We are on our first sea day of the inaugural cruise to Venice, and after four intense port days in a row, you can really tell that everyone is glad to have a sea day. The weather is beautiful and the family and kid pool areas are busy. The CM working the soda machines can barely keep the cups filled. Quite a difference from last week when there were more adults and fewer kids. There are many European families onboard this week that couldn't sail last cruise because their children were still in school. So, we have had four ports so I thought I would post a quick update on them.
Villefranche: tendering was better than the previous sailing but excursions still returned later than the last scheduled tender time. It was a beautiful sunny day, unlike the muggy, overcast day 12 days prior, so we were able to get some good photos. We did not do an excursion here. The teenagers stayed onboard and slept. DH and I went into town around 10:15 and walked to the beach and then to the train station to have a look around. There was another ship in town and the line for the ticket office was busier than I would have expected. But the trains apparently were running on time, so no worries there. There is free wifi in the port area, valid for 20 minutes. It's located to the right as you enter the port building from the tendering pier... Just follow the crew.
La Spezia: we did the Florence and Michelangelo tour through
DCL. This was a good tour to the heart of Florence and included a visit to the Accademia to see The David which is why we picked this one over others. We had a walk about the historical center which took us outside the Uffizi and by the river, through some of the streets, and by the Duomo before going to the Accademia for our 12:15 entry time which ended up being closer to 12:45 because the museum was overbooked. Our guide did t give us our water bottles when we arrived in Florence but rather at the end of the day, but there was a grocery shop rig across from the Accademia so we were able to dash in and get a drink there. After the Accademia, some folks split off to start their free time earlier while the rest of us went back to the Duomo for a better viewing. By then, the crowds had begun to disperse and it was easier to see and hear. We then had approximately two hours of free time for lunch and whatever else we wanted to do, meeting back at 3:45 at the Michelangelo leather shop. Several of us asked our guide for her recommendation for lunch so she took us to an underground restaurant where our limited Italian let us order the best ravioli we have ever had. We had about 45 minutes left after lunch and were about 15 minutes away from our meeting point, so we did some souvenir shopping and had gelato on the way back. The drive for this tour takes a bit over two hours going and two and a half on the way back. This was on a Saturday and our guide said it takes more time on a week day. Most of us slept on the way back. Oh, we did have a rest stop about an hour into the trip for the driver to fuel up the bus.
Civitavecchia: the boys and DH stayed onboard while I went on the Bracciano and Wine Tasting excursion. DH wasn't feeling well so he opted not to go. We aren't wine drinkers but wanted to see the countryside and also try local foods that would be offered as part of the excursion. It was a beautiful, relaxing day and I enjoyed getting to meet more of our cruise companions. The others reported the wine was good. We were at a local winery where they also produce several other products such as cheese and jams. The time in Bracciano was too limited, not enough time to walk up to the castle which houses a museum in part of it, but as it was Sunday morning, not much was open besides the churches. There is free wifi in the main square. In the afternoon, DH was feeling better, so we took the shuttle to the edge of the port and walked around the boardwalk area... Not much going on but apparently a lot of places to get good wifi. We had a 7:30 all aboard time which was an hour later than our previous stop. At 6:15 there wee a dozen buses dropping off guests and the line of people to board was literally from the forward gangway to the aft. Crazy!
Naples: we did the Half Day Pompeii through DCL for this port. Our meeting time was 8:30 and we were back to the ship by 1:00. We had a full two hours in Pompeii plus about 15 minutes pre-entry to collect a refreshment that was included, and the another 20 minutes at the end for souvenir or shopping. We were able to use the Cameo factory's restrooms which were clean and well supplied. After we got back to the ship, two other DISers and we took taxis to a pizzeria we had found on TripAdvisor so we could have authentic Napoletana pizza. It was a successful venture and we were back onboard by 3:00. Tomorrow we arrive in Venice.
Today is formal night, and there is also the Bella Italia deck party at 10:15 tonight. The Lone Ranger premEARs at 12:01 tonight and will show again at 8:30 AM and again tomorrow night. We arrive in Venice around noon so a morning showing of the movie works better for me than staying up so late tonight. So that's it from here. VAT is 21% for onboard purchases. My of can cash a personal check for up to $300 once per cruise. They have Croatian Kuna onboard that we can exchange for beginning today.