Viking DISembarkation process in Fusina (Venice) in 2023!?!

[vincevango]

Posted in another thread but it was suggested I post here also:

Trying to weed through conflicting and older data out there.  Basically Has anyone DISembarked from a Viking ship in Fusina (Venice) in 2023?  If so, do you know how they handle passengers who did NOT book a fight or extension with Viking?  We are planning to stay in Venice for a couple days after our Viking Sea cruise and I'm just trying to figure out how to get to the hotel we booked near St Mark's Square.

Does anyone have recent (2023) first-hand experience DISembarking in Fusina (Venice) on Viking and can share the process?

My hotel says they can pick me up from Marittima (the old Venice cruise port where big ships are no longer allowed) so my hope (and some info on internet supports this hope) is that Viking will get me there and I can take it from there...

[Peregrina651]

Vince, there are sometimes when you just have to take your question directly to Viking. This is one of them. You want it straight from the horses mouth. They will be able to give you the most up-to-date information of what is being planned (not what has happened and may be changing). Like the investment ads, past performance is not a predictor of future results and Viking is constantly tweaking things as they learn what works and what doesn't.

 

Skip the chat and the call center and start with tellus@vikingcruises.com (they are higher up the customer service ladder). Make sure to include your booking number and your telephone number.

 

[vincevango]

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Vince, there are sometimes when you just have to take your question directly to Viking. This is one of them. You want it straight from the horses mouth. They will be able to give you the most up-to-date information of what is being planned (not what has happened and may be changing). Like the investment ads, past performance is not a predictor of future results and Viking is constantly tweaking things as they learn what works and what doesn't.

 

Skip the chat and the call center and start with tellus@vikingcruises.com (they are higher up the customer service ladder). Make sure to include your booking number and your telephone number.

 

Oh if only Peregrina... I mentioned this in my first post but left it out here: I called and chatted w Viking more than once and each time got a different answer.  As others have posted on this site, Viking's customer care is clueless (at least about Venice since their port changes).  The last customer rep I spoke to said they only offer transfers from Fusina to the airport (and NOT to Venice) which is clearly not true (and disappointingly inept of him to say).  Hence this post.

 

Appreciate the advice but again, if anyone out there has first-hand recent DISembarkation experience, please share.  Would appreciate additional data points.

[Peregrina651]

17 minutes ago, vincevango said:

I called and chatted w Viking more than once and each time got a different answer.

 

That is why I said to contact Viking by e-mail. The chat/call-center folks don't have all the answers. The folks answer your e-mail will take the time to contact the appropriate department and get back to you with an answer.

 

22 minutes ago, vincevango said:

The last customer rep I spoke to said they only offer transfers from Fusina to the airport (and NOT to Venice) which is clearly not true (and disappointingly inept of him to say).

 

Actually, he was right. Viking only offers transfers to the airport and only if you have a flight that day -- and they are very strict about these procedures.  If you are staying on in the disembarkation port after the cruise, you are responsible for your own transfers, even if you bought your flights through Viking -- unless you are doing a Viking post-cruise extension, in which case ship to hotel and hotel to airport transfers are included in the package.

 

[bassethounddog]

Hope this helps you. We were on the Viking Sea in July 2022 which docked at Fusina. I contacted (email) the ship directly (phone number and email in your cruise documents) to inquire where to go for embarkation. At that time, the cruise terminal at Maritima was used for check in and we were bused to the ship at Fusina ( commercial port). I wonder if Viking is doing the reverse for disembarkation? Viking Sea responded promptly to my inquiry. 

[PRH]

We were bussed to the old cruise terminal in Venice from Fusina, along with our luggage.

[OneSixtyToOne]

Some slightly off topic info for those wondering why Viking is still using Fusina. In April we docked at Chioggia and were told by Viking staff that we were lucky because only one ship can dock in Chioggia at a time. If another ship is scheduled, it docks at Fusina which they call “the ugly place.” It’s an industrial port that requires you to be escorted in and out.

[vincevango]

On 7/15/2023 at 9:48 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

Some slightly off topic info for those wondering why Viking is still using Fusina. In April we docked at Chioggia and were told by Viking staff that we were lucky because only one ship can dock in Chioggia at a time. If another ship is scheduled, it docks at Fusina which they call “the ugly place.” It’s an industrial port that requires you to be escorted in and out.

A bit of a tradeoff I guess.  It's an uglier port but the bus ride into Venice seems to be much shorter which works better for me.

[vincevango]

On 7/13/2023 at 2:10 PM, PRH said:

We were bussed to the old cruise terminal in Venice from Fusina, along with our luggage.

Thanks PRH. Based on this and the responses I got in another thread I'm pretty certain now this is what will happen.  Quite relieved.

[vincevango]

Quick update. Had a great time on the Viking Sea. As I suspected (thanks for the helpful comments!), guests are not dropped at Fusina at disembarkation. For those not going to the airport, Viking takes you (via a 25 min bus ride) from the Fusina port to the old Marittima port in Venice where you collect your baggage and can easily arrange transport to wherever you need to. Beware getting info from the Viking reps, several folks on the cruise got conflicting info from them. It all worked out for us as we had pre-arranged a pickup with our hotel at Marittima.

 

Great trip. Thanks for the help!

[-Lew-]

We'll be in transit through Fusina next month on Viking Sky.  Below is an email I received from Viking.  It doesn't apply to us, but it may be helpful to the OP...

 

[Murt22]

@-Lew- Are you embarking in Athens or Barcelona? Would love to have a review of this when you return - especially the excursions. We are on this cruise next September.

[-Lew-]

33 minutes ago, Murt22 said:

@-Lew- Are you embarking in Athens or Barcelona? Would love to have a review of this when you return - especially the excursions. We are on this cruise next September.

 

We embark in Civitavecchia on October 6th and disembark in Fort Lauderdale on November 30th.  Which segment(s) will you be sailing?

[Murt22]

Never mind - the letter said Adriatic and Mediterranean Sojourn - that is what we are doing - Athens to Barcelona next September.