Azamara Quest - Mediterranean Cities, October 28-November 4 2021

[Bimmer09]

4 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Thanks, found the link in your "Silly" review !! Bookmarked too 😁

 

Dani, be aware that following CC's software "upgrade" (sic) a couple of years ago the Ocean Princess review is missing videos and many photos are missing and have a blue x. All the videos are visible on my Youtube channel (Norris Adair) and the pics should open in another window if you click on the X

Link to my youtube...

https://www.youtube.com/user/MrPortavogie/videos

The videos are in descending chronological order. There's about 340 of them so Ocean Princess will be a long scroll down to 2014.

The review starts in Venice and there's a Grand Canal sailaway after a lot of Venice videos. Here's one from our first night at dinner.... Love the singer on the gondola!

Norris

[dani negreanu]

14 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Dani, be aware that following CC's software "upgrade" (sic) a couple of years ago the Ocean Princess review is missing videos and many photos are missing and have a blue x.

 

Thanks, N., I've noticed that... Will do.

Does this review include Malta? I was curious first thing to read about it, and the "search" function didn't find either Malta or Valletta....☹️

Edited December 4, 2021 by dani negreanu
spelling

[Bimmer09]

Dani, The Malta section starts on page 11 post 265. There is a walking tour of the walled town of Mdina, including a cathedral visit followed by a walk through some catacombs. Followed by some pics of the harbor and the cruise ships, then the sailaway.

I'm not surprised the CC "search engine" wasn't any help. The software is lame and it took me 15 minutes just now to get a window open to respond to you and I've only succeeded by deleting the CC cookies from my browser.

Norris

[Baynanno1]

The cookies have been a problem for several months now, almost a daily requirement to delete them!

😬

[Bimmer09]

4 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

The cookies have been a problem for several months now, almost a daily requirement to delete them!

😬

Indeed, I would say all the software glitches added a full day to the length of time it took me to write or respond to comments. I had to delete cookies several times or reload the screen. Some things I wrote disappeared when I hit SUBMIT. This morning I tried a dozen times to get a respond box to open but no joy until I cleared the cookies. The software including the search engine is a mess. Hopefully someday it will be reengineered.

I know from her comments that Singinalot has had difficulties with the software too.

First world problem I know...

Norris

[rdsqrl]

Thanks for another great read!  And thanks for the mention of the Just Planes Youtube channel -- I'd never heard of it before and now I'm totally hooked.  So far today, I've flown from CDG to MEX and ARN to LAX.  And boy are my arms tired . . .

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, rdsqrl said:

Thanks for another great read!  And thanks for the mention of the Just Planes Youtube channel -- I'd never heard of it before and now I'm totally hooked.  So far today, I've flown from CDG to MEX and ARN to LAX.  And boy are my arms tired . . .

Annie, glad you enjoyed the read!

Yes, Just Planes is very interesting.

Two of my favorites- both at the top of the home page

Etihad Abu Dhabi to Paris (no landing) Airbus A380, both pilots female 18 Million views

Aer Lingus San Francisco to Dublin Airbus A330, female co-pilot  8 Million views

 

Enjoy!

Norris

[Baynanno1]

18 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Indeed, I would say all the software glitches added a full day to the length of time it took me to write or respond to comments. I had to delete cookies several times or reload the screen. Some things I wrote disappeared when I hit SUBMIT. This morning I tried a dozen times to get a respond box to open but no joy until I cleared the cookies. The software including the search engine is a mess. Hopefully someday it will be reengineered.

I know from her comments that Singinalot has had difficulties with the software too.

First world problem I know...

Norris

 

You may wonder why I chose the laugh response to your post . . .

I hit the like response only to find yet again there was a glitch . . . and I laughed! 😆

Then went through the rigmarole of deleting cookies etc etc yet again . . .

In the end we are able to communicate, so that's a positive. 😊

[dani negreanu]

Norris,

 

Just finished your amazing Cuba and Fjords reviews.

 

3 X Thank you (one as "baksheesh", or paying forward for the next one 😁)

 

Did you do a "Sky Princess" review too, since I'm afraid I cannot find one...?

[Bimmer09]

30 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

Norris,

 

Just finished your amazing Cuba and Fjords reviews.

 

3 X Thank you (one as "baksheesh", or paying forward for the next one 😁)

 

Did you do a "Sky Princess" review too, since I'm afraid I cannot find one...?

Dani, sadly no. We were booked on the Sky for January 2020 but had to cancel as Carol found she had to have surgery and it was scheduled for a time when we would have been at sea. 

We've only sailed on one Princess Royal Class ship- the Regal in Oct 2017 from New York to Canada and back. Memorable sailaway and return in the dark.

Norris

[Xfedcruiser]

Thanks for another great review!  I finally got to the end.  In post #611 you mention getting a one-hour covid test in Barcelona, but I didn't find that you told the name of the place. Assuming we will need to get a test after a cruise that ends in Barcelona, could you give us the name of the testing site? Thanks.

Phil

[Bimmer09]

10 hours ago, Xfedcruiser said:

Thanks for another great review!  I finally got to the end.  In post #611 you mention getting a one-hour covid test in Barcelona, but I didn't find that you told the name of the place. Assuming we will need to get a test after a cruise that ends in Barcelona, could you give us the name of the testing site? Thanks.

Phil

Phil, glad you read the review and thanks for the compliment!

Laboratorio Echevarne- 312 Carrer de Provenca. It's the street running down the side of Gaudi's Casa Mila so only a 10 minute walk from our hotel to the clinic.

https://www.covidtestfinder.net/test_centers/spain/barcelona/laboratorios-echevarne-barcelona-195

Results within an hour. Paper copy of the test given.

 

Hope this helps,

Norris

 

[Xfedcruiser]

Thanks a lot!!

Phil

[CoatRackOfDoom]

"Look Ma! I'm on top of the Worl..er, um, Land Rover!"

 

Could I be the only one who spotted Vive Le Rock by Adam Ant? (referencing Cagney in some old film...)

 

Cheers,
Ed

[Bimmer09]

16 hours ago, CoatRackOfDoom said:

"Look Ma! I'm on top of the Worl..er, um, Land Rover!"

 

Could I be the only one who spotted Vive Le Rock by Adam Ant? (referencing Cagney in some old film...)

 

Cheers,
Ed

Yes Ed, you could be!

Norris, remembering Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes" fondly.

[MisterMet]

On 11/7/2021 at 9:53 PM, Bimmer09 said:

DAY 9, MARSEILLE, FRANCE, CRUISE DAY 6 (moving bus shot)

 

DAY 10, BARCELONA, SPAIN, CRUISE DAY 7

 

DAY 11, BARCELONA, CRUISE DISEMBARKATION 

 

DAY 12, ENJOYING BARCELONA

 

DAY 13, DUBLIN, IRELAND

 

DAY 14, NOVEMBER 7TH (hey-that's today!) FLYING HOME

 

So that's the basic framework of this Gentleman's Seafaring Journal which I am about to write and which will feature;

Air travel (4 flights total)

Covid tests (5 of those-PCR up the nose)

Dining in Rome, Barcelona and Dublin

Azamara Quest of course

Food porn

A mountain of marble

Wine tastings in Tuscany and Provence

Covid 19 in all the cities

Ships we met in the various harbors

Bus excursions

Tour of Sagrada Familia/Parc Guell (Private guide)

 and of course lots of pics of Carol, Deck Chair Queen as she is known on CC

who bravely went through with Covid airports, ship and hotels in these uncertain times. We travel everywhere together. This one tested us.

 

The "Journal" as the term suggests will be recounted chronologically, as it happened. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly will be revealed where it is found.

I will write something every day until it is done, or I am.

 

There will be a great many photos.....

I hope you will read along.

 

Norris

 

Norris my friend.  Thanks for putting together another Gentlemen's Seafaring Journal!  I am so looking forward to the adventures you and Carol have experienced.  I know it'll be full of great pictures, great information, and lots of laughs and fun.  I'll live vicariously  through you until we get on the Reflection in July 2022 through the Greek Islands and Italy.  Great to see you sailing again, and will follow along (albeit a bit late to the party) looking forward to every bit of this review.

 

Happy Holidays to you and Carol,

 

Trip

[MisterMet]

On 11/8/2021 at 1:31 PM, Bimmer09 said:

OK, so we are now in Rome. 0800 and off to Immigration with our Covid vaccine proof (at great cost) and our up to date Passenger Locator Form so the Italian Government knows where we were sitting on the plane and where we are staying in Rome.

 

I  wait for the Immigration Officer to stop yawning and approach. Show passport.

" Would you like to see my PLF?"

No.

Do you need to see my Covid test result"

Don't worry about it....and he waved me through. Why did we bother? Carol had the same result.

 

On to baggage claim. There's Carol's! Load it up onto a trolley. Wait for mine. And wait. The carousel is soon luggage-free. Oh great! Thanks United!! Thanks a bunch!

 

There's a "Lost Luggage" desk belonging to Alitalia. We trudge over there and an Alitalia rep asks if we need help. Boy do we ever! Computers are checked. They found my luggage. In Newark (of course). She was super helpful and spoke great English.

Her name was Valentina and she cared to resolve our problem.

 

I have to fill out a form.

My address in Rome if it comes tomorrow but they don't deliver until the afternoon

My address on the ship in Civitavecchia in case they have to ship it there

My address in Livorno in case it doesn't arrive in Rome or Civittavecchia 

My address in Nice....do I need to go any further?

 

I asked them to let me know if it came on the next flight from Newark tomorrow morning and if it did I would come to the airport and get it on my way to the ship.

 

This would be my 3rd day wearing the same clothes.

 

Meantime with all this delay I had informed Rome in Limo what was happening. The driver was waiting for as long as needed. We were free in about an hour.

 

Norris, mentally exhausted at the time

 

All I can say about the start you had to this trip is "OMG."

 

[MisterMet]

On 11/10/2021 at 1:15 PM, Deck Chair Queen said:

Guidebook Carol feels she must step in here. This is the Sant'Ignazio church, a gorgeous Baroque structure famous for its trompe-l'oeil (fake) dome. 

Thanks, as always Carol, for complimenting Norris' review.  

[Bimmer09]

A message for Dani Negreanu....

 

Dani I have been notified that you are now reading my Ocean Princess Venice to Rome journal from 2014.

This was a victim of the CC software  debacle a few years ago so the pics and videos are no longer embedded. The videos are all visible on my youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEvSQGerlsdVQOEeOV7rNlw

 

The pics now appear as a stream of code from Flickr. You can see them by hovering over the text that begins IMG___(number). That will give a hyperlink to my Flickr album that covers that cruise.

 

Thanks for taking an interest in my various cruises Dani!

Norris

[dani negreanu]

28 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

A message for Dani Negreanu....

 

Dani I have been notified that you are now reading my Ocean Princess Venice to Rome journal from 2014.

This was a victim of the CC software  debacle a few years ago so the pics and videos are no longer embedded. The videos are all visible on my youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEvSQGerlsdVQOEeOV7rNlw

 

The pics now appear as a stream of code from Flickr. You can see them by hovering over the text that begins IMG___(number). That will give a hyperlink to my Flickr album that covers that cruise.

 

Thanks for taking an interest in my various cruises Dani!

Norris

 

Thanks, Norris.

 

Nothing beats reading a dry wit Irish humor in long winter and Covid dark days and nights.

 

Having been to Cuba, the Fjords, NE & Canada (BTW, still waiting for Carol's explanation re: apricot hamentashen 😉), ABC islands (and the oldest synagogue in the Western hemisphere), I finally found myself in one of my favorite cities -- Venice 😁

 

We've been fortunate enough to visit several times (my profile pic is from Venice), but day visits mostly, where we left the car in Mestre and schlepped ourselves by train to Piazzale Roma and back. It was a drag.

 

But the last time, before a cruise, we decided to actually stay in the city. Found a hotel at the San Zaccaria stop, which didn't involve steps and bridges, and with Alilaguna Blu from the airport (yes, it took 45 minutes) we were finally IN the city. It was such a huge difference to experience Venice at night and early morning without the huge crowds.

 

I also like the idea of your hotel, with its own dock, and enjoyed the video of San Marco (Hava Nagila and Hevenu Shalom Aleichem included 😁) at night. There was a video there about "leaving Nice at night" which didn't fit the timing.

 

Should you need "to find" me again, I have "my own 'long running show' " on the Royal boards, where I could be found daily 😉

 

Taking the opportunity to wish you and Carol a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

 

[Bimmer09]

Dani, thanks for your response and for making my old reviews your winter reading! 

I'm happy that you are able to revisit some of your past cruise ports through them. Yes Venice when the tour buses and day visitors leave is special and my walk starting at 5 a.m really saw Venice without the crowds. It was cool to see the city slowly come alive and ride the vaparetto with people going to work.

I'm glad I shot the sailaway video as it's likely the last time I will have the chance on a cruise ship.

 

Yes I am aware of your "Lockdown" thread as it's a record-breaker- over 42,000 replies currently as Lockdown comes and goes. 1700 pages!

 

I'm going to guess that you haven't been to Alaska yet- I have 3 Alaska journals so you can go there from the comfort of your armchair! 

 

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family!

Norris

[wjfan417]

On 11/13/2021 at 2:34 PM, LT Hambone said:

 

Ha!

 

Here's Micia, she was a neighborhood kitty who visited us at our hotel in Trastevere. Enjoy!

 

 

If you're wondering how she visited us, our hotel was a former convent, all of the rooms faced a courtyard filled with orange trees. Micia would wander the courtyard, greeting all of the guests!

 

We stay at the same hotel in Trastevere-we were just there in early November.

[MisterMet]

On 11/15/2021 at 6:45 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Carol didn't join me for lunch at the Patio. The rain was easing now at 1.20 or so. I was Jonesing for a hamburger. When you close your eyes and dream of a bacon cheeseburger you imagine that pillowy soft bun, maybe with some seeds on top, enveloping that juicy seared meat, with melted cheese, bacon strips, tomato and lettuce.

Oh yeah!

What in the world is this thing??

 

Looks like Pumpernickel bread, toasted and crunchy. Not a pillowy soft burger bun sold in billions each day on this planet you call Earth. 

 

I was so hungry I ate this "hamburger" but this was a massive fail in meeting

expectations.

Carol texted. Sun was out and she wanted to go for a walk. Great idea. The Captain had spoken over the PA -Coastguard advising of strong winds later so ship will leave harbor 2 hours earlier at 6 pm. My window for enjoying Nice is shrinking.

That "burger" doesn't exactly look like one you'd get at a Johnny Rockets or an In n Out does it?  I'm sensing a theme here Norris?

[MisterMet]

On 11/19/2021 at 8:36 AM, Bimmer09 said:

Yes, I have time on my hands. 

My last day at work was March 6 2020. Chicago went into lockdown on March 13.

Snowy the cat sadly left us on October 7th before our cruise. She was 18 years old and it was her time.

 

As we were going to be away in Europe for two weeks we waited until we got home on November 7 before getting more cats. We found two on line at a shelter over in Indiana where we have got 4 previous cats (all gone) including Snowy. We found two strays who had been found living on a golf course. We picked them up last Friday, November 12. They went from a 4 ft long cage with no toys to what I can only describe as Disneyworld for cats. Carol wears them out by playing with them. I do the feeding and they like their 10 square meals a day (LOL).

 

They are Rodolfo(3 years old)

 

and Mimi (1 year old)

 

 

They look like fun cats!

[silkismom]

Such sweet kitties.