I was so looking forward to our cruise. We arrived on the water taxi along with cases and thankfully we had paid to have our luggage brought down from the hotel to the boat and loaded on by the porter. At the other end a strong man on the dock helped us and the luggage off and then we were ready to board the ship. We were on by lunchtime and had a look at our cabins on Bellini deck. Bec and I have a balcony cabin 10095 and Kay is only a few cabins down the hall in an Ocean View one. They are both lovely cabins but would recommend anyone to go Puccini deck one level down as we are under the bistro and outdoor eating area. We can hear chairs scrapping along the floors in the early hours when they are cleaning. Not a big problem but something to be avoided.
Leaving Venice at 5pm unfortunately the weather was not on our side, however the vista made up for it. We sailed past all the elegant waterfront centuries old buildings and out to the open sea.
The dining room on the Lirica is very nice and the friendly staff welcome us every evening. The meals are tasty and luckily the portions are not too filling as we seem to graze most of the day.
We had only booked two excursions, one on Split, Croatia and the other in Santotini. Our first port after leaving Venice was Split. Until I had looked at the itinerary I hadn't heard of Split but we were in for a pleasant surprise. Buses met the ship at the harbour and our local guide was a jolly smiling lady who entertained us with the history along our drive out along the sea front and through a beautiful canyon to morning tea stop by the riverside at an old mill in Omis. Morning tea was ham, cheese, bread and wine. Different, but the local custom.
After that we drove back into the old town and had a walking tour through Split's historic walled town area. We all enjoyed hearing the history and looking at the great facades. It didn't allow for a lot of time to shop as we had decided to go back to the ship, but we managed in ten minutes to grab a few souvenirs.
After Split we had a day at sea until our next excursion, Santorini. That day was relaxing and allowed for us to look over the ship a bit more and of course to eat our day away. Kay went up on the pool deck for an hour and also visited the gym. Bec and I met up with her for a coffee and a chat later. We have a card issued to us to use while on board and everything we buy like drinks and the onboard shops are credited to our cabins to be paid up before we disembark
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Tender boats were waiting to transfer us to the port in Santorini. As the island came into view I thought it was snow on the mountains, but realised all too soon it was the Greek architecture of all white buildings all clustered together.
Our tour in Santorini included Oia, a mountain top village featured in all the travel advertisements. Lovely little all white washed buildings; the blue dome topped churches, add the clear waters of the Mediterranean and you have the picture perfect tourist venue. Little alleyways featuring tasteful Greek products caught our eye. We were given time to explore before heading off to another beautiful vista of the sea at a winery. Another chance for souvenirs. Then a rush to get to the cable car and wait in a queue for the cable car back to the ship.
Mykynos was the next island on the Itininary. We all decided not to get off the ship after our day in Santorini as Mykynos was that same evening. We saw the waterfront buildings at sunset from the ship, I think a lot of people went partying before we set sail in the early hours of the morning.
Kay,Bec and I had a quiet morning on our fourth day at sea. We are happy that we have no excursions planned at the next two ports. We will discover things for ourselves.
We have got to know our waiters quite well, Sudiana a Balinese man and Jessica from Brazil. It is Jessica's first contract so she is just leaning and smiles all the time. Sudiana is married and is waiting for the news that his first baby is born. Roberto is our cabin boy and very pleasant.
Dubrovnik was our second last port. Lucky for us we found free WiFi in a cafe to use while we had a coffee. There has been a bad storm at home and we hoped everything was ok after hearing of four deaths and wild weather. I sent off an email and FB message to John but time difference meant it was the middle of the night so no hope of getting a reply and once back on the ship our next wifi will be at the Venice hotel after leaving the ship on Saturday.
The three of us caught the shuttle bus into Dubrovnik after the ship docked and spent a couple of hours walking around the old walled town. It is a lovely seaport city.
Local souvenir shops kept us interested for a time.
Today our last port, Ancona, Italy. Kay and Bec went off the ship to have a look around the port, however I stayed back as it looked a good walk into town from the port. I heard someone say it was siesta time and most of the shops were shut.
Sailing back into Venice.
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