Arrived Sunday at 8 a.m. Everything at the airport went great. Took the Aerobus to Playa de Catalunya - 5.30 euros, paid the driver, 30 min. ride to the center of Barcelona, every 5 minutes there was a new bus, great service and cheap. From Playa de Catalunya we walked to our hotel (2 blocks). The sidewalks were full of tourists walking with their luggage. Very funny! Stayed at a unique and quaint place...Hostal L'Antic Espai...was more like a bed and breakfast. Check out website, it was 10+ accommodation. Dropped off our luggage at hotel, the owners gave us a map and directions for our day of visiting. And then we walked and walked and walked. Tapas for lunch. Nap at the hotel and then more walking - La Rambla. Gothic Quarters is a must see. Paella for dinner and back to the hotel for a good night sleep. No major jet lag. A superb breakfast at hotel (included in price 135 euros), and off to the ship. Hotel owner drove us to the port (20 euros). 


Barcelona

We were not able to tender at Villefranche because of the weather therefore we docked at Monaco. The yachts were very impressive. Luxury and money... Walked up the many, many stairs to the town only to find out later there is an elevator and an escalator further down the dock. It started to rain and there were not many places to find shelter unless you wanted to sit at a restaurant to eat or drink. The changing of the guards was cancelled. We returned to the ship down the slippery stairs and enjoyed lunch and a relaxing afternoon on the ship. 


Monaco (Monte Carlo)

Private excursion (Italy by design) with a mini-bus (12 travellers). Picked-up at port 8 a.m. Drove to Pisa, short visit because of time restraints but we did get our photo-op at the Leaning Tower. 30 minutes to Pisa and another hour to Florence. Florence was amazing... We did not visit any museums, we just walked and enjoyed the city. We saw the Duomo (Wow!), the Piazza della Signoria and its wonderful sculptures, the Ponte Vecchio. We shopped and found some great leather purses. And the best part, while waiting for our touring partners, we enjoyed a glass of wine (1 euro) in the park. Florence is my one place to revisit for a longer stay. It is a beautiful city! 


Florence (Livorno)

Private excursion (Italy by design) with mini-bus (14 travellers). Picked-up at port at 8 a.m. 2 hours to Rome. Arrived at the Colosseum and was met by our private tour guide. Again time restraints were a problem. Really enjoyed the inside of the Colosseum, a must see. Walked by the Forum, no time to go inside. You can see a lot from the sidewalk. Visited the Pantheon, beautiful! Quick lunch from street vendor, not great. Drove to Vatican City for our scheduled visit at Sistene Chapel. Very, very crowded! Difficult to appreciate the beauty when you are surrounded by people and have no time or space to stop and enjoy. Would need to return at another time (not summer) to appreciate the wonders of the Vatican and Rome. Sent a postcard from the Vatican post office. 


Rome (Civitavecchia)

Port was Salerno. Touring on our own, no rush to get off the ship. Free shuttle to town from port. We had plans to take a ferry to Amalfi but we never made it to the ferry dock. Instead, we decided to enjoy Salerno. Great shopping street (pedestrians only), warning everything closes at 2 p.m. for siesta. St. Michael Cathedral with beautiful frescoes, a must see. No crowd, time to enjoy the beauty, go downstairs to visit the crypt. Remember dress code in Italy to visit churches, knees and shoulders must be covered. We had a relaxing lunch with locals, great pizza and wine! Returned to ship by shuttle bus, vendor at port...we were able to taste some local specialties. Bought a bottle of Tentazione, a chocolate cream of liqueur to enjoy on my ice cream. Mmm! Mmm! 


Naples

Private shore excursion with Kusadasi Tours (35 euros a person). We had booked a private tour to visit Ephesus and Terrace Houses. Pick-up at port 8:30 a.m. by private guide. We shared a mini-bus with an Argentinian couple and their teenage daughter. Not expected but a wonderful turn of events. They were funny and great company for the day. We visited the Virgin Mary's house high up a mountain, not planned but an enjoyable surprise. Next stop was Ephesus (5 minutes from Mary's house). It was very hot, bring an umbrella to protect yourself from the sun. Our guide was very informative. The Terrace Houses are in Ephesus, a must see but there are many stairs. It is amazing to see them trying to assemble the pieces (ruins) together, a wonderful puzzle. After Ephesus we stopped at a carpet market. They served us a Turkish lunch (free) but drinks were extra. We were able to see and learn how carpets are made locally. We entered the shop for a demonstration and were served Turkish coffee. They were not too pushy about buying their carpets. Our next stop was a leather store with a private fashion show, apple tea was served (free). A beautiful leather coat was bought by my travelling partner. Temptation was too great! We were then dropped off at the market, close to the port. We said goodbye to our new Argentinian friends and our guide. We had a superb day! We visited the market, more purchases were made. You do need to be assertive when dealing with the vendors. They can be in your face. A short walk to the ship and the end to another successful excursion. 


Kusadasi

We took the Hop on! Hop off! bus from the port(Piraeus) to Athens (20 euros a person).  Very convenient because of the taxi strike.
We toured Athens on the bus.  It is not a pretty city.  Did not enjoy the city, very disappointed.  After the tour of the city, we stopped at the Acropolis.  Lots of walking uphill.  Make sure you have water.  No protection from the hot sun.  But the walk is worth it, what a view!  We hopped back on the bus for a stop at Plaka.  Had lunch, very touristy and expensive, but we were thirsty and hungry and did not have the energy to walk further in for a more reasonable place. Did some souvenir shopping and then took the bus back to port.  I would not visit Athens again, not impressed by the city.

Athens (Piraeus)

On our own.  Took our time to leave the ship, 10 a.m.  Tender to port was o.k., no line-up.  We had bought our cable car tickets on the ship the day before thinking we would avoid a line-up.  Wrong!  You still join the line-up, ticket or no ticket, there is only one line.  Having tickets made no difference, the line-up is long(30 minutes).  We finally made it to the top.  Walked up and down the narrow alley ways.  Had a superb Greek lunch with some local beer (Mythos).  It hit the spot!  More shopping.  Stopped at a bakery for Baklava.  Returned to port, no line-ups this time.  Enjoyed a relaxing day at Fira.

Santorini

Cabin with obstructed view.  Ladder on the right of our balcony but in front of the next cabin's deck.  The view was o.k.
Two single beds leaves less room to walk to deck.
Great storage!  Mini-bar handy for keeping leftover snacks and drinks.
Very quiet area of the ship.

A little background - 2 adventurous ladies from Canada (47 and 50yrs old) experienced travellers but not cruisers ready to experience a once in a lifetime adventure



Brilliance of the Seas was a home away from home.This was an adventure of a lifetime!

Brilliance of the Seas Review

Brilliance of the Seas, July 18th

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Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

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