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2017 Cruise & Safari

April - May 2017
A 40-day adventure by Valerie Read more
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  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 12

    Day 8 - Sea Day

    April 20, 2017, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today has been a relaxing day. We are barely moving at about 1.2Km/h (according to the GPS). As you can see the ocean is very calm with only gentle swells. One can really feel the power of the planet when even these gentle swells (probably about 3ft) are enough to sway this big ship.Read more

  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 13

    Day 9 - Malaga

    April 21, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Well, we were supposed to be in Malaga today. Half an hour before our arrival time we saw the photo below of the ship heading back out to sea! We had 40 knot per hour winds and it was unsafe to dock. So, we are skipping the port and have an extra sea day. No too disappointing as we had no plans greater than getting off the ship and doing some souvenir shopping.

    We knew how rough the seas were, felt shuddering and shaking and banging all night long.

    8:30 pm update
    Still windy and cool. The cruise director said that because there was a little too much or extra fresh air outside they are moving their party indoors tonight.

    Sea is a lot calmer, bodes well for tomorrow. We are keeping the balcony door open so we can see the sea and smell it and hear it...Lovely though a little too cool to sit outside and enjoy.

    Went to the show tonight called Burn the Floor. Ballroom dance is the theme, but the music was good enough even Troi enjoyed it.😉    Read more

  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 14

    Day 10 - Sea Day

    April 22, 2017, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Beautiful sunrise... Not usually awake to see it, but we had the balcony door open during the night to hear the waves.🌊 The bright sunlight woke us up.

    Had a half-hour meeting regarding changing our cabins tomorrow and the second leg of the cruise. Really too bad we​ weren't able to book the same cabin because that means we have to pack up our stuff today. For now, just sitting on our balcony enjoying the sunshine for a bit.

    Delicious dinner at the French restaurant tonight, but before we went for a martini at the ice bar... Well below freezing and martini glasses made from ice. We chatted in Spanish with a very entertaining lady from Valencia. She had three pairs of socks on and various other layers of clothing, including a plastic layer to keep her body heat in. She told us her husband was sleeping, but she was going to experience the ice bar!

    Packed up tonight in preparation for a cabin change tomorrow and the next week of our trip... Italy!    Read more

  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 15

    Day 11 - docked in Barcelona

    April 23, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today was our changeover day.  We felt like we were pretty busy - for one thing, I already typed this up and lost it. For another, we had to be out of our cabin by 9 am then fill time until we could get into our new cabin around 1.

    One thing that was nice was that we were able to wander around the ship and take some photos without a bunch of people around.  People started coming on at about noon.  We are seeing less children - no more spring breakers.

    We were cut free from our safety drill because the crew running our muster station knew we had already done one within the last two weeks (even though we are in a different room and assigned to a different station which should mean we need to attend again).  sue and Mark had to stay for the whole drill.

    Our stateroom is the same category although it is two decks lower and the reverse floor plan.  Like the floor plan better (bed is by the balcony instead of closer to the door) but there is a lot less storage.  Our room steward Made (Mahday) seems helpful and attentive.

    Had a nice dinner in the buffet watching our sail away and then we went to the spa and watched the sunset out the stern of the ship.    Read more

  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 16

    Day 12 - at Sea

    April 24, 2017, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    A relaxing day. We are in our way to our first stop. It will mean a day trip to pompeii and Vesuvius courtesy of Sue and Mark.

    Today we hung around the ship not doing much. Sue and I attended an ice carving demonstration which was neat to watch.  It takes 2 days to create  the block of ice that's about 3 feet tall, and took a carver from Haiti about 20 minutes carve it into a sail fish. Then on to a Mr sexy legs competition.... Not much worth seeing there.😆 The best moment was when they announced one of the competitors as so and so from Wisconsin Canada!

    Photos, dinner, hot tub, bed.

    Tomorrow is a full day.    Read more

  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 17

    Day 13 - Naples, Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius

    April 25, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Pompei was interesting, a lot bigger than I had pictured it...7 square miles big.  Because we were on a shore excursion, we were sharing with many thousands of people from more than one ship, plus many more thousands of Italians celebrating their Independence Day and we didn't have a lot of time. There is much to see. Some original plaster decorations remain, as well as some marble flooring, painted walls, etc.

    The theatres were interesting to visit. There are three of them sitting, respectively, 1500, 5000 and 20000 people.

    Due to the short time we had, we weren't able to visit the extra exhibits... Maybe that is why we only saw one of the plaster casts of the former residents overcome by the gas.  They were covered by ash, the ash hardened and the body decayed leaving behind their skeletons in an empty cavity.  Archeologists found the cavities by finding hollow-sounding areas in the ash.  The system devised was to drill a small hole, funnel plaster in and let it harden; then remove the outer layer of hardened ash revealing a cast of the body that once had been there. Most are found laying face down with their hands covering their mouth and nose.    Read more

  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 17

    Day 13 - Pompei coffee shop

    April 25, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Note on tour company
    World tours

    They were where they said they would be outside the port entrance.  While it seemed to take a long time, we were in the bus and on the road at the time they indicated.

    The tour was provided as a gift and the necessary paperwork was given to us ahead of time. However, the "necessary papers" did not include the information that entrance fees were not included. Someone on the tour had the original email and buried in the tour information section it informed the buyer of that information.  We just happened to have enough Euros to cover but others did not have the needed cash.. Close to 50 euros per couple. The tour company should correct that and make sure it's in the voucher.  Many months can pass between the booking and the actual trip, we should have been reminded. The best way to do that is to have it on the reservation voucher.

    Our guide was Irena. She was happy and friendly, with nothing to dislike.  The archeological guide in Pompei (Susy) was good as well - she knew her information.  A little more dialogue from Irena while driving would have been appreciated - information about the neighborhoods, day to day life in the city, for example. When asked questions, Irena answered happily enough with one or two word answers, not what you are looking for from a tour guide.  For example, we asked what sort of people lived in a certain neighbourhood, to get an idea of the economic demographic.  She replied, "Italians" and left it at that.  At the end of the day she was quite talkative when asking us to give her and her driver a good Tripadvisor review. As for the driver, he was decent enough and we felt safe, but he drove the tour van as if he was driving a car.....A little tough for someone who tends to get motion sickness. Maybe that's the way to drive in Italy, but it wouldn't take much to turn it down just a little for the comfort of the clients.    Read more

  • Traveler2017 Cruise & Safari
    Day 17

    Day 13 - Mt Vesuvius

    April 25, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Want a hike?

    There are some beautiful views from the mountain, but not an easy climb when wearing open sandals. We knew we were going, but completely missed that it was a fairly major climb on a gravel, sandy track. Troi and I probably made it a third (half?) the way up. Happy there were two others who were prepared and will share their photos.

    It was a perfect day. Maybe 20°, sunny and a cool breeze blowing.

    We got stopped in traffic as we approached the entrance. Due to it being a national holiday there was a wait that probably added close to an extra 1.5 hours or more to the day.    Read more

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