I recently returned from a 7-night cruise on Avalon Waterways, where we sailed round-trip from Amsterdam on a Tulip Time voyage. I’ve been on river cruises in the past, and was well-versed in the itinerary, but my voyage was still filled with new take-aways. Below are 4 of them I’d like to share with you: Ocean cruises have been a popular way to vacation for decades, and for good reason. They’re affordable, convenient and offer travelers peace of mind knowing that everything they need for a fantastic getaway is all in one place. What could be better than that? Well, consider a river cruise. You might think that the words “inland” and “cruise” are incompatible. Well, let me show you how well they go together. River cruises combine all the comfort and convenience of an ocean cruise with the excitement of European excursions at each port of call. To all cruise-lovers, perhaps it’s time to shake up the ocean liner experience for an entirely new way to explore the world’s waterways. Let me book you on a river cruise that will take you inland for a unique and relaxing tour of Europe. Here are the top 10 reasons why you’ll love river cruising: When I first heard about the Icon of the Seas and how it would be the world's largest cruise ship, I wasn't sure what to think. I had a hunch I'd either love it and all that it had to offer or hate it because it was just too big. I decided to give it a try to see what the verdict would be. I have to say, there was much potential to be disappointed. The cruise ship has been everywhere, with advertisements blasting on TV and the internet. There was a lot of hype to live up to. However, I can honestly say that it lived up to the hype. Below are 10 things I loved about the Icon of the Seas and three things that I would like to see improved upon. It’s always exciting to try a new-to-me cruise line and to soak up the little nuances which make a particular cruise line unique. I filter my experiences through the lens of various clients and their interests. What would a new cruiser think, or someone who is a frequent cruiser? What about people with kids, or those without? What about the foodies? On my recent cruise with Virgin Voyages, I did just that. I tried as many dining venues as possible, stayed up later than normal so I could see the shows, and really made the most of my experience so I could help you, my valued clients, know whether to select Virgin Voyages for YOUR cruise vacation. 5 Ways the Cruise Line is Shaking Things Up Richard Branson is known for innovative thinking and going against "the norm" When he decided to bring that philosophy to cruising, I'll admit I was a bit lackluster in my enthusiasm. After all, he's known for being hip and cutting edge...not words I'd use to describe myself. Therefore, I really didn't pay much attention to this new brand in cruising. However, as I dug into the training in order to redeem my complimentary cruise, I became more excited at the thought of giving this brand a try. Since its inaugural sailing 2 years ago, it has received numerous awards from guests and cruise critics alike. A new, loyal following has emerged, and I believe I'm starting to see why. People often ask me what makes Disney Cruise Line so special. I like to sum it up like this, "Other cruise lines have ships with entertainment on board. Disney is an entertainment company that brings all of that experience to a ship." A vacation on Disney Cruise line is completely unique from any other voyage. Having cruised with Disney 10 times, there are certain components of a Disney Cruise Line vacation that I look forward to again and again. One week ago I stepped off of our Windstar Cruises Dreams of Tahiti cruise, and I’m still smiling. Throughout the week I’ve been reflecting on my journey, wondering how I can possibly sum it up for you. A voyage like no other, it’s challenging to put the experience into words, but I’ll do my best. As such, here are 5 things I loved about my cruise on Windstar's Wind Spirit. If you had asked me 12 years ago whether or not I am a "cruise type" I would have given a resounding "No!!" After all, I don't like crowds or feeling cooped up, and I get wretchedly seasick. Then, a good deal on a Disney Cruise enticed me to give it a try. Since then, I have been hooked, cruising a dozen times, becoming a travel agent, and passing the cruising bug on to fellow travelers. When sharing my passion for cruising, the question I get asked the most frequently is, "So, why do you like cruising so much?" A truly simple question, with many answers. In response, here are the top 10 reasons why I LOVE cruising...(in no particular order). 10. Seeing a variety of places, while only having to pack and unpack once. Packing isn't fun, and items never seem to fit back in a suitcase quite the same when moving from location to location. The fact that I can enjoy time in a fabulous destination, go have dinner and enjoy some evening entertainment, then wake up the next day in a completely different destination is irresistible. I shared with you a little bit about my whale wishes in my last post. Given my enthusiasm, it may surprise you that we did not pre-book a whale watching excursion on our Alaskan cruise. While whale watching has been on my bucket list, we live one hour from Monterey Bay, and have plenty of opportunities for whale watching in our normal, every day lives. Therefore, as I perused excursion options, I felt it more important to get out to Mendenhall Glacier. After all, many clients go to see this wonder of nature, and I felt I should, too. However, not wanting to miss out on an adventure, we selected a river rafting trip that took us out to the glacier, then continued on exploring the beautiful areas around Juneau. I don’t really like water in the face, and I have a bit of a bad back, but the trip seemed to be the perfect fit. It wouldn’t be TOO rough for me, and I could suck up my dislike of water in order to experience The Last Frontier.
It was a relief to feel some warmth as we left the ship today in Tortola. The skies made us believe it could be a bit chilly out. We asked directions, and headed for Speedy’s ferry service. It was a 10 minute walk to the pier and we were on the ferry by 8:50. The 9 o’clock ferry was the second of the day, but the first that cruise passengers could catch. We were pleased to get seats up on top, to keep seasickness at bay. Soon we were on our way, enjoying the breeze and chatting with other ferry passengers on the half hour ride to Virgin Gorda. As I type this, we are pulling out of port from St. Thomas, an island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Based on what I had read about St. Thomas, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. It is the most visited cruise port in the Caribbean, and tends to be quite crowded, so that is the tidbit that stuck in my mind. However, leaving this evening, my opinion has changed. We headed off the ship about 9:45, to quickly find our first photo op of the day. On the rocks around Crown Bay, where we docked, rested scores of iguanas. They were quite charming sunbathing on their rocks, staring at us. Such cooperative photo subjects! At 9:58 we were sitting on a safari taxi ready for the half hour drive to Magen’s Bay. Now, if you know me, you know I’m not particularly a beach person. So, there must have been a very good reason to pay to get out to that part of the island. You see, Magen’s Bay has been declared one of the best beaches in the world by National Geographic magazine, as well as being listed in the book “1000 Places to See Before You Die”. Being the list girl I am, I decided it was worth the trek. Greetings from beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico! Upon arrival in San Juan, a cab carried us to our hotel – La Concha Renaissance. The front desk upgraded to suites at check in, so we’re enjoying some extra space this evening. The hotel is beautiful, with a lovely enclosed courtyard, ocean vistas, and fountains throughout. It makes us wish we had snuck away to La Isla Encanta a day sooner, to have more time to enjoy the ambiance. After refreshing from our red-eye flight, we headed off to Viejo San Juan. Dropped off by the Cristobal Colon statue, we lunched outside near the plaza. Soaking up the ocean breeze and tropical music, we slowly slipped into vacation mode. It was a long, leisurely lunch. Dave and I shared some grilled chicken and beef, as well as fried plantains. Yummy!
Our day in Antigua started bright and early, as Disney Cruise line opened their 2013 sailings on the Magic and Wonder. Since I had reservations to make for a client, I got up in time to have breakfast, confirm cell phone coverage, and be off the ship in time to call at 9am. Much stress went into that phone call, as we had a segway tour scheduled at 10:10. I had to finish the call in time! After an hour on hold, I started to give up hope of getting through, but decided to not hang up until I absolutely had to. Right before our guide appeared, a very nice rep at DCL picked up the line. I was able to confirm the necessary bookings before heading off on our adventure. What a relief!
We walked with our guide to our rendezvous point, where we were joined with other Segweyans. (Our name for the rest of the day). We hopped in a shuttle and drove out to our training facility. Just arriving at the facility was exciting, as the adjacent beach was stunning. With the sand, the palm trees and the color of the water, I will forever call it “Corona Beach”, as it looked like a Corona beer commercial. Honest! I have to say that my only regret of our entire Mediterranean Cruise has to do with Monte Carlo. Reading about the ultra-wealthy city, it did not seem like a place with much to see or explore. As a result, we did not get off of the ship until 9am , despite anchoring at 6. In hindsight, I wish we would have disembarked earlier. We ended up falling in love with the beauty and tranquility of this tiny treasure. Breathtaking Beauty
Once tendering ashore, we oohed and aahed as we passed dozens of beautiful yachts. From the ship, they didn't look so big compared to the Ruby Princess. However, once we were standing next to them we realized how large some of them were. As we ventured through the harbor area, we spied the Palace atop the hill, our first destination. Beginning our trek up the steps built into the mountain, we were transported away to a whole different world. The views were beautiful, with greenery, the harbor and the buildings of Monaco creating a beautiful scene. Today was day 3 of our Italy trifecta, our final day in this lovely country. Again, we were met at the pier at 8am by Euan, our driver from Your Tour in Italy. The drive in to Florence took a good hour and a half, during which we enjoyed the varying scenery of the countryside. Euan narrated a bit for us, allowing us to imagine how much more beautiful it would be in the summer when the many sunflowers are in bloom, or in the fall when the grape leaves are turning colors. It was a fine view today, just not quite like the many paintings you see of the region with their gorgeous colors and multitude of flower blooms. Arriving in the city , it was impressive to see the old Roman walls, as well as one of the remaining city gates (there were originally 12). We went up onto a hill where we were able to look out onto the city and get a feel for her layout, as well as take some beautiful photos. Down the hill we went to visit our first site, the church of Santa Croce. The white exterior of the building is rich in detail, and quite beautiful. It was refreshing to walk inside and see a church not quite so ornately decorated as those at the Vatican. Still beautiful, but in a more subdued manner. We perused the building that also serves as an important memorial site for important Italians. Here we viewed the tributes to Michelangelo, DaVinci, Machiavelli, Fermi and more. Outside, in the piazza, we checked out a few vendors selling purses, as Florence is known for her leather goods. I found a purse I really liked, but being the first stop of the day I decided not to get it. We had a reservation to enter the Accademia and view the statue of David at noon. However, Euan thought that perhaps he could get us in a little early, so we went there next. The line was hideously long, so we were thankful once again to be in the special line for tour guides. Euan went in to get our tickets, and within 10 minutes we were inside the building. (A couple eating dinner near us this evening said that they went and there was a 4 hour wait, so they skipped it. Wow!) My hubby and I are not art aficionados, but try to see the big, well known pieces when we travel. Therefore, we skimmed the galleries in the Accademia, checking out a few pieces here and there as they appealed to us. I must admit that it was inspiring to see Michelangelo’s unfinished servants. They are figures that are half carved out of stone, incomplete and with excess marble remaining. They really spoke to me about the amazing process creating a sculpture is. If I tried to do it, I would start with a huge block and end up with something the size of a pea, never able to get it quite right. I have to say that nothing prepared me for the reality of seeing the statue of David before me. When we turned the corner, saw the huge likeness above the crowd, the light shining down from the skylight overhead, it was breathtaking. You see, in pictures and books, there is just nothing to show the perspective of how large it is. Also, when we got up close to the statue, the amount of detail was amazing. To see veins in his hands, and dimples in his elbows, there is the sense that Michelangelo brought David to life in stone. He is incredibly realistic and beautiful. In fact, David so incredible, that everything else in the museum paled in comparison. We strolled through a few of the galleries, but could not take our minds off the beauty of David. Before we left, we lingered a little longer to just reflect on and enjoy this incredible piece of art. No trip to Florence is complete without visiting David in the Accademia. The Piazza Del Duomo was our next stop, home to the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. It is the fourth largest church in the world (we’ve been to 3 of the 4 now), and is quite famous for its dome. The outside is quite unique, as it is made of pink, white and green marble. The detail is exquisite, with each marble panel having its own intricate design. There is also the baptistry, with its famous bronze and gold doors, which Michelangelo called the gates to Paradise. We went inside for a few minutes, to see the famed interior of the dome. Our group followed the street a bit further down, passing through the courtyard of the Uffizi gallery and to the edge of the Arno River. We strolled along the river and across the Ponte Vecchio, an old bridge lined with exquisite jewelry shops. There is a great history to the bridge, and we were happy to traverse it, just to say we did. We then recrossed the river and worked our way back to our meeting point. To end our day, we rubbed the boar statue’s nose. Legend says this means we'll return to Florence again, and we do hope that to be true. |
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