Venice Cruise Ship Bann

[LJJQ]

I just read that Venice, Italy has banned cruise ships from docking in the city! I wonder how this will affect Celebrity from going there in the future! We visited Venice twice on the Millennium and loved this visit! 

 

https://www.express.co.uk/travel/cruise/1163154/cruise-ship-venice-cruises-ban-italy-holidays-latest-news

 

[Toftwood]

As wonderful a place as Venice is, this ban is long overdue in my opinion and to be quite honest, there are a number of places that should introduce a similar ban or at least place a restriction by gross tonnage to keep larger vessels out. If you want to visit somewhere then try and find an alternative means of travel.

[gerelmx]

It will be an option that the ship be anchored outside the port and make the tenders?

[tkline]

Lots of different cruise lines go there. I bet they already have backup plans to just stop somewhere else nearby and use tenders

[G.M.T.]

Respect to the Venetians for taling back contol of their city, will others follow?

 

OK this article is not about cruise passengers but tourists in general:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-49171477/hallstatt-a-town-of-800-people-that-gets-a-million-tourists-a-year

[Tatka]

I am happy we took cruise last year out of there... I think docking out of city is doable, but sailaway via Laguna is something amazing and that would be missed by upcoming cruisers there.

[Bruin Steve]

I am suddenly increasingly interested--we have back-to-back cruises next summer on Infinity for which the changeover port is Venice...and it includes an overnight in Venice on the second itinerary...so, we were scheduled to be there for two full days at the midpoint of our cruise...

 

From further reading, it appears that there are two or three other dock locations on the mainland--within 3 miles of Venice--that could be used (Fusina or Marghera)...So, Venice is likely to remain on cruise itineraries--but getting TO Venice proper will become a bit more of an adventure--since you could have most of those cruise passengers clogging the one causeway that heads from the mainland to Piazzale Roma.  You also lose that spectacular "sailaway" into and out of Venice...

 

I am also waiting to hear the specifics of the ban.  As recently as last year, what was being proposed was a ban on cruise ships OVER 96,000 gross tons.  If that is the case, ships like the Infinity would still be able to dock in Venice...along with other M-Class as well as the ships used by Azamara, Oceania and most of the luxury cruise lines.  However, if they've gone beyond that, it will certainly change things for everyone cruising to Venice...

 

I am waiting to hear from Celebrity...

Edited August 8, 2019 by Bruin Steve

[Cirdan]

As far I know CelebrityCruises already complies with the rules, and already cruises docks on cruise terminal (and not in the city center).

 

So this should not be a problem.

[Highpeaklad]

7 minutes ago, Cirdan said:

As far I know CelebrityCruises already complies with the rules, and already cruises docks on cruise terminal (and not in the city center).

 

So this should not be a problem.

 

It’s the cruise terminal they are talking about. That’s where they want to move the ships away from. 

[Tatka]

11 minutes ago, Cirdan said:

As far I know CelebrityCruises already complies with the rules, and already cruises docks on cruise terminal (and not in the city center).

 

So this should not be a problem.

 

All large ships do dock on cruise terminal although last year we sailed next to Azamara ship which was docked not at San Marco, but in the city.

 

But I think they want to ban ship from sailing via Laguna and docking in cruise port

Edited August 8, 2019 by Tatka

[ECCruise]

2 hours ago, Toftwood said:

As wonderful a place as Venice is, this ban is long overdue in my opinion and to be quite honest, there are a number of places that should introduce a similar ban or at least place a restriction by gross tonnage to keep larger vessels out. If you want to visit somewhere then try and find an alternative means of travel.

Dubrovnik. Mallorca. Santorini.  To name a few.

[PRH]

We’re on the Constellation out of Venice in October 2019.  Nothing from Celebrity.

[jagsfan]

2 hours ago, Tatka said:

I am happy we took cruise last year out of there... I think docking out of city is doable, but sailaway via Laguna is something amazing and that would be missed by upcoming cruisers there.

The ban is long overdue and necessary to preserve Venice, but it will be a huge loss of the sheer joy of sailing out past St Mark’s. 

[jagsfan]

37 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Dubrovnik. Mallorca. Santorini.  To name a few.

Ships are docking at Santorini now?

Or is the problem masses of cruisers walking around?

[ECCruise]

Just now, jagsfan said:

Ships are docking at Santorini now?

Or is the problem masses of cruisers walking around?

Still tendering but getting up the hill becomes more and more a challenge. And a zoo there and in Oia. 

[fragilek]

3 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

I am suddenly increasingly interested--we have back-to-back cruises next summer on Infinity for which the changeover port is Venice...and it includes an overnight in Venice on the second itinerary...so, we were scheduled to be there for two full days at the midpoint of our cruise...

 

From further reading, it appears that there are two or three other dock locations on the mainland--within 3 miles of Venice--that could be used (Fusina or Marghera)...So, Venice is likely to remain on cruise itineraries--but getting TO Venice proper will become a bit more of an adventure--since you could have most of those cruise passengers clogging the one causeway that heads from the mainland to Piazzale Roma.  You also lose that spectacular "sailaway" into and out of Venice...

 

I am also waiting to hear the specifics of the ban.  As recently as last year, what was being proposed was a ban on cruise ships OVER 96,000 gross tons.  If that is the case, ships like the Infinity would still be able to dock in Venice...along with other M-Class as well as the ships used by Azamara, Oceania and most of the luxury cruise lines.  However, if they've gone beyond that, it will certainly change things for everyone cruising to Venice...

 

I am waiting to hear from Celebrity...

BBC NEWS is stating over 1000 tonnes 

"Large cruise ships are to be banned from entering Venice's historic centre, the Italian government says.

Ships weighing more than 1,000 tonnes will be rerouted away from certain waterways from September."

"Starting from next month, some liners will be forced to dock at the Fusina and Lombardia terminals away from the city centre"

[fragilek]

we have just done a med cruise and I get both sides of this Venice is too small, too unique and too valuable to ruin but at the same time it was a majestic sail away in the dark at 11pm (delay due to weather).  But needs must and we can't risk this city.

 

Also visited Trogir and it could not cope with the hordes of cruise passengers that day.  Like Santorini it would probably be an amazing place without us there!!

[Highpeaklad]

25 minutes ago, fragilek said:

BBC NEWS is stating over 1000 tonnes 

"Large cruise ships are to be banned from entering Venice's historic centre, the Italian government says.

Ships weighing more than 1,000 tonnes will be rerouted away from certain waterways from September."

"Starting from next month, some liners will be forced to dock at the Fusina and Lombardia terminals away from the city centre"

 

Let’s hope that should read 100,000 tonnes. Fingers crossed. 

[fragilek]

1 minute ago, Highpeaklad said:

 

Let’s hope that should read 100,000 tonnes. Fingers crossed. 

well I was thinking if it's 1000 then the aqua-laguna water bus would also be banned 

[Miaminice]

18 minutes ago, fragilek said:

well I was thinking if it's 1000 then the aqua-laguna water bus would also be banned 

 

😂😂😂 That might be true if the number was 100

 

[Miaminice]

4 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

So, Venice is likely to remain on cruise itineraries--but getting TO Venice proper will become a bit more of an adventure--since you could have most of those cruise passengers clogging the one causeway that heads from the mainland to Piazzale Roma. 

 

I can understand and welcome the changes.

 

However, please allow me a remark regarding your comment.

Venice sees 24 to 30 million tourists a year. 1.4 to 1.6 millions are cruise passengers. They hardly make a difference on the causeway.

 

Plus, the causeway is already used now... passengers are already using it to get to the port or city from the airport. In the future they‘ll be using it the other way around if they stay in the city before the cruise. If not, they don‘t have to use it at all.

[wishuponasea]

Our travel agent just sent me an article about Venice and banning cruise ships. We have an extended trip planned that includes staying in Venice post cruise (June 2020). I just e-mailed Celebrity since we are in the process of making our plans and looking at hotels. This would really complicate things. Fingers crossed that Celebrity and Venice figure out a good plan.

[Miaminice]

1 minute ago, wishuponasea said:

Our travel agent just sent me an article about Venice and banning cruise ships. We have an extended trip planned that includes staying in Venice post cruise (June 2020). I just e-mailed Celebrity since we are in the process of making our plans and looking at hotels. This would really complicate things. Fingers crossed that Celebrity and Venice figure out a good plan.

 

Don‘t worry... transfer to the city is a piece of cake from any of the ports.

 

[Bruin Steve]

3 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

 

 

Venice sees 24 to 30 million tourists a year. 1.4 to 1.6 millions are cruise passengers. They hardly make a difference on the causeway.  Plus, the causeway is already used now... passengers are already using it to get to the port or city from the airport.

 

All of those users remain...The traffic on the causeway comment was based on the notion that you might have several cruise ships all docking in the early morning in Marghera/Fusina...say, around 15,000 passengers in a given day, in season......All will want to take tours or shore excursions or independently travel into Venice...Yes, you might accommodate some with water taxis or Vaporetti, but figure a lot of those passengers will load onto tour buses, taxis, buses or other local transportation and make the ride across--all at relatively the same time...People coming in or out of the airport or entering the city by car tend to be spread out throughout the day.  Cruise passengers all exit the ship virtually at once...

[Miaminice]

7 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

  Cruise passengers all exit the ship virtually at once...

 

So just as it is already the case... Venice is embarkation and disembarkation port for mans cruises and often many ships a day. After disembarkation most of the passengers head to the airport at once...

 

I travel to Venice frequently. Not cruise related. Even when I see several ships in port, the causeway is not more crowded than usual. IMHO that‘s not going to be an issue.