Review of the Mediterrean Tapestry 10/30-11/13

[A Knitter]

Venice

We flew in after dark and got a water taxi to Locando Orselo for 55 Euros each. The hotel was located in the heart of the city and a view of the Grand Canal could be seen. The bed and breakfast was fabulous and the lemon crepes out of this world. There are no elevators in this B&B but the staff will bring your luggage to your floor. The whole family is handsome and they bend over backwards to make your stay a trip to remember. I had pulled my back out prior to leaving and they even arranged for a massage therapist. Too bad I wasn’t 30 years younger. Try and reserve the Grand Canal room. Much bigger than the standard room by far. A water taxi to the port was 40 euros each. Once you embark you can walk through the Rialto market and back into the heart of the city which we did. We stopped by the Locando to say hello and they offered us water and restrooms and to use the free internet. I wouldn’t stay anywhere else. The square was the place to be and to watch the locals and tourists. The scenery was wonderful. Shops are great throughout Venice. If you see something you want, get it. I tried to return to a shop to buy something and never found it again. The stores close 1-4 for lunch. We also bought local wine at the grocery store and loved the different wines.

Croatia was very nice although we were there during a holiday (All Saints Day) and the wall to the city was closed for the day. There are lovely shops there but again they were closed. If you are adventurous, take the stairs to the top where the locals live to see the beauty of the buildings. The only day it rained cats and dogs.

Corfu, we had Dimitris who took us on a tour through the city for 3 hours. We went over 90 minutes but he refused to charge us any more than agreed. He lives in the village and took us to places no other tourists would have gone, especially in a tour bus. Have him take you to the bar where Onasssis often visited. He comes highly recommended in my book. We did not go in to the Achillon Palace although others in our group did.

www.corfutaxitours.com

Dimitris Dafnis

 

Cruising the strait of Messina was a welcome day as we were beat. Show time for the passage was right at tea time.

Sorrento. We had a tour with Salvatore with www.driveamalfi.com to Pompeii and once there a walking guide of the ruins. Not to be missed. Can’t say enough about that tour. Franco the walking guide was fabulous. After talking to other passengers, Franco took us places that others wished they had seen. The Brothel is awesome and the bakery amazing. At least what is left of it.

Amalfi. Again with Salvatore. If you are squeamish with driving around curves, this is not the tour for you. In order to get to see the sights, the only way is up and down and curves. He is a very, very good driver and the coastline will take your breath away. We ate at the Ristorante Pizzeria, S. Giovanni. Very good and very reasonable. A must see is the Emerald Grotto. The water under the cave is the color of Emeralds. Easier to maneuver from what I have heard by visiting the Blue Grotto in Capri.

www.driveamalfi.com

Salvatore Lucibello

 

Rome. It takes 90 minutes to get to the city. Take your blood pressure medication because traffic is unlike any I have experienced in California or Chicago. Claudio was our guide. His passion is Roman history and he knows everything there is to know. We visited the Vatican which took approximately 2 hours. You need 10 people to have a private tour guide of the Vatican. Try to arrange yourself so you know and like everyone. This is important on all of your tours. Fortunately the other 4 to our 6 were from cruise critic which was great, that means you, John Derrick. The Coliseum and the Pantheon a must to see. Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps. We did not encounter any gypsies in Rome (We saw a family in Florence) but there are a lot of people mingling around. I wore a warm up suit with many zippers and did not have a purse. If you have tokens for the laundry, do not mix them with your other change and throw them in the fountain as they cost 1.50 each. Learn from this. Claudio took us to a small church adjacent to the Pantheon where there is a sculpture that Michael Angelo made.

www.limoinrome.com

Claudio Caponera

 

Olbia Sardinia

Tiny little city with a great deal of charisma. Stores close at 1-4 so be sure to shop in the morning. There is an internet café nearby near the square and a phone center. It cost me less than a euro to call home to California for 5 minutes. Unbelievable.

Florence. We had Lucca from Hills and Road to take us around. We drove directly to Florence where we stopped to shop along Ponte Vecchio for a few hours and then to the Museum to see the statute of David. Arrange to see this with Luca prior to arrival, otherwise you will wait hours. Entry to see this magnificent creature costs 13 euros and worth the money. No cameras allowed. Lucca took us to a restaurant where the locals eat and it was the best pesto pasta I have ever had. Tratttoria al Trebbio. The ambiance was fabulous. After lunch we shopped for another hour and then he took us to San Grignano, a medieval village for the views and wonderful shopping. The only restroom where there is a hole as the toilette. Everywhere else in Port, our guides took us to places where they were clean, although the public bathroom in Pompeii was my least favorite. The hole was cleaner. Enroute there we toured the Tuscany scenery which was fabulous. I did not honor one of my rules with private guides which are to return us to the ship 2 hours before leaving. We got there with 30 minutes to spare. Lucca was a great guide and what I liked about him the most was he stays with you. We had 3 couples and each went their own way and we met up with him at a designated place and time. Again, it is important to make sure everyone wants to do and see the same thing. I thought I had made that clear during Roll Call. The shops along the Vecchio are great but you need at least 3 hours. The flea market is a flea market you find in your city. Don’t waste your time. I ordered a leather jacket from Parri’s. The cost even with Euro exchange is cheaper than US.

www.driveamalfi.com

Salvatore Lucibello

 

We missed Portofino due to weather and docked in Genoa. What a great city. We walked into town and just loved the people and history of the city. If you sew and love fabric, Izia is great to buy fabrics from Armani, Valentino and other Italian designers. Also these shops closed in the afternoon so shop in the morning and sightsee later.

Monte Carlo. We had Sylvie Di Cristo and she too was as expected, very knowledgeable of the city and her van was very comfortable as well. She took us through Monaco and then to the curve in the road which cost Grace Kelley her life. From there we went to a view point where we could see the city of Nice and then on to Antibes and Cannes, my favorite place. This is where we had lunch on the beach at Sea Side and then to watch the locals walk down the famous boardwalk Le 6 Croisette along some of the most expensive hotels and of course designer shops including Louis Vuitton and Chanel. The Hotel Martinez is the most expensive hotel with the penthouse costing 20,000 Euros per night during off season and 40 during season. Kings I have been told stay in the penthouses for 2 months. What the ship does not tell you is if you want your passports stamped “Monte Carlo” carry it with you and if you use Sylvie or others, they will stop and have it stamped at the government office for you. I did not have mine. The shops in Monte Carlo are open until 7 p.m. and the casino opens at noon. There is a 10 euro fee to enter if you wish. If you prefer to walk back to the ship it is a 30 minute walk.

Due to high winds we missed Marseille and Sete France. We had reserved Catherine and she wished us well and with hopes to visit one day.

Barcelona. We spent the extra day at Port touring the Las Ramblas and the Gaudi Church. Nothing spectacular from the outside but absolutely gorgeous in the inside. Beggars and shady characters hanging around, so beware. The Hotel Colon faces the Cathedral and it looked like a very nice hotel. Lots of shops, reasonable prices. Again, if you love Couture material, Grataco’s on Passeig de Gracia is the name of the shop. Absolutely beautiful silks, sequins, brocades, etc. What we found in Genoa was woolens. These fabrics are to die for as well.

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We disembarked the ship the next day and had hired Barcelona taxi to take us to Montserrat. Well worth the trip just to see the Madonna made out of wood that has turned Black. Don’t attempt to take pictures inside, they won’t come out. Our driver that day was Aurelio. We toured for 4 hours and the cost for 2 of us was 180 Euro, but worth it. We used Michael from the same taxi company to take us to the airport. His English is much better and he wears a suit. Aurelio was dressed like a taxi driver and his driving was a bit scary. Use Michael instead.

The day before we left, we went into a Starbucks on Passeig de Gracia to have a cup of real coffee, although theirs is also strong. Before we arrived, we were advised by other Americans that a lady had her purse stolen while they were relaxing. It appears her purse was wrapped around her knee and when her head was turned, a female/male Romania Gypsy couple managed to remove the strap from the lady’s knee without her knowledge. She said a man was reading the paper next to her table but she saw a well dressed female walking and talking on her cell. When she advised the manager of the store what had happened, they presented her with a paper of credit card companies to call. We were all advised at that time, that this was prevalent at the Starbucks because it was an American tourist hideout and criminals prey on unexpecting tourists. Unfortunately, none of the employees had warned and advised this lady and we noticed that none of them spoke any English. We had trouble telling them we just wanted café!!!. Please beware and if you do go in there, make sure your purse is strapped around your body. These criminals are very good.

About Oceania. I have been on Oceania twice and still love the ship for its size and comfort. Our butler, Georgios was the best and if you are in a penthouse, you can order dinner from the specialty restaurants, Toscana and Polo, course by course. On days returning from a full day, this is what we did. He will also bring a cocktail to your room and he/she receives the gratuity. I can’t say enough about ours. Very accommodating. We had shipboard credits for gratuities but tipped the Butler and the Stewardess more because they were terrific. If you don’t want someone walking into the room after he knocks, put your privacy sign out. We didn’t mind. You can also order a full breakfast in your penthouse suite. Again, the price you pay for this level. I got tired of hearing others put those of us down that we had a PH cabin on this deck. Comments were made normally on our way off the ship about the color of the card and each time I replied that they too could have had a suite if they had wanted one. There are perks to these cabins and the staff treats everyone the same unless you attempt to book a second reservation in the specialty restaurants in the first week of the trip. Again a perk for Concierge and above. We just asked the Butler for additional reservations and got them. I have been on the decks in the past that the crew wouldn’t have stayed in, but prefer PH. I just travel less often and book every other year or two instead of every year for an exotic cruise. The internet is still slow from my last cruise on the Insignia and rather than talk about the price and slow dial up, either forget about it or pay it, you are on a cruise and if it means touching basis with your family, it is always worth it. Others have suggested using your personal email aboard ship. It costs two dollars to retrieve it and two dollars to send. Designate someone to forward your email on to everyone and this is probably the cheapest way. We paid $140.00 for 200 minutes and two days left had 48 minutes left this trip and itinerary it was hard to find internet cafes. South America, there were always at the ports just outside or inside the terminals. No so on this itinerary

My only, only complaint was Oceania at the Spa. I always book at least two if not 3 massages during my trip. Upon embarkation, our Butler made reservations for us. One was scheduled for the sea day and another towards the end of our trip. The hot rocks massage was fabulous but when it came time to pay the bill, I was charged 12 dollars more for having it done on a sea day. This is a first for me. I might also add that there are two prices on the Mandara spa card, one standard and one value. I had been advised by the spa personnel and butler that the price was 155.00 and not 171.00. When I inquired from my therapist about the discrepancy, she argued with me and then left the room in a huff. I contacted the front desk person asking for the manager and was told he was the manager, wrong! He told me that was the price and there was nothing I could do about it. Wrong again. I immediately contacted the concierge and explained this to him. He was unaware that there were two prices. The Butler was unaware of two prices so I get the impression that the Spa is separate from Oceania and can do what they want with regards to the pricing. I would not have minded paying for it, but the therapist made a rather sarcastic comment in her native language and as a result of that, I asked to reduce her 18% tip, which I did. Then, I was told that my other massage scheduled for late afternoon during a port day would also incur the higher price because it was prime time! Needless to say, I canceled that and decided to wait until I got home. I was on the Insignia to South America in 2006 and there were not two prices. The gratuity was 18%. Other cruise ships do not include the gratuity.

The food was great and I must honestly admit we ate at the Grand Dining Room only twice as we preferred to eat in after we got back to the ship. We were on starboard side and had lovely views to dine without having to dress for dinner. We did eat once on the Terrace, but I prefer to get served since that doesn’t happen to me at home, haha,

What I love the most about Oceania is there are no photographers hounding you for pictures. I know there is one onboard in the event you want a professional picture but it is so nice not to be overwhelmed. The boutiques are expensive Escada sport and other overpriced designers. What I have learned about this trip is to always bring a turtleneck and hat. The weather can always change for the worse especially if you sail the last cruise of any season although we had perfect weather in the major ports. We were very lucky.

[digby]

"Due to high winds we missed Marseille and Sete France."

 

Last year at the same time on the same cruise, we also missed Sete for the same reason. Did you get TWO extra days in Barcelona?

[CathyCruises]

What I love the most about Oceania is there are no photographers hounding you for pictures. I know there is one onboard in the event you want a professional picture but it is so nice not to be overwhelmed.

LOL--what we do now is just brush past the photographers and tell them we are in the Witness Protection Program and can't have our photos taken. By about Day 3 they get the hint and you can hear them saying "there goes the witness protection people"!

 

Try it!;)

[tgg]

"Due to high winds we missed Marseille and Sete France."

 

Last year at the same time on the same cruise, we also missed Sete for the same reason. Did you get TWO extra days in Barcelona?

 

We were on this cruise too, so I can probably answer your question. We got only one extra day in Barcelona because, according to the captain, we were going to stay close to the shore (which curves north) rather than proceed in a straight line to Barcelona so that we could avoid the heavy seas further out.

 

As you know only too well, when you sail in the western Med in November you take your chances with the ports. We were happy to have remarkably good weather almost every day. The only grousing we heard was from those people who had booked 3 additional days in Barcelona.

[laing1]

A Knitter thank you so much for all that information on your Med Tapestry cruise. I have copied the whole thing for future reference. We were on the Classical Vignettes -Barcelona to Athens cruise on Oct 7th and I have been mulling over ideas for the next trip. Your details as to where you stayed prior to the trip, who you used for tours etc were wonderful. Thanks for posting!!!

[A Knitter]

A Knitter thank you so much for all that information on your Med Tapestry cruise. I have copied the whole thing for future reference. We were on the Classical Vignettes -Barcelona to Athens cruise on Oct 7th and I have been mulling over ideas for the next trip. Your details as to where you stayed prior to the trip, who you used for tours etc were wonderful. Thanks for posting!!!

 

 

Thanks for the thanks. Due to the efforts of previous cruise critic members, we were grateful for all of the suggestions as well. We also had 2 additional nights in Barcelona and were grateful for the third. The Captain could have just as well made two days at sea. We stayed at the Hotel Casa Fuster, formerly an old mansion that was recently remodeled. No one that we met appeared upset, disappointed but not griping. Although, Provence was on my lists of places to see, that certainly didn't wreck our cruise. I have been on numerous cruises in the past and certainly always one port is canceled due to the weather. Maria

[laing1]

Being new to cruising I had no idea that you might "miss" a port. We were unable to go to Santorini due to high waves so made it into Athens (from Malta) and stayed overnight. Quite frankly with those waves hitting so high on the ship I'm glad he made the change of plans. Now I have to go to visit Santorini! :)

[A Knitter]

Being new to cruising I had no idea that you might "miss" a port. We were unable to go to Santorini due to high waves so made it into Athens (from Malta) and stayed overnight. Quite frankly with those waves hitting so high on the ship I'm glad he made the change of plans. Now I have to go to visit Santorini! :)

 

I too, missed Santorini in 1999. My retirement cruise was to Athens and we missed the port, but returned on a different itinerary the following year and Santorini was one of the ports. I was grateful that the other ports of interest were a go. Fortunately, I picked up olive oil in other ports. I should have gotten the french soap, but was waiting for Provence. Again, don't wait to buy. Of course, now that I have reviewed by credit card purchases, perhaps I shouldn't listen to my own advice:D :D

[laing1]

I bought olive oil in San Gimignano and now I'm hoarding it!! My way of cooking has changed since our trip. Now I'm into ( EVERY DAY!!) cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, olive oil, crusty bread, fresh pasta with tomato sauce and fresh basil and ..I threw out all my creamy salad dressings!

I am ever so thankful we took so many pictures as now they come up as a slide show when I don't use my computer fast enough..and I get to watch the trip (and others) all over again!

:)

[A Knitter]

I bought olive oil in San Gimignano and now I'm hoarding it!! My way of cooking has changed since our trip. Now I'm into ( EVERY DAY!!) cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, olive oil, crusty bread, fresh pasta with tomato sauce and fresh basil and ..I threw out all my creamy salad dressings!

I am ever so thankful we took so many pictures as now they come up as a slide show when I don't use my computer fast enough..and I get to watch the trip (and others) all over again!

:)

 

What time do I stop by for lunch???:)

[A Knitter]

Thanks for the thanks. Due to the efforts of previous cruise critic members, we were grateful for all of the suggestions as well. We also had 2 additional nights in Barcelona and were grateful for the third. The Captain could have just as well made two days at sea. We stayed at the Hotel Casa Fuster, formerly an old mansion that was recently remodeled. No one that we met appeared upset, disappointed but not griping. Although, Provence was on my lists of places to see, that certainly didn't wreck our cruise. I have been on numerous cruises in the past and certainly always one port is canceled due to the weather. Maria

 

Another thing I did was keep a folder file of all tours reserved, their email and cell phone numbers. Like you, I copies suggestions, etc. We found that if we separated from our group and/or tour guide (Yikes) we had his cell number and most locals didn't mind calling them. Also make a copy of your passport in the event you make purchases over 170 Euros for a tax refund. I forgot to mention that in Rome you need your original passport and will be fined if you do not provide it to a policeman upon request??!!. That was the only port it was needed. As you get closer to your trip, email me at holmtwin@dc.rr.com. If I can help, consider it done. Maria