Rome, Italy

Having only one day (really only a few hours) to see Rome and wanting to see as much as possible, we had to come up with a time saving, whirlwind of a plan. After much research, the following is what we decided upon.

Civitavecchia is the closest port on a Mediterranean cruise to get to Rome. From there its about an hour train ride into Rome. To get to the train station, you simply exit the port entrance and while keeping the sea to your right, continue along the street parallel to the coastline. It will take you to the train station, a yellow-orange building, in about 3-4 blocks. We each purchased a B.I.R.G. ticket for 9,00E. This is good for a round-trip to Rome as well as unlimited access to the subway and buses within Rome. The ticket must be validated (date/time stamped) in a yellow machine before boarding as a conductor can impose a fine for an unvalidated ticket.

With the Colosseum area slated as our first stop, we took the train to the Piramide station. This is a transfer point to the Metro B line. One stop away is the Circo Massimo stop. We opted to get off here instead of the Colosseo stop because the walk is downhill (as opposed to uphill from the second stop) to the Palatine Hill ticket booth where the lines to purchase attraction tickets are MUCH shorter. One ticket for 11,00E is good for admission to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. If you are going to be in Rome for an extended number of days there is a Roma Pass available for 23,00E. This provides free or reduced admission to over 40 monuments, museums, and archaeological sites.

Our first attraction was the Colosseum, an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city - the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman Engineering. Its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus. Originally capable of seating around 80,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. It has been estimated that about 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the Colosseum games. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine. Renovation work is in progress to preserve what is left of this magnificent structure.

Our next stop was Palatine Hill which is the centermost point of the Seven Hills of Rome. This is also one of the most ancient parts of the city. It is thought that Rome has its origins on the Palatine Hill. Recent excavations have shown that people have lived on the site since approximately 1000 B.C. According to Roman mythology, the Palatine hill was where Romulus and Remus were found by a female wolf that kept them alive. After which, according to this legend, a shepherd named Faustulus found the infants, and with his wife Acca Larentia raised the children. Later when they were older, Romulus chose this site to build the city of Rome.

We then continued through the Roman Forum which is located in a valley that is between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill. The Forum was the public space in the middle of a Roman city. A gathering place of great social significance, it was often the scene of diverse activities including political discussions, meetings, etc. The Forum was the marketplace of Rome and also the business district and civic center. It was expanded to include temples, a senate house and law courts. Much of the forum has been destroyed. Columns and stone blocks are all that remain of some temples. The arch of Titus and the arch of Septimius Severus still stand and are in good shape. On the west side of the Forum we passed by some other monuments which will have to wait until another visit to further explore.

We couldn't visit Italy without sampling some gelato. On our way to the Trevi Fountain, we stopped at San Crispino which some guide books say has the best in Rome. After enjoying a sampler dish of four flavors of gelato, we made our way to the Trevi Fountain. This is the most famous and arguably the most beautiful fountain in all of Rome. This impressive monument dominates the small Trevi square located in the Quirinale district. The water at the bottom of the fountain represents the sea. Legend has it you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the water. You should toss it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain. Of course we had to do this, in hopes of someday returning to this beautiful city.

Next on our agenda was the Vatican Museum. The Vatican Museum, inside the Vatican City, is one of the greatest museums in the world, since it displays works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. The museum has works of art of painters including Michelangelo, Raphael and Fra Angelico. Pope Julius II founded the museums in the 16th century. Our plan of attack was to take the metro line A from the Barberini stop located near the Trevi Fountain to the Ottaviano stop which is a short distance from the Vatican City. We found virtually no line at the ticket window in the afternoon where as it can be at least an hour wait to purchase the 14,00E ticket in the morning. After perusing the many breathtaking sculptures, paintings (on the walls and ceilings), tapestries, and mosaics, we came to what is probably the best know exhibit in the museum - the Sistine Chapel. From 1508 to 1512 Michelangelo painstakingly worked on the ceiling of this masterpiece. Unfortunately, no photography is permitted in here.

Near the back of the Sistine Chapel on the right side we took the quick way to St. Peter's Basilica. This can only be taken if no bags have been checked at the entrance of the Vatican. We went through a door and down some steps to emerge inside the secured area of St. Peter's, the most prominent building inside the Vatican City. Its dome is a dominant feature of the skyline of Rome. Probably the largest church in Christianity, it covers an area of 5.7 acres and has a capacity of over 60,000 people. It occupies a "unique position" as one of the holiest sites and greatest of all churches of Christendom. Catholic Tradition holds that Saint Peter's tomb is below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes, starting with the first ones, have been buried here. On most Wednesday afternoons, the current Pope addresses the crowd from a balcony overlooking the huge courtyard.

Since we actually had a little time left before we needed to catch the train back to Civitavecchia, we decided that relaxing for a while would be nice. We found a little sidewalk cafe and enjoyed some authentic pizza. The San Pietro station was a short distance away. We ended up on a very crowded commuter train which gave opportunity to mingle with the locals. All in all it was an extremely exciting, eventful, and exhausting day.

Below is a video encapsulating much of what we experienced. See if you recognize the Italian music mix we included.

Barcelona, Spain

After a very long overnight flight and what seemed like an even longer hike through Heathrow Int'l, we were finally in Barcelona. The first order of business - getting Euros from the ATM. The first one we found was out of order which is common. We finally found another one in a bit of an obscure place so make sure you ask if you need one.

Cabs are quite expensive here so we opted to pack a little lighter and take the bus. For 3,90E you can find an "express" bus which takes you directly to plaça Catalunya which is the main plaza in the tourist area. The subway can be accessed from here.

This is a very cosmopolitan city and one of the most popular to visit in Europe. As a result true bargains are difficult to find. Hotels (hostals) book up early so it's wise to make reservations asap. Staying on or around Las Ramblas, the main tourist drag, can be expensive and noisy so choose if you want to be among the action or not.

Even though we personally waited a little late to reserve, we were fortunate enough to find a quad room (very rare in Europe) for a reasonable price just off of Las Ramblas at the Hostal Mare Nostrum. Our room had 4 single beds, a private bath, a small balcony, and included an adequate continental breakfast, luggage storage after check-out, and free internet.

Upon arrival at plaça Catalunya we decided to walk down Las Ramblas for the ambience which was challenging but enjoyable getting through the crowd. Our good friends, Mike and Alice, arrived earlier in the day and had already checked us in. Luckily we were able to reach them via 2-way radios to find our way through the crowds and growing dusk to the hostal. We grabbed a quick bite and hit the hay as we were all exhausted.

After a great night's sleep and a relaxing breakfast we were ready to see the sights. Since we only had a few hours before embarking on the Norwegian Jade we could only choose a couple of the many things to see. The weather was beautiful so we opted for outdoor sights. We headed down Las Ramblas toward the Christopher Columbus statue. There were many living "statues" encountered along the way. This is a great place to people watch.

From here we decided to take the subway to Park Guell which was designed by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. It contains many beautiful mosaic works that Gaudi fashioned including the much photographed mosaic dragon. With its location being high on a hill it has wonderful views of much of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea. It was a perfect place to spend strolling on a sunny day.

It was easy and convenient to use the subway system in Barcelona. Installed just before the 1992 Olympics, we found it to be very cheap, clean, and modern. There are electronic maps with lights in each car so you always know where you are at. For those who are there long enough, there is also a hop on/hop off bus service that many people we met had good things to say about.

Please enjoy our video below set to the music of Los Lonely Boys.

Norwegian Jade

On March 30, 2008, we set sail on the inaugural European cruise of NCL's newly refurbished Norwegian Jade from Barcelona, Spain. We traveled with another couple and met up with the new friends we had met online through Cruise Critic before leaving home. This was our first Mediterranean cruise and our first time in Europe.

The Jade began her life as NCL America's Pride of Hawaii in 2006. In February of 2008, NCL moved her to their parent company. After a short refurbishment in Los Angeles (where she was renamed), a Panama Canal cruise, a Trans-Atlantic sailing, and a major dry dock in Spain, she was ready to begin her new life as the Norwegian Jade. She originally was to sail in Europe for part of the year and the Caribbean for the rest. NCL later decided to keep her in Europe year-round sailing a variety of itineraries.

OUR ITINERARY

3/30 Barcelona, Spain

3/31 Cruise the Mediterranean Sea

4/01 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

4/02 Naples, Italy

4/03 Cruise the Adriatic Sea

4/04 Venice, Italy

4/05 Venice, Italy

4/06 Dubrovnik, Croatia

4/07 Cruise the Adriatic Sea

4/08 Athens, Greece

4/09 Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey

4/10 Istanbul, Turkey

4/11 Istanbul, Turkey

At 93,000 gross tons the Jade is the largest ship we have been aboard yet we were quickly able to find our way around. We found the public areas to be very well laid out. They include 12 restaurants, 10 lounges, 2 swimming pools, 1 kid's pool, 4 hot tubs, a 3-tiered theater, a newly added casino, a chapel, a large gym with an ocean view, and plenty of deck space. It is evident that some areas were made over during the dry dock, but the Hawaiian theme still abounds.

This was also the inaugural cruise for the overhaul that NCL has dubbed Freestyle 2.0. As members of Cruise Critic we had the privilege of meeting with ship and corporate execs about ideas of how to fine tune this concept. Some of the 2.0 features are; upgraded bedding and toiletries, a replenished fruit basket in each cabin, Wii systems on board, and some type of lobster item on the menu in at least one restaurant every evening.

We had the opportunity to enjoy both the Alizar and Grand Pacific main dining rooms, Le Bistro French restaurant, Teppanyaki, Paniolo Tapas and Salsa, Papa's Italian Kitchen, and the Blue Lagoon as well as the many action stations in the buffet. Although the food was not truly gourmet, we always found something to our liking and never went hungry!

The onboard entertainment ranged from the usual trivia games and bingo to more upscale evening offerings. A group from the Second City Comedy Troup of Chicago appeared several times throughout the cruise. Smokey Joe's Cafe was one of three new broadway style shows. The interactive play, Tony and Tina's Wedding, was performed as well.

Check out the video slideshow below to see some of the ship and how much we enjoyed it. Make sure your speakers are on!

Dining Venues

It used to be that when you booked a cruise you had to immediately choose main or late seating for your meals. This meant that except for open seating during breakfast and lunch on port days, you ate at either 7:00am, noon, and 6:15pm or 8:30am, 1:30pm, and 8:30pm. Your only other option was to eat in the buffet for breakfast and/or lunch. There were no other choices for dinner. Early seating meant having to hurry back from port and quickly prepare for dinner. Late seating meant not being done with dinner until 10:30pm or so.

This all changed a few years ago when NCL decided to test market Freestyle Cruising. Now most of the main cruise lines offer other choices besides traditional dining. Options can range anywhere from just having the buffet now open for dinner to offering many different types of restaurants. We have been on a few ships that not only offer dinner in the buffet, but with having two main dining rooms aboard, a choice of traditional seating and anytime dining. The last ship we were on offered not only anytime dining in both main dining rooms and a dinner buffet, but a choice of Spanish, French, fine continental, Japanese, Thai, and sushi restaurants as well as a diner and an outdoor grill.

You might be thinking "with all of these choices, who would still opt for traditional dining?" Of course traditional dining is much more restrictive, but there are some benefits. Having the same table at the same time everyday with the same waitstaff does make a vacation simpler. This is great if too many options tends to overwhelm you. All you need to do is show up at your assigned table and your servers, having established a rapport with you, will have your drink of choice waiting. You also will have the same table mates everyday which works really well if you travel with friends. On one of our cruises our group of 17 was accommodated at two large tables located near each other and served by the same waitstaff. This enabled us to "round robin" which allowed us to enjoy every one of our friend's dinner company at least once. However, if you travel with just one other person you could end up with table mates that you have nothing in common with and don't particularly care for. The maitre'd will try to change your seating assignment, but this may not be possible if the ship is totally full.

There are some drawbacks to choices for dining also. Although some ships will let you call ahead for reservations for the main dining rooms, most are on a first come first served basis. This can lead to a wait for seating, especially on formal nights when not many passengers visit the buffet. All specialty restaurants require reservations which may be hard to get in the more popular eateries. Most of them also have a surcharge which can be quite steep. NCL sometimes offers early bird or late dining at half price. This can be a way to take advantage of a specialty venue without breaking the bank.

Although we do enjoy being flexible, we never personally choose a cruise based on dining options alone. We can enjoy the dining experience either way. There are simply other criteria that are more important to us. Everyone must decide for themselves what will provide their best cruising experience.

Semi-All Inclusive Vacations

While many of the small cruise lines are truly all-inclusive, the main line cruise lines tend to be what I call semi-all inclusive. The larger cruise lines do include accomodations, taxes, fees, most food, and most entertainment in the bottom line. However, shore excursions, sodas, alcoholic beverages, gratuities, internet access, and spa treatments are not. Upgraded restaurants, some exercise classes, and many enrichment classes also carry an extra charge. One of these cruises costs much less than the smaller, upscale lines though. This makes them an outstanding value vacation especially if you don't really need the extras.

We have been on four of the main lines (and one now defuct line) over 17 years and have never had what I would call a bad cruise. Have they all been perfect? No, but we tend to make our own fun and go with the flow. We have faced delays into ports, a missed port, an ice cream shortage, long lines, trips to the ships doctor, and even the death of a friend while on board yet we've still been able to go home feeling refreshed. Our motto is "a bad day on a cruise is still better than a good day at work" so attitude can be everything. This is true on a land vacation as well.

Many feel that the main lines are now "nickel and diming" people to death. As I see it, since we have been paying the same and sometimes less for a cruise than the cost of our first one, I don't mind the extra charges. Why should everyone subsidize the cost of things that not everyone uses? Of course the cheapest plan would be to never leave the ship and only have the extra cost of gratuites (this is a must - the staff works very hard!), but this isn't very practical. After all, you actually will want to see the parts of the world you are visiting. When planning your vacation budget for a cruise, simply include an amount for the things that you would like to indulge in on the ship and for whatever you decide to do in the various ports. Just be careful - everything on board is charged to your cabin with the bill being paid at the end. Make sure you don't lose track of the things you have signed for. You'll feel better leaving the ship at the end of your cruise if you haven't had to take out a second mortgage to be able to get off the ship!

An All Inclusive Vacation

All inclusive cruises give the freedom to enjoy a cruise without the worry of ‘over spending‘. Many cruise companies offer all inclusive cruises, or give the opportunity to upgrade to all inclusive. The all inclusive price includes the flights, where applicable, from local or major airports and sea travel, hotel accommodation when an onshore overnight stay is part of the itinerary, all port charges and taxes. Unlimited drinks throughout the cruise includes selected wines, spirits, tea, coffee and soft drinks for children, although the spirits are not usually known brand names and surprisingly some all inclusive cruises do charge for bottled water!

One of the all inclusive aspects which is very appealing to some people is that the staff gratuities on board the ship are also included, this aspect of cruising often fills people with dread! When an all inclusive cruise is booked, a full list of the things which are and those that are not included will be provided. This type of cruise holiday has made cruising very affordable and a practical, cost effective way to discover different regions of the world for many people and families, as they only spending money required is for personal spending in the on-board duty free shops and casinos, any personal spending during time on-shore is not included within the price.

All inclusive cruises reduce the risks of theft and concerns people may have about carrying a lot of money with them. It is usual for a card to be issued during embarkation procedures, which is presented instead of payment on cruise ships which are not completely dedicated to all inclusive passengers. With all cruise liners having different styles of restaurants, bars and cafés all inclusive deals does not mean segregation!The only difference in all inclusive cruises is the destinations and durations of the cruise may be slightly limited. With some of the smaller cruise companies, such as Hebridean International Cruises, their all inclusive deals also include escorted on-shore tours, any entrance fees featured in the itinerary and transport to and from the tour venue. Picnics and barbecues featured on the on-shore itineraries are also included. On selected ships the use of the gym, steam and relaxation rooms is included. Any snorkelling equipment needed or bicycle or fishing tackle use is also free.

Minor medical treatments and routine medical examinations by the on-board doctor makes these cruises truly inclusive. This cruise line also has an exclusive private terminal at London, Stansted airport which is separate from the main terminal, to make the start of their all inclusive cruise holidays relaxing from the beginning and use private flights during their summer programme and scheduled flights for the winter programme. Hebridean cruises use small vessels with a much reduced passenger capacity than usual cruise liners. The two ships in their fleet carry 98 and 49 passengers and the ratio of staff to passengers is almost one-to-one making these all inclusive cruises very unique and the ultimate in luxury cruising.Cruise 1st is a company based in the UK, dedicated to providing ideal vacation packages for your leisurely holiday needs such as all inclusive cruises for any family to enjoy.

By Rakesh Gaikwad