Venice bans cruise ships

[seaquay]

The BBC has just reported that Venice is banning cruise ships from entering the city's Giudecca canal and large ships will now have to dock at the city's industrial port until a permanent solution is found.  Wonder if Silverse ships fall in this category.

[Mr Luxury]

I would hope that all cruise ships would be included.

It is about time that Venice banned cruise ships.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Mr Luxury

[Host Jazzbeau]

There have been conflicting reports about the size limit.  The initial government release simply said "large cruise ships."  I have seen numbers ranging from 1,000 tonnes [impossibly small] to 96,000 [the existing voluntary limit].  Recent chatter seems to be fixing on 40,000 but I'm not sure if that's official or just wishful thinking.  Silversea's older ships would all make it under 40K, but they might have to saw off a little bit of Muse and Moon...

[Lois R]

On 4/1/2021 at 7:29 AM, Mr Luxury said:

I would hope that all cruise ships would be included.

It is about time that Venice banned cruise ships.

What about River Boats? I cruised out of Venice on Uniworld......the riverboats should not be

a problem.

 

And yes, I sailed on SS out of Venice as well.........

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate these various good questions, comments and follow-ups as to when and how these new restrictions will actually work in Venice for cruise ship visitors.

 

And will these steps really solved the various environmental and economic challenges facing this great, historic location??  Or, create, new questions and issues?

 

From the Associated Press/AP and this NY newspaper this morning, they had this headline: “Groups warn Venice lagoon still at risk after cruise decree” with these story highlights: “Activists opposed to cruise ships in Venice are seeking a meeting with the Italian government to argue that its latest proposal to re-route big ships away from St. Mark’s Square doesn’t address pressing environmental concerns about the fragile Venetian lagoon.  While it’s not articulated in the decree, the temporary plan would have big ships use the Marghera Port on the Italian mainland until a definitive solution is found and implemented — a potentially years-long process.   But the No Big Ships Committee, a coalition of activists, said the Marghera Port is still part of the Venetian lagoon and therefore must be rejected even as a temporary solution. The new route envisaged would take ships past the tail of the Lido and then hug the Italian mainland via the Oil Canal, away from Venice’s historic center but still into the lagoon and up to Marghera.  'It’s certainly a relief to hear the Italian government finally state its intention to keep large ships out of the lagoon as well as block them from coming close to Venice,' said Jane da Mosto of the We Are Here Venice group, which is part of the No Big Ships coalition.  'But the interim ‘temporary’ plan to bring large cruise ships to Marghera will not protect the lagoon,' she said in an email. 'This new route will still damage its fragile ecosystem, with inevitable negative knock-on effects.' ”

 

Here is more from this AP story today: "The No Big Ships Committee said it was seeking a meeting with the government to argue that the Oil Canal route to Marghera 'is not workable.'  'Any temporary solution has to be rejected because the risk is too high that it becomes definitive,' the group tweeted."

 

Full story at:

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Groups-warn-Venice-lagoon-still-at-risk-after-16074546.php

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 90,134 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[Emtbsam]

We are supposed to sail out of Venice on the Shadow this September.  I am not getting my hopes up about the cruise because of the likelihood it will be cancelled.  If it goes off as scheduled, it would be nice to have fewer tourists in Venice.  

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, Emtbsam said:

If it goes off as scheduled, it would be nice to have fewer tourists in Venice.  

That’s what I love about an overnight in Venice.  It feels like you have the entire place to yourself.

[Mayflower1]

We have sailed into Maghera to disembark a Silversea Ship during a Festival when the Guidecca was closed. It is a terrible place and some considerable distance from Venice. We had to go by Bus to the Main Port area to collect Baggage and then take another Bus to the Airport - a long and tiresome end to a Cruise ( Private Cars were not an option ).

If Maghera is to be the new home for Cruise ships it will make Venice an almost no go city to visit by way of a Cruise ship and Start/End situations will have to be better managed  to those we experienced - the poor ships staff were frantic.

[Host Jazzbeau]

It could work if there were ferries between Marghera and Marittima.  Marittima will have plenty of room with no cruise ships!  But of course Italy would have to get somebody to build and run the ferries, after they do an environmental impact study – so, never.

[cruiseej]

For what it's worth -- as the situation is still in flux -- Silversea executive Barbara Muckermann wrote on Facebook that "we expect Venice to allow small ships like the Silversea ships to keep transiting through Giudecca to dock in Venice."

[MBP&O2/O]

I came across the following, which may be of interest.

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruising-changes.ht

 

Don't believe the hype that you read about cruise ships being banned from central Venice. Talk is cheap, but the Italian government has yet to come up with firm plans (or cash) to build a new port outside the city.
 

The Italian government announced on April 1, 2021 that large cruise ships are being banned from central Venice, including the existing cruise port.

The government's stated goal is to create a new artificial harbor and cruise port on the Adriatic at some unspecified time in the future, with ships using the mainland industrial port of Marghera (opposite Venice' s historic center) until a new port is built.

 

There are at least five major problems with this proposed solution:

First, the industrial ship channel that leads to Marghera isn't deep or wide enough for large cruise ships, and dredging it would be (a) massively expensive, (b) environmentally detrimental to the Venetian Lagoon, and (c) prohibited by law.

Second, the Marghera industrial port will require a new terminal and other infrastructure to support cruise ships.

Third, Italian law forbids operating passenger services in polluted or high-risk industrial areas such as the Marghera port.

Fourth, the Italian government has not committed to financing a new port on the Adriatic. Talk is cheap--especially in Italy, where various political and NIMBY groups have been fighting over the port for more than a decade.

Finally, Italian governments are notorious for being short-lived, and future governments won't necessarily abide by the current government's announcement.

(Side note: Proponents of a new cruise port want to locate it on the Lido di Venezia, Venice's beach resort. This idea is nothing short of idiotic, since the Lido is an island that can only be reached by passenger boat or car ferry, making it impractical for provisioning large cruise ships.)

What's happening in 2021:

Cruise lines' plans in general are in flux right now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, MSC Cruises has also announced that of its ships will be sailing from Venice this summer, and other lines will almost certainly follow MSC's lead as the industry returns to normal.

It's also worth noting that the government's supposed plans won't affect cruise ships under 40,000 tons.

 

 

 

However, which tonnage is debatable!

DWT

Net

Gross

Guess 

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

Back in the day, we boarded pre-stretch Silver Spirit at the San Basilio dock, on south side of Dorsoduro area, which is right on Giudecca canal/waterway.  (Incidentally, this is the dock where the big MCS ship ran into the dock, pushing aside a long river boat that was tied up there - you've seen the video.)  That is a great place for a smaller ship, from a passenger viewpoint.  Those big 6000 pax behemoths, they can stay at Marittima, or Maghera or maybe out of the damn lagoon.  If they tied up at Ravenna, the pax could walk into town and see the worlds' most spectacular collection of mosaics in various churches and other buildings, then take a bus to Venice proper.  

[OlsSalt]

Noticed on my webcam of Piazza San Marco the outdoor tables are finally back at Florian's and Quadri cafes. Start of summer and/or end of "pandemic"?  A harbinger.

 

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/veneto/venezia/piazza-san-marco.html

 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by OlsSalt

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Noticed on my webcam of Piazza San Marco the outdoor tables are finally back at Florian's and Quadri cafes. Start of summer and/or end of "pandemic"?  A harbinger.

 

https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/veneto/venezia/piazza-san-marco.html

 

 

 

I thought I read that one of them had gone bankrupt from the pandemic. But with that location someone will take it over. 
 

[OlsSalt]

Looks like the tables are more obvious on the one side,  but not the Florian side.  Thanks for the update.

 

Many a memory of $50 dishes of gelato at Florian's ...while the music was playing. My very first visit in the late 1960's coming into the piazza from under the clock tower , seeing for the first time these well-photographed monuments, accented by the sound of the smaltzy little orchestra music ......reduced me to tears.  

 

I was touched instantly by the magic of the place, but in those days we pretty much had it to ourselves. We were living an hour and half away by train from Venics and it became a regular day trip for lunch and shopping. Was dinner at Harry's Bar really only $1.30 in those days? But that was when Europe was done on $5 a day. (Cutting a lot corners - like what we realized was in fact a soup kitchen in Paris, that kept us within our $5 a day plan according to the book.)

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Looks like the tables are more obvious on the one side,  but not the Florian side.  Thanks for the update.

 

Many a memory of $50 dishes of gelato at Florian's ...while the music was playing. My very first visit in the late 1960's coming into the piazza from under the clock tower , seeing for the first time these well-photographed monuments, accented by the sound of the smaltzy little orchestra music ......reduced me to tears.  

 

I was touched instantly by the magic of the place, but in those days we pretty much had it to ourselves. We were living an hour and half away by train from Venics and it became a regular day trip for lunch and shopping. Was dinner at Harry's Bar really only $1.30 in those days? But that was when Europe was done on $5 a day. (Cutting a lot corners - like what we realized was in fact a soup kitchen in Paris, that kept us within our $5 a day plan according to the book.)

I had little trouble on $5 a day in Paris [5 franc tourist menu for dinner with app, main, dessert, wine and tip – when 5 francs = $1 USD] – but never could in Venice...

[OlsSalt]

Cafe Florian menu - 2019 - website has no indication it has finally closed,  though Jan 21 reports of closing definitely looked grim. Fun to look back and hope it makes it to its 300th birthday: 

https://www.caffeflorian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Florian_menu_Tavoli_inverno_2019.pdf

[nowornever]

Anyone know which hotel Silversea uses as their "Grand Hotel?"  (Slightly off the cruise ship location subject)

[Lois R]

24 minutes ago, nowornever said:

Anyone know which hotel Silversea uses as their "Grand Hotel?"  (Slightly off the cruise ship location subject)

I know when I sailed out of Venice in 2018 it was the Bauer Palazzo. I don't know if they continue to use it or not. I stayed there pre-cruise ......really lovely hotel🙂

[nowornever]

Thanks, Lois.  Looks lovely.

[les37b]

 

 

How it once was and could maybe be again!....... Taken 3 1/2 years ago on a canal side bar next to the Cipriana and a misty October evening.

 

 

 

[Lois R]

Hi Les, we cannot see the video anymore☹️

[les37b]

On 5/24/2021 at 1:50 PM, Lois R said:

Hi Les, we cannot see the video anymore☹️

 

Ah ok sorry... Music problems again! I need to download, change the soundtrack and reupload. 

[OlsSalt]

Venice webcam finally showing tables are coming out on both sides and tourist stands set up in Piazza San Marco - plus sunshine and more people:   https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/veneto/venezia/piazza-san-marco.html

[Lois R]

52 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Venice webcam finally showing tables are coming out on both sides and tourist stands set up in Piazza San Marco - plus sunshine and more people:   https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/veneto/venezia/piazza-san-marco.html

Thanks for the link........😃 that video is always amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!