courtesy buses in venice

[delgirl]

we are going on queen victoria in july have an overnighter in venice. Will there be courtesy buses provided by cunard or do we have to make our own way into venice.

[fantasy51]

I have been to Venice a couple of times on cruises and have found the arrangements to vary.

 

Some years ago I visited Venice mid-cruise and found a bus (not advertised) that would take people to Piazzale Roma. I was told by someone that officially it was the crew bus - but there were quite a few passengers on it. From there we caught a water bus along the Grand Canal.

 

On another cruise I had an early flight into Venice and had time to wander after checking in. I looked for the crew bus and was told my best option was to pay $20 and catch the boat that had been put on by the ship, to take passengers to St Mark's Square. That's a useful option if you want to spend your main time in San Marco rather than travelling along the Grand Canal. It takes a faster, but less scenic, route.

 

There is also a people mover to take you from Stazione Marittima (the cruise port) to Piazzale Roma, if you want the Grand Canal option. The one time I asked about it (paragraph above), I felt it was too long a walk for me to get there, then travel slowly by a water bus that stopped frequently. I needed the faster option of the boat to San Marco.

 

Here is some information about the people mover. (I suspect that this now replaces the crew bus that I mentioned earlier.) http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/people-mover-to-marittima-cruise-terminals.htm

 

As far as costs go, water buses are expensive. If you only want to visit San Marco, then you are possibly better off taking the ship's provided transit. If you want to see the Grand Canal, then choose the people mover and the waterbus. You could buy a ticket for the whole day if you wish. You might enjoy getting off at the Rialto Bridge and walking through the market stalls. You will possibly find the cheapest prices on items there, but they might be made in China rather than Venice. ;)

[Corsair8]

We were on Queen Victoria in 2015 and there was no courtesy transportation.

We took a boat to San Marco from close to the berth.

[morbihan]

There is the alilaguna line which goes to the airport. You can catch this from the cruise terminal and get off at P. St. Marc.

 

This is probably the quickest route. We took it last year from P. St Marc to the cruise terminal.

 

Alilaguna and the vaporetto are not the same company and tickets can not be interchanged.

 

The other options have been mentioned - walk to the people mover and then catch the vaporetto to the centre. Walk all the way. Walk from the terminal and catch the vaporetto about 15 minutes walk away. I will have to check which stop when I get home.

 

You can of course go with a few others on a water taxi.

 

The ships tenders are often the more expensive option.