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“Live” trip report with pics, Celebrity Constellation, Venice-Barcelona, 8/25-9/03

cl.klink

By cl.klink,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Highpeaklad

Highpeaklad

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2 hours ago, cl.klink said:

 

Hope you’ve made it in safely!  

 

We have!  8.00 flight from Manchester UK then smooth transfer to Celebrity transfer coach. Bit of a wait to check in and at security but settled in the buffet now. 

Buon viaggio!

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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We’re onboard. Exhale. Celebrity just fits. Maybe it’s because our first cruise was X, and we keep harken back to it. But even with the debates over all the changes - and there have been many - we like being on a Celebrity ship. It feels like we can totally relax and feel a kind of being at home. Our few forays into other cruise lines have been just fine. But we keep wanting - and liking - to come back to Celebrity. Our time I Venice was superb. But I still struggle with knowing what to do and what if I get it wrong (I know that’s the wrong way to think, but I don’t know how not to, to some degree). Once I’m on a Celebrity ship, I have s home base and it welcomes me and I seem to “get it.”  

 

We also boarded than usual. So much nicer. Came in around 2:30 and all the crowd were gone. My gosh this was nice. Enjoyed a

day in the port city all the more. We had given our pictures online so no need to get more pics this time.  

 

I still love the first moment stepping into s ship. There’s a feeling that you finally are granted access to that inner sanctum. 

 

A nice cool drink on the bar aft behind buffet. This is our favorite area to hang out on the ship. 

 

Bags cane to stateroom promptly. Met Karl, our attendant. Ordered a pillow from the “pillow menu.”  Schedule said that the sail-away is late (8:30 listed, crew member says expect 8). Famously I heard this is a superb sail-away, with views of old city and San Marco.  Plan to watch on my port balcony and plan to do  time lapse video. 

 

We have a good deal of OBC this cruise, and already had some perks. Had classic beverage plan as a perk. Decided to upgrade to premium. It’ll be nice to just order stuff to try - don’t have to finish. 

 

When I can get faster internet , I’ll load pics. 

 

- Joel

 

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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We’re onboard. Exhale. Celebrity just fits. Maybe it’s because our first cruise was X, and we keep harken back to it. But even with the debates over all the changes - and there have been many - we like being on a Celebrity ship. It feels like we can totally relax and feel a kind of being at home. Our few forays into other cruise lines have been just fine. But we keep wanting - and liking - to come back to Celebrity. Our time I Venice was superb. But I still struggle with knowing what to do and what if I get it wrong (I know that’s the wrong way to think, but I don’t know how not to, to some degree). Once I’m on a Celebrity ship, I have s home base and it welcomes me and I seem to “get it.”  

 

We also boarded than usual. So much nicer. Came in around 2:30 and all the crowd were gone. My gosh this was nice. Enjoyed a

day in the port city all the more. We had given our pictures online so no need to get more pics this time.  

 

I still love the first moment stepping into s ship. There’s a feeling that you finally are granted access to that inner sanctum. 

 

A nice cool drink on the bar aft behind buffet. This is our favorite area to hang out on the ship. 

 

Bags cane to stateroom promptly. Met Karl, our attendant. Ordered a pillow from the “pillow menu.”  Schedule said that the sail-away is late (8:30 listed, crew member says expect 8). Famously I heard this is a superb sail-away, with views of old city and San Marco.  Plan to watch on my port balcony and plan to do  time lapse video. 

 

We have a good deal of OBC this cruise, and already had some perks. Had classic beverage plan as a perk. Decided to upgrade to premium. It’ll be nice to just order stuff to try - don’t have to finish. 

 

When I can get faster internet , I’ll load pics. 

 

- Joel

 

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IWillGoAnywhere26

IWillGoAnywhere26

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Thanks for taking us along on your trip. We sailed out of Venice 3 years ago on the Connie, one of our favorite trips. The sail-away is magnificent, unlike anywhere else. We can identify with that special feeling of getting on a Celebrity ship.  It feels like home! Can't wait to take this voyage with you! 

IMGP5159.JPG

IMGP5162.JPG

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ischeer

ischeer

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5 hours ago, IWillGoAnywhere26 said:

Thanks for taking us along on your trip. We sailed out of Venice 3 years ago on the Connie, one of our favorite trips. The sail-away is magnificent, unlike anywhere else. We can identify with that special feeling of getting on a Celebrity ship.  It feels like home! Can't wait to take this voyage with you! 

IMGP5159.JPG

IMGP5162.JPG

Back in 2013 we spent 3 pre-cruise days in an apartment on Giudecca, with these views out our windows.

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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Smooth sail away and overnight sailing. Disappointed to have sailaway in Venice at night since could not see the old city as well, but still nice to see some of the landmarks lit up in relief. 

 

Awoke in Zadar, with the Celebrity Infinity pulling in next to us. She was the first ship we took a cruise on, a trip that still feels like the standard against which all our cruises have been compared.  That was the type we were also upgraded to a Royal suite, and though we enjoyed it, we had nothing to compare it to, so we didn’t know how good we had it.  

 

Ship docked several miles from city center. Paid the $15 for round trip shuttle. The bus let us off on the edge of the Old City, near the sea organ, a novel construction adjacent to the sea that tourists are apparently obligated to visit. Concrete steps descend to the sea, and into these holes have been created so that the wind creates sound. The musical like result waxes and wanes with the weather. 

 

Obtained some Kuna, the local currency, for today and tomorrow, at an exchange booth at the pier. 

 

Zadar is old. People have lived here thousands of years.  During that time, lots of tumult. Everyone has attacked and/or occupied it. Under autonomous rule at present, the old city is clean, well maintained, heavily touristed, but very visitable nonetheless. It is calm and content feeling. It is varied in the historical influences it shows. The are some modern facilities, including a Tito-era archaeology museum. Saw influences from the Romans, Venetians, crusades, WWII allied bombings, communist Yugoslavian occupation, and 1990s war. The city streets and ruins have charm. Though there were many tourists, we got a feel for people who live here some, and could walk and move about the city easily. 

 

A local mericino cherry liquour is much touted. I tasted a sample.  It tasted like a cherry pie. 

 

Relaxed at a outdoor cafe, restaurant Zadar-Jadera. Had a local beer and grilled squid with olive oil “Dalmatian style,” which apparently means grilled with olive oil. Very pleasant waiter with good English taught us some Croatian. 

 

Sunny warm Mediterranean days so far. 

 

I am struck in this trip by how much the world is international, or at least, subjected to American influences. English is widespread on signs, as are some American corporate influences (a KFC was on the Grand Canal next to the train station). The thing that strikes me is that a place is not just a place.  It is a place within a world and subjected to influences by that world. So, as we travel, it is interesting how often the places where we live, or we’ve been, keep coming up, not just the new things that are unique to that place only. I have mixed feelings in observing this. Overall, I am struck by how similar we humans are. Facial expressions, interactions with each other, daily activities, and so much more are so familiar to us all. 

 

Of no clear relatedness, I also realized that on this, my 9th Cruise, it’s the first one that did not stop/start a or otherwise visit a US port. Unsurprisingly, there are many more languages being spoken other than English, compared to our other cruises, and I like that. 

 

- Joel

 

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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21 hours ago, Groovybusybee said:

Loving Venice in the early morning light.

 

We have just come off Infinity Venice to Rome. Hope you have a great sailing.

 

Debbie

Thanks. Hope you had a good time. 

- Joel

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cl.klink

cl.klink

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9 hours ago, DENIE said:

Great post!  Will be following!  We are on the Connie from Venice to Rome in November 2019.  We also believe that Celebrity "just fits us".

 

I’m sure you’ll have a good time. 

- Joel

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