Our trip began with a three night stay in Venice (booked by myself) at Locanda Ca Le Vele, which was a completely lovely experience in every way. I can't say as much for getting there from the airport, which was confusing, due to a combination of sweat, fatigue, and lack of direction. The Italians could use some signs at the airport as well as at Piazalla Roma. That said (you have to mention the bad here as well as the good) we ADORE Venice and will go back to stay for a much longer time.

The Cruise: We took the vaporetta (water bus) from our hotel to Piazalla Roma and FINALLY located the free shuttles to the ship port. There we had to drag our luggage all over the place till we located the baggage check area for RCI. Free of bags, the rest of check in was smooth and we were aboard by 1pm, within an hour of our arrival at the dock.

CABIN: The ship was clean, albeit older, and the rooms were quite nice, including the noticeably new bedding. Our cabin steward, Wyan, was pleasant and accommodating as stewards have always been on our cruises. We had a Junior Suite, which is slightly larger than a Veranda(balcony)room, and has a bathtub. Read more