By:  Sandra Elzie

I hope you were with us last weekend when we briefly visited Rome, Italy, but if not, you might want to take a couple of minutes and check out last week’s article.  This week I thought I’d start by telling you just a bit about our ship before we set sail for Naples, Italy.

Royal Caribbean’s Marnier Of The Sea is a self-contained city on the waves where you can eat 24/7, be entertained, gamble in the casino, be pampered at a spa, sweat in the gym or on a rock-climbing wall …..or relax by the pool with a cool umbrella drink & a good book.  (And that’s just the beginning.) 

If you’ve never been on a Royal Caribbean ship…or never cruised, I suggest you click on the link and view the short video of what they have to offer…and what you’re missing.

We ported in Naples (Capri), Italy to a sunny morning that promised us a great day of sightseeing.  Naples is the third largest city in Italy and we were anxious to get off and see the town.  We also visited Sorrento, Italy where we spent much of our time walking along the narrow streets and shopping. 

Then we boarded a tour bus for an unforgettable day touring the Amalfi Coast…and I must say, it was the highlight of the trip for me.  It didn’t take long to realize that the road along the coast was, at best, only a foot or two wider than two tour buses passing each other.  In fact, there were some curves in the road where the bus coming down the hill would wait for the one going up to pass before proceeding.  In short, two buses were unable to pass each other along the narrowed sections.  In other areas the buses would move their mirrors in so they could pass without incident.  To say the ride was harrowing is an understatement…in my opinion.  But the beauty of the coast was worth every breath-held moment.

We stopped at a quaint little restaurant that clutched onto the side of the hill overlooking the ocean hundreds of feet below.  Wine was automatically served on each table and the food was traditional Italian….rich with tomatoes & spices and utterly delicious.  We almost hated to leave and get back on the bus, but the scenery in the bus wasn’t bad either.  Below is a picture of the inside of our tour bus…but the tour guide stepped right into  the middle of my shot!   

Then back to the ship…..see it anchored out there between the two palm trees????

What did we do most on the ship?  Yep, you might have guessed…..eat.

For breakfast there was a choice of the dining room and ordering from a menu, or our favorite …going to the HUGE buffet where we served ourselves, but could pick a seat near a window and look out over the sea.  Lunch, if we were on the ship, was either the buffet with probably 20 – 30 choices of entree & at least that many sides, or an even more casual meal of pizza or a hamburger or hotdog at the grill by the pool.  Oh, and don’t forget the serve-yourself frozen yogurt machine where we got cones up until nine o’clock each night.   (Honest, I don’t think I missed a day without ice cream at least once.

But our favorite meal was dinner.  This was a time to visit with the people at our table who became friends over the two weeks. (We remain in touch with them). 

There was the wonderful couple we went on the trip with, a lovely couple from Canada and two ladies from Texas who were more fun than you will ever know. We’d each share what we’d done that day and sometimes even share our food.  Desserts were occasionally passed around so each one could take a spoonful and try something new & delicious.  My husband and the two other men love shrimp so on the first evening they requested Shrimp Cocktails.  And, although it wasn’t on the menu, our waiter brought them.  Then the second evening they did the same and after that our waiter just brought the Shrimp Cocktails without the guys having to ask.  The crew sought to serve us in any way…and in every way possible.

The next day that we went ashore was in Ephesus, Turkey.  The city was once the site of a great civilization and home to the Temple of Artemis: one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  It was established by the Ionians in the 11^th century BC, but later conquered by Rome’s Alexander the Great.  At one time it was the leading seaport in Asia Minor & thrived through a succession of rulers.

Today a lot of the old temples and once-grand structures are in ruins, including the Grand Theater where the apostle Paul once preached.  Only a few columns remain from the Temple of Artemis.

Everywhere we went there was shopping, shopping and more shopping.  We were told that tourism is the biggest industry for most of the cities. 

We wandered through narrow streets with tiny shops crammed full of treasures just waiting to sell you anything you wanted…and if it was too big, bulky or breakable, they were willing to ship it home for you.

At the end of the tour, we were taken to a shop where we watched a master weaver hand-making Turkish rugs.       

It was fascinating to watch how fast her fingers moved.

I know this has been only a peek at these two stops…and I apologize….but there’s just too much to see, too much to tell and with more than 2,000 pictures in our albums, it was difficult to choose which ones to share.     Next week we’ll visit Athens, Greece, so I hope you’ll come back to join us.  See you then!

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Sandra loves to hear from her readers, so drop by her website and visit.  Read more about her and what’s coming in the near future at:

www.SandraElzie.com   

Sandra’s first print book, The Diplomatic Tutor,  is now available from Kindle e-books.

 She also writes as Sandra McGregor and you can view the selection at Amazon e-books.

Epcot has basically two different sections: Future World and World Showcase. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, I don’t think it’s imperative you get there early unless you’re absolutely dying to ride the biggest E ticket attractions, Soarin’ and Test Track. Even then, Test Track has a single rider line so Epcot is, in many ways, the best place  to start on one of those days when you sleep in.

But don’t sleep in too late! Soarin’ is a different ride experience where you’ll hang glide over California. It’s a one of a kind ride you won’t want to miss. Epcot is also a good place for those who aren’t necessarily thrill-seekers since the vast majority of attractions don’t have height limits—there’s plenty to do with the kids if you only know where to look. Spaceship Earth is a ride through our history of communication (thank the Phoenicians for me, please) and Ellen’s Universe of Energy is a great place to hang out in the air conditioning on a crowded day. Both of my children have napped on that one while I enjoyed Ellen’s antics. Agricultural enthusiasts will like Living with the Land while kids will especially enjoy The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Turtle Talk with Crush. Meanwhile, over at the World Showcase, all of the rides are kid friendly—just watch out for the trolls in Norway for the littlest ones.

Two other things to remember that are especially good for the kids: character dining and the nightly show, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. If you’re looking for a good place to meet the princesses, you’ll meet several at  Akershus. Looking for Mickey and friends? Try the Garden Grill. Do make reservations well in advance of your trip, though, since seating fills up quickly. What better way to cap off your day than with Epcot’s nightly show of Illuminations. Epcot’s “fireworks” show is centered on the World Showcase Lagoon which means you can find some good spots to see it from just about anywhere. I think my favorite spot so far is next to Norway.

But, Sally, I took my kids to Epcot, and they were bored to tears. Well, that’s because Epcot is really for the adults. One of my absolute favorite pastimes is eating and drinking my way through World Showcase. I skip lunch or supper—sometimes both—and share snacks with Ryan all the way through.( I recommend starting with Canada, though. Bad things can happen when you start with the tequila over in Mexico.) Some of our favorites include the cheddar cheese soup in Canada, fish and chips (and beer) in the UK, ham and cheese croissant (and wine or Grey Goose slush) in France, lamb and couscous (and Casa beer and sangria) in Morocco, pizza (and wine) in Italy, sake in Japan, the Werther’s shop (and beer) in Germany, pot stickers in China, school bread in Norway, and at this point who cares what there is to eat in Mexico? No, seriously, I love the Nachos…and the Dos Equis. But the best? La cava de tequila. Pomegranate margarita, people. A word of caution: don’t actually try to eat and drink all of this on the same day. Just don’t. And, yes, I left out a lot. It’s okay. You won’t hit them all—unless you have several good friends to share and share alike.

Now, I love Epcot but I love, love, love the Food & Wine Festival. It’s like international binging on steroids. You could easily spend a week and never leave Epcot. In addition to all of the usual pavilions, Epcot sets up over 25 booths with even more countries, places like South Africa (filet mignon, sweet potatoes, and Shiraz), Argentina, Poland, and Belgium. There are even booths dedicated to simple things like dessert, cheese, and beer. Basically, each of the booths offers a small sample of food and beverage from the country in question. Most of the prices are reasonable, but at around $5 per sample you can run up a bill quickly, so be sure to budget for any eating sprees. If you want to keep yourself to a budget you can purchase a wrist band gift card and load it with the amount of money you want to spend—it’s a handy little thing if you want to sample the wares without having to constantly reach for your wallet.

In addition to eating until they have to roll you back to the hotel, you can also have a special gourmet dinner (some of these are at restaurants outside Epcot), attend a cooking seminar or a wine tasting class, attend a concert, or even experience a special party like Party for the Senses. While Party for the Senses and the special gourmet dinners are expensive, the seminars and booths themselves usually are not. The concerts? Free. You can basically make the Food and Wine experience just as cheap or expensive as you would like for it to be. Want to find out more? This web site has some great info you can explore to find out more including maps, menus, and the concert line up. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/events/index.htm)

Oh, I almost forgot! Reservations. Dining reservations go quickly on a regular day, so make sure you think ahead if you want a formal sit-down meal. You’ll also need to make reservations for any class or seminar that’s a must see. That said, if you have neither the time nor the inclination to make reservations, make sure you start each Food & Wine day at the Welcome Center. You can ask which seminars and classes have availability and/or browse the book store and stroll through the wine cellar and souvenir shop.

Wow. I almost need an Alka-Seltzer just thinking about it. I’m actually going to be attending Food & Wine briefly at the end of September when I go for the Tower of Terror Ten Miler. Speaking of, did you know there’s the Wine & Wine Half Marathon? You could burn enough calories to earn your trip around the world if you run that one.

Any other questions? If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find someone who does….
In the meantime, get ready for Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

A Three Hour Tour

By Marilyn Baron

When we set sail on a 7-Day round-trip cruise from New York City to New England and Canada, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, I joked with my sister and her husband, who were accompanying my husband and me, about that familiar line from the Gilligan’s Island theme song, that we were embarking on a three hour tour.

Of course, we didn’t end up shipwrecked on a deserted island and we had a good time, but there were some surprises.

The trip was billed as a fall foliage tour. Supposedly, we were there at the height of the leaf change season. However, the most brilliant color we saw was when we flew back to Atlanta in our own backyard. It was mid-October, the last cruise for that ship this year and in every place we visited, the leaves either hadn’t changed yet or the hurricane that had just swept in had blown them all away.

Rosecliff, one of the Gilded Age Mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, where they filmed the ballroom scene in “True Lies.”

That afternoon, back on the ship, we went to the buffet and something was not quite right. Instead of serving yourself as we did the day before, the servers wouldn’t allow us to touch the food. Before they doled it out, we had to disinfect our hands with Purell hand sanitizer. I hate hand sanitizers. I don’t want to sit down to dinner with soap on my hands. I want to

wash it off first, but by the end of the trip, Purell and I were learning to coexist.

The next morning at breakfast when the server asked if I wanted syrup on my pancakes, I said yes.  I thought she meant did I want syrup on the table, but no, before I knew it, she proceeded to drown my pancakes in syrup and I lost it. I couldn’t eat the pancakes because they were literally floating in syrup.  “Are you my mother?” I said. “I can pour my own syrup.”

That’s when I knew something was amiss.

That night we found out why when the ship’s captain’s reassuring voice, cool as a cucumber, came over the loudspeaker, “This is your captain. As you may know (No We Did Not Know) there’s been an outbreak of norovirus aboard the ship.”   

Cowabonga! Yowie Gazowie! OMG! Holy Norovirus Outbreak, Batman.

Passengers were dropping like flies, confined to their rooms. Who had the virus? Who should we avoid? We decided to bypass the buffet for the rest of the voyage and instead ate in the main dining room or one of the specialty restaurants.

The third stop on our itinerary was Bar Harbor, Maine, where we took the Acadia National Park Scenic Drive and it was clear enough to see the view from the summit of Cadillac Mountain.    

A Whale’s Tail: In search of whales on a whale watching excursion in Bar Harbor, Maine

Then we took a whale watching tour, which guaranteed that we’d see whales or get a partial refund. We set out to where the day before they had seen a flotilla

of whales, exhausted and floating on the water after the hurricane and the next day they spotted what looked like hundreds of whales. But the day we went out we saw only the back of one whale and the tail of another (or maybe it was the same whale). One of them was the Right Whale, a species of which there are only 400 left in the world. So that was neat but the captain kept going farther and farther out until we reached Canada, our next stop on the tour. After five hours (on what was billed as a three hour tour) of listening to the naturalist’s voice drone on, and watching video of the whales we didn’t see, we almost missed the last tender back to our ship. But they did refund half of our fee. We were disappointed because on an earlier trip to Boston we took a whale watching tour and saw a “boatload” of whales.

 For our first stop in Canada, we took the Fundy Coastal Tour, where we were supposed to see the Bay of Fundy and the reversing river rapids. We never saw that but our guide took us to his hometown in the Bay of Fundy, his house, the little red schoolhouse, and his grandparent’s house and he offered to sell us 11 acres of land at a good price. Then he took us to a sad-looking fishing village so we could use the porta potties.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, however was a nice stop. We took the Coastal Drive to Peggy’s Cove, which featured a stunning lighthouse on a granite ocean outcrop and I got to hold two live lobsters. Then it was back to town to visit a neat maritime museum with a giant whale and a moose at the entrance and I bought a nice silver sand dollar necklace at a marketplace.  The people were so friendly; they welcomed us with a rose when we disembarked. We learned a little about the history of Halifax and its ties to the Titanic.

On the last night at sea, we dined at one of the specialty restaurants and had Shrimp Bisque and steak and lobster, among other things. We must have eaten too much because in the middle of the night, I felt sick.  

“Do not tell anyone you’re sick,” my husband admonished. “I don’t want to be quarantined. I want to get off this ship.” I cleaned up after myself so my porter would not be suspicious. Did I have the nurovirus? I didn’t think so. I felt better immediately. I think I’m just allergic to shrimp bisque.

Seriously, even though my husband said he was never taking another cruise, we really did have a great time, aside from the outbreak.

How about your cruise experience? Care to share?