Venice-Just stunning!

On the 1st of October I was lucky enough to have won a holiday (I just love my job)! I carefully chose my dream cruise on the Splendour of the Seas & was able to take my sister with me.

 The  itinerary took in some destinations that I have longed to visit for many years. I am going to share my experience & also hopefully give you some hints & tips for visiting the ports. I will split the information in to several separate blogs to cover the ship & destinations, so lets’s start with our short visit to Venice.

I was unsure whether we would actually have time to see anything of Venice due to out flight arrival time at 11am. It always seems a shame to fly to somewhere & not get to see it. Luckily we had no delays, jumped straight in a cab for the 20 minute journey to the port. The standard price for a cab is 40-45 euros. Check in was extremely smooth with no queues at the check in desk. We had checked in, boarded the ship, purchased our drinks package & had a glass of fizz in our hands by 12.15. Not bad going!

As the trip was very last minute I had not done as much research as I normally would have, but I knew you could get the Alilaguna waterbus from the cruise port to St Marks Square, so after our refereshments that’s where we headed. Literally only a 2 minute walk from the ship we  jumped aboard for our 10 minute sail over to St Marks. The return ticket cost 8 euros per person. The sail over was stunning, passing gondolas with the beautiful Venetian skyline in the background.

As you would expect, Venice is very busy, so we joined the throngs & headed down the quaint little backstreets, passing some lovely little shops & restaurants. We managed to take in St Marks Square, the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, some shopping & had an Aperol Spritz on the waterfront overlooking the gondola park. .

Be sure to check the return waterbus from St Marks as some return on a direct route to the cruise port & some take a different route which can take an hour – you don’t want your ship to leave without you!

Yes-it was a whistle-stop tour, but I got a great feel for the place & I have to say it’s made me want to return. Everywhere you turn you find beautiful architecture, stunning vistas & a great atmosphere. All this took 3 hours from leaving the ship to being back in our cabin on our return

The sail out of Venice was breathtaking. We set sail up the Grand Canal & were silenced by the picturesque scenery & the sound of the bells from St Marks. A truly unforgettable experience.

Next stop & next blog………Dubrovnik! Click here to read it.

Here are just a couple of the excursions that Royal Caribbean offer to passengers on disembarkation day & their current prices (11th October 2014):

VENICE ON YOUR OWN

If your flight departs from Venice after 3.30pm you can book this tour which enables you to store your luggage at the port & takes you to St Marks Square for 3 hours free time.

Departs 8am

Cost $55 Adult/Child – Approx £36

My opinion: Seems expensive compared to the 8 euros we paid. as the only extra you are getting is luggage storage at the port. Although if you haven’t managed to see Venice on your arrival & this is the only option without dragging your luggage around, it’s worth it to experience Venice.

PADUA & AIRPORT TRANSFER

If your flight departs Venice after 3pm you can take this tour over to the historic town of Padua in the Western part of Venice. The city is steeped in culture & history. The trip includes a guided walking tour around the picturesque town, the Roman arena, its piazzas & local daily markets. You will then be dropped off at the airport for your return flight.

Departs 06.45am

Cost $96 Adult & $80 Child -Approx £64/£53

My opinion: It is great to see a different part of the area & experience some real local life away from the thousands of tourists in Venice. It’s an early start, so no partying on the last night of your cruise. It isn’t cheap, but it will save the cost of a cab back to the airport.