Getting to Ship in Venice

[barante]

I strongly urge you to take a cab to/from the airport. It's simple and painless. I am all for waternborne transportation but not when I am trying to make a flight. Or at the end of my vacation when I have spent all the dough.

Also, the original scenario for making a morning flight and the poster's expectation of time that it takes was far too optimistic. I used to circle the globe for living as a foreign correspondent. The one thing I learned to always reserve adequate time for airport check-ups and clearances. Always expect the unexpected

We took the ship's transportation the first time. It was fine, but since our cruise, then and now, ends up in Fort Lauderdale the cruise-lines transfers are far too expensive. The price at the Venice end is justified because the airport is some 30 minutes away. (Note how primitive the first villages after the airport are). The FLL airport, by contrast, is just around the corner, more or less.

About vaporetto. Those water shuttles are the basic mode of transportation in old Venice. They bring in construction materials, produce for stores, and haul away trash and corpses. There are special vessels for those, but if you don't use vaporetto, you have little claim to having visited Venice. Just seeing Grand Canal is incredible.

On our first cruise, there were two automatic vaporetto passes in the cabin (with the warning that if they were not returned unused by a certain deadline, they would be charged to your account). The best money we spent, even though these were just for shuttling us from the ship to San Marco and a different ticket was needed for Grand Canal and such. This time we'll go to Murano. Vaporetto.

[jtl513]

Someone please clarify from ship to airport: Taxi or water taxi, or both???:confused:

Land taxi. 20 Euro pp. Fast and easy.

[DoverHeights]

First:

 

Might send thread off into another interesting tangent.

 

I will already have a Hertz car - having given up a comparable Maggiore because of the "horror reviews" - though for 8 days, at +++ insurance, it was 100 E cheaper.

 

I booked 5th March - the only automatic transmission was "prestige" class mercedes C220 - which while, if in good order, is not exactly prestigious in Europe anyway (fortunately). Hertz "pushed" the return - prior to the cruise starting, to Marco Polo airport - away from Piazalle Roma. So I must return it to VCE.

 

Incidentally, I've tried to repeat the booking (have ended up with reduced rates in the past) and I find that you cannot now, even book the class I've chosen, on the internet currently "Please call". I think that I have chosen the most popular holiday time in Northern Italy and for cruising - NA 28th July - I wonder why???? - At least everything will be open - except for 4 hours in the middle of the day, or if its the 3rd Sunday or the 2nd Tuesday or the staff are on holiday or......

 

I looked at Avis - no automatics, Sixt - no automatics from Milan City, Magggiore as mentioned above. It appears that Italian rent a car companies dislike auto transmission drivers from enlightened countries like Australia, US and Canada - and as well, don't actually wish to stock enough cars to rent out.

 

However the food is great and there will be the odd thing to see.

 

Where was I?

 

I must get from Hertz at Marco Polo to the wharf at Stazione Marritima.

 

I have chosen ....... either an ordinary taxi or the Line Blu ferry and probably after a week "shlepping" our bags from car to hotel to car, the door to door taxi option looks better and better. I have been on the canal before and we are about to take a monster canal ferry after all.

 

Taxi it is, unless on the day, my shoulders are in good order, the sun is bright, the walk from Hertz to the wharf, the transfer of the bags onto the private public ferry and their disembarkation will be nothing and then dragging the bags to HAL is nothing..... we will use Linea Blu!

 

Michael in Sydney - wet and wintry by our standards - normal summers day in England.

[CtheW0rld]

First:

 

Might send thread off into another interesting tangent.

 

I will already have a Hertz car - having given up a comparable Maggiore because of the "horror reviews" - though for 8 days, at +++ insurance, it was 100 E cheaper.

 

I booked 5th March - the only automatic transmission was "prestige" class mercedes C220 - which while, if in good order, is not exactly prestigious in Europe anyway (fortunately). Hertz "pushed" the return - prior to the cruise starting, to Marco Polo airport - away from Piazalle Roma. So I must return it to VCE.

 

 

didn't you say you have 5 people in your party? the c220 is not a big car (nor luxury, IMHO). i don't know how you pack, but 5 people with luggage is going to be a stretch. same for regular cabs.