After I get back around 17:00 I fall asleep for three hours - not surprising - and am woken by Regis arrived around after which we spent two hours grazing the smoked salmon and smoked beef and catching up on the last six months followed by a reasonable night sleep punctuated by a two hour thinking session around 03:00.
At 10:00 we check out and catch a cab to the port - FARK do the cabs here know how to charge. $A60 for the 14km ride to the port. Faced by what seemed like two queues of one hour each, one for luggage and one for check-in I pulled the I can't stand for long periods queuing to problems with my foot.
After declining a wheelchair (really!!!) they put me in the priority queue which took just 10 minutes in total,
This prompt check-in allowed us to get the Vaporetto to San Marco, have a light lunch at a cafe in Piazza San Marco followed by a look around. Now Regis commented that the coffee was expensive at 8.50 Euros so I explained that the coffee was 2.50, rent on the chair 3.00 and the live music the final 3.00. We both found this most amusing until the bill arrived with 'Musical Surcharge 2 x 6.00 Euros - nah we found both very amusing. A few hours of walking around and back to the Ship arriving around 14:30
Straight on-board where the day of the queuing started: First one to get my credit card recorded as it didn't register at the check-in. The second to organise a dinner table which should have been recorded but didn't - apparently we will be with an English speaking Irish family - never contemplated the language issue of organising dining - options were 18:15 or 20:45 and we opted for the latter. I declined the third
queue - to get the double bed separated into two singles - by leaving a note and advising the recipient that I had not come cruising to test my patience in queues.
Anyway I must say the ship is magnificent! It has an outdoor aqua park as they call it - pool and Jacuzzis and an indoor duplicate pool and Jacuzzi area. I also noticed a very long and intense water flume which.
I am intent on having a go on. The internet is unusually reasonable $A75 for five hours or around $A15 an hour. I have paid four times this in the past so am pleasantly surprised - the simple things that make
me happy.
A mid-afternoon 'nosh' at the Hakoah Club (Stern family sprach for cafeteria) was surprisingly good or maybe I am just comparing it to my recent P&O experience - but it seemed excellent quality with a wide variety but most importantly well presented.
Standing on the deck watching Venice drift past bathed in the sunset was truly magical and really accentuated the history and architecture of a city that perhaps I didn't appreciate enough before this visit.
Walked around the ship and it's amazing how similar ships are in layout with reception deck 5 shops and casino decks 6/7 the cafeteria adjacent to the pool etc.. Apparently the ship cost 690 million Euros to build and it was started by Ghadafi to be his personal ship with the entire 18th floor for his family. With 3,500 passengers and 1,500 crew this is one big mother of a ship!
Didn't go to the first show as it started around 19:00 and simply forgot but it was apparently an excellent tenor doing Opera Arias which would have been interesting. Went to dinner at 20:45 and we have been seated with a very nice Irish family from Dublin - Aiden, Grace Shane and Moira. He is a programmer, she is a programmer and teacher, Shane is doing last year school and Grace is around 12. It was very
interesting dinner conversation ranging from the fact that Grace attends an Irish School where the entire curriculum is in Gaelic no English to global politics - educated and very interesting people.
Dinner itself was OK but quite, nay very limited but acceptable menu. The portions had to be small because Shane and Regis both ordered a second main course.
Feeling tired and with it being 23:45 off to bed for some Zzzz's.
Up at 07:00 ready to visit Bari, a coastal Italian town which I know NOTHING about but on which I shall report shortly.
A quick WikiTravel reveals that Bari is a port city of 450,000 people and armed with this information we head into the old town which is amazingly pretty and very interesting. A lot of churches all with services in progress but welcoming tourists to visit. The curved passageways look very much like Provence and heading down each one presents something more interesting. At the old castle there was exhibition of
the Jewish history of Puglia (the region) but of course everything was in Italian which made it difficult to understand. The Jewish artefacts however were most interesting with gravestones among all types of stones from the 10th to 15th century emblazoned with Hebrew text.
After about two hours in the old city we head to the centre of the city where everything is shut. After an hour's walk we settle for a cafe where we had an amazing meet/cheese platter. Back to the boat for our 15:00 departure.
A relax, nap and some movies and off to the Italian Song show 'Il Signo' which started a bit slowly but eventually came good for a nice entertainment. Dinner and I change my food rating to limited and ordinary but acceptable. I think I will try a specialty restaurant soon. Being very tired off to bed early to grab some Zzzs. Funny as I wrote this I decided to try for a specialty restaurant to be told it is an a la carte menu but the portions are larger - LOL.
Up at 06:00 the next morning as the ship docks at Katakolon Greece - so much for being on holiday - quick breakfast and off for what proved to be a great tour. Bus to Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games. The site is probably much like every other Roman/Greek ruin I have been to but the history is totally absorbing. This is one of the joys of cruising, visiting places that one would otherwise NEVER ever
see and get to. After leaving we are taken to a farm which was so much fun. We were greeted by a Mediterranean plate with EVERYTHING produced on the farm - wine, feta, bruschetta, olives, ragout and baklava.
Of course the obligatory arts, craft and produce shop and then back to the ship for an early 13:00 departure.
This ship is different from most other cruises I have done - for example I haven't seen the cabin steward yet whereas every other cruise they come and introduce themselves and say hi etc. as you walk past not something they do here. I guess I just don't have the valued customer feeling that I get on other cruises. Not a complaint just an observation as I am enjoying the ship, the cruise and everything else a LOT.
The guests range in age from young to old with many younger perhaps based on Easter Holidays. Most seem to be Italian French or German and have met two Kiwis and no Aussies but occasional English. Regis is great company. He is easy going, great dinner company and is even pushing me to join him in the gym - something I am of course resisting.
That night dress up time and even though I don't like the idea of people dressing up on cruises it was nice to see all the women wearing their finery and the gentlemen wearing jackets and ties and some even dinner suits - me sports jacket and tie which was about the middle of the road.
Caught the tail end of the evening show which was acrobatic, balancing and juggling - all well done and then a quick 'spiel' before dinner in the Galaxy Specialty Restaurant which proved to be outstanding. The menu, a tablet with menus and wine lists in all languages. I went for three appetizers - foi gras, scallops on a pea volute and seafood tartare all outstanding followed by a cheesecake dessert which I would
rate in my top 5. I have booked lunch there for Thursday, the one day the ship is at sea.
Anyway today will be Izmir and Ephasus and will let you know more in the next few days.
Uploading photos from the ship is IMPOSSIBLE so I will do a photo blog between cruises.
Ciao to all
XD
At 10:00 we check out and catch a cab to the port - FARK do the cabs here know how to charge. $A60 for the 14km ride to the port. Faced by what seemed like two queues of one hour each, one for luggage and one for check-in I pulled the I can't stand for long periods queuing to problems with my foot.
After declining a wheelchair (really!!!) they put me in the priority queue which took just 10 minutes in total,
This prompt check-in allowed us to get the Vaporetto to San Marco, have a light lunch at a cafe in Piazza San Marco followed by a look around. Now Regis commented that the coffee was expensive at 8.50 Euros so I explained that the coffee was 2.50, rent on the chair 3.00 and the live music the final 3.00. We both found this most amusing until the bill arrived with 'Musical Surcharge 2 x 6.00 Euros - nah we found both very amusing. A few hours of walking around and back to the Ship arriving around 14:30
Straight on-board where the day of the queuing started: First one to get my credit card recorded as it didn't register at the check-in. The second to organise a dinner table which should have been recorded but didn't - apparently we will be with an English speaking Irish family - never contemplated the language issue of organising dining - options were 18:15 or 20:45 and we opted for the latter. I declined the third
queue - to get the double bed separated into two singles - by leaving a note and advising the recipient that I had not come cruising to test my patience in queues.
Anyway I must say the ship is magnificent! It has an outdoor aqua park as they call it - pool and Jacuzzis and an indoor duplicate pool and Jacuzzi area. I also noticed a very long and intense water flume which.
I am intent on having a go on. The internet is unusually reasonable $A75 for five hours or around $A15 an hour. I have paid four times this in the past so am pleasantly surprised - the simple things that make
me happy.
A mid-afternoon 'nosh' at the Hakoah Club (Stern family sprach for cafeteria) was surprisingly good or maybe I am just comparing it to my recent P&O experience - but it seemed excellent quality with a wide variety but most importantly well presented.
Standing on the deck watching Venice drift past bathed in the sunset was truly magical and really accentuated the history and architecture of a city that perhaps I didn't appreciate enough before this visit.
Walked around the ship and it's amazing how similar ships are in layout with reception deck 5 shops and casino decks 6/7 the cafeteria adjacent to the pool etc.. Apparently the ship cost 690 million Euros to build and it was started by Ghadafi to be his personal ship with the entire 18th floor for his family. With 3,500 passengers and 1,500 crew this is one big mother of a ship!
Didn't go to the first show as it started around 19:00 and simply forgot but it was apparently an excellent tenor doing Opera Arias which would have been interesting. Went to dinner at 20:45 and we have been seated with a very nice Irish family from Dublin - Aiden, Grace Shane and Moira. He is a programmer, she is a programmer and teacher, Shane is doing last year school and Grace is around 12. It was very
interesting dinner conversation ranging from the fact that Grace attends an Irish School where the entire curriculum is in Gaelic no English to global politics - educated and very interesting people.
Dinner itself was OK but quite, nay very limited but acceptable menu. The portions had to be small because Shane and Regis both ordered a second main course.
Feeling tired and with it being 23:45 off to bed for some Zzzz's.
Up at 07:00 ready to visit Bari, a coastal Italian town which I know NOTHING about but on which I shall report shortly.
A quick WikiTravel reveals that Bari is a port city of 450,000 people and armed with this information we head into the old town which is amazingly pretty and very interesting. A lot of churches all with services in progress but welcoming tourists to visit. The curved passageways look very much like Provence and heading down each one presents something more interesting. At the old castle there was exhibition of
the Jewish history of Puglia (the region) but of course everything was in Italian which made it difficult to understand. The Jewish artefacts however were most interesting with gravestones among all types of stones from the 10th to 15th century emblazoned with Hebrew text.
After about two hours in the old city we head to the centre of the city where everything is shut. After an hour's walk we settle for a cafe where we had an amazing meet/cheese platter. Back to the boat for our 15:00 departure.
A relax, nap and some movies and off to the Italian Song show 'Il Signo' which started a bit slowly but eventually came good for a nice entertainment. Dinner and I change my food rating to limited and ordinary but acceptable. I think I will try a specialty restaurant soon. Being very tired off to bed early to grab some Zzzs. Funny as I wrote this I decided to try for a specialty restaurant to be told it is an a la carte menu but the portions are larger - LOL.
Up at 06:00 the next morning as the ship docks at Katakolon Greece - so much for being on holiday - quick breakfast and off for what proved to be a great tour. Bus to Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games. The site is probably much like every other Roman/Greek ruin I have been to but the history is totally absorbing. This is one of the joys of cruising, visiting places that one would otherwise NEVER ever
see and get to. After leaving we are taken to a farm which was so much fun. We were greeted by a Mediterranean plate with EVERYTHING produced on the farm - wine, feta, bruschetta, olives, ragout and baklava.
Of course the obligatory arts, craft and produce shop and then back to the ship for an early 13:00 departure.
This ship is different from most other cruises I have done - for example I haven't seen the cabin steward yet whereas every other cruise they come and introduce themselves and say hi etc. as you walk past not something they do here. I guess I just don't have the valued customer feeling that I get on other cruises. Not a complaint just an observation as I am enjoying the ship, the cruise and everything else a LOT.
The guests range in age from young to old with many younger perhaps based on Easter Holidays. Most seem to be Italian French or German and have met two Kiwis and no Aussies but occasional English. Regis is great company. He is easy going, great dinner company and is even pushing me to join him in the gym - something I am of course resisting.
That night dress up time and even though I don't like the idea of people dressing up on cruises it was nice to see all the women wearing their finery and the gentlemen wearing jackets and ties and some even dinner suits - me sports jacket and tie which was about the middle of the road.
Caught the tail end of the evening show which was acrobatic, balancing and juggling - all well done and then a quick 'spiel' before dinner in the Galaxy Specialty Restaurant which proved to be outstanding. The menu, a tablet with menus and wine lists in all languages. I went for three appetizers - foi gras, scallops on a pea volute and seafood tartare all outstanding followed by a cheesecake dessert which I would
rate in my top 5. I have booked lunch there for Thursday, the one day the ship is at sea.
Anyway today will be Izmir and Ephasus and will let you know more in the next few days.
Uploading photos from the ship is IMPOSSIBLE so I will do a photo blog between cruises.
Ciao to all
XD
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