Naples – Italy

The watchful pilot.

We left port for Naples under the watchful eye of the pilot ship. They saw to it that we encountered no problems as we went on to the next adventure. I never thought I’d be so lucky to travel to some of the places I read about , or saw on some tv station, as a boy growing up. The real joy of this trip was being able to share it with my mother Dorothy, Aunt Anita, and my sweetheart Anna. Right away we had to get to our muster stations in case something went wrong, and we were forced to abandon ship. Fortunately these ships are so well-built that the threat is not something to trouble yourself with anymore. As we went to the dining room to go over proper usage of the life vests there was a sense of family already building among the travelers. We all knew we were about to share some of the best memories of our lives. Right away we were blessed to meet Josie and Nick. A wonderful Canadian couple, who were traveling on the Dream after visiting relatives in Rome. We became friends after that muster meeting and would share many fond moments with them and the couple they were traveling with, Jackie and Wayne. I could kick myself for not having my camera ready to save the times, sorry guys.

 

 

Anna and John

We started exploring the ship immediately so we would feel comfortable on any deck. This was the mini golf course they had onboard. Everyone was eager to take pictures of each other and get acquainted. We found the vessel easy to get around on and well-organized. There were 12 decks, but only two went completely through the ship.

 

 

 

Stateroom after bed turndown

Coming into our stateroom was an adventure all by itself. Every night the steward would create these wonderful animals made from towels. they were quite original and filled us with a since of joy every time we got a new one. We were transformed on this trip by the experiences that we would have these little touches of kindness helped to relieve all of the stress that life seemed to keep throwing at us.

View of Naples from the ship

Sunrise over Naples as the first day began warm and beautiful. The sun reflected on the still sea had a calming effect on us, and we knew the day would be wonderful. As it turns out we didn’t even get off of the ship in Naples. It was a Sunday and everything was closed. I spent time up on the deck taking pictures of landmarks that were in site of the pier, and Anna exercised by walking around the ship three times, or was it four?  We were warned that Naples was a place that had a problem with pickpockets and shady street vendors so we didn’t feel like were missing much by not venture ashore.

Port of NaplesThe structure at the top of the hill attracted my attention as well as the fort like building in the photo to the left. I'm looking forward to exploring these places the next time we return. There were other excursions we could have participated, but we were on a very tight budget and hadn't become confident enough to venture off the ship and stumble our way around, as we did in future ports of call. The Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, and Mount Vesuvius all wait to be discovered by the adventurer willing to hit the shore. It clear that this port is rich in history and a place that should be on the must see before I'm gone list. Port of Naples

My Mom and aunt were a little more adventurous than we were initially and quickly got off of the ship without a real plan of attack and ended up being flagged by one of the locals as potential victims/customers? It’s not all that clear what his real intentions were, but my Mom was having none of it. Those two were always finding mischief to get into. We all did this because this was Mom’s 70th year and we wanted a lasting memory to commemorate it. This trip was also extremely therapeutic. I’ve been extremely stressed, and it truly got better with each passing day.

Mount Vesuvius

 As the sunset on Vesuvius we prepared to set sail for a ” Fun Day at Sea”. These were days when they filled our days with different activities and encouraged us to spend, spend, spend. Good thing we didn’t have the desire to do that, if you do more power to you. They’ve got tons of opportunities for you to spend cash. My Mom and Aunt were regulars at the casino. Yes that’s right as soon as the ship leaves a port they open the casino. the place fills up pretty quick early i the voyage, but by the time day six, or seven, rolls around people are avoiding the place like the plague.

John in Naple

 

 

 

 

 

Anna happy in Naples

Mom, Anna, Anita

Mom, John, Anita

Turn down number two

We had a nice elephant waiting for us when we came back from the spa. We tried to visit the spa everyday to enjoy the giant thallasso tub, steam rooms, and heated stone beds. After a day at sea it’s on to Dubrovnik.