Trip Report! ABD/DCL Mediterranean Magic Part 4 - IMAGE INTENSIVE!

sayhello

Have Camera, Will Travel
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Day 5 - Naples, Italy

Way back when I first signed up for the ABD add-on, my one disappointment in the itinerary was that it did not go to Pompeii. I contacted DCL, but they weren't able to really help me with any options, except that I was free to skip any days of the ABD that I wanted to, and pay for other excursions. I was kind of hoping to arrange a trip to Pompeii in the morning of the Naples day (instead of the pizza-making activity), and then re-join the ABD group for the trip to Capri. But as it got closer, the visit to the "Agriturismo" farm sounded more & more appealing. When I met with Robyn & Tina the first day, the subject came up, and they echoed what DCL had said. And confirmed that there would really be no way to re-join the group. So no Pompeii (and, in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't skip the Agriturismo. Visiting the farm, and making & eating our own pizzas *was* a really fun activity, and I'm glad I didn't miss it. But I'm getting ahead of myself. )

We were split into 2 smaller buses for this trip. (It turns out that the way into the Agriturismo is *really* twisty & turny, and a big motorcoach would never have made it there.) Our local tourguide in our bus was Tony. Tony was *very* Italian! His father's name was Tony, and his grandfather's name was Tony. His father was mad at him, because he *didn't* name his son 'Tony'! (Note the castle in the background. It will be re-visited later...)

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This trip began with a drive from Naples to Sorrento. We made it to the start of the gorgeous Amalfi Coast. Just spectacular views. We pulled off the road a few times for photo ops. We would be joined at most of them by large excursion buses. But we were a bit ahead of them, so we'd have *some* of the time without the crowds.

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After some pretty hair-raising manuevers by our trusty bus driver ("Don't *look down*! Really, don't look!") we made it to the Agriturismo La Galatea Farm near Sorrento. We walked down a beautifully arbored entrance, and found ourselves in a lovely, shaded porch area. They had tables set up for us, and a long table set up with wine and appetizers. After that, they demonstrated how mozzarella cheese was made.

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We also got a talk on how they made their olive oil. The woman who gave the talk had the most delicious Italian accent!

We then took a walk around the farm grounds, and had a visit with their cows. Yes, they use their own milk to make their mozzarella!

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They had fresh peas growing in one spot, and they picked some of them, and let us eat them. Oh my gosh! Fresh-off-the-vine peas are DELICIOUS!!!

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We then made our own pizzas. It was a tremendous amount of fun. They gave you a lump of dough, and showed us how to spread it out. (Of course, they helped some of us by picking it up & spinning it a bit!) Then we got to put the toppings on. Since I can't do tomatoes, they got me some olive oil (they make their own olive oil, too!) and I made a lovely white pizza with olive oil, cheese and fresh basil. After they baked (which didn't take very long with the brick oven they had!) we got them sliced, and then went back out to the covered porch, and ate our pizzas for lunch. YUMMY! Seriously YUMMY!

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Their dogs had learned the fine art of begging. And they were *very* patient... which did pay off!

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After lunch a few of us changed into swimsuits under our clothes, in case we ended up able to swim on Capri. We then loaded up into our buses, and headed out to catch the ferry to Capri. The area where we waited had gorgeous views of the surrounding cliffs.

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We actually didn't spend much time *on* Capri. We boarded a couple of small boats and sailed around the island.

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The seas were still really rough, but it was a gorgeous trip. The coastline is rugged and colorful, and the water was beautiful, if choppy.

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They took us close to a couple of caves so we could see the formations & different colors there.

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It's a video. Click!



It was a beautiful coastline, and a wonderful boat trip.

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We got to one point near a cove, and they decided to anchor the boats so that those who wanted to could take a swim in the Mediterranean. I really wanted to do it, and say I've swum in the Med. I did manage to get in. I kind of jumped off the edge, and went deeper than I'd intended. I guess everyone was pretty worried, because it took me a bit to resurface. But I *do* know how to swim! I was raised swimming in the ocean of Southern California. I was OK, but it was *so* choppy that I kept getting hit in the face with water, and between that & the cold, I wasn't able to properly catch my breath. So I went back in the boat after a few minutes. I felt good that I'd done it, but I really wish the conditions had been better so I would have felt like I could stay in the water longer. But it was still a cool thing to have done and very exhilarating.

Once we got back to shore, we were taken to the restrooms (where Tina & Robyn had to pay for us!) and I changed out of my wet bathing suit. We were then taken for more delicious gelato. We then had some free time to wander the shops, etc, of the town. There was an area right down the walk where there was a Funicular that went up the extremely steep hillside to the top of the island. Tina said we probably wouldn't have time to go up, and then wait for a ride back down (there's usually a line) so she suggested we instead walk up the 100 steps that paralleled the Funicular. I and the family of 4 (the gluten free family) decided to try that.

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Well, there may have "only" been 100 steps, but no-one mentioned the infinite amount of steep ramped road between the steps. Not realizing how much there was, I really didn't pace myself properly, and became winded quite too early. I'm afraid they probably thought I was horrendously out of shape rather than just dumb... If I'd been on my own, I'd've hung out on one level until I caught my breath. Instead, the mother slowed down to my speed, and we kept climbing. It went on *FOREVER*.

Whenever we thought we'd hit the top, there'd be a sign saying "Steps continue this way ==>". We finally gave up, as we did need to make sure we had enough time to walk back down in time for our meetup. And as we were doing this, it occurred to me that what we *should* have done was take the Funicular up to the top, and then just walked *down*. Would have been much simpler, and given us some time at the top (going down was, of course, much easier and quicker). Oh, well. Hind sight is 20/20. I mentioned it to Tina that the next time, she suggest people do Funicular up, stairs down.

But we did get some lovely views, even without going all the way up. And there were some really cool doorways, and courtyards off the steep road. I can't imagine having to climb up & down to those houses every day... Yipes!

*Somebody* has a nice yacht...

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After that, I stopped in one shop to buy a refrigerator magnet for Capri. We then caught the ferry straight back to Naples, and then headed back to the ship. We still had a couple of hours until All Aboard time, so a few of us chose to stay ashore and wander the area of Naples right across from the port. I decided to head off to check out the castle that was just sort of sitting there, at the other end of the parking lot. It amazed me that this castle was just *there*. It wasn't particularly a tourist spot or anything of that nature. It was almost like "Oh, yes, another castle, Ho Hum". Amazing to have so much of that sort of thing around that you can take a *castle* in your midst for granted. A sign said it was "Castel Nuovo", or "New Castle".

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The weather was still lovely, so a long walk around the castle, taking photos, was a nice break. I thought it was pretty. They were doing some sort of construction on one side of it, so I really had to walk all the way to the opposite side of it to get unobstructed photos. And I found I could also get some really nice views of the Magic from there.

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I really enjoyed my time spent wandering, and made it back to the ship with plenty of time to spare.

Today's towel animal.

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Tonight was the "show" night at Animator's Palate. For those who don't know, Animator's palate is all done up in black & white sketches all over the walls. The servers all are dressed in black & white, too. As the evening goes on, the sketches and various elements of the restaurant's decor go from black & white to color.

Personally, I thought it was going to be a much more gradual, subtle change. It was not. They went from picture to picture, it would be black & white, then color, then go back to black & white, and change to a different sketch that then went through the same cycle, etc. And then the serving staff all came out in color vests.

It was nice, but not the "transformation" I'd been led to expect. Different, but certainly nothing I need to see more than once.

I can't remember exactly which night I had which picture taken, so I guess I'll just throw this one up here. This gal actually seemed to know what she was doing. Some of the photographers, I really had to wonder just how much training they'd actually had in photography. Some of the photos were seriously bad. But I really liked this one.

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It was an early night, because the next day was going to be a death march... Fun, but a death march!

Day 6 - Civitavecchia & Rome

Well, Day 6 was the really long, hard haul to Rome. The port we landed in is Civitavecchia (pronounced Chivitahvehkeyah). We boarded our motorcoach for the long ride to Rome. Sydney, the 4 year old, was wisely left on the ship. We adults were going to have a hard time of it. Poor Sydney would have been miserable.

Our first stop -- the Vatican Museum.

This is the old entrance to the Vatican Museum, which isn't used any more. The new entrance is much more modern.

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Our local guide (whose name I can't remember, argh! I had to get a lot of the names from Tina & Robyn!) told us this view from the Vatican Museum was the best view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Since the Basilica itself was so big, it obscured a lot of the dome when you were actually standing in front of it.

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This is the courtyard outside the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. I really like that globe-like sculpture. Sort of looks like the Death Star...

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Our local Guide showed us a representation of the artwork in the Sistine Chapel, and explained some of the images & symbolism.

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I'm really glad he did that. It made the experience even better, which is hard to believe, because the Sistine Chapel was awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, there are no photos allowed in the Chapel. I'd've loved to have taken some photos, but I'd've been there for days in that case! The ceiling is absolutely beyond phenomenal. It was panel after panel of masterpieces, all concentrated in one room. Truly, truly amazing.

THIS is just a hallway in the Vatican Museum, leading up to the Sistine Chapel. Amazing!!!

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Wellp, I've reached the limit for number of pictures in one post.

More of Rome in Part 5.
 
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Whoo-hoo...part Four! thanks for sharing your trip with us! Your photos are beautiful as always, and really help tell your story.

Dahly
 
What an amazing trip! You guys must be exhausted each day - but then at least you get to go back to your own little cabin, and be wined and dined and see a show! The idea of an ABD with my ship's cabin at the end of each day is very appealing to me. I hope they offer them again next summer. I can't wait to read about the rest of your day in Rome. We had two full Rome days on the Viva trip (although at least half of one day was "on your own" time), and I am curious to see how it got smushed into one day...
 
Hi Sayhello! I can't wait to hear about the rest of your day in Rome! Thank you so much for posting this! I am sailing with the ABD option in August.

I'm curious how the trip was for the family that was Gluten free. I have recently been put on a Gluten free diet. What did the family do when you made the pizza? I'm a little nervous about the ABD excursions with the allergy. I know the ship won't be an issue at all.

Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated!
 


Whoo-hoo...part Four! thanks for sharing your trip with us! Your photos are beautiful as always, and really help tell your story.

Dahly
Thanks, Dahly! I'm so glad you're enjoying my photos, and my report!

Sayhello
 
What an amazing trip! You guys must be exhausted each day - but then at least you get to go back to your own little cabin, and be wined and dined and see a show! The idea of an ABD with my ship's cabin at the end of each day is very appealing to me. I hope they offer them again next summer. I can't wait to read about the rest of your day in Rome. We had two full Rome days on the Viva trip (although at least half of one day was "on your own" time), and I am curious to see how it got smushed into one day...
It was tiring, but oh so worth it. I was VERY, VERY glad, however, that this was the 11-day itinerary, as that meant we had a sea day to rest up after Rome. I REALLY needed it!

I'm hoping to have the rest of Rome up in a day or two. I'll be interested to hear from you how our Rome day differed from your 2 days.

Sayhello
 
Hi Sayhello! I can't wait to hear about the rest of your day in Rome! Thank you so much for posting this! I am sailing with the ABD option in August.

I'm curious how the trip was for the family that was Gluten free. I have recently been put on a Gluten free diet. What did the family do when you made the pizza? I'm a little nervous about the ABD excursions with the allergy. I know the ship won't be an issue at all.

Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated!
Hi, love2cruisedcl! I hope to have the rest of the Rome day up soon! At this rate, I may have the Trip Report done before you leave in August! ;) :rotfl:

To my knowledge, the Gluten free family was taken care of at each of our lunch spots. The Adventure Guides had been in contact with the restaurants well in advance, and they always had food they could eat. The day we did pizza, they had gluten-free dough for them. They had freshly cleaned the preparation area, and that family went first so that there was no contamination of the prep surfaces. They even found options at the 3 gelato places we ate at, also. I was very impressed with the fact that they all seemed well aware of what gluten free was, and what it entailed.

Sayhello
 


Very cool pictures Sayhello. I too am looking forward to seeing the rest of Rome and compare it to what we did on the Viva Italia trip. I loved that ceiling in the Vatican Museum that seemed to go on and on. It's funny how everyone has different opinions. I was sort of disappointed with the Sistine Chapel. I thought the artwork was amazing, but I thought it was much smaller than I expected. I also didn't like the way the Swiss guards were always Shooshing people. I did like the seeing the spot on the floor where they burn the ballots and you can actually see the burn marks. I guess I was expecting the chapel to look more like a chapel than an empty dark room.
 
Great report! It's funny, the pizza making experience looks just like the one we had in Peru. I guess some things are universal, no matter what part of the world you're in! The funicular/stairs story reminds me of our trip to Paris last year, and walking up all the steps to Sacre Coeur. That was because the line for the funicular, as far as my DH was concerned, was too long. Halfway up, I'm going, do you think we'd still be in line by now? Or already at the top? :rotfl:

So glad you're sharing all of your adventure with us, SayHello!
 
Very cool pictures Sayhello. I too am looking forward to seeing the rest of Rome and compare it to what we did on the Viva Italia trip. I loved that ceiling in the Vatican Museum that seemed to go on and on. It's funny how everyone has different opinions. I was sort of disappointed with the Sistine Chapel. I thought the artwork was amazing, but I thought it was much smaller than I expected. I also didn't like the way the Swiss guards were always Shooshing people. I did like the seeing the spot on the floor where they burn the ballots and you can actually see the burn marks. I guess I was expecting the chapel to look more like a chapel than an empty dark room.
Thanks, Diskidatheart. I should have the rest of Rome up soon!

I guess I expected the Sistine Chapel to be larger, also. But I would assume it looked more like a chapel back when it was *used* as a chapel, rather than a tourist spot. It was fairly wall-to-wall people when I was there; it would take forever to get people in & out of their if the pews, etc, were still in place. Although I did manage to snag a seat by the wall to spare my poor neck! I missed the burn spot! Darn. May have had something to do with the wall-to-wall people thing...

Sayhello
 
Great report! It's funny, the pizza making experience looks just like the one we had in Peru. I guess some things are universal, no matter what part of the world you're in! The funicular/stairs story reminds me of our trip to Paris last year, and walking up all the steps to Sacre Coeur. That was because the line for the funicular, as far as my DH was concerned, was too long. Halfway up, I'm going, do you think we'd still be in line by now? Or already at the top? :rotfl:

So glad you're sharing all of your adventure with us, SayHello!
That is funny about the pizza making. :) Food is definitely Universal!

That's so funny about the funicular at Sacre Couer. I guess "too long a line" is all relative.

It may take me months to get the whole trip up here, but I'm bound & determined to do it!!! :surfweb:

Sayhello
 
Wonderful new installment! My partner, like you, is disappointed that we won't get to see Pompeii----but I'm glad to see that your experience in Naples was wonderful even withOUT a trip to Pompeii. (And this might seem an ignorant question....you'll know I know nothing about the geography of the area....but I assume that even had you booked your own private touring experience in the afternoon during your free time before All Aboard that you could not have made it to Pompeii to visit "on your own"? Or do you think that's still possible/feasible?)

I have a general question about the ABD experience----did they give you your full itinerary including meet times and locations at the beginning? Or did they give you that information from day to day? And do they remind you throughout the trip about the attire requirements? (For some reason I seem to recall that there is a dress code at least for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel and maybe for other ports, as well----is that the case?)


So sorry that Animator's didn't live up to your expectations. That is, by far, our favorite place to eat onboard the ship. We are complete disneyphiles so being surrounded by all the character imagery and art and the soundtrack of familiar disney tunes is enough to keep me/us happy----but that restaurant and show have a special place for us, too. We've been DCL cruisers for quite a long time and actually the first time we ever sailed aboard the Wonder we knew very little about the ships themselves (that was way before we discovered the wonderful DIS)---so we went into Animator's the first time we ate there only knowing the very basic description that comes in the DCL literature----and that was back when it was still "state of the art" (I recognize that for many it seems far less impressive now)...so we were very entertained and excited by the show! :goodvibes
 
I am so jealous!!!! Once again, you have done a fabulous job on your trip report. Can't wait for the next installment.
 
Wonderful new installment! My partner, like you, is disappointed that we won't get to see Pompeii----but I'm glad to see that your experience in Naples was wonderful even withOUT a trip to Pompeii. (And this might seem an ignorant question....you'll know I know nothing about the geography of the area....but I assume that even had you booked your own private touring experience in the afternoon during your free time before All Aboard that you could not have made it to Pompeii to visit "on your own"? Or do you think that's still possible/feasible?)

I have a general question about the ABD experience----did they give you your full itinerary including meet times and locations at the beginning? Or did they give you that information from day to day? And do they remind you throughout the trip about the attire requirements? (For some reason I seem to recall that there is a dress code at least for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel and maybe for other ports, as well----is that the case?)


So sorry that Animator's didn't live up to your expectations. That is, by far, our favorite place to eat onboard the ship. We are complete disneyphiles so being surrounded by all the character imagery and art and the soundtrack of familiar disney tunes is enough to keep me/us happy----but that restaurant and show have a special place for us, too. We've been DCL cruisers for quite a long time and actually the first time we ever sailed aboard the Wonder we knew very little about the ships themselves (that was way before we discovered the wonderful DIS)---so we went into Animator's the first time we ate there only knowing the very basic description that comes in the DCL literature----and that was back when it was still "state of the art" (I recognize that for many it seems far less impressive now)...so we were very entertained and excited by the show! :goodvibes
I'm going to say that going to Pompeii on your own *after* the ABD excursion is not easily feasible. (But you may want to ask the Guides to make sure). Pompeii is more than half way from Naples to Sorrento. But the thing is, you don't go back to Sorrento after visiting Capri, you go directly back to Naples (across the Bay of Naples). So you'd have to get someone to pick you up in Naples, take you to Pompeii, and then, after seeing Pompeii, get back to Naples. I'm thinking it's probably about 1/2 an hour to Pompeii. So with an hour travel time, you'd have less than an hour to get in and see Pompeii. I checked the time stamps on my pictures, and I started walking towards the castle at 6:24pm. Sail Away was at 9pm. So, technically, you have enough time. But you'd be pushing it, and if anything went wrong, you'd be at risk for missing the ship. I also don't know how late the ruins are open. I'd ask. I didn't pursue it because I didn't know that we'd get back "early". Is a quick hour in Pompeii worth it? A part of me says yes; most of me says I wouldn't risk it...

They gave us our itinerary day by day (which is unusual; usually you get the full itinerary the first day of an ABD, and they'll tell you of any deviations as you go). I'm assuming it's because the itinerary was still a bit in flux. They'd tell us at the end of one day what the times & logistics were for the next day. And yes, they'll brief you on any clothing restrictions for the next day (Tunisia & the Vatican were the big ones. Shoulders covered & no shorts. Knees have to be covered. The Vatican, I think, was no sandals, either). Believe me, the Guides will totally make sure you're prepped & ready for each day!

I think with Animator's Palate, part of the problem was all the hype and descriptions people had given me beforehand. I think if I'd been more "surprised" or spoiler-free, it would have impressed me more.

Sayhello
 
I'm going to say that going to Pompeii on your own *after* the ABD excursion is not easily feasible. (But you may want to ask the Guides to make sure). Pompeii is more than half way from Naples to Sorrento. But the thing is, you don't go back to Sorrento after visiting Capri, you go directly back to Naples (across the Bay of Naples). So you'd have to get someone to pick you up in Naples, take you to Pompeii, and then, after seeing Pompeii, get back to Naples. I'm thinking it's probably about 1/2 an hour to Pompeii. So with an hour travel time, you'd have less than an hour to get in and see Pompeii. I checked the time stamps on my pictures, and I started walking towards the castle at 6:24pm. Sail Away was at 9pm. So, technically, you have enough time. But you'd be pushing it, and if anything went wrong, you'd be at risk for missing the ship. I also don't know how late the ruins are open. I'd ask. I didn't pursue it because I didn't know that we'd get back "early". Is a quick hour in Pompeii worth it? A part of me says yes; most of me says I wouldn't risk it...

They gave us our itinerary day by day (which is unusual; usually you get the full itinerary the first day of an ABD, and they'll tell you of any deviations as you go). I'm assuming it's because the itinerary was still a bit in flux. They'd tell us at the end of one day what the times & logistics were for the next day. And yes, they'll brief you on any clothing restrictions for the next day (Tunisia & the Vatican were the big ones. Shoulders covered & no shorts. Knees have to be covered. The Vatican, I think, was no sandals, either). Believe me, the Guides will totally make sure you're prepped & ready for each day!

I think with Animator's Palate, part of the problem was all the hype and descriptions people had given me beforehand. I think if I'd been more "surprised" or spoiler-free, it would have impressed me more.

Sayhello


Thanks for the great info!! I talked to my partner and he's erring on the side of skipping Pompeii, too. We may do a little more research....but we might skip it and use it as an excuse to vist again sometime! :)
 

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