It was a long day, but the only real issue we had was as a result of our Late, Habitually flight to Frankfurt being over an hour late. Though we made up some time in the air, we pulled into the gate- at an entirely different concourse than the one at which we were scheduled to arrive- just 38 minutes before our flight to Venice was scheduled to depart. Plus we were seated just four rows from the back of the Boeing 747, so we were walking off one plane about the same time we were supposed to be ready for take off on the next.
In the end, it was the concourse change that caused us the most trouble. My fitness tracker told me we walked almost 6000 steps just going from one plane to the other. We also went through security screenings twice (and no Global Entry here!) and immigration to enter the European Union. Still, we pushed on, even though we never really believed that our connection would still there; the departure screens showed it was on time. However, when we ran up to the gate, we were greeted by name and personally walked onto the plane. They had been waiting for us. I guess they have to do that a lot because they're Late, Habitually.
And my fitness tracker beeped again...I had already completed my cardio for the entire week! On Tuesday morning! I need to rush between terminals more often!
The one hour flight from Frankfort to Venice was just spectacular. We had chosen seats on the starboard side of the aircraft to get a good view of Innsbruck and the Alps, and we were not disappointed. Gorgeous green mountains and valleys, then the hard brown peaks above timberline. There was already plenty of snow on the high peaks, and I'm sure the skiers are thrilled.
Once we landed, we did not have to go through immigration again (still in the EU...nice!).We took a Princess shuttle (another long walk to get to the bus. How do the mobility impaired do this?) to the ship. Luckily we did not have to wait for the bus to fill and were off almost immediately. G had not wanted to do the public transport route or taxi as he thought we'd be running on autopilot by then, and he was absolutely right!. Our first glimpse of the Pacific Princess in the port of Venice was wonderful. It's like coming home.
It's also a bit weird, like our house has been moved to a new town, but the neighbors are the same. The familiar faces started the minute we were greeted as we walked up the gangway at 4pm, and still haven't stopped. Security, many favorite waiters, Maitre d' Oscar, Cruise Director Sammi, Deputy CD Mike, several PSD personnel...and we haven't even seen captain JP yet. Yep, we feel at home on this ship!
Our cabins for these cruises are all over the place on the ship, as we booked and re-booked trying to find the best deals when there really weren't many to be found. People like this ship! For this first cruise we are in an inside cabin on Deck 8. It's our first time in an inside cabin on this ship, and the only notable difference is that we have a chair instead of a love seat. Heck, we were so glad to have arrived that they could have put us in a storage locker and we would have been ecstatic. Our suitcases were delivered right after we arrived (yay! No luggage issues this year!) and we did a quick unpack and showered for dinner. I wasn't sure we'd actually make it to dinner in the dining room until we showered; it gave us a much needed boost of energy and, as we were overnighting in Venice, it was open seating in the Club Restaurant and there was no time schedule we had to adhere to. We wandered in about 6:15pm.
Though the menu was a fairly typical embarkation day dinner menu, our waiter Amorn (we know him well!) pointed out a few Mediterranean items that had been added.
I ordered shrimp brochettes as a starter followed by the always available garden salad (yummy balsamic vinaigrette dressing) and- wait for it- the always available salmon. Yes, it's here on the Pacific Princess! I knew I loved this ship. For dessert, I skipped the flourless chocolate cake (I can hear your gasps from here) and chose a few bites of the sugar free mango cheesecake instead. Oh, and I purchased a 12-bottle Silver wine package. I will augment it with a 7-bottle Gold package and my dining room wine needs are met for awhile.
A folkloric show featuring the Venetian Chamber Music was performed in the Cabaret Lounge twice tonight. We made it to the 8:15pm performance (I love Chamber music!) and were very entertained, but that's as far as we got. G is already asleep and I will be too, just as soon as I get this post uploaded.
Edited to add: G woke up and turned on the lights about 11pm to finish unpacking, and managed to wake up me until about midnight, but I warned him that I had the alarm set for 6:30am and wasn't going to change it! We need to acclimate to this time zone, come hell or high water (that term has special significance in Venice!).
Some other miscellaneous notes...the mattresses are new, the linens are old (yay! No top sheets and we have duvet that is fully encased!). Our towels are the thick suite towels. Our cabin is next to the pool and we do hear the hum of the machinery but it is a constant hum and very relaxing, kind of like the ceiling fan at home. The singers and dancers are the same group that was here when we disembarked last December (they've gone home, of course, but have returned. Just like us!). We've stayed in touch with lead singer Lainie so that was not a surprise.
We are so glad the hard part is behind us. We are here. We are happy.
We are home.
