Dec 19, 2020 - Day at sea

Nobody called us, so even second COVID swab was ok. Time for a quick lunch, a nap and more ship exploration. My experience with the Formula 1 simulator has to be mentioned: I had difficulty to find the right position in the car, then the lady supervising the simulator approached me and explained that the right position was not to be seated, as I was trying to be, but I had to lay down almost completely. The lady told me that all buttons and switches were working, then assessed my driving ability and told me just to use the pedals to...

Dec 19, 2020 - End of the cruise

Today is the last cruise day! Tomorrow, early morning, we will be back in Genoa and will return home. But we still have a day at sea to enjoy. After breakfast we visited the upper decks, where people sun bath and swim. There is also a sort of water park with slides and drops… I would have enjoyed a walk on the Himalayan bridge but it was closed (fortunately, Laura says). We took a few pictures of our deck; each deck has the name of a famous painter and replicas of his works decorate the aisles … but these paintings have a Grandiosa twist....

Dec 17, 2020 - Palermo evening

Today lot of photographers, with nice backdrops, were scattered on the main deck. We took advantage of the digital photo package and had several shots … including one with a photoshopped alien. Dinner time: we both had eggplant napoleon as appetizer; then wife had lamb and I asked for a pumpkin risotto… the waiter was surprised…’only one risotto?’ After previous days double serving he was convinced we eat a lot… strange thinking… by the way I felt obliged to order something more (ravioli with cheese and asparagus). We still needed a...

Dec 16, 2020 - Naples

We were quite disappointed to miss Naples excursion, but, after all, it was time to relax on board. Samsung Health says that we walked nine miles today. Mostly it was due to the walking tour of Rome, but also moving along the ship is quite demanding. Grandiosa is long almost five hundreds meters; our stateroom is in the very back of the ship with elevators/ stairs at the center of the ship. So every time we go somewhere and return, we have to take into account half mile of walk. After dinner it was time for some pictures. We purchased a...

Dec 16, 2020 - Palermo

After dinner we went to the theater to watch GRAFFITI , a show with the Seventies music. The songs were arranged in a modern way: I didn’t recognize any of them, but Laura did; in any case the result was very enjoyable. Today we reached Palermo. Our excursion was canceled due to low number of participants, but fortunately we were able to book a different tour. It was a walking visit (oh no! Miles again!) through the main landmarks of Palermo. While disembarking, a MSC employee gave us rain ponchos… we were puzzled; before leaving the ship...

Dec 15, 2020 - Rome evening

The assembly drill was very strange. Actually we met in the theater, a MSC employee gathered everybody asking to be followed. He led us until the opposite part of the ship and, after reaching a lounge, he told us that, in case we hear the alarm whistle, we have to gather there… and left! Let’s hope to have just lost half hour and that we will never have to experience a Titanic- like adventure … We visited Guest Relations desk to fix a couple of technical issues (photo package not appearing as pre-purchased and internet on wife mobile not...

Dec 14, 2020 - Rome

Sunday dinner was in the Loggia restaurant. We have been nicely surprised to see that, as opposite to other cruises, each party has an individual table without sharing it with other people. Usually it's nice to chat with others, but in this period, social distancing is always appreciated. We had swordfish as appetizer, after that I enjoyed seafood pasta while wife had cod Genoa style. Dessert was sacher tarte for me and coconut cake for wife. Very good! Back in the room we received an angry letter from the captain: we had skipped the...

Dec 13, 2020 - Embarkation

WE MADE IT ! We just succesfully boarded the MSC Grandiosa and we are now in our stateroom! What was looking like a dream until a few days ago is now reality. Not being superstitious we left home at 13.00 of Sunday 13th and the trip to Genoa was uneventful: actually Lombardia became ‘yellow’ (low risk) today, so all the movement restrictions and rules are now void and we were allowed to travel without control. Last obstacle to our cruise was the mandatory COVID test before boarding. To reduce the crowd, the boarding process was staggered....

Dec 3, 2020 - Approaching departure day

This part of the journal is written ten days before departure and we are living the most hectic days before any vacation we had. The issue is not the cruise, but all the laws and restrictions that are ruling this COVID period. We booked the cruise at the beginning of August, when the COVID mess was slowing down and cruises were allowed to restart operation. It was supposed to be a Mediterranean cruise with stops in France and Spain. Then the pandemic exploded especially in these two countries. While we were thinking what to do, MSC helped...

Nov 29, 2020 - Next leg towards leaving the Med....

Thoughts from next passage Cagliari - Portugal Got into Cagliari at 04:45 after a 110 hour passage of which nearly 60% was under sail. Spent 5 days in Sardinia, 3 in the marina (del Sole) where we completed some vital provisioning / projects / cleaning and buying spares. Two days were at anchor (one being at a beautiful anchorage 30mile west of Cagliari and the other off Carloforte). Underway we had strong winds and pretty short sharp swell. Lots of nose diving for a while. Thankfully we had the bemini up which helped keep us relatively...

Mar 20, 2020 - Train to Milan

From Madrid to Barcelona and then on past the French Riviera, my Special Reclining Class train seat has left me with a numb bum! The Spanish Renfe train system is efficient and comfortable and seems to be keeping more or less on schedule. The scenery has been gorgeous and the activity on the train amusing, so the time has passed relatively quickly. I've finished my first book and several magazines but have actually found myself staring out of the windows for extended periods of time, reflecting on life at home and wondering about my...

Feb 20, 2020 - Florence

Florence is known as an open-air museum, home to the de'Medicis, Michaelangeo, Bottecelli and da Vinci. I was anxious to get out to experience Florence in all its glory, knowing I only had 3 days to see everything I wanted to see. I found a charming and inexpensive pension in the old section of town near the famous Duomo and then set out to explore on foot. Florence has the feeling of small medieval town with narrow, winding cobblestone streets and fabulous Renaissance buildings. It is surprisingly busy given that this is a pretty small...