European Adventure – Day 7 – At Sea

Yesterday afternoon we walked around in Naples – overwhelmingly the least pedestrian friendly of the cities we’ve visited and reminiscent of New York City in the bad days of the mid-1980’s in terms of trash and people pan handling. One bright exception was the Umberto I Galleria pictured above which was absolutely magnificent. The evening consisted of dinner with our traveling companions from Virginia – it was the second formal night and we dressed. Dinner was followed by a show based on Saturday Night Fever that was well done in terms of the performers but a chaotic mess in terms of the Royal Caribbean personnel who allowed in too many people and were once again less than friendly. After that we went to a dance party with new friends we’ve made on board.

Today was a welcome day at sea which allowed us to sleep in and then have a lazy day overlooking the gorgeous blue of the Mediterranean Sea (it’s a cross between royal blue and sapphire blue) and then in my case lazing by the pool with a book in hand. The boyfriend is off making use of the health club on board. I’d rather get my aerobic exercise dancing as opposed to on a treadmill or an elliptical machine.

For those considering a cruise, I cannot say the whole experience with Royal Caribbean has been bad. Our dining room staff has been wonderful as has the steward for our cabin. The huge disconnect seems to be with guest services and the cruise director staff who seem to never communicate with one another and who seem oblivious to the fact that they work in what is basically a service industry where politeness and a personal touch are essential to repeat business. The boyfriend has been on five previous cruises and after the debacle at the show last night says he’d never cruise on Royal Caribbean again. Don’t get me wrong, overall the trip so far has been wonderful. But what could have been a truly exceptional experience has been rendered something less due to the indifference and rudeness of certain Royal Caribbean staff mostly within the cruise director's ranks.

We are looking forward to tomorrow in Barcelona and our stay at the Novotel in the heart of Barcelona. A friend who lived in Barcelona until earlier in the year has put together for us a suggestion list of what to see and where to eat given our time table. The only down side is the crack of dawn disembarking tomorrow – it will not be a day for sleeping in.