The Final Countdown

Here it is, nine days before I leave for Europe, and I am just now catching things up on this blog. I had great intentions when I first decided to record my travels. I will write previews of every port, I thought, and I will preview my sightseeing plan so that all my friends and family know what to expect when I am overseas...

Sadly, life got in the way and I haven't had the time to keep the pre-cruise site as updated as I would have liked. The good news, however, is that the trip is almost here (I can hardly believe it) and this blog will become the best way for me to keep in touch with all of you.

With that in mind, here are some quick trip related updates:

1. We recently changed our flights (we are now flying Continental) which means that we'll actually be getting to Athens earlier on Saturday the 24th. This will allow us a bit more time to explore the city.

2. Through CruiseCritic we met a couple that was looking to share a tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast (Naples stop) and have decided to join them. I am very excited as the views are supposed to be spectacular along the coast.

3. Our stay in Monaco has been extended until 9:00 PM. This will be nice as the day before we will be in Rome and, I imagine, will not want to feel so rushed (i.e. sleep in) when we arrive in Monaco.

4. Because of our new flight schedule (and new airline) DF, GF & I will be staying overnight in London on June 10th. This will mean a bit of time to try and take in as much of London as possible. (More on my London priorities in another post...)

5. I bought a new camera and have been trying it out around town for the past week. If I can take this picture at Wrigley Field just imagine what I'll be able to do in Santorini!

Change is a Way of Life

Our itinerary has changed slightly.

HAL has contacted everyone to let them know we will not be stopping in Libya anymore. The new full schedule looks like this:

May 26 Sail from Piraeus, Greece
May 27 Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
May 28 Santorini, Greece
May 29 Sea Day
May 30 Salerno, Italy
May 31 Civitavecchia (Rome)
June 1 Monte Carlo, Monaco
June 2 Marseille, France
June 3 Barcelona, Spain
June 4 Sea Day
June 5 Cadiz (Seville), Spain
June 6 Lisbon, Portugal
June 7 Sea Day
June 8 Sea Day
June 9 Le Havre (Paris), France
June 10 Debark Ship Harwich (London), England

Oh the Place's You'll Go...

And so it has come to be that I, TM, will travel this summer with GF, DF and JF on a fabulous 15 day cruise around Europe.

It is a trip that, sadly, MPF can not partake in (damn his workplace and their stupid vacation rules). He will be missed sorely as we sail the seven seas (two, actually, but it's fun to say seven) in our luxury liner (sort of) from Greece to Great Britain.

As for the details, we set sail on Monday, May 25th on Holland America Line's Ms. Rotterdam. From my research I've learned that Ms. Rotterdam is the sixth ship to bear this name and is one of HAL's "flagship" vessels.

The first Rotterdam set sail in 1872. Ms. Rotterdam VI (which we will be on) launched in 1997 and was updated in 2005. The ship itself carries 1,319 passengers and a crew of 658. The decor features fine art and antiques that celebrate HAL's tradition at sea. There are two pools, a movie theatre and a library on board. Woo-hoo!