Tag: Shore Excursions

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Libraries, Museums, Road Trips, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Livorno to Florence

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THEY LOST ME AT LIVORNO

This wasn’t my first cruise, so I am aware of the fact gateway cities can be pretty disappointing.  As a disappointment, Livorno did not disappoint.  The day got better, but never as good as I hoped it would be. 

“90-Minute Drive Through the Beautiful Tuscan Countryside”

Newsflash: the highway we took to Florence didn’t take us through the beautiful Tuscan country side.  It was a highway.  We could have been circling Detroit.

Though the Celebrity site did not tell me specifically to be expecting an ultra-luxury bus, the shore excursion I picked was a Celebrity Discovery Collection Event.  According to Dallas’ Celebrity rep, these tours were worth the extra you paid to be a part of them.  Perhaps he didn’t intend to give me the impression I should expect more in every aspect of the tour, but we had a more luxurious bus in Cancun.  The Celebrity vehicle was adequate as tour buses go, but I wished for my Cancun Passion bus.

Our first stop was not Pitti Palace as advertised.  Instead, it was a convenience store. Apparently, we needed a pre-Florence potty stop, so the alarms started going off in my head.  Things were going downhill fast.

The pay phone is just a little bonus.  They have them all over the place in Europe.  Try finding one state-side.

So, riding along in our adequate bus, we soon figured out our guide was no Paolo.  We’re not sure whether she just left her personality at home that day or she simply didn’t have one at all, but after the charming and erudite Paolo, she was a real disappointment.

“Your first stop takes you to the decadent Palazzo Pitti.” 

Well, I’ve already told you about the first stop and it was no Palazzo.  Our next stop was not a Palazzo either.  We’d obviously arrived at some lovely place in Italy, but it was not the Pitti Palace.  No, we were about to hoof it to the Pitti Palace via the rest of Florence.

Initially, this “stroll” wasn’t so awful.  It was nice to stroll among the picturesque by-ways of Florence and when she wasn’t running off and leaving all of us, our guide did have a few salient facts to share with us.  We stopped by the Uffizi Gallery and even though we didn’t get to enter, it was fun to learn it was once the home and workrooms of the Medicis and charming to see the artists setting up.

After a little more circuitous wandering, we came to the famous Ponte Vecchio across the Arno River.  The guide who had been strolling through the city, as if we had hour to linger over every detail, suddenly picked up the pace, at the point I would have been happy to amble.  She assured us we’d get more time on the bridge later.

Though we knew she was no Paolo, we had not yet learned she was untrustworthy, so we continued to trudge along behind her.  Then suddenly, with no kind of signage or gates to tell us, we were at Pitti Palace.  It was a sort of odd palace.  Right in the middle of things, no gate, no moat, just a multi-story facade, and while it was imposing, it was in no way magnificent.

I’ll leave you here for today.  Once inside, Pitti Palace makes up for it’s rather dreary exterior.  Come back next week and we’ll explore the wonders of Palazzo Pitti together.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Libraries, Museums, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Florence Fascinates

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: FLORENCE WAS GREAT. TOO BAD THE SAME THING CAN’T BE SAID FOR THE RENAISSANCE VACATION

There is no one more susceptible to great marketing than someone in marketing.  Our shore excursion to Florence is a perfect example of that.  The photos and the copy sent me on flights of fantasy no walking tour of Florence could have, especially with the below par tour guide we were assigned to that day.

What It Should Have Been

The Celebrity website said, and I quote, “Florence, Italy is the birthplace of The Renaissance, and the site of your most memorable vacation yet. From the 13th to the 15th centuries, a profusion of poets, painters, sculptors, and architects flooded into Florence and produced the era’s most groundbreaking artwork. Departing from the port of Livorno, your excursion in Florence begins with a 90-minute drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside those legendary artists once traversed. Your first stop takes you to the decadent Palazzo Pitti. Also known as Pitti Palace, this architectural marvel is one of Florence’s signature monuments. The Palatine Gallery lies on the first floor, and contains a broad collection of 16th and 17th century paintings. Its most iconic piece of art is likely the portrait of Maddalena Doni by Raphael in 1506. Next, you’ll visit the Boboli Gardens. While accurate, the Boboli Gardens are more than your standard garden. Boboli is actually one of the greatest open-air museums in Florence. The park boasts sculptures, fountains, centuries-old oak trees and more. As the garden that inspired European royal gardens like Versailles, there are few better examples of “green” architecture in the world. From here, your vacation in Florence takes you to Piazza della Repubblica, the most beautiful town square in the Tuscany region. This brief respite offers the opportunity to wine and dine before continuing onward to the Signoria and Santa Croce Squares.”

What I Imagined

I envisioned a luxurious bus ride through a gorgeous landscape.  I assumed the bus would drop us off in front of the Pitti Palace.  I hoped we’d have hours to wander all the galleries of the palace and then wander some more through one of the most beautiful gardens on earth.  I was sure we’d need to stroll around a little bit to get to all the sites mentioned, but what’s a little walking, right?  Besides I was so laser-focused on the Pitti Palace it was all I could think about.

What I Gave Up

Florence is a city you would needs days and days to see properly.  The list of must-see attractions is daunting.  Take the Uffizi Gallery for instance, one of the most prominent art museums of the world.  Then there’s Michelangelo’s David, housed in another museum you’ve probably never heard of, but a piece of art I’ve wanted to see all my life.  And the Duomo,  famous as one of the most important cathedrals in the world, for the history that was lived there, for the artworks housed there, but most of all for its miraculous dome.

With all this to look forward to I allowed myself to be distracted by some great marketing.  Don’t get me wrong, Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens are magnificent by any standard, but what they were selling me about the shore excursion isn’t what I got.

So, come on back next week and I’ll tell you how it went.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Museums, Shopping, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Back to Naples

Jane Sadek
Happy nappers on the way back to Naples

TRAVEL THERE: WRAPPING UP THE DAY

Our ten and a half hour baptism by tourism was drawing to and end.  We were treated to one more shopping opportunity.  This one had to do with Limoncello liquor and came with another restroom visit, but this restroom required an entry fee.  Bill didn’t realize that when he he headed up the stairs.  A small personal drama ensued.

Lost in Pompeii

So, we heard all about the wonders of Limoncello and several people bellied up to the bar to take some home.  Bill headed to the restroom, but I didn’t need to go, so I browsed around the little shop near the bottom of the stairs.  Bill was supposed to get me on his way out, but somehow a restroom that required euros damaged his thought process.  He headed out of the place and forgot all about me.

After I’d looked at everything in the store about 75 times I started to wander around a bit.  I had someone check the restroom to see if Bill was inside.  I walked every inch of the building several times.  I kept telling myself that he wouldn’t have left without me, but it became apparent that he actually had.

The ‘being lost’ rule in my family had always been, stay where you last saw someone, because if you start wandering around you’ll never be found.  The lesson had stuck with me and even though it was apparent Bill was nowhere in the building I kept walking around looking for him.  Problem was, Bill was not in my family of origin, so he didn’t know the rules.

I finally worked up my nerve and wandered outside to look for him.  He was nowhere in sight.  I finally saw some people from our bus, but no one that I knew.  I strolled over to chat them up, hoping my desperation didn’t show.  Before too long other people from our own little group began to show up, but none of them was Bill.  I was relieved, because others had seen him since I had, but I still wanted my husband.

He showed up happy as a clam unaware that I was on the edge of being distraught.  He hadn’t missed me, didn’t realize he’d abandoned me in the shop and he felt no remorse about the terror I had been dealing with.  It was all well and good to tell me everything was alright, but it wasn’t doing anything for the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

We climbed back on the bus to go back to Naples and I tried to get back into the rhythm of having fun, but it had been pretty upsetting. I did eventually get over it, but if you’ve had a similar experience, you know that you really, really want to be mad at someone for something, even though you know there’s really no need for your angst.

Back on Board

Once back on board the ship, some of our group visited the always-open Oceanside Buffet for an afternoon snack, but food didn’t even sound good to me.  I went back to the cabin and got gussied up for the evening.

Bill and I love on board entertainment, so we caught an evening performance in the theater called Kaleidoscope.  It was much better than the Whitney Houston thing – very Cirque de Soleil.  I know the Bagleys were still very much involved in the whole Art Gallery scene.  They were always showing up at the last minute saying they’d been there picking out frames or arranging shipment or whatever.  I’m not sure what the girls got up to, but they really liked having drinks and people-watching.

Dinner was at the Tuscan Restaurant, which meant we ate Italian.  Exhaustion had set in and I couldn’t tell you what I ate or whether I liked it or not.  My journal says we had a perfectly lovely evening, so I’ll have to leave it at that.  After the meal, some of us went to Eden to see something called Revelation, but it was late and we were tired, so we didn’t stay long.

The next morning was our day at sea, the one in which we’d celebrate our 25th Anniversary with a Vow Renewal.  Come back next week for that for sure!

 

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Giardini di Augusto

Jane Sadek
The Farglioni from Gidini di Augusto

TRAVEL THERE: A MOST BEAUTIFUL VIEW

I couldn’t find much back story to Giardini de Augusto.  A rich European industrialist is responsible for its creation and it is the primary attraction in the town of Capri.  History is not all that makes a site worth visiting.  I’m glad I went.  If you get the opportunity, you should, too.

Watch for It on the Left

If you go on your own, you can probably just follow the crowds across the town to get from the Piazza Umberto I.  In the final stretch you will need to be a little more careful.

A Lemonade Stand on Capri

There’s a perfumery on this path and not far from it, this lovely lemonade stand.  Can you believe the size of those lemons?  I was told they are organic and they are the size of a grapefruit.  Once you see these two landmarks, keep a close eye on the left.  A very small entry way and an equally small bule tile sign are all that warn you that you have arrived.  I’m quite sure the small street continues to who knows where, but you want to stop at the garden.

Views to Die For

The three stone in the picture above are the Farglioni or Stacks, as seen from the Augustus Garden.  It really is an outstanding view – one you could spend a day enjoying, but it’s not all that’s there.  It’s nothing grand and expansive like Dallas’ Arboretum & Botanical Garden.  Just a verey well kpt little garden where tourists come to take pictures.

Once again, I wished to be there without the tourists.  Even though I am not a fan of lemons, I was tempted to try Capri’s version of the concoction and perhaps shop in the perfumery.  It was nice to contemplate sipping on a refreshing drink and enjoying the view.

Here’s what I mean.

More Crowds

Back to the Piazza

Paolo had cut us loose in the garden with instructions to be back at the Piazza at a certain time.  We’d lost Deb and Vik somewhere along the way and we couldn’t find them in the garden anywhere, so we had to assume they’d already headed back.  Bill and I took our leisure strolling along with the Bagleys.

We began to appreciate Paolo more and more.  We’d wondered why he’d raced at such a pace across the island, but it soon became clear.  For one thing, this sidewalk had not been nearly as crowded as we made our way to the garden.  For another, the temperature was rising with great speed.  It was downright hot.

The crowds are concentrated at the gardens and in the Piazza.  Between the two points we were able to stroll along in relative peace, even if we were very, very hot.  The town of Capri is lovely.  I wanted to linger, buy a gelato and do some shopping, but my companions just wanted to get back to the Piazza.

The line for the Funicular was still daunting!

At the Piazza the Bagleys peeled off in search of adult beverages and public restrooms.  Bill and I went to the assigned meeting spot and enjoyed the view.  Eventually, everyone was back together.  Paolo showed up with our return tickets for the funicular and told us what time to meet him at the ferry for Sorrento.

Once down at Marina Grande, we split up again.  The Bagley’s were still interested in adult beverages and I believe the girls were shopping.  Bill and I wandered down a side street and got some great pictures.  Below you’ll see a mixture of the photos we took in the Piazza and some from the charming side street.

Next we’ll take the ferry to Sorrento, so come back next week.

 

 

Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Funny Funicular Behaviors

Jane Sadek
Disembarking on the Isle of Capri

TRAVEL THERE: AMERICANS BEWARE

You can say what you wish about Ugly Americans, but when it comes to waiting our turn, we look a whole lot better than the rest of the world.  The funiculare ride on Capri proved this point in spades.

The Final Rigamarole

In line for the funicular

So we’ve battled the buffet crowds for our breakfast, played the shore excursion group game with the cruise director’s crew, stomped across a port area to get to the ferries, waited to board the ferries, boarded, lived through a vomit fest and now we’ve arrived at the Isle of Capri.  Can we please start having fun, yet?  Actually, not quite yet.

As I planned the trip, a jet foil to a beautiful island and a funicular ride to the top of a hill sounded quite fun.  Perhaps you can tell we aren’t exactly having the times of our life.  We filed off the ferry and followed the crowd to the entrance of the funicular.  Like good little Americans, we lined up behind the people who were already there, leaving a little American space between ourselves and other people.

We were enjoying chatting among ourselves and had not really noticed that all that American space between us had been eaten up and we were being edged out of our place.  This is where our guide began to show his superiority over other guides.  Without him, we might have spent the whole day waiting to go up the hill.  He started shouting and actually shoving to protect our place in line.  He walked up and down monitoring the position of his charges and threatening the entire crowd were they to infringe upon our place in the line.

So, my word of warning is this, if any Americans try to take this funicular up to the city of Capri, throw all your American politeness to the wind and bring out your elbows.  Otherwise, you’ll spend the day at the Marina Grande and never make it to the Piazza Umberto.  It’s either that or have Paolo as a guide and the odds of that are pretty small.

At the Top of the Hill

Eventually, we made our way to the front of the line and took the short ride to the top of the hill.  In Piazza Umberto, Paolo rounded us up and headed across the town at a pretty quick pace.  The small city was beyond crowded.  I felt as if I should be holding on to a rope like children on a field trip, lest one of us got lost.

A blogging friend of mine did not recommend Capri.  He said there was nothing to see.  I tend to disagree with him, but the crowds do make it difficult to see what there actually is to see.  All I could think of was how wonderful it must be when the tourists go home.  Maybe someday I will go spend several days on the island, but from a few prices I saw in the windows of the lovely shops, you’d need some pretty deep pockets to afford to enjoy yourself.

Beyond enjoying the cafes and shopping, there was really only one attraction I could find in Capri Town and that was Giardini di Augusto.  I had no idea whether this was where we were headed or not.  I was less stressed out about it than I might have been in previous years.  Having GPS on your phone is a blessing.  Should we get lost we could find our way to the funicular and if we weren’t headed to the garden then I already had it loaded in my Trip Advisor app.  We were promised some free time after our tour and the garden sounded worth it to me.

So come back next week and find out if we made it to the Augustus Garden.

Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Getting to the Isle of Capri

Jane Sadek
Welcome to the Port of Naples

TRAVEL THERE: THE HURRY UP AND WAIT CONTINUES

While cruises provide many wonderful memories, there is also a lot of mundane rigamarole in between those memorable moments.  This is especially true on big ships like the Celebrity Edge.  You can’t just leave your room, grab a quick bite and start your tour.  That’s one of the reasons I prefer river cruising.  In an hour you can get up, have breakfast and be on your way.  On this particular morning we’d been going since 6 AM and hours later we were just now leaving our elegant boat.  It just takes time to process all these people.

Heading Ashore for Another Boat Ride

Our shore excursion group trotted off the boat and across a parking lot to a ferry pier.  Our guide was a jolly sort, but at this point we had no way to know we’d happened upon the best guide for the trip Paolo of Aloschi Brothers .  In fact, he was the best guide I ever had.  I’d like to hire him for the rest of my travels for the rest of my life – but we didn’t know that then.

As we entered the area for boarding the ferry, Bill revealed he didn’t have his Dramamine.  He said he didn’t realize we were going on a boat ride.  Hadn’t we sat there in Montreal’s airport bar and discussed just that thing.  Hadn’t he been the one who listed off all the forms of transportation we’d be taking for the tour?  Not much we could do at this juncture.

Bill is highly susceptible to seasickness and it has ruined many a shore excursion for him.  If I were him, I would have the Dramamine with me every second I was on a cruise, but Bill believes on traveling light and only carrying what you are absolutely going to need.  That he didn’t have Dramamine was somehow became my fault, though he didn’t say that outright.  I was sorry for him, but a little ticked at the same time.

I had another responsibility, too.  As soon as we hit shore, my 4G network international phone plan kicked in and all the Instagram post notifications for the day were dinging at me.  A part of me was grateful for the technology allowing me to do my job on the other side of the world, but the other part wished Instagram was a little more cooperative.  Having to post from my phone at the given time, rather than automatically as the other social channels allow, bugs me when I am at home in my office.  To interrupt my vacation for it really chafed.

All Aboard the Jet Foil

Boarding the jet foil which would ferry us to Capri, our companions went up to the top deck, but Bill felt he’d do better at fighting seasickness downstairs.  He sat down, closed his eyes and focused on not being sick. I’m not sure what I expected of the watercraft.  It had sounded quite exciting in the brochures, but was really just a ferry.  It was fast, but stuck under the deck, I couldn’t tell much about the journey.

Bill was successful in his battle against seasickness, but few others were.  About halfway through the 90 minute ride, the vomiting began all around us.  I noticed the greatest number of passengers with us below were Asians and they all seemed to be sick, to a man, so much so that the crew ran out of the ability to keep up with it.  I’ve never been so glad to get off a boat.I was near to becoming sick myself and it had nothing to do with seasickness.

Finally, we were on the Island of Capri.  Certainly things were about to get better, weren’t they?  Come back next week and find out.

Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Our First Celebrity Shore Excursion

Jane Sadek
Shore Excursion Ahead

TRAVEL THERE: THE HURRY UP AND WAIT OF IT ALL

Six AM comes early, but when you have a ten and a half hour shore excursion planned, that’s when you have to get up.  We had breakfast at the buffet and I thought we were right on schedule, up until the time Bill decided to hit the buffet one more time.  While he ate his French Toast, I fretted a bit – unnecessarily I might add, because Bill and I were the first of our group to show up at the meeting point for shore excursions.  Deborah and Viktoriya were right behind us, but no Bagleys?

Where Were the Bagleys?

The way things were set up on Celebrity Edge, there were multiple groups going on the same shore excursions.  So, a representative of your small group had to go to a table at the front of the room with all of your tickets to be put in a shore excursion group together.  We couldn’t just go and say, “There will be six of us.”  You had to have the tickets in hand.

If I were fretful at the breakfast table as Bill enjoyed his French Toast, then it would be fair to say, I was having a panic attack now.  You’re always worried about people who aren’t where they are supposed to be, but then there’s also a level of irritation, too.

When we all signed up for this shore excursion online, the Bagleys ended up being scheduled for the same tour, but a different time.  We’d kept badgering away at our various travel agents to get on the same tour time and something had eventually worked, because the week before we left, we were all assigned the same time.  Now all that work had been jeopardized.  The staff was announcing, repeatedly, that spots were disappearing and we might not all get in the same excursion group.

Jim and Melanie huffed and puffed into the room ten minutes late.  Bill grabbed their tickets and hurried down to the shore excursion table.  The problem was a fairly normal one for cruises.  Something was lost.  The cabins do have a lot of storage, but it’s drawers over there and a closet here and a cabinet over there.  You unpack between activities and it is easy to forget where something is.  The something lost in this situation was Melanie’s meds, so it wasn’t like she could just wear another outfit or go around without a particular color of lipstick.  She had to have the meds.

Everything’s OK

Bill came back with the colorful stickers which designated all of us to the same shore excursion group.  Hooray, Bill!  Again, all my worry had been for naught.  When am I ever going to learn that!

The hurry up and wait syndrome had been repeated.  We’d hurried to make their deadlines and now we were stuck sitting in a theater, waiting for a signal to start our fun.

The Cruise Director showed up and began to engage the restless crowd.  He started with that annoying game which looks for the loudest group saying good morning.  Why do people do that?  We go through it at church some Sundays and I want to punch someone.  On this particular morning I was full of spit and vinegar, so I roused our group to make as much noise as we could.  Had there been a prize we would have won.  The Cruise Director was somewhat taken aback.  He said he’d never quite heard anyone as loud as us.

Soon we were on our way to the gangplank, but the hurry up and wait continued.  Come back next week and let’s go to the Isle of Capri.

Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

The Promise of Palma

Jane Sadek
Palma de Mallorca
Planning for Palma

TRAVEL THERE: PLANNING THE FINAL ACTIVITY

Palma de Mallorca – a soupcon of Spain before heading home.  The main thing I knew about Mallorca was that it had pearls.  Would I love some?  Of course!  Was I actually going to buy any?  Probably not!  So what do you do on Mallorca?

What I Wanted

Since I didn’t have any idea of what Mallorca was really all about, I was eager to find out what Celebrity Cruise Lines offered.  Then I read about a flamenco performance.  I adore flamenco.  The guitar, the castanets, the mournful voices, the gorgeous frilled dresses.  I’ve read all the books that tell me there is no way I will truly understand flamenco or bullfighting, but that’s OK, because even with my very limited knowledge of this art of dance, I find it fascinating.

There were a couple of other options that sounded interesting – a Tapas Walking Tasting Tour, a botanical garden tour and a castle tour.  The castle tour sounded amazing.  They would have costumed actors living out the castle’s days of glory.  There would be some sort of equestrian demonstration and a shopping opportunity for native crafts.  The excursion would be topped off with a feast.  Now that’s a shore excursion.

What I Considered

Though the castle tour sounded great, it was also pricey.  The Naples and Florence tours had already taken a chunk out of my budget – not to mention the vow renewal ceremony.  Another top tier shore excursion might get me in hot water.  Besides, it was a castle thing, which reeked of a historical, museum-type experience.  My friends might not be as excited about that as I would be and their pocketbooks might also be straining.

A garden was always a good thing in my book.  They rank very high in my interests.  With both Deb and Bill I’ve visited a whole bunch of them.  A little research told me that while it was a garden, I’d seen many, many gardens which were superior. In fact, we’d be visiting the Boboli on this trip and it would for sure put this garden to shame.  No, the garden wasn’t the right choice.

The Tapas Tour sounded pretty good, but this was a cruise and we’d have more food staring us down than we’d be able to consume. And walking?  Would everyone be totally walked out by this juncture in the trip.

What I Booked

When I reasoned out the Flamenco show was the very best thing, I realized just how happy that had made me.  There had really been no competition.  While I always want to do a little of everything, flamenco was much to be preferred over everything else – and besides, dance was one of Deb’s very favorite things and she would love to see it.

So we booked the Flamenco Show, but it didn’t stay booked.  Someone somewhere in Celebrity Cruise world decided to cancel this shore excursion.  I tried to find out why, thinking perhaps it might be worth booking our own excursion, but a little research told me the flamenco show had gone the way of all tourist traps and Celebrity was probably saving me from myself.

None of my reservations about the garden or the castle had changed, so that left the Tapas Tour.  Food, wine, walking…what could go wrong?  We booked the walking tour.

While booking, I went ahead and signed up for a tour/transfer in our Debarkation city, Barcelona – another city like Rome that I was dying to see – Las Ramblas, the Cathedral, so many wonderful memories to make.  However, like a tour of Rome it was a pipe dream.  We cancelled Rome because the schedule was just too tight and in the end we had to cancel the Barcelona tour also and for the same reason.  With an international flight leaving at two, we’d have to be to the airport before twelve and that was too soon to be on the tour.

Seven ports of call, seven shore excursions.  Two cancelled, two changed.  Now I was running out of things to plan.  come back next week and we’ll talk about the vow renewal ceremony.

Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

Considering Cannes

Jane Sadek
The Beach at Nice, France
The French Rivera

TRAVEL THERE: DAY TWO ON THE FABULOUS RIVERA

Confession first!  I was of two minds about Cannes.  A part of me thought it might be a good day to just take it easy, to do nothing, to hang out on the boat, to go to the beach.  This was only a 7 day cruise and we were hitting 7 ports.  There was only 1 day at sea and that was going to be our vow renewal, so not much in the way of relaxing offered.  At the same time, Cannes had the most intriguing and most affordable shore excursions on the Celebrity cruise.  What would we do?

What I Wanted

As is often the case, I wanted a clone.  The clone would go visit all the places on the possibilities list.  I‘d spend the day on the beach and then my clone could tell me all about it after my facial in the spa.  There was a relaxing little trip to Provence Lavender fields and rustic little town squares.  Another trip offered an industrial view of the perfumeries in the area.  One seemed more like a perfume shopping trip.

And I was serious about the beach day.  I was exhausted just planning this whirlwind tour of the Mediterranean.  I knew we’d be interested in a break come Day 6.

What I Considered

Then I thought about the day we visited Atlantis, a resort in the Bahamas, on another cruise.  It was one of those DIY tours.  Atlantis is the biggest thing there, but it wasn’t at the port and once we got there we stomped all over the place without gaining access to the places I really wanted to go.  It was a fun day overall and we got some great pictures, but it wasn’t a complete success.

As to Cannes, I couldn’t find out exactly how one got from the boat to the beach and if the beach was accessible or we’d have to be associated with some hotel.  Sometimes the most relaxing thing you can do is just go with the flow.  My thoughts flowed to a bus trip which would take us around the French Rivera.

What I Booked 

Cap d’Antibes, Cote de Azur and Nice.  You hear them in the movies and read about them in books.  Cannes is all about the Film Festival and celebrities.  The others seem to float out of the Jazz Age and tempt you out of the every day.  So I booked the bus trip.  After the flurry of booking was over to get the shore excursion specials which were to be short-lived, I almost thought I might have made a mistake.  The bus trip Bill wanted in Monaco seemed to overlap in Nice with the Cannes bus trip, but some voice inside me warned me to leave well enough alone.

Good thing that voice.  When we changed the Monaco bus trip for the Monte Carlo Yacht Club event, it created a need to see something of the French Rivera than the cruise port cities.  The selection was perfection itself.  Want to know why?  Well then you have to keep coming back.  Next week we’ll plan our visit to Palma de Mallorca.

Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

Marvelous Monte Carlo

Jane Sadek
Yacht in Monaco Harbor
Welcome to Monte Carlo

TRAVEL THERE: LUXURY ON STEROIDS

Princess Grace of Monaco, Prince Rainer, Yachting, Wealth, Grandeur, Bond James Bond, the Casino, the French Rivera…we all know what Monte Carlo stands for.  Where else in the world would the list of shore excursions include top of the line Ferrari with race car driver – for a few thousand dollars?

What I Wanted

Monte Carlo is a pretty small place.  I envisioned stepping off the boat and strolling around the city with the help of some map.  In my dreams I would often change companions.  One time Bill and I would stroll the street hand in hand.  Another time I would envision Deb and I gleefully remarking on the excessive wealth – and not without a tinge of jealousy.  In my dreams, I never saw all six of us stomping around trying to figure out what we were seeing.

We would be at the port from early until late and it would be the morning after our vow renewal, so I could imagine Bill and I sleeping late, then visiting the city in the afternoon.  I hoped we’d scoot back to the boat and get all gussied up for an actual visit to the casino – not just the tourist part – but inside, just like James Bond. Maybe we’d be that couple who showed up in the last few minutes before the anchor was lifted.  The anxious crew would be searching the horizon for our silhouettes and when they realized we were coming they’d be angry that we’d waited so long – but only for a few moments, because when they identified us as the 25th Anniversary couple and saw the love we had for one another, there would be smiles all around.

What I Booked

Because the cash register just kept ringing, I thought Monaco might be the right place to see without an official guided tour.  After all, most everything was withing in a one mile radius.  Mr. Bill, on the other hand, wanted a guide.  That seemed to suit everyone, so we booked a bus tour of the French Rivera.

I still had hopes of coming back to the boat afterwards and dressing to the nines for a visit to the casino, but shortly before cruising, a new opportunity presented itself.  The CEO of Celebrity Cruise Lines was coming on our cruise on The Edge.  She’d arranged for a wine tasting at the Monte Carlo Yacht Club (Yes, THE Monte Carlo Yacht Club, I didn’t stutter) and an after-hours, special access tour of the Prince’s Palace.

I’d never been all that excited about the bus tour.  The town of Eze seemed to be the best part of it, but we’d only have 45 minutes there.  The Yacht Club was just too much to resist – regardless of the outrageous price for four hours of entertainment.  And there was still a chance I’d get that peek at the Casino. Perfect!

We cancelled the bus tour and booked the Yacht Club.  For me, the palace was laginappe.  I was just imagining all the ways I could slip “the Monte Carlo Yacht Club” into my sentences after I got home.  Did I get to the Casino?  You’ll find out.  For now, come back next week and we’ll plan towards Cannes.