Venice info?

[RCItoNCL]

Hey all, good morning. Wife and I are taking a 7 night NCL on Gem out of Venice in a few weeks. Having never done a cruise like this one before, any info on the port of Venice would be great. Embarkation...is the port within walking distance of everything? Disembarkation...what's the best (and cheapest) way to get from the port directly to Marco Polo airport. Read countless books but can't seem to nail down the best way. Any other insider tips would be great. Have a great summer!

[cberge]

Hey all, good morning. Wife and I are taking a 7 night NCL on Gem out of Venice in a few weeks. Having never done a cruise like this one before, any info on the port of Venice would be great. Embarkation...is the port within walking distance of everything? Disembarkation...what's the best (and cheapest) way to get from the port directly to Marco Polo airport. Read countless books but can't seem to nail down the best way. Any other insider tips would be great. Have a great summer!

I realize you are new to the board,but if you take some time and scan through the pages or do a search you will find a wealth of info re Venice on this board as well as answers to your questions.

[euro cruiser]

"Best" is a subjective term, but cheapest and direct are fairly descriptive. The cheapest way to go directly from the port to the airport is by taxi, about 30 Euro or so.

 

Less direct, and less expensive, is to take the ATVO bus from Piazzale Roma for 3 Euro per person. Getting to Piazzale Roma is the trick. You can walk, about 20 minutes, but it's not easy with luggage. If NCL offers a shuttle to Piazzale Roma (some lines do, but not all), that could be your answer.

[mapleleaves]

We did an RCI out of Venice on May 22. It was my first cruise also; had a fantastic time! I learned quite a bit from reading previous RCI and NCL roll calls as people returned from their trips.

We stayed near the airport Fri night, then took a public bus to Piazzelle Roma in the morning, arriving around 11:30. Had no idea where to go but we immediately ran into people with RCI luggage tags. They showed us where the various cruise line buses were leaving from. The area isn't marked. It's in a corner, maybe 40-50 ft away from the D2 signpost. A bus came within 10 minutes. There was a small paper on the bottom of his windshield that said Splendor of the Seas. We saw a lot of people walking to the terminal with their luggage. It wasn't REALLY far, maybe 15 minutes? but the bus was better!

After the cruise there was a shuttle that took us back to Piazzelle Roma; again area not clearly marked. We followed the EXIT TERMINAL signs and soon came across a long line of people waiting for the shuttle. That's where the taxi drivers were also working the line.

When we went to the airport a few days later, instead of taking a public bus we took the blue ATVO bus, a non stop airport bus that takes 20 minutes and cost 3E. It leaves every 20 and 50 minutes past the hour, at the D2 marker. Be sure to take the one that says Marco Polo Airport.

This was my experience. Hope it helps. Have a great time.

[Earl Rosebery]

Hey all, good morning. Wife and I are taking a 7 night NCL on Gem out of Venice in a few weeks. Having never done a cruise like this one before, any info on the port of Venice would be great. Embarkation...is the port within walking distance of everything? Disembarkation...what's the best (and cheapest) way to get from the port directly to Marco Polo airport. Read countless books but can't seem to nail down the best way. Any other insider tips would be great. Have a great summer!

 

http://www.veniceforvisitors.com has most of the info you need. Also you are cheating yourself if you don't take the time to read a guidebook and buy a map.

[sunshine nana]

NCL does have a shuttle bus from PRoma to the port and from the port back to P.Roma,(free) but they don't advertise it.The luggage goes underneath the bus.

[Bestmom39]

NCL does have a shuttle bus from PRoma to the port and from the port back to P.Roma,(free) but they don't advertise it.The luggage goes underneath the bus.

 

If it is not advertised how do you know which bus is the shuttle ???? on another site it was mentioned " take the Orange Bus to P Roma" is the shuttle bus Orange ??

[wwinfl91]

Let me suggest you somehow plan on spending at least a couple of days in Venice either before or after the cruise. This is one of the most interesting and historic places in Europe if not the world. We spent 4 days there after a cruise in 2001 and wished we could have stayed longer.

 

Have a great next cruise whatever you decide.

[mapleleaves]

If it is not advertised how do you know which bus is the shuttle ???? on another site it was mentioned " take the Orange Bus to P Roma" is the shuttle bus Orange ??

 

There is a sheet of paper inside the windshield on the passenger side which states the name of the ship.

[UlvaZell]

Hey all, good morning. Wife and I are taking a 7 night NCL on Gem out of Venice in a few weeks. Having never done a cruise like this one before, any info on the port of Venice would be great. Embarkation...is the port within walking distance of everything? Disembarkation...what's the best (and cheapest) way to get from the port directly to Marco Polo airport. Read countless books but can't seem to nail down the best way. Any other insider tips would be great. Have a great summer!

 

The cruise terminal is quite a distance from St Marks square, the Bridge of Sighs, the Doges Palace etc. Potentially your line will have a shuttle that will transfer you between the terminal and St Mark's square or you can simply take a water taxi.

 

St Mark's Square, the Doges Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and many other sights are grouped near each other. The Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal are a bit of a hike from St Mark's...

[Bestmom39]

Can anyone help with a website where I could get entrance tickets for Basilica di San Marco without standing in line, I'm sure I saw it on one of the boards but can't find it....thanks

[euro cruiser]

The basilica's web site is here (http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/eng/visite/prenotazioni.bsm?cat=6&subcat=5). You can read about the church, as well as link to the site for reservations.

[Earl Rosebery]

Can anyone help with a website where I could get entrance tickets for Basilica di San Marco without standing in line, I'm sure I saw it on one of the boards but can't find it....thanks

 

http://www.venetoinside.com/en/basilica_of_san_marco/basilica_individuals/

 

Also if you follow the advice on trip advisor (borrowed from Rick Steves) there is no need to book. Just check a bag, show your claim check and skip the line. I think I would book as it is only 1 Euro. You are not limited to the 10 minute tour.