Italy temporarily bans cruise ships from Venice city center

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

There is at least one festival in Venice that closes the Guidecca Canal to cruise ships.  Redentore.  At this time, ships have docked in Marghera and cruise lines or the city have provided ferry service into Venice.  It's been several  years since the fast ferries have been banished to Marghera.  EM

It was not always so!  Back in 1998,  when I was just a much younger guy, we booked a Grand Princess Med cruise during the first year of that vessel.  She was doing Med cruises all summer and it was only the 2nd time DW and I were to cruise into Venice.  We arrived during Rendentore and our Captain had a connection with the Mayor of Venice and we actually docked right along the Giudecca Canal just east of St Marks Square.  This was not a normal docking place and we were surprised at the time.  Our ship slowly moved down to the Martima/Port and then did a very tight 180 degree turn, cruised back up the canal  and docked with the stern facing St Marks Square.   Wooden planks were laid over the aft pool to create an outdoor stage.  That evening was the big celebration (and fireworks) and Princess brought aboard a local symphony orchestra who played classical music on the stern (over the pool) as the fireworks went off behind the ship on the lagoon/canal.  I still remember hundreds of small boats in the canal where many locals watched the fireworks.    It was one of those perfect moments that sometimes happens.   Apparently our docking along the Giudecca caused a lot of negative feelings in Venice because our huge ship blocked the view of many buildings.  

 

What has bothered me since that amazing cruise is I cannot recall the name of the Captain although I do remember he was one of the Italian Captains (hence the connection to the Mayor).

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

Some clarification regarding the latest news on the cruise ship ban in Venice. It appears that the ban will impact any ships of more than 40,000 tons according to this article:

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2021/04/01/venice-cruise-ban-city-prohibit-large-cruise-ships-city-center/4834623001/

 

So, for example the R-class ships of Azamara and Oceania would still be in; Crystal Symphony and Serenity would not make the cut; 3 smaller (older) Fred. Olsen ships would be okay; and the ex-Prinsendam would just scrape through by the skin of her teeth. No current HAL ships would be eligible to dock in Venice proper.

 

I'm wondering now if Princess will wish they had held onto their last R-class ship instead of selling her on?

 

 

Also, I've read other stories that make it clear even docking ships at Marghera (or Fusina, another small commercial port just inside the lagoon) are only temporary measures and the real goal is to build a cruise ship terminal that is completely outside the lagoon, possibly transporting passengers to Venice in smaller, light boats across the lagoon....   Of course, that will take years.

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by cruisemom42

[ShipWalker]

On 3/30/2021 at 8:59 AM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

I was looking at aerial images of the Marghera dockyards. I fail to see a single berth that appears to have sufficient infrastructure to support large ship cruise operations. The area is VERY industrial and lacks parking for busses, taxis, facilities for passenger handling, etc. 

 

When looking at the Marghera  dockyards on google earth there is what appears to be a ghost cruise ship docked along the Banchina Canale Industriale Nord. 😵

[AtlantaCruiser72]

37 minutes ago, ShipWalker said:

 

When looking at the Marghera  dockyards on google earth there is what appears to be a ghost cruise ship docked along the Banchina Canale Industriale Nord. 😵

Assuming this is what you were referring to. Zooming in at the image I think it may be HAL Rotterdam being towed from the Marghera shipyard to her fitting out berth or heading out for sea trials. There are tugs in front and behind and you can see construction looking items on the top decks.  The vessel definitely is not docked.

 

There is a vessel in the Fincantieri dry dock under construction that I’m guessing is/was Carnival Panorama from the layout. That image may be older than the “ghost ship”

[Torquer]

I am resurrecting this old thread for perhaps some new news (or not).

 

We are thinking about booking the 12-Day Mediterranean Empires leaving August 9, 2022.  Here is the HAL link:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/E2M12F/W248.html

 

The quote that our travel agency gave us for this cruise says:

Cruise Line: HOLLAND AMERICA LINE			Ship: MS WESTERDAM			Destination: MEDITERRANEAN
Sail Date: 8/9/2022			Departure Port: VENICE (RAVENNA), ITALY			Arrival Port: VENICE (RAVENNA), ITALY

 

Note the departure/arrival port has "(RAVENNA)" in it.  Has anyone heard of HAL changing to use the port of Ravenna?  As I understand it, it is about a 2 1/2 hour bus ride between the two cities, so it is very undesirable for visiting Venice.  In fact this cruise overnights in "Venice" before disembarkation, which really doesn't make any sense for taking a very long bus ride to Venice, another long bus ride back to the ship, and then yet another long bus ride the next day to the Venice airport.

 

Hopefully, it is just a glitch in the travel agent's computer, but before asking, I wanted to know if anyone has heard any rumors of this.

 

[CruiserBruce]

Just an FYI, even after all the "Venice is kicking out cruise ships" stories for the last 10 or more years, MSC docked there June 6, and is scheduled to have 3 ships using Venice as a home port this year. So, I am not sure any real progress has been made.

[Storylady]

42 minutes ago, Torquer said:

I am resurrecting this old thread for perhaps some new news (or not).

 

We are thinking about booking the 12-Day Mediterranean Empires leaving August 9, 2022.  Here is the HAL link:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/E2M12F/W248.html

 

The quote that our travel agency gave us for this cruise says:

Cruise Line: HOLLAND AMERICA LINE			Ship: MS WESTERDAM			Destination: MEDITERRANEAN
Sail Date: 8/9/2022			Departure Port: VENICE (RAVENNA), ITALY			Arrival Port: VENICE (RAVENNA), ITALY

 

Note the departure/arrival port has "(RAVENNA)" in it.  Has anyone heard of HAL changing to use the port of Ravenna?  As I understand it, it is about a 2 1/2 hour bus ride between the two cities, so it is very undesirable for visiting Venice.  In fact this cruise overnights in "Venice" before disembarkation, which really doesn't make any sense for taking a very long bus ride to Venice, another long bus ride back to the ship, and then yet another long bus ride the next day to the Venice airport.

 

Hopefully, it is just a glitch in the travel agent's computer, but before asking, I wanted to know if anyone has heard any rumors of this.

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens. Other cruise ship companies are scrambling to for docks outside the Venice area.  It will take years to prepare the docks in the Marghera industrial port so some cruise companies have relocated to Trieste and Ravenna. What you need to do is enjoy Ravenna and sights within the area. Either before or after the cruise, stay in Venice for several days. 

[bennybear]

47 minutes ago, Storylady said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens. Other cruise ship companies are scrambling to for docks outside the Venice area.  It will take years to prepare the docks in the Marghera industrial port so some cruise companies have relocated to Trieste and Ravenna. What you need to do is enjoy Ravenna and sights within the area. Either before or after the cruise, stay in Venice for several days. 

Excellent idea,  Both Ravenna and Trieste have a lot to offer and Venice is best visited by staying there for several nights and enjoying the much emptier evening streets!  

[KirkNC]

This reminds me of when HAL decided to sail from Ijmuiden, Netherlands instead of Amsterdam.  I think it lasted about three cruises.  You couldn’t even get a taxi to take you there. 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Storylady said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens. Other cruise ship companies are scrambling to for docks outside the Venice area.  It will take years to prepare the docks in the Marghera industrial port so some cruise companies have relocated to Trieste and Ravenna. What you need to do is enjoy Ravenna and sights within the area. Either before or after the cruise, stay in Venice for several days. 

 

I completely agree on enjoying Ravenna (which is beautiful by the way) or Trieste.

Visit Venice pre or post cruise or separately.  I wouldn’t shuttle for 5 hours back and forth for a minuscule visit that barely touches Venice.

 

[KirkNC]

Ravenna maybe beautiful with the Byzantine mosaics but 90% of the people on that cruise want to see Venice.  Obviously they can go before or after but many won’t even realize what’s going on until they get there.

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Ravenna maybe beautiful with the Byzantine mosaics but 90% of the people on that cruise want to see Venice.  Obviously they can go before or after but many won’t even realize what’s going on until they get there.

 

A bit of research always tells the story 😉 

I feel for people who don’t check how far a port stop is first. 😔 

[KirkNC]

1 minute ago, kazu said:

 

A bit of research always tells the story 😉 

I feel for people who don’t check how far a port stop is first. 😔 

I still remember being on a tender riding into Portofino and the couple in front of us thought we were in Cannes, too funny 😂.

[KirkNC]

The worst part of this is that the HAL website just shows Venice so you might not even know until you get the confirmation.

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

I still remember being on a tender riding into Portofino and the couple in front of us thought we were in Cannes, too funny 😂.

OMG. 😱 

[KirkNC]

Just now, kazu said:

OMG. 😱 

The worst part was this was back in the days I over planned everything and I couldn’t even fathom someone not being organized.

[kazu]

6 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

The worst part of this is that the HAL website just shows Venice so you might not even know until you get the confirmation.

 

No (Ravenna) Venice?  That’s not right. 

[KirkNC]

Nope

 

 

[kazu]

36 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Nope

 

 

 

😱 I have no words.  😱 

[bennybear]

That’s insane!  

[Torquer]

As the poster who started this new part of the thread about Ravenna, remember I have no idea if it is true or not.  It was just in the info our travel agent sent us, which could be wrong.  As was pointed out, the HAL website still say Venice.

 

I was mainly interested if anyone else has heard rumors of HAL changing ports, which could confirm or deny the info from our travel agent.

 

Doing a bit of research on Ravenna, it does sound like an interesting city to visit.  We would just have to plan for it and probably arrive in Venice even one more day before we normally would, to make up for the missing last day where the cruise overnights in "Venice".  For cruises that begin in a non-US port, we always fly in two days before to sight-see and relax before the cruise begins.  So this would likely mean three days before.  If this is true, it almost certainly means that no one can fly in the same day, take a 2 1/2 hour bus ride and feel confident of making it to the ship before it sails....maybe possible, but way too risky for us.

[Domer81mpc]

An interesting article on the recent history of cruise ships in Venice and future options.  In short, what a mess!  

 

Venice and cruise ships: the story behind the government ban | CNN Travel

[cruisemom42]

10 hours ago, Torquer said:

As the poster who started this new part of the thread about Ravenna, remember I have no idea if it is true or not.  It was just in the info our travel agent sent us, which could be wrong.  As was pointed out, the HAL website still say Venice.

 

I was mainly interested if anyone else has heard rumors of HAL changing ports, which could confirm or deny the info from our travel agent.

 

Doing a bit of research on Ravenna, it does sound like an interesting city to visit.  We would just have to plan for it and probably arrive in Venice even one more day before we normally would, to make up for the missing last day where the cruise overnights in "Venice".  For cruises that begin in a non-US port, we always fly in two days before to sight-see and relax before the cruise begins.  So this would likely mean three days before.  If this is true, it almost certainly means that no one can fly in the same day, take a 2 1/2 hour bus ride and feel confident of making it to the ship before it sails....maybe possible, but way too risky for us.

 

I haven't heard rumors, but it would not surprise me. As mentioned other lines (e.g., Royal) have done the same. 

 

At the moment the situation for cruise ships in Venice is extremely murky. Even the home-ported Italian ships that have just resumed visits there are being met by hostile demonstrations. The problem is that for now there really is NO decently close alternative. 

 

If it were me I would just keep a close eye on the situation for now. It should be easier to figure out what is going to be the temporary position of cruise ships in Venice once cruising (beyond a few ships) gets up and going. Keep an eye on whether Royal keeps those cruises booked in Ravenna or not. I wouldn't make any firm plans until then.

 

As you say, Ravenna is a lovely, lovely town. These days I might say I enjoy it more than Venice, except for the glorious light there.  The food is fantastic, hotels are not expensive and there is more of what I like there (ancient history).  Just hold on to that idea and then allow extra time for Venice.

[Torquer]

FYI...My wife called HAL today and asked about the port for this cruise.  As expected the rep said that the port for this cruise is indeed Venice and not Ravenna.  She had no explanation on why the travel agency's info had Ravenna in parenthesis.

 

So we will likely complete the booking of this cruise.  But we will not buy plane tickets or book a pre-cruise hotel until next year to give time for the situation in Venice to work itself out.  Hopefully they will still allow big cruise ships to dock on the island until they build facilities at the port of Marghera (or someplace else).