Venice Transfers

[Woje17]

Our cruise on the Ruby ends in Venice on July 4. My TA priced our transfers at $191 from the port to our hotel and $269 from our hotel for the airport for 2 of us. Does anybody know of cheaper transportation or is this normal? Thanks!

 

John

[caribill]

Except for near the cruise ship dock area, there are no streets in Venice and private transportation to/from hotels is best done by water taxi which is expensive. You may want to ask your travel agent if that is what she is pricing.

 

Another alternative is the vaporetto which is the Venice water bus. They go on fixed routes which may or may not stop near where your hotel is. Princess offers a vaporetto ($15/person) from the dock to St. Mark's Square. Public vaporettos are available at Piazzale Roma, about a mile from the docks (taxi? bus? to get there). Once off the vaporetto, you will need to get your luggage to the hotel.

 

If you can make your way from the hotel back to Piazzale Roma, then you can catch a bus or cab to the airport. (Infor about Piazzale Roma at http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/piazzale_roma.htm)

 

You might contact your hotel and ask their suggestion as the best method to get to the hotel from the ship and from the hotel to the airport.

[We're The Groupnors]

We stayed in Venice the night we got off the Emerald. We called ahead to the hotel, and they arranged the transfer for us at a fraction of the cost of the Princess transfer. The hotel was Abbazia, which is down a small alleyway next to the Santa Lucia train station (handy, as we took the train to Florence the next day).

[jollyjones]

It entirely depends on where your hotel is. I deliberately booked a hotel near the Rialto bridge - that's very central for sightseeing and near the vaporetto stop. I bought a vaporetto pass online before I went (cheaper) and had no difficulty walking with one rolling case and one rolling carry-on from the port to Piazzale Roma (20mins), picked up my pass, and got a vaporetto - they run frequently - then walked a few minutes to my hotel. You can then do it in reverse to Pzle Roma and catch a taxi or bus to the airport. This will be very, very much cheaper than a transfer - my pass was $50, but that was for a week and I used it a lot - it'd be cheaper for a shorter time.

 

Go to the ports forum for more info - that's where I found out about all this stuff. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

[sunshine nana]

We stayed pre cruise in early May at the Best Western Olimpia (an old Venice style hotel) at P. Roma. We took the regular bus (not water) from the airport to P. Roma (3E each) and walked a short way, 1/2 block to the hotel. From there to the port, you can take a car taxi (10E) or the shuttle bus (free) or walk as we had to because of some sort of road block. It was easy to walk or take water transportaion all over Venice from the P. Roma. Post cruise, we took a free shuttle from the ship to P.Roma, then the airport bus to the airport (3E each) and then the free shuttle to the Courtyard by Marriott near the airport. After checking in at the Marriott, we took the bus just across the street back to P. Roma for 5 E round trip or less and walked to San Marco again, then took the same bus back to the hotel. The next morning, the free hotel shuttles started at 6 am to the airport.This was the least money we have EVER spent getting to/from the ship from hotels!

[woodofpine]

Venice is a tricky land transit place, and expensive generally - as you desribe your needs - but at least the euro is down a fair amount. It pretty cheap going via land between the cruise port and the airport (but that's not your gig). I was there (again) end March and did an airport to hotel, hotel to ship deal (you're doing the reverse). I stayed at the Hotel Violino D'Oro on the canal Moise. Its a very nice three star that is a super value for canal side beauty on one of the prime shopping streets just a couple minutes walk from St. Mark's Square. Canal side room w/breakfast are around 140eu (directly across the canal from the Bauer at 2-3 times the cost).

 

For transfers, Princess is charging a major premium that can be avoided going online and reserving a la carte for a water taxi. For 2, a water taxi on the routes you need (port to hotel, hotel to airport) will run around 100eu; this might be split with others if you are lucky. The water taxis are great fun and typically beautiful if you can purge the wallet pinch from your mind. We paid around 120eu for a taxi from Canal Moise to the port taking the long scenic route up the Crand Canal rather than the shorter major canal going by La Gidecca (island) but this was surcharged due to it being 10 people on a longer route. For a couple, it ought to be around 100; ditto to the airport which can be had for as low as 85eu booked online in advance. But around 95-100 generally or $120-130

 

Doing your hotel to airport though, you can save a LOT by taking the Alilaguna water bus (13eu each) which stops at several stops around the city (your hotel will likely be near one). It increases the time from 30 min to about an hour but it is a huge savings. Venice requires some book work in advance, but it is a fantastic place! If I were you I'd probably do the water taxi to the hotel and the water bus to the airport.

 

http://www.alilaguna.it

 

Enjoy!

[alaskagirl2010]

In June, I disembarked in Venice. I was disappointed that Princess didn't tell us about the free shuttle bus right outside of the disembarcation area. We had a porter pick up our luggage and followed him right outside to the bus stop.

(We missed the sign up for the service Princess offers...fee involved!)

The shuttle takes you right to Piazza Roma where you can easily catch the Vaporetto. Just think of it as a bus on the water. Go to the ticket booth buy a ticket, put the ticket in the ticket reader at the "bus stop" so it gets stamped and you are good to go. Each bus stop has a sign listing the stops on the Grand Canal.

Find out which stop is next to your hotel. That's what I did and it worked so easy I was amazed. I was dismayed to see other folks from the cruise walking and dragging their luggage all the way to the P. Roma.

 

I traveled with another couple, they took a taxi from the area to their hotel which on the mainland.

So contact your hotel.

[ginbuck]

Just a caution. This shuttle bus from the disembarkation area to P. Roma is run by the port, not by Princess. It only runs when an Italian ship is in port--I think it is MSC ships--maybe Costa. We have been there when we happened on the shuttle because an Italian cruise ship was in port and the purser's desk knew nothing about it. Next time we were there the shuttle did not run.

[Ethel5]

We used the Alilaguna from the Airport to our hotel. Go here to find the routes and which stop would be closest. We paid only $12 for the ride and it was fun.

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice_airport_boat.htm

[jollyjones]

Just a caution. This shuttle bus from the disembarkation area to P. Roma is run by the port, not by Princess. It only runs when an Italian ship is in port--I think it is MSC ships--maybe Costa. We have been there when we happened on the shuttle because an Italian cruise ship was in port and the purser's desk knew nothing about it. Next time we were there the shuttle did not run.

 

And, when I was there, the lines were very, very long (several ships in port) - I looked at that and then decided to walk, which was fine, even tho' it was drizzling with rain.

[crewmom24]

I'm getting on the Ruby when you get off. I just reserved a private water taxi from the airport to the ship for 140 Euros for 8 people. The price for port to Venice for 1 to 4 people is 70 Euros and from Venice to airport is 90 Euros, a lot better than what Princess is charging you. I did this at Venicelink.com

[euleta2]

Our cruise on the Ruby ends in Venice on July 4. My TA priced our transfers at $191 from the port to our hotel and $269 from our hotel for the airport for 2 of us. Does anybody know of cheaper transportation or is this normal? Thanks!

 

John

 

Most certainly--take the water bus. And then take the water bus to Marco Polo.

 

Good luck

[2theship]

If you're only staying in Venice a night or two, you can leave some of your cruise luggage at a baggage storage place in Piazalle Roma. Last fall the price was 4 Euros per 24 hour period. That way you don't have to haul so much onto the vaporetto (it's wonderful but it's often crowded) or across the bridges between your vaporetto stop and your hotel.