Med 2023

[tfred]

I see that some Med 2023 cruises are out but only for one ship.  I know it is 2 years away but does SS release the full schedule for all ships in the Med at once?  

 

2022 seems to have a variety of trans Med and Italy choices some of which I find attractive.  The 2023 choice are all Greek centric - not really what I am looking for .  At this stage I don't mind waiting but Seabourn has some nice sailings as well

[Observer]

I do not think that any itineraries are held back.

 

The Spirit is doing most of the Med sailings in summer 2023.  But Moon also sails the Med at the beginning and end of the summer.  For the rest of the summer Moon does Northern Europe/Britain sailings.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, tfred said:

I see that some Med 2023 cruises are out but only for one ship.  I know it is 2 years away but does SS release the full schedule for all ships in the Med at once?

Looking at the Silversea website, I see there are a total of 52 Mediterranean voyages in 2023 on four different ships; Dawn, Moon, Spirit, and Cloud.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Stumblefoot

[tfred]

31 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Looking at the Silversea website, I see there are a total of 52 Mediterranean voyages in 2023 on four different ships; Dawn, Moon, Spirit, and Cloud.

I was looking for a longer trip - 15-25 days .  There seems to be a one of those in 2022 (Venice- Barcelona) where I want to go. I was hoping to replicate that in 2023.  The longer 2023s look more Athens centric 

[Stumblefoot]

49 minutes ago, tfred said:

I was looking for a longer trip - 15-25 days .  There seems to be a one of those in 2022 (Venice- Barcelona) where I want to go. I was hoping to replicate that in 2023.  The longer 2023s look more Athens centric 

I don’t know.  Looks like plenty of non-Greek options to me, including a Barcelona to Venice voyage for 23-days without a single Greek port.

[SummmerInKefalonia]

Lol, why you hate Greece? 😛 Relax the new ship Silver Nova will do central Med itineraries! Its schedule will be released this September!

 

Take a look at 2022 Silver Dawn itineraries, they will be mostly the same.

Edited August 1, 2021 by SummmerInKefalonia

[RetiredandTravel]

I've always gone to Venice by land.  

 

Has anyone travelled from the SS Venice Cruise terminal  to Venice Marco Polo Airport?

 

If so how long is the trip and what is involved (boat?)?

 

ty

[Lois R]

3 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

I've always gone to Venice by land.  

 

Has anyone travelled from the SS Venice Cruise terminal  to Venice Marco Polo Airport?

 

If so how long is the trip and what is involved (boat?)?

 

ty

Good morning.🙂......I did but it was on a river cruise with Uniworld. I used their transport at the end to get back to the airport. It was in Oct 2019. I can't remember the timeframe, sorry.

 

I did sail with SS from Venice to Nice in 2018......so that one started in Venice but the flight home was from Nice. I took a water taxi from the airport to my hotel. I would think SS would have transport going back to the airport. Hopefully someone else can give you better information.

[sail1658]

There are doubts about cruise ships being allowed into Venice from today, August 1st.

 

However we've previously experienced transferring either by land or boat to Marco Polo airport

 

You can transfer to the airport from San Basilio cruise terminal by private boat transfer which takes 30-40 minutes. Or you can choose a land taxi transfer which is a similar time but cheaper price. Both were arranged by our travel agent. However the water taxi was more exciting,  but you don't get much help in loading luggage into the boat.

 

It remains to be seen whether any future cruises will use Venice for arrival or departure but it's best to book in advance if they do. 

[Lois R]

2 minutes ago, sail1658 said:

There are doubts about cruise ships being allowed into Venice from today, August 1st.

 

However we've previously experienced transferring either by land or boat to Marco Polo airport

 

You can transfer to the airport from San Basilio cruise terminal by private boat transfer which takes 30-40 minutes. Or you can choose a land taxi transfer which is a similar time but cheaper price. Both were arranged by our travel agent. However the water taxi was more exciting,  but you don't get much help in loading luggage into the boat.

 

It remains to be seen whether any future cruises will use Venice for arrival or departure but it's best to book in advance if they do. 

I was under the impression the size of the ship is the issue.....maybe I am wrong? I know SS just released 2 years of itineraries and many of them are in and out of Venice.........was thinking the smaller vessels would be allowed.  I know the "Floating Cities" or Mega ships are definitely frowned upon.

[sail1658]

Hi Lois

 

Anything over 25000 tonnes is now banned. Silversea have several planned cruises to or from Venice. The next one is September 8th 2021 on Silver Shadow which is 28000 tonnes, but no alternative arrangements are yet announced. Silver Moon, Dawn and Spirit are all around 40000 tonnes.

 

We were hoping to try Silver Moon or Silver Dawn next year from Venice, but it remains to be seen what will happen.

 

This article explains the problems -

 

 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/13/world/europe/venice-italy-cruise-ship-ban.html

Edited August 1, 2021 by sail1658

[Lois R]

2 minutes ago, sail1658 said:

Hi Lois

 

Anything over 25000 tonnes is now banned. Silversea have several planned cruises to or from Venice. The next one is September 8th 2021 on Silver Shadow which is 28000 tonnes, but no alternative arrangements are yet announced. Silver Moon, Dawn and Spirit are all around 40000 tonnes.

 

We were hoping to try Silver Moon or Silver Dawn next year from Venice, but it remains to be seen what will happen.

 

This article explains the problems https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/13/world/europe/venice-italy-cruise-ship-ban.html

Oh wow...I knew there were issues with what ships would be allowed and that has been going on for a long time. I didn't realize the ban starts today........so all the cruise ships over 25 will be diverted to the other terminal.....and that terminal is really not large enough....(seems like that is what they are saying).

So I wonder what is going to happen to all of these "Venice Itineraries".

[sail1658]

Hi Lois

 

This thread has lots of discussion and opinions but no-one knows yet. We await announcements from Silversea

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2790315-italy-bans-cruise-ships-from-venice/

 

 

[brimary]

6 minutes ago, sail1658 said:

Hi Lois

 

This thread has lots of discussion and opinions but no-one knows yet. We await announcements from Silversea

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2790315-italy-bans-cruise-ships-from-venice/

 

 

Looks like only The Cloud and Wind will be allowed in to Venice but sadly the new Management of SS ,Royal Caribbean,has already transferred these two beautiful luxury cruise ships to Expedition Ships to visit the icebound North and South Poles.!!

[RetiredandTravel]

Many Thanks.

 

We have been to Venice so we have no interest in visiting again.  Venice is just a conduit for getting us home (US).  I'm looking at 2023 cruises and there are flights back from VCE to the US around noon.  Given the distance I would think this is possible (getting to the airport around 10).  Considering the efficiency of many Italian airports we've been in we may never make it home. 😨  We wont book our flights until mid next year.  Do you think this will be resolved by then?  To change a base biz class seat can be costly.

 

I really don't care what port it ends in, as long as the itinerary isn't completely changed and there is a major-ish airport that has flights to London or Paris.  What would be the alternatives?

 

People sharing their experiences and knowledge of these cruises is exceptionally helpful to new cruisers.

 

Thank You.

[sail1658]

 

2 minutes ago, brimary said:

Looks like only The Cloud and Wind will be allowed in to Venice

Yes but as you say, it's doubtful that they'll ever need to sail into or out of Venice again. 

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, sail1658 said:

Hi Lois

 

This thread has lots of discussion and opinions but no-one knows yet. We await announcements from Silversea

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2790315-italy-bans-cruise-ships-from-venice/

 

 

Hi Sail, I saw that thread......thanks so much😃........I LOVE VENICE and would be happy to visit there again!

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, RetiredandTravel said:

I'm looking at 2023 cruises and there are flights back from VCE to the US around noon.  Given the distance I would think this is possible (getting to the airport around 10).  Considering the efficiency of many Italian airports we've been in we may never make it home. 😨  We wont book our flights until mid next year.  Do you think this will be resolved by then?

 

Right now, there's no way to know if the cruise you're looking at will even go to Venice in 2023 or not.

 

If it does, it will likely use the industrial port of Marghera, which is on the mainland just to the west of the island of Venice. Transportation from there to the airport should be fairly easy; it's only about a 20 minute drive.

 

But the port of Marghera was not built for cruise ships. There's a scramble underway to create up to five berths for cruise ships in the industrial port, but there may be as few as two available by the start of the  2022 cruise season. Since Silversea is a small player in the cruise market, if there is competition for cruise ship berths, Silversea might get crowded out. 

 

It's therefore likely that some 2022 and 2023 cruises now planned to start and/or end in Venice will be changed to depart from cities such as Trieste (about 1 hour and 45 minutes to the east of the Venice airport) or Ravenna (about 2 hours and 15 minutes south of the Venice airport). Since the ban on cruise ships in Venice was just enacted a couple weeks ago, the dust hasn't settled and every cruise line is working on possible changes to itineraries. It may take several months for plans to be solidified.

 

Longer term, using Marghera doesn't solve the problem of getting large cruise ships out of the Venice Lagoon. Plus it creates the potential for major problems because there's a long, narrow channel ships must use going into and out of Marghera, and the potential for a complete blockage if any ship blocks the channel. (Think about the container ship which blocked the Suez canal.) These are among the reasons why a long-term solution for cruise ships to dock outside the Venice lagoon is still been sought; there's a design competition underway, but a winning proposal won't be selected until min-2023. (And after that, even if there's agreement t go ahead -- which 20+ years of disagreement indicates will not be easy -- it will take a lot of money and years of construction to end up with a new cruse terminal.)

 

 

[RetiredandTravel]

I have to tell you cruiseej I'm having a tough time booking a cruise, keep getting close.   Planned on booking this one today.

 

The Venice component isn't important to us because we've have been there, not that we have something against Venice.  Ending in Trieste or Ravenna seems it could be a nightmare if that's what all the cruise lines intend to do. That 2 hour trip could turn into an eternity. 

 

Given the news I'm sort of surprised SS would put together so many itineraries that start or end in Venice. 

 

My cruise search continues.

[Observer]

3 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

The Venice component isn't important to us because we've have been there, not that we have something against Venice.  Ending in Trieste or Ravenna seems it could be a nightmare if that's what all the cruise lines intend to do. That 2 hour trip could turn into an eternity. 

 

 

I do not doubt that this development re. Venice will mean significant inconvenience and disappointment for cruise lines and their passengers.

 

However, there is frequent, fast train service between Trieste and Venice.  I, for one, would love to spend some time in Trieste.  The late Jan Morris wrote a marvelous book on the city, Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere.  That book, read recently, has elevated Trieste to a prime spot on my bucket list.

[cruiseej]

14 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

Given the news I'm sort of surprised SS would put together so many itineraries that start or end in Venice.

 

All the current itineraries were developed before the Italian government's recent surprise decision to ban cruise ships immediately. Silversea expected there not to be a ban prior to an alternative port being developed and/or to only affect the truly giant cruise ships. They -- and most of the cruise industry -- were taken by surprise.

 

MSC has moved their August sailings from Venice to Monfalcone, about 90 minutes from Venice and 30 minutes closer than Trieste. Because there isn't a large cruise port facility in Monfalcone, passengers still go to the Venice cruise terminal, drop their luggage, go through health screening, and are then bused to Monfalcone for immediate  boarding.

 

Trieste and Ravenna have cruise terminals which can handle passenger check-ins and luggage, and I'm guessing some 2022 and 2023 Venice cruises will be diverted to those ports, with cruise lines to providing bus transportation to/from Venice because most passengers will travel through the Venice airport. (Cruise lines can easily charter buses, but probably not trains.) Others will likely still sail from Venice using the Marghera industrial port. What the capacity will be there -- and how much capacity the other cities can absorb -- is what I'm sure all the cruise lines are trying to sort out. It may take a couple months until there's some clarity about the 2022 season and beyond.

 

[Mayflower1]

As I have indicated before I have disembarked a Silversea Cruise at Maghera in its present Form and it was a nightmare for Guests and Crew. The Luggage was transported to the main Venice Port Facility and the Guests had to go there by Bus to collect Luggage and then be transported in another Bus to the Airport. A long, hot, tedious experience for all, taking well over 1.5 hours to get to the Airport ( there were many fearing missed Flights ).

For Maghera to become a feasible option much money & effort will be required which I doubt will happen any time soon.

[RetiredandTravel]

Thanks everyone.  When they sort it out I'll reconsider.

 

 

[cruiseej]

8 hours ago, Mayflower1 said:

As I have indicated before I have disembarked a Silversea Cruise at Maghera in its present Form and it was a nightmare for Guests and Crew. The Luggage was transported to the main Venice Port Facility and the Guests had to go there by Bus to collect Luggage and then be transported in another Bus to the Airport. A long, hot, tedious experience for all, taking well over 1.5 hours to get to the Airport ( there were many fearing missed Flights ).

For Maghera to become a feasible option much money & effort will be required which I doubt will happen any time soon.

 

I think the difference between your past experience and what might be the "new normal" next year and for several years to come is that Marghera is not set up to handle cruise ships now. When you had to go there, it was something unusual that caused it. Perhaps too many ships in Venice that day? (That would have meant the shore staff handling luggage and passenger movement was over-extended to start with, before the added strain of busing to and from Marghera.) 

 

The plan is to create several new berths for cruise ships in Marghera as the temporary (e.g. for the new half dozen years, maybe more) resolution to cruise ships in Venice. It won't be a fancy, pretty, modern cruise terminal, but they will at least create infrastructure to handle passenger check-in, luggage handling, and moving many people and buses. Assuming they get that set up, it should take no longer to get from ship to airport as it did when ships docked on the island of Venice.

 

Of course, as you note, there's the issue of money and will-power to get Marghera set up for cruise ships. Some in Italy don't want to spend money or allow this "temporary" solution to come into being, because it will keep large cruise ships in the ecologically-senstive Venice lagoon for years to come, and because it increases chances of a problem which could block cruise ships and commercial good if a ship blocks the long, narrow commercial channel. On the other hand, there are a lot of Italians' jobs on the line -- all the people who handled the infrastructure of cruise ships (from porters to longshoremen to fuel and provision suppliers) -- and there is pressure not to lose all those jobs. the government passed the cruise ship ban without working out the details of how to get Marghera set up to become the new/interim cruise port for Venice, so exactly what happens and how quickly is something we'll only know with the passage of time.

[Emtbsam]

We think the 2023 Grand Med looks very interesting.