NCL Viva: The Good, The Bad, the DISSAPOINTING: Italy, Turkey, Croatia, and Greece (with hints, tips, and help)

[TPgal]

9 hours ago, Travel R said:

f I were to enjoy additional time in Venice, my perfect day would be to just wander around the jumbled streets taking photos and randomly frequenting small food venues when hungry.  That is just me, and I am sure others would find other uses of their time when visiting.

I highly recommend the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice.  The modern art was like a breath of fresh air after days and days of stunning ancient visuals.  

Just my opinion, but I think you were right to decline to take a stranger's kid on your gondola.  The parent in me wouldn't have let me relax and enjoy my experience because I'd be anxious about making sure the kid got back to their group.  even if they were a late age teen.  Nope, no thank you.

[kgfeathers]

Following. Thanks for providing such an authentic review. This is a trip I am currently planning and I appreciate the practical information!

[olemissreb]

Loving your review so far, but I have to disagree with you about Venice. I was there in '92 and I absolutely loved my 3 days there. We got off the touristy paths and explored the back alleyways and the shops and just had a great time. Our concierge at our hotel recommended some great non-tourist restaurants...one of which was where I discovered cuttlefish (pretty good if you can get past the black ink and tentacles).  Our concierge also booked us on a shared gondola ride that took 6 people. He recommended a bar/shop for us to stop at and pick up some wine and cheese. He actually contacted the owner of the bar, who recommended a great bottle of wine and the cheese to go with it. The other 2 couples were totally envious and we were selfish and didn't share (not enough cups to go around). One of the most magical and romantic nights of my life.

 

I want to go back one day and explore more and get over to Murano and Burano and explore over there too.

[Travel R]

13 hours ago, TPgal said:

I highly recommend the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice.  The modern art was like a breath of fresh air after days and days of stunning ancient visuals.  

Just my opinion, but I think you were right to decline to take a stranger's kid on your gondola.  The parent in me wouldn't have let me relax and enjoy my experience because I'd be anxious about making sure the kid got back to their group.  even if they were a late age teen.  Nope, no thank you.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I have been to the Solomon R. Guggenheim here in NY many times, and had seen this museum during my research (and even did some further research into the connection (which are a few, but most importantly, Solomon Guggenheim is the uncle of Peggy).  A good option for next time!

Edited 9 hours ago by Travel R

[Travel R]

13 hours ago, kgfeathers said:

Following. Thanks for providing such an authentic review. This is a trip I am currently planning and I appreciate the practical information!

 

Thank you.  If you have any specific question, please ask.

[Travel R]

10 hours ago, olemissreb said:

Loving your review so far, but I have to disagree with you about Venice. I was there in '92 and I absolutely loved my 3 days there. We got off the touristy paths and explored the back alleyways and the shops and just had a great time. Our concierge at our hotel recommended some great non-tourist restaurants...one of which was where I discovered cuttlefish (pretty good if you can get past the black ink and tentacles).  Our concierge also booked us on a shared gondola ride that took 6 people. He recommended a bar/shop for us to stop at and pick up some wine and cheese. He actually contacted the owner of the bar, who recommended a great bottle of wine and the cheese to go with it. The other 2 couples were totally envious and we were selfish and didn't share (not enough cups to go around). One of the most magical and romantic nights of my life.

 

I want to go back one day and explore more and get over to Murano and Burano and explore over there too.

 

Thank you very much for sharing your story. That sounds like it was amazing! 

 

Maybe part of the magic of Venice was lost on us since we arrived very late (eliminating any chance of an enchanted evening), then we rushed through the next morning to St. Marks, then Doges Palace, then shopping, then gondola, then had to make it to the train station for our next leg of the trip.

 

[FYI - As I read your story, in my mind I am envisioning doing this with my DW when we return to Venice. However, I started vaguely remembering that I read something about food not being allowed to be eaten on the Gondolas. I just searched to confirm, which I did, but you are also not allowed to drink while aboard. What a let down for me - but at least you were able to have such an experience, which will always be a spectacular memory.]

 

 

[Travel R]

2.  Another Train and the Fair City of Trieste

 

We arrived at to the Venice train station a little bit earlier than planned, so we went to the ticket office and were able to exchange our tickets (pre-purchased) for earlier ones and easily found and got onto our train. The train was coach, but much cheaper than the previous day’s ride. Our car was fairly decent in regards to comfort and took us about 2h 20 minutes (with the scheduled time being 2h 5 min).  The view was not bad and we saw some nice views of the Sea.  Oh yeah, along the way we saw a ship in the distance, which according to a FB post was the soon to be launched NCL Aqua.

 

Once we departed the station we walked to our hotel (Hotel Coppe), which was less than a half mile away. Out path took us across Trieste and even across its own Grand Canal.  We arrived at the hotel, checked in, and relaxed in our rooms for a little while before showering and changing for dinner.  The hotel was “okay,” the rooms were fairly clean, not too large (but large enough), but the hotel itself seemed to be undergoing some type of renovation.  However, the location was perfect for walking from the train station, and then to the dock where the Viva would hopefully be waiting.

 

As mentioned beforehand, we had all thought the dock was to be the one near the city center, then when we printed our tickets (21 days prior) it listed Pier 57, which is a little more than a mile from the city center and would require a cab ride from our hotel.  Then about 2 days prior to leaving, they changed the dock back to the Pier near the city center to everyone’s relief.  This changing of docks became a continuing theme throughout the trip. Sometimes to our benefit, and sometimes not. [I am not going to go into the itinerary changes on other NCL sailings, or mention the change for one cruise from Manilla to Hong Kong announced after Final Payment Date.]

 

After getting into some “nicer” clothing, we met up in the lobby and strolled hand-in-hand with our better halves to our destination for dinner.  After mostly Italian food all week, we had planned on going to a restaurant that served Austo-Hungarian food (Birrera Forst).  We ordered drinks, appetizers, and myself and buddy ordered a mixed grill for 2 while the girls shared some type of pasta dish (Although the décor was Austrian or German, it just did not have a great vibe, but we decided to eat there anyway.  Not to break our streak, the food was just “okay” again, and nothing spectacular enough to really mention – except the mixed grill was a pretty large dish.

 

Yeah, we have been to better German/Austrian restaurants in Queens, NY.  Maybe I should have gone for my usual standby at these places, a wienerschnitzel, but the sausages and other meats seemed to be calling out to me when I read them off of the page.  This place was just not what we were expecting, and being in a former territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, albeit centuries later, though it would have a more authentic feel to it.  Also note that their selection of alcohol was limited, not everything they had on the menu was available.

 

After dinner we strolled along the dark streets just enjoying being with each other with the knowledge that we will be cruising the following day. We eventually made our way to the Grand Canal of Trieste and walked its full length and had some gelato before heading to the hotel. However, during our walk, we did stop at the James Joyce statue so I could take a photo with one of my favorite authors.

 

We had tentatively made plans for the following morning to visit the Risiera San Saba the following morning, but we decided that we wanted to relax in the morning and head to the ship (we had a boarding time of 10 am).  There are a few other places in Trieste which I would have considered visiting (including a visit to nearby Slovenia), but there was just not a lot of time.  I can only wish, but one day we may take another cruise from this port, and would look forward to exploring the area in the future.

 

Triest is a nice little city with a lot of history. Before visiting you may want to do a little research on its long history and who the various rulers were over the years, including the Austro-Hungarian Dynasty, which provided a little different influence on the food and architecture of this city compared to the Italian cities we had just visited such as Rome, Venice, and Positano or even the next Italian city, Ravena.

 

When we first arrived at the hotel we decided to sit for a few minutes at an empty table downstairs for a few minutes to talk.  The girl from the front desk had put out waters, which we took (one for each). After arriving back at the hotel I met the sandman within mere moments of my head hitting the bed.

Edited 9 hours ago by Travel R

[Travel R]

In Trieste, on that first night, I bumped into an old friend that goes by the name of James.  After a few pleasantries, and a quick catch-up on life, we said our farewells, but not before taking a quick snapshot to cement this moment in time in technicolor.

 

"A Pier is a Disappointed Bridge"

 

Edited 9 hours ago by Travel R