Carnival Freedom Review

EUROPE FOR BEGINNERS

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Carnival Freedom
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Claire D
First Time Cruiser • Age 30s

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Sail Date: May 2008

Our sail date was May 22nd. My husband and I are frequent cruisers but we had never been to Europe before. Our grown daughter traveled with us. She's been to Europe several times. We arrived in Rome on USAirways three days prior to our cruise. We flew overnight on USAirways and were jammed into a very small area. Most of the time we were in Rome it rained which made it hard for us to use a map to navigate around the city and find the bus stops. We ended up using cabs frequently. We stayed at Carnival's chosen hotel, The Visconti Palace, which was very expensive but the rooms were a nice size and they treated us well. The first day we walked around a good bit and went to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Because we were exhausted and wet most of the time we felt like we didn't accomplish much but we did get a sense of the city. The next morning we had a tour of The Vatican with Angel Tours (angeltoursrome.com). The lines to get in are generally huge but with our tour we walked right to the front and went in. Our guide, Jimmy, took us on a 3 1/2 hour tour to see the highlights. The 50 euro charge included admission to the Vatican museum. That afternoon we went to the Domus Aurea (Golden House of Nero) excavation. You must book this tour ahead of time and it lasts about 1/2 hour. From there we crossed the road to the Colosseum and had a tour we had booked ahead of time. I was somewhat annoyed because our tour guide had a leather coat on and she did not want to go out in the rain. It's hard to do a good tour from inside. Both of these tours should be booked ahead of time. We then proceeded to the Pantheon. Bands were playing inside and we enjoyed listening to them in such a neat setting. We ate dinner at a sidewalk cafe right outside the Pantheon. The next day we went to the Forum and walked around the area for a while. Our ticket for the Colosseum was a two day ticket that also included the Forum and Palantine Hill. After walking around that area for awhile, we headed back to the hotel where we got our shuttle to the ship. I know Carnival charges a lot for their shuttle service but they take care of everything. They picked our luggage up at our hotel room and delivered it to our cabin on the ship. Embarkation was a breeze. We were on the ship and in our cabin in under 15 minutes.

Our first stop was in Naples although we spent no time in Naples. We left the ship at 7:30 and met Guiseppe from driveamalfi.com. We had made arrangements through cruise critic to join up with others. The cost of the full day tour was 650 euros. We spent the morning driving down the Amalfi coast. Our driver did a great job as it is not an easy drive. The scenery is spectacular. I would have liked to spend more time exploring some of the towns but we had so much planned for the day it was difficult to spend time in any one place. We did make numerous stops for scenic picture taking and spent time in the town of Amalfi so we could buy some souvenirs. That afternoon we headed back up the coast and went to Pompeii. We had to arrange for a separate tour in Pompeii which driveamalfi has arranged. This was an additional 100 euros which was split eight ways. Our guide, Vinny, showed us the highlights. After the rain in Rome, we enjoyed the great weather and spectacular sights.

After a sea day where we relaxed as much as possible, we arrived in Dubrovnik. Several ships were scheduled to be in port that day and we were the first to arrive. We got off the ship and took Carnival's shuttle (7 euros)to the Pile Gate. At exactly 8:30 when the gates opened, we paid the entrance fee and walked the walls. It was spectacular. Since we were the first ones up there it was peaceful and we could walk around unhurried. It is quite a climb and a long walk but we enjoyed it. We came back down and walked around the town for awhile. We ate lunch and did some shopping. We were back on the ship by mid afternoon. Some of the shops and museums do not take euros, only the local currency. Dubrovnik is a beautiful town. We enjoyed our day. Next it was on to Venice. We were supposed to arrive at 2:00. Carnival decided to have the return cruiser cocktail party at 11:00 am. Since our cabin was on the wrong side of the ship for the sail in, I knew we'd need to be on the deck to enjoy the sights. My husband and daughter went to the cocktail party and I went up on deck to save us a spot. Well, we ended up beginning the sail into Venice while the cocktail party was going on. At about noon they announced that we had entered the lagoon and everyone made a mad dash for the decks. They had also said they'd play Pavarotti on the big screen on deck. Instead they were doing a trivia contest so that Pavarotti never started until we had almost docked. It really ruined the experience. Fortunately, our cabin was on the right side when we left so we had a better experience. Carnival will try to scare you into taking their shuttle to the public Vaporetto. It is much more convenient to take the shuttle that is right next to where the ship docks to St. Mark's square. It was 11 euros round trip and was very reliable. Everyone gets to sit down! When we arrived at St. Mark's we went up in the Campanile. It was a great view of Venice. We had made a reservation for St. Mark's Basilica for 4:05 but they let us in early. It really pays to made a reservation ahead of time, however, you can only do it a month in advance. We spent most of the rest of this day walking around. We had dinner at a sidewalk cafe. The next day we did the Secret Itinerary tour of the Doge's Palace. It was interesting. You must also book this in advance. Most of our time in Venice was spent just wandering around. We did not take a gondola ride. They are way overpriced. Mostly the gondola drivers are talking to each other. Don't expect them to sing.

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