Venice italy cruise port

[Estealvarado]

Abyone familiar with taking cruises in & out from venice italy? Are there usually delays upon returning?

Also google maps shows marco polo airport is 15 min away from the cruuse port is this accuarate?

We are going to stay at a hotel next to the airport the day before the cruise thinkibg it might be easier for us to get to the port. Thoughts?

[bbwex]

I am really not sure about the time, though I think I was told it could take a bit longer than 15 minutes. We will be there in November. I would go to the Ports of Call Section, click on Europe and then click on Italy, and ask this question there. You will get an answer more quickly and you will get lots more input over there.

[barante]

The airport is within 15 or 20 minutes from the cruise terminal. What renders that factoid meaningfless is the fact that you don't know how long it will take for the authorities to clear the ship so that debark can commence.

 

Another problem: Will there be enough cabs in the port? You don't know, just as you don't know how many ships will be unloading passengers at the same time.

 

We have only been on two cruises out of Venice. Both arrived on time. But you never know.

[CruiserBruce]

There is tons of info over on the Italy board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

[Starbright]

I've only sailed out of Venice, not into it, but can't see any reason why there would be a delay. The airport is not far away from the port. It's a wonderful port to cruise into/out of. Make sure you have your camera to hand!

[Keith1010]

I would do as CruiserBruce mentioned and visit the Italy Ports Of Departure Board where you will find a wealth of information.

 

Keith

[Bubblez91]

I live near Venice, My husband and I will be taking a cruise from there in about two weeks. The best thing that I think will work, is stay in a nearby hotel.

[okgirl]

I cruised out of Venice once but we wanted to have more time in Venice so we arrived 3 days early. We booked a private taxi to take us from the airport to the place where the Vapretto's start, and we booked a private water taxi to take us to our hotel which was just a bridge away from St. Marks square....

 

We had a great few days exploring and when we were ready to board the ship we hired another private water taxi to take us directly to the pier instead of going back to the people mover place.

[Estealvarado]

Thank you for the help where can i book a private taxi or private water taxi?

[Hlitner]

We have been in and out of Venice quite a few times (will be cruising out of there again next month) and love the port. Delays are rare, but can happen just like at any port. In fact just a few days ago there was a major demonstration where a bunch of local small boats blockaded the port and delayed ships for about 3 hours. This protest was about a major local issue where many want the Venice cruise port to close (in favor of a new port to be developed on the nearby mainland). As to getting between the airport and the port (you can do this by normal land taxis or by water taxis) it generally takes 20-30 min.

 

Personally, we would never stay out at the airport area unless we were taking an early morning flight out of Venice. Otherwise, we would much prefer to be in Venice for its great atmosphere. In order to minimize the hassles of getting to and from your hotel you should consider a few places in or very close to the Pizale Roma. You can easily take the inexpensive ATVO bus from the airport right to the Piazale Roma and from that same location you can access the port by the new People Mover (only 1 Euro). This all assumes you can handle your luggage. We have a lot of these discussions on the Ports of Call/Europe/Italy board.

 

Hank

[Estealvarado]

We wouldnt mind staying closer but because of.mobility issue we dont want to jave to take a water taxi or go over many bridges so we wanted to find a place thats easybtobget to but.close to port as well

[Estealvarado]

Also do these protest happen in venice frequently?

[Corby114]

Best Western Hotel Olympia is located very close to Piazzale Roma. It is a very short walk that crosses only two small bridges. From there a taxi ride to the port is a very short five minutes. Many cruise passengers stayed at this hotel pre and post cruise. We stayed two nights pre cruise on our Norweigan Gem back to back in July 2010. Some cruise lines have free shuttle bus service from Piazzale Roma to the cruise port also.

[Hlitner]

Would agree with the previous post that the Olimpia is a good choice although you would still have to walk over those bridges. Personally, we enjoy staying at the Ca Doge which is located right on the Piazale Roma only a short stroll from the ATVO bus (which you can take from the airport) and very close to the Piazale Roma entrance to the People Mover. That being said, the Ca Doge is more like a B&B then a hotel and does not have an elevator. So if your mobility issues would make it difficult to walk up some steps to your room then the Olimpia might be a better choice although it is further away. Another option is the Hotel Santa Chiara which is also a short stroll from the Piazale Roma.

 

Hank

[Estealvarado]

Are there any jotels on the mainland that are close to the port as well?

[Hlitner]

Are there any jotels on the mainland that are close to the port as well?

 

No! The Port is on an island located near the causeway that connects Venice to the mainland. So the mainland is actually quite a distance from the port (its a long causeway). The most popular mainland area for hotels/motels is called Mestre which is where many of the cheaper tours put their charges since many of the places have reasonable prices. Mestre also has a train stop with trains that connect to Venice and there is also a public bus route (run by ACTV) that connects Mestre to Venice. My problem with staying out there is that you waste a lot of time just trying to get back and forth to Venice. I think the closest hotel to the port is our favorite little place (mentioned previously) called Ca Doge. The advantage of this small hotel is that its very close to the People Mover (that goes directly to the port) and also the ATVO buses (that go to and from the airport).

 

Hank