For part 2 of our vacation, we boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and took off on a 6 night adventure. We departed from Venice and visited Kotor, Montenegro; Athens, Greece; Corfu, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia and then back to Venice.
Sitting on the suitcases waiting
in line for the people mover
The people mover is coming!
We made it! Here we are getting ready to check in and set sail on Splendour of the Sea!
First things first... a little family nap.
Here we are paying close attention
during the safety drill
One more Italian beer before leaving Italy
Orientation at the kid's club - Holden made a new friend
First night photos...
First night selfies
Dinner in the main dining room
Sunset at sea
The kids loved the beds that pull down from the ceiling...
they spent HOURS climbing up and jumping down
Day 2: Our first port was Kotor, Montenegro, which was part of former Yugoslavia. The city was small, but really cool with fortresses.
If you look closely, you can see the walls/fortress going up the mountain
A look at our cruise ship
Exploring Kotor
Kotor is known for it's stray cats (they were
everywhere...), but we thought they might
as well be known for clotheslines... they were
also everywhere :)
Don in a fortress made for one
There was a little moat with this cool dragon sitting in it
Enjoying a drink and free wi-fi before
heading back to the ship
For night 2, the kids enjoyed a fun dinner in the kids club and we went to the main dining room for "white night."
Glamour Shots?!? Yes, please!!
(and yes, we totally bought this picture
so we could show you our
glamour shot. You're welcome.)
Amazon Punch!
Blue steel
That night was a world cup game and lots of fans were
watching (and dancing) on the pool deck
Back from dinner, the kids were so excited to find
an elephant in the bed
Day 3 was spent at sea, so we mostly enjoyed time swimming in the pool and stuffing ourselves at the lunch buffet. For dinner, we got dressed up and headed back to the main dining room.
Pre-dinner entertainment in the centrium
A little daddy / daughter dance
Chips and guac
Dessert!
Don thinks we look like the Adams Family in this Glamour Shot...
After dinner the kids went and spent a bit more time at the kids club... this is how they looked when we picked them up. Good thing we bathed them before dinner...
Ready for bed after bath #2... day 3 was a success :)
Day 4 was Athens. We decided to take a full-day guided tour to make sure we got to see all the best sights. Unfortunately, the guided tour required ear pieces and they didn't cater to those with cauliflower ears...
Getting ready to see Acropolis
Us in front of Propylaea, the stairs / gateway to Acropolis
The Temple of Athena Nike
In the background is the Old Temple of Athena
The Parthenon
A snapshot of some restoration
Looking back up at Acropolis
At the base of the Acropolis was Zeus'
Temple
Olive tree!
Don in front of the Panathenaic Stadium, where the
first modern Olympics was held in 1896. The stadium
is made entirely of marble.
After a day of touring around Athens, we stopped
for some food and drinks...
Pita bread, hummus and tzatziki sauce.
The food was so good!
Best Greek salad ever
Enjoying some Greek olives
Strolling around Athens
This is our crazy tour guide...
If you look closely, you can see her
personalized purse that is screened with
a dog and that has a rhinestone crown...
yup, that's normal.
In case you would like to experience a little tour around Athens with a crazy tour lady, here you go!
Back on the ship, we snapped a picture
of the kids with Athens in the
background (so we can someday
tell them they were there :)
Even our kids love Glamour Shots
Holden... errr... I mean Batman and a jackrabbit
Day 5 was Corfu, Greece, which wasn't our favorite place, mostly because we explored on our own and couldn't find any of the sites.
A quick pic with the kids before they head off
to kids camp.
We finally found one of the sites: an old
Jewish synagogue
We celebrated finding something with a drink and wi-fi,
then got lost again trying to find the ship
Spotted: missing cruise ship!
Hanging out with our waiters: Caesar and Ivan
That night was 70's night... a little disco!
Day 6 was Dubrovnik, Croatia, a really cool city built in a fortress that was also part of Yugoslavia.
Climbing on the cruise ship in Croatia
Our ride to the city
We took a walking tour of the city, which was beautiful.
This statue has a gold nose because people
started rubbing it for luck. Can't hurt to
give it a try!
The "Pillar of Shame" in the town
square and Don looking shameful.
A farmer's market with lots of fruits and veggies, but also
each place sold lavender, which I guess is sort of their thing.
Legit hot chocolate... just melted chocolate in a cup
Last dinner
The finale - a hanging towel monkey!
Don saying goodbye to his favorite bartender :)
What a great vacation. So much more than we could have hoped for!
