Any words of wisdom or advice for Europe??

[emerald777]

We have the Freedom booked for the May 21, 2009 sailing. It will be my first trip to Europe and I may just roll over and die from excitement as we sail into Venice! We have one of the L-shaped cabins (6442), so maybe a little waltzing will be in order as we sail up the canal!

[mom&me_cruising]

Mom and I were on this cruise (Liberty) Oct 2006. We loved it. Any ports you have questions on, or just in general?

 

Well, since you mention Venice, here are some info for Venice. You can buy a 24 hour ticket for the water bus (vaporetto) and explore Venice on your own. Take #1 line to San Marco. (Please remember to get ticket stamped before you get on bus.) 20 minutes stroll from ship to Piazzale Roma (for the vaporetto) or take the shuttle. Get a guide book such as Timeout, or Lonely Planet, or ... Venice is very walkable. Find out the standard pricing for a gondolar ride (there's a website listing the normal route and pricing) and make sure you confirm the price before you get on. Make reservations for San Marco and Doge Palace on the web ahead of time to avoid long lines. Wander off to side streets and just absorb the ambience. Familiarize yourself with a few big landmarks and pay attention to the yellow signs which indicate directions to them and you won't get lost. Have some 1 or 2 Euro coins with you for using public toilets, some have change machines, but just in case. Cover shoulders and knees when visiting churches.

 

In general I found that there are plenty of useful info on the web, between that and various guide books I bought we saw and did a lot without joining many tours. We did Rome (stayed 2 days post cruise), Barcelona (shuttle to town), Messina (i.e. Toarmina), Cannes, Dubrovnik (Carnival shuttle to town), and Venice on our own and probably covered more grounds than any tours.

 

Post if you have specific questions.

[jimiam]

If you haven't already done so check out the boards for each of the ports you will be visiting. I booked all of my excursions from recomendations from people on these boards. Saved me a bunch of money and the excursions were great.