Cruising to Six Ports in Three Countries and Still Feeling Quite at Home
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A photo with just some of the wonderful Filipino staff of the Costa Smeralda: Asst. Maître’d’s Raffy Cornejo and Ed Cornejo, with one of our waiters, all of whom made our cruise pretty special.
After spending a couple of days exploring Rome and being part of an awesome Papal Audience and Camino de Santiago walk (yes, that is yet another story), we took a shuttle bus to Civitavecchia and started the cruise towards Genoa.
My wife Beng and I embarked from Rome after some sightseeing, via Civitavecchia, the start of a six port, three country European cruise.
Dinner at one of the Costa Smeralda’s restaurants was the first time we were greeted by our Filipino waiters. Noticing the Philippines showing up on my brother’s ship access card, our Pinoy Assistant Maître’d was pleasantly surprised (our card shows New Zealand as our home country). Leading us to our table, our waiter happily remarks, “Iba po ang pakiramdam kapag Pilipino ang guest namin. At nakakapagTagalog kami (It’s a different feeling when our guests are Filipino. And we can speak in Tagalog).”
The Italian style meal consisting of antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci left us feeling full. “Bukas na po tayo mag-adobo. (We can have the adobo tomorrow.),” he declares. As in all cruises, there are several choices for after-dinner evening activities–various shows, a jazz bar, dance parties, bingo, and the like, to cap the first day at sea.
The following morning, after a sumptuous breakfast, again with many Filipino staff waiting on us, we tour Genoa, sampling its focaccia bread and admiring its scenic coast, quaint shops, and lovely town center. Restrooms are few and far between and require either a euro, or if in a cafe, a customary purchase of a drink for their use. We visit the house of Christopher Columbus and a couple of old churches in all their historic beauty. In one of the tour stops, we worryingly wait for a couple of tourists who weren’t quite paying attention to the instructions. It didn’t help that they didn’t speak English; but they eventually make it back to the bus. After shopping for something Italian in one of the town’s small stores, we meet at Ferrari Square for quick photos and for the tour bus back to the Costa Smeralda.
Our first port of call was Genoa, Italy with its scenic coast.
Upon boarding the ship its security staff, also Filipinos, scan our access cards. They are courteous but understandably not as friendly given their responsibilities. A late lunch buffet awaits us, with drinks provided as part of the package. We then try Deck 18’s skywalk to burn some calories and are rewarded with a stunning view of Genoa.
Dinner at our designated restaurant brings us back to our assigned table, with a delicious pinakbet (mixed vegetable stew) added to our meal for the evening. A conversation with the staff at the end of the meal reveals there might be very few Filipino guests on the cruise, hence their delight in having us at the table. We then watch a show featuring Ruben Anthony, a Curacao-born, German and Dutch-speaking singer/songwriter before finishing for the night.
Day three of the cruise takes us to Marseille, France. A pre-arranged tour includes Parc Longchamp, Cathedral la Major admired for its Romanesque and Neo-Byzantine architecture, and the port of Marseille for a glimpse of its fish catch. We get to go shopping at the Galleria. Back on the ship, the evening’s special dish is a pleasant Pinoy surprise: sisig (sizzling chopped pork cheeks and liver) with fried egg and steamed rice, which we devour quickly. A game of bingo and a dance show keeps us entertained for the night. We look forward to the next port where we get to meet up for the day with our daughter and son-in-law, in Barcelona!
A pre-arranged tour in Marseille, France includes the Parc Longchamp with its amazing sculptures.
Our tour guide, Hugo, meets us at the port in a black Mercedes Van, the vehicle of choice for small tours of Barcelona and Montserrat. He keeps us entertained with a comprehensive spiel on Barcelona’s history, its architecture through the years and the special place it holds in the city. We welcome the news that Team New Zealand has won the 37th America’s Cup, just a couple of days before, as we are driven to get a glimpse of the AC37 Club Village. From there we proceed to the highlight of our visit– Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, with a little bit of scaffolding suggesting it is still a work in progress after all these years. We are captivated by its incomparable beauty, originality, and attention to detail, both outside and inside the building. Though we couldn’t get enough of Gaudi’s brainchild and other Spanish architects’ interpretation of it, we had to leave for our next stop: Montserrat.
My brother, Bob, with my daughter Nicky and son-in-law Finn in Barcelona, Spain: Except for a little bit of scaffolding suggesting the Sagrada Familia is still a work in progress after all these years, we are captivated by its incomparable beauty, originality and attention to detail.
The road up the serrated mountain (hence the name Montserrat), where the famous Our Lady of Montserrat monastery is found, is quite busy with traffic. This means that to make it back to the cruise ship in time, we must walk up for a good half hour. But the walk is well worth it for the stunning view below, and we also get a glimpse of the Black Madonna inside the church.
After saying goodbye to our daughter and son-in-law, we are keen to have a late lunch/an afternoon snack on the ship, and are glad that one of the buffet places is still open. Getting drinks using our drinks packages gets easier again because of the awesome service of the Filipino waiters. In a few hours, at dinner time, we are again pampered, with an excellent wine choice, and if you can believe it, pancit bihon (noodles) as our fourth dish. The hits just keep on coming.
The following day is spent at sea on the way to Cagliari; so, it’s a perfect opportunity for some aqua jogging, and salsa and cha-cha dance lessons. In the evening is a bonus dinner dish of salmon from our friendly Filipino crew. The following morning, we wake up really early to try the spa pool before everyone else, a refreshing few minutes before getting ready for our tour of Cagliari. At breakfast, the Filipino waiter shares a tip that we can order other specialties that are not on the breakfast buffet, like a salmon omelet. I happily oblige, glad that this helpful information is again shared by a kababayan (compatriot).
Cagliari welcomes us with a really sunny day, giving us a perfect photo opportunity at the statue of St. Francis of Assisi’s profile with the wonderful sea and mountain view as a backdrop. The tour also takes us to Cagliari’s Regio Arsenale, and its wonderful buildings full of history. A quick rest room break gives me the chance to try out the local beer of Sardegna. On the way back to the ship, we pass by the narrow cobblestone streets of Cagliari for some souvenir shopping.
Cagliari, Italy welcomed us with a really sunny day, giving us a perfect photo opportunity of the statue of St. Francis of Assisi’s profile with the wonderful sea and mountain view as a backdrop.
In the evening, we get briefed on instructions for disembarking and luggage details two days before we actually get off the ship in Rome. Dinner is a four-course meal with the surprise dish of tapsilog (fried rice, beef jerky, fried egg), again care of our kababayans in the dining room and the kitchen.
Tapsilog, one of the delicious meals that added a touch of home on the Costa Smeralda, care of our kababayans.
The last stop before disembarking in Rome is Napoli, which gives us a view of Mt. Vesuvius from afar. We explore Napoli’s majestic buildings and captivating churches. We skip the tour of Napoli Sotterranea, its historic underground tunnels and caves as it’s a bit crowded. Perhaps there will be an opportunity to return to Napoli one day. We go to the awesome Caravaggio exhibit though for a chance to immerse ourselves in art. Then we walk to Gino e Toto Sorbillo, a Michelin-awarded establishment; what better way to enjoy Neapolitan cuisine than with its delicious pizza.
Caravaggio exhibit in Napoli, Italy is not to be missed.
Dinner at our designated restaurant brings us back to our assigned table, with a delicious pinakbet (mixed vegetable stew) added to our meal for the evening.
On the way back to the ship, we pass by Tambayan sa Napoli, where we buy some chicharon (pork skin crackling). Apparently, it is also where Filipino cruise ship staff buy their precious Filipino goods and savor Filipino dishes. We make our way back to the ship and rest before our final dinner before disembarking in Rome. We feast on our meal which includes sweet and sour pork before we say goodbye to our countrymen. In our chats with the crew, we find out one can’t wait for his trip back home the following week. The rest will still be missing home as they must be on the ship for its cruise to its next destination. We take some pictures, thank them and wish them well. A fitting end to a memorable cruise of six different ports, in three different countries, but always with a touch of home, thanks to our ever gracious kababayans.
We checked out Tambayan sa Napoli which is where Filipino crew buy their favorite goods and savor their favorite dishes when in Napoli.
Ronald “Ronnie” Salazar is a tech professional who has lived in New Zealand for the past thirty years. He is an avid follower of the Filipino diaspora, its positivity and contribution to making the world a better place. He is also a singer/songwriter whose music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and on his YouTube channel.
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