Rare Noxequifans Posted September 4, 2013 #1 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Just saw this report on Venice moving closer to banning cruise ships. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5507 We have Venice as our last stop next year and will continue to follow up on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted September 4, 2013 #2 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Just saw this report on Venice moving closer to banning cruise ships. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5507 We have Venice as our last stop next year and will continue to follow up on this. What a shame since Venice has one of the most beautiful sail in and out. We feel lucky to have done it on three trips. Hope you'll be able to do it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 4, 2013 #3 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Just saw this report on Venice moving closer to banning cruise ships. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5507 We have Venice as our last stop next year and will continue to follow up on this. I think that would be great. If fewer cruises started or ended in Venice I think it would be good for Venice. I might even be tempted to visit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted September 4, 2013 #4 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Bearing in mind the financial problems in italy I feel it would not do their income any favours to ban cruise ships. Generally they are all parked out of the way and do not spoil the beauty of the place. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted September 4, 2013 #5 Share Posted September 4, 2013 The problem they are trying to fix is not the view but the wake from the ship hurting the buildings. I think Venice should ban the ships ASAP, its not all about money!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 4, 2013 #6 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I agree. It's about the number of people as well--I've not been to Venice since 1971, of all things, and now I feel I don't want to go back because it's completely changed being overrun with tourists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbowroom Posted September 4, 2013 #7 Share Posted September 4, 2013 The ban – if the news item is trustworthy – talks about banning ships using the Giudecca canal, which is the stretch of water between Giudecca and the main island. The environmental reason has to do with its shallowness. Cruise ships go extremely slowly on this stretch in order not to cause too much damage to the canal bed. At least when I was there, the idea was to keep large cruisers out of this canal and have them dock elsewhere, that is in a nearby facility. Obviously they don't want to drive tourists away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted September 4, 2013 #8 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I agree. It's about the number of people as well--I've not been to Venice since 1971, of all things, and now I feel I don't want to go back because it's completely changed being overrun with tourists. If you have not been there for 42 years how can you make such a sweeping statement. Venice is uncrowded for 4-5 months of the year......November to March. There is an ethereal quality in February in the early mornings with mist overhanging the canals and the vaporettas still going about their business. Easy entry into the main tourist sites. Surely your reason applies to any sought after attraction anywhere in the World. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrheadlass Posted September 4, 2013 #9 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I was in Venice in March and it was NOT overrun with tourists. I saw a large cruise ship (forget which) go by, and was told that the cruise ship travel (and wakes) was doing a lot of damage to all the old buildings. As a cruiser I hate to say it, but I do feel some ports are ruined by cruise ships and the large amount of passengers that crowd the streets...Bar Harbor, Maine, comes to mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted September 4, 2013 #10 Share Posted September 4, 2013 It's not just small places that get overrun ... big ones do too. Our last time in Barcelona there were 5-6 ships in port, everyone on board was going to all of the sites. I assume some of those were huge, others were like our Regatta (which we were about to board). It made a big difference in terms of where to visit, and our previous trips had just not been so over-run. From what I read, this seems to be a reasonable approach for Venice to take. The big ships are banned or diverted. It doesn't appear that Marina's 66 tons would be. But the proposal regarding the Doge's Palace would affect ships like Marina ... The "R" ships are around 33 tons and so they probably would not be. (Assuming I'm remembering the article correctly, which I read a few hours ago.) As some one who is more concerned about preservation of historical sites, I don't have a problem with this proposal. Mura Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted September 4, 2013 #11 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Mura darling, this is a 66 ton ship Marina & Riviera are 66 THOUSAND Tons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted September 5, 2013 #12 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Ooops!! Even so ... as someone who hasn't visited Venice since 1970 on a land trip, I have no problem with this ban! We did sail in on NCL's GEM in 2010 ... which carries 2300 passengers so you would say it also is too large! (I thought it was ...) The views were fabulous at sunrise. But I am more of an environmentalist than my husband is so if Venice feels the need to ban large ships (as opposed to large yachts!) ... that's okay with me. Even if I would be inconvenienced. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Norton Posted September 5, 2013 #13 Share Posted September 5, 2013 This isn't a bad fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted September 5, 2013 #14 Share Posted September 5, 2013 The R ships use that selfsame berth, so what is your point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted September 5, 2013 #15 Share Posted September 5, 2013 There is a reason Venice is overrun with tourists during certain months. It's because it is the most unique city in the world and everyone wants to visit it and its treasures. If one doesn't like other tourists I suggest a visit to Peoria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted September 5, 2013 #16 Share Posted September 5, 2013 There is a reason Venice is overrun with tourists during certain months. It's because it is the most unique city in the world and everyone wants to visit it and its treasures. If one doesn't like other tourists I suggest a visit to Peoria. There ya go. Now I won't be able to visit Peoria because you've ruined it. They'll be overrun with tourists. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted September 5, 2013 #17 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted September 5, 2013 #18 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Leave it to J&S to provide visuals :D Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanbill457 Posted September 5, 2013 #19 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Are we talking about Peoria, IL or Peoria, AZ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Norton Posted September 5, 2013 #20 Share Posted September 5, 2013 The R ships use that selfsame berth, so what is your point? :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted September 5, 2013 #21 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Are we talking about Peoria, IL or Peoria, AZ? Does it make any difference in this context? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warburg Posted September 6, 2013 #22 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Thank you again for your great visuals. Will you two be on Riviera's 2014 TA, Barcelona/Miami? We would love to meet you. We have been traveling for many years, and we have never met anyone from Peoria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted September 9, 2013 #23 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I agree. It's about the number of people as well--I've not been to Venice since 1971, of all things, and now I feel I don't want to go back because it's completely changed being overrun with tourists. Having visited Venice 6x over a 40 year period (most recently 4 years ago), and it has definitely changed in terms of tourism and not for the better. It is completely overrun much of the year with both tourists and daytrippers and IMO and IME, feels more like Disney now. It is one of my least favorite destinations in Italy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvmovielover Posted September 9, 2013 #24 Share Posted September 9, 2013 That would not stop me from going again but I do wonder if there is ever a time to visit the Sistine Chapel without wall to wall people (and we were there in November!). More Seriously, We arrived and left by ship from Venice only a few years ago and as said, it is one of the great sail-ins anywhere. I would love to go back to Venice though if I ever do it would be by land to see more of the art, etc. Since you can ride on smaller boats to get the view, maybe that should be the alternative if it would help preserve the water's edge buildings that are always at risk. Is it feasible to tender in from way out? Italy has so much great art, food, etc that tourists are unlikely to stop coming so off season is the best alternative. Peoria visuals-Hee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terry&mike Posted September 9, 2013 #25 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I think the Venice you are seeking is still there, you just need to get away from the central tourist zone to find it. We visited Venice in May, 2012, on a land trip, and rented an apartment in a residential neighborhood, Campo Ruga. We took a taxi boat from the airport directly to the area behind our building, which was located on an old charming, quiet square - when we gave the taxi boat driver our address, and asked if he knew where it was, he said, "of course I do, I live just there". There was a small restaurant, and a grocer for the basics on the square, and just over a bridge that joined us to Via Garibaldi, was a great wine wholesaler who filled up the bottles we brought in with selections of our choosing, and a boat selling produce to the locals; a bit further along were some merchants with specialty offerings. Each morning we woke up to neighbors sweeping the stones in front of their homes, greeting each other, laundry being hung out on lines. There were no gondolas here, just small boats that locals used to get around, and a lovely public park with people strolling their dogs or playing with their children. If we crossed the bridge and went right we ended up at a very quiet end of the wide promenade that lead into the tourist zone, about a 15-20 minute walk away; it was interesting to start on this wide promenade with only a handful of people about, and continue into the masses in the distance. If we crossed the bridge and turned left, we went over another bridge to a lovely little island neighborhood. It was a good base to be able to visit the landmarks of Venice, but have a quiet retreat in a local neighborhood that felt more like the heart of Venice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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