Monday, May 20, 2013

Villafranche, Nice, and Eze



Our arrival into Villefranche was scheduled for 9:00 AM.  We set our wake-up call for 8:15.  Since we have no window, we rely on Channel 40 for information from the bridge and the bridgecam.  On the map it looked like we were way out in the Sea a long way from Villefranche, which we thought was strange.  We double-checked the itinerary; it’s Monday, May 20 alright.

We got up and prepared to go to breakfast.  The elevators on the Radiance class ships are glass and extend out over the water.  It looked like we were still moving and there wasn’t any land in sight on the port side.  Hmmm, something doesn’t seem right.  Maybe it’s just a swift current and there’s some land visible from the starboard side of the ship. 

Nope.  No land anywhere.  What the heck is going on?  Thoughts of the plight of the Carnival Splendor popped into my mind.  Oh no, not that!  Why wasn’t there some kind of communication about this situation?

A trip to Guest Relations quickly solved the mystery.  The weather in Villefranche was too severe for us to drop anchor and tender.  The waves were over 3m (9+ feet) and it wouldn’t be safe to load and unload the tender boats.  We had to sail on by.  They will refund our tour and port fees.

Dear Mr. Murphy:  OK, we’ve about had it with you!!  Go vacation somewhere else now and leave us alone!

We’re using our extra sea day to catch up with things here on board.  We’re a little disappointed not to get to see Nice and Eze, but it’s probably a blessing since the rain would have made it less enjoyable.  And with all the refunds, we’ll have a lot of on-board credit to use.  That usually means more internet time.  Tonight is formal night and we’ll be meeting Captain Karin for the first time.  She was the first female Captain in the fleet.

Tomorrow is Pisa – forecast is rain.  We’ll be docked in Livorno, Italy so the weather should not prevent our visit.  The next day is Civitavecchia, the gateway to Rome, and another day of rain in the forecast. 

C’mon Mr. Murphy – take this cool, rainy weather with you when you leave, please!

Stay tuned…

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