K&K’s European Adventure ~ Carnival Legend Review May 2013

[CupKayke]

you're right - i'm the guy in the blue shirt in the middle!!!

 

ha!

[CruiseIreland]

Thank you for this most useful and detailed review, especially the Italian and French ports! Well done! It will be useful for our upcoming trip. Ken

[CupKayke]

Fantastic review and photos of a dream cruise of mine - one day!! Thanks so much for sharing!

You are welcome and THANK YOU! :)

 

Thank you for this most useful and detailed review, especially the Italian and French ports! Well done! It will be useful for our upcoming trip. Ken

So glad to hear this! :)

[harrodsfan]

What a great review. I loved the tip about taking a picture of where you got off the bus. I will do that too in the future.

So glad you liked Athens...we do too. But many people don't and thats too bad.

We spent two weeks there in 1992 and got to explore all the different areas. And There are some charming areas to be explored.

The drink they gave you after you ate was probably Raki. Very strong but very good.

And the hotel on the Amalphi coast was the Hotel Santa Caterina. (Where Hilary Clinton stayed.)

I loved that you like to shop...I do too and I found it refreshing to read a review that talked about shopping!

It was great fun to "go away" with you. Look forward to future reviews.

[dk1]

Great pix and a wonderful review. I was on the same cruise and went to different locations. We tried to avoid the crowds as much as possible. We didn't land in Venice until after 6pm on the 4th so only got a small view of Venice on Sunday morning. Took an excursion out of Dubrovnik to a couple small towns and found the Homeland War museum on our return. Athens we took a full day private tour which was worth every penny and a 25% tip. The local food and the local (Mythos) beer on tap, as well as the ancients, change of the guard, et al. Izmir was at Pergamon and we bought a couple carpets, Sicily was Taormino and the day was great! Fun shops, good pizza and Cannoli filled with Gelato. Naples was Pompeii... another thing off the proverbial bucket list. Roma... disorganized and disappointed to see the Catholics decided to take over everything. Really? A cross at the Coliseum? Aw geeez! Florence... David then shopping at the Plaza San Lorenzo. Marseilles... they can keep the old papal winery. The white was ok, the rose was awful, the red was ok... but they wanted $187 to ship 6 bottles to the States. Then add the cost of their over priced wine. The women all called their WC a "dungeon". Avignon was nice. Then 3 nights in Barcelona was great! Paella!!!

The Stromboli volcano definitely justified the extra cost of the aft balcony, right below you on the Empress deck. We tried local beer and/or wine and local food at every port.

 

Cheers,

DK

[mere08]

This was a fantastic review. Cruising in Europe was never on my radar before - I couldn't see the appeal- but now it's on my list. Thanks for all the amazing details!

[Captain Carnival]

Roma... disorganized and disappointed to see the Catholics decided to take over everything. Really? A cross at the Coliseum? Aw geeez!

 

Cheers,

DK

 

Sorry if I (we Catholics) offended you on our cruise, perhaps I'll just leave out any mention of the Vatican when I review Roma in my review of the same cruise?

I'll try not to disappoint....you. +

[CupKayke]

What a great review. I loved the tip about taking a picture of where you got off the bus. I will do that too in the future.

So glad you liked Athens...we do too. But many people don't and thats too bad.

We spent two weeks there in 1992 and got to explore all the different areas. And There are some charming areas to be explored.

The drink they gave you after you ate was probably Raki. Very strong but very good.

And the hotel on the Amalphi coast was the Hotel Santa Caterina. (Where Hilary Clinton stayed.)

I loved that you like to shop...I do too and I found it refreshing to read a review that talked about shopping!

It was great fun to "go away" with you. Look forward to future reviews.

Love your comments!!! Thank you! My husband and I are going to look into Raki!!

[CupKayke]

Great pix and a wonderful review. I was on the same cruise and went to different locations. We tried to avoid the crowds as much as possible. We didn't land in Venice until after 6pm on the 4th so only got a small view of Venice on Sunday morning. Took an excursion out of Dubrovnik to a couple small towns and found the Homeland War museum on our return. Athens we took a full day private tour which was worth every penny and a 25% tip. The local food and the local (Mythos) beer on tap, as well as the ancients, change of the guard, et al. Izmir was at Pergamon and we bought a couple carpets, Sicily was Taormino and the day was great! Fun shops, good pizza and Cannoli filled with Gelato. Naples was Pompeii... another thing off the proverbial bucket list. Roma... disorganized and disappointed to see the Catholics decided to take over everything. Really? A cross at the Coliseum? Aw geeez! Florence... David then shopping at the Plaza San Lorenzo. Marseilles... they can keep the old papal winery. The white was ok, the rose was awful, the red was ok... but they wanted $187 to ship 6 bottles to the States. Then add the cost of their over priced wine. The women all called their WC a "dungeon". Avignon was nice. Then 3 nights in Barcelona was great! Paella!!!

The Stromboli volcano definitely justified the extra cost of the aft balcony, right below you on the Empress deck. We tried local beer and/or wine and local food at every port.

 

Cheers,

DK

You had me at cannoli filled with gelato! ;) Awesome!!

 

This was a fantastic review. Cruising in Europe was never on my radar before - I couldn't see the appeal- but now it's on my list. Thanks for all the amazing details!

Thank you Thank you! :)

[dk1]

Sorry if I (we Catholics) offended you on our cruise, perhaps I'll just leave out any mention of the Vatican when I review Roma in my review of the same cruise?

I'll try not to disappoint....you. +

 

No offense was taken at all to any mention of the Catholics. I grew up as one... Catholic elementary & high school. I was just disappointed that they had to take over all the ancient stuff I saw in Rome. There's even a cross on the Egyptian obelisk in front of the Pantheon. I suppose I should be happy that they didn't tear it down as another group of folks are doing throughout their world.

 

DK

[Captain Carnival]

sorry if i (we catholics) offended you on our cruise, perhaps i'll just leave out any mention of the vatican when i review roma in my review of the same cruise?

i'll try not to disappoint....you. +

 

 

no offense was taken at all to any mention of the catholics. I grew up as one... Catholic elementary & high school. I was just disappointed that they had to take over all the ancient stuff i saw in rome. There's even a cross on the egyptian obelisk in front of the pantheon. I suppose i should be happy that they didn't tear it down as another group of folks are doing throughout their world.

 

Dk

 

ouch!!!!

[lazygal]

Thank you for your wonderful review and pictures. I do believe it's the best review I have read on these boards. Thank you again.

[Jasonmom]

Thank you so much for the review. I enjoyed reading it and looking at your pictures.

[love_the_sea]

Thank you! My DH & I both carried a semi-basic point & shoot camera. Mine had 18X zoom (no big deal) and his had 10X zoom camera. It seemed like everyone around us had professional cameras... but I am still very happy with our photos! :)

 

I loved your review!!!! First of all I just have to tell you that your photo's were wonderful. It is the photographer, not the camera, that makes the pictures. Your scenic shots were great (especially Venice and Dubrovnik) but I really liked some of your pictures of advertisements or just every day scenes. You have a great sense of humor and irony (loved the shot of the condom machine and the pregnant woman). Second, I feel like I know you and that an old friend has given me her best advice for a trip to the Med!. I am doing a Barcelona to Athens cruise this fall and it calls at many ports I have already been to so I was not really excited about Rome, Naples, or Athens. But taking the Piraeusexpress in Athens sounded fun, your tip for Naples with Rome in Limo is something to look into...I have been to Amalfi and loved it but I don't think we went to Positano and definitely not Revello. In Livorno I was going to do a ship tour to Lucca and Pisa but now maybe I will do the train....you gave such great instructions! You gave great ideas about Venice and Dubrovnik. I want to walk the wall there, but have a fear of heights....looks like there is a wall that comes up fairly high...if so that would be doable. You have given me courage!! Thanks again for sharing and taking all the time to put that review together.

[grandmacani]

Wonderful review. We were supposed to be on the legend cruise with you in October. You have really given us a great idea of what to expect. And the shopping ideas are helpful too. Thanks again.

[ch27088]

Croatia, continued..

 

Walking the wall in Croatia is a wonderful experience. The first 87 steps are not fun – most people trudge up semi-quickly and then stop at the top, drink some water, pat each other on the back for making it, and rest! After the first 87 steps, the other steps are gradual and slow and not nearly as steep – you are looking at the scenery and stopping to take pictures so often, you barely notice all the walking.

 

Some pictures from the wall…

 

The clocktower

 

A buzza bar

 

The wall is an amazing piece of history..

 

We only walked the sea portion of the wall – which I think is about half. It was perfect – not too much, not too little. I think there is only one exit on the wall and this is it. We walked down and through the town and sat down and ordered two beers… until I saw someone with a Coke…and a Coke it was!

 

Up next... just a little more about Croatia and then we have a sea day before Athens, Greece!

 

Thank you for sharing your wonderful vacation with us. I was wondering does the wall surround the whole city/town. It looks quite interesting.:confused:

[Captain Carnival]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful vacation with us. I was wondering does the wall surround the whole city/town. It looks quite interesting.:confused:

 

Yes it does, there are some shots of this in my review of the same cruise listed below.

[CupKayke]

Thank you for your wonderful review and pictures. I do believe it's the best review I have read on these boards. Thank you again.

Thank you Thank you :):o:D

 

Thank you so much for the review. I enjoyed reading it and looking at your pictures.

Thank you!! It was a pleasure meeting you and your mom!! You two are great!! KEEP TRAVELING!! :)

[CupKayke]

I loved your review!!!! First of all I just have to tell you that your photo's were wonderful. It is the photographer, not the camera, that makes the pictures. Your scenic shots were great (especially Venice and Dubrovnik) but I really liked some of your pictures of advertisements or just every day scenes. You have a great sense of humor and irony (loved the shot of the condom machine and the pregnant woman). Second, I feel like I know you and that an old friend has given me her best advice for a trip to the Med!. I am doing a Barcelona to Athens cruise this fall and it calls at many ports I have already been to so I was not really excited about Rome, Naples, or Athens. But taking the Piraeusexpress in Athens sounded fun, your tip for Naples with Rome in Limo is something to look into...I have been to Amalfi and loved it but I don't think we went to Positano and definitely not Revello. In Livorno I was going to do a ship tour to Lucca and Pisa but now maybe I will do the train....you gave such great instructions! You gave great ideas about Venice and Dubrovnik. I want to walk the wall there, but have a fear of heights....looks like there is a wall that comes up fairly high...if so that would be doable. You have given me courage!! Thanks again for sharing and taking all the time to put that review together.

Thank you so much!! I am surprised at how much pictures turned-out but I too love them so I am glad others appreciate them. I am glad my review was helpful for you. I can't say enough how much of a nice time we had in Athens. Btw, my husband says all the funny things were his ideas!! HAHAHA :rolleyes:;)

 

Wonderful review. We were supposed to be on the legend cruise with you in October. You have really given us a great idea of what to expect. And the shopping ideas are helpful too. Thanks again.

Thank you for the kind comments. I'm glad my review was helpful. It was too bad our October cruise was cancelled but it was nice not having to wait another 5 months for vacation. Of course, now we are probably doing three, maybe four small-small land vacations and not taking another cruise until September 2014 - ALASKA! :D

[CupKayke]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful vacation with us. I was wondering does the wall surround the whole city/town. It looks quite interesting.:confused:

 

You are welcome. The wall is quite interesting however, it does not surround the entire town of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is a large town/city that spreads for several miles. The fortified area is a smaller area - with a long strada/walkway with lots of shops & eateries... the school is inside the fortified area ...and there are some residences....but the fortified area was built MANY MANY years ago when towns were much, much smaller. The majority of residences and most of Dubrovnik is outside the fortified area as is the port.

[travelingts]

Great review CupKayke. We had a wonderful time with you and the others on the RIL tour of the Amalfi Coast. Tony was fantastic! Still have to go through my pics, but will share them with you when I do. Tony & I ended up driving from San Diego to Milwaukee for a family emergency last week. So photo review has become secondary. Got a great one of you two in Ravello. And another wonderful shot of Jason's Mom & her mom in Athens watching the changing of the guard. Tony also has some video of our great sing-along! :D:D

 

It was a great trip with great memories. I wish we could do it all over again (sans the flights)! Thanks for being a part of those memories.

[love_the_sea]

Yes it does, there are some shots of this in my review of the same cruise listed below.

 

I urge everyone to follow the link in ShotoJuku's signature and also read his review....it is also very good and has some great pictures also.

[Captain Carnival]

I urge everyone to follow the link in ShotoJuku's signature and also read his review....it is also very good and has some great pictures also.

 

Thanks for the endorsement - I appreciate it!! :D

[CupKayke]

Great review CupKayke. We had a wonderful time with you and the others on the RIL tour of the Amalfi Coast. Tony was fantastic! Still have to go through my pics, but will share them with you when I do. Tony & I ended up driving from San Diego to Milwaukee for a family emergency last week. So photo review has become secondary. Got a great one of you two in Ravello. And another wonderful shot of Jason's Mom & her mom in Athens watching the changing of the guard. Tony also has some video of our great sing-along! :D:D

 

It was a great trip with great memories. I wish we could do it all over again (sans the flights)! Thanks for being a part of those memories.

 

Thank you so much!! I was just wondering about you two the other day!! We had a fantastic time with especially you and your husband on our RIL tour. Tony WAS fantastic!! I would love to see your pictures. Thank you, also, for being a part of this fun adventure with us!!

[northbeachgirl]

Thank you for your wonderful review. Love your writing style and all the tips you give.

I so enjoyed reading about your adventures. I am traveling with my girlfriends on the Sunshine in Oct. and you are really making this up coming trip come alive for us. This is our first cruise together and very excited about all the wonderful places we are going to see. One of us speaks Italian so we will have an easier time doing some ports on our own.

Thanks for all the information, looking forward to using it on our trip.