Walking Venice BEFORE disembarkation

[mommas]

The ship docks very early (4 a.m.) Is it possible to get off and walk around then return before the required 8 a.m. get out of the room--?

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I would think not. There will be customs and immigration to clear, and once you check out with you cruise card, you are off the ship, so to say. Even though the ship may arrive early, you may not be able to disembark for a while while awaiting clearance from the authorities.

[-Lew-]

There will be customs and immigration to clear...

I don't think customs and immigration would be an issue. On our Med cruise last year we had an overnight in Venice prior to disembarkation. We were not required to get government clearance the day we arrived. If your last port was within the European Union it shouldn't be necessary.

 

There may be other reasons, however, why they would not allow you to leave and then return. One reason might be the lack of suitable transportation at that hour to the areas of Venice you might want to see, ie Piazza San Marco.

 

I would highly recommend staying a few days in Venice after your cruise. It's a fantastic city...you're there, take advantage of the opportunity.

 

Have a wonderful cruise...

 

Lew

[paul929207]

You will nt be docked at San Marco Plaza. I think it took us 30 or 45 minutes to get from our hotel just off the Plaza to the cruise terminal by water taxi. As mentioned above, stay over in Venice for a few days.

[-Lew-]

You're arriving very early and will probably want to be sleeping at that hour, but the view of Venice as the ship slowly passes by the city is not to be missed. I can't say how much you will be able to see at 3:00am or so...you might want to inquire.

 

Lew

[SkystheLimit]

Recommend staying in Venice as well if possible for you. It is a wonderful place,very calming, and fun to explore. I think trying to get off the ship, transfer to the airport, wait, and then fly home is too much in one day. You probably won't sleep much particularly since you will be arriving in the wee hours and want to see this arrival. It's very special no matter the time of day!

[cookingchick]

The ship docks very early (4 a.m.) Is it possible to get off and walk around then return before the required 8 a.m. get out of the room--?

 

Like the other posters, I would also strongly suggest staying at least one extra day in Venice post-cruise...it's a great way to end a vacation.

 

One tip I'll pass on that someone else on these boards talked about some time ago: If you are concerned about shlepping your bags around in Venice (which CAN be a hassle), they suggested taking the bus or a cab upon debarkation from the cruise terminal out to the airport (if that's your departure point), renting a storage locker for your luggage, and just bringing a carry-on back into town for your overnight stay. Obviously, you would pack accordingly prior to debarkation but I thought it made so much sense and next time we intend to do just that. I loved Venice so much...but it's definitely not very luggage friendly!

[8-2-much]

Grand tied up at about 10PM local time on Monday night (that was yesterday, right?) and they opened the doors at about 10:30PM. Off to the water shuttle ($15 gets you unlimited round trips to a point near Piazza San Marco), but at 11PM (took about 20 minutes to get there), it was nearly deserted, and almost totally deserted by 12:15AM.

 

Ship itself is in a cruiseship marina type area, not a pretty place, nothing to see there walking around at 4PM, nevermind 4AM!