Rhonda Bracey: At Random

Another ‘at sea’ day today. The changeover of passengers was obvious everywhere we went on board today. So far we’ve only seen 4 faces we recognise from last week, other than the crew of course.

I spent much of the morning figuring out how to use my phone and tablet to record a eulogy for my best friend’s memorial service (bathroom towels came in very handy for propping up both!). Then spent the rest of the morning by the pool, then we went into the air conditioning and the Explora Lounge and completed two 500-piece jigsaws in about 5 hours. A very lazy day, where we walked fewer than 2,000 steps; other days have regularly been 8,000+ steps).

This evening we participated in the music trivia quiz, as we have most nights, but with four new team members (2 from London and 2 from Edinburgh); the previous two from Kansas had disembarked in Barcelona. We came equal 2nd on 80s music, losing by just 1 point. We’ve really been enjoying the evening music trivia nights—they start at 9pm, typically when it’s still light out and the ship has either just left or is about to leave port. We try to get to the 5pm general trivia competitions too, but sometimes we haven’t been on board to make it.

More photos of food that we shared, these from the Med Yacht Club restaurant…

We’re already halfway through our cruise! Lots of people (about 700 we were told) disembarked today, with about the same number embarking for the first time.

We started our day in Barcelona with a 2-hour tuk tuk tour of the main spots. It was an excellent introduction to Barcelona and covered the main highlights, so much so that we felt we didn’t need to also do a hop-on hop-off bus tour or catch the cable car to the top of Mount Montjuïc behind Barcelona.

After the tour we wandered the wide footpaths to two of the Gaudi houses, but the length of the crowds meant we didn’t feel the need to buy tickets and go inside. And I had an amazingly refreshing mint and lemon drink at a cafe while my sister had her usual coffee and croissant.

Barcelona was surprisingly beautiful, with wide streets and footpaths, and LOTS of street trees for shade. We avoided the heavily touristed areas like La Rambla, and thus avoided the pickpockets that Barcelona is infamous for.

One of the Gaudi houses

The famous La Familia Sagrada, designed by Gauci. Note the very wide footpaths and shade trees, which were everywhere we went

Our tuk tuk, with our driver, Diana

Mint and lemon drink – SOOOO refreshing on a hot day with a lot of walking

They told us it would be hot, and so it was. Blisteringly so. It was forecast to be 37 C / 97 F in the shade, so I can’t imagine what it was for the 3+ hours we spent in the direct sun from 1:30pm. Why? Because back in February we booked a ‘Formula 1’ drive for today. It was loads of fun, but the heat and the hot wind spoiled what should have been an awesome day.

Yes, we got the black Batmobile to drive, but because it sat empty in the sun for more than 30 mins, its black vinyl seats burnt through fabric to our skin. The drive was great and we saw some spectacular and rugged parts of the island, but the relentless sun and wind with no cover over the vehicle took its toll and we were more than glad when it was all over. In milder weather, this would have been an experience to remember with great fondness. In fact, Palma is a place I could return to in future, provided it wasn’t in the heat of summer—we didn’t see a lot of Palma itself because we were out and about, but what we saw was nice. And some of the smaller towns looked lovely too. Certainly one to add to the ‘possibilities’ list for future travel—one day didn’t do it justice.

We’d taken a taxi to Peguera, where the F1 tour left from, but couldn’t get one back easily, despite the woman at the tour place trying several times for us. So we skedaddled across the road and caught the public bus back to Palma, for a lot less EU. The bus was air-conditioned so that was a welcome relief from the blistering heat. Even though I was wearing cool linen, the sweat just drenched my dress.

Sadly, this evening we said goodbye to M&D who disembark in Barcelona tomorrow and return to the US (they were on a back-to-back 14-day cruise from Barcelona to Rome back to Barcelona, whereas we were on the next back-to-back of Rome to Barcelona back to Rome). We met them at dinner on the 2nd night we were on board, and have had several meals with them as well as many hours of great conversations. We’ll miss them this next leg.

The journey so far…

Yes, they have special ships that transport other ships (yachts, and there were about 12 on board this ship) around the world

Some of the F1 ‘cars’ (3 wheelers) ready to go

We paid EU10 extra to get a Batmobile. Note the blue sarong I’d bought at Carloforte trying to protect the black vinyl seats from the worst of the sun

There was one main stop along the coast, where we could knock down a couple of very cold drinks and take in the magic views, and try to cool off on the verandah outside

The Batmobile in convoy. Note the lack of sun and wind protection

It was a beautiful calm day for our arrival at Carloforte, which is a port on a small island off the bottom of Sardinia. But it was hot! This was a tender port, which means the ship was too big to dock (or the water too shallow) and so we had to get into lifeboats that took us to the docks.

We’d heard the beaches were great with crystal clear water, but despite waiting in the main street at a bus stop opposite the ferry terminal for 40+ mins in the middle of a normal Friday, we didn’t see a single bus or taxi. So even if we could get to a beach, who knows how we would get back! Short of hiring a car (cost, plus bond, plus credit card required, plus contract only in Italian), scooter or ebike (both too hot), we had no option but to head back to the ship and its pools and air conditioning. (I can see a business opportunity for someone to have a mini bus or two for taking tourists from the cruise ships and the regular ferry from the main island on a loop to and from the beaches.)

We wandered about this pretty little town for an hour or too (there was an open market area under some big shade trees, which was a blessed relief from the heat), but the heat finally got to us. Although it was meant to be 30 C in the shade, it was MUCH hotter walking in the full sun. My $10 ‘el cheapo’ hat is certainly getting used! Oh, and I bought a light cotton sarong as a cover-up, something I didn’t regret later on…

We have an ‘at sea’ day tomorrow as we make our way to our next port.

LOOK at that water—we wanted to jump in right off the ship!!! Tender boat for contrast

Typical street in Carloforte

Market in the shade

The yellow square marks the bus stop in the main road and there was one of the other side of the road too, right outside where the ferries land, but we didn’t see a single bus or taxi the entire time we sat waiting. One person in a shop said there weren’t any taxis, even though the ‘expert’ on the ship had told us the night before that there were and how much they were.

La Goulette is the port for Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Because I had no clue if my phone and EU SIM would work in Tunisia (it didn’t), we’d booked a shore excursion from the ship today instead of trying to arrange cars, drivers, etc.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable (he’s a published historian), spoke 6 languages and flitted in and out of each language depending on who he was talking to. We went to some of the sites of ancient Carthage, visited Roman ruins, and then stopped for an hour or two at the pretty blue and white village of Sidi Bou Said (full-on tourist trap with SOOO many people, 80 [!!] tour buses, etc.). At the palace in Sidi Bou said (no longer used), the ship had arranged a nice lunch for those of us on the various shore excursions that included this pretty little town (there’s an ulterior motive in providing food and drink, I’m sure—the last thing a cruise ship needs is for a gastric bug to spread throughout the ship, so by providing us with lunch they could control what we ate and drank, to a large extent). It was very hot, so the ice cold lemon juice drink was especially welcome.

Then it was back to the ship for a welcome dip in the pool followed by a fabulous dinner and great conversations with the two wonderful people (M&D) we’d met on our second night.

Our cruise route so far – Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Trapani, and La Goulette

Roman ruins near Carthage

View from the palace at Sidi Bou Said

Ceiling detail at the palace at Sidi Bou Said

Iconic blue and white of every house and building in Sidi Bou Said

We arrived in Trapani on the western tip of Sicily this morning, caught the ship’s shuttle bus into town, but no-one seemed to know where the town centre was. There was no guidance from the bus driver or anyone else, so we followed some other people. Bad move!

We spent an hour or two in the heat wandering about some quite deserted streets to the tip of the point, back past the fishing fleet, then decided we’d seen enough weeds, dead plants, dirty streets and dog poo, so headed back to the shuttle bus. Fortunately a fellow passenger waiting there told us we’d gone the wrong way and the main part of town was about 3 streets over from where we’d started… in the other direction! And so it was.

It was radically different from where we’d walked. Clean, long pedestrian mall, nice shops, lots of cafes, not too many people etc. We spent an hour or so there, then went back to the ship in the early afternoon.

Fishing boat harbour

Long, almost deserted, esplanade heading towards the tip of the point (too many rocks for swimming)

Near the tip of the point there was a pebble and rock area where some people were sunning themselves

Main street, which was a pedestrian mall, with lots of nice shops, cafes etc.

The array of pastries in a cafe where we found a loo!

We opted to use a private car service recommended by a friend to take us to Positano, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast and avoid the tourists at Pompeii.

Ha! I think the tourists all went to those two places too. SOOO many people!

Such a beautiful coastline that reminded me of Big Sur (California) but with many more boats, steeper hills and drop offs, more lemons, and windier roads. Magnificent scenery. Positano is very steep and hilly and the paths past the tourist traps to the water are long, steep and often with steps (we’re getting used to those now), but it’s not at all comfortable in >36 C weather. Sorrento is quite flat and more a commercial centre than Positano.

We were going to drive through Naples too, but decided one of the ship’s many pools was a more attractive option, so cut our trip short and gave the driver some time off.

Positano: One of the few shaded areas in the streets heading towards the water

The road runs right along this magnificent coast. The geometric shapes on the curve below are sun shades/lounges for the tourists who will flock to the beach.

Amazing views of the turquoise Mediterranean Sea along the Amalfi Coast

Roadside stall selling lemons, oranges and their products, such as granita and freshly squeezed juice

The original purpose of our trip to Europe was to do a Mediterranean cruise, and today was the day that part of the journey would start.

However, it was a bittersweet day for me… I was so excited to be starting a new adventure going on a cruise with my sister (her first, my third), but I was also dealing with the devastating news that one of my bestest friends ever passed away today, on her 69th birthday. I was in constant contact with her husband and another friend as her condition deteriorated until finally her body say ‘Enough!’. That certainly cast a shadow over the day.

Back to the cruise…

We were able to board from noon and it was as seamless a process as you could imagine. One of the crew on the shuttle bus even carried my duffel for me—I was to see him many more times serving in the various restaurants and we always had a little chat.  Our first task was to have lunch then explore the ship. Around 2pm we were told the suites were ready and so the next task was to take photos of our cabin before we wrecked it, then unpack, watch the safety video, present to the muster station, then wander about some more, exploring. We left Civitavecchia around 7:30pm, headed to Naples.

For those wondering, the ship was Explora II and is the second ship in the Explora Journeys line, which is a new luxury line from MSC that started in about 2023. Explora III is due to be in service from mid 2026, with Explora IV to follow in 2027.

These ships are classed as a ‘luxury hotel at sea’. Each has no more than 920 passengers, with a passenger to crew ration of 1.25 to 1. Our travel agent recommended the line because she knew we liked the idea of smaller, luxury ships, with a more adult crowd, not the behemoths that some ships have become. While it was expensive, almost everything (except shore excursions, spa treatments, one very top-end restaurant, very top-end wines and spirits, casino stakes, and purchases from the shops on board) was included—tips, drinks of all types, and fast internet (with up to 3 devices per person). Every cabin has a balcony.

Other observations:

• Wonderful staff everywhere and at every level, from maintenance crew to captain.
• Lovely food everywhere we ate (4 main restaurants + Emporium Marketplace, plus cafes, bar food, etc.). I especially loved the way they do ‘buffet’ at Emporium, which is not really a buffet at all as passengers never handle or go near the food; great food handling practices.
• Beautiful decor—it really is a ‘luxury hotel at sea’
• Entertainment that we went to was mostly good, though the band sound sometimes drowned out the singer. Nothing was bad, but nothing was ‘OMG, I must see that performer again!’ either. This matched my expectations based on my 2 previous cruises, both of which were also on smaller ships.
• Seas and winds were calm throughout the entire 14 days—my sister was very happy with that as she gets seasick.
• The Journeys shop had a very limited range, and mostly well overpriced for what it was. Limited range of promotional clothing (e.g. no t-shirts with Explora Journeys on them that I saw). Everyday things like deodorant and toothpaste are available, but are almost hidden at the end of one of the counters in the 2 rooms (why 2 rooms??) and in limited quantity – certainly not on display for impromptu sale, which is a missed opportunity, in my opinion.
• Other shops were very high end (e.g. Cartier, Rolex) and we didn’t set foot in those.
• Lots of pools and whirlpools, with not too much ‘lounge hogging’ except on ‘at sea’ days. However, trying to get out of the direct (and very hot) sun was an issue for many of the outdoor pools, where shade was limited. The Conservatory pool offered the best options here, but didn’t have a lot of sun lounges available undercover near the windows. There were plenty near the pool, but they were often in direct sun. Some people loved that, of course, but as an Australian who had WAY too much sun when she was a kid/teenager, lying in the sun all day is not my idea of fun.
• There was a tiny casino, but we never went in there either. Possibly because it doesn’t open until the ship is a certain number of nautical miles from land, and that was often late at night—we didn’t leave some ports until 10pm.
• There was a gelateria and creperia near the Conservatory pool—we certainly sampled a few of those!
• Despite the all-inclusive nature of alcohol etc., in our two weeks on board I didn’t see anyone who was obviously drunk and being a nuisance. On another cruise I was on, where you had to pay upwards of US$40 per day per person for a drinks package, I certainly saw a lot of drunk people who seemed to want to get full value for the money they’d spent. On our ship, alcohol, cocktails etc. were all included, so I wonder if people drank just as much as they wanted but no more. Also, this certainly wasn’t a ‘party ship’, where alcohol and wild parties in the pool seem to be the norm. Thank goodness… There wouldn’t be enough money in the world that you could pay me to go on one of those ships. Or on one that had thousands of people on board.
• Wonderful people—we met several through the trivia competitions and formed a couple of lovely teams over the two weeks. Another couple we met because we were seated right next to them at one of the restaurants and got to talking, and never really stopped until they disembarked at Barcelona (we still talk in our little WhatsApp group).

We had such a nice and relaxing time that we’ve already booked another Mediterranean cruise with Explora again in 2026. And with luck and some good planning, the couple from our WhatsApp chat might join us!

Below are some photos of the ship and our cabin (before we unpacked); remember, many of those who were already on board from Barcelona were out and about in Rome that day and we were early arrivals onto the ship, so there are lots of empty spaces. That said, it never felt crowded anywhere at any time, even on the ‘at sea’ days. I think that each cabin having its own balcony helped—I know some people preferred to relax there some of the time in preference to the public areas of the ship. Also, we only had about 850 passengers on board, not the maximum 920.

One of the several pools on board

One of the several whirlpools on board

Sun deck near a pool. Note the shower in the foreground for use before and after the pool

Conservatory pool—the largest, and it has a retractable roof if the weather is inclement. The big screen is used for movies, and they even had the Canadian F1 race on one day

Sakura, the Asian themed restaurant

Our cabin on arrival. Note the large vinyl sheets on the beds to protect the linen from suitcases and suitcase wheels while you’re unpacking – nice touch!

Our lounge area, with bubbly on arrival, metal water bottles for us to keep, some sweet treat. Also included (but not shown) was a fully stocked bar fridge and bottles of wine and spirits to our liking

Our balcony, with 2 chairs, a table and a day lounger

Dressing and vanity area, with lots of hanging space, coat hangers (they give you more on request), robes, and the top drawer is shallow for jewellery and small things and has a glass top so you can’t miss anything. Above the hanging space is a storage area for hats, bags etc., also with a glass bottom so you can see your stuff up there.

Full size bathroom with a full length vanity area and a small fenced area above for extra storage. The towels were wonderfully large and very fluffy, and the floor was heated

The end of the shower recess had a ledge where you could put things or sit, and it was out of the splash zone of the shower, so nothing that went there got wet. Yes, it was a very long shower space!

Part of the shower furniture. Not shown is the large rainhead above. The grab rail was in a good position and the toiletries were out of the way of elbows etc.

At the stern is the small infinity pool, a heap of sun loungers and yet another bar

Conservatory pool at night after they closed the roof

Today’s adventures involved 2 train trips: Siena to Grosseto, a bit of a wait, then Grosseto to Civitavecchia, the port for Rome.

So, when does a paid for seat reservation on a train not equal a reserved seat on a train? When you get onto Coach 3 and look for your allocated seats of 9A and 10A only to find that 10A exists but 9A doesn’t! Fortunately, the train guy found us 2 other seats in the same coach that he said weren’t listed in the reservation system. Not ideal but at least we were in the same coach as each other and our luggage.

These were my last train trips in Italy and overall the experience has been great. Every train has been on time (I wasn’t expecting that), all trains had working air conditioning, and many were newer rolling stock, with only a couple perhaps made in the last 20 years (nothing earlier). Checking tickets (Eurail Pass in our case) has been hit and miss—I think our tickets were checked maybe twice on the first 5 sectors. They must be losing a lot of money because of this (someone on Facebook did mention that the fines for no ticket are VERY high in Italy [EU200 or more?] so it’s a big risk to travel without one). And train travel is certainly the best way to get from A to B in Italy. Even the regional trains are in good condition, though some stations were better than others (2 of the elevators to the platforms at Siena didn’t work the 6 times we used that station, twice with luggage). Luggage can be a bit of an issue—some carriages have luggage racks, but many don’t. Some train doors open flush to the platform, but many have several steep steps you have to negotiate quickly with luggage (typically the train is in the station for maybe 2 minutes and in that time you have to find your coach [1st or 2nd class and your reserved seat, if you have one] and get yourself and your luggage up the steps and onto the train). We found that one of the most useful pieces of travel kit we purchased were retractable luggage locks—we used them to tie our luggage to a railing or a bike or luggage rack. They removed the worry that if our luggage was out of sight, as it often was, that someone might take off with it, or that it would roll about the floor being a hazard to everyone.

We arrived in Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) late morning and spent a lazy afternoon wandering around the waterfront area, finding where we had to go to access the cruise terminal, having a bite to eat (we shared a carbonara and salad), then cooling off in the air conditioned apartment watching a couple of movies and doing laundry. A slow afternoon/evening to take the edge off all the recent travel and activity.

Tomorrow we start the next part of the adventure!

Locking our luggage to racks with retractable locks was a terrific idea, and they were well worth the purchase

Civitavecchia waterfront a cruise ship in the distance (not ours)