7/14/2014 - 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise (with Greece) Venice to Barcelona

[denise]

I will have to check out that site for sure!!!
We were thinking of staying 2 days after in Barcelona to see what we have not seen already.
I led a photo walk last October on the Wonder! First one led on a Disney Cruise and also first cruise photowalk for Scott Kelby's Annual Worldwide photowalk!! This year's walk will be October 5th. Still trying to decide if I want to lead one or just walk in one...check out his site and sign up...it's free!
http://worldwidephotowalk.com/

Still figuring out where we might go before the cruise. Now thinking of Northern Greece! Then taking a boat over to Venice....or visit friends in France and then a slow train to Venice....depends on the airfare too...

JJJ, i'm sorry to hear you won't be making it for 2014, but 2015 bookings are right around the corner, so maybe that will help appease the pain!

the hotel links are all awesome. I am having trouble finding information on the reliability of wifi at the hotels, and I need it for work, unfortunately. Are wifi hotspots as reliable/plentiful in Venice as they are in Barcelona, does anyone know?

My daughter and I are also looking into doing a photo/walking split tour (3 hours at dawn, 3 at dusk), before the cruise. I just started researching it; there are a couple of photographers who have really caught my eye. One of my favorites also has an excellent blog about how to enjoy the best of Venice as well: http://gintenreiter-photography.com/blog/venice-travel-tips/ I don't know if he takes small groups, but I can ask if anyone wants to join up with us and split the cost. There are a couple of others too, this guy just looks like he has incredible follow up with his participants.

Started to look at airfare and most sites don't seem to want to post to the end of July just yet for what I am looking for. It's killing me! LOL!

 

[Lynn G]

Hello Everyone!
We were booked on the July 5th cruise but after considering airfare my wonderful DH bumped us over to this one. If we are paying that much for airfare we might as well cruise longer. Yea!

My name is Rita and I will be sailing with my DH, DD17 and DS20.
We have two rooms across from each other.
This will mark our 6th Dis cruise and we have been to east and west carib, mexico, Med, and Baltics. All cruises have been on the Magic except east carib on the Fantasy.
I just sent my request for the FB sign up and will be sending info for the FE.

I will be going back and reading all pages and look for to sailing with all of you!

Welcome, yes, I do believe we have sailed together before, your name is also familiar, but I could not tell you which one, we were on the first Baltic, Fantasy Maiden voyage, and several Caribbean cruises.

 

[MPS516]

Well I think I have figured out the local transportation, fortunately we are using a hotel very near a stop on the bus line. From the airport we take the Linea Blu to the Arsenale stop, just a block to the hotel. From hotel we get back on the Linea Blu which goes to the Cruise Terminal. Don't know that we would be using transportation much but one way is 7 euro and 72 hour pass 35 euro so have to give this some thought. Taxi is about 110 euro, bus looks good to me.

 

[SailingSeas]

LOL Denise, I swear we are related. What do you shoot with? I currently have a canon SX40 for travel, but am getting to the point where i need to split and use two cameras for travel (always have a pocket pocket PoS too) since I really miss the depth of field in the shorter range and portrait shots. Once that happens, my family is going to groan loudly and pretend they don't know me, so if you see a lone woman chasing after a young man and young woman rolling their eyes, that would be me.

Rita, We have a similar party makeup. My daughter will be 17, son will be 23. it is very nice seeing the young adults on this cruise; normally when i drag them, the groups are full of young children. Even on our last Med cruise, it was heavily weighted towards children.

I have yet to get airfare. I'm so flipping torn by all the options, and I really want to add on a land stay in Greece.

Thank you so much for all the advice on wifi, I appreciate it.

 

[LovesToRun]

Well I think I have figured out the local transportation, fortunately we are using a hotel very near a stop on the bus line. From the airport we take the Linea Blu to the Arsenale stop, just a block to the hotel. From hotel we get back on the Linea Blu which goes to the Cruise Terminal. Don't know that we would be using transportation much but one way is 7 euro and 72 hour pass 35 euro so have to give this some thought. Taxi is about 110 euro, bus looks good to me.

When we were in Venice in July, we discovered this same thing... the cost of transportation. When we asked the price of a water taxi, we said, "no thanks!" LOL! But, what we ended up doing is just walking everywhere and not using the water bus! We considered doing the 35 Euros for 72 hours (which for us, that would be 35 Euros X 4 since there are 4 of us), but then we figured out real fast the best way to see Venice is just walk, and get lost!! HA! And, eventually, you do know your way around, so you quit getting lost. But, the small shops we found, small restaurants we found, picturesque sights we saw by walking rather than taxi the water bus was probably the highlight of our time in Venice! Plus, we were able to walk off all that Italian food and Gelato!

The only time we took a water bus is we went to Lido, which is only accessible by boat, so we just bought one way passes for 7 Euros (so 14 Euros round trip). Other than that, we never took a water bus anywhere, and we were in Venice for 3 days.

(it did help that we arrived on train, and our hotel was literally a 5 minute walk from the train station, so we didn't have to use a water bus then. And, when we left Venice, we flew out of the Treviso airport, which meant we had to take a regular bus, and the bus station is right next to the train station, so again, we just walked with our luggage to get to our bus that took us to the airport.)

Also, the water busses are SUPER crowded, almost always. It as so much nicer just walking. BUT, if you want to go out to Lido, Murano AND Burano, and you are coming in on plane from Marco Polo airport or you are coming in by train, but your hotel is far from the train station, so you'd need a water bus to get to and from your hotel with your luggage, it would make sense to buy the 72 hour bus pass for 35 Euros for sure, because you'd be on a water bus enough to make the 35 Euros a bargain compared to the one way passes for 7 Euros.

But if you don't plan to go to the outer islands and just stay in Venice, walking is such a great way to go (and it's free!), BUT it is fun to do the water bus at least once, just for the experience.

For our trip next July, we will probably do the same thing as this past July, just by 1-way passes for 7 Euros, because we'll probably only do 2 water bus rides total. Next July, we are flying into Marco Polo when we arrive to Venice, so we'll need a water bus to get to our hotel (there is a water bus station right next to our hotel, which is convenient!), and then we'll take a water bus to get to the cruise terminal when we leave, but since we went to Lido last time, and we've been to Murano and Burano 2 trips ago to Venice, we'll just walk everywhere again.

 

[denise]

I have a Nikon D7000....gets heavy at times
I usually use my iphone for my pocket camera...

Thought your son was going to be 24??? Like our daughter....she is 23 now and turns 24 in Feb. It will be nice for them to have "people" their age...she sometimes feels like she is that in between age...too old for the teens and too young for the old folks

got all the maps out for some pre-cruise planning...that with plugging in the different routes...lots of work...

not enough hours in the day!

LOL Denise, I swear we are related. What do you shoot with? I currently have a canon SX40 for travel, but am getting to the point where i need to split and use two cameras for travel (always have a pocket pocket PoS too) since I really miss the depth of field in the shorter range and portrait shots. Once that happens, my family is going to groan loudly and pretend they don't know me, so if you see a lone woman chasing after a young man and young woman rolling their eyes, that would be me.

Rita, We have a similar party makeup. My daughter will be 17, son will be 23. it is very nice seeing the young adults on this cruise; normally when i drag them, the groups are full of young children. Even on our last Med cruise, it was heavily weighted towards children.

I have yet to get airfare. I'm so flipping torn by all the options, and I really want to add on a land stay in Greece.

Thank you so much for all the advice on wifi, I appreciate it.

 

[MPS516]

yes we are thinking that we will be walking everywhere all the time, just trying to think of what other than airport to hotel and hotel to cruise terminal we would use transportation. crowded water busses are not much fun, when we are in ft Lauderdale we use water taxi (bus) all the time and they are rarely more than 1/2 full. we plan to lay out our routes around venice while we are on our panama canal cruise next month (3 weeks), then we will know what we will need.

 

[SailingSeas]

D, higher math eludes me sometimes. I hate trying to figure out the ages for future cruises, especially when trying to plan for the future. Once he hit 18 and left for college, I think I popped a brain cell and denied he's ever getting any older. In my mind, he will be 3 forever.

 

[LyndaC]

yes we are thinking that we will be walking everywhere all the time, just trying to think of what other than airport to hotel and hotel to cruise terminal we would use transportation. crowded water busses are not much fun, when we are in ft Lauderdale we use water taxi (bus) all the time and they are rarely more than 1/2 full. we plan to lay out our routes around venice while we are on our panama canal cruise next month (3 weeks), then we will know what we will need.

I'm on the Panama Canal Cruise with you. If I remember, I'll bring an extra Venice map to hand off to you. If you want to go to Murano and or Burano, you'll be on the vaparetto. I enjoyed riding them, they're a poor mans gondola. Do you have your accommodations in Venice yet? I'm staying near the Rialto so I'll be taking the Vaparetto to my hotel and then possibly to the Magic, although I'm not sure about that, the People Mover doesn't leave you very close to the ship. But I KNOW that we will be packing very light next year.

 

[MPS516]

Yes we are staying at Hotel Cà Formenta, got a really good price for the junior suite. It looks like an option for us is to take Vaparetto to one of two stops close to the terminal and walk across 1 to 2 bridges. We can also see if there are others at our hotel and split a water taxi which looks to be 100 euro. Either way we will be on the ship for a great cruise.

Would love to get a look at a map while on the Panama cruise, I expect to have time to plan for Venice.

 

[LovesToRun]

Yes we are staying at Hotel Cà Formenta, got a really good price for the junior suite. It looks like an option for us is to take Vaparetto to one of two stops close to the terminal and walk across 1 to 2 bridges. We can also see if there are others at our hotel and split a water taxi which looks to be 100 euro. Either way we will be on the ship for a great cruise.

Would love to get a look at a map while on the Panama cruise, I expect to have time to plan for Venice.

That is such a good idea for people to share a water taxi to the ship if they are staying at the same hotel, or if the hotels are very close together. A water taxi would be the easiest way to the get to the ship with all your luggage! And, you are right, the more people in a water, the better deal, AND you can negotiate with the drivers and get them down in price.

As we get closer to July, maybe there can be a list of where everyone is staying at pre-cruise in Venice, and it would be a great way to hook up to share a water taxi (or just meet up for drinks or something), for those staying in the same hotel or close to each other.

We are staying at Palazzo San't Angelo, which is located on the Grand Canal between the Ponte di Rialto and the Academy. There is a Vaparetto stop right next to our hotel, too, so we for sure have that option to get to the ship.

Have a GREAT time on the Panama Canal cruise, all of you going on that!!! We did that on the Disney Wonder back in Jan 2011 (it was the first time the Wonder went through the Canal). SUCH an amazing cruise!! Is this your first time through the canal, or have you done it before? What are the ports they are stopping at? We've been on 7 Disney Cruises, and both the Med this past July and our Panama Canal cruise in 2011 by far were our two favorites!

 

[SailingSeas]

LTR, what a GREAT idea for the pre-stay ride sharing! So glad you started the list! hehehee! (never leave the room at a PTA meeting... you're bound to get voted into something. I guess that translates to 'never log off at a Disboards discussion... you're bound to get roped into something...)

For those who have stayed in Venice, is it best to stay along the large canal, or is it livable in the summer along the tinier waterways as well?

 

[jd99]

That is such a good idea for people to share a water taxi to the ship if they are staying at the same hotel, or if the hotels are very close together. A water taxi would be the easiest way to the get to the ship with all your luggage! And, you are right, the more people in a water, the better deal, AND you can negotiate with the drivers and get them down in price.

As we get closer to July, maybe there can be a list of where everyone is staying at pre-cruise in Venice, and it would be a great way to hook up to share a water taxi (or just meet up for drinks or something), for those staying in the same hotel or close to each other.

We are staying at Palazzo San't Angelo, which is located on the Grand Canal between the Ponte di Rialto and the Academy. There is a Vaparetto stop right next to our hotel, too, so we for sure have that option to get to the ship.

Have a GREAT time on the Panama Canal cruise, all of you going on that!!! We did that on the Disney Wonder back in Jan 2011 (it was the first time the Wonder went through the Canal). SUCH an amazing cruise!! Is this your first time through the canal, or have you done it before? What are the ports they are stopping at? We've been on 7 Disney Cruises, and both the Med this past July and our Panama Canal cruise in 2011 by far were our two favorites!

We are also booked at the Palazzo Sant Angelo! So you will have the four of us with whom to share a water taxi for sure!

 

[Lynn G]

We will also be traveling very light on this cruise, no formal nights for us! (Well, we will still go to dinner, but not in tuxes or formal wear).

 

[LovesToRun]

LTR, what a GREAT idea for the pre-stay ride sharing! So glad you started the list! hehehee! (never leave the room at a PTA meeting... you're bound to get voted into something. I guess that translates to 'never log off at a Disboards discussion... you're bound to get roped into something...)

For those who have stayed in Venice, is it best to stay along the large canal, or is it livable in the summer along the tinier waterways as well?

HA! Yes, I know all about the PTA meeting example... I was on the PTA board of director's for my kid's elementary school... I know how that goes (partly of how I got roped into being on the board in the first place. But, luckily, it was a low-key easy-to-work with board, and not one of those drama/crazy ones you hear about).

I'm happy to put together, and continue to update a list of where people are staying pre-cruise (for those who are interested in sharing a water taxi to the ship, or maybe meeting up for a drink before-hand, etc). I am not sure what the best way is to do this... what do you all think? Should I just keep a word document on my computer, and send it out to folks, or should we add a page in the beginning of this whole thread that has a list of where people are staying, and then I can also keep this list updated on the FB page... OR another idea?

To answer your question (at least in my opinion) about staying on the large canal vs one of the smaller waterways, I've been to Venice twice so far, and IN my own opinion (others might have differing opinions), I think if you are going to pay the money to stay on a canal (whether it is a big one or a smaller waterway, you should stay on the bigger one (either the Grand Canal or the really big one (which I can't remember the name, but it's the one where the BIG ships come in and out of. The grand canal is the 2nd largest one, and the big one that runs right through Venice). The reason I say this is for 2 reasons: 1) the small waterways are so small that you really won't have much of a view if you get a canal side room, because the canals are so small, you will probably be looking into the building right across from you... and all you will see going through the canal are the Gondolas, possibly, and really small boats, like row boats. And, anything on a canal (hotel, restaurant) is always more expensive than a non-canal hotel, restaurant. So, if you are going to spend money to stay on a canal, you might as well stay on the bigger canal where you can actually enjoy the view and see the boats going back and forth. And, 2) the other reason I'd choose the bigger canal over the smaller waterways is (and we have been lucky and have never experienced this in Venice), but I know there are times where Venice can smell bad, and from what I've heard from friends who have been there during times it does smell, it's the small waterways that smell much worse than the bigger canals. So, it'd be a shame if the time we were there in July in Venice it was a time when it did smell in Venice, and you were staying on a small waterway that smelled... that would not make your hotel experience as desirable. BUT, hopefully Venice won't smell when we are there!! Like I said, I've been there twice (once in July and once in September) and neither time did I smell any bad small anywhere in the city.

So, I'd recommend the Grand Canal or the really large one where the ships come in and out of, if you want to stay on a canal. My my 2 cents worth.

We are also booked at the Palazzo Sant Angelo! So you will have the four of us with whom to share a water taxi for sure!

Oh, that is great you are staying at the same place we are! It looks like a great hotel. Are you 4 adults, or 2 adults/2 kids? We are 2 adults/2 kids (boys, ages 11 & 13 at the time of the cruise). We should for sure look into sharing a water taxi to the ship (and if more are staying at this hotel, that would be even better). I bet we could negotiate a good price, too.

We will also be traveling very light on this cruise, no formal nights for us! (Well, we will still go to dinner, but not in tuxes or formal wear).

On our Med Cruise, for formal night, we had our boys just wear khaki's and a button up long sleeve shirt with a tie, and the canvas slip-on shoes you can buy at the Gap or some place like that, because those shoes work with shorts or khaki's, so they had multiple uses. And, I wore a black cocktail dress which hardly took up any space in our suitcase, and my DH wore his sports coat, khaki's, a button up shirt and tie, which he wore several times on our trip (Palo, semi-formal, and a few times pre-cruise/post-cruise on our trip). And, we were able to pack really light still, and still be able to do formal night and feel like we were dressed up enough! But, we definitely found on our Med cruise this past July that people were dressed up less for formal night than other Disney cruises we had been on, and my guess is because of the packing light issue.

But, I'm all for packing light when traveling internationally!!

 

[jd99]

Oh, that is great you are staying at the same place we are! It looks like a great hotel. Are you 4 adults, or 2 adults/2 kids? We are 2 adults/2 kids (boys, ages 11 & 13 at the time of the cruise). We should for sure look into sharing a water taxi to the ship (and if more are staying at this hotel, that would be even better). I bet we could negotiate a good price, too.

It does look like a great hotel! we are two adults and two kids (girls age 15 and 10 at time of the cruise)

 

[SailingSeas]

Formal night: Grab the bedding and make togas. We'll all look awesome, and won't have to pack a thing.

 

[denise]

Formal night: Grab the bedding and make togas. We'll all look awesome, and won't have to pack a thing.

OPA!!!!!

 

[MPS516]

I think the big canal is the Giudecca Canal, several hotels along it's edge. It would be great to have a meet prior to boarding, we did this in Barcelona the night before a MED Cruise at the magic fountain.

No we have never been on a Panama Canal Cruise before but thank you for bringing the Wonder through for us in 2011, we took her to Alaska and she is our absolute favorite ship. This makes planning hard for us because we are still getting ready to board our EBPC in just over 2 weeks

 

[Lynn G]

HA!


On our Med Cruise, for formal night, we had our boys just wear khaki's and a button up long sleeve shirt with a tie, and the canvas slip-on shoes you can buy at the Gap or some place like that, because those shoes work with shorts or khaki's, so they had multiple uses. And, I wore a black cocktail dress which hardly took up any space in our suitcase, and my DH wore his sports coat, khaki's, a button up shirt and tie, which he wore several times on our trip (Palo, semi-formal, and a few times pre-cruise/post-cruise on our trip). And, we were able to pack really light still, and still be able to do formal night and feel like we were dressed up enough! But, we definitely found on our Med cruise this past July that people were dressed up less for formal night than other Disney cruises we had been on, and my guess is because of the packing light issue.

But, I'm all for packing light when traveling internationally!!

This sounds very much like the way we pack, Scott has loafers, khakis and dress shirt, sometimes he takes a travel jacket and a tie. Of course, my dresses take much less room, but lately have been going to skirt with several different tops, some dressier than others.