LTC Dan

MTJtraveller, thanks for the post. I'm sure the various Biennale events will be awesome, but since we'll be in Venice for just a couple days, we'll go with the flow and find whatever presents itself. Venice is magical, and always delights.

Thanks, Strenz, rockdoctor, and Magnum60. I did the gondola thing a long time ago with college pals and split the cost about six ways, so it wasn't bad. Not too memorable, but been there and done that at least. Not worth repeating this time around. I love the idea of Tortello, and Caprini's sounds wonderful.

Thanks again, milepig. This is REALLY helpful.

Thanks, Host Walt. We'll be in Slovenia until the very day of embarkation, and will take a Go Opti shuttle to Venice that morning. As long as we can contact Windstar online or by international telephone call the day before, I guess we'll be golden.

Mr. Milepig, thanks! You ARE the man! I really appreciate the tips for a couple great places to check out. :D

Host Walt:

As I mentioned, we will be boarding Star Breeze on the 30 September sailing from Venice. We'll be coming in after a 5-day land tour in Slovenia, and we'll need to tell the shuttle driver which terminal & berth assignment so that he can get us reasonably close. How do we do that? You mentioned the port master makes berthing assignments on a last-minute basis, and that sounds tricky.

Reliable contact leads would be appreciated. :)

:D Wonderful, fabulous recommendations, everyone! Ski Mom 2, this is exactly my speed, the wander aimlessly approach and just take it all in. I visited Venice as a grad student studying architecture (a Clemson semester abroad studio based in Genoa), and did the gondola thing with pals (aided with too much really cheap red wine). Apart from getting sick later and hugging the porcelain goddess until dawn (such a lame college thing, I know), the whole 2-day immersion was way cool. No agenda, just strolling, sketching the buildings, sipping espresso, that kind of deal.

Later on I returned by myself at the end of the semester, and then a few years after that had a brief stop-over with the wife. So it never gets old, and I learn something new each time. My latest hobby is collecting art-quality masks from various parts of the world. I have the typical Venetian-style masks already, including the mass-produced 'commedia dell'arte' pieces that are relentlessly hawked by vendors. With luck, I hope to find something truly original in leather or some other media that would be artistically distinct, totally different than the typical touristy ware. I'll save my souvenir budget for other places if I come up empty in Venice.

Strenz and Host Walt are in total agreement, so we obviously are on to something. I absolutely love classical music, especially baroque pieces that speak of Venice. So we will do it -- just chill and soak in the culture and music, find a good non-tourist trap place to eat, and maximize the hours making discoveries after dark. Mysterious photos in the fog! The ambiance! No crowds!

Hi SMNY Cruise. I'll check out the roll call -- first time for me, so it'll be interesting to see who joins us.

The lovely bride and I will be in Venice overnight on Sept 30th, because Star Breeze will be in port and sail away at 1600 the next day. When night falls, the possibilities seem endless for a really awesome dinner somewhere, not to mention some great low-key, mainly unscripted entertainment options, and wandering around after the hoards of tourists dwindle. Ideas, please???

Specifically, I'm willing to splurge of a really memorable dining experience (not that Windstar can't put on a great meal, but come on, this is VENICE, for gosh sake!) What places have really blown you away? And is anyone aware of something going on locally we should check out that night?

Thanks Host Walt for the tip. Since we won't be sailing on the Wind Surf on October 1st from Venice, I like your idea of catching a glimpse of the Windstar flagship. We'll already be onboard the Star Breeze sipping our morning coffee, and we don't sail away until 1600, so why not? Will the two ships be berthed alongside each other at the port of Venice?

Hi Snowcat, thanks for being first in line to reply. The "Venetian Passageways" itinerary starts out with an overnight in Venice, then stops at Hvar, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Butrint, Katakolon, Itea, Nafplio, and then disembarks in Athens. The real draw for us would be all the Italian, Croatian, and Montenegrin ports up-front, but I bet the last half will be just as entertaining. I would have easily swapped this one for the "Classic Italy & The Dalmatian Coast" aboard the Wind Surf (really loved the idea of seeing Sicily and Capri), but the quote for the Star Breeze was much better.

We independently set up a land tour featuring five nights at Lake Bled in Slovenia before the cruise. THAT promises to be flat-out incredible.

Thanks for the tip about sail-out from Venice. I will be on a natural high for sure!

After years of patient waiting and planning, the lovely bride and I FINALLY get to do our Windstar cruise in the Mediterranean. I CANNOT WAIT.:)

This will be our first WS to experience. Wanted to try out the sails at first, and Windsurf's layout looked great. Plus, what's not to like about that Venice to Rome trip? But the Star Breeze Venice to Athens offer was much too good to ignore. "They made me an offer I could not refuse."- Godfather

What can you folks tell me about the Venician Passageways experience that we cannot miss? I'm already chomping at the bit.

On our Caribbean cruise on the Windstar last week a couple renewed their vows for their 25th anniversary. I assume that had taken the renewal of vows package. It was a very nice ceremony held on the upper deck, officiated by the captain and attended by several of the officers.

 

Before the ceremony the officers and staff took pains to decorate the upper deck with flower arrangements etc. when asked what was going on they told us they 'had a wedding and wanted to make things look nice for them' which was lovely.

 

Their fellow passengers all watched from the deck below and all gave them a round of applause when it was concluded. It was very nicely done.

Wow, that sounds PERFECT. Exactly what I want. :D

If you look online at the onboard services and gift packages you will find a wedding vow renewal package as well as other nice things you can pre-arrange - flowers, champagne, etc. Guest services will also help you with the details. Congratulations!

Thanks a bunch, r&rd. I didn't know about any of that -- looks like a great way to go.:)

Hello, me again. The last thread I posted was a great success. Thanks for all the helpful tips. Next one, for all you romantic types. I married my wife over 30 years ago, and the 2016 cruise will be a bit of delayed gratification, a belated 30th anniversary celebration.

I want to surprise her with a renewal of our wedding vows, and I presume we can make enough friends on board to have a nice little attending crowd. How do I do that? Do I take it up with the Captain shortly after boarding on day 1? Or Guest Services? Are there any nice touches I can arrange, such as a bouquet of flowers, etc?

Maybe even more important, I hope to time everything so that we have favorable weather. Is the Captain flexible enough with his schedule so that we can shift things up or back as needed?

For those of you that have done this, any special tips?

Normally I'm a rather straight-forward guy without too many sentimental bones to be found in my entire body, but this is a great opportunity to do things right.

Yes, it is romantic indeed!

 

We travel to Europe between mid October to April, with an occasional trip in May. Last year we went in July and it was awful - overcrowded, expensive and unbearably hot. Never again.

There are so many cruise line offering in Summertime, and the big tourist destinations have hoards of vacationing families. Nice folks I'm sure, but just too much mayhem fighting through the crowds. So the way I figure it is this -- find a very small ship, see a bunch of out-of-the-way places, and choose a date on the calendar when all the adorable cherubs are back in school. Sounds like the Windstar way of seeing the world to me.

Yep. This was very helpful.:D

You're right about the weather of course, but like another poster in this thread we have been in late October, early November many times and had great weather and no crowds. Of course we mentally prepare for rain and hope for the best!

A good strategy to be sure. I'm so tempted to roll the dice and go with the one on Oct 18th, because at the lower fare rate we can spend so much more on other cool things, like a longer stay at Lake Bled. But I think the one on October 1st probably is calling my name.

:D

A quick tip for caviargal and all my other pals who were so nice and responded to the thread....

If you want a LOVELY (and I do mean lovely) out-of-the-way spot for a vacation, and you want to do something other than a cruise, rent a car out of Salzburg and take the drive to Hallstadtt, Austria. It probably has some high season hubub, so try off-season just to be sure. When we went it was cool, sweater weather with a mystical haze on the lake. It is a tiny town surrounded by massive alpine peaks perched above a jewel of a lake. The town center is picture-perfect. It's just far enough away from Salzburg that most people give it a miss, yet it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site nonetheless.:)

Liguria is a long time favorite and we have stayed there several times. However, we do not care for the CT or Portofino as (like Venice) we find them far too touristy for our personal preference.

 

We seek out the less touristy destinations as that is our preference. If Rick Steeves recommends it, that is enough to keep us away.:cool:

Oh gosh, what a shame. I tend to avoid the high season traffic at all costs. Shoulder season is much more my speed, or if I can't make the calendar work, I'll seek out the back alleys.

BTW, my son attended the exact same Clemson architectural graduate studio that I did, only 30+ years later. And he took his girlfriend to Portofino for a quick getaway, they took a stroll in the hills outside town, and he dropped to a knee and proposed. THAT's romantic! :D

If we do choose this one, we will likely opt for some time in Liguria prior to embarkation.

Oh my Gosh, yes. The Ligurian coast is exquisite! :D If you are nimble and can manage stairs everywhere, by all means enjoy multiple days in Cinque Terre and Portofino. The food is wonderful there, but you probably already knew that. ;)

Our other option is a river cruise in Bordeaux as we love that type of cruising and that itinerary totally appeals due to focus on wine and food, two of our favorite things, as well as fewer tourists.

 

Good luck with your decision!

Oh boy, a river cruise in Bordeaux sure sounds nice and relaxing. I think the Windstar cruise is a great value for the amount spent, but you've chosen a good alternative if river cruising is your thing. Either way, have fun!

Hey caviargal, I'm glad to hear you had such good fortune weather-wise sailing in October. Maybe you can optimize your sailing experience when you do the "Classic Italy & the Dalmatian Coast" by doing the September 23rd itinerary from Rome to Venice. That way you can tack on several days upfront in Rome (which you prefer), disembark in Venice when it's over and head straight to the airport. No gondolas and cheesy tourist venues, right?

My advice concerns not where, but when. You state that you're going in the fall. We took the Rome to Venice cruise on the Windsurf October 13 through 21 this year, and ran into more rain than I would have liked. I recommend mid to late September.

Couldn't be more right, avalong. When I did my semester abroad experience in Genoa (Fall 1979), there was an autumn rain storm for several days straight. It didn't deter me from seeing the sights, but I really hope this anniversary cruise will be as ideal as we can find. Howling winds and rain aren't tons of fun.

Thanks, Strenz. I appreciate your vote for "Venetian Passageways". The DW has been to Athens briefly, but I've never set foot in Greece at all. It is something I've wanted to do eventually. I think we would want to spend at least a couple days there to do it justice. Meanwhile, we REALLY want to make sure we spend at least one non-cruise day in Venice for old times sake. And we REALLY need to spend at least a couple days (if not 3 or 4) inland at Lake Bled. All those days will add up if we do the Venice-Athens option.

I am finding all the port listings for "Classic Italy & the Dalmatian Coast" perfect in every respect. Venice, Dubrovnik, and Kotor. And then tack on Rojinj (which looks like a lovely jewel), Split, Messina, Capri, and Rome, and I can hardly wait. As Snow Cat says, it's a no-lose scenario either way.