Barcelona to Venice

[pxn748]

We just booked the Westerdam Barcelona to Venice for June 1 2022, and are very excited.  We will both be retiring about a year from now and we have never been to Europe and have only done 7 dayers before.  There will be some adjustments for us,  we have always driven to FTL or Tampa and have about 6 suitcases between the 2 of us!  We will have to cut way down!   This cruise is very port intensive, we want to see everything we can, but not kill ourselves either.     

[Mary229]

Congratulations on your cruise.  You might want to also check for your roll call so you can meet other members of your cruise and learn from the experienced.   You can search for your roll call here

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/52-holland-america-roll-calls/

 

we are also going to The Med next year and I am already thinking about packing too

Edited March 17, 2021 by Mary229

[Sharon in AZ]

You will love this itinerary!!  So much to see and do. Try to make time pre and post cruise. I was so glad we went 3 days early because I sure needed it after the long flight. And Venice has so much to offer than just one day. 
 

Enjoy your cruise and happy retirement!

[Essiesmom]

Stay a couple of days in Venice after the cruise.  There is so much to see there.  Our last European cruise left from Venice.  It is the cruise that convinced us that in the future we would only travel carryon with backpack.  That was 8 years ago.  EM

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

 It is the cruise that convinced us that in the future we would only travel carryon with backpack

I am curious - what is the longest travel period you have done with a back pack?  I am trying to squeeze 6 weeks of travel for two with two climates into 2 carryons and 2 personal items

Edited March 18, 2021 by Mary229

[pxn748]

Mary229--- back 1978 I backpacked around Australia and New Zealand for 6 months.   But, I was 18 and 19 then!

[cinlo]

A few years ago we took a Transatlantic that ended in Barcelona.  From there we flew to Venice, took the train from airport to town.  Stayed 3 days, then train to Florence for 2 days, then train to Rome for 3 days.  Flew to Florida from Rome.  Best vacation so far!  We booked excursions to see the Duomo in Florence, and an underground tour of the Coliseum in Rome. So many good memories...it was also our first trip to Europe.  Can’t wait till things normalize so we can do it again!

[Reagan0712]

11 hours ago, pxn748 said:

We just booked the Westerdam Barcelona to Venice for June 1 2022, and are very excited.  We will both be retiring about a year from now and we have never been to Europe and have only done 7 dayers before.  There will be some adjustments for us,  we have always driven to FTL or Tampa and have about 6 suitcases between the 2 of us!  We will have to cut way down!   This cruise is very port intensive, we want to see everything we can, but not kill ourselves either.     

I did this three years ago as part of a transatlantic.  Make sure to get laundry services. It is well worth the money and will enable you to get yourselves down to, probably, a carryon and one suitcase each.  

Laundry goes down in the morning and we always had it back in the afternoon.  

[Mary229]

20 minutes ago, pxn748 said:

Mary229--- back 1978 I backpacked around Australia and New Zealand for 6 months.   But, I was 18 and 19 then!

I was a backpacker then too, we were wilderness hikers in the US and Canada.   After years of cruising with the take everything approach we now have more time to stay after the cruise and roam.  I am readjusting my wardrobe for easily packable clothes and weighing every item that goes in.  You have to see this:  I have the suitable pajamas lined up then I weigh them one by one on my postage scale, the lightest go into the cruise wardrobe.  I feel a little batty but what else are you going to do during a pandemic😁

Edited March 18, 2021 by Mary229

[Essiesmom]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I am curious - what is the longest travel period you have done with a back pack?  I am trying to squeeze 6 weeks of travel for two with two climates into 2 carryons and 2 personal items

B2B cruise, 7+14 days, starting in Tampa, ending up in Baltimore were it was 25 degrees.  We had puffer coats that did fine.  14 days to Alaska.  Driving trip of 33 days.  EM

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

B2B cruise, 7+14 days, starting in Tampa, ending up in Baltimore were it was 25 degrees.  We had puffer coats that did fine.  14 days to Alaska.  Driving trip of 33 days.  EM

Super.  I don't worry about when we drive but I would rather not take the risk of losing luggage at the beginning of a long trip.  

[Tbay]

As others have said, staying before or after the cruise is a great idea. In Barcelona, there is a convenient, inexpensive bus from the airport to Place de Catalunya.  From there you could take a taxi to a hotel.  A taxi from there to the port is not expensive. The HO HO bus is a good way to see the city.  Buy a ticket and book a time if you want to go to the Sagrada Familia. It can be very busy.       Venice is a unique city and worth staying on for a few days.  Buy a pass for the water bus system, the vaparetto. Pretty easy to figure out and use the system.  If you have much luggage, be aware of where your hotel is.  It can be a long walk over several bridges. Take the vaparetto to Murano (glass) and Burano (lace). We also visited the cemetery island.  Isola di San Michele. It's a beautiful place. We visited the day after All Soul's Day,  when Italians visit the graves and place flowers.   We stayed on the adjoining island of Lido.    Hotel prices were cheaper and there are many restaurants.    It's an easy stop on the vaparetto system.  There is a hotel steps from the vaparetto station.   And a laudromat a block away.  Department/grocery store just down the street.  (Where we had to buy some necessities when my husband's suitcase didn't show up for several days). It is easy to take the train from Venice to Florence and then to Rome.  We booked our tickets on line, from home.  Just be aware there are many pick pockets in Italy and Barcelona.  We had a back pack stolen at a train station in Rome (computer, camera, passport) so keep an eye on all your belongings.  Laundry on the ship is great.  Either purchase a daily package, or use the set price blue laundry bag.  Roll clothes tightly and you can stuff a lot in the bag.  Enjoy!  And Happy Retirement!

[kevingastreich]

On 3/17/2021 at 4:47 PM, pxn748 said:

We just booked the Westerdam Barcelona to Venice for June 1 2022, and are very excited.  We will both be retiring about a year from now and we have never been to Europe and have only done 7 dayers before.  There will be some adjustments for us,  we have always driven to FTL or Tampa and have about 6 suitcases between the 2 of us!  We will have to cut way down!   This cruise is very port intensive, we want to see everything we can, but not kill ourselves either.     

I am excited FOR you!

[Omilona]

On 3/17/2021 at 7:47 PM, pxn748 said:

We just booked the Westerdam Barcelona to Venice for June 1 2022, and are very excited.  We will both be retiring about a year from now and we have never been to Europe and have only done 7 dayers before.  There will be some adjustments for us,  we have always driven to FTL or Tampa and have about 6 suitcases between the 2 of us!  We will have to cut way down!   This cruise is very port intensive, we want to see everything we can, but not kill ourselves either.     

We are on this sailing too! We decided since we had to push it back for yet  a second year, that we would do the 24 day Med Tapestry and Empires. When we initially booked a cruise with HA for last Summer, it was my Dear Daughter's high school graduation and 18th birthday, as well as her getting into her 1st choice pre med program, and my dear husband and my 30th anniversary. Husband and I got our first round of Pfizer last week. Dear daughter had The Bug at Uni 10 days after I dropped her off end of January.  We would have  cheerfully gotten on the ship as scheduled this July, but what's the point of going to Europe if it's closed?

[Heartgrove]

On YouTube, you can find a vlogger called Pack Hacker. His channel tests, compares, and suggests products to make minimal packing workable for travelers. Rick Steves also has suggestions on traveling light.

 

In 2019, on our most recent cruise, before embarking we traveled for a week in the South Tyrol region of Italy by train. Unfortunately our luggage reflected our month long trip! Following our week of land travel, we were on a 20-day Med cruise. Besides backpacks and a camera bag, I used an Eagle Creek rolling duffel and my wife used a 26" rollabout. Hoisting them on and off some of the trains was somewhat difficult with the crush of other passengers.  

 

For future travel we have purchased 35 liter-sized backpack suitcases and intend to just use them in conjunction with smaller rollabouts. We should be able to still travel for a month with judicial packing.

 

I also recommend considering, seeing as you are traveling to Venice, the nearby cities of Verona, Bolzano, and Merano. There is a Sudtirol card that is very reasonably priced good for transportation and museums. Using the card we did a day trip by regional train and bus  to Ortesei which is in the Italian Alps. It was a highlight of our trip!

Edited March 19, 2021 by Heartgrove

[Sea42]

What has work for me is to color coordinate my clothing. For example, 2 pairs of pants, black and tan. Then, 6 shirts, each of a black, tan and red mixture. All items match the others so I can have many different combinations. While it won't all fit in a back pack it will work with just one small suitcase. I never pack more than one week of clothes no matter how long we will be gone (although we are never gone more than 1 month at a time).

[tommui987]

Tbay wrote: "Venice is a unique city ... If you have much luggage, be aware of where your hotel is.  It can be a long walk over several bridges."

 

You should be aware that some locations where there are bridges, there is no way of getting around unless you use the bridges. The bridges have steps. If you have "wheelies" on your luggage, you will not be able to wheel your luggage but will have to carry it across the bridges!

[iancal]

On retirement we switched to carry on only because we planned to travel frequently.  That translated into a 20 inch roller each. Seven days or seven weeks.  it was challenging first but it greatly enhanced our travel pleasure.  Especially in Italy, most especially in Venice.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by iancal

[ski ww]

We're on the Westerdam in Jul from Athens to Venice. We'll be spending three days pre cruise in Athens. Looking forward to getting back on a cruise ship. Enjoy your cruise.

[Tbay]

@tommui987     Thankfully we never had to cross a bridge to hotels. By luck, the first visit.  Planned, the second visit.

[Storylady]

Definitely cut down at least two suitcases. We travel with 4 suitcases for most cruises as we usually are gone for 6 weeks to 4.5 months. For those who travel with only a back pack and carryon, it okay for you as it is your choice. But I prefer to dress for dinner, especially with the Captain. You will love your Venice to Barcelona cruise. We have done most of the ports. In fact, we have a 19 day cruise planned on the Westerdam from Athens to Venice to Barcelona in the fall. Read Donna Leon before going, her mysteries give you a wonderful intro to Venice. If you are doing only doing the one cruise, you may try packing only three suitcases plus your carryons.

 

Make sure to spend several days in Venice. First time, we were there a week. And it wasn’t enough, but then, we like to take photos. There is plenty to see and do in Venice. As for getting to your hotel from the airport, arrange a water taxi to pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel. We had a friend who wanted to save money and he hauled his suitcases up and over 20 bridges in Venice to get to his hotel.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Storylady

[iancal]

Our advice after nine years of frequent international travel.....only pack and carry what you can each physically handle.  If you cannot carry it...leave it at home.

 

More than once we have seen people with far too much luggage in situations where there was no one to help them....they had to manage by themselves.  It is a hard lesson.  Cruise only is a different kettle of fish from cruise plus pre and post land travel.  Sometimes there are no sherpas available for hire to do the fetching and carrying.

Edited March 21, 2021 by iancal

[AncientWanderer]

On 3/18/2021 at 4:25 AM, Mary229 said:

I was a backpacker then too, we were wilderness hikers in the US and Canada.   After years of cruising with the take everything approach we now have more time to stay after the cruise and roam.  I am readjusting my wardrobe for easily packable clothes and weighing every item that goes in.  You have to see this:  I have the suitable pajamas lined up then I weigh them one by one on my postage scale, the lightest go into the cruise wardrobe.  I feel a little batty but what else are you going to do during a pandemic😁

 

I do this, too, and also acquired the skill from backpacking -- and backcountry skiing with a pack.  It's a fun mental exercise to see how one can minimize weight.  I remember cutting my toothbrush handle in half back in the day.  🤣

[albingirl]

We finally travel lightly.  On our last cruise, 49 days, we had one suitcase each.  We use the laundry service liberally and figured out that we really don't need a ton of clothing.  The boondogle can be the toiletries.  In some countries, there aren't alot of choices, if you like a particular brand of toothpaste for instance, so we make sure to pack enough of those items for the trip.

[Mary229]

@albingirl What size suitcases did you carry.?  As to toiletries I can buy those but I have plenty of TSA approved containers.