Another Jade Review: Feb 23 - Mar 6, 2013, and pre-cruise

[canehdn]

Couple of questions before I attempt to post my review.

 

1. Can I name non-cruise line excursion companies, or is that a "no no"?

 

2. I'd like to add some photos directly to the review. If my pics are in Picasa do I just copy and insert the url of the photo, or will that merely add a link? If this is correct, will the photo be visible when doing a "preview post"?

 

Thanks

 

Cdn in KS

[happytraveller]

Hi Candhn

 

Is this Ingrid and Ted, if so its John from the Isle of Man. Hope you are both well. If it is let me know and i will give you my email addy

[OzCanuck]

Use the photo icon in the edit panel, and paste the url into it. It should paste your photo image right into the edit box.

[canehdn]

Hi John

Yes it's us. Sure by all means send your email. We're both fine although it took us quite a while to get over the jet lag. It was at least a week to 10 days that we were waking up at 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning. Yikes ...

 

Well if anyone out there can answer my 2 questions, I'll post my review. Thanks

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

I did try that earlier and when I "previewed" the post the photo was not there ... just a tiny little box. But I will give it another try. Thanks

 

Cdn in KS

[xenagurl]

Couple of questions before I attempt to post my review.

 

1. Can I name non-cruise line excursion companies, or is that a "no no"?

 

2. I'd like to add some photos directly to the review. If my pics are in Picasa do I just copy and insert the url of the photo, or will that merely add a link? If this is correct, will the photo be visible when doing a "preview post"?

 

Thanks

 

Cdn in KS

If you're using Picasa in Google+ you can...

 

Right click on the photo

 

Click copy image location

 

Click on the little yellow mountain icon above

 

 

Paste the image location (Control V) into the box.

 

 

And voila! You can add photos. :)

[canehdn]

Cruise & Pre-cruise Review

NCL Jade - February 23 – March 6, 2013

Mediterranean and Holy Land

Rome, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Crete, Naples

 

Background

DH and I from the Midwest travelling with my cousin and DH from Canada (Hamilton, ON area). Primary reason for booking this cruise was Israel and Egypt, so it goes w/o saying we were extremely disappointed when Egypt was dropped from the itinerary. We had an opportunity to cancel but decided to keep our booking and don’t regret it. We spent many hours researching our ports of call and decided to book all our tours privately. The tour companies we worked with came highly recommended both by Trip Advisor members as well as Cruise Critic members. We found all of them to be top notch and would highly recommend any one of them.

 

Getting There

We booked our cruise 8 months out … my cousin booked through an online cruise site and I used a TA. From the time we booked, to final payment the price went down 4 times and the final cost was an amazing deal. Airfare unfortunately was not. The cruise was departing from Civitavecchia, Italy on Saturday so we decided to spend a couple of pre-cruise days exploring Rome. We left on Wednesday, and arrived in Rome on Thursday. As it turned out our flight out of Kansas City and their flight out of Toronto would connect in Philadelphia and we ended up on the same flight. Our Philadelphia/Rome flight departed late and arrived late, but we were happy to see the limousine company we booked had a driver there waiting for us.

 

Over the Italian Alps

 

Flying into Rome

 

 

Rome Transfer and Hotel

We used Bob’s Limousine service 3 times on this trip and would highly recommend them. Our driver was at the airport waiting for us, transferred us to our hotel in Rome and provided a narrative about the countryside along the way. We booked a room at Hotel Italia, which we all enjoyed very much. Small, quaint and within walking distance to all the sites we wanted to cover while in Rome. The hotel lobby was on the 1st floor which we North Americans would call the 2nd floor. The elevator was an old cage style elevator, very tiny and old world. It would only hold 2 people and 2 bags so we had to make a couple of trips. I can see how this could present a problem for some people and would recommend taking this into consideration before booking this hotel. Know before you go.

 

An Elevator with Character

 

It was a lovely little hotel with a friendly English speaking staff. Our cost was $74 US a night which included a continental breakfast of coffee, tea, juices, fresh fruit, yogurt, beautiful breads and rolls along with fresh cold cuts and cheeses. The rate also included WiFi and the rooms did have coffee makers. Although the rooms were a little on the small side, that is to be expected in Europe. Our room was spotlessly clean and had a lot of ambiance.

 

Exploring Rome Day 1

Once we had our room assignments, we unpacked, freshened up, made a plan to meet and hit the pavement to explore as much as we could for the balance of the first day. Comfortable shoes on our feet, cameras around our necks and maps in hand … we were off.

 

Spanish Steps

We had points of interest highlighted on our map, with our first stop being the Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti). As we got close we heard a lot of loud singing and chanting and figured it had to do with the political election due within a few days. When we arrived at the top of the steps the singing got louder and we saw a sea of green.

 

Soccer Fans Congregate at the Steps

 

Turns out, there was an Italy/Germany soccer game the next day and the visiting fans picked the Steps to congregate. The air was electric and although it would have been nice to be able to have a photo op on the Steps without such a crowd we were happy to be caught in the middle of all this excitement. We took in the beauty of the steps … all 135 of them and the surrounding area.

 

The Steps connect the Spanish Square (Piazza de Spagna) at the bottom to the French church (Trintà dei Monti) at the top. Also at the top of the steps is the Trintà dei Monti Obelisk and at the bottom is the Fountain of the Old Boat (Fontana della Carcaccia), which is a fresh-water fountain. BTW for anyone unaware, we learned that all fountains in Rome are fresh-water and it’s safe to take a drink from any one of them.

 

The Steps with the Church and Obelisk at the Top

 

The Fountain of the Old Boat at the Bottom

 

Next stop on our map is the Trevi Fountain

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

Thanks to both for your photo posting directions. Looks like it worked.

 

Xena thanks for the play by play with screen prints. Appreciate the help.

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

Trevi Fountain

Again with map in hand we continued on to the famous Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi). It was extremely crowded at the fountain making it difficult for a good photo op, but we did our best to get a “throw a coin in the fountain” picture and continued on our travels. We found a lovely little restaurant and stopped for pizza. Then on we went in search of the Pantheon.

 

 

The Beautiful Trevi Fountain

 

 

Pantheon

Building of the Pantheon was commissioned in 126 AD. The Pantheon is circular with a portico of large granite columns. A vestibule links the porch to the rotunda under a coffered concrete dome with a central opening. To date the Pantheon has the largest unreinforced concrete dome.

 

 

The Pantheon

 

 

Coffered Ceiling

 

 

The Beautiful Altar

 

 

Piazza Navona

Next stop is Fountain of the Four Rivers (Piazza Navona), a public square with many beautiful fountains, monuments and local artisans and vendors selling their wares.

 

 

One of the Many Fountains in the Piazza Navona

 

 

Piazza Venezia

Last stop for the day before heading back to the hotel was the Piazza Venezia. The Square is the central hub of Rome where many streets intersect. It was fun just standing there watching rush hour traffic make it’s way, at relatively high speed, through this area. The square is at the foot of the Capitoline Hill and next to Trajan’s Forum. It is dominated by the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the first King of Italy and is also known as Altare della Patria. It’s an enormous white marble structure with huge sculptures, large stairways, pillars and fountains.

 

 

Altare della Patria

 

 

Next stop … our hotel for a rest and then back out to find a restaurant for dinner and to take in a few more sights at night. At this point let me mention that Rome is NOT very pedestrian friendly. Even with a map, road signs are hard to distinguish and the streets seem to go in all directions making it difficult to determine the direction you’re walking in. We did manage to get lost on more than one occasion.

 

More later ... thanks for reading

 

Cdn in KS

[Rhea58]

Great pics and descriptions...waiting for more!!!

[russianmom]

Can't wait to read more!

[jdvmd]

Great start! More, more!

[lovetootravel]

Enjoying you review can't wait to get to Rome in May to see everything we missed the first time.:)Only thing we saw thus far in your review was the The Beautiful Trevi Fountain oh we also saw the Spanish steps but didn't get to climb them. I love reviews that take you through the day...so I can tell how much we would could See and Do

in a day. Looking forward to the rest of your review! I love the Jade and will be on her again in October.:)

[happytraveller]

Hi Ingrid & Ted

 

Great pictures you put on here. You can email me at jhowatson2002@yahoo.co.uk - will be fantastic to hear from you both.

 

John

[kikki21]

Thanks for the review and pics so far. Please can you name the restaurants you ate in if you remember as we are travelling to Rome on Monday and then getting on the Jade! :)

[canehdn]

Thank you all for your kind comments. Will continue my review this afternoon.

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

Thank you for your positive feedback. I'm jealous you will be on the Jade in October. If Jose is still working at Tankards Beer & Whiskey Bar please tell him "Reimundo and the group" say hello. He said he would be on break soon, but can't remember exactly when. He is an awesome bartender. Enjoy your cruise in October.

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

Good to hear from you. Will drop you and Julie a note soon.

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

I tried to remember to take a picture of the restaurants we went to just for that reason, but when you're touring and trying to take in as much as you can in a short time, you tend to forget things like that. I will go through my receipts to see if I can provide some names. Will be back on line this afternoon. No promises.

 

Everywhere we travelled we always tried to find an authentic restaurant that served their country's food. Tried to avoid anything that was Americanized ... we get enough of that at home. We had some fantastic meals everywhere we went. We have decided we would definitely go back to Rome to spend some real time and see the area at a slower pace. Enjoy the Jade ...

 

Cdn in KS

[xenagurl]

Sure thing. :)

 

I'm enjoying your review and looking forward to more!

[kikki21]

I sure can't wait to get to Rome and to get on the Jade, that's if we take off on Monday!

We have snow in the UK and the flight to Rome was cancelled today! :(

We also like to eat at the authentic restaurants so if you can find anything that would be great!

 

 

I tried to remember to take a picture of the restaurants we went to just for that reason, but when you're touring and trying to take in as much as you can in a short time, you tend to forget things like that. I will go through my receipts to see if I can provide some names. Will be back on line this afternoon. No promises.

 

Everywhere we travelled we always tried to find an authentic restaurant that served their country's food. Tried to avoid anything that was Americanized ... we get enough of that at home. We had some fantastic meals everywhere we went. We have decided we would definitely go back to Rome to spend some real time and see the area at a slower pace. Enjoy the Jade ...

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

Have gone through all my receipts and seem to have an awful lot from "Tankards" and "Star Bar" (Jade) :) but could not find any from restaurants in Rome. I do recall now that the places we stopped to eat at were Mom & Pop restaurants that did not have computerized billing systems. I recall a little slip of paper with items added up and totalled in pen. That was our receipt. So the only picture I could find was of a lovely little place we had dinner at on our 2nd night in Rome. It was Ristorante la Taverna dei Monti at via del Boschetto 41. It had a tiny little patio under a canopy in front with maybe 6 or so tables. The food was wonderful and the ambiance great. Sorry but that's all I can give you for now. Enjoy your stay in Rome .....

 

Cdn in KS

[canehdn]

Conclusion of Rome Day 1

After a well needed rest we went back out at dark and passed by a few of the sights we saw during the day, and they looked even more beautiful all lit up at night. The Ruins of the Forum of Caesar, which is a work in progress was particularly intriguing at night. We found a little pub (do not recall name) on our way back to the hotel and stopped in for a local beer and a delicious dinner. Our first day in Rome was a very exhausting day and it was time to get back to the hotel and call it a night. The next day we had a Vatican tour booked along with a little more of our own walking exploration so we needed to rest up.

 

 

Altare della Patria Lit Up

 

Exploring Rome Day 2

We were up bright and early, enjoyed our continental breakfast in the hotel and prepared to spend the day in the city. We took a cab from our hotel to Ponte Umberto at the Tiber River. Directly across the bridge was the Palazzo di Giustizia (Hall of Justice). Walking along Via della Conciliazione we passed Castel Sant’Angelo which was started in 135AD as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian, then turned into a fortress and a refuge of the Popes during the citizens battles. It is now a museum.

 

 

Castel Sant’Angelo

 

Standing in front of Castel Sant'Angel we had a great view of the beautiful Ponte Sant’Angelo (Bridge of Hadrian). From there we walked to the office of “When in Rome Tours” which is just around the corner from the Vatican. We got to our tour office at 10:45 and when our tour guide Chiarra arrived to gather up the group we walked over to the Vatican museum. Hundreds of tourists were lined up in the rain waiting to gain entry. When you go with a tour group you get immediate entrance. Once inside we got fitted with our transmitters and headsets and off we went.

 

Bridge of Hadrian over Tiber River w Vatican in Background

 

People Waiting in Line for Vatican Museum

 

 

First stop was the Vatican Courtyard where our guide Chiarra educated us with the help of large picture boards about the works of art we would see inside the Sistine Chapel. She really wanted to make sure we understood some of the art before getting into the chapel.Once inside the Chapel there is no talking and no photography.

 

 

Portion of Vatican Courtyard

 

 

Poster Boards Explaining Michelangelo's Ceiling in Sistine Chapel

 

 

-- to be continued --

[canehdn]

From the courtyard we walked through many sections of the museum. The collection inside is overwhelming and you could literally spend several days just going through all the sections of the museum. The age and history of some of the artwork, sculptures, mosaics, ceiling frescoes and wall tapestries left me in awe.

 

 

Amazing works of art ... Laocoon Group, 25 BC

 

 

From the Museum we went to St.Peter’s Basilica, the beauty of which was amazing. Here we viewed the “Pietà by Michelangelo, 1499-1500, the Altar of St.Jerome, and The Papal Altar among other things. We were then taken down through the Vatacombs and here no photography was allowed. Our last stop was the Sistine Chapel. Again no photography allowed and once inside we noted the many security guards who made sure there was no photography and that people were silent in the Chapel. Our 3-hour tour ended up taking 4 hours, which thrilled us as our guide was so enthusiastic and passionate about the information she shared with us … we really didn’t want the tour to end. As we left the Vatican the lineup of people still waiting in line for their turn to enter the Museum was extremely long … probably a 2 to 3 hour wait. The Vatican Square was being prepared with chairs and large screen monitors for Pope Benedict’s final blessing that he would give on Sunday.

 

Pietà by Michelangelo in St.Peter's Basilica

 

 

Papal Altar

 

 

Vatican Square Being Setup for Pope Benedict's Final Blessing

 

Upon completion of our tour we grabbed a bite to eat at a little restaurant near the Vatican and then continued on our self-guided tour. Next stop the Coliseum. I’ve heard some people say they were underwhelmed by the Coliseum, but just the opposite for me. It was one of my favorite of all the ruins we saw during this vacation. We passed by the Arch of Constantine and continued walking back toward Piazza Venezia where we climbed the stairs to the top of Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II and entered the museum where we made our way to the exit at the bottom of the building and continued on our way.

 

 

Coliseum, Construction Started 70AD

 

 

Arch of Constantine

 

 

-- to be continued --

[canehdn]

En route back to the hotel we stopped at Ristorante la Taverna dei Monti, a lovely restaurant on a side street. We enjoyed the ambiance, a local beer and a delicious meal. Then back to our hotel where the 4 of us discussed all the wonderful sites we had seen over a glass of wine. And then off to bed as tomorrow Bob’s Limousine was scheduled to pick us up at 11:30 am to transfer us to the Port of Civitavecchia.

 

Saturday, February 23 Embarkation Day

Following breakfast we checked out of the hotel and made our way downstairs to await our driver. Turned out the driver was early and along with 4 other passengers we were off to the Port of Civitavecchia to board the Jade. Once we got to the port the driver unloaded our bags in the wind and rain and we headed into the cruise terminal to sign in. The regular check-in line was very long while the Lattitudes line had just a couple of people in it. We headed right for the Lattitudes line and registration moved very quickly. Within 20 minutes we were on board the Jade. It was now 1:30 and our plan was to enjoy an unrushed lunch in the Grand Pacific dining room. Although ship staff was trying to guide us to the buffet, we preferred the dining room. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch and from there we went on to find our rooms.

 

 

A Few Lunch Entrees

 

 

We had a balcony room on the 9th floor port side. Our cabin was comfortable with a coffee maker, ample closet and storage space, fridge and a good-sized bathroom with sliding door to the WC and a sliding door to the shower. I felt the balcony was perhaps a bit smaller than other ships we’ve been on. Oh, and the 4 bottles of wine I pre-ordered were right there waiting for us … with a white chilled on ice in a wine bucket. Our ship pins and our invitation to the Lattitudes party were laid out on the bed. Our room steward Brian stopped by to introduce himself and we found him very accommodating throughout the week. He always made it a point to ask if there was anything we needed when we saw him in the hall.

 

After unpacking our bags we met our friends to explore the ship until it was time for the lifeboat drill. After the drill we headed up to the open deck to watch the sail away. That was challenging as the weather had gotten worse and the sea was quite rough ... it was cold and windy. The skies were cloudy and dark and we new it was going to be a rough night. That wouldn't be a problem as neither one of us experience motion sickness and I rather enjoy the rocking.

 

 

Port During Sailaway

 

 

We decided on the Grand Pacific for dinner and got there at 7:30. There was a waiting line and people were given beepers. So with beeper in hand we headed to the Galleria shops up one floor and just around the corner and did a little window-shopping. Before we knew it, it was 8:00 and our beeper went off. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and although I don’t quite remember who had what, my pictures tell me we enjoyed salmon tartare, Caesar salad, surf and turf, prime rib, key lime pie and chocolate raspberry mousse cake. The first 2 times we went to the Grand Pacific for dinner there was a lineup and beepers were required. After that we found the line was quite short and were seated within minutes.

 

Due to the fact there was only one show scheduled for 9:00 pm on embarkation day, we missed it. We explored the ship a little more, checked out the Garden Café and tasted a few items from the buffet, checked out the locations of all the bars and different pay restaurants and then headed back to our rooms to call it a night. The next 2 days would be sea days and would give us a chance to recover from the miles we walked in Rome.

 

Cruise Day 2 – Sea Day

Today we enjoyed breakfast at the Great Outdoors on the back deck. After breakfast we headed up to Spinnakers Lounge to take in the views as the Jade sailed through the Straight of Messina. Mother Nature provided us with a beautiful rainbow.

 

 

Passing through the Straight of Messina

 

 

Our Cruise Critic Roll Call Meet & Greet was held in La Bistro restaurant at 11:00 am. The M&G organized by Rochelle (St.Catharines, ON) had a great turnout. I’ve been to prior M&G’s where only half the people that signed up, actually showed up. I would say there were 40 people or so with 9 ship officers in attendance to speak to the group. I have never seen such a great representation of officers on any other line. NCL provided coffee, juices, water and a variety of pastries. It was nice to meet some of the CC members that I had communicated with on line. Thanks again Rochelle for all the work you put into pulling this together. At 1:00 pm we attended the Lattitudes members cocktail party in Spinnakers Lounge. This was also nicely done by NCL with wine, beer, cocktails and appetizers being offered. We sat with John & Julie from Isle of Man who we had met earlier at the M&G. Hi John & Julie … hope all is well with you.

 

 

NCL Officers at the Meet & Greet

 

 

At lunch today the Jade hosted a Beerfest at the Great Outdoors, Deck 12. There was a variety of delicious German food and dessert, German beer and the Jade band played “Oompah” music on the deck outside the Great Outdoors buffet. That was a fun experience. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the ship. Weather was a little on the cool side, but sunny so we were able to enjoy the outdoors with a jacket on.

 

 

Beerfest at the Great Outdoors

 

Lots of Great German Food

 

 

Tonight was Dress up or Not Night and we decided on Alizar for dinner. Our meals were wonderful, however we didn’t quite enjoy the Alizar as much as the Grand Pacific. The low ceilings made it feel dark and a little claustrophobic. Tonight’s entertainment in the Stardust Lounge was Jérémie & Eléonore “Angels”. It was a beautiful show and when it ended at 10:30 we went for an evening walk around the deck and then back to our cabin for a little quiet time. Brian our room steward had prepared our cabin for the evening and left us a nice little towel animal. We checked out the Freestyle Daily for the following day and called it a night.

 

 

-- up next, another Sea Day --