Great time on MSC Opera

[AmoMondo]

Hi Amber

I stayed in the Gabrielli Sandwerth with my niece last summer. It is in a fantastic location - 5 minutes walk to the Bridge of Sighs and about 10 to Piazza san marco. there are plenty lovely restaurants within walking distance although the ones on the waterfront are more expensive than those in the side streets. i also prefr the side street ones as they are less toursity with better food. there is a water taxi and vaporetto stop just a few minutes from the entrance to the hotel. The airport water bus also stops there (alilaguna orange line).

The building itself is a 14th century palazzo with maginificent views of San marco. especially from the bar on the terrace out front. It also has its restaurant in an enclosed garden courtyard which is delightful. We loved sitting outside in the garden for breakfast with birds singing in the trees. Quite unusual for central vencie. It also has a roof top sun terrace with nice comfy relaxers and a swing seat with canopy. Fantastic views of all of venice can be had from up there.

It is not cheap but its is pretty special in my opinion and very romantic setting for a honeymoon.

 

Whereever you end up staying, hope you have a wonderful time. venice is a truly magical (if somewhat expensive) city. Worst of the summer heat and crowds will have mostly gone by then - but stil should be warm.

[amwait]

Thank you so much for the information, AmoMondo! The place you describe sounds lovely. I'm going to look it up right now.

 

I am very excited about going on this upcoming cruise and the chance to stay in Venice for a few days! I look forward to hearing any and all suggestions as this will be my very first 'adventruous vacation' (all other cruises/ vacations I have been on have been state side or guided).

[Freckles_51]

Hello freckles,

We are travelling on The Magnifica out of Venice. We booked a COURTYARD MARRIOTT VENICE AIRPORT Hotel. They are located 5 minutes from the airport. This was convenmient for us because we are landing in Venice at 10 pm. We have a 3 year old child, and I did not want to be climbing bridges at night with a child and suitcases. The hotel offers FREE shuttle from the airport. Also, you find the bus stop for BUS #5 right across the street from the hotel. This bus takes you to the PIAZZALA ROMA for 1.5 euro per adult. From there, MSC told us that the port will be offering free shutles to the ship on the day of embarcation. So, a party of 2 adults can actually get to the port from the hotel airport for less than 5 euros. I hope this helps.

You can run a search for the hotel at the Marriott hotels website.

 

Hi drblue

Thanks for the info. We seriously considered the Courtyard Marriott but in the end we decided to book into the Best Western Olimpia near P.le Roma. We also did not book on the Opera due to cabin availability, we are sailing on the NCL Gem instead.

[Misty1937]

Hello everyone. I am hoping to sail on the MSC Opera in October of this year for my honeymoon! We are very very excited about it! I do have a few questions, though.

 

1. I'll be flying in from the US, and am wondering how many hours prior to departure do you think I need to arrive at the airport to comfortably make it in time to the dock--most flights seem to fly into Marco Polo airport.

 

2. We are considering staying a couple days after the cruise in Venice. Any recommendations on what part of town to stay in? Something we can walk to places of interest so we can save money on transportation fares.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Amber

Welcome to CC Amber and congratulations on your forthcoming marriage, I wish you a lifetime of happiness together.

 

We cruised to the Black Sea on Opera last October and had the most wonderful time. I presume it is still the same that you must embark by 4pm, our flight was due to arrive at 2pm and we felt it was cutting it much too fine. I would not consider any flight into Marco Polo later than 10am as flights are notorious for being late and if you have a connecting flight that could mean ariving a day late if you miss it. Added to this you have to collect your baggage, clear customs, then get from the airport to the dock which would be a minimum of 1/2 hour. We stayed overnight at the Hotel Gardena which is very close to Piazalle Roma and not as expensive as hotels closer to St Marks Square. It was very close to the water bus which is not expensive, unlike water taxis who really know how to charge. We only had a 5 minute walk to get the MSC free shuttle bus to the ship next day.

 

I hope this is of some help, please feel free to ask any questions about the cruise or ports.

 

Best wishes, Judy