Azamara journey will dock in Venice on May 17, and May 18, 2023.

[tyler6597]

The itinerary for our 12 night treasures of the Mediterranean voyage cruise starting May 6, 2023 and ends in Venice on May 18, 2023 with a overnight in Venice on May 17, 2023 calls for the Journey to be at the Marghera port in Venice which is just outside of Venice. I am so happy that were not docking in Trieste or Ravenna. The web link for this is https://www.cruisetimetables.com/veniceitalyschedule-17may2023.html

Tyler

[andrcan]

1 hour ago, tyler6597 said:

The itinerary for our 12 night treasures of the Mediterranean voyage cruise starting May 6, 2023 and ends in Venice on May 18, 2023 with a overnight in Venice on May 17, 2023 calls for the Journey to be at the Marghera port in Venice which is just outside of Venice. I am so happy that were not docking in Trieste or Ravenna. The web link for this is https://www.cruisetimetables.com/veniceitalyschedule-17may2023.html

Tyler

Yes, it looks like Azamara ships are scheduled to dock there starting April’23. This is very nice news indeed.

[Mrs Miggins]

We were scheduled to dock there in April and that was confirmed by the local cruise timetables However a few days before departure we were relocated to Ravenna.  Viking usually dock in Marghera but recently have been relocated to Chioggia.  I hope it works out for you, but the situation is still very changeable.

[tyler6597]

4 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

We were scheduled to dock there in April and that was confirmed by the local cruise timetables However a few days before departure we were relocated to Ravenna.  Viking usually dock in Marghera but recently have been relocated to Chioggia.  I hope it works out for you, but the situation is still very changeable.

Thanks I guess we'll see'

Tyler

[Riocca]

Email just received from Azamara.

 

October 17, 2022

Dear Azamara Guest,

We're writing to inform you of an important update regarding your voyage scheduled to begin and/or end in Venice, Italy.

We announced earlier this year that we were no longer able to dock our ships in the heart ofVenice for our 2022 season due to new regulations adopted by the Italian government and, many of the guests who have booked voyages that included Venice in 2023 questioned how this would impact their travel arrangements.

Due to our long-standing relationship with local officials and port authorities of Venice, we are thrilled to announce that we will be able to stay in this historic canal city in the neighboring town of Fusina, where only smaller ships can visit. By taking a ferry across the South Lagoon, you can go from Fusina to the heart of Venice in just under 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, we kindly ask for your patience as we finalize and prepare to share more information on our pre/post transfers and land experiences. We will contact you with more details soon.

As always, we take great pride in bringing you and every Azamara guest unforgettable experiences both on board our ships and within our destinations. We can assure you that your future Azamara vacation will deliver the highest standards of service and quality for which we are known. 

Should you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor for more details specific to your country of residence or visit https://www.azamara.com/contact-us for your local Azamara call center number. 

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

[kimberlydrzymala]

We are on that voyage and so hope this is true! Counting the days!

[lisiamc]

This is interesting, but Fusina is still not Venice. I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. Fusina is a 30+ minute ferry ride from Venice proper, as far as I know.

Edited October 17, 2022 by lisiamc

[luv2travel90266]

Journey on April 14, 2023 in Venice on my trip. Haven't received any notice from Azamara. Would prefer anything close as it is the end of my trip and we plan to spend a few days in a Venice hotel  prior to my return home.

[Riocca]

10 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Journey on April 14, 2023 in Venice on my trip. Haven't received any notice from Azamara. Would prefer anything close as it is the end of my trip and we plan to spend a few days in a Venice hotel  prior to my return home.

Our cruise is the 4th October 2023 starting in Venice (Fusina) we booked direct with Azamara so all communication comes to us. For anyone booked with a travel agent the email will have gone to them so there can be a delay.

Fusina might not be Venice but it’s better located for Venice Airport than Ravenna, we’ve booked a nice villa hotel in Mestre pre cruise.

[Lynnewob]

Just received an email advising our "Venice" disembarkation will be Chioggia on the Journey on 7 October 2023.

 

 

[Riocca]

46 minutes ago, Lynnewob said:

Just received an email advising our "Venice" disembarkation will be Chioggia on the Journey on 7 October 2023.

 

 

Press release on another thread says they will be using Fusina and Chioggia, hopefully ours stays as Fusina as it works better for the hotel we’ve booked.

[tyler6597]

3 hours ago, Riocca said:

Press release on another thread says they will be using Fusina and Chioggia, hopefully ours stays as Fusina as it works better for the hotel we’ve booked.

I knew I was right about this. I'll take Fusina or Chioggia anytime compared to Ravenna or Trieste. It will be a lot easier going to the Marco Polo now. I'm thinking we'll stay 3 days after the crise in a venice hotel now. Happy days.

Tyler

[luv2travel90266]

Choices for transport below. There is a land route by taxi if you don't wish to hassle with luggage.

Edited October 18, 2022 by luv2travel90266

[malcliz]

4 hours ago, Riocca said:

Press release on another thread says they will be using Fusina and Chioggia, hopefully ours stays as Fusina as it works better for the hotel we’ve booked.

Are you on the Quest? We disembark on the 4th October and have had an email today to say that will be at Chioggia. 

[Riocca]

51 minutes ago, malcliz said:

Are you on the Quest? We disembark on the 4th October and have had an email today to say that will be at Chioggia. 

No we will be boarding Onward.

[wjfan417]

From the sound of the letters I received, it sounds like we will board in Fusina, and return to Chioggia (October 7 Croatia Intensive round trip Venice). It’s the first of a B2B and the next cruise sounds like it’s departing Fusina. I’m disappointed that we aren’t going to Bologna-my husband really wants to visit the Ferrari Museum!
 

Diana

Edited October 18, 2022 by wjfan417

[HarJan56]

I'm on the cruise starting Barcelona 06 May 2023, and I've received comms from Azamara saying we will end up in Chioggia, not Fusina?

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by HarJan56
correction

[luv2travel90266]

Interesting. I will be on the Journey due in Venice April 14, 2023. Have heard nothing so waiting to find out the actual port we will be at. Just went on the website and they are selling excursions in Venice for the day we dock .

 

I was booking for another port where we docked at 1PM but the excursion was to start at 8AM. Perhaps we would be picked up by helicopter off the ship to make the excursion?  

 

Guess we just need to stay loose and flexible and be happy for a vacation. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

2 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Interesting. I will be on the Journey due in Venice April 14, 2023. Have heard nothing so waiting to find out the actual port we will be at. Just went on the website and they are selling excursions in Venice for the day we dock .

 

I was booking for another port where we docked at 1PM but the excursion was to start at 8AM. Perhaps we would be picked up by helicopter off the ship to make the excursion?  

 

Guess we just need to stay loose and flexible and be happy for a vacation. 

 

We had a similar excursion option in Buenos Aires.  The tour left the day after we left port!  We asked if there would be be boat or air shuttles to the buses!  

[curmudgeon98]

There are definitely some challenges with any of the options.  Some of these may get ironed out by next year, but I wouldn't bet on it.  While it appears that they have finished the additional two berths at Fusina (giving four total for smaller ships), there is very little infrastructure for handling passengers there.  The current Fusina to Venice ferry would not connect well with cruise ships, but there may be a plan to improve that. 

 

Chioggia is quite remote as well.  I don't think either port will be exactly convenient for cruises, but there are no great options.  As much as I like Venice, I'll probably avoid it as a cruise port for a while.      

[Benthayer Gonbak]

5 hours ago, curmudgeon98 said:

There are definitely some challenges with any of the options.  Some of these may get ironed out by next year, but I wouldn't bet on it.  While it appears that they have finished the additional two berths at Fusina (giving four total for smaller ships), there is very little infrastructure for handling passengers there.  The current Fusina to Venice ferry would not connect well with cruise ships, but there may be a plan to improve that. 

 

Chioggia is quite remote as well.  I don't think either port will be exactly convenient for cruises, but there are no great options.  As much as I like Venice, I'll probably avoid it as a cruise port for a while.      

im told that the ferry from the commercial port is 20-30 minutes!  There were some maps on the Venice tourist website. 
 

i can tell you that the taxi drivers thought removing tourism from the cruise ship would be regretted soon.  Similarly, some of the guides thought the vaporetti were doing more damage, with their swirling waters all day long, than the ships. 
 

personally I think they may reduce the number of ships and slightly increase the acceptable size but I think that it may take some more time as they measure some of the results of whether damage has been lowered and whether the merchants want the cruise ship dollars.  They do have good influxes of regular tourist so they local shops may not notice too much, but the taxis may!  
 

i think the locals liked some of the calmness of the pandemic lockdowns.  
 

For what it is worth, we were there last May.  The crowds had mostly come in by train.  We found very few lines but then we weren’t at the main attractions.  We did go to Saint Marks area but later in the afternoon.  

[curmudgeon98]

7 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

im told that the ferry from the commercial port is 20-30 minutes!  There were some maps on the Venice tourist website. 
 

The current Fusina ferry route runs from a little marina/cafe and parking area to the west.  The problem is that there is no direct path from where cruise ships can dock and the ferry - it's about 1.5 mile walk to get around the various boat storage and construction yards.  

[Benthayer Gonbak]

1 hour ago, curmudgeon98 said:

The current Fusina ferry route runs from a little marina/cafe and parking area to the west.  The problem is that there is no direct path from where cruise ships can dock and the ferry - it's about 1.5 mile walk to get around the various boat storage and construction yards.  

And, most likely you wouldn’t be allowed to walk within the docks anyway!  

[luv2travel90266]

On 11/15/2022 at 1:32 PM, luv2travel90266 said:

 

I was booking for another port where we docked at 1PM but the excursion was to start at 8AM. Perhaps we would be picked up by helicopter off the ship to make the excursion?  

 

 

I contacted Azamara by email and by surprise they responded with a thank you making them aware and they made the change on the excursion reservation page to start at 1:30PM. I happily just registered for the excursion. Response was 2 days of my email to them. Points given to the back office 🎉

[cruisinclined]

Several issues of concern reported here:

-two potential ports might be used but perhaps Chioggia will become the one, but unclear presently

-reported long walk to vaporetto stop

-cost of transfer to Venice borne by passengers

-a whole hour used up (plus the walk above) to deduct from visit

-getting back in time for ship departure could well lead to some crises and late (too late?) arrivals back at the ship. Vaporettos can fill with a crowd and people turned away

Far from ideal in many ways but the former alternatives were worse.

We will need to plan things carefully!