Venice or Barcelona?

[PrincipalCruiser]

We are considering a Mediterranean cruise in June 2007. We like the looks of the Millie's itinerary either from Venice to Barcelona or Barcelona to Venice. When flying from the states for embarkment on the Millie which is the easiest...Venice or Barcelona? Any recommendations? Thanks ahead of time for your help.

[JLDMED]

Not sure which port is easiest to fly into -- but I'd fly into Venice. My favorite city in the world! Allow yourself an additional two or three days in Venice to explore on your own.

[kitty9]

My TA was checking flights for the May 13, 2007 Med cruise and believe it or not, both cities are not the easiest to fly into from the US. As of last night, only Delta and Iberia had direct flights from the US to Barcelona. We're doing the Barcelona to Venice itinerary, and it looks like we'll fly either BA or Virgin to London and then connect to Barcelona. Coming home, we could take a quick flight from Venice to Rome and then get a direct flight from there, but I really want to avoid DaVinci airport like the plague. Delta has one non stop from JFK to Venice so that would be a choice for you to check.

[DGF]

We were on a transatlantic cruise in 2004 aboard the Star Princess commencing in Venice- a memorable city

If you want to treat yourself in Venice, highly recommend following small hotel- Hotel Plazzo Abadessa http://www.abadessa.com/en/index.htm

We spent 6 days in Vienna before the cruise- another memorable and highly recommend

[JLC@SD]

We are considering a Mediterranean cruise in June 2007. We like the looks of the Millie's itinerary either from Venice to Barcelona or Barcelona to Venice. When flying from the states for embarkment on the Millie which is the easiest...Venice or Barcelona? Any recommendations? Thanks ahead of time for your help.

Plan an extended stay in Venice as a great addition to your cruise........:)

 

Hotels in Venice are pricey, but if you book a hotel in Mestre, just outside Venice, you can take the train to Venice (really convenient) and save lots of $$$$$.

[greasyregs]

We're flying from Philadelphia to Venice in September on US Air. Returning to Philly from Barcelona.

[KnoxvilleSam]

I guess you can save money by staying in Mestre rather than Venice, but the two are definitely not the same. And I think you can find very nice accommodations in Venice at prices comparable to nice hotels in Mestre. I think going back and forth from Mestre to Venice would be very inconvenient and would likely discourage some spur of the moment wandering about in Venice, particularly after dinner when Venice takes on a totally different air - after the daytrippers have gone for the day.

 

Plus, I guess I would think that after spending LOTS of $$$$ to go on a very nice cruise, skimping on Venice (or whatever extension city) doesn't make much sense - at least IMHO.

 

KS

[mountainmare]

We are flying nonstop Philly to Bcn then Venice to Philly UsAir in October.

When booking our first Med cruise for this October (and first non-HAL) I had the same dilemma.

I picked the Barcelona to Venice option, flying into Barcelona two days early because:

1) The itinerary is loaded with the most port intensive touring in the beginning before you get "ruined" by all the ruins.

 

2)There are three nicely spaced sea days.

 

3) Barcelona is less expensive than Venice.

 

4) I'm more likely to return to Venice on a land tour of Itay than find myself in Barcelona.

 

Now the more I read about Barcelona the more excited I am to spend time in this city. I wish we could spend an extra day or so post in Venice but if we fall in love with Italy we'll return. I'm happy with our choice.

[Bruin Steve]

First, it really doesn't matter which direction you go...

We did Venice to Barcelona in 2003...This year we are doing Istanbul to Venice (on Oceania)...

The sailaway from Venice was pretty cool...

 

Plan to spend at least a couple of extra nights at BOTH ends...

 

Despite all of the folks plugging staying in Mestre lately...DON'T DO IT...

Yes, you can save a few bucks...and you can keep taking the train back and forth...But really, it's just not worth it...

 

For our upcoming trip, we booked the Hotel Anastasia, right off Piazza San Marco, for a mere 130 euros per night...You're spending thousands of dollars on this cruise, how much are you going to scrimp while risking distracting from your experience...It's not worth waiting around train stations...When youvisit Venice, you want to stumble out of your hotel room and see the Grand Canal or a beautiful piazza...not an industrial city by the airport..

 

Overall, the cruise is a wonderful cruise...best we've ever done...

 

ENJOY!!!

[keela1eva2]

I live in the Uk but I have done both Barcelona to Venice and the reverse. I would always choose to start in Venice. I has been there 4 times and I never tire of it. I would agree that you should stay in Venice and be able to enjoy the long summer evenings. I found that we had more time in Venice starting there rather than ending there. You have to pack on that final day and I just found it too frantic.

ENJOY!

[howard6933]

Venice and Barcelona are both great places to visit, so I would plan on a couple of days in each city. Here is a bit of info that was in today's paper.

"Just in time for Europe's busiest season, Continental Airlines will introduce daily non-stop service between Newark Liberty Airport and Barcelona Spain, on May 17th. This service will be the only year round non-stop flight between the US and Barcelona. The flight departs at 6:35PM and arrives in Barcelona at 8:35 AM the next morning. The return flight will depart Barcelona at 11:10AM and arrive at Newark ar 1:55PM the same day. Flying times will be about 8 hours travelling east and 8 hrs 45 mins travelling west."

So there is your chance to fly between Barcelona and Newark with no stops in between. Sounds like a good deal to me. ;)

[PrincipalCruiser]

You all have been so much help in giving us several things to "think about". June 2007 is just too far away - I'm ready to pack today! This will be our fourth cruise with Celebrity M-class ships and we have loved each one. Part of the fun for me is all the research and getting on the Cruise Critic boards! Thanks again to each of you - and happy crusing! I'm still checking the boards if anyone can think of anything else to add! :)

[YOW]

Hey greasyregs, nice avatar! :)

 

I'll echo what's been said about Venice & Barcelona as well -- both great cities, so spend a couple of days on either end.

[KingMe2]

I'm going on the Millie in July and we are leaving from Barcelona. I think its best to leave from Barcelona because there isn't much to do there and I would rather end my trip with a few days in Venice. I love Venice and can't wait to go back. I'm flying into Barcelona from Belgium since I'll be there for a few days.

 

YOW, nice av! Glad to see USC fans on here. Although I spotted Little Brother on here as well! Any other USC fans?

[Binok]

We're doing the Venice to Barcelona cruise on the Mille in October. I need to know how you get all the cruise luggage from the airport to your hotel in Venice and then to the ship on the day of the cruise. I was considering not doing the extra days because I know we couldn't handle the luggage ourselves. We're seniors, but know we'd love extra days there.

[dd4iu]

in the world, although I love Venice too. I see I'm in the minority here though. I think everyone agrees tho, they are both amazing cities with lots of things to do!

[Cruise or Lose!]

I'm sailing on July 1 on the Millie (same date as you, KingMe???) and spending 3 days in Barcelona pre-cruise. I really think my problem is figuring out how to fit it all in - I'm certainly not worried that there won't be much to do :)

 

Venice...well, it sounds wonderful, but we were concerned about the heat and the PIGEONS, and I think that's why we chose Barcelona for our extra days.

[SheilaNC]

We flew into Venice on US Airways via Philly as mentioned above - 3 nights in Venice wasn't enough...my favorite city on the magnificent cruise. Of course we were off season so much less crowded than June might be. We also stayed ovder 2 nights in Barcelona at the end. Loved it so much that we recently returned for 4 days (in conjunction with a trip to Mallorca). Both, as others have said are amazing cities with much to do and see and both demand as much time as you can afford to give them. Since the airfare is so high, I'd extend the trip on both ends to take the best advantage of the $$ for the airfare. To me, it doesn't matter which city you start from...you'll love them both enough to spend extra time.... Did I say that I love Venice and Barcelona ?:D

[Lsimon]

Keep in mind that most of the Millie cruises seem to end with 2 days, and a full night, in the disembarkation city. So you might think about where you'd rather spend this time, depending on how much other free time you have before and after the cruise.

[arkcruiser]

Marco Polo Airport in Venice is much smaller and quieter than Barcelona's very busy terminal. Furthermore, when we did this last year, there did not seem to be a lot of traffic between the airport and the city, while Barcelona has quite a busy rush hour. So, if I were going right to the ship, Venice would be the easier transfer. I echo the other posters who recommend coming early and spending a few days in Venice before the cruise. Barcelona is also nice, but in a different way. It is a very crowded, noisy city, where you really have to watch your valuables. Maybe this is better done at the end of the cruise when jet lag would be less of an issue. On the other hand, there are more flights into Barcelona from the US and so flights in and out would be easier to arrange.

[joeyanddavid]

we are doing Barcelona to Venice this year.. I really dont think it matters JMO though

[cola]

We're doing the Venice to Barcelona cruise on the Mille in October. I need to know how you get all the cruise luggage from the airport to your hotel in Venice and then to the ship on the day of the cruise. I was considering not doing the extra days because I know we couldn't handle the luggage ourselves. We're seniors, but know we'd love extra days there.

I hope this will help, because it would be a shame if you missed the extra days in Venice! We are leaving in two weeks for this cruise and will arrive in Venice 3 days before we board the Millie. We have reserved a private water taxi from Venice Guide & Boat for our transfer from the airport to our hotel. Our driver will be at the water taxi dock holding a card with our name on it. The dock is about 1/2 mile from the terminal, but the VG&B website has a detailed map and photos of the route to take to the dock. No worries about dragging your luggage to the dock; you can use a 1 euro coin to obtain a luggage cart near baggage claim. Fortunately, our hotel is on the Grand Canal, so we and our luggage will be deposited in the lobby. They also have other options where someone will meet you in the terminal and take care of transporting you and your luggage to your hotel.

 

The day we board the Millie, Lugi will pick us up at our hotel and take us to the ship. Our airport to hotel transfer is 80 euro and the hotel to ship is 55 euro; yes, it's a lot more expensive than the vaporetto, but much less stressful, so spend some extra time in Venice and let someone else worry about your luggage!

 

You can find their website using any search engine - from their home page, click on "Boat Services"...then click the word "more" under the heading "Private Transfers to and from the Airport".

 

I'll post a detailed review of our cruise when we get back... Ciao, Carla

[CAKER]

We're flying from Philadelphia to Venice in September on US Air. Returning to Philly from Barcelona.

 

When I contacted U S AIR, they had a direct flight Philly to Venice, but they did not return from Barcelona to Philly, only from Madrid, which is 500 miles from Barcelona.

 

So, we are flying NORTHWEST/KLM Philly/Detroit/Amsterdam/Venice, and the Barcelona/Amsterdam/Detroit/Philly.

[mountainmare]

thats weird. We are flying Usair nonstop Philly to Barcelona in October, and nonstop Venice to Philly. Have the e-tickets in my hot litlle hands. Strange that you can't do the reverse, hope they don't cancel flights on us, but they were pretty full in Feb. when we booked.

[soonercruisers]

Depart from Barcelona!

 

Why?

 

There is nothing more spectacular or grand than sailing into Venice early in the morning as the sun is rising and the city and its canals unfold before your very eyes.

 

Get an early breakfast, fire up your cameras, go up to the highest unobstructed deck, and enjoy yourself. Believe me you won't be disappointed!

 

We did this itinerary twice leaving Barcelona to Venice each time.