Norwegian Viva Mediterranean Cruise Blog – Day 10 – Villefranche/Nice

July 30, 2024 Randy Young

Last Updated on August 20, 2024

Our 10-day Mediterranean cruise was approaching, and today was the last port of our journey. The Norwegian Viva made a stop at our first and only port in France, Villefranche. We had from 6 AM to 4 PM to explore before heading back to the ship.

Norwegian Viva Mediterranean Cruise Day 10 Overview

Norwegian Viva Freestyle Daily – Day 10 – Livorno/Florence
Tendering From Viva to Villefranche
Taking the Train From Villefranche to Nice
Exploring Nice, France
Nice Flower Market / Flea Market
Back to Villefranche
Getting Back to the Norwegian Viva
Darts at the Bullseye Lounge
Packing to Go Home
Another Great Meal at Food Republic
80s Prom with Syd Normans Band

Norwegian Viva Freestyle Daily – Day 10 – Livorno/Florence

Tendering From Viva to Villefranche

Villefranche is a tender port, meaning the Viva docks off shore, and small boats ferry us back and forth from the cruise ship.

Tip: If you don’t have an excursion booked, you will have to get a tender number to get off the ship. The tender reservations opened two days before we arrived in Villefranche, and we reserved via the touch screens in the elevator lobbies.

We booked tender 17, but that didn’t indicate when exactly that group would be called. In Santorini, that could have been two hours from the start of debarkation, while in Mykonos, that was in the first hour.

This morning, we were woken up early at 6 AM. This time, not by the noise from the gym like we were on Day 2, but by the announcements. The Viva docked off the coast of Villefranche, and the first tenders were already launching. The long cruise and constant touring were wearing on us, so we weren’t overly motivated to get off the ship in any rush; 6 AM was just too early.

As I sat in bed, I heard the cruise director call tender after tender, quicker than I’d heard before. I’m guessing a lot of people thought the same as me and didn’t want to get up and off the ship that early, so they ignored their times.

Around 8:00 AM, we eventually got moving and grabbed a quick breakfast at the Seaside Cafe before heading down to the tender. The cruise director had already called the number about an hour before, so the staff told us to take the next available tender.

Villefranche has small tenders, similar to the ones we used in Mykonos. They had three different boats going, though, so the lines moved quickly. At this port, floating platforms were brought out to tether next to the ship, making it so much easier to get on and off; I don’t know why other ports don’t do this. It was a quick six-minute boat ride until we were on shore in Villefranche.

Taking the Train From Villefranche to Nice

We exited the tender and immediately walked through the Villefranche Welcome Center. They had maps and brochures in multiple languages available. Two staff members were also on hand to answer questions about transportation and getting around. It was nice to have something available so conveniently; I wish more cruise ports would do that.

Our plan for Villefranche was to take the train to the nearby town of Nice and explore it a bit. Then, we’d check out Villefranche on our way back to the ship.

The train station is about a 10-minute walk from where the tender left us, Gare Maritime. It was still early, and the sleepy town was mostly quiet. Only a handful of tourists roamed the streets. We followed the stone walkways through the quaint streets lined with pastel-colored buildings. For some reason, it reminded me of the opening from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; the only thing missing was everyone singing about how weird they thought Belle was.

The walk to the train was a little meandering, but as long as we followed the signs, we were set. The path does have some hills and steps, though, so if you have mobility issues, the train might not be the best method of getting around.

We arrived at the train station and went to the ticket kiosk. Thankfully, a railway worker was on hand to help people buy tickets. She spun around the dials on the antiquated machine to get us two tickets. It was 2.5 Euros per person each way. I’m glad someone was on hand, as the machine looked confusing.

The train from Villefranche to Nice is supposed to arrive every 30 minutes. The sign said we had another 20 minutes before our train arrived, so we walked down to see the small pebble beach that was open to the public. Of course, as we walked there, a train came and left. We figured we’d catch the next one, but that one didn’t come.

We ended up having to wait a full hour before the train came. The train itself was a standard double-decker train car and was absolutely packed with commuters and tourists. We were shoved shoulder to shoulder in the train car. At one of the stops, a train attendant started yelling from the platform in French, then quickly in English, “Pickpocket! Pickpocket!” Everyone quickly checked their pockets and looked around to see if the pickpocket was in our car.

Thankfully, it was only a 7-minute ride. It was not a picturesque ride at all, going through mostly tunnels and industrial areas. If I were to do this trip again, I would have just booked an Uber. Everyone online made this train seem so easy and convenient.

Exploring Nice, France

The train dropped us off at Nice-Ville train station, which is a 25-minute walk from the more touristy area, the Nice Promenade. Most of the area between those two sites is a typical metropolitan city. As we walked to the Promenade, nothing stood out to me as being unique to Nice.

The Promenade is an expansive open area along the entire waterfront of Nice. It’s lined with palm trees and some artwork, and people run, walk, and bike down the boulevard. The place had a vibe that felt reminiscent of Los Angeles.

The area had both paid and free beaches available to guests. These weren’t sand beaches but pebble beaches; I found it hard to imagine how comfortable the ground would be to lie on. At least the water was beautiful and crystal clear.

Nice Flower Market / Flea Market

We didn’t have a lot we wanted to do in Nice, but one of the things on our list was to visit the local Flower Market. Supposedly, it was beautiful and had many local vendors selling not just flowers but also local food. I’d was looking forward to trying socca, a fried chickpea bread that was supposed to be delicious.

We walked over the area, only to find the flower market wasn’t there. It was a Monday, so instead of a Flower Market, it was a flea market. The space was filled with tables where vendors would sell their old items and antiques. I’m not a huge flea market fan, but it was interesting to see the goods available. I also learned something, no matter where you are in the world, people sell the same basic stuff at flea markets.

Tip: Pay attention to what day of the week you’re visiting a place. Because it was a Monday, a lot of businesses were closed and we didn’t realize that when planning our day in Nice.

Back to Villefranche

Because we got a late start and the travel time walking and taking the train, the day felt like it was getting away from us. We had to be back on the ship in just a couple of hours. We decided to head back to Villefranche and get lunch there so we’d be closer to the cruise terminal. We took the train back. While we didn’t have to wait an hour for the train again, we still had to walk to the station, buy tickets, get to the platform, and wait 15 minutes for the train. Overall, it ate another 45 minutes out of our day.

Once we arrived back in Villefranche, it was much more vibrant. It wasn’t overly crowded, but now restaurants had people eating on the patios and strolling up and down the street.

We found a place called Loco Loco for lunch. It had a nice outdoor seating area and wasn’t far from the cruise terminal. It was a small place with just a handful of tables. The restaurant specialized in mussels and frites, but I got penne pistou, a cream sauce with garlic, basil, and parmigiana. It was delicious, and at 15 euros for an entree, it wasn’t too pricey for a full meal.

Getting Back to the Norwegian Viva

Norwegian said the last tender was scheduled to run at 3 PM, so we walked over from the restaurant to the tender station and arrived at 2:45. The line wrapped around the building and through the nearby parking lot; a lot of people must have had a late start as well. This reason is why tender ports, the last tender is scheduled for 1 hour before departure, as opposed to 30 minutes for ports where you can walk off. It took us 30 minutes to get onto a tender and back onto the ship.

Darts at the Bullseye Lounge

As we stepped back onboard the Viva, the ship was alive with activity. It appeared that many passengers chose to stay on the ship or returned early. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze, the deck areas were buzzing with people enjoying our final day on the ship.

The main pool was the busiest I’d seen all week, filled with guests seeking relief from the warm sun. Walking by the Vibe Beach Club, the ship’s exclusive adults-only area, I noticed the hot tubs were packed, though there were plenty of empty chairs (the Vibe Beach Club on the Viva features two hot tubs but no pool).

We decided we wanted to play a round of darts, so we headed to the Bullseye Dart Lounge on Deck 18. We first played on the third day (read Day 3’s blog here) and had a good time, so we thought it’d be perfect on a beautiful day like we were having. It was really nice to be able to take in the scenery and enjoy the sea breeze while we played.

The cost is $5 per bay for 50 minutes (for up to 6 people); it’s an excellent deal considering what Norwegian charges for other onboard attractions. I’m honestly surprised not more people participate in it. I think part of the problem is it’s kind of in a hidden part of the ship unless you’re by mini-golf of the speedway. If this venue was inside the ship by one of the bars, it’d be packed. I’m sad it won’t be coming to future Prima-class ships.

Tip: There is no drink service in this area. If you’ll be playing Darts or Mini-golf, grab a drink from the Waves Pool Bar or the makeshift bar at the end of the Seaside Cafe (right before the Seaside Grill).

Packing to Go Home

After playing darts, we all returned to our rooms to pack our suitcases. It was bittersweet. It’d been an amazing cruise, but ten days is long and I was getting worn down by constantly being on the move. This trip was nothing like a relaxing Caribbean vacation, but I knew that going in.

When leaving the Viva, you have two options: self-assist or assisted. We had already arranged a shuttle to pick us up at Civitavecchia Port and take us to Rome at 8:30 AM. Because of that, we didn’t need to get off the ship in any rush, so we were going to do a later departure, which meant we’d have to let Norwegian take our bags off the ship. To do that, we had to put them outside our door by 10 PM.

norwegian viva debarkation letter page 1

norwegian viva debarkation letter page 2

norwegian viva debarkation letter page 3

I almost always let them take my luggage. While packing my luggage the night before is a pain, I like being able to have a leisurely start to the last morning. I also like not having to haul my heavy suitcase with me as I try to get breakfast or struggle to get in elevators on the last day. Also, in my experience, there are fewer crowds and chaos if you use this method. The people who line up to be off the ship first always say it’s a mess.

We wanted to leave at 8:15 AM, so according to the documents left by Norwegian, that meant we needed brown tags. We went to Guest Services to pick up tags, but they were all gone. The only ones left were early tags. When I went to the desk, the gentleman working said to grab any color and use it. As long as the tag color was called before mine, my luggage would be there waiting.

Another Great Meal at Food Republic

For dinner tonight, we still had one specialty dining credit remaining, so we booked Food Republic. When we booked our cruise, we received two specialty dining credits as part of the Free at Sea promotion. Then, pre-cruise, we added two more specialty dinners to our package for $71 per person. We booked our first three meals when we first arrived onboard (read Day 1’s blog here), but we left the last one open to see how we’d feel.

Originally, several in our group were considering going to Nama Sushi. It’s odd, though, because Nama Sushi is the only specialty dining that doesn’t require a reservation. Because of that, we kept our last specialty dining open to see what we wanted to do. Over the course of the cruise, we rarely saw anyone in Nama Sushi; it was at most a quarter full anytime we walked by. Because they offer nearly the same rolls, plus a lot more, in Food Republic, we decided to go there instead.

Tip: If you need to add or change your reservations after the first day, there’s a button on the phone in your cabin that will connect you to the reservation department. We had no problem getting a reservation for five by calling a few hours earlier.

So far, Food Republic had been our favorite specialty restaurant, and the second visit didn’t disappoint either. This time, we got a better table on the side of the restaurant, near the huge windows that gave us a great ocean view. Our waiter was also better this time, more attentive and personable than on our first visit. I think it helped that the restaurant was not even close to full.

food republic poke nachos — Food Republic Poke Nachos was one of my favorites.

All the dishes were delicious. My favorite dish was again the calamari, it probably ranks with some of the best calamari I ever had. The Poke Nachos were amazing as well; I loved the crisp wonton chips topped with the Fresh tuna, and spicy sauce. The Peruvian beef skewers were also really flavorful and juicy. As we did last time, we shared most of our entrees and ended up with way too much food. If you’re going to go to Food Republic, make sure you’re hungry.

See the Food Republic Menu

80s Turn Back Time Prom with Syd Normans Band

For entertainment this evening, we were going to the 80s Prom with the Syd Norman’s band. We had seen them a few times already, and they were incredibly talented. At the last show we saw with them, they told us to be sure to come to the 80s Prom in the theater the last night.

We walked into the Viva Theater, which had been transformed into a high school auditorium. The space already felt like an all-purpose room with its cavernous ceiling and retractable seating, but then they added streamers, balloons, and props to make it feel like an actual high school prom.

None of the regular, stadium seating was open in the theater. Instead, a few booths with seats were set up, and everyone else had to stand. It’s funny. Syd Norman’s was packed so much every other night that the crowd would spill out into the hall. Here, because the venue was so big, it felt almost empty, although several hundred people were there.

Tip: While you can dress in 80s-style clothing for the Prom, almost no one does. This isn’t a Carnival cruise where a lot of people bring outfits with them.

Oddly, Norwegian doesn’t tell people about the 80s Prom. If they had given people notice ahead of time, they could totally get a crowd who would dress up and participate. Instead, it was just the band that was dressed up with their biggest hair and most colorful suits.

The band did an amazing job once again. They performed all the hits from the 80s you’d expect, walking around the whole venue while they were doing it. They also had scripted portions with jokes about their proms, which felt a little cheesy to me, but some people enjoyed that. At one point, they did a traditional prom slow dance, which proved to be a big hit with older people in the crowd.

Overall, it was a good show, lasting an hour and fifteen minutes. I do wish they had some more seating setup as it seemed like that turned some people away. Afterward, they had another dance party, but most people seemed exhausted after ten days of cruising at that point and just wanted to head to bed. Since we had a full day in Rome ahead of us the next day, we decided to call it a night after the show as well.