First Seabourn cruise TR where inflatable kiddie pools, Cerberus heatwave &"would you like some sparkling with your apple juice" happened ;)

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So getting back to Murano was supposed to be easy in taking a line to the main point (F.te Nove) where you catch a boat back to Murano. This is where a line was supposed to be running in the evening but wasn’t due to an unofficial holiday. There was no mention of this online nor on signs that we could see. What they ended up doing was combining that line with another one. The boat attendants were not clear at all and you could tell many other tourists were at a loss late at night on what they were supposed to be doing.

This boat we ended up on (which actually waited for about 5 or so minutes after we boarded) was swamped with people as the stops added up. There were so many you couldn’t move. So many in fact that we missed the original stop we were going to take just because we couldn't get through the swarm of people to even get to the offloading part although this didn’t end up impacting us it was just that we had no hope of getting through the masses of people.

Once we got off we walked through the alleys again (we would have had to walk either way just a tad longer) and eventually made it to F.te Nove and from there it was fine.

Venice is beautiful, we would go back there if we had the chance. Once you get out of the touristy areas it’s much calmer. However, I liked the more calm laid back feel to Murano. It was super easy to walk around and the vibe is more chill. People are very friendly there too. Not to say Venice people aren’t necessarily friendly but it’s a heavy tourist place and that reflects in the atmosphere. If we had had the time I would have loved to have gone to Burano.



That’s it for our adventures pre-cruise. Next day was Embarkation Day!!

 

[dvcgirl67]

For the flight to Europe we ended up doing Air France using points transferred from Chase points in conjunction with cash. Flight from Chicago to Paris were exit row seats. They did not charge for my exit row seat as it was considered obstructed by the exit door (will show picture later). The ratio was more points to dollars.

For the flight home from Athens we did British Airways using points transferred from Chase points. Flight from Heathrow to Chicago were exit row seats. British Airways IMO charges entirely too much for seats. While the exit row seats on the long haul flight were $130/pp it wasn’t as if a middle non-exit row seat at $90/pp was all that much better. The ratio was more dollars to points.

Due to point cost and concerns over too many flight connections we opted to not book from KC either way. KC’s transatlantic or transpacific options are nil (with exception to Mexico/Caribbean seasonally, we lost Iceland a few years back) It will require connecting usually in Chicago anyhow or somewhere on the east or west coast depending on where you’re going. So we opted to take that issue out. However, this did mean we had to drive 8 hours from KC to Chicago and vice versa. I don’t remember the rental car cost but it wasn’t too too bad and slightly more expensive when coming from Chicago airport to KC. We booked a hotel for 1 night in Chicago on the way home using IHG points.

Both our Air France flight to Paris and our Heathrow to Chicago flights were changed/cancelled by the airlines many months in advance. Air France to nearly 3 hours earlier and British Airways 2 hours earlier.

Suffice to say our packing adventures were a lot, we packed then unpacked then packed again. Air France with our Economy ticket only allowed for 26 lbs total between your carry on and personal item and both size dimensions were tiny. So tiny in fact I had to purchase (well asked for as a Christmas gift lol) new carry on luggage as mine was too large. We made careful consideration to the weight of the two items combined and this turned out to be needed as they did weigh our items at the Chicago airport.

So just digging into your report....loving the detail . So, did you check baggage or are you saying they weighed your carry-on and personal items. I've never had that happening when traveling. My husband has had his carry on gate checked, even when flying premium economy on United, mostly because there are sooooo many people with this status or that status or kids or disabilities or military that by the time he boarded the overhead bins were full. Even flying business, the 1K people board first and the line was really long.

But if you only did carry on and personal items, I'm with you as that's all we do now.

 

[dvcgirl67]

After arriving on Venice island we turned on our GPS for walking instructions and this worked almost perfectly. I honestly didn’t pay as much attention to the names of the streets we needed to turn on/walk on but just followed the map on the phone and paid attention to the vibrations. One of the neatest things about Venice is actually exploring the back alleys. I did remark to my husband normally walking in alley ways are a bit sketchy lol but it was just what you did. It was cool to see how people’s doors were right by you. And it’s a good way to find public squares that are not touristy and thus much more quiet.

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Totally agree on just kind of wandering in Venice away from the touristy sites. We've found some of the best piazzas and restaurants that way....so much fun! Also cool that you stayed on Murano. We've been there twice on our own to tour the glass factories and even had a chandelier shipped home when we visited in 2008. I remember thinking that it was probably what Venice used to feel like years back.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So just digging into your report....loving the detail . So, did you check baggage or are you saying they weighed your carry-on and personal items. I've never had that happening when traveling. My husband has had his carry on gate checked, even when flying premium economy on United, mostly because there are sooooo many people with this status or that status or kids or disabilities or military that by the time he boarded the overhead bins were full. Even flying business, the 1K people board first and the line was really long.

But if you only did carry on and personal items, I'm with you as that's all we do now.

We did checked bags as well-1 suitcase each. Those got quickly weighed when we got our boarding passes from the airline desk.

What they weighed was our carry on and personal item. First they had us each put our carry on in the dimension box (there were two boxes so we did it at the same time) and it basically fit, then they had us add on our personal item and it totaled up the weight. We were right there at that max limit for combined weight. I don't know if the security would have cared about a pound or two.

We were concerned about gate checking though it didn't happen for us personally this time thankfully.

This was only for Air France. British Airways didn't have the weight issue. I mean there's a max weight but not one we'd get close to between the carry on and personal item.

We're going to try really hard to do carry on only for our spring 2024 Europe train trip but we'll see. If we do a checked bag it needs to be a small one just because transporting large suitcases is a no-go in all those types of conditions between the roads and the trains and really it's just annoying having too much.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Totally agree on just kind of wandering in Venice away from the touristy sites. We've found some of the best piazzas and restaurants that way....so much fun! Also cool that you stayed on Murano. We've been there twice on our own to tour the glass factories and even had a chandelier shipped home when we visited in 2008. I remember thinking that it was probably what Venice used to feel like years back.

That's so cool you got a chandelier from there!

I agree with you that it probably has the vibe Venice used to have. There were def. tourists around but it was in such small numbers you really only noticed it when you were going from shop to shop whereas in Venice all the canal walkways, bridges, etc were filled with tourists with only the out of the way areas less busy. But Venice is better if you're looking to just wander so there is that.

 

[Living42Day]

I'm surprised they allow you to drink in the exit row since you're responsible for other passenger's safety. I also think the foot hammock probably wouldn't have been allowed had the FA saw it since that creates an obstruction for a quick exit in an emergency, even if it is slight. We normally fly FC, especially on longer haul flights, but I know they didn't want obstruction in the few times we've sat in exit row...

Agree on Venice having amazing spots to watch the sunset. It's a highlight for us, we try to get over there every couple years.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm surprised they allow you to drink in the exit row since you're responsible for other passenger's safety.

No issues there with either Air France or British Airways BUT any passenger who is obviously inebriated should not be served anything IMO and any passenger who somehow gets to that point on the plane should be relocated.

Rest assured we were not buzzed nor do we have any interest in becoming buzzed on a plane.

I also think the foot hammock probably wouldn't have been allowed had the FA saw it since that creates an obstruction for a quick exit in an emergency, even if it is slight.

Was never ever going to use a foot hammock in the exit row seat, you actually can't. We purchased the exit row for the extra leg room. Foot hammock is designed really for when you have a seat in front of you as it hooks around the tray table when it's down OR up. When in an exit row seat on these planes the tray is inside the armrest and a foot hammock can't even be used as the tray design doesn't allow for it. The foot hammock was only actually going to be used by me on the 4 hour flight from Athens to Heathrow but in the end compression socks for me worked well enough.

As far as obstruction you are free to have things with you during the flight but take off and landing you cannot.




As an aside I'd love to keep my trip report relatively drama free despite some of the drama that occurred on the planes and cruise Thanks for joining in and I hope you enjoy the rest of the trip report!

 

[john7994]

Amazing report and wonderful pictures - thank you for sharing all of it!

 

[morgan98]

I love Venice! My mom was born less than an hour from there and there I have been there many times since I first went to Italy in 1979.

Even now, when we spend an overnight, we usually stay on Murano, as it is a bit off the beaten path.'

Love seeing the pictures.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I love Venice! My mom was born less than an hour from there and there I have been there many times since I first went to Italy in 1979.

Even now, when we spend an overnight, we usually stay on Murano, as it is a bit off the beaten path.'

Love seeing the pictures.

What's your impression of Venice over the years since dvcgirl mentioned thinking how Venice might have been years ago.

Murano I would say is very easy to get to and from Venice and I'd recommend people stay there if they are looking for a quieter hotel choices but still easy access to Venice.

That's awesome by the way that your mom was born so close to Venice!

 

[morgan98]

Venice has always been a tourist destination. However, it was not nearly as cruise ship dependent and that to me has really changed the amount of people that visit. It is just much more crowded now.

I think the best way to really experience Venice is to stay somewhere either on Venice itself or the other islands so you can wander early and late without all of the cruise ship visitors.

However, Venice itself is suffering from population declining as people age and move away to more lucrative careers, so it is a double-edged sword. The overcrowding from tourism that has changed it so much, is also keeping it alive.

While Venice itself is wonderful because it is pretty unique, the rest of the Veneto is fabulous as well. Padova, Verona and Vicenza are all worth a visit. As are towns like Valdobbiadene (where Prosecco is from), Asolo and Treviso. Not to mention Belluno which is the gateway to the Dolomites from the Veneto side.

I honestly love it all! It always makes me happy to see people enjoy Venice, as I know not everyone does.

 

[Living42Day]

No issues there with either Air France or British Airways BUT any passenger who is obviously inebriated should not be served anything IMO and any passenger who somehow gets to that point on the plane should be relocated.

Rest assured we were not buzzed nor do we have any interest in becoming buzzed on a plane.

Was never ever going to use a foot hammock in the exit row seat, you actually can't. We purchased the exit row for the extra leg room. Foot hammock is designed really for when you have a seat in front of you as it hooks around the tray table when it's down OR up. When in an exit row seat on these planes the tray is inside the armrest and a foot hammock can't even be used as the tray design doesn't allow for it. The foot hammock was only actually going to be used by me on the 4 hour flight from Athens to Heathrow but in the end compression socks for me worked well enough.

As far as obstruction you are free to have things with you during the flight but take off and landing you cannot.




As an aside I'd love to keep my trip report relatively drama free despite some of the drama that occurred on the planes and cruise Thanks for joining in and I hope you enjoy the rest of the trip report!

That's good to know. I remember somewhere on the community board I had wrote a post about drinking in the exit row but a couple people said that wasn't allowed and were actually pretty mean spirited about it. Maybe it's just certain airlines. Glad to hear Air France and British Airways allows one on a long haul flight, probably helps. We normally wouldn't encounter that as, like I said, we only do first class on long haul. I'll have to check into the foot hammock, maybe it would help on cheap weekend trips when we do Southwest.

Looking forward to following along the rest of the report.

 

[GAN]

Venice day!​

After waking up we opted to eat breakfast at the hotel. Murano island doesn’t have a huge amount of dining options and opening times (just generally speaking it seems with the various countries we visited) were later I think many of us are used to choosing especially if you’re wanting to get up and get out. The hotel had a buffet for 24 Euros each. It was a decent one but a bit much in cost my husband felt. With limited options it was fine and I appreciated that they had one. They did have champagne and juice for mimosas if you wanted.

After breakfast we started our journey on Venice’s public transit. There was actually a water bus station right outside of the hotel so very convenient. There are several different public transit options but not all stations and tickets are for each option.

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We consider ourselves fairly good at figuring out public transportation even after a bit of a learning curve. Venice’s was not too bad in figuring it out except for when the boat didn’t have a label of what route it was for and when a line that was supposed to be running at a certain time was not due to an unofficial holiday and there was no way to know that. The attendants for the water buses (as they were called) were not exactly the most helpful. It wasn’t really a language barrier (which we would have understood much more) but rather a more cagey interaction.

So after purchasing the tickets via WhatsApp the next boat to take us to Venice island that was supposed to be there was not labeled so we didn’t get on it, but it turns out that was the right boat. So we had to wait a bit longer for the next one to go. Most of the boats were labeled but some were not and from a non-local’s perspective you don’t want to get on a boat that will take you to someplace completely away from where you need to be.

For Murano island they usually take you to a stop on the other side of Venice island from St. Mark’s Square however it doesn’t take long (maybe 15 mins walk) to get to St. Mark’s Square so this isn’t a big issue (unless you have mobility issues). Alternatively once you make it to Venice island you can catch another water boat transport to take you around Venice island or you can arrange for a private (but pricey) water taxi.

I will say our experience with the water bus is they are very efficient, they do not wait however for anyone so you need to be very prepared to get on as unless the schedule calls for it they stop, open the gate let people out and in, close the gate and go and you may not be seated yet before they begin moving again. Keeps a good schedule for the most part but is a little hectic when you’re not used to it.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but I hear that Citymapper does work in Venice. Citymapper is the most accurate, complete app for public transportation I’ve ever seen …it’s worked flawlessly in London, Paris, Florence, and Rome for me as well as some larger US cities. Buon viaggio….

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but I hear that Citymapper does work in Venice. Citymapper is the most accurate, complete app for public transportation I’ve ever seen …it’s worked flawlessly in London, Paris, Florence, and Rome for me as well as some larger US cities. Buon viaggio….

I have not heard of it but we actually do plan on being back in London (and actually exploring it) next spring. Looking it up I could see this being very helpful. I wonder if Citymapper could have worked for Athens...spoiler alert transit there is a hot mess (literally and figuratively). With our train trip next year I know we were going to use the Eurail app but I think this app you mention would also be good to have.

Thank you for the mention

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Venice has always been a tourist destination. However, it was not nearly as cruise ship dependent and that to me has really changed the amount of people that visit. It is just much more crowded now.

I think the best way to really experience Venice is to stay somewhere either on Venice itself or the other islands so you can wander early and late without all of the cruise ship visitors.

However, Venice itself is suffering from population declining as people age and move away to more lucrative careers, so it is a double-edged sword. The overcrowding from tourism that has changed it so much, is also keeping it alive.

While Venice itself is wonderful because it is pretty unique, the rest of the Veneto is fabulous as well. Padova, Verona and Vicenza are all worth a visit. As are towns like Valdobbiadene (where Prosecco is from), Asolo and Treviso. Not to mention Belluno which is the gateway to the Dolomites from the Veneto side.

I honestly love it all! It always makes me happy to see people enjoy Venice, as I know not everyone does.

You make a good point about cruise crowds, I did notice about lunch time especially at the Rialto Bridge how packed it was. I did see some people with suitcases so some were coming in to stay but it was clear there were people coming in as well just from ships. I was glad we got to St. Mark's Square before lunchtime.

The tourism/cruise thing is becoming more of a concern worldwide. This particular cruise we went on had much lesser known port of calls and just hearing the passenger comments it was actually appreciated (it's a frequented enough route by the cruise line just not your Santorini style kind of route) and TBH from those locals it also seemed appreciated. There's def. a fine line though.

I could see my husband and I wanting to explore so much more of Europe. Our train trip next year we're hitting some good spots but we both agreed going back to Venice is something we could see us being open to. I think I'd probably go slightly earlier in the summer or late spring..the heatwave while not horrible (yet) while we were there it was def. very present. I would have loved sitting down in one of those less busy squares to have some coffee and a snack.

 

[mamamary]

Enjoying your trip report

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Enjoying your trip report

Thank you!

 

[dvcgirl67]

I'm surprised they allow you to drink in the exit row since you're responsible for other passenger's safety. I also think the foot hammock probably wouldn't have been allowed had the FA saw it since that creates an obstruction for a quick exit in an emergency, even if it is slight. We normally fly FC, especially on longer haul flights, but I know they didn't want obstruction in the few times we've sat in exit row...

Agree on Venice having amazing spots to watch the sunset. It's a highlight for us, we try to get over there every couple years.

Hmmm...never thought about the alcohol thing with respect to being able to carry out your "duties". However, I would feel 100% comfortable even having a slightly buzzed Mackenzie in charge of getting everyone off of that plane!! You get to know people's personalities around here after awhile. I think if we voted on which DISer to put in the exit row...before this even came up....I would have picked her!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Beginning of our cruise was upon us!​

We once again had the buffet breakfast at the hotel. Aaron (not sure if I mentioned that’s my husband’s name) had asked the day before to get a late checkout so we didn’t worry about getting the luggage completed sorted before breakfast. We then went off to that one store to see if I could get another necklace. After we got back to the hotel we completely packed up and made our way back to Venice.

Something like 2 weeks ahead we had been assigned our PAT as Group B 1:00pm though this eventually changed about a week before the cruise to Group C 1:20pm. Everyone had advised you really don’t need to stick with your PAT you can show up whenever it’s fine. We did find this to be true although we actually only ended up showing up a tad early.

A bit of background at the moment Venice is one of the most difficult cruise ports to embark from due to their ship ban over a certain weight. It’s often up in the air which port they will use but for a while Seabourn has been using Fusina which is an industrial port on the mainland about 20 or 30mins depending on traffic from Marittima (which is the old port on Venice island). I have now noticed future cruises in 2025 (probably 2024 too) now list port of call as Fusina so it sounds like they are on a more consistent permanent schedule.

Venice port in particular was an area where we both felt Seabourn could have done better in communication. If it hadn’t been for the two main FB pages we had joined last year we wouldn’t have really known a whole lot of information. When we had booked the cruise Marghera was listed as the port being confirmed by Seabourn reps when we contacted them last year but with the instructions to be checked in at Marittima. Checking in at Marittima is still the procedure and then they will bus you to Fusina to board the ship. We just found the lack of direction a tad frustrating.

Back to transit we took the water busses to Piazzale Roma stop after first getting to Venice island.

On the way to the stop I took a few last minute photos saying goodbye to Venice





Once at our stop we took the People Mover to the actual Marittima port. Of course this People Mover lacked the Disney magic It was at this point that I really realized we really really need to try not to have too much luggage for next spring’s trip. Lugging the suitcases was not fun.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It was a quick journey on the People Mover and from there not too too far to where the check in area was for Seabourn. That day it was only us and an MSC (forgot the actual ship’s name) ship there. At this point my husband noticed one of the wheels on his big suitcase was wonky and seemingly was close to falling off..great...

Lovely attendants asked us how many bags we wanted them to take and we opted to have them take both checked luggage and both carry ons with us carrying ourselves our personal items. They didn’t have a tag for the nearly broken suitcase but put some sort of denotation on it to basically handle with care.

We were led up an escalator to the actual check in desk where they checked us in and offered us water while we wait with the others for the bus to arrive to take us to Fusina and the ship. We didn’t wait much time at all like a few mins before being led through a quick security check and metal detector and onto the bus.

I wish we could have gotten a good ship photo but because of the Fusina port and where the bus deposits you there really wasn’t a good photo ops available. We were ushered into the ship with warm welcomes and excitement. Questions of whose first time was it and how long were we on the ship (7 days to Athens or 14 days to Istanbul was the general question). Seabourn like other lines does a lot of combining of itineraries so it’s common to have passengers stay on while others leave. While B2B does exist most are booked as a connected itinerary such that you would just book a 14 day Venice to Istanbul cruise (rather than a 7 day and another 7 day) and at least at the moment when you book itineraries that are combined like this there is a price break given.

We had been advised that your room key will be available in your room and basically you’re just free to go right to your room. We made our way to 639 our room for the next week and the door was open room all cleaned. It was 1:45pm.