Review - 12-Day Mediterranean - Celebrity Silhouette - April 29, 2013 - Weddingmoon!

[RoonilWazlib]

This review is long overdue. My then-fiance, now-husband and I are approaching our first anniversary this May, and I felt it was time to write about our fantastic weddingmoon cruise before I start to forget things (too late). I had originally planned to write this right after our return, but life happens, and I had thousands of photos to sort/edit and a wedding reception to plan, among other things.

 

 

Background: This is about the cruise, but I wanted to explain a little of the process of getting there. My husband, Kevin, and I are 24 and 25 years old, and we’d never been on a cruise before. Kevin had never been out of the country before, and had only been out of the state (Wisconsin) once, a couple years before with my family, so we were excited to go international. To make a long story really short, while researching cruises for our honeymoon, I convinced Kevin and my parents that we should just get married during the cruise instead of having a huge wedding. So we decided to elope abroad without telling anyone but my parents. Very exciting.

 

 

Picking an itinerary was easy. I’d always wanted to see Santorini, and Kevin’s heritage is Italian, so he just wanted to see Italy. We chose Celebrity based on the reputation as a more mature cruise line. I’m an old soul at heart, I’ve been told, and I like to go to bed early. Neither of us are heavy drinkers (I don’t think Kevin ever had more than 3, and I never had more than 2 drinks in a sitting). So I was excited to have a bit more sophistication, good food, few kids, and only responsible drinkers on board. This was one of the only Celebrity itineraries at the time that went to both our required locations and fit our other requirements, so we booked it. It was probably about a year in advance, and yes, we told NO ONE about it that entire time! As it got closer, my excitement just kept building, and I was so ready to burst! But that would have been a giveaway, so I kept it to myself, which was incredibly difficult, but also beneficial in that I would have driven my coworkers crazy by talking about it too much otherwise. I just told them I needed the vacation days, and that was it.

 

 

Our travel agent was able to get us the 123 Go promotion, even though we booked before it started. We got the onboard credit and the drink package, which was awesome. We also upgraded our cabin at one point (for an extra $300) from interior to balcony. That was very exciting. We had a portside cabin at first, but switched to starboard, because I started reading up on the smoke smell on the port side and kind of freaked out. We’re very sensitive to smoke smell, and that would have totally ruined our balcony. Our cabin was in a great spot, halfway between the stairs and on deck 8. Nice and centrally located, which I’d heard would be best for someone prone to motion sickness like me.

 

 

In the weeks leading up to our departure, we did what we could to handle our excitement and not burst. We bought some new spring trip outfits in nautical colors (festive!), researched the best way to pack a wedding dress, bought Kevin’s suit (just a vest, he was very grateful), and I practically lived on Cruise Critic, asking every stupid, unnecessary question that popped into my head. I had lists and charts and numbers and reservations… I squeezed our clothes into plastic ziplocs to save room, and it was so efficient that we packed everything into one suitcase and then realized it was too heavy, despite the spare room, and we needed two. It messed up my entire plan of who would carry what. Oh well. In April, there were some snow showers, as well as some paperwork drama with the Maltese wedding planner (which had us rushing to Madison, 2 hours away, to get properly stamped birth certificates with 2 days to spare until their deadline), but in the end, we survived the long wait.

 

Stayed tuned for more!

[cindygad]

Great start can't wait to hear the rest. Going on our first Mediterranean cruise in Oct. Thanks for taking the time.

[RoonilWazlib]

Day -2

 

 

My parents dropped us off at the airport for our first of three flights to get to Rome. There, the desk agent just about gave me a heart attack when she said there was an issue with Kevin’s passport. I was like, “WHAT?! What are you talking about??” She replied seriously, “He can’t fly.” We stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded, buggy-eyed, until she said, “He needs to sign it first,” and then cracked a smile. What a mean joke. Luckily, my heart resumed beating, and we made it the rest of the way through security without an issue. It’s weird waiting in an airport with only 4 gates to go on an international trip. We were the only ones there for a while! But it makes checking in nice.

 

 

It was a long trip, and the longest Kevin has ever had to sit on a plane. I’d done it for two trips to Europe before, but this time I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. Neither of us could. Big mistake. Part of me was just stupidly engrossed in the movie choices, and I think I flipped through 3-4 without finishing any of them (unusual for me). I slept for a little while, but definitely not long enough. Kevin hardly slept at all, as he has trouble sleeping if the conditions aren’t just right, which, on an international flight in coach, they definitely aren’t. So when we landed in Rome on the morning of April 28, the day before our cruise, we were pumped up on adrenaline, but would be fading fast.

[sparkins_mob]

I can't wait to read more! My husband and I are going on almost the same itinerary this upcoming May for our honeymoon.

 

Also, I LOVE your screen name.

Edited February 1, 2014 by sparkins_mob

[RoonilWazlib]

I can't wait to read more! My husband and I are going on almost the same itinerary this upcoming May for our honeymoon.

 

Also, I LOVE your screen name.

 

Awesome, it was so fun, you'll love it!

 

(And thank you! So glad to find another person who gets it!)

[RoonilWazlib]

I’d done my research on how to get from the airport to the city, and I’d read that the cabs charged a flat rate of 40 Euros. I knew we’d be tired, and bogged down with luggage, so we’d decided this cab ride would be justified. As we were wandering around the airport, trying to find the exit and the taxis, we were approached by a suited man, asking if we wanted a car for 75 Euro. We politely declined and I explained to Kevin that he wasn’t talking about cabs, but private cars. About ten minutes later, we were approached again by a different man. We said we needed a cab, and he said, “Yes, yes.” After I asked how much, I heard the words “flat rate” and so we went with him. He did not speak English well at all. He took one of our bags and led us outside to the parking area, which I thought was weird. As he brought us to a regular car in a parking space, I realized our mistake. He had already gotten our bags in the trunk by the time I was able to get an answer out of him of how much. He said “75 Euro.” Damn. But by this point, we were tired, the bags were heavy, and we still had not seen a single taxi, so we decided to just go with it. At least he was nice, and he pointed out interesting things along the ride.

 

One of the things that caught my attention first in Rome were the interesting trees. The Umbrella Pines were really interesting, as were the fact that Roman trees have more of a tropical flavor than I realized. Definitely felt like we were on vacation, having only barely just escaped our neverending late Wisconsin winter about two weeks before. The summer-iness was a very welcome change!

 

We arrived at our bed and breakfast for the night, I Gatti Di Roma. I’d found it and booked it on Expedia. I can’t remember how much it was, except that it was nicely priced in comparison to other places I looked. It was definitely not a typical hotel, which we discovered when we were dropped off in front of a large door in a wall running the full length of the block, with no windows to be seen. I was definitely a little worried that we were not in the right place, but we glanced through the many names listed behind plastic in various handwriting next to the door until we saw “I Gatti Di Roma.” We buzzed and were let into an unexpected sight; a courtyard with some very tropical-looking vegetation! Gorgeous!

 

 

Once in the courtyard, we were still a little lost, as there were multiple doors. But our host, Maria Antoinella, called to us from an open window and pointed out the correct door. We got into a tiny elevator to go up to the third floor and her B&B front door. We had the first of two rooms.

 

Maria Antoinella then asked us if we’d like some coffee, and what time we’d like breakfast the following day. She was very sweet. Neither of us are coffee snobs, but Kevin liked it and I didn’t. I thought it was way too bitter. But I like sugar way more than Kevin does. I enjoyed the shortbread instead.

 

 

Around mid-morning, we left for the Vatican. We took two metro lines to get to the Ottaviana stop, and then followed the crowds, the first of many that day, and the biggest. We were a little ways away yet, when the crowd abruptly stopped moving, blocked by barricades. We waited for at least twenty minutes, getting hotter and grumpier by the minute, and with no way of knowing what was going on. People around us were all speculating, but no one knew. Finally they opened the barricades, but they seemed to be all working off of different instructions, because many of the guards seemed confused, and as soon as we all started to push through, they closed them again behind us within minutes. We just kept walking, hoping no one would stop us. As soon as we got to the entrance to St Peter’s Square, we knew there was a problem. Another crowd, even denser than the last.

 

 

We forced our way to the front, where the metal detectors were, but this time, they were NOT letting anyone in. Absolutely no more people would be allowed that day. It was PACKED. I squeezed through in order to get a few photos, but unfortunately, this was as much of the Vatican as we were going to see.

 

 

Very disappointing, and we never got the full story, except that it was a holiday of some sort. So we decided to head to the Colosseum instead.

[RoonilWazlib]

I do not know how to fix the giant pictures...

[RoonilWazlib]

 

Okay, I think I figured out the big photo problem. Just going to take forever to resize everything, since I'll need to adjust each one and re-upload to my site. I wish there was an easier way to do it.

[RoonilWazlib]

We bought a combination ticket for the Colosseum and the Roman Forum at Palatine Hill/Roman Forum, which is where we started. Very interesting and incredible, and I think the photos speak for it better than I can.

 

 

 

 

 

[RoonilWazlib]

By this time, we were starting to feel the jet lag and needed a break, so we walked a few blocks away to look for lunch. We stopped at the first likely-looking restaurant, Antico Caffè Castelino. We got to try out our Italian pronunciation and had our first true Italian pasta!

 

 

Kevin had spaghetti with bacon and egg, and I had mozzarella gnocchi. yum!

 

 

Authentic tiramisu for dessert! Delicious!

 

 

We sat for a bit to recharge, and then headed back the way we came to go to the Coliseum.

 

[RoonilWazlib]

 

 

 

 

As we were walking through the Colosseum, I began to realize that eating didn’t help my weird jet lag symptoms at all. They were getting worse, and by the time I reached the top level and the gift shop, I felt like I was dreaming. It was the strangest feeling, and I’ve never felt like that before. I was dizzy and out of it, and I felt like I was missing chunks of time, like I ended up in the gift shop without remembering how I’d gotten there at all. So Kevin and I decided to go back to our B&B to take a nap. That journey back by foot and by metro and by foot again felt soooooooooooooo long. My feet hurt horribly, and I just wanted to pass out on the dirty sidewalk.

 

We finally got back, and I just barely had enough time to set our new battery-op travel alarm clock before passing out. Unfortunately I didn’t set it properly in my delirious state, because we slept until 8pm. Oops. No time for Trevi Fountain like we’d planned. We decided to just get dinner right down the street and call it a night.

 

We were recommended to I Butteri restaurant (I can’t remember by whom), and it was very nice. They even gave us English menus when they realized we weren’t Italian. We ordered a mozzarella ball as an appetizer, because we were very curious what that would be like. It was just as it sounds, a baseball-sized lump of fresh, watery mozzarella. We really liked it, but when we found something similar stateside later, my mom said it had absolutely no flavor. I can see her point, it was a very mild cheese.

 

Then we had pizza! Kevin had provolona with ham.

 

 

I had pachiano with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil.

 

 

After that we went back to the B&B and crashed again! I guess we really needed the sleep. Next time I plan to try really hard to sleep on the plane!!

 

End of Day -1. Tomorrow to the cruise ship!!

[celebrity]

Congrats on your wedding. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[Tommy3putts]

Wow great review so far. Love Rome. Looking forward to the rest of the review. We are doing an 11 night cruise on Reflection this June.

[cindygad]

Pictures are great. Love the food ones.

[RoonilWazlib]

DAY 1

 

Today is the day we meet our first-ever cruise ship! I was so excited! We woke up around 8am, to our breakfast cart waiting outside our door. Maria Antoinella had prepared us coffee, tea, bread, jams, butter, honey, Nutella, juice, and yogurt! We ate in our room by the open window, which is one thing I just love about Europe: no screens on windows. So peaceful and foreign, I love it!

 

 

 

I’d originally bought our tickets to Civitavecchia for 1:29pm in the hopes that we could do a little more morning sightseeing. But as usual, things always take longer than you expect, and we determined that it’d be cutting it too close to try that. Getting to and from everything always takes a while. So we decided to leisurely head over to the train station to wait, since we had to check out of our B&B.

 

We had originally planned to walk to Termini, since our B&B was pretty close, but a bunch of heavy luggage changes things. Maria Antoinella called us a cab, and less than 10 Euro later we were at the station. We were there extremely early, so we decided to find the best place that we could just sit for awhile. Which turned out to be an Italian McDonald’s, where we snacked on fries and ice cream so that we could sit there without feeling weird.

 

When it got closer to the time, we headed back downstairs (McD’s was in the balcony), and went to use the restroom, which cost 1 Euro to enter. Kind of a bummer when you’re not used to it, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

Then we went to stand by the big display boards that indicate the platforms. Still very early for this. Train stations do not seem to be like airports, where you show up two hours early and can just sit right by your gate. In the train station, we didn’t get our platform assignment until something like 10 minutes before the train was supposed to leave. In the 2+ hour meantime, we watched people. It was very interesting to note the differences between the locals and tourists. We had fun pointing out the huge tourist indicators (and Kevin finally understood my nagging about bringing certain kinds of clothes along so as not to stand out so much). The tourists were in shorts, hats, sandals (sometimes with socks), and often, American flag patterns. The Europeans wore sweaters, long pants and jackets. It was probably mid-70s that day.

 

We also saw something that we never quite figured out. When we’d first arrived, we had been approached by a young woman and asked if we needed help. We said no. Now we saw her again, several hours later. She was still walking around the train station, and she was approaching people and mostly being waved away. Shortly, we noticed that there were two other woman doing the same thing. At one point, they all came together to talk quietly, and then all split up again, so we know they were together. One changed her shirt halfway through. We never figured out what they were doing, but we’re pretty sure it was some kind of scam. They were very pushy when people started to go with them to look for their platform but then changed their minds halfway through.

 

Finally our platform was displayed and we walked over. The train was already there, and we hopped on. It left about 3 minutes late, but no other trouble. We sat across from some English-speaking people around our age, and later in the trip we recognized one of them on the ship. He was one of the singers from the barbershop quartet, and he recognized us too! That was fun.

 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The train got to Civitavecchia at about 2:10pm. Deadline to get on the ship was 3pm. I figured we had plenty of time to walk that short distance. But as I said earlier, things always take longer than you think. And looking at a map and tracing your route that way, and walking it are two different things. Walking to the pier was really confusing. It didn’t look right most of the way there, and there weren’t a ton of people around. But we followed a couple who had luggage and looked like they knew where they were going, and we got there eventually.

 

Once at the pier, we found a handful of coach buses waiting. One of them said “Celebrity Silhouette,” so we hopped on. It was almost empty, and the bus driver wasn’t even in it. I figured we’d be getting on our way pretty soon, since there was only about a half hour left before everyone was supposed to be checked in and onboard. But we just sat there. And waited. And waited some more. All the while, I was flipping out, thinking, “This bus driver has no idea what time we’re supposed to be there! He doesn’t care, he’s not affliated with the ship! Oh my god, we’re going to miss check-in, and they won’t let us on!!” But with 15 minutes to spare, the bus was finally full and the driver came back inside. On our way again. By the time we got there, I was okay again, seeing all the people that were still boarding and couldn’t all be left behind at 3:01.

 

We attempted to bring our luggage with us, as we had been hauling it all over that day anyway, and a little farther wouldn’t hurt us. But they said we couldn’t. But I kept the small rolling case with my wedding dress in it. I was not risking that one getting lost, just three days before my wedding!

 

We went into the check-in area and breezed through it. No lines, and very painless. Then, ONTO THE SHIP! AHHH, first ever cruise ship!!! So very exciting! We went straight to our room to drop off our carry-ons.

 

 

Kevin wanted to take off his shoes too, as he has a bad foot that acts up when he walks or stands on it for too long. We were hoping the luggage would get there soon so he could put on a different pair of shoes for a while. So Kevin relaxed his feet, and I went to Qsine to make a reservation for our first at sea day and then to the salon to make a hair appointment for the wedding! On the way to the salon, I walked through the solarium. It was so calm and peaceful and warm in there, and I suddenly felt this strong, giddy urge to jump in the pool. Woohoo, we are really on vacation now, I can feel it!

 

After that I went back to the room. Luggage wasn’t there yet, but it was time for the muster drill, so Kevin had to put the same shoes on again. We went to the theater and had our unmemorable but necessary muster drill. Then we went to the buffet quick for the make-your-own-pasta bar, and then up to the Sunset Bar for our Cruise Critic sailaway party! We wore our Mardi Gras beads and were greeted by Joyce AKA Queenslander. Over the next hour we were introduced to the many other CC roll call members. Everyone seemed excited to meet “The bride and groom,” since I’d mentioned it more than once on CC (I hadn’t told any friends and family, so telling CC helped me stay sane while keeping that secret). We met another younger couple (I wish I could remember all the names, but I didn’t write this part in my journal) who told us that when they got to the party, people assumed they were the bride and groom. So I thought it was nice that people were excited for us. Scotslass even gave us some lucky Scottish Heather! So sweet, and our very first wedding gift! It was perfect, we ended up using it as Kevin’s boutinierre!

 

After the social, we went back to the room to find our luggage. Kevin changed shoes, and we headed to the MDR. Unfortunately, I’d completely forgotten in my excitement of being onboard, the rule about no shorts in the dining room. Kevin lives in shorts unless he’s told otherwise. So instead of going back to change, we just went to the buffet. After dinner, we just wandered and got to know the ship a little bit. Kevin wanted to try the casino, but we couldn’t figure out the slot games and determined that slots just aren’t our thing. When we were done with that, we determined it had been a good, long day, and it was time for rest.

 

Sorry for the lack of photos from this day, I guess I just didn’t feel like hauling around the big camera. I just wanted to take the first day to relax, so that’s what I did. It is vacation, after all.

 

End of Day 1.

[RoonilWazlib]

Thank you for the comments so far! It's nice to see some people are enjoying it. I'm having fun writing it, but it does take longer than I realized, so it's good to know it's being read. :-)

[RoonilWazlib]

Pictures are great. Love the food ones.

 

Thank you! And there will be more food photos to come! :)

[zales]

Really enjoying this review especially as you both were first time cruisers:) Very nice narrative:cool: Congratulations On Getting Married!!!

Edited February 3, 2014 by zales

[RoonilWazlib]

Really enjoying this review especially as you both were first time cruisers:) Very nice narrative:cool: Congratulations On Getting Married!!!

 

Thanks so much!! Glad you stopped by! :) We're just getting to the good stuff!

[scotslass]

Scotslass here. Glad the heather came in useful. I hope it has brought you luck. It was a wonderful cruise. Irene

[RoonilWazlib]

Scotslass here. Glad the heather came in useful. I hope it has brought you luck. It was a wonderful cruise. Irene

 

Oh yay! I'm so glad you posted! :-) The heather made a wonderful boutonniere, and it was perfect, because I love Scotland too!

 

And yes, the cruise was amazing! I'm really enjoying reliving it while I write this review!

[RoonilWazlib]

Day 2 Naples

 

This is the day that I made a HUGE mistake on the cruise, and is still my greatest regret from the entire trip. But we’ll get to that soon.

 

We woke up to our alarm in great sprits. We were on a cruise!!! I felt giddy and anxious, and a bit nauseous, which could have just been excitement, or motion sickness. Popped some Bonine and forgot about it. Our room service breakfast arrived shortly after our alarm went off, and we enjoyed our first breakfast on the balcony!

 

 

(Celebrity uses REALLY big plates!)

 

Ah, bliss. We watched the ship pull into Naples and I started clicking madly away on my Nikon (This may be a good time to mention that I am an amateur-striving-for-professional photographer, and I take my travel photography VERY seriously). There wasn’t a ton to take photos of yet, but I tend to overdo it when I’m excited, and I probably took about 70-80 shots of all similar views. Mount Vesuvius was beautiful.

 

 

 

 

[RoonilWazlib]

After breakfast, Kevin suggested it might be a good idea to charge up the battery again. We’d be in for some of the most amazing views we’d see on the whole trip, and we had a full day out with a group tour that Brenda from the roll call had arranged. Didn’t want my camera dying during that.

 

We finished getting ready, and then headed off to Café Al Bacchio to meet our group at 7:30am. We were a bit early, and Kevin got a mocha using our wonderful drink package. I didn’t get one, because we were taking a group van to Pompeii, and I was nervous I’d have to use the restroom on the way if I drank a whole cup of something right before (that is my curse). So once everyone was assembled, we left the ship.

 

As soon as we left the port building, we immediately saw some amazing views (maybe not really amazing, but we were in Europe, and like I said, I tend to overshoot). So I whipped out my camera to start clicking. Or so I thought I’d be doing. Can you see where this is heading yet?

 

The camera wasn’t clicking along with me. My heart dropped when I realized it wasn’t even on and something was majorly wrong. I tried a couple more things, probably for only 2 seconds, but it felt like hours to me, before I realized the problem; Cameras don’t work so well without power. My battery was still tucked safely in the charger back in our cabin. This realization hit me like a wall. How could I make such a devastating mistake?? This was catastrophic!

 

There was no time to run back to the ship and retrieve it. We would have had to forfeit our entire day’s plans and let the tour go without us. Thinking back, we probably should have just done that, and tried to get to the places on our own. It would have cost us, but it would have been less expensive than coming back on a return trip someday, which I’m determined to do to get my shots. If you’ve seen the Amalfi Coast and have a photographer’s heart, you should understand.

 

But we didn’t do that. We hopped in one of the two vans, and I tried not to cry. Kevin did his best to console me, but I could not be consoled. I was so mad at myself for making such a dumb mistake, and in one of the locations I was looking forward to the most. Why couldn’t this have happened in Chania instead??

 

Our tour guide, Giovanni, was wonderful. I tried my hardest to still enjoy myself, but I only partially succeeded. I asked him if he knew of a place that would sell Nikon rechargeable batteries, and he said he wasn’t sure. But he chivalrously offered to go look for me while we were in Pompeii.

 

Pompeii was really awesome, but my anxiety didn’t let me fully enjoy it. I kept wondering if Giovanni had found me a battery yet instead. I wish I had photos also for remembering purposes. Part of why I love travel photography is that it keeps memories fresh. Without them, details fade away. So rather than tell you all the awesome stuff about Pompeii, I’ll just recommend that you go see it yourself and get a guide. It’s quite a remarkable place.

 

When we got back in the van with Giovanni, we got the bad news. No camera battery. So I was severely disappointed, but at least then I could let go of the hope and anxiety, and try to just forget about it. I didn’t want to bum anyone else out with my glum attitude. And I realized; I was still here, still able to see it with my eyes and enjoy the company of my fiance-for-one-more-day in a beautiful European location.

 

After Pompeii, Giovanni took us to Positano. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! I will include an internet photo from Google for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

We had lunch together at a restaurant called La Tagliata.

 

Photo from restaurant website.

 

Kevin and I sat by Mary-Jo and Howard, and Mary-Jo (AKA “bye-seaya”) was sweet enough to lend me her camera. She explained that her and Howard each had one, so they didn’t need both. She let me take photos with it, and said she’d email them to me afterwards (unfortunately it’s been extremely difficult to get in touch with anyone after the cruise, so I have yet to see my shots from her).

 

The food was amazing. They served us family-style plates, and there was a huge variety. Appetizers: mozzarella balls, spinach, broccoli, beans, rice balls, etc. Pastas: ravioli, mannacotti, gnocchi, and one other I couldn’t name. Last, we were served a delicious variety of desserts. Everything tasted great.

 

After lunch, we went to Sorrento for some free time. Kevin bought a swimsuit, sized XL, that turned out later to be WAY too small. Europeans really are thinner than Americans! An American XL would have fit him just fine.

 

After that, our tour day was done, and Giovanni brought us back to the ship. We gave him a nice tip for hunting the impossible-to-find battery.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Wow I am loving this report! You sound SO much like my then fiance (now husband) and I on our first cruise :) Did you happen to read my report? We did the western med. on May 2012 (we got engaged on this trip).

 

Your excitement (and anxiety) and planning reminds me so much of myself LOL! I know what you mean about the weird dream-trance feeling from jet lag. Have you tried the sea sick patch, instead of bonniene? (SP)

 

Sorry about your camera, I was like you- snapping away like crazy. Just so happy to be in Europe I took pictures of everything! I think on our day in Naples I took like 500 pictures? We did the same as you- Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, etc. I'm not aspiring to be a photographer or anything but I did take taking pictures on the trip seriously. I also had moments where i was just in the moment and forgot to take pictures :)

 

We just had our second X cruise, I still haven't started the trip report. I have got to tell you, nothing like your first cruise, and being in the med! Our 2nd cruise wasn't as exciting, nothing beats the first time!

 

Can't wait to read more. You do a great job describing everything, I feel like I am right there with you!

 

Have a great day! Looking forward to more posts :)

 

Ashley

[RoonilWazlib]

Wow I am loving this report! You sound SO much like my then fiance (now husband) and I on our first cruise :) Did you happen to read my report? We did the western med. on May 2012 (we got engaged on this trip).

 

Your excitement (and anxiety) and planning reminds me so much of myself LOL! I know what you mean about the weird dream-trance feeling from jet lag. Have you tried the sea sick patch, instead of bonniene? (SP)

 

Sorry about your camera, I was like you- snapping away like crazy. Just so happy to be in Europe I took pictures of everything! I think on our day in Naples I took like 500 pictures? We did the same as you- Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, etc. I'm not aspiring to be a photographer or anything but I did take taking pictures on the trip seriously. I also had moments where i was just in the moment and forgot to take pictures :)

 

We just had our second X cruise, I still haven't started the trip report. I have got to tell you, nothing like your first cruise, and being in the med! Our 2nd cruise wasn't as exciting, nothing beats the first time!

 

Can't wait to read more. You do a great job describing everything, I feel like I am right there with you!

 

Have a great day! Looking forward to more posts :)

 

Ashley

 

HI! YES, I did read your review before we went, I thought it was wonderful! It's part of what made me want to write one too! :-) And I definitely felt similarities with your travel style too, even reading it before we left.

 

Congrats on your wedding! I think I remember you saying that you'd be going on a honeymoon cruise, right? Where did you cruise? It's hard to beat the Mediterranean, though, so I understand.

 

I'm so glad you took the time to comment! I appreciate it! I just hope my review can be half as good as yours was! :-)