Norwegian Viva Mediterranean Cruise Blog – Day 9 – Livorno/Florence

July 24, 2024 Randy Young

Last Updated on August 20, 2024

It was the second to last day of our 10-day Mediterranean Cruise and the Norwegian Viva was docking in Livorno, Italy. We had from 9 AM to 8 PM, eleven hours, to check out the attractions in the area.

Norwegian Viva Mediterranean Cruise Day 9 Overview

Norwegian Viva Freestyle Daily – Day 9 – Livorno/Florence
Livorno Cruise Port
Exploring Florence with “Florence On Your Own Excursion”
Hudsons For Dinner
Nighttime Entertainment on the Viva
- Gleason Magic Experience
- Viva Theater Transition to Dance Club

Norwegian Viva Freestyle Daily – Day 9 – Livorno/Florence

Livorno Cruise Port

Most cruise itineraries list today’s stop as “Florence / Pisa,” but in reality, the cruise ship docks in Livorno, a 90-minute ride from Florence. Livorno is an industrial cruise port used mostly for shipping, and guests are not allowed to walk through it. Guests who don’t have an excursion booked could take a local shuttle from the Livorno Port Authority. The cost was 7 euros round trip, which would drop guests off at the city center via Cogorano in Livorno. From there, they can explore the small town, meet their independent tour operators, or take a train.

Taking the “Florence On Your Own Excursion”

Half of our group decided to explore Florence today, while the other half chose Cinca Terre. I had been to Florence once before and looked forward to getting back. Because of the long distance from the port, we didn’t want to risk a third-party excursion or taking the train ourselves. Instead, we booked the “Florence On Your Own” tour, which was essentially just transportation to the city. The cost was $149 per person (the first person was only $99 because of the Free at Sea excursion credit we got when booking the cruise).

Meeting for the Excursion

Our tour met in the Viva Theater. Again, it was so much better organized here than when they had us meet in the Commodore Room on previous days. We grabbed seats and waited for the excursion staff to call our number. The staff did a good job keeping everyone organized and the crowds controlled. Most of the excursions were either going to Pisa, Florence or a combination of the two. Many of them had similar-sounding names. It would have been nice if they used the large video screen in the Viva Theater to show excursion names and numbers to make it easier for guests.

Tip: If you have a group you want to do an excursion with, just stand near them when your excursion is called. Then they’ll put you on the same bus. It does not matter when orhow you purchased your excursion.

Finally, they called our group and we headed down to the buses. With so many people leaving the ship at the same time, it took a while to get out and on our bus. Our tour was supposed to leave at 9:40 AM, but we left half an hour later at 10:10.

Ride to Florence

The charter bus started on the hour-and-a-half trip to Florence. Our guide gave us some information on Italy and the Florence area on the way. She wasn’t the most engaging of tour guides, and sometimes, her monotone voice and the hum of the road started that make me drift off the sleep. The ride itself wasn’t very picturesque, mostly just open highway for large parts of it.

After about 30 minutes, we stopped for 10 minutes to use the restroom before continuing. Our whole ride ended up taking us 1 hour and 45 minutes, putting us in Florence at noon.

The bus dropped us off at Florence National Central Library (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze), and that’s where we’d meet again at 5 PM. We didn’t have a lot of time here, so we wanted to head out and get moving, but the tour guide kept pushing us to visit the stores on the approved map they gave us. She had the whole group walk together to the central square, and then tried to have everyone go into a leather store together. We just hid our tour stickers and walked away to start our day; we didn’t pay that much money for a sales pitch.

Florence’s Wine Windows

When I visited Florence in 2008, I had never heard of a wine window, but when I researched Florence before this trip, they mentioned these windows quite often. In the 1600s, wine windows were used during the plague so people could walk up to a wine window and get a glass while “social distancing.” Since COVID, these windows have reopened, and tourists have flocked to them.

As we were walking down the street, a gentleman at a restaurant asked if we wanted to try a wine window. “When in Rome,” they say, so we tried it. The options were red or white, which someone passed through the window, and then he walked outside again to ring us up on a mobile app. He then said we could sit at one of the tables to enjoy it. So the whole thing was pretty much a gimmick. Because they give you wine glasses, you cannot walk around the street with them. Still, it was a delicious glass of red wine and a good way to start the visit to Florence.

Statue of David

After a local glass of fine Italian wine, we set out to see the Statue of David. Probably one of the most well-known statues in the world, David was carved by the artist Michelangelo from 1501 to 1504. The original statue stands 17 feet tall and was carved from beautiful white marble. Officials moved the statue to the Accademia Gallery in 1910 to protect it from environmental damage, and it remains on display today.

Those who don’t want to wait in line can visit the Piazza della Signoria and see a replica of the statue (which is over 100 years old). The replica was cast from the original, so it’s the same size/shape, but not the original marble material. A nice thing about the replica is that you see it where the original statue stood. It helps get a context for the statue. It was used at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio (“the old palace”) and joined several other statues in this public square.

We decided to go to the piazza to see the replica, and I’m glad we did. Seeing that it was just one of many statues makes you realize how outstanding the piece is and how it stands out from all the others. You also appreciate all the other statues and the fine detail that Italians used when decorating their buildings hundreds of years ago.

Duomo di Firenze – Florence Cathedral

Next, we headed to the Duomo di Firenze (often just referred to as the Duomo when in Florence). The church has the largest brick dome ever constructed, and it’s the second largest church behind St Peters.

The Duomo had several attractions you could visit, including a baptistry tour, a climb of the tower stairs, and a walk up into the dome. All of the packages could be purchased through the official website here.

Tip: Pay attention to what day your ship will be visiting port. Because it was a Sunday, the Cathedral was not open to visitors; other days of the week, it had free admission.

It’s a shame we missed seeing the inside, but the outside was impressive on its own. The exterior was covered in detailed sculptures and artwork, all along the front and sides of the massive building.

Uffizi Galleries in Florence

Next, we visited the Uffizi Galleries, one of the most well-known art museums in the world with an expansive collection. Normally, a ticket costs 25 Euros and can be purchased ahead of time at the Uffizi’s website. The museum is free on the first Sunday of each month, so you won’t see tickets available for those days (the museum is also closed on Mondays).

Because it was the first Sunday of the month, we were worried it would be too busy and that there would be long waits. We walked up to the entrance, and the line was almost non-existent. We went straight up the queue and only had to wait 5 minutes before they let us in. It was a pleasant surprise, as we were dreading an hour long wait.

Tip: The Uffizi Gallery is large but progresses in a very linear order, so you won’t find yourself lost or wandering aimlessly. You just have to follow the arrows to know which way to walk. Overall, we spent about 1 hour and a half walking through the Uffizi.

Originally built in 1560 as a private art gallery and later opened to the public in 1865, the Uffizi Gallery is a site to see. Ornate drawings line the ceilings and passageways, and the massive rooms hold many works of art.

uffizi gallery hallway — At the Uffizi, the building itself is a site to see. Ornate drawings and sculptures lined the hallways and ceilings.

To me, the most impressive parts were the sculptures lining many of the hallways. The skill that must have gone into making the large marble statues was incomprehensible to me. While walking along, we learned that many of the marble statues had interchangeable heads, so when a new politician or God was in favor, they could be swapped out.

The gallery also had many painted works, some of the most well-known being Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Caravaggio’s Medusa.

The museum was busy, but it never felt overly crowded. Because the works were spread out across many rooms, you didn’t feel like you were competing to see anything. The one exception was the Birth of Venus. It was nowhere as bad as trying to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, but Instagramers were blocking views much of the time. They’d walk up to the painting and immediately strike 10 – 15 different poses, pretending to admire the artwork while a friend rapidly took pictures. Then they promptly walk away, not actually looking at the art.

Ponte Vecchio

After the Uffizi Gallery, we headed to the Ponte Vecchio, a stone bridge that crosses the Arno River. It was the only bridge in Florence that wasn’t destroyed in World War II. Shops line the old stone bridge, mostly fine jewelry (it used to be filled with butchers, but they were prohibited from having stores there in the late 1500s).

From a distance, the bridge looks interesting, seeming also to be an extension of the buildings on shore. As we walked close, though, it was mobbed with people. Crowds swarmed the bridge, clogging up walkways and making traversing the bridge slow. If you don’t have a ton of time, I wouldn’t prioritize seeing the bridge, but if you have time, it is something you can check off your list.

Looking for a Snack in Florence

Our time in Florence was winding down, and we wanted to grab some snacks before we started the journey back to the Viva. Throughout the day, we saw people on the street eating comically large sandwiches. The sandwiches were piles of Italian meats pressed between two pieces of focaccia.

Everyone was getting them from All’Antico Vinaio, a trendy Italian sandwich shop with three locations in Florence. They started in 1991 and have since set up locations around the world. According to Saveur magazine, they are known as “one of the best street food experiences in the world.” Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try that claim; the line was down the block, easily a 40-minute way for a grab-and-go sandwich. It wasn’t worth it for me.

Instead, we found a cute little cafe where we could get some pizza and gelato. The pizza was Sicilian-style, and I actually enjoyed it more than the pizza in Naples. For gelato, I went with a a scoop of berry blend mixed and a scoop of dark chocolate that was absolutely amazing. This whole trip helped me realize how much American desserts rely on heavy amounts of sugar, while in Europe, they use much less sugar, instead focusing on the natural flavors.

Getting back from Florence to the Viva

We met our group at the Florence National Central Library at 5:00 PM and took a short walk to the bus. By 5:15, we were on the road again. It was an hour and 20 minutes drive back, a relatively uneventful trip.

As we returned to the ship, it was raining hard outside. Staff lined up outside with umbrellas to protect guests as they made their way from the busses to the ship. On days when it wasn’t raining, staff was always on hand to provide cool towels and cold water as we returned. It was a very nice touch that elevated the experience.

Hudsons For Dinner

For dinner, we went back to Hudsons main dining room. Like previous nights, it was quite busy, but for our party of four, we only had to wait two minutes before a hostess sat us at a table. This evening, we had our best service yet at Hudsons. She was friendly and very attentive. I still can’t understand the inconsistency in dining service aboard the Viva, but I was happy it was better as the cruise went on.

During dinner, we had a perfect view to watch the sunset on the Horizon. Norwegian planned this dining room well, letting people take in ocean views while enjoying dinner. It’s a drastic difference from recent ships on Royal Caribbean that barely have a single window in their main dining room.

I started with the fried mozzarella appetizer, which was two mozzarella sticks, but they came out hot and fresh. For dinner, I had the chimichurri steak. The sauce was bright and acidic, and the steak was cooked to my liking (medium-rare). For dessert, I tried the pear & blueberry jubilee, a fruit crumble. It was pretty good; the natural sweetness of the pears played well with the tartness of the blueberries, and it wasn’t too heavy. One thing I noticed here, though, was they used small blueberries, the type of blueberries you’d find in a box of Duncan Hines Blueberry Muffin Mix. They were fresh and tasty but small. It’s a prime example of what veteran cruisers mean when they see cutbacks on Norwegian’s food offerings. Small cutbacks like this don’t hurt the overall experience tremendously, but you would expect more for what Norwegian is charging for cruises.

Overall, it was an excellent dinner at Hudson’s, taking 55 minutes in total. At the end of the meal, the waitress reminded us that we’d get an email survey after the cruise. She asked us to make sure to complete it. In a refreshing change compared to some other ships, she didn’t specifically ask for the best rating. She said, “We just want your honest feedback, it can be negative or positive, they just want to make sure as many people respond as possible.”

After dinner, we met up with one friend who didn’t come to dinner and instead went to the Indulge Food Hall (she was enjoying the package she bought at the Mandara Spa). When we went to join her, plenty of tables were available, and the food took 3 to 4 minutes to come out. I’ve read so many people complain about being unable to find tables and slow service at Indulge, but in my ten days on the Viva, I didn’t have a problem once.

Nighttime Entertainment on the Viva

Gleason Magic Experience

The “big” entertainment in the main theater this evening was the Magician Greg Gleason. They offered shows at 7:30 and 9:30 this evening. We headed into the theater about 15 minutes before the late show, which was only about 50% full. We waited for drink service but didn’t see a single waiter coming around (although they announced drink service would end 10 minutes before the show started). I ended up getting up and going to the theater bar and getting my own drink; there were no lines.

Greg came out and introduced himself to the crowd. According to his bio displayed on the big screen, he has headlined at the MGM, Venetian, and Ballys. He also appeared on the national tour of Masters of Illusion. Greg was a “mentalist” specializing in numbers and card tricks. Many of the feats he did were small scale, guessing a number or making a card appear. He’d invite guests on stage, where they had set up a camera above a card table. That way, the audience could watch his card tricks on a big screen.

Overall, he was very typical cruise entertainment and not in a good way. It felt like a cheap Las Vegas show or what you’d see on cheap, old cruise ships, not a top-of-the-line Norwegian vessel. He did some interesting tricks and things that I couldn’t explain, but it just didn’t have the production values a large theater show should have. If Greg were wandering around the ship in the bars doing these tricks, he’d blow people’s minds, but in a theater of 700 or more people doing card tricks, it lacked pizazz or any kind of scale. For this to be billed as the “main entertainment” of the night was disappointing.

“The Guests Want to Thank You”

At the end of the show, the cruise director came on the stage to ask us to stay for a short video. It was a montage of all the staff we saw on the cruise. When I’ve seen these on other cruises, it’s always been that they want us to applaud and thank the crew for their hard work. In this presentation, though, the cruise director kept saying the crew wanted to thank us, and the song playing in the background kept saying, “We are family.”

It felt very awkward. These crew work incredibly hard, working long hours, day after day, months at a time, and doing it with a smile. We should have been thanking them for making our vacation special, not them thanking us for the privilege of taking care of us.

Viva Theater Transition to Dance Club

After the show was over, the cruise director invited us to stay and watch as the theater transformed into a dance club. While the theater has traditional stadium-style seating (that’s quite comfy AND has cup holders), the seats all fold up, and the seating slides back into the wall, making the play a giant dance club. The chandelier then comes down, trying to make the space feel less like a high school auditorium and more intimate.

But this transition is not as smooth as you’d expect. I suspect the real reason they ask people to stay and watch the transformation is to kick off the next party with a crowd. But the transition takes 15-20 minutes. Dozens of people run around the theater, pushing down the chairs and slowly retracting the steps, and it takes time.

We ended up leaving before it finished and grabbed a drink. At 10:30, we went back to the Viva Theater for the 2000’s Throwback Party. About 50 to 75 people were in the space, but it felt awkward and empty because it was so large. If this party was in Syd Normans, the place would have been packed and the “place to be.” And that’s a bit of a problem when planning these events. How do you match the size of the space to the event turnout?

After about 20 minutes in the Theater, we ended up going to the Penrose Atrium, but there wasn’t much to do there. The first floor was busy, but mostly just people sitting around chatting. The second floor, where Starbucks is located, was empty, and the 3rd floor, where the Proof Whiskey Bar was located, was pretty empty as well. Because of the awkward positioning of the openings in the Atrium, the 3rd floor feels so separated from the first floor that you can’t appreciate the music or what’s happening down there. It worked in our favor because we found a table to play a game we brought.