Live from the Oosterdam on...i don't know what day it is...

[AtomixNYC]

We arrived in Venice a day early, and soaked in (some pun intended) the main tourist attractions/traps. A lot of walking, a bit of jag lagged, and we want nothing but to get on the ship. We stayed at a small/neat hotel right by the bus station, near the port. HAL had a shuttlebus between the bus station <> port, but we didn't know about it. With the luggages, we took a taxi instead. Driver said it's a minimum of 12.50Euro despite the short distance by the time we got there. Word of advice, ask in advance the cost of everything. Cover charges at restaurants, cab fare, could easily be classified as extortion.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. Express checked in via SA cabin. We're directed to the Vista lounge for lunch, which was a nice relaxing touch since we had to navigate a sea of ppl at the Lido on our last cruise.

 

Room's ready around 1pm local, but luggages didn't arrive yet. We went to the Neptune to meet the concierges and explored the ship a bit. Our previous HAL cruise was on the Amsterdam. Everything's very familiar. The suite's just great, and we liked the tub + separate shower. I wasn't sure what part of the boat was "refitted" during dry dock, but everything's stunning/classy. Yes, this thread is worthless without pics. I'll post some when we get home.

 

We ventured back out to Venice for more tourist traps + gelatos. Weather's been amazing and I packed expecting cooler weather. Laundry service is coming in really handy. Later on that night, we had a gondola excursion. On hindsight, we should've spent a bit more to just go on our own. The romance's lost as around 80ppl were herded like cattles, with gondolas in formation of 4s, with 6 ppl on each, jammed up the waterways. The person serenading us nearly got a bad concussion as he ducked too late on a low bridge (he's standing with his back turned). Excitement on a gondola ride. The gondola rowers were also very cold. There's no charm whatsoever. Due to the balance/seating arrangement, wife and I didn't get to sit next to each other. Overall, it was a disappointment. We missed the captain's welcome at the Neptune because of this excursion.

 

On return, we barely made the 9:30pm sit down at the Vista. Starving, tired and wanting to start being pampered, the meal was only so-so. Granted, we were one of the last to be seated, and the kitchen's closing. The scallop cerviche's now well done. It lacked any kick i'd expect, and there's no bounce to the meat. Wife had a tortellini soup that was just overly salted. The breads were hard as a rock. Pork medallion was dry. It was not memorable otherwise, since neither of us recalled what we had 2 days later.

 

Finally back in our room, the luggages were there. We unpacked, put the jaccuzi tub in good use, and called it a night. We'd another half a day in Venice, and decided to stay on the boat. Woke up late and missed sit down breakfast at the Pinnacle + Vista. Lido was a mad house for breakfast + lunch. We preferred the more relaxing sit down atmosphere. The drill was uneventful. At around 2pm, we finally set sail. Popped open the bottle of sparkling wine, and enjoyed the sailoff from our verandah. Quite an amazing moving scenary as we sailed through the Venice water passageway before hitting the open sea.

 

We have AYW dining. From reading this board, I was worried we'd need to wait for tables for 2. Wife thought we'd be ok since it wasn't a problem (no wait) on the Amsterdam for the Alaska cruise. We have to wait 15 mins that evening with a pager. We've since ask the concierge to reserve a table for us each day at a set time. It was also the 1st formal night, and it was a good looking crowd. Dinner was significantly better compare to the first night, so we're chalking that off as a one off. We caught the 9pm show. Singers/dancers were great, going though a spectrum of popular showtunes. They also handed out champaigne for the show. The cruise director cracked a few standard jokes on the elderly, and that we were the party crowd (ppl whom ate at 5pm and saw the 7pm show were already sleeping).

 

There's masquerade ball after the show, but by then, I was pretty knackered and well champaigned...

 

The next morning, we had breakfast at the Pinnacle, as we docked at Dubrovnik, Croatia. I had an apple pancake that got my day off the right way. Weather also fully cooperated. The excursion took us to a resort town of Cavtut, which was post card perfect. We were told during peak season, it's almost impossible to find any spare room for rent. I didn't doubt it. There were large sailboats + yachts anchored off the pristine water. I wanted to stay, and I had a brief regret of being on a cruise tour, which time is always at a premium. Took my shoes off, took a quick knee deep dip in the brisk water, and we headed off to watch a traditional Croatian dance show. I'm not much the cultured type (I prefer solitude, white sand, blue water and an ice cold beer...check that...a dozen ice cold beers for a vacation), but the dance was thoroughly entertaining. Colorful costumes, a few moves which Michael Jackson could use, and the unique music completed the experience.

 

We walked around the "old city", and main street. Mussels were supposedly good in the region, so we stopped off for some + a few cold beers. Explored the side streets a bit more, and ended it with some ice cream. HAL had shuttlebus services from the "old city" to the port. They were charging $9US each. We asked a taxi and he took us for $10Euros. If you're a couple or are with friends, the taxi's a better/quicker deal.

 

Didn't have to wait for dinner since we've the reservation. They did seat us at the upper level, which was mainly for fixed dining. We were also seated next to a waiter station, so there were a lot of "clanging". Minor annoyance, but no big deal. The place was packed, and service was noticeably slower. Waiters looked stressed, and we didn't get much of the small/social talks. This could be what ppl had been talking about, with the staff/service cutbacks.

 

While the wife played a bit of video poker, there was supposed to be a cigar event at the Sea View bar. I was actually looking forward to some male bonding. Upon arrival, I thought I was at the wrong place. Only a few ppl were hanging out, and none of them smoking a stogie. The bartender even had to call someone else to get me a cutter. So much for an "event". Nonetheless, I grabbed a drink, lit up, and watched the stars go by.

 

We're at Corfu today. Supposedly one of the more picturesque islands in Greece. I've been to Mykonos and Santorini before, so my expectations were quite high. Especially after Dubrovnik, which thoroughly surpassed any of my expectations. Corfu was overall a disappointment. We went to a monastary, which to some credit, was quite pretty. With a lot of colors from the great landscaping and floral arrangements. Though my Nikon had more work taking pics of a few really cute kittens vs. the surrounding scenary. A later visit to "mouse island" was also disappointing. The tour guide related the Eiffel Tower to Paris, the Big Ben to London, and Statue of LIberty to New York, with Mouse Island to Corfu. She also described it as "cute", hence the name. In any case, we didn't think it was that impressive. It was also next to an airport runway. Not the inspiring view from my imagination.

 

The city of Corfu, at least the tourist area we're at, lacked unique character. There's nothing that stood out to say, remember me, Corfu.

 

We're just sailing off now, and already looking forward tomorrow. More later.

[shoresofsuperior]

Thanks so much for the great report. I'm on the same cruise on the Oosterdam in July and am really looking forward to it. Your "live reports" will certainly help with planning and you've already given some great tips about things to avoid! You mentioned that you were on your balcony for sailaway....are you on the port or starboard side? Hope you have time for more reports and possibly some answers to questions that might occur to me over the next few days. Best wishes for a fabulous vacation and only good experiences!

[Susie51]

Thank you for your report. I hope the dining room situation improves for you. I can relate to the annoying sounds of the service station. Been there, done that, hope it never happens again.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Thanks for taking the time to do a "Live" report.

[micro yaya]

On the "o" in august. You're helping the time go by, and easing some of our expectations............thanks

[scopewest]

We love the O so it's nice to read a current review of it, thanks.

[jcrandle]

I understand your problem with knowing what day it is. In case of difficulty, head to the nearest elevator, step in, and look down!

[Chelly]

I'm on Ms O's TA in Oct. Surprised and disappointed to learn the show times are at 7 and 9 p.m. I guess 8 p.m. fixed diners have to take in the early show.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for doing a 'Live From" Report. Fun to read.

 

Hope you have a great time. (Agree about Corfu..... we weren't 'wowed' either. ;) )

[AtomixNYC]

We're on starboard, but the port side faced the st.marks square side on sail away. both side of the passageway offered great scenary though. In Dabrovnik, starboard had the better view since the port side faced the terminal.

 

We actually got an apology card in the mail for the extended wait time for dinner.

 

There's no mat in the elevator showing the days. We did recall seeing them on the amsterdam cruise. cost cut?

 

The show lastnight was LiveWire. A couple on the guitar + violin playing some celtic classics and country favorites. Not my type of music, but I actually quite enjoyed it. There's a lot of enery with the HellCats band backing, and the couple showed great chemistry (they're married). Kinda made me wish my wife and I have the talent, to be able to do something we enjoy, entertain ppl, and more importantly cruise around the world while doing so.

We spent some time at the Queens lounge wihere the cruise director + DJ were hosting a game battle of the sexes. Basically, 3 men and 3 women would answer a series of questions. You score by matching answers amongst the 3. It wasn't about the scores, and more about the laughs. ie. what does M.S stand for in M.S Oosterdam- one lady wrote down - "Mostly seniors". Another question - what would you find in a man's wallet - a gentleman wrote "a woman's hand". After the gameshow, we dropped by the Northern Light for 80s night. As expected, there weren't many ppl. Some younger ppl were around, since there's also a 20s/30s meet. Small group though. We reminisced <sp> a bit on the 80s hits.

Wife had grown to love the "late night snack". The daily program stated the night's special would be Dutch. Both of us were curious what type of food would be served. On arrival, we found Thai instead. Did nothing to deter us. Some noodles, beef satay, and she even sneaked a slice of pizza in. She promised she'll hit the gym...oh well, we're on vacation.

The excursions were booked up at Agostoli, so we just spent a lazy day walking around town. Breakfast at the Pinnacle was great. No wait for the tender for suite guests. I'd say weather was sunny upper 70s, felt warmer with not a cloud in the sky. It felt more relaxed than Corfu. Maybe because there's only 1 other cruise with us. We came back on the boat for sit down lunch. I had this very refreshing grape and berry soup, with shaved almonds, which was absolutely delightful. The texture, tanins, along with the nutty flavor were a perfect blend. I also had the lamb souvlaki. I had some doubts since we're in Greece, and i really should've had it on shore vs. on the ship. Being also from NYC, i've had souvlakis that were as good + authentic. It did meet my expectations. The lamb's still juicy, the veggies grilled just right. The cucumber yogurt sauce had the right amount of garlic kick to it. All in all a great lunch to a relaxing day, ending with a hazelnut cream pie.

I've fallen asleep on our varandah after the lunch with the sun and light sea breeze + the great view of Agostoli in the backdrop. A blast of the horn woke me up, and we're now enroute to Santorini. Weather forecast is another sunny day in the upper 70s. I've been there a couple of years ago. It's one of the most amazing places i've been to. Can't wait. A few gyros, a few Mythos, a few crepes with nutella + fruits...

[delmar duo]

:) We are so appreciative of your updates. We are boarding on Sunday the 31st. Is it my understanding that the emergency boat drill is the day we sail? I did not realize you could eat breakfast in the Pinnacle. Thanks again for your very interesting updates.

[Susie51]

Thank you for continuing to post live. Your mouth watering descriptions of the food bring back many fond memories of cruising on ms O in Dec. The Battle of the Sexes is always fun to watch. Will you be going to the not so newlywed game or Quest?

[AtomixNYC]

Breakfast at the Pinnacle is a suite perk, but i think the menu's the same as the main dining room. We like it because it's closer to our stateroom.

 

The drill happens on the sailoff day.

 

I'll look out for the not so newly wed game :)

 

It's dark out facing the shore of Santorini. The faint lights illuminating the foot/donkey paths. I wonder up until what time they do the donkey ride. I wanted to take it on the way down, since I didn't get to experience it the last time I was here. However, after seeing someone stepped on a big pile of donkey poop right at the entrance of the cable car, wifey made an executive decision for the cable car. She did buy me a tall can of Mythos, which i'm thoroughly enjoying on our varandah at the moment. Earlier, we took the Essense of Santorini excursion, which took us to various parts of the island. The tour started late, I think due to someone missing the tender. On our first stop, we lost one of our guides - she missed the bus and had to catch up with another bus. It wasn't a bad tour, but our guide was a bit hard to understand. We thought it was funny as she referred beach as "bitch". We spent some time at the tallest point of Santorini for some pictures, then went to Oia, drove around the south east part of the island, then went for a wine tasting. The wine wasn't bad, and the scenary from there was fantastic. The tour stopped off at a restaurant for an early dinner, which was buffet style, with some fava (sp) beans, grape leaf wraps, chicken, some form of fried tomatoes which I thought was pork chops at first, salad, bread, olive oil, a pitcher of wine...etc. We sat with a really nice couple from Melbourne, Australia, and Ken and I proceeded in polishing off the pitcher of wine. They shared their wonderful experience in NYC, while I shared my...um...unique experience of getting attacked by a koala bear in Melbourne, with scars to prove. We expect to see them at the Mariners lunch tomorrow.

After the early dinner, we were dropped off at Thera. We did some window shopping, and went back the my favorite shop - Ernesto. It's the name of the dog of the owners. All custom pieces/woodwork + jewelries. I bought a shark "jewelry box" from them on my last visit. I recommend you check them out. Something local, and something unique. As the sun was setting, we found a relaxing cafe, had coffee and crepes while enjoying the sunset. It was as magnificent as I remembered. Wifey was awed, and it's a highlight of this trip thus far.

There's another HAL ship here tonight, the Prinsendam. It's a smaller ship. It's quite impressive to see the 2 ships side by side. The Oosterdam, however, dwarfs it.

The Pool Party is going on right now with unlimited Pina Coladas for like $13. There's also a pub crawl for $20. I'm just so comfortable sitting here, with my Mythos, and may just fall asleep right here. More later.

[kao2002]

It sounds like you are having a great time! Thank you so much for posting live!

[Susie51]

Your vivid descriptions allow me to imagine myself sitting there taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this beautiful port. Thank you.

[Bettcc]

i am so enjoying reading your very interesting posts, thank you so much . we should have been on the cruise but had to cancel.

[AtomixNYC]

Breakfast at the Pinnacle at 9am, followed by a mariners luncheon at 11am with complimentary champaigne + wine meant I was fully stuffed and nicely toasted by 12pm. The lazy sea day found me napping for the next 4 hours. Feeling guilty, I did hit the gym, before going to the 7pm show. It was a dancing production, which the singers + dancers going through various styles. Pretty entertaining as usual. While we were promptly seated at the Vista dining room afterwards, service was horrendously slow. We waited 15 mins before even getting water + bread. Another 30 before we got our appetizers. We recognized the dining room was packed, and we weren't really in a rush. However, hunger shouldn't be a known feeling on a cruise. We caught a comedy show afterwards with a comedic magician Leo Ward. Jokes were ok. He's another show in a couple of nights, which is supposed to be a bigger magic production. Looking forward to that. We capped the night off at the Queens lounge listening to a few numbers by Leena and the Halcats (wife corrected me it's not the "hell"cats.

We're at Catania today. We went on the excursion to Mt.Etna, which is an active volcano. We went about 6000ft up the mountain, and checked out a few craters. There's still snow further up the mountain, despite being around 30C in the city. 1 of the ski lift was running, which took tourists further up the mountain. Supposedly, back in 1971 and 1983, a few ski lifts were destroyed by molten rocks from the eruptions. During the winter, it's a popular ski resort. The most recent eruption was around 2002. We past by a house, or whatever's left of it, and saw only the roof. The rest was covered by lava rocks.

On a somber note, on our way back from the excursion, we witnessed the aftermath of a car/motorcycle accident. The motorcycle driver didn't survive. I ride a motorcyle also, so it hit close to home. RIP to the rider.

We're hoping to have time to stop off at a local pizzaria. Because of the traffic from the accident, we didn't have much time to explore. Lido was packed, so we just brought the food back to our room for a more relaxing lunch, reflecting on the power of nature, and the frailty of life.

[isutru]

We are doing the same cruise in June. Nice descriptions. When was your first formal night?

[Susie51]

Thank you for continuing to post. In Dec. there were no trays in the Lido. How did manage to get your meal to your room?

[Dancer Bob]

I'll be doing the TA in October with a group of dancers. What are your impressions of the dance floors?

[AtomixNYC]

Dance floors were great, though they were really sparsely used. Though we mainly checked out the Queens Lounge and Northern Light.

 

It's been a busy few days between Naples, Rome, Liverno and Barcelona. A few things could be out of sequence as I didn't log any journal up until now.

Our excursion in Naples took us first to Sorrento, then to the ruins of Pompeii. Sorrento was a lovely resort town, with tremedous views from the shore, both of the water front and the mountain ranges. We had the panoramic tour from the bus, then a nice lunch at this restaurant in a garden setting. They had lemons the size of grapefruits in the garden. After lunch, we went to the ruins of Pompeii. Our guide Roberto did a great job in manuevering us around the crowd, as there were as many as 4 cruiseships in at the same time as us. There's a bit of walking involved, and there wasn't much shade. Fortunately, it wasn't that hot. I'd say max mid 80s with direct sun. I was pretty awestruck by the ruins. Especially after visiting Mt.Etna just the day before. Aside from the collapsed roofs/second floors, the city was pretty well preserved. A few exhibits stirred further emotions - ie. a man sitting with his hands over his nose/mouth trying to prevent suffocation from the ashes, a pregnant woman, and a dog still chained.

After the long day, as we've had giant lemons on our mind from Sorrento, we bought an ice lemonade. It was fresh and tart, just the way we liked. Perfect refreshment after trekking through the ruins.

That evening, we went to the Pinnacle for a sommelier's dinner. It was a 6 course meal, each with wine pairing by the chef and cellar master. There's a champainge toast right before the start of the dinner at the Pinnacle bar. The meal was fantastic and the pairings were spot on. I don't know much about wine. I just know what I like/taste good. My wife has a more experienced palette than I do. We sat with the same great couple from Melbourne, so we had tons of laughs and enjoyment from the food. The menu was caramelized orange scallop with chili beurre blanc caviar. The drink was a champaigne mixed with a touch of midori. Next was a roasted & ponzu marinated cod with ginger, pickled warm cucumber, paired with a 2007 columbia crest grand estate chardonnay from Washington. Followed by a wild mushroom cappuccino with truffled foam, paired with a 2006 sokol blosser pinot noir from Oregon. This was my favorite pairing. I think I licked the bowl. To "clear" our palette, we were served another champaigne with a small scoop of lemon sorbet in it. It was called "Spoom" on the menu. I was hungry and ready for more at that point. The main course - hazelnut crusted lamb with potato terrine + cabernet glaze was served with a 2005 silverado cabernet sauvignon from Napa. Both food and wine were very earthy, and I enjoyed it a lot. Everyone was pretty toasted by then. Leo, the cellar master and the chef Sheldon, were walking around the dining room greeting and explaining each dish. I didn't recall much of the conversation, since I was quite immersed in the food/drinks themselves. A "manage a fromage" (port-poached fig) with a Warre's Warrior Port from Portugal, and a Grand Marnier Souffle with a 2005 Columbia Crest Semillion Ice Wine from Washington capped off dessert.

Dinner started at 6pm, and we were about 10 mins late for the show of Leo Ward, comedian/magician/illusionist. 3 hours worth of good food, wine and company, made me a very happy man. The show was great too. A few illusions - sword through box, escape from falling spikes and making a motorcylce disappear. I probably didn't need an illusionist as I was already seeing double of everything, but the production was spectacular. Just think, it's a ship, stage wasn't meant for magic shows, fairly good views from various angles. He pulled it off with ease. The show on the ship's just phenomenal. Don't recall if i'd mentioned Preston Coe, who's a tenor singer. Amazing, amazing.

Didn't want to get up the next morning for obvious reason, but it was an early one in Rome. When in Rome, we took an excursion to the catacombs and countryside. Both wife and I have been in Rome before, so we wanted to see something new. The catacombs were pretty creepy, and the "artistic" side in me kept imagining what a great horror movie it can make, though i'm sure it's been done many times before. If I recall the proper stats, there are like 11 miles of catacombs, with multiple floors. Only a few had been "opened", and only a few are shown to the public. Certainly don't want to get lost down there.

While we've been blessed with tremendous weather throughout our entire cruise at all the ports, our drive to the countryside pitted us head on with a fierce storm. It even hailed. Roads were turned into rivers. Our guide and driver switched up the itin on the fly, taking us to lunch first, with hopes the storm would subside. Lunch was amazing. The region's known for its balsamic vinegar, and pork. We started off with this smoked pork and fresh salad. Then fresh pasta + lasagna. What's an italian meal without tiramisu. We also got another dessert, a fruit pie. The tiramisu was so good, I don't normally drink coffee, and I had a shot to complete the ensemble. The rain did stop, but with the overcast, we weren't able to fully appreciate the sights of the countryside. The lunch however, made everything worthwhile.

Livorno was one of my favorite port. Like Rome, we've been to Florence/Pisa, so we chose the excursion to Cinque Terra. It was yet another gorgeous day. The drive's about 2 hrs. Towns were built on the cliffs off the shore, and they're known for their pesto, mussels and wine. Since there's not much "flat" grounds, farmers/wineries would manually stack bricks to form giant "steps" on the side of the cliffs for agriculture. Travel from town to town can be accomplished by small boat, train, or simply walking. Lots of hikers + cyclers come to this destination. The town had never been very touristy until Rick Steves wrote about it on one of his travel books. Because of the tremendous tourist income, the very small local population had all of a sudden gotten very rich. They'd actually abandoned the farms/wineries, and the government had to step in to help maintain/restore the wineries for tourist sake. A joke from the guide stated they're all building a statue in honor of Rick. We can see where Rick's coming from. The place is gorgeous. The rock formations, the marbles, there's a lot of charm to it. The excursion had us hiking through a town, taking a boat from one town to the next, then the train back to the starting point.

This was our last port prior to Barcelona, and the dining room was pretty packed. For good reasons too. I had escargots to start, then steak + lobsters. When the dining room steward came over asking how we were doing, I told him the escargots were excellent, and I wouldn't mind another serving. A snap of the finger, it was on the table. I had to skip dessert that night because I was so stuffed. They were cooked in the oven, swimming in butter, with a piece of french bread on the side. I'm fairly certain my cholesteral level had gone up exponentially, but i'll worry about that when I get home.

It's always a bit sad, when you see in the daily program the disembarkment talk. Jason, our cruise director has a pretty good sense of humor, and kept the crowd laughing. If I said Livorno was one of my favorite port, Barcelona could be my favorite. We knew we'll be spending 3 more days there, so we took it easy the night we docked. We just went to La Ramblas, scoped out the area, found our hotel, and got a feel of what the "threats" really were like - ie. pick pocketers. We're from NYC, so our radars are always on. Granted, we were a bit uptight and overwhelmed when we first walked through La Ramblas (it's also a Saturday night). After a while, we settled in. We knew we were well prepared - i've a money belt on, and we left all the flashy jewelry/watch back in the room. I spotted a "spotter", who's working a crowd of older folks dancing to a band playing some traditional spanish music. He's subtle, but I could see him propsecting, and signaling his cohorts at certain times. A little bit of common sense, and be aware of the ppl around you, you'll be fine. The place's just a sensory overload, and one can easily be distracted. We didn't stay out that late, though i'd love to be able to party with some of the crew, as some got the night off. We just packed and went to bed early.

With the last breakfast at the Pinnacle, we disembarked at around 09:30am with the last call, and that ended our time with the Oosterdam. One thing Jason failed to mention was the line for taxis was very long, and we waited more than 30 mins. So if you're tight on time to the airport, i'd suggest disembarking earlier and don't anticipate you'll get a taxi right away. I'll post more about our time in Barcelona later. We just got back home to NY a few hours ago sound and safe. Need a good night sleep as we're both going back to work tomorrow. Joy. Pardon as this is after the fact, and no longer "live from the Oosterdam" =).

[shoresofsuperior]

Welcome back and thanks so much for the great "live reports". We're booked on the same Sorrento/ Pompeii shore ex and it's great to hear you enjoyed it. The wine dinner in the Pinnacle sounds tempting, I hope they're not sold out already. Did you book far in advance? Hoping you might be up for a few questions once you're over the jet lag! Our identical cruise is July 30, so counting days now.

Susan

[RuthC]

I'll post more about our time in Barcelona later.

Please, when you do, incorporate some "white space" in your paragraphing.

I tried very hard to read this, as I'm visiting some of the same ports this fall, but I could not. I kept losing track, and had to give up.

[seabreeze01]

Lots of great info & tips. If you have the time & are willing, it would be great if you listed port by port some quick tips or what you found to interesting tidbits.

 

What I found really helpful were some of the safety tips, some of the "unexpected" expenses & things you realized when you got into port ie:

 

Dubrovnik - Old City to Port HA = $9usd each vs taxi 10euro

Barcelona - pickpockets & how they watch & signal

Capri - DIY touring you explained

 

These things I am jotting down & didn't realize - so thank you so much.

 

Warm Regards

[AtomixNYC]

Welcome back and thanks so much for the great "live reports". We're booked on the same Sorrento/ Pompeii shore ex and it's great to hear you enjoyed it. The wine dinner in the Pinnacle sounds tempting, I hope they're not sold out already. Did you book far in advance? Hoping you might be up for a few questions once you're over the jet lag! Our identical cruise is July 30, so counting days now.

Susan

 

Roberto, our guide was really good in managing around the crowd. Prepare for the heat. It's pleasant in May, start of June, but it'll be very hot in July/Aug. There's not much/if any shade at the Pompeii ruins.

 

We heard about the wine dinner 2 days in advance, and had no problem reserving a spot. They section off most of the Pinnacle for this.