Palermo, Sicily

We had a private tour with a small group of 16 in Palermo. We started with a drive up to Monreale and toured its beautiful cathedral. We also enjoyed the views of Palermo below. We were all intrigued by the bodies and the interesting stories in the Capuccin Crypts. At the Zisa Castle, the kids were quickly bored in the Castle but had loads of fun afterwards climbing and running around on the water fountains in front. After lunch, we made a stop at Mount Pelegrino (sp?) for the best vista point of the Palermo area and then toured some of Palermo's other churches and buildings before heading back to the ship exhausted.

La Goulette, Tunisia

For our visit to the North African country of Tunisia, we decided to leave the kids aboard the ship with their grandparents while we did a full day tour of Ancient Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, Bardo Museum and the Tunis Medina Souk. I figured the kids needed a break from touring and they could spend some quality time with Yeh Yeh and Nai Nai. This turned out to be a great idea as it was probably 110 degrees most of the day, and most of what we saw would’ve bored them to tears.

Ancient Carthage was fascinating but you really have to enjoy ruins because it was hot and there was very little shade. And our guide noted that we were pretty lucky because it had been really hot the last few days! Sidi Bou Said was like the poor man’s Santorini. Great views and some bargains to be had from the vendors. The vendors were not nearly as aggressive or annoying as others had reported. The Bardo Museum was a highlight—the collection of Roman mosaics is extensive and their intricacy and detail is unbelievable.

A couple times during our tour, I felt that Tunisians were making up charges as they go. First, there was the practice of charging a Euro for each camera taking pictures to be a bit odd. I think this happened in Ancient Carthage and the Bardo Museum. Later, at the lunch restaurant, our guide walked with the restaurant owner or head waiter around to each couple to seek compensation. For each couple or family, they gestured a few times, said something in French, and seemed to just make up an amount. It was never consistent with what was ordered. Just seemed like they were winging it and hoping to make a Euro or two here or there.

We ended the tour in the Medina Souks which was pretty much a waste of time because 90% of the shops are closed on Sundays. You’d think the tour company would know this and spare us this part of the trip.

Favorite kid moment—The camel ride on the pier next to the ship. And on a “you have to shake your head in disbelief” note, my dad bought Adam a huge stuffed camel. What was he thinking? How did he think we were going to get this stupid thing home?

Sea Day

I’m sure it’s because this is a Mediterranean cruise itinerary, but this ship’s demographics most definitely did not fit the stereotype of a HAL ship. From my research on Cruisecritic, I had been told that HAL passengers definitely skew older than on other cruise lines. To our surprise, the crowd on this Noordam sailing is noticeably younger than on any Caribbean or other itinerary we’ve sailed on RCI or Carnival. We’ve seen nary a wheelchair, cane or oxygen tank onboard! There are however definitely fewer children than on RCI or Carnival ships. Here's Cara enjoying the not-that-crowded pool on our sea day.

Palma, Mallorca

We took a taxi to the Palma train station and then enjoyed a scenic (but very slow) train ride to Soller. After arriving in Soller, we immediately took the tram down to Puerto Soller. Looking back, I wish we’d spent some time in Soller first but oh well.

I’m pleasantly surprised by Adam and Cara’s new willingness to try and interest in eating new foods. They’re ordering off the adult menu almost every day in the main dining room for dinner! Andrea’s worried about Adam eating too much beef, but he’s trying so many different things! Cara got spaghetti and meatballs in Firenze and Adam ate seafood spaghetti in Sorrento! Cara however did not like the tomato-less pizza margherita in Soller. Overall Cara is still most comfortable with pastas, chickens and fish, and Adam now likes more seafood.

Barcelona, Spain

We taxied to La Sagrada Familia and walked back toward Las Ramblas, seeing Casa Terrades, Casa Mila and Casa Batllo along the way.


Unfortunately, it was pretty hot and the kids were tired and bored before we even reached Placa Catalunya and I knew we were in trouble. We got them food at McDonalds and Andrea and I ate later behind the Mercat de La Boqueria at Rita Rouge. After lunch, everybody was too tired to check out the Gothic Quarter or do anything else so we headed back to the ship. We walked back to the base of Las Ramblas to the Monument a Colom to catch the port shuttle. At 2-3 Euros per person and having to wait 10-20 minutes, I think this is a rip-off unless you are travelling solo. Heck you can take a taxi from there straight back to the ship for less than 5 Euros total!

In hindsight, I now realize that my Barcelona walking itinerary was overly ambitious and include any interesting indoor stops to allow everyone cool off. I should’ve substituted Gaudi’s Parc Gruell for some or all of his other architectural highlights. My parents knew better and booked a city tour bus ride for the afternoon through HAL. It was an epochal moment of our trip.

On a positive note, I think everyone enjoyed the evening Flamenco show and a peek at the Magic Fountain, and we didn’t miss the ship sailing. Have to say the cab drivers in Barcelona were very nice.

Favorite kid moment—Lunch at McDonald’s or the funny people on Las Ramblas

Sea Day

Ahhhhhhhhh, our first sea day to relax and unwind! Got to sleep in late and eat a late breakfast. Our CruiseCritic Meet and Greet went fairly well and our roll call swapped lots of information, room numbers and money (for shared tours).

In the evening, we had reservations for the Pinnacle Grill. Have to say that this was a bit of a disappointment. While we really enjoyed it, we didn’t feel either the food or the service was exemplary, especially considering the $20/person surcharge for the visit. We agreed to dine in the main dining room the rest of our voyage.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

I was disappointed today that we missed the last bus to Eze. You’d think we’d be able to get our butts out in time for an 11:25 am bus departure in Monte Carlo? We did however have a pleasant day in the Palace gardens and saw the beautiful cathedral.

Favorite kid moment—Racing the “obstacle course” in the Palace Garden’s playground

Livorno, Italy

We began the day with Pisa. Our first planning mistake was to include a 45 minute climb of the tower. In retrospect, if climbing the tower is a priority, we should have skipped Lucca or Firenze. By the time we got to Lucca, we only had less than an hour to walk around, and even then, we’d be having a very late lunch in Firenze.
Then the kids had a blood sugar crisis. We spent an inordinate amount of time in Lucca searching for snacks and eating. This triggered a huge argument between Andrea and me. She thought I didn't care about the kids or understand their need for food and snacks. I didn't think she was involved enough in the planning and didn't respect all the planning that went into it. Later, I think we had struck a happy medium. I think Andrea realized that it was not fair or reasonable to just continue reacting to my plans without first understanding what we were trying to do or prepare for contingencies. And I would make sure not to over schedule anymore, and to have options in case the kids or Andrea got tired or hungry.

We didn’t arrive around Santa Croce in Firenze until after 1 pm. We enjoyed a nice lunch and then a visit to Basilica di Santa Croce. After that, it was the 2-hour express city tour of the usual sights in Firenze. We did squeeze in a few minutes to walk around and even inside the Duomo.
In hindsight, I would have omitted the climbing of the tower or Lucca (probably the latter) so that we could spend more time in Firenze.

Favorite kid moment—Climbing the leaning tower of Pisa. Here we are at the top of the tower!