cruisinclined

On 2/17/2024 at 8:19 AM, blag said:

I am not sure how authoritative this is, but it shows that cruise ships will dock in either Port Fusina or Port Marghera.

Thank you, I clicked on Port Marghera above and it shows a berth called New Cruise Port Venezia, which is probably the answer to my question. Marghera is much closer to Venice than Chioggia.

Next is to confirm that Azamara does in fact intend to use this port in 2025.

2 hours ago, Nunfa1 said:

I suspect the ship could actually dock in Marghera but check in is done in Venice Terminal. This was the arrangement for our MSC cruise last year. It worked very well and it much more convenient for the airport and Venice itself than some of the more out of the way docks.

So you headed from the airport to Venice Terminal where you checked in and left luggage? How did you then get to Marghera and the ship? What water transportation was then available to visit Venice and how long did it take, which you presumably had to pay for? A lot higher number to move from a larger ship.

At the very well known cruise agency site Azamara ships are shown arriving/departing from Venice not Ghioggia/Fusina next year. In clicking on the Venice shown it led to the Venezia Terminal. This is where many of us have berthed with other lines in the past.

Unless someone  has made an error.

Having recently joined the Quest in Chioggia with  some other ships berthing in Fusina I was surprised and relieved to see 2025 Azamara ships returning to Venice.

Not where the Azamara ships used to berth but where mid-sized vessels did in Venezia Terminal.

We have used this terminal with other ships in the past and it is a short vaporetto journey of about 10/15 minutes to St Marks Square. I am speculating that smaller ships are being welcomed back to this more central terminal and doubtless they will arrive and depart from the lagoon and not use the canals in a way which led to the ban on cruise ships originally.

Welcome news for those of us who were put off visiting Venice from other ports like Chioggia with lengthy boat journeys each way. Much easier to access from the airport too.

Thank you all for your input.

It reinforced what I had picked up from hints in some previous posts about Chioggia that the ship excursion was very lengthy.

Interesting to hear reports that the ship excursion or bus visit had indeed become a trial. Two hours each way is too long for us, perhaps most of us.

Advice for those visiting Venice for the first time to top or tail their visit with a stay in the city seems very sound but will be expensive most times of the year.

We will stay in Chioggia and explore, it sounds similar to some of the lovely Venetian islands we have visited in the past.

In summary, cruise companies which add Venice to their itineraries are no longer able to offer this city as an accessible destination where you can step off and explore easily. That perhaps needs to be made clear to passengers who may be assuming access formerly available. Having sailed down the grand canal it makes complete sense to me to have finally stopped that to start the process of saving this historic city and its lagoon although cruise ships are still entering the latter.

We start an October cruise in Chioggia where the Quest docks for two days allowing a full day Venice visit. We have been before and are evaluating the value of taking a ship excursion on the full day in port, day two. We have OBC and have heard from these boards that it can be used in advance to book such excursions.

We have also read that the trip by hired boat into Venice can take up to two hours and disembarks at St Marks Square. The four hours of travel sound something of a trial so am asking for feedback from those who have experienced this excursion. It is not a 'must do', due to former visits, but Venice is such a treasure that one can never tire of it.

Was there  high demand for this excursion so that early booking is essential?

How long did this boat journey take in reality and was the boat comfortable and were  the usual needed facilities available on board?

Were there several morning sailings to Venice and what timeframe for departure was there? Possible to leave at, say, 10am?

Pick up time for return from St Marks? More that one pick up vessel?

Your overall assessment of this excursion mode, was it worth it?

Other feasible  travel options into Venice from Chioggia and back which have been successful and perhaps better ones to consider? But we need to keep things simple so preferably not a series of buses or trains. 

Thank you in advance for your experiences.

27 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

If you want to buy by the bottle, you aren't limited to the ultimate package offerings – the sommelier will work with you to select a bottle to your taste from the entire ship's cellar.

27 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

If you want to buy by the bottle, you aren't limited to the ultimate package offerings – the sommelier will work with you to select a bottle to your taste from the entire ship's cellar.

That's great let's include the cellar reds! Thank you.

Drinking only wine, the packages seem superfluous when excellent red is all I am likely to drink. If I can find the right one OBC is available.

Can anyone recommend an outstanding red from the ultimate package which can be bought by the bottle (and its bottle price)?

On 7/14/2023 at 12:58 PM, ohcsim123 said:

Our ship arrives Civitavecchia on 04/28/2024 at 6:00am preceding a four day stay in Rome at a central location. Given the long time between docking and check-in, I searched for a combination transfer/tour and received a quote from Stefano's Rome Cabs which looks attractive.

 

They propose to pick us up at 9:00am at the pier and drive to Ostia Antica for an approximately 4hr self tour of the archaeological site/town with plenty of time for a leisurely lunch. The drive then to our central Rome hotel should arrive mid-afternoon. Our transfer can be "shared" to reduce our pp cost.

 

I have no experience with Rome Cabs so I cannot endorse them although they have many good reviews.

They are worth a look if you have a similar itinerary.

 

John

 

Would you mind sharing your price quote for this itinerary by Rome Cabs?

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Interesting

 Here is  the PG menu on Marina Link

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2023-01/Oceania-Wine-list.pdf

Having just booked a cruise with the basic package included my TA sent me the Bar Menu including beers, cocktails up to wines and I am assuming that this menu covers all the drink  options that the basic package includes. I now realise that they apply only to meals.

This menu shows four late harvest and fortified wines. I haven't yet looked them up and and hoping they include a good dessert wine?

1 minute ago, Peter Lanky said:

We have gone for the basic package in the O-Life options, on the grounds that looking back at previous cruises, almost all our drinking has been while dining. When sharing tables and chatting to others, a 7:30 dinner can often finish after 10pm and after dinner I'm usually either at a show or too tired to be bothered with a bar, so the standard package covers 95% of what I may drink on an all included package.

Yes I agree and having googled a few of the reds they look fine.

On 7/11/2023 at 6:35 PM, 1985rz1 said:

Depends upon which package.  The basic Select package (whether as part of OLife or SimplyMore) covers  wine and beer (and champagne, under SimplyMore) only in restaurants during dining hours.  The Prestige package covers all alcoholic beverage (some exceptions apply) in all venues ship wide any time.

We have the Simply More package and the wine selection looks quite good. Hoping we can choose a glass of our choice from any of the 11 reds on the bar menu?

2 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

His spoken English was broken, but Google translate is fantastic!

For emails I just wrote it in English, and followed that with a paste of the Google's translation into Italian.  I suspect he used Google translate the other way around when he replied.

Did you have to pay him in advance or with euros on the transfer day?

34 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

We used this taxi for transfers between Mestre and Chioggia and in reverse. http://www.taxichioggia.net/il-taxi/ One of my criteria in picking it was that it was a local Chioggia based company, and the benefits of having ships calling was going into the local economy.

 

I think it's a one-man business and Stefano was great.  I had to be a little forceful when it looked like he had double-booked himself, but everything worked out perfectly in the end.

I though the price very reasonable and he dropped us off at three different hotels in Mestre.  There were six of us but the taxi could have seated eight and taken eight people's luggage.

Total cost each way was €125 (and would have been €110 if there had only been four of us).  

Thank you, I have emailed Stefano and asked him for a quote. We are just a couple with bags so hopefully a reasonable price quote. I take it his English is fine from your post.

Also asking whether any AZ embarkation transfers include Rome centre?

Getting the feeling that they only end at the airport.

20 hours ago, SandJCruiser said:

We arrive the day before our cruise.  Booked a private transfer for €133.

Would you be able to let me know the transfer company you used? Thank you.

My TA is quoting a very high private transfer price from the airport to Chioggia. She is also looking at whether AZ is offering a transfer and its cost but am uncertain that would be available. We will exiting VCE airport around 1030 am the day before the cruise embarkation in October.

We have an hotel stay in Chioggia and recommendations for evening dining would also be helpful.

Any experiences  and good options would be appreciated and perhaps you could quote a transfer price range I should expect from VCE to Chioggia.

At disembarkation at Civitavecchia I read here that OBC can be used for a transfer to Rome, where we spend a night, which would include some sightseeing on the way. Hope to arrive in Rome in time for our hotel to receive us at around 2 pm.

Any ideas and experiences on suitable sightseeing transfers and where they end in Rome city centre would also be welcomed?

I am hoping to use OBC in 3 months time for a transfer that includes some excursion time (later flight from Rome) and trust that these encouraging replies would include that option?

As a Oceania newbie just checking how widely the drinks package applies. We are used to getting free drinks throughout the ship with other lines.

Hoping their package can be used in all ship bars and restaurants?

Thank you for these helpful suggestions. My only thought would be that leaving the ship at 0900 and getting to the airport, say at 1800 would involve a very long (and costly) taxi service. A one hour trip is over 100 euros in Italy.

May have to get to the airport early.

We disembark in Rome later this year with a late flight from Fiumicino at 22.00 hrs.

I understand that Azamara transfers which include some excursion time are not published before we embark? We also wonder how much time they are likely to use up before airport drop off.

Do you have experience of using ship transfers for such a late flight in Rome or used other providers for this purpose?

37 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

As has been said, numbers can be misleading. Azamara nearly always has quite a lot of solo travellers, so in general numbers will always be less than the maximum. Without knowing how many solo cruisers there are, it’s difficult to know how many empty cabins there are on any sailing.

Yes undoubtedly some solo travellers but if virtually all cabins had been sold I would be surprised to hear a senior officer describe the ship as 80% full. He/she would be justified in describing the ship as full since all cabins occupied and, in reality, not needing to refer to capacity at all.

The point in my making this input was mainly to comment on prices rising near embarkation when cabins remained unsold. The expectation might be that they would stay at levels at which sales had been made or drop a little to encourage take up..

That was the puzzle for me when learning of the capacity shortfall.

Like many I tracked prices on the 3 June Journey 14 night from Barcelona to Bordeaux. I noticed that prices were rising and that my cabin level was much higher in price close to departure.

Yet on boarding the Cruise Director announced that the ship was only 80% full.

I remain puzzled that prices were not offered, at least, at the level I had paid earlier, in order to attract passengers to fill the ship.

I cannot see how such small ships can financially sustain 20% of unfilled cabins at a good time of year in the Med. 

The web site problems explain some reluctance by customers to book but I managed it and so did over 500 others on board.

Most of us who sail Azamara want it to succeed and return to its pre Covid bookings but currently things look difficult for the company.

The cruise itself was good and almost at former high levels in most areas.

37 minutes ago, beatnix said:

I also got this mail and I am fine with it. But there where several mistakes in. For example the terminal for embarkation was given the name of one in South America not Barcelona.

Could I ask what port name you found on the site you checked? As stated above I saw Moll Adossat which I understand  to be the main cruise port in Barcelona. They have used a port site called World Trade Centre (WTC) regularly in the past and that was what I expected this June. 

We should receive (or TA) the final briefing containing such details close to departure.