Overnight in Venice - dinner on ship or in Venice?

[graceinmelbourne]

We will be in Venice overnight on Brilliance of the Seas. For those who have been on a cruise and stayed overnight in Venice did you go back to the ship for dinner or stay on in Venice and have dinner there? We were thinking of going back to the ship for dinner (early) and then going back into Venice after dinner to see some of Venice by night. The reason we prefer to do this is our daughter has a food allergy and it may be a hassle finding somewhere in Venice to eat for dinner that can accommodate her food allergy (celiac). If we have a 24 hour shuttle pass or vaporetto pass would this be feasible to do? What is the latest they allow you back onto the ship at night?

[carlmm]

We were thinking of going back to the ship for dinner (early) and then going back into Venice after dinner to see some of Venice by night. The reason we prefer to do this is our daughter has a food allergy and it may be a hassle finding somewhere in Venice to eat for dinner that can accommodate her food allergy (celiac). If we have a 24 hour shuttle pass or vaporetto pass would this be feasible to do?

 

The allegy of your daughter is the one resaon why it might be a good idea to have dinner on board. Yet if you are experienced in deciding yourself what she can eat you will certainly find many choicec in Venice, too.

You might weight the "hassle finding somewhere .. to eat" against the "hassle going to and from the boat". You loose a lot of time and miss the enjoyment of dinner in the historic authentic environment.

Another point to consider might be the dinner time. If you want to dine early as on the ship (6 pm ?) you will find only very mass touristy place offering dinner that early in Venice while both better as well as more authentic (ie. frequented by locals, too) restaurants serve dinner later.

 

 

What is the latest they allow you back onto the ship at night?

 

Without any particular knowledge about your ship: Normally there is no curfew. You can come and go as you please.

You just might have to walk more or spend more on water taxis late in the night because the public transportation is limited.

[financialgrl]

Not on Brilliance but recently off Ruby also w/overnight. Princess provided continuous unlimited water shuttle service to/from pier to St Marks' Square - they added $15 per ticket to onboard account. Seems to me it had a last run time on the back but also bet it won't be the ship having a problem when you return but how you'll get back.

 

Venice/dinner - we walked around for hours and it was pretty warm. Around 5pm we were ready to cool down and hit some air conditioning We went back to ship, ate buffet, took a small break and headed back out to Venice again afterwards. Nice stress free option - without the hassle to shower/dress for dining room and it allowed dinner on our own schedule while provided a much needed break. You'll probably find that much of what you intend to do and what you actually do while gone changes based on your circumstances at any given time. But you'll have a blast no matter what!:)

[Adsmama]

We were in Venice a few days and really only found a couple restaurants that were AMAZING and less then 30 euro for two people and those were pizza places! I would stay on the ship personally and go get some gelato or something afterwards. Take a night tour, I heard those are cool and the money you saved from dinner will pay for it :)

[alexandra cruiser]

check out a few places before when touring,,,,then if a problem finding a place, go back to ship...can even have concierge give you the list in Italian,or google it and hit translate,to be on safe side....sure your daughter would love a scenic cafe in Venice,rather than ship...lots of options,all good,you ARE in Venice,regardless.right????;)

[tomko2]

We were on the Brilliance last August (photos in the link below). From the moment the ship docked we were off and had a wonderful afternoon in Venice, by early evening we were ready for a break so we came back to the ship for dinner and stayed onboard. Early the next morning we were off again and maximized our time on-shore until the ship departed.

Our review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=57957

Here is our review for our first Med. cruise on the Legend from Rome in 2007; some of the same ports:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=33168

 

Both cruises were incredible. We did alot of reading prior to the cruises so we could see what would interest us the most. Reading reviews posted by others helped us a lot.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy

[Bobal]

Of all the cities we've visited in Europe, Venice is the one where we had most problem finding a really nice restaurant which wasn't a tourist trap and which didn't rip you off. They have a saying that there are 3 prices in Venice - one for the locals, one for those who speak Italian and one for the tourists :rolleyes:

 

Unless you can find a really good recommendation I would spend the day exploring the city, go back to the ship to freshen up and eat and then explore again by night.

[dileep]

The farewell dinner was on the night we cruised into Venice. So we had dinner on board. We found a great place for dinner the next day, thanks to our hotel concierge

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=12458302&postcount=9

 

The all day vaporetto pass worked well too!

[graceinmelbourne]

The allegy of your daughter is the one resaon why it might be a good idea to have dinner on board. Yet if you are experienced in deciding yourself what she can eat you will certainly find many choicec in Venice, too.

You might weight the "hassle finding somewhere .. to eat" against the "hassle going to and from the boat". You loose a lot of time and miss the enjoyment of dinner in the historic authentic environment.

Another point to consider might be the dinner time. If you want to dine early as on the ship (6 pm ?) you will find only very mass touristy place offering dinner that early in Venice while both better as well as more authentic (ie. frequented by locals, too) restaurants serve dinner later.

 

 

 

 

Without any particular knowledge about your ship: Normally there is no curfew. You can come and go as you please.

You just might have to walk more or spend more on water taxis late in the night because the public transportation is limited.

 

 

I agree with what you said - we will need to weigh up both options and decide which one will be the least hassle.

[graceinmelbourne]

Not on Brilliance but recently off Ruby also w/overnight. Princess provided continuous unlimited water shuttle service to/from pier to St Marks' Square - they added $15 per ticket to onboard account. Seems to me it had a last run time on the back but also bet it won't be the ship having a problem when you return but how you'll get back.

 

Venice/dinner - we walked around for hours and it was pretty warm. Around 5pm we were ready to cool down and hit some air conditioning We went back to ship, ate buffet, took a small break and headed back out to Venice again afterwards. Nice stress free option - without the hassle to shower/dress for dining room and it allowed dinner on our own schedule while provided a much needed break. You'll probably find that much of what you intend to do and what you actually do while gone changes based on your circumstances at any given time. But you'll have a blast no matter what!:)

 

This could be a good option for us though I don't think Brilliance has the continuous water shuttle to St. Marks square. Will have to look into that one. I quite like the idea of going back to the ship for dinner and then back to Venice for a gelato or two or three.

[graceinmelbourne]

We were in Venice a few days and really only found a couple restaurants that were AMAZING and less then 30 euro for two people and those were pizza places! I would stay on the ship personally and go get some gelato or something afterwards. Take a night tour, I heard those are cool and the money you saved from dinner will pay for it :)

 

I know that Venice is a bit more difficult to find decent restaurants that are reasonably priced and not a tourist rip off. Best to go down one of the side streets and find a local place. Night tour sounds great too.

[olwagner]

Of all the cities we've visited in Europe, Venice is the one where we had most problem finding a really nice restaurant which wasn't a tourist trap and which didn't rip you off. They have a saying that there are 3 prices in Venice - one for the locals, one for those who speak Italian and one for the tourists :rolleyes:

 

It would be funny if it wasn't true

 

I have not seen the actual "Tourist Menu" but saw "Tourist Special Promotions" (on blackboards at the restaurant entrance) with prices which didn't seem too much of a promotion to me:rolleyes:

[graceinmelbourne]

We were on the Brilliance last August (photos in the link below). From the moment the ship docked we were off and had a wonderful afternoon in Venice, by early evening we were ready for a break so we came back to the ship for dinner and stayed onboard. Early the next morning we were off again and maximized our time on-shore until the ship departed.

Our review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=57957

Here is our review for our first Med. cruise on the Legend from Rome in 2007; some of the same ports:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=33168

 

Both cruises were incredible. We did alot of reading prior to the cruises so we could see what would interest us the most. Reading reviews posted by others helped us a lot.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy

 

 

Thank you. I really enjoyed reading your reviews.:)

[lisiamc]

As much as I love Italy and Italian food, I agree that getting a good, non-touristy meal at a reasonable price in Venice is nearly impossible.

 

An alternative might be to try a cicchetti bar. Cicchetti are lots of little snackies eaten with a glass of wine from about 6 pm in various bars - the Venetian equivalent of tapas. It should be easy to tell if they contain gluten since they are usually morsels of meat, seafood, vegetables or small portions of other dishes. You don't mention your daughter's age, but the bar will have fruit juice or soft drinks if she is too young for/doesn't like wine.

 

As this is an early evening activity, you can go back to the ship later for dinner if you wish.

 

Lisa

[euro cruiser]

 

This is a great resource for finding restaurants, snack places, bars, etc. in Venice, written by two American foodies.

[graceinmelbourne]

As much as I love Italy and Italian food, I agree that getting a good, non-touristy meal at a reasonable price in Venice is nearly impossible.

 

An alternative might be to try a cicchetti bar. Cicchetti are lots of little snackies eaten with a glass of wine from about 6 pm in various bars - the Venetian equivalent of tapas. It should be easy to tell if they contain gluten since they are usually morsels of meat, seafood, vegetables or small portions of other dishes. You don't mention your daughter's age, but the bar will have fruit juice or soft drinks if she is too young for/doesn't like wine.

 

As this is an early evening activity, you can go back to the ship later for dinner if you wish.

 

Lisa

 

Thank you. I have heard about Cicchetti. That could be a good alternative and it would be easy to tell if they are gluten free just by looking. Definately something to consider.

[slidergirl]

I traveled for 3 weeks this spring with a friend who has celiac issues. She had no problems finding items to eat everywhere we went, from Barcelona to Pisa, Florence, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Moltepulciano, Paris. Italy was especially celiac-aware. They have a good national organization for celiac awareness.

Try this website: http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2166/mainpageS2166P12sublevel50Flevel91.html

 

It might ease your mind a little bit.

 

Oh, there is a website for one of the gelaterias in Florence, Grom. It talks about the AIC in Italy and that it takes care to not cross-contaminate gelatos that are gluten-free.

http://www.grom.it/eng/celiachia.php

 

 

And, avoid any restaurant that has a "tourist menu" posted outside!!! Wander around Venice - it's the most fun you can have. It's small, so you really can't get lost!

[graceinmelbourne]

I traveled for 3 weeks this spring with a friend who has celiac issues. She had no problems finding items to eat everywhere we went, from Barcelona to Pisa, Florence, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Moltepulciano, Paris. Italy was especially celiac-aware. They have a good national organization for celiac awareness.

Try this website: http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2166/mainpageS2166P12sublevel50Flevel91.html

 

It might ease your mind a little bit.

 

Oh, there is a website for one of the gelaterias in Florence, Grom. It talks about the AIC in Italy and that it takes care to not cross-contaminate gelatos that are gluten-free.

http://www.grom.it/eng/celiachia.php

 

 

And, avoid any restaurant that has a "tourist menu" posted outside!!! Wander around Venice - it's the most fun you can have. It's small, so you really can't get lost!

 

That's great to hear that your friend was easily able to find gluten free food. I knew that Italy was very good as I work for the celiac society here and we get their celiac magazines and they have a great range of foods. I have heard of Grom also in Florence. We will be going there for sure. I know what you mean about the tourist menu's. I remember having a tourist menu in Paris many years ago. The dessert was fresh fruit and we ended up with an unpeeled banana on a plate.:eek:

[slidergirl]

What was interesting for me was that I enjoyed eating gluten-free with my friend. We had a great time with the cheeses, meats, fresh produce, and, yes, the wine and gelato! Remember - pasta is but one course offered on an Italian menu, so it is easy to ignore it. I did yield to the bread, though - I couldn't resist it. But, I never had pizza and I didn't have any pasta. We shared a seafood risotto in Vernazza that was excellent - it tasted like the sea (in a good way). I honestly believe that your daughter will have a fantastic time exploring food choices in Europe! It will also be educational to see that it is possible to travel and eat gluten-free. Enjoy your trip!

[Keith1010]

I would have lunch in Venice and then dine back on the ship. After dinner, then go back into Venice.

 

Keith