please suggest tour co. for 2 day pre-cruise Venice vaca

[artistcleveland]

Have wanted to go to Venice for years, didn't expect to go this year but just got a great-looking brochure from alumni assoc for venice to rome in Oct. After looking over this forum, I'm a little intimidated.

 

Precruise add-on through alumni tour co. is $999 pp for 2 nights, which seemed outrageous. Thought I could put together my own pkg, through a tour co. (an acquaintance suggested Gate 1) for airport pickup, hotel, a tour or 2, and transfer to port.

 

Price was ok, but I'm a little freaked by some really negative reviews of Gate 1. Anyone used them? or have other suggestions?

CC has been great for past cruise questions!

Thanks; looking forward to your ideas.

[CathyCruises]

Wow! Well first off, you definitely do not need a tour! Venice is the easiest DIY city in all of the Med as far as I'm concerned.

 

You would probably be best off booking a room close to the cruise port; Best Western Olimpia, Antiche Figure and the Papadopoli are all close (IIRC!). You can take a nice bus from the airport for 6 euros/pp, then on boarding day take the People Mover for 1 euro to your ship.

 

In the meantime, Venice is a lovely place to wander on your own. You can get a vaporetto (water bus) pass for 12/18/24/36 hours etc. and cruise up and down the Grand Canal, take it over to St. Mark's Square too. There you can take a tour of the Doge's Palace; they also have a 'secret itinerary' tour that takes you up into the attics and jail cells where people like Casanova were imprisoned. You can buy tickets on line in advance if you like.

 

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is also enjoyable, and walkable, as is the Jewish Ghetto. Or you can use your vaporetto pass to go to the glass-blowing island of Murano or the lace-making island of Burano.

 

Lots to do in only 2 days!! Lots of info here on other hotel ideas too, those I mentioned are just easy to get to and relatively economical.

 

Good luck whatever you decide.

[mapleleaves]

Venice is sooo small. You can walk from one end to the other in about an hr if you have a good sense of direction.

No need for a tour. Just pick up a Venice travel book from the library and determine for yourself what you want to see and do. Rick Steves has a free download available too,

This is my go-to web site for all things Venice ..... hotels, airport transportation, maps, gondola rides, things to do, etc. (and they are associated with the tour company Viator) http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/

[agabbymama]

I used viator dot com for three tours in Venice. They are a third party vendor, not the actual tour operator. You get a voucher and where to meet, and give that voucher to the tour operator.

 

We chose a ghost walking tour, and another walking tour that included a gondola ride. We were there the end of October and the rains had started. No refunds, the tours operate no matter the weather. We did our ghost walking tour in the pouring rain, but it was still fun.

 

Then we purchased a vaporetto pass for 72 hours and made the trip to Murano. The winds and rain prevented us from going out to Burano. But we used the pass a lot.

 

We stayed at Ca' Doge right in Piazzale Roma (the transporation hub of Venice). Taxi's, buses, personal cars, vaporetto office & stop, and the peoplemover to the port are all located here at Piazzale Roma.

 

I also use the website mapleleaves gave you. Lots of info for Europe, and especially Venice. Just be aware there are a lot of changes taking place in the port of Venice. At this point in time nobody can say where you will be docking. The environmentalists are trying to stop cruise ship traffic as they feel the pressure created as the large ships move through Guidecca Canal is causing more problems for the foundations of the city. There is another thread discussing this problem.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your cruise.

[samavarcruiser]

You can easily do Venice on your own, take a taxi boat to Murano, walk around Piazza San Marco and and your done :)

[24butterfly]

If you get a Knoph EyeWitness guide of the 10 Best things to do in Venice, you should have lots to plan. Also, getting lost in Venice is half the fun......It will (the Guide) will tell you how to get around in Vencie--such as what vaporettos go where, what they look like--there are pictures...... You may want to go on Trip Advisor for some suggestions as well....The vaporettos are easy to navigate (the 5 takes you thru the Grand Canal,,,), and the traghettos take you across from one side of the canal to the other (kind of like crossing the street....) Have FUN. Also, just wandering into a restaurant certainly shakes things up a bit----.....I really recommend the EyeWitness Guide, tho'.....

Edited January 16, 2014 by 24butterfly

[TMLAalum]

DH & I are "seniors" who've been to Venice pre-cruise (10/13) and overnighting aboard ship at the end of our cruise (6/12).

 

Unless you prefer being part of a tour, as other posters have said, Venice is an eminently DIY city. Vaporettos and your feet can get you to wherever you want to go. Planning is key to deciding what sights are most important to you-I recommend Rick Steve's guides as they are geared to independent tourists.

 

A similarly-aged friend traveled with us to Tuscany this past October and stayed in Venice at the BW Olimpia in Piazzale Roma while we overnited aboard ship. The next nite, as we sailed off, she was on her own. She enjoyed her independent time in Venice very much!

 

You could book a few tours as agabbymama did. We used Artviva for Florence and they also conduct tours in Venice. People here on Cruise Critic will be more than happy to guide you in your planning!

 

Oh, and even though you are sailing with an alumni group, check out the ship and saildate on the roll call forum here on Cruise Critic...if it's an active one, there will be great advice found there!

Edited January 16, 2014 by TMLAalum