IntrepidFromDC

I haven't asked others but when I found out about Italy's 14-day mandatory quarantine I changed my flight from the 7th to the 9th, 2 days before my cruise on the 11th.

It is a Premier sailing, but it seems there are more non-Premier than Premier in the casino, at least at my table. That said, I think half the people I asked said this is a free cruise but not Premier for them, just like me. The casino is moderately busy. Closed at 230am last night and still open now at 215am.

Time to milk Matilda. I like big butts and I cannot lie.

Zero wait. I was 10 minutes late, they whisked me around the crowd to an elevator to A deck past the herd at the stairs. PLATINUM does still have its perks. Also, the water taxi left about 2 minutes after I boarded. Lucky morning.

Sailaway from Mykonos

I forgot to post last night's note about early water taxi. Here's last night's, plus today's for Santorini tomorrow.

I have now left the shopping area. I can tell because I no longer hear grumbling. The second pic is a schoolyard at recess.

Shop, grumble, shop, grumble grumble...

More shopping and grumbling...

Shopping/ Grumbling area...

I haven't seen or heard him, and I ate MDR first 2 nights. Which reminds me! The menu is different! Not alot different but last night I had Weinerschnitzel with creamy spinach and it was really good for MDR!

It's a long walk down the hill, about half hour

Coming back down the hill , meandering around town to the 5 windmills, Little Venice (NOTHING like Venice) and the charming shopping with the grumbling husbands.

Those last pics were walking around the waterfront crescent, these are as I start to wind my way up the bluff, hoping to get good shots of Pride.

More of walking around the beautiful town. Lots of grumbling husbands as apparently every shop has something for every woman...

I didn't do my research on Mykonos restaurants ahead of time so I plopped down at the first place I saw with TripAdvisor Award signs. Usually TripAdvisor steers me straight, not this time. I had a very weak cappuccino (maybe cappuccinos in Greece are supposed to be weaker than Italy and US?) and a smoked salmon and avocado sandwich that lacked anything. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. You know, like MDR. It's called Kazarma and I don't recommend it. Middle of this pic with the charmer in the white top luring you to the mediocrity. About 50 yards after you get off the tender.

Stinky fish market is the first thing you pass.

Back to Mykonos, here's pics from my self-guided walking tour... Some ships tender while others dock. We did tender which saved the $6 bus ride and walk to town. Tender was bumpy but not scary, only about 5 minutes. Water taxi, water taxi dropoff:

For this cruise I'm following some highly rated walking tours in Mykonos, Santorini. Just meandering around town in Ephesus (will visit the grand bazaar). I have excursions in Athens (Acropolis, etc), Olympia (ruins and museum), Sicily (Mt. Etna and Taormina) and Napoli (Pompeii guided tour and Positano). This will be my third time to Pompeii it's just amazing to see a well-preserved Roman city as it was in 79AD, when it was buried by soft ash instead of lava from Vesuvius' eruption.

For Mykonos I downloaded Fodors recommended walking tour and added a trip up the bluff to see the other side. Mykonos was everything I expected plus. Plus being, like anyplace rich in beauty photos don't bring it to life. Being there, walking the tiny streets crammed with over-priced average food and mostly women's boutiques, brought it to life. Would I want to come back? Probably, and do an excursion next time...

No seating outside at all at mustard station A

The decor of Pride works well with cruising out of Rome. In addition to the David sculpture, there are a lot of sketches of Europeans. I think one of these is Medici, maybe the other is Martin Luther?

I had a Guy's burger and fries for lunch. Pretty disappointing. The fries were better than I remember, good potatoey flavor.

Yes, there are plenty of loungers on Lido and Serenity is open. The ship does not feel full.