Carnival Cruiser Sails Royal Caribbean ~ Navigator to Italy, France, Spain ~ 10/28/12

[gapearl]

Love it! Can't wait for more. :)

 

Awesome! Thanks for reading!

 

Love it, great so far. Just hopped over to the Carnival boards to check out your other reviews as well! Very interested to get your take on RC vs Carnival overall!:D

 

Thanks a lot! I don't hold back (good or bad) so keep reading! :)

[petesweet]

Lovely review so far, and two VERY LOVELY girls.:) Look forward to reading more and seeing more pictures.

Kathy

[wikoffclan]

 

We left for Rome on Tuesday, 10/23, flying overnight and landing the next morning. Luckily it wasn't a full flight. We each had our own row to completely lay out and get some sleep.

 

 

http://www.romapass.it/

 

WONDERful review so far! Can't wait to read more. We're going to be doing essentially the same trip next year. Could you please tell me where you flew out of to get to Rome? Did you do a multi-city round trip? And how reasonable (or un-) was the airfare? Thanks!

[dreamer976]

Subscribing! Since I'll probably never get to do a Mediterranean cruise (the best laid plans. . .), I'll just have to live vicariously through yours. Looks great so far!

 

Thanks for taking time out for the rest of us to enjoy this.

[gapearl]

Lovely review so far, and two VERY LOVELY girls.:) Look forward to reading more and seeing more pictures.

 

Kathy

 

Thanks for the kinds words and for reading Kathy!

 

Subscribing! Since I'll probably never get to do a Mediterranean cruise (the best laid plans. . .), I'll just have to live vicariously through yours. Looks great so far!

 

Thanks for taking time out for the rest of us to enjoy this.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read! Hopefully one day you will. :)

[gapearl]

WONDERful review so far! Can't wait to read more. We're going to be doing essentially the same trip next year. Could you please tell me where you flew out of to get to Rome? Did you do a multi-city round trip? And how reasonable (or un-) was the airfare? Thanks!

 

Hi, thanks for reading! I'm the wrong person to ask about airfare. Since I work for an airline, I fly for free and pay little more than international taxes when I fly overseas. My flight to Rome one way was only $79! :eek: On the way home, we bought tickets on Vueling Airlines (a European discount airline) from Barcelona to Madrid for $100 US dollars, inclusive of all fees, and flew stand by home from there. Hopefully some other people reading will be able to share their experience and advice on finding low airfare these days.

[gapearl]

I didn't need an alarm clock today because the local church bells woke me up at 8 am sharp, before my alarm even went off. They rang again at 8:15 for a full minute. We got up, showered, and took our time getting ready. We were out the door around 10:30 am, ready to head to the world's smallest country- Vatican City! I never knew until planning this trip that Vatican City is actually a country and is the world's smallest governing nation. Monaco is the second smallest. We stopped at our little neighborhood bakery for a couple of pastries and orange juices for our metro ride.

 

If you plan on visiting Rome, I don't recommend renting a car, especially not a big one. People here drive Vespa Scooters, Smart Cars, or very small vehicles. Parking is SCARCE. I commented to Jackie that I never really saw a parking spot open. There are no parking lots or garages. At least I didn't see any. Double parking and parking on sidewalks is very common. If you're thinking of renting a car, just don't do it.

 

 

I bought our tickets online in advance for museum entry. The tickets were 15 euros, plus a 4 euro administration fee, so 19 euros total. That's with no guide. If you would like a guide, the cost is 31 euros, and the cost is going up to 32 euros in 2013. Those are the prices for the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel only. Other tour options are available if you would like to tour the Vatican gardens or St. Peter's Basilica.

 

Purchase your tickets online in advance to avoid the lines!!!

 

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

 

The famous Vatican walls.

 

 

 

Stopping for a picture with some Vatican guards before entering.

 

 

Make sure you're dressed appropriately. No bare shoulders, sleeveless tops, no shorts or skirts above the knee.

[gapearl]

The first museum we entered was an ancient Egypt exhibition. It was very interesting. Ever seen a mummy?

 

 

 

 

These are canopic jars. The internal organs of a person were removed during the embalming process and put in these jars to sit next to the body.

 

 

 

[gapearl]

 

 

 

Statua del Nilo, or Statue of the Nile.

 

 

An ancient letter and envelope.

 

 

 

As a Christian, it was really interesting to see statues and such that I've read about in the Bible. Quite an experience.

[gapearl]

The next museum we entered was Museu Chiaramonti and was a hall full of statues. Many were missing their, ummm, manhood. Pictures do this hall absolutely no justice. My jaw literally dropped at first glance. I think I managed a "WOOOOOW!" as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

We left the hall of statues and headed out to relax in this courtyard for a while.

 

 

I don't know what this is, but it was worth taking a picture next to.

 

 

Then we wandered back inside through more museums, taking tons of pictures of numerous pieces of artwork.

 

 

 

 

[FSUNole]

First question... what kind of airline industry rate did you get on the cruise? Make us all jealous!

[gapearl]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually we made it to the Sistine Chapel. No pictures are allowed. Guards are everywhere and will stop you if they catch you. They also expect silence, or as close to silence as you can get with, say, 300 people in there. You'll hear the occasional "SHHHHHHH!!!!!!" from the guards.

 

Jackie described it the best. It was MAGICAL. On our way out, there was a guard that gave me a nice smile and came over to introduce himself. He took us back inside and gave us quite a bit of detail of what we were looking at. The ceiling was painted in 3D. He pointed out very specific details of The Last Judgment that I never would have noticed on my own. So much thought was put into the paintings. Jackie and I just stared in awe for 10, maybe 15 minutes. Even if you're not a religious person, it's still worth the visit to appreciate the art and everything The Vatican museums have to offer.

 

This cutie pie of a guard walked us towards the exit, explaining everything we were passing. I told him we wanted to climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica, and he took us to some side door exit. We cut right across to the ticket line for that and didn't have to go all the way out. This is a very important detail! I hear that this door is sometimes unguarded, and if it is you can sneak through it when the guard turns his head. Or perhaps you can just smile and ask nicely if you can exit. I say this door is important because if you miss it, and go all the way outside to re-enter St. Peter's, you will be in line for a while, at least an hour or longer. We saw this line as we were leaving St. Peter's. There's no way we would have waited in that line. Again, look for or ask for the side door, just minutes after leaving the Sistine Chapel, to get a major shortcut to St. Peter's.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that entry to The Vatican is not included in the Roma Pass.

 

I don't know if I'll get any more done tonight, but stay tuned for more!

[Merion_Mom]

Kimberly, your review so far is so readable and literate and articulate! I am enjoying it tremendously.

 

 

 

The weather was perfect and it was a great day. When I envisioned what the interior of the Colosseum must have looked like in its original state, I thought back to my visit to Madrid last year and compared it slightly to the Plaza de Toros, or the bull ring. This is a remarkable piece of history to visit if you ever have the chance.

 

 

This is a particularly good picture of the Colosseum reconstructed:

 

[critterchick]

This cutie pie of a guard walked us towards the exit, explaining everything we were passing. I told him we wanted to climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica, and he took us to some side door exit. We cut right across to the ticket line for that and didn't have to go all the way out. This is a very important detail! I hear that this door is sometimes unguarded, and if it is you can sneak through it when the guard turns his head. Or perhaps you can just smile and ask nicely if you can exit. I say this door is important because if you miss it, and go all the way outside to re-enter St. Peter's, you will be in line for a while, at least an hour or longer. We saw this line as we were leaving St. Peter's. There's no way we would have waited in that line. Again, look for or ask for the side door, just minutes after leaving the Sistine Chapel, to get a major shortcut to St. Peter's.

 

I'm loving your review! And your effect on Italian men is cracking me up!

Edited November 7, 2012 by critterchick

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

I don't know what this is, but it was worth taking a picture next to.

 

 

The sculpture is called "Sphere Within a Sphere".

 

Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro is known to construct enormous spheres with layers of complexities. One of his monumental orbs stands tall as the centerpiece of the Courtyard of the Pinecone at the Vatican Museum. The structure titled Sfera con Sfera, translated as Sphere within a Sphere, is a bronze statue that appears golden as the sun shines down on it. It is 4 meters (a little over 13 feet) in diameter.

 

The Milan-based artist began his series of spheres in the 60's with Sphere no. 1 and has continued designing the globe-like pieces, each depicting a different map of destruction. Each tremendous ball is fractured, revealing an intricate interior that unveils yet another cracking orb. The design of the internal layers seem to mimicking the gears of a clock or the inner workings of a grand piano, making it appear very complicated.

 

Because of the sculptural installation's round shape, it also echoes the form of Earth. It isn't absolutely clear what the artist's intentions are, but it gives off the impression that it is reflecting the complexity of our world and how easily it can be torn apart.

[R_Judy]

:) Thank you - and more please;)

[gapearl]

First question... what kind of airline industry rate did you get on the cruise? Make us all jealous!

 

One of the perks of the job! ;)

[gapearl]

Kimberly, your review so far is so readable and literate and articulate! I am enjoying it tremendously.

 

 

 

This is a particularly good picture of the Colosseum reconstructed:

 

 

Thank you for the compliments and for posting that picture! That's exactly what I imagined it looked like.

 

I'm loving your review! And your effect on Italian men is cracking me up!

 

I need Jackie to come on here and give you the scoop on the Italian men flocking to me. I have no idea what I did but walk by, minding my own business, and there they were. I'm a single woman and quite enjoyed the attention! :o

[gapearl]

The sculpture is called "Sphere Within a Sphere".

 

Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro is known to construct enormous spheres with layers of complexities. One of his monumental orbs stands tall as the centerpiece of the Courtyard of the Pinecone at the Vatican Museum. The structure titled Sfera con Sfera, translated as Sphere within a Sphere, is a bronze statue that appears golden as the sun shines down on it. It is 4 meters (a little over 13 feet) in diameter.

 

The Milan-based artist began his series of spheres in the 60's with Sphere no. 1 and has continued designing the globe-like pieces, each depicting a different map of destruction. Each tremendous ball is fractured, revealing an intricate interior that unveils yet another cracking orb. The design of the internal layers seem to mimicking the gears of a clock or the inner workings of a grand piano, making it appear very complicated.

 

Because of the sculptural installation's round shape, it also echoes the form of Earth. It isn't absolutely clear what the artist's intentions are, but it gives off the impression that it is reflecting the complexity of our world and how easily it can be torn apart.

 

Wow, that's good information! Thanks for posting!

 

:) Thank you - and more please;)

 

You're welcome! Lots more to come! :)

[gapearl]

Buongiorno!

 

This is a good word to know if you're headed to Italy. When studying a bit of Italian for my trip, I learned it as good morning. However, people use it as a greeting throughout the day, so I suppose it's more hello than good morning.

 

I have to head to an appointment and the gym soon, but I just had to backtrack and post these pictures I forgot to post yesterday with the Colosseum pictures.

 

As we were leaving, there were these guys dressed as gladiators by the exit to take their picture with you. For a tip, of course. I was expecting to pay maybe 5 euros each, but they wanted 10 each. It was a lot to pay, but the end result was worth it. We got about 20 pictures total. Here are my favorites!

 

 

 

 

I'll be back this afternoon with more. :)

[BillOh]

Flight attendants out of Atlanta, let me guess the airline, Braniff? (kidding that is older than you I think. This should be a good read. If you ever run across Minneapolis based Brian Jacobs on a flight, tell him Bill from back home said hello.

[jobell]

Buongiorno!

 

This is a good word to know if you're headed to Italy. When studying a bit of Italian for my trip, I learned it as good morning. However, people use it as a greeting throughout the day, so I suppose it's more hello than good morning.

 

I have to head to an appointment and the gym soon, but I just had to backtrack and post these pictures I forgot to post yesterday with the Colosseum pictures.

 

As we were leaving, there were these guys dressed as gladiators by the exit to take their picture with you. For a tip, of course. I was expecting to pay maybe 5 euros each, but they wanted 10 each. It was a lot to pay, but the end result was worth it. We got about 20 pictures total. Here are my favorites!

 

 

 

 

I'll be back this afternoon with more. :)

 

OMG!!!! I love these!!!!

[gapearl]

Flight attendants out of Atlanta, let me guess the airline, Braniff? (kidding that is older than you I think. This should be a good read. If you ever run across Minneapolis based Brian Jacobs on a flight, tell him Bill from back home said hello.

 

Yep, Braniff, that's the one! ;) Thanks for reading!

 

OMG!!!! I love these!!!!

 

Thanks! Those were a lot of fun to take. :)

[oakleys]

Those guys are one of the biggest scams in Rome, watch scam city & you will see. Most of it is tied to the mafia.