Mediterranean Cruise Series Episode 1 Venice

Six Countries. Two Continents. Two Weeks.

Welcome back! Is it even possible to visit 6 countries and 2 continents in just 14 days? The answer is yes, if you plan/choose a Mediterranean Cruise carefully! This will be the first in a series of posts exploring ports of call for the Mediterranean Cruise my daughter and I took when she graduated high school. After doing A LOT of research (which by the way, really is the key to an enjoyable trip), I decided to book a 12 night Mediterranean Cruise offered by Norwegian Cruise Line. I was a little nervous and a lot excited! Nervous because this would be our first cruise with Norwegian, and it was almost two weeks long, but they quickly won me over. I was impressed by their great customer service, the cleanliness of their ship, and the Freestyle Dining they offered (you didn’t have to commit to a specific time). Excited because what history teacher wouldn’t be? Our ports of call included:

• Venice, Italy
• Piraeus (Athens), Greece
• Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Mykonos, Greece
• Naples, Italy
• Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
• Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy 
• Toulon (Provence), France
• Barcelona, Spain

Norwegian Cruise Line no longer offers this same exact itinerary anymore, but they have a few that are similar adding Olympia, Greece; Sicily; and a couple of other Greek islands and leaving off (unfortunately) Venice. So, you can still do 6 countries and 2 continents in less than two weeks if that is your desire! Remember, I am that girl who tries to cram as much in as possible in case I never make it back! Which sometimes can turn around and bite me like it did in Rome! More on that later in the series. Some of you may be geography rock stars and have already counted only 5 countries, but not to worry. I will explain.

Airport Antics

I knew from previous experience flying into Europe that I wanted to arrive the day before our cruise so that we would have time to recover a little from the jet lag. Well really because I know from experience my daughter can literally sleep away the rest of our arrival day. I can power through with enough coffee and then get a great night’s sleep. The plan (eh-hmm compromise) was to take a SHORT nap when we arrived, and then explore Venice that evening and the following day prior to boarding the ship. We also planned to spend the night in Barcelona prior to flying home so that we would have time to explore the city and not have to just rush from the ship to the airport. I mean, what is the point in that? 

And now we get to country number six! The best airline to fly into Europe, in my opinion, is the Irish airline, Aer Lingus. I have flown to Europe with them on three occasions, and I have since flown two other airlines into Europe. I can tell you hands down without a doubt that Aer Lingus is by far superior in both comfort (seats have enough room to not eat your knees), and customer service. The food is good. Their personnel are friendly. And their planes have shamrocks on the tail! I mean what more could you ask for? Right? They will be my airline of choice for all future flights into Europe if possible! Another bonus is that flying Aer Lingus also provides me the opportunity for a layover in Dublin, which is my favorite city in the world!

Do you “airport” well? Apparently I do not, as getting to our destination is always interesting – okaaaay something about getting to our destination is usually slightly annoying for me at some point along the way. My sister has told me many times that I “don’t airport well,” but really I just have a hard time with rudeness and cluelessness. For example, your carry on luggage does not need its own seat at the gate – especially when there are no other seats left – and especially if there are elderly people standing up. I feel like we should think about others when we travel – and especially in small airborne metal tubes with nowhere to go. 

Our flight from MCI (Kansas City) to Chicago O’Hare was uneventful. We flew American for this leg because Aer Lingus doesn’t fly out of Kansas City, and that is who my miles account is with. We did have to collect and recheck our luggage doing it this way, but we had plenty of time between flights to change terminals, and we snagged a luggage cart for free that was just sitting there not being used! Aer Lingus partners with United, and if you book through Aer Lingus, you can check your bag all the way through. I booked our flights myself online, and wanted the miles, so we could not.

Our Chicago to Dublin overnight flight had an interesting start. We had a couple in front of us who needed to get a room – like seriously needed to get a room (rude) and a loud grumpy man behind us who was carrying on at his wife (clueless). Both couples fell asleep, and we were able to get some sleep on the plane – neck pillows are a huge help for sleeping on the plane. We made ours out of fun fleece fabric, but you can also get them on Amazon here, or plenty of other places. We have also used partially inflated beach balls on our tray table to serve as pillows, but I prefer the neck pillows.

We arrived in Dublin in the morning with just enough time to exchange money and hit the restroom before our last leg. Do your research on currency exchange. Sometimes you get a better rate outside of the country. We were able to get a better rate in Dublin than we would have in Chicago. We almost had a “Stand By Me” style puke party in the bathroom, because someone was definitely barfing, which makes me want to barf, so we had to hurry up and gag our way out of there, but we made it out intact! The last leg of our outbound trip was Dublin to Marco Polo Airport in Venice. On the flight to Venice, we were ALL serenaded by the little girl sitting directly behind us who sang “Let it Go” from Frozen over and over again in between kicking the back of my seat (not sure if mom was rude or clueless here). 

Once we arrived in Venice, we got our bags and headed toward the exit. Yes! Arrivederci airport annoyance! We took the ATVO Bus to Piazzale Roma. You don’t need to book this early, there are kiosks in the airport where you can purchase these tickets for 8 Euros (15 Euros for a round trip ticket). The trip only takes about 20 minutes. No vehicles are allowed on the island, so you will want to consider this when booking your hotel. There are water taxis that you can take from Piazzale Roma, but the stops are spaced so that you still will likely have to walk a “block” or two or three. Again, research is key!

A Casa per la Notte – Home for the Night

We chose to stay at the Casa Sant’Andrea primarily because of its proximity to both Piazzale Roma and the People Mover station that goes to the cruise terminal – both were within easy walking distance – but also because they had en-suite water closets (bathrooms), free luggage storage, free WiFi, breakfast included, good reviews, great rates, a water taxi station right out front, and spoke English. Plus it just sounded like a cool place – the building is a former 16th century monastery. It was perfect for our purposes. It was clean. It was quaint. And our room was ready when we got there – even better! Nap time for us! Well once we figured out the elevator…

So this elevator was a little scary, I won’t lie. The lady gave us instructions on how to use it, and warned us that it was slow. She was not kidding – it was sloth-like slow! It took it about 5 minutes to get down to us. Our room was only on the second floor, but we had our luggage (which barely fit in the elevator with us) so we took the elevator. It was basically just a platform that raised and lowered inside the space of a closet. You had to push the button for your floor and hold it down until you arrived, then push a green button to be able to open the door (which was just a regular door). 

Off we went pushing and holding the 2 and watching the walls slowly pass by until we got to floor 2 then tried the door. No luck. It didn’t open. And the lights dimmed. And those thoughts of “Oh no we are stuck in this tiny elevator” tried to stir up a panic. I told my daughter to, “Push the button! Push the button!” She did. The lights came back on. The elevator rose another few inches. And I was able to open the door. What a relief! We didn’t take the elevator again until we left with our luggage!       

Our room was cool. They incorporated some of the old monastery into the decor. You could still see the old wooden beams and iron brackets in the ceiling, and our rooftops view was neat! There was an old bell tower outside of our window, and we could see over to the cruise terminal. We took a nice long nap, and then we got out for a short walk around our hotel to take in the area with its old weathered buildings, flower boxes on the windows, a priest’s frock hanging from a clothesline out a window to dry, boats peacefully floating in the canals. We found some pizza and gelato for dinner, and headed back to the hotel to get ready for a busy next day. It rained that night, but we were still able to sleep with our window open, and between the rain and the fresh air (and the jet lag), we got a great night’s sleep! There is no road noise in Venice, it is peaceful and quiet at night – at least it was where we were. 

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Our breakfast the next morning was great! There was meat and cheese and pastries, and a very cool coffee machine that made mochas, espressos, etc. I was in HEAVEN! My daughter is a very picky eater, and even she found things to eat. I would definitely consider staying here again in the future – especially if I am going on a cruise!

We went back to our room to pack up so we could drop our luggage at the front desk and check out to start our day in Venice. We of course blew our adapter because we did not have a converter. So make sure that your adapter is also a converter. Thankfully we would not need it on the cruise ship. Otherwise, we would have had to waste precious time buying a new one and we did NOT have time for that! We had a very busy day planned! 

Bellissima Venezia – Beautiful Venice     

We had booked a tour through Viator which included skip-the-line at Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, a walking tour, and a cruise on the Grand Canal. I highly recommend booking tours in Venice in advance. It gets VERY busy! Our particular tour was to meet up at the Royal Gardens near Piazza San Marco, but Viator will let you know where to meet when you book. Piazza San Marco was about a 30 minute walk from Casa Sant’Andrea, but we wanted to walk and take in the scenery. We left an hour early to allow plenty of time in case we got lost. Which of course we did. 

I did realize that the “street signs” which really name the various canals, were on the sides of the buildings as they have been in other European cities I have visited, I did NOT realize that there were signs pointing the way to Piazza San Marco! This is because we took a wrong turn right off the bat! So we wandered around for a bit, and I finally tested my limited Italian, “Dove Piazza San Marco?” We were told “a long way” and pointed in the right direction. “Grazie.” We just kept trekking along the direction we were pointed in, and eventually we saw a sign on the side of one of the buildings pointing the way. From there it was easy peasy. We arrived with 1 minute to spare!

Our tour was phenomenal. Our guide for all but the Canal tour, Barbara, was very knowledgeable. We learned SO much! Venice was built during the time when barbarians were invading the Roman Empire. People fled to these marshlands and built Venice to protect themselves from the invaders. Buildings were constructed on top of platforms supported by wooden pylons. They don’t rot because they are completely submerged.  The symbol of Venice is a winged lion. 

Our first stop was the Doge’s Palace. The Doge’s Palace was the seat of government for Venice. It was also the home of the Doges, although they only had 3 rooms in the entire palace that were for their private use. In 1100 years, Venice had 120 Doge’s who were elected. The palace is very extravagant with gilded stucco surrounding every painting on the walls and the ceilings. The Scala d’Oro (Golden Staircase) was beautiful with its marble stairs and gilded ceiling. It was only to be used by important people, like all of us tourists. Haha.

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The Palace is full of art, literally it covers the walls and ceilings. We learned of one painting depicting the visit of King Henry III when he received as a gift the city’s best prostitute served on a golden platter. Venice is represented in art by a blonde woman, and there are plenty of paintings of her throughout the palace.

Outside of the Hall of the (secret) Council of Ten, we saw a Bocche dei Leoni (Lion’s Mouth). This was where citizens could leave anonymous accusations about others. These cases were heard and judged by the Council of Ten. People found guilty could be executed – decapitated – between the columns outside the palace or sent to prison across the Bridge of Sighs. It is said that the bridge got its name from the sighs of the prisoners as they crossed the bridge and got their last view of Venice. This prison was open until 1922, and Casanova was among its famous prisoners.  

After the Doge’s Palace, we stopped at the Campanile di San Marco (Bell Tower in Saint Mark’s Square). Did you know that it collapsed in 1902 and had to be rebuilt? The reconstruction was completed in 1912. Today, you can climb to the top for what I hear is a spectacular view. But this will have to go on my list for next time. There are only so many hours in a day. It also sells out, so you will want to get these tickets ahead of time if you are interested in doing this. The other buildings around the square now hold restaurants and shops and charge €20,000 per month rent! WHOA! Previously, these buildings were the homes of government officials.

Our next stop was Basilica San Marco (Saint Mark’s Basilica). You should be aware that there is a dress code to enter the Basilica. Knees and shoulders must be covered. We wore capris that covered our knees, and brought scarves to cover our shoulders. This church is gorgeous! Each of the arches outside have a gold and glass mosaic near the top. They are beautiful! Once inside the Basilica, there is no photography allowed. But the ENTIRE ceiling is covered in gold and glass mosaics. So imagine what you see in the photos below covering the entire ceiling! 

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The floor in the Basilica is a work of art as well. It is all marble mosaics. Watch your step inside the Basilica. The floor is uneven, due to settling over time and the weight of the marble, but in my opinion, this just adds to the unique beauty of the place! The acoustics inside are also amazing! On the day we visited, there was a woman singing Ave Maria, and it carried throughout the whole church. It was hauntingly beautiful! I could have stayed and listened for hours!

After the Basilica, we walked around the city through the “side streets,” some of which were very narrow, for our city tour. We learned about the Black Death in Venice. We visited several “campos,” fields that were filled in to become squares. Most of the campos had a church and a well. Historically, the wells were used to collect rainwater for the community before it was piped in from the mainland. Our guide told us that Venice was a city of contradictions – for example, a city surrounded by water but having no drinking water. We saw Marco Polo’s home, and ended our walking tour at the Rialto Bridge.

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We had a little time to wander on our own before our Grand Canal cruise, so we got some pasta to go, and looked for a place to sit and eat. We wandered around until we found a staircase that was not crowded, and took a seat. (Not so) Fun fact, apparently you are not allowed to sit on the steps anywhere in Venice. We did not know this, and received quite a scolding from a local. I am not sure how I missed that in all of my pre-trip research, but it IS a thing. You can easily find it now if you Google it. We ended up purchasing gelato in a little shop so we could sit at one of their tables to eat our gelato and also our pasta. 

We walked around and shopped for quite some time – there is great shopping around the Rialto Bridge – and then headed back to the Royal Gardens to wait for our Grand Canal tour. There were park benches there so we would have a place to sit. And we did. And my daughter fell asleep on the bench and took a nap. Haha. A few other fun facts we learned: Venice has over 400 bridges, and public restrooms cost Euros.

We saw some amazing architecture and learned about Gondolas on the Grand Canal Cruise. Some of the beautiful buildings we saw were private residences. Did you know that in the days of the Doges, the rich had their names recorded in a golden book. AND there was also a silver book for those who couldn’t quite make the cut for the golden book.

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We also passed by a “Gondola Factory” and learned that Gondoliers are very highly regarded. They must have a license, which is very expensive, and it is usually passed from father to son. Most gondoliers make a six-figure income – over €100,000 per year! Did you know that a gondola costs around €40,000, takes a few months to make, and is made from several different woods? The gondola is designed so that its parts symbolize different aspects of Venice.

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After the Grand Canal Cruise, we walked back to our hotel, following the signs for Piazzalle Roma. We collected our luggage, and headed for the People Mover to transfer to the cruise terminal. Our ship was in the last berth, so we did have to drag our luggage about 400 yards, which sucked. A lot. But we got there pretty late to check in, so there were no more shuttles or porters. In fact, we were so late, we checked in ON the ship. 

We had a bit of an issue at security with our luggage because of the single hole punch I brought. I am not sure what they thought it was, but they did NOT like it and I had to unpack my bag and show it to them. Why did I have it you ask? Well, one of my hobbies is scrapbooking, and I had this idea that I would put all of our tickets, brochures, receipts, and a little journal card from each of us each day on a split ring fastener. I needed a hole punch to do this, so I brought one. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it wasn’t. More on this later. It gets better.

By the time we boarded the ship, got checked into our cabin, and got my daughter’s beverage card straightened out (she had turned 18, and since we were in Europe, wanted the Corks & Caps card instead of the soda card), we were worn out, and it was time to call it a day. But what a great day it had been! I definitely love Venice. It does get crowded, but you can avoid a lot of the crowds by hitting the main attractions early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Ciao Venezia! 

Click here for Episode 2 Greece & Turkey