This may be the one stop on the trip that you’ve never heard of. Sandwiched between Naples and Rome, Olbia is a side trip to the island of Sardinia. It’s the closest you’ll get to a day in the country on this trip without renting your own car and driving off on your own for the day (which is possible). We decided to take Olbia as a rest day. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck with my original decision and done the kayaking trip, but my day wandering the town was quite enjoyable none-the less.

I woke up to the sight of the competition parked across the pier from us. A cruise ship with a Giant “MOBY” on the side, along with Tweety, Sylvester, Bugs, Daffy, and Taz. Turns out that Moby is one of the large Italian Ferry companies servicing central to northern Italy. The Fantasy, (along with its 15 or so sister ships including the Moby Magic) cruises between the ports of Sardinia, Corsica, and the mainland of northern and central Itally.

Also out on the pier was a welcoming reception from the town of Olbia. They had a live band playing traditional Sardinian music and a huge tent full of local foods, all staffed by some very friendly locals. For some strange reason I didn’t take a picture of that. Brain fade. Maybe I did need a break that day.

Olbia is basically a small town. No sky-scrapers (one 14 floor apartment block), no giant cathedral, just people living and working. It is full of little shops and restaurants. Olbia feels like a small town on the island of Sardinia should feel.

There are plenty of quaint streets and little squares in the old part of town. I wondered those for most of the day, and ended up finding – shockingly – an old wooden Indian in front of a pizzeria at one point.

Here is that picture, and some more from my day in Olbia.

This may be the one stop on the trip that you’ve never heard of. Sandwiched between Naples and Rome, Olbia is a side trip to the island of Sardinia. It’s the closest you’ll get to a day in the country on this trip without renting your own car and driving off on your own for the day (which is possible). We decided to take Olbia as a rest day. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck with my original decision and done the kayaking trip, but my day wandering the town was quite enjoyable none-the less. < more... >

May 29, 2007 – Today we arrive in Naples Italy. As the 3^rd largest city in Italy, its home to 1.5 million and one of the best, yet worse shore tours I have ever been on. I’ll get to that in a minute.

We awoke just in time to see Mount Vesuvius on the distance and a tall masted ship in port as we worked our way into the berth. It was a beautiful day around 72 degrees in the am with a few gray rain clouds off into the distance.

Ok.. before I continue I need to be honest that the worse shore excursion part is actually from one perspective…mine.  And further I must preface this to include the fact that I am not really scared of many things, but heights is a phobia I will admit to.

So… to continue. When you first get the long awaited list of available shore excursions you make a date with your significant other and/or family to figure out what you are going to do when you cruise. Chris and I did just that and normally we both find something we both want to do together.  This time Naples offered us different options we both wanted to do conveniently packaged in one nifty 9.5 hour excursion. 

Chris wanted to experience the Almalfi Coast and I wanted to wander the ruins of Pompeii so we opted for the Amalfi Coast Drive and Ruins of Pompeii tour.  Looking at the description it sounds like it will be a peaceful drive along the coast to view the unique architecture and natural wonders along the coastline.  In reality it was a very large bus winding its way over the mountains via a very tiny road that was lucky to have a straight area for more then half a football field or so at a time.

Deb & Linda joined us on this journey and we managed to add some new friends, Chuck and Tony as well.  Poor guys…  eerrr I mean lucky guys….  just happened to be in line with us as we got our bus assignments and we talked them into sitting with us too. 

First of all, hats off to the driver who was able to maneuver that 50 passenger bus as if it was a 2 seater sports car even when the road narrowed to spots where only one car could pass.  (yes… when I said tiny road, i meant it). 

We winded our way up the side of the mountain from the port to the top of the crossing where the Guide, Gino, announced that we were almost to the Almalfi Coast where we would see the most beautiful sites including sheer cliffs that range up to 4000 feet high.  as we went over the crest of the mountain,  sure enough, he wasn’t kidding.  My heart was beating so fast and  between the sheer height , the drop offs and the winding roads , I couldn’t help but think I was on a thrill ride instead of a transfer to see one of the most beautiful villages I have ever seen.  (If I could just open my eyes first!)

Instead of trying to interpret what I saw between my tightly clinched hands over my eyes, I will let Chris blog about the ride itself which I’m sure was breathtaking. (Further proven by listening to the gasps of people as we made our way up and down the mountains. While they warn you about possible motion sickness on this tour, I would also caution anyone who has a heights issue too.

When we arrived at Amalfi, we had about 40 minutes of free time to wander the village and we decided to tour the Cathedral of the Amalfi which has some origins back to 596 AD and also is the resting place of head and other bones of St Andrew, Jesus’ first disciple. Wow…

We boarded the bus and drove another 20 minutes to a hotel where lunch was served.  Including wine of course.

After lunch we were on the way back towards Naples with a stop at Pompeii.  This was of great significance to me. I was a Mt St Helens survivor of sorts– while I wasn’t on the Mountain itself, I was camping on the south side of Mt Rainier just north of the volcano when St Helens blew and ended up walking in ash up to my hips and stuck in the icky goo for several days.  Thats another story in itself.. so I digress. To continue … I have been very intrigued by Pompeii and the fate of the people who perished in the tragedy back in 79 AD.  We toured the ruin and saw the streets complete with visible grooves in the stone from carts and chariots. Our guide Gino was a member of the archaeological team that helped unearth parts of the ruins back in the early 1970s so was full of information to share about the lives of the people who died here. As the rain started to fall on our out door tour, we moved a little faster through the site then I would have liked, but we did manage to see some of the original artwork and tiles that have been uncovered, along with a few of the bodys that were in the positions of their last moments and with expressions that provided an erie glimpse into what that horrific day was like.

That was truly an experience of a lifetime.

Tomorrow we arrive in Olbia, Sardinia Italy. 

May 29, 2007 – Today we arrive in Naples Italy. As the 3^rd largest city in Italy, its home to 1.5 million and one of the best, yet worse shore tours I have ever been on. I’ll get to that in a minute. < more... >

At the Crack of 12:15 we met our tour group in Studio Sea. OK, so maybe 12:15 and crack don’t go together, but that’s when we met our group to start the first (official) tour of the trip. Out to the bus and we’re off into the vagaries of Palermo Traffic. On a scale of 1 to Paris, I give it an 8, which is surprising. I had heard that the Italian drivers made the Parisians look ordered. We’ll have to wait for Roma, I think.

Our bus was like the inside of a brick oven, and we were all glad when we pulled up to the Norman-Arabic palace that was our first stop. It was significantly cooler outside than on the bus. 

The palace was once the center piece of the city, with gardens stretching to the sea. You can still see the ocean from the top floor, but only just. The gardens are being replanted after many years of neglect, and they are in the process of rebuilding the fountains also. The entire thing looks quite nice now, and will be likely be spectacular in a few years. About 850 years ago, with the help of the pope, the Normans managed to take Sicily away from its Arabian rulers. The new Norman king wanted a castle built, and the Arabic builders and artisans were the best people for the job, so the King’s direction on building a typical Norman castle, combined with the local architects and artisans created a hybrid architecture unique to the Island of Sicily. The Norman-Arabic style.

Unfortunately taking photos within the palace was prohibited so we don’t have any interiors. But we did luck out on the exit of the palace, where we found out that our bread oven of a bus had been changed out for one that actually worked. From that point on the bus was quite nice.

Our next stop was a wonderful church that has seen better days, but instead of fully repairing it they’ve left the roof off, put in a new floor, and use it for various shows still fully open to the sky.

The final stop of the day was the catacombs. A strange place where they originally dried and buried monks, then priests also, and finally anybody who could afford the service. Most of the people on display (ad there are hundreds, if not thousands) were dried and entombed in the 18th and 19th centuries. As I said, it’s a bit of a strange place, all full with dried out dead people, mostly just skin and bones now (a bit like some Hollywood parties I suppose).

All in all, a good day

At the Crack of 12:15 we met our tour group in Studio Sea. OK, so maybe 12:15 and crack don’t go together, but that’s when we met our group to start the first (official) tour of the trip. Out to the bus and we’re off into the vagaries of Palermo Traffic. On a scale of 1 to Paris, I give it an 8, which is surprising. < more... >

We’ve just pulled into port at Palermo – it’s 8:00 here. I’ve handed off my new silk jacket to the Disney cleaning crew – it was collateral damage in a flying wine war last night! One of our table mates brought his cricket bat and used it to fling a full glass of wine onto Sandy and me (mostly Sandy). Our head waiter was there in a flash with cleaning tickets on the house, so I’m we’re testing the dry cleaning guys to see if they can get it done before dinner tonight. They say it will be back in our cabin by 5:00!

I’ve taken this snap off our balcony:

So now it’s on to breakfast, then we’re off to visit Palermo and the village of Cefalu. We’ll have full reports this evening – perhaps even two, as we’ve got a late dinner in the private room at Palo tonight and may be able to get in a post both before and after.

Arrivederci!

We’ve just pulled into port at Palermo – it’s 8:00 here. I’ve handed off my new silk jacket to the Disney cleaning crew – it was collateral damage in a flying wine war last night! One of our table mates brought his cricket bat and used it to fling a full glass of wine onto Sandy and me (mostly Sandy). < more... >

Today I don’t have much to report. Our first day out of Barcelona is a sea day, which is great because most of us needed the extra time to recover from our jet lag. I spent the day reading and watching the Indy 500, but due to the time change I missed the end of it in order to make it to dinner.

Tomorrow is Palermo. Our tour doesn’t leave until 12:45, so I’ll get a bit of a lay in in the morning. More info tomorrow evening…

Today I don’t have much to report. Our first day out of Barcelona is a sea day, which is great because most of us needed the extra time to recover from our jet lag. I spent the day reading and watching the Indy 500, but due to the time change I missed the end of it in order to make it to dinner.

Tomorrow is Palermo. < more... >

We checked out of the hotel and joined the other guests in the lobby waiting for the all aboard call for the transfers. They had two motor coaches parked outside and while it was a little disorganized (it was their first attempt with some ‘earning my ears’ type folks) everything seemed to move quickly.  Once seated we were off through the streets of Barcelona.

After 15 minutes or so we reached a draw bridge and stopped as it opened for s tanker to move its way thru.  and to our right the first view we had was of the RCCL Voyager of the Seas (another class of ship i LOVE) and just beyond,  the Disney Magic!

We had completed the formal check in the day before so all we had to do was pass thru security to the boarding line. It moved quickly and soon we were boarding the ship… but not where we normally arrive. We didn’t walk into the familiar atrium, although we all had our family names ready just in case. Instead we embarked up the ramp into the forward elevator lobby area.

First stop…  the lunch gang – Deb, Linda, Chris, Sandy & Sharon and I all worked our way back to Parrot Cay for lunch.  I took a quick detour to fix a couple of DCL’s dining snaffus and confirm Palo for the group.  When I returned,we finished lunch and went to rooms.

Thats when magic was sprinkled on me…  i opened the door to find several gifts sent from various friends and clients.  (You know who you are!!) and I was so incredibly touched.  I was all teary and had to pull in the fellow members of the immediate gang to show everyone just how lucky I was to have such wonder friends!  (besides them of course!!)

Afterwards we took the drill where we found more members of the gang (there are 14 of us total..) and relaxed before dinner in Parrot Cay. Thats when Sandy shared a pic she had snapped of her and her hero (ok.. mine too)  Joey Fatone on vacation with is family, fresh from his round with Dancing with the Stars. She said he was incredibly friendly and gracious.

We had to skip dessert (don’t faint Annette) to be sure to catch the sail away party that began at 10 pm. I think my expectations may have been a little high.  Being the first Med cruise on the first med sailing…  but the party was almost like we were leaving for a 4 day Bahamas cruise.  Granted we were given cardboard hands with the date, etc on it, but beyond that it was average at best.  Many Castaway members said the same thing and were even a little put off there wasn’t a live band or more of a big deal made.

We are truly hoping this isn’t a trend, as there has been a lot of buzz about Disney making this truly special considering the premium price – but we’ll see!  Tomorrow is the day at sea and I plan to do nothing but have a date with my PJs and watch movies, so my next post will be from the Port or Palermo!

Ciao!

We checked out of the hotel and joined the other guests in the lobby waiting for the all aboard call for the transfers. They had two motor coaches parked outside and while it was a little disorganized (it was their first attempt with some ‘earning my ears’ type folks) everything seemed to move quickly. < more... >

Today we are reunited with our old friend the Disney Magic! My body clock is still a little off and I was up till 3 am Barcelona time packing and catching up on blog entries. The checked bags were picked up by the hotel staff at 8 am, although they hadn’t shown up by 8:30 so a call was made and they came right up. The transfers are set to leave the hotel at  12:15 so we will be meeting down in the lobby in just about an hour.

The hotel offers a a complimentary breakfast buffet so we had coffee, pastries and some other am items with many other Disney bound folks. Met a couple of nice ladies one from California (YEAH! Another person with an understanding of the trip from a west coast perspective! how many hours in transit was that anyway?) and another not far from our branch office in North Carolina.  Lots of Mickey on various clothing items and many smiling faces looking forward to the next step in our journey. It was almost easy to forget we were not in Orlando for a minute… 

The journey has been great so far, and it really hasn’t even begun yet! I have really enjoyed just spending time with clients who over time have become cherished friends and I’m looking forward to meeting others who I know well via email and phone conversations, but cant wait to put faces to names!

Next post – from the Disney Magic in Barcelona!

Today we are reunited with our old friend the Disney Magic! My body clock is still a little off and I was up till 3 am Barcelona time packing and catching up on blog entries. < more... >

We land in London May 24^th – 10 am London time. The steward provides the landing card we need to fill out and a very coveted fast pass ticket that allows us to skip the regular queue and breeze right through the passport control station. What took us over an hour in our previous trip to London was just about 10 minutes.  Our connection time here was a long one.  Almost 7 hours.  But there was a lot to keep us busy!

One thing I should mention is our arrival was met with a stairway not the auto gangway that goes right to the door. We descended the staircase and walked across the tarmac to the terminal where we were met with even more stairs. Something to be prepared for - check into arranging assistance ahead of time if needed.

We arrived in Terminal 1 and decided to check out the arrival lounge there before making our way to terminal 1 for our departure to Barcelona later that day. It seemed the air conditioning in the terminal was either not working or set for people who require 80 degree temps inside to survive.  It was extremely hot in the dining room at the lounge but it would be an hour or so before we made it to terminal one so we stopped for a quick breakfast.  They had fans set up in the room, but they weren’t doing much good, and since the terminal backed up onto a public street they had razor wire swirling outside the window. This just didn’t seem like the relaxing oasis I expected at the British flagship city, so we decided to move on to terminal one.  The razor wire wasn’t the only sign of security. The Brits take this very seriously and there are serious guards with serious guns at several locations thru the airport.

British Airlines provided a nice step by step guide to getting from terminal 4 to terminal one which involves a bus transfer. Against my better judgment Chris says we are heading for the trains and while that little voice was screaming “conform to the map!”  I knew we had 7 hours so what the heck…..  We by passed the signs for the buses and headed for the Paddington station train with the first stop being.. you guessed it… terminal 1, 2 and 3.   There is no charge for the terminal to terminal service and is highly recommended if you have the option from your arrival location.  With Comfy seats and plenty of room for luggage you don’t feel cramped in the least.

TIP:  if you are connecting through Heathrow, or any major airline really,  be sure your flight times offer some time over what they consider a “legal connection’ time which is usually the bare minimum the airlines are willing to gamble will make it in time for you to reach the connecting flight. The odds begin to tip if your departure flight is late, the airport is too busy to clear your flight to land so you circle a while, and/or doesn’t have a pocket (ie the Queens English for - gate) to allow the flight to pull up to. We had all three of these situations during this journey.

We arrive at terminal one and are a little lost. The ticketing area is right there but we have boarding passes, so we just need to find the arrival/departure lounge.  After a little searching and asking a nice gal at British bag drop, she points us to area “R” which is a hike to the other side of the terminal through several shops and counters unlike any airport I had seen before.  More like a shopping mall then airport. We follow the signs to the First/Business class check in area and are escorted to a special security line where people actually help you thru the check point.  I KNOW.. someone to help you?? I couldn’t believe it either! 

The Lounge is located just beyond and here is the 2^nd best part of my day…  they offered us a shower.  Basically they have private spacious rooms with a shower stall, sink, mirror and toilet. At the desk they will provide shampoo, conditioner, lotions, toothbrushes, razors and even shave gel.  It was nice to refresh after the flight.  But the best part was… they also have an onsite spa service with offers complimentary services. Chris and I both signed up for neck and back massages after the shower. 

After our relaxation sessions, we had about 3 hours to spend in the lounge before the next connection to Barcelona. We found a quiet pocket near the service area so we could easily refill the cappuccinos and grab snacks. One thing that I found quite entertaining in the lounges are the conversations you over hear. Government contracts, 14 million dollar lawsuits and the pros and cons of i-pods vs the Zune. That last one was courtesy of one Kurt Russell (you know…… Captain Ron, Escape from LA, etc) and his traveling companion who sat approx 20 feet away. A few minutes later Goldie Hawn joined them and off they went to catch their flight.

And soon we were off to ours.

We landed in Barcelona approx 7 pm and after collecting our bags we found a gentleman holding a sign with our name who whisked us to our unique Disney transfer – a Mercedes.  The driver had to have been practicing for the Indy 500 and would probably win. It was a fast yet strangely safe feeling race through and around the city to our hotel –

The Hilton Diagonal Mar.    

Upon arrival, we checked in and were upgraded to a nice corner Jr suite for our two night stay.  Two separate rooms with a large bathroom and unique corner with large windows offering a nice view of the sea and city.

When we arrived we called to see if Deb and Linda  arrived safe (they are blogging at www.allearsnet.com )  and met them for a drink to celebrate the beginning of the journey!

hotel pics

We land in London May 24^th – 10 am London time. The steward provides the landing card we need to fill out and a very coveted fast pass ticket that allows us to skip the regular queue and breeze right through the passport control station. < more... >

Friday morning, after a stout 3 hours of sleep, making six hours in the past two nights, I got up early and met our crew (Deb, Linda, Sandy, & Sharon) for breakfast. After that we went to the Lobby to hook up with our informal guides (and fellow travelers) Gary and Karen. Next stop, well, the subway, but our goal was Montserrat.

Friday morning, after a stout 3 hours of sleep, making six hours in the past two nights, I got up early and met our crew (Deb, Linda, Sandy, & Sharon) for breakfast. After that we went to the Lobby to hook up with our informal guides (and fellow travelers) Gary and Karen. Next stop, well, the subway, but our goal was Montserrat.

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in at the Alaska airlines desk for our first flight to Chicago. They tell us our bags have been checked thru but unfortunately we need to check ourselves in at the British desk in Chicago for the next two flight legs.  This shouldn’t be a problem as we have 3 hours to make the connection and get where we need to be. Right? 

The reality of the Chicago connection seemed a tad more complicated. Chris and I arrived in Chicago and worked our way thru the terminal to the shuttle leading to the international terminal where we checked in at the British airlines desk. The agent at the desk informed us that we were invited to go to the first class lounge located next to gate 11, but unfortunately they did not have a fast track line at O’Hare. Initially that was fine, until she further explained that the line was just about an hour long.  (Ok.. I get it …. now I know why she was apologizing.)  Behind us snaked a security line that made me wonder if 3 hours for a connection with time to enjoy that wonderful lounge, was indeed enough.

And here is a confession – if you are ever with me and we are presented with a choice of lines to get into please do not allow me to choose unless of course you have time to kill and have a desire to be in the longest line. For some reason I am cosmically drawn to the line that will have some kind of issue just moments before I am the next to go.  Supermarkets, drive thrus, and yes airport security. I choose the line that for the last 15 minutes has been moving at a very quick pace.  Just as we approach and are now one person form the security station, here comes an army of flight crews who of course have the priority to avoid delayed flights.  We are stopped for what seems like an eternity..  (ok minutes, but if you hate lines as much as I do… then you get it)  about 15 minutes later we are through the screening process and on our way to find the lounge. 

Once there, we are checked in and offered a wide array or beverages and snacks to prepare for our flight. We were given the choice to have dinner before or during the flight so we elected to wait. We found a window seat and watched as our Boeing 777 aircraft pulled up to the gate next door. About 30 minutes later they announced boarding for first class passengers.  We made our way onto the aircraft and to our seats… errr.. beds…  err pods. That may be the best description – pods.  Each seat was very private with its own controls, nice sized table that lifted out of the console, and personal entertainment screen. They even provided a light weight sleep suit, slippers and a personal amenity kit with lip balm, tooth brush, toothpaste, eye shades and a pair of comfy socks for the trip. Nice touch!

Once airborne we were provided menus for dinner which provided several starter options as well as entrees. Chris had the Lobster salad with sesame chicken and I opted for the steak and mushroom pie with mashed potatoes. Dessert was New York cheese cake with berries. They also had a nice wines list with 3 reds, 3 whites and champagne as well.

After dinner the stewards came around and converted the seats to beds.  Fully flat, approx 6 feet and was a very comfy way to cross the pond. I even managed to get a little sleep to prepare for the next leg of the journey that will take us to Barcelona.

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in at the Alaska airlines desk for our first flight to Chicago. < more... >