Day 7 Dubrovnik, Croatia

 

The final port on our cruise before we return to Venice tomorrow. Not due in until 12.00 so there are many people on deck enjoying the sun.
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Day 6 Sea day

 

A nice and relaxing day at sea before our last port of call, Dubrovnik. Also it will be the Captains Gala dinner tonight so another chance to put our glad rags on. Weather is perfect today and the cold wind has gone, still a breeze but a warm one instead.
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Day 5 Istanbul, Turkey

 

The cruise terminal at Istanbul with all the tour buses and taxis awaiting their business to arrive.

 

 

Probably the best port of call on the cruise. Not wanting to pay the excessive cruise company tour prices we opted to walk off and use a taxi from the rank at the cruise terminal.
We negotiated a fee of €100 for a 4 hour tour for all 3 of us.
The main places we wanted to visit being the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Haghia Sofia museum and the Basilica Cistern. Not only did we get to see all but our driver, Kemal took us to several places for some panoramic photo opportunities. He even lent us some Turkish Lira so we could get into some of the monuments as not all take the €.

Basilica Cistern

 

the Blue Mosque

 

Asia meets Europe, view of the The Bosphorus Bridge viewed from the Asian side.

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Day 4 Izmir, Turkey

 

After a very choppy night we arrived an hour late in Izmir. All very tired today because of the motion of the ship and the strong winds.
Mum opted to stay on the ship while we went for a walk to stretch our legs a bit.
Lots of peddlers and traders all looking for some business but all we wanted to do was walk a bit.
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Time out in the afternoon......

 

 

 

 

I still have a signal from Greece so will up 2 more pictures. We have just popped down to the Cioccolateria for a cup of Cappuccino while mum has gone for a quick snooze. I think we have tired her out a bit today. Plus tonight is the gala evening which is Costa's version of a formal night and we don't want her falling asleep at the table later.
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On our way to Izmir

 



 

 

We have now set sail for Izmir, Turkey and will get there tomorrow morning.
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Day 3, Katakolon, Greece

 

 

Another short stop on our cruise. Presumably because we have so many miles to go to get to Istanbul. The main reason for this stop is to visit the place where the first Olympic games were held but having viewed some photos and the fact it is 38 km away we have opted to have a gentle stroll around the town. We have just bought some postcards which will undoubtedly arrive home after us.
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Day 2 Bari, Italy

Only a brief stop and a chance to relax after the long day yesterday. We didn't get off the ship and elected to lay in the sun a bit.
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Venice Cruise Terminal - Typical Costa.....

 

Typical Italian organisation. 2400 passengers to get on the ship and only 4 check in desks. We have been allocated number 19 and the next group to be called along with the other 100 people with the same number.
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We have made it to Venice

 

After 2 flights and an early start, we have finally made it to Venice. Here is our first view of the Costa Serena. The embarkation hall is another story!!!!
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Volcanic Ash Cloud

The Volcanic Ash cloud which has grounded all flights in and out of the UK for several days is now threatening to affect our cruise. We are due to be flying via Düsseldorf to Venice in six days time and that date is getting ever nearer with no sign of the flying ban being lifted. Excuse the pun, but hopefully this will all blow over and we will be able to join the ship as planned next weekend.
At some point we may need to seek alternative travel arrangements. One of them being using the train. Eurostar to Paris then Paris to Venice. Hopefully it won't come to that.

The tickets have arrived.

The tickets arrived this morning and I was very amused to see the new style luggage tags from Costa. Origami style with the need for either a stapler or cello tape! Must remember to put some cello tape in my rucksack........

Announcing Costa Serena 25 April - 2 May 2010

The Costa Serena was launched in May 2007, and has a gross tonnage of 114,500t and is 292m long and 36m wide. There are 17 decks (13 decks for passenger use), all named after Greek mythological characters or star signs. The ship has a cruising speed of 21.5kt and a maximum speed of 23kt. She can carry 3,780 passengers and offers 1,500 cabins: 914 outside cabins (500 with balconies) and 586 inside cabins.

This 7 night cruise starts Venice, taking in Bari, KataKolon, Istanbul, Izmir & Dubrovnik before returning to Venice.

 

This cruise was booked so that my mum could experience a cruise for the first time and there were several factors which finally contributed to us booking this one.
First hurdle was that we were not sure that mum would take to the water so thought that a 7 day one would be a good start, just in case! Secondly, she would be travelling with us but on her own so we needed to find a company which gave the best solo supplement deal, as Costa do 30% single supplement, we therefore decided to see what they had to offer. After much trawling through the web and several phone calls to various travel agents, we managed to get a pair of balcony cabins, rear of mid ship right next to each other (another of her conditions) and so with the deposit paid, the adventure began!