Johnny Rock&Roll Goes to Sea

Day Two

Stranded in Livorno

It was a frustrating day two on the Grand Princess

We hadn't signed up for a tour as we thought we'd just rent a car and drive the 15 miles to Pisa to see the leaning tower.

It was rainy and cool as we came down the gangplank and discovered we had to walk 500 feet in the rain and wind to board a bus.

We weren't allowed to walk into town from the ship because the port thought it might be too dangerous, so we all forked out $5.00 each way to get into town and back.

Local Transportation

The ship's television had told us that you could rent a car on the docks, but we found no place that rented cars. No problem, we'll take the train over to Pisa.

The ship's crew told us where the train station was located and how far the train stopped from the Tower of Pisa! Unfortunately they did not tell us the trains were on strike.

Our last option to get out of Livorno: a taxi

We went to the taxi stand and waited for a cab to show up and waited, and waited, and waited.

There were about 20 people milling around the taxi stand and it was hard to know who was first in line. In the half hour to 45 minutes we waited ONE taxi showed up and a locals quickly grabbed it.

We had to be back to the ship by 5 P.M. so it soon became a concern that with this inefficient transportation system we would be risking missing the boat if we ever did find a taxi to Pisa!

We walked around Livorno and did some window shopping. This was our only option because most of the stores were closed on Saturday.

There was an old church in the center of town (ho-hum), but not much else to see.

Fortunately I had already seen the Tower of Pisa on a previous trip, but my traveling companions were very disappointed that they could not find a way to travel the 15 miles to see the Leaning Tower. The tours were all sold out so we didn't have that option.

We wondered why the ship's Entertainment Director hadn't arranged to hire busses to shuttle guests from the port to Pisa and back all day for those who weren't able to get in on the tours.

The weather turned nasty after we returned to the ship (a fitting end to the day) so we had to stay in port until the winds died down. The thought of another day in Livorno gave me a twilight zone feeling!

Rough Seas

When we finally headed out of port (about 8:30 P.M.) the boat was rocking and rolling, but not in a good way. We were dining at the time so we got the full experience! For dinner I had the leg of lamb which was pretty good. My wife had the surf & turf (she liked the surf, but not the turf).

At the end of the day I really felt that The Grand Princess had not given much thought to those passengers who had not signed up for their ship tours. If you decided to go out on your own, they did nothing to make certain that you had a pleasant experience. We were all happy to be leaving Livorno.

Today we have arrived in Naples. We've been warned that it is the pick-pocket-and-scam-artist capital of the world. My wife and I have signed up for the "Easy Naples" tour so the Grand Princess will actually care about us today.

I hope to have a happier report tomorrow.

Rock On!
Johnny