After disembarking the Marina (Oceania Cruise) on 4/19 in Southampton UK we made our way to London Heathrow for a flight to Rome.
We arrived in Rome and met the driver we arranged to have pick us up and take us to the Hotel San Giorgio in Civitavecchia. That is where we will board the Holland America Koningsdam for a 20 day cruise. It was only one night at the hotel thank goodness, because the room left a lot to be desired. The concierge thought he had done us a favor giving us a “suite”. For this hotel that meant the queen size bed was up a full flight of carpet covered metal stairs that was the “loft”. The bathroom was downstairs so we opted to sleep on a pull out couch in the “living room “. It was Ok, particularly after a glass of Chianti. The rest of the hotel was fine. They had a nice small restaurant/bar and breakfast was included.
We boarded the ship on 4/20. This is a larger ship than the Oceania ship we were on previously. This one has a 2,650 passenger capacity. We were meeting friends for this cruise. We joined one of my best friends, Maria, and 9 of her friends from Florida. The 12 of us were doing the entire 20 day cruise. At mid point we would return to Rome and 5 more friends would join us for the final portion of the cruise. These friends are also “forever” best friends Rosy and her husband Al, Julie, and Pat and Jimmie.
There were a few things that bugged me about this cruise line. Granted, Oceania is more expensive, but this line charges for EVERYTHING. If you wanted coffee at a time other than meal time, you had to pay. If you drank bottled water in your room it was charged to your room. Laundry service was $30.00 /bag (not a large laundry bag) and for the internet there was a charge of $159.00 for the duration of the cruise. The good news was we had plenty of clothing with us (although we did do some laundry so it was all clean going home) and I decided that the kids hearing from us and posting could wait until we were in ports, so I passed on the internet connection. As far as the water goes, I came back on board with a giant bottle of water every day we were in port. In addition, there was an extra charge to have dinner in their specialty restaurants. We did go to two of their specialty restaurants and found that dining in the grand dining room was just as good. In the plus column, there were several bars and fabulous live music which was different at each bar. Billboard on Board featured dueling pianos or karaoke. BB King’s Blues Club was sensational blues. Rolling Stone Rock Room had a live band playing great rock and had the biggest dancing crowd. Lincoln Center Stage featured classical entertainment in the afternoon or early evening. That completed “Music Walk”. There was also entertainment every night if you chose to go to one of 2 shows at World Stage. We saw some really good shows-comediennes, a magician, a couple of local cultural musical shows brought on the ship while we were in port, a really good dance group and singers. By far our favorite was Vox Fortura. These 4 singers were Britain’s Got Talent semi finalists in 2016. They were incredible. We came home with a signed CD.
Our first full day was at sea and it was Easter Sunday. Mass was celebrated in BB King’s Blues Club. Wow. Sounds like strange place for mass, but it was fine and a very nice mass. The remainder of the day was very un-Easter. I went to the spa and got a gel manicure, there was a Captain’s luncheon, and then that afternoon at the Panorama Bar there was a Martini Tasting.
The first part of this cruise started in Civitavecchia (Rome), Dubrovnik Croatia, Kotor Montenegro, Split Croatia, Korcula Croatia, Kerkira (Corfu) Greece, Catania (Sicily) Italy, and back to Civitavecchia. Temperatures ranged from 67-68 degrees in Croatia, 77 degrees in Corfu and 73 degrees in Sicily. The weather was wonderful. I prefer to say mostly sunny than partly cloudy!
Croatia has been on my bucket list for a very long time and it did not disappoint. Dubrovnik was our first stop and it is so beautiful. We took an excursion into the mountains. We stopped at a local place for coffee in Cavat (Caffe Bar Amor)and then another stop for lunch at Konavoski Dvori a lovely restaurant in Konavle which is between Snijeznica mountain and the Adriatic Sea.
After lunch we came back into Dubrovnik and went to the walled city. We just explored all of the streets and shops. I took lots of photos of doors which I will cover in a separate blog. We left the walled city after sampling the local wine and buying some treasures to bring home. Leaving the port that night was so beautiful as all the lights were coming on in the city.
Our excursion in Kotor, Montenegro took us up into the mountains. Talk about hanging on while driving up the mountain. There were hairpin turns on extremely narrow roads. We had lunch in Njegusi at a place called Konoba. We had a delicious lunch of smoked ham and cheese with “Black Wine” which is their red wine and my husband tried the local beer Niksickol. I found a wood flute to bring back for our grandson. I’m sure he will play it so much that his parents will be ready to shoot us! After we concluded our sight seeing tour we went on our own to explore the walled city here. I was looking for a post office to send the kids a postcard (my grandson likes to get mail). Also found more wonderful treasures to bring home.
The next stop in Croatia has been on my bucket list since 2007 when I first read about it. The port we stopped at was Split. I had done research months before the cruise to find out how I could get to Zadar. I hired a car and guide to drive 6 of us a little over an hour to see the sea organ. “The Sea Organ is an architectural sound art object located in Zadar, Croatia and an experimental musical instrument which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps.” (Wikipedia). This was created in 2005 by architect Nikola Basic. He also devised another piece that connects to the Sea Organ called The Greeting to the Sun. This is set at pavement level. It is 72 feet wide and represents the solar system. It is driven by the sun. By the time the sun is setting, glass panels generate enough power to light up the waterfront. It is really something to see and hear. This was a big check off of my bucket list. I could have sat on those steps all day listening to the sounds that were created. (Go to You Tube and find “sea organ Zadar Croatia” and listen to it) After this we walked around the town and found a great place for lunch. It was very windy today and it felt grainy. Our guide told us it was the “red rain” or “dirty rain” which blows up from the Sahara and it happens every year. Cars get totally covered in sandy dirt!
I had quite the experience on the ship after we sailed away from Split. I just talked about how windy it was and one is told to be very careful opening the door to the veranda. Well, I was stepping out on our veranda to get a photograph and I literally got sucked out the door! The door into our room also flew open and it had been locked! Thank goodness my husband was there and he dragged me and the door I was clinging to back into the room. A perfect lesson on listening to what you are told. Obviously the crew has much more experience than a passenger about the wind tunnel that can be created under the right circumstances.
Korcula, Croatia is one of the most beautiful islands I have visited. It is very low key and artsy. It was a magnificent day and the water was crystal clear and multiple shades of blue and green. We sat outdoors at a restaurant and people-watched and had a delicious leisurely lunch. After lunch we just walked all around and I had a great time taking photographs and looking into shops.
Corfu, Greece is not one of the prettiest places we’ve visited. We found our way around by ourselves again today. After taking an on/off bus tour to see the old city we explored the street markets and stopped at Taverna To Paradosiako, an outdoor café, just before a parade started through town for Greek Orthodox Easter.
Sicily. We docked in Catania. The symbol of the city is Fontana dell’Elefante in the Piazzo Duomo. It is said that the ancient elephant possesses magic powers. We did another local bus tour to see the sights and the coastline. We then found a piazza with a restaurant to have pizza and local wine. Sicilian wine happens to be a personal favorite. My husband and I both love Nero d’Avola. This red wine grape can only be found in Sicily. It is delicious. Had fun shopping for a Sicilian Marionette for our grandson.
After Sicily we had a day at sea before arriving in Civitavecchia where our friends would join us for “Part 3” of our European adventure…Olympia, Athens, Mykonos, Ephesus Turkey, Rhodes, Crete and Naples. Lots to come!
How To Wow Now 