Arghh! Yeah it's Venice but flights are a nightmare! Help!

[IndyDenise]

Just booked the April 18th 2018 cruise Barcelona to Venice.

 

Really great price ( casino rate and I didn't gamble THAT much on my Panama Canal cruise) with Explore4. We also are receiving two free nights pre cruise plus excursion on HAL for booking a NS. Really, the rates plus perks are amazing.

 

My problem? Flights!!!! We disembark in Venice ( after an overnight there ) at 6am .. Flights are either filled already ( what the heck ? ) or way to early ( like at 6am) or at 10am..

 

So can you disembark before official disembark ( at 2am) ? Is that even possible? I've heard Marco Polo Airport can be a disaster .

 

The other option is staying an extra day and flying out the next morning.

 

Thanks!

 

 

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[IndyDenise]

I forgot! My third option is to take a flight to say Paris or Rome later in the day . Spend the night and fly home then. Since flights Venice-USA are super high this is actually cheaper .

 

 

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[Essiesmom]

You can debark any time, but I think the problem would be getting transport to the airport very early. Not even sure if the People Mover runs all night...We love Venice, so would certainly opt to stay another night...or two...

 

Your other options...We found intra Europe flights to be really cheap and stayed in London a few days before flying to Venice. So I would opt for flying to London, making the flight home shorter. EM

[freestyling]

We found flights out of Rome much more reasonable. We took the Le Freccee High Speed train (3 1/2hrs). I believe it cost 65£ and had reserved seats. It was a easy and nice train ride. Of course we only had a rolling bag and backpack each.

[Reagan0712]

Did you try booking your air through HAL? We were able to get Venice to JFK to BWI for less than $300 on Delta at 1:20p.

[cruisemom42]

You can disembark early and I would arrange a taxi in advance -- very easy and not a long ride. Given the usual chaos at Marco Polo airport, I'd want to be there about 3 hours ahead of your flight.

 

Names for pre-arranged taxis have been given multiple times on the Ports of Call forum for Italy.

[kazu]

Sure you can disembark early, but I am going to make a suggestion.

 

Why not stay in Venice an extra day and enjoy some of the ambience, see a few things and then fly our the next day.

 

If time does not permit, I get it but seriously, I cannot fathom getting off in a port (unless I have been there before) and just flying home and not staying there. We stayed in Venice three days pre cruise and were delighted with everything we saw. It is really worth it.

 

Just another option. If it were me, I would fly out the next day or the day after ;)

[Reagan0712]

I forgot! My third option is to take a flight to say Paris or Rome later in the day . Spend the night and fly home then. Since flights Venice-USA are super high this is actually cheaper .

 

 

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A fourth option would be Venice to Dublin. This still requires an overnight stay. Aer Lingus flights are quite reasonable and there is the added advantage of being able to go through U.S. customs at Dublin airport.

This was our backup plan if we couldn't get something out of Venice.

[iancal]

It is a tad early to get a good bead on airfares. The possibilities are endless for you to get an inexpensive transatlantic flight to a European city. See the sites and then for, train to the port.

 

We do exactly this most of the time. One convenient hub for you may be Milan. It is a short train ride to Venice and you could do a slight detour to Como on the way or stop in Verona.

[ellbelle]

You can debark any time, but I think the problem would be getting transport to the airport very early. Not even sure if the People Mover runs all night...We love Venice, so would certainly opt to stay another night...or two...

 

Your other options...We found intra Europe flights to be really cheap and stayed in London a few days before flying to Venice. So I would opt for flying to London, making the flight home shorter. EM

 

 

 

Sorry for the stupid question but I've been thinking about this... Would that also include disembarking the first day the ship ports in Venice? We will have already been to two Italy ports prior to Venice so assuming no Customs required which is why it will be no problem leaving when you want? We are staying (same cruise) one night extra but would rather disembark the first day and stay two nights in a hotel. Seems like a more comfortable way than to do it, even though will be extra expense.

 

Thank you for your reply, we've not had this situation yet.

 

 

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[IndyDenise]

Thanks everyone for the ideas!

 

I love the Dublin idea BUT I'm scared to go where I haven't been yet! I'd want to stay. I've had extended stays in Rome, Paris, London and will have pre cruise in Barcelona. I figure those are "safe" . Well, I'm never safe in Paris.. it's my favorite city in the world and I'm liable to never leave.

 

I know it's early for airfare.. but I was surprised at all of the sold out flights already.

 

Well, heck., I AM going to check out Dublin! One night there would give me time for a few pints at least!!

 

 

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[Langoustine]

Flights out of Milan are also usually much cheaper, and it's 2 1/2 hours Venice to Milano Centrale, and then another hour to Malpensa airport.

[navybankerteacher]

Sure you can disembark early, but I am going to make a suggestion.

 

Why not stay in Venice an extra day and enjoy some of the ambience, see a few things and then fly our the next day.

 

If time does not permit, I get it but seriously, I cannot fathom getting off in a port (unless I have been there before) and just flying home and not staying there. We stayed in Venice three days pre cruise and were delighted with everything we saw. It is really worth it.

 

Just another option. If it were me, I would fly out the next day or the day after ;)

 

Right - if you find yourself in Venice, is it really a good idea to immediately hustle to the airport which offers very few direct flights to anywhere?

 

Step One: Find out which European airport has the most convenient/inexpensive flights to the airport nearest your home: Rome and Milan - an easy train ride from Venice, or one of many European cities served by reasonably priced flights from Venice.

 

Step Two: Reserve a hotel room for at least one night so you can experience an amazing, one-of-a-kind city, while avoiding a mad dash to an airport crowded by unthinking yahoos from your ship.

 

Step Three: Book train or intra-Europe flight that day or two later.

 

Step Four: Enjoy an easier trip home after having had the chance to REALLY see the kind of place you flew to Europe to see in the first place.

 

Step Two:

[RMLincoln]

May 7th there is a cruise departing Barcelona to Miami, 13 nights. I'd look at that! We'd rather be on a ship than a long flight.

Stay a bit in Venice (LOVE Venice!), catch a flight to Barcelona at your convenience, stay a few nights in Barcelona! The transatlantic is on a different cruise line, but it can be good to be open to new experiences. It calls in Valencia, Gibraltar and Funchal. Enjoy, m--

[Trevor Fountain]

Can't understand anybody wanting to rush away from Venice. Possible the best place on earth. JMHO. Stay at least an extra night and relax.

[lastlook]

If HAL flight options don't work for/appeal to you, take a look at SWISS to see if they have flights that would work for you. We like SWISS flights but our "home" airport is Boston for international flights and I'm not sure what yours would be.....we have flown SWISS to/from Venice on a HAL round trip Venice cruise, and also flew SWISS last year for our Barcelona to Venice cruise on another cruise line. Last year, we flew into Barcelona, but home from Florence, as we spent 3 nights post cruise in Venice, and then 5 nights in Florence. We've always had good flights with SWISS - on time and good service with just one connection in Zurich. My sister and her husband (who live in CA) also flew SWISS from/to SFO for that trip, and also had just one connection in Zurich.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Do the their option! You save the stress and risk and even get a bonus city! [emoji106]

 

 

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[RJ2002]

If HAL flight options don't work for/appeal to you, take a look at SWISS to see if they have flights that would work for you. We like SWISS flights but our "home" airport is Boston for international flights and I'm not sure what yours would be.....we have flown SWISS to/from Venice on a HAL round trip Venice cruise, and also flew SWISS last year for our Barcelona to Venice cruise on another cruise line. Last year, we flew into Barcelona, but home from Florence, as we spent 3 nights post cruise in Venice, and then 5 nights in Florence. We've always had good flights with SWISS - on time and good service with just one connection in Zurich. My sister and her husband (who live in CA) also flew SWISS from/to SFO for that trip, and also had just one connection in Zurich.

 

Thanks for these comments about SWISS. We are flying them to Europe next year, and it's nice to see some favorable comments. We were lucky to get business class saver award seats (through United). I've read that ZRH is a very efficient and well-run airport, so I'm hoping connections there will be easy.

[sammiedawg]

We've taken more than a few trips on a shoestring schedule. We are always happy to get home, when a trip is over its over.

A few years ago we had an overnight in Venice like you do. Another cruise line. We had been to Venice a few times but still went out and explored day 1. Then we flew home the next morning, leaving Venice at 9am. We disembarked at 6:30 am and had a private airport transfer waiting for us. We had no problems whatsoever. Airport counters don't open up early in Europe so there is no reason to go three hours early.

A few years ago there were almost no Venice flights direct to the US, we flew to Rome to connect to JFK.

I personally would not fly to Rome to spend the night. The airport is in the boonies, nothing out there. If you stay in the city there are more transfers to arrange , then another transfer back to the airport. We think a single overnight hotel stay is a nuisance, especially in Rome.

[iancal]

I had a colleague whose family lived near Venice. It was their practice to fly to Zurich and rent a car. He said that he got better air and saved quite a bit on a three week car rental by renting in Zurich. I found the latter surprising since we have always had excellent car rental rates in Italy, one way as well, from autoeurope.

 

 

We MUCH prefer Milan to FCO

[IndyDenise]

We've taken more than a few trips on a shoestring schedule. We are always happy to get home, when a trip is over its over.

A few years ago we had an overnight in Venice like you do. Another cruise line. We had been to Venice a few times but still went out and explored day 1. Then we flew home the next morning, leaving Venice at 9am. We disembarked at 6:30 am and had a private airport transfer waiting for us. We had no problems whatsoever. Airport counters don't open up early in Europe so there is no reason to go three hours early.

A few years ago there were almost no Venice flights direct to the US, we flew to Rome to connect to JFK.

I personally would not fly to Rome to spend the night. The airport is in the boonies, nothing out there. If you stay in the city there are more transfers to arrange , then another transfer back to the airport. We think a single overnight hotel stay is a nuisance, especially in Rome.

 

 

 

The Rome Hilton Airport has a free ( or it was ) shuttle to the Coliseum area. We checked our bags and spent the rest of the day at the Forum-Coliseum.

 

Next morning took their shuttle to the airport ( you can walk through the parking garages but we had sooo much luggage) .

 

 

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[cxc362]

Thanks for these comments about SWISS. We are flying them to Europe next year, and it's nice to see some favorable comments. We were lucky to get business class saver award seats (through United). I've read that ZRH is a very efficient and well-run airport, so I'm hoping connections there will be easy.

 

I'll second the comments about SWISS. My experiences on them have been enjoyable and efficient.

[moorerf]

We are on the April 30th, Venice to Rome. I did a great deal of research and found Lufthansa flights that

met our needs. We fly out of Dulles in VA. Over we go via Frankfurt and back via Munich. These are 2 easy to move in airports and since we leave Rome to another EU city we don't have to worry about the extended check in process in Rome. I found the flights, Holland America Flight ease was able to secure them for me for 300 dollars per person less so my advice is see what Holland can do for you!!

[lastlook]

Thanks for these comments about SWISS. We are flying them to Europe next year, and it's nice to see some favorable comments. We were lucky to get business class saver award seats (through United). I've read that ZRH is a very efficient and well-run airport, so I'm hoping connections there will be easy.

You're most welcome. I've also flown SWISS many times for land vacations within Switzerland and have never had a problem with my SWISS flights. The bonus is the ease of access to the Swiss trains right from the airport. By the way, the "SwissPass" for train/bus/boat transportation within Switzerland runs like clockwork (with few exceptions) for a set price for a certain number of days. It also includes some discounts on mountain lifts, free entry into certain museums, etc. I find a way to use it every day - even if it is just a nice boat ride on one of the lakes! (Yes, I love traveling/hiking in Switzerland!) ;)

[FPJC03]

Ok, am I missing something? You want to depart Venice ASAP? It is one of the most incredibly beautiful and unique cities in the world. We did a Regent 7 Seas Med cruise 5 years ago. Disembarked and stayed overnight at the Westin Grand Canal. Had wine on the dock overlooking the Grand Canal and took a gondola ride at sunset.

If you have any romance in your soul, you will spend the extra money and stay an extra night post cruise. You will remember it FOREVER.

Arriverderci,

Frank