We arrived in Livorno bright and early, docking around 7 a.m. After a leisurely breakfast at Taste onboard—always a nice, easy start to the day—we disembarked around 9:45 to tackle the cruise shuttle into the city center. The line for tickets moved at a snail’s pace, but eventually, we made it onto the shuttle and headed into town.

From there, we grabbed a taxi to Livorno Centrale Station and caught the 11:10 train to Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station. The train was packed, full of tourists either on their way to Pisa, Florence, or sometimes both. But the ride went quickly enough, and before long, we were stepping out into the heart of Florence.

Our first stop was the Baptistery of St. John, its famous doors gleaming under the late morning sun. We wandered over to the majestic Duomo, snapping dozens of photos along the way—it’s hard not to when every angle is picture-perfect. From there, we ducked into some of Florence’s narrower streets, where we stumbled across a little café. A couple of fresh ciabatta sandwiches and strong coffees later, we were recharged and ready to keep moving.

Next up was Piazza della Signoria, where we admired the stunning Fountain of Neptune and the incredible open-air gallery of statues. The artistry everywhere you turn in Florence is just breathtaking. We continued on toward the Ponte Vecchio, but instead of crossing it, we strolled along the Corridoio Vasariano, which gave us much better views (and fewer crowds) for our bridge photos.

Feeling a little footsore by now, we found a bench and just watched the world go by—a simple but perfect moment. On our walk back toward the station, we treated ourselves to ice cream: pistachio for me, and a mix of vanilla and strawberry for Peter. Sweet, refreshing, and very necessary. We caught the 3 p.m. train back to Livorno, tired but happy after a day of exploring.

Back onboard, the evening started with cocktails at Shakers. Since it was my birthday, we dressed up a bit and had a special dinner planned at Le Bistro, Breakaway’s elegant French restaurant on Deck 6. I kicked off with a delicious French onion soup, while Peter chose his favorite—mushroom soup. We both followed with a Belgian endive salad. For the main course, I had a beautifully presented duo of braised lamb shank and Moroccan-spiced lamb chop with sweet potatoes, dried fruits, and cilantro. Peter opted for the beef tenderloin, served with fondant potatoes, mushrooms, and a rich Périgord sauce. The atmosphere was refined without being stuffy, and the service was spot-on. As a sweet surprise, the staff brought out a birthday cake at the end of the meal—a thoughtful touch that made the night even more special.

We rounded off the night with the Glow Party at the Bliss Ultralounge. We’ve been to a few of these on NCL ships before, but this one was a little underwhelming. It felt more like a kids’ party at first, and even after the under-18s cleared out at 11 p.m., the energy just never really picked up.

Even so, it had been an incredible day. We had the magic of Florence, a wonderful birthday celebration onboard, and the best part? The ship was moored overnight, meaning we still had another full day to explore Livorno ahead.