A novice cruiser’s impressions:
No more mints on my pillow at night, no more waiters placing white linen napkins on my lap before meals…oh, how I miss the luxurious life on board the Radisson Seven Seas!
No special inoculations or visas are needed to cruise on the Radisson Seven Seas from Civitavecchia (for Rome) to Barcelona. Passports can take time (we were biting our nails), so get them several months ahead. You will need them (your passport number) before you receive your cruise documents. You can select and make reservations ahead for the various port tours online. This saves time. You are not billed for the tours until the end of the cruise. You will get the tour documents (tickets) delivered to your room.
On May 9th we left for Rome. (We had opted to make our own flight and hotel arrangements.) We flew Delta via Song Airline (amazing, wonderful – leather seats, personal TV screens) from Tampa to JFK and then onto Rome. My initial impression of the airport at Rome was clean, modern, but empty (at 8 am) except for a couple of arriving international flights. I suspect Europeans mainly travel via Eurail. We simply breezed thru customs. Walked right thru.
For those who have never taken a VERY LONG flight…the stewards and stewardesses frequently offer beverages (soft drinks, water, coffee – alcohol is available at an additional cost) and a couple of meals are provided. Everyone is provided a pillow and a blanket on the seat. One can listen to music via headsets that are distributed or watch movies and old TV shows on one of several screens throughout the cabins. The movies are new releases and we saw National Treasure with Nicolas Cage (great movie). At the beginning of the flight, they show a video of exercises that can be done while sitting in your seat. Pay attention. Try them. We witnessed on our return trip what can happen if one does not move enough during a long flight (a middle aged woman collapsed when walking to customs in Atlanta – her legs “gave outâ€). As a precaution, we took a zinc lozenge when we were settled in to ward off any viruses that we might be exposed to on the plane. We also drank bottled water since dehydration is common on flights.
We took a cab from the Rome airport to our hotel. It took about 30 minutes. That was an experience…white-knuckled (and I have taken a cab in NY). There are no speed limits in Italy, apparently. The ride cost 53 Euros.
Later we learned that in Germany a red stoplight means HALT. In France it means one should slow down and in Italy a red light is viewed as a pretty color
Just joking…sort of.
We checked into the small (28 rooms), charming Hotel dei Consoli. It is within a 5-10 minute walk to the Vatican. We felt it was a safe area, but we walked only in the daylight hours. The staff spoke excellent English (as did almost everyone in Italy) and was very helpful giving us suggestions and directions. I would definitely consider staying there again. I think we paid about $221 (U.S.) per night, breakfast included. It was booked thru Travelocity and charged ahead of our trip. The televisions in the rooms broadcast CNN and one other channel in English. The rooms were small, but very attractive, immaculate and the bed was quite firm. The hotel rooms in Rome and the one in Barcelona did not have washcloths, only towels in the bathrooms. They did have a bidet. One neat energy saving feature…the room “key†i.e., card, is put in a holder on the wall just inside the door and it automatically turns on the lights in the room. When you leave the room and take the card out, in a few minutes, the lights go out. Wish I had that feature at home…â€Hey kids, turn off the lights!â€
Friends had suggested we try to stay awake to adjust to the time difference faster, so off we went to explore Rome. This is a city one can do on foot. A lot of walking, but possible. We had a quick sandwich and drink at a small stand on our walk to the Vatican Museum. The charge to get into the museum was 12 Euros each and they take cash only. We toured the museum ourselves and did not get a tape to listen to. Just simply taking in the sights inside the museum was intellectually overwhelming. Trying to absorb the history (via a lecture) and seeing the incredible artwork at the same time on little sleep would have been too much. Quite honestly, by the time we reached the Sistine Chapel, it was a little anticlimactic because there is so much beauty to see on the way to the chapel. This is a big museum and it took nearly 2 hours to walk at a steady pace thru it.
From there, we walked leisurely to the Spanish Steps. On the way, we enjoyed some gelato (soft served ice cream with strong flavors – chocolate is very “chocolatyâ€, lemon is very “lemonyâ€). Our trip “advisers†were correct…this is the BEST…and we treated ourselves to more than one cone on our trip…trying different flavors. There are many places offering this treat. We enjoyed the narrow cobblestone streets with small shops filled with a few select pricey fashions. My husband was amazed by the enormous number of motor scooters (4 million in Italy we were told) driven by men and women wearing expensive Italian suits and helmets and he was also fascinated by the teeny tiny cars. Italian drivers GENERALLY will stop and let pedestrians cross streets (there are fewer stop and go lights than in the U.S.), but caution is needed!
The Spanish Steps had lots of potted flowers along the edges of the steps and many a weary tourist was sitting on the steps. We weren’t overly impressed and headed towards Trevi Fountain.
Trevi Fountain was gorgeous. Huge. Amazing. Beautiful. Loads of tourists were there taking pictures. Of course, I threw a coin in the fountain to guarantee a return visit to Rome and then another for a wish. Near the fountain there were men and women and children trying to sell “toysâ€. They could be annoying/persistent. I was on the look out for pickpockets, but never during our entire trip did I see anyone who had a wallet or purse stolen. The Italian police are gorgeous in their uniforms (PLEASE “frisk†me) and are very visible at all public areas.
We, of course, were careful. My husband’s small camera was in a case that was threaded thru his belt and he wore a neck pouch under his collared shirt, which had one of our 2 different credit cards and various forms of money in it as well as his passport. I had a shoulder purse, which I put across my chest. In it, I had meds – aspirin, Pepto Bismol, Immodium, a hair brush, Kleenex, my prescription sunglasses, etc. If it was stolen, no problem because I also wore a neck pouch with our other credit card, some various forms of cash (Traveler’s checks, Euros, Am. Dollars) and my passport. I was able to tuck the neck pouch into the top of my slacks by lengthening the cord. It was easy for me to get it out to pay for things and wasn’t bulky.
That said…I don’t really know if it is absolutely necessary. I felt as “safe†as I would in downtown Chicago or New York. Leaving my jewelry behind was not necessary and I felt “naked†without my rings.
When we were on the plane to Rome, in the pocket in the seat in front of us there was a magazine that had an article about a particular restaurant near the Trevi Fountain (La Campana at 18 Vicolo della). We decided to try to find it (not easy!) Finally we spotted it, but a metal “garage door†was down and we figured it went out of business. Duh, stupid Americans (us)…in Italy they don’t OPEN the restaurants until at least 7:30 pm! We were supposed to do as the Romans…sit outside in a café, drink wine and munch on olives, small sandwiches, crunchy pretzel/nut mix and visit/people watch until dinnertime. Dinner ended up at a so-so restaurant near a piazza (like a town square).
After dinner we took a cab back to our hotel to crash.
Breakfast (buffet) at our hotel was wonderful. There were scrambled eggs, pastries and breads, olives, sliced meats, juices, coffee (weak) or hot chocolate or cappuccino, cheeses, fresh fruit, and absolutely delicious yogurt from Germany (I don’t like American yogurt!). We could eat in a dining room or at a small table on a balcony.
Following breakfast we walked once again to the Vatican to tour St. Peters. There was a huge crowd there…it was Wednesday morning and the Pope speaks at a service there every Wednesday (which we did not know) at 11 am. Soooooo from a distance we saw the new Pope in person and on the huge TV screens! After the service he greets many people and we soon realized it was going to take a long time before they opened St. Peters for tours, so we jumped in a cab to go to the Colosseum which is about 2 miles away. We made the “mistake†of jumping in a cab that did NOT have a number on the OUTSIDE door. The cabs all look alike, but only those with a number on the outside of the door are the “official†ones. Our driver did not speak any English and we thought we were going to be charged too much. It did cost 13 Euros. However, the driver did try to point out important landmarks to us (in Italian).
At the Colosseum we did take a tour with an English-speaking guide for 18 Euros each. It lasted about 1 hour and was excellent. The guide was very knowledgeable. All guides must be Italians. Generally their command of English is understandable. We purchased a small book that the guide referred to (what the Colosseum looked like years ago and now) that also has a DVD also in it for 16 Euros. When the tour ended, tourists are able to continue to explore the adjacent area – the forums and go up Palatine Hill. It is all very incredible. Words cannot describe it. How I would love to have seen it back when it was built!
On the way back towards St. Peters we saw the Pantheon (built around 60 BC) in its nearly original (interior) condition! A great “feeebieâ€!
We had lunch at the Piazza Navona where there were lots of vendors selling artwork (paintings). Okay, I’ll “fess upâ€â€¦we ate outside at Mc D’s! I needed to use a bathroom.
Speaking of ‘Mother Nature callingâ€â€¦some places in the cities on our journey charge a fee to use a restroom. There maybe a person sitting at the entrance with a basket that has a few coins in it on a table, handing you some paper. The “going rate†seemed to be 1 Euro, so be sure to cash in some 5 Euro bills for their coins. The coins take some getting used to because they have a 1 Euro and 2 Euro coin and smaller denominations too. A couple of the sizes are too similar. I had expected a “hole in the floor†(a warning I had read about). Naaaah. However, at several places the toilet SEATS were missing. At all of the major attractions, there are WCs (water closets/toilets) available. The restaurants/cafes will let CUSTOMERS use theirs.
On our way back to our hotel, we happened to see signs to a Ferrari shop. I had been looking for Ferrari merchandise to bring back to our son. We quickly followed the signs to the store where we purchased a “requested†Ferrari baseball cap. (Later we added Monte Carlo items for our racecar loving 25 year old.)
Once again we wandered back to St. Peter’s to tour the Basilica…a huge impressive church. The mosaics far surpass the mosaic-tiled hot plate I made for my parents when I was about 10 years old
To see the church alone is free and we spent nearly one hour in it.
We continued the short walk back to our hotel to freshen up and wait until the restaurants opened. Following the advice of our hotel staff, we walked 5 minutes to have dinner at a local restaurant called Antica Gringlia Toscana. We dined at a table outside since the weather in early May was perfect for doing so. The food was good, not great, but I missed hearing beautiful Italian music playing in the background. This was our last night in Rome, a city we quickly fell in love with. Romans are friendly, kind, and do not take offense if you do not speak Italian. They seemed happy we were at least able to say grazie!
We had made arrangements with our hotel staff to order a limo to take us the 53 miles to the port in Civitavecchia. (You might be asked how to pronounce this by the ship’s social director – for fun.) We assumed (incorrectly) that since the limo ride would be costly, the driver would take Visa/MasterCard. Don’t assume anything. The ride cost 120 Euros. Others, we later learned, paid anywhere from 110 Euros to 130 Euros via official taxicabs. Traffic can be a nightmare, so allow plenty of time to get from Rome to Civitavecchia.
Tipping is difficult to figure out in Europe. Some places, on some receipts, it is obviously included. Sometimes one has to ask if tipping is included (and hope the answer is truthful). At any rate, I’m sure we tipped more than one person twice.
We arrived at the foot of the “gangplank†(stairway) of the ship at 12:30pm. There we showed our boarding passes and walked up into the ship. Our luggage was taken (each piece was tagged for the ship by us early that morning) and we were told it would be delivered to our stateroom.
We were cheerfully welcomed aboard and handed a glass of champagne. There was a pianist playing lovely music (but not Italian love songs ;-( on a grand piano in the lobby area. We were directed to the gorgeous Constellation Theater where we were photographed, handed over our passports (which are held until the last port is reached), and given a Radisson “charge card†in a leather charge card holder. This card can be used to charge anything on the ship and is also used to keep track of where the passengers are. When one leaves the ship for a tour of a port, the cards are swiped. They are swiped again when one returns to the ship, so they know everyone has made it back. Great idea! It’s a fast, slick system. We used this leather “charge card†holder to hold our Radisson card, our medical card, our drivers’ licenses and a Visa card. We put it in our neck pouch.
Since passengers cannot get into their rooms until 3 pm, we were directed to deck 11 – the pool deck - to enjoy a huge selection of foods and to meet other passengers. Many waiters offer appetizers, more wine, and the grill is open for sandwiches and healthy food selections.
Speaking of fellow passengers, we felt the average age was mid to late 50s. Many/most were still employed. There were couples celebrating their anniversaries and several on their honeymoon (2nd marriages). A few young people were on the ship with parents and a very few seniors who needed some sort of assistance. Since this cruise is so port intensive and most of the towns are on steep hillsides, exploring the ports requires one be in fair athletic shape. For single women there are 2 male hosts with whom to dance. They were very nice gentlemen, but I couldn’t help but smile to myself every time I saw them…remembering the movie, “Out to Sea†with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matheau.
We used some time to explore some of the ship – figure out the location of the library, casino, gift shop, various lounges and restaurants, etc. and went to the reception desk to purchase internet time. We selected the least costly package since we only were using it to check in with our children back home. We did not use up all of the time we purchased. The person in charge of the internet café/computer room helped us to figure out how to email our home and be able to receive mail from home.
The second night of the cruise is a “formal†night and we wanted to make reservations to dine in the Signature’s restaurant the second night (passengers only get especially “dolled up†on one night). Reservations are made at the entrance to this restaurant at 3pm. However, in reality, the line formed at 2:30 pm and the reservations were taken earlier than 3 pm. This is now the ONLY restaurant (there are 4 total) that one needs reservations for. Passengers are only allowed to dine here once. It is small and they try to make it available to all passengers to experience some evening during the cruise.
At 3 pm we were allowed to go to our stateroom, suite 909. We had selected this area nearer to the bow since on many ships it is generally quieter (away from the engines at the back of the ship). It was also fairly close to the main elevator. There were 2 attendants for our room (although I learned Radisson is reducing this number).
I was pleasantly surprised by the size and beauty of our stateroom. As we entered our stateroom, the large marble bathroom was on the left. A glass enclosed shower, toilet, large sink with spacious countertop, glass shelves in the upper corners and a full size additional tub-shower were in this attractive, well-appointed bathroom. The shampoos, soaps, etc. were mint scented and really helped us to “wake up†every morning! Water pressure and correct temperature were never a problem.
Continuing on…there was a very large walk-in closet. It was large enough to dress in! A multi drawer unit, an easy to program safe, a large golf size umbrella, lots of various hangers and double and single rods were supplied. Along one wall was a large tabletop which room service puts on top of the coffee table to make a larger tabletop for room-service breakfasts. Extra blankets and pillows were available. This is where one finds the lifejackets for the required lifeboat drill.
A small dressing table with mirror and one drawer is in the bedroom area. There are nightstands with drawers on each side of the bed. Our suitcases (well, most of them!) were on the foot of our bed. A protective blanket covered the bedspread while we emptied our suitcases before storing them in the large closet. I would judge the bed mattress to be medium firm. The pillows were nicely filled with (I think) down. Lighting was very adequate.
There was a heavy curtain between the bedroom area and the living room, which could be drawn if one person was sleeping and the other wanted to read/watch TV.
In the tastefully decorated living room there was a comfortable attractive couch, a coffee table, and 2 chairs opposite the couch placed on angles. Across from the couch was a TV on a swivel with drawers below and a desk area with a desk chair. There were glassed enclosed cabinets above that held crystal drink glasses of various sizes, some napkins and coasters, a wine opener, etc. The refrigerator had an ice bucket in it and was stocked with beer, water and soft drinks. A fresh fruit basket was on the counter above the refrigerator and fresh flowers were in a vase on the desk. On the coffee table there was a bottle of champagne on ice waiting for our “celebrationâ€.
We were given a sheet to fill out requesting 2 bottles of our favorite liquor to have in our cabin and could choose mixers to have available in our refrigerator. It took a few days before the bottles of liquor appeared. We chose Vodka and the very best Vodka was supplied. However, we were told it was not possible to get “Bloody Mary†mixer, so we went to a bar to obtain it for our cocktails. Quite frankly, one bottle would have been more than enough.
The Radisson Seven Seas is a fairly new ship (2003) and it is an all suite ship. Each room has a balcony. Our suite was a “standard†one. On the balcony, two plastic chairs with comfortable seat cushions (brought in every evening and leaned against the sliding door) and a plastic table were available for enjoying the outdoor views. Of course, there is a heavy curtain, which is drawn at night for privacy and sleeping. We were not able to see other balconies from ours.
As I mentioned above, one suitcase was “missingâ€, but was found within an hour. We were offered 3 other suitcases in the meantime
It seems some persons mislabel their own baggage tags, sending their baggage to the wrong staterooms.
We had booked our cruise thru AAA auto club and were surprised when caviar and nibbles appeared shortly after our arrival to our room compliments of our travel agent.
After unpacking and enjoying our treats, it was time for the lifeboat drill (5:15 pm). They sound a distinctive alarm (intercom notices from the captain give forewarning), you get your lifejacket and head out the door. Lots of crew members direct you to the appropriate halls and stairs to use – can’t use the elevators. We ended up in the Constellation Theater where we were instructed how to use the lifejackets (whistles, lights on them). Then in groups, we were lead to what “could be†our lifeboat. The entire drill takes about 45 minutes. Necessary, but no fun.
At 6pm once again we were directed to the pool deck to meet the crew, have more drinks and nibbles (for those who arrived on the ship last minute).
Once underway, the casino is open. They cannot open the casino by law when in port. The ship must be out at sea. I tried the quarter slots, but felt they were very “tight†(they seemed to loosen up each night and tighter again near the last couple of nights. They take U.S. dollars and are the old type (can pull a handle or push a button to spin the reels). YIPEE!!! I’m don’t like the “cleaner†all electronic models in Vegas now. I know it doesn’t make a difference, but I still love to pull that handle! The casino (esp. the blackjack and craps tables) and the lounge across from the casino were the “happening†places on the ship in the evenings. Also, the Horizon Lounge was well attended.
We had our first dinner in the Compass Rose (main dining room) which eventually turned out to be our favorite restaurant. The food, wine (great choices) and service were wonderful. The portions, to some, may seem a tad small, but not for us. The reasoning is: try lots of things…many courses. If you don’t like it, or want something else, or more…just ask and it arrives, cheerfully!
Every evening there is a 45-minute show in the Constellation Theater beginning at 9:45 pm. This beautiful theater will hold the entire number of passengers and we were surprised it was not full. The first and third evening a singer named Byron Nease (who starred in Phantom of The Opera in NY) performed. His performance was especially meaningful to us since his last song was “our song†i.e., The Impossible Dream.
We returned to our cabin with the drapes drawn, lights softened, a down comforter on the bed, incredibly soft sheets, and mints in a package with a meaningful message on the wrapping on top of our pillows. WOW.
Our room had been entirely restocked (towels used replaced) and tidied up.
I could get used to this…
Since the cruise is basically hugging the coastline, we were able to see the lights of towns, cities from our balcony every night. The water was calm and never did we feel the least bit seasick.
We drifted off to sleep quickly dreaming of the adventures ahead in Capri.
To be continued.
P.S. Is this too long?
