Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise: Day 3 Dubrovnik, Croatia
Viv & Jill’s Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise: Day 3 Dubrovnik, Croatia
12-Night Mediterranean Romance Cruise June 3-15, 2011
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam Mediterranean Romance Cruise – Dubrovnik, Croatia
Day 3 – June 5: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Nieuw Amsterdam wasn’t scheduled to arrive in Dubrovnik until 10 am, so with no need for a too early of a morning we waited until 8 am to have coffee and breakfast by the Lido pool. The Lido Buffet which served a vast assortment of hot and cold items, including Eggs Benedict and omelet stations, was in full-swing. Armed with bowls of Swiss granola and plates of freshly-made waffles and French toast, we took our coffee and enjoyed spectacular views of the Dalmatian Coast as we sailed towards the southeastern Croatian town.
Although Nieuw Amsterdam had plenty of shore excursions in each port, we made a decision to do our own independent touring for the entire length of the cruise, so as soon as the ship was cleared for passengers to disembark in Dubrovnik, we started off on the 2-mile/45-minute stroll from the Gruz Harbor Port to the old town – with notable medieval double walls and historical buildings. A shuttle from the ship ($14 return) was available for passengers, but as it was a sunny and warm day we decided that our first visit to the area would be better if we hoofed it – we love to walk everywhere we can when travelling to better immerse ourselves with the local atmosphere of a place.
The Old Pharmacy in Dubrovnik
Arriving in the picturesque old city, paved with marble and lined with museums, souvenir shops and cafes, we made a visit to the Old Pharmacy (one of Europe’s oldest pharmacies). Next we visited Sponza Palace, where we toured the Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders that commemorates those that lost their lives in the war in the 1990s (also houses the State Historical Archives). Then on to the old harbor where we dipped our toes for the first time in the Adriatic Sea at Banje Beach (we took the proffered beach towel from the ship as we were disembarking). The weather was warm and lovely and with all our wandering it was time to whet our whistle, so we popped into a small grocery store packed with locals where (after ogling over the pastry selection) we picked out a large local beer (luckily for us they let us pay in euros as we didn’t have any Croatian kuna) – super refreshing!
After our walk back to the ship we made our way to the pool and picked up a Mediterranean Lamb Burger and fries from the Terrace Grill. That kept us fueled until dinner in the Manhattan Dining Room. The ship was fairly quiet (it seemed most passengers were still ashore) and we were able to enjoy most of the afternoon with the main pool area to ourselves.
As Jill was going to participate in the Monte Carlo Casino Night, we decided to dine tonight in the Lido Restaurant and were again pleased by the abundant variety of hot and cold menu items available. While Jill was gambling the night away, I enjoyed the Celtic musical performance in The Showroom at Sea by Livewire followed by joining friends in the Piano Bar for Songs of the 60s with Bill Forrest. A card in our cabin at turn down reminded us that we needed to turn forward our clocks an hour when we went to bed, which wasn’t too bad as the ship wasn’t docking in Corfu, Greece until 10 am.
Jill in Dubrovnik
Explore More of WJ’s Holland America Line Mediterranean Romance Cruise
Overview | Itinerary | Photos | Day 1: Venice, Italy | Day 2: Venice, Italy | Day 3: Dubrovnik, Croatia | Day 4: Corfu, Greece | Day 5: Argostoli, Greece | Day 6: Santorini, Greece | Day 7: Sea Day | Day 8: Catania, Italy | Day 9: Naples, Italy | Day 10: Rome, Italy | Day 11: Livorno, Italy | Day 12: Barcelona | Day 13: Barcelona Disembarkation |
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