Millenium-Mediterranean Cruise

[Amy G]

We are sailing this summer in the Mediterranean. We start in Barcelona and end in Venice. We arrive in Venice the day before we are expected disembark. I am having some problems with Celebrity, and I am looking for some help! I contacted Celebrity asking them how I go about making sure that we disembark early in order to catch a train to Switzerland. Celebrity told me that they cannot guarantee such a request because they must first arrange disembarkation for people catching flights. They also told me that they cannot guarantee an early disembarkation beccause they do not know when Customs and Immigration will clear the ship. It seems that on all my other cruises, clearing customs happens by very early in the morning. So, they tell me I have to wait to we board in order to make early disembarkation arrangements, if allowed. This puts a huge damper on our vacation plans, because it means I cant book train tickets. If we dont book train tickets, then we can't attempt to get a request approved to disembark early! Argh! I am so frustrated!

 

Anyway, here is my question. What time do most European cruises clear customs, considering that our ship arrives the day before?

[Petoonya]

We did this same cruise on Millennium in May of last year. We were the last group to disembark at 10am. But Celebrity can't tell you precisely what time they will clear customs. I'm sure you've cruised before and you know that most of the time it happens by 8am-ish. I have been on several cruises that for whatever reasons, our disembarkation was delayed due to customs. I'd never be able to comfortably book a flight or a train trip with only a few hours lag time- it's just more risk than I am willing to assume.

 

Chances are excellent that you will be off that ship by 10am, but it's not fixed in stone. We stayed an extra day in Venice just to relax and not have to sweat it. The cruise was the best I have ever been on- know you will love it!

[kelmac]

Amy,

We did this cruise last summer (June) and what a special sight it is, to cruise past San Marco Square and dock in Venice!

We too, spent an extra two nights in Venice before catching a train north to Innsbruck. By staying an extra few nights, we could be very selective as to which train we wanted to take. Venice is a VERY special place, and my wife and I consider it the most romantic city in the world. We spent two weeks riding the rails of Europe, after our cruise. Take your time, and take the stress out of your vacation.

We also left the ship about 10:00am. By the way, a water taxi from the ship to the train station is about a 10 minute trip. Expensive, but fast.

Enjoy! Kel

 

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