Our last morning to wake up on dry land! We had an early breakfast and went for one last walk through Venice before leaving for the cruise terminal. It was already getting warm, so we were looking forward to the pool right away. It really is amazing how empty the city is before all of the shops open and tourists hit the streets.

We checked out of our hotel and got some advice from one of the hotel employees to hop on a boat called the Alilaguna to go straight to the cruise terminal rather than taking public transportation, so fortunately we could sell our public transit passes to some French tourists and then ride on Alilaguna. Jon was already dripping (a shock, I know) when we got to the boat, so the breeze as we rode felt incredible. We rode by a Carnival cruise ship on our way to the terminal with water slides that went out over the ocean. These ships are really amazing!

We boarded our ship relatively quickly and met two American ladies from Maryland in line. Jon was immediately won over by the cookies and ice water provided while waiting. On board, we ate lunch right away and then found our stateroom, to which our bags were delivered within about an hour. We are kind of in disbelief over how easy everything is. Everyone working on the ship truly serves you...even in ways you don't expect. While out at the pool for a swim, Marianne (our stateroom attendant) hung up Jon's dress shirt and put our bags away. We are feeling really spoiled...and maybe a little creeped out by how she knew us by our room number upon first meeting.

After swimming came the muster drill (the safety drill for all passengers)...we couldn't help but notice the similarity to a school fire drill. We said farewell to Venice as the ship pulled away and then had dinner in the main dining room. We sat with four Australian guests, a couple in their 50s or 60s - Wolf and Cheryl - and a mom and her 11 year old son. We had a great time chatting with them. It was great to have the time and language skills to have a long conversation. We realized how much we have missed that since Bamberg. We really enjoyed getting to know them and the food was delicious! We talked so long at dinner that we missed the evening show, but we went out to the deck to watch 'Guilt Trip' - a movie shown poolside. The evening wrapped up with a nighttime snack of cookies and cannoli - as I said, Jon is totally sold on this cruise thing - fresh chocolate chip cookies at any hour of the day! I may never get him to leave. Tonight we sail to Dubrovnik, Croatia!