Venice consists of 118 islands, located in the middle of a lagoon in the northwest end of the Adriatic Sea. From the rivers flowing into the sea, released large amounts of silt in the shallow water along the coast, and tidal and ocean current has led to the formation of a series of sand banks around the 51 km long and 14 km wide, serene lagoon. The houses in Venice is built on wooden poles, and in many places, the buildings are no more than one meter above normal sea. The tide in the Mediterranean is weak, but especially at full moon there is a risk of flooding. there can be several centimeters of water at St. Mark's Square, so you put walking boards out.
The unusual about the city is that it is very quiet. Pedestrians in the narrow streets are separated from traffic channels with few exceptions where the sidewalks goes along canals or streets going over the arched stone bridges. Since the roads are water, are both the only motorized means of transport in the city. Al transport by vaporetto motorboats or by gondola. Below a short video from my Gondola ride at Canal grande and through the narrow canals:
The city has many places unusually picturesque. St. Mark's Square with the big church, the bell tower and the beautiful view out over the water, where the sun sparkles on the green lagoon, inspires many artists. The city has many magnificent palaces, museums and churches which houses paintings by many famous artists. You can stroll around the narrow streets and observe the unusual surroundings. St. Mark's Square and the famous Rialto Bridge, which crosses the Grand Canal - the city's main road - the many gondolas that still floats on water. There are many shops in the city is known for - lace and embroidery from lagune¯en Burano and beautiful crystal and glassware from Murano. Traghetto means "ferry" in Italian and are large gondolas without bow decoration, brocaded chairs. They are rowed by two oarsmen: one who stands behind the passengers like a traditional gondolier, the other closer to the bow.
There
are only three bridges along the the Grand Canal, therefore there are 7
locatons between the railroad station and St. Mark's Basin, where you
can cross the canal in a Traghetto. They are used by locals as a fast
route across canal. Locals pay 70 cents while tourists pay 2 EUR (2015) The
routes are marked on any good street map of Venice and you will see
yellow signs pointing toward the traghetto landings when you are walking
along the Canal Grande. At the end of the video you will find a map with the 7 routes marked
First weekend of April (Eastern) we did stay four nights at JW Marriott Venice Resort and Spa. The hotel is located at the man-made Isola delle Rose (previously Sacca Sessola), one of the largest islands in the Venetian lagoon and covers an area of roughly 40 acres. After being established towards the end of the 19th century, it previously formed home to a series of hospitals. The island is 20 minutes by boat from the historic center of Venice, St Mark’s Square, and the city’s cultural gems. The hotel is operating a complimentary shuttle service to St Mark’s Square. Basically there is three ways to get to Isola delle Rose island from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE). Fastes and most expensive is a Water Taxi from the airport. Most convenient and slowest (2 hours) is the Alilaguna Waters Bus from the airport to St Mark’s Square. See video from the Alilaguna tour:
... and then catch the shuttle boat to the hotel:
It’s also possible to take the public bus from airport to Venezia Piazzale Roma (Line 5) and the Waters bus to St Mark’s Square.
Marriott are operating some early shuttle boats from the resort to to Venezia Piazzale Roma. First shuttle boat to St Mark’s Square is at 9 am (per April 2015).
The buildings at Isola delle Rose are transformed into a luxury 5 star hotel and resort with a beautiful park.
See my short review video:
Unfortunately due to construction delays – some parts of Isola delle Rose was not be fully accessible.
Including the Spa and the Dopolavoro Dining Room (announced to open both soon)
I can really recommend this beautiful hotel for those who want to stay away from the crowded city of Venice.
We have been at The 12 Nights Southern Caribbean Cruise on Quantum of the Seas from January 11 to January 23. The cruisedid start inCapeLiberty, New Jersey, After 2 days at sea wedid visitLabadeein Haiti; SanJuaninPuertoRico; Philipsburg,St.Maarten; Fortde France in Martinique; BridgetowninBarbados; BasseterreSt.Kitts;andthen 3 days at sea,back to CapeLiberty, New Jersey. More information and a review can be found at: http://quantumcaribbean.blogspot.com
Quantum of the Seas Transatlantic Voyage from Southampton to New York November 2 to 10, 2014 See the review and the Video Postcards from the voyage on my blog at this link: Quantum of the Seas Maiden Voyage
Video from the departure from Southampton
Quantum of the Seas emergency stop at Azores
Quantum of the Seas Transatlantic Maiden Voyage - A Review
The Rive Ems Conveyance is planned to September 22. Also be back to watch videos form the conveyance. I will add pictures and videos after the events on this blog.
Follow my Quantum of the Seas reviews:
I will be sailing Quantum of the Seas for the Maiden Voyage from Southampton to Cape Liberty NJ in November 2014 as well as a Southern Caribbean Cruise from Cape Liberty in January 2015. Follow my Video Post Cards and read the review here from November
Over the past 20 years I have sailed 23 times with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and 3 times with Celebrity Cruises. Below a list of all cruises with link to related videos at Youtube or to posts in this blog.
Click on map to view large image
Posts with embedded videos - click on link to view Review/videos: 31. 2017 Serenade of the Seas 7 Nights Western caribbean Cruise 30. 2017 Hurtigruten Midnight Sun Cruise 29. 2017 Legend of the Seas Farewell - Suez Canal from Dubai to barcelona 28. 2017 Legend of the Seas Farewell - Spice route from Singaport to Dubai 27. 2016 Anthem of the Seas - new England Cruise 26. 2016 Celebrity Equinox - 11 Nights Southern Caribbean 25. 2015 Splendour of the Seas - Greek Isles and Turkey
Videos from Vision of the Seas cruising the Norwegian Fjords June 1st, 2013 from Copenhagen - see separate blog with review. Port of calls: Ålesund, Geiranfger, Flåm and Bergen Cruising Storfjord, Geiranger Fjord, Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord.
Ålesund, Norvegian Fjords Cruise June 3rd 2013
Cruising Storfjord and Geiranger Fjord, June 4th, 2013
Visit to Geiranger, June 4th 2013
Cruising Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord,, June 5th 2013
Cruise Ports: Departing from Singapore; Lombok, Indonesia;
Komodo, Indonesia; Benoa, Bali, Indonesia; Port Klang, Malaysia; Penang,
Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; Singapore. Visit my Blog from the cruiseand view the pictures: from Celebrity Millennium at this link. Komodo National Park at this link (Komodo Dragons and Kampung Komodo Village)
Vision of the Seas - 4 night St. Petersburg Cruise Stockholm - 21 to 25 June 2012
PORTS OF CALL Stockholm, Sweden; Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia Video: Cruising Stockholm archipelago
Follow the cruising
through the archipelago from she is leaving Stockholm Frihavn and to
the Pilot is leaving the ship 5 hours later - just before sunset. The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometers to the east. In a north-south direction. There are approximately 30,000 islands and islets. The shipping routes from the Baltic to Stockholm pass through the archipelago and we do pass several ships. Cruising between the small islands through the Stockholm Archipelago is an experience. Weather
allowing, the experience can be enhanced by enjoying a spectacular
sunset from the deck that during summer months lasts until 11 pm.
Video: Visit to Tallinn. Follow our walking tour through Tallin Old Town, the capital and largest city of Estonia. All-linn (Lower Town) is one of the best preserved old towns in Europe. Major sights include Raekoja plats (Town Hall square), the town walls and towers (notably "Fat Margaret" and "Kiek in de Kök") and St Olaf church tower. In Toompea (Upper Town) you will see the walls and various bastions of Castrum Danorum and the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral The Old Town became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1997.
Video: Visit to Saint Petersburg Panoramic St. Petersburg Highlights - a short video from the 4 hours sightseeing tour. The tour included the Winter Palace, the Admiralty, and the Cruiser Aurora, from which a blank round was fired as a signal for the Bolsheviks assault on the Winter Palace in 1917. See the Field of Mars, Nevsky Prospect, the city's main street and pass the impressive St. Isaac's Cathedral with its immense gold cupola.
We did spend Saturday afternoon walking down Nevsky Prospect ((Russian: Не́вский проспе́кт,). It is St. Petersburg's main avenue and one of the best-known streets in Russia, planned by Peter the Great.. Cutting through the historical center of the city. It runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station. The major sights include the Rastrelliesque Stroganov Palace, the huge neoclassical Kazan Cathedral, the Art Nouveau Bookhouse (Dom Knigi), Elisseeff Emporium, half a dozen 18th-century churches, a monument to Catherine the Great, an enormous 18th-century shopping mall, a mid-19th-century department store, the Russian National Library, and the Anichkov Bridge with its horse statues.
Serenade of the Seas - 7 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise San Juan, 18 to 25 february 2012
PORTS OF CALL San Juan, Puorto Rico; St. Georges Grenada; Castries, St. Lucia,; St. Johns, Antigua; Fredriksted, St. Croix USVI; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas USVI; San Juan, Puorto Rico
See map i post below with all videos from the cruise
Serenade of the Seas, Southern Caribbean Cruise.
St. George's, Grenada
The best way to see St. George's, Grenada capital is on foot. And there is no better place to start than the Market Square. Examine all the different herbs and spices grown on the island.
The Sendall Tunnel is connecting the Market square with the rest of the city.
Above the market in Church Street stands the Roman Catholic Cathedral, dating back to 1884. On the opposite side is Parliament Building together with the Supreme Court. Lower down on your left is the Anglican Church (1825) and on the other side of Church Street, on Grand Etang Road is the Presbyterian Church.
Castries, St. Lucia. We docked at Pointe Seraphine, to the north of the harbour which is also a duty free shopping centre.
Castries has a few landmarks such as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Derek Walcott Square (named after the island's Nobel Prize-winning poet, Derek Walcott, the City Library and the Government House.
Fredriksted, St. Croix USVI
Frederiksted is a town on the west end of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is home to Fort Frederik, constructed to protect the town from pirate raids and attacks from rival imperialist nations. It was named after Frederick V of Denmark, who purchased the Danish West Indies in 1754.
The emancipation of slaves was proclaimed on July 3, 1848, at Fort Frederik on the waterfront.
Frederiksted maintains its original seven street by seven street city design and is host to several historic structures. Among them are the protestant Church, St. Patrick's Catholic Church built in the 1840s and its new renovatedprimary school, the Customs House, the 19th Century Apothecary,
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
The city is named after Charlotte Amalie queen consort to King Christian V of Denmark. It is a deep-water harbor that was once a haven for pirates and is now a famed cruise ship port.
When walking down Main Street the buildings on the sea side of the road are narrow and long with alleys separating them. These buildings were warehouses for storing goods during the heyday of the Danish Sugar trade in Saint Thomas.
Continuing to Government Hill and to Government House in Kongens Gade - Passing the 99 steps - These steps were built in the mid 1700s, by the Danes, to Haagensen House and Blackbeard Castle
Located on Tolbod Gade is Emancipation Park with the statue of Danish King Christian IX. see also map below with all videos
Click on the youtube icon an see videos from my Southern Caribbean cruise, January 2012. The cruise started in San Juan, Puorto Rico, and we did visit St Georges, Grenada; Castries, St. Lucia St. John's Antigua; Fredriksted and Christiansted, St. Croix; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and St. John USVI.
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Our last cruise was 7 days to Galapagos Itinerary B (Now Galapagos Inner Loop Itinerary) and 7 days in Quito, Ecuador. 
Videos from the Xpedition cruise:
Mediterranean Cruise, Livorno Link to video: http://youtu.be/H2eMo4nIuek
Mediterranean Cruise, Barcelona City Tour and Airport Transfer
