Mediterranean Cruise

May 18-26, 2022

If you had asked us before this trip, we would have told you we did not think we were cruise people. However, it probably did not even take a full day for us to change our minds! Getting to cruise on the newest and largest cruise ship in the world may have played a role in that decision. And going with friends made our first experience all the more fun and memorable!

To say we were excited about this trip would be an understatement. The idea was presented to us while visiting our friends, Corey and Carrie, in Tennessee, in August of 2021. In the middle of the pandemic, the idea of traveling was still questionable, especially overseas, but the sales were too good to pass up! We booked it, unsure if we would get to go, but nine months later, we were finally packing our bags!

We flew into Rome a day early, which allowed a quick tour of the city and one of the best meals of the trip - Carbonara and Caco de Pepe at Ristorante Da Sabatino (recommended by our Airbnb host).

The next morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast in Rome (another recommendation from our Airbnb host) before heading to the port of Civitavecchia to board our long-awaited cruise! We took advantage of our first few hours on the boat, playing putt-putt, eating snacks, and relaxing by the pool. After dinner we had reservations for our first show at the aquatic theater, which was outstanding. The first few nights, we also got into the habit of post-dinner pizza and cookies.

Our first stop was Naples, Italy. We booked a transport before arriving to take us to Bomerano, about an hour away, to hike the Path of the Gods. Chad and I had done this hike back in 2019, and while most of it was familiar and the views just as beautiful, I guess you try to block out just how many stairs there are on the Positano side. After arriving in Positano, we were ready to rest and eat lunch, so we found a spot at the same restaurant by the beach where we had eaten on our previous trip. Chad wanted to eat like a local and ordered a squid dish that was not good (although a girl behind us ate her whole plate of it), so he ended up eating some of my pasta and Corey and Carrie's pizza. After lunch, we wandered through the small town shopping and getting dessert before it was time to leave. We got to take even more stairs, going up this time, to meet our transport back to the boat. We were all quite looking forward to relaxing at the pool that afternoon, and dinner was also something we began to look forward to every night, not just for the food, but because we had the best waiter, Tsahai, who made it so fun.

After our hike that included a lot of stairs the previous day, we welcomed a day at sea to relax. We ate, sat by the pool, and ate some more!

Our next stop was Barcelona, Spain. The walk from the port to the city was quite long but led us to La Rambla street, where we almost immediately stopped for pastries. On our way to Park Guell, we stopped to see a few of the major sites including La Sagrada Familia. Park Guell sits up on a hill overlooking the city and includes the work of the famous architect Antoni Gaudí, whose work can be seen throughout the city. For lunch, we enjoyed probably the best meal of the trip at Cervecería Catalana for tapas! We each chose a dish to order and ended up sharing everything. By the end of the day we had logged over 12 miles.

Palma de Mallorca, Spain, was our shortest day. We had hoped to make it to see the Mirador es Colomer Lookout on the North side of the island or Mirador Es Pontas on the Eastern side but decided we did not have adequate time since we had not planned out our transportation before getting off the boat. We walked around the city and tried to find another tapas place, but most were closed until later in the day. We settled for an early lunch, so we could return to the boat to relax by the pool and eat snacks until dinner.

Marseille, France, was a change of scenery from the city. We were able to snag a spot on one of the cruise excursions that provided transportation to the small town of Cassis, where we could see the Calanques. We took a boat tour to see three of the Calanques and then were able to take a short walk through town to see one. If we had more time, we would have loved to have hiked between them!

We had been excited about the food in France, but unfortunately, where we stopped for lunch was quite underwhelming. We will have to go back one day to find the really good food and pastries!

Our last stop was La Spezia, Italy. We planned to go to Cinque Terre, a quick train ride away. When we arrived at the train station, there was quite a bit of smoke and a fire truck trying to put out a train fire. We still boarded our train (which was not on fire), but it wasn't long before they decided to evacuate the train station, and we had to get off. Not knowing how long the station would be out of commission, we scrambled to figure out alternate transportation. Finally finding an available taxi, we had to decline because the price was far too high. We ended up taking a ferry which took longer, and with all the time we already had lost, we now wouldn't be able to hike between any of the towns.

We got off the ferry in Riggamore and decided instead of sitting down for lunch we would grab a quick bite to eat in each town. I chose a Nutella crepe in Riggamore, focaccia in Levanto, and gelato in Monterosso and Manarola. We took the train from town to town and skipped Corniglia since it required walking up some 380 stairs to get to from the train station. Luckily, the train back to La Spezia was running, so we had a quick ride back after visiting four of the five towns in Cinque Terre.

While we absolutely loved our first cruise experience, and I was ready to book another one before this one was even over, a cruise does limit the adventure we are after when we go on a trip. We loved that we got to see new places, and with friends, but we left feeling like our visit was unfinished in many of them. While we usually got 8-12 hours at each stop, it just was not enough time to get to our desired destination outside the city in Palma De Mallorca or to hike between the Calanques or the towns of Cinque Terre. Another downside is that we never got to try pizza in Naples or pastries in France. We would definitely go on another one, keeping in mind these limitations, when choosing where it went. A cruise is a perfect vacation for relaxing, outstanding service (part of what made this trip so great), and getting a taste of each place you stop, just knowing there isn't time to do it all.

Itinerary:

Day 1- Flew RDU - JFK - Rome

Day 2 - Trevi Fountain / Lunch at Ristorante Da Sabatino / Pantheon / Colosseum Tour / Dinner / Spanish Steps

Day 3- Transport to the port of Civitavecchia to board our Cruise / Lunch / Explored the Ship / Pool / Dinner / Aquatic Show

Day 4 - Arrived in Naples, Italy / Transport to Bomerano / Hiked the Path of the Gods / Lunch in Positano / Transport back to Naples / Pool / Dinner

Day 5 - Day at Sea

Day 6 - Arrived in Barcelona, Spain / La Rambla Street / La Sagrada Familia / Park Guell / Lunch at Cervecería Catalana / Pool / Dinner

Day 7 - Arrived in Palma De Mallorca, Spain / Walked around the city / Lunch / Pool / Dinner

Day 8 - Arrived in Marseille, France / Bus & Train ride to Cassis / Boat tour of the Calanques / Lunch / Walk to a Calanque / Train & Bus ride back to the port / Hot Tub / Dinner / Aquatic Show

Day 9 - Arrived in La Spezia, Italy / Ferry to Riggamore / Train to Levanto / Train to Monterosso / Train to Manarola / Train to La Spezia / Pool / Dinner / Putt Putt / Arcade

Day 10 - Arrived in Civitavecchia / Breakfast / Car ride to the airport / Flight Home

Food Recommendations:

Ristorante Da Sabatino (Rome, Italy)

Cervecería Catalana (Barcelona, Spain)

Accommodations:

Vivi Trevi Luxury Suites (Rome, Italy)

Things to Note:

-The only time we needed outlet adapters was the one night we stayed in Rome before the cruise.

-If you book an Airbnb and are unsure where to eat, always ask your host for recommendations.

-The cruise ship had ATMs to get money out when needed.

-We each purchased The Key Program, which allowed for internet on one device, and other benefits such as debarking early, which did not seem to be an issue even if you did not have it.

-The only two dinner times were 6 PM and 8:30 PM. We didn't want to rush to get back and ready by 6 PM and thought 8:30 would feel way too late, but 8:30 PM worked out perfectly for us. We were able to get back on the boat each day, go to the pool, snack, and get ready for dinner without feeling rushed. And having the same waiter every night was great!