Travel journal: east Med Princess cruise 2010 (Day 2)

Day 2, 11/11/2010: Venice and half-day at sea

This port, famous for its quaint charm, narrow alleyways, and pedestrian-only streets, is unique in the world. Canals are what separate Venice’s different islands, making boat and foot the only possible methods of traveling between and through the city.  For this reason, gondolas have practically become a symbol of the Venice, but vaporetti (water taxis) are less expensive and more commonly used to travel between its different islands. Princess Cruises kindly provided us passengers our own vaporetto transfer, charging only $15 round-trip to our onboard accounts to use it. We boarded one at about 10 and started our journey down the Grand Canal to Venice Island.

Unfortunately, by the time we got into the city itself, we had only about three and a half hours to spend. Unfortunately as well, on this second day the Star Princess was in port, it was so foggy that I practically had difficulty seeing my hand in front of my face. It hampered not only my ability to see what I wanted but my ability to take pictures as well. Somehow, though, as soon as our vaporetto pulled past the iconic St. Mark’s Square, I recognized it.

Our boat docked not far away, and soon we began our explorations. We knew, since our time was limited, that we’d be able to explore only Venice Island. We started by making our way up a narrow alley, since that’s what Venice is all about. I’d heard people call Venice a “living museum,” and after seeing it for myself, I’d have to agree. Everywhere around there was something new to see, whether it be another bar, trattoria, restaurant, or another shop exhibiting souvenirs, leather goods, or Murano glass.

Fascinating as the small alleyways are, though, a trip to Venice is incomplete without a visit to St. Mark’s Square. It was here that we visited two major landmarks. The first was St. Mark’s Basilica, one of Europe’s most famous churches, graced with an ornate interior literally from the ceiling to the floor. Admission into the main building was free, although there were charges to access certain parts. The second landmark of our self-guided tour was Doge’s Palace, which was in olden times the residence of the person of ruling authority in Venice. In addition to the Doge’s apartments, there were the council chambers, exhibits of armories, and the famous underground prison that went over the Bridge of Sighs. Works of art big and small lined the walls and ceilings throughout.

We made it back to the last vaporetto transport back to the Star Princess just in time. Shortly after our return to the larger vessel, she pulled away from the dock. It was sunnier then, and views were different from here than from the Grand Canal we travelled down earlier, so I went to an outer deck to see Venice one last time.

Tonight was an announced formal night, and we were hungry, so we went immediately down to the Portofino Dining Room accordingly dressed. My food, from the starter (chilled tamarind yogurt) to the entrée (fillet mignon), to the dessert (banana flambé), was truly gourmet and though the buffet food we had last night was good too, I’m glad that the dining rooms offer an alternative in the form of free dining.

There’s no more of a lack of entertainment on this ship than there is a lack of food. The first performer we saw was George Orange, a contortionist; then we hopped to the Promenade Lounge to listen to pianist Sammy Goldstein; afterwards, we sat in the Vista Showlounge to see Alex Crowe, world-renowned mind reader. Since the Skywalker disco/lounge is opened late every night, we ventured there last. I don’t dance, but I sat and watched awhile, enjoying the ambiance. Even after that, the night wasn’t quite complete, so we ventured into the 24-hour Horizon Court for a late-night snack before we turned in.

1^st timers’ cruise tip: know before you go

Many cruise lines announce “formal nights,” in which passengers must be dressed up in order to eat in their dining rooms. General dress code guidelines forbid jeans, flip-flops, and tee-shirts and require jackets and ties for men and dresses, skirts, or pants suits for ladies.