Cruising to Rome and Civitavecchia

Cruising to Rome is a voyage to one of the world's great cities. The city combines centuries of history, beautiful art and architecture and an atmosphere that is at once lively and timeless.

It is not possible to cover everything of interest in Rome in just one section of an online travel guide. Therefore, I have concentrated on three aspects of interest to visitors.

First, Rome is a city that lends itself to walking. Yes, you do have to be aware of the Roman traffic, although it does not seem as chaotic as when I first went to Rome but then most people were driving chariots back then. However, many of the major sights of ancient Rome and Renaissance Rome are not located very far from each other.

To illustrate this, I have put together a photo feature about a walk through central Rome. We start at the Piazza Navona and wander our way through the streets and plazas to the Colosseum. There is a lot to see along the way. The article is posted at http://www.beyondships3.com/rome-a-walk-through-rome.html

Next, many people come to Rome and then leave the country for all or part of the day. This is because Rome surrounds the world's smallest country, the Vatican. http://www.beyondships3.com/rome-visiting-the-vatican.html

In addition to being a major religious center, the Vatican has an incomparable collection of fine art. And it is all housed in historic and architecturally important buildings. Our coverage of the Vatican includes a photo feature on visiting St. Peter's Basilica http://www.beyondships3.com/rome-visiting-st-peters.html and information about the Vatican Museums. http://www.beyondships3.com/rome-visiting-vatican-museums.html

Finally, we look at Rome's cruise port, Civitavecchia. This is perhaps the only cruise port with a building designed in part by Michelangelo. It is a busy cruise port and thus is a great place for watching cruise ships. Our page on Civitavecchia is at http://www.beyondships3.com/cruise-port-civitavecchia.html

Cruising to Cobh Ireland; Cobh and Titanic; Visiting the Blarney Stone; Jewel of the Seas video

Brochures for British Isles cruises often list Cork, Ireland as a port of call. This is somewhat misleading in two ways. First, the cruise ships actually dock in Cobh, which is on the body of water known as Cork Harbour but not in Cork City itself. Second, the main attractions in this part of the world are not in Cork City itself but in the surrounding countryside.

Listing the port as Cork rather than Cobh is not a quibble. Cobh is not some industrial port that is occasionally used by cruise ships. Rather, it is a place that is both scenic and historic. (See our Cobh cruise port page http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cobh-cruise-port.html )

The cruise ships dock near the center of Cobh. It is a pretty Irish town that seemingly has changed little since the 19^th century. You can walk along the harbor and see the fishing boats, the pubs and the well-maintained Victorian/Edwardian buildings. Or you can walk up the hill and visit the town's Gothic cathedral. There are also museums and a fortress in the harbor. But the main thing is to soak up the charming atmosphere.

Cobh is also quite historic. It was the last port of call for the Titanic. It was also the place where the survivors and victims of the Lusitania disaster were brought. (The sinking occurred not far from the harbor entrance). These two events are remembered in Cobh with memorials and museums. In addition, because the town still looks much the same, it is easy to imagine what it must have been like for those passengers who disembarked Titanic at Cobh as well as for those who embarked. (See our article on Cobh, Titanic and Lusitania http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cobh-titanic.html ).

In those days, Cobh was known as Queenstown and was a frequent stop for ocean liners making transatlantic crossings. The primary reason they stopped here was to pick up Irish emigrants heading to America. 2.5 million of the six million Irish who emigrated to America left via Cobh. There is a heritage center next to the cruise ship berth that tells their story.

While it is easy to spend the entire port call in Cobh itself, there are many attractions nearby. For example, everyone who has ever heard of Ireland has heard of the Blarney Stone. If you kiss, you will supposedly obtain the gift of the gab or great eloquence, as the more reserved tourist literature puts it.

The Blarney Stone is in Blarney Castle, a ruin several miles outside of Cork City. To kiss it is no easy task. First, it seems like a few hundred fellow visitors are always waiting on line to do so. Next, you have to climb up a hundred or so steps to the top of the Castle where the stone resides. Then hanging upside down you dangle over the battlements to do the actual kissing. Still, almost everyone seems to enjoy it.

The kissing ceremony is not the only reason to visit Blarney Castle. Surrounding the Castle are beautifully landscaped grounds and a variety of gardens. Sharing the grounds is Blarney House, a smaller version of Downton Abbey, which you can also tour. Our article on visiting Blarney Castle is at http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-blarney-castle.html

Also in the area near Cobh is the Old Midleton Distillery, home to the Jameson Experience. Here, you can tour a 19^th/20^th century distillery and see how Irish Whiskey was made. In addition, there is a bar area where you can become a certified Irish Whiskey taster. Our article about visiting the Jameson distillery is at http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cobh-jameson.html

The countryside is also quite scenic. A drive down to the seaside village of Kinsale is another popular excursion.

Then there is Cork City itself. While it may not be Paris or Rome, there are things to see in Cork City. Our overview of Cork City is at http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cork-city.html

Changing topics, I discovered in our archives a video of Jewel of the Seas sailing from Boston, Massachusetts. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/jewel-of-the-seas-video.html

Brilliance of the Seas revitalized; Transatlantic on Brilliance of the Seas

 The introduction of the super cruise ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas created a problem for Royal Caribbean. Not just in size but in the array of entertainment and dining choices that the ships offered, they were beyond pretty much any ship in service. However, not only did they render almost every other ship then in service out-of-date, they also did the same to Royal's existing fleet.

The solution was to undertake a fleetwide revitalization program that would give the existing ships some of the features of Oasis and Allure. Obviously, because they are not as big as the two giants, the existing ships would not be able to offer everything that you can find on the Oasis class ships but they could add some of the more popular features in order to give guests more choice throughout the Royal Caribbean fleet. It is a business strategy that makes a lot of sense.

This strategy was not without risk, however. Quite a few of the existing Royal Caribbean ships are very popular and have their own loyal following. For those ships, didn't Royal risk violating the old adage if it ain't broke don't fix it.

This was particularly true for Royal's four Radiance class ships. These ships are big but not too big. They are elegantly designed but not stuffy. They have relatively few passengers for their size, giving the ships a passenger space ratio that is more like that of an upmarket ship. In addition, they have a loyal following, particularly among frequent cruisers.

It was with these conflicting thoughts in mind that I joined Brilliance of the Seas for a transatlantic crossing. I had sailed on this ship, the second ship built in the Radiance class, less than a year before. However, since then she had been through the revitalization refit, adding several new dining and entertainment venues.

I was relieved to find, in the words of Cruise Director Steve Davis, that the Brilliance is still the Brilliance. Her essential character has not been changed. She is still presents a sophisticated version of the Royal Caribbean experience.

The changes that were made blend in nicely with the ship's character. The additional dining venues give you more options, which is particularly nice on a long cruise. I particularly liked the transformation of the Solarium Cafe into the Park Cafe. The atmosphere is the same but the menu and the hours have been enlarged. I was also impressed with Giovanni's Table, which has taken over from Portofino's. (See review http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-giovanni-review.html )

I was disappointed that the Sea View Cafe, a venue found only on the Radiance class ships, was replaced with Izumi. I have nothing against Izumi but the Sea View was unique and I have enjoyed a number of meals there.

With regard to entertainment, the Centrum has been modified to make it more of an entertainment venue. Previously, the atrium had been used for theme parties and some other forms of entertainment but the glass stairs and the floor plan of the lobby made it difficult for the entertainers. That has all been changed and a new layout created that is more conducive to entertainment.

The giant sculpture that hung in the atrium has also been removed so as to allow aerialists to perform in this space. It is impressive but “flying” shows are no longer something new on cruise ships and so I am skeptical of whether it creates the “wow” that Royal was hoping to achieve.

There has also been the addition of a giant outdoor television/movie screen on the pool deck. Several of the bars have been changed as well. The most dramatic change has been the transformation of the Sports Bar into the King and Country Pub. The fact that it was full every night whereas the Sports Bar was never full testifies to the success of this change.

Beyondships' multi-page photo tour of Brilliance of the Seas has been updated to reflect the revitalization. It begins at http://beyondships.com/RCI-BOS-Tour-1.html

I spoke with Captain Stig Nilsen, Hotel Director Dean Bailey and Cruise Director Steve Davis to get their thoughts about Brilliance after the revitalization. That interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-revitalized.html

I also spoke with them about sailing transatlantic on the Brilliance. A transatlantic crossing is a unique cruise experience. It is one that a large number of frequent cruisers savor. The experience on Brilliance is much different than crossing on Queen Mary 2, which I have written about in the past. (see http://www.beyondships2.com/queen-mary-2-shepard.html ). Moreover, the far northern route that Brilliance followed across the Atlantic also made the crossing different than the more southerly crossings made by other cruise ships. My article on crossing on Brilliance is at http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-transatlantic.html

The crossing on Brilliance began with what was in essence a European cruise. This enabled me to take some photos of the ship in various European ports. They are posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-in-europe.html

In addition, Brilliance's menus page has been updated with new menus from the main dining room and the specialty restaurants. http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-menus.html The daily programs page has been updated with new Cruise Compasses. http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-daily-programs.html The informationals page has been updated with a variety of different leaflets distributed onboard Brilliance. http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-informationals.html And, of course, a new deck plan has been added which reflects the changes made during the revitalization. http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-deck-plans.html

Photos of Carnival Glory; Videos of Carnival Glory and Norwegian Breakaway

After several years of being based in New York City for at least part of the year, Carnival Glory has moved on and has taken up year-round residence in Florida. During her time in New York, she provided many people enjoyable vacations to Eastern Canada and to the Bahamas.

In tribute to the Glory's New York years, we have a new photo essay and video showing Carnival Glory sailing from New York. In it, we see her passing such landmarks as the Statue of Liberty and passing under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Then we see her sailing on the open sea.

The photo feature is at http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-glory-photos-2.html and the video is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-glory-video.html

Glory's departure will not leave New York devoid of cruise ships. New York's newest resident cruise ship is Norwegian Breakaway. In a new video, we present her leaving the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (aka the Passenger Ship Terminal) and heading out to sea. She was off o n her first cruise to the Bahamas and it was a beautiful fall day.

The Norwegian Breakaway video is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-nyc-video.html