-Before the Cruise: First time in Venice and very happy that we used AirBnB for our accommodations. Spent two nights in an apartment we shared with another couple we know that were going on the cruise with us. About $180 per night for two bedroom apartment that was a couple of blocks away from the Rialto bridge. The person who met up with us to provide us the keys also gave us a map of the city with lots of great advice. Highly recommend getting an all day water bus card and taking it as much as possible. There is a lot of walking, but the sights are amazing. The city tends to empty out after 7 PM, and the streets felt safe to walk around at night. Many stores do not open until 9-10 AM, so enjoy sleeping in before breakfast. We felt two days was enough time to see the highlights of the city. Ended up skipping the gondola ride due to the $100 Euro cost. It did look like a great photo opportunity but not very useful for quick transportation. When in a hurry find a water taxi (About $30-45 Euros). Also suggest going to Lido beach! Very pretty.

Day 1 - Arrived at the terminal and had an easy check in process. We are Emerald, going on to Diamond status soon, so we had the short line. Our room was 8086, a junior suite in the middle, aft of the ship. First year with the bigger room, and while it provided an AMAZING view of all the ports, we didn't really need the extra space. It was nice to have a bathtub, but it offers less head room then the tiny shower in the other rooms. My husband, 6 foot 2 inches tall, could not stand up straight in the shower due to lack of room. The larger bed and balcony was very enjoyable. The ship was very clean and well maintained. Staff was very friendly. Our room attendant was Ricardo, who did an excellent job. Food was up to the normal Royal standards, which we were happy about.

Day 2 - First stop Koto Montenegro - Tiny town with a large city wall. Many cafes and shops to check out. We stopped for drinks. Beer and wine was $1-3 Euros each. Many cats walking around that were entertaining. We paid our $3 Euro each and began to walk to the city wall. Due to the high UV rays myself and the other lady in our party decided to head back to the ship. Our husbands continued the journey to the top of the wall, in sandals. They stopped at the church halfway up where they had local handmade jewelry for sale. At the top they had excellent views of the city and the cruise ship. The short day there was enough time to see the highlights of this small city. Read more