skipping along: My Summer Vacation in Europe: Part 6 Two Ravenna Hotels in one night and finally boarding the ship!

It's almost cruise time!

After about 8 hours of trying to get my room at Le Case di San Vitale to cool off so that I could sleep, to no avail, and making several calls to the phone number provided to guests for assistance, I decided to leave Le Case and head to the NH Ravenna, where I hoped to get a room with proper AC, or at least get it cool enough to sleep. Again, Le Case di San Vitale is a lovely B & B, with 6 rooms that are very nice and clean, but I can't sleep in a very hot room. Hopefully they fix the issue. I wish they'd had another room for me to try but they were fully booked.

I called the hotel to see if they had a room and they did so I booked it and tried to figure out how to get there. Not speaking enough Italian to communicate with a taxi service, I popped back into the bar adjacent to the hotel and asked the server who had taken care of me earlier and asked her if she could please assist me. I think her name was Alessandra and she whipped out her phone and ordered a cab for me. The taxi picked me up right in front of the bar (after the driver went inside to confirm that the taxi was for me and not her LOL) and we set off to the NH Ravenna hotel.

Due to the late hour, around 9 or 10 PM, I didn’t take any photos. They had the suite that I’d reserved, and cancelled, still available so that’s the room they assigned me. Again, I tried to get it cool to no avail although I did open the window and close the drapes in hopes of getting some air, while keeping out the mosquitoes.

Suite living room, Image courtesy NH Ravenna

Lobby, Image courtesy NH Ravenna

The NH is a more modern hotel, especially when compared to Le Case but it does need renovation as it shows a bit of wear and tear. Being close to the train station, and many sites in Ravenna, I am guessing that it is always busy. I was comped breakfast for the inconvenience of a hot room, and I will say that the buffet was nice with a good selection of hot and cold items. I had my daily cappuccino, some cereal, juice, and some pastries and went back up to my room to gather my bags and head across the street for my shuttle.

Breakfast, Image courtesy NH Ravenna

Breakfast room, Image courtesy NH Ravenna

Exterior, Image courtesy NH Ravenna

Cabs in Ravenna are in short supply and rather than walk to the train station for the cruise shuttle, I booked a shared transfer with VisitRavenna.IT. They pick up either in front of, or close to, most hotels in Ravenna and you will be able to find the locations and cost on their website. Since I’d changed hotels, I booked another transfer and emailed them explaining my situation (that I was not going to be on the Le Case di San Vitale shuttle) and could they please refund the extra fee which they did a few days later!

This was a shared shuttle and in the case of the NH Ravenna, the stop is just across the street in front of a church and park. (If you go out the front door, turn right, walk across the street and you’re there. It’s easier to go out through the restaurant but I didn’t realize that there was a door. Oops)

The bus was close, maybe half full and the ride to Porto Corsini took 20 minutes or so. Upon arrival at the port, we collected our bags, walked a short distance to the porters, dropped off our bags and entered the terminal. The check in process was fast-similar to ports in the USA, and after maybe 20-30 minutes, we were invited to board the ship! Another short walk across the pier (maybe 100 feet or so) and we were soon on the gangway and boarding Explorer of the Seas for our 7-night Greek Islands and Montenegro cruise. Explorer had always been a favorite ship for me, and I made a lot of memories, some of which are now bittersweet. I shed a little tear of happiness and sadness (my Mom and I sailed Explorer a lot, now it’s just me), walked aboard and started my cruise!