European Cruise

Real Honeymoon | September 19, 2011

Instead of going on a typical European honeymoon, Edzel & Joann opted to cruise around some of the best ports in Europe. Such a fun alternative to flying around to different destinations! Here’s what the two newlyweds had to say about their honeymoon.

We went to Venice and stayed for 2 nights. From Venice we boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The cruise ship’s port of calls were Split Croatia, Naples Italy, Rome Italy, Florence Italy, Toulon France and Barcelona Spain.

How did you decide on these destinations?  

We wanted to go somewhere we’ve never been to. Joann has always wanted to go to Italy (especially Venice) and I’ve always wanted to go to Rome. Naturally a cruise would be the best option to see as many places as possible while keeping the cost and hassle of traveling down. We’ve also been on a couple of cruises before and we’ve enjoyed it.

We stayed at the Westin in Venice. We were expecting a tiny European hotel room but were pleasantly surprised with a good sized room. There was even candies and champagne delivered to our room, compliments of the hotel, as a honeymoon gift. Very nice touch. The hotel was very close to St. Marks square so it was easy to get to and from the water bus stop. For the cruise, we stayed in a stateroom with a sea view. The room was as expected in terms of size if not a little bit bigger. We did have a small couch which was nice. One thing we did not like is the vibration of the the ship was being transferred to the bed too much.

Venice was beautiful and thinking back it was our favorite destination. We both loved walking around the city and exploring for cool things to see and good food to eat. Split was nice. We walked around but mainly stayed by the water. Naples was great. We joined a tour and got to see Pompeii, walked around Sorrento and toured a farm where they made olive oil and cheese. Rome was amazing. We went to Vatican City which was unbelievable. Florence was another great stop, especially for my wife. The city offered a plethora of shopping. Toulon was ok. The cold weather really hindered our sight seeing on our final day on the cruise.

We received free champagne and candy from the Westin in Venice since Katie told them it was our honeymoon. On the cruise we joined an evening event for honeymooners. They had a raffle for prizes. We had champagne and cake. 

What was your favorite part of your honeymoon?

Venice was our favorite, it was more relaxing. Enjoying the scenery, gondola rides and great food. When we were on the cruise, every day was packed full of activities. We wanted to see everything, so it got tiring.

I suggest just getting lost in Venice and exploring whatever you find. It was fun looking around the little shops and cafes everywhere. On the cruise try to plan out your activities early and find some down time to relax also.

Fun, tiring, and relaxing at the same time!