Looking forward to our August 25th Venice Sailing!

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to provide an update and also see if anyone is (or has) been on this same cruise.

- Flights confirmed

- Tentatively booked 5-nights at Ca' Della Corte B&B in Venice. Had a positive review from a friend

- Tentatively booked Grande Bretagne in Athens for (1) night to end our trip before heading home.

Might rent a car for a day or two for exploring Italy...reading books from the library and trying to learn some basics using Rosetta Stone (also from the library).

Now the waiting begins...;)

Hi mdpa, we went on a similar route, albeit it in the other direction, almost 10 years ago on Oceania. We started in Athens, visited Kusadasi, Santorini, and Kotor (and a few others that were different from your trip) before ending in Venice with an overnight stay prior to disembarkation.

Very nice itinerary. We have stayed at Grande Bretagne three times in the past and it's a lovely place. Make sure you see the nighttime view of the acropolis from their rooftop bar. If you haven't been to Athens before, one day is enough to see some of the major sights, if you hurry. But two days would be more leisurely.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks jpalbny, glad to hear you enjoyed the Grande Bretagne! This hotel isn't cheap, but we wanted to stay someplace nice for the last evening.

Unfortunately, we need to get back to work/school, so extending another day is not an option. At least we aren't departing the cruise and heading right for the airport.

mdpa, We are on same cruise! Can't wait.We have rented an apartment in Venice for a week pre cruise and most likely take a couple day trips by train to Lake Garda and perhaps Bologna. We fly out of JFK on the 18 and sadly return same day as the cruise ends.

mdpa,

We have also done this one on SS but in the opposite direction. We know both Athens and Venice well as we have visited both many times including work related and I've posted some links to some of my earlier suggestions. I've posted more but can't find them ... sorry. Hope they help.

If you have any further questions ask either here or on the Cooler which is a bit more forgiving on the free-format.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=41841905&postcount=19

Enjoy your cruise.

Jeff

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=41855275&postcount=23

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=41907240&postcount=26

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=41931226&postcount=32

Thanks Jeff, I am also on this sailing but have not been keeping track of the-cooler. Will do so now!

A shameless pitch for the roll call:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=896

or here:

http://cruisecritic.com/rollcalls?cruise_line_id=35&ship_id=542

A shameless pitch for the roll call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=896

 

or here:

 

http://cruisecritic.com/rollcalls?cruise_line_id=35&ship_id=542

Signed up for the roll call!

mdpa,

 

We have also done this one on SS but in the opposite direction. We know both Athens and Venice well as we have visited both many times including work related and I've posted some links to some of my earlier suggestions. I've posted more but can't find them ... sorry. Hope they help.

 

If you have any further questions ask either here or on the Cooler which is a bit more forgiving on the free-format.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=41841905&postcount=19

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Jeff

Thanks Jeff, really appreciate the feedback and links!

I think we can all come up with extraordinary, unforgettable travel experiences. On my short list would be having dinner on the roof top terrace at the Grande Bretagne. The view of the acropolis is truly breathtaking.

A shameless pitch for the roll call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=896

 

or here:

 

http://cruisecritic.com/rollcalls?cruise_line_id=35&ship_id=542

Woohoo...only 117 days away from our cruise! :cool:

Just started making restaurant reservations. At this point, I wanted to ensure we get to try every venue at least once, not sure how these compare to the MDR. Also, double checking pre and post hotel reservations to ensure good prices.

Now on to the important stuff. Who else if going on this cruise? Any interest in the roll call? We have enough for a meet & greet which is pretty cool.

We've also got to determine if there are any excursions that are "must see" and which items we should book on our own, or just take a laid back approach.

BTW, I just checked the SilverSea website (which occasionally acts weird)...but our entire cruise must be sold out. Right now, it just shows, "waitlist" as an option. Is it normal to be booked already?

If you can dine at Da Marisa in Venice, do so.

They often are on vacation in August, but check them out anyway.

I am looking forward to dining there in September!

The buffet breakfast at the Grande Bretagne is one of the best in the world! The view is wonderful, and the food is quite varied.

Hope you have a great trip.

Hello Spins

It looks like the Da Marisa I am finding is fairly close to the port and is primarily for lunch. Does that sound correct?

Thanks.

I will definitely check out Da Marisa and breakfast at the Grande Bretagne

The buffet breakfast at the Grande Bretagne is one of the best in the world! The view is wonderful, and the food is quite varied.

 

Hope you have a great trip.

I'll second that! We've stayed there twice and the roof top restaurant is not to be beat. Dinner and breakfast there is fantastic and the view is just WOW! I understand and appreciate there may be better hotels in Athens but Grand Bretagne is hard to beat.

Cannaregio 652b

Near tre archi bridge

Fondamenta San giobbe

I have eaten there numerous times over the years, and had dinner too. I first discovered it when

I had to travel to Venice for business and stayed in an apartment a few buildings away. The chiave for the landlord was a relative of the owner of the restaurant and referred me. It was a fabulous find, at the time mostly locals ate there. It is much more popular now.

La nonna made sure my husband ate everything and there were so many courses! No menu, you eat what is prepared for the day. On Sunday was fish in every form. I am not sure how to make reservations for dinner, as we were welcomed whenever we arrived.

It is a trek from the cruise port when it's hot in Venice, but doable and also away from the crowds.

spinnaker2,

I was busy traveling all week, but just wanted to say thanks for the picture, directions, and the additional detail on Da Marisa!

I think we can all come up with extraordinary, unforgettable travel experiences. On my short list would be having dinner on the roof top terrace at the Grande Bretagne. The view of the acropolis is truly breathtaking.

Also one of our favourite moments. Having breakfast there every morning was awe-inspiring [emoji4]

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Less than 60-days away...who else is going on this cruise?

We decided to stay at the Marriott Boscolo pre-cruise...hopefully it will be decent. I'm hoping that we'll enjoy the quieter neighborhood.