Commasense

21 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

[snip] 
 if your concern is expense levels in the terminal port, could you not avoid those by taking the reverse route,  disembarking there and flying home? Clearly that doesn't work for embarkation in the same place if you arrive early. 

Because we want to spend some additional time in the second/next-to-last port. 

Thanks, all for the advice. Now that we know that Viking is amenable to such changes, we can proceed accordingly and make sure we have whatever other permissions we need. I was just concerned that Viking might treat it the way airlines treat skiplagging: semi-tolerated, but not officially allowed. 

Thanks again. 

Thanks for the quick reply. The ports we're considering are in Europe. Is it reasonable to assume that they'd be more amenable than Cambodia? 

We are looking at a Viking Ocean cruise one of whose terminal ports we are not interested in. (Been there, too expensive.) So we'd prefer either to board at the second port, or if we take the reverse itinerary, disembark at the next-to-last port. 

Does Viking allow that? Although they wouldn't lose anything (we'd be paying the full fare, or course), I can imagine they might have some rule or objection to the practice that I'm not aware of. Of course, we could falsely claim that some emergency required us to do it, but I'd prefer to be above board. 

Anyone know? 

Thanks for the quick reply and all the useful advice.

Sorry about the confusion regarding the rental car: I meant that the rental agency might be able to provide a vignette, not the registration number.

Thanks again.

Thanks very much for the info about vignettes. I was briefly confused, because that word is not used in that sense here in the US. Our equivalent -- in some states -- is called EZ Pass, and it's an electronic transponder, not a sticker or virtual pass, as vignettes seem to be.

Looking at the official site, you can only get an e-vignette if you have the car's registration number, which I will obviously not have before I pick up the rental car. I'll try to see if the rental agency can provide me with one, or if I'll have to buy a physical one as you did before entering Slovenia.

How does the system work? Does it photograph the license plate or a physical sticker on the car? If the former, I assume I can just go online with my mobile and buy an e-vignette after getting the car?

Also, any suggestions for my question about getting cab at the airport?

Thanks again.

On 1/7/2023 at 11:29 AM, fruitmachine said:

Most of us will use Google or similar and find that it takes may hours and multiple modes of transport to get between Venice and Chioggia.  That isn't the case.  There are two direct bus routes that inexplicably do not appear on Google maps, but seem to offer excellent transfer options, particularly if your hotel is near Piazzale Roma or on the mainland in Mestre or similar.  They are run by Arriva Veneto which is part of the giant transport group Deutsche Bahn.

 

Linea 80 runs as a regular service from Venice to Sottomarina via Mestre and Chioggia; and Linea 85 (less frequently) from Marco Polo Airport, joining the same southerly route in Mestre.  Full timetables are here: https://www.arrivaveneto.it/en/timetables/

 

It's probably easiest to stay on until the end of the route in Sottomarina, and then get a 2km taxi from Piazza Europa to the ship, rather than getting off early and hiking through what appears to be an industrial port, but others may have more direct experience, as will I after our April cruise when I'll post an update.

 

As the maps on Arriva Vento's website are very basic, I've worked out the routes from the timetables and they should be visible here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GKnTzrLlOs04a7FwHDXhxyJ_rWUFDt4&usp=sharing  

 

I think the fare for the entire route is €6.40 each way if you buy from a machine, and  €9.50 if bought on the bus: https://www.arrivaveneto.it/en/tariffe-biglietti/

Thanks very much for posting this, @fruitmachine, especially your Google Map of the 85 bus's route. You confirmed what I had basically figured out for myself after a frustrating hour or so searching online. You and other posters also confirmed my decision to forget about the bus and just cab it from the airport to the ship next month. (We're on the July 12 Empires of the Mediterranean.)

Here's a question someone here might be able to answer. Should we book a cab before we get to the airport using one of the online services mentioned above, or can we just grab one when we arrive? We will be returning a rental car at the airport, and don't know exactly when we'll be arriving, So it would be easier for us not to have to commit to a specific time.

Is the cost of prebooking more or less than walking up to the cab line?

One more thing: we'll be driving the rental car from Venice to Slovenia and back that day. What's crossing the border like?

Thanks.

My wife (62) and I (67) are taking the Empire of the Mediterranean cruise in July, with five days before in Florence and Venice, and five days after in Athens. We've booked excursions and tours for practically every day, and I'm thinking that somewhere around the middle of the cruise, we (okay, I) might need a break, scheduled excursion or not. 

So for any of you who have been on this cruise, or who have been to these ports (Koper, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Corfu, Katakolon), which was the least interesting, most missable, if we have to sacrifice one. And why do you say that? 

Alternately, which do you consider not-to-be-missed, and why? (We already have our ideas about this, but would be interested in yours.) 

With luck, we will have enough energy to do everything, and will wait till we get home to collapse, but it would be nice to have a little advance guidance to help with making sacrifices if sacrifices have to be made. Thanks.