Some fantastic clients took a trip of a lifetime this summer, enjoying a Mediterranean cruise and then spending some time living like locals in an apartment in Florence. The journey included some incredible destinations in Italy, Greece and Turkey, and brought together multiple generations (grandparents, parents, and kids) building memories that will last forever!
Here’s their report:
The Swiss Air flights were really good. We ended up doing an upgrade to business class from Boston which was nice – got a good deal. The Rome transfers were perfect.
The Hotel Capo D’Africa was very nice and in a good location. The Vatican tour was really good!
The kids loved the Navigator of the Seas. The service was excellent. The room was nice.
The ship was really large, and had a lot of people onboard. I got sick the last day….a stomach bug.
The food, service and entertainment were excellent.
In Sicily, we took a taxi to Taoromina – small village. It was beautiful.
The tour we wanted to take in Athens was cancelled….could have been something to do with what was going on in Greece. We took a tour to the Acropolis thru the ship…it was ok….
Kusadasi (and Ephesus) was the highlight of the cruise!! The tour was excellent and we loved Turkey!!
Chania (Crete) was ok. We didn’t have a tour there and we just drove around a bit to see some churches.
Disembarkation went smoothly, and we did not have any problems taking the train to Florence. The apartment was in a great location, but not too updated. There were 68 stairs to walk up (my mom counted!) We had to unpack our suitcases at the bottom because they were too heavy to carry up. The manager Manuel was very nice.
The Florence sightseeing tour and the cooking class were both excellent.
The side trip to Venice was great. The hotel (Villa Igea) was REALLY nice. Our room was excellent. Great location. We really enjoyed Venice.
For anyone considering a similar trip:
I definitely recommend the business class on the way over. We were nice and rested when we arrived. They gave us a deal on the upgrade when we checked in at Boston. A great area in Rome was the Trastevere area – cute restaurants and bars. The private tours are much nicer than the larger tours. The best tip someone gave us was in Florence….we wanted to see the statue of David and there is usually a 2 hour wait if you don’t make a reservation….but they told us to go at 5:45 – the museum is open till 6:45… and we only waited 10 minutes to get in!
If you are taking a cruise, they take your passport when you check in…so make sure you have either a picture id or make copies to keep w/you of your passports.
I loved the area we stayed at in Florence. It was walking distance to most everything.
– Julie
