Just off Voyager of the Seas - any questions?

[Karysa]

A couple more questions!

When going to St. Mark's Bascillica is it necessary to check your camera or can you carry it in a camera backpack?

 

Also how easy would it be to return to the ship for a midday rest for a couple of hours and then head back out until evening? We are planning to have dinner at 9:30 at Portafino's that night. I was thinking to leave the ship at 9 in the morning and come back from 2:30-4:30 shower and change and then head back out. We want to be in Venice for Sunset which is 7:40 that evening and maybe for an hour or so after that. How long does it take to get from St. Mark's Square to the ship? Do you think that this plan is doable?

[frfp1984]

Which ports of call it is worth to book an excursion, and which ones are better to make it by ourselves?

[frfp1984]

1 - do they provide towels to use at the pool? free of charge or any extra cost?

 

2 - they have in the bathroom's cabin shower gel or do we have to bring ours?

 

3 - are we able to have any free meals out of lunch/dinner time?

 

4 - can we wear jeans on the MDR or the casual nights?

[Braidburn2]

Also how easy would it be to return to the ship for a midday rest for a couple of hours and then head back out until evening? Do you think that this plan is doable?

 

Yes. If you purchase the RC water shuttle ticket, $25 for a day pass, you can come and go all day untill 11pm. Time from ship to St Marks would be around 10-15mins (my estimate) some else might know true time.

 

BB

[Karysa]

Yes. If you purchase the RC water shuttle ticket, $25 for a day pass, you can come and go all day untill 11pm. Time from ship to St Marks would be around 10-15mins (my estimate) some else might know true time.

 

BB

 

I was planning to purchase the Vaporetta pass for 24 hours is this the same as the RCCL water shuttle?

 

I thought that I could take the people mover and then walk to the square. Would this be an option? And know I don't walk on water and have really no real sense of Venice so if I am totally mistaken please show me some mercy.:)

[steamboats]

1 - do they provide towels to use at the pool? free of charge or any extra cost?

 

There are towels at the towel stations by the pools. You need your card to be swiped. They are free of charge but if you don´t return them by the end of your cruise you´re gonna pay 20$ each.

 

2 - they have in the bathroom's cabin shower gel or do we have to bring ours?

 

Unless you´re in a suite there´s a dispenser in your shower with a combi product which can be used as shampoo or shower gel.

 

3 - are we able to have any free meals out of lunch/dinner time?

 

You can get snacks 24/7 at the Café Promenade. The Windjammer is usually only closed for cleaning and changing the buffets (closing time is at app. 9 pm).

 

4 - can we wear jeans on the MDR or the casual nights?

 

Usually black jeans are o.k.. Blue jeans - depends on how they are looking ;)! But normally men should wear no blue jeans even on casual nights.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

I was planning to purchase the Vaporetta pass for 24 hours is this the same as the RCCL water shuttle?

 

I thought that I could take the people mover and then walk to the square. Would this be an option? And know I don't walk on water and have really no real sense of Venice so if I am totally mistaken please show me some mercy.:)

 

Karysa,

 

There are more or less three options:

 

- Vaporetti: They don´t stop at port so you have to walk or take the people mover first. Advantage: they are going up and down the whole Canal Grande.

 

- Alilaguna boats: They stop at the port and go directly to St. Mark´s Square (Blue Line... while the vaporetti do have numbers), it´s 7 Euros one way and 13 roundtrip or 26 for a 24h ticket. You´ll find more information here.

 

- RCI boat shuttle: more expensive than the other two options but a direct connection to St. Mark´s Square.

 

steamboats

[frfp1984]

Thank you steamboats!!

[Karysa]

Karysa,

 

There are more or less three options:

 

- Vaporetti: They don´t stop at port so you have to walk or take the people mover first. Advantage: they are going up and down the whole Canal Grande.

 

- Alilaguna boats: They stop at the port and go directly to St. Mark´s Square (Blue Line... while the vaporetti do have numbers), it´s 7 Euros one way and 13 roundtrip or 26 for a 24h ticket. You´ll find more information here.

 

- RCI boat shuttle: more expensive than the other two options but a direct connection to St. Mark´s Square.

 

steamboats

 

Thank you very much, I will look into these options.

[Karysa]

On our upcoming VOS cruise our flight leaves at 7 pm from Marco Polo Airport. I am looking for suggestions as to what to do in Venice prior to leaving for the airport. If you have any suggestions regarding where to leave our luggage and how to get to the airport or any other hints that will make our day easier I would appreciate them.:)

[dln929]

On our upcoming VOS cruise our flight leaves at 7 pm from Marco Polo Airport. I am looking for suggestions as to what to do in Venice prior to leaving for the airport. If you have any suggestions regarding where to leave our luggage and how to get to the airport or any other hints that will make our day easier I would appreciate them.:)

 

Karysa, you can leave your luggage at the train station. I've done it in Rome and it will be perfectly safe. http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-left-luggage.htm As to getting to the airport and getting around Venice, I've been looking up all that info too, since we'll be there in October. Here's a boatload of good info for you. Bon voyage! :D

 

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/ (click on Venice to bring up PDF)

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruises.htm

http://www.vtp.it/terminal/trasporti.jsp?idm=O649KPRZ7W466HU8&prg=2&page=2

http://www.suite101.com/content/cheap-public-bus-transportation-to-venice-marco-polo-airport-vce-a246713

[Karysa]

Karysa, you can leave your luggage at the train station. I've done it in Rome and it will be perfectly safe. http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-left-luggage.htm As to getting to the airport and getting around Venice, I've been looking up all that info too, since we'll be there in October. Here's a boatload of good info for you. Bon voyage! :D

 

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/ (click on Venice to bring up PDF)

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruises.htm

http://www.vtp.it/terminal/trasporti.jsp?idm=O649KPRZ7W466HU8&prg=2&page=2

http://www.suite101.com/content/cheap-public-bus-transportation-to-venice-marco-polo-airport-vce-a246713

 

Many thanks!:)

[bellagirl]

Along the Promenade, I understand there are food courts. Are these free? What else is there along the Promenade? I don't remember one on the Vision last year. Thanks to all! Shelly:)

[cruisintwinsmom]

On our upcoming VOS cruise our flight leaves at 7 pm from Marco Polo Airport. I am looking for suggestions as to what to do in Venice prior to leaving for the airport. If you have any suggestions regarding where to leave our luggage and how to get to the airport or any other hints that will make our day easier I would appreciate them.:)

 

There is also a place to leave your luggage near the people mover which would be closer than going to the train station. However, as we were headed to the ship at about 10 am on Saturday morning, we saw a long line of people dropping off their luggage. It would be convenient to drop your luggage, return there to get it and then catch a bus to the airport.

[goody1]

Hi,

Great thread! Although I appreciate that this thread is for V.O.S. my wife and I are on the A.O.S. in October. This will be our first RCI Cruise and I was wondering if you have to book the Ice Show, or is it first come first served? How many shows are there in a week? Many thanks..

[Jimnbigd]

Along the Promenade, I understand there are food courts. Are these free? What else is there along the Promenade? I don't remember one on the Vision last year. Thanks to all! Shelly:)

Voyager class and above have the Royal Promenade with one or more restaurants. Voyager class has only Cafe Promenade, no extra charge, with pre-made sandwiches, pizza, and great desserts. And free Seattle's Best coffee (extra charge for specialty coffees). It is a good place for a fast continental breakfast if you are in a hurry to make a shore excursion. http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experience/html.do?exCode=543&shipCode=VY

The Ben & Jerry's ice cream near to Cafe Promenade is not free, nor is the bar next to Cafe Promenade.

Royal Promenade also has the shops and some bars. And a car. And a huge tree at Christmastime.

Cafe Promenade is right next to the big red "phone booth" which is really an ATM.

[Karysa]

There is also a place to leave your luggage near the people mover which would be closer than going to the train station. However, as we were headed to the ship at about 10 am on Saturday morning, we saw a long line of people dropping off their luggage. It would be convenient to drop your luggage, return there to get it and then catch a bus to the airport.

 

Thanks. I was thinking that the Piazza Roma where the people mover takes cruisers to from the pier would be a good place to leave our luggage post cruise. I have read that the bus is the easiest and most inexpensive way to get to the airport as well. Do you happen to know the name of the website where I could take a look at the bus schedule?:)

[Karysa]

Thanks. I was thinking that the Piazza Roma where the people mover takes cruisers to from the pier would be a good place to leave our luggage post cruise. I have read that the bus is the easiest and most inexpensive way to get to the airport as well. Do you happen to know the name of the website where I could take a look at the bus schedule?:)

 

Found it. Din929 posted the link for me back in post #86 of this thread.

Just got to those links now and BTW they have really good info in them. Thanks again Din929.

[bbbearden]

Found it. Din929 posted the link for me back in post #86 of this thread.

Just got to those links now and BTW they have really good info in them. Thanks again Din929.

 

Hi Just back from VOS Venice cruise. When you depart the ship, go to the people mover and and purchase a one way ticket to the Piza Roma. When you get off there is a luggage storage place right in the Piza Roma. No need to go to the train station. Luggage storage is 5 Euro's per bag.

 

You can walk to St. Marks from the Piza Roma but it is a long walk, the signs are not very good an you will likely get lost. However, we completely enjoyed getting lost in Venice. We saw all sorts of shops and churches, and areas of the city where there were not as many tourist. It was a lot of fun. After two hours of walking and exploring we eventually ended up back in St. Marks and enjoyed our time there. We did take a Vapratto back to the Piza Roma and then caught a bus back to the Airport. The buses leave roughly every 30 minutes and they are the cheapest way back to airport. They run an express shuttle and so it was a quick easy drive.

[Karysa]

Hi Just back from VOS Venice cruise. When you depart the ship, go to the people mover and and purchase a one way ticket to the Piza Roma. When you get off there is a luggage storage place right in the Piza Roma. No need to go to the train station. Luggage storage is 5 Euro's per bag.

 

You can walk to St. Marks from the Piza Roma but it is a long walk, the signs are not very good an you will likely get lost. However, we completely enjoyed getting lost in Venice. We saw all sorts of shops and churches, and areas of the city where there were not as many tourist. It was a lot of fun. After two hours of walking and exploring we eventually ended up back in St. Marks and enjoyed our time there. We did take a Vapratto back to the Piza Roma and then caught a bus back to the Airport. The buses leave roughly every 30 minutes and they are the cheapest way back to airport. They run an express shuttle and so it was a quick easy drive.

 

Excellent. Did you enjoy the cruise? What were the highlights for you?

[Karysa]

I would like to enjoy our first morning in Venice and so far my research has taken me from the Santa Lucia train station to Piazza Roma. Would you do baggage check there or head to the port and wait for the porters to open and after handing in our luggage head to St Marks Square by Vaporetta? There will be nine of us and we are arriving in Venice via train from Vienna. Thanks for any suggestions.:)

[bbbearden]

Excellent. Did you enjoy the cruise? What were the highlights for you?

 

 

In all honesty, it was one of the best vacations I have ever taken. I am working on my reveiw to post and hope to have it up soon. There were so many highlights it is almost hard to list them all. I read all the negative reviews that were posted and honestly did not expereince any of those issues myself. Voyager was in great shape, the staff was awesome, and I had service that was above and beyond my expectations. We stated in a Grand Suite and that was also awesome.

 

Venice is an amazing city. It is like the entire city is a work of art. Yes I know it is a huge tourist trap, but the buildings, the history, and just the sights are amazing. The food and the wine are pretty good to.

 

With regard to checking baggage, I do not know what time the porters open or when you arrive. However, I would not waste one precious second in Venice hanging out with lugguge. Depending upon when your train arrives, check you lugguge and head out ASAP. You may consider contacting RCCL and see if they will tell you when the porters open. Since you have limited time I would recommend that you take a vapratto to St. Marks instead of walking, it is a long walk and your time is limited.

 

We did do a gondalo ride early in the morning and loved it. It was cool, not many gondolas were out yet, and we had a great tour. It was pricey, but very relaxing and informative.

 

In Koper, do not buy a ship excursion. There is a booth on the pier selling the exact same exursions for about half the price. Koper is a neat little city, but many things are closed on Sunday and so the tours turned out to be the best way to see the area.

 

In Ravenna, you will need to use the shuttle or a taxi to get into town. We liked the shuttle. We rented a car and went to Florence, so cannot comment on Ravenna to much.

 

In Bari, you can easily walk to the old town from the pier. About 10 minutes. We did a rickshaw (sp?) ride that was fun. It took about and hour. It gave us the chance to learn a little history and get the lay of the old city. We then walked back to the places we wanted to spend a lot of time in. The food in this port was great, and lots of neat sidewalk cafes.

 

In Dubrovnick, you will need the shuttle to take you into the old city or a taxi. Again, the shuttle worked well because it was an all day ticket. We bought tickets to walk the wall and had a great time. It does get hot so do this early, but the views are great. We had lunch in the harbor area and it was a fun place to spend time. Very scenic.

 

Hope this helps, will be posting a review soon.

[Karysa]

In all honesty, it was one of the best vacations I have ever taken. I am working on my reveiw to post and hope to have it up soon. There were so many highlights it is almost hard to list them all. I read all the negative reviews that were posted and honestly did not expereince any of those issues myself. Voyager was in great shape, the staff was awesome, and I had service that was above and beyond my expectations. We stated in a Grand Suite and that was also awesome.

 

Venice is an amazing city. It is like the entire city is a work of art. Yes I know it is a huge tourist trap, but the buildings, the history, and just the sights are amazing. The food and the wine are pretty good to.

 

With regard to checking baggage, I do not know what time the porters open or when you arrive. However, I would not waste one precious second in Venice hanging out with lugguge. Depending upon when your train arrives, check you lugguge and head out ASAP. You may consider contacting RCCL and see if they will tell you when the porters open. Since you have limited time I would recommend that you take a vapratto to St. Marks instead of walking, it is a long walk and your time is limited.

 

We did do a gondalo ride early in the morning and loved it. It was cool, not many gondolas were out yet, and we had a great tour. It was pricey, but very relaxing and informative.

 

In Koper, do not buy a ship excursion. There is a booth on the pier selling the exact same exursions for about half the price. Koper is a neat little city, but many things are closed on Sunday and so the tours turned out to be the best way to see the area.

 

In Ravenna, you will need to use the shuttle or a taxi to get into town. We liked the shuttle. We rented a car and went to Florence, so cannot comment on Ravenna to much.

 

In Bari, you can easily walk to the old town from the pier. About 10 minutes. We did a rickshaw (sp?) ride that was fun. It took about and hour. It gave us the chance to learn a little history and get the lay of the old city. We then walked back to the places we wanted to spend a lot of time in. The food in this port was great, and lots of neat sidewalk cafes.

 

In Dubrovnick, you will need the shuttle to take you into the old city or a taxi. Again, the shuttle worked well because it was an all day ticket. We bought tickets to walk the wall and had a great time. It does get hot so do this early, but the views are great. We had lunch in the harbor area and it was a fun place to spend time. Very scenic.

 

Hope this helps, will be posting a review soon.

 

So glad to hear that you had a wonderful trip. We have our port days pretty much planned but are still working out what to do on our arrival and departure days in Venice.

[cruisintwinsmom]

I would like to enjoy our first morning in Venice and so far my research has taken me from the Santa Lucia train station to Piazza Roma. Would you do baggage check there or head to the port and wait for the porters to open and after handing in our luggage head to St Marks Square by Vaporetta? There will be nine of us and we are arriving in Venice via train from Vienna. Thanks for any suggestions.:)

 

We left our hotel about 9:45am, and dropped our luggage off at the terminal about 10:45 and was in San Marco around 11:30. We had a little trouble finding the people mover, so that took a big bite out of our time. (Others have said there is a shuttle to the ship, but we did not see it.) We did not check in with the ship until we came back, which was about 3:00. The lines were very short by that time and I don't think it took 5 minutes to get our sea passes.

 

It may be more convenient to check you luggage at the train station and pick it up on your way back to the ship...it would save you a lot of time!

 

We used Rick Steves' Venice book to help guide us to the highlights that we wanted to see. You could stick closer to port rather than going all the way to San Marco because you will have Friday to venture further out.

 

Happy Sailing!

 

PS: Glad someone had the link for the bus schedule for you because I did not have one.

[Panda Nina]

Hi

 

Following your message I see a lot of questions but not the answers eg I would like to find out exactly how to get from the Voyager to each of the towns eg. which should we take ship shuttle, which can we walk, which is there another cheap means of transport?

 

Korper

Bari

Ravenna

Dubrovnik

Venice

 

Thanks