Vineyard View

We took several water taxis a couple weeks back. My husband has a bad back and hip. They were each very helpful in helping get into and out of their boats. So depending on how severe your mobility is would be a consideration n

I believe that Hotel Santa Chiara is right off the Palazzo Roma. I noticed it when we were there a couple weeks back. So if you take a car to that point your walk would be very short.

Insuremytrip.com squaremouth.com two really good companies to compare policies. If you have questions you can call them. We’ve used both in the past and have found that their pricing is the better option for us, and we’ve been able to insure the deposit up front. I am hoping that is still an option with them because it’s a really smart way to get your pre-exiting locked in for less initial cost

I do not think I would choose to go to both. With the distances involved, I think it would feel really rushed and unsatisfied. One of the two excursions that we did do on this trip (OBC) felt that way. It took us to Porec and Ravinj. Both of these smaller but beautiful towns were worth exploring. The guide was a nonstop talker and we ended up with 30 min free time in each place. On the second excursion via boat to Hvar I asked the guide (he really didn’t want to) tell me what time to meet back at the boat. Great decision. Others who went along for the tour told me we were the smart ones!

I remember now hearing someone in guest services talking about a “special” process being done for those with early flights. She must have been referring to the same you just described. Great information Billy for others. And yes it is the old Maritima Cruise terminal so that transport information is helpful as well cruisemom. It was just so different from the way it used to be - not a person in sight other that those few working there and us passengers. I will say again though that there were not water taxis waiting. Quite a few passengers from the cruise were, so hopefully it was easy for them as that is a great way to get into the heart of the city. It was the best way for us to arrive at the terminal for our departure as we were staying on the Lagoon area and getting to Palazzo with luggage would have been time consuming and a bit more difficult.

You are welcome. The cruise line not having airport transportation has me scratching my head. The old terminal is a bit of a distance from anything really. I cannot imagine that they would not have options for passengers as I do not know where and what all the passengers are supposed to do. There really are no services there. It’s all closed up for the most part. We originally were going to put our bags in a storage locker and go to Venice directly for the day, then to the hotel later, but when we got off the bus there were no lockers available that we could find, and no one really knew so we took the safe bet and headed to the airport. It’s a pain, but probably/surely better than being 1 1/2-3 hrs away from Venice as some ships are docking. Maybe the question for the cruise line is ‘how do we get to the airport from the Old Cruise Terminal after we disembark. I don’t think that customer service fully understands the situation. We sure didn’t. Hopefully this helps. Have a great trip!

It will NOT disappoint! If you have a chance to read a little history of Malta it may being what you are seeing more to life. It did for me. Enjoy!

100%. It creates a great memory for sure!

Thanks for this information. Since it was a public holiday the day we were there, the museum was closed at the castle. We were only able to take a short walk through the outside of it. I should have checked with you before on this!

Good clarification. Thank you. The water taxi will leave as early as you need it to. Our hotel told us it would be no problem to order one for that 6a departure if we wanted to stay there after our cruise.

If you are right on the Grand then Hotel Carlton will be able to order you a water taxi to pick you up directly from the hotel. Check to be sure but I am pretty positive. That time is no problem you can share a water taxi with a limited number of people - if we only had two nights I would stay in Venice too! Our flight was 6a so a little different and we had 4 night pre. Have a wonderful time. Venice is magical early morning and late afternoon-evenings!

We had a 6a flight out so took several days in Venice pre cruise, then stayed at Marriott Courtyard next to the hotel for the flight the next day. There is a public bus stop right across the street from the hotel you can take to go into the city and back. ‘also - check directly with your hotel for all your options. Ours was very helpful for arrival.

You can order a private water taxi to pick you up from your hotel and take you directly to the Airport. We did this on arrival. It was a splurge (140eu) but it was well worth it after long travel. Trip took 25 min. Conversely you can also take public water bus to the airport with multiple stops. 1 hr 30 min, 15eu. Or take your bags to Palazzo Roma and catch a cab or bus.

We just sailed on Seabourn RT Fusina. The port controls the logistics. No options unfortunately. So for disembarking, you will need to catch a bus from your cruise line. Unfortunately Fusina is on the mainland, but the bus will be required to drive across the causeway to the old Venice Cruise terminal. We did not see any cabs when we disembarked (they were likely outside of the terminal entrance) so we jumped on a different Seabourn bus, back across same causeway to the airport. We then caught a cab to the hotel we had to stay at until an early flight the next day. I would recommend you see if your cruise line is offering transfers to the Airport so you do not have to worry about finding a cab if time is of the essence.

We were truly lucky to be in Venice first 4 night, then the Seabourn cruise with only two days of rain. They’ve had tons of moisture. It was pretty humid, but it was clear and we were grateful. I am not sure which of those I would choose if we were in Koper again. But likely one of them if I couldn’t find a private - then again it’s a long distance so a private needs a really good reputation. We do stop in Vodice again - this time we took a cab to Sibenik. Which was lovely. We need to find a different plan for next year though.

We just visited Kotor for the first time two weeks ago. As has been said, do not miss the sail in. Spectacular. Well worth the early alarm clock. ‘we chose not to book a tour or excursion and visited independently the city. We took our time and thoroughly enjoyed our day. There are lots of small streets, shops, the wall to walk, the moat….and very good local beers, wines, and beautiful charcuterie boards of local offerings for lunch. There is a steep walk you can take up to the fort is you are inclined to do so….we would have not too long ago, but we just really enjoyed the day in Old town. We will be going back again next year, and may look to do a 1/2 day private for something different, but Kotor did not disappoint for a great DIY day either.

We were just in Malta two weeks ago. What an incredible place. To echo others, do not miss the sail in. Get out on deck early. It is surreal and stamp to memory. We took a cab to Mdina. Amazing place - the history and architecture. We weren’t there on a Sunday, but I believe it would be worth going just to experience walking the streets and soaking up the surroundings of the ancient history. We were able to visit both St Paul’s in Mdina and St John’s in Valletta. Both I would say are in the top 10 we have visited in Europe. The architecture, the art (a room filled with Caravaggio in St John’s), the immensity of these is jaw dropping. We purchased tickets ahead online for that day. Maybe you could see if that is available for your date after services. We also visited the archeological museum in Valletta. Wrap your brain around seeing artifacts, in very good condition, from 4500bc. There were several dig sites of ancient cities included from various ancient times. It was an interesting museum that we enjoyed. I hope to have the opportunity to return. So much to see. Even though we had a full day and late night, you can only scratch the surface.

We just returned from an amazing trip. We were very fortunate with the weather compared to the two weeks prior. Luck of the draw - however two days we did have rain and Koper was one of them. The thunderstorms we pretty intense, so we decided to have a late breakfast before going into port. We were told that cabs were not in numbers so with the weather we decided to just spend our time in Koper. It’s a lovely ancient city that, while quite small, was enjoyable to walk. We found a spot for a light lunch and drink that was completely covered in the main square. We enjoyed local cheeses and meats, as well as a good beer while we watch the rain, in an ancient small city in Europe. Not ta bad way to spend time. Since it was our last day, we packed early and relaxed so it turned into a good day. If it weren’t our last day, or any other day for that matter, I would definitely look at either Lake Bled or Ljubljana. If it were my first visit and I did not want to travel that distance, I would definitely recommend going into port early to go to Piran as well because Koper is not enough to spend the whole day.

We were just in Sarande. I agree with cruisemom42. When we got off the ship, it was a very disheartening walk. We walked most of the ‘promenade’, stopped on our way back for a cold beer by the water, and had ourselves back on board in a short time. It was a lovely day on board, but not in port. I would book a tour or stay on board. I simply do not understand why ships dock there unless it’s very low port fees. I also know this is not what you wanted to hear. There was an excursion to a village that was UNESCO that I heard people really enjoyed in addition to Butrint.

We just completed a wonderful trip that included Crotone as a port stop. The day we were there, it was a National work holiday, but we decided to take a walk and check it out. - One of the ‘highlights’ being a castle. My piece of advice would be to either take a ship excursion (which we try to steer clear from) , a private, or make it a ship day. The castle was in such neglect (they were still there to collect your entrance fee) that it was really sad. Weeds everyplace, graffiti, absolutely no effort made to make this what it could be. We walked through various streets to get to this ‘castle’ and found ourselves thinking, maybe it was a huge party the night prior with the holiday, and that is why so much litter was all around. We were on and off the ship in an hour and thoroughly enjoyed the ship that day, but this port was a disappointment. The excursions were all outside of the city, so I think that said something I should have paid attention to.

We were just in Malta a couple weeks back. We’ve been to a good number of ports in the Mediterranean and Malta was one of those stamp to memories. A large MSC ship was also in port. I believe they left around 3:00, which is probably an on board by 2:00. While we enjoyed the quiet after such a large number of people sailed away, I did find myself thinking that it would have been a shame to have such a short day. We did not sail until 11p.

We just used a water taxi from the airport to our hotel a couple weeks back. We transported our own luggage. I do not remember seeing any porters when we arrived at the water taxi location, but then I was not looking. It is a bit of a walk.

We’ve been to and stayed in Barcelona several times. We have loved our time there. It’s a beautiful city with much to do. So for us, a different port with interesting history to explore would be great. However, for a lot of people who have not been to Barcelona, and it is on their bucket list, then this change will impact their time in the City in a negative manner. Not everyone has time available, but Barcelona is a great city to go into early or stay afterwards and this change may prompt more of that, as it has in Venice. When we were in Venice for several days a couple weeks ago, multiple merchants and restaurants shared that with the port changes, they are seeing more people staying in the city longer than prior to the cruise changes there. Same migration may occur in Barcelona. Time will tell.

Having just sailed Venice, and Rome in the past, I totally agree with this statement.

You may not really want an overnight in SFO. Unless you are planning on traveling away from the city up to wine country, or the redwoods or coast. Unfortunately SFO is not the City it used to be. Even Nordstrom and major hotels are pulling out. It is sad. It used to be a beautiful city to visit. Hopefully in time it will change.