Wordyways12

We are very familiar with the West Side Market and the Great Lakes Brewery. My husband grew up in a Westside suburb and went to an all boys high school just down the street! He recently sold his business in the nearby Detroit Shoreway. I am a Southern Ohio girl who moved North after college. Venice was so fun to explore - I of course had done some research while planning our excursions. We rallied and found some interesting things on our own after the pre planned tours of the Doge’s Palace (the Prison tour ) and St. Mark’s Basilica - we would escort the girls to the hotel with snacks and drinks - then meet at a Cafe right off the Academia Bridge to plan a museum or shop the vendors. I would stay in a different area next time - just to get a feel for some of the places I took note of - Peggy Guggenheim museum etc. I noticed that Venice is not a city of early risers so that gave some excellent opportunities to walk and explore in the coolest part of the day without crowds. it is a great thing to continue to make awesome travel memories with your loved ones!

My husband (Bob) and I have done one Oceania and it was amazing - a 7 night Cuba with three stops including overnight Havana! Unforgettable trip and great amenities on that smaller ship. I will look for more details on your father daughter trip on the boards after you return from your adventure. Our girls loved Rome and Pompeii, they were lukewarm on Venice - but I think they just need to work on their travel stamina. Bon voyage!

We have stayed at several of the hotels and none were a miss, but we like the 4 Points by Sheraton. Right on the strip for walking to Ron Jon and restaurants. The rooms aren’t quiet but you are anxious to get on the Ship anyway. So the wine selection will vary somewhat by venue, but there will be Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Gris available as an option on most menus. If you check around or review some trip reports you may find a pic or discussion of the various options. see this is a late response but just in case you were still deciding….

I couldn’t resist following up on your post here because we have learned so much from your posts about cruising the Haven on NCL. Our family has bounced between DCL Concierge and Haven for several years - the break from Covid was unwanted and unexpected - and still find we enjoy both for different reasons. Our only cruise under 7 nights was the Disney Wish ‘22 in the Inaugural season (again thanks to Covid delay from a 2019 booking). Since then we did a family 9 night in the Haven Rome to Venice and with extra days in each it was a 2 week celebration trip for my husbands “retirement”. Next year we are doing a Tauck river cruise with a large group of friends - with the mentality of wanting to carpe diem. I just decided to take my older teen daughter on the Wish again - she has a summer internship that will make a family vacation difficult. Not a fan of short cruises and been there done that on the itinerary - but we can still explore new activities and enjoy ourselves on the beautiful ship. Your trip sounds amazing - enjoy every aspect of it!

Thank you for the great review! My family is Gold status on Disney but also regularly cruise NCL. I will say this was a good reminder of what to expect on our Disney cruises - our last one being Wish Inaugural Summer 22 after a long Covid hiatus. As our girls age our cruise bucket list changes - but the dining room atmosphere (despite the great theming and excellent service we have had) can be challenging in multiple ways. We expect it and try to have a Plan B for certain evenings. I still haven’t picked a favorite cruise line!

There are different drink menus depending on the restaurant or bar you visit - as many are themed. Also, they may carry different brands of beer or wine at different locations on board as well. Many of the specialty drink menus can be found online or posted in Trip Reports!

Wondering if you have any feedback from your Haven embarkation Rome query. We are sailing 6/24 and curious what to expect. Thank you for any feedback!

Our family just booked a Rome R/T on the Epic next June. We are looking at the same options for touring Rome a few days prior. Also wondering our options with the 2nd guest free airfare. Heading to the guidebook section at the library soon!