Venice - Porter, Airport, Water Taxi Questions

We are a party of 7 (3 adults, 2 seniors, and 2 kids) arriving in Venice in mid-June. We are arriving a few days early to explore Venice before boarding our cruise. We have decided to take a water taxi when we first arrive from the airport to our hotel (mainly because of all the luggage) and will take a water taxi from the hotel to the cruise port. I plan on pre-booking this to save some money.

Will there be porters to help us when we arrive via water taxi? How far is the walk to the terminal - do we have to drag all our luggage with us? My mom has some mobility issues - she can walk, but not for long periods of time.

We arrive back in Venice on a Wednesday morning and officially disembark on Thursday morning and have to catch a flight at 11:35am.

What is the best way for us to get to the airport? Land taxi (assuming I need to pre-order a van to carry all of us - any recommendations)? Water taxi? Will the cruise line have a shuttle for us back to the airport? My concern is all the luggage and getting to the airport on time (hence why I ruled out the bus). Thanks!

As far as I know there are no porters, but outside the terminal there are trolleys just before you start the walk to the water taxi. If memory is ok then you put a 2euro coin in the trolley that you retrieve when left at the taxi. The taxi driver will put the luggage in the boat. Because there are 7 of you, the water taxi is a great option. Check beforehand if the taxi can make a stop at your hotel.

The walk itself is an easy flat walk and not too far.

Probably best to order a land taxi on the return trip.

You can book a water taxi through venicelink.com. Also have a look at the website: Europe for visitors. Maybe some other posters can provide you with more info and links.

Has anyone recently booked the private water taxi transfer from Marco Polo airport to Venice hotels with venicelink.com? Are they reliable?

Has anyone recently booked the private water taxi transfer from Marco Polo airport to Venice hotels with venicelink.com? Are they reliable?

We're four adults (1 senior) arriving Venice by train from Rome, we're staying in an apartment near San Marco for 3 days before going on a cruise. I think for us a water taxi will be the best option both ways, what with mom and our bags. I looked at Venicelink, which is said to be good, their prices are also okay, but am not able to get them to quote for the round trip, which usually gets a discount. Any other water taxi operators you can suggest? Thanks in advance:)

I do think they give a discount if you book RT

Where did you see that they are reliable? They seem to charge less than other operators

I have not used this service....just found it today when I was looking for water taxis in Venice.

http://motoscafivenezia.it/eng/

Did you look at Trip Advisor? That is my next step.

I have not used this service....just found it today when I was looking for water taxis in Venice.

 

http://motoscafivenezia.it/eng/

 

Did you look at Trip Advisor? That is my next step.

Have contacted motoscafi too, Venice DEs on Trip Advisor recommend them as well as venicelink, though the latter's prices seem to be the best.

We are also staying in Venice a few days precruise. Our hotel has a private dock and we are planning to take a water taxi from the hotel to the port. Does anyone know where the taxi lets you off at the port? Is it very close to the ship or will we be walking some distance?

Water taxis will drop off right in front of the terminal building.

Water taxis will drop off right in front of the terminal building.

Thank you!

I booked and payed for the VeniceLink Shared In Water Taxi, fom Marco Polo Airport to the Hilton Molino Stucky Hotel Dock, which cost me 42 Euro for 2 of us:

http://www.venicelink.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=43&lang=english&vmcchk=1&Itemid=43

For a larger party, you might consider a private water taxi:

http://motoscafivenezia.it/eng/

Looks like they offer a 10% discount for round trip.

Although a number of companies offer Private Water Taxi's (PWT), if I was going to use a PWT, I'd use Motoscafi for two reasons: the good reviews (check TripAdvisor & Cruise Critic) and the are cheaper.

On the day of our cruise, we'll take the Alilaguna Blue from the Hilton to the cruse ship dock. 16 Euro for the 2 of us (14 Euro if I pre-pay).

venicelink.com does offer private water taxi and they are cheaper than motoscafi

venicelink.com does offer private water taxi and they are cheaper than motoscafi

That's not really a true/honest statement about VeniceLinks.com. Normally it's 110 Euro for a private water taxi from Marco Polo to a hotel in Venice, but there is a discount/sale on for 95 Euro "if" you per-book online, otherwise it's 110 Euro.

If you need a water taxi from Marco Polo to the cruise ship dock the price is 105 Euro if you pre-book online, otherwise the price is 120 Euro.

So yes, VeniceLinks.com "could" be cheaper, but they must book online and they must do it before VeniceLinks eliminates the discount for booking online. I'll leave it up to the OP to read the reviews and make the appropriate decision.

So, when you stated "they are cheaper than motoscafi", you should have add "if you book online" and "while they are offering the book online discount".

My TA advised taking a land taxi from the airport to the ship. Quicker and less expensive, though not as scenic. We are paying 50 euro for 2 people. I reserved it through Venice Group Services.

We will be arriving in Venice by car from Florence (a private transfer...and doing a little touring on our way). I am trying to work out the logistics of getting to the Westin Europa and Regina for a one night stay before we board our cruise ship. Will our driver be able to drop us right at the Motoscafi "pier" in Piazzale Roma? We will each have 2 bags and I want to minimize the amount of walking we will have to do. I sent an email to Motoscafi and asked that question but have not received a reply and I haven't turned up an answer in my search of the boards.

We will be arriving in Venice by car from Florence (a private transfer...and doing a little touring on our way). I am trying to work out the logistics of getting to the Westin Europa and Regina for a one night stay before we board our cruise ship. Will our driver be able to drop us right at the Motoscafi "pier" in Piazzale Roma? We will each have 2 bags and I want to minimize the amount of walking we will have to do. I sent an email to Motoscafi and asked that question but have not received a reply and I haven't turned up an answer in my search of the boards.

The short answer is yes. You will be able to get within about 30 metres of the water taxi dock. If you look on google earth you can see a pod of water taxis docked just north of the water bus stops at Piazzale Roma. Motoscafi don't have a monopoly on the water taxi dock. Expect to be quoted 80-110 Euros.

We are a party of 7 (3 adults, 2 seniors, and 2 kids) arriving in Venice in mid-June. We are arriving a few days early to explore Venice before boarding our cruise. We have decided to take a water taxi when we first arrive from the airport to our hotel (mainly because of all the luggage) and will take a water taxi from the hotel to the cruise port. I plan on pre-booking this to save some money.

 

Will there be porters to help us when we arrive via water taxi? How far is the walk to the terminal - do we have to drag all our luggage with us? My mom has some mobility issues - she can walk, but not for long periods of time.

 

We arrive back in Venice on a Wednesday morning and officially disembark on Thursday morning and have to catch a flight at 11:35am.

 

What is the best way for us to get to the airport? Land taxi (assuming I need to pre-order a van to carry all of us - any recommendations)? Water taxi? Will the cruise line have a shuttle for us back to the airport? My concern is all the luggage and getting to the airport on time (hence why I ruled out the bus). Thanks!

My wife and I are going on a Celebrity Cruise in August and we have contracted with http://www.blitzexclusive.com/en/ for both private water taxi and VIP Arrival/Departure airport services. With the VIP Arrival Services, they supply a porter for you luggage as well as motor transport form the terminal to the water taxi pier, which is about a 10 minute walk, since the "new" terminals at VCE are now open.

My wife and I are going on a Celebrity Cruise in August and we have contracted with http://www.blitzexclusive.com/en/ for both private water taxi and VIP Arrival/Departure airport services. With the VIP Arrival Services, they supply a porter for you luggage as well as motor transport form the terminal to the water taxi pier, which is about a 10 minute walk, since the "new" terminals at VCE are now open.

my husband has walking difficulties so this may be an option for us-do you mind sharing how much they quoted?

my husband has walking difficulties so this may be an option for us-do you mind sharing how much they quoted?

While it not cheap, for us, it is worth the expense at €270. With the VIP Arrival Services, a Blitz Rep meets you directly at your plane and escorts you through Passport and Customs (We are flying in Direct from US, so this is our 1st entry point to the EU), a porter will meet us a baggage claim as well to collect our luggage and take it to the Water Taxi Pier while we are picked up on a car and driven to the pier where we will be met by our private water taxi (also hired though Blitz, but you can hire whatever water taxi you wish) and taken to our hotel where we are staying pre-cruise (the hotel recommended Blitz to us). We are also using Blitz for VIP Departure, where they meet you upon arrival to the airport, escort us through Check-in and Baggage Check, then through security. We then have access to the VIP lounge until boarding time, then escorted to the plane or driven to our plane if we leave from a remote stand. The Venice Airport can become a mess as the day goes on with long lines for check-in and security....

I have not used this service....just found it today when I was looking for water taxis in Venice.

 

http://motoscafivenezia.it/eng/

 

Did you look at Trip Advisor? That is my next step.

We are planning to use this service to take us from the airport to the Hilton Molino Stucky in June. Do you know if we must book in advance? Or can we just go down to the dock at the airport and grab a private water taxi?

We took my in-laws last October (their 1st Med cruise and our 4th) and disembarked in Venice (embarked in Rome)…….. she is not very mobile at all and it just made sense for us.

We made arrangements for a private ASSISTED water taxi pickup through our hotel. We were met at the area right after you pick up your luggage (literally steps after) and they took care of the luggage, walked us to our water taxi and made sure that the driver knew which hotel etc….. we didn't touch our luggage again until we were in our room :D

From then on we had the concierge get our taxis for us (we used one for the trip to the opera house and back) as well as to the airport from our hotel.

They were wonderful helping my mother in law in and out (she can walk but not far or for very long and is not steady on her feet) …… If you can work it into the budget - its the easiest and most stress-free option.

You can go to the water taxi docks when you land. It's about 5-10 min walk and there are both private and shared water taxi's available. There is a taxi desk where you will pay for the water taxi. For those traveling to the cruise port; it is cheaper to take a land taxi. About 20 min drive with no traffic. Another option is to take land taxi to Piazza Roma; then hop on water taxi over to St. Marks area. Another option would be to book hotel in or around Piazza Roma; from there it's only a 15-20 min walk across a few bridges to St. Marks square. In previous visits I have stayed at Rialto Hotel at the foot of the Rialto Bridge; Westin Hotel, and Grand Hotel. I plan on booking a hotel in Piazza Roma next year; from there I will take the people mover to cruise terminal.http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-vCCfxuA7Ypo%2FT-DQihXbi_I%2FAAAAAAAAAGw%2FM41QYQtGDuI%2Flina-di-collegamento-tronchetto-venezia-people-mover.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fboards.cruisecritic.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1994524&h=300&w=405&tbnid=bkN2F7ldOiaaLM%3A&zoom=1&docid=LMqr6ssgvxDyEM&ei=ucBsU96XOpSryAS5q4GAAg&tbm=isch&client=safari&ved=0CF8QMygHMAc&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=2079&page=1&start=0&ndsp=24

You can go to the water taxi docks when you land. It's about 5-10 min walk and there are both private and shared water taxi's available. There is a taxi desk where you will pay for the water taxi. For those traveling to the cruise port; it is cheaper to take a land taxi. About 20 min drive with no traffic. Another option is to take land taxi to Piazza Roma; then hop on water taxi over to St. Marks area. Another option would be to book hotel in or around Piazza Roma; from there it's only a 15-20 min walk across a few bridges to St. Marks square. In previous visits I have stayed at Rialto Hotel at the foot of the Rialto Bridge; Westin Hotel, and Grand Hotel. I plan on booking a hotel in Piazza Roma next year; from there I will take the people mover to cruise terminal.http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-vCCfxuA7Ypo%2FT-DQihXbi_I%2FAAAAAAAAAGw%2FM41QYQtGDuI%2Flina-di-collegamento-tronchetto-venezia-people-mover.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fboards.cruisecritic.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1994524&h=300&w=405&tbnid=bkN2F7ldOiaaLM%3A&zoom=1&docid=LMqr6ssgvxDyEM&ei=ucBsU96XOpSryAS5q4GAAg&tbm=isch&client=safari&ved=0CF8QMygHMAc&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=2079&page=1&start=0&ndsp=24

Thanks so much for this info. I guess we will just go to the dock and get on a water taxi to the Hilton.

No, you don't have to book in advance, although I believe there may be a discount for doing so. We aren't booking in advance since we are arriving in Venice by car and don't know exactly when we will be there.

I'm not seeing a discount for booking in advance. So will just have to decide if it's easier to have that detail done or wait. Guessing we can pay with a credit card if we just go to the dock.

And does one tip the driver?