I started looking for a family getaway trip in May and found a seasonal transit cruise bargain. The Royal Carribbean Vision of the Seas 16 night cruise departing Venice on 11/26, arriving 12/11 in Dubai was just the ticket. The Eastern Med is cold and rough from December through April, so they cruise the Arabian Gulf during this time and the transit cruise was available for $699 per person. I also had a casino offer for 2 which I upgraded to a suite for $2200 extra and then I covered the family member's rooms due to their increased cost of flying over. Ports of call include: Venice, Athens, Haifa & Ashdod Israel, Suez Canal transit, Salalah, Oman and Dubai. I'll update with some of the gambling adventures as well as the culinary treats.

 

St Mark's Square and delicioso spiked coffees on the Rialto. Rainy weather, but tolerable. The Hilton Molino Stucky was a dynamite home base, although the constant use of private water taxis did get expensive. The public stops really aren't convenient to the Hilton.

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

 

I started with $5 DDB but had only 2 handpays with no premium hands. Dropped down to $2 and I, like Captain McSorley am holding my own. On Royal Caribbean ships, you'll normally find 6/5 DDB at .25 and .50 7/5 at $1 and $2 and 8/5 at $5 and $10. Not the best paytables, but they offer up free cruises and steakhouse upgrades like candy. Free casino drinks for anyone that earns 1000 points, which is a light lift.

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

 

Nice! So you are a week in already? Looks like the rain is keeping the pidgeons out of St Mark's for the time being?

Venice is one of our favortie cities to visit.

 

Started the day at Stani's, world famous for their yoghurt with honey and nuts. Made with sheepsmilk and cut into squares, it has a much thicker consistency than we're used to. Also, much like Breeze's beloved cheesesteak in Philly, in Greece, it's just yogurt, not Greek Yogurt. Samples of custard pie, fresh donuts with honey and cinnamon and honey drenched baklava ensured that diabetes is in Nick's future. We're big fans of Ishai Golan's "Street Food Around the World" on NatGeo, and his visit to Stani's is what led us there. We were simply in awe. Check out his visit on YouTube as well.

We visited the Parthenon and Temple of Athena as well. The entire Acropolis is under construction, but making the considerable hike to the top of the hill is still an experience. The Greek Salad is simple but amazing with only a drizzle of olive oil, cracked pepper, sea salt and fresh feta to finish it off. The souvlaki platters and sandwiches were amazing as well, but due to the slowest wifi on planet earth, I'm keeping the pictures limited to a few per posting.

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

 

Thats a pretty nice vacation. Have fun and post lots of pictures. Can't wait to see Dubai.

 

The pigeons were out but not in full force. Venice was great. We're on day 8 now and time is just flying by. The rain has been the only damper on the trip, so to speak. Visiting the Mediterranean and being soaked with rain rather than sweat is a new experience!

 

food looks great!

When we were in Athens it was about 110 deg, so we were melting as we were visiting the sites

 

I just had to share these. Ship wifi be damned....

1. Spanakopita (spinach pie)
2. Pork Souvlaki (shaved meat) platters
3. Moussaka (eggplant and ground beef with bechamel sauce)
4. Chicken Souvlakia (kabob) with spicy tzatziki.

The Greeks just know how to eat. Other than Barcelona, I've never eaten this well.

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

You must be a registered user with confirmed email address to view this content.
Register or Login

 

AWESOME TRIP REPORT! Keep sharing!