2023 Mediterranean Cruise 

The journey begins!  We all boarded the Jeep around 8pm headed off to Newark Airport for our flight to Rome.  The flight was a red eye, which was sort of good in a way to let us get some sleep.  We flew Air France to a rainy Paris, where we didn't see a thing since the airport is outside of the city.  After a brief visit to French TSA (which is no more efficient than US TSA) we then caught a connection on to Rome.  As with most flights these days, space was tight.  We occupied the middle row of seats together, but it was a long, uncomfortable flight.  Besides zero leg room, the width of the seats do not accommodate the average shoulder length (at least in my opinion).  But I guess it's all about the $$$ so butts in seats is what turns a profit these days.  We booked through the cruise line so we didn't have much choice on flights or seats, but it saved us thousands since the second cruise passenger flew for free for each cabin (a typical NCL promotion for overseas trips).  After 12 hours of air travel we took an Uber (and got to witness how terrifying the roads were in Rome in terms of traffic and crazy driving) and finally made it to our hotel in East Rome, the Hampton by Hilton Rome East.  I was able to use some Hilton Honors points to get a great rate, but even though it wasn't too far from downtown Rome, taxis/Uber took a while to get there due to Rome traffic.  If I did it again I may think about getting a hotel either within the city or very close to a train station to be able to get around a bit easier.  But no complaints about the hotel - nice people, large rooms, and a great free breakfast, that was very GF friendly.

We woke up early on this day to get a head start for the beginning of our adventure.  We found a great selection at the complimentary breakfast buffet at the hotel, which included some GF biscotti and cappuccino (the coffee machines in Europe offer espresso, cappuccino, lattes, and more!).  

Not too long after we took an Uber off to the Colosseum.  In the pre-research I did for the trip everything I read warned about the heat (the real feel for most of the day was in excess of 100 degrees) and the lines, and "skip the lines" tickets were highly recommended.  I would suggest you do this in advance to the earliest extent possible.  I was a little late with this task (maybe booked the week before) and many options were unavailable, so I had to take what I could get.  We went on the Colosseum and Ancient Rome Tour and the process was somewhat seamless.  We met the guide in the spot listed on our reservation, and she did a good job with keeping the group together and informed.  We were able to see a great deal of the Colosseum and she pointed out all the facts along the way to keep us entertained.  Headsets were provided that made listening easy.

But - the heat caught up to us quickly.  July in Rome is hot - very hot as a matter of fact.  It wasn't too long before we were heading towards heat exhaustion, so we ended our tour after the visit to the Colosseum was over.  We headed to a small cafe/pizzeria named Ristorante Pizza Forum near the Colosseum for water, food, bathrooms, and seats in the shade.  Highly recommend that if you go you take a water bottle, and have Euros on hand to buy water, and also to enter bathrooms, as most public bathrooms require a 1-2 Euro coin to enter.  On the plus side, the cafe had great food, and the GF pizza ended up being the best GF pizza in Italy during our trip.  After recharging and refreshing it was time to Uber once again over to the Vatican.

Once again, I would highly suggest ticketing in advance to include "skip the line" tickets.  The line when we arrived went on for blocks with literally thousands of people waiting, where we just went right in with our tour group.  We took the Fast-Track Vatican Guided Tour with Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s tour and again the process was fairly simple in terms of meeting with the group about a block from the Vatican, and we had a very knowledgeable guide, with headsets to help with catching all of the info easily.  When we researched about the visit there are many warnings about dress code, so we were conservative and made sure the ladies shoulders were covered, as well as all of our knees (which meant pants/longer shorts for the guys) - check out the Vatican website for more info. The only warning is that the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel are extremely crowded, and it takes lots of walking through the museum area until you arrive at the Sistine Chapel.  Also note that photos are prohibited in the Sistine Chapel.  There were many beautiful sights to see though, and it was worth the tour.  St. Peter's was beautiful as well, but keep in mind that it's not open to tour on holy days of obligation (which kept me out during my last cruise) and from what I read it may also be closed later in the afternoons.  The basilica and square were sights to see though. 

But once again at the end of the tour we were all once again overheated as well as exhausted from all of the walking including the Colosseum, and I think the time difference was also catching up with us, so we headed back to the hotel tired but grateful for some great experiences and adventures for the day.

We made this a sleep-in day as we were all still exhausted from our day in Rome the day before, so after a good rest we went to breakfast and checked out of the hotel to begin our journey to the Norwegian Epic.  We took a taxi from the hotel to the main train station in Rome, Roma Termini, and purchased tickets to Civitavecchia, Italy, which serves as the cruise port for Rome despite being over an hour away.  It was a tight squeeze with all of our luggage as the train was more of a commuter train, and the air conditioning was not functional, so it wasn't the most comfortable ride but it worked (and was very cost effective).  Then all it took was a quick shuttle bus ride from the train station to the ship.  Of course the train was 40 minutes late so we barely made our boarding time of 3pm.

After checking in and exploring the ship a little we ended up in the dining room for our first dinner aboard, but then the ocean decided to show us how powerful she is.  As I posted on social media, “The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli”.  Damari and I decided to relax and enjoyed a comedy-magic show, and then went to the Headliners Lounge for “Howling at the Moon” dueling pianos, one of my favs.  A full day for sure, so then we went to bed ready for Naples in the morning.

We enjoyed our first cruise stop on this day in Napoli (or Naples), which included touring the ruins at Parco Archeologico di Pompeii, and enjoyed pizza in its birthplace.  We took advantage of some cruise excursion credit that we had from booking the cruise so we only paid $50 for round trip transportation via shuttle bus, which was well worth it.  The last time I visited we took the train to Pompeii which wasn't easy, so using the credits and taking the bus made the most sense.

Pompeii is immense, and there's so much to see.  It was quite crowded, so I would recommend purchasing your admission tickets online for admittance to fast track your entry (purchased mine at this site).  There are tours available, and self-guided audio tours, which we didn't use.  Once we were done there are plenty of places to grab a bite just outside the gates, so we of course ordered some pizza in the city of its birth, Napoli.  Pizza was great, and they had some good GF pizza as well.  It's nice to see plenty of "senza gluten" signs at restaurants!

After a long day in Napoli with lots of walking we were happy to enjoy a day to sleep in and enjoy all of the activities and places to relax on the Norwegian Epic.  Our day included the usual buffet breakfast and lunch, "Deal or No Deal" where we won a free portrait, "Bingo" where we had fun but didn't win anything, attended the "Burn the Floor" which was nothing short of an incredible dance performance show, and then it was off to the dining room to enjoy dinner together.  Somewhere in there Damari and I snuck off to O'Sheenan's Irish Pub for some appetizers and drinks and played "Uno" together.  A great day to recharge the batteries aboard the boat to get ready for Palma de Mallorca, Spain in the morning.

After another trip to the buffet for breakfast with some great views while eating we quickly headed off to catch a shuttle into Palma de Mallorca.  The one striking image is the church right on the water which was beautiful.  It's interesting to see the number of guys with blankets on the floor with knock-off bags, sneakers, and clothing.  Sort of reminds me of walking down Canal Street NYC back in the day.  Lots of little shops and restaurants as well as artists selling their wares as we strolled through the streets of Palma de Mallorca.

We had lunch at a little place called Calixto Restaurante in Palma de Mallorca.  When the only thing on the menu is paella then you know you chose the right place!  The service was excellent, as was the taste of authentic paella made to order.  The sangria was also very enjoyable - I highly recommend this place!

We headed back to the ship where we grabbed a quick dinner and then headed off to “The Beatles Abbey Road” show which was very enjoyable - all the great hits of the fab four as performed by some very talented guys.  Damari and I snuck in some more time at O'Sheenan's Irish Pub, playing Uno, where we sipped Pina Colada’s, and enjoyed each other's company somewhere off the coast of Spain - Life is Good!

Barcelona may be one of my favorite cities to walk through, particularly through Las Ramblas, which is a tree-lined path through the middle of the street where there are many different vendors and artists.  On this particular day it was extremely busy, especially with large groups of student tours strolling about.  The work of Gaudi and the modernista architectural movement could also be seen around the city.  After walking for a long while we took a break and took the infamous "hop on hop off" bus to take it the northern part of the city's attractions, which helped us to avoid some hill climbing.  We were also able to pass the site of the FC Barcelona soccer team, where the stadium seemed to be in the middle of a tear down and rebuild.  We also were able to experience some authentic tapas in a place I discovered back in 2017 with Samantha named Ciutat Comtal where we all agreed the food was outstanding - another highly recommended experience!

It was a stressful morning trying to get off the ship and on a tender boat to Cannes (the boat doesn't dock there, it just sort of sits in the harbor while the tender boats shuttle everyone to shore).  We had an 11am tour booked, and got there a few minutes late thanks to the mess onboard trying to get the tender boat process going - in fairness to the crew, apparently the wind and the sea didn't help them out much.

A lesson learned during my previous visit to Cannes in 2017 was that a tour with CannesVisiTour was the way to go.  Alexi, the operator of the tours on a Segway-type device (like a smaller version of a Segway), does an outstanding job of both acclimating you to the devices by giving you a mini-training session before taking off, ensuring you are comfortable.  She also gives you a headset so you are able to hear her share her knowledge of Cannes with you as you zip through the streets of Cannes.  This tour is an incredible bargain, given you get 2 hours of touring as well as your own personal guide, who answers all your questions while teaching you about the sights and the history of Cannes.  Highly recommended doesn't even emphasize my feelings - this is a must do!  We all loved our tour, and you'll see how much fun we had if you look at the pics and video.  

After the Cannes tour we headed back to the ship for a quick swim followed by a siesta, followed by another wonderful dinner and then another performance of "Burn the Floor".

We started the day early and hailed a taxi from the ship for the train station in Livorno with Firenze SNM, or downtown Florence, which is over an hour away.  Our first stop involved a short walk to the market in Florence, Mercato Centrale Firenze, where the highlight were pork and caprese sandwiches for Damari, Anthony and Macy (no GF options, but the sandwiches were incredible).  In the surrounding streets there is an abundance of street vendors with various souvenirs and goods, but most remarkable were the number of leather bags and goods available.  But the highlight for me was the most delicious GF cannoli that I could ever have imagined!

We began to tour and thought we were at the Duomo, but it ended up being another church that I mistook for the Duomo, which is the largest church built in the middle of Florence.  Once we got to the actual Duomo it was majestic and beautiful, but the line to enter seemed to go on forever, so we didn't make it in (I don't think you can get skip the line tickets, and I don't think they charge for admission either.

We walked the streets and found the shopping district and came across the Lego Store, which as anyone who knows Anthony knows, this visit would make Anthony very happy!  The shopping district was extremely busy, reminding us of our tour of Rome.

Once we got the sights all in I planned on visiting Piazzale Michelangelo, so we began a hike up the hill (and it was a big hill) to the site in order to take in some incredibly breathtaking views of Florence and the surrounding countryside.  Then the highlight of the entire trip occurred - Anthony proposed to Macy!  Damari and I were blessed to be there and share the moment, and helped to record it and take photos.  It's a beautiful memory we'll all cherish forever, and this spot is highly recommended for a visit to anyone visiting Florence (although you don't have to hike up that hill - consider taking a taxi if you want to avoid the heat and elevation climb).

From there we headed back to the train station to travel once again by train towards Pisa to take in the sights.  After a short taxi ride from the Pisa train station where the Leaning Tower and surroundings were very surreal to all of us.  We ended the day at a great restaurant, Ristoro Pecorino, where I was lucky to enjoy some GF treats - GF bruschetta, GF lasagna, and GF Tiramisu with a cappuccino!  Italy is very friendly for those who have gluten issues/celiac disease like me.  

We arrived back at the ship late after a day we'll all forever have etched in our hearts and minds.  Love you Anthony and Macy!  Congrats on your engagement and your future lives together!

Last shore excursion in Livorno, Italy, enjoying what else of course, pizza!  We spent the 2nd day docked in Livorno, Italy.  We were able to sleep in and after some coffee and Uno we all took a shuttle bus into the town where we visited the market, Livorno Mercato Centrale, shopped a bit, and then ended our last excursion with some great pizza and other Italian delicacies at a restaurant with an outdoor cafe where we enjoyed some milder weather for a change.  Then we headed back to the ship and enjoyed a great dinner at the onboard steakhouse, Cagney's, before doing some photo portraits with the onboard photographers, and then catching our last show of the cruise which was a magic show with ventriloquism and more.  What a trip it's been!

Our trip comes to an end, and once again it's off to the airport to travel home from Rome - but not before Damari has her last caprese sandwich!  Unfortunately we were booked on a separate flight (part of the hazard of booking airfare through the cruise line - to be fair to NCL, they tell you at booking that there's no guarantee that the two cabins booked will travel together), so for the first time in 12 days we found ourselves separated from our travel partners Anthony and Macy.  We connected only about 2 hours apart at Newark Airport for the drive home tired but happy.  So many great memories came home with us and will be cherished forever - we are truly blessed.  And thanks so much to Damari, Anthony and Macy for being the best travel buddies ever!