Sailing on Rhapsody in one month - Venice stay pre,post-cruise questions

[luisrp]

Well, got a notification that the lost bag has been found and will be sent to Santorini which will be our next stop. The ship is not even aware yet of this and I a expecting them to deliver the news when they find out.

[BermudaBound2014]

Glad you made it on-board and your bag will catch up with you tomorrow :). Can you please let us know where you dock at in Mykonos (or if you tender?). Also, can you comment on your stop in Corfu? Was the bus from the port to town easy enough? Finally, if you are planning on the X80 bus in Athens, I'd love to hear more about that. I'll be boarding in a few weeks :)

[luisrp]

hmmm... Don't know what happened... my post got partially posted and then the full post after this. So I am deleting this and leaving the full post below. Moderators, please feel free to delete this.

Edited July 21, 2016 by luisrp

[luisrp]

A quick update. Not a lot of info yet, just to answer the questions.

 

The bag finally made it to the ship in Santorini. When we returned from our shore excursion the bag was waiting for us in the guest services office. From that point on everything has been just like we had expected. :) Santorini has been the highlight of the cruise so far with Mykonos being a close second.

 

We left Mykonos just over an hour ago. Since we were the only ship in town we got to dock instead of tendering. We were notified by Michele, the cruise director the night before that there was 95% chance we would dock.

 

About Corfu, we liked it very much and it was easy to get back to the ship in the shuttle bus.

 

In Athens we messed a little bit because we missed our excursion bus

when we came down from the Acropolis. The city was really crowded with five cruise ships at the same time. The place was packed and on the way down we got lost and wasted some time finding the correct way. Fortunately we found another bus from the same operator doing the same excursion but not for our ship (Vision of the Seas was also there) and the guide allowed us to get in and continue in their bus.

 

After I get back home in a week from now I will take the time to do a more detailed review and provide some more information.

[luisrp]

Hello all! I am now back home after the cruise. The missing bag was waiting for us aboard the ship when we returned from the shore excursion at Santorini. Everything went well after that and we finally got to dress up on the second formal night. :-)

 

I will do a brief review on the different parts of out trip before going into more details about the cruise itself and the ports. Do not expect a lengthily and very detailed review with lots of pictures.

 

Air travel to and from Venice

 

As I said in a prior post, we had issues with our United flight from Boston to Venice via Newark. There was a weather related ground stop at Newark that afternoon that caused us to miss our connection in Newark. Therefore they put us in an Alitalia flight later in the night via Rome. This caused us to miss our gondola ride with the female gondolier the next day. :mad: We were REALLY looking forward to doing that ride. As you all know, one of our bags (my girlfriend's) did not arrive to Venice and later caught up with us in Santorini. The Guest Services people at the ship were extremely helpful with this.

 

And what are the chances of having problems on the way back home? Our return flight was also on United via Newark to Boston.

 

We returned to Venice after the cruise on July 15 and our plan was to fly home on July 16. Our departure flight was at 10:55 AM and we were planning to get up at 4:00 AM to get ready be able to board the 6:55 AM Alilaguna ferry from S.Zaccaria to the airport and arrive around 8:00 AM. At 3:45 AM I get a text message from United telling that our flight was delayed so we decided to get up at 5:00 AM instead. By that time our flight has already delayed several hours due to bad weather in Newark. There was a storm in the northeast US that delayed the incoming flight. The thing is that by the time we were getting ready to go to the airport around 8:00 AM the flight has been cancelled due to plane maintenance issues according to United. So we left for the airport with no flight home. We had to do a looooong line to find another flight and at the end there were no more flights departing on the same day (actually I found several but from other airlines not partnering with United) and were sent to a hotel for the night at United's expense. We were put on a Lufthansa flight on July 17 to Boston via Frankfurt. We took that flight the next day and arrived uneventfuly in Boston with all our bags.

 

Marco Polo Airport

 

The airport is a bit messy. I found it unorganized and there is a huge construction project going on. The walk between terminal and the ferries is a bit long and takes around 10 minutes with luggage. Due to the construction, in some areas you have to walk on the street along with vehicles and have to carry your bags over curbs with no ramp. No big deal but still messy when you are carrying luggage around. The one plus I give them is that the security checkpoint at the terminal where Lufthansa is located is better designed and organized than their American counterparts. Getting through security on the day of our return home was a breeze.

 

Transport between airport, hotel and cruise terminal

 

We used the Alilaguna blue line for all transfers. It worked quite well. Not the least expensive and not the fastest but is one of the easiest ways to get around of your hotel is near any of the stops. We paid each 23€ for the round trip from the airport to S.Zaccaria (stop before San Marco). They did not charge anything for the bags. The trip from the airport to S.Zaccaria takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The return trip to the airport takes 1 hour.

 

The day of the cruise we took the blue line again at S.Zaccaria and paid each 8€ to go to the cruise terminal.

 

After the cruise we purchased another 8€ ticket plus this time they charged also I think 3€ for each of the two large bags. Somehow they missed the bags on the way to the terminal. The transfer between S.Zaccaria and the terminal is a short 20 minute ride. Then there is a short walk to the cruise terminal. The ship docked at the 107 pier which is the one closest to the Alilaguna dock.

 

Hotel

 

Following the recommendation of one fellow forum member here we booked both stays (one night each) at Hotel Fontana in the area just a few streets away from San Marco square and just a very short walk away from the San Zaccaria stop of the ACTV and Alilaguna ferry stop. The hotel staff was extremely friendly and treated us like they previously knew us. The check-in process was a breeze and in no time we were in our room after we arrived from the airport. Room was large although it did not have a view to the street. It was on the first floor and had access to a small interior patio behind the building. Breakfast was a bit limited but I think this is an Italian thing because Italians do not eat a big breakfast like people in the US are accustomed.

 

When we returned from the cruise we arrived early (around 9:30 AM) but they let us store our bags until check-in time (2:00 PM). So off we went to the city and returned around 1:30 PM and they let us do early check-in at that time. This time we had a room in the second floor with a view of the street in front of the hotel. A very nice lively area of town. There is a restaurant right across the street in front of the hotel but it was not a problem with noise.

 

In both stays we had to pay in cash a 7€ city tax at check-out. Don't know if this is per night or for any stay.

 

We liked this hotel and will recommend it. Thanks to the forum member who recommended it!!! :)

 

On our unplanned stay thanks to United Airlines we stayed at a Hilton Double Tree hotel in mainland Italy about 20 minutes away by bus from the airport. The hotel was nice and pretty but seems to be mostly oriented to business travelers and there was practically nothing around to see and do so we just stayed there and rested for our long flight the next day. The room we were sent had a malfunctioning A/C and was hot as hell. We had to be put on another room. We were a group of maybe 50 people who were on the same cancelled flight and they had arranged dinner for us and shuttle buses the next day back to the airport.

Rhapsody of the Seas

 

This is about the ship itself, not about the cruise or the ports.

 

I have to say that the ship shows its age (19 years) in the form layers of paint in many external areas (such as the hull and railings) and you can spot areas where flooring or carpeting is a bit worn or window panes look foggy. But still the ship is beautiful and even these details did not take away in any form from the cruise experience. I would sail on her again any day.

 

Again, due to its age the ship is not the biggest or has all the bells and whistles of the newer ships but it is on par with similar ships of the time (I sailed in Carnival Destiny which before its refit as Carnival Sunshine was a similar ship and about the same age). For the type of cruisers we are, this type of ship is perfect for us. We are both middle aged adults who do not drink except for a glass of wine at dinner a few times during the cruise, neither are we party-goers. We cruise mostly to visit new places and to relax on the ship. I did visit most of the venues during my exploration of the ship.

 

Having said that, do not ask for specific recommendations about bartenders or venues because I cannot answer them. :D We ate at the Edelweiss dining room all nights except the first formal night due to the aforementioned missing bag which meant my girlfriend did not have here nice dress for that night, so we had dinner at the Windjammer instead that night. We did not go to any of the specialty restaurants. When I booked the cruise I wanted to have late or second seating because from our previous cruises, late worked better for us. However, only early seating was available. So the first night we requested changing to the late seating. They did not guarantee we would get it but still I placed my request. The next day we got the notification that our request has been granted. :cool: So the third night (second night was the first formal night) we went to dinner on the late seating.

 

On the port days we usually had a snack after we returned to the ship if we did not have lunch in port. We went to the Windjammer but a couple of times we got back too late and found the Windjammer closed so we had to go to the Vitality Spa pool area to have our snack.

 

We had breakfast at the Windjammer each day. Selection of food was OK. Also had lunch on sea days there. Again the selection was OK.

 

A few times we just wanted to relax at a quiet place on the sea days we went to the Viking Crown lounge were we could have a bird's eye view of the main pool area and still hear what was going on outside with all the loud music and such. Even watched the belly flop, sexiest man and a few games from there. Also watched a few things at the Shall We Dance lounge a couple of nights after the shows in the main theater and dinner.

 

MDR service was very good and on par with my expectations. The food was good but at times I found it limited for my particular tastes and found it hard to select something. There is something for everyone but at times I felt like nothing was to my taste. Mind you, I am a bit picky and not to adventurous with food. Still I found that I liked the food in Carnival better in quality and variety than what I found at the Rhapsody.

 

Our stateroom attendant (Jinky) did a very good job and was always looking to see if everything was fine. We requested to have ice in our room and she always provided us with enough ice each day of the cruise. The only thing is that she only did three towel animals during the cruise :mad: and not every night like the stateroom attendants do in Carnival cruises.

 

Our ocean view room was a bit smaller than I expected (Carnival ships generally have larger rooms than most lines) but still was adequate for both of us and had plenty of storage for our clothes and stuff in the closet and drawers. The bathroom was tiny but typical of what cruise ships offer. Also had plenty of storage next to the sink. We were in the starboard side on deck 4 (room 4542) right under the open promenade in deck 5. Some nights I could hear people running or making noise in that area but not something that would wake you up. The bow thrusters can be clearly heard and felt in that room but again, nothing that would wake you up unless you are a light sleeper. Sometimes, the vibration from the thrusters was the signal for me to go out and see the ship depart.

 

We had to go to the guest services area a few times the first days of the cruise due to the missing bag. When we arrived to the ship on embarkation day one of the first things we did was go there to notify about the missing bag and provide them with the details and a copy of the claim filed with Alitalia. The company that does the service for Alitalia asked us for our cruise details (ship and sail date) so that they knew where to deliver the bag if found. The guys at the ship also kept looking and informed us every day about the status of the bag. Then on the night of July 17 I got a notification that the bag was found The ship has not notified us yet by that time but they did on the next day. The bag would be sent to Santorini in time for our visit in July 19. They also gave us a complimentary laundry service which we used. We also used the special $30 laundry bag offer later on the cruise.

 

Embarkation was simple enough since I had done most of the pre-requisite things online although the line was a bit long. When we finally got on the ship we were literally herded to the muster station because the muster drill was about to start.

 

Debarkation was also an easy process. We were assigned the 8:15 AM slot and we had plenty of time to have breakfast at the Windjammer and then go down to the main theater to wait for our turn. We found our bags at te terminal quickly and off we went back to the hotel on the Alilaguna boat.

 

On future posts I will cover the ports of call.

Edited July 29, 2016 by luisrp

[luisrp]

Let me add a bit more about the ship experience.

 

The MDR service was very good as I said before, and the wait staff very friendly and always looking to please us. We were on a shared table with another couple and their daughter. Usually we arrived at the table a few minutes after them (yeah, the sunset happened to be right at our set dinner time a few nights) but on other days when we did arrive a few minutes before them, the table already had been set with drinks for the other couple. We never requested to have drinks, so they did not do that for us but I found this a very nice detail.

 

Michelle Oliveira, the cruise director does a very good job and is very funny and friendly. She seems to be everywhere and does zumba classes in the morning next to the main pool. Of course, we never went. :D

 

As is expected in cruises, there were many activities everywhere including a few deck parties at night which were popular and crowded. The entertainment staff do an excellent job at this since all activities we saw were very popular. I did another Mediterranean cruise in 2011 on Carnival Magic and for some reason the deck parties were never very good. Don't know if there population was older in that cruise, or if the staff was not very good or what. However in my first cruise in the Caribbean also on another Carnival ship had deck parties as crowded or even more than I saw on Rhapsody. The cruise director that time seemed to be like Michelle: everywhere. Not so much the Carnival Magic cruise director.

[dani negreanu]

Hotel

 

Following the recommendation of one fellow forum member here we booked both stays (one night each) at Hotel Fontana in the area just a few streets away from San Marco square and just a very short walk away from the San Zaccaria stop of the ACTV and Alilaguna ferry stop. The hotel staff was extremely friendly and treated us like they previously knew us.

 

In both stays we had to pay in cash a 7€ city tax at check-out. Don't know if this is per night or for any stay. It is per night.

 

We liked this hotel and will recommend it. Thanks to the forum member who recommended it!!! :)

 

Sooo glad I could be of help, and u enjoyed it :):)

[BermudaBound2014]

Glad you reunited with your luggage! I believe you were on the 10 night itinerary? If so, do you recall which nights were formal? Which nights were deck party? What did you do in each port? Any advice? :)

 

 

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[luisrp]

Yes, I was on the 10-day itinerary that did Corfu, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Kotor and Zadar. There is another 10-day itinerary that is the reverse of this and replaces Split with Kotor. I know because that was my original itinerary prior to rebooking.

 

On mine the formal nights were the second night (sea day and prior to us getting our missing bag back :mad:) and the second one was on night 8 which is the last sea day and prior to Kotor. Don't remember off the top of my head when where the deck parties. We took shore excursions on each port. When I come back to write about the ports I will mention the specific excursions we took.

Edited July 31, 2016 by luisrp

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you! We have your exact same Itinerary as you so anything you can share in terms of tips I greatly appreciate. We have private tours for everywhere except zadar and we are thinking of the Palankaca hike offered by ship. Did you happen to do that your? We leave tomorrow for Venice - cruise departs on Friday :)

 

 

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[luisrp]

Since you are leaving tomorrow I am going to put my brief review of Zadar first because you asked.

 

We took the "Tastes and Panoramas of Dalmatia". I will say its description in the shore excursion catalog is a bit over enthusiastic. The bus picks you up at the pier and heads to the town of Šibenik about one hour drive away from Zadar. The bus goes trough a coastal road with nice views but the drive gets boring pretty quickly until it gets to the Krka river right before arriving to Šibenik. There is a walking tour around town and some free time for souvenir shopping and such. Then back to the bus for another long drive back to Zadar but on a freeway away from the coast this time. In Zadar the bus stops close to where the Sea Organ is located and we were walked though it to get into the old town. The walking tour in Zadar was short and just to show some of the major attractions such as the main church. And then some free time before the bus heads back to the ship.

 

Of all the cities visited, this was probably the least interesting with the notable exception of the Sea Organ. On the little free time we had, we headed back to the Sea Organ to take more pictures and videos and enjoy the intriguing sound created by the waves some more time. This was actually the very last bit of our cruise before returning to Venice. :mad:

 

I would recommend to skip the old town unless you are interested in seeing the Sea Organ. In its place probably the Krka River National Park excursion would be a better option based on the stunning pictures I have seen (long before deciding to take this cruise) of the waterfalls in the park. Cannot comment on the Paklenica National Park tour.

 

Ater the visit to Zadar we talked with some other cruisers (such as our MDR table mates and other stranded cruisers who also had to stay an extra night thanks to United Airlines) and they all agreed that Zadar was not very interesting. Kind of disappointing after visiting Dubrovnik in 2011 and being the highlight of that cruise second only to Venice.

[BermudaBound2014]

Thanks for the Information! Our time is here. We're off to Venice for a little pre-cruise gondolaing. Much appreciate your feedback :)

[tiger-91]

Hi, I'm asking all around. Are you going to post anywhere scans or photos of the daily compasses?

Glad you had a great time.