I have to say that I just don't understand the angst about Venice. Like everyone on this board, I've been finding my own way to the dock from Nice to Monte Carlo, from Rome to Civitavecchia, from London to Southampton/Portsmouth for years. Decades. Not to mention the routes on the US side to the best international airport.
It is what it is. The cruise lines will find a way to get as close to Venice as they can, based on the size of the ship. Sometimes that's Trieste, Sometimes it's Ravenna. Sometimes it's closer, within the lagoon. The local authorities decide what they want, and the cruise lines are beholden to it. And the Italian government being what it is, what they SAY will be possible (and when) and what is ultimately/actually possible can be two different things.