After raiding the minibar, I found myself all alone in a storm at midnight on the top deck of my cruise ship. I was a little lonely and feeling guilty that I haven’t been writing about all the great places we’ve been on this cruise — so I made you this little clip.
Video: Marveling at my Cruise Ship
We’re wrapping up nearly two weeks at sea, our cruise show (a one-hour “Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruising” special to air on public television in January 2019) is in the can, it’s midnight, and we’ll be in Barcelona by the morning.
Join me in this clip as I journey from the top deck to my stateroom. I was going to tell you all about the wonders of the room card, which is also your on-board credit card and ID card…but I’m a bit tired and loopy, and I forgot. Still, here’s a quick little look at our ship (Celebrity Cruises’ good ship Reflection).
Video: Terminal Happiness for Independent Cruisers
My TV crew and I are on a Mediterranean cruise, filming a special that will air on public television in January 2019. One of my main goals for the show is to help independent travelers make the most of the cruising experience. Here’s one big tip: Consider your shore excursions carefully.
While easygoing cruisers may choose to book an excursion from the cruise line for $100 (or more) a crack, there are many other legitimate options that open up to passengers once they step off the ship. Some travelers may opt to find a small company with a box office in the terminal — and have essentially the same experience for about half the price. Meanwhile, others will book a private guide with a car or minibus in advance (using sites such as Cruise Critic to team up with other cruisers and share the expense). And others will simply hop on a public bus or hike to the train station (guidebook in hand) and do their own thing. For the most reliable information, I recommend skipping the onboard shore excursion information desks. Instead, head to the tourist information kiosks that are set up to greet ships in each port.
As the cruising industry grows, more and more cities are investing in terminals that can accommodate these massive ships (and their payload of tourists). In this clip, I’ll take you for a quick walk through the terminal at La Spezia, Italy. From here, you can get to Florence (a couple of hours away by bus), Pisa, Lucca, and the Cinque Terre.
(Note, however, that I don’t recommend that cruise ship travelers try to see the Cinque Terre. It is not designed to handle masses of quickie half-day visits by cruisers. Locals don’t appreciate “looky-loos” from cruise ships, notorious for arriving all at once at peak time and congesting the villages and trails, without staying for dinner or spending the night. The crowds can be frustrating for all involved.)
Video: From a Vesuvius Sunrise to the Bella Chaos of Naples
My TV crew and I are on a Mediterranean cruise, filming a special that will air on public television in January 2019. Some of my favorite moments so far have been “sail-ins.” Each morning, I get up and — even before I brush my teeth — I enjoy the view from my balcony. This morning, the sun was peeking its hot head over the volcano of Vesuvius. I just had to share it with you. (Forgive me, I didn’t dress for this clip.)
Thanks for all the comments, both here and on Facebook. They are fun to read. I’ve noticed many of you think cruises are too crowded. Sure, there can be 3,000 people on your ship. But very often, like here in Naples, you dock right in a city center. And, as you’ll see in this clip, you can be deep in the neighborhood fun of the city within a few minutes of getting off the ship.
I visited Naples earlier this year and discovered the amazing district of Sanità. And I just had to bring my TV crew back. We filmed a segment here about how a cruise can feel like an adult summer camp (filled with people hell-bent on seeing the clichés), or you can use it as a springboard for your own series of little adventures. A cruise can be La-La Land or reality…or a little of both.
Video: Public Television at Your Service!
My TV crew and I are on a Mediterranean cruise, filming a special that will air on public television across the country in January 2019. Today, after an exhilarating (but, frankly, brutal) day of shooting on hot and arid Santorini, we caught the last tender back to our ship. When the security guard scanned my ID card, I was literally the last person to check back in out of the 3,000 travel mates I’m sharing this ship with. (You scan in and out of the ship so they know at any moment exactly who is on board and who is on shore. When you scan, they see a mug shot of you on their screen to make positive identification.)
The sun was low and the caldera of Santorini (with the lip of its crater lined with dazzling whitewashed buildings) was injecting my crew with a little more steam — and I had a notion it would be fun to whip out my iPhone and capture the process. Take a moment with this clip to see my producer Simon Griffith and cameraman Karel Bauer at work. I’ve worked with these two for 20 years now. (I must have spent 800 days filming with Simon, as he’s been with me for every moment of shooting in Europe.)
Also, take a moment to appreciate how public television works. There is no big advertiser shaping our content. This will be the only piece of travel journalism you’ll ever see that shows cruising in a frank, honest, and consumer-oriented way (with no agenda pro or con…simply driven by a passion for helping our viewers know their options and travel smarter, more economically, and with more meaning).
Forgive my little pledge pitch here, but this can only happen with your support. There are so many ways public television helps us live more open and enriching lives, with a positive and outward-looking spirit rather than a fearful and inward-looking one. If you recognize that, you know it’s more important than ever to keep public broadcasting alive and well in our community.
(To see more of me, Simon, and Karel at work, watch The Making of Rick Steves’ Europe.)