Sea Cloud II

Sea Cloud Cruises entered the world of luxury cruising in 1979 with the Sea Cloud, a windjammer. In 2001 the family grew with the adquisition of River Cloud II, and Sea Cloud II.

SEA CLOUD II

Sea Cloud II is a three-masted windjammer that was launched in Las Palmas in 2001. Unlike other ships in its class, the Sea Cloud II has no automation for operations such as raising sails, so these operations are performed manually. The language on board is English and German. She can carry 94 passengers at maximum capacity attended by 65 crewmembers, so it is clear that we are talking about a luxury cruise ship. The 47 outside cabins are divided into several categories:

• EXTERIOR DELUXE. The features of this category are ​​16 square meters and 6 special cabins that reach 19 square meters (located in the center). There are also two single cabins for passengers traveling alone or children traveling with their parents
• JUNIOR SUITES. They are in the Promenade Deck and are 23 square meters long.
• OWNER SUITES. Two jewels of Sea cloud II with 27 square meters and equipped with bath tube and shower. Are located in the top of the ship near the library

Every cabin is equiped with telephone, hairdryer, air conditioning, shower and TV. Decoration is spectacular, as it has a lot of wood and marble in bedrooms and bathrooms, which gives elegancy and quality to every cabin.The Sea Cloud II facilities are comfortable and sized according to the number of passengers.

JUNIOR SUITE

• RESTAURANT. The Sea Cloud II's restaurant has open seating. You can sit with whoever you want to enjoy the cuisine offered by the chef. As a nice touch of luxury,  drinks like wine and beer are included with meals, and is not house wine. Different types of wine are selected by the staff to add value to your experience. Soft drinks, water etc ... are included all day. You will also enjoy free minibar in your cabin
• LIDO BAR. If weather allows it, dinner seating is also open shift at Lido deck with tematic meals, barbecues, paella... 
• LOUNGE. A very comfortable living room with a small bar and a piano. Sea Cloud II has a pianist to entertain the passengers at the evenings after dinner
• LIBRARY. An Apple Computer is presiding the library. Internet use is not for free, but Sea Cloud II offers the passengers sending and receiving emails for free through the ships system at no extra cost.
• GYM. A small room with some equipment and sauna will keep you fit during the cruise (if you want to). The ship has a massage and beauty specialist.
• SWIM PLATFORM. When the Sea Cloud II sets anchor, a swimming platform is deployed so passengers can enjoy and swim at the sea. 
• HOSPITAL. The Sea Cloud II has a hospital and a doctor, which gives extra tranquility to the passengers.

Sea Cloud II is a luxury cruise ship much more different from what we're used to. Passengers booking a Sea Cloud Cruise will feel the luxury of a five star cruise company, but with a large dose of adventure. It is clear that the Sea Cloud II does not have large stabilizers to mitigate the days of rough seas, but it does not matter to the passengers. It is more important living Sea Cloud experience and a different vacation.

I must admit that we did not expect such a luxury ship and we are impresed with the sense of family of Sea Cloud II, where every crewmember knows every passenger by name. Such details makes the passenger feel at home during your vacation and we will try to travel with Sea Cloud II as soon as possible.
 

I must thank Julia Eble, member of Sea Cloud Cruises headquarters, who helped us to find the right moment to visit the ship, and of course the great welcome given by Sea Cloud's II cruise director Christian showing us every corner of the ship in Tenerife

LINKS:
Photo Gallery
Sea Cloud Cruises Web

Valencia

Valencia is emerging as an alternate departure port to Barcelona and Malaga. European companies such as Costa and MSC are placing big ships like Costa Serena and MSC Orchestra in Valencia for the summer season. Also Royal Caribbean has been using this port and Malaga for Adventure of the Seas itineraries in the summer season, but they will discontinue in 2013.

I must admit that the city has impressed me, it is very modern and with plenty of room. The Port is quite large and its expanding to improve their facilities and host large cruise ships (Adventure of the Seas docks in the cargo area)

But if we get to Valencia on a ship like Costa Serena it'll dock at the passenger terminal of Acciona near the exit of the port.

COSTA PACIFICA AT VALENCIA

OFFICIAL TOURS: The most common and popular is the Oceanographic and Palau de las Artes (built by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava)

ALTERNATIVES:

• We can go to Oceanographic on our own. From the port you can take a taxi to this area for 10 € . Here we can also visit Palau de las Artes y Ciudad de las Ciencias built by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava.

• Go to the historic center. It's better to take the subway to Xativa station. The nearest subway station to the port is located about a mile from Acciona terminal. Once you clear the terminal turn right to Maritim Serreria station (Line 5)

WHERE TO EAT: We can not leave without trying the typical paella. It's best to go to Malvarrosa beach where you'll find many restaurants and terraces with a nice look at the beach. La Pepica, La Marcelina, Azahar ... saying which one is the best is quite complicated. All of them have their fans and detractors. I can say that La Marcelina is pretty good and not as expensive as I expected for these kind of restaurants near the beach (paella for two with salad and beer came out about 40 € the two)

SHOPPING: In the city center near the cathedral you can find many shops
If we have been in  the Oceanography there is a large shopping center (El Saler) with known franchises (Mango, Zara, Woman Secret) restaurants (Foster's Hollywood, Mc Donalds, Tony Romas, supermarket and a cinema

LINKS:
Valencia Metro
Oceanografic

Venice

Considered the Mediterranean city of love, Venice has one of the most beautiful port entrances that can be admired from a balcony stateroom of a cruise ship.

Over the last years more and more cruise companies like Celebrity Cruises are using Venice, not only as the starting point of their routes, but also as port of call for their long routes (12-14 nights), spending a whole night docked.

Other companies like Pullmantur remain here for more than 10 hours, something that helps if you want to visit the nearby islands like Murano for example.

The port is located far away from San Marco, so we'll have to take the ships shuttle service or a vaporetto, which is in fact more a tourist attraction than a transportation

There are several vaporetto lines to get to San Marco, but to me it’s better to go back to Piazzale Roma and take line 1 through the Grand Canal (passing under Rialto and Accademia bridges). The best way to reach Piazzale Roma from the pier is the "People Mover", an electric train (you’ll find it near terminal 107). Watertaxis are very expensive. Anyway there is an information point about transportation in Venice near the cruise terminal 107.

SAN MARCO

OFFICIAL TOURS. We can choose between panoramic views of the city, visits to Murano (famous for its crystal) or the classic gondola ride.

ALTERNATIVES. Pick up a map and get lost in the corners of Venice. There is an interesting route through the most attractive places of Venice. I propose the following:

San Marco> San Moise (by XXII Marzo)> Santa Maria di Giglio> Teatro La Fenice> Campo Santo Stefano> Ponte Accademia> Museo dell 'Accademia> Scuola Grande if S. Rocco> Santa Maria di Frari> Campo San Polo> Ponte Rialto> San Giovanni e Paolo> Church of the Pieta> Hotel Danieli> Ponte of Paglia

If you want to look for a gondola ride, there is a stop at Cavaletto on the western part of San Marco, next to the Hard Rock Cafe. I recommend to negotiate the best price as it depends on the number of people, if the gondolier sings, if you want to drink a glass of prosecco...

WHERE TO EAT: Venice is very expensive, and more expensive as we get closer to San Marco.
If we choose a trattoria or restaurant be sure that the price shown on the list includes every charge like taxes, service charge or gratuities.

Just in case you want to drink a beer in Piazza San Marco, with an orchestra playing some songs, it will cost between 12 and 15 € (a small beer or bottle). If you eat an ice cream, the price is even higher ... So if you want a glamorous place where you can sit down, rest and drink something in Venice, I recommend Hotel Danielli. It is a classic, historical hotel in Venice near the Grand Canal and has beautiful interiors (you can visit it). It will cost 8€ (instead of  5€ on any bar) for a beer with snacks, the restrooms are clean and its worth the money.
A good choice for a sandwich or Panini is Roma Street on the right side of San Marco. It is a long street with  italian fast food restaurants and bars, where you can buy a panini with goat cheese and parma ham

SHOPPING: In the same street (Roma Street) and surroundings there are many souvenir shops, some very curious…

LINKS:
Hotel Danieli
Vaporetto
 

Port Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the most important cruise ports in the world. In Europe, the only possible comparison to Barcelona is Civitavecchia, but in terms of facilities, Barcelona much more complete than the Roman port.

Barcelona has two cruise terminals:

·    The first one is located near the World Trade Center. If you are travelling on a of small or medium size cruise ship (like Thomson Dream for example), for sure you’ll depart from this terminal. It has the advantage of being closer and more connected to the city but with less facilities than Adossat

·    The second one is “Palacruceros” in the new Adossat terminal. Here you’ll find a group of four well equipped (check in, baggage claim, duty free shops...) buildings, but they are far away from the exit of the port.

THOMSON DREAM NEAR WTC

Getting to the port. I don’t think its a good idea to walk through a big city with your luggage and lots of money for the trip with you. That’s why I recommend to take a taxi to the port. It’ll cost about 30€ from the airport (El Prat) or 15€ from the railway station (Sants). If you are arriving to El Prat and you want to save money and walk, you can take the Aerobus to Plaza de Catalunya for 4,50€. From there you’ll have to walk down La Rambla and take the Portbus from Plaza de Colón (2€).

You can also reach Plaza de Colón by subway (Green line 3 Drassanes)

Hotels. If you’ve read our article "First Day,first steps", you will be arriving at Barcelona the day before the cruise starts. If you are looking for an hotel, the best place is near Plaza de Catalunya, but it is also the most expensive.
To me, it is much better to stay near the Sants station, where you’ll find several hotels at very good prices (Barceló Sants Abba Sants or Expo). Sants has a direct connection to Drassanes and Plaza de Catalunya by subway

If you are arriving at Barcelona few days before the cruise starts you’ll have the option to discover Barcelona. In that case I recommend to read our post “Barcelona”

 
LINKS:
Port of Barcelona
Port Bus
Subway
AeroBus

Corfu

This Greek island is located in the Adriatic Sea and it’s an usual port of call for Eastern Mediterranean routes departing from Venice or Athens. It is a small island with no more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Cruise ships dock at the new port, which is far away from the city center and the shopping area. There is a free shuttle bus that takes you from the dock to the cruise terminal. If there are several cruise ships at port I advise you to go to the cruise terminal by foot (500 meters away). From there, if you decide to walk to the city center, there is at least 20 minutes walk through the coast until the end of Patriarchou street. As you arrive at Athinagora Protou, you’ll have to go to the right to the shopping streets.

It is highly recommended to take the shuttle service to Kolla Square near the old fortress. Once there just have to follow the crowd to the center.

PLANO DE VISITA A CORFÚ

OFFICIAL TOURS. There are few options in this destination like panoramic views, Kanoni or Jeep tours

 

 

ALTERNATIVES. If you have taken the shuttle service you can visit the ancient fortress near Kolla Square. There is an information office at the end of the square (in front of the Palace). It is best to do the tour Kapodistriou, Agiou Spiridonos and N. Theotoki if you like to go shopping.

 

WHERE TO EAT. Eleftherias Street is full of terraces and bars

 

SHOPPING. The sponges are typical in Corfu. There is also a liqueur based on Chinese kumquat fruit. You can find all kinds of sweets (Greek and Turkish) with many flavors, including a Kumquat

Dubrovnik

The arrival at Dubrovnik is beautiful. There are two options for the ship in this stop. If she sets anchor near the old port you’ll enjoy the views and save the money of the shuttle service to the city center, because you’ll disembark by tender. The port is in the opposite side of the bay and it’s difficult to go from the ship to Dubrovnik by foot.

This stop is usually quite short, because the next one is usually Venice, the end of most of the cruises, and is 16 hours away.

The shuttle service will leave you near the Pile Gate, the main entrance to the old city. If you arrive with the ships tenders, you’ll be landing at the old port, on the other side of the town

Dubrovnik's currency is the Kuna. One euro is more or less 7,5 kunas. Because Dubrovnik is accustomed to receiving many cruise ships you will not have problems paying in euro (also your coins).

OFFICIAL TOURS. There are few options in this destination and most of them are panoramic tours and a visit to the city center

ALTERNATIVES. Do the same but on our own. Walking through the old town of Dubrovnik is very nice and the city is beautiful. It's best to wander round every corner starting from Stradun. The walk can take about an hour and two of our time.
You can also walk through the fortification around Dubrovnik. The access is near the Pile Gate and you pay about 50 kunas (adults) or 20 kunas (children). There is another less crowded access near the Old Port.

MAP OF DUBROVNIK

 

WHERE TO EAT: We can find many restaurants on the sides of the main street.
At the old port there are a couple of terraces where you can drink a beer while you wait for the next Tender

SHOPPING: On the main street there are many shops of all kinds with discounts for cruise ships passengers

OLD PORT

Port of Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia is the most usual starting port for cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean, Greek Islands and Holy Land. Maritime traffic in Civitavecchia is very high, not only for cruise ships but also for ferries departing to the islands, France or even Barcelona with Grimaldi Lines. Still, in terms of equipment, the terminals are very poor and are well behind other less important ports of the Mediterranean.

There is a free (at least so far) shuttle service, which takes you from the ship to the port entrance. From there, if you turn right, the railway station is about ten minutes away.

AIRPORT. The main airport is Fiumicino (actually called Leonardo Da Vinci). It's a big airport and has all the facilities of an international airport.

There are different ways to go to Civitavecchia

·         By taxi (about 100-120 € agreeing price)

·       By train. There is no direct service to Civitavecchia. You have to take a train to Termini and change to another to Civitavecchia.

If you've read our recommendations "first day, first steps" for sure you will be arriving to Rome the day before to avoid problems with air traffic delays etc ... and spend one night in Rome. If so, the cheapest way to reach Rome is the direct train between Rome Termini station and  Fiumicino Airport (half an hour and about 14 € per person). The next day the train from Termini to Civitavecchia takes about an hour and a half (about € 4.50 per person each way the regional).

·       By private transfer. It is very expensive, but they work very well. The journey for two people between Rome and Civitavecchia can cost about 125 €.

HOTELS. Rome is very expensive speaking of hotels and romans are very generous giving stars to their hotels. You’ll get the equivalence between a Roman hotel and a Spanish hotel by lowering the rating of the Roman by one star (a three star hotel in Rome is a two star in Spain).

It's best to look for a hotel near Termini station. The area is not very good at night, but Rome is crowded almost every day so there will be no problems if you do not get into the station at night.

CRUISE TERMINALS. The port of Civitavecchia is divided into two sides:

·        Trainea, Bramante and Antemurale Colombo (11-12-13). These are mostly used by medium size (under the 90,000 GT) unless there is more than one big ship at port

·       Pier 25 or Commerciale. This is where big cruise ships like Celebrity Equinox, Navigator of the Seas, Costa Pacifica…dock. There is a large parking area and a huge tent with check-in counters, but no shops or other facilities.

CELEBRITY SOLSTICE AT PIER 25

 

LINKS
Trenitalia
Interactive map of the port of Civitavecchia
PrivateTransfers