Yeah a Princess Lecture Contract

Happy to report that Princess has offered me a port lecture position on the Island Princess in the Mediterranean.

Will be happy to be back in Europe.  

My role on board is as a Port Lecturer. I will have to provide a lecture about each port and answer questions at the end. My previous role as a Destination Expert was a bit different.  Just happy to be working again with Princess.

Disembarkation in San Francisco

We wake just before 7 to the feeling of the ship docking.  

We quickly shower and head to the dining room for some cereal and fruit.  

We are asked for a table of two and we were told it would be a while.  

Now we can see that the dining room is not busy and we know they want to discourage people from asking for deuces.  But today we just don't have time for a big table.

We say we will wait and about five minutes later we are taken to a table for two.  Hmm, we know the game but if you want a table for two then hold your ground.  But again have to say dining on the Island in the Dining room is a game of patience and understanding.

The service was great and we were in and out within 20 minutes.

We are in the first walk off group.  We meet at our assigned time of 745 in Wheelhouse - note there was no Platinum Elite disembarkation lounge.

Things are running a bit late.  At around 8:15 we are called that we can get off.  

The issue really is not with Princess it is more with the Customs agents, and to tell you the truth San Francisco seems to be an issue often.  Of all the US ports we have entered and had to clear customs San Francisco continues to be the worst, even with the new port and only one ship in port.

Today the issue is there is only one agent for the first half hour that is assigned to Non US citizens.  Considering the ship left Vancouver there are a lot of Canadians on board.  

We are in the first group to get off but we waited about a half hour in the Customs line.  Note they did assign another agent to the Non US group as we made it to the front and that helped.

Note the US Citizens line seem to be processed rather quickly.  But this is not always the case.

We walked down to the Embarcadero Station at Market Street and went to catch the BART.  However they were announcing issues with the BART and that there was also a bus bridge due to work and could be up to an hour delay.  

So we went back up to the street level and hailed a taxi and took it to the airport.

We arrive in plenty of time for our noon flight - have Nexus which gives us TSA pre clearance sure helped.

Flight home was rather uneventful and we were back home around 3:30 pm.  

The trip was just what we needed after dealing with so many issues at home and at work lately.  A short getaway that fell perfectly during our weekend and great friends on board.

Overall this three day was one of our best ones.  The only negative was the ship and it's changes since dry dock, which of course we managed with but was truly our only negative.

Sea Day Evening - Dinner at The Bayou Cafe

Crooners when it is quiet

When I wake Bernie is getting ready.  I am feeling much better.  A nap was a good idea.

Bernie heads to Crooners so I can get ready.  I meet him there around 7 pm.  We both enjoy a Bramble and he tells me about a conversation he had with these three women from Vancouver.  

One woman went on about once you move up to the next level in the Captain Circle program Princess automatically upgrades you.  

Bernie tried to correct her but she was adamant. Note she was platinum and never did ask Bernie about his loyalty level or experience with Princess.  

But sorry ladies upgrades prior to a cruise do not have any bearing on how often you have cruised.

The next woman asked Bernie what was the longest cruise he had been on.  He responded 49 days.  Her response was oh I never could do more than ten to twelve days as I have pets.  Bernie nodded, her next comment was that her dream was to do a world cruise.  Bernie smiled and said you do know that a world cruise is longer than 12 days by around 10 Times.  

I laughed as he told me this story. 

Monika joined us for drinks.  At 8 we all head to the Bayou café for dinner.  We both have a free meal here as one of the most travelled passengers on board. They have given us a meal at any of the specialty restaurants.  Otherwise the cost is $29 per person.

Monika go the porterhouse steak

We enjoy a bottle of Prosecco (Princess 50th Anniversary bottle) and cheer another great trip.

I start with the sausage with grits as my appetizer. 

For my entrée I have the chicken that I thought would be spicy but it is not at all and adding hot sauce to it helps.

For dessert I have the Norman Love peanut butter bar.  So yummy!  Bernie gets the peach cobbler and we all taste his so the waiters brings another one so we can enjoy more of it. 

Pat joined us for dessert - and Bernie feeds her his Peach Cobbler

Overall the meal was fantastic. I like it here.  Especially the Jazz band that plays.  Service is good.  The waiters are busy but I am impressed with the head waiter helping out.

After dinner we head down to Explorers and it is busy.  It is Happy Hour and we order a bramble from Mabel.  

Jorge and Nice join us and we do some dancing and crowd watching.  

There are quite a few younger passengers trying to get drinks.  Bar Staff are checking ID to ensure they are old enough.  Another issue is many people are bringing their drinks onto the dance floor which has staff scrambling to retrieve.

We head back to the cabin and crash.

Sea Day – Friday

You would think I could sleep in.  Nope!  I am awake as Bernie heads out to get a tea.  After a half hour of him being gone I head out too to find him.  

I find him chatting with Monika and we all head to the dining room for breakfast.  A quick bowl of cereal and a fruit plate and we are good to go.  Note the dining room is only open until 9 so make sure to arrive before then.

I missed Mark Harris’ lecture yesterday but we make a point of getting to it today.  His talk is all about dolphins.   Quite enjoyable and Mark keeps it light and fun.

After the lecture we sit in Crooners and catch up with Mark for over an hour.  So nice to see him again.

Of course if Bernie has any say we are heading back to Alfredo’s for lunch and sure enough that is where we end up.  

Today it is much busier but just as good as yesterday.

I am able to get online and check in for our flights tomorrow.  

We have around 500 in transit staying on for the Panama and pretty much all those getting off tomorrow have walk off.  There is a large group who has a set time and they have luggage (I am guessing they had some tour prior). 

We got walk off group one which is like 7:40 am.  So plenty of time. 

I go in search of a quiet place to read but finding it almost impossible.  I try the sitting in the area outside Sabatinis but three couples sit next to me and are talking loudly.   

I move to the indoor pool but right away it won’t work as it is very noisy with sounds echoing all around.

Okay let’s try Horizon Court.  It is relatively quiet As it is around 330.  I grab a tea and scone and sit and read.  

But within ten minutes a group arrives and sits nearby so again I have to move on. 

Back to the Atrium but it is very busy here.  I give up.  I am rather frustrated, and being tired doesn’t help.  I know I need to head back to the cabin and rest and if Bernie is still asleep hopefully I won't wake him.

So I return to the cabin where Bernie is still napping.  I decide I need a nap too, for everyone's sake.

At Sea After Victoria - Evening

As Bernie returned to the ship we both knew where we would be eating.  Alfredo’s!  Bernie’s favorite.  On the Island Princess Sabatinis opens at lunch as Alfredo’s Pizzaria.  

We are seated by the window where we watch our departure from Victoria.

Our server Rosa surprises us as we just sailed with her on the Royal at the beginning of this year.  Since then she has gone home to Argentina and come to the Island. 

Bernie gets the vegetarian and I get the Margarita Pizza.   Note the menu is more limited than the larger ships dedicated Alfredo’s but it is still very good.

The afternoon calls for a nap.  Two nights with little sleep is catching up with me.

After a short nap we head off to Crooners to meet up with friends from my Facebook fan page as well as the Princess Cruiseline Lovers page.  

Pat and her Mom, Diane, Monika, us and Mary Jane and Peter.  I should say that we first tried to get into the Elite lounge in Explorers but it just had Bingo and they need to clean and set up for elite lounge.

Even at five after five they were still not open so we gave up and went to Crooners and paid full price for the drinks.  This is the downfall of having no Universe Lounge As normally bingo would have been held there.  So with fewer lounges events are difficult to plan and also set up and take down.

So take note if you have early seating it could be an issue if you attend the elite lounge.  We did end up here eventually for a cosmo and some munchies and it was quiet as early diners had left already.

After a great visit with everyone we head back to the cabin for a quick shower To meet up with Antonio, Diane and Jorge and Nice.

But finding them is difficult at 7:30 as the Atrium is quite busy.  They are doing the champagne waterfall right there and crowds are all over.  Not to mention all the photography backdrops all around cutting off the minimal space you already have.  Oh and then they have the sale item tables outside the shops!  

This seems crazy to me.  Sure I understand you want people to pose for pics,  you want people to buy items, you want people to participate in  the champagne waterfall.  But now you also have people queuing for second seating, and those trying to get into the dining room. I really miss the larger ship now.

Someone asked me today if I had to choose between the Island and a Grand class ship which would I choose.  Hands down the Grand Class.  Sadly the Island is our least favorite due to the recent changes to the ship with no aft lounge.  Dark and windowless gym.  No International Café.  Two dining rooms right off the Atrium which always have issues with passenger flow.  

If I had to choose between Island and Coral for Panama I would choose Coral (that has not had the changes, but still has issue with dining room).

But I wouldn’t turn down the Island, it just would not be my first choice.  The ship overall looks amazing and the crew are top notch.

Okay back to tonight.  We have reservations for 730 and we are taken upstairs to the traditional dining room and sat at a lovely table for six. 

It is the Italian menu tonight and I start with the salad, then the penne pasta as my appetizer, then the scallop and shrimp dish which was good but too heavy. 

After Dinner We (Bernie, Diane and I) make Our Way To Explorers Lounge To Play Majority Rules and have some laughs.  We stay for karaoke and the Happy hour which here is at 10:30 to 11:30 – buy one get one for a dollar.  Pat and Monika are here with us and when the dj starts we are up dancing.  And we barely sat down. 

We crawl into bed around 1:45 and smile … oh what a great night.

Victoria - Port Stop

We left Vancouver at 4 pm and we are docked in Victoria at 7 am. Now I am not sure the routing but boy 15 hours to get here, we must of gone very very slow, or maybe we went out into open waters and did circles cause the distance between the two cities is not very much.

We are docked at Ogden Point with is around a 7 minute drive to the city center or a 30 minute walk. 

For more info. on visiting Victoria and ways to get around see this blog post by clicking here. 

The sun is out and it is promising to be a lovely day in the mid 20s.  But it is cooler by the water.

I should let you know as many have asked.  Yes we have been getting the port information sheets.  But yes they are also available in pdf format thru the Princess at sea app while on board.

Talking about the Princess at sea app.  They still have not fixed the way you search for contacts. Currently you have to enter the unique numerical/alpha code that is unique to each passenger which is assigned to you once you register with the app. Once you know the code you enter it and that person gets a notification a notification and accepts or declines the request. 

I don’t know why they can’t change it so you can search by cabin number or name instead.  Security is still in place as they still have to accept. 

Today Bernie is heading into town to the Royal B.C. Museum to check out an exhibit that is happening on the Wolly Mammoth.  Visiting this museum on it’s own is amazing but check out what special showings are happening too.  Also they have a great IMAX theater too so that could be an option.  The museum is located right beside the BC Legislature and very easy to get to.  Here is a link to the museums website.

I am staying on board and relaxing.  Not sure what I will do but the movie Me Before You is playing in the cabins so that might be a good option.

I sit and enjoy a latte - apparently this is suppose to be a Disney Character.  I guess Shrek (but I don't believe Shrek is Disney).  Barista says no.... apparently it is Whinnie the Poo 

Other things happening today are:  ping pong tournament, basketball, morning trivia, pub lunch, charades, $10 sale, Scattergories, golf chipping, zumba, finding big foot, Mark Harris has a lecture about sea turtles, happy hour, Arts and Crafts – origami, shuffleboard,  bingo and NFL game at Mutts.

First Evening - Sabatini Dinner

First stop is Explorer's Lounge to the Platinum Elite Lounge to try a Cosmo.  Maribel is there to quickly take our order – two Cosmos please.  Bernie rates them right up there with some of the bests.  That says a lot.

Yes we are able to order any drink that is part of the special loungers menu for $5. 

A card was delivered to the cabin with the itinerary and what is featured each day.

We sit with two couples from Edmonton and a short while later Monika joins us for a drink. 

Oh did I tell you Monika is the Most Travelled this voyage.  We are in the top 40 but don’t know where we fall. If I can get to see the Captain Circle Host I will find out. (I later find out we are number 5 & 6).   

In lieu of a most travelled luncheon or cocktail party we have been given dinner for two at any of the specialty restaurants.  We will be dining at the Bayou Cafe with Monika on the last night.

Bernie wants to check out the stores as he saw a great Tommy Bahama shirt and t shirt he wanted.  So we get those items and I found a great shirt that I will have to get too.  I will post a picture of it below.  

Jackie from South Africa serves us and we discuss a mutual friend Delmarie who recently got off the Island and is also from South Africa. 

Back to the cabin to shower and dress for dinner.  Our amazing steward Cyrus has done up our cabin already and our few requests have been done already.  We find out later he is getting promoted, and we understand why, he is good.

Once ready we set out to find Qi, a cabin stewards we had last year, or was it the year prior, who is back on board.  Big hugs and a little pampering gift for her.  She has just started here third contract.  Wow does time every fly by.

Tonight dinner is at Sabatinis.  Antonio is hosting a table with us, his cousin Jorge and wife Nice, along with Diane (who we find out is from Alaska and is on my Facebook fan page and also the Princess Cruiseline Lovers page).

Dinner was probably the best meal we have ever had at Sabatinis.  Food was outstanding, our server Ryerson was very attentive and I especially was impressed how other servers helped out when needed.

Bernie's soup

My meal started with a salad which was good but I found a little over dressed, but I think most would find perfect I just prefer little less salad dressing.

My pasta course was the cannelloni which was outstanding and could of had that as my entrée.

The entree was the stuffed chicken which I had numerous times and can be hit or miss but tonight it was the best I have ever had.  The asparagus served with it were crispy and not overcooked and seasoned just right.

Dessert was the tiramisu.  I had not had the tiramisu since they changed it to the Norman Love version and again it was outstanding. 

And of course we had to finish off the meal with my favorite drink from Sabatinis a Sicilian Kiss.  Which is Amaretto, vodka and Baileys served over ice with a bit of milk.

The meal is very large so I never finished any of my dishes.  But there is no way I could. I highly recommend Sabatinis to anyone getting on the Island.

Maitre D’Hotel Neville came by and spent some time with us. It was lovely getting to know him better.

We spent the evening chatting, raising our glass in a toast, sharing our travel adventures and by the end we were all family.

One thing I like to remind people of, this is not a dinner at the Olive Garden.  The meal here is an event that takes time.  It really is like being in Italy where the evening is based around a table with good friends, great food, and even better wine. 

After dinner we walked around and ended up at Explorers watching the Quest Game Show which was an Adult Scavenger Hunt and quite funny. 

Cruise Director Mike Witte was there and we caught up with him and what he has been up to.  He is looking great and his team seems well put together and happy. 

While chatting with Mike, Mark Harris came by.  Mark is the Naturalist on board and he is getting off in San Francisco.  But he did mention he will be getting on the Grand then Star to do the Hawaii cruises as the Naturalist so watch out for him if you are doing one of those.

Observations tonight:

Because of the lower age demographics for those on the repo portion Explorers lounge is busy with the Quest Game show.  And there is a lot more drinking and gambling going on.  Now not excessive drinking but more people out enjoying themselves.

The Wake Show is on and they are even doing a question of the day for the short cruise which I think is great.

For those staying on to do the Panama cruise the Shorex has in transit tours for San Francisco.

Short Weekend Away on Island

A great deal happened and we just couldn’t pass it up.  A three day repo from Vancouver to San Francisco.  Timing was perfect as it fell right during our weekend.

We left home with small carry on bags, two bottles of Vino Verte for dinner with Antonio tonight.

See Antonio is from Portugal and we thought he might enjoy it.  However as we swung the backpack on one bottle fell out and smashed to the ground.  Oops…. Thankfully there is a liquor  store two blocks from the pier where we buy a. new bottle.

We arrive at the pier at 1230.  We are directed upstairs to the conference center where we are divided by ship.  The Volendam is in port with us.  We fill out our health forms.  Then quickly get our cruise cards.

We snake around like we are in a parade heading downstairs to go thru security.  The line is long but it moves very efficiently.

Normally we would go thru US customs but since the ship is heading to Victoria first we don’t go thru customs.  We will however have to clear US customs when we arrive in San Francisco .

In total it took 15 min from when we got to the pier to when we boarded.  Very efficient.

Last year we sailed the island for a month, and we had been on her quite a few times prior so we know the ship.

This voyage we are in Plaza 529 which is an Oceanview cabin.  Great location midship and close to atrium and coffee bar.

We notice the cabin looks very fresh and clean.  They haven’t got the new bed/bedding but the bed we have is very comfortable.  We are told that the new bedding will be happening soon though.

There is this great little nook in the closet with an extra closet space.  Haven’t seen this in other cabins on this ship.

A beautiful bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne awaits us as a gift from Antonio.

Again we feel blessed to call so many crew friends who feel like family and Antonio is definitely family.

Up to Horizon Court for a quick bite to eat.  It is a zoo up here, so I quickly grab a salad and meet Bernie outside where he is grabbing a hot dog and fries.  He couldn't handle the crowds in the buffet.  I tell him how they are queuing up for food at one of the stations in Horizon Court.  
One man tried to get food at that station where no one was and was told off by another man.  I bit my tongue.  If you wander around and get food from area that are not busy it works.  Lining up doesn't as there are different stations and you can't line up for each.  If one area is so very busy I just pass it up and I survive.  I like to go with the flow.

The sun is shining and it is in the high 20s.

We both comment that the demographics of this voyage are very different than the May repo we did.  Very few kids on board, maybe a handful compared to a lot of kids in May.

This cruise carries on thru the Panama Canal so many are on for the entire voyage so there are quite a few older passengers  (my age and older).

Bernie called room service and got thru rather quickly to change out our mini bar for two coffee cards, and they delivered them right away.

Ships officers:  Captain Andrea Poggi, Staff Captain Vincenzo Lembo, Chief Engineer Vito Torre, Hotel General Manager Ivano Calandri, Cruise Director Mike Witte, Customer Services Director Carla Ramos, Food and Beverage Director Sandra Belchior,  Executive Housekeeper Antonio Pimpao, Executive Chef John Convery, Maitre D’Hotel Neville Saldanha.

Muster is at 345 with sail away at 4pm.  With Victoria being so close I wonder where we will sail as we don’t dock until tomorrow at 7 am.  Tonight we are joining Antonio for dinner in Sabatinis at 7:30.

Things I have noticed:

• Prices have gone up.  All specialty restaurants are $29.  Drink prices too have gone up for some items.   Coffee card is now  $31 plus tip.  They may of gone up earlier and I just didn’t notice.  I later check my notes and prices for special restaurants went up in May.
• Ship looks great.
• Embarkation was very smooth and well organized.
• Staff on board are very helpful, friendly and very patient.
• The water pressure is very strong.
• Many people are staying on for Panama portion.

Podcast Interview about the Island Princess Mediterranean Cruise

Once again I had the pleasure of chatting with Doug Parker of Cruise Radio about our cruise last Fall on the Island Princess.

The cruise was 31 days from Rome to Fort Lauderdale.  To check out my blog report of that amazing voyage click here.

Here is a link to the interview with Doug about the Island Princess and it's recent changes.

Stay tuned for another Podcast where I talk about the Mediterranean Ports of Call as a first time Mediterranean cruisers.

My Reflection on Cruising the Mediterranean on the Island Princess

 

We have been back for a month now and I have been meaning to do a blog post about the entire cruise.  Our thoughts on the itinerary, flights, ship, food, entertainment, ports.  I am sorry it has taken so long, but with getting back in the swing of things at work and then Christmas it was always put on the back burner.


Flights:  

We flew from Vancouver to Rome via London on British Airways.  We booked it ourselves as we could get a better price than what Princess was offering at the time.  But it is worth looking at both options.

It is a long flight, but the biggest issue for us was the time change and jet lag.  Be prepared to be tired and make sure to give yourself enough time to rest when you arrive.

Make sure you arrive a few days before your cruise.  The cruise is going to be exhausting so having a few days in the embarkation port to rest and adjust to the time is key.

Take a shuttle service from airport to city for quick, efficient and very cost effective service.  It was just a bit more than taking the train and after a long flight it was much appreciated. Plus no worries on trying to find hotel as driver dropped us off right in front.


Accommodations in Rome:

We really were happy with our apartment we rented from Green Apartments.  The building had four apartments with a lovely terrace for us to enjoy.  Cost was less than many of the hotels we looked into.  Plus it was very large and so nice to have a small kitchen.

Check out Airbnb, or other apartment rental sites.  Our place was within walking distance to two different metro line stations.  Right on a tram route.  And a few blocks from the Coliseum. 


Time of year:

We can't easily get time off in the summer so we planned it for the fall.  We wanted to do a transatlantic, so we had to go with the schedule from Princess.  We left late October from Rome and we were often one of the last ships to visit a port for the season.  

Weather was wonderful, actually better than I had expected.  We dressed in layers.  Often first thing in the morning it was cooler and by the afternoon we were in short sleeve shirts.  Again when the sun went down it got cool again.  Many Mediterranean ports like Ephesus, Mykonos, Santorini, Dubrovnik were very warm.  It was even nice enough to swim in the pool on the ship on a few occasions.

The crowds were a heck of a lot less than what you find in the summer.  We were very fortunate to visit sites quite easily with very short or no lines to enter at all. Everywhere we went people commented that boy it is sure quiet here compared to the last time they were there in the prime time.

One downfall of this time of year is that we encountered two ports where things were shutting down or were closed for the season -- Mykonos and Santorini, but we still managed to see a lot.

I would not hesitate to visit again at either the beginning of the season or in the Fall again.  


Currency:

We brought Euros with us to help us get started.  In every port - except Dubrovnik, they took Euros, including Turkey. When we required more money we easily withdrew money from ATMs.  We had no problem finding machines that would accommodate our card.  Make sure to let your bank or credit union know you are travelling.  

In Croatia we exchanged some Euros near the port with no problem - of course there was a transaction fee.  When we dined there, and paid for our entry to the walking on the wall, we were able to pay with our credit card.

We usually used our credit card to pay for all larger things, like meals, entrance fees to attractions and purchases from stores.  We have a pin credit card and we never had an issue.  

Be prepared - things here cost a lot more than what we are use to at home, especially with our low Canadian Dollar. We made a point of not thinking about the exchange but to just go with it and enjoy.  But if you need to pick up items be prepared it will probably cost you twice what you would pay at home.

Dining Ashore:

We tried to have a meal in every port.  For us we loved the time to sit and reflect and rest and try some of the local foods.

I highly recommend picking a restaurant that is further away from major tourist sites.  Look for restaurants that don't have a sign in English with menu items.  Look for a chalk board or sign that states in their native language the menu.  Look for a restaurant that doesn't particularly cater to tourists but to serving good, authentic food.

we walk down this street and found the most amazing restaurant

Our game plan was always to walk away from the major street down a side road and then to look for a restaurant that had daily features with many locals inside.  

Every meal we attempted something new - and sometimes we had no idea what the item was - we just pointed to it on the menu and often we were surprised and happy.  Later in the trip we would just state to the server "what do you recommend today" and again we were never disappointed.

We often would order one dish and share it, so one pasta and then one main dish and share.  Meals were large and this gave us the opportunity to try a few things.  We also would let one person pick the food one time and then the other would pick the food the next time.  It was fun trying to figure out items and surprising Bernie with special things.

Ask for the house or table wine, which is sold by the glass, half litre or full litre.  Certainly a more economical way to go and very very good.  Note red wines are often served a little chilled.

In fact if you can stop into the wine stores that sell the wines in refillable bottles.  We were able to buy empty plastic bottles and have them fill them for a few Euros.  We then would just enjoy this wine in the cabin before dinner.

Try some of the local customs.  For us it was getting our espresso every morning at the coffee shops that the locals went to.  Standing at the bar and drinking it is a great way to blend in and fit in.  Plus it usually a lot cheaper than taking a table to enjoy.  Stop by the sandwich deli type stores and have them make you a sandwich.  Take it with you and sit on a bench or grassy area and enjoy.  

In the evening after enjoying a great meal, go for a stroll and get some gelato and watch the people.

In Venice we really enjoyed visiting the wine bars where we sat and had a reasonably priced glass of house wines and some small finger foods (sort of like tapas).

Ports:

Hit the ground running.  Do lots of research before you leave home about each port.  Find out what you might like to do and take note of that.  Each port we had a rough idea of what we were doing and we worked at accomplishing that.  But I quickly learned that often I had too much planned in the ports and we soon realized we could really only accomplish half of what we wanted to and realized we would just have to come back.

Watch the port lecturer's show - either live or in your cabin (it was replayed in the cabins) to learn key bits of information about each port.  Transportation, sites, restaurants, and history.  

Don't be afraid to take local transportation in each port. Often Princess offered shuttles from the ship to the town at a cost.  But frankly the cost was so high per person that it forced us to look for other options.  Example is Venice - ship's shuttle was only one water taxi from port to St. Mark's Sq (ended at 11:30 pm) for 24 hours at a cost of $20 each - so it would of been $40 each for the 48 hours we were there.  Venice's ACTV vaporetto service is 30E each for 48 hours and we could take any of the lines at any time of the day.  Often taxis were the same cost as the ship's shuttle. But we easily found local buses, trains, private shuttles or taxis to be a better value and gave us much more flexibility.  

Another example is our day in Florence - the shuttle from Livorno to Florence was 360E and it could take 8 people. The ship offered a bus transfer at a cost of $99 US each and it was a set time with a full bus.

Taking the train to many cities is easy and efficient.  We used the train to Pisa and Rome very easily.  

Using local buses can also save you time and it gives you the opportunity to connect with the locals too.  Drivers were very helpful and patient and locals were very open to assisting us on directions too.

Don't be too afraid of getting lost, or wandering - this is the time when I often found a hidden gem.  

Highly recommend that you download a Map App to your phone that you can use offline.  I used Maps2Go which is free and I could easily locate myself on the map and then figure out how to get to where I needed to go.  Another great app is a translator app.  We used this often especially when getting directions, ordering or buying personal items (saved us when we needed to buy conditioner in Italy).

When researching take note of sites that you can pre book. This saved us numerous times.  We pre reserved the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Necropolis tour, Museum in Florence, Doge's Palace and a few others.  It is very easy to pre reserve many of these places by going directly to their websites.  Read each blog for each port where I have links to the sites we used.  Having pre reserved tickets allowed us to skip the line and saved us valuable time.

Wear appropriate clothing and shoes!  We witnessed numerous people being turned away from certain sites because they were not dressed modestly to enter.  Cover the shoulders and no shorts are the rule in many churches. A good pair of shoes that you can wear, cause trust me you will log a lot of steps.  Also be aware of the terrain.  Often the streets/sidewalks are uneven and comprise of cobblestones.

Carry some small bills and coins as most public washrooms require you to pay (usually a Euro).  Take advantage of washrooms at the sites you visit - like museums, or restaurants.

When dining ashore note that tipping is not the norm here and often an automatic tip or service fee is added to the bill and is clearly marked.

Each port had very good tourist information booths that provided excellent maps and ideas and many allowed people to reserve tickets too.

We found that we were able to communicate quite easily in every port.  Although English is often spoken in many of the tourist areas a few words in the native language can help.  

Petty Crime was an issue for many people that we encountered.  Seemed like every port we heard of someone who had some kind of issue.  Don't risk it... carry your items in a safe spot that is difficult to access.  If you need quick access to some money, just carry a small amount in your pocket and keep the rest in a secure spot.  We carried our pacsafe bag and had no issues at all.  Pacsafe is a great brand with all types of bags to suit your needs but there are other brands that also provide theft resistant bags.  

No matter what you do, don't carry all your money, credit cards, passport with you.  At times we were requested to bring our passport ashore.  When we did we put it in a separate bag that was secure.  We always leave another credit card in the safe in the cabin.  This way if the main card gets stolen we have a second credit card to use after we cancel the one we lost.  

Keep your wits about you when you are ashore.  We witnessed thieves trying to distract tourists at ticket machines - often they offer assistance while their friend helps themselves to your possessions.  Don't carry your wallet in your pocket in your pants, not your front or back pocket!  Three different guys we spoke to had their wallets taken exactly this way.  


Ship:

We sailed on the Island Princess.  I really loved the size of ship and really liked that it was easy to get around.

This ship recently went thru an extensive dry dock where the Universe Lounge was removed and cabins were added to the aft area on decks 6,7 and lido.  Also the casino was made more narrow and cabins added to the port side.  Of course this impacted the cruise because more cabins equals more people.  

Unfortunately no more public spaces were added, including no more dining areas.  This did cause some issues with waits for the dining rooms.  Also this ship does not have an International Cafe and we really missed that.  Having an International Cafe provides us with an alternative place to get something to eat.  Often a quick item from there filled us for breakfast or lunch.  But because it was not there it only impacted the already over crowded venues.

For this very port intensive itinerary this ship worked.  It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the big ships have but it felt just right.  In the evenings we were often too tired to partake in too much so the lack of the missing venue didn't impact us too much.  The few times we did see a production show we had no real problem getting a seat, especially if we went to the late show (note this itinerary had two longer shows, instead of the three shorter shows we often see when sailing other itineraries).

Have to say that the food on this ship was probably one of the best we have ever had on any Princess ship.  Food had more flavour, much more variety (especially in Horizon Court) and food that was suppose to be hot was hot.  

Then the next best thing about this ship are it's crew.  Again they just blew us away on how they seemed to work so hard and do it with a smile on their faces.  With being on for a whole month we made some great friends among them. Top notch crew who obviously care about what they are doing.

The few things that I found lacking about this ship that I wish they would work on are:  

• improved television on demand service - since this was so port intensive we found many of our evenings were spent relaxing in the cabin after dinner and a good movie would of been nice.  We missed the on demand tv that the Royal and Regal have.
• Internet on this ship was very poor.  Now I know most people now hook up to the ship's wifi with their devices and those devices suck up a lot more data that ever before with auto updates, notifications and so on.  But really it seems Princess is falling way behind in providing high speed internet that other lines are managing to provide - and at a much less cost to the passenger.  I should also add that the routers are placed throughout the ship, but it seemed my cabin was just too far from a router to get a very good signal.  Had to stand right by the cabin door to get a half decent signal, but if I wanted to use my laptop I had to take it to a public area.
• Dining rooms - this ship has one dining room on deck five that is for anytime dining and one dining room on deck six that is traditional.  We always choose anytime. On the first leg we found that most people preferred to dine late, on the second leg the demographics changed and was a much older crowd and the dining rooms were packed early.  It seemed that the Head Waiters had a hard time trying to accommodate everyone (remember all the added cabins) in the two dining rooms.  I heard of many traditional diners that went to anytime dining whenever they couldn't make their assigned time - which was frustrating for those of us who don't have the option to go to traditional dining when we want.  Also the dining room on the sixth floor is exactly the same as the one of five, but it is right below the Promenade deck and the Wheelhouse bar.  So when the band starts up you can hear it in the dining room on deck six.  
• On a positive note we dined probably 75% of our dinners up in the Horizon Court.  We dined here more this cruise than we ever had.  The service up here was amazing. Not only were the waiters attentive to any of our needs, the chef's serving us remembered us and would welcome us and chat and became a highlight to see them each night.  Food here was plentiful, hot, and lots of variety. A hidden gem that many people pass up, but works very well on this very port intensive cruise.  Plus it was nice to not have to dress for dinner in the dining room after a long day.
• Specialty Restaurants - this ship has two of them.   The Bayou and Sabatinis.  We dined at the Bayou twice and Sabatinis once.  The meals were good, not spectacular, service was so so and certainly not as good as in the dining room or Horizon Court.  We find the cost of $25 to be a decent price but find that the meal and service just don't make it special.  Both of these venues were usually empty on this long voyage and there was very little promotion for them either.  But then what is worse is you do go and you are disappointed because of the lack of service - waiters are cut to the bare minimum and just can't handle all the tables that do show up.  Princess I hope you read this and work at improving this area.

Demographic on the Cruise

The first cruise that was 12 days from Rome to Venice the demographic was younger, I would guess the average age was late 40s, early 50s.  Some families and even some kids. The second cruise which was Rome to Fort Lauderdale 19 nights was a much older crowd with the average age I am guessing to be around 65 and I think only two kids.  

Final Thoughts from Us

We loved this trip!  We loved Europe!  We especially loved Italy and could see us spending a lot more time there.  I know once we retire we have talked about spending months at a place before moving on to another town/city and now Italy is a place we want to spend more time in.  

For us the bigger cities were the highlight, but that may of been because they offered so much to do.  After a while I am sure the smaller places would have more appeal.  

We found the locals to be very welcoming and friendly. Make a point to connect with them by asking them questions about themselves, their store/restaurant etc. I don't think we left a table without a free drink at the end of the meal provided by the owner.  

We loved Rome, Naples, Venice, Pisa, Barcelona, Athens, Kusadasi and Porta Delgada.  We kind of liked Florence, Toulon, Dubrovnik, Salerno, Corsica.  We liked but they weren't on the top of our lists Mykonos, Santorini, Cannes.

I know we need to go back and explore some more.  But we both agreed this trip was exhausting - until we starting the crossing.  There is no way we could do this itinerary and come right back to work.  We needed the sea days that the crossing provided to rest up before heading back to work.  

Although we loved the Mediterranean we have agreed that we will put off future trips to it until after we retire (which is coming up soon - five years!).

Our biggest complaint on this trip was all the smokers in the ports.  The smoking rules, although are stricter than they use to be, are much looser than they are in Canada/USA. We would of loved to have dined more often on terraces, but smoking is often allowed on the terrace which meant you inhaled smoke as you ate or drank your wine.  Seems that all age groups smoke there too; whereas here at home, young people tend to smoke less and less.  

I highly recommend that people take this voyage while you physically can.  This itinerary is demanding and being able bodied helps.