MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE – DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Genoa

The cruise set sail from Genoa, which struck us as a very boring and chaotic city. We didn’t explore it at all; we just boarded the ship. Shortly after we set sail from Genoa, we stopped out at sea to watch part of the crew conduct a demonstration evacuation using the lifeboats, so that all passengers would know what to do in case of an emergency. Out of a total of 10 lifeboats, we were supposed to be in lifeboat number 6—that’s what was written on the map they gave us at check-in. We watched the demonstration from the balcony.

Day 2: Ajaccio

The next day we landed in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica, where Napoleon's native house is located. The house-museum is open from 9:30 to 12:00 and then from 14:00 to 18:00. The entrance fee is 4.50 euros/person, and for children and young people under 26 years of age and from the EU is free. It was the only stop where we didn't get off the ship to explore, firstly because we were tired of the road to Genoa and secondly that it seemed to us nothing. On the other hand, we rest in the cabin, looked at the ship, ate, melted in the jacuzzi, ate again and at 19:00. We left Ajaccio to the next stop on the route.

The outfit for tonight was formal, i.e. the ladies had to wear evening dresses, and the gentlemen in suits or tuxedos. I was wearing a black dress, the prom shoes and the wedding gloves, and Simeon was wearing light trousers and the wedding shoes. First there was a cocktail from 18:15 to 19:15, where, in addition to the cocktail, we were also served bites of caviar.

Then from 19:00. until 7:30 p.m. All the passengers lined up to take pictures with the ship's captain. When it was our turn, the captain took baby Avi in his arms and stayed for the picture. This photo came out quite salty for us - as much as 16.50 euros, but there is no way - when will Avi be held by a captain another time. After filming, we visited the Broadway Theater, whose performances were free and tonight there was a concert with opera singing and classical dances. It only lasted 40 minutes – short but nice. Another already had performances dedicated to tango.

Day 3: Rome

At 8:00 a.m., we docked in Civitavecchia. It’s a port city, 80 km from Rome. Since the guided tours organized by the ship were quite pricey (at least 40 euros per person), we decided to plan our own trip to Rome. This was the only city where I knew exactly what I wanted to see, and I had found information in advance about what, how, and where.

So, we caught the Free Shuttle Bus to the exit of the harbor, from there on foot to Civitavecchia station, from where we finally reached the Rome station by train for 9 euros/double way per person. And since the first thing we wanted to see was the Pope in the Vatican, we got on the subway there. It's good that we decided to be with the kangaroo and not with the baby carriage, because otherwise it would have been completely impossible to get into the subway because of the large crowd of people in the subway who was also going to the Vatican. Leaving the metro station and going to the Vatican, we saw many, many people returning from there.

To our great disappointment, it turned out that we had missed the Pope by just a few minutes. Usually, every Sunday at exactly 12:00 p.m., he appears and speaks from the window of the Papal Residence. We arrived in front of St. Peter’s Basilica at exactly 12:30 p.m., and we were really upset that we’d missed him. Going to Rome and not seeing the Pope is like… going to Rome and not seeing the Pope

We put our disappointment aside and decided to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which is also the largest church in the world. Admission is free, and going up to the dome costs 10 euros, but keep in mind that there are 551 steps leading up to the dome. Inside were the relics of two popes and, of course, lots of gilded elements everywhere. From there, we bought 20 postcards for 1 euro to send to our relatives in Bulgaria.

---

–> Browse and book a budget hotel in Rome at a discount. See HERE!

---

Then we took the subway to the Colosseum. Meanwhile, it started to rain, but we were prepared and brought an umbrella. The entrance fee to the Colosseum was 16 euros/adult or 9.50 euros if you enter after 2:00 p.m. Children under 18 are free. The working hours are from 10:30 to 19:15. On entering, we completely rearranged the entire long line with the excuse that we were with a baby 🙂 Inside, it was not exactly as I had imagined, but it was still interesting. From there we also saw the arch of Constantine, as well as other ruins.

I can’t help but mention the Italians’ rude behavior. For example: We were riding the subway and getting ready to get off at the next stop. The train stopped and the doors opened. The Italians who wanted to get on the train didn’t make any way for us to get off at all—they just shoved right into us. They even looked as if they expected that we, with a little baby in our arms, were obligated to make way for them…

At 18:00. We were at the station at Civitavecchia and we have exactly half an hour to board. Well, we made it - a little rush, a little more running and finally a sprint and that's it! 🙂

---

If you also want to get back part of the paid amount for hotels, flights or products, register at this link HERE and every new user receives a $10 bonus in the account.

---

SEASICKNESS

That evening, after Rome, we got seasick. We were on our way to the restaurant for dinner when we started swaying from side to side. We wondered what was going on. Then we sat down to eat and realized that the whole ship was rocking from the strong waves. The waiters looked hilarious, carrying drinks and dishes while swaying in all sorts of directions. We didn’t feel a thing for the first two days, but the next two days were a bit unpleasant.

The truth is that such wobbles are rarely felt, but there is no one to guarantee when they will happen and when they will not. When she started shaking, I was very afraid for baby Avi that she would get seasick, that with vomiting and diarrhea we would probably have to get off the ship. I only felt a little guessed, but Simeon felt very sick - he got diarrhea and he felt best when he was lying on his side. Separately, the day before, Simeon got a runny nose and sore throat, but now also seasickness. By the end of the cruise, he also added cough + severe pain in the head and eyes... In general, it took a big break... After the end of the cruise, after the fact, we found out that they distributed seasick pills at the reception for all the passengers in need.

Day 4: Salerno

Near the city of Salerno is the famous volcano Vesuvius and the ancient city of Pompeii. However, we were not able to see them, as I did not have time to prepare with information on what, how and where to see due to the quick organization of the cruise. That's why we got off the ship to look at Salerno and find a pharmacy because of Simeon's health condition. It blew a lot, as it was actually at any port. We found a pharmacy and with many explanations and funny gestures we finally got the cherished nose drops and anti-diarrhea pills 🙂 The city of Salerno was the last Italian city we visited. Tonight the outfit was uncasual, i.e. semi-official. Men had to be in a shirt and trousers, the women in a dress. Yes, but we didn't really follow the etiquette.

---

–> Browse and book a budget hotel in Salerno at a discount. See HERE!

---

Day 5: By Sea

On the fifth day, we didn't stop anywhere, but only sailed to the next destination. We passed near the coast of Tunisia and a coast guard came to do an inspection. In reality, the initial route of this cruise included a stop in Tunisia, but at this time of the year there were riots and riots in Tunisia, and accordingly the cruise company decided not to stop there. It was interesting to observe how the correspondence between the ship and the coast guard proceeded - they were carrying their correspondence with a red bucket between the two vessels. There were no violations and they left. Then one of the Bulgarians on board said that while we were passing by Tunisia, there was security on both sides of the liner for greater safety.

We were supposed to dress up formal again tonight. What was different tonight was that the restaurant had turned off the main lights, and we were all dining by candlelight. Suddenly, in the middle of dinner, the waiters put on a short show. Loud music began to play, and all the waiters entered the restaurant, lined up one behind the other, each carrying a white ice cream cake with a glowing fountain on top. Afterward, as a complimentary gesture from the captain, there was a slice of cake and a glass of champagne for every passenger.

Day 6: Palma de Mallorca

At exactly 1:00 p.m. We docked at the harbor in Palma de Mallorca. That day we had decided to walk with the baby carriage. We boarded a tourist bus for 15 euros/adult. First we saw the great cathedral in Palma - it was very beautiful. There were palm trees and lots of greenery all over it. We didn't go inside because we didn't have much time. Right in front of the cathedral, we met a Bulgarian who was collecting money pretending to be a walking costume without a head.

Then we went to the beach. We had taken our bathing suits to melt, but alas, the weather was cool, there was a green flag, but no one in the water. We walked along the promenade, along which it was blowing very hard, so we took the tourist bus to a small but very nice castle at the top of a hill in the city. The castle was called Belver and from there there was a great panorama of the whole city. Entrance to the castle was free. (I had never peed in a more archaic toilet until now 🙂 – the WC was built in one of the castle towers).

Overall, our impression of Palma is that it is a very clean and neat city, with many palm trees and a Mediterranean view and is an ideal place to live. We liked it very much! We even started to think about moving to live there... 🙂

Be sure to read the travelogues of our journey with Transantlantic Cruise From Europe to Caribbean.

---

–> Browse and book a budget hotel in Palma de Mallorca at a discount. See HERE!

---

Day 7: Marseille

The next day, we were set to spend the day in Marseille. Early that morning, before we docked at the port, we noticed patches of calm water out at sea where it seemed as though no waves were breaking. And so, we disembarked on the Côte d’Azur, the French Riviera—Marseille. To our great disappointment, we didn’t like the city at all—it was big (the second-largest city in France after Paris) and dirty. There were an unexpectedly large number of Black people, Arabs, and Muslims. Since we hadn’t paid for an organized tour, we had to arrange our own tour of the city again.

To begin with, we had to leave the harbor, which meanwhile is the largest port of France and in the Mediterranean Sea. We walked to his exit, which took us a long time - about 30 minutes. After leaving the harbor, from the nearby stop we boarded a city bus that took us to the center of Marseille. There we explored the Marseille Cathedral and the marina, which was huge. We wanted to get to the beach, but the distances turned out to be huge and we went back.

DAY 8: DISEMBARKING FROM THE SHIP

Since the cruise was ending the next day, we were informed via the daily program sheets that the night before we had to pack our luggage and leave it outside our cabin door so that the stewards could collect all the luggage during the night, organize it, and transport it to the port.

The next day, we got up at 6:00 a.m., and at 7:00 a.m. we checked out of the cabin. Then we bought some souvenirs from the cruise—a little Barbie belt for baby Avi, an ultra-thin magnetic chess set, and a watch for Simeon for 12 euros. After that, we went to pay off everything that had been charged to the card—a total of 165 euros. Most of the amount was for tips for the staff, which are mandatory and amount to 7 euros per person per day; we didn’t pay for Avi. At 9:00 a.m., we left this wonderful ship. It was a great time spent together, the three of us.

From Genoa to Bulgaria

On the way back from Italy to Bulgaria, we took the same road that we took on our way. We left at 9:00 a.m. from the port of Genoa and arrived in Plovdiv at 1:00 p.m. The next day. Our Italian highways were free, both on arrival and return. While we were filling up at a gas station, we saw two vintage cars, 1929, which were in motion and even had GPS navigation.

Slovenia passed for free again, as well as coming, but at the border with Croatia, the customs officers fined us because we had not bought a vignette. The fine was 300 euros, but when payment was immediately reduced by half. In the haste to book and prepare for the cruise, we had completely ruled out to check if it was necessary to buy a vignette somewhere and, to be honest, we didn't know we needed a vignette in Croatia. They even gave us a sheet translated into Bulgarian, where it was written what our violation was. Anyway, we paid half the amount immediately and moved on.

We supposedly stopped to spend the night, but Simeon was experiencing very severe pain in his head and could not sleep. After three hours of spinning, we decided to leave again to get back to Bulgaria faster. We were very, very tired from the road.

The interesting fact was that none of our relatives knew where we went, we didn't even tell the parents, so that they wouldn't be startled that we had taken baby Avi with us after all.

EXPENSES for 2 adults + 1 infant

Cabin with a balcony
Tips - 112 euros
Purchases on the ship - 53 euros
Travel expenses from Plovdiv to Genoa and back – 270 euros
Fine in Slovenia - 150 Euro
Admission and transportation fees in Rome - about 50 euros

Total: EUR 1115 = BGN 2,200