchi. It was very good but it would have been nice to see if anything else was being served that day. Even the ladies at the next table had the gnocchi. Perhaps that was all that they had that day.

 

We all had gellato on our way back to the ship. A very exciting day. In my opinion, there was no way that we would have been able to see as much as we did if we had opted for either doing it on our own (first timers) or had taken a charter bus tour through the ship. Best decision we made to do the private tour.

 

Loved Romeinlimo and DriveAmalfi. They have solid reputations and they delivered. They were both very aware of our time constraints and got us back to the ship with plenty time to spare. I was never worried (and I'm a worrier). I would not hesitate in the least to book them again.

 

Have to mention that I think we left the port later than planned that night. I have to wonder if we were waiting on people headed back from Rome.

 

ETA: I would love to see Rome at night. It has to take on a whole other feeling. Statues everywhere by the way. Make sure you bring an extra camera battery with you. We always had an extra battery and another memory card.

 

Bought the kids (and a few other special friends of theirs) Roma t-shirts from a street vendor. Our driver negotiated a price for us. I got 5 nice shirts for $20Euros. Not bad at all. The kids love them.

[Bannda]

I am sitting in my hotel room now trying not to fall asleep!

 

What a beautiful city! We arrived at 8:45 a.m. and only managed to sleep a little on the flight. Fortunately, our room was ready at the hotel so we were able to check in right away. We both felt better after freshening up a bit.

 

Then we decided to walk, walk, walk! We walked up Passage De Gracia and saw Casa Batlo and Casa Mila. We didn't tour them. We may chose one tomorrow and do it then. We were both too tired to really take it all in.

We also walked to Sagrada Familia. Gaudi's work is truly magnificent. What a treat!

We also walked a little ways down La Rambla. The crowds reminded me too much of Time Square and that makes me claustrophobic. We walked just a little around the Barri Gotic, but will do more of that on sunday.

 

What I have seen so far has been fabulous and I am so looking forward to tomorrow and doing the Bus Turistic.

The weather is incredible. Nice temps with a breeze blowing.

 

I'm going to try to read MG's report now. DH has gone in search of food, but should be back soon.

 

Bye for now.

Bannda

[jsnun]

Bannda: Thanks for taking the time from your vacation to keep us updated! I would like to take DS (17) and DD (14) on this trip next year!!