Windstar Venetian Passageways Cruise (Part 1)

(54 Reviews)
100% Recommended

Lola Stoker

Mississauga, ON

Cruise Holidays | Luxury Travel Boutique

I was born in The Netherlands and moved to Canada in my early twenties. I started my career in travel and hospitality in Ottawa and later moved to Toronto where I have lived and worked ever since. My home is in Etobicoke, a quiet neighbourhood i...

My background includes a Degree in Hotel Management from the University of Maastrict, The Netherlands. A veteran of the hospitality industry, I spent my early years working in catering, restaurant management and sales. Later, an opportunity arose in Corporate Travel Sales where I represented some of the larger corporate travel companies in Canada. Although I enjoyed this career, I was always envious of the leisure travel specialists that I met; they seemed to be having so much fun researching and booking dream vacations for their clients.

In 2012, I decided to pursue a career in leisure travel and started a boutique travel agency with my husband, specializing in cruises and custom vacations. I've learned more about myself and the world than I ever imagined. I am truly grateful to have this opportunity to help clients, who have been bitten by the travel bug, plan their trips and cruises.

Many of my clients have spent most of their lives in North America and are eager to see more of the world. Canada is an absolutely gorgeous country, but I believe that it is important for people to travel, experience different destinations and cultures to broaden their horizons and enrich their lives. This could mean an escorted tour in Asia, an expedition trip to Antarctica or a relaxing river cruise in Europe.

My background gives me a unique perspective when booking cruises and other travel experiences for my clients. Born in The Netherlands, I traveled extensively throughout Europe. After moving to Canada as a young adult, I continued to travel extensively to Asia, the Caribbean and Mexico. Eventually, opening my own travel agency will allow me to use my unique expertise to help a variety of valued clients.

I love connecting with my clients, hearing their stories and seeing their pictures of their travel experiences after they return. This was particularly true with a client who booked a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The client had the opportunity to stay in a jungle resort with an amazing view of a volcano, visit the city of Quito, cruise the Galapagos Islands and get close to the extraordinary wildlife there. The pictures I received after this trip were absolutely breathtaking!

While I travel quite a bit with my agency, I make sure I am available for my clients. While my clients are abroad, I make it a point of being reachable so that I can quickly respond to any questions they may have. After my clients have returned, I'm always eager to discuss their trip, not only to learn about their experiences but to find ways to improve my service to them.

My number one mission is to deliver a once in a lifetime, worry free travel experience through superior service, excellent value and relevant expertise - and I will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal!

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Cruise Holidays | Luxury Travel Boutique recently traveled on Windstar Cruises Venetian Passageways from Venice to Athens in late October on the Star Legend. The itinerary included an overnight in Venice and then port stops in Hvar (Croatia), Kotor (Montenegro), Dubrovnnik (Croatia), Corfu (Greece), Katakolon (Greece), Itea (Greece), passage through the Corinth Canal, Nafplio (Greee) ad Athens. The cruise was a combination of quaint fishing ports, historic cities, and ancient ruins. Four of the ports were tender ports and many of the excursions included strenuous hikes to castles and fortresses overlooking the ports. The highlights included the amazing city of Venice, the spectacular scenery of the Kotor bay fjord, the ancient old town of Dubrovnik, the Corinth Canal passage and the Greek ruins of Olympus and Delphi. The Star Legend is an all suite ship formerly owned by Seabourn Cruises with spacious staterooms and a small ship feel with only 210 passengers. Dining options were adequate, but limited due to the size of the ship. Entertainment was provided by two musical duets that played in various venues around the ship. One of the more popular activities was the daily port preview given by the destination specialists which took place just before dinner each night. The ship has an excellent fitness center and a water sports deck which would be ideal for tropical destinations.Overall, we highly recommend Windstar Cruises for a country club atmosphere, small ship experience. We would rate this cruise as a 4 out of 5 cruising experience.A couple of tips for exchanging money. Bring Euros to Italy as the exchange brokers take a 40% commission. Alternatively, you can use a cash advance on your credit card at an ATM. Second, the banks in Greece are incredibly inefficient. You will likely spend at least half an hour or longer waiting for a teller. The money exchange brokers in Greece only charge 3 euros per transaction and the Post Office will exchange currency for you if you want to deal with a government entity. For more details, read our port call reports complete with pictures and videosVenice – The ship was docked at the main Venice Cruise Terminal which is conveniently located close to the transportation center for trains, cars, and water taxis. You can take a taxi from the Venice airport directly to the ship and drop your luggage off to be delivered to your stateroom. If you arrive early, you can spend the rest of the day touring Venice.There a several options to tour Venice from the cruise port. At the main terminal, there is a water shuttle or vaporetto that will take you directly to St Mark’s Square, the centre of the tourist area for about 8 Euros one way. The second alternative is to take the People Mover that is across the parking lot from the main cruise terminal building to Piazzale Roma, the main transportation square for Venice. The People Mover is a rail system with three stops, the main public parking facility, the cruise terminal and Pizzale Roma. The fare is 3 Euros and the ride is just a few minutes. Pizzale Roma is where the train and bus stations are located and the last stop for taxis and automobiles. At Piazzale Roma, you can take a vaporetto, the public water bus system, through the Grand Canal to St Mark’s Square for about the same amount as the vaporetto from the cruise terminal, but you get to see the sights from the famous Grand Canal. The third option is to walk to St Mark’s Square from Piazzale Roma, which may take half an hour if you don’t stop to take pictures. Venice is one of the great cities of Europe with great architecture, relics of ancient times and wonderful cuisine. You could easily spend two or three days in Venice and still not see everything you should. The priorities should be St Mark’s square, the Doge’s Palace, the bridges and the cuisine. After that, there are museums and side streets and restaurants galore and endless photo opportunities. And of course, a gondola ride.Hvar – Medieval Hvar is a small port town on the Adriatic with a long seaside promenade, narrow side streets with a large central square and an ancient fortress overlooking the town that is a short but steep hike. The views from the fortress are worth the hike and offer many photo opportunities. The Island of Hvar is only 30 miles in length but is blessed with hours of sunshine and pleasant pebble and rocky beaches. The main attractions are the beaches and the famous seaside blue and green caves that are a short boat ride away from the port. The Cathedral of St Stephan dominates the city square and the small, narrow side streets offer shopping and restaurants with great seafood and local cuisine.