From Glenn:
Back from our Marseilles excursion which was a boat ride to the Calanques. We had Blue Iguana breakfast again and it was great. Our excursion time wasn't until 10:15 so we had leisure time today. We decided to get a load of laundry done and start the packing process. We have another cruise booked on the HAL Koningsdam on July 10th so need to be ready for that. We used the self laundry on Deck 9 forward.. There are also laundry rooms on decks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 aft. No coins required. You use your Sail and Sign for both washer and dryer. They also have soap ((All, Surf and Snuggle) for purchase using your card. We got there early at 645 and all machines were empty. When we came back 40 minutes later it was quite active. We found the dryers only gave you about 30 - 40 minutes of dry time. We needed about 50 so had to reactivate the machine again. It was $3 for a wash and $3 for the dryer. They also have a small sink, Ironing board and iron free of charge.
We showed up at the lounge at 945 to get our bus number, sat in the Liquid Lounge and within 5 minutes our number was called. Carnival has perfected this excursion loading. We were on the bus and off to downtown Marseilles by 10:14 (a minute early). We then had a short walk to the boat pier. We did have to wait here for about 25 minutes in mostly sun so be prepared that your won't board right away. Our boat had at least one other Carnival bus and I think one other non-Carnival group.
You sail for about an hour to a general area referred to as the Calanques. These are rock formations left over from the ice age. Several of them have resorts in between them. Most of the resorts don't have running water or electricity so they are attractive to people who want to get off the grid. We also went to a couple areas where there were some people doing (unsanctioned) cliff diving. The area is within walking distance of a college so it is quite popular with students. The boat has a small bathroom and sold soft drinks. No alcohol and I didn't see any snacks. There is some commentary while you are sailing. The excursion brochure said it would be prerecorded but it was a live person on our boat. They also handed out a binder that has a map and other information. That was more helpful than the narration.
We took the hour boar ride back to the downtown where we met up with our guide. This is where it got a little messy - at least if you wanted to stay downtown for any free time. The transit back to the ship wasn't going to be our original bus. We were to take the City Express which is a transit that Carnival setup. What wasn't clear was where this was in relation to where we stepped off the boat. We were ready to go back to the ship so we followed our guide for about 10 blocks to where the buses were. Along the way were many cafes and other eateries and other shops. If you wanted some free time any of these places looked great to grab a quick bite or an adult beverage. But since none of us know where these buses were we didn't dare stop. I guess we were like lemmings. ;-) Once we arrived at the buses about 2pm our guide told people that could have some free time. Of course that would have been more helpful to know when we were leaving the boat unloading area. Didn't impact us since we wanted to head back to the ship. I would give the excursion a B-. The areas were interesting and beautiful but not "drop your jaw" types of places. Also the end of the excursion was chaotic.
We went to a Movie Pairs trivia at 3:15. Came two points away from the win. Good thing we won a trivia on the sea day so we already have our gold SOAS to add to our collection.
One tidbit that is related to today's excursion and would have helped. On Caribbean cruises I am used to getting a map (sometimes a crude one) that have you the general area of the main streets and where the ship is. Haven't gotten any of those in this cruise and for the large industrial ports such as Livorno that makes sense. But today would have been a good time to have a map showing you where the City Express buses picked you up.
Before dinner, Angie headed to the spa and I checked out the water slides. I give them a B+.
American Feast was very good. Stuffed mushrooms appetizer didn't disappoint and the teriyaki salmon main was truly a fine dining restaurant quality dish. The Flick show was the best show I have seen on any cruise including Disney. A great combination of dance, singing and synchronized special effects. Some moments where I wondered how they did some of the effects. I would say it is not to be missed. It is also a show that helps you see the potential of how the Liquid Lounge could be used for very different types of shows. Afterwards we went to Red Frog for a couple of Caribbean Wheats which is my favorite of the three beers they brew onboard.
Then to Quest. No spoilers but will say it was the best version I have seen. And it is very adult so not for anyone easily offended as it ends with men in their underwear. Very entertaining. Spent about an hour in the casino and made a $35 donation.
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