Venice-Athens Cruise Advice/Tips

Hi Everyone,

First post. My wife and I were on a chartered SilverSea cruise in the Baltics back in 2008 and we have just booked the Venice to Athens cruise for late August on the Spirit.

I still have many more posts to read, but I am looking for any tips. Also, we are thinking of spending a few days pre (Venice) and one day post (Athens). We will be taking our 12 year old daughter.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

While in Venice, be sure to visit the island of Burano. It's so charming. Get lost in Venice...we've visited Italy multiple times, but had the best pizza ever in Venice. What a nice age for your daughter to be visiting such wonderful locations. Enjoy your trip!!

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Hi Everyone, First post. My wife and I were on a chartered SilverSea cruise in the Baltics back in 2008 and we have just booked the Venice to Athens cruise for late August on the Spirit. I still have many more posts to read, but I am looking for any tips. Also, we are thinking of spending a few days pre (Venice) and one day post (Athens). We will be taking our 12 year old daughter. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Welcome to the these Cruise Critic boards. Don't be shy!! Keep researching and seeking more information. Appreciate your good questions and the special "situation" or challenge with a 12-year-old daughter in these areas that are more focused on history, culture, architecture, etc.

For Venice and Athens, below are links to postings with lots of pictures and details on both great cities and nearby options and potentials. Review those and let us know any added questions.

For the Silver Spirit, I will be on that ship for the first time during a mid June sailing from Lisbon to Rouen. I will do a live/blog, posting lots of pictures and details for that ship, its features, offerings, etc. Let me know before our June cruise any special questions on this ship, etc.

Keep it coming!! Lots of smart and helpful people on these boards who enjoy sharing more information, experiences and background.

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 64,745 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

For Athens and nearby, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples from this city that is so great for seeing its great history, style and architecture. This posting is now at 15,560 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 220,004 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

While in Venice, be sure to visit the island of Burano. It's so charming. Get lost in Venice...we've visited Italy multiple times, but had the best pizza ever in Venice. What a nice age for your daughter to be visiting such wonderful locations. Enjoy your trip!!

 

 

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Thanks, we will definitely try the pizza. We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary and although in many ways it would have been ideal to go by ourselves, we didn't want to go on a "once in a lifetime" trip without our daughter.

I also thought the pricing was reasonable from SilverSea for adding a child to our room.

MDPA,

One thing you can count on will be the heat!

Very hot at that time of year.

Last summer we spent a few days pre cruise in Venice and stayed at the JW Marriott. It is across the lagoon from Venice on its own island, requiring a short boat ride to and fro. The hotel has its own shuttle service, free. We have been to Venice multiple times and I must say the Marriott experience was terrific. I did post photos of our trip on the Spirit, it was Venice to Venice, and a wonderful cruise. Dates were August 12 to August 22. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2375615

We have also been to Athens.

I would be happy to answer any question you have.

TLCOhio & spinnaker2,

Thanks you both for the additional info.

I will definitely check out the links provided by TLCOhio!

spinnaker2, any info about your previous cruise is appreciated.

One specific area we are working through...our package included the flight, so any deviation will cost us $300. We have requested a quote from SilverSea for 2-nights on the front end and 1-night in Athens but they have yet to respond (maybe today).

Questions:

Pros/Cons of having them handle everything vs. doing it yourself? I can probably save some money, especially if I stay for more than 3-days on the front end.

Initially, we are looking at the Hilton (also require shuttle) or a B&B recommended by my friend, "Ca' della Corte". Both are priced well for (3) people. We may stay as long as 5-nights and do day trips. Of course, we still need to save a minimum of $300 and receive a better overall value.

Recommended day trips (probably train) or things to do? This will make our overall vacation about 15-days (longest ever for us).

I saw the Marriott...looked pretty nice and will keep on my short list.

We did a 12 day cruise from Barcelona to Venice. We added pre and post days to our cruise. I did all of the arrangements myself. We stayed at a smaller hotel in Venice called Hotel San Sebastian. The one thing I would recommend is to have transportation arranged getting to your hotel. We thought we could wing it, but with all the stairs/bridges, even though the hotel was not that far, we could not manage. We went back to a kiosk and made arrangements. Maybe the larger hotels will have transportation from the cruise port area.

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Someone from our cruise was going to take a trip from Venice to Ravello, which now seems to be on some itineraries.

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Just to agree, transportation from the Marco Polo airport to the hotel is an important consideration. If you have a lot of luggage, it's impossible to schlep it yourself in Venice. Even a small carry on with wheels is a burden over the bridges and on crowded passageways.

When we arrived at airport thus las time we had a water taxi to JW Marriott. They are pricey but direct. The airport should have finished the new terminal for transport by now. The Alilaguna ferry does go to the airport...there are discount fares thru Venicelink.com...but you can only take one suitcase and one piece of hand luggage.

Also consider buying tickets for the vaporetto in advance of your trip the vaporetto is run by ACTV.

Using Venice as a hub you could take the bullet train to Firenze, several hours to get there.

So much to see in Venice, several days does not do it justice!

TLCOhio & spinnaker2, Thanks you both for the additional info. I will definitely check out the links provided by TLCOhio! One specific area we are working through...our package included the flight, so any deviation will cost us $300. We have requested a quote from SilverSea for 2-nights on the front end and 1-night in Athens but they have yet to respond (maybe today). Pros/Cons of having them handle everything vs. doing it yourself? I can probably save some money, especially if I stay for more than 3-days on the front end. I saw the Marriott...looked pretty nice and will keep on my short list.

Appreciate your good follow-up and this added information. Very helpful!! On doing the flights, we are now having Silversea do that for us. We requested the use of American Airlines and they gave us what we wanted, the timing, dates, etc, etc. Working very well, so far. Yes, that extra $100 pp cost to vary from the "normal" schedule is an extra cost, but we view it as well worth it in order to have needed, added time in the pre- and post-cruise cities.

For you, having that added time in Venice and Athens is super wonderful!! Can't have two better locations where you can spend that additional time to enjoy more there in these great cities. In using the hotels offered by Silversea, that might be a more "mixed" result or question. Using such American name hotels as Marriott, etc., might be "OK", but will what the cruise offers be that good of a "value" and/or, most importantly, be located in the most ideal places within a city. In Athens, for three days, we stayed at the AVA Hotel. Their location was right close to the wonderful and charming Plaka, plus they were more "local" as opposed to just a large "corporate, formal" hotel. Your choice and budget. Check your options, but getting the "feel" for the country and character where you are visiting can be of value.

Below is more on Athens, some of my pictures to heighten your excitement, help you consider your options, etc. Keep rolling with the great sharing and good questions.

For those who have not yet visited Greece and Athens, the good news is that the wonderful Plaka is right handy and next door to the famed Acropolis area. That makes things so much easier. On going up the hill, be careful as the stone steps can be slick in areas. And you will be looking up and forgetting to watch where and how you are stepping. It's well worth the effort getting there to the top. It is amazing history and architecture!! Also, we had a private guide to help us on this spectacular site. It's not cheap, but it was well worth it to know more on what you are seeing and why it is so important. Below are a few of my visual sample to get people excited about their upcoming visit and/or re-live those wonderful memories from this historic city.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 166,353 views for this posting.

On Athens’ Acropolis hill with our very knowledgeable private guide we lined up at the site, she helped us appreciate all of the history and architectural details there at this famed site going back 700 years before Christ. Having a guide here does involve some added cost, but it made a hugely positive difference for us in understanding so much more about what is up there, why it is important, how these structures were constructed, etc.:

Outdoor dining in the Plaka in the heart of Athens’ historic area. Lots of music and fun, shopping, music, plus good food. Don't miss this part of Athens!! The Plaka is clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis. It is a labyrinthine of streets and neoclassical architecture. The Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighborhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many nearby archaeological sites.:

Nearby to our hotel in the Plaka is this cute shop with a wide variety of statutes and other reproductions reflecting the great Greek artistic traditions. My wife is pictured with the shop owners. They were very helpful and had a wide selection of options. We bought a couple of nice items that are in our home daily as a reminder of our wonderful visit to Greece.:

Don’t miss the sail-out and/or sail-in for Venice. This was our view from the top of our ship as we approached the historic center of Venice. On a beautiful day, as we enjoyed, this is so spectacular!!!:

This is a Venice parish church called Chiesa di San Moise on Campo San Moisè. It has an elaborate Baroque facade that is covered in designs that one travel book describes as having “scrumptious icing flourishes of carved-stone ornament”. This 1660’s facade is on a church site dating back to the 9th century and that honors Moses. At the right is the modern front of the five-star Bauer Hotel that is connected with an older palazzo fronting the Grand Canal. Lots and lots of great churches in Venice. It’s much more than just St. Mark’s to see and experience.:

In front of the Accademia Art Museum in Venice, here is an artist on that wooden bridge over the Grand Canal making a painting. Lots of such great views can be experienced all over this historic city.:

Just to correct what might be misconstrued...

the JW marriott in Venice is anything but a big box American style hotel.

It is located on its own island and has acres of property.

I have stayed in Venice before, and I highly recommend the JW. One can immerse themselves in the hordes of tourists during the day and then take a short boat ride to an island with cool breezes and wildflowers.

It's the best of both worlds.

Hi MD! We are on the same cruise and I can attest to the quality of Terry's information, we really enjoyed the information he posted prior to our Mediterranean cruise this summer.

We spent two days in Athens during our cruise and were so impressed that we built in two days post cruise for this year. We have two daughters and found lots of great items for them, including inexpensive sandals. I am sure your daughter will enjoy it. We did one of the hop-on hop-off two day bus passes and it was really cost effective transportation.

Spinnaker2 - I was seriously considering booking the JW using points for a day pre-cruise but decided against the island location because we have never been to Venice. Now you have me rethinking that decision, we instead booked the Marriot (Autograph) Boscolo Venezia. Any opinion?

This was Athens today...according to the news.

Quite a rare event...and a gorgeous photo, not taken by me!