We’re currently docked in Naples, Italy, as we wrap up a seven-night Mediterranean/ Adriatic cruise on the Sapphire Princess.
When the Sapphire Princess was christened in Seattle in 2004, its 951-feet length and 2670-passenger capacity made it one of the largest cruise ships afloat. Now, of course, it’s considered somewhat smaller than average.
We’ve enjoyed the ship more than we thought we would. First, there are numerous cozy locations to sit and relax without feeling crowded.
Second, we’ve previously visited all of the ports other than Corfu, and didn’t feel the need to sign up for shore excursions. This allowed for more relaxation time aboard.
Third, as we have on our other two recent larger-ship cruises, we signed up for all-inclusive beverage and specialty dining packages, giving us something approaching a premium cruising experience on a mass market line.
The wines in our premium package include several Champagnes and a Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon that retails ashore for $50 a bottle, or $20 a glass plus about 18% in service charges aboard.
We managed to make reservations long before the cruise to dine every night in one of their three regular specialty restaurants, an Italian trattoria, an American steakhouse, and an authentic Japanese sushi and sashimi eatery.
It’s not a bad way to spend a leisurely week, appreciating the calm seas, the gorgeous weather, and the spectacular scenery of places such as Kotor, Montenegro.
Tomorrow we disembark at Civitavecchia, take a train to Roma Termini, Rome’s cavernous main train station, and catch another train to the hillside town of Orvieto, a name well known to Italian white wine lovers.
From there it’s a taxi ride to the Altarocca Wine Resort, where we’re booked for three nights in our current triptych of travel experiences.
It’s not exactly a grueling schedule, and that’s just fine with us.
