Med cruise - Terminal question

[jhinjhin]

We are cruising out of Venice in August. Since we are going a few days early to explore Italy the free transfer from the airport to the cruise ship does not apply.

 

How hard and costly is it to get to the cruise terminal (we will be staying along the grand canal - not too far from the train station).

 

Any suggestions and advice?

[jhinjhin]

Does anyone have any idea on this? I want to avoid being ripped off.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[cowprintrabbit]

check out the Venice Port Authority's website, ti looks like you have a couple of options:

 

http://www.vtp.it/pages/navi/crociera.jsp?nomeInfo=P&iconaInfo=ico-passeggeri&idm=E54MJ4738M8XLWVF4618Q4L7I842X679

 

here is another site:

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-marittima.htm

 

We're going May 21, so I will let you know if the buses are a good option!

[Desertbelle]

We took a water taxi straight out of the window/door of our hotel (Locanda Orseolo, St. Marks Square) to the ship and it was about 120 Euro with tip. It's a fairly long ride, but beautiful.

 

Our plan was to share the taxi, but they are not that large and with 4 of us and a lot of suitcases, we filled up one taxi. I wouldn't have changed that ride for the world, it was wonderful!!

[bankofdad]

We took a water taxi straight out of the window/door of our hotel (Locanda Orseolo, St. Marks Square) to the ship and it was about 120 Euro with tip. It's a fairly long ride, but beautiful.

 

Our plan was to share the taxi, but they are not that large and with 4 of us and a lot of suitcases, we filled up one taxi. I wouldn't have changed that ride for the world, it was wonderful!!

 

Hi DesertBelle,

 

We're staying two nights pre-cruise at the Locanda Orseolo as well. This is very helpful, and sounds like the way to go. Did the staff call for the water taxi for you?

 

Also curious about how you got from the airport to the hotel. Did you go straight to the airport after the cruise, or did you have a post-cruise stay? Thanks again for sharing the information!

[Travelgrrl]

You might be able to take a public vaporetto which is much cheaper, if you can manage your bags on what is basically a waterborne 'subway'.

[Desertbelle]

You are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE the Locano Oreseolo! I wish we had stayed a couple of more days. The owners are wonderful.

 

They called the taxi for us and loaded us right into it from their sitting room. The taxi ride thru the canals and then out onto the Grand Canal is not to be missed. So fun to see UPS delivery boats and such, those canals are so interesting.

 

Our plan was to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, but there was some confusion and we ended up taking a water bus to St. Marks. We had a lot of luggage and we were not sure how to get to the hotel from where the water bus dropped us off, so we hired a porter to take us to the hotel. This was the worse mistake we made on the whole trip. If you do this, make sure you settle on a price before he loads up your luggage....this man charged us around 140 Euro to walk us 10 minutes to our hotel!!! We were so upset, never guessing it would be that much. We argued with him some, but he wasn't willing to take less. It would have been much much cheaper to have just hired a private taxi at the airport to take us right to the door of the Locanda Oroseolo. If you don't have much luggage, the walk isn't bad from where the water bus drops you off, but there are stairs to take your luggage up and down, on the way.

 

Post cruise we stayed an extra day in Barcelona. We stayed at the Hotel Jazz....I highly recommend this hotel. It's very modern and new and right in the center of everything. Plus their rates are very reasonable. Do not miss any of the Gaudi stuff.....the cathedral and the park are amazing. At the cathedral rent one of those audio tour thingys, it was so interesting. In the park, give yourself a lot of time and just stroll through it all, you will not be sorry. I would love to return to Barcelona some day.

 

I would be happy to answer any other questions you might have.

[bankofdad]

Thanks Desertbelle! Once again, very helpful info. We're really looking forward to our trip. Were the private water taxis at the airport hard to find (thus the cufusion)? It's just DW & I on this trip, but I'd much perfer that to the porter fee:eek: !

 

We'd love to go to Barcelona someday, too. This cruise is a Venice round-trip itinerary. Any suggestions for restaurants you enjoyed while in Venice?

 

Thanks again for helping!

[bankofdad]

(thus the cufusion

 

I meant Confusion:D ; it's just another "senior" moment:eek: !

[Desertbelle]

Thanks Desertbelle! Once again, very helpful info. We're really looking forward to our trip. Were the private water taxis at the airport hard to find (thus the cufusion)? It's just DW & I on this trip, but I'd much perfer that to the porter fee:eek: !

 

We'd love to go to Barcelona someday, too. This cruise is a Venice round-trip itinerary. Any suggestions for restaurants you enjoyed while in Venice?

 

Thanks again for helping!

 

The confusion was because the people at the Locanda Oreseolo told us that only one taxi company would take us directly to their door, but when we got to the airport water taxi/bus spot (very easy to find) there were none of that brand around and the guy there, directing the taxis, said no taxis would take us directly to their door. So we decided if we were just going to be taken to St. Mark's Square anyways, we might as well save some money and take the bus. AFTER we paid for the bus and were waiting for it to leave, a taxi from that company showed up and it was too late. We should have believed the hotel people and just waited, but being in a new country, we were a little intimidated, AND totally exhausted from being about 19 hours in transit at that point.

 

The bus was OK, but like any other public transportation, it took a long time to get to St. Marks, having to stop at other places first...we would have preferred to have had a direct to the hotel.

 

As far as restaurants, we asked for suggestions from the people at the hotel and they were 100%, every place was perfect. I can't remember any of the names, but they were all a short walk away. And the breakfasts at Locanda Oreseolo were wonderful....you are in for a treat!

[micruiser2002]

You can also take a land bus to the train station on the island. This is very fast and inexpensive, from there you could get a water taxi to your hotel or walk if it is not too far.

[Travelgrrl]

For the OP - you really should be able to save the freight ($) of a spendy water taxi from your hotel to the port, if your ship is docked by the Piazzale Roma and your hotel is, too. You can probably just walk! Though you might have to scale a few little bridges, if your suitcases are not too cumbersome, you can probably handle it. Otherwise, I would be shocked if the public vaporetto system would not take you there. One route takes you from Piazzale Roma (near your hotel) along the Grand Canal to the right, past St. Mark's, then loops around the south end of Venice island and comes back up the canal from the left, and then back to P. Roma. So I bet it stops at the ship port, too!

 

The vaporetto is economical, especially if you stay for a few days and get a pass good for multiple rides. Then save a couple chits for the trip to the terminal. You can wheel your luggage right on to the vaporetto.

 

If you are touring beforehand, you can easily (and politely) jockey your way in the crowd waiting to board in order to be one of the few people with an outside seat in the front of the waterbus. Few Venetians care about those seats (because they are unsheltered) but they provide an excellent up close view of the Grand Canal - and allow you to pretend the teeming hordes aren't right behind you - and that you're in your own private, expensive gondola!

[driftychick]

Margie:

 

I have a few questions! DH and I along with another couple are thinking of taking this cruise in 2007. What time of year did you go? Did you arrange the flights or did RCI? Is 3 days prior long enough to shake the jet-lag? What ship were you on?

 

We are thinking of doing a back to back on the Splendour of the Seas. It does a 6 day and 2 7 days that have different itenneraires. (spelling?) What do you think? This is an excellent cruise to try for an aft balcony I think. Thanks for any info you can give!

[Desertbelle]

Margie:

 

I have a few questions! DH and I along with another couple are thinking of taking this cruise in 2007. What time of year did you go? Did you arrange the flights or did RCI? Is 3 days prior long enough to shake the jet-lag? What ship were you on?

 

We are thinking of doing a back to back on the Splendour of the Seas. It does a 6 day and 2 7 days that have different itenneraires. (spelling?) What do you think? This is an excellent cruise to try for an aft balcony I think. Thanks for any info you can give!

 

I would be happy to help anyway I can.

 

Our Med cruise was in June and I think it was a perfect time of year. I have heard a lot of people complain about the large numbers of Europeans, and the problems they seem to bring with them, on cruises in July and August.....it seems that is when they take their vacations. Though we had record high temperatures on our cruise (we happened to be in Rome on the day they recorded their highest temperature ever, ugh), I think normally June is more temperate. The high daytimes temps on land did give us delightfully warm and wonderful sea nights and sea days. If ever I were to go back to Europe again I would pick June again.

 

We spent two days in Venice and I do wish we had spent a 3rd. We were on the Millennium 12 day cruise and I think that itinerary is near perfect. You start in Venice and end in Barcelona or visa versa. The Millennium is a beautiful ship and you will not regret booking her. As far as aft balconies...the Med cruises are very port intensive, you have very few sea days to set out and relax on your belcony. We had a CC balcony and loved it, but we are glad we didn't book anything more expensive, such as a suite, because we didn't spent a lot of time on the ship compared to our other cruises....it would have been wasted, I think.

 

I may be unusual, but I wasn't affected by jet lag in the least going to Europe but it took me a week to get back to normal coming home!! The key to combating jet lag is to NOT give into the urge to sleep the day away when you get there. By the time we got to our hotel in Venice we had been traveling around 24 hours and were beyond exhausted. We took a nap of 2 hours (I set the alarm) and insisted that we get up and act like it was a normal Venice afternoon. We went walking, ate dinner, meet some friends for Bellinis, enjoyed some of the St. Marks festivities and went to bed at a normal Venice time. Woke up the next morning feeling great! It did seem to take my husband a day or two longer to feel totally normal and he didn't have any of the lag after the vacation. Different people, different reactions.

 

There are so many wonderful things to see in Venice. We did the Doges Secret tour (not to be missed), took a water bus to Murano (very pricey and touristy but fun to look at) and walked and enjoyed the many wonderous things to see. The shopping around St. Marks was varied and plentiful....I picked up a beautiful peice of art that I cherish.

 

FOR THE OP: St. Marks Square and the Locanda Orseolo are very far from where the ship port is. You will need to take a vaporetto or a water taxi from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the port. There are no other choices. Taking a train from the airport to anywhere else to get a water taxi or vaporetto, will only take you out of your way.

 

If you were going directly from airport to pier you could take a land taxi, train or bus to pier......the area around the airport and pier are the only areas in Venice that have automobiles....the whole rest of Venice is foot traffic only and you have to take boats to get from one large island to another.

 

I hope this was helpful.

[ronp101]

Hi everyone, actually there is a service called Alilagunda between the airport and St. Marks. It is quite reasonable, I believe, 10 Euro (price may have gone up), but it is fairly direct and they accommodate luggage quite easily. The issue will be to get from St. Marks to the hotel. Unless you are located near St. Marks, you may want to continue on Alilagunda on the other stops or get a water bus or taxi from St. Marks. It is a fairly central spot. Taxis are very very expensive, but they are direct. It's trade off. I know I would appreciate after a long flight from the U.S. I would want to get to the hotel ASAP. We were there 2 days prior to our cruise, and of course I would love have to stayed longer. It is such a beautiful city. Enjoy!