A swinger cruise in Europe: departure from Venice

From Venice to Croatia and Montenegro

(June 2012)

We participated in our first swinger cruise in November 2010, from Tampa, Florida, across the Gulf of Mexico. That was an extraordinary experience and we enthusiastically signed for another one, just a few weeks only after returning from Florida. This time, the itinerary was particularly appealing to us, first of all because it was in Europe, which saved us the transatlantic flight tickets. This time the ship was almost 4 times smaller than the giant we sailed to Yucatan, and the operating company was seemingly more luxurious. For a relatively low price – especially with a strong Euro against the US dollar – the quality of service promised to be exceptional. And, as a matter of fact, we weren’t disappointed!

The itinerary in itself was a sufficient reason for us to sign for this cruise. Starting from the magnificent city of Venice, we were to head to the Adriatic jewels of Croatia: Hvar and Dubrovnik, as well as Kotor, Montenegro. On the way back, we also had a day stop planned in Trieste before returning to Venice. Sailing is by far the best way to discover all of these amazing places in just one week, since the coastal road from Venice to Kotor wouldn’t be a reasonable alternative.

We arrived in Venice a few days before the departure date. This allowed us to visit places in the city and the surrounding islands of the Venice lagoon. We found a nice B&B in the Dorsoduro neighborhood, a less travelled, more authentic area than San Marco and also within walking distance to San Basilio, our departure terminal of the Venice harbor.

Moreover, we have Venetian friends living there and they gave us the best restaurant addresses, where food is delicious and the prices reasonable. We spent one evening with them, admiring the Italian Navy school ship “Amerigo Vespucci” docked at the Riva dei Schiavoni, just meters from the most famous Venitian landmarks. Our friends made us discover the confidential Castello and San Pietro neighborhoods, and we enjoyed an extraordinary seafood menu in a remote “trattoria” of the Castello… A great evening!

The next day, we celebrated Caresse’s birthday in Burano and Murano, the northern islands of the Venetian bay. Again, we found a marvelous restaurant in Burano and shot tons of pictures of all those colored fishermen houses lit by a beautiful afternoon sunshine. Venice really was a truly Epicurean appetizer before the legendary cruise of the year. We eventually embarked on a Sunday afternoon, a smooth, absolutely no-hassle and efficient boarding process, with a prompt delivery of our luggage to our stateroom in less than two hours… Far better than the 2010 cruise, for sure!

The final touch to top off such an extremely enjoyable start of the cruise was to stand with a drink in our hand on the pool deck while the ship slid slowly away from the dock… into the Giudecca channel, and started her journey with a slow parade among the gondolas and vaporetti in front of the most famous Venetian monuments, at the speed of the tugboat. From deck 10 (that is: higher than the highest buildings of Venice, except the Campanile), next to the open air swimming pool, where two topless women were demonstrating their abilities at practicing hoola-hoop, we were able to enjoy the best views of Venice from above: from the banks of San Basilio and Dorsoduro, along Santa Maria della Salute, San Marco square, the Palazzo Ducale, the Basilica and the Campanile, the Ponte dei Sospiri, the famous hotels of the waterline and the “Amerigo Vespucci” still docked there… along the Arsenale, the Castello gardens and the parks of the Venice Mostra… towards the channel leading to the high sea.

An amazing departure scenery, for a memorable cruise to remember.

End of Day One