Port Intensive and Picture Intensive Trip Report for Jewel's E Mediterranean cruise

[storknurse13]

Excellent review! Love seeing the beauty in Rome!

[dani negreanu]

Hi Debbie,

So glad to see yet another of your wonderful reviews. Following just because I enjoy reading and seeing your pics.

Good to see Phil up and about, last time we "met" during your Hawaii review.

Warmest wishes,

[SirRedman]

Such beautiful pictures! I am thoroughly enjoying your review!

[Jax129]

How was it finding public bathrooms in Rome & Florence?

[marylizcat]

I am enjoying your review very much! (But note that this was the Western Med, not the Eastern, which is Greece, Turkey, etc.)

 

 

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[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

I am enjoying your review very much! (But note that this was the Western Med, not the Eastern, which is Greece, Turkey, etc.)

 

 

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Lol, thanks! I thought Eastern. Guess we will have to go back for that!

 

 

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[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Excellent review! Love seeing the beauty in Rome!

 

 

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

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[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Hi Debbie,

 

So glad to see yet another of your wonderful reviews. Following just because I enjoy reading and seeing your pics.

 

Good to see Phil up and about, last time we "met" during your Hawaii review.

 

 

Warmest wishes,

 

Thanks so much and good to hear from you! Looks like you have had some very interesting cruises!

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Such beautiful pictures! I am thoroughly enjoying your review!

 

Thanks so much!

[marylizcat]

How was it finding public bathrooms in Rome & Florence?

They don’t have many in Italy. You have to use the ones in cafes and restaurants. Go whenever you get the chance! And if necessary, buy a drink and use the facilities. If you don’t speak Italian, at least ask for ‘the toilets’ not the bathroom, as the Italian word is similar to ‘toilets’ so more likely to be understood! And don’t expect very high standards in the restrooms, though at least there aren’t too many holes in the ground these days!

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

How was it finding public bathrooms in Rome & Florence?

 

We didn’t have any trouble finding a bathroom. We mostly stuck to those in restaurants.

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

They don’t have many in Italy. You have to use the ones in cafes and restaurants. Go whenever you get the chance! And if necessary, buy a drink and use the facilities. If you don’t speak Italian, at least ask for ‘the toilets’ not the bathroom, as the Italian word is similar to ‘toilets’ so more likely to be understood! And don’t expect very high standards in the restrooms, though at least there aren’t too many holes in the ground these days!

 

Truth! 😊😊

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

After walking around a while, we called Fz to come get us. It was earlier than he thought, and apparently, we did not follow his directions and go down as far as we should have to see all that we should have, but we were ready to go back to the hotel. It had been a long and fabulous day!

 

On the way out of Florence, we stopped at a grocery store. M&I waited in the car with Fz, while F&P ran in to get beer for Phil to bring back to the room. It was too funny, them explaining trying to find the beer in the huge store. Then, they decided to do self-checkout because the lines were long. Somehow, they got the machine to a point where they could scan the beer but couldn’t figure out how to say they were done because it was all in Italian. Finally, a clerk came over and hit a button for them. Then, they just kept putting in euro coins until they got change back. LOL!!

 

 

It was a very scenic, if scary, ride back. There was an accident – looked awful! They drive nuts!!!!! They must have so many fatalities. I was a bit traumatized – my nephew who was stationed in the Air Force in Italy was killed in a car accident in Northern Italy 6 years ago. Such a sweet and nice boy! He liked to drive fast and raced his GTO mustang on a race track over there – so I’m not suggesting the traffic played a role! He would have been right at home.

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

We went back to the room to relax and figure out where to go to dinner. I looked some restaurants up online but couldn’t really come up with anything that stood out to me. I loved the hotel and did not find its place outside of Rome to be a problem and to actually be a plus. However, if you do decide to stay outside the city, I would suggest having some ideas of where you would like to eat at night because when you are tired and hungry, it is more difficult as there is nowhere close by. (If you are young and/or healthy, this lack of energy probably wouldn’t be a problem… 😊) The hotel did have a shuttle to Rome and there was a taxi stand right there, so transportation was not an issue. M called and said they were going to go get pizza. Did we want them to bring back some or to come with them? Yes, perfect!

 

At first, I was hesitant to go back to same place as they seemed to not like us (Americans). But P was like who cares? We will never see them again. P did not want to walk this time! So, we had the doorman call us a taxi. The taxi driver was fine, though we could tell he was not happy the fare was so close as he told the next up taxi driver that the next one was his. 😊 He gave us his number to call him for the ride back, so he could not be that upset. We got a different waiter this time and it was like night and day. He was so nice and helpful and funny. M&I got the Marguerite pizza again. F got Spaghetti Bolognese that M made him get and he was so happy he did. P even got clams, which he liked a lot.

Everything was delicious! We ordered a yummy dessert from a huge array of desserts, and the waiter even brought us some type of yummy apple cake to try. We said it would make a good breakfast and he said that is what it is usually served as. The waiter kindly called a cab for us when there was no answer to the number the other cab driver had given us. We gave him a big tip – even though we know tipping is not encouraged in Europe. He was just too nice not to do so. We did not give a big tip to the other waiter last time we were there, though, of course, a regular tip because we are Americans and cannot help but tip...

 

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

Okay, maybe there is a reason they don’t like Americans…

 

 

Sometimes they can behave, but not for long…

 

 

 

Back to our rooms to pack (me as I was the only one to almost fully unpack…) and sleep! Good bye Roma! We loved you! Next up – Mediterranean cruise!

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Wednesday,10/25/17, Day 6, Day 1 cruise – Civitavecchia, Italy

Boarding day! We never even saw the whole hotel. We never went up to the roof top bar or down to the restaurant or the inside pool area. We had prepaid the room, but there was a 7 euro per person per day city tax that was not included in our prepayment (though it was mentioned on the booking receipt). They also charged 25 to 28 euros every time you even touched a min-bar item, so we had to keep watch on our account and had to say something to get it off. We only got 1 mis-charge, but M&F got quite a few. They would come on your bank account in the middle of the night. All said, this was the nicest hotel I have ever stayed, and I would only stay here if I ever come to Rome again. Last sunrise over Rome!

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Bell hop came and got our luggage. Fz picked us up at 10 am. It took around an hour to get to the port at Civitavecchia. We drove right in, porters took our luggage and we made our goodbyes to Fz until Naples. He was on fire funny today. He also did not want the port people to see us pay him (140 euros), and he gave us a receipt. I don’t know what that was all about.

Our first glimpses of the Jewel of the Seas:

 

 

 

Wewalked around to the check in TENT – nothing like we have been used to at anyother port. We went through security – it looked more like Royal in this area.Walked right up to the counter to check in. Got our sea pass and on the ship by11:30. It was so easy!!!

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Our first stop was to check out our MDR table, #480, in the Tides restaurant. I had contacted Royal dining by eMail a couple of weeks prior for a table for 4 by the window. Done!

 

We then went to Chops Grille for our 12 pm lunch reservation, made via the cruise planner and prepaid. They now serve lunch on sea days, and I pre-booked at $19 per person (price varies) for 2 days. We thought it would be a nice, private way to start the cruise. It was not to be. The Maître ‘d said that they don’t serve lunch on embarkation days – only on sea days. Well, fine, but I booked for today on line. He didn’t believe me, but luckily, it was in his computer. Not luckily, they really don’t serve lunch today… But he moved our reservation to tomorrow, a sea day, if we want. If not, we would cancel. We saw the new items on the dinner menu, so we thought that we might change for dinner one night. I had only pre-booked Giovanni’s Table for dinner and the 2 Chops Grille lunches. So, we went to the Windjammer for lunch. It was yummy!

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

We stopped by the pool deck to get a drink. I got a bucket, which was $2 with the drink package and M&F got pina coladas. The bucket was very yummy with lots of alcohol – I can’t remember what it was called, sorry to say! Re the drink package, although we have gotten it since they started offering it, we weren’t going to get it for this cruise because we knew with all the ports it would be hard for me and M to make it financially beneficial; however, they had a really good sale on the Cruise Planner about 5 months out, so we changed our minds and bought it. It was $38 per day, plus 18% gratuity, and $46 per day for the drink and one device VOOM package, plus 18% gratuity. We enjoy the convenience of the package anyway. F did not get it because he doesn’t drink much and gets the Diamond free drinks if he wishes to have a Bailey’s and cream in the evening. At that time, you could get the package for one person in the cabin and didn’t have to get for all of drinking age. That has since changed.

 

There are flies at this port. Flies everywhere. Pool bartender said it is this city and it is like Fiji that way. So many flies and they will be washing everything down with bleach after they leave port… He was a great bartender – very nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first experience seeing the life guards. Not a job I would want!

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

At 1, our rooms were ready. We were in 1050 and M&F were in 1550. The cabin was quite beautiful and spacious. We have been in this class grand suite before. The Jewel has been very well maintained from what I see.

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

I thought the barge in front of us was going to hit us pulling out, but it did not. Tug boat helped!

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

A lot of sea gulls at this port too!!

 

 

 

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

We had a nice relaxing rest of the day and the sunset was so gorgeous! It took forever to go down! We are off!

 

- sunset video