Venice Port Snafu + Distance + Early Flight Results in Having to Disembark One Day Early - Who Will Control Baggage?

[_alan_]

The whole time excursions were loaded on our upcoming cruise, nothing was listed for Venice.   My heart sank when I got this email from Viking.

 

I'll let you read the meat of the email I got from Viking in August.   Despite the email saying we would be provided more details by 8/18, subsequent calls told me I won't know the very many details until we get onboard.  They failed to load anything by 8/18. 

 

The key phrase I'm stuck on in the email below is "Your luggage will be transferred to your Venice hotel while you enjoy an excursion in Venice."

 

What I'd like to know is who will be in procession of my luggage while we enjoy this "Venice Program"?   This is an important question for me as the answer might make me second guess taking a laptop or nice camera.   If Viking is controlling the luggage until I see it again, I am fine.   If it is given to an unknown third party, I don't feel comfortable. 

 

Has anyone been through a similar situation and can elaborate?   I can't get a straight answer from Viking, and in the absence of information, my computer and camera might be staying home. 

 

===> email text below ===============

 

You may be aware that the Italian government has restricted cruise ship docking to preserve the Venetian Lagoon, a national monument. This requires us to dock in an alternate location, outside central Venice. Due to operational changes beyond Viking's control, we will now dock in Ravenna instead of Venice. Ravenna is approximately 90 miles south of Venice, offering access to Venice, Bologna and San Marino.

 

 

<Snip>

 

 

Disembarkation

You are currently booked on a flight departing prior to 10:00 AM on the day of disembarkation. Due to the distance from Ravenna to the Venice airport, and in consideration of your early morning flight, we have arranged a full day Venice shore excursion program and a complimentary hotel overnight in Venice the day before your originally scheduled disembarkation. Your hotel stay and shore excursion program will be updated in MyVikingJourney by August 18, 2023. Details and timing for your disembarkation will be provided on board the ship.

Your booking will be adjusted to reflect the full day Venice shore excursion program. If you wish to proceed with these arrangements—as outlined below—no further action is required.

On your first day in Ravenna you will disembark the ship.

Your luggage will be transferred to your Venice hotel while you enjoy an excursion in Venice.

You will return to your hotel in the evening and enjoy a complimentary dinner.

On your final day in Venice enjoy a complimentary breakfast before boarding the motorcoach for transfer to the airport.

If, however, you prefer to participate in another Ravenna or Venice excursion instead of the full day Venice program, you will be transferred to the hotel in Venice after your chosen excursion.

Please know your experience is important to us. We recognize this change may be disappointing or pose an inconvenience and we appreciate your understanding. As a token of our appreciation, we will be adding a $150 per guest shipboard credit to your account for this voyage which can be applied toward optional shore excursions, spa services, Silver Spirits Beverage Package or any other onboard purchases.

Additionally, we are extending to you a future cruise voucher for $250 per person. The vouchers can be used toward any voyage with Viking—river, ocean, or expedition—and will be provided to you following your return home. Our Customer Relations team will be monitoring the voyage and will reach out after you have returned to discuss any comments or concerns.

[cruisinchrissy]

Sounds like a very fair deal to me. Why hesitate? I’m sure Viking will look after your luggage and you can carry your camera and leave your laptop at home. 

[uktog]

It’s the same as when you hand luggage over at the ship when embarking and disembarking it’s not handled by Viking employees but by organisations contracted by Viking to provide services. It’s just like on a flight baggage handling is outsourced to Swissport etc so take your valuables as hand luggage 

 

Looks like Viking have given you a far better resolution than other cruise lines have for their passengers in Venice 

[shipboy]

That sounds like a great arrangement and I’m sure your luggage will be in safe hands

[_alan_]

1 hour ago, cruisinchrissy said:

Sounds like a very fair deal to me. Why hesitate? I’m sure Viking will look after your luggage and you can carry your camera and leave your laptop at home. 

My concern would be if they just leave it in the hands of hotel staff once they get it there, and not in the normal flow of control as from ship. 

[Squawkman]

I would think it’s safe to assume you’ll be staying in the hotel Viking uses for pre and post extensions. Viking has staff at these hotels that watch the luggage process. Honestly, I wish I had your deal when we cruised to Venice last year.

[_alan_]

27 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

I would think it’s safe to assume you’ll be staying in the hotel Viking uses for pre and post extensions. Viking has staff at these hotels that watch the luggage process. Honestly, I wish I had your deal when we cruised to Venice last year.

We’ve never had a clean experience with Venice.  Four years ago we were due to have 2 nights in Venice prior to embarking.  And we were in the owners suite.  Thanks to a mechanic work slowdown over Mothers Day weekend on American, our flight from Chicago to Venice was cancelled 6 hours after original departure and it took a lot of effort to get rebooked in time to even make the ship.  Even then, the second flight option involved a layover in Philadelphia and an aborted take off from Philadelphia to Venice!   We made the ship by 90 minutes.  So we lost two days in Venice then.  
 

For this cruise, I guess you could say we’re losing around 4 hrs due to the need for transfer into Venice.   

[CCWineLover]

Lessons learned (including lots of reports from cruisers to Venice this year):  don’t do a cruise to Venice and especially don’t start or end there.  Venice has made their decision regarding cruise ships and we must accept all the downstream consequences.

 

It sounds like Viking is giving you one of the better deals compared to others on all cruise lines.

[Mich3554]

15 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Lessons learned (including lots of reports from cruisers to Venice this year):  don’t do a cruise to Venice and especially don’t start or end there.  Venice has made their decision regarding cruise ships and we must accept all the downstream consequences.

 

It sounds like Viking is giving you one of the better deals compared to others on all cruise lines.

Yep, this is one of the reasons why I have been avoiding these cruises, despite never having been to Venice.  If we do Venice now, it won’t be associated with a cruise ship…..any cruise ship.

[cruisinchrissy]

3 hours ago, _alan_ said:

My concern would be if they just leave it in the hands of hotel staff once they get it there, and not in the normal flow of control as from ship. 

The answer is not to leave any Crown Jewels or other valuables. People won’t want to steal dirty laundry.

[kctwinmommy]

3 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Yep, this is one of the reasons why I have been avoiding these cruises, despite never having been to Venice.  If we do Venice now, it won’t be associated with a cruise ship…..any cruise ship.

Yeah, we have Venice as a stop on ours, but it's in the middle of it. And we have like 2.5 days there, so at least we won't have to worry too much. But it may become a problem for those getting on or off at that stop (it's the end of one of the legs of our trip). I do like knowing this info though, so if things do change for our time there. I'm keeping my expectations very low for this city. LOL! I've actually been there before as well.

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, kctwinmommy said:

Yeah, we have Venice as a stop on ours, but it's in the middle of it. And we have like 2.5 days there, so at least we won't have to worry too much. But it may become a problem for those getting on or off at that stop (it's the end of one of the legs of our trip). I do like knowing this info though, so if things do change for our time there. I'm keeping my expectations very low for this city. LOL! I've actually been there before as well.

We w got the same 2 night 3 day layover in “Chioggia” or wherever on our Feb. Saturn B2B cruise.  Definitely low expectations.

we figure we’ll do a land tour some other time if we want to really see Venice.

[kctwinmommy]

4 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

We w got the same 2 night 3 day layover in “Chioggia” or wherever on our Feb. Saturn B2B cruise.  Definitely low expectations.

we figure we’ll do a land tour some other time if we want to really see Venice.

Exactly! We'll head into Venice if we can, unless something drastic changes with our port. A couple on the other social media site, had a great write up of their entire cruise, similar to ours, and they actually got a hotel room for the 1 night. Had a great time. We're not doing that, but it was a good idea.

[lackcreativity]

We had a very last minute change of plans for our final stop on a Viking cruise in April 2022. We were supposed to dock in Fusina, but with just a few days before the end of the cruise, Fusina announced a port closure for an environmental study. Viking worked magic and got us a spot at Ravenna and revamped all the shore excursions and transfers and such. Having been to Venice previously, we took the Ravenna excursion and were very glad we did.

 

Alan, your situation is different, but if it suits your purpose, the mosaics in Ravenna's churches are well worth a visit.

[pavementends]

OP should carry his camera and leave the laptop at home. Problem solved.

 

It is unfortunate that OP is getting details now. However "issues" with cruise ships and Venice have been in the air for some time so this should be no surprise.

 

To be honest (1) a night in Venice is a better experience than a few hours of tour and (2) there are interesting things to see in Ravenna if OP's plans are flexible.

[_alan_]

19 minutes ago, pavementends said:

OP should carry his camera and leave the laptop at home. Problem solved.

 

It is unfortunate that OP is getting details now. However "issues" with cruise ships and Venice have been in the air for some time so this should be no surprise.

 

To be honest (1) a night in Venice is a better experience than a few hours of tour and (2) there are interesting things to see in Ravenna if OP's plans are flexible.

 

Thanks for that feedback.   In our case, we were given an "either or" scenario.  Either see Venice or see Ravenna.   Having lost that opportunity to see Venice four years ago, it will likely be Venice.   I think what I've decided is to leave both the DSLR and the laptop behind in the US and look like every other Yank tourist with his iPhone.  Then talk it thru with the cruise director once onboard about excursion changes.   They are usually very approachable, in fact we ate dinner with the CD's wife on our last Viking tour a couple of nights because she was often seen having to eat alone.   While being somewhere without my laptop will seem foreign to me, it's only for about 12 (yikes) days.  

[kctwinmommy]

3 hours ago, _alan_ said:

 

I think what I've decided is to leave both the DSLR and the laptop behind in the US and look like every other Yank tourist with his iPhone.  Then talk it thru with the cruise director once onboard about excursion changes.  

Just curious as to why you wouldn't want to have your DSLR anyway? I mean, I realize many are using cell phones, and I know the iPhone does a great job. But just didn't understand why you would pack it in your luggage for that last day out anyway. Either way, sounds like you made a decision.

[Peregrina651]

On 9/18/2023 at 11:18 PM, _alan_ said:

What I'd like to know is who will be in procession of my luggage while we enjoy this "Venice Program"?   This is an important question for me as the answer might make me second guess taking a laptop or nice camera.   If Viking is controlling the luggage until I see it again, I am fine.   If it is given to an unknown third party, I don't feel comfortable. 

 

My thought is that you should be taking this up with Viking directly and in particular with TellUs@vikingcruises.com. Forget the phone center or the chat; they won't be able to answer your question. Explain your issues and concerns to TellUs. Include your booking number and a phone number. Tellus us will be able to contact the operations department and get specifics.

 

 

[uktog]

6 hours ago, _alan_ said:

 

Thanks for that feedback.   In our case, we were given an "either or" scenario.  Either see Venice or see Ravenna.   Having lost that opportunity to see Venice four years ago, it will likely be Venice.   I think what I've decided is to leave both the DSLR and the laptop behind in the US and look like every other Yank tourist with his iPhone.  Then talk it thru with the cruise director once onboard about excursion changes.   They are usually very approachable, in fact we ate dinner with the CD's wife on our last Viking tour a couple of nights because she was often seen having to eat alone.   While being somewhere without my laptop will seem foreign to me, it's only for about 12 (yikes) days.  

I cannot understand why you wouldn’t have your camera as hand luggage anyway, when I use a DSLR it’s always round my neck ready for something. 
I’ve been surprised how quickly I managed to adapt to do all IT activities on my phone when I was forced to travel without my laptop and I’ve never gone back to taking it. 
As I understand the cruise director has no meaningful clout over excursions so better to have any discussions with those who do pre cruise and accept whatever is happening and move on. Between this and your panic about BA your going to have to or your whole cruise will be affected 

[_alan_]

It’s more than the DSLR, it’s the additional lenses, mini tri pod, media, card readers, laptop, etc.  So, it’s a whole separate bag of expensive equipment.   Given the scenario, there are three choices. 1, leave it home. 2, lug all the equipment while on an excursion instead of being safe in my cabin, 3, trust everything minus my camera and lens choice to the bag handlers until the evening.   A decision which can’t wait to be made until we get onboard as Viking phone people would want me to accept. 
 

I only post this question to the forum just in the random likelihood that folks went thru a similar experience given all the experienced travelers here.  Not some random badgering.  It’s Wednesday and we depart for pre-cruise on Saturday.  I understand Viking was put in a bad place by Venice port authority.  Just trying to do what I can to make the cruise as smooth as possible given the circumstances given the lack of information I’ve gotten thus far. 
 

I’ve asked the folks at TellUs before and they said wait until we embark, frankly because I think Viking is even now still scrambling to finish the details.  
 

I can try again. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by _alan_

[Mrs Miggins]

Option 1 sounds stress free.

[WanderingBrit]

On 9/19/2023 at 6:04 AM, _alan_ said:

My concern would be if they just leave it in the hands of hotel staff once they get it there, and not in the normal flow of control as from ship. 

It seems entirely likely that your luggage will be transported to the hotel, and left with the porters there. Leaving luggage when arriving before check-in or departing after check-out is entirely routine with all hotels I've stayed at, and not something I would see as an incremental risk.

[Cruising Domer]

2 hours ago, _alan_ said:

It’s more than the DSLR, it’s the additional lenses, mini tri pod, media, card readers, laptop, etc.  So, it’s a whole separate bag of expensive equipment.   Given the scenario, there are three choices. 1, leave it home. 2, lug all the equipment while on an excursion instead of being safe in my cabin...

 

Why not try to split the difference between options 1 and 2? 

 

I frequently travel as you do with all of that equipment (including usually two DSLR bodies); however, on certain trips, I've also packed lighter and traveled with just one DSLR and a light load of lenses.  Extra cards and batteries would accompany that, but I've left the tripod/monopod, laptop, card readers (not much use without the laptop), etc. at home and it makes for a relatively lighter load to carry.  Not being familiar with what you normally bring out with you on excursions, have you considered packing for your trip what you'd normally carry on most (granted, not all) of your excursions versus your entire kit?

 

If your DSLR has multiple card slots and can record images to two cards simultaneously, you could also leverage that to have an instant backup of all of your photos.

[Liz Masterson]

So Viking handled our bags several times on our 2022 Norway-Iceland Cruise. 

We started with a pre-extension in Oslo. On the last evening in Oslo, we left our large bags outside our room and a luggage baggage handling company picked them up and took them by van/truck to the hotel in Bergen. 

 

I'm trying to remember... I think they were waiting for us inside our room, or maybe outside our room at the Bergen hotel. 

 

I don't bring anything expensive or delicate with me when I travel. In situations like this, I always keep necessary documents and medication with me in a day pack.