Overnight in port - first two days?

[Cat4158]

Hoping someone can advise with this. We’ve cruised many times but have never before had a cruise that started with an overnight stop. Our ship starts in Venice but doesn’t leave until 2p.m. the following day. What I’m wondering is how long is check in open? Could we spend the first day in Venice then check in in the evening? Is muster drill likely to be on the first day or the second day? Anyone with experience of this out there? 
 

[Essiesmom]

You can check in any time during the first day and muster drill will be just before you sail on the second day.  Since you will have to be out of your hotel early, why not check in and drop off luggage, then go back out to sightsee some more?  Not sure how late the porters stay to take your luggage.  If you wait until evening to check in, you might have to schlep it all yourself.  EM

[Northern Aurora]

We were on the Constellation last fall on a B2B2B.  We boarded in Civitavecchia for our first leg but passengers boarding for the second (middle) leg boarded in Venice.   The ship overnighted in Venice and left the following afternoon.  I didn't pay any attention as to how long the check-in counters were open in Venice as it wasn't pertinent for us.  But it seems to me that it was open very late if not overnight.  When we returned to the ship the second day folks were still checking in for the cruise.  The gangway was open all night as is standard when a ship overnights in port.  And in our case Celebrity provided three options for muster drill.  Passengers had the option to select one of the three.  

[Cat4158]

Thanks so much for your insight! That will help my pre cruise planning! 

[minikiss]

We sail on the Infinity In June out of Venice. 

Arriving the day of 1st day. 

Our plan is to check-in as soon as we can. Dump our bags and head back off again.

We are a big party of 9 and apart from the 2 of us no one else has been to Venice before.

So We want to make the most of the time there. 

 

We sailed on the Island Princess a few years ago again over knighting in Venice,  before sailing the next day.

By about 4 o'clock they had started to shut down most of the check in desks as there were less people doing so that late.

I'm not sure how late they manned the desks and I don't know how many they had open the next day either as I didn't pay to much attention to them after we went through. 

 

if you don't want to board straight away, either ask the hotel if they can hold your cases for you. Or there is a suit case locker place just before the people mover monorail. Sorry can't remember much about it but you can Google it. 

Jules

 

[Cat4158]

Thank you Jules. I was wondering how late we can arrive for check in. My plan was to leave our bags at the hotel, spend the day in Venice and then go on board at about 5.00. However the rep at Celebrity told me it would be normal boarding times with a compulsory muster drill at about 5.00, after which passengers could disembark and spend the evening in Venice. If that’s the way it happens it seems like many people would waste the best part of a day waiting around on ship. I just wondered if anyone had experienced this and could tell me anything different. 
 

[Jim_Iain]

10 hours ago, Cat4158 said:

Thank you Jules. I was wondering how late we can arrive for check in. My plan was to leave our bags at the hotel, spend the day in Venice and then go on board at about 5.00. However the rep at Celebrity told me it would be normal boarding times with a compulsory muster drill at about 5.00, after which passengers could disembark and spend the evening in Venice. If that’s the way it happens it seems like many people would waste the best part of a day waiting around on ship. I just wondered if anyone had experienced this and could tell me anything different. 
 

I would call again and ask to see if you get a different answer.   We have been on a number of cruises with a 2 day port at the beginning of the cruise.    In all cases the muster has been on the 2nd day about 1 1/2 hours prior to departure. 

 

If I recall correctly they also had a procedure for people arriving on late flights on the fist day to check in after 5:00 PM.   After all, security will be on duty as passengers can come and go all night long at their discretion. 

[terrydtx]

Access to the ship may be limited by where you are docked. Starting this year the City of Venice is limiting docking to large cruise ships at the Venice Terminal. Many ships are being forced to dock at Fusina and Lombardia terminals on the mainland. Depending where your ship will dock overnight you should check in the first day and then go do sightseeing. We are leaving from Venice in September on a Viking Ocean cruise with 2 other couples and staying for 2 nights pre cruise in a hotel in Venice. Traveling to and from the cruise terminal is very expensive. We are booking a private water taxi for the 6 of us to go from the hotel to the Venice cruise terminal and it will cost us 181 Euros. The same water taxi from the airport to the hotel is 220 Euros.

 

Here is a link about the cruise ship issues in Venice:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/venice-cruise-ships-lagoon-scli-intl/index.html

[Highpeaklad]

59 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Access to the ship may be limited by where you are docked. Starting this year the City of Venice is limiting docking to large cruise ships at the Venice Terminal. Many ships are being forced to dock at Fusina and Lombardia terminals on the mainland. Depending where your ship will dock overnight you should check in the first day and then go do sightseeing. We are leaving from Venice in September on a Viking Ocean cruise with 2 other couples and staying for 2 nights pre cruise in a hotel in Venice. Traveling to and from the cruise terminal is very expensive. We are booking a private water taxi for the 6 of us to go from the hotel to the Venice cruise terminal and it will cost us 181 Euros. The same water taxi from the airport to the hotel is 220 Euros.

 

Here is a link about the cruise ship issues in Venice:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/venice-cruise-ships-lagoon-scli-intl/index.html

I don’t think any of that is actually happening just yet so most people will still be able to use the people mover or the Aligaluna boats to get to the cruise terminal.