We flew to Venice directly from the UK using Jet2, with a one-night hotel stay before and after the cruise. I used the Alilaguna water shuttle to get to downtown Venice. Beware: the cheap Alilaguna run takes a very long time! It took us about 4 hours from the time the plane landed to our arrival at the hotel. We stayed at Hotel Palazzo Giovanelli, which was slightly difficult to find. However, we had a room overlooking the Grand Canal. My son and I loved watching the boats from the window! The hotel staff was extremely attentive. They actually helped us to coordinate a water taxi transfer with another party who were embarking on the Norwegian Gem at the same time. This saved money, as well as valuable energy and effort! When the water taxi arrived, there were porters waiting to tag and transfer our luggage to the Gem.

The registration process was relatively painless -- we waited in line for only 5 minutes (we arrived at about 13:00). They handed out a questionnaire asking if we had any symptoms of illness. I was honest and marked that my son had a runny nose (as kids his age often do). They had us stand to one side while a nurse checked him out. I was impressed with this and other efforts that the crew made to maintain our health. The ship was very clean; there were crew stationed at the entrances to all eating areas, saying "washy washy" with hand sanitizer; and they advised us all to abstain from shaking hands.

My initial impression of the ship's staff was extremely positive. Several of the staff came up and played with or talked to my son, and he was delighted with the attention. This continued throughout the cruise: many of the staff love children, and make an effort to make them feel welcome. Read more