vincevango

Quick update. Had a great time on the Viking Sea. As I suspected (thanks for the helpful comments!), guests are not dropped at Fusina at disembarkation. For those not going to the airport, Viking takes you (via a 25 min bus ride) from the Fusina port to the old Marittima port in Venice where you collect your baggage and can easily arrange transport to wherever you need to. Beware getting info from the Viking reps, several folks on the cruise got conflicting info from them. It all worked out for us as we had pre-arranged a pickup with our hotel at Marittima.

Great trip. Thanks for the help!

On 7/13/2023 at 2:10 PM, PRH said:

We were bussed to the old cruise terminal in Venice from Fusina, along with our luggage.

Thanks PRH. Based on this and the responses I got in another thread I'm pretty certain now this is what will happen.  Quite relieved.

On 7/15/2023 at 9:48 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

Some slightly off topic info for those wondering why Viking is still using Fusina. In April we docked at Chioggia and were told by Viking staff that we were lucky because only one ship can dock in Chioggia at a time. If another ship is scheduled, it docks at Fusina which they call “the ugly place.” It’s an industrial port that requires you to be escorted in and out.

A bit of a tradeoff I guess.  It's an uglier port but the bus ride into Venice seems to be much shorter which works better for me.

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Vince, there are sometimes when you just have to take your question directly to Viking. This is one of them. You want it straight from the horses mouth. They will be able to give you the most up-to-date information of what is being planned (not what has happened and may be changing). Like the investment ads, past performance is not a predictor of future results and Viking is constantly tweaking things as they learn what works and what doesn't.

 

Skip the chat and the call center and start with tellus@vikingcruises.com (they are higher up the customer service ladder). Make sure to include your booking number and your telephone number.

 

Oh if only Peregrina... I mentioned this in my first post but left it out here: I called and chatted w Viking more than once and each time got a different answer.  As others have posted on this site, Viking's customer care is clueless (at least about Venice since their port changes).  The last customer rep I spoke to said they only offer transfers from Fusina to the airport (and NOT to Venice) which is clearly not true (and disappointingly inept of him to say).  Hence this post.

Appreciate the advice but again, if anyone out there has first-hand recent DISembarkation experience, please share.  Would appreciate additional data points.

Posted in another thread but it was suggested I post here also:

Trying to weed through conflicting and older data out there.  Basically Has anyone DISembarked from a Viking ship in Fusina (Venice) in 2023?  If so, do you know how they handle passengers who did NOT book a fight or extension with Viking?  We are planning to stay in Venice for a couple days after our Viking Sea cruise and I'm just trying to figure out how to get to the hotel we booked near St Mark's Square.

Does anyone have recent (2023) first-hand experience DISembarking in Fusina (Venice) on Viking and can share the process?

My hotel says they can pick me up from Marittima (the old Venice cruise port where big ships are no longer allowed) so my hope (and some info on internet supports this hope) is that Viking will get me there and I can take it from there...

5 hours ago, lisaatric said:

We too were staying longer after we disembarked. We were in the last group to disembark and were then bussed to the main terminal in Venice (maybe a 35 minute ride). At the main terminal, we collected our luggage.  I believe there was some kind of security check before we left the terminal, and then we were on our own!  

Appreciate the response lisaatric.  Approx what time do you think your group disembarked?

Wow there is a lot of conflicting info out there and Viking is no help at all on this (you get different answers from different customer service reps). So I am going to ask here:  Has anyone DISembarked from a Viking ship in Fusina (Venice) in 2023?  If so, do you know how they handle passengers who did NOT book a fight or extension with Viking?  My wife and I are planning to stay in Venice for a couple days after our Viking Sea cruise ends and I'm just trying to figure out how to get to the hotel we booked near St Mark's Square.

A google search reveals conflicting information and a lot of conjecture. And first hand accounts are a year old so I'm looking for recent experience. The last Viking rep I spoke to said they only offer transport from Fusina to the airport but not to Venice itself.  I find it hard to believe that they just dump you out at Fusina (where no cabs are apparently allowed) to fend for yourself.  Does anyone have recent (2023) first-hand experience DISembarking in Fusina (Venice) on Viking and can share the process?

My hotel says they can pick me up from Marittima (the old Venice cruise port where big ships are no longer allowed) so my hope (and some info on internet supports this hope) is that Viking will get me there and I can take it from there...

On 6/30/2023 at 7:28 AM, WanderingBrit said:

When we overnighted in Bermuda passengers were embarking late into the night, but that was likely anticipated due to the challenges around air travel 2 years ago and with Viking arranged flights - they would have known they had incoming passengers at 10pm.

 

I believe we're supplied a phone number for the ship shortly before sailing, perhaps call them and ask?

 

We have the same issue on our upcoming cruise (out of Athens) and were also told to call the ship to make arrangements.  This is our plan.