Southern Caribbean Reviewed by Bill

1. My wife and I just returned from the Zaandam (Southern Caribbean 13-23 Dec 2000), our third HAL cruise. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would continue to recommend the ships and cruises of HAL to everyone. Needless to say, HAL continues with their gracious service and attention to detail that we have come to know and love (both via our experiences and those of others on the RTC). We are scheduled to leave on 17 Feb for 10 Day Panama Canal aboard the Amsterdam. 2. The Islands we visited were wonderful. Half Moon Cay (HAL Private Island), US VI, Dominica, Trinidad, Martinique, and St Kitts were all beyond our expectations. We only wish we could have done two excursions instead of one. Notable trips & Tips -

Whale watching on Dominica. We did not go but a friend did and had the time and thrill of a lifetime spotting 7 sperm whales.

The Saint Louis Fortress tour in Fort-de- France, Martinique, presented a wonderful view of the harbor, city and surrounding mountains. IT WAS a great pleasure to tour this historic fort.

Savannah drive in Port of Spain Trinadad. Churches in Port of Spain Trinadad.

Brimstone Hill Fortress in St Kitts. Ice Cream and Bread Pudding trips on the ship (just seeing if you were paying attention).

3. Problems for discussion -

Zaandam Piano bar has been redesigned from original concept of an enclosed little club. Now it is noticeably open and you don't feel the intimacy and party atmosphere as on the Veendam with the enclosed piano bar.

Marco Polo Alternative Restaurant - Dam...we tried to coordinate schedules with our dining partners and could NOT get a table in the restaurant save for two slots on the last formal night and very last evening. I am not sure who held the parties but there were two large parties that took up the entire restaurant for two hours. MAKE sure you get your reservations in early.

Captain & Officers - Lack of interaction with Passengers. I saw the Captain EVERY day in the gym, at the pool, or on the observation deck laying out in the sun. I spoke or tried to speak with him daily and got a simple NOD. I never saw the Captain or any of his deck officers stop and chat with any passenger (except with the guests in suite 7001). This was really broght home after I spent five minutes talking with Captain Jonathon Harris, of the Veendam (from two previous trips) when we were docked beside the Veendam in Martinique.

Bridge Tour with the Cadet - WHY would they turn a 19 year cadet loose with 30 elderly interested passengers (WWII Navy vets, ship nerds, senior HAL Alumni, etc) on a bridge tour. Get real. He did a good job of explaining the ships bridge gadgets, but he did not have the experience to handle other questions.

Sports Deck Jogging/Walking track has VERY NARROW corners forward where they added the staff cabins, There is only about 4-5 clearance on the forward corners.

4. GREAT THINGS REPEATED -

Bread Pudding
Service with a smile
Dining Room
Name/Face Recognition
Decor
Food
Layout
Passenger Space Ratios
Cabins Space (closets, setting area, etc)
Did I mention the FOOD
Passengers
Fitness Center
Bow observation areas with their limited access
Performers - Despite HAL reputation for LACK of entertainment we found it fantastic. All were excellent, entertaining, and VERY personable off stage. Comedian Patrick Murray & Matilda; Paul "Fingers" Minard in the Piano Bar; Comedic Violinist David Levesque; Magician Bob Tunell; and Comedian Carl Guerra (who we were fortunate enough to take a tour with on Dominica).

5. New Things worth mentioning

Observation Deck is now glassed in for better viewing and sun bathing (less wind) Internet Access
More stairways & elevators on the newer HAL Class ships New pool layout off of the Lido deck and more room on the Sports deck aft. New layout of piano bar (although it looses something of the intimacy it GAINS in access for many other patrons). Marco Polo - Dam it. Friends who ate their said it was a REAL first class 4 star restaurant. The Atrium Organ was really special, especially when it played (which as far as we can determine was 2 and 4pm.

Rotterdam Baltic Cruise Reviewed by Ronit

The itinerary was: England (Harwich), Olso, Helsingborg, Warnemunde, Stockholm, Helsinki St.Petersurg, Tallinn and Copenhagen.

We booked two nights at the Landmark Hotel. The hotel is very comfortable with spacious bedrooms and all the amenities of a 5 star hotel. We bought in advance tickets for Buckingham Palace for the 9th of August, so the next day we took a taxi to Buckingham. The Palace is very beautiful, the most beautiful Palace we?ve ever visited.
The weather in London was 17 degrees C not too cold.

On the 10th of August we ordered from the Landmark a limo to take us to Harwich. The drive there was very long. Finally at about 2PM we arrived and saw the Rotterdam for the first time. She looked lovely.

Embarkation:
This was the smoothest embarkation we ever experienced, just to wait for a few minutes for checking in and then we could enter the ship. Even better than Princess embarkation.

The cabin:
We booked a category E cabin. The cabin has two beds, and a sofa bed, large picture window, very nice bed covers and curtains. The bathroom was very nice with a hair drier, a bath with a shower, a cabinet with shampoos soaps and lotions.

There was a desk with large drawers, TV, a basket of fruit and some soft drinks and ice bucket. The sofabed was as comfortable as other the beds. The closet was superb, the best I?ve seen on a ship and many hotels. There were four closets, with a lot of hanging and shelf space, and the nicest thing was you could change the layout, open more shelves or close them if you want more hanging space. There was a table and a chair. The air-condition was excellent.
The furnishing was new and modern. Our room steward was excellent, he cleaned the room very quickly and we hardly saw him.

The food:
The La Fontaine restaurant is beautiful. Located on two levels. We had a table for 3 on the lower level. Our waiter and assistant waiter were very good. The menu was varied and there was a large selection each evening. We mainly ate fish and chicken. The quality was very good and we enjoyed every meal. The ice creams and cakes were wonderful, the baked Alaska was fantastic. There was a large selection of fresh baked breads every day, they were wonderful.

Lunch in the La Fontaine was as good as dinner.

The Lido buffet restaurant had a large selection varied each day, the food quality was good but not as good as the La Fontaine. There was ice cream parlor open at lunch time and also a salad bar.

We didn?t try the alternative restaurant. It looked lovely.

The ship:
Rotterdam is one of the most beautiful ships we?ve seen, with a lot of antiques and artwork. The public rooms are magnificent! The atrium is beautiful. The lounges and bars are lovely, decorated beautifully with shiny colors. The Crow?s Nest was our favorite place, very relaxing, one can sit on the blue leather armchairs for hours. The movie theatre is wonderful, small and cozy. We saw 3 movies there and it felt like it?s a private theatre. The card room is comfortable, but it could use more games. The library and internet cafe are very nice. The library has a great selection of books. The internet connection is good but using it is still expensive. The Queens Lounge, which is the most impressive public room on the ship, located in the front of the ship. The theatre is very comfortable, and very grand with good sight lines especially from the upper level.

Since it was too cold to swim we didn?t try the pools. The shops have very nice things. They have some lovely evening dresses, other cloths, jewelry, chocolates, souvenirs ect. There was a big Russian bazaar after we left St. Petersburg. We bought some Babuska dolls.

The elevators were efficient and they were hardly crowded.

The photo shop was OK, we bought some of the picture they took, but we didn?t develop our films there.

The ports:
The Rotterdam docked right next to the Akershus Castle in Olso, which was the first port and it was near our window. We booked a shore excursion to the Viking ships and the Vigeland Park. The weather in Olso was very good, half cloudy and no rain. About 21 degrees C. After a short drive in Oslo we drove to the Vigeland Park, the park is very beautiful, large with a lot of sculptures. Afterwards we went to the Viking Ship Museum. It contains 3 large wooden Viking ships, we felt they would show them better if they put on the sail but they were impressive enough. Then we drove to see the Kon Tiki Museum, which was the most interesting museum of the tour. The exhibition was great with the Kon Tiki itself and more smaller models, a lot of pictures and detailed models and figures.

Helsingborg:
We tendered ashore. The tender service was very good.
We took the Helsingborg and Sofiero Parklands. This was the most enjoyable shore excursion. Helsingborg is a lovely town, very peaceful. The weather was great about 21-23 C. We visited the Ramlosa spring the Raa village and the Sofiero Park. The park is wonderful with fabulous huge trees, lovely flowers, shaped trees and beautiful lakes. Very peaceful and relaxing, we were sorry to leave it.

Stockholm:
The night after we left Germany which we didn't visit, the ship had a problem with one of the propellers and she couldn't dock in Stockholm itself but in a nearby town, so we had to tender to shore and there was a ride to Stockholm. Because of that we had to buy another shore excursion and to cancel the Limo we ordered in advance. We took the Vasa Museum and City Hall tour. The weather was great 23 C. After getting off the tender there were buses to take us to Stockholm, the crew gave everyone a lunch box which contained sandwiches, cakes, mineral water, fruit and other things. The ride was not too bad as we soon arrived in Stockholm. Stockholm is very beautiful. We first went to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa ship is very impressive fantastically huge. You can see it from 3 levels of the museum. Very beautiful ship, very recommended to anyone who visits Stockholm. There is also a restaurant and souvenir shop. Afterwards we went to the city hall, beautiful architecture, great mosaics.
The ride back was less enjoyable and seemed twice as long. The tender service was fast and efficient and got us back to our ship.

Helsinki:
In Helsinki it was the only day it rained. It was pouring. We booked the Helsinki city tour, which turned out to be a panoramic tour mainly because of the rain. Some people got off at the Rock church, but we didn?t. The city is lovely. We saw the most important buildings from the bus. We passed near the yard where they build the new Carnival ship.

Tallinn:
We booked a panoramic Tallinn tour. It turned out to be not a panoramic one but more of a walking tour. We didn?t like it at all. The city looked dirty and gloomy and there was nothing to see except for the Millennium docked just in the middle of town, when we had to dock in Muga was 20 minutes away.

Copenhagen:
After disembarking in Copenhagen. We stayed at the D?anglanttre hotel. One of the only two 5 star hotels in Copenhagen. The hotel is not recommended. It needs refurbishing and our room was big but with old furniture and not what we expected. The bathroom was even worse. The service lacked the graciousness that one supposed to find in such a hotel and was cold and unhelpful. The heating didn?t work, so we had to ask for a heater.

The city however is really wonderful. We visited Tivoli, the palace, Nyhavn and the biggest shop in Denmark. We?ll want to visit Copenhagen someday again. It could be nice if the ship would dock there for 2 nights.

The entertainment:
The Rotterdam singers and dancers are great, they gave 4 wonderful and enjoyable shows, ranging from Broadway to newer songs, very glamorous and wonderfully performed. There was a magician, comedians, juggler and more. One of the most enjoyable shows was with a ventriloquist who was very funny and gave a great show. There was also entertainment in the bars every night.

Activities:
There is a lot to do on the ship. Bingo, trivia games, art auctions, art tours, port lectures, scarf folding and more. We didn?t use the casino, but it looked large and comfortable.
Coffee, lemonade and iced tea was served during the day.

Disembarkation:
We disembarked at about 10:20. It was smooth enough, but we were surprised to see the luggage was in a tent not a terminal. To our luck we booked a limousine to take us to the hotel. The limousine was the best we?ve ever used. We found our luggage and the driver found us before we started to look for him and quickly helped us to the limo.

It was a wonderful cruise. We love the Rotterdam, she is a beautiful ship and we?d like to return to her some day.

Bermuda Cruise Reviewed by Joyce

We cruised on the Zenith July 22 to Bermuda from NY. The cruise was very good. We liked the size of the ship about 50,00 tons, we didn't spend all day trying to locate other members of our family group of 17. My only complaint would be the limited hours of food service. From 2p to 4p there was nothing really available except from 3p to 7p there were cookies availble from the coffee cafe. Lemonade and ice tea hours were limited to meal times. And the soft serve ice cream was available for only 1 hour a day. After being on the Triumph were there seemed to be food available 24/7 my kids were dissapointed. You could always order room service, which was prompt, tho. Anyway we stayed in a bunk cabin for 4 and had plenty of storage room--18 drawers and 2 big closets. The safe was very large-held our camcorder and money. We loved Bermuda and highly recommend it. We did the Kayak and helmet diving excursions. Husband golfed twice ( cost about $90 )Entertainment was so s! o, we didn't really go to many shows ( at days at port they would have the audience participation shows at 7:45 pm and we were always just starting coffee ( first seating. Didn't see much of the childrens program, our kids ages 11 and 14 just hung out with us or other family members. They do have a teen disco scheduled just about every nite, and did have scheduled activities foe 3 different age groups. The food was very good in the dining room and the lido deck food was well like lido deck food. Our waiter and room steward were very good. Service was much better on this ship than the Triumph. You won't be dissapointed on a cruise to Bermuda on the Zenith.

Fort Lauderdale/Caribbean Cruise Reviewed by Steve

Wednesday 9 January ? Well we arrived at the Quality Inn at Edinburgh Airport. The plan ? to have a peaceful sleep and get to the check in desk in plenty of time after a lovely breakfast.

Thursday 10 January ? Didn?t really sleep too well ? too much going through my mind and the room was a bit hot. When I came out of the shower I was aware of a loud noise coming from the main room ? it was the fire alarm! Dressed very quickly, and damply, before standing outside for 15 minutes in the cold waiting for the fire brigade to arrive and confirm it was a false alarm! Needless to say we didn?t have time for breakfast and arrived at the airport a bit frazzled ? the thing we were trying to avoid by spending the night at the hotel!!

The check in desk was deserted and we got a lovely guy who thought our tale of woe was very funny ? he laughed even more when he realised Steven had ordered me a ?lactose free vegetarian meal? which he confirmed would be ?cardboard on a plate?. This was duly cancelled. He must have felt very sorry for us and after a phone call confirmed we had been upgraded to World Traveller Plus ? Business class seats but with the normal meals etc. It was a great flight out with loads of legroom ? I also had on my new flight socks and was glad to arrive in Miami with ankles that didn?t resemble an elephants!

We picked up our Alamo hire car at the airport and drove up to Amerisuites in Fort Lauderdale. We had booked the hotel a year before and had been quoted a special introductory rate which they seemed to think was impossible. After some lengthy gentle persuasion from Steven we checked in after they confirmed out booking at the lower rate ? was this a taste of things to come I wonder! We freshened up, but as it was after 9pm only managed to do some shopping at Publix (like Safeway!). The guy at my check out recognized my accent and asked if I was Scottish ? he then shook my hand and said ?welcome to Florida? ? you just don?t get that in Glenrothes! By now we have stayed awake as long as we can (remembering the 5 hour time difference) and head for bed!!

Friday 11 January ? Wake up early ? breakfast in the hotel. By 9am we have located a salon which stocks Aveda skincare and I part with a few dollars. By 10 am we are waiting outside the Fashion Show Mall waiting for the shops to open. A few more purchases follow. We then drive on the Costco ? where we get our radios, underwater camera etc and generally manage to spend a few hundred dollars. We then head off to the Broward Mall ? stopping for a sub at lunchtime ? quite a few more purchases made in the afternoon! We arrive back at the hotel in time to unpack, freshen up etc in time for Gail, Mitch and Zack?s arrival ? we met for the first time on our cruise to Alaska in May 2001 ? Steven and Gail continued to e-mail each other ? and when they found out we were going to be in Florida for a few days ? it was arranged they would book into the same hotel for a few days! It was really great to arrive in America and for the first time meet up with people we had met on a previous holiday!

They arrive around 7pm and Gail is at our hotel door before Mitch and Zack have parked the car! It was really great to see them again - we then went out to dinner ? a lovely Italian Restaurant? and Steven tasted his first Cosmopolitan!! Gail is such a bad influence! Zack ? age 16 ? enjoyed himself drawing lovely colourful shapes on the paper tablecloth with the crayons provided by the restaurant! Back at the hotel we spend some time in the Nass?s suite ? Zack went to bed and fell asleep ? we looked at his Bar Mitzvah photo?s.

Saturday 12 January ? Mitch took Zack to play in a table tennis tournament ? we hit the Sawgrass Outlets Mall ? I set off with my radio ? and Steven sets off with his personal shopper Gail! We meet up for lunch and try Nathan?s chips for the first time ? not bad! We then visited Game Works where Steven and Zack had a great time! Green Tomato buffet for dinner ? before going to Jai Alai ? basically a ball game where grown men catch the ball in a strange scooped bat and have to through the ball on the wall and the other team have to do the same thing without the ball bouncing twice ? at least I think that was it. Anyway you have to bet on who is going to win ? I did this very scientifically and managed to pick 3 winners in a row! I looked at who was playing in each game and picked the best looking one!!! Mitch and I had an early night (not together!) ? and Steven and Gail chatted and had a few drinks by the pool.

Sunday 13 January ? Bagels for breakfast ? another first! Steven has a bit of a cold! Went to watch Zack play table tennis. We then drove up to West Palm Beach ? one radio in each car. We told each other Scottish and Floridian jokes all the way there ? most of the jokes terrible ? and Zack struggling with our accents! The shopping in West Palm Beach was very exclusive looking ? but we managed to find a few bargains. We had a late lunch in The Cheesecake Factory ? funnily enough for sweet we all had ? cheesecake! It was then time to say a sad farewell to the Nass?s. There were a few tears ? but we had had a fantastic weekend.

Monday 14 January ? Packed our many bags and drove to the port. As we had joined the Captain?s Club we had preferential boarding. Amanda ? the social hostess ? met up with us and hoped we had a great Cruise! Steven had spent quite a bit of time prior to the holiday on the internet and had been corresponding with a number of people. We had sent a picture and this had been posted on Sandie Fitzell?s Summit web page.

We had our buffet lunch in the Waterfall Café and then went to check out our inside Stateroom (8089). To our surprise we had been given complimentary Champagne and fruit. Lifeboat drill followed! When we got back to our stateroom Steven realised they had us on the wrong seating for dinner so spent the next hour running all over the ship trying to sort things out, this proved to be more difficult that it sounds. Steevn was sent to three different locations on the ship to speak to different people before ending up where he began!! Unfortunately this made us rather late for the sail away party in the Penthouse ? George and Mary Beth were also on the web page and had invited everyone along. A web cam had been set up and for the whole of the cruise so friends etc at home could log on and see where we were! We managed to meet most of the people on the web page although I have to admit I had a problem remembering all their names! The penthouse suite was unbelievable!

Dinner was casual ? we met Karen, Vince (father and daughter), Suzie and Ken who were also at our table. We also met Reginald (Reggie our waiter) and Daniel (Danny the waiter?s assistant). The show in the theatre was a ?Taste of Things to Come? ? I hope not ? it wasn?t very exciting! Met Taz and Mary Anne from Canada at the Trivia. Lost a quick $10 on the slots in the Casino.

Tuesday 15 January ? Arrived in Key West. Hired bikes and cycled to the southernmost point (in America). Visited Ernest Hemmingway?s house (he wasn?t in!) ? met most of the 61 6-clawed cats however ? my favourite was Charlie Chaplin with his little black moustache!

Spent a little more time cycling round in circles trying to find a shop where Steven could buy some underwear! No luck! Handed back the bikes and tried one more stop across from the ship ? no underwear so Steven will have to go short (remember this story for later!) Met Dan and Sandie in the shop and went back to the ship for lunch. After lunch we got to know each other a little bit better and Steven handed over some ?Scottish? gifts! He gave Dan a Police chief?s hat ? who would have believed Dan collected hats!! I always moan when I have to find room for the hats in the suitcases!

In the afternoon I had a game of bingo ? only needed 2 numbers for the jackpot, so close yet so far! Haven?t a clue what Steven did because I didn?t write it in my diary but it probably involved him creating a nice pile of dirty washing! The evening show included Acrobats who were breathtaking and a Pianist/Comedian ? jokes a bit old but still quite funny. We were both shattered so had an early night ? asleep by 10.30pm. This cruising is exhausting work.

Wednesday 16 January ? We are now in Mexico! Steven went to breakfast, I had a tracker in the cabin ? sorry stateroom! Set off by taxi to Chankanab State Park in Cozumel. Had a great day lying under our little palm trees ? lovely white beach ? Steven went snorkelling ? I thought I would try snorkelling again ? my first attempt in Turkey a few years ago did not go well ? Steven had to swim out and lifesave me!!! So there I was in the water mask cleared, snorkel cleared, life jacket on just in case, hanging on to a rope attached to the shore bobbing about on the waves ? trying to convince myself I was nice and relaxed, put my head under the water ? inhaled in half the ocean ? saw about 6 lovely little colourful fish before spluttering and choking back to dry land! Hmmmm! Walked back through the park on our way back to the exit ? lovely lake with lots of plants, iguanas etc. Taxi back to the ship ? too late for lunch so had pizza instead!

Back out again ? took a taxi in to the town ? very hot and busy ? a lot of building work/road works going on so a bit noisy. No purchases! Stopped off at a bar across from the ship on the way back ? lovely white/grey cat with blue eyes lying sleeping on one of the tables. Steven had 2 margueritas and predictably I had a diet coke! Dinner casual ? show was comedian Noodles Levenstein ? some jokes quite funny! Visited ?Notes? and listened to some music ? 2 ?delightful? teenagers who were quite like Beavis and Butthead were playing Chess ? thank goodness I don?t have children!

Thursday 17 January ? Breakfast in our stateroom ? At sea today. I have quite a sore throat ? probably the snorkelling! Steven played table tennis (met Tom for the first time, a minister from Henderson, near Las Vegas, ? same age as Steven although I have to say looked considerably younger ? and just as mad about competitive sports), shuffle board and volleyball (which had to be abandoned as it was a bit windy and 2 balls were lost of the back of the ship not before one of then nearly gave a sunbathing passenger on a lower deck a black eye!)

Steven and Tom played basketball while I bought my postcards (all 21 of them!) ? Ordered a Darjeeling and wrote my postcards ? remember to stick my little pinkie in the air when drinking my tea.

We were invited to Afternoon Tea in the Fitzell?s Stateroom (Dan and Sandie) at 4pm ? this was served to us by Xavier ? their butler ? the sandwiches and cakes were delightful although I have to say I was more impressed by the fact their stateroom had a bath!! We had a lovely time together which was made perfect by watching the sunset over the ocean from the balcony! A memory to last forever!

Afterwards we went with Dan and Sandie to the Normandie for dinner ? the speciality restaurant on the ship that offers 5 star cuisine and service ? our whole dining experience took 3 hours!! Thank you Michel Roux for my fantastic pudding! We met William the waiter (who reminded me of Richard E Grant) and had a truly memorable meal! William was English and a little ?upset? Dan had placed Scottish flags in a champagne glass on our table! The show tonight was songs from famous artists ? Cher, Bee Gees, Elton John etc.

Friday 18 January ? Hello Costa Rica ? Steven was adamant we were getting a taxi in to town ? the guy organising the transport was adamant we were getting the shuttle. After a bit of debating ? we got the shuttle (after missing the first one!). Spent 1 hour walking around Porto Limon ? they really don?t have much but were exceptionally friendly. It was very hot to start with but then unfortunately came on very heavy rain. Shuttle finally arrived to take us back to the ship! We bought some wooden boxes etc from the stalls set up beside the ship ? for some reason Steven bought a large wooden parrot!!

Back n board we had lovely pasta for lunch ? met Taz and Mary Anne again. My sore throat was getting the better of me so I went for a lie down ? although I couldn?t really rest due to a constant sound of running water coming from the back wall of the stateroom! Steven went back off the ship and walked quite a bit taking photo?s and talking to the locals. When he returned he played basketball and volleyball yet again with Tom. Informal for dinner ? only Vince and Karen. I really didn?t feel very great so had an early night. Steven danced in Revelations nightclub I believe.

Woken at 3am with Steven talking on the phone asking for the noise of running water to by switched off. Ended up with someone visited the room and Steven going off to another stateroom to try to get some sleep ? I was ok due to my earplugs!

Thursday 19 January ? Steven return to have breakfast in the stateroom a bit tired and grumpy (how did I know the difference I hear you ask ? good point!!!) Arrive in Colon, Panama ? leave by bus for a trip to the Panama Canal ? watch the Sea Princess go through the Gatun Locks. Message from Guest Relations saying we could move to another Stateroom due to the noise of water ? told Steven he could move if he wanted but I was not spending hours packing up all our stuff! Went to see the stateroom anyway ? number 6111 ? beautiful room with a balcony! Went back to original room and packed and moved within the hour!

Went on deck to watch us leave Colon! Formal night ? Steven took about 1 hour to put on his kilt ? I wore my new gold outfit ? I left sparkle everywhere I went ? literally! Dinner at Captain?s table with George (Assistant Hotel Manager). I was seated at the top of the table but Steven was seated next to Yancy (yes that?s right ? Nancy with a Y) who was a model/dancer from Miami. Needless to say she was very pretty so Steven spent the rest of the night with a stupid grin on his face ? you would think someone would have mentioned to Yancy that her dress didn?t fit! Lets just say she wasn?t wearing any underwear and nothing was let to the imagination. Ask Steven where I was that night and what I wore and I bet he hasn?t got a clue ? although I was in some photographs that were taken ? Steven at the top of the stairs with Yancy. Me? ? yes you?ve guessed it at the bottom! Anyway the meal was lovely ? I had a pork and pasta dish - the best yet (apart from the Normandie). We were presented with a red rose and photograph to mark the occasion. Met Dan and Sandy afterwards (who were at the Captain?s table for the late seating so we could meet and thank Danny! Steven was still grinning! The show was ?Encore?. Steven fell asleep on the balcony in his Celebrity robe!

Sunday 20 January ? Woke up with daylight flooding through the curtains ? will we ever be able to return to an inside cabin ? I doubt it! Steven out on the balcony at 7am taking photographs. Met Gregario ? our new stateroom attendant ? he delivered our breakfast. Docked in Cartagena, Columbia. Took Deluxe tour with Dan and Sandie ? visiting the Monestary, Fort and many emerald shops. The street traders were a little numerous and over enthusiastic! It was very hot but a very interesting trip! Bought some coffee from a street trader ? at least I hope it was Columbian coffee!

Back to the ship for 1pm ? very lengthy queue to board. Lifts too busy so took the stairs. Went to the Waterside Grill for the obligatory pasta (I also had a lovely toffee apple!) The restaurant was so busy we could hardly get a seat! Visited William in the Normandie to book our next visit. Rushed up to the Penthouse ? George and Mary Beth had invited all the web page people for a drinks party ? Lee threw his white wine over Steven ? an accident I believe ? unfortunately it was the first time he had put on his new Ron Jon T shirt! Back to the Stateroom for a very quick change in order to meet the Captain for cocktail?s in the Celebrity Theatre! Ran along for dinner at 6pm followed by a blether with Norman, Be, Daryl and Tenise (who were also at the Captain?s table. Visited the Emporium to purchase a few amber pendants. Returned to the Stateroom to find Steven asleep with his mouth open with Country and Western music playing from the TV ? lets just say it?s not going to go down as one of my more pleasant experiences from the Cruise! Guess we?re not going to the show!

Monday 21 January ? Arrive in Aruba. Steven gets up early and goes to the gym. Breakfast at the Waterside Grill. Meet up with Dan and Sandie and pick up our hired car. Not the best hired car we have ever had. It is only a small island and our car has accumulated 64,000 miles. Dan navigated ? which I was glad about. Unfortunately there are about 2 road signs in the whole of Aruba ? by some miracle (or Dan?s enviable navigational skills) we find the Natural Bridge. Very beautiful ? but very windy. We then drive on to a lighthouse (stopping on the way to take photographs of the cactus) ? we find a quiet little beach ? Steven goes snorkelling, Sandie and I chat and watch the numerous iguanas right beside us while Dan had a little snooze ? I thought I heard some snoring but maybe it was distant thunder. Steven arrived back and a short panic follows when we think the car keys are at the bottom of the ocean. Thankfully they were not because suddenly it came on very heavy rain and we all made a dash back to the car ? rather wet and sandy!

Drive back to the main town and drop off the car and have a very civilised ?Afternoon Tea? in the Waterside Grill. Casual night at dinner. Lost another $20 on the slots while Steven had a little nap. Show at 9pm saw the return of Rob Long the Pianist/Comedian together with the Celebrity Band. The sea was quite rough at one point but eventually calmed down. Steven once again ends the day on the balcony ? lovely night ? the moon is on her back in a very starry sky.

Tuesday 22 January ? Straight down at 9am for the fantastic watch sale. Bought a gold watch. Vince from our dinner table bought 6! Joined Dan and Sandie in the Waterside Grill for breakfast. I tried again at the bingo ? nothing! Steven took part in the shuffleboard tournament ? won ? I said he was competitive!! Picked up the menu from the Penthouse ? we have been invited to dinner. Steven had a quick 10 minutes in ?Notes?. Quite a few of the web page met up at the Captain?s Club Cocktail Party in Revelations. (Dan not there as he was feeling a little under the weather.)
Afterwards we all went to lunch together in the Cosmopolitan Restaurant. Steven then plays basketball with Tom. I say ta ta to another £20 on the slots. (Lasted quite a while though!)

Dropped off Vince?s birthday card and present (he was 75!) then headed up to the Penthouse for dinner. Had a great meal with Mary Beth, George, Mary, Bob, Anne & Jim served by Carlton the butler. Swapped Scottish gifts for some buckeye beads! A little late for the show so missed a bit of the soul singer however we heard all of Noodles. One joke ?What do you call a Jewish dilemma ? Free Ham!?. Chatted to Karen and Vince who appeared to be buying more watches. We then met Tom, Robyn, Daryl and Tenise. Went to Revelations for a little while with Dan and Sandie ? Steven was having water to drink until Jim Carroll (The Cruise Director) very kindly bought our round of drinks ? it then changed to a Pina Colada. (True Scotsman!)

Wednesday 23 January ? Early start in George Town, Grand Cayman (6 other ships in port with us today!). Alarm set for 6.15am followed by breakfast in our stateroom at 6.30am. On the first tender boat with Dan and Sandie (after walking half way round the ship) ? a little surprised they were playing the Titanic song as we boarded! Found Captain Marvins and take the minibus to the boat. With 14 people on board we travel for around ½ hour ? Most people get of the boat to snorkel ? needless to say Man from Atlantis, Steven, is the first person off the boat and I decide not to bother!

Sandie and Dan both had a go ? Sandie received some personal tuition from one of the guys on the boat and managed some pretty impressive snorkelling. Dan reminded me of myself in Turkey ? but at least Dan can swim! Moved on to the sand bank at Stingray City and I did get out of the boat in to the sea because my feet could touch the sand! I wouldn?t say I swam with the Stingray?s exactly ? just bobbed about beside them. I did manage to snorkel for about a minute by holding my breath under the water! We all took a turn to hold a Stingray! Steven gave them some food and we did manage to get some good photographs with the underwater camera ? one stingray decided to sit on Steven?s head!

Back to the ship for a quick shower (definitely a bad hair day!) and lunch in the Waterside Grill. I caught the tender back to George Town and did a little shopping ? fudge! Very hot! Back to the ship for a little rest ? Steven stayed on board to play volleyball, basketball and shuffleboard with Tom (it later transpired all Steven?s underwear needed to be laundered so he had on my knickers ? I?m glad he didn?t have an accident that required medical attention!)

Went to the Fitzell?s stateroom at 6.30pm for champagne and canapés served by Xavier the butler. The Caesar salad was tossed freshly at the side of the table ? delicious! I had the lamb to follow but didn?t enjoy it quite as much as the Chateaubriand ? had my fantastic pudding again though! Sadly William had flown home from Grand Cayman due to a family emergency! Took some photographs at the ?official spots? ourselves! Met Andrea and Mark (web page) for some more photos. Went to Broadway show with Dan and Sandie ? we are all extremely tired after our long day ? we all sat looking rather dazed and every so often realised a song had ended and clapped like 4 performing seals!

Thursday 24 January ? Attended breakfast in the Waterside Grill at 9.30am. Met Sandie and went to the disembarkation seminar in the Celebrity Theatre. Everybody is a little sad today because you know the cruise is nearly over ? back to reality. Did a little last minute shopping and lost another $10 in the casino. Steven learnt how to throw an American football.

Lunch with Dan and Sandie in the Waterside Grill followed by our first game of shuffleboard. Go back to the stateroom to do a little packing ? depressed! Steven and Tom are playing basketball etc followed by Steven putting Tom through his paces in the gym! I did a bit more packing - I met Dan and Sandie in the Library for a game of Scrabble ? I managed to win by getting a ?q? word on a triple word score ? first and last time for everything I suppose. Last dinner with Reggie, Danny, Karen, Vince, Susie and Ken. This is the night when you hand out the ?tips?! I did a little more packing ? bags need to be outside the door for 12. Went to the final show ? Metro, Bob Long etc followed by the Cruise video!

I could prattle on a bit more about our wait at the airport follow by our seats on the return flight at the emergency exit, the woman behind me pinching all my magazines, a delightful flight attendant etc etc etc but I won?t ? my fingers hurt and Steven is getting hungry.

That?s all folks!! Except ?

My conclusions ? We both had a fantastic holiday ? before and during the Cruise. Deepening existing friendships and making friends with people I hope we will meet again in the not too distant future! I am a little upset however that after spending an afternoon writing 21 postcards none arrived at their destinations!

Millennium Review 6/24 Istanbul to Barcelona

Just returned from a 12 day Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity?s Millennium ship. Wow! What a vacation! My husband and I took our 15 year-old son and had a fantastic time. We met some great people and thoroughly enjoyed each port city. I am still amazed at the itinerary for this cruise: Istanbul, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Limassol, Alexandria (Cairo), Piraeus (Athens), Naples (Pompeii), Civitavecchia (Rome), Villafranche (Nice, Monaco), and Barcelona. We have always taken our vacations in the U.S., Canada, or Caribbean. Europe seemed too far away when Hawaii and the Caribbean were so easily accessible. Not anymore! We are already planning next year?s vacation to Europe, only next time we will travel on our own (minus the cruise) to England, France, and Italy. If you are the kind of person (like us) who is a bit uncomfortable about traveling abroad, I would highly recommend this cruise.
My husband (a CPA), son, and I (teacher) have been on six cruises in the past ten years (two to Alaska, two to the Caribbean, one from Hawaii to Vancouver, and this Mediterranean cruise). Actually, my husband has gone on four other cruises with his family (Caribbean and Mexico). We did not like the repositioning cruise from Hawaii (Pacific Princess, ten years ago) but the other cruises were wonderful and hooked us on cruising (with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean). They were fun and had lots of activities going on at all hours of the day. This Mediterranean cruise was fun too, but it did not have the same type of activity-filled days, perhaps because everyone is so busy seeing the sights. However, on the Millennium, even the evenings and sea days are more laid back with less to do. We spent the majority of our ?spare? time up by the pool. Like most of the other cruises we have been on, it is pretty much ?dog eat dog? regarding the poolside lounge chairs. There is a big problem with people saving chairs hours before they plan to use them. This was the only problem area we encountered on the ship. We had one obnoxious woman get in my husband?s face about moving her towels from 3 chairs. She didn?t see anything wrong with having 3 chairs in the sun and 3 chairs reserved in the shade for when they got too hot. They would lie in the sun for hours and then sit in the shady chairs for a few minutes to cool off.
You might need to remind people there is no reserving and it is written up in the ship?s brochures of do?s and don?ts. You will see a lot of chairs laying empty for hours and hours without a soul in sight. We?re not talking about people who are swimming or grabbing a bite to eat in the buffet line. Nope, we are talking about people who see nothing wrong with putting down 10 towels on 10 chairs at 8:30 in the morning so that they will have a place to sit at 12:30 in the afternoon.
Regarding the ship, the Millennium is absolutely beautiful: very elegant, clean, and comfortable. It was hard to believe 2,000 people were aboard. None of the lounges, restaurants, or public areas ever got that crowded. We heard the tenders in Villafranche were a bit crowded at 7:00 am but they were no problem an hour later. The ship is very well maintained and the cleaning crew is constantly working around the clock to make sure everything is shipshape. Our balcony was washed off every few days, which was great because the sea spray really built up on the railing, windows, and chairs. If you plan to have 3 people in your veranda room, try to book early and get a cabin with an overhead bunk. We were unable to book a room with a bunk for our son so we had a fold out chair. It worked fine and was comfortable (according to him) but he didn?t appreciate my husband and I climbing over him each morning in port cities to take photographs or movies from the balcony. The cabin was very comfortable because it was designed well. We had an excellent cabin stewardess who took good care of us.
One thing I really took advantage of on this cruise was the ship?s laundry/dry cleaning service. On previous cruises I remember being appalled at the cost of laundering a pair of pants. The Millennium?s prices were the same or even cheaper in some cases than my neighborhood drycleaner. I laundered and dry-cleaned about 12 items (pants, dresses, shirts) because we went through clothes like crazy and I got tired of hand washing stuff in the sink. It is hard to pack for a 2-week cruise for 3 people and not have to take 10 suitcases.
The food was fabulous; we have no complaints. A few of the people we talked to complained about a few items on the menu (New York steaks said to be on the tough side) but we thought everything was great. Sometimes the dining room?s lunch menu looked less than appetizing because they had a number of foods we simply do not enjoy (rabbit, veal, etc.) On those few occasions we would head to the lunch buffet, which was fine but not as good as the dining room.
No matter where or when we ate our meals my husband and I tried to select the leaner menu items and they were excellent. The sherbets were always outstanding. We also really liked the spa menu up by the pool. They usually served excellent dishes that our son even enjoyed, such as salads, sushi, and fruit plates (and he is very much a pizza and hamburger kind of guy).
Many people ate at the Olympic Dining Room, but we opted not to go. Everyone we spoke to who ate at the Olympic said the experience was fantastic: they had never had such incredible service before. Also, everyone we spoke with said the food was comparable or even slightly less wonderful than the meals served in the main dining room. I wasn?t that thrilled about eating there but I wanted to see the Olympic Dining Room so we asked if we could go in and look around. It is very nice looking inside but very different looking from the dining room.
Something interesting about the main dining room on this particular cruise was the abundance of empty tables, especially the first two nights. We were at a table for 8 and our tablemates never showed up once. According to the Matre?d they never made it on the cruise. The ship was sold out but there were many tables near us that were ½ empty. Eventually, we moved to another table with a couple and their son (same age as our son). They were wonderful dinner companions and we only wished we had hooked up with them earlier. The dining room staff tried very hard to make us happy and we were impressed with the service they provided. Our waiter, Georgie, and assistant waiter, Jose, were the best. Very professional and personable.
The entertainment on board ranged from excellent (the production numbers with the ship?s singers and dancers) to mediocre. There were a few solo entertainers who seemed to have been booked with a much older crowd in mind. We love classic music and show tunes as well as contemporary ones, but one guy in particular sang dull songs from the earlier part of the last century in a very silly manner. He had an excellent voice but his presentation and style grated our nerves. We were also unimpressed with the magician who looked about 16 years old. He was very talented but his act was very tedious. He would do the same tricks over and over again. The lighting on stage was turned down so low you could barely see the guy at times. I guess the stagehands were trying to hide the little tricks of the trade (wires, etc.) by eliminating most of the lighting. Another thing: he didn?t say a single word during the entire performance. Drove me nuts.
Now, getting down to the good stuff: the ports. Well, I think this itinerary is the best I have ever seen for a cruise. Three days after our cruise, I am still in awe of what we did on our vacation. The good thing about the itinerary is it let you see places you might not have selected if you were traveling on your own (like Egypt or Turkey). The bad thing is you really do not have time to see everything you want to see. In fact, it gets frustrating at times because you feel so rushed. Let?s face it: it is crazy to think you can see Rome or Cairo in a day! So, we approached this cruise like a ?sampler? vacation. We got a reasonable taste of 8 different ports and now we plan to go back in future years and visit these places in leisure. We used the ship?s tours for each city except Istanbul, Limassol, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona. Yes, the ship?s tours are very whirlwind and you do feel a bit like cattle. However, our excursions were well organized, comfortable and informative. The tour guides ranged from good to excellent. The buses were clean and in excellent shape (most had a toilet). You do run into huge crowds of people, particularly in Rome, Cairo, Istanbul, and Pompeii, but you will not be able to avoid crowds of people in Europe in summer, even if you do your own private tours.
The people we talked to who did their own tours varied in their experiences. Those who paid exorbitant fees for a private, small tour seemed to have a better time. They all had booked months ahead of time with well-known tour companies and were pleased with their choices, even though they paid double the price that we did. They were able to see more things than we did because they didn?t have to wait for 40 other people taking a potty break (like we did). However, those doing private tours had to pay for their own entrance fees (usually under $10 each) and cost of lunch.
The people we talked to who took less expensive private tours or took advantage of a taxi driver offering to take them on a private tour were not that happy. One friend said that in Rome her guide barely spoke English and did not tell her all of the interesting info we got going on a ship?s tour. She paid quite a bit of money as well (for 5 people). Taxi driver tours seem to be bad news. You are almost guaranteed of being ripped off and hassled if you choice this type of tour in Istanbul or Athens. They always have a rug shop or restaurant of some friend or relative they insist you go to. You protest, they want more money or they will call the police.
In Athens, the cab drivers are notoriously rude. Everyone we talked to on board seemed to have a similar story regarding an obnoxious cab driver. Make sure you talk to the cab drivers BEFORE you get in the car. Tell them you want them to use the meter. They will protest, but insist before you get inside of the cab. Taxi drivers can be major rip-off artists in Athens, and they will yell at you as well. The favorite thing taxi drivers seem to say in Athens is, ?What is your problem?????
Starting from the beginning, we flew to Istanbul on Turkish Air via Chicago (on American) a day early, which was terrific. We had no problems with the plane trip. We felt pretty good (not very tired despite the fact that we had not slept at all) when we arrived in Istanbul and set out right away to see the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. (We got the best advice on avoiding jet lag from Rick Steve?s book Europe Through the Back Door that recommends being completely ready for your trip two days before you go and spending those two remaining days resting up.) The cab drivers in Istanbul drive like the proverbial bats out of Hades. Man, we saw our lives flash before our eyes a number of times in two days! As soon as I stuck my foot out of the cab in front of the Hagia Sophia I had a guy bugging me. He greeted me and started rattling off ?helpful? tips and advice. He latched onto me like an ant on a marshmallow. I tried to be polite at first but grew considerably cooler when he would not leave me alone. We had been warned about Turks looking for American tourists to make money off of.
Well, the guy finally got tired of me and went after my husband, who was Mr. Friendly. I tried warning hubby that this guy was not a member of the Welcome Wagon, but he just kept on chatting away. So, the pesky man started steering us to the Blue Mosque because he said the Sophia closed later (he lied). We tried to lose him (no chance!) and I began to get annoyed. We couldn?t take pictures or even have a conversation with this parasite right in the middle of us. This guy kept saying he didn?t want anything from us but he would not leave us alone. He kept pointing out things like, ?Here is where Muslims wash their feet before going into the mosque. Here is a very old tree. Here is a very old door?? Finally, he told us he had a carpet store nearby and wanted us to come by and look since he was being so nice to us. We said maybe. No, he said. We must come to his store after the Blue Mosque. He would wait for us. I told him our time was limited and if we had time after Hagia we might go by his store. No, he said. He would personally escort us. He became more and more pushy and aggressive. Finally, after about 15 ? 20 minutes of his aggressive pestering I told him we would not be going to his store. He became very angry and I told him he was harassing us. Well, he finally stormed off and we were left to see the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia in peace.
Be warned! These guys are crawling all over the place. We watched at least a dozen of these pests harassing tourists near the mosques with the exact same strategy and technique. They come on friendly (?Hi, where are you from? Oh really? My cousin lives there too!?) and they won?t let go of you. Different guys approached us at least more ten times. My husband finally started telling them we were from Mexico although we do not look Hispanic and do not speak Spanish. Surprisingly, they left us alone when he said that. The cab drivers at the tourist sights will try to rip you off. Our cab rides around the city always cost less than $6 but they will initially ask you for $20. Just walk away and say ?too much? and they will lower their price. Also, the vendors and cab drivers love American dollars in the tourist areas but will often say they won?t take them if you are at a sight wanting a ride back to your hotel or to the ship. So, have Turkish money on hand. One American dollar pretty much equals $1,000,000 in Turkey. The money is confusing because the zeros are close together and are not separated by commas. They will try to take advantage of the fact that you are confused and will offer to ?help? you with the money. Don?t let them. Also, be prepared to bargain for goods, but do not counter-offer on their price if you do not plan on buying the item. This is culturally very wrong and rude and they will yell at you.
Istanbul is a fascinating city with a remarkable history. Besides the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque we visited the Topkapi Palace and toured the harem (go early and buy tickets for the harem as this is the most popular sight at the palace). We did a lot of walking around and visited a couple of parks where the locals had picnics with their families. The Turks are very curious about foreigners, which made me uncomfortable, at first, because they openly stare. My husband and son wore long pants and I wore conservative dresses in order to ?blend? (hah!), but the people gawk at you.
We boarded the ship before 10:30 on Sunday, which was great, but weren?t allowed to go to our cabin until 1:00 pm. This is a new policy of Celebrity that has been in effect for a couple of months. We explored the ship, ate lunch, and went back to Istanbul for the afternoon. The next morning we could have gone off the ship until noon, but our jet lag finally caught up with us and we slept late. Most people we talked to went to the Grand Bazaar and said it was an interesting and (rather obnoxious) experience. I am talking very aggressive salesmen who are all over you if you even look at any item for more than a few seconds. A number of people ended up buying Turkish rugs and mailing them home to the states, but they all seemed to wonder if they would actually receive the rugs once they got to the U.S. After the ship left Istanbul we had an afternoon at sea and used it to take a nap. Our advice: take naps whenever you can because they really help. (By the end of the cruise you will be exhausted if you don?t rest up along the way.) The next morning we arrived in Kusadasi and took the ship?s excursion to Ephesus, which is about 30 minutes away by bus. This place is incredible! We weren?t expecting much from the pictures we had seen but you really have to experience walking through the old city ruins to appreciate it. Ephesus used to be a seaport, but is now 6 miles inland from the coast (sand filled up the coastland). When Constantinople became the capital city, Ephesus slowly died. They are now actively excavating the city and have uncovered quite a bit. The communal city toilets are not to be missed! You can buy picture guidebooks going into or leaving the ruins for about $5. Our next day was a sea day and we hung out by the pool, which was not very crowded. People were still sleeping off their jet lag. We met a number of people who actually boarded the ship in Kusadasi because they missed embarkation in Istanbul due to plane problems. Following the sea day we arrived in Limassol, Cyprus. If you want to do any shopping there, be advised the shops are closed from about 1:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon. We took a cab to town and walked around. This was our least favorite port. The city was fine, but it really can?t compete with the fantastic sights of the other port cities. Our cab driver was quite a character who chatted nonstop and had studied American history. He was thrilled to find out that I?m a teacher. For 15 minutes I was quizzed on obscure facts about the U.S. (?Do you know what the word Alaska means? Do you know where Rhode Island got its name? No? And you call yourself a teacher? Bah!?) We heard the ship?s tours were very average, mostly because the sights were not that exciting.
The following morning we arrived in Alexandria. You can still see the giant marble blocks that used to be the foundation of the Alexandria Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They are still lying around the breakwater. Strangely enough, there are a number of rusty, abandoned, half-sunken ships poking out of the water. You would have thought the city had just survived a war. Indeed, Alexandria is very dirty, poor, and looks war-torn. In my mind I had imagined a romantic city with beautiful buildings that hinted of a rich history. Hardly! There was no sign that Cleopatra had ever ruled this city. Cairo looked much the same.
Police boats surrounded the ship and remained stationed close at hand until we left port in the evening. Armed policemen (they looked about 18 years old) surrounded the debarkation area near the ship. In fact, armed policemen escorted the eighteen or more tour buses that left the port area. We traveled in a tight pack on the road and parked close together in tourist areas as well.
An interesting situation happened during our tour in Rome. As we were walking around the city we came across a beggar woman who looked just like a hag you would see in an old fairy tale book. She looked very ?Old World? and I was looking at her to see if she really had a baby cuddled up next to her since she was holding a bundle in her arms the way mothers cradle their infants. Well, about the time our tour guide yelled out (and I mean YELLED) ?Gypsy! Look out! She?s a gypsy!? the woman had picked the pockets of two men in our tour group. She lifted one man?s wallet from his front pocket and even stole another man?s wallet from his fanny pack that he had zipped up in front of him. Both men felt the pressure of her taking the wallets but she was so quick they barely had time to respond. Well, they soon started chasing her and she threw down one guy?s wallet. We never really heard if the other guy got his wallet or money back.
The coliseum is massive and impressive despite the missing floor. You can see where the wild animals were caged before they were forced into the arena to fight the gladiators. By the way, we found out that Christians were never fed to the lions at the Coliseum, despite what we have heard over the years. Christians were killed at other areas around the city, but never at the coliseum. The coliseum was strictly an arena for gladiators. It was sickening hearing about all of the thousands of wild animals that were slaughtered there. Bull fighting is basically a remnant of the ancient gladiator games.
Our next port day was in Villafranche, where many of our fellow cruisers had planned to go it alone into Nice or Monte Carlo (us included) via the local train. Guess what? Train strike, so we took the bus into Monte Carlo. This area of France is very beautiful, like the Amalfi Coast. There really wasn?t much for us to do so we walked around and looked into the windows of stores like Prada, Gucci, and designer jewelry stores. My husband laughed while I pointed out some very fine ?souvenirs? I would have enjoyed taking home with me. There were very few typical gift shops around and the few we found seemed to carry mostly racing gear aimed at toddler-aged boys and garish gold-trimmed ladies handbags. When we walked around the little shops by the ship I did find some nice (and very inexpensive) lavender sachets and French milled soaps. There really wasn?t much more than that, unfortunately.
I mention the shopping because I really came on this trip prepared to buy some great gifts to take home: pottery, linens, etc. Honestly, we barely had anything to declare when coming back into the U.S. There simply wasn?t enough time to properly shop and the places you go to on the arranged tours do not have great items. Okay, if you are in the market for a plastic statue of Michelangelo?s ?David? or ?Pieta? you will be in luck. But, if you would like a beautiful Italian bowl to take home or a lovely hand-knit sweater ? good luck. I certainly didn?t find any. My husband is very happy about this, I might add. We arrived in Barcelona and disembarked the ship at 8:30 in the morning. The entire process was smooth and hassle-free. My parents (who live in Spain) met us at the port. We spent an extra 3 days in Barcelona and I am so glad we did. Not only did we love the time we had with my parents, but also enjoyed walking around the city, seeing all of the major sights without all of the rush, rush, rush. Barcelona is a dynamic city that seems to love people. Las Ramblas is an incredible area of pedestrian boulevards that are a people watcher?s paradise. Montserrat, an exquisite monastery high up in the mountains near Barcelona, was probably the highlight of our time in Spain. We went hiking in the hills nearby and then enjoyed the church. The statue of the Black Virgin is housed there. She is the patron saint of Barcelona.
We also enjoyed Gaudi?s La Segrada Familia, but you really have the best view of his work walking around the outside of the church. The church is a weird mix of the fantastic and the bizarre. Guell Park is another Gaudi creation that is worth seeing, despite the hike up the steep incline. We had lunch nearby at a marvelous restaurant. In fact, all of the food we ate in Barcelona was exceptional, once you get past the fact that locals prefer their fish with the head, tail, and skin still on. At least they gut the fish for you! The prawns we had were excellent but they came with all of the crustacean trimmings still intact. So, you have to work in order to eat your food. It was always delicious.
Well, that about wraps it up. I can?t believe I wrote so much about our trip. It seems as if there was a lot more to say. If any of you have booked this cruise for the near future I envy you. Have a wonderful time! I know we certainly did! You will come home tired and in need of another vacation (a quiet, relaxing one) but you will be amazed at how much you saw and experienced. I know that our experience changed the way we view our world. It was truly a vacation of a lifetime.