Jump to content

What did you do on Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras?


Ski Mom 2
 Share

Recommended Posts

OK folks, I'm looking at so many ports and my roll calls are a bit on the quiet side so I thought I would put it out there on the main Windstar board.

 

Here are our ports of call on our Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras, September, 2018.

 

Barcelona

Port Vendres

Sanary-sur-Mer

Monte Carlo

Cannes

Portofino

Portoferraio

Rome/Civitavecchia

 

Did you take a WS tour or hire a different tour/guide? Did you DIY? Any and all information about tours for these ports would be appreciated. And yes, I have read the boards for each of these locations and I started a role call but for those of you who have sailed on WS, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both times we were in Sanary they had a fab street market going on in the port area. So unless you want to do something specific (I am told the Bandol tour is good) just get off the ship and wander around the market. Its a nice town for doing that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haven't been to Sanary, but all the others. We did quite a bit of research and did our own thing in each port. We enjoy walking so most of our self-guided tours involved getting some much-needed exercise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK folks, I'm looking at so many ports and my roll calls are a bit on the quiet side so I thought I would put it out there on the main Windstar board.

 

 

 

Here are our ports of call on our Yachtsman's Harbors of the Rivieras, September, 2018.

 

 

 

Barcelona

 

Port Vendres

 

Sanary-sur-Mer

 

Monte Carlo

 

Cannes

 

Portofino

 

Portoferraio

 

Rome/Civitavecchia

 

 

 

Did you take a WS tour or hire a different tour/guide? Did you DIY? Any and all information about tours for these ports would be appreciated. And yes, I have read the boards for each of these locations and I started a role call but for those of you who have sailed on WS, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you!!

 

 

 

We did A cooking class in Civitavecchia at Aqua.

Did our own Monte Carlo along with the little train tour.

We lounged around Portoferraio.

 

Have fun on your trip.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks rbird for the vote for Aqua cooking class. I have been looking at that and thinking it might be a nice, easy thing to do on the day the ship arrives and departs from Civitavecchia. Do you know if he will do the class for just 2 people? Do you remember the timing of the class?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

marama: you're the second person that has mentioned what a cute town Sanary-sur-Mer is. I had thought perhaps we would do a wine tasting tour from here but now I'm thinking it could be a great spot to eat, drink and wander (which we love to do). Thank you for your input; I appreciate it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Barcelona, the National art Museum, think that is the name, has the greatest Catalan medieval art collection in the world. We took a cable car over the harbor, was at the end of Las Ramblas, it was fantanstic. Great city to walk. Rome if I only had a day I would get a driver from Rome Cabs and have her/him take me to the three other basilicas besides the Vatican, to see the art. They are supposedly completely off the tourist track with the most amazing art. I took a cooking class in Florence once it was so geared towards Americans I was totally annoyed, so beware. Not at all authentic. Unfortunately for me in that case I know a lot about food so it was very disappointing, they tried, were very nice but it was my fault because I should have asked better questions when I reserved. Happy Sailing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks rbird for the vote for Aqua cooking class. I have been looking at that and thinking it might be a nice, easy thing to do on the day the ship arrives and departs from Civitavecchia. Do you know if he will do the class for just 2 people? Do you remember the timing of the class?

 

 

 

He did a class of eight people when I did it. He coordinated the others. It was a perfect group size. Just sent him a message on that big social media website that shall remain nameless.[emoji846]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Tick tock and I still haven't figured out what to do on most of our stops on this portion of our back2back2back...Help!

 

Barcelona: Since this is a changeover day we are getting tickets to Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. Afterwards we will stroll down Las Rambles and eat and drink until we need to be back on the ship :)

 

Port Vendres: Any ideas?

 

Sanary-sur-Mer: Looks like there is a great market to explore and just eat, drink, shop and soak up the local ambiance which we love to do.

 

Monte Carlo: I really want to travel to Nice, visit their Flower Market and soak it all up. We're both not that into the Casino and Palace. We are here until midnight. If we take the train to Nice, what other towns should we make sure to visit?

 

Cannes: We have to go wine tasting in Provence because we love rose wines. Originally we were thinking about going from Sanary-sur-Mer but since finding out how cute the town is and about their market (thanks marama), I'm thinking this is from where we need to wine tour. Any ideas? We are here from 7-6.

 

Portofino: To hang out here and Santa Margarita? To travel to Cinque Terre? We have 9-9 at this port.

 

Portoferraio: Hmmm?

 

Rome/Civitavecchia: Another changeover day. We have been to Rome on many occassions and prefer to stay close. I looked at a tour to Orvieto but don't think we will have enough time. I'm thinking about the cooking class at Aqua but am still open to ideas...

 

When I booked our back2back2back to celebrate my husband's 65th birthday and our 25th anniversary I totally didn't think about the fact we would have 25 ports to coordinate! Any other ideas would be so appreciated!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Port Vendres: Any ideas? We took the tourist train to Collioure - it was pleasant - takes about 20 minutes if I remember right. Collioure is beautiful, and the train trip back up and over the hills through the wineries was very pleasant.

 

Monte Carlo: We are here until midnight. If we take the train to Nice, what other towns should we make sure to visit? Take the bus to EZE and then on to Nice, then you can take the train back to MC.

 

Portoferraio: Hmmm? We walked up to one castle and then across to another castle then back down to the port. Got our exercise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Monte Carlo - easy to walk around or take "le petit train". Worth a visit to the casino at night just to see it (beautiful building) and spitting the stars!

Also worth sitting, with a glass of wine, in the square late at night to see all the Ferraris and other, very expensive cars, roaring round.

Portofino - we walked around the beautiful village then hired a scooter and rode along the coast seeing all beautiful houses of D&G plus many more.

Cannes - hop on hop off bus, very informative. If you want to go further afield Gras is worth a visit, home of Chanel and many other perfumeries.

Nice is only a short bus trip away, with lovely promenade and many fabulous seafood restaurants.

Hope this helps.

Lovely places - enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Ski Mom,

 

We weren't super impressed with the Castellet & Wine tour. The vinyard part was great. But Castellet was a bit of a bust. It's definitely a tourist destination with plenty of shops and cafes. We weren't given much time to wander, but it was enough to take in some views and walk back. The wine tasting was great, but staying around the port looked like more fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Crabbit, Harvestgoldmini and Snow Cat for your thoughts and suggestions. I found 2 companies that will do private wine tours from Cannes but both are close to 500 euros for the two of us. I'm just not wanting to spend quite that much on one tour (although the wineries look fabulous!) One of the companies said they offer group tours that we could join at 100 euros each but they haven't answered my second email about the real details yet.

 

My husband read about some place (I thought it was either in Cannes or just outside) that sounds like a place to taste different wines all in one location. That might solve our dilemma, that is, if he can find the place again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loved that cruise. It was one of my favorites. In Barcelona we toured with Spain Day tours. Went to Park Quell and Sagrida familia. Each port was lovely. We booked a viator tour in zmonte Carlo. There were 4 of us. Went to Eze, perfume factory, and Monaco. Drove the race course and watched the changing of the guard at the palace. We did not book tours in any of the other ports. We got off and enjoyed walking. Lots of nice shops, beaches, and cafes. We tendered in Portofino, took ferry to Santa Margarita. Ship hosted a fabulous event at the Villa Durrazo. Food was delicious. Villa was gorgeous. We also tendered in Sanary and Cannes. We visited Sanary on market day wednesday. We had a lot of fun there. Also did some shopping in the town. Sanary is a cute town with a lot of charm. In Cannes, the beach is at the tender stop. Also took the public bus navette up the hill. Saw movies being shot on the street. We were in Elbe on Sunday. Not much was open. Walked up the hill. We followed the crew to a local bar, had pizza and gelato. Free wifi. Port Vendres is a quiet port. Joined the beverage person at a wine tasting at a local shop. It was impromptu and really fun. Pick up a bottle to drink on the ship. Good wifi just off the ship. Have a great cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Back from our cruise and I thought I'd share what we did at each port in the hopes it will help someone else who might be undecided about all the options!

 

This was the second cruise in our back2back2back. When we docked in Barcelona (September 17, 2018), we were told our key cards were good for the entire time we were on board so if we got off in Barcelona we just re-boarded as we had in days past. In Barcelona I had booked tickets on line to Sagrada Familia and Park Guell so we got off right away, grabbed a taxi and headed out for our DIY day in Barcelona. We had to be back on board by 4 p.m. so it was a fast day!

 

Port Vendres: On our first part of our back2back2back, we had met 2 other couples that were so much fun! Sadly, one couple disembarked in Barcelona but not before telling the remaining four of us about what Collioure and how cute it was. They suggested we hike from Port Vendres to Coullioure over the trail by the sea so that's what the four of us did.

cVFvajA3SIpXuBZ9ySpZAMnysN_9QaCxl29CxlJY2wx3kv4tCPBTkuDDc-X7fxzu4dn20X_k544Ab-towlKLAR8QXS0jqLFaU3HYiWaQKzekNvN3enGkkM_ZpDYQT51DysqKfESCzGzYYt_TIKqnW878lQGgTg4hsUy_MI3PLNsYuOFdSF2UGa9I83QlVGgD1LZ25sR0t1HE9Y2yWDgqeoHML01E6S6KeBzG_PcmJNZ7CZjScKvYeNnuM_t8d51QcYe-y7p8qS1q_q7yUEUJzrV048bJrGJAxBm04mct5ywW2Ethre5fsCveoc3irgU2a5ihPIJk9tXEOkhI7NBCKlmrOW7jmOYFN9rPsaYtvykJsTFUGdjtdq04hjlDxjbh4QRAPI6NZhUxm8Rfi0aD_HEl2U4o4rX9KncSpDXwNoIsu50c-mfDjtAWllMHT-GgBK-Uh3OafnmXBWmqRwfrDqAd2k_7EQNU06MpDH7BNQ5KvSeSXGQwOAqYTizSQA_gAGvQMLbPvaeFKgf99HO9tBe66_R7b_kMDPEHDL_kZd9cAlbIwnEnVXq_Mlo20EKQ0HkbUErHHMN-hzkxlzBoeyqv4fe-cYXrCYL95m_O2Brj_2n8R2aUS0ZI7kNLbFQeb1Zoyz0tXTuHNUiup4lOqRELjQ=w951-h713-no

Once we arrived in Collioure we found shops and restaurants and cute little streets to wander. We had lunch at a delightful cafe run by a mother and daughter. Afterwards, we took the little tourist train back to Port Vendres which drove us through vineyards and the countryside. It was a lovely day!

 

Our next stop was Sanary sur Mer: Market day with the Chef! We were suppose to have gone to the market with the chef on our first leg of our journey but that day, the new chef arrived and the old chef left so there was no market tour. But on this day, we gathered with a few other passengers and away we went. Sign up for the Chef's Market Tour is through the reception desk and I believe our tour was capped off at 20 people.

ws_xBFQa-f-d0FTZ79jwTcBTNTZWmpdYWGvzFcG4YnZV56QBq_lIAO0o4FM9CuaKpZnlQJ5dZ_C4fml-8tFjzjIt5NFZEujVF0jglHaa8eVoiY7EeGAdTg3va9BaUYjBTrJp3sBeY9qpC8w4t8YRNP5nTOMXwWofLbv4v_GD8m3UwOITuTUzR3qNBOWfHl7gturAqln-kjSWsShK-SlscDc0VWOBZT5RTiIDqBhaTIrlmDLojNhPG-TOmJIrRj11Qxfpj-aFVOr_9wKwLwEz26-kv9-e2zzvlP9GxF3C1wdcWGDcyhzzz4paZhMI6KTpdnYQG8KQewfd0xOMD9S9dMb8z-8IxVipCBzFqI2HudAj_D_20GLrBDN5rO1Bl9tSrd4q8ePGBRJJBthLhn4tCZ4SDclkGkn_4GzPjdjI_4VO1wOgt8-iu_GbeqFcPZye24r-2siKiabRy-zCjHUkf_RP1gWbfLBdmvEvZSTSRobTJbSajPbwjmwAMd1S4rBdHo4D-i2wqor_5Ypss2i0dFmL95nDZFeNnjPcCllAuVnYDKf_Ti9SLbCuLc1HqVrNfP-wNXN_K3-Rov6L168WkteHkpEZFcjiwYjfCKU7AR41umrmrx-VMrttEkIHNNI-y9b_yWGY8GZBMJywxdnT7-B89Q=w535-h713-no

 

The market was huge! On Wednesday's they have even more vendors than on any other day so it was very crowded as well. The Chef walked with us while his crew went ahead. At a couple of stands we were able taste several cheeses and meats. But very quickly it was all over and the chef hadn't purchased a thing! He claimed he was going to now buy items and we would see them on the menu in a few days. (Side note: we never saw anything different on the menu that he purchased at this market.)

 

Afterwards, the four of us wandered the market and then the town. We stumbled into a wine/cheese/meat shop where we found ourselves tasting some serious wine. We bought a couple of bottles, shopped a bit more and then headed back to the ship to take advantage of the sports deck and the water toys!

 

0SkRUMXn44qc234KgQlWq8daipAVDnvsZBmtleTlZwAuxqmjQwsP701_uG9TsviDDyG0UFmr3ESyo4Kg3e0sV8u0qJV27MBlsAAWI-GJ0Q_hWnmKOJy8C0fR7uKy5S5__bJnAK3GD0WmpRk0t6EJiqkZVH0VyqQMK5B3vz1Gg01DLbHl80YR3SQr84lj8SjhHh_iJRAdq2jvO-9n0lZSmKa_SpP-8feIF-Id9LIgHBQW2jTANOUiWBeVaBrIiGnaQULYDsy8jgv9CQeY5jtBJH7KxXI14Wp8BGyp4pv8-xG4wFclwRjb-W6h8w-7MAr3hCnrbiQ5gpnQR_A6HUWSTPNXUuDfO2TuGMDh58CIvfzMokP8vYyNCFKfbOr-B6yiNDh0ReHQ_Kb6sA9OatZtF30r2d49kDtbqO6tRsQLoCH5e7XHK_t8_Z0hyq0QJY7dYpDHTXxFYccPsKHlD7RebYmZdDL9m4Y-jp9MZC1n9HmLeY6IGEOaeiRAzg37SQISBYLWlmmlmANqMZ5UQPHQXO1fFgRikykcZO-cDiqGrv1x1BvXFLBCc0-0jfbzQCsZvQheO9X1t5fjc9gELFKheQS-q7mHlDY0TRTtP_GJD9-CtN_Mfe5_T4LlJyLyX_9EkjWe0vCDIOdWbLlNH42exMogKA=w951-h713-no

Edited by Ski Mom 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our next stop was Monte Carlo and we were there until midnight. Along with our new friends, the four of us walked to the train station and purchased a round trip ticket to Nice. Since we hadn't checked the train schedule ahead of time, we had to wait for the train. The train was very nice and very easy. I really wanted to visit the Flower Market and luckily we arrived with just about an hour before they started to pack it up. The flowers were beautiful and I wish we had arrived earlier.

LnwK1EWBehs02geBR4Ryp-OqDr4D8ujKUrIpuKYdfzagjSPiq3HQnRhhzDNoOsWuKsTiJpXdWFsOveXRiQE7WWzALNE7a2Ane6EGgPG687pgIiyBurZvE8JDWKPV8-RmwuTOromfOY6KTs_45XSegKbZpNec6QiL16_YbfHKNV64PM_jmd8yHFGGu3abKV0zyod8KYHrB6yUycZ0CsSIUQkOY-aJqN4WzIDr9kynIw-5oSf2lt0lbS1OddTHke7wmAp7DNiaVizcnNUi9csDdNhVhPd_QDtx9KKRlCQUEaEe3fJ7AY3cnMbV-93PGhseSJzJjyBQxIFDS4dEK7lMxw0Da6arIFru8rnrQhc_HWIWorvXzYU2xpLqaBg8u4slH0QgiChUyyVaB6TcSZ_QYzJgyUCaTYyVS__rlPTRJTaBiilhv5anLkJOg2B1n4x7TeYKFSCCEQhlueA3TuUqOWZtb3vaN6LzpLAbplHEmnMCfSwHvPh3Ga4ZTmfcRToP_Hz354xhRl-pZfz6NZzPcVrmWT8xx8o663UvWeH5-KfXOV-HmkeTQTel7oz2sL1n9AIT9m7XwingmKXyvlcqOJ6-fatIh0X75MZ__xB_BOzfAaxDyIiQEH8ZK0lQ1c82OFuj8QaY0teT1oTLwDycqsd51A=w951-h713-no

By this time, we were all hungry for lunch and found a cafe that was not as quaint as I would have liked but you can't win them all. After lunch we did some shopping, checked out the beach (how people lay on that beach of rocks is beyond me!) and even stopped in a grocery store and bought some rose wine.

i1qm-09Y3GIrI2Yf4raN7YPoRE8Jtsbu3cf2j55m9nH2KmmdQGuIUuyE9XTe6hxxeoMDwx3oa9r3OP4FchYR4zVKFKRNhxcQpgArImKOKyiNwn3u3qm6Y-H9KXzMJM6RefrcN2ZsNEgoKMQ44Ph4Sny7_kd3-ssuSTCg6bsSGHi6iUgD3rQxadTFm6x5yQhYcKq2ecMZIIh766gtwkvnXfc-qNwiZuLXN-TSXu_xas4faATaK8SA1Hn02gdMKdTWLqt53VJR6RcJLioP7_bAJCpZv7iI4hcC2Ri0b8F_njO8UttnEsyzdNi8moByg75n7L7NqnO7HnZjhHBnXX2-d_X__u9KeK4w-iiGLdylcov_S3Oq1Ab0MhH5c1A0eiNzpNiSzQiGZGcdvRBQg9QWfekCoVkMN8mwoJatP8aBd5OW9WwXVbOvchVs-c9UFbVzbuE1wFk4kGiWIXxF7u8e37NIvyu5yZfyPGh4-k0jQ5a-ZE77CCmqrw4hRThYryRngA21X5l0ssqdPEUxJVJo-xtuUVxOozNWMG5pPPtlvjPTH4ChOiFQse4ZPlKFZXT994JOyclWyw_DKkxkUph1WKIzsOSt2t-DWSFatITlNtB0OXBAnraHOMiZPB6qkUdDzJtNGhDp7XpPPbcdObvlRSlKXw=w1192-h713-no

We arrived back in Monte Carlo in the late afternoon with enough time to walk a few streets, see some fast cars and window shop. There were a few couples on our cruise that did go to the casino that evening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Following our stop at Monte Carlo, it was time for Cannes and our wine tasting tour! Yeah!!

 

After researching all of our different options for finding an outside tour to take us wine tasting and coming up empty, we opted to take WS "Provence Wine Tasting with Chateau Ste. Roseline." It was $129 per person and we felt it was well worth it. Our first stop was Chateau Sainte Martin and our tour guide there was wonderful! The winery was beautiful and the wines very tasty! After a tour of the grounds and cellars, they sat us in a beautiful room at tables of 8 and brought us wine and bread and spreads to try and we could "revisit" wines to help us decide which ones to purchase. Almost everyone on the tour purchased wine at this stop including our 5 bottles!

VbGdfUMPxwZEYtjeZ7y4HxOqRetfnEl1iQ805Y2shl8bB8KveWv3an0YLY3OpOsZKvkjwWXzXB-yitGXsPy0q9xMduxSAJ3MJMELukKQssrOkev4RtKrq4toQGn2DY91JCqzRW0SVLKgL3koPUTatCLcukhscpeQMygy54_DWt-q-BQim4oPH9v1so9piHGslqkYVwfh7ilIhEfGN3E_tsRihxtAm58_8Dm_kCv0Cil0NgK7L7IAq3bQVDUDGfMTcA7r7IbopFUvz1zSPVllV73p5hzWJtaGlLfVk6VwE5dd2dPMPfGgFY_D1VxMM2a7nDNnKVF9QmJHQwYzzBtsxyACq7lHwqc3Vtv_yiwm9QXxtDCaDEA4VIToM6pKzLs-knaruIWf_fCAzIticxbd9QtgnPthFrT015mM3XghiJsEvGaUEFexqd4ZaHvOsS8GZ2XjNLZvL286LbdMqVxERazjhda7YxnTbIPntOML4fG9w4mGMzz54khEYQYGiv6mTkTB1Q7z-VLE85mbHlW4MJ9DdPWaTjMDpXknmnJ80SkY8yT79jKWxy8QNoxNl8IvS_6IJwcUk-lyRRvn0xU1aK3rXk0Ift3IZ1Wfb0YEKW6kTQ1phqfCi4_g4TG8aQlspBfHgiS28iMukNiyHWGVdKLgVw=w643-h713-no

 

Our second stop was at Chateau Sainte Roseline which has an interesting story about the nun who became Sainte Roseline. We had a nice tour and while the wine was good and we purchased one bottle, we enjoyed the wine and the experience at Chateau Sainte Martin more. 

0DLJDVsXHCISK0RkKYkCMGNABYRoG68vTdih1ky7mgtzC5vXffQrJBsbghQOVtljDLHDEdNwii-NP05CA_hu4RC2jNTRsZyyez1epmejfOwm-TbiQFen739uBtwqAiU7ERYRzT_ZfO2itk5vaMIHR9AdJ-WBhpiQaqne3NXN0lvFMVpawHKwoA9qjop34kcHQY6n7a40Q42sHRyTpvCfOkfBFXxjmD3XSKHakIPz0kPEBQYZ-0bQFAsE5pZjBcw_pMy2-NX-8Uv9WDDyH1IJSV_xyRQg8rSPgrLc2lIIDhM6CZAG4Yp8sanTRfLYyjzkJGDfbDy9L_jlT4bwTtMlLiAUDPpC6UB5fkLzZ4N9Qp7Krpr_cqIeAqfxPJW-YRPgtsRNR04ht1rpMXB3wGypRl3qyR6Vsq2iiPdlu9wacVnPZ9EZd1ZMtKWW98Japhtop9T628_P06LOQrdhmIyPITj5Gx8_rCNouxTSGlsoxaZrhDb4kQEtJLUYJXP-tfGaXCt9h28STStpLJ6F_yEmAbQYlYSwJh-oLythhxa1bXtvNwGKRW2k10Iug_JLO2Yg53E1i63f0ccNUemqWFMwGtBaI6J8cV7p-R1GbG9aDSOVysdWdxow3XRkmUAN-o9KrOP2a0Nr5sgf6QU2dYfxkugQDQ=w506-h713-no

 

After our wine tour, we walked the streets of Cannes including the beach and saw lots of the expensive shops. It was another beautiful day in the south of France!

d4K6GmLXgkw5-L789v2C_6xstX_eRVG_Tpk04B2XOeYPzQOmrRNwOyBzysRnS87iK-W2PPL22CItv7LjEk5-NgY0v5-IIJOR5FrJuVEWyEcvyLB16TTQ61iVGf2LoIyfpBy-CUwtKRjklShKHiTKhHHaz5lPGgjzjkKPcJXWJ0peANJlcEbGFpJaZqxC_YMLyw0xtSplCrbSVBkgRDvAk1ppVrlDyjeg48digSZZTlpxNNRgYbK8E1gklMaHqqLNb7YqcqQ3-FeYHL8AH8I48Vy4mXAJSLX6wWfN9KDq36iDrEv-_sod-uI-_qH9DzuFfiaU0wW8Kzoru46bUIzRCW8QLGUvcnNU7cVZLuKCGCXiOrVHPPjiD-0-rweTtk2H4S27677SRPw8y9zKhsVrAioptkuTai2XgkkiMrO0WWp5HpGhoPst5tQPLGdluqM6TbX_QBnp-gNysexqSB4KIt8yISwhVIT5Yir-ps9Pp1s7NCACELGIyhMSwXW170VJYCLlApCH7ClBi7W53XbSb9NhgPUv3T-euMb8jnMLwYAmUIobteRlzpQWzX7fo62u7xMTrTLoY2Js1B-h2sCPnTBXLWPGRrAkEPiYDEEqU8Q0u2ZBsi0O7gUzYWPpO66Ckx8FDTDGCaCRnnHZQVO6MHNdXw=w1058-h713-no

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We left the south of France and heading towards Italy. We had enjoyed our time in France but I think everyone was excited about Italy.

 

Portofino, Italy: My DH decided he wanted to take the WS tour "Cinque Terra by Boat Tour" so we paid $189 per person to take this tour with our new friends from Australia. We awoke to large swells and it took an hour to get everyone that was on the tour from the tenders to the port. We then boarded a large ferry boat filled only with WS guests. The seas were angry that day and it took us almost 2 hours on the ferry to reach Monterosso. We were suppose to stop at Vernazza but due to high swells, the only place to stop was Monterosso. We were so delayed by the tenders and the ferry that by the time we landed at Monterosso, the tour guide informed us we had 2 hours before meeting back up again to get back on the ferry! I knew we could do better on our own so the four of us struck out on our own and blew off the rest of the tour and the ferry boat back. My DH joked that the 5 photos we got from the ferry of the 5 towns was the most expensive photos of the trip!

 

We grabbed the train and headed to Riomaggiore. Once we arrived, we walked up the one street in the town and were starving by the time we got to the top. Luckily, I had spotted what turned out to be one of our best finds on our 25 day cruise - La Cantina del Macellaio, a very small trattoria run by Lorraine and Gigi. She is originally from Brooklyn, he is Italian. Their restaurant was in the old butcher shop and they had only been opened a few months. She ordered for us and the food was incredible! They visited with us and we basically closed the place down at the end of lunch. They made us feel so welcomed and we enjoyed getting to know them too. Such an amazing place and if you go to Riomaggiore you must stop and visit!

fD4-sJmue0L--eh_2-62Qmv7Jag3JnaBWiZYN22TI-_s09Jd2ghOOBiqGu43i7t7oDKel9-Ke_6B1ZaeTOM2okgYo3_X0tqJixu70mVuxmjtEsJejWX19OaDGgWCnMtykVKjoEZpbGamopasAYppKlThYyecYZ93MXpWH0sODl8LTZcx-7_ikVMnBUlwsbTtmazZHZQo1PYEiLr_FCDDyV8FDSVnYRi9vC6dgpT8DAkxNW5eZHAAi6140EZvyUE5NmNppmmk9KEu0TmQRZcIglkAF9zHBNvHzgBocbRmMFqvWW25-9PF7oL1sQ3c2Wd14-jickPlX2S6VvjrKnriLKmKdRVC3G8t4600Ngog6b311qjchELTIGR-8Ltdq5qh-iOzKvLTaO_u2DIxAuyQDrqepK2QOjQHnUGtC8zQbyRbUCXwGbTv7dLCyREeXAWjPe1Rcp54hd1NuygnjRQ8BQDPwE2X38742cFnrXIqI_0pTInBqeoE8Im_Oxq_8CmmMIftFmqU_NhG22kjEifWSUkzG72czSb3DtIp7wZyEOFZ_li7fmp3GYbdN6SWFZEY5OoPF4F-JENWX4uA21tHWSW2-uS8p5DhqT69Pt4cjaywVGnHExbAbh8n1tbBGnfqMW6tHSq0f45qqyHu7TkzPnaZow=w535-h713-no

We realized we needed to catch the train back to Santa Margherita (it doesn't go all the way to Portofino) so we hurried back to the train station and just made it. Once we arrived in Santa Margherita we then realized if we walked back to Portofino we would arrive too late to sightsee (last tender was at 8:30 p.m.) so we hopped a cab back to Portofino. Once there, we poked around a few shops and stopped for pizza, beer and wine. We got some fantastic photos of the sunset over Portofino and just made it on the last tender back to the ship. It was an amazing day!

fKoPYBpjNuQ7C8HM2-_u-84ELKmMIGREarXU7R5i5hw37CD8uOK4k2APIx_5YrkyFBVvREBZDHJSWIdTI2V_--daeosiCdUpUMPSZahXtB0APkbd-FTSUVQoK_8wXwqRXEP7zPb6lg8Ob5x-rvT6SQzSqYRKusAAl2rTnPAhlXibZc5VKsa1rQQZTguNxdLaf3CZcHp1eKw8fdgyc1-F5p7b-yK0g8AYBeKJETEtNRHay3E1LcHAnjd3juy3OOvbKNKIbmcUkrG691qxuHmI-W8LGpAEZK1Vp1bn0SwXdAOE2b9ZhHDNg_OAsfYDPFnrOKtm3qShCsvtEegjBacQAc3Boq7cZBSrgf6yAeUrDh3Gu3pb0W30KNJPi3VFWR0Si5hVNe3cHC_klASGUbHs3jCb4M_27ieMxZo0P6GhZHJ9AmO5gzF7GTipBaIoQunkxKHc78xcaGf9vz3PD6bn-963RmWaa3A-nwbCuyuJvRfWjUAvjSJY8i1U1xDB5wtuBcL-1a_orhfh_1HysvtLMp5jdzGaccTCBi8GtQ34q23MOLEtv6qYlJ81Lv1o15iHFdrUC_dAg-SO1nzZf5ElRU90J5PJlRvVsF3drLgpeTIbR6s59GO_YpczcfcuYmYWi_aZsKcQPiSvS1UWU0iZe3CMKQ=w1371-h646-no

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our last stop on the middle portion of our back2back2back was at Portoferraio. Another DIY day for us and since it is a relatively small place, very doable. It is very hilly so we walked up and up and up to the fort.

ZOk52dPiKD-qTDBQ1YEgjZ6P6UxcCwD6a8cy8nbu1FdPdfZOnvVGgw9LWJ4B64pnXr2KHcQPnSL4p1mk42anU2Z6wQVYMWCi7osS-UQ511E8fIRbTNGCGYXeeeWlH3PzganqiUzapZgoAHs94ihJdxm-Kp5f2-HCt04-QrBWJf4FRPUHgwss1IfUIwR73QV7HerNSLOE80L75iN64iLNVQKs4SIw5YIfd30bufqQW-JDx2ySzv2BzggzXmEctRAbPUNFmkH7Nh4Na-Rm8vchnRYSOwzm1GSNz6NOCEiFOuhko4OY9djt5bkRW99GpEK_XBzZizxTYcoNxfBpv8cHCQJUroL5Ce-pzJ7GRrI6K_Hapjo7SN3LF2xLPhAg8supFU9F6PntDT99cwLfH-NOdFvEqCQfRbk-Las634CjgV2fNZbakMaJEGEYYj_0n6G7nRLKChZnAwU4t1x_tU2jsRnQ2SXUO3oqUhH2bXcRPZbL0-7RDxg4eJIDQn9NV1jvjfCBPBa2xz3aKYxvOOf2mnXWcyL3Rt69ciuzbfey1idgwWuAJWsfov-lPJTAHxWaz4HzAR13F3eHSGxdWcAVBB8RO3Ug66Ey1nH-dm03nQy10VEYb_msmeENWFiD4ZzgrwRysvsvBoU7gchm08EdzL6DYg=w1371-h606-no

And then we walked down, down, down for lunch and a stop at a grocery store/liquor store and found some tasty wine. DIY and wine...seems to be a theme!

FnIPvdET_enfstuck7VGShfnfFZ924V3MJOBb1Y76yFHB3OSSM3A6yW7J8AkFeunWvEXSfL-ZxjOkKYZa3PHAPAGdFHhiUI2o1UrYNgMyAswxN6YX-NWrw-xfDLVFeM51QZ4ZKN_eOECTfdDKIav0bPgLx997FPT28HnTjn5BrQw2rHeDsM-RxggKaUhLpshIbw3DbdA3zMhZ1U_IKN9-sOJw4u4DV_QVuH9i8fYBXs_oAQ60U0_p9OV-GXfu7FH38oZ_3V10BDe2-K1WO7qQSorwJSNEr8nnynCaK7BoXEemtZjrifGYgnlmUaIpfkgbSg1Eh72g4FuDkqTr6W7jmIV1-_v6MOCK_sp17XCb2Ss2mOwaSu1cwZf3MbuPcpiVrMf-7cB_ey0d6dB-PukDyc0gtQTTqEajYDINiEtQsTxXlqWxLXnUP9m6orEbHGxh0K4_qRJ48phTk1MTPsRCa38e1mLPLeeI49lggOznxBlfuBZinknCGhHDBkmSfEvRK_nZbnWRbhzT0V88eCKJSLp1X4cPoQlaFJ1yqgjfYCu2lbrjABKoZx0CUp3XX49wVzuU8lN5cJ6MoFcd3XajCcCfedZDkBYs2_JUaXCAZIseorRgju0z3ziNZ9UY4FPHhxzQKUUdGmT3KWJhbJwsUJytA=w1371-h565-no

 

As we departed, we realized it was our last night aboard WS with our new friends we had "picked up" at the port in Lisbon (see my posts under "What did you do on Treasures of Southern Spain and Morocco"). We celebrated that evening with dinner at Stella Bistro and dancing at the Compass Rose.

 

A few housekeeping points:

We were on board for 3 cruises and had originally booked a cabin on deck 1. A few months after booking, the upgrade fairy came to visit and offered us a suite on deck 3 which we most happily accepted. Having 2 bathrooms for 25 days at sea saved our marriage 🙂 Need I say more? Plus it was so nice to only have to go up 1 level to the Yacht Club and the pool or down 1 level to exit the ship.

The crew is the most awesome of folks! We have sailed twice before on Windstar and both times, Aladdin was on board. When we asked as we boarded in Lisbon if Aladdin was aboard, imagine our surprise and delight when we were told he was! We love that he remembered us and throughout our 25 days we got to know more about him and his family. We were truly blessed. And of course there was Farid our cabin steward; Hari, Russ and Ada our servers; Anna at the tour desk and Anne at reception that were so kind and caring. 

The officers on board were outstanding as well. Captain Pedro, head of Hotel operations Calvin and Julian, and Merrick Saldanha, maitre d' hotel were available, helpful and knew us well by the time we walked off the ship. The food was good (although after 25 days they really need to extend their offerings to a 10 - 14 day food rotation versus a 5 day rotation).

Wind Surf is a lovely girl but is showing her age. We were told she will be going into dry dock November 2019 which probably can't come soon enough. No matter, we love her and will sail again one day.

 

We arrived into Civitaveccia the next day and the end of this leg of our journey. Time to get ready for Sicilian Splendors!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you so much wonderful reading and dreaming. We love the Surf and are on for 14 days 1/5 with friends from long  ago  and now dear friends from the Wind Surf. How fortunate we are. Can’t wait to hear about Sicilian Splendors. Thanks and Happy Sailing.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so much Strenz for the kind words. It's been fun writing here about our trip. We booked almost a year in advance and while I really tried to enjoy every moment of our trip, I'm so sad it's over. This helps relive the good times!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...