Has anyone cruised in Venice during the Redentore Festival?

[gonecroozin]

I have booked the Celebrity Cruise next July 2015 which is in Venice during the Redentore Festival.

Has anyone been in Venice during this Festival?

 

I am wondering about the logistics about getting on and off the ship.

Will it be too busy for Celebrity to run their usual shuttle boat with all the small boats on the Canal?

 

I am guessing that it will be even busier than usual, and how will this affect embarkation?

 

Thank you for any information you may have.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have been there twice for the Redentore and it is a great time to be in Venice. Very festive. You'll enjoy it. The shuttle that the cruise ship runs to St. Mark's will not be impacted by the extra boats. The shuttle travels down the wide St. Mark's Basin, which is able to accommodate many boats.

[gonecroozin]

I have been there twice for the Redentore and it is a great time to be in Venice. Very festive. You'll enjoy it. The shuttle that the cruise ship runs to St. Mark's will not be impacted by the extra boats. The shuttle travels down the wide St. Mark's Basin, which is able to accommodate many boats.

 

 

Thank you rebeccalouiseagain, I am really looking forward to it.

It's great to hear that the shuttles will run as usual, that was my main concern really.

Only a year to wait!!

[Hlitner]

It will be a zoo, but a wonderful zoo and a great time to be in Venice. We have a story about this festival. In 1998 the then brand new Grand Princess was scheduled to be in Venice (overnight) during the festival. The Italian Captain of the ship just happened to have a brother who was very good friends with the Mayor of Venice. So they were able to arrange a rare docking position right on the Giudecca Canal about 200 yards from St Marks Square. They built a temporary stage over the aft pool and had a Venice Symphony Orchestra come aboard to do an evening concert during the festivities. So we had this gorgeous evening, wonderful music, hundreds of colorful boats in the Canal, and a front row seat for the fireworks. Unfortunately, our ship blocked the view for many Venetians and did create some controversy. To our knowledge no other large cruise ship has ever been allowed to tie-up in that canal during the festival.

 

Hank

[gonecroozin]

Wow, that must have been a fabulous and unforgettable experience.I would have loved to been aboard that night!

Love the description "It will be a zoo, but a wonderful zoo".

 

We dont embark on the cruise until Sunday 19th, July but DH and I are flying into Venice the day before so we can see the fireworks on the Saturday night .

 

Luckily we have stayed in Venice before, so we wont have a desperate need to pressure ourselves into too much sightseeing and get beaten by the crowds.

 

Thank you Hlitner for your wonderful reply.