stickyshocker

Which hotel are you staying at pre cruise & which after?

it.)

As of now i added Hotel Santa Chiara to the mix and am keepin' a close watch on Hotel Olimpia, and It might really come down to these two plus Hotel Campiello as the dark horse. Post cruise is up in the air, because the airfare is cheaper if we fly on the same day that we're gettin' off the ship, the flight out of Venice is at 12:45 pm so that's another thing to consider. I am travelling with kids with probably 2 luggages, we are arriving at 7:30am and the only thing i see to make Hotel Campiello work is to take the water taxi from the airport (maybe 90 euro for 4 of us?). Campiello had free breakfast and the cheapest among the bunch, and its where the action is and would like to make it work. Sharing yur experience somehow elevated it back to my consciousness..Thank you for that.

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Wow![emoji4] Lots of solid information ( actually more than the book i've been reading the past 2 days.. pic below) I've had 2 relatives that are very interested on joining my family on this unique trip, and was busy tryin' to find ways to prove to 'em that it can be done w/o breaking the bank... Thanks a lot! Keep it comin'.

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Uber is so easy in Fort Lauderdale, hands down.

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You have no idea on how helpful this review is to me, it ticked off all the boxes!.. Thank You!

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I guess it would depend. Can you reserve and pay with a credit card to give you added protection? Are you able to speak personally with the owner prior to booking? Are there good reviews, hopefully on sites outside of Airbnb like Trip Advisor or Homeaway? If something goes south are you able to comfortably cover the cost of alternate, last minute accommodations which might run $300 or more per night? If you can't answer yes to all four of those questions, I would probably not book the Airbnb. My opinion.

 

 

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1. Yes

2. Yes (But not ready to commit yet)

3. So far she's pinned as a 'Superhost'. No idea on how to find her on TA or other review sites.

4. If push comes to shove, i really have no choice for i'm travellin' with small kids. Word is, accomodation for 4 is a needle find in Venice, especially near the transport hub.

.. sounds like you've done it before?

Thanks

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Anyone has +/- experiences in Venice or Italy in general? Sometimes i hear stories of people gettin' ripped off. I have a hotel booked but i figure i'll save $300 if i go the bnb route.Thanks

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Great photo!! See you guys later! :D

 

 

 

How long after Freedom left before Oasis left?

That was in the morning as you guys were pulling in, that ship is loud. You were scopin' my ship as i was yours.

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Sure - feel free!

that ship next door:;)

hopefully i got the size right

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As you can see by the pictures, it was a damp day in Venice and it started to rain lightly while I was on the water bus. I finally got to the San Marco stop and once again, I am in awe (yes, this happens quite frequently during the trip, so you've been warned!)

 

 

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With this vaporetto tour, can you still remember the time it took from your hotel stop to San Marco? (I'm booked there at S. Zaccaria). With your vantage point of Rhapsody so close, will it be possible to walk to the cruise terminal?

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I would highly recommend getting an apartment through Airbnb or similar site.

You will have much more space for the same price or less than a hotel.

 

We did this last year for 3 nights before our cruise (we cruised out of Civitavicchia) just took the train the morning of the cruise.

 

We took the public water bus, children up to the age of 5 are free

 

Lois

I did looked, never used airbnb but i'll get to try this xmas.

public water bus AKA Vaporetto right? How bout older kids, do they get discount at least?

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Yes it was the cheapest when I looked as well and I quickly understood why. If it's for one night, it's manageable but I personally wouldn't do 2 nights there again. The window was high and I'm short so I couldn't reach it. I'm sure if I asked, they would've closed it though. The staff was great.

 

Yes I had a couch in my cabin. I believe it shows it in my room post. I never touched the AC and my luggage fit perfectly under my bed.

 

 

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Thanks[emoji846]

Deon, if you have to do this trip again, where will you stay? Mestre, Piazzale Roma or those hotels near the Marco Basilica? I gotta admit, i got intimidated by the density of the whole area when i looked it up. Did you also researched the places where you ate there?

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Please, ask me all the questions you need. I love talking about anything related to this trip!

 

With insurance, I paid about $920, which was good for me, since I set a budget of $1,000 CDN for my flight. I checked maybe twice after I booked it and it had increased to about $1,100 before insurance.

 

The hotel had free breakfast but it was nothing to write home about. I believe the only hot item was oatmeal.

 

My cabin was a category K inside I believe and it was pretty big for an inside. I had a lot of room even though it was just me.

 

 

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'was about to make a move on Hotel Caprera, then i read 'mosquito bites' .. What's up with the window?.. Caprera is the cheapest right now though.

Does your cabin have a sofa? and hows the AC on that one? Can i stash a luggage under that bed?

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Hello! :)

 

I booked my flight in January through Expedia with extra insurance. It was cheaper than Choice Air.

 

Hotel Caprera was my least favourite out of the 3 hotels but it did its job and it was close to where I needed to be.

 

 

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Did you notice any price drops on airfare after January? Currently the cost sits between $800-880 CAD, is that close to what you had?

Did the hotel offer free breakfast? .. and how much is the pizza there? I was thinkin' of keeping us on a steady diet of share-able items just so to keep my budget in check.

What category is your cabin? likewise I booked an interior M, Royal rep said it's 154 sq ft with sofa but when I checked online, it says 132 sq ..I don't know who's telling the truth..

Thanks and sorry for being on my 'pester list':)

Neighbor, how's it goin? ..

I was just wonderin' how far in advance did you booked your flight and if you used a third party?

btw.. thanks for posting Hotel Caprera[emoji3]

Friday August 5th: Embarkation

 

 

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1.How stringent are they(Venice Terminal) on passengers bringin' a pack of water/soda onboard?

2.Our pre-cruise hotel is close to Zaccaria "C" in Venice, one glance at the map gives me an idea that I have to cart off my luggages from any stop to/from my hotel... right assumption?

3.Are they selling discounted specialty dining on embarkation? & do they open other venues to control the crowds?

... If the stars aligned, I might find myself on this ship this Feb on a short sailing, so my inquiries won't really be ship-intensive.( only if I get on her on Feb)

Feel free to Pester away! I had a hard time finding info and it was a GREAT trip :)

 

 

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Not much, they are similar - just flatter terrain.

Thanks, so Mykonos is just easier to explore? DIY friendly and quicker to get to and back from the ship?...But both have donkeys either way( I know, tryin' not to laugh here), but that's the experience I want:)

Appetizer: Mykonos or Santorini?

Im booked with a sailing with stop at Santorini. But what will i miss with Mykonos?.. Im only at page 1.

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We're on our way to Venice to spend a few days prior to boarding the Rhapsody of the Seas on Friday. I've been pestering all of the Venice cruisers for the past several months, so it's my turn to play it forward. Any questions you'd like me to look into? We're doing the 10 night itinerary with the following ports:

 

Corfu

Santorini

Athens

Mykonos

Kotor

Zadar

 

Clicking my heels.... hoping to wake up on the other side of the pond.

 

BB

First I Thank You for doing this review, I haven't started yet but I think this is where it's at.. My turn to pester, past Rhapsody and Venice cruisers;)

I have a bunch of pano's that I made!!!

No other way to see it but Trip Advisor and FB though .. or that "how to post pics" thread?

Update: Booked Hotel Campiello in Venice and Doubletree Hilton somewhere North of Venice.

If any of these made sense[emoji846]

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As long as you can get price drops, why not book now, and watch for price drops. What to you gain by holding off?

There's this sailing in Feb that is probably way past it's final payment date that im interested in. I only have one shot.

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This is awesome! I am hoping you might be able to preview new sales while they are still available based on your gathered data -- As we wind into the WAVE months, I'll be very interested to see what your opinions are...

Honest question, are wave months really the best time to book? I was thinking if maybe should hold off. Tnx

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All my pictures aren't there. But they are on my FB page.

Ah Fb, one thing i like there is they support Pano and 360 pics, and from the looks of your trip, it will be a great 360 camera material.

I am a member of an Oasis group in fb, i got notifications on since i joined couple months ago but i never saw someone posted a date of new and fresh releases, i found it here one time but i was a day behind.

btw that sail away pic put a smile on my face. Thanks for sharing it[emoji106]

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You were likely making a point with this....but doesn't 1 CAD=.70 EUR ?

actually it's 1 CAD = .70 USD sometimes .67

Also, I agree about tours at ports. At Santorini, eight of us on our cruise Critic roll call booked a private tour with Viator, we set our itinerary, and I cannot imagine having taken any other tour. It was $57 each for that amazing tour. viator is not gonna let you miss the ship.

 

Yes, we climbed and climbed that day, and this view is etched in my memory. But I don't know if it would be if I were a small child. A few pictures.

 

Fantastic pics:) .. I guess this was part of that Harmony blockbuster review eh? .. I'll take a day off from Venice and immerse on that one then.

My thought, and have encouraged our children, who have kids ranging from 7 to 11 (we have three granddaughters) is to save and wait to go. They have done so. My granddaughter is who is 11, is going on her 1st really big trip this summer. She did Disney at age 9, and other places since age 7. She can tell you about where she has been.

 

The thing I realized about ours was that if I was taking them when they wouldn't remember going, I was taking them for my joy of seeing them go, not for their joy and understanding of where they had been. And, we spent a lot of money at times, and wore ourselves and them out, and they didn't remember going. Does that make sense.

 

Also, there are far easier places to take children abroad than Venice and Mediterranean ports. In Venice, every day trip there will be lots of stairs to navigate, water taxis/vaporettos to navigate, and if you're not in Venice proper, you can't easily go back to the hotel for them to rest awhile.

 

The ports, like Santorini, a tender port, involve climbing, uneven pavement with holes here and there, and it's amazing and beautiful, but tiring even for adults. Will they remember going? Heck, I'd go to London, or Arizona to the Grand Canyon or to Banff ( just examples) where the overall terrain would be friendlier for all of you.

 

Be sure to sign up for Oasis 4 in March 2017 the first day it opens. We paid less than $2000 for 13 nights on an amazing ship in a D6 oceanview balcony room. Loved the ship. After the first day of booking the prices skyrocketed.

 

Hope what I have shared helps, as it is offered as a mom and a granny and is offered in a spirit of helpfulness.

First, any idea when that first day in March would it be? I have to do this TA at least once in my life.

Now that's out of the way, I would say that this is one of the most nail hitting advice I have received from this site, as my views are not really far from yours. The pointers you have given your children on holding up is what I had imposed on myself before I started goin' on a bucket list tear for the last 18 months or so, I've waited but I prolly went off prematurely for they can't remember a thing about the road trip we had at Peoria and barely mention anything about our 2 weeks in Orlando. My kids are 5 and 6 to date. Yes you said it loud, I maybe doing this for my enjoyment the joy of seeing them have a good time, but that 1 land trip(Tokyo) we took last year made a huge impact on them, for their betterment ie: my daughter at 4 started making pancakes(With supervision), son started entertaining the thought of being independent and taking public transportation himself(not on my watch).Point is with all the negative perceptions this younger generations are gettin',I can somehow tell myself that with all this cultural and places experiences, I'm rest assured that they will be molded properly. I do hope, they absorb something out of Venice, Greece and Dubrovnik and Turkey.

I might have to dedicate a whole day just to map the this city out.