Serenade of the Seas - Venice Itinerary Review (Aug 11, 2013)

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Windjamming,

 

Lol -- and yet another port where we did two completely different things.... I love it! You're so right, it feels like going on the same cruise twice!

 

Love the dog picture!

 

and I agree ... a decent toilet sometimes is worth more than all the money in the world!

 

Stef

[windjamming]

Venice

 

Today was the day. We've reached the highlight of the cruise - Venice - and we'd be here for two days.

 

Venice was the #1 reason we chose this itinerary, so we wanted to be sure we enjoyed it. I knew it would be the most physically taxing of the ports, and thus we paced ourselves earlier in the cruise. Even during the two days we did not overplan so that we could fully appreciate the highlights.

 

Fortunately, the first highlight did not even involve leaving the stateroom (bonus: nice bathroom). We had read that the entrance into Venice was a can't miss, so we booked a starboard balcony specifically for this reason.

 

For our cruise, instead of an afternoon sail-in, we were due to dock at 7am. Prior to the cruise, I'd asked on CC what time we would be passing Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), and some said as early as 4:30! While on the ship, I also asked officers and crew members, and people responded anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30. The consensus seemed to be to be on the lookout about 45 minutes before docking, but opinions varied on when we would dock. (If we were playing by Price is Right rules, our headwaiter Monte would have been the winner at 5:30.)

 

Just to be absolutely sure we wouldn't miss it, we set up a wakeup call at 5am. When the call woke me up out of sleepy dreamland, Mom and Dad were already up and out on the balcony. I put on the TV to see where we were, and indeed, we were getting very close. We could see the bridges over canals. We were in Venice!!!

 

 

I went to brush my teeth, and by the time I got out to the balcony at around 5:25, Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) was within view already!!!!!

 

 

I don't know how else to explain the feeling I had in that exact moment except that it was AMAZING seeing the Doge's Palace and the Campanile with my own eyes. I joked before the cruise that I'd see it and say, "hey, that looks like that pink building in Disney World" or, "Didn't we see that in Las Vegas", but when I got there, I could see that no replica could come anywhere remotely near the real Palace on the waterfront.

 

 

Yes, that is James Franco on the Gucci billboard.

 

I loved that we were sailing in the early morning hours. The city was just starting to wake up, and we were getting a glimpse of Venice without the hordes of tourists. I will never forget that first look, in the quiet morning haze.

 

As predicted, it took about 45 minutes to go through the lagoon, where we saw these sights as the sun was just starting to rise.

 

 

 

 

Side note: We were escorted by a tugboat in front of and behind the ship. We later found out from the First Officer that this was a requirement of Venice. The way he put it, "one mistake, and a cathedral is gone!"

 

The dock was near the "mouth" of the fish of Venice, and we were lucky enough to be docked with a view of St. Mark's Basilica in the background and a sunrise.

 

Our excursion would not be until 9am, but by the time we docked, we were too excited to go back to sleep and chose to have a leisurely breakfast.

 

Next post…what we did the rest of the morning!

 

Summary

 

Port: Venice (Day 1, early morning)

 

Excursion: None - entrance into Venice

 

- If you are sailing into Venice in the early morning and feel like a splurge, absolutely get a starboard balcony. It is worth it.

 

- Be sure to get up early. We ended up docking at around 6:15, which meant we passed by St. Mark's just past 5:30. I noticed there were not a whole lot of people on their balconies that morning and thought that perhaps people missed it because they thought the ship would dock at 7. I really thought the captain would make an announcement.

 

- The ship moves relatively fast (or faster than I thought). If you can see bridges and canals, you're close to St. Mark's. Not a good time for a break.

Edited September 4, 2013 by windjamming

[misslyss1220]

I've been following your review (just lurking LOL) and these pictures of Venice are amazing! We're docking in the afternoon for our upcoming cruise which I'm sure will still be breathtaking, but your early morning photos are just spectacular! I can't wait! (and I'm hoping the Italian govt. doesn't ban the cruise ships in Venice before I get there!). Thanks for reviewing! :)

[kirian]

Wow!!! That's pretty much all I can say after seeing the amazing pictures of your early morning arrival. Just spectacular!

 

As previously mentioned, our particular itinerary doesn't get there until the afternoon, which I'm sure will be beautiful as well, but there really is something special about getting to see this lovely city just as it's awakening!

 

Melissa

[mjldvlks]

As great as any sail into or away from Venice is, those in twilight are magical. We were fortunate that our November sail away was in the afternoon twilight. Unfortunately I was not very adept with my camera so my pictures aren't as good as I would like. Windjamming's pictures are great. Great review -- keep it coming.

[windjamming]

I've been following your review (just lurking LOL) and these pictures of Venice are amazing! We're docking in the afternoon for our upcoming cruise which I'm sure will still be breathtaking, but your early morning photos are just spectacular! I can't wait! (and I'm hoping the Italian govt. doesn't ban the cruise ships in Venice before I get there!). Thanks for reviewing! :)

 

Docking in the afternoon will definitely be breathtaking! In fact, every time we went through the laguna, at different times of the day, there was a different personality to the city. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no changes to the cruise ship docking before your cruise!

 

Thanks for delurking and for your kind comments!

[windjamming]

Wow!!! That's pretty much all I can say after seeing the amazing pictures of your early morning arrival. Just spectacular!

 

As previously mentioned, our particular itinerary doesn't get there until the afternoon, which I'm sure will be beautiful as well, but there really is something special about getting to see this lovely city just as it's awakening!

 

As great as any sail into or away from Venice is, those in twilight are magical. We were fortunate that our November sail away was in the afternoon twilight. Unfortunately I was not very adept with my camera so my pictures aren't as good as I would like. Windjamming's pictures are great. Great review -- keep it coming.

 

Thanks for your kind words, Melissa and mjldvlks. Early morning was pretty neat, but I think it would have been fun to also see it for the first time in all its glory in the mid-afternoon. And in the twilight - wow - talk about romantic!

[windjamming]

Venice (Part 2)

 

Even though we woke up at early-o-thirty, we were wired this morning because we were IN VENICE!!!

 

Our first excursion of the day was "Panoramic Venice".

 

The ship offers a few excursions which package several attractions together, such as Doge's Palace, a gondola ride, and a visit to the glass showroom, but they were all recommended as "Strenuous" and were 4.5 hours long. At first, we thought about booking one of these "package" excursions for each day, in order to see as much as possible. On second thought, I was worried about just how strenuous they were, as the descriptions talked about 3-4 bridges with 40 steps each and walking up to a mile.

 

We ended up choosing the narrated "Panoramic Venice" tour, for three reasons: (1) it would give us the "lay of the land", so to speak and a first taste of Venice, (2) it was only 2 hours long and would give us flexibility in the afternoon, and finally (3) it allowed us to do a "Strenuous" excursion on Day 2. This last point was important, because our first day in Venice was on Sunday, and excursions were offered to St. Mark's Basilica only on the next day.

 

In Venice, the gangway is on Deck 5, and the ship is docked at what looked like an embarkment berth. For our excursion, though, we went down to Deck 2, where a ferry was waiting for us on the other side of our own little port-o-dock! Now, that is door to door service.

 

The deck 2 "port-o-dock":

 

 

I wish I'd taken a shot of the ferry to illustrate this, but it is very easy to get on and off the ferry. I believe in some excursion descriptions they talk about potential difficulty, but it is a very shallow ramp onto the boat. There are always one or two attractive Italian deckhands waiting to help, if required, too. : )

 

The tour took us out into the laguna using the same route we entered earlier in the morning. Here is a shot of Doge's Palace in the morning sun. The crowds are starting to form.

 

 

The famous Bridge of Sighs.

 

 

This is a city bus (ACTV) at a bus stop. This one looked pretty empty, but there were some we saw later that were really crowded!

 

 

The wood trunks are lane markers for traffic! We were told there were speed limits, too. It seems, though, the prevailing rule was that the largest ship won.

 

 

We then passed by surrounding islands, like San Giorgio, the Lido, and Murano. (I admit, I stopped listening to the narration at some point and just enjoyed the scenery, so I don't really know where some of these pictures were taken.)

 

 

Side note: We got mooned by a guy in his apartment on one of those islands. And it wasn't David, if you know what I mean. Sorry, no picture! Ick.

 

To be continued -- reached the 6 picture limit.

[windjamming]

Venice (Part 2.5)

 

This statue on San Giorgio Maggiore is causing some controversy. It is part of the Venice Biennale, which is held every other year.

 

 

And here is the bus stop for the Biennale, held at Giardini park. I love contemporary art and try to go to the Armory show in NY every year. Coming back to Venice for the Biennale is definitely on the bucket list.

 

[windjamming]

Venice (Part 3)

 

When last we left off, we were on the Panoramic Venice excursion, a narrated boat tour of Venice and surrounding islands.

 

I forgot to mention in the last posts that it's important to sit on the port side of the ferry if you really want a view of St. Mark's heading east. We had seen it from our balcony early in the morning, so we opted to sit on the starboard side to check out the view from the other side.

 

After about 2.5 hours out and about in the laguna, the tour guides said they would be making a stop near St. Mark's if people wanted to get off. We could then use the ship's water shuttle service for FREE with our tour sticker. This is a nice win, as the tour descriptions had said that if we chose to stay in town we have to pay our own way back. With the ship's water shuttle service at $25/day or $33 for 2 days (albeit all you can ride), we still got a bargain.

 

Mom and I got off the ferry, and Dad stayed on and went back to the ship. Only 4 people stayed on the ferry!

 

RCI had a blue umbrella right on the shoreside indicating where its water shuttle would pick up passengers:

 

 

To walk to St. Mark's Square, you must go over 4 bridges. The steps were rather wide, so Mom had no problems. It was starting to get a little crowded, but still not too bad. I wasn't a big fan of the vendors selling things on the sides of the bridges, taking up space that people could actually walk. They sold toys and knockoff purses.

 

 

We passed by some cute glass shops as well as the church where Vivaldi (of Four Seasons fame) was a priest.

 

 

After 4 bridges, we were at the Doge's Palace and turned right into the piazzetta (small square) that served also as an entryway into St. Mark's Square. And then, there was the Piazza San Marco!

 

 

Yes, that's Jennifer Garner on that MaxMara ad.

 

First impressions: the square was large but felt intimate. I liked that it was spacious yet had that "hangout" feeling. People were milling around, taking pictures, doing their thing. After reading about how Napoleon raved about the square, though, I guess I was a little let down at first glance. I definitely had that feeling of "Wow, I'm HERE!" but maybe I expected it to be more…grand? Or perhaps after that spectacular entrance into Venice early that morning everything else seemed commonplace? Or - could it be that high noon on a Sunday in August wasn't the greatest time in the Square? I'll need to look at the pictures and reach back into my memory to get more context.

 

In the meantime, let's turn around and look at St. Mark's Basilica:

 

 

Rick Steves had said that the Basilica was a mix of different styles but that it somehow worked all together. I really thought it was too busy, especially with all the scaffolding (which I know isn't part of the design but still detracts from the facade.) We'll be going there the next day.

 

And, of course, there were these fellows in the square:

 

 

Just to clear up a misconception, though, there weren't pigeons pooping all over the place. I did not see one pigeon poop. Now, there were people feeding the pigeons, which didn't seem like great common sense, but still, no pigeons pooping! Based on what I'd been told prior to the trip, you would have thought you needed an umbrella just to dare to step out into the Piazza!

 

And while I'm here, Venice does NOT smell. That was the other thing I'd been told. "Oh, Venice in August…(wrinkle nose)! It's all the water." Untrue.

 

(Rant over)

 

Mom and I wandered around the side shops along the square. I bought 2 pairs of earrings at one of the shops near the famous Caffè Florian. Mom bought some glass souvenirs for friends at home. By noon (we knew this because we heard the bells ringing!), it was getting hot and crowded, so we started heading back to the water shuttle.

 

We caught it just as it was about to leave and enjoyed yet another beautiful ride along the lagoon. In 20 mins, we were back at the ship.

 

Note - In Venice, ID is required to get back on the ship, and the security checks are done prior to getting on the ship. This is important.

 

Summary

 

Port: Venice (Day 1, morning)

 

Excursion: Panoramic Venice

 

- There is nearly no walking at all required in this excursion! The ferry picked us up right at the ship. On the return, people are dropped off at the shuttle stop, which is a short 5-10 minute walk from the ship but very easy.

 

- Sitting on the port side will give a good view of St. Mark's, but you can get up and go out on deck, too. No problem.

 

- The tour offers an optional drop-off near St. Mark's Square (4 bridges away). With our tour stickers, we could ride the water shuttle for FREE back to the ship anytime we wanted. This is different than what was mentioned in the tour description, so this was a nice surprise.

 

- There are ramps on the bridges, but beware as sometimes they are occupied by vendors selling trinkets. The bridges do have 40 steps or so each, but they are not at all steep and very manageable. My mom had no problems at all.

 

- Definitely shop around for the best buy. I suspect the shops lining St. Mark's Square are probably pricier than others in the city, but I loved the idea of having something from there. The store I bought earrings from - Piazza San Marco 55 - had the cutest little bags.

 

- I believe there was a bathroom on the tour boat, but I didn't check it out. When we got off the boat near St. Mark's, we asked for some public bathrooms, but the directions seemed complicated, and we didn't feel like spending time looking for it. There are plenty of cafes, so I imagine it would not be difficult to find a bathroom (WC) if really needed.

 

- Bring ID. At port, police check your sea pass with your ID, and the security check is done outside the ship.

[kirian]

Hi Windjamming!

 

Quick question for you. I believe by the time you took your cruise, Croatia was part of the EU (I think Stef may have been there right before the transition, but Stef, correct me if I'm wrong). My question is... are they using both the Euro and the Kuna, just one, just the other.... does it vary by shop, restaurant, etc? I can't seem to find a satisfactory answer online and I want to plan accordingly.

 

Thanks!

Melissa

[windjamming]

Hi Windjamming!

 

Quick question for you. I believe by the time you took your cruise, Croatia was part of the EU (I think Stef may have been there right before the transition, but Stef, correct me if I'm wrong). My question is... are they using both the Euro and the Kuna, just one, just the other.... does it vary by shop, restaurant, etc? I can't seem to find a satisfactory answer online and I want to plan accordingly.

 

Thanks!

Melissa

 

Hi Melissa, great question. You're right - Croatia officially joined the EU on July 1. However, from what I was told, they won't be officially converting to the EU for a couple of years. Many stores, especially in Old Town, are fine taking Euros, but legally they are only supposed to accept kuna. The more "official" sites, like the City Walls, only accept kuna.

 

There are many change kiosks around. We exchanged about $30 at the bus station right at the port at a little over 5 kuna = $1.

 

The bigger effect on Croatia joining the EU was that it meant we were staying within the EU during the entire cruise. All purchases made onboard would be subject to a 21% VAT. I believe a portion of it can be reclaimed, but I didn't want to deal with it. Unsurprisingly, the shops were nearly empty.

 

Hope this helps!

[windjamming]

Sorry, folks, for the temporary delay on the review. It's like the entire world started getting busy on Sept 1. I'll be back tomorrow, or Monday at the latest, with the continuation of Venice!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[nelblu]

Hi Melissa, great question. You're right - Croatia officially joined the EU on July 1. However, from what I was told, they won't be officially converting to the EU for a couple of years. Many stores, especially in Old Town, are fine taking Euros, but legally they are only supposed to accept kuna. The more "official" sites, like the City Walls, only accept kuna.

 

There are many change kiosks around. We exchanged about $30 at the bus station right at the port at a little over 5 kuna = $1.

 

The bigger effect on Croatia joining the EU was that it meant we were staying within the EU during the entire cruise. All purchases made onboard would be subject to a 21% VAT. I believe a portion of it can be reclaimed, but I didn't want to deal with it. Unsurprisingly, the shops were nearly empty.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Windjamming , you are correct with regards to the Kuna. I'm not sure if you received the same info from guest services in which they mentioned, with some skepticism, that the public bus would take US$. When we checked at the transportation center we were advised that only kunas would be accepted. As you did, right next to the center was an exchange window and exchanged E for K.

 

With regards to the 21% VAT--food and drinks were subject to a 10% VAT. To avoid this we booked the specialty restaurants on line from the US. There's still a question of the tax applicable to tours. We booked our tours on line--If may I ask, which method did you book your tours and was there any VAT charged.

[windjamming]

With regards to the 21% VAT--food and drinks were subject to a 10% VAT. To avoid this we booked the specialty restaurants on line from the US. There's still a question of the tax applicable to tours. We booked our tours on line--If may I ask, which method did you book your tours and was there any VAT charged.

 

Thanks for posting, nelblu! I should have clarified. The 21% VAT was for the store purchases only (I know -- I nearly fainted when I heard.) We were lucky enough to score some freebie drinks, and we didn't try the specialty restaurants so I didn't know what the VAT was for food and drink. Now I do, and, yikes!

 

We booked our tours online as well, so I don't know what the VAT was, if any, for tours booked on the ship.

[mouse84]

Another thing about the Kuna - when we were there last year, we were told & reminded a few times that it's actually illegal to remove Kuna from Croatia. So, only change over what you think you'll need. Some places did accept Euros, but not all did so it's best to have Kuna with you. We loved Croatia and hope to return one day!

[mjldvlks]

. . . we were told & reminded a few times that it's actually illegal to remove Kuna from Croatia. . .

 

Not questioning you heard that, but wondering what your sources are. We got our Kuna from our stateside bank before we left, so there must be some way to get them out of Croatia legally.

 

Edited to add: On the other hand, we were there before the more recent austerity issues in the Euro-zone so things might be quite a bit different now -- it was very Euro friendly when we were there, almost got the impression Euros were preferred.

Edited September 9, 2013 by mjldvlks

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

 

And while I'm here, Venice does NOT smell. That was the other thing I'd been told. "Oh, Venice in August…(wrinkle nose)! It's all the water." Untrue.

 

Hi Windjamming,

 

I need to differ on that impression. ...and it's no rant by any means.... but I thought Venice DID smell .... in a good way...especially in the small, less frequented streets right by a small canal.

 

To us it felt like ...mmmhhh, how can I say that? Picture a foggy cold forest right after a rain storm, add a little heat to that, a little moss and strong characters of wood -- maybe also a slight hint of kelp on a beach in the sun. Throw all those scents together and that's what Venice smelled like to us. It's not overwhelming, just a hint -- but it was there!

 

Stef

[windjamming]

To us it felt like ...mmmhhh, how can I say that? Picture a foggy cold forest right after a rain storm, add a little heat to that, a little moss and strong characters of wood -- maybe also a slight hint of kelp on a beach in the sun. Throw all those scents together and that's what Venice smelled like to us. It's not overwhelming, just a hint -- but it was there!

 

Ah, good to know, Stef! I think I would have liked that! In fact, I'm almost missing that we didn't get to enjoy a more natural scent. We smelled nothing really. The way people were wrinkling their noses made it seem like Venice was strewn with dead fish and garbage, though.

 

Just goes to show - different people, different experiences!

 

Almost done with our Venice evening excursion review. Certain people took a 2 week holiday in August to the Mediterranean and are still behind at work. Geesh. :D

Edited September 10, 2013 by windjamming

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Certain people took a 2 week holiday in August to the Mediterranean and are still behind at work. Geesh. :D

 

LOL -- good thing WE went in July -- so you couldn't possibly mean us:D.

[mouse84]

Mjldvlks, we were told that while we were on board last year and then again when we were in port by the places we were exchanging money. It could've been completely wrong (esp given that it was at the exchange places). I'm sure there are ways (like banks) to get it legally out of Croatia, but we definitely got the impression that they wanted you to keep the Kuna inside of Croatia. Who knows!

[windjamming]

Venice (Part 4)

 

Prior to the cruise, we agreed that going on a gondola ride was a "must do" for Venice. We first considered excursions which packaged a few sights along with a gondola ride. When none of those fit our requirements, we settled on the Evening Gondola Serenade. This turned out to be a terrific decision!

 

First, we all got some rest in the afternoon. We had been up very early to watch the sail in, so by 2, we were pooped. (The Disney "go back to the hotel in the afternoon" strategy.) After we recharged, we grabbed a quick dinner at the Park Cafe, and then went over to the Safari Club to meet our tour.

 

As a group, we walked over to the shuttle dock, where there was a private ferry waiting to take us to near St. Mark's. On this ride, we were treated to views of St. Marks at twilight heading towards sunset. I love how there is a different personality to the city at all different times of the day.

 

 

 

We walked about 15-20 minutes to the gondola boarding station at S. Moise. We had about 30 people on our excursion, and since it was a beautiful evening in August, it was quite crowded in the canals.

 

 

The ride itself lasted about 35 minutes, and we went all the way to the Canal Grande, where the musicians (a singer and an accordion player) accompanying us sang O Solo Mio (which strictly speaking, is a Napoli song..but who's arguing?)

 

 

We saw beautiful side canals, restaurants, and apartments in the early evening darkness. After all the hubbub of the St. Mark's area, I enjoyed watching the city going about its regular life at the end of a summer day. (That comes across a little creepy, but I promise it's all normal.) (Excuse the blurriness.)

 

 

The ride ended way too soon, and we had to say good bye to our gondolier.

 

 

We then walked back to the shuttle dock and rode a quiet ferry back to the ship, enjoying the night laguna.

 

Summary

 

Port: Venice (Day 1, evening)

 

Excursion: Evening Gondola Serenade

 

- Pricey but very worth it. I would rank this amongst one of the very top excursions I've ever taken on a cruise. Was it the most exciting? No, but for pure entertainment value, hands down, the tops. I was enthralled. Music, Venice in the twilight (then darkness), quiet cityscapes, a gentle breeze, and being with family. Perfection.

 

- There is quite a walk from the shuttle to the gondola docks. The excursion guide mentioned 0.68 mi, which sounds about right. Getting on the gondolas was not too difficult, but for the mobility impaired, there may be some problems.

 

- Yes, there are mosquitos! Use bug spray as a precaution.

 

- Although the excursion guide says there is only 4 to a gondola, they were seating families up to 6. Everyone had seats.

 

- Again, with your tour sticker, you can ride the shuttle back for free. (I believe it ran until 10 or 11. I can check if there is interest.) The gondola ride ended around 8:15, so there is definitely time to stroll or even have a cup of (expensive) coffee in the very lively St. Mark's Square at night.

 

Next, we see something in Venice that I've never seen anywhere else in the world!

Edited September 11, 2013 by windjamming

[kirian]

Hi Windjamming!

 

Just wanted to pop in and say "hi" and let you know I can't wait for your next installment :D

 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Melissa

[windjamming]

Hi Windjamming!

 

Just wanted to pop in and say "hi" and let you know I can't wait for your next installment :D

 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Melissa

 

Aww, thanks Melissa! Means a lot to me that you're still following! Crazy work week that spilled into a packed weekend - yikes! Almost done w my writeup on our 2nd day in Venice. Will post tonight!

 

Hope you're having a great weekend, too!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[windjamming]

Venice (Part 5)

 

This was the big day. On our second day in Venice, we were going to hit the big sights -- Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica. It also turned into an unexpected female power day.

 

Aside: For the uninitiated (as I was), the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) is the landmark with the unique pink facade right along the laguna. The Venetian resort in Las Vegas is based on Doge's Palace, and Epcot Center in Disney World also has a replica. The Doge was the leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice and elected for life (usually late in life). There were 120 Doges from about 700 AD until close to 1800 AD.

 

Today would also be the most physically challenging day for my parents. We would be going on the Doge's Palace, St. Marks Cathedral & Glass Showroom excursion, which was 4 hours and suggested as "Strenuous". The description mentioned 4 or 5 bridges of 40 steps each, 1 mile of walking over cobblestones, total walking and standing time of 2.5 hours, plus 180 steps inside Doge's Palace (the Golden Staircase).

 

In preparation, I did three things prior to the cruise:

 

1. Planned to "peak" on this day. Lots of leisurely and panoramic excursions up until now to minimize travel overload. Verdict: So far so good. Nobody exhausted.

 

2. Bought a lightweight chair/cane combo so that in worst case, either Mom or Dad could have somewhere to rest. The one I found was $32.99 online at MacSports. Verdict: FAIL. My dad REFUSED to use the chair or even bring it with us. ("How old do you think I am?") I am now the proud owner of a lightweight chair/cane combo.

 

3. Got Fitbits for both Mom and Dad. A Fitbit is a fitness tracker, kind of like a super pedometer. The one I got was about $90 at Amazon and tracks steps, stairs, active minutes, calories burned, and sleep. Verdict: SUCCESS. My parents loved being able to see how much walking they'd done, and it's been a great motivator for them to be active. (My dad will proudly tell me when he's walked 2 miles.) When I told my Dad that today's excursion was going to be a mile of walking, his response was (in mock horror), "OH NO, ONE WHOLE MILE?"

 

Armed with a cheery (if sometimes sarcastic) disposition and our Fitbits, we embarked on the day. Again we rode the (door to door service) ferry to just outside of the St. Mark's area and walked over 4 bridges to get the Doge's Palace. No problem at all. We could do the walk in our sleep now, which was convenient, because it was super foggy that morning:

 

 

Our guide Antoinella gave us Whispers and an overview of what we were about to see today as we walked along the water. When we got to the Doge's Palace, she asked if anyone needed a bathroom break and pointed us to 2 bathrooms, one closer to us in the courtyard and another one upstairs. We all went to the closer one, where a cleaning lady told us it was closed. We then all proceeded upstairs, where we found a bank of about 8 stalls, with each stall having either a woman or a man icon. (No urinals) My mom and I both found open "woman" stalls.

 

This is where things get funny.

 

While washing my hands, I noticed my Dad was still in line. I had thought Dad was with us when we all headed upstairs, so I'd expected him to be done by now. We all know that the men's line moves like lightning. At first, I figured maybe my Dad walked around a bit and then later decided to use the facilities.

 

Upon closer inspection, though, there was only 1 men's stall! Of the others, 1 was closed for cleaning, and the rest were all ladies stalls!!!

 

Yes, that's right. 1 men's stall. Men in line. Not a single woman in line for the bathroom.

 

I later found out the men were very upset at this incredible injustice, and one man even bravely entered a ladies stall.

 

There you have it, folks, the continued magic of the city of Venice.

 

Moving on, we walked through some incredible rooms in the Palace and then, there it was, the Golden Staircase. It's actually broken into 2 parts. Here is the first half.

 

 

The second was similar height. I never did find out if the elevators worked, but both Mom and Dad did fine. Yay Mom and Dad!

 

Once we got upstairs, no photos were allowed. We walked through gorgeous rooms with paintings by Veronese, Tintoretto, and Titian, amongst other artists. Most had St. Mark in them, recognized by his beard and lion. In the paintings, Venice is represented as a beautiful maiden (perhaps she's behind the Great Bathroom Equality Caper?) The Chamber of the Great Council featured one of the largest oil paintings in the world as well as portraits of 76 Doges. One portrait was painted over in black for Doge Marin Faliero, who attempted a coup d'etat.

 

I'll let the Internet describe the other treasures in the Doge's Palace, but I was amazed at how many beautiful pieces of art were in this building and how much history was behind it. There was one room where the central ceiling painting (by Veronese) was blatantly less colorful than the others surrounding it. This was because the original painting in the middle had been lifted by Napoleon and is still in the Louvre today!

 

I loved all the stories and intrigue being shared with us by Antoinella, but unfortunately we did not spend enough time in the rooms. (Our tour also did not include tickets to the Manet exhibit.) I made a mental note to add a return trip to my bucket list.

 

Now, though, it was time to walk the infamous Bridge of Sighs. Coined by Lord Byron, the name described prisoners' reactions to their last views of beautiful, lively Venice before entering their cells.

 

Sigh-worthy?

 

 

Exiting the palace, we saw these statues. Rick Steves calls them Moses and Paul Newman. I'm still not sure who the other guy is. Anyone, anyone?

 

 

Heading towards St. Mark's Basilica we saw the statue of the Tetrarchs. The Tetrarchy (four co-emperors) was instituted to create more stability in the Roman Empire. This statue was taken from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. (Note the foot in different material. I believe this was the foot was left behind and is now in a museum in Istanbul.)

 

 

We then were ushered into St. Mark's Basilica, which is the one time I felt "herded". We appeared to have a time to which we had to strictly adhere, and we moved rather quickly through the Basilica. Truthfully, it was dark, and crowded, and I didn't see nor feel much. (Note, a paper shawl here costs 1 or 2 EUR. This was the first time I'd seen the shawls not being given out for free.)

 

After our quick walkthrough, we turned in our Whispers and said good-bye to Antoinella, who was absolutely awesome with her walking history lesson. We were then told what time to meet at the return ferry, in case we did not want to go to the glass shop. (We also had the option of using the RCI ferry.) Those who stuck around walked just 5-10 minutes to the Laguna Murano glass shop, which was coincidentally one of Royal Caribbean's preferred shopping destinations.

 

We watched a short demonstration:

 

 

And then we were led into the showrooms. Most of our group had bolted by now, and new groups had come in. I figured since I really hadn't spent much on the trip, this would be my big splurge. I took my time browsing the rooms and examining the pieces. Finally, I settled on a necklace and earring set, and a millefiore plate for a total of just over 300 EUR - a serious purchase for me.

 

In a lesson on not feeling too good about yourself too quickly, my brief reign as the room's big spender was quickly brought to an end, as the tourists next to us were now choosing between 5000EUR pieces! Yikes!

 

Note: In addition to packing the glass piece very carefully, the sales rep also gave me a sales slip in triplicate on Royal Caribbean letterhead indicating what I'd purchased and price in both US and EUR. One was for them to keep, one would be for me, and one would be for the ship - which I gave to the excursions rep later during the cruise. This was supposedly to protect my purchase. Since I was bringing my pieces with me, I'm not sure what this agreement was protecting me from exactly, but it seemed official.

 

Glass purchased, we headed back to St. Mark's Square, and back to one of the shops my Mom and I had went to the previous day. We had purchased a glass purse holder that turned out to be broken, so we wanted to try to get it exchanged. Since we were in the neighborhood, we figured it was worth asking.

 

Boy, were we in luck. We explained to the nice young woman behind the counter that we had purchased several pieces from the store yesterday, and that one piece seemed to be broken. We described the (male) sales associate from whom we bought them.

 

Well, it seems, perhaps, the young woman working today wasn't quite pleased with this gentleman. At all. She proceeded to launch into a half-English, half-Italian tirade on the shortcomings of her colleague and men in general.

 

A loyal member of the women's union, Mom agreed with her and supportively reassured her that we women were certainly better than men. Not falling far from the apple tree, I helpfully chimed in that we were also better looking.

 

Sensing we were kindred spirits, she continued a little longer and finally concluded that we women were really fine until men got us mad. And then, mamma mia!

 

We ended up not only exchanging our broken piece and some enjoyable conversation but getting a freebie gift - for being such good customers!

 

Dad, wisely, stood outside.

 

Errands complete, we headed back to the blue umbrella where our shuttle was waiting for us, and we took one more ferry ride back to the ship. We were back in time for lunch.

 

Summary

 

Port: Venice (Day 2, morning)

 

Excursion: Doge's Palace, St. Marks Cathedral & Glass Showroom

 

- Doge's Palace is amazing. A real history lesson. I only wish we got to spend more time there.

 

- It is a lot of walking and standing, but there are some seats in the Doge's Palace - at least 2 rooms where Antoinella had us sit while she described the art. The Golden Staircase is split into 2 sections. Still a lot of steps, but there are handrails. Very doable by seniors, if the cruise is paced well.

 

- Not really impressed with St Mark's Cathedral during this visit. Need to come back some other time when there aren't so many people.

 

- Bathrooms in the Doge's Palace - tons of stalls for women, just 1 for men!

 

- In the glass showroom, make sure you get the "preferred shopping destination" form from the store when you purchase something. It's not clear to me what the agreement is supposed to protect, but the excursions rep seemed to understand its importance. I had no problems with my glass pieces, but I imagine it could be helpful if there was something wrong. Or at least more helpful than not having it.

 

- Once again, with your tour sticker, you can ride the shuttle back for free. We took the shuttle and didn't even bother looking for the return ferry for our tour.