Just back Star Princess Med part 4 Rome to Kusadasi

[ijkh]

The first thing in favor of using Princess was their foresight in allowing the ship to double back to avoid arriving in Rome on a Sunday. The second thing I kept in my mind as we arrived in Civitavecchia was “Rome was not built in a day nor can it be seen in a day”. This was my “mantra” for the day. We selected the ship’s tour. We did this because we didn’t want the hassle or the risk of missing the ship leaving for Athens and missing 2 days at sea, but more about that later…

We selected the Rome Sampler tour. We selected it because it gave a nice overview of the ancient sights and a peak into the Vatican. The real reason was that it gave us a free few hours to use as we wished. We enjoyed that part. Looking at our pictures of the ancient forum and the Coliseum it was a lot to take in at once. The walking was NOT too much for us. I wore a light summer midcalf skirt a cotton sweater set (leaving the sweater part in the bus until the Vatican and my Chaco brand sandals that were perfect for lots of walking. I could actually do a 7-mile hike in those sandals they are lightweight and cool. Rome was very warm. I took a big shoulder bag on the bus with my water and sweater. It all worked very well. Be advised that this tour if you read the details of it does not include a tour inside the Coliseum. We were aware of this and it was ok. Several others on the tour were disappointed about this. All I can say is READ THE TOUR INFORMATION CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BOOK. If it does not say inside don’t assume it goes inside.

Be aware that the tour ends at the Vatican. The two free hours begin and end at the Vatican. You can be as creative or energetic as you wish during your free time. Good luck.

For our two hours of free time we:
-Went to a nearby gourmet grocery for some refills on our ground coffee supply. There were several good food gifts available at the store. It was fun
-Grabbed a quick lunch of pizza (good) and risotto (fair)
-Went to the Castel Sant’Angelo which is the pope’s historic refuge in times of danger. It was a nice place for a walk to relax before the drive back to port.
-Bought some souvenirs including a rosary blessed by the pope and a tiny little calendar of the pope in different scenarios (including wearing a cowboy hat!) For 1 euro

It wasn’t perfect but it was satisfying and the right amount of sights and time so that we did not feel overwhelmed. We were glad to have the comfort and sanctuary of our ship the minisuite and our faithful dinner waiters to return to again.

During the day at sea after Rome or the night of Rome would be excellent nights to book Sabatini’s. I would grab that night at sea after Rome if I were you. You really want Italian food after Rome. The ship does a very nice job on their Italian food anyway. Many of the dining staff is Italian.

A calm warm sunny day at sea watching the tip of the boot of Italy float past was idyllic. We had breakfast with Sicily floating by our window.

On to Athens. We again selected the Acropolis and Plaka Sampler tour with Princess. I had been to Athens nearly 30 years ago as a poor 10 dollar a day student backpack tourist. My husband had never seen Greece. The tour was just fine for us. We had a nice visit to the Acropolis. It is hot dry and a bit of a climb but nothing for Oregonians who hike the Cascades. Do bring water with you. We just carried our litter bottles in our hands in zip lock bags. I didn’t want to carry my heavy shoulder bag up there. We got some great pictures. Princess has their photographers up there to take a professional picture if you desire. We took a pass on that one. We did get a nice quick view of the Olympic preparations. The tour guide said, “we Greeks are a last minute people”, well I certainly agree. Good luck Athens Olympics…yikes.

For our two hours of free time we:
-Had a nice quick lunch at the little outdoor café in the Plaka where all the tour guides sit and wait for you. I had Spanikopita, a spinach filo pie and my husband had a Greek salad. It is so expensive to eat in Europe. It really brings home what a GREAT DEAL we got on the cruise. This is such an economical way for Americans to still do Europe. You can imagine what an even greater bargain it is for our European cousins.
-Shopped until we dropped. We bought great Olympic related stuff. The motifs and the apparel, pins and stuff were really well done. I bought things for the kids of the family based upon the sport they are interested in. We bought some unusual informal jewelry; we bought my slightly fidgety nephew some worry beads (in the shape of the evil eye!) We bought some hand-woven wool bags just like I bought 30 years ago. They are sort of retro hippie and our 20 something girls will enjoy them. The only one who didn’t get anything was my husband. He never found anything he wanted. Tough break eh?

We went back to the ship and at that night at Sterling Tequilas Steak House. I planned that because I figured that it would be Greek night in the dining room. I like spinach pie but otherwise Greek food leaves me flat. So we were quite happy to have another fine meal away.

Next stop was Kusadasi. We were a tinsy bit anxious about going to Turkey. We are Jewish people and were not sure how we might be treated. NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. The people were trying so hard to be nice to us. The shopkeepers are quite adamant but that is their culture.

A side note is that we recommend watching the daily morning show hosted by your cruise director. He is witty, very British and will get your day off to a “cracking good” start. Particularly in Turkey we found his advise true to course and helpful. He spoke about picking up his new ring in one of the stores and when we arrived sure enough there he and his wife were admiring their new purchases.

We took the ships tour Ancient Ephesus. It was a well-planned half-day visit to the very interesting ruins. We enjoyed our tour guide on this one but nearly lost the tour at one point. The highlights of the ruins for me were seeing the ancient hospital where the physician Galen once practiced. We have some excellent photos. Princess photographers were there again to take your photo. We took the shot but agreed it not worth buying. We looked hot and goofy. Take your water into the ruins site at Ephesus. You will be glad you did. One of the things I appreciated about our guide was that his tour went slowly downhill. We saw other trudging up the hill. Not as good a guide in my opinion.

The tour ends in view of the ship but in the heart of the shopping area. Princess gives you a guide to recommended shops. You can look at it one of two ways…either the ship gets a kick back (which the cruise director flatly denies) or they are steering you away from shoddy merchandise. We did shopping at some of each.

We bought only a few things because we did not need any rugs, leather coats and had bought some jewelry in Athens. What we bought were:
-Some fabulous fake Oakley sunglasses for about 10 euro a pair good glasses
-Fabulous fake Dolce and Gabbana leather/cloth handbags very cute about 12 dollars
-Fabulous Pashmina scarves we bought the 100% type I wish we had bought the part silk part pashmina
Again poor husband didn’t get anything. We did see some copy watches but nothing fabulous. Lastly we saw a local man being chased from the area near the ship as we neared the entrance to the port. He looked like he had picked someone’s pocket or something. He was heading right towards my husband. They collided. He got nothing but a small sore hip and the thief took nothing. The Turkish police were so concerned for his well being. Tons of concerned locals came up to him and said how sorry they were for this. I think the thief was selling fake telephone cards and not a pickpocket at all. Be careful of the street sellers in Kusadasi. Don’t worry about the average citizens they really want you to have a good experience.

[BJS]

Another great review.

One questions about Athens and your quote "It is hot dry and a bit of a climb but nothing for Oregonians who hike the Cascades." Could you tell me more about what this climb is like? Does the guide walk rapidly up? Can you stop and rest a little on the way up? Are there people that are slower than others and if so what about the time and tour at the top?

Thanks for the information. I've just recovered from 2 fractures of the pelvis and a fractured sacrum so concerned about the climb. I do walk about 9 or 10 miles a week but it's all on the level.

[vivienne-j]

Hi

Thanks for the latest superb installment! We are now so sure we've picked the right tours for us, as we're doing almost the same as you - and just trying to get a "taste" of everything, rather than overdo it. The last thing I want is to spend all day ashore and not enjoy the ship!

One question - can you please explain more about the talks in the morning? Will we miss them if we are on one of the early excursions?

Thanks again, and keep up the good work!

Vivienne

[Sunmail]

I can help with these questions, since we were just on this cruise.

Athens climbing: I am in no shape at all and had no problem. It's a sloping climb and isn't that steep anywhere. The guides take it very slowly. Once on top, it is rocky walking around but still not a big deal. I was very worried about it before we went but got there and had no problems at all. It's really not so even the really fit people don't mind taking it easy. The guide will talk when you are stopped to rest so it's still time well spent for everyone.

Morning talks: These are on the TV every morning from 6-10 so you won't miss them. They are pretty goofy but have good information and are entertaining.

You'll have a great time!

[BJS]

[B]Sunmail[/B] thank you so much for sharing about the climb. I will now look forward to the visit without worrying that I will have to miss the Acropolis.