Just returned from a cruise on the Gem which was supposed to have Venice as the second last port and then to end in Ravenna. The day before the planned stop in Venice it was announced that Venice would be skipped and the Gem went to Ravenna a day early, where bus shuttles would be provided to visit Venice for those not minding a 2,5 hr bus ride to get there.
The communication and organization of this on board was chaotic, to say the least. It was communicated by leaving a small note on the cabin and the captain just mad a very sparse announcement the next morning that Venice would be skipped without any further explanation or apologies. It also gave the impression that this early stop came to Ravenna as a surprise.
I know the Venice situation is difficult for cruise ships, however the port of Maghera had the Gem listed. Back home I found out that ours was not the first or the last cruise this month to get Venice removed from the itinerary. On the other hand, NCL still lists and sells Venice on the itineraries for the next weeks on their website.
So something really fishy is going on here and NCL is not communicating it well, to say the least.
Could anyone provide any more background information to this?