Change of Venice Hotel

[OneSixtyToOne]

After booking our excursions for our upcoming Mediterranean Odyssey cruise a new invoice was generated. I noticed the hotel of our pre-cruise extension has been changed from the Hilton Molino Stucky to the JW Marriott. It appears it is inconveniently located on a private island close to the Lido. Has anyone stayed there? How long is the boat ride to San Marco?

[millybess]

5 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

After booking our excursions for our upcoming Mediterranean Odyssey cruise a new invoice was generated. I noticed the hotel of our pre-cruise extension has been changed from the Hilton Molino Stucky to the JW Marriott. It appears it is inconveniently located on a private island close to the Lido. Has anyone stayed there? How long is the boat ride to San Marco?

I think it's a 15-20 minute ferry ride and the ferry runs several times an hour.  If I'm not mistaken, I think the Hilton is also on an island and runs a shuttle.  Either hotel would be very nice, imo.

[OneSixtyToOne]

2 hours ago, millybess said:

I think it's a 15-20 minute ferry ride and the ferry runs several times an hour.  If I'm not mistaken, I think the Hilton is also on an island and runs a shuttle.  Either hotel would be very nice, imo.

 The Hilton is on a canal in the Giudecca district. The Marriott is on an isolated private island with absolutely no view of anything. From the map it looks way longer than 15-20 minutes.

Edited February 8, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[millybess]

28 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 The Hilton is on a canal in the Giudecca district. The Marriott is on an isolated private island with absolutely no view of anything. From the map it looks way longer than 15-20 minutes.

Personally, I’d be happy with either of them, but you can cancel the pre extension up to 30 days out. You could book the Hilton on your own if that’s the location you want. I think it’s less expensive than the Marriott. 

[millybess]

So this is just my opinion, but in a place like Venice I would not book the pre.  With the pre, you're on Viking's schedule if you are depending on them for transportation.

 

In Venice, our experience was, if you want to get photos anywhere near comparable to the beautiful photos you posted here recently, you will have to be on your own timeline and that will mean being out there at first light before the hoards of tourists.  I would definitely do Venice on your own. It's very easy.

[OneSixtyToOne]

2 hours ago, millybess said:

So this is just my opinion, but in a place like Venice I would not book the pre.  With the pre, you're on Viking's schedule if you are depending on them for transportation.

 

In Venice, our experience was, if you want to get photos anywhere near comparable to the beautiful photos you posted here recently, you will have to be on your own timeline and that will mean being out there at first light before the hoards of tourists.  I would definitely do Venice on your own. It's very easy.

We’re been to Venice before. The reason we chose the pre-extension is for the convenience of transportation to the ship as well as baggage handling. I also want at least a day buffer in case there are flight delays. Currently getting to the ship on your own will cost somewhere around $200 or more.

[LindaS272]

57 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Currently getting to the ship on your own will cost somewhere around $200 or more.

Can you source that information? We are still exploring our options coming in three days early on our own (in April), with a denied Viking transfer. A post last fall quoted €140 for a taxi from Venice to Chioggia.

[OneSixtyToOne]

5 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Can you source that information? We are still exploring our options coming in three days early on our own (in April), with a denied Viking transfer. A post last fall quoted €140 for a taxi from Venice to Chioggia.

From our roll call post. They quote the Hilton.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2872312-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2-2023-venice-to-barcelona/?do=findComment&comment=64622903

 

[LindaS272]

34 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

From our roll call post. They quote the Hilton.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2872312-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2-2023-venice-to-barcelona/?do=findComment&comment=64622903

 

Thank you. Looks like folks are researching private cars & water taxis which are tres cher.

[Jjg34219]

Wondering if Viking has a better deal now with Marriott

Last year both of our extensions involved changes to Marriott

[loriva]

1 hour ago, Jjg34219 said:

Wondering if Viking has a better deal now with Marriott

Last year both of our extensions involved changes to Marriott

 

We experienced the same thing with our Viking River cruise in December 2022.  (I realize this is the VO board, but the current discussion is on hotels, so perhaps the same policy.)  We were originally scheduled at the Hilton in Berlin (which would have been right next to the main Christmas market) and it was changed to the Grand Hyatt.  In Prague, we ended up at the Marriott.

 

In Venice, the Hilton Molino Stucky is currently being used by Regent as its pre-cruise hotel.  Maybe they outbid Viking?

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

41 minutes ago, loriva said:

In Venice, the Hilton Molino Stucky is currently being used by Regent as its pre-cruise hotel.  Maybe they outbid Viking?

That explains a lot. I’ve noticed many hotel changes mentioned on this forum. I guess travel is back and hotel space is at a premium.

[Jim Avery]

11 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

Thank you. Looks like folks are researching private cars & water taxis which are tres cher.

But tres chic....😎

[Jim Avery]

Just curious about how much actual "Venice time" is left with all the changes to port rules, distance traveled, etc.  We have visited venice once by ship and twice by land and consider our land trips far more enjoyable.  Seems Venice is determined to reduce/eliminate cruise traffic.  'Again, just curious to hear from those dealing with the new rules.🍷

[Squawkman]

Venice was our last port on our Mediterranean Odyssey cruise this past October, and we docked in Fusina. We didn't have to return with the same group - we just let the Viking staff by the Venice water taxi dock know and they told us what time(s) we needed to return by to get a bus to Fusina. So we had ample time to walk around, etc. and were fine with that. Only issue was the walk to the bus from the taxi dock was very long and we returned to the ship about 8:30 for dinner. I realize this could be a whole different scenario for ships docking at Chioggia.

[hbtraveler]

15 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

Can you source that information? We are still exploring our options coming in three days early on our own (in April), with a denied Viking transfer. A post last fall quoted €140 for a taxi from Venice to Chioggia.

When we had to get from Venice to Chioggia back in June (2022), the private car that our hotel arranged cost us 200 euros.

[millybess]

59 minutes ago, hbtraveler said:

When we had to get from Venice to Chioggia back in June (2022), the private car that our hotel arranged cost us 200 euros.

The train is much cheaper -- 10 euros -- and it takes awhile and involves 1 change, but having travelled a lot with Trenitalia (not on this particular route), I'm sure it's a nice ride and probably very scenic.

[springtravel]

On 2/8/2023 at 11:02 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

How long is the boat ride to San Marco?

From what I have read elsewhere, it is about 15-20 minutes and the shuttle runs every 30 minutes.  Since we aren't using Viking pre-cruise, we will take the Vaparetto/Bus route.  After much research, it seems to be the fastest, most direct route without paying 200euros for a taxi.

[20Cruise20]

In March of 2022, we experienced the pre-excursion with the standard MO itinerary.  Our stated hotel was the Hilton, however, about a month before our departure, the pre-excursion hotel was changed to the Marriott. Because we were traveling independently to Rome and taking the train to Venice, I contacted the Marriott directly for assistance to get to the hotel. Marriott made arrangements for a private water taxi from the train station directly to their property. The private water taxi experience was wonderful and one that we will never forget. 

 

In regard to the Marriott, the service by the actual hotel staff was excellent. All common areas were spotless. Similarly, our room was spotless. After a late afternoon check-in, we enjoyed walking around the hotel island capturing some wonderful photos. We also made the decision to have dinner at the hotel after check-in. The restaurant staff had trouble handling the large volume of Viking guests. The food, however, was very good. Conversely, the breakfast buffet had a lot to be desired. A good variety, but, not quality. 

 

We had challenges with the Viking staff at the hotel. Our challenges all revolved around ignoring required COVID test results, requiring additional on-site testing, and overscheduling of on-site testing. (Please reference the timing of our visit...Italy was just opening up in the spring of 2022. So, this will not be a challenge for current guests.) 

 

On day two, both the hotel and Viking had shuttles running about every 30 minutes from the "Marriott" island to the main tourist area. It was a two- or three-minute walk from the docks to St. Mark's Square. It was an easy process using the free Marriott shuttle. Late in the evening of the second day, our luggage was required to be in the hotel hall.  

 

For day three, we were provided with a morning time to be in the hotel lobby. Groups were escorted to a water shuttle, transported to the Venice port area, processed for embarkation, and boarded buses for transport to Fusina. It was a hurry up and wait process, however, it truly was simple.

 

Because of the timing of our trip with Italian testing requirements as well as the port changes that were just beginning for Viking, we did not regret our decision of the Venice pre-excursion. If I've missed something about the pre-excursion or you have questions, please let me know.