Venice on Magic

[cala8]

Hello All

We are getting so excited about our upcoming Magic cruise to the Med.I have two questions.I checked out the port reviews but couldn't find what I was looking for,can some one tell me where we get off in Venice since we will be doing this on our own,We most likely will be going to St.Mark's Square,is there a shuttle from the port and how much is it? Also anyone just off Magic We have 8388 and 8386 booked on Verandah Deck,can Balcony divider be opened?Thank You all so much.

[cruisinskier]

Hello All

We are getting so excited about our upcoming Magic cruise to the Med.I have two questions.I checked out the port reviews but couldn't find what I was looking for,can some one tell me where we get off in Venice since we will be doing this on our own,We most likely will be going to St.Mark's Square,is there a shuttle from the port and how much is it? Also anyone just off Magic We have 8388 and 8386 booked on Verandah Deck,can Balcony divider be opened?Thank You all so much.

 

Hi and welcome to Cruise Critic. The Magic will dock at the Marittima Basin in Venice. Additional details are attached about the port: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-marittima.htm You can also search it on Google maps.

 

I suggest you walk from the port to the people mover (maybe a 5-10 minute walk...follow the lined path from the port) and then for 1 euro take the people mover to Piazzale Roma which is the main transportation hub. From here, purchase a Vaporetto pass (water bus) and take Route 1 down the Grand Canal exiting at S.Marco stop for St Marks Square, Doge's Palace, etc. A route map for the Vaporetto can be accessed here: http://www.actv.it/pdf/navigazione/Mappa_linee.pdf

 

I can't answer the question about the balcony divider other than to say they should be able to.....hopefully someone else can assist. Have a great cruise and the best tip I can give you is to plan and research as much as you can. Enjoy the Magic!

[cala8]

Thank You so much for your response.Does Carnival provide a free shuttle? I was reding about shuttles on the link you sent.Thanks Again

[okgirl]

Thank You so much for your response.Does Carnival provide a free shuttle? I was reding about shuttles on the link you sent.Thanks Again

 

When I was there several years ago Carnival did provide a shuttle from the ship to Piazzale Roma where you get on the water taxi's. There are no cars on the little islands that make up Venice, but the water taxi's are easy to use.

 

I wouldn't bother with any of the ship excursions to Murano or Burano. They are both easily accessable via water taxi and all of the glass factories are free to go into.

[Bridgeview]

Thank You so much for your response.Does Carnival provide a free shuttle? I was reding about shuttles on the link you sent.Thanks Again

 

We were on the Magic last week, Carnival doesn't provide a free shuttle so I would do as cruiseskier suggests and use the people mover & vaporetto.

[T. Advisor King]

Hi and welcome to Cruise Critic. The Magic will dock at the Marittima Basin in Venice. Additional details are attached about the port: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-marittima.htm You can also search it on Google maps.

 

I suggest you walk from the port to the people mover (maybe a 5-10 minute walk...follow the lined path from the port) and then for 1 euro take the people mover to Piazzale Roma which is the main transportation hub. From here, purchase a Vaporetto pass (water bus) and take Route 1 down the Grand Canal exiting at S.Marco stop for St Marks Square, Doge's Palace, etc. A route map for the Vaporetto can be accessed here: http://www.actv.it/pdf/navigazione/Mappa_linee.pdf

 

I can't answer the question about the balcony divider other than to say they should be able to.....hopefully someone else can assist. Have a great cruise and the best tip I can give you is to plan and research as much as you can. Enjoy the Magic!

 

I agree with this advice, but I'll provide two other alternatives. The Alilaguna water bus service is an express bus service that runs from the port directly to Piazza San Marco with only two stops (compared to the vaporetto, which makes a dozen, maybe more). If you're in a hurry, this will get you to San Marco in I think 22 minutes from the port. But it only runs every 30 minutes, whereas the Vaporetto runs more or less continuously. The Alilaguna is a different service and requires different tickets than the vaporettos, so it would be an additional cost (because you'll probably end up paying for a vaporetto pass anyway).

 

My second alternative is a slight tweak on the reply above. There are two vaporettos that run up and down the Grand Canal. Vaporetto #1 (recommended above) stops at every "bus stop" along the canal (about a dozen, maybe more). Vaporetto #2 runs the same route, but stops at only about half the stops.

 

If you want to take your time and actually spend some time enjoying the Grand Canal (which I recommend), then follow the original advice and take #1. If you want to see the Grand Canal but are anxious to get to San Marco, then take Vaporetto #2. But just check the "next boat" times on the electronic board at the vaporetto stop. There's no point waiting 12 minutes for a #2 if there is a #1 right there. The #2 wouldn't make up that much time.

 

And, if you're in a real hurry and want to skip the Grand Canal, take the Alilaguna directly from the port if it happens to be leaving right on your schedule.

[LRDR01]

We used the water taxis when we were in Venice on the Liberty. This was very inexpensive (as we had purchased a 24 hr pass) and, the locals were helpful in pointing out places of interest along the way. Best tour guides ever!!! One even recommended an amazing pizzeria for lunch, which we ate at and my mouth still waters thinking about it.

 

Make sure you are on your balcony or up on deck early for when you sail by St Marks Sq and the Grand Canal. It is a spectacular visual that you will not want to miss.

 

Enjoy Venice.

[ChefSusan]

I agree with this advice, but I'll provide two other alternatives. The Alilaguna water bus service is an express bus service that runs from the port directly to Piazza San Marco with only two stops (compared to the vaporetto, which makes a dozen, maybe more). If you're in a hurry, this will get you to San Marco in I think 22 minutes from the port. But it only runs every 30 minutes, whereas the Vaporetto runs more or less continuously. The Alilaguna is a different service and requires different tickets than the vaporettos, so it would be an additional cost (because you'll probably end up paying for a vaporetto pass anyway).

 

My second alternative is a slight tweak on the reply above. There are two vaporettos that run up and down the Grand Canal. Vaporetto #1 (recommended above) stops at every "bus stop" along the canal (about a dozen, maybe more). Vaporetto #2 runs the same route, but stops at only about half the stops.

 

If you want to take your time and actually spend some time enjoying the Grand Canal (which I recommend), then follow the original advice and take #1. If you want to see the Grand Canal but are anxious to get to San Marco, then take Vaporetto #2. But just check the "next boat" times on the electronic board at the vaporetto stop. There's no point waiting 12 minutes for a #2 if there is a #1 right there. The #2 wouldn't make up that much time.

 

And, if you're in a real hurry and want to skip the Grand Canal, take the Alilaguna directly from the port if it happens to be leaving right on your schedule.

If you are planning on using the Alilaguna to get from the port to St. Mark's Square, make sure to be one of the first people off the ship. If not, you will be waiting in a very long line for a boat.

 

Also, don't wait in the line that will form at the ticket booth for the "people mover" from the port to the Vaporettos - there's only one booth and it will take longer for you to get that ticket. Follow the crowd and walk over to the people mover - it's a 5-10 minute walk and there you can get either a one-way, round trip, or 24 hour ticket. Make sure to have coinage as there might not be anyone there to make change.

 

Enjoy Venice - she was our favorite stop on our Magic cruise!

[cala8]

Thank you all for your input.

[SF Cfan]

We used the water taxis when we were in Venice on the Liberty. This was very inexpensive (as we had purchased a 24 hr pass) and, the locals were helpful in pointing out places of interest along the way. Best tour guides ever!!! One even recommended an amazing pizzeria for lunch, which we ate at and my mouth still waters thinking about it.

 

Make sure you are on your balcony or up on deck early for when you sail by St Marks Sq and the Grand Canal. It is a spectacular visual that you will not want to miss.

 

Enjoy Venice.

 

Just to clarify, water taxis are not inexpensive, approx $80+ per trip. These are the beautiful classic wooden boats that are often featured in movies. The Vaporetto, water bus is a good value, although not exactly cheap. The 24 hr pass is a good deal for Magic cruises since it is good for 24 consecutive hours. I seem to recall that the 24hr pass was about $25 U.S.