Notices
Disney Cruise Line and Other Cruise Trip Reports Trip Reports

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 13 Aug 17, 09:29 PM  
Link to this Post
#1
Scruffette
Very Serious Dibber
 
Join Date: May 12
You've got a friend in Me(d) - Day 9 - Livorno/ Florence

Day 9 – Livorno/Florence

This morning started the same as the last few mornings, with breakfast in Cabanas.

There were some unique breakfast offerings this morning. My plate included a nice salmon roulade.



Ollie’s plate -



Like yesterday, we had booked transfer via Viator to take us to and from Florence, as we wanted to explore the sights at our own pace.
The booking was with a company called Tuscany bus, who do have their own website. These worked out around £25 each. We had a 9.45am departure, but still allowed plenty of time to find the departure point.

We disembarked and got the shuttle from the ship to the drop off point (the shuttle that Disney told me they didn’t offer…)



The drop off point was exactly where our coach departed from. We asked one of the Tuscany bus workers about the coach. The coach labelled Florence and Pisa was already there, but they advised to wait and the Florence bus would be along soon. There was a bit of confusion here – partly caused by them telling us to wait, and partly from us not realising that the Italian for Florence was ‘Firenze’. It turns out the coach was actually there all along. We boarded, taking seats a few rows apart from each other.

After a couple of minutes, they called my name. They wanted to know if they could move us from the Florence coach to the Florence and Pisa coach as they had overbooked. Um…no. Looking at the list they ticked off, I had actually booked first so I was not changing my plans. They were trying to sell it as an ‘upgrade’. Turns out they were selling tickets on the street and has sold too many for the number of spaces.

Anyway, eventually someone moved to the other coach and we departed. On the way a lady was giving some really informative tips about Florence that I wanted to listen to. However, very predictably, I fell asleep after about 2 minutes and slept until we arrived.

The drop off point was next to the train station – we actually walked through the train station to get into the centre of Florence. Florence was a really walkable city and nothing was too far apart.



And so, our walking tour began. We didn’t plan on going into any of the museums today and were quite content with the outside architecture of the buildings.

First up was the Piazza del Duomo







Piazza della Signoria, complete with a replica of David. I think there are a few replicas in Florence. I wasn’t too fussed about seeing the original – the replica is identical, which is good enough for me! There were various other statues and replicas as well. I’m not too sure what any of them were – I’m not sounding particularly cultured here!













We took a stroll to the Ponte Vecchio next.



Fun fact – there are only a few bridges like this with the shops across, one of which is in Bath.

Ollie mentioned that he briefly considered proposing on the Ponte Vecchio. I’m glad he didn’t – it was far too busy along here.



View from the bridge.

Our next stop was lunch – the plan had always been for a leisurely authentic Italian lunch. The choice was Mangia Pizza, chosen from trip advisor.



We took seats at the counter in front of the pizza oven and could see all the pizzas being made.







We ordered a bottle of prosecco to share for 18€ (well, we were celebrating).



To start, we shared a caprese salad (8€). Such simple premise, but some of the best tomatoes I’ve ever had. It’s amazing how fresh ingredients can make all the difference.



We went for two pizzas to share – one was sausage & mushroom, the other was pear & gorgonzola.





I’ve had pear and blue cheese before in Italy on a steak and love this combination. The pizzas were 9€ and 10€ and were both excellent.
I would definitely recommend this place.

Ollie wanted me to take a picture of this in the toilet!



We had also considered this place for lunch, but they were closed.



The next stop on our walking tour was Piazzale Michelangelo, with panoramic views of the city.

It was a bit of a climb up, but today was a lot cooler which helped. It started spitting a little bit, but fortunately it didn’t persist.



The walk was definitely worth it for these beautiful views. We got some great photos of the landmarks we saw earlier, without the crowds.











On the way down we passed over another bridge (Ponte all Grazie) to get some pictures of Ponte Vecchio.





Our final stop on our planned tour was the Mercato del Porcellino.



The bronze pig is supposedly good luck, I think. It took a few attempts for the coins to fall properly.





Of course we bought a magnet, and Ollie did some successful bartering, as encouraged by the guide on the bus earlier.







We wandered back to the coach stop, trying to find some toilets en routeng. After much searching, we found a McDonalds and used those!

Florence turned out to be my favourite port day. We took the day at a gentler place, but still managed plenty of exploring.

On the coach on the way back, I of course had a good snooze! This was probably a good thing as we ended up getting stuck in a bit of traffic, and I probably would have been worrying if I was awake!

We were back to the ship in time, as the coach was scheduled to arrive back in plenty of time before the ship departed so there was contingency built in. Some of the Disney tours actually arrived back after the ship was scheduled to depart, but being Disney tours the ship waited and delayed departure slightly.

Once the coach dropped off, we waited for the bus back to the ship. The bus for the Magic arrived, leaving a long line of people waiting for the Carnival ship that seemed to be in the same ports as us each day.

When the bus pulled into the port area, a security guy and dog got on board and checked all of our IDs. The dog was left lose to run to the back of the bus!
Scruffette is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 13 Aug 17, 09:33 PM  
Link to this Post
#2
Scruffette
Thread Starter
Very Serious Dibber
 
Join Date: May 12
Once back on board, we had showers and got ready for tonight’s show. I was so excited for this one – it was Tangled night!

We both really enjoyed the show and thought the Maximus puppet was very clever. I wasn’t too sure about Flynn to begin with, but he grew on me throughout the show.

After dinner, we took another visit to Shutter’s to try and narrow down our engagement photo selection.

Dinner tonight was in Carioca’s and was the Prince and Princess menu.

We got chatting to our table mates, whose excursion had arrived back after the time the ship was supposed to depart. They were on a Disney excursion, so the boat waited for them.

To start, Ollie and I both ordered Princess Tiana’s – Sauteed Shrimp on Jambalaya Rice.



The shrimp were a good size here and I’d order this again.

I then ordered Snow White’s Wild Forrest Mushroom Soup – with white truffle oil and chives.



Much better than last night’s soup option.

Ollie went for Coronation of mixed leaves – vine tomato, blue cheese, apples, candied walnuts and aged red wine vinegar.



Would you like some salad with that block of cheese? A sign of a good salad!

For mains, Ollie and I both went for Ferdinands Trio of Veal – Grilled Tenderloin, Pulled shank and Tortelacci pasta with a sundried tomato and sage reduction garnished with a potato crisp.



I’d taken a few bites here before I took the photo. I really enjoyed this dish, it wasn’t dry at all like the veal from the Frozen menu.
Ollie also asked to try the Charming Portobello Triangoli – topped with sour cream, pesto swirl and a sweet butternut squash sauce.



Our servers were always more than happy to bring you an extra dish to try. I feel like this was actively encouraged!

The pasta dish was nice, but I don’t think I would have wanted it as my whole dinner.

The dessert offerings included some frozen themed items, as well as the regular menu choices.



I went for the Wanted Flynn Rider mud pie – with smashed chocolate fudge soil and vanilla anglaise.



I can’t resist a chocolate pudding!

Ollie went for the Cinderella’s lemon cheesecake - lemon infused cheesecake with dark cherry compote.



Not the most inspiring dessert.

We also got a Princess Jasmine banana bread pudding – brioche bread pudding, caramel sauce and topped macadamia nuts to share, as this sounded a bit ‘Ohana-like.



Although not as good as my beloved ‘Ohana dessert, this was still very enjoyable.

Our serving team were on great form tonight and were making us all hats out of brightly coloured napkins. We were joining in and making them hats to wear as well.

After dinner, we went to check out the Snuggly Duckling take over in O’Gills. We also invited out tablemates, as we wanted to buy them a drink after they very kindly bought us some Asti on Monday night.

The takeover seemed to be drawing to a close when we got there.
I went for the drink of the day, which was an Italian Sunset. I’ve just done a quick google, and it seems to be amaretto based with orange. Ollie went for a Paris 75 using elderflower liqueur, as recommend in our mixology class.



Our tablemates then bought us another round.

We had a great evening chatting to them and sharing stories of our trips so far. Eventually we decided it was getting late and should head to bed.

Tonight’s towel animal – we got double chocolate tonight, which continued for the rest of the cruise.



Day 10 - Villefranche

Edited at 09:02 PM.
Scruffette is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 15 Aug 17, 09:39 PM  
Link to this Post
#3
Gill H
VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
Lovely day. I so want to visit Florence, but again we are saving it for a separate trip so we have a couple of days to see everything. We're doing the 'Easy Pisa' trip that day.

Your menu tonight sounds a lot better. I love the sound of the Snuggly Duckling too!

Looking forward to reading more (no pressure...!)
__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
Gill H is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 16 Aug 17, 08:53 PM  
Link to this Post
#4
Scruffette
Thread Starter
Very Serious Dibber
 
Join Date: May 12
Originally Posted by Gill H View Post
Lovely day. I so want to visit Florence, but again we are saving it for a separate trip so we have a couple of days to see everything. We're doing the 'Easy Pisa' trip that day.

Your menu tonight sounds a lot better. I love the sound of the Snuggly Duckling too!

Looking forward to reading more (no pressure...!)
Interested to hear what Pisa is like. We considered Pisa but decided on Florence in the end.

The next day should be up tonight. I've just noted your countdown and will try to get it all finished by then.

Are you planning on doing a trip report? It would be nice to read and relive the cruise!
Scruffette is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 16 Aug 17, 10:18 PM  
Link to this Post
#5
Gill H
VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
Ohhh yes, there will be a trippie. And videos. Eventually!

(Basically we'll be broke till New Year after this, so every evening will be devoted to trippie writing and video making...!)
__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
Gill H is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 25 Aug 17, 08:39 PM  
Link to this Post
#6
Scruffette
Thread Starter
Very Serious Dibber
 
Join Date: May 12
Originally Posted by Gill H View Post
Ohhh yes, there will be a trippie. And videos. Eventually!

(Basically we'll be broke till New Year after this, so every evening will be devoted to trippie writing and video making...!)
Brilliant! There aren't that many cruise trippies on here and I think they're so useful for planning.
Scruffette is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:57 PM.


Powered by vBulletin - Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
DIBB Savings
AttractionTickets.com

Get £10 off each Disney Ticket with the code ATDIBB10

Get up to £50 off per room at Disney or Universal with the code DIBBHOTELS


theDIBB Blog
Disney announced that a new nighttime show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at... Read More »
Walt Disney World Resort guests can get ready to have a “glowing’’ good time when... Read More »
Aquatica Orlando announce the grand opening of its newest attraction, Tassie’s Underwater Twist, on 15... Read More »


theDIBB Menu


Exchange Rates
US Dollar Rates
ASDA  $1.2347
CaxtonFX  $1.2319
Covent Garden FX  $1.2445
FAIRFX  $1.2350
John Lewis  $1.2380
M&S  $1.2178
Sainsburys  $1.2337
TESCO  $1.2343
Travelex  $1.2353
Updated: 13:30 28/03/2024
Euro Rates
ASDA  €1.1426
CaxtonFX  €1.1398
Covent Garden FX  €1.1502
FAIRFX  €1.1432
John Lewis  €1.1457
M&S  €1.1263
Sainsburys  €1.1419
TESCO  €1.1425
Travelex  €1.1435
Updated: 13:30 28/03/2024

DIBB Premium Membership
Did you know you can help support theDIBB with Premium Membership?

Check out this link for more information and benefits, such as...

"No adverts on theDIBB Forums"

Upgrade Now



X