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Spirit review - Grand Med May 7-19th, Barcelona to Venice

TMS9539

By TMS9539,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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  • 2 weeks later...
TMS9539

TMS9539

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Sorry, I am really slow in getting this review done. Unfortunately, after the vacation real life starts again..

 

For the sail in to Venice you want to be on the starboard side. Since we were on the port side of the ship I went down to the promenade deck to watch. Had a great view and it wasn't crowded - I think a lot of people were probably up at the top of the ship. Otherwise I'm not sure it matters which side you are on. It seems to me that sometimes we had the dock side in port, and sometimes not.

 

Wednesday, May 11 - Naples

 

Today we had a tour of the amalfi coast with AP tours (http://www.aptours.it). There were 8 people in our group and we walked off the ship together and met our guide on schedule. It was a gray and rainy morning, which didn't really interfere with the fabulous views, but it didn't make for great photos. Fortunately the rain stopped by the time we got to our first stop, which was Ravello. Ravello is perched high above the amalfi coast, so there are beautiful views. We only had about 45 minutes and I wanted to see Rufolo gardens, so after a quick look around I bought my ticket (5 euros) and went on what is possibly the fastest tour of the gardens ever taken. Our guide didn't seem to feel that the gardens were worth it, so nobody else in the group opted to join me, but I thought they were well worth seeing and I was glad I did it. Although I didn't have a lot of time to linger, I did manage to see everything (I think!) and I took a ton of pictures. Both the gardens and the architecture were beautiful.

 

From there we drove to the town of Amalfi. Again, we had only a short time here. The rest of the group wandered around, but I opted to go inside the church. (3 euros). I really didn't have time to do justice to seeing the inside of the church. It's very big and there are various rooms that would be worth exploring if I'd had more time. I'm not sure I would bother going in if I had it to do over again, but it was, of course, beautiful. The outside of the church with the huge staircase leading up to it is magnificent, and you get a good view of the town square from the top of the steps.

 

After Amalfi we had planned on stopping and seeing the Emerald Grotto. Sadly it was closed due to the weather that day, so we didn't get to see it. It was a bit of a disappointment, but we pressed on.

 

Our next stop was Positano. Ahh.... Positano. Such a pretty town with the beach and the houses built into the side of the hills. I wish we had had more time there. It would have been great to sit in a restaurant (or on the beach) and relax for an afternoon. But we were on a schedule, so we walked down to the beach from where we were dropped off and dipped our toes in the Mediterranean sea. Be warned, the beach is not sand. It is made up of pebbles and they are rather painful on the feet! After that we meandered our way slowly back up to the parking area, poking around in the shops along the way. I would have gotten lost, but thankfully other people are less directionally challenged than I am, so I just followed them.

 

Our final stop was Sorrento. Sorrento is bigger and we had more time here. The rest of the group went to a restaurant for a pizza lunch, but I was too antsy to sit still, so I bought a sandwich from a shop and ate on a park bench so I could have more time to explore. The sandwich I had was mozzarella and tomato, and was possibly the best sandwich I've ever had. Then I just wandered around. I would like to go back and spend more time there. I think I didn't do Sorrento justice because it was the end of the day and I was getting tired.

 

Also, at this point I was starting to OD on quaint little towns. In retrospect, although I was glad to see Ravello and Amalfi, I might have preferred a tour that went to Pompeii or Herculaneum in the morning, and then went to Positano and Sorrento in the afternoon, just to break it up a little. Although they were all different, between the quaint towns of the cinque terre, and the towns of the amalfi coast, I was ready for something different. I'm glad I got to see it all though, so it's a bit of a toss up.

 

From Sorrento we took the ferry back to Naples. It's about a 45 minute trip and was very pleasant. I think we all enjoyed it and I was glad the ferries were running so we didn't have to drive back. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day, and made better by the new friends we met on cruise critic.

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TMS9539

TMS9539

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Thursday, May 12th

 

Today was a sea day. About 11 am we were told that our ship was being diverted to help a disabled fishing boat packed with almost 300 refugees. The boat had been drifting at sea for 15 days, so I know these people really needed help. I think we reached the boat at about 2 pm, and were there for a long time - until about 7 pm. Our ship was prepared to take all those people on board, but in the end it wasn't necessary as the Italian Coast Guard sent a ship that could accommodate them. They did bring a woman who was 9 months pregnant to the ship and she was helicoptered out. We were told both mother and baby survived.

 

It was rather sobering to be on a ship living in luxury and realize that, quite literally, right next to you people were fighting for their lives. For me at least, it was pretty impossible to just relax and enjoy the day, knowing what was going on. I spent most of the afternoon on our balcony watching and worrying (not that there was anything I could do). I did try to read and relax, but with very limited success.

 

Speaking of reading... I am an avid reader, since I was a kid. It's not unusual for me to read 5 or 6 books on a 7 day Caribbean cruise. On this 12 day Mediterranean cruise I read about 1/2 of one book. Now, it was a big book - over 500 pages - but still, not a lot of reading got done. There was just always something to do or someone to chat with.

 

 

Friday, May 13th

 

Today we were scheduled to go to Mykonos, but because of the refugee situation we did not make it, so we had another sea day.

 

Did I want to go to Mykonos? Yes.

 

Was having another relaxing day at sea a hardship? No.

 

I can't remember what I did in the morning - I think we spent some time on the lounge chairs on Raffles terrace (always a favorite spot). That afternoon I met up with some cruise critic friends to play LCR, which is a dice game that involves no skill whatsoever. There were about 15 of us and each person put in $3, with the winner taking all. It was a lot of fun and got a bit rowdy, but all good natured fun. I didn't win.

 

After all the drama of the day before, today was very relaxed and enjoyable. Everyone I spoke to felt the same way I did - that if we had to miss a port, Mykonos was probably the easiest one to let go of. My big plan for Mykonos had been to go to lunch and eat Greek food in Greece. I love Greek food, and fortunately I would have my chance in Athens.

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TMS9539

TMS9539

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Saturday, May 14 - Athens

 

Tracy and I split up again today. She joined a tour that went to both Athens and Corinth. I went on a tour of Athens only, with Private Tours of Athens (http://www.privatetoursathens.com).

 

In addition to a driver, we also had a private tour guide. Her name was Poppi, and she was fantastic. She knew everything about the ancient Greeks, mythology, the architecture etc. It really helped to bring it all to life.

 

Our first stop was the Acropolis. I didn't find the climb to get up there difficult at all, but I guess it depends on your age and fitness. One person in our group was wearing a medical boot on her leg (like a cast, but removable). She made it up with not much difficulty, and on the way down her regular shoe fell apart - but she still made it, and with a smile the whole way. We all thought she deserved a prize. And fortunately she had another pair of shoes in her back pack, which was amazingly good planning on her part.

 

Of course the Acropolis is amazing, and Poppi told us all about the history and culture, and all the myths and legends about the goddess Athena. We could see the rock that the apostle Paul preached on. Apparently he was not very successful in Athens. They only gave him 5 minutes at a time to speak and the people weren't very receptive, so he left Athens and went to Corinth. Which I guess is why the bible has the book of the Corinthians and not the book of the Athenians.

 

From the Acropolis we saw the temple of Zeus, and then went for a closer look at the Olympic stadium. It is so well preserved you would never guess that it's thousands of years old. It was really impressive. I would have liked to go in but we didn't have time so we just saw it from the outside. Since it's completely open on one side we still got a good look.

 

From there we drove to Lycavettus hill for a scenic overview of this city. As usual we didn't have much time, but I'm really glad we didn't miss this. The view was stunning, with the Acropolis off in the distance. Everywhere we went we could see the Acropolis, so I imagine it's hard to get lost in Athens.

 

Then we went to watch the changing of the guard. I thought they must hate being stared at like that, but our guide explained that it was a real honor to be chosen, because only the tallest and best looking were selected. Shows how much I know.

 

We went to the Placa for lunch, where I had the best meal of the entire trip. Our guide recommended a restaurant, and she said the kabobs were particularly good, so that's what I had. A variety of things were ordered, and every plate was piled high. Here in America we are used to big portions, but these portions were large even by those standards. We all tasted each others food, and it was all good, but I have to say mine was the best. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the restaurant. I think the food in Greece is good no matter where you go though.

 

We had a little time to wander around the Placa after lunch. It was mostly just a bunch of cheesy souvenir shops as far as I could tell. But still charming.

 

After we met back up with our guide we walked through the Placa to the ancient agora. This was my favorite part of the day. Most of the ruins aren't very well preserved, but we were walking along paths in a garden like setting and it was beautiful. And we were walking where Socrates and Plato walked. It's hard to describe the feeling of that, but it was awesome. I saw the house that Socrates taught in. I'm so glad I chose a tour that went here.

 

From the agora we went to the Acropolis museum. Our guide took us through and explained all the important things and why. This is a great museum and worth going to.

 

I wasn't that excited about Athens to begin with, but I loved everything about this day. I think that having a private guide made the day a lot more enjoyable, because I got explanations of what I was looking at. In my opinion, the extra money spent on having the guide was well worth it. I wouldn't change anything about the day, and I hope I get a chance to go back for a more in depth visit.

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nolatravelgirl

nolatravelgirl

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From the Acropolis we saw the temple of Zeus, and then went for a closer look at the Olympic stadium. It is so well preserved you would never guess that it's thousands of years old. It was really impressive. I would have liked to go in but we didn't have time so we just saw it from the outside. Since it's completely open on one side we still got a good look.

You may want to go do a little reading on the stadium. While there was a stadium here thousands of years ago and a few bits of it were incorporated into the modern structure, what you see today was basically erected in the 1890s for the revival of the modern Olympics. This is not in fact a "well preserved" 2000 year old stadium. Edited by nolatravelgirl
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Manxcruiser

Manxcruiser

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Hi! Thanks for your review!

 

We leave in two weeks. I'm trying to get more information on a few things:

1. How was Livorno? Any tips for that port?

2. What companies did you use for your port excursions and how were they?

 

I used Rome in Limo for our excursions in Rome and Florence. They were excellent

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TMS9539

TMS9539

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You may want to go do a little reading on the stadium. While there was a stadium here thousands of years ago and a few bits of it were incorporated into the modern structure, what you see today was basically erected in the 1890s for the revival of the modern Olympics. This is not in fact a "well preserved" 2000 year old stadium.

 

Yep, you're right. I stand corrected. I didn't take notes so I'm doing this all from memory. Think I got my stadiums confused.

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TMS9539

TMS9539

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Sunday - May 15th

 

This was another sea day. I'm pretty sure that the LCR game I described in my last post actually happened on this day. Other than that, I don't remember much. I'm sure I spent it reading and relaxing. Whatever I did, I know I had a great time!

 

Monday - May 16th - Kotor, Montenegro

 

They say you should get up early to watch the sail in for this port, but I didn't. I figured I would catch the sail out instead, so I slept in. However, Kotor was absolutely gorgeous. The town is surrounded by mountains and the scenery was just stunning. If I had it to do over again I think I would make more of an effort to get up early.

 

My plan for today changed because of weather. I had originally planned to hike to the old fortress in the morning. Then I had bought a ticket through Viator for a boat ride to Our Lady of the Rock and Perast for the afternoon. I ended up not using the boat ticket, but it was only $20, so not a huge loss.

 

It was raining this morning and I didn't want to hike in the rain. Tracy had organized a tour to Perast and Our Lady of the Rock, so I told her if she had any cancellations or no shows to call the room and I would go instead - and that's what happened. There were two people who didn't show up and one person was sick.

 

Just a side note - if you join tours through your roll call, show up! It didn't matter on this particular tour, but on most of them it would. Aside from making it more costly for everyone, it is highly likely that there is someone who would have liked to be on the tour and wasn't able to join it because it was full.

 

Anyway, there was a group of about 15 of us and we had a huge tour bus all to ourselves. The drive to Perast took no more than 30 minutes, and the scenery was incredible the entire way. The road is right next to the water, so you have the view the entire way. Fortunately it stopped raining on the way, and except for about three drops that afternoon, it didn't rain again for the rest of the day.

 

Once we got to Perast we boarded the boat for the 5 minute ride to Our Lady of the Rock. For those who don't know, this is a man made island with a church on it. The church is beautiful, and the stories that go with it are very interesting. The church is filled with "offerings" from people who had their prayers answered. Everything from crafted silver artwork to common household items. And the view from the island is, of course, amazing. I really liked this. Although there's nothing to the island except the church, I can't imagine not going here if you're in Kotor. Highly recommend!

 

We then took a short walking tour of Perast. It's a really beautiful, old medieval town. I think it's the oldest town in Montenegro, but I could be remembering wrong.

 

The tour also included a walking tour of Kotor, so that was next. It was nice, but I don't think it was really necessary. Kotor is pretty small so it would be easy to DIY. I missed part of it anyway because it stopped raining, so I left the group to hike up to the old fortress. Yay! This was the one thing I really wanted to do in Kotor, so I'm glad the weather cooperated.

 

The hike consists of 1350 steps up the mountain. It is strenuous, but it's not too terrible. Distance wise it's only 3/4 of a mile. It took me less than an hour to make it to the top, and I'm not very fast. This was without a doubt the highlight of the day for me. It's a really neat hike and the surrounding views get better with every step. The worst part is that the fortress is built into the mountain and goes up - so when you reach the first ruins you think you're there, but you actually have quite a way to go before you reach the top. It was really cool though, hiking through the ruins. I took my time and took a ton of pictures. The view of the ship, and the water with the surrounding mountains really can't be beat. And of course the ruins fire up the imagination. I saw a woman in wedge heels and a dress doing the hike. Power to her, but I wore sneakers. It took me just as long to walk down as it did going up. It's less strenuous going down, but you really have to pay attention and watch your footing on the way down. I'm so glad it stopped raining and I got to do this. I had been really looking forward to it, and I wasn't disappointed. This is another highly, highly, highly, recommend. Even if you're not in great shape (believe me, I'm not!) just take your time and do it. I promise you, you won't regret it!

 

After the hike I met up with Tracy briefly, and then walked around a little bit. There is a cat museum in Kotor and I paid the 1 euro and went in, just out of curiosity. It's really just a bunch of postcards and magazines with pictures of cats. I only spent 5 or 10 minutes. Later I met Tracy back at the ship and we watched the sailaway from the Galaxy lounge. I would have liked to be on deck but it was kind of cold, so we settled for the view through the windows.

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maria1963

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Love your review. Just booked a 10 European tour next February and so excited. First time with NCL previous cruises with princess and Cunard. Think this will be different! Our last cruise on Cunard was Rome to Venice and I got up early for our arrival into Kotor, well worth it, amazing!

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Supak

Supak

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Hi TMS9539

A fantastic review of all the ports visited, which has helped greatly in our tour decisions.

We are doing the same tour in Sept, so not long to go now...

Well done.

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TMS9539

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Tuesday, May 16th - Dubrovnik, Croatia

 

We didn't have an organized excursion today. Dubrovnik is easy to DIY, so that's what we did. Since we weren't on a schedule we didn't get up and out quite as early, but eventually we exited the ship and took the ship's shuttle to old town Dubrovnik. The shuttle was $15 per person each way. I think a taxi would be cheaper, but we got off the ship and the bus was there so we got on. It was very convenient.

 

That first view of the walls of Dubrovnik... WOW! I was kind of tired today and wanted to take it easy, but when I caught a glimpse of the walls I was instantly energized. I just wasn't expecting it to be as amazing as it is. Dubrovnik is this perfectly preserved medieval town and it's really impressive. First you see the walls, then you walk through the gate and are on the Stradun, which is the main promenade. It's really fantastic. I was disappointed not to go to Istanbul and Ephesus, but I can't regret going to Kotor and Dubrovnik. I loved them both.

 

Tracy needed a new memory card for her camera so we spent a bit of time wandering the streets of Dubrovnik looking for a place that sold what she needed. Apparently they don't make the memory card for her camera anymore, but we eventually found a little camera shop down a side street where the guy offered to transfer all her photos to a flash drive to free up space for her. He was very nice and did it free of charge. It took about 20 minutes so while we waited we wandered the streets a little bit.

 

We followed Rick Steve's advice and walked through the town to the Ploce Gate to enter the city walls. I felt fine this morning after the hike in Kotor until I started climbing the steps of the wall. Then my legs instantly reminded me that I had climbed up 1350 steps the day before and that was quite enough, thank you. No matter, I pressed on and eventually the stiffness worked itself out. There are a lot of steps but nothing like the day before. The steps aren't constant and we were stopping every 5 feet to gawk at the views and take pictures anyway. I understand why Rick Steve's recommends starting here and am glad we did. It was awesome. We did walk the entire way around, but if you only are going to do part of the walls you really wouldn't want to miss this section. It's all great, but that first section was definitely the best. While we were on the walls the wind whipped up and some really dark clouds rolled in. We thought we were going to get soaked so we did the last bit kind of fast because we didn't want to get caught in a storm.

 

It still wasn't raining when we left the walls so we walked up to the place to catch the cable car for the ride up Mount Srd. However, they were closing due to the storm that was still threatening. We were disappointed but took the opportunity to use the restroom there.

 

We walked back down toward the old town and Tracy suddenly realized she had left her camera in the restroom. So we turned around and walked back up as fast as possible. We were definitely getting our exercise today. When we got there they had closed and locked the restroom so I had to go bang on the gate and get someone to give us the keys. It had been at least 20 minutes or more, so we did not expect to find it and Tracy was consoling herself that at least she had the flash drive, and the only photos lost would be the ones from that day. And then the miracle - the camera was still there!

 

And then the next miracle - the cable car re-opened as we were standing there. The storm never materialized and the skies cleared up, and away we went up Mount Srd. The views from the top were, of course, amazing and we spent a while up there wandering around and taking pictures.

 

After we came down Tracy wanted to shop, so I left her and headed back to the ship. I had wanted to go to the Dominican Monastery museum but I decided against it. I was out of energy for the day and I didn't want to force myself to do it just to check a box on my list. And I wanted time to call home before the ship left port and my cell phone stopped working. So I headed back to the ship and relaxed.

 

This was another great day. If you do nothing else in Dubrovnik make sure you get up on those walls!

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TMS9539

TMS9539

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Let's see if I can wrap this review up. Better late than never, right?

 

Wednesday, May 17, 2016 - Venice, Italy

 

We didn't arrive in Venice until close to 2pm, so we packed up this morning to get it out of the way. The sail in to Venice is really amazing and not to be missed. Our balcony was on the wrong side of the ship, so I went down to the promenade deck to watch. I'm guessing a lot of people were on the top deck, because it wasn't crowded at all. Venice is just beautiful.

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1289.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=2

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1294.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1283.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

 

We had decided not to stay any extra time in Venice, so we only had the afternoon and evening. It was the right decision for us, but it really wasn't enough time. I definitely hope to go back one day!

 

We got off the ship as soon as possible and headed for the people mover with a group of cruise critic friends. It was really easy but I was glad to be with other people to help find my way. We took the people mover to Piazza Roma and purchased a day pass for the vaporettos. We then boarded the vaporetto to St. Marks square. I really think I could spend all day just riding the vaporetto up and down the Grand Canal. Because we were short on time we took the faster vaporetto, so it took us about 25 minutes to get to St. Mark's square.

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1322.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=3

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/P1040548.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/P1040546.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1

 

St. Mark's Square was crowded. Really really crowded! It was a little overwhelming - kind of like Times Square during a holiday weekend. We had tickets to enter St. Mark's cathedral at 3:35. It is free to go in but you need tickets, and the lines to get tickets can be long. So we bought tickets online in advance for 2 euros each to avoid standing in line. We weren't sure if we'd even use them, but they were so inexpensive it was worth having them, and as it turned out, we were there at the designated time, so we went in. You are only allowed 10 minutes in the church, but it was enough unless you do some of the other rooms, which cost extra. It was beautiful and worth the time to see, so I'm glad we did it.

 

Afterwards we went to a little shop for Tracy to get a mask, and then we caught the vaporetto back to Rialto Bridge, where we were meeting up for a tour at 4:30. We took a walking tour and pub crawl with Allessando Schezzini, who is recommended by Rick Steve's. I really can't recommend this highly enough. It was so much fun and such a great way to end the vacation. First he took us on a walking tour, which took us away from the crowds and gave us a glimpse of Venice aside from the tourist attractions.

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/P1040612.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=5

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/P1040614.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=3

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/P1040619.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/P1040608.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

 

At 6pm the pub crawl began. We went to three different pubs for wine and appetizers. I was expecting maybe a glass of wine at each of the stops, but no. This is Italy and the wine flowed freely. Whenever a glass was empty it would be filled. Needless to say, a grand time was had by all. We went on this tour with several people we had met on these boards so by now we already knew them. It was really fun. The first pub we were inside, but the other two we were outside. So there we were, hanging out on the streets of Venice drinking wine and relaxing with friends. It was a perfect way to end the cruise, and we hung out talking for quite a while after Alessandro left us to go home to his wife. Eventually we headed back so we grabbed a vaporetto. By now it was getting dark and the lights were coming on, so we got to see the Grand Canal from a different perspective. It was beautiful at night too.

 

Finally we hopped on the people mover, where Tracy led an impromptu sing along, which pretty much everyone on the people mover joined in on. I did mention the wine was flowing, didn't I? This had been a fabulous vacation, but we had an early flight, so we grabbed a snack and headed to bed.

 

Because of port rules, we either had to exit the ship at 6:30 am, or wait and disembark later with everyone else. Our flight was at 10:55 am and we couldn't risk not getting off in time. Fortunately when I found this out I was able to call and have the driver pick us up at 7:00 am instead of 8:00. I had been told to allow time to clear customs. Well, apparently 6:30 in the morning is too early for people to go to work in Italy... or something. We walked off the ship at 6:30 and did not go through security, customs or anything. At 6:32 we were standing at the curb waiting for our driver. Easy peasy. Our driver showed up a few minutes before 7:00 and we headed off to the airport. The check in counter wasn't open yet when we got there, so we got in line. But it opened within 15 minutes and we checked in and found our gate. We did have to wait a while for the gate to open, which I found odd, but we had no problems. I had heard horror stories about the Venice airport, but we had no issues.

 

All in all, this was a vacation of a lifetime. I'm sorry it took so long to finish this review, but I hope it's been helpful to those of you still in the planning phase.

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blan2

blan2

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Let's see if I can wrap this review up. Better late than never, right?

 

Wednesday, May 17, 2016 - Venice, Italy

 

We didn't arrive in Venice until close to 2pm, so we packed up this morning to get it out of the way. The sail in to Venice is really amazing and not to be missed. Our balcony was on the wrong side of the ship, so I went down to the promenade deck to watch. I'm guessing a lot of people were on the top deck, because it wasn't crowded at all. Venice is just beautiful.

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1289.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=2

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1294.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1283.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

 

We had decided not to stay any extra time in Venice, so we only had the afternoon and evening. It was the right decision for us, but it really wasn't enough time. I definitely hope to go back one day!

 

We got off the ship as soon as possible and headed for the people mover with a group of cruise critic friends. It was really easy but I was glad to be with other people to help find my way. We took the people mover to Piazza Roma and purchased a day pass for the vaporettos. We then boarded the vaporetto to St. Marks square. I really think I could spend all day just riding the vaporetto up and down the Grand Canal. Because we were short on time we took the faster vaporetto, so it took us about 25 minutes to get to St. Mark's square.

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/IMG_1322.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=3

 

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/tmsiegrist/media/P1040548.jpg.html?filters[user]=23569605&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

 

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St. Mark's Square was crowded. Really really crowded! It was a little overwhelming - kind of like Times Square during a holiday weekend. We had tickets to enter St. Mark's cathedral at 3:35. It is free to go in but you need tickets, and the lines to get tickets can be long. So we bought tickets online in advance for 2 euros each to avoid standing in line. We weren't sure if we'd even use them, but they were so inexpensive it was worth having them, and as it turned out, we were there at the designated time, so we went in. You are only allowed 10 minutes in the church, but it was enough unless you do some of the other rooms, which cost extra. It was beautiful and worth the time to see, so I'm glad we did it.

 

Afterwards we went to a little shop for Tracy to get a mask, and then we caught the vaporetto back to Rialto Bridge, where we were meeting up for a tour at 4:30. We took a walking tour and pub crawl with Allessando Schezzini, who is recommended by Rick Steve's. I really can't recommend this highly enough. It was so much fun and such a great way to end the vacation. First he took us on a walking tour, which took us away from the crowds and gave us a glimpse of Venice aside from the tourist attractions.

 

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At 6pm the pub crawl began. We went to three different pubs for wine and appetizers. I was expecting maybe a glass of wine at each of the stops, but no. This is Italy and the wine flowed freely. Whenever a glass was empty it would be filled. Needless to say, a grand time was had by all. We went on this tour with several people we had met on these boards so by now we already knew them. It was really fun. The first pub we were inside, but the other two we were outside. So there we were, hanging out on the streets of Venice drinking wine and relaxing with friends. It was a perfect way to end the cruise, and we hung out talking for quite a while after Alessandro left us to go home to his wife. Eventually we headed back so we grabbed a vaporetto. By now it was getting dark and the lights were coming on, so we got to see the Grand Canal from a different perspective. It was beautiful at night too.

 

Finally we hopped on the people mover, where Tracy led an impromptu sing along, which pretty much everyone on the people mover joined in on. I did mention the wine was flowing, didn't I? This had been a fabulous vacation, but we had an early flight, so we grabbed a snack and headed to bed.

 

Because of port rules, we either had to exit the ship at 6:30 am, or wait and disembark later with everyone else. Our flight was at 10:55 am and we couldn't risk not getting off in time. Fortunately when I found this out I was able to call and have the driver pick us up at 7:00 am instead of 8:00. I had been told to allow time to clear customs. Well, apparently 6:30 in the morning is too early for people to go to work in Italy... or something. We walked off the ship at 6:30 and did not go through security, customs or anything. At 6:32 we were standing at the curb waiting for our driver. Easy peasy. Our driver showed up a few minutes before 7:00 and we headed off to the airport. The check in counter wasn't open yet when we got there, so we got in line. But it opened within 15 minutes and we checked in and found our gate. We did have to wait a while for the gate to open, which I found odd, but we had no problems. I had heard horror stories about the Venice airport, but we had no issues.

 

All in all, this was a vacation of a lifetime. I'm sorry it took so long to finish this review, but I hope it's been helpful to those of you still in the planning phase.

 

Thank you very much for sharing your review. We are just a couple months from taking this cruise and you helped me confirm some of our choices for how we would like to spend our days in port.

Do you happen to recall what time the people mover runs until in the evening?

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