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Tim Bloomfield. This is the full email we received. 13DEC2023 Dear Viking Guest, Thank you for choosing Viking for your Italy, The Adriatic & Greece voyage. We would like to update you regarding your docking location in Venice. You may be aware that the Italian government announced that all cruise ships, except small boutique ships, would be moved to alternate docking locations, outside central Venice, in order to preserve the Venetian Lagoon, which is a national monument. Going forward, to support Venice in their goal of preserving the lagoon’s environment, all affected 2024 Viking voyages on your itinerary will now dock in Fusina (Venice) instead of central Venice. Fusina is approximately a ½ hour drive south of the Venetian Lagoon, depending on traffic. To ensure you enjoy time in central Venice, shore excursions to Venice will be operated from Fusina. Additionally, a motorcoach shuttle will be available for guests who wish to explore central Venice independently. Schedules for the Venice shuttle will be available on board. Fusina, (Venice) Italy Fusina is the gateway to Venice — a wondrous patchwork of graceful piazzas, tranquil canals, artful footbridges, and Gothic splendor. This impossibly romantic place is made dreamier still by a serene gondola ride. To view its riches up close, walking is best. All things Venetian begin in St. Mark’s Square, where its elegant bell tower rings over the rooftops, and the Byzantine-Gothic St. Mark’s Basilica seems to preside over all. Beyond St. Mark’s and away from the crowds, Venice is a hushed and fascinating city to explore, with medieval echoes marking your every step. Guests with Viking Air or Transfers If you have Viking Air or have arranged a transfer with Viking, you will be automatically transferred between the Fusina docking location and the airport or your extension hotel for embarkation or disembarkation. Independent Travellers (Guests travelling without Viking-arranged air or transfers) If you are embarking in Venice, please direct your driver to take you to the Venice Cruise Terminal (Stazione Marittima) to drop off your luggage. From there, Viking will transfer you to the ship in Fusina. Guests cannot go directly to the ship—you will be redirected back to the Venice Cruise Terminal. If you are disembarking in Venice, please direct your driver to meet you at the Venice Cruise Terminal (Stazione Marittima) where you will pick up your luggage. Please know your experience is important to us. We apologise for any inconvenience this change may cause. However, we hope you will join us in being supportive of Venice’s efforts to preserve the historic lagoon area for all to enjoy. You will see these changes reflected in your booking, in My Viking Journey, and on our website at a future date. Should you have any questions regarding this update, please contact Viking Reservations at reservations.anz@viking.com or call 138 747 (AU) or 0800 447 913 (NZ), Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, AEST. We look forward to welcoming you on board in the coming year and wish you a wonderful journey. Sincerely, Viking

We are on the same cruise. We received an email from Viking back in December '23 regarding the change from Chioggia to Fusina. In the body of the email it noted the following concerning "shuttles". "To ensure you enjoy time in central Venice, shore excursions to Venice will be operated from Fusina. Additionally, a motorcoach shuttle will be available for guests who wish to explore central Venice independently. Schedules for the Venice shuttle will be available on board." We intend to wander on our own in Venice so will utilize the shuttle. Without a schedule of times, it makes it difficult to book some galleries and places of interest in advance. If you google maps the port area of Fusina you will see that there is a public water ferry that leaves Fusina but its probable a 30 minute walk from where the ship will dock due to the closed off port area.

Thanks CHammond, appreciate your response. We have been to Venice, independently, a couple of times and are familiar with the vaporetto. The Viking shuttle bus sounds like the answer for our wanderings.

Hi RexMesiter - We are on the 7th October Adriatic cruise out of Rome. We got an email from Viking to say they will be docking in Fusina instead of Chioggia. I asked a similar question to yourself some time ago on this forum regarding shuttles to Fusina and didnt get a response. I guess most are still docking in Chioggia. I had a look at Google Maps and there is a water taxi departing Fusina direct to Venice but its a bit of a walk from the docking location. We booked the offered free Venice tour into Piazza St Marco and Saint Marks Basillica on one morning , the other days we will do our own wandering. We will have to wait to see if anyone has any times of the offered shuttle from the boat to Venice and its return times. The email said they will advise once we are on board which doesn't assist with planning.

Is anyone able to advise whether taxis service the Fusina Cruise Terminal in Venice. We intend to take a day trip to Verona, departing from the Mestre Train Station. There is a bus service but that's a 30-minute walk from the pier and we would prefer the convenience, time wise, of a taxi.