Roll Call Wind Surf Rome to Venice Sept. 7-14

[wneal14]

Hello everyone,

 

My wife and I are taking our first Wind Star cruise and our first Med cruise on September 7th. We live in Tampa, Florida so we have only cruised the Bahamas and Caribbean. Wondering how many other cruise critic members are going. We have booked a place for four days in Rome and we are doing a little traveling in Germany before we get to Rome. We just got married so this will be a honeymoon, just kinda late.

 

Chip and Shawn Kimberly

[Cour10ay]

Unfortunately, we're not going on this sailing, but we're sure you'll have a wonderful honeymoon on the Windsurf. You might take a look at the Ports of Call area for tips on some of your ports, or in the special interest section for scuba, etc.

 

Hopefully someone who is sailing with you will reply before you head over the pond...

[22Mermaid]

Congratulations on your recent marriage!! My husband and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on this cruise, so this cruise must be for lovers! After cruising on all styles and sizes of ships, we love Windstar because it is so casual, intimate, has the water sports platform, PLUS we might actually even get to sail. You can meet as many passengers as you'd like, or you can keep more to yourselves in your newly wedded bliss! The open bridge is a feature we love (for the navigation technology and the stargazing). We cruised on our honeymoon, and here we are 25 years later...

 

We are still searching for a hotel in Rome for two days prior to the cruise, and in Venice for a couple of days after, so if you have any recommendations, we'd love to know. We are also taking an Italian class to pick up some basic conversation skills, but they will probably just get us into trouble. :)

 

I read in another post that it is easy to get to the port from the train station, so we will probably do that. How are you planning to get from your hotel to the ship?

 

Ciao!

Jean in Gig Harbor, WA

(near Seattle)

[Whitecap Bugs]

My husband and I have sailed on the Windsurf (we love Windstar) and are also going on the Sep 7 cruise. We'll look forward to seeing you. We are staying in Rome for 5 days prior to sailing, 2 days in Venice and on to Florence for a few days before flying home. We are also thinking of taking the train to port from Rome. Am glad to hear that it is easy from station to dock. If you are interested, we could look into other transportation (van, etc.):) and split the fare.

Alice and Byron (TX):)

[22Mermaid]

Texans,

 

I was glad to see your posting! I hope that the Florida honeymooners will check back in soon, too...

 

We haven't booked a hotel in Rome yet, as I am awaiting names of recommended hotels where friends have stayed. If you don't mind saying, I'd love to know where you are staying so that I can check it out online. If we end up staying anywhere near each others' hotels, it might make sense to go to the port together.

 

We are arriving on the 5th in Rome. I just read the Windstar documents, and we can board the ship at 1 P.M. I think it's about 50 miles from Rome to the port.

 

Thanks for any info you can pass along! ;)

[wneal14]

Hello Everyone!

 

Hotels first.

 

We are staying in a one room bed and breakfast in Rome called Pettinary Village Bed and Breakfast. If you look at a map of Rome you will see where the river bends and makes a "C" shape. One of the bridges crossing towards the bottom of the "C" is Pettinari and the bed and breakfast is two blocks north of the bridge. Tripadvisor.com had wonderful things to say about it and the location can't be beat. We looked at a number of other B&B's around the Vatican but chose this one because my wife is crazy for morning markets, which Campo D' Fiori is famous for and right next to Pettinary.

 

Venice. We are staying in the Hotel Al Vagon. It is a one star on the canal. Hotels were so amazingly expensive that we chose something cheap just to lay our heads. The reviews on tripadvisor.com and verene.com were very good considering the price and level of service one would expect form a one star hotel. We also looked at the Hotel Galleria, which is basically the same, but Al Vagon was 20 Euros cheaper. I have heard that the Hotel Antiche Figure in Venice is really wonderful, small, romantic place removed from most of the chaos of Venice.

 

We thought we would take a taxi from Rome to the port. Even though it is expensive we didn't want the hassle of fighting with our luggage on the train or bus. I understand it is fairly easy to get from Rome to the port via train though. We will look into it once we get to Rome and make our final decision. It might be really nice to have a van take us all to the port together if possible.

 

We arrive in Rome on September 4th and we leave Venice on September 16th.

 

We look foward to hearing from everyone and seeing everyone in just over a month.

 

Chip and Shawn Kimberly

[22Mermaid]

Grazie for the hotel info! I will be doing our research soon and deciding on hotels in Rome and Venice. Your detailed information was so helpful!!!

 

Jean and Doug

Gig Harbor

[irc2100]

We just stayed at the Londra Palace (265 euros/night). Phenominal location (a pitching wedge from St. Mark's), with a Water Bus stop right in front of the hotel. Ask for a Canal View room and you won't be disappointed. Very nice breakfast buffet included.

[Whitecap Bugs]

Great to read everyones' posts. We are staying from 9/2 - 9/7 at Hotel Barocco in Rome. We are staying one night in Venice at the end of the cruise at Hotel Flora (near St. Mark's).

 

We have Romecabs picking us up at the airport when we arrive in Rome. They also have said they can transport us to the port on the 7th. Can't remember the quote but it was for a minimum of 4 people so if any of you would be interested, we may do it. Otherwise, we are going to try the train!

 

Alice and Byron

Scarborough

[whatnot]

If you are talking about Stefano at Romecabs (or one of his associates), you have the BEST Rome transportation. They are so good. They are there early, are dressed nicely, have clean and and great vehicles. We used them for airport to hotel, hotel to ship, ship back to airport, and for a full day tour into the countryside outside of Rome on a cruise last year. There were six of us so the price was pretty reasonable. But they are normally knowledgeable and can give you a mini tour on your way.

[jrhllc]

Can someone with experience enlighten us as to the best, but not the most expensive method of transportation from airport in Rome to Hotel Barocco and back to ship's dock also, from ship's dock in Venice to airport? Thanks..

[22Mermaid]

Hello again to everyone on the 9/7/08 Windsurf cruise!

 

We are staying in a B&B near the train station in Rome (La Girandola), so the plan is to take the train to the port. WE HAVE NOT DONE THIS BEFORE, so I am relying only on recent research. I just saw a taxi website indicating that it would be about $110 from Rome to the port. The train for two will be around $40, as close as I can tell. The train will be more hassle for sure, and who knows how far the walk will be from the train station to the ship...

 

Looking forward to meeting everyone soon. The weather in Seattle has been cool and rainy, so we are ready for a real summer.

 

Ciao!

Doug and Jean

Gig Harbor

 

P.S. Anyone find a really good value hotel at the Rome airport (for our pre-departure night)?

[wneal14]

We are leaving Friday to travel around Germany and Italy before boarding on September 7th. We look forward to seeing everyone on board!

 

Chip and Shawn Kimberly

[22Mermaid]

Looks like you are the first to leave for the cruise! Hope you have a great time traveling beforehand. The best travel advice I've ever heard is to 'take half the cothes and twice the money!'

 

See you on the Windsurf!

 

Doug and Jean

[6rugrats]

I just saw a taxi website indicating that it would be about $110 from Rome to the port. The train for two will be around $40, as close as I can tell. The train will be more hassle for sure, and who knows how far the walk will be from the train station to the ship...

 

Looking forward to meeting everyone soon. The weather in Seattle has been cool and rainy, so we are ready for a real summer.

 

No kidding; the rain has never stopped! It is very easy to take the train to the port and much more of an adventure then taking a cab. Be sure to have some Euros in small coins if you need to use the restroom in the train station. You can walk from the train station to the ship, but I highly recommend you just catch a cab. It's not very expensive as I recall, and so much easier. Have fun!

[22Mermaid]

Thanks for the reminder about carrying coins! I remember that as very good advice from previous travels.

 

Are you in the PNW, 6rugrats?

[6rugrats]

Thanks for the reminder about carrying coins! I remember that as very good advice from previous travels.

 

Are you in the PNW, 6rugrats?

 

Yes, I'm in Carnation; it's funny though, my neighbors live in Redmond.

 

A bit warmer today out here, but the sky isn't looking hopeful!

[22Mermaid]

With the cool wx here today, it's weird to think about packing shorts and sleeveless tops! It's running about 85 degrees in Italy, so it will be nice to be able to use some sunscreen.

 

We're trying to plan for our ONE full day in Rome. Can you imagine? I was there years ago, but how do you skip any of the must-sees? I think that we'll just do our best to cram it all in...

[6rugrats]

IMO, with only one day, I would definately recommend the hop-on hop- off bus.

 

http://www.trambusopen.com/index.cfm?area=percorsi

 

You can ride to all the major historical and artistic sites in the city and get on and off as you please. It's a pretty effective way to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

[Cour10ay]

wneal14 (Chip & Shawn) are on their way to Rome now. I think they enjoyed their time in Germany, but it was cold here (10c as I type this at 8AM) so they are looking forward to thawing once in Rome. The weather along your itinerary looks wonderful!

 

They're excited about the upcoming cruise, the pre and post stays in Rome and Venice...and they look forward to meeting all of you onboard.

 

Enjoy your cruise and safe travels!

 

Mother of the Groom

[n8nln]

Just returned from a Windstar Cruise Venice to Rome. If you are planning to take the train from Rome to the port. There are two types of trains a regional train (very cheap) which makes local stops and takes about 90 minutes. Then there is an express train (Eurostar, Thalys, etc.) more expensive but takes 1/2 the time. When you get to Cavitavechhia you have about a 20 minute walk to the port. There are taxis available at the station for the short ride.

[2LoveToTravel]

We are traveling on Windsurf on September 28 from Venice to Rome. This is our 6th Windstar cruise, but first since Holland America sold the cruise line. Has anyone who has traveled before, and recently, noticed any differences? Also, we are a group of 6, needing to get from Marco Polo Airport to the cruise terminal. Does the public bus going to the port drop you neer the Wind Surf dock?

[n8nln]

Did this Windsurf cruise in August. There are buses every half hour or so from Treviso to main Venice bus terminal.( about a one hour trip) Buy the one way ticket at the bus counter in the terminal. When you arrive in Venice you are about a mile from the passenger terminal. Here's the kicker. The Windsurf can be at the Main cruise passenger terminal or a little farther along at San Basilio terminal depending on space availability. Windstar was absolutely no help in providing this information. We took a taxi from the bus terminal in Venice to the ship. It was a ten minute drive and cost 15 Euros. The taxi driver knew that the Windsurf was docked in San Basilio for our cruise.

[22Mermaid]

Hi Everyone!

 

I don't know if anyone will check back in, but in case you do, great! It was great to meet you, Chip and Shawn. Unfortunately, we never caught up with Alice and Byron of Scarborough...

 

Regarding the cruise, we still think that one of the highlights of Windstar is the open bridge policy. We visited it every evening after dinner to see what the traffic was, where we were headed per the charted course, and what the weather was expected to do. We passengers don't really appreciate that when we pass another ship, the officer and quartermaster on duty have been very carefully watching that ship on radar (sometimes for hours) to make sure that both ships aren't trying to share the same space when they meet!

 

We found the service to be a B+ (maybe a bit inconsistent), the food to be a B- (again, some dishes were terrific and some were very average), the suite (we were lucky enough to be upgraded) was hedonistically large - two cabins combined, and the sports deck equipment a bit tired (kayaks needed the seats reshaped/replaced, and the sail was missing from the 'sailboat.' The staff on the sports deck were very helpful and accommodating. Back to the food for a moment...the selection of buffet breakfast items was comprehensive. There was nothing you couldn't have - including Eggs Benedict, apple sausages, many kinds of cereals (hot and cold), pastries, cheeses, etc.

 

The optional outdoor dining in Le Marche (seafood) and Candles (steak) was creative. Again, some of the dishes missed the mark, but the ambience of dining while enjoying the sunset or the full moon was lovely. The optional dining in the Degrees (gourmet) dining room was pleasant, but not really noteworthy, other than a change of pace from the main dining room. You should sign up for these no-cost options right after you register shipboard, as Le Marche and Candles (both outdoors) can book up. (Check the menus for each of these venues to decide the day that you want to dine at each, as the menus change ~daily.)

 

Our 6-day post-cruise driving trip was fabulous. I cannot emphasize how helpful the GPS was in the rental car (VW Passat Diesel Manual). For anyone traveling pre- or post cruise, we found these spots to be particularly enchanting: 1. San Sirmione on the south end of Lake Garda in the Lake District, 2. Just outside of touristy San Gimignano (wonderful farmhouse with vineyards called Pescille) in Tuscany south of Florence, 3. Lucca (home of Puccini) west of Florence, and 4. Pienza, SE of Florence.

 

For you car people, the Maserati factory in Modena is not open for public tours, nor is the Ferrari factory in Maranello (south of Modena), but there is museum and gift shop (with Ferrari simulator) at their plant.

 

The autostradas are easy to use. They are indicated as an A1, A2, etc. designation on a map. Just take the ticket at the gate as you enter, and then pay (cash or credit card) as you exit, depending on the length of your use. The most we paid was about 10 Euros (~$15) for a drive of about 2-3 hours (at Mach 2, of course). They love to drive fast and we saw many drivers doing over 100 mph.

 

The Rome to Venice itinerary was a terrific one. Lots of variety and the side tour to Mt. Etna (Sicily) was really interesting. Go to Ravello out of Amalfi and Taorminoi in Sicily. Croatia is beautiful and full of history.

 

For any music lovers, there are tons of concerts in the summertime. They might be at an opera house, but more likely in a church, cathedral or outdoor arena such as in Verona, etc. If you plan a little ahead, you can really enjoy a musical experience.

 

Bon Voyage!

[seagal99]

Hello,

 

I will be taking the Venice to Rome Windstar cruise in Sept 2009. Since you've experienced these ports, can you provide some suggestions on hotels and excursions?

 

Thanks!