Venice and Greece

[Johnkut]

Just back from Venice and Greece. Any questions?

[Tripin']

We're going to be in Venice this time next year. Just wondering how crowded it was. Was there a water shuttle provided by RCL? If so where did it let you off. If not, how did you get into town?

Edited June 13, 2014 by Tripin'

[nelblu]

We're going to be in Venice this time next year. Just wondering how crowded it was. Was there a water shuttle provided by RCL? If so where did it let you off. If not' date=' how did you get into town?[/quote']

 

I'll take the liberty of answering your question. Cruised this past August on the Serenade and yes it can be a bit crowded. Especially in August as it is vacation time. RCL provides water shuttle at a cost and drops you off by St. Mark's Square. Also, available is public water shuttles (vaporetto) which you can use to stop at different stops along the canals.

[Host Jacquelyn]

Were you on Splendour? We were on the May 31 sailing

[Host Jacquelyn]

We're going to be in Venice this time next year. Just wondering how crowded it was. Was there a water shuttle provided by RCL? If so where did it let you off. If not' date=' how did you get into town?[/quote']

 

This time of year not too crowded. St Mark's was definitely packed, and the vaporettos were stifling. However, I heard it only gets worse in July and August.

 

The cruise port is a short walk to Piazzale Roma, and from there you can catch the vaporetto water buses wherever you would like to go. I believe RCCL offers a service as well to St Marks, but it is very pricey compared to standard options.

[KirkNC]

I have never been to Venice where I did not think it was crowded. Now our trips have always been in summer months. You can certainly get off the beaten path and get away from the crowd or go to Murano or Burano.

[Host Jacquelyn]

You can certainly get off the beaten path and get away from the crowd or go to Murano or Burano.

 

So true. The Rialto bridge is crazy crowded, but it is peaceful and empty within a 2 minurte walk.

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

Which ports did you go to in particular and curious as to what you did in each and your thoughts. Was thinking to book this cruise next year but not sure of which itinerary is best.

[Johnkut]

There are a couple of ways to get from Marco Polo airport to Venice. One, a water taxi, very expensive. Two, City Bus, makes a lot of stops and the cheapest. Three, Venice shuttle bus, which we took. 12 euros one way for two people. You can pick it up outside where you pick up your luggage. The driver will sell you the tickets and then you stick the ticket in a yellow box on the pole right next to the bus, this validates the ticket. The bus departs the airport and goes right to Piazzale Rome in Venice. Piazzale Rome is where all vehicles stop right at the entrance to Venice. No vehicle can drive past this area. You can also pick up the People Mover here to take to the pair for 1.30 Euros. We stayed at the Hotel Olimpia, which you can see from Piazzale Roma. If you have a hotel more inland, then you have to drag your luggage thru the streets and over bridges, or take a water taxi or water bus, which can cost you more Euros. Water taxis are expensive.

 

Ports of Call:

Montenegro, Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Argostoli.

The only thing I liked in Athens was the Acropolis. everything else was dirty. It was also the only excursion we booked thru RCCL. You can walk thru Montenegro, Corfu an Mykonos. Argostoli we booked a tour from one of the tour shops on the street into town, and was one of the best we had. went to the Underground water cave, Monastery, Myrtos beach, a can with stalactites and a winery.

[Johnkut]

Yes, we were on the May 31 cruise. We were the ones that won the Quest contest. We were with friends of ours, where my friend Graeme wore a kilt.

[Johnkut]

if you do the tour to Murano, Burano and Torcello, you don't get much time on the islands. Better to do these on your own. After watching them show us how to make glass vases, we had ten minutes for the shop and island. In Burono, the lace island we also didn't get much time. It this island was one that I would like to have spent more time. Most places in Venice charge 1.50 Euros to use the bathroom without buying anything. There are also public toilets to use, they are designated by signs with the letters "WC", these also cost 1.50 Euros. If you buy something in the shop, then they will usually let you use the restroom. I think 2-3 days is enough in Venice.

[Johnkut]

When sailing away, you will want to be on the left side of the ship. The right side will be facing Venice in port, but when the ship leaves, it backs up and then turns right, putting the left side of the ship facing Venice on the way out to sea.

[nelblu]

Even better, go to the Royal Viking Lounge to get a 180+ degrees of the city both incoming and outgoing.

[Host Jacquelyn]

Yes, we were on the May 31 cruise. We were the ones that won the Quest contest. We were with friends of ours, where my friend Graeme wore a kilt.

 

 

Hey congrats! I did see a guy in a kilt on formal night. We didn't participate in the Quest but caught the last part. All I remember from your team was a woman in the black and white dress. Did you ever participate in trivia?

[Johnkut]

Yes, we participated in the trivia for Logos. we won 2 yellow highlighters.

[Host Jacquelyn]

Logo trivia! We missed that one, but managed to hit up almost every other one. That would have been fun :-)

[mjldvlks]

Even better, go to the Royal Viking Lounge to get a 180+ degrees of the city both incoming and outgoing.

 

Sorry -- have to disagree here. You absolutely want to be outside for this one.

[nelblu]

Sorry -- have to disagree here. You absolutely want to be outside for this one.

 

To each his own.

[usateg]

There are a couple of ways to get from Marco Polo airport to Venice. One, a water taxi, very expensive. Two, City Bus, makes a lot of stops and the cheapest. Three, Venice shuttle bus, which we took. 12 euros one way for two people. You can pick it up outside where you pick up your luggage. The driver will sell you the tickets and then you stick the ticket in a yellow box on the pole right next to the bus, this validates the ticket. The bus departs the airport and goes right to Piazzale Rome in Venice. Piazzale Rome is where all vehicles stop right at the entrance to Venice. No vehicle can drive past this area. You can also pick up the People Mover here to take to the pair for 1.30 Euros. We stayed at the Hotel Olimpia, which you can see from Piazzale Roma. If you have a hotel more inland, then you have to drag your luggage thru the streets and over bridges, or take a water taxi or water bus, which can cost you more Euros. Water taxis are expensive.

 

Ports of Call:

Montenegro, Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Argostoli.

The only thing I liked in Athens was the Acropolis. everything else was dirty. It was also the only excursion we booked thru RCCL. You can walk thru Montenegro, Corfu an Mykonos. Argostoli we booked a tour from one of the tour shops on the street into town, and was one of the best we had. went to the Underground water cave, Monastery, Myrtos beach, a can with stalactites and a winery.

 

 

I am doing this exact cruise November 1. Going a day early at staying at The Monaco & Grand Canal Hotel. RCCL is providing us shuttle on the day of the cruise to the ship but we are on our own to the hotel. Seems like we will have a few options. The Monaco looks like it is located a block or two from the Piazza.

[usateg]

When sailing away, you will want to be on the left side of the ship. The right side will be facing Venice in port, but when the ship leaves, it backs up and then turns right, putting the left side of the ship facing Venice on the way out to sea.

 

That's cool because we have the farthest to the left aft balcony cabin on the Splendour. (I love aft cabins - get to watch the ship wake)

[mjldvlks]

To each his own.

 

LOL, exactly -- notice I didn't say you were wrong just that I disagree. But for me, looking at something through a window just isn't quite the same.

[CasaM]

We are also on the Nov. 1 sailing. How was the food in the MDR? Did you do any specialty restaurants and if so, how were they?

 

We're doing Hotel Olympia after the cruise for 2 nights. Is the walk far from the ship?

[Host Jacquelyn]

There are a couple of ways to get from Marco Polo airport to Venice. One, a water taxi, very expensive. Two, City Bus, makes a lot of stops and the cheapest. Three, Venice shuttle bus, which we took. 12 euros one way for two people. You can pick it up outside where you pick up your luggage. The driver will sell you the tickets and then you stick the ticket in a yellow box on the pole right next to the bus, this validates the ticket. The bus departs the airport and goes right to Piazzale Rome.

 

 

FYI, the city bus which makes a lot of stops also costs 6 euro per person. I don't know why anyone would choose that option over the Venice Direct shuttle bus, esp since you need to carry your luggage on the city bus, but it goes underneath on the shuttle.

[Iluvcruising2]

We sailed the Med late last year on the Celebrity Silhouette. It was the last cruise of the season before the ship re-positioned back to the Caribbean.

 

Ports included Venice.

 

Here was my blog review -

http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/p/celebrity-silhouette-med-and-adriatic.html

[Beardface]

I am doing this exact cruise November 1. Going a day early at staying at The Monaco & Grand Canal Hotel. RCCL is providing us shuttle on the day of the cruise to the ship but we are on our own to the hotel. Seems like we will have a few options. The Monaco looks like it is located a block or two from the Piazza.

 

You'll have a wonderful time, and it won't be too crowded.

 

My wife and myself went to Italy for our honeymoon last year, and we left out of Venice, departing November 2nd. Mind you, this was not on a cruise, but there were ships in the area when we went. If you can get there a day or so early, its worth it to watch the kids run shop to shop at night for Halloween on the 31st.

 

My take: St. Mark's Basillica... Ehh, its very nice inside, but I didn't think it was really worth the wait to get in. If you have the opportunity, tour the Doge's Palace. Its their old government building from way back when Venice used to be its own republic, and the whole thing is impressive. From the old governmental rooms to the ancient prisons down below, its a great tour. What I absolutely do not recommend is a walking tour of the city. Its a complete waste of time. We did do a tour of Murano & Burano, which was very nice, but seemed to be more than a bit rushed.

 

And lastly, while we were not on a cruise, we did get the unfortunate experience of dealing with the Celebrity Silhouette dumping all (and I mean ALL) of their passengers at Marco Polo airport when we were trying to catch our flight on Air France. Got to the airport at 5am with multiple hours to spare before our flight, and had to run to the gate to not miss our flight. Its a truly dreadful experience, with Air France requiring you to check in via electronic kiosk before checking your bag (and there were more than enough elderly who had no clue how to use a kiosk that it backed the whole system up). Took an hour to get to the front of the kiosk line, then another hour to the front of the bag check line. For those of you flying out of that airport after a cruise, this is your warning.