Day 1, 11/10/2010: Venice embarkation
The cruise itinerary we selected generously afforded passengers an overnight stay in Venice, allowing them to spend ample in one of Europe’s most celebrated port cities. However, our time was more limited as we did not arrive at the Star Princess till almost 10pm.
It was relatively easy to find a taxi to drop us off at the cruise ship terminal and, at 40€ for two, less expensive than Princess’ transfer option. After checking in and while waiting for our bags to be delivered to our stateroom, we grabbed a late buffet dinner at the Horizon Court upstairs. Afterwards mom, who had just sailed on a late August Baltic Sea itinerary on this ship, took me on a brief guided tour. I was overwhelmed at once; there was so much to see and do on the ship I thought I could never learn where everything was.
After our baggage arrived, we entered our Deck 12 interior cabin. I found it simply and fairly appointed in dominant neutral and coral hues. I took the time to unpack (one advantage of cruising is the ability to see multiple destinations and the obligation to unpack only once) and by the time I was finished, it was midnight. Exhausted from trans-Atlantic flight, a 7-hour layover in Frankfurt airport, delayed landing at Venice, and too many hours without sleep, mom and I crashed on our twin beds with the set goal of seeing as much as we could of Venice before the Star Princess’ 1 pm departure.
1st timers’ cruise tip: know before you go
Check-in can be a lengthy, multi-step process that includes: document verification, security screening, and room key and onboard account setup. Allow ample time to check in at least two hours prior to the ship’s scheduled departure from port.
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