12 Night Mediterranean Tapestry (Barcelona To Venice)
Sail date: July 26, 2019
Ship:
Veendam
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 223
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Yes the ship was older and dated but was a wonderful Mediterranean cruise overall. The ship was well suited for this type of trip. Definitely not a party ship but was fine being that there was only one sea day and we were in a different port each day. The Veendam was still very comfortable and clean and we found the the food to be good. We thought that the trip was more about the itinerary and sightseeing than the on-board activities anyway and HAL provided a first rate experience with excellent hotels and very easy and smooth transfers to and from the airport, hotels and ship.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very smooth and painless. Booked a hotel through HAL. Was picked up at hotel and taken directly to the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food in MDR was excellent and had the complimentary beverage package. Pinnacle Grill was not that much of an upgrade over the MDR
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Was mostly off-ship during the day so did not get to do much on-board. Not much to do at night but that was fine because days spent sight-seeing were exhausting and usually had to get up early the next morning for additional sight-seeing. Utilized room service for coffee/breakfast and that was excellent.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Shows were usually good but never was able to make the beginnings because of late dinners. Bar musicians, i.e. piano players, trio and classical duo were all excellent.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All staff members were extremely friendly and worked very hard to provide us with a wonderful vacation. Could not have asked for better service.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
As was read on other reviews, the ship was a little tired looking because of its age but was spotless. Smaller in size, which was fine., it was easy to get around and there were plenty of public spaces This cruise was more about the itinerary than the ship itself.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Aft-facing corner stateroom. Showed signs of wear and tear as reported but was very clean and an excellent size. Very comfortable for three people over the entire twelve day cruise. The balcony was outstanding, lots of room and great views while in port or tendering.
Ship tip
The balcony cabins on decks 9 and 10 are worth the extra money when compared to Lanai cabins. They are bigger and have private balconies.
Just did excursion for the round-trip transportation to Florence and walked around on our own once there. Had lunch, gelato and shopped. Florence is a must see and what more can be said about this incredible city that hasn't already been said.
Took Best of Rome Excursion. A lot of walking and very tiring but well worth the price. Included admission to the Colosseum and St. Peter's and saw a good deal of the Roman sights during the walking portion of the tour, including the Trevi Fountain. Even included a delicious lunch in very nice restaurant.
Took the excursion to the island of Capri. Decided to do the excursion rather than risking the public ferry. Was a good excursion that took us to Ana Capri and Capri Town and it included lunch but would have liked a little more free time to walk around beautiful Capri.
Did not do an excursion. many people on board went to the beach here. Tendered to Giardini Naxos and then a bus up to the town of Taormina, which higher up on the mountain. Walked around, it is an absolutely beautiful town with plenty to do. Had a great lunch, gelato and cannolis. There is even a store that sells typical Sicilian street food that is normally sold only by street vendors in Palermo.
Did not take an excursion here either. Walked around the Old Town and had a lunch here too. Was very impressed and had a good time, it was charming old town. many others went to the beach in this port as well.
Did not take an excursion here either. Took a taxi to the walled old town and walked around. Saw where Game of Thrones was filed. Was not as impressed with this city as I was with Kotor, maybe because I had higher expectations. Was beautiful but found the people to be overly aggressive in selling tours and souvenirs, etc.. Seemed much too touristy a place even every port was packed with tourists.
Follow everyone else's advice and get up early to see the sail-in first hand. Absolutely amazing geography on the way into port. Did not do an excursion here either but was extremely impressed with the charming and beautiful walled old-town, It has a much more lived-in feeling than Dubrovnik. Great market right outside the walls as well.
Did a Gondola excursion the first afternoon in port. Stayed an extra day in Venice after disembarking the next day so it was well worth it. Spent the entire next day getting lost wandering all around the city. Yes, it's overly crowded and chaotic but there is absolutely no place else like Venice. A definite must-see at least once for everyone.
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