Venice People Mover

[The Odd Couple]

We know Venice reasonably well but have not been since the People Mover was installed. When we dock in Venice in September, there are at least 5 other ships in port. We're happy to walk and that's half the fun of discovering Venice's lesser canals. But what is your experience of the People Mover from port to P. Roma for sightseeing when there could well be thousands of other cruise passengers doing the same? Thanks for any advice.

[Hlitner]

We know Venice reasonably well but have not been since the People Mover was installed. When we dock in Venice in September, there are at least 5 other ships in port. We're happy to walk and that's half the fun of discovering Venice's lesser canals. But what is your experience of the People Mover from port to P. Roma for sightseeing when there could well be thousands of other cruise passengers doing the same? Thanks for any advice.

 

We have never had a problem getting onto the People Mover. It is a train, with multiple cars, where most folks will stand (there are a limited number of seats) for the very short ride (less then 5 min). Just keep in mind that the tickets are dispensed by vending machines that require Euros.

 

The fact that cruise ship passengers usually have to walk from their ship to the People Mover keeps many away.....since an awful lot of cruise ship passengers cannot even walk down one flight of stairs without the assistance of an elevator :). And before somebody flames us, this last comment is about the healthy passengers.

 

Hank

Edited July 31, 2015 by Hlitner

[The Odd Couple]

Thanks very much for your advice. Having just come back from Portugal, we have lots of small change for the ticket machine!

[sammiedawg]

We were there in October and the machines were finicky about taking coins, credit card works best.

[jtl513]

We were there with 3 ships besides our own (Nieuw A) and saw no P.M. lines at all ... but we were not using it within the first couple of hours after a ship arrival nor the last couple before a ship departure.

[syesmar]

We were there in October and the machines were finicky about taking coins, credit card works best.

 

Did you use Chip & PIN? I had Chip & Signature and it didn't work for me, so I used cash. Could've been a glitch, just curious, thanks!

[KirkNC]

We have never had a problem getting onto the People Mover. It is a train, with multiple cars, where most folks will stand (there are a limited number of seats) for the very short ride (less then 5 min). Just keep in mind that the tickets are dispensed by vending machines that require Euros.

 

The fact that cruise ship passengers usually have to walk from their ship to the People Mover keeps many away.....since an awful lot of cruise ship passengers cannot even walk down one flight of stairs without the assistance of an elevator :). And before somebody flames us, this last comment is about the healthy passengers.

 

Hank

 

It is bit of a walk from the ship depending on your berth. Not a problem going into town but a bit more of one going to the ship with luggage.

[sammiedawg]

Did you use Chip & PIN? I had Chip & Signature and it didn't work for me, so I used cash. Could've been a glitch, just curious, thanks!

 

We either used Amex or a Visa chip card, cannot remember.

I was disappointed the machine wouldn't take my coins.

[Hlitner]

It gets tricky with USA credit cards. Chip/Signature may (or may not) work in machines where the total of your transaction is below a certain (unknown) limit. For example, a 5€ parking charge might work without a PIN. Last year when we bought a regional train ticket in Scotland (outside of Edinborough) it worked without a PIN (the cost of the tickets was less then 15€. But if your total is above the secret threshold it will ask for a PIN and if you do not have a PIN the transaction will be rejected.

 

As to the People Mover ticket machines, we have bought tickets with coins (Euros) and also Euro bills. Have never tried a credit card and not even sure they accept credit cards. The cost of a ticket is just a little over 1€ so most have exact change.

 

Hank

Edited August 1, 2015 by Hlitner

[Cruisepucks]

We did a cruise in and out of Venice this past May and used the People Mover both from P Roma as well as from the port to P Roma. The self serve ticket machine at P Roma work very well going to the cruise port with little to no line ups. We found going from cruise port to P Roma that there was a very long line up at the automated ticket machine- probably 1 hr or more to get a ticket.

.

A better way to obtain tickets to go from the port to P Roma is to purchase tickets at the tourist kiosks where souvenirs are sold just at the end of the pier at the little kiosks close to the ticket office for the waterbus. If you look carefully there is a sign indicating that people mover tickets are for sale at these kiosks. Once you have your tickets, bypass the long lines at the people mover and head directly to the turnstile where you scan your ticket to gain access to the escalator and the train. You will save a lot of time doing it this way.

Have a great time.

[The Odd Couple]

We did a cruise in and out of Venice this past May and used the People Mover both from P Roma as well as from the port to P Roma. The self serve ticket machine at P Roma work very well going to the cruise port with little to no line ups. We found going from cruise port to P Roma that there was a very long line up at the automated ticket machine- probably 1 hr or more to get a ticket.

.

A better way to obtain tickets to go from the port to P Roma is to purchase tickets at the tourist kiosks where souvenirs are sold just at the end of the pier at the little kiosks close to the ticket office for the waterbus. If you look carefully there is a sign indicating that people mover tickets are for sale at these kiosks. Once you have your tickets, bypass the long lines at the people mover and head directly to the turnstile where you scan your ticket to gain access to the escalator and the train. You will save a lot of time doing it this way.

Have a great time.

 

Thanks for that great tip! We'll certainly give it a go as we don't want to be wasting time queuing for tickets. We do have Chip and Pin credit cards as the card companies don't issue anything else here in the UK now and we have been able to use them all over Europe. I'm looking forward to Venice particularly on our next cruise as we haven't been for some years, so thanks for the good wishes.

[syesmar]

See Posts 5 and onward of this Thread from last year about a bus that stops on the bridge just beyond the People Mover:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44721290. Lots of passengers were walking this bridge when I was there last (on a port day, but not a lot with luggage).

 

I'm not recommending it, since I have not done this, but just wanted to point out another option based on first-hand reports. (There weren't long lines for People Mover tickets when we were there, but we bought all our PM tickets for the days we were there at the same time). I believe the PM trains run every 9 minutes and it is a very quick ride to P Roma.

 

Happy Travels!!

[The Odd Couple]

Thanks to everyone for their comments and good advice. We don't dock until noon. so it will be interesting to see what activity there is for the People Mover at that time. There's never a low season for Venice, so we're expecting to battle with the crowds - one way or the other!

[Hlitner]

Regarding the previous post (about walking) we have walked (many times) between P. Roma and the port. It is a nice stroll and takes 20-30 min (depending on your walking speed). But DW and I love walking. Having been on quite a few HAL cruises (about 350 days) one thing we have noticed about HAL passengers is that many do not like to walk (or cannot walk). Regarding the People Mover ticket machines we have used them more then a dozen times and have never had much of queue. But if there are a few ships in port we can picture a queue as many folks will have no clue how to use the machines. As the last poster mentioned, you can always buy multiple tickets in the vending machines and hold the tickets for future journeys. The tickets are not time limited and you just insert them in the turnstyle whenever you are ready to go. As to some humor (humour for you Brits) on our last visit a group of local teens jumped the turnstyle and ran up to the platform. Although there are no attendants working in the stations, they are carefully monitored by multiple cameras. As these kids were waiting for the train there was an announcement (in Italian) and those kids all ran back out of the station faster then they had entered :). One can only imagine what was said over the PA system.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[Maksim]

This is our first time to Venice and we dock at 1 pm. Just wanted to clarify: are there signs to the people mover as you exit the ship and how much does it cost? It sounds like exact change is needed so I would like to be prepared. Does it take you in the heart of the city? Also, are there other options such as water taxi, etc. Appreciate the advise.

[dbsb3233]

We used it once from the port to P.Roma. It was a hot June day (2013). There were a LOT of people on the platform. So many that people coming up the escalators with bags nearly got squeezed by the escalator steps because people wouldn't move out of the way to make room. The 1st train filled up and only half the people were able to get on. So we jumped to the other side and got on the return train, which proceeded out to the 3rd (final) stop before reversing. Which meant we stayed on the train 5-6 minutes longer. Those train cars had to be over 100 degrees. I think we sweated off 3 lbs.

 

I think we used cash in the ticket machines. Just remember to hit an ATM in the airport first.

 

There's a good aerial map of the People Mover in relation to the port and P.Roma in this guide...

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/Venice-05-06-2011.pdf

Edited August 2, 2015 by dbsb3233

[ijsprinses]

We were in Venice two weeks ago and took the people mover. Price is 1,5 euro single way. There were no queues at all. we paid with coins.

[jtl513]

This is our first time to Venice and we dock at 1 pm. Just wanted to clarify: are there signs to the people mover as you exit the ship and how much does it cost? It sounds like exact change is needed so I would like to be prepared.

There are probably signs (I don't remember) but it's not hard to find anyway. Look at the pics in the pdf link dbsb3233 gave you. The price recently increased to 1.5 Euro. IMO the easiest way to buy tickets is with a credit card.

Does it take you in the heart of the city?

No, but Piazzale Roma is a vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal.

.

Edited August 2, 2015 by jtl513

[The Odd Couple]

Regarding the previous post (about walking) we have walked (many times) between P. Roma and the port. It is a nice stroll and takes 20-30 min (depending on your walking speed). But DW and I love walking. Having been on quite a few HAL cruises (about 350 days) one thing we have noticed about HAL passengers is that many do not like to walk (or cannot walk). Regarding the People Mover ticket machines we have used them more then a dozen times and have never had much of queue. But if there are a few ships in port we can picture a queue as many folks will have no clue how to use the machines. As the last poster mentioned, you can always buy multiple tickets in the vending machines and hold the tickets for future journeys. The tickets are not time limited and you just insert them in the turnstyle whenever you are ready to go. As to some humor (humour for you Brits) on our last visit a group of local teens jumped the turnstyle and ran up to the platform. Although there are no attendants working in the stations, they are carefully monitored by multiple cameras. As these kids were waiting for the train there was an announcement (in Italian) and those kids all ran back out of the station faster then they had entered :). One can only imagine what was said over the PA system.

 

Hank

 

Hank

 

Ha ha !! We are active seniors and enjoying walking, but there is absolutely no danger whatsoever of me vaulting over any turnstyle these days!!

[roblc1]

We are recently back from Venice and used the People Mover several times including getting our luggage to the ship. There were never any lines, just sometimes a few confused people on how to use the machine. It is very easy and drops you at the Piazzelle Roma which is the outskirts of the Venice Canal area. There is the vaparetto stop for the Grand Canal, which you can take to San Marco or you can walk there, which we did several times. If you are not on an all aboard deadline, it can be a lot of fun to wander through the quieter canals and neighborhoods. We booked a hotel near the Piazzelle Roma and took the express bus from the airport for six euros and then took the People Mover to the ship two days later. Loved Venice and loved being able to get around it so easily.

[syesmar]

Hank,

 

When you walk, do you use the bridge beyond the People Mover or go another way? Curious about the route.

 

THANKS!

Edited August 3, 2015 by syesmar

[Hlitner]

Hank,

 

When you walk, do you use the bridge beyond the People Mover or go another way? Curious about the route.

 

THANKS!

 

The only route, of which we are aware, is to go out of the main port entrance (which is not very far from the People Mover) and then follow the sidewalk up to the regular bridge (the same bridge that carries the cars).

 

Hank

[jtl513]

Hank,

 

When you walk, do you use the bridge beyond the People Mover or go another way? Curious about the route.

 

THANKS!

Page 3 of the pdf cited in post #16 shows the path, and suggests crossing the road part way to get on better sidewalks.