Ending a Cruise in Venice with an Overnight

[lovestx]

I have tried searching to find the answer to these questions but most folks seem to start their cruise in Venice so I've been unsuccessful.

 

We are close to pulling the trigger on a Celebrity Silhouette cruise in June 2014 that ends in Venice. Travelling with hubby and two 'kids' (ages 20 and 17 1/2 at the time of the cruise). Would love help with these questions:

 

1. Itinerary says we get into Venice at 9 a.m. What time would you think we need to be awake if we want to watch the majority of the sail in? Unfortunately we are on the port side (our current reservation) so will need to go elsewhere on the ship to watch.

 

2. How would you plan your time in Venice? We are thinking of spending at least one additional night in Venice (thereby having two pretty full days in port). Would you go to St. Marks first thing that first day? There are only two ships in port that day.

 

3. Would you add one or two nights to the end of the cruise? Our time constraints are tight (kids have to get back to summer jobs) but we probably could swing an extra day if folks thought we would be missing out. DS20 will not want to do much art museum touring if that's helpful.

 

Thanks CC friends!

[maryann ns]

I have spent six days in Venice and haven't seen it all. Take as many nights as you can. People here will say to stay in Venice but we have stayed in Mestre, saving a lot of cash for more important things. The busses back and forth run into the wee smalls, so you do not miss out on evenings in Venice.

 

Last time we stayed here which is a school turned into a conference centre/hostel. The rooms are large and well equipped, the bus is one minute away and takes under ten to get into Venice: http://www.allelagune.it/location.htm

 

Part of the charm in Venice is just wandering the back streets and getting lost. Also get a vaporetto pass and get out to Murano and Burano.

[agabbymama]

We stayed 3 nights/2 full days in Venice following our cruise, leaving early the third morning. We had a 48 hour vaporetto pass purchased the first morning that was good for the full 2 days there. Clock starts at your first usage, not when you purchase the ticket.

 

The vaporetto office is right in Piazzale Roma (across the square from the People Mover) that you would take from the ship. You are going to want to drop your luggage at your hotel, BEFORE heading to San Marco Piazza. We opted to stay right in Piazzale Roma, there are two hotels right in the Piazzale, with a few more over just one bridge. It is more expensive than Mestre, but well worth it as far as we were concerned. This is a good website to explore for information.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/

 

 

We didn't do any museums either, but we did take the vaporetto out to Murano to see the blown glass factories. But it was stormy and rainy, and the vaporetto really strained to get back to San Marco, and the driver said no more trips out to Burano (so we missed the lacemaking).

 

Traveling in June, you shouldn't have the aqua alta (flooding) that happens in the Fall in Venice. But be sure to check where you will be berthed as Venice is limiting the ship traffic into the Grand Canal, so you might not see much at sail-in anyway.

 

We did a couple of walking tours that showed us the back streets of Venice. One was at night (ghost walking tour) with some of the local folklore. The other was an afternoon walking tour, with a gondola ride at dusk. Then we wandered around San Marco and back streets on our own,

and went to the top of the Bell Tower.

 

Enjoy your stay in Venice, whatever you decide to do.

[paul929207]

The sail in to Venice takes about 1 1/2 hours from when the ship enters the lagoon until it is tied up.

[waney]

since your ship calls at Venice, i'd stay in venice itself (no point travelling out of venice to mestre)

 

as you have young kids, i'd recommend staying near st marks sq as that is one of two hubs. (st marks sq/rialato bridge and the rail station/roma plaza)

 

What you'd do is get off the ship and get a vap boat near the people mover or take people mover and catch vap from near the rail station to st marks square, buy a pass (which wont be cheap) for the length of your stay.

 

that way you avoid having to trek down the many narrow (but safe) alleys when it is dark

 

almost all places require entry fees including the major ones, around €5 for adults

 

i did venice with a one night stay, but did not visit any other islands (no time) and i didnt have kids with me

 

st marks gets packed , so either early or late is best. fit it in first thing or the first time it is sunny. then get out and about and enjoy getting 'lost'

 

good luck

Edited December 6, 2013 by waney

[Keith1010]

I would be out there around 7:00 AM for the sail in.

 

I would spend a couple of extra days in Venice at the end of the cruise as there is a lot to see and with the pressure of packing, etc to be ready to get off the ship the next day I think you will have to balance what you do in terms of the overnight.

 

Celebrity will be very nice to sail with.

 

Keith

[lovestx]

Thanks to you all for very helpful information.

 

Keith, helpful to know when to be out there for Sail In. I expect it to be one of the highlights of the trip so don't want to miss it.

 

Maryann, I understand the benefits of staying in Mestre and can see how that would work. And I haven't ruled it out. However, when travelling with older kids who can actually explore on their own a bit and like the independence, staying in Venice may win out. I had been thinking of staying closer to the ship given the hassle of the suitcases, but the San Marco area is intriguing, waney. Don't you think the Vaporetto at Piazzale Roma will be packed after our ship disembarks?

 

Agabbymama, thanks for the touring tips. I'm thinking we'll do San Mark's first thing on our first day. But the dusk walking tour and gondola ride sound great. Do you remember the name of the tour company you used? I know that the gondola rides are highway robbery but think it's a must with our kids in tow. May even wrap it up for a Christmas present this month!

[mapleleaves]

I highly recommend verifying your arrival time with the crew the night before. Our ship arrived an hour EARLY so I missed most of the arrival. You need to be up 1 1/2 hrs prior to arrival Thankfully it was a RT sailing so I was able to enjoy the departure from Venice but it was still disappointing to miss the arrival ... the morning was so peaceful and serene compared to our 6pm departure when the canal was crazy full of traffic.

This web site has lots of helpful info on Venice .... hotels, gondolas, tours,sights, etc. They partner with VIATOR which is a tour company.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/

[TMLAalum]

With your older "kids", I'd suggest staying in the Santa Croce area, which includes Piazzale Roma-one stop from port on the "people mover". You can easily walk to most of the hotels in that area- just be sure that each of you can manage your own luggage as there may be bridges to cross and it's a walk from the pier to where you catch the "pm". The vaporetto will get you from this area to St. Mark's. You will spend less $$ by NOT staying near St. Mark's. I also suggest wending your way around Venice on foot to enjoy the charm of the city that's not visible from the vaporetto routes.

[maryann ns]

You can sometimes negotiate with the gondoliers if they do not have enough business. If you find some in an area away from the Rialto bridge and go a bit before sunset you will get the day price, but the benefit of the dusk. Be sure to ask to spend more time in the back canals.

[sunshine nana]

WE ended a cruise in Venice and took the bus from Plaza Roma to the Marriott near the airport to be close to leave early the next am. It was also much cheaper than the hotel we stayed in at Plaza Roma pre-cruise. After checking into the Marriott, we took the bus in front of the hotel into Plaza Roma and walked to St. Mark's square and everywhere else. The bus runs every hour and is very inexpensive.The hotel had a free shuttle to the airport. Just be sure to reserve the shuttle when you check in.

[CathyCruises]

I'm one of those people who firmly believes you should stay in Venice. If you were going to Manhattan, you probably wouldn't stay in Hoboken.

 

In your situation, I wouldn't stay near St. Mark's-very touristy and higher than normal pricing. You'll want to see St. Mark's Square and maybe visit the Doge's Palace, but for a hotel I'd recommend something like BW Olimpia or one of the hotels closer to Piazzale Roma. Do plan to buy the vaporetto pass for a little less than the length of your stay. Venice is totally walkable but you may want to go to Murano, Burano, Lido, etc. And we just take the #1 or #2 up and down the Grand Canal for sightseeing.

 

You should plan to get out to some of the less touristy areas, like Canareggio, the Jewish Ghetto, etc. And the Peggy Guggenheim "Collection" is sort of like a museum, but in her home on the water's edge, and has lots of great art that's not the all-pervasive 15th century "Madonna with Child" sort, so your DS may actually like it.

[lovestx]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the helpful responses. Think we'll stay in Venice...probably CAnareggio or Santa Croce areas and just walk and ride vaporettos to get around.

 

The website europeforvisitors/venice is awesome! Very helpful suggestions that I will continue to read. Love all the planning!

 

Sunshine Nana, where did you stay pre-cruise?

 

I also read on the website that we could store our large bags at the train station and just take our carryons to our hotel. That might work too.

[waney]

hello

 

you seem to have underestimated that Venice is fully of cobbles and narrow streets and many bridges to cross.

 

that is why i suggested taking the vap (doesnt matter if its full, as it will be at the time your arriving) straight away to get to the location of your stay

 

as you want to stay near plaza roma, i reccomend http://www.otel.com/hotels/hotel_carlton_grand_canal_venice.htm

 

I stayed there before, it is only one bridge crossing away from plaza roma, and 5 minutes from there too. very easy to get too. and there is a vap stop just opp the canal near the rail station.

 

 

the down side to being here and not at st marks sq, is you'd be away from the late night hub (20-25 min walk) , but it will be cheaper

 

but the Canareggio district is close to this hotel so a good place to eat in the evenings, a casino is hidden there too.

 

enjoy

[chipmaster]

Arrival times can change by hours depending on many things, but my recollection from a few years ago figure about two hours will get you great viewing. As another poster said, double check the details while on the ship. Local port traffic and weather could materially alter the schedule.

 

We did a sailaway and was supposed to be an mid AM sailaway, they had to change it and we sailed at 4am... :mad:

[agabbymama]

Thanks to you all for very helpful information.

 

 

Agabbymama, thanks for the touring tips. I'm thinking we'll do San Mark's first thing on our first day. But the dusk walking tour and gondola ride sound great. Do you remember the name of the tour company you used? I know that the gondola rides are highway robbery but think it's a must with our kids in tow. May even wrap it up for a Christmas present this month!

 

No I don't remember the name of the vendor, but I booked the tours through viator dot com, all paid for ahead of time in US $$$. Have a great trip!

[mapleleaves]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the helpful responses. Think we'll stay in Venice...probably CAnareggio or Santa Croce areas and just walk and ride vaporettos to get around.

 

The website europeforvisitors/venice is awesome! Very helpful suggestions that I will continue to read. Love all the planning!

 

Sunshine Nana, where did you stay pre-cruise?

 

I also read on the website that we could store our large bags at the train station and just take our carryons to our hotel. That might work too.

 

If you look at the HOTEL section on europeforvisitors.com, they break down the hotels by area and by number of bridges to cross. If you have too much luggage to manage there is left luggage facility at Piazzale Roma. Maybe 5E per bag. Details are in the europeforvisitors site. PRoma is where you will catch a cab or airport express bus to the airport so very convenient.

[sunshine nana]

We stayed in BW Olimpia pre-cruise which DH really liked. I liked it ok. As to why we would stay at the Marriott instead of Venice proper comparing the Marriott hotel to Hoboken, NJ, we got a chuckle from that comment from someone who we think probably visited Copenhagen, Stockholm, Athens, Venice, St.Petersburg, Tallin, Berlin, Florence, Naples, London, Dublin, Boston, Aruba, Malta.... and did not stay in the city proper, but stayed out in the OCEAN!!! We just returned from a trip to DC by train and we stayed in Alexandria, Va for about 1/2 the price of DC. The train trips into DC were just part of the fun!!!