2017 cruise epiblog

We are home tired and full of cold but thoroughly enjoyed the whole holiday.

All the elements which we put together and booked separately came together without a hitch. Starting with afternoon tea at Luton Hoo (which Mark had arranged) to Mark meeting us at Luton airport at the end of the cruise.

We walked a lot again this holiday averaging 13,000 steps per day, including the two days at sea, with a peak of 18,000 on the day we climbed to the top of the old town in Ibiza. So cruising is not just sitting around the pool eating all day!

We had been to the majority of the destinations before on other holidays but Ravenna in Italy, Sicily and Kotor in Montenegro were new. Ravenna was more interesting than expected with its mosaics and Catania was disappointing because of the wet weather. Kotor is a spectacular cruise destination which will undoubtedly get as busy as Dubrovnik. It has the scenery, the history and low prices, so glad we went when we did.

The Constellation was OK and our cabin was outstanding for the amount of space we had, but then it was a family cabin. The balcony was huge and in other ships the position on the aft corner is usually a suite. It was much better than the nearby Concierge class cabins expect for the fluffy dressing gowns! Constellation had fewer speciality dining options of the bigger ships in Celebrity fleet. The Sushi on Five was usually empty and a waste of space in our opinion. All cruise lines are introducing cost reductions like salad course dropped from main restaurant dinner and no free shuttle busses at the ports (unless provided by port for safety reasons). Joseph our cabin steward now works on his own instead of in pairs, which makes it a very lonely job.

Formal dining is almost a thing of the past now, although there were a few with DJ's on "chic" night. I need not have taken a jacket at all in fact!

There were a lot of Canadians on board whom we always mistook for Americans, few Asians and not many other Europeans.

Great itinerary, everyone we met agreed, with many from US/Canada doing back to back cruise from Barcelona to Rome.
      

Barcelona

We left the ship at 8:00am, after getting up at 6:30am, big shock to system. The site seeing tour took us round a few of the highlights of Barcelona from La Rambla to  the Olympic stadium. There was a stop to walk around the cathedral and to take photos of the town from the hill over looking it.
The bus dropped us the airport terminal 2 with 5 hours before our flight back to Luton. Plenty of time for duty free and handbag shopping. Easyjet are the furthest from drop off point we could get to drag the cases.

I got caught by security with a can of coke in hand baggage and Rosemary was randomly checked for drugs. OAP's are a bigger problem than independence!

There was no sign of the demonstrations in the main square. Just a few Catalan flags on balconys.

Valencia

Just docked in sunny Valencia near the yacht marina and beach. We may be walking along the promenade today for paella.
Yep, we did.

We took the shuttle from the ship to the port entrance - it's a big port - then walked round the big marina that was built for the 32nd America's cup. We stumbled upon an event that was just ending with lots of people dressed in traditional Spanish costumes.

The beach is huge and goes on for miles, lined with bars and restaurants. After walking the boards and having a paddle we had a jug of Sangria and mediocre (by Rosemary standard) paella before walking back. It's been hot today, 27deg Google says.

Started packing as the cases have to put out by 10:00pm and we are dining late in Tuscan grille. Mark called to check if we will be affected by the Independence unrest in Barcelona. Hopefully not!

Edit: The traditional costumes were to do with a parade to mark Valencia Day (9th October) which celebrates James xx kicking the moors out of the city in 1200's.

Ibiza Town

We are tied up in Ibiza cruise terminal about a mile from the town quay and the much larger Freedom of the Seas is next to us. Its cloudy but clearing so we are going into the town on the shuttle and walking around the old quarter. It's almost the end of the season with the famous club's like Pacha holding closing parties over the next two weeks and some shops closed already.
We managed to reach the top of the old town, numerous steps, tunnels and cobbled streets. Plenty of nice views, weddings and cruise ship tours but not very busy. We found a bar for tapas and drinks on the way down and we're back on the boat for 4:00. Rosemary tried to shop but could not find anything.

Palma de Mallorca

A nice sunny day for the  short day visit to Majorca. We took the shuttle bus to the cathedral which still looks magnificent in its setting by the harbour. We have been round it and the nearby moorish baths before, so decided to go on the hop on hop off bus to see the parts of Palma we have not done before. Hopped off at Castel Belveder which is high above the town and gives a good view of the town and the bay.  Palma has a huge marina full of expensive boats which probably just sit there all year.
I had a look around the inner terrace and the roof of the circular castle which had free entry today for some reason. We hopped back on the bus after about an hour, getting off again to wander through the main shopping area. We stopped at a bar for a glass of wine and some tapas, which failed to arrive, before catching the shuttle back again. It was a pleasant enough way to spend a day on Majorca.

Sea day

Cloudy this morning, so no breakfast on the balcony as we spend the day cruising towards Majorca. But there was an interesting presentation on Voyage planning by ships second in command and a lecture on the Balearics by the visiting archiologist.

Lunched in Marco Polo, for a change, by which time the weather had improved. The afternoon was spent in the sunshine listening to Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Andrea Bocelli, amongst others, till afternoon tea time. Not live of course, just on my MP3 player.
We saw the Ukrainian lady violin player in the theatre before having dinner in the top deck Seaview self service restaurant. She got a standing ovation. The boys grilling fish and steaks to order at the back of the Seaview do a great job too.

Catania, Sicily

We woke up to a very wet balcony and grey skies with rain forecast. Sure enough it rained as we walked into the old town to look at the cathedral and the elephant with a stick statue. There was no sign of Mt. Etna in the clouds so we were glad we had not booked a tour, it would have been very disappointing. It did brighten up briefly as we sat in the duomo square with a cappuccino and arrancini, the local rice delicacy. Back on board in time for afternoon tea of cream scones before we sailed away into the evening gloom, still no sight of Etna.
a cosmopolitan for Rosemary and a classic James Bond for me, $3 premium on drinks package. Dined in the Marco Polo restaurant again, sat beside an interesting couple from Germany and Finland.
Then I had a Talisker whisky in the Cellar Masters bar, followed this morning by a hangover.

We had Martini's at the icy Martini Bar,

Sea and Sushi

Today is a sea day so plenty of relaxing on the balcony in the sun as we head south west round the boot of Italy. Decided to try the Sushi restaurant for lunch as it seemed to be empty a lot of the time. It turned out to be a rather westernised version of sushi with big portions and a lot of cooked ingredients. It was very tasty, not as expensive as the other speciality restaurants but not a gastronomic experience.

The weather has been perfect so far with sunny days, clear nights, calm seas and temperatures in the low 20's. However we seem to be heading into a bank of cloud so maybe it is going to change.
We saw some Dolphins leaping about in the bow waves this afternoon and we had visit from a little bird that landed on the balcony rail.

Taste of Film

On Monday night we wrapped ourselves in blankets and watched Chef, a film about a redundant chef who bought a fast food truck - with Dustin Hoffman etc. It was shown on the outside top deck big screen under the stars. The really interesting part is that it was accompanied by a 9 course taster menu that was timed to co-incide with events on the screen. We had belly pork, prawns, BBQ ribs, steak sandwich and beignets to name just a few. Really different and fun Celebrity experience.

Kotor, Montenegro

Scenic sail into Kotor, just a pity it was so early. Could not see the fjord scenery but the sun creeping over the mountains and lighting up the town was really cool, when we were anchored.
The old town itself is really old and quaint with cobbled streets and squares. There were several old Serbian orthodox churches and many palaces. The cathedral is one of the oldest in Europe. The walls which were built by the Venitians extend a mile up the side of the mountain, like the great wall of China. Some folks are doing the 1350 steps to fort at the top, but not us! Kotor is obviously getting very busy and touristy, it's a UNESCO site, but prices were much lower than Dubrovnik and Venice
The sail away as the sun was setting was stunning, just like a Norwegian fjord in fact. Lots of photos!

Cavtat

Today we took a 45 mins boat trip from the harbour in the old town along the coast to the small resort/village of Cavtat. It is a pretty place with a monastery, churches and has cafes/bars all along the harbour.
It's a popular day trip to escape the bustle of Dubrovnik and as it is Sunday, a nice place for a relaxing lunch out. We chose a small restaurant by the harbour and shared a typical local smoked ham and melon starter with fresh figs, then fried squid and Adriatic prawns. All washed down with the local wine, by which time it was almost time to get the return boat.

We strolled back through the old town stopping at the market for some crystallized orange sweets and took the shuttle bus to the cruise terminal. We depart at 7:00 pm so there's​ time to catch a few more rays on the balcony before sunset.
Only 9000 paces so far  today, almost a day off. But as it is 250 from our cabin to the front of the ship will probably do 11000+ before we are finished.

Dubrovnik

We sailed into Dubrovnik past numerous offshore islands to moor in Graz Port on the northern outskirts of the town on another cloudless warm day. Arriving late morning we just had the afternoon to fill. So we walked into the port passing the Costa Delizicosa, which was tied up behind us and bought 2 tickets for the afternoon ferry to the nearest of the 3 Elaphiti Islands. Then we walked back to have lunch on board, the fish was called Cobia.

The half hour ferry ride dropped us at Kolocep Island where we walked up to see one of the tiny churches and then back to the bay for a paddle, drink and a gelato at a taverna. The islands are much more peaceful than the mainland with little to do except relax. We just stopped for a couple of hours and caught the last but one ferry back to the ship.

By the time we arrived back we had put it in another 15000 paces. The nice orange glow as the sun sets behind the headland promises a sunny day tomorrow.

Ravenna

The sun rose into a clear blue sky again. After breakfast we soaked up a few rays on our balcony, 2 sun beds and 4 loungers to choose from, before taking the 30 mins shuttle into town just before noon. We passed this way 10 years ago on our MH travels on our way to Venice. Remember the region for its big sandy beaches and acres of sunbeds. We can see beaches from the ship but the sunbeds appear to be packed away now.
Ravenna is famous for the bazantine mosiacs to be found in many basilica around the old town centre and for Dante's tomb. We managed to get to see 3 of the sites which had amazing mosiacs from floor to very high ceilings. We had  time to fit in a short break for cappuccino and panicini before catching the shuttle for 5 pm departure and enjoyed the afternoon.

We saw part of the show tonite before eating a nice meal in the Marco Polo restaurant. Dress code was 'smart chic', still a few DJ's but mostly jacket and open neck shirt. It is more  informal than any other cruise we have done.

Welcome Aboard

Welcome aboard, that's what everybody says, ad nausium, trained to do it!

We checked out of the Crowne Plaza and joined the dozens of other guests who were going on the shuttle bus. Checked in quickly at the cruise terminal and downed two glasses of bubbly before noon. No access to cabins until after 1pm so the self service restaurant was crammed.

We have a crazy amount of space, it's a family size state room with a huge balcony on the port stern corner. Excellent position for the Croatian scenery and the iconic cruise past St Marks square, the gondola stations and Doges palace at the entrance to the Grande Canal. Lots of photos on a sunny evening as we start a gentle cruise down the coast of Italy to Ravenna.

The main dining room was mad tonight with people trying to reserve tables or change reservations. We dined in the top deck self service where the food is just as good and it was deserted.

Diet is down the drain already. Three cakes and a caramel machiatta have seen to that. Need to get in some paces tomorrow.

Venice and Murano

We took the train into Venice from the station by the hotel and after a wander around caught a Vaporetto (water taxi) to the nearby island of Murano. This is the centre of Venice glass making with wall to wall glass making factories, show rooms and shops lining the canals. Some of the glass art is spectacularly beautiful with prices to match, while other stuff is difficult to distinguish from Chinese copies.


The shops claim everything is genuine so I have a genuine Murano glass Shaun the Sheep to add to my collection.

Murano is much quieter than Venice but still has some nice churches and restaurants to attract the tourists. We took a break and had a nice long seafood lunch off the main drag to cool down from the sunny warm day.

We were waiting for a Vaporetto back to the station when one appeared for St Marks square so we took that instead. It goes all the way round the outside of Venice before entering the Grande Canal so it was a pleasant cruise. Needless to say it was much busier at St. Marks with tour groups and gondoliers in abundance. We had seen the main Venice sights before so we just walked back to the station via the Rialto bridge. It was a lot further than we both remembered and required a gelato and a Spritz break.

We picked up a snack to take back to the hotel and caught the 6:40 train as the sun was setting over the lagoon. Pretty tiring way to start the holiday (15,000+ steps) but it will be a rest day tomorrow as we join the Celebrity Constellation. Seem to be quite a few Americans in the hotel tonight so I guess they are fellow cruisers.

Fly to Venice

We have just arrived for the start of our cruise on Thursday. We are staying at Crowne Plaza hotel in a quiet eastern suburb 30mins by train from Venice. Good flight by Easyjet from Luton, after staying with Mark and Cristina and having a nice afternoon tea with the whole family at Luton Hoo.

The shuttle bus picked us up at the airport as arranged and we have booked another to take us to the cruise terminal.

Pre Cruise preparations

Today marks the beginning of the cruise holiday. We are off to Luton to have afternoon tea at Luton Hoo before spending the night at Marks house. Then tomorrow we fly out to Venice by Easyjet.

Cruising count down.

The hotel is booked in Venice, well just outside, for two nights before we cruise. We decided it was easier to fly back from Barcelona immediately afterwards so an afternoon flight is booked with Easyjet.

Venice to Barcelona

Booked a Celebrity cruise for the end of September sailing from Venice to Barcelona with stops in Dubrovnic, Kotor, Sicily and the Baleriacs. Flying out 2 days early to Venice with Easyjet, hotels and return flights still TBD.