This is a blog of the Jazzbeaux MSC Seaview cruise from September 23 to October 5, 2019.
We flew to Barcelona on Delta, spent four nights at Le Méridien Barcelona, and boarded MSC Seaview for a 7-night cruise around the Mediterranean and back to Barcelona.
During the trip, Jazzbelle kept detailed notes and I [Jazzbeau] took lots of pictures. After returning home, I revised the notes to remove names [to protect the guilty, as they say…] and put it in my voice to avoid confusion. Jazzbelle became ‘DW’ in internet parlance [‘Dear Wife’].
In planning for this trip I used several Rick Steves books: Barcelona [2018], Italy [2019], Provence [2018], and Spain [2020]. I also used Fodor’s Essential Spain [2019], and Tom’s Port Guide – Rome [2018], as well as Trip Advisor [www.tripadvisor.com] and, of course, Cruise Critic [www.cruisecritic.com].
What follows is a day-by-day account of the trip, with lots of pictures, followed by a Conclusion with our review of MSC Seaview Yacht Club.
Click on the thumbnail pictures at the end of each post to bring up a large-scale photo gallery.
The limo was on time for our 4:30 pm pickup and traffic to JFK wasn’t too bad so we had plenty of time to enjoy the Delta Sky Club lounge.
Our Delta flight pulled out on time, and their schedules obviously reflect the 45 minutes you waste at JFK taxiing from Terminal 4 to the runway [which must be somewhere in another state!] because we landed early.
The flight was smooth, and the food and service were so much better than Delta’s flights to Iceland earlier this year.
Flying time was almost 7 hours so we arrived in Barcelona around 10 am their time (4 am NY time). It took quite awhile to get through customs, etc. but all our checked luggage arrived and we met our driver from Barcelona Day Tours who brought our luggage to the Mercedes S-class car, and we were at our hotel Le Méridien Barcelona (Marriott) in 20 minutes. Thankfully, our suite was ready. [This is a blessing that you can never count on.]
We were out on Las Ramblas in no time. [We racked up 7.5 miles of walking in the city.] The weather was warm, in the 80s with sunny skies.
I had learned after we booked this trip that we would be arriving on the last day of the annual 5-day La Mercè festival. Dating back to the late 1800s, it honors Barcelona’s patron saint, Our Lady of Mercy, who years before had saved the city from pestilence [a plague of locusts – how Biblical!]
After downloading the schedule of events [in English – as is almost everything in Barcelona], I had plotted out several activities (parades, dancing, concerts, and fireworks) all around the city, and we managed to see most of them – it was a great bonus to an already great tourist city!
Just a few blocks from our hotel, on Las Ramblas, we caught the first parade of the day which was the Gigantes (Giants Parade). One individual supports this structure/costume of a giant which could represent a king/queen, tradesman, saint, etc…
We then headed over to Plaça de Sant Jaume where we were packed in like sardines to see the Castellers (Human Towers) who build walking human pyramids.
Exiting from there was even more challenging than getting in, as the crowds continued to grow!
We attempted to get into Palau Güell (with complimentary passes from the hotel) but it was a free day and they had no tickets left. We walked to La Boqueria market but it was locked up because of the festival. So we returned to our room and took long naps.
At 6:15 pm we were at Plaça de la Mercè to witness Sardana Dancing.
It is the national dance of Catalonia. It is a collective dance. Dancing men and women hold hands in a circle and do a simple routine of tapping their feet to the music. [Simple for DW, that is – I am pedally challenged…] People continued to join in, enlarging the original circle or creating new ones. Pretty soon the entire square was filled with dancers. There was an orchestra that filled the large square with music – and volunteers going through the crowd selling stickers to show that you had donated something in support. It was very uplifting to watch as a tribute to the continued importance of traditional culture.
We moseyed on to Bar Celta, a tapas restaurant, for a bite to eat. We shared pulpo à la Gallega (octopus) and chicken croquetas [and a cerveza, por favor].
On we went exploring the area of the Port Vell (the old harbor).
Eventually we made our way via Metro to Plaça d’Espanya for the Musical Fireworks Display that closes out the La Mercè festival.
The show lasted 35 min. and included amazing fireworks that were timed to the rhythm of a wide variety of musical selections [from classical to Glenn Miller and the Beatles] – it was the best fireworks we’ve seen. [no pictures]
After exiting the Metro, we found a gelateria and each ordered a favorite flavor which we ate on the way back to our hotel.
We slept very soundly and somehow hadn’t set an alarm, so we woke up late and had to rush like maniacs to get to our 11 am reservation at Sagrada Familia, the famous basilica designed by Antoni Gaudí.
Work was begun on it in the 1880s and the anticipated date of completion is 2026. [We had seen it eight years ago on our first ‘post-children’ cruise, and it was amazing to see how much work they have accomplished since.]
It is like no other cathedral in the world. We will let the photos speak for it [except for me to say it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen] Gaudí was a visionary, a genius, a geometrician, an architect, a religious man… [But even geniuses can slip up, as he was killed by absently walking in front of a tram.] We spent 3.5 hours there.
Today was about 10 degrees cooler.
We bought our tickets for tomorrow’s trip to Montserrat at the TI in Plaça de Catalunya and ate lunch at 4 pm at El Cortes Ingles [a major department store chain in Spain] in the 9th floor cafeteria with great views over Plaça de Catalunya.
We then did Rick Steves Barri Gòtic walking tour, including visits to the Barcelona Cathedral [which we had visited in 2011] and the Gaudí Exhibition Center. [We spent a lot of time with Gaudí this trip, and still have several days’ worth of sights for our next visit!]
Although we walked a mile less today, standing still was harder on our feet and backs as we did several audio tours.
We took the metro to Restaurante la Palmera for dinner. I had squid ink croquettas with squid chopped up in them and duck breast for my main course. DW had a green salad with goat cheese, craisins, tomatoes, bacon… and shrimp/crab stuffed cannelloni.
We walked around that neighborhood looking for an ice cream shop which the hotel concierge had recommended, but De La Crème was already closed. When we got off the subway I found gelato at a stand on Las Ramblas [so the cravings were satisfied].
Today was a glorious day—clear, sunny, high 70s. And we spent most of it on Montserrat. We had bought ‘Tot Montserrat’ tickets that included two Metro rides, round trip commuter rail, round trip cable car up the mountain, funiculars on the mountain, museum and AV show, and lunch. Because we had heard that the train might be packed on the way back, we bought extra tickets that let us take the rack railway down to the earlier train station.
It took an hour and 45 minutes to get from our hotel to the monastery atop the mountain [metro, commuter rail, and cable car]. We were disappointed to learn that there was no daily Mass in the Basilica, so we took seats in the pews and prayed as we waited for the 1 pm singing of the Salve Regina and Vilorai by 50 choir boys. What clear, beautiful voices! [We also had a chance to view La Moreneta, the ‘Black Virgin’ statue that was found in the Sacred Cave. We couldn’t visit the Sacred Cave because that funicular is closed for long-term maintenance.]
The interior of the church was ornate and overly decorated with no regard to trying to blend patterns, styles, colors… It made us appreciate Sagrada Familia even more.
We ate lunch in the Self-Service Restaurant [cafeteria] before taking the funicular farther up the mountain.
From there we hiked trail 3A [steeply up] to the hermitages [or remains thereof] named for Saints Joan (John), Onofre and Magdalena. It was a grueling and challenging trek holding onto to roping, tree roots and branches, trying to avoid the overly-polished stones on which we tred in order to find more sure footing. We survived unharmed save a small cut on DW’s arm from a rough wall. I can hear our son now telling us we shouldn’t be engaged in such dangerous activities.
However, we were afforded some magnificent views from our climbs. We could see why Gaudí was inspired by these mountains in his design of Sagrada Familia.
We took the funicular back down to the level of the monastery and explored the museum, which had some very impressive artwork. Before we knew it, a guard was telling us it was closing time.
We hotfooted over to the Cremallera [rack railway] where we got tickets and eventually connected with the commuter rail back to Barcelona just before 8 pm.
We walked 5.5 miles today.
We cleaned up and took a cab to La Barca del Salamanca out at Port Olimpic. Known for their paella, we ordered dinner and thought the waiter understood but language was an issue. He must have gotten the mistaken idea that DW was a vegan as she requested asparagus for her salad/appetizer. He thought that was all she wanted and only brought paella for me [it was listed on the menu as ‘for 2,’ but the waiter winked and said he had done me a favor – luckily the ‘single’ portion was enough for 2!]. It was a truly strange dinner as we shared our two dishes and then a serving of Tarta de Santiago for dessert [not the best, but we’re not in Santiago…]
We left the restaurant and walked up out of the port, finding a taxi stand across from the Casino. We were back at Le Méridien by midnight.
Checking my computer, I found an email cancelling our walking tour for the next morning, as the guide was injured in a motor accident. Time for a quick replanning! [I am often reminded on trips of the quote from General Eisenhower: “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” All my pre-trip planning gives me the resources to roll with the changes like this.]
The weather cooperated again for our sightseeing. After a good breakfast at our hotel, we walked and took the Metro to our first Gaudí sight.
Casa Batlló did not disappoint. Originally built as a linear iron-framed apartment building [its unmodified sister still sits across the street], it was transformed by Antoni Gaudí. The humpbacked roofline suggests a cresting dragon’s back, the balconies Mardi Gras masks, the façade is covered with random broken tiles assembled into mosaics. Inside, the woodwork on doors, windows, floors is breathtaking. We climbed 6 flights of stairs to look at some public rooms and the rooftop.
Diagonally across Passeig de Gràcia is an over-the-top mansion also designed by Gaudí – La Pedrera (aka Casa Mila). Radically different from the architecture and construction of the time (1906-1912), La Pedrera has undulating lines, symbolic shapes all reminding us of what was essential to Gaudí: nature as an expression of divinity.
We stayed in that neighborhood and followed the Rick Steves Eixample Walk.
We worked in a rest break for late afternoon. DW took a nap! [It’s always harder for her to overcome jet lag.]
An early dinner in the hotel restaurant [CentOnze] was convenient as we had 9 pm concert tickets. Dinner was the best for DW so far: a large market salad with mixed greens, soft white cheese, cashews, craisins, sweet potato, apples… and tender, moist chicken breast with pumpkin/date puree and snow peas hit the spot. I had marinated tuna followed by pulled pork on brioche along with cole slaw and fries [also very good, but I will remember not to order BBQ outside the US].
We walked 15 minutes to the Palau de la Musica Orfeo Catala for a Tribute to Paco de Lucia concert. The Barcelona Guitar Trio (three master, classical Spanish guitarists) plus a very accomplished percussionist and a pair of Flamenco dancers entertained us nonstop for 90 minutes. What talent in all quarters! We were in one of the forward side boxes so had excellent views of the stage and the performers. To watch how the different musicians held their instruments or how the dancers not only could keep time with the best Irish Riverdancers but used their hands and arms as part of their art was amazing.
At one point the youngest of the guitarists came front and center with his guitar. The other two walked forward with empty hands as did the percussionist. The four then proceeded to play that one instrument in unison – 3 on the strings, 1 tapping a beat on the wood body of the guitar – to Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean. What a spectacle!
I am including the names of the artists because you might want to Google them and watch the dancers perform:
Barcelona Guitar Trio: Manuel González, Xavier Coll, and Luis Robisco
Percussionist: Paquito Escudero
Dancers: Jose M. Álvarez and Carolina Morgado
Several standing ovations at the end!
We walked home via a different route so we could stop for gelato. Yum!
No sightseeing today, so we got up later than usual for breakfast, took it easy and packed for our transfer to the MSC Seaview. We were able to get a cab right in front of our hotel for the short ride to the port.
As MSC Yacht Club customers, we received preferential treatment bypassing lines, being offered pastries and hors d’, Prosecco, juice, etc… We were escorted to the YC lounge on the 16th deck by Richard from Mauritius. Here we could wait while our suite was being prepared. In a short time, it was and our luggage soon followed.
We headed for lunch at the Yacht Club Restaurant, one deck up on 18 [Italian ships do have a deck 13, but no 17]. I had Hamachi [white fish] and avocado carpaccio, then Gratinated lasagnette with Asiago cheese and Parma ham. DW had Asparagus mille-feuille [napoleon], Rockfish stew, and Carrot cake. We got into conversation with the couple next to us. They were from Bordeaux and only she spoke some English, certainly better than we did French but we managed to chat for quite awhile until the wait staff practically asked us to leave.
We returned to our cabin, unpacked and headed to the casino for the most haphazard muster drill we ever attended. Afterwards we rendezvoused with a much younger couple from Germany [Ingo and Lydia] with whom I had connected on Cruise Critic. We did the shortest cabin crawl in cruising history. We finally went our separate ways. Their English was much better than the French couple’s. Good thing as we know about 5 words in German. [Regular cabins on MSC seem very tight; our Yacht Club ‘Deluxe Suite’ – actually the only type of veranda cabin in the Seaview YC – was not palatial but very suitable.]
After resting a bit, there was a knock at our door. It was our butler Rosa who had come to introduce herself. She left with DW’s dress in hand to get it pressed. [We had great difficulty figuring out the laundry ticket, as dresses cost a great deal more than most other items but this was a ‘little black dress’ and only needed a press. It turned out we were only charged the basic price for simpler items.]
We went to the Yacht Club Restaurant for dinner [as we did every night – it was so good that we had no desire to pay for a specialty restaurant]. I had a small portion of the Cannelloni filled with veal, then Sliced tuna steak in salmoriglio sauce. DW had Vegetarian ceviche, Filet mignon [from the ‘everyday’ menu] and Warm apple crumble à la mode. Her filet was perfectly cooked, but a little chewy for that cut of meat.
As YC members, we were guaranteed seats at the theatre performances so we didn’t need to make a reservation. And we were escorted there to make sure we got a seat. The show tonight was Eclipse, a psychedelic salute to the 60s and 70s. Well done but overkill on the spotlights which were sometimes blinding. [Lighting directors are over-using the computer capabilities of the spotlights. Light up the show, not the audience!]
We then went down to deck 6 to overlook the bottom level of the Atrium where passengers were gathered to celebrate that era at the Flower Power Party. Lots of disco music and people having a fun time dancing.
Today we were supposed to be docking at Ajaccio, Corsica [a major factor in selecting this cruise]. However, for some still unexplained reason we were rerouted to Toulon, France. [We learned this a few days ahead thanks to a ‘live from’ thread on Cruise Critic; many people onboard had not heard, as MSC seems to have made no effort to notify passengers.]
So our shore excursion in Corsica was cancelled and I scrambled to find a private tour to take us to Aix-en-Provence. [We had missed seeing this city on two prior trips to France and it was on my bucket list.] Several tour guides got back to us saying they were fully booked [as was the ship’s excursion by the time we lowered our expectations enough to ask]. The tourist information desk in La Seyne-sur-Mer [docking port for Toulon] was not very helpful either, suggesting that we take the water shuttle across the harbor to Toulon proper and try to find a taxi there.
But as we walked out of the port building in La Seyne-sur-Mer there were a few taxis. One was willing to take us there, wait while we explored, and drive us back to the ship in time for sailing [for 300 Euros, more than the ship’s tour but half what the private guides would have charged].
It was an hour drive and our cabbie [who spoke fairly good English but had difficulty understanding it] pointed out some interesting sights on our way. The impressive Mont Sainte-Victoire [a favorite of Cezanne] loomed on our right.
We arrived in Aix-en-Provence around 11:30, left him parked in a taxi zone right at La Rotonde, and headed for the tourist info office to get maps and walking tours. Off we went to the Church of St-Jean-de-Malte only to find that the Mass we thought was at 12:05 was not offered on Sundays. We arrived just as the 11 am Mass was getting out, and it was very uplifting to see the packed church [in highly secular France!] and the obviously vibrant community. We stayed to do the Mass readings and reflection and pray, before being asked to leave as they were closing. [A very nice, simple church – and one of the rare places that we would be happy to worship in rather than gawk at.]
We walked next door to the Musée Granet which provided an overview of art from the 14th to 19th centuries and was currently showing works of a contemporary artist, Fabienne Verdier. The exhibit was titled Sur les terres de Cezanne. “The father of modern painting,” Paul Cezanne was born and raised in Aix and the permanent collection contains several of his works [featuring Mont Sainte-Victoire].
We left there and moseyed through the old city, winding up at our taxi to let him know we would get lunch before heading back to the ship. I had a Kir Provence [white wine with raspberry liqueur] and we both had moules frites in Le Cintra, then walked back to the cab.
We asked our driver to take us to the Cathedral on the way out of Aix, but he mistakenly drove us near St-Jean-de-Malte again. [He later explained that he assumed there was only one church in Aix…] We walked and walked toward the Cathedral as far as the Palais de justice, but eventually realized we couldn’t get there in a timely manner. So back to the taxi and off to our ship!
Catching up on messages and naps were in order.
Dinner in the YC restaurant was at a table between our French couple and two English married men, one a flight attendant for Virgin Atlantic. We both ordered the Asparagus and beetroot tart for starters. I also asked for a small portion of the Fennel risotto and DW had the Tuscan soup with chick peas. For our entrées, I got Pan-fried sea bream and DW had Chicken Oscar medallion (with crab leg meat and Hollandaise sauce). I had Arroz con leche (cinnamon rice pudding) for dessert. DW held out for gelato later.
That was after an entertaining show called Bizarre which featured acrobats, gymnasts, contortionists among the dancers and singers in a French revue.
In wandering around looking forVenchi on deck 7 aft we discovered a bowling alley and arcade plus several dance venues. But we were on a mission, and DW got her salted toffee gelato.
DW joked that this was hardly a cruise: it was more like a float as the ports were so close together and the sea so calm.
Another lovely day and we got to explore Genoa [aka Genova], which may have been named after Januarius [the god who looked two ways] as Genoa is the gateway from the Mediterranean into Europe.
A manageable sized group from our ship (16-18) were on a ship’s tour with Marco of ‘Trumpy Tours.’ It started at the Maritime Terminal and we walked to the 16th C. Palazzo del Principe across the street, which belonged to navy admiral Andrea Doria [remember that name from the ship that collided with the Stockholm in 1956, killing 51 passengers?]
We spent about an hour there viewing frescoes, tapestries, artwork of the old masters – and then boarded a bus that took us into the heart of the city. We saw statues of Victor Emmanuelle and Garibaldi, the Opera House, the Albaro district where the aristocrats once lived, the monuments on Victoria Square, the lawns displaying Columbus’ caravels in flowers, and the main Via XX Settembre avenue.
Then we disembarked at the seaport, stopped in a gelato shop for WCs and a snack, and continued on foot. One of the first sights was the Bank (16th C.) and Palazzo San Giorgio (13th C.). We moved on to the Plaza Banci where banks occupied 3 of the 4 corners of the financial marketplace and the stock exchange the 4th.
We passed a yellow Rococo style church on our way uphill to the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo. Gothic, it was done in black and white stripes outside and in (along with other colors of marble, which was so accessible in this region). The church opened in 1118 but its solitary tower was not finished until the 1500s. From the outside we could see the presence of a rose window but we were not permitted beyond the last pew to get a look back at it once inside. There was a beautiful stained glass window of the Assumption over the side altar.
We left the tour group and continued exploring the area on our own seeing Piazza di S. Matteo and the Palazzi dei Rolli on Strade Nuove (Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco). [Lots of getting lost in the old town, but a helpful clerk in a bookstore pointed us in the right direction at the crucial moment.]
We found our way back to the seaport and entered the Aquarium. Wow! We spent almost 3 hours there.
Then we walked a mile back to the Seaview.
DW had to have her fix of gelato. Salted Toffee—small cup, please!
Tonight the theme on board was White Night where guests try to wear white. [We didn’t go all-out but did have partly white outfits. No way am I wearing white slacks – I’d be afraid to sit down and stain them!]
It was also Mediterranean Night so the wait staff wore green aprons and the menu allowed us to sample culinary treats from different countries. I had Bouillabaisse, Moussaka, Roasted beef loin in Chianti wine sauce, and a Seasonal fruit ice cream sundae. DW had Spanish tapas, Bouillabaisse, Moussaka, and Turkish baklava.
We opted out of the show as it was Italian song favorites [and I didn’t think they meant a Dean Martin tribute…]
We were asleep by midnight. A first! Had to get up early.
Up and at ‘em! We were on the free shuttle bus out of the port, on our way to explore Cinque Terre, before 9:00. [I know that doesn’t sound very early to many of you, but I prefer to see all four digits lit on my clock before arising…]
After the bus, we got a taxi to the La Spezia Centrale station where we bought a combo ticket [all-day train pass plus Trekking Card for €16 each]. We caught the next train out but it was standing room only for the 10 minutes to the first stop [Riomaggiore], where lots of people got off.
We disembarked at the second stop and took the connecting free shuttle bus up the cliff to the village of Corniglia. [Corniglia is the only Cinque Terre village that isn’t right on the water; it sits on a cliff that the train line burrows through.]
Then we headed out on the Volastra Trail. First stop, at the top of the village, was St. Peter’s Church. I had warned DW the two-hour hike would be steep at first, but I didn’t mention steps [who knew?]. DW (and her right knee) hates steps!!! On we went regardless! [I have to admit the trail was steeper than I expected.] We took a number of breaks. We hiked up the mountain and then across a ridge [where thankfully the trail leveled out]. We passed olive trees, went through vineyards, private property [there was a particularly beautiful view from someone’s back yard], ancient terraces. We just kept following the red/white trail blazes. We spotted anoles darting away from us.
We reached Volastra and visited its church, Nostra Signora della Salute. Fairly simple, as all the Italian churches have been so far. Not nearly so ornate as the Spanish! [Italy didn’t get all that gold from South America.]
We asked directions to the bus stop. Only a 15 minute wait and off we went on the free shuttle dropping us down in Manarola in 10 minutes.
We walked back up the hill to visit the Church of St. Lawrence (dating from 1338) before eating lunch in Cappun Magru. I had ravioli and DW ham/cheese focaccia. I also got a three-course tasting of wines from Cinque Terre; the wines were very good and the descriptions of them added a lot. [We just picked the place because it looked nice, but checking later I discovered it is considered the best restaurant in Manarola. And thankfully it’s not listed in Rick Steves…]
We strolled along the main street [Via Discovolo] down to Piazza Capellini and then onto the harbor. The streets were lined with boats. A crane is needed to lower/raise these small work boats into/out of the sea.
We had heard that the Cinque Terre villages are overrun with tourists, but our experience was varied. Neither Corniglia nor Volastra were crowded [maybe because we got to Corniglia early and you have to hike to get to Volastra] Manarola was crowded, but not as bad as Florence had been in 2011. But on the hiking trails, once you go above the paved part of town you are pretty much on your own.
We considered taking the train further on to Vernazza, but we still had the walk through La Spezia back to the ship so we decided to head there directly [so we could get back to the Venchi gelato bar sooner!]
We got seats on the train back to La Spezia where we did our own walking tour, starting at the Garibaldi Fountain, passing Santa Maria del Assunta, riding the free elevator to Castello di San Giorgio, and wrapping it up in the very modern Cathedral of Christ the King. 137 steps to climb to reach it! Europe doesn’t seem to worry about catering to the disabled. No ramps, elevators…
All in all a very satisfying day, with the full flavor of Cinque Terre.
Back on board around 4 pm, we headed to the Venchi on 7 and found some different flavors of gelato. Yes!
Tonight was formal night, but very few women were in long dresses and some people were still in jeans…
Dinner was very good. I had a Twice-baked blue cheese soufflé and the ‘Blackened Angus filet steak’ [much better than the ‘everyday’ menu cut, despite the strange name – I assume they meant ‘Black Angus tm’]. DW had a Williams salad (mixed greens with fruit and walnuts) and Gratinated monkfish medallion (with mussels and bouillabaisse sauce). We both enjoyed the special dessert: Crêpes suzettes [which had been poaching all evening at the entrance, perfuming the dining room with that lovely butter smell!] Delicious!
We went to the show Simply the Best, a tribute to Tina Turner. Unfortunately, the two women directly behind us thought it was karaoke night and started singing. “Don’t give up your day jobs, girls!” [I left; since they were enjoying the show more than I was anyway, what was the point of ruining their evening too?]
One thing in these countries is that no one is shy about hanging their wet laundry out their windows to dry.
Jazzbeaux Mediterranean Cruise 9-2019 