Venice still loves visitors, but not ships. MSC actually docks the closest to Venice of any cruise line. They dock in the industrial area of Marghera, across the lagoon from the islands of Venice proper (if there is such a thing). You would fly into Marco Polo airport. Not sure if they provide transport from the airport all the way to the ship, but I do know you check in for the ship at the Marittima terminal (where most of the ships used to dock) and they then transport you to the ship. Of course, we all recommend you come in a couple of days early and/or stay a few days after. Rick Steves also has a guide for Scandinavia and Northern Europe Cruise Ports. He tells you about the port areas, what there is to see in the area, how to do it on your own, and how much you can do in the time you have allowed. He also has free audio tours on his website that you can download. For the places he doesn’t cover, he recommends Lonely Planet. With LP you used to be able to go to their website, pull up the city you were interested in, and purchase for download only that chapter.
With cruisetimetables you can search by ship, departure port, or ports you want to visit. Lots of fun! EM