for cruise from Venice, will I be able to see anything if flying in same day (from US

[NalCruiser]

trying to plan cruise and because of work schedules it will be easiest to fly in on the same day as the sail off. Will I be able to do anything in Venice if even a little if flying in that morning and sailing off afternoon/evening?

[bobalink]

It is always best to arrive at least the day before. Airlines make changes, causing unexpected layovers, you could have mechanical problems or whatever.

 

Do yourself a favor and begin your trip in a relaxed state of mind. Arrive the day before, explore the very walkable Venice, get a good night's sleep and adjust to the time change.

 

Venice is magical, don't rush it.

[zqvol]

trying to plan cruise and because of work schedules it will be easiest to fly in on the same day as the sail off. Will I be able to do anything in Venice if even a little if flying in that morning and sailing off afternoon/evening?

 

You might get a little time, but I suspect that by the time you get through customs and transferred from the airport to the port it is going to be close to 1:30 or so and that doesn't leave much time. Understanding your situation, if you want to see Venice you should try to get there a day earlier, but sometimes life makes doing that impossible.

[euro cruiser]

It depends on what time your flight lands in Venice. There are very few direct flights there from North America so odds are that you'll have a connecting flight, which means a later arrival. (Delta does have a direct flight from Atlanta that arrives early in the morning, that would be ideal for what you want to do.)

 

You could, however, go immediately to Piazzale Roma upon arrival (rather than to your ship) and leave your stuff at the left luggage office. There is an express bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma that will get you there in a half hour. You could dump your stuff and jump on a vaporetto right there that goes up the Grand Canal. When you need to get to the ship you'd just get on another vaporetto, pick up your stuff and get on the People Mover, which takes you from Piazzale Roma to the cruise port.

[JLC@SD]

trying to plan cruise and because of work schedules it will be easiest to fly in on the same day as the sail off. Will I be able to do anything in Venice if even a little if flying in that morning and sailing off afternoon/evening?

 

Unless you have no problem with jet lag......you will probably be exhausted after your flight.

 

The ship is not close to the major Venice sites......and getting to the center of Venice after check in at the ship will take time. You will be required to get back to the ship at least 1/2 hour before sailing.....and you should be back an hour early to be safe.

[mapleleaves]

What time does the flight arrive and what time do you need to board the ship. Without that info, who can say ???

If you arrive by 8am you'd have time to take a water bus down the Grand Canal and back again. At 11am, probably not.

You need time to collect your luggage and thru customs. Then it's a 20 minute taxi ride to the pier. If you get to the pier and have 3 hrs before boarding, I'd definitely go for it! Drop your luggage at the pier then take the People Mover from the pier to Piazzale Roma (1E for a 2-3 minute ride). Walk across the square to the Grand Canal and catch a water bus. I think it's the #1 bus that hits every stop all the way down the Canal. It's slow so you get more time to enjoy the architecture. More on the water buses in this article.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-vaporetto-water-buses.htm

 

But I would sure encourage you to arrive a day before. I was glad we heeded the warning. We waited 3 hrs at the airport for our luggage to arrive!!! They said the luggage missed the flight and wouldn't arrive until midnight. But they found it in a back room eventually. Good luck.

[NalCruiser]

I actually do plan to arrive early in the morning, but have never been to that side of the world and yes, am concerned about jet lag etc. That might affect the experience too, trying to see everything with a brain that just wants to sleep

[ksps cruise fan]

I actually do plan to arrive early in the morning, but have never been to that side of the world and yes, am concerned about jet lag etc. That might affect the experience too, trying to see everything with a brain that just wants to sleep

 

Actually, the best way to begin conquering jet lag is to stay outdoors. Walking around Venice would be the best strategy for adjusting.

 

No matter how miserable you feel as you stand in line for passport control, the instant you deposit your luggage (same day arrival) or check into your hotel (one day early arrival) head outside and walk, walk, walk. I find I'm so thrilled to be in Europe that my energy returns and my arrival day includes positive experiences -- mostly strolling -- and isn't too painful.

 

In late afternoon, I come back to the hotel and take no more than a 45 minute nap. I wake using an alarm clock and feel like death warmed over, but the goal is to quickly shift your body onto European time. A long nap will defeat that goal. I take a quick shower which really improves my will to live; a lovely meal in Europe further revives me. When I go to sleep, I'm so exhausted that I sleep through the night, having made remarkable progress toward resetting my internal clock.

 

Note: I bring eyeshades and a neck pillow to use on the plane. I'm not a wheels up to wheels down sleeper, but I can typically get four hours sleep in-flight.

[6rugrats]

I actually do plan to arrive early in the morning, but have never been to that side of the world and yes, am concerned about jet lag etc. That might affect the experience too, trying to see everything with a brain that just wants to sleep

It is absolutely foolish to fly in the day of your cruise, especially if you are flying from the US to Europe. For lots of airlines, there are only one or two flights a day. If there is some problem, you are going to miss your cruise. ALWAYS fly in at least the day before.

[NalCruiser]

in your experiences, how long does it actually take to go through customs etc in Venice and get to the pier? (or at least how long to get out of the airport by itself?)

[paul929207]

What time do you sail?

 

By the time you get to the ship, it will be 11am. Another hour to checkin and board gets you to noon or so, maybe even 1pm. Unless you sail late, not much time

[rmurray847]

Actually, the best way to begin conquering jet lag is to stay outdoors.

No matter how miserable you feel as you stand in line for passport control, the instant you deposit your luggage (same day arrival) or check into your hotel (one day early arrival) head outside and walk, walk, walk. I find I'm so thrilled to be in Europe that my energy returns and my arrival day includes positive experiences -- mostly strolling -- and isn't too painful.

 

Note: I bring eyeshades and a neck pillow to use on the plane. I'm not a wheels up to wheels down sleeper, but I can typically get four hours sleep in-flight.

 

I've traveled to Europe a few times over the years, to visit my grandparents in Germany. Always get there (they are two hours from Frankfurt) and immediately crash and sleep, no matter time of day. Takes forever to not feel jet-lagged.

 

Last year, my wife and I took an East. Med cruise. Flew in to Rome and when we arrived in our hotel room at 11:00 am, the first temptation was to crash. The bed practically called our names! (We had not slept well AT ALL on the plane.) But we resisted, since Rome was outside our window, and started walking. Just as mentioned above...it does seem to help. We were a bit weak the first hour or so, but grabbed lunch at an outdoor spot and after that, we were in GREAT shape the rest of the day. Slept that night and were ready to go in the early am with no issues. Maybe it was the excitement of the trip...but I've never had less trouble with jet lag. (Also, we took the "anti-jetlag" tablets we found online, via Amazon, and I have ZERO idea if they actually did anything...but maybe. I'll sure use again this year.)

 

I agree, by the way, that it would be ideal if you could get to Venice a day early...but if you can't, you can't. Always amusing to see folks posting that you MUST arrive early, might miss a connection, yada, yada. I'm sure you know that...but sometimes circumstances make the idea impossible.

[Waihekean]

My two cents, Venice is so special that I think you are going to regret not to arrive early. You do not mention that you have to fly in the day of sailing, so then my advice is that you arrive several days before sailing.:)