“Venice . . . after several days, it’s TOO MUCH WATER!” Leyta Fuentes, world traveler

So, after a lovely, partially sunny day spent in Venice, we awoke once more to flooded canals, due to high tides. However, this time, the splashing was a bit more complicated because we were shlepping our luggage to the Piazza Roma; there we’d board the People Mover to our awaiting cruise ship.

Sloshing once again, we were faced with a quandary – which side of the flooded canal would we hand carry our luggage? As I stood on top of the bridge accessing the situation, a wonderful Italian lady pointed me down a narrow alleyway. It meant two additional bridges, in a zigzag way, but it would prove to be a dry one.

Our time in Venice was well spent; the Airbnb (1 1/2 star rating) was quaint, in a great location and just doorsteps away from two outstanding restaurants. We could easily walk anywhere on the island. Although we didn’t visit any of the outer islands, I felt I saw more of this magical city floating in the water than on my last visit back in 2005.

It was a short ride on the People Mover to the cruise terminal where 3 ships were already docked, including ours, the NCL Star. Thankfully, checking in was a fairly quick, smooth process.

However, prior to arrival we received an email saying the ship had altered its course due to technical difficulties (rumor is that we are running on one engine). Hence, two ports of calls were canceled: Kotor and Santorini … you should hear the rumblings of the conversations – it sounded like mutiny Good thing Dubrovnik (“Games of Thrones”) is still a scheduled stop or I would have led the rebellion!

Unfortunately, the NCL Star is showing it’s age, 18. Luckily, a last minute bid for an upgrade to a mini-suite came through. The room’s a bit larger than your typical outside stateroom and the bathroom’s of adequate size … thankfully I’m able to stand and move easily in the shower.

We familiarized ourselves with the ship’s decks and layout. Dinner was in one of the main dining rooms, the Aqua Room. For me, it was disappointing from start to finish: overly salted soup, bland food and missed orders; at least dessert arrived right, but it was unimpressive. Sadly, food photos on board ship will be minimal due to lack of enthusiasm for the mediocrity.

And here’s the most convoluted situation of all … we received an unlimited alcohol beverage package as part of NCL’s Free at Sea promotion. It entitles you to as many drinks priced under $15 dollars. What perplexes me is if I order a bottle of wine at the restaurant, say costing $60 dollars, they will deduct $15 from the bill, but if ordered by the glass, if said wine cost is under $15, then I can drink enough glasses to empty the bottle for free. Although sadly to say, what they’re pouring for wine is marginal. C’est la vie.

This is David’s first cruise since he was a teenager (50 years?) .. so I don’t know of his expectations, but he seems to appreciate the beverage package.

Our travel companions headed off to the “Welcome Aboard” show; from past cruises I remembered them to be oh so corny, so we headed off to bed instead … the day’s travels proved wearying.

With the first stop, Kotor, Montenegro, now scratched off the schedule, day one was spent at sea instead; the time used to recharge our engines by resting, napping and reading. I did lots of napping, David went for a walk, checked out the library and surroundings. We’d learn to watch which direction the fishes in the rug ran – forward meant to the ship’s front.

Dinnertime we joined our travel companions ~ with Leyta and Steven, laughs are always on the menu. Unfortunately, dinner service was lackadaisical. In past cruises the staff used to trip over backwards in trying to serve you. Tips are now added automatically to your bill, allowing for erratic services; so if they do not improve, I will be contesting charges. Now, if we can only get onto dry land …2

​On the Menu …​ nothing to report … disappointment again.