Travel from Venice to Trieste, Italy

[francot]

Hi.

We will be taking a cruise from Trieste, Italy. We are coming from florida, US.

Any transportation/logistics info would be very helpful.

 

Thank You in advance!

[MobyandDick]

Hi Francot, I can see Pullmantur offering cruises from Trieste this summer. We have used the public trains a lot in Italy and if you can carry your luggage in/out trains, it is a 2 hours train journey. Please be aware that some stations do not have elevators to all platforms and therefore your luggage needs to brought down by hand on a underground passage to other train tracks. Please have look at the train service: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html here. Also it depends if you are resting for an overnight from the US in Venice. We stayed at Hotel Arlecchino, which was not far into town and walkable from the bus service from the airport. Also here, you need to carry luggage over 2 Venice bridges, unless you spend extra money for special transfers. For us we did not want to spend a lot of extra money on transfers and "just" walk over. It is up to you and your budget. You will have nice cruise and enjoy it!

[Smurf2017]

Hi Francot. Trains are always a good option in Italy. To get to Venice Mestre Station from the airport you will need to take a bus or taxi. Fares vary according to the class of travel and type of train. On average the total journey time from the airport, via Venice to Trieste is around 2 hrs 30.

 

There is a quicker and cheaper alternative by direct express coach from the airport to Trieste. Take a look at Flixbus here. Fares range from €5 to €23 depending on demand. The earlier you book, the cheaper the fares.

 

There is another company with one service a day at 5.45 pm with fares starting from €9.99. Again, book early for the chest fares. You can find them here.

 

Flixbus takes around 2 hours and Buscenter takes 2 hrs 25.

[francot]

Thanks guys! Great info

[coachlover]

Hi,

 

We are also taking the cruise from Trieste in July on the Horizon. We are also from Florida.

 

I can't find much information about what to expect once on board - like theme nights, names of shows, menus of restaurants. I did see some menus but they were quite blurry and had prices.  It was a bit confusing. 

 

Does anyone have information?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Smurf2017]

Hi coachlover. I don't think you should expect too much from Pullmantur as they seem to me to be a lot more basic than the larger lines. 

 

I have friends traveling on Zenith this week and on Friday we will be taking a one night cruise on Zenith from Lisbon to Vigo in Spain. I'll have a much better idea of the Pullmantur experience after that and will come back here to update you when we return. I'll try to get photos of bar and restaurant menus along with a daily sheet if they publish one. 

[MobyandDick]

We sailed twice on Pullmantur once the Zenith in 2019 and Horizon in 2018. You cannot compare the ships or service to an American run & operated ships, BUT we enjoyed each cruise both very much and took it for what it is. For dinner are two seatings in the main dining room and most likely you will be sharing a table with other guests. Possibly you may want to check with the dining room manager to receive a table with other English speakers? Staff is extremely friendly – eager to please and we felt that the overall experience was more traditional old-fashioned style from a decade ago. As the ship offers an all-inclusive beverage package, you are not required to pay additionally for drinks, such as pre dinner cocktails, mixed drinks or wine at any time during day or night when a bar or restaurant is open. Even speciality coffees (barrista style cappuchino, espresso, etc., is offered for free and there is even a special coffee lounge), but the coffeebar charges for little snacks and cookies instead. Ofcourse staff will try to sell the extra premium beverage package, but we stayed with the basic drinks and bought an occasional wine bottle for dinner. The dinner menu offers  one page with the Pullmantur favourites (which do not change during your cruise) and the other page is daily specials of three starter/main/desserts. 

Please keep in mind that the ships cater mainly to the Spanish guests, so menu is geared to their taste and most of communication is in Spanish. English announcements are placed after the Spanish ones, but entertainment, music style and atmosphere is focused again on the Spanish clientele. We enjoyed it tremendously though and due to its clientele it gives a buzzing atmosphere. 

During the week the ship does not have real theme nights other than red*black night etc., but hardly any guests dresses up according the given theme. We do not see any black tie or gala either, just smartly dressed people and as you sail in summer, the clothes are comfortable but elegant.

The show is hosted in Spanish and some shows are sung&dance (like ABBA) and therefore the songs are sung in English. One show is a story about a famous Spanish writer and the story is told and sung in Spanish.

I saw an that on some previous reviews other cruise passengers left some photos on menus and here is my review: https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=610549

One tip: embarkation is always very hectic and managed differently than in the US. If you can, you may pre-register your embarkation and become fast-laned. Ground staff wanted me to join the long queue but I was determined to join the short fast-lane line and walked over there and was assisted immediately with my documents in my hand.

Our conclusion: It is not Disney, Royal Caribbean or Carnival style,  the price and value you receive is well balanced and enjoyable for what they offer!

Here is a link for sample dinner menu: https://www.pullmantur.travel/en/gastronomy

Edited April 22, 2019 by MobyandDick
add menu sample link website

[Smurf2017]

@MobyandDick

 

Where did you board that you described as "hectic"? We're boarding in Lisbon and hoping for a smoother process there. 

[MobyandDick]

Hi Smurf2017, I am sure that checkin will be smooth for you, for both our cruises the checkin was not bad, staff is friendly, but it was not a relaxed smooth operation. Although the ship does not carry such large number of passengers, unlike RCCL or NCL big ships for example, the number of staff to accept your luggage, or staff providing you with relevant documents, provided bottle necks. I guess that the terminal also contributed to it, as when we left both times from Gran Canaria, the building was relative small and partly made-shift pavillion-tent, with not a logical routing. If you can checkin at home, you have access to relevant documents, including even the health form, so you could fill them in at ease at home. Combined with the advantadge that you have access to the pre-registration line, the checkin went more quickly. You will have a great time, enjoy!

[Smurf2017]

7 hours ago, MobyandDick said:

Hi Smurf2017, I am sure that checkin will be smooth for you, for both our cruises the checkin was not bad, staff is friendly, but it was not a relaxed smooth operation. Although the ship does not carry such large number of passengers, unlike RCCL or NCL big ships for example, the number of staff to accept your luggage, or staff providing you with relevant documents, provided bottle necks. I guess that the terminal also contributed to it, as when we left both times from Gran Canaria, the building was relative small and partly made-shift pavillion-tent, with not a logical routing. If you can checkin at home, you have access to relevant documents, including even the health form, so you could fill them in at ease at home. Combined with the advantadge that you have access to the pre-registration line, the checkin went more quickly. You will have a great time, enjoy!

 

Thanks. We're boarding tomorrow morning so I'll report back here afterwards. This is just a one night taster for us and an opportunity to check Zenith out carefully. The sister ship Horizon, is operating the new Israel, Egypt, Greece and Turkey itinerary on 2020 and that really appeals to us. 

[kikirose]

Also check FlixBus to get to Trieste from Athens.