Spend Your Tax Refund On Yourself

Have you had visions of Caribbean beaches and cruise ships in your dreams?  I'm sure that I'm not the only one that does...  especially after the spring snow storm we just had this weekend.

Are you are getting a tax refund?  Help the economy grow - spend some of your tax refund on yourself - on a cruise vacation.  If you've not been on a cruise before, now is the best time.

If you are like most Americans, when the economy took a turn for the worse a few years ago, your vacation plans went out the window.   Consequently cruise prices have remained at pretty constant low prices, but are about to start increasing.   There are still several cruise line offers available for those that want to take advantage of the lower pricing.

How about Europe Instead?

Of course, you don't need to go to the Caribbean, and in fact, European cruise vacations are on the rebound.   Why is that you ask?    The cruise lines have record deployments in Europe in recent years but the demand hadn't kept pace with the increased capacity.

That's not to imply that people aren't booking European cruises - they are.  However, there are larger ships and more of them, in Europe this summer than any other time before. Obviously, the cruise ships need to sail full for the companies to make a profit, so the consumer wins.

Comparing Cruise to Land-Based

I just did a quick search on my website for a short European cruise vacation in May.  A 9 night Scandinavia & Russia cruise was available for less than $800 pp for an inside cabin.   For those that aren't quick at math, that's about $88 pp per day or less (excluding taxes and fees).

For comparison purposes, I did a hotel search for Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the embarkation ports, during the same period and prices for a popular hotel started from $478 Per Night.   The hotel didn't include meals or entertainment and was rated as a 4 star accommodation.    Contrasting the hotel stay and the cruise...  On the cruise it's like getting your room at less than 50%, all your meals, and entertainment onboard the ship.

Besides Copenhagen, you'd visit Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany • Tallinn, Estonia • St. Petersburg, Russian Federation • Helsinki, Finland • Nynashamn (Stockholm), Sweden.  Scandinavia is one of our favorite cruise destinations.

I've not discussed airfare, which is a large expense for a European vacation, especially in prime season.   Since the cost of air would be the same for the cruise and land-based vacation stay, I've excluded that from the equation.    Since this cruise is before the Summer Season this makes the selected cruise even more attractive.

There are many deals to Europe this Summer.   We'll feature some of the sales on our website and Facebook page.   If you are seriously considering a Europe get-away this Summer, my suggestion would be to book now while the supply is larger than the demand so that you can maximize your investment.  

The prices I've seen during my search in preparation for this article are on par with what you'd pay for a Caribbean vacation on the same or similar ships.   For the most part, the ships are the larger, newer vessels in the respective fleets.   Ships like Celebrity Equinox, Royal Princess, and Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas are just a few of the choices you'll have.

Of course, if you want to stay closer to home in the Caribbean, Bermuda, or Disney World, we can help you sort through all the possible choices and find the best value for you and your family.  


Put Your Tax Dollars to Work for You on a Cruise / Land Vacation to Remember for Years to Come.   Cruise Europe in 2019 !!

Spend Your Tax Refund On Yourself

Have you had visions of Caribbean beaches and cruise ships in your dreams?  I'm sure that I'm not the only one that does...  

Are you are getting a tax refund?  Help the economy grow - spend some of your tax refund on yourself - on a cruise vacation.  If you've not been on a cruise before, now is the best time.

If you are like most Americans, when the economy took a turn for the worse a couple years ago, your vacation plans went out the window.   Consequently cruise prices have remained at pretty constant low prices, but are about to start increasing.   There are still several cruise line offers available for those that want to take advantage of the lower pricing.

How about Europe Instead?

Of course, you don't need to go to the Caribbean, and in fact, European cruise vacations are on the rebound.   Why is that you ask?    The cruise lines have record deployments in Europe in recent years but the demand hadn't kept pace with the increased capacity.

That's not to imply that people aren't booking European cruises - they are.  However, there are larger ships and more of them, in Europe this summer than any other time before. Obviously, the cruise ships need to sail full for the companies to make a profit, so the consumer wins.

Comparing Cruise to Land-Based

I just did a quick search on my website for a short European cruise vacation in May.  A 9 night Scandinavia & Russia cruise was available for less than $800 pp for an inside cabin.   For those that aren't quick at math, that's about $88 pp per day or less (excluding taxes and fees).

For comparison purposes, I did a hotel search for Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the embarkation ports, during the same period and prices for a popular hotel started from $478 Per Night.   The hotel didn't include meals or entertainment and was rated as a 4 star accommodation.    Contrasting the hotel stay and the cruise...  On the cruise it's like getting your room at less than 50%, all your meals, and entertainment onboard the ship.

Besides Copenhagen, you'd visit Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany • Tallinn, Estonia • St. Petersburg, Russian Federation • Helsinki, Finland • Nynashamn (Stockholm), Sweden.  Scandinavia is one of our favorite cruise destinations.

I've not discussed airfare, which is a large expense for a European vacation, especially in prime season.   Since the cost of air would be the same for the cruise and land-based vacation stay, I've excluded that from the equation.    Since this cruise is before the Summer Season this makes the selected cruise even more attractive.

There are many deals to Europe this Summer.   We'll feature some of the sales on our website and Facebook page.   If you are seriously considering a Europe get-away this Summer, my suggestion would be to book now while the supply is larger than the demand so that you can maximize your investment.  

The prices I've seen during my search in preparation for this article are on par with what you'd pay for a Caribbean vacation on the same or similar ships.   For the most part, the ships are the larger, newer vessels in the respective fleets.   Ships like Celebrity Equinox, Royal Princess, and Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas are just a few of the choices you'll have.

Of course, if you want to stay closer to home in the Caribbean, Bermuda, or Disney World, we can help you sort through all the possible choices and find the best value for you and your family.  


Put Your Tax Dollars to Work for You on a Cruise / Land Vacation to Remember for Years to Come.   Cruise Europe in 2018 !!

Spend Your Tax Refund On Yourself

Have you had visions of Caribbean beaches and cruise ships in your dreams?  I'm sure that I'm not the only one that does...  

Are you are getting a tax refund?  Help the economy grow - spend some of your tax refund on yourself - on a cruise vacation.  If you've not been on a cruise before, now is the best time.

If you are like most Americans, when the economy took a turn for the worse a couple years ago, your vacation plans went out the window.   Consequently cruise prices have remained at pretty constant low prices, but are about to start increasing.   There are still several cruise line offers available for those that want to take advantage of the lower pricing.

How about Europe Instead?

Of course, you don't need to go to the Caribbean, and in fact, the best deals this summer are actually going to be on European cruise vacations.   Why is that you ask?    The cruise lines have record deployments in Europe this summer but the demand hasn't kept pace with the increased capacity.

That's not to imply that people aren't booking European cruises - they are.  However, there are larger ships and more of them, in Europe this summer than any other time before. Obviously, the cruise ships need to sail full for the companies to make a profit, so the consumer wins.

Comparing Cruise to Land-Based

I just did a quick search on my website for a short European cruise vacation the middle of May.  I found a 12-Night Mediterranean on Celebrity Cruise Equinox with prices starting from $849pp for an inside cabin.   For those that aren't quick at math, that's $71pp per day (excluding taxes and fees).

For comparison purposes, I did a hotel search for Rome, the embarkation port, during the same period and prices for a popular hotel started from $400 Per Night.   The hotel didn't include meals or entertainment and was rated as a 4 star accommodation.    Contrasting the hotel stay and the cruise...  On the cruise it's like getting your room at less than 50%, all your meals, and entertainment onboard the ship.

Besides Rome you'll visit Salerno (Naples), Italy >> Piraeus (Athens), Greece >> Mykonos, Greece >> Souda (Chania), Crete >> Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey >> Santorini (Thira), Greece >> Messina, Sicily, Italy >> Barcelona, Spain. The Mediterranean is one of our favorite cruise destinations.


 
I've not discussed airfare, which is a large expense for a European vacation, especially in prime season.   Since the cost of air would be the same for the cruise and land-based vacation stay, I've excluded that from the equation.    Since this cruise is before the Summer Season this makes the selected cruise even more attractive.

There are many deals to Europe this Summer.   We'll feature some of the sales on our website and Facebook page.   If you are seriously considering a Europe get-away this Summer, my suggestion would be to book now while the supply is larger than the demand so that you can maximize your investment.  

The prices I've seen during my search in preparation for this article are on par with what you'd pay for a Caribbean vacation on the same or similar ships.   For the most part, the ships are the larger, newer vessels in the respective fleets.   Ships like Celebrity Equinox, Royal Princess, and Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas are just a few of the choices you'll have.

Of course, if you want to stay closer to home in the Caribbean, Bermuda, or Disney World, we can help you sort through all the possible choices and find the best value for you and your family.  


Put Your Tax Dollars to Work for You on a Cruise / Land Vacation to Remember for Years to Come.   Cruise Europe in 2016 !!

People Mover from Cruise Terminal

Getting Around

Venice

from Cruise Terminal

People Mover between Tronchetto, the Marittima cruise terminal, and the Piazzale Roma in Venice, Italy.

Riding Venice's People Mover is easy: There's only one route, and the fare is €1,30(regardless of where you board or get off).


Affordable Transfer to Venice

Once we had disembarked the ship, it was a short walk along the cruise terminal to the People Mover. We purchased our tickets from the automatic vending machine(it was only €1 when we sailed). As you can see from the sign above, it was only a short wait for the next boarding.

The actual ride only takes a few minutes once the train arrives. The only challenging part of the trip was handling our luggage over the bridge once we arrived in Venice. Not to worry, there's always a good looking Italian gentleman willing to help a lady in distress.

We had checked the train schedule and found that there was an early train which would get us into Rome mid-afternoon.  It is about a 3.5 to 4 hour train ride. Once we arrived in Venice, we made our way to the station purchased our tickets, and waited for departure time.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Exploring Venice at Night

St. Mark's Square - Venice

Our ship overnighted in Venice, Italy which gave us the opportunity to explore the city of canals at night.  Taking a water taxi from the ship, we made our way to St. Mark's Square where we began our self-guided walking tour.

Here are just a few of the sights we saw that night.  Click on images to enlarge them.

Rialto Bridge

The Piazza San Marco may be more famous, but the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) is the true heart of Venice. As we approached the Rialto Bridge, there were many people checking out the local shops.  It was just starting to get dark.

Be Prepared to Climb Stairs

If you plan to walk through Venice, be sure you have good walking shoes and are able to climb stairs.  This is especially challenging if you have luggage and are heading to the train station (which was our main objective for the evening).  We wanted to figure out where we'd be going in the morning to catch the train back to Rome.

With its gondolas, canals, amazing restaurants, and unforgettable romantic ambiance, Venice is definitely a city for one's bucket list.  

Many Perspectives of Venice

Our first glimpse of this amazing city was from the ship's deck as we sailed past the canals to our dock.   Next we saw the city from a water taxi and then explored during the day by foot and finally gondola before returning to our ship for dinner.  The most amazing view was walking through the narrow streets and over canals at night.   The lights cast a glow that really changed the mood of the city.

 

Gondola's 

Along the Grand Canal, the restaurants were filled with visitors and local patrons enjoying an evening meal with a view.   The moon was almost full and shone brightly on the city below.

Returning to Our Ship

What a beautiful sight as we concluded our nighttime exploration of Venice via water taxi back to our ship.  

Time for You to Explore

We hope that you enjoyed this brief visit to Venice at night. Check out our Diary of our 12-Night Mediterranean & Greek Isles Cruise for more stories about Venice and our other ports as well as links to our photo albums.

  Photo Albums:

Venice - Evening 64 photos

 

Venice at Dusk  38 photos

 

Venice at Night  50 photos 

 

Follow #FriFotos on Twitter and Facebook

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Spend Your Tax Dollars On Yourself

Have you had visions of Caribbean beaches and cruise ships in your dreams?  I'm sure that I'm not the only one that does...  

Are you are getting a tax refund?  Help the economy grow - spend some of your tax refund on yourself - on a cruise vacation.  If you've not been on a cruise before, now is the best time.

If you are like most Americans, when the economy took a turn for the worse a couple years ago, your vacation plans went out the window.   Consequently cruise prices have remained at pretty constant low prices, but are about to start increasing.   There are still several cruise line offers available for those that want to take advantage of the lower pricing.

How about Europe Instead?

Of course, you don't need to go to the Caribbean, and in fact, the best deals this summer are actually going to be on European cruise vacations.   Why is that you ask?    The cruise lines have record deployments in Europe this summer but the demand hasn't kept pace with the increased capacity.

That's not to imply that people aren't booking European cruises - they are.  However, there are larger ships and more of them, in Europe this summer than any other time before. Obviously, the cruise ships need to sail full for the companies to make a profit, so the consumer wins.

Comparing Cruise to Land-Based

I just did a quick search on my website for a short European cruise vacation the middle of May.  I found a 12-Night Mediterranean on Celebrity Cruise Equinox with prices starting from $999pp for an inside cabin.   For those that aren't quick at math, that's $83pp per day (excluding taxes and fees).

For comparison purposes, I did a hotel search for Venice, the embarkation port, during the same period and prices for a popular hotel started from $300 Per Night.   The hotel didn't include meals or entertainment and was rated as a 4 star accommodation.    Contrasting the hotel stay and the cruise...  On the cruise it's like getting your room at less than 50%, all your meals, and entertainment onboard the ship.

Besides Venice you'll visit Dubrovnik, Croatia; Istanbul, Turkey; Salerno (Amalfi Coast), Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy; Marseille (Provence), France; and Barcelona, Spain.  The Mediterranean is one of our favorite cruise destinations.


 
I've not discussed airfare, which is a large expense for a European vacation, especially in prime season.   Since the cost of air would be the same for the cruise and land-based vacation stay, I've excluded that from the equation.    Since this cruise is before the Summer Season this makes the selected cruise even more attractive.

There are many deals to Europe this Summer.   We'll feature some of the sales on our website and Facebook page.   If you are seriously considering a Europe get-away this Summer, my suggestion would be to book now while the supply is larger than the demand so that you can maximize your investment.  

The prices I've seen during my search in preparation for this article are on par with what you'd pay for a Caribbean vacation on the same or similar ships.   For the most part, the ships are the larger, newer vessels in the respective fleets.   Ships like Celebrity Equinox and Solstice, Norwegian Epic, and Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas are just a few of the choices you'll have.

Of course, if you want to stay closer to home in the Caribbean, Bermuda, or Disney World, we can help you sort through all the possible choices and find the best value for you and your family.  


Put Your Tax Dollars to Work for You on a Cruise / Land Vacation to Remember for Years to Come.   Cruise Europe in 2014 !!

Large Ships Banned from Venice Lagoon

Venice

Cruise Ship

Restrictions 

2014 & Beyond

Shortly after the Concordia disaster, the government of Italy and various organizations rekindled their efforts to restrict cruise traffic in the Venice Lagoon.   A law was passed that banned large cruise ships from passing close to Italian shores.  It was to be a countrywide restriction, but due to the large tourism industry in Venice, the law was suspended temporarily.

Effective November 2014

According to the press reports out of Italy, officials have now banned large cruise ships (over 96,000

tons) from the Venice Lagoon starting in November, 2014.  This doesn't mean that cruise ships won't be visiting Venice, but rather cruise ship traffic will be rerouted perhaps through the Contorta Sant'Angelo Canal, which is farther away from the best-known parts of the city.

This scene, taken during our Mediterranean cruise which included Venice, will be a thing of the past.  Until that time, we highly suggest you take advantage of cruises that include a stop in Venice and be sure to get up early as the ship sails into the lagoon.

Starting January 2014

Even before the ban goes into effect late next year, there are other restrictions that will begin starting at the beginning of the year.  The number of cruise ships 40,000 tons or more sailing in Venetian waters must be reduced to 20 percent of the current volume.  That limit means no more than 5 cruise ships over 40,000 tons would be in port on any given day during the cruise season.

Cruise lines will continue to include Venice in their itineraries, but they will have to make alternative plans, perhaps including tendering, in order to make that possible.   What will be gone however is the sail by of attractions such as Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Square.   When that is in effect, we suggest that you be sure to take a water taxi so that you are still able to see the city from the water.  That is a perspective that is one you will cherish forever.

We have been following this developing story for some time now.  We've included links to some of our previous articles.  Also, be sure to visit our post, Diary of Cruise with Chris to Greek Isles, for more information about Venice and ports that we visited.


Related Blog Posts:

Future of Cruise Ships in Venice
Concordia Disaster Rekindles Venice Restrictions
Sailing Into Venice by Cruise Ship

Venice Cruise Terminal to Pizzale Roma

 Inexpensive Transport 

Cruise Terminal

to Airports & 

Train Station

If you've been to Venice on a cruise ship, you know that you are docked far from the center of activities and the main squares of Venice.  Typical transportation is via a water taxi (vaporetto).

While you are sightseeing via ship-provided tours, reaching the heart of Venice isn't a problem, however getting to the airport or train station on your own, when the cruise is completed, can be a daunting and expensive task.

HINT: Take Tram to Piazzale Roma

Piazzale Roma is a square in Venice, Italy which serves as the main bus terminal.  There are bus links to Venice Marco Polo Airport and Treviso Airport. The square is close to the main Santa Lucia (Ferrovia) railway station for Venice, linked by the Ponte della Costituzione, a modern footbridge over the western end of the Grand Canal.

We can tell you from experience this is the way to go as long as you are able to handle your luggage on your own, especially over the footbridge.   If you can't, you might be lucky enough to have a good looking Italian fellow assist you over the bridge (of course he'll be expecting to be rewarded for his good deed).

Short Walk to Tram

Getting to the tram is pretty easy.   Just cut through the cruise terminal and walk along the footpath for about a five-minute walk to the peoplemover tram entrance.  Tickets are vended from the machine on ground level (they’re €1 each, machines take euro coins or cash).  Take the escalator or elevator to the platform where you'll board modern cars that can accommodate you and your luggage in comfort.

Santa Lucia Train Station

The tram is a recent improvement (2010) in Venice and not widely known.  Our destination from the cruise terminal was the train station for our return to Rome (Civitavecchia) for our final post-cruise night before flying back home.  

By taking the train to and from the ship, we were able to purchase round-trip air from Rome instead of one-way tickets to Rome and from Venice, which saved us on overall cost.


Best spent €1  during the entire Mediterranean Cruise - very convenient

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat