Travel journal: east Med Princess cruise 2010 (Day 3)

Old Town fortifications.

Old town fortifications.

Cable car and old fortress, from just outside of Old Town.

Harbor view.

Harbor view.

Day 3, 11/12/2010: Dubrovnik 

This Dalmatian Coast port city is often dubbed "the jewel of the Adriatic," and its history dating back to the 13th century, its old town's charm, and its picturesque white-sided, red-roofed buildings situated on its hillsides leave little wonder why. An increasingly popular Eastern Mediterranean port of call for many cruise lines, it has welcomed the influx of tourism yet still held true to its unique identity and small-city charm. Since its main attractions are all compacted into Old Town's pedestrian-only streets, this is by far one of the easiest ports on the Eastern Mediterranean to navigate.

Having researched beforehand, we'd guessed (correctly) that it would be best to tour Dubrovnik on our own as opposed to on an excursion and that it would be acceptable to get a slightly later start to the day. In both respects we were right. We disembarked from the ship and immediately found a cab driver who for 10 Euros dropped us at Old Town's Pile Gate. Euros were widely accepted here; however, after entering the main gate, we changed some money into the local Kuna, which were 5 to one US Dollar or 7 to one Euro.

Though Old Town's main artery was clogged with tourists (independent and shore excursion groups alike), and shops that catered mainly to them, deeper in and down the alleyways there were vendors with wares of more authentically local nature. From one of said local crafts vendors, mom bought a pair of hand knit baby booties for a shower gift. The main square by city hall was also filled with vendors, many of which were sampling the local delicacies.

As far as landmarks, we saw the oldest working pharmacy in Europe, which was next to the Fransican Monastery Museum near the Pile Gate, St. Blaize's Church, and the Dubrovnik Cathedral. We debated on doing a few other things - walking the old city walls, riding the cable car up to the old fortress, and touring the harbor in a glass-bottom boat - but were disinclined to spend much money. For 6 Euros each, we instead went into Rector's Palace, similar to Venice's Doge's Palace but much smaller, quieter, and less crowded. It exhibited many paintings and much of the historical artifacts of the area: arrays of the pharmacy's containers through the centuries, coins, statues, historical emblems and coats of arms.

We found it surprisingly easy to find our way back via local bus; there was a stop and ticket stand located right outside Pile Gate. Upon inquiry we discovered that 1B was the correct route to the ship terminal, and that buses came about every 15 minutes. To use the last of her Kuna, mom paid for the tickets (inexpensive, at 8 per person) and then bought us some local beer at a place across the street, where we sat and enjoyed the view while we waited.

The bus dropped us off right at the cruise ship terminal, so thankfully there was no question as to which stop was correct. When we embarked, we went up to Lido Deck 14 to watch the sun set on Dubrovnik as the Star Princess sat in Gruz Harbor, crossing between starboard and port sides for the best panorama.

We used the rest of the afternoon to watch the televised port lecture on Corfu and to book some shore excursions for upcoming ports. We opted for a formal dinner that night but in the Capri Dining Room, and we loved our Junior Waiter Ramil. Food again was phenomenal: starter, Thai lemongrass soup; entree, tilapia in orange Hollandaise; desserts, orange souffle and panacetta.

Entertainment options were slimmer, so we went to the Promenade Lounge for Sammy Goldstein's "Old Time Sing Along." Most of the songs I didn't know, but I liked listening to Sammy sing and entertain - he has a good sense of humor. We also enjoyed a Singapore Sling and Piña Colada as we participated, and during the second round, I was the official "Assistant" in handing out the song lyrics booklets to everyone.

Tomorrow we call on Corfu, a small Greek island in the Ionian Sea... and tonight, we lose an hour of sleep as we switch time zones.

1^st timers’ cruise tip: know before you go

Be sure to find out what resources your ship has on the different ports of call. Available to us were 30 minute televised lectures on the next day's port, port guides complete with maps that were slipped into our patters, and an expert in the shore excursions office that was able to answer specific port questions.