2014 Summer: Venice + Mediterranean Cruise 10 Days
By a very casual chance, during a card game with a group of old colleagues, someone suggested going on a cruise to play cards. Following my habit: act on the idea immediately. I searched online for cruise itineraries with the following conditions:
1. Must be one of the world's top 5 cruise lines.
2. Absolutely not departing from China - if you've heard about the chaos of Chinese passengers scrambling for food and cutting in line on Southeast Asian cruises, you'd agree.
3. Must have a tennis court - we like to play sports.
4. To bring the kids, it must be during summer vacation.
In the end, only Norwegian Cruise Line's Jade was selected, because:
1. Only 3 cruise ships in the world have full-size tennis courts, all from Norwegian Cruise Line (note: many so-called tennis courts on ships are small recreational areas, not full-size).
2. Norwegian Cruise Line is Free Style: freedom, relaxation, sports, entertainment, family. Unlike other cruise lines that require formal wear (even tuxedos) in restaurants and other venues. As long as you're not wearing swim trunks, it's fine.
3. The best summer itinerary is the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea in Europe (Italy, France, Greece, Spain, North Africa, etc.).
4. Chose the 7-day itinerary (the minimum; there are also 9-day, 12-day, etc.) - limited vacation time.
All things considered, only Jade met all conditions. Itinerary:
D-2: Arrive in Venice 2 days early.
D1: Board the ship at the port of Venice.
D2: Dock in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
D3: Sail the Mediterranean Sea.
D4: Dock in Athens, Greece.
D5: Dock in Kusadasi, Turkey.
D6: Sail the Mediterranean Sea.
D7: Dock in Split, Croatia.
D8: Return to the port of Venice.
For each port, we pre-booked a local day trip through the cruise website (choosing from multiple different day-trip options), and a tour bus picks us up and drops us off at the port. Since we dock in various countries, boarding and disembarking are equivalent to entering and exiting each country, so we had to apply for a multiple-entry Schengen visa.
For flights, we chose Aeroflot's red-eye flight, from Shanghai to Moscow (8 hours), a 4-hour layover, then connecting to Venice (2.5 hours). We noticed many domestic travel groups and individuals take this route, but they first go to Moscow then transfer to various European destinations (mostly Paris).
During the Moscow airport transit, with nothing to do, I took a photo of an advertising poster for my child:
On Venice main island:
St. Mark's Square in Venice:
Venice luxury stores:
Venice souvenir shops:
Murano (Glass Island) in Venice:
Burano (Colorful Island) in Venice:
The leaning tower on Burano, strange that no previous travelogues mentioned it:
For the cruise cabin, we chose a large suite with balcony facing the bow. There are only 5 such rooms on the entire ship, occupying the front of Deck 9 across the full width, with the bridge two decks above. The view is the same as the captain's. Reservation must be made 9 months in advance.
The bow of the ship (can you see us? - the second balcony from the right):
Two mega cruise ships docked simultaneously:
Corridor inside the ship (walking from the stern to our room at the bow was like a long-distance run):
Top deck area and entertainment zone:
Our favorite full-size tennis court:
Departing Venice (Lido Island):
Second day on board, entering the port of Croatia, encountering a departing Costa cruise ship:
View of the old town of Dubrovnik from the hills:
Ancient fortress of Dubrovnik:
Port under the ancient city walls of Croatia:
Church square in Croatia also bustling with crowds:
Little one taking a hand-holding photo for mom:
Leisurely vacationers by the Croatian seaside:
Third day on board arrived in Athens, Greece. The ancient theater of Athens:
Didn't expect even abroad there are tourism crowds like the Great Wall of people:
Fourth day on board, arrived in Turkey. Instead of ancient ruins, we chose a village tour:
Buying handmade carpets:
Sixth day on board arrived in Split, Croatia. We chose a national park tour. Its beauty is similar to China's Jiuzhaigou, but with more interaction - as seen in the last photo.
Before the cruise ship entered the port, we could see Split is a busy tourist city:
On the winding mountain road bus, I was already impressed by the park's beauty:
Closer up, it was even more beautiful:
Norwegian Cruise Line's Free Style truly suits young people who enjoy leisure and sports. The ship has a jogging track around the hull (many morning runners), gym, mini-golf practice room, tennis court (shared with basketball, volleyball, soccer), game room, library. Other amenities like shops, bars, theater, casino, internet cafe are all available, not to mention the restaurants. There are also pop bands singing and dancing by the pool on the top deck at any time, making the whole ship very lively. Of course, it's also suitable for the elderly, who can quietly find a lounge chair at the stern to sunbathe and read. Kids have free full-day childcare service. Our child kept asking to go to the kids' club - a full-care area with indoor playground and staff accompanying them in play, allowing parents to be free. For cabin selection, if you want cheap, choose an interior cabin; you'll be out all day and only return to sleep at night. For comfort, choose a balcony cabin; though more expensive, it's open and airy, letting you enjoy the sea breeze, dry clothes, and watch sunrise or sunset.
