Pre-Cruise Air Ideas and Venice Hotels

Hello Fellow CC'ers,

I am doing the beginning planning for a June 15 sailing on the Island leaving from Venice.

In looking over air for there and it looks like Venice is a difficult place to fly into conveniently. Most flights via LHR would require an overnight either there in London or in Venice. DH loves BA and it has an awesome nonstop out of San Diego and 8 pm. But gets in too late for the connecting flights to Venice.

Does anyone have any hints for better route through from SF or SD on the West Coast? Would Rome or Paris work better? Should I look at another major Airport in EUR? Since it is still greater than 330 days in advance I cannot see the airfares up yet.

If we decide to overnight one night pre in Venice, does anyone know what hotels Princess commonly uses there? Is there a choice? I would like to know ahead of time to weigh out the pros versus cons of a Princess Pre versus a hotel/BB on my own.

Thanks in advance!

Nancy

Hello Fellow CC'ers,

 

I am doing the beginning planning for a June 15 sailing on the Island leaving from Venice.

 

In looking over air for there and it looks like Venice is a difficult place to fly into conveniently. Most flights via LHR would require an overnight either there in London or in Venice. DH loves BA and it has an awesome nonstop out of San Diego and 8 pm. But gets in too late for the connecting flights to Venice.

 

Does anyone have any hints for better route through from SF or SD on the West Coast? Would Rome or Paris work better? Should I look at another major Airport in EUR? Since it is still greater than 330 days in advance I cannot see the airfares up yet.

 

If we decide to overnight one night pre in Venice, does anyone know what hotels Princess commonly uses there? Is there a choice? I would like to know ahead of time to weigh out the pros versus cons of a Princess Pre versus a hotel/BB on my own.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Nancy

May be better to do the overnight first in the US?

Have you tried the Europe departure board?

Last year we took a United flight from San Francisco. It was a morning flight first to DC,then Copenhagen, then Venice arriving at 1pm Venice time. We went two days before. BUT our pilot got sick, so landed in Denver. We got to DC late and missed our connection. So ended up rebooking to Frankfurt, then Venice about 5 hours later from our original flight.

Our hotel in Venice was the Arlecchino. . Perfect hotel because it had only one bridge to cross from the Piazza Roma and was close to the people mover. Very nice hotel. We took the city blue bus from the airport to Piazza Roma. Very easy to do. If you haven't joined the roll call for your cruise, do so. I got many fantastic tips from our roll call. Oh our cruise was on the Royal, for its first trans-Atlantic last fall.

We stayed at the Best Western Hotel Olimpia, just down from the Arlecchino. Very convenient to Piazzale Roma and vapor edit down the Grande Canal. The year before we stayed at the Bonvecchiati, a hotel much nearer to San Marco, but a bit of an expensive water taxi ride from P. Roma. Last year we spent two nights in London before the short flight to Venice, and we were into Venice three days early. It gave us plenty of time to see what we missed the year before. E M

Try Delta. It was the cheapest flight I could find. Las Vegas-SLC-Paris-Venice. Arriving at 2pm.

I finally went a TA !! Our trip was 4 weeks with several flights and I had spent hours and hours going over various city pairs, trains from Milan, etc etc. He came up with the same Delta flight but it only took him minutes whereas I had wasted countless evenings and weekends on it !!! For $20 per ticket I wouldn't hesitate to use a TA again if I had a complicated trip to work out or didn't want to spend the time on it.

In the past we have flown to London or Manchester then picked up a small carrier for the flight to Venice. Look at Jet2, Ryan Air, Easy Jet, Thomas Cook. We have flown Man-Venice for $75 on Jet 2. And this yr we flew Man to Portugal for $125 RT on Ryan Air.

When we arrive in Venice we take the ATVO express bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma; 6 or 7E for the 20 minute ride.

Since we travel light we can stay anywhere in Venice. But if you can't manage your luggage over a few bridges, stay in a hotel near Piazzale Roma.

p.s. if you fly to Venice from the US, definitely arrive a day prior to the cruise. This was the only time that we didn't fly to England first, and our luggage wasn't on the carousel in Venice. Yikes ! Glad we had an extra day.

p.s. This is a handy web site for all things Venice http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/venice-hotels.htm

I agree about coming in at least 1 or more days earlier. :)

we did LAX_JFK_VCE last year on Delta. We also took the bus to Piazzale Roma and stayed at the BW Olimpia. Worked out fine, no issues.

Try LAX-ATL-VEN

2 yrs ago, I did a transatlantic to London, stayed 1 night, then on to Venice 1 night pre cruise. I did not go Princess, but I also did not do the cruise air or prenight hotel.

I stayed at the Bauer, and took a water taxi to my hotel. I loved it!

I had been to Venice 3 times, and never understood the lure - too busy, been there done that - NOT.

I was totally blown away - I got to my hotel around 3, had a quick change of clothes, and went out for a walk and dinner. The hoards of people were leaving, and the shops were still open, and as it became dusk/dark, locals came out for a stroll. Had dinner at a local cafe, not fancy, but tasty, and overlooking a canal.

I was in bed earlish - 10. But up with the birds, and the locals. I took the local water taxi bus - kids going to school, adults to work. Stopped and went for a walk, had a cappicino (very strong) and a light breakfast. Got back on the water bus, and got off near my hotel to shower, change and walk to the boarding point. Think they board at a different stop now, but regardless - it was extremely enjoyable. I got to see a very different Venice, and felt the city.

My checkout time was 11, but told them my cruise was not till 4, and they said - take your time, no extra charge.

so, i did a lunch on their waterside patio, I now know why people love Venice, it is so enjoyable after the hoards from the cruise ships leave, and life is "normal".

If you spend 2 night - go to one of the islands off Venice, Murano, or Burano! We spend so much to cruise, we forget to enjoy the moment - the cities we leave from, or arrive in at the end of our cruise, are often overlooked!

I suggest you make sure to spend at least one night there 2 even better if you can swing it!- hope you love it too!

I agree about coming in at least 1 or more days earlier. :)

I also wish to travel before our cruise leaves from Barcelona in October. I knew I wanted to spend some time in Barcelona and also in Venice where we disembark after the cruise. But I also wanted to add a stop in another city along the way. I spent some time on some of the airfare search engines (kayak, etc.) to determine which European cities the various airlines had layovers. (It is easier for me to travel to a U.S. city than grab a night in some European city I have never visited.) I then briefly looked at what is of interest to us in those cities and at the actual airport, hotels, and efficacy of public transportation services to the various activities of interest. The additional stop in an open jaw itinerary was a negligible price addition. I contacted the DEs on Trip Advisor for planning assistance to aid in choosing which city and then added a night in Munich. We leave at 11:30am on Wednesday and arrive Thursday at 9:50 am. (Remember that your flight will be a +1 itinerary as there is something like an 8 hour time difference.) We only have the usual layover on our 1 stop enroute to MUC. After booking and more thoroughly researching Munich, I wish I had added two nights but we will hit the ground running! Good Luck with your planning!

Love Barcelona, it too is a very walkable city - I did the hop on hop off bus to get a feel for the city, then just walked and walked and walked, cannot remember the name of the hotel I stayed at, but it was very central.

Funny, it was beautiful weather - fountains were splashing - went on my cruise - fountains stopped mid October! But, it was still warm to me (Canadian) they were saying it was cold - mid 70's!! Enjoy!

While we didn't fly from the West Coast, there are no direct flights from Orlando to Venice. Had to do a stop in London and since we hadn't been there, we decided to spend 2 nights in London and Absolutely loved it! We were able to see so much in 2 days and it was then an easy flight to Venice. We spend 3 night pre-cruise in Venice and also stayed at the Best Western Hotel Olimpia. Great, great place to stay. Beautiful rooms with old world Venetian feel, nice little courtyard in which to have breakfast. And we loved taking the water taxi to St Mark's Square. it just added to the whole experience.

One tip...even though you only need to cross one bridge to get to the BW Hotel Olimpia, leave your luggage at the left-luggage spot right near the entrance to the People Mover. It was well worth the euros we paid to not lug 2 big suitcases, a carryon and our backpacks all the way to the hotel. We just packed whatever we needed in our carryon. It was easy to then pick up our luggage and go right onto the People Mover to get to the ship!

Whatever you do, don't stress. Enjoy all the experiences. There is nothing like travel to make you feel like a new person :)

We flew via Munich on Lufthansa. SFO-MUC-VCE. Easy connection in Munich. You could also go via Frankfurt, but I think Munich is easier. But either of these is easier to change planes in than Paris or London, IMHO. And Lufthansa's planes are relatively new, modern, clean and well maintained.

Many people find that doing the long flight over the "pond" and changing planes in Europe is easier and wiser than changing planes in the US. If you are able to sleep on a plane, you have a longer nap time, and when you arrive you can get on European time right away. And should there be any delays, missed connection,etc., you're closer to your destination and have more options to make the ship in time.

If you have at least 1 day in Venice (and, as others have said, 2 is even better!), get a vaporetto (canal boat/bus) pass. It gives you great freedom. We used it like a "hop on hop off" and saw so much just riding around. You can walk around Venice, too, and should you get tired, just hop on a passing boat to get back to your hotel.Venice is wonderful.

We have a LH non stop flight from DENVER-FRANKFURT, thats very convienent.

BA also has a non stop from DEN to LHR.

BA has a free stop over in London on San Diego flight. Suggest you do the non stop to London Heathrow, get a room at one of the nearby airport hotels, we like the Stofiel at the airport, attached to termial 5. Rates can be as good as a property off airport. Take a morning flight into Venice. Also if you get into LHR you can take the underground into London for afternoon or early evening.

Wow! I am constantly overwhelmed by the advice here. Thank you everyone for the wealth of information you shared.

I agree the evening direct flight to LHR from San Diego was great, we took it several years ago when we went on a rare land trip to the British Isles. LHR is huge and it was just before the Olympics so security was insanely difficult.

That being said, it was one and has been one of my possible routes, besides the easy way to get to London for a day or two and show my son and DIL that city as well. I admit I fell in love with London too! Such DH is a bit unsure about the Tube so we stayed in Paddington and it was incredibly convenient for our 3 days there.

I also had been looking at the Bauer, which seems to be the hotel Princess is using and comparing it to the Oilympa BW. Oilympia seems so much nicer and easy to get to. Thank you all for confirming where I should go there too... I guess I am not that off planning wise.

I completely agree that a day or two pre-cruise is in order. Venice looks amazing and I do want a bit of time to savor it.

Can someone explain to me where the People Mover is and runs, I have found very little info on it so far. What the left luggage is? Is it like a check luggage they then deliver to the hotel?

Thank you! Grazie!

Hello Fellow CC'ers,

 

I am doing the beginning planning for a June 15 sailing on the Island leaving from Venice.

 

In looking over air for there and it looks like Venice is a difficult place to fly into conveniently. Most flights via LHR would require an overnight either there in London or in Venice. DH loves BA and it has an awesome nonstop out of San Diego and 8 pm. But gets in too late for the connecting flights to Venice.

 

Does anyone have any hints for better route through from SF or SD on the West Coast? Would Rome or Paris work better? Should I look at another major Airport in EUR? Since it is still greater than 330 days in advance I cannot see the airfares up yet.

 

If we decide to overnight one night pre in Venice, does anyone know what hotels Princess commonly uses there? Is there a choice? I would like to know ahead of time to weigh out the pros versus cons of a Princess Pre versus a hotel/BB on my own.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Nancy

1. IF your DH loves BA, then take the BA flight, spend the night at Heathrow and fly to Venice the next day. A variety of hotels at LHR that won't break the bank.

2. You might want to look into a 2 ticket trip. San Diego to JFK, then Emirates to Milan, train to Venice. Emirates has had some absolutely spectacular fares on their nonstop to Milan from JFK. They have been trying to drive traffic and are now flying direct to more European cities instead of flying USA/Dubai/Europe.

3. FORGET the Princess hotels. They charge PER PERSON. You can do much better on your own. Check your roll call for hotel advice or the Italy forum on CC.

 

Can someone explain to me where the People Mover is and runs, I have found very little info on it so far. What the left luggage is? Is it like a check luggage they then deliver to the hotel?

 

The People Mover is at the far end of the Piazzale Roma (PR)(large bus/parking area) and is a monorail that will take you from the PR to the dock area for 1 euro. You can walk from the PR, but it far. The monorail will drop you off quite a bit from the ship and it can be a tough walk, especially with your luggage. Princess had a bus right at the drop off point to take you to the ship. Without luggage, it is not so bad to walk from the ship to the People Mover. I recommend: Go to Google Maps and enter Piazzale Roma. Click on Street View. It will put you at the Water Taxi Stop. If you move down the sidewalk ahead of you and go up the stairs, you will see a large white building, a parking garage. If you walk along in front of that building, the Left Luggage store is at the end, right before the entrance to the People Mover.

The Left Luggage is a store front where they will keep your luggage for a small price (11 euros a day I think). You must drop off your luggage and pick it up yourself. No deliver. The joy of using it is that you don't have to lug those heavy suitcases up and down the stairs on the bridges. You can use Google Maps Street View to "walk" from the Piazzale Roma to the Hotel Olimpia. Not too far, but we were glad to not have to lug two huge suitcases up and down those stairs!

I also wish to travel before our cruise leaves from Barcelona in October. I knew I wanted to spend some time in Barcelona and also in Venice where we disembark after the cruise. But I also wanted to add a stop in another city along the way. I spent some time on some of the airfare search engines (kayak, etc.) to determine which European cities the various airlines had layovers. (It is easier for me to travel to a U.S. city than grab a night in some European city I have never visited.) I then briefly looked at what is of interest to us in those cities and at the actual airport, hotels, and efficacy of public transportation services to the various activities of interest. The additional stop in an open jaw itinerary was a negligible price addition. I contacted the DEs on Trip Advisor for planning assistance to aid in choosing which city and then added a night in Munich. We leave at 11:30am on Wednesday and arrive Thursday at 9:50 am. (Remember that your flight will be a +1 itinerary as there is something like an 8 hour time difference.) We only have the usual layover on our 1 stop enroute to MUC. After booking and more thoroughly researching Munich, I wish I had added two nights but we will hit the ground running! Good Luck with your planning!

There is a lot to see in Munich, but don't miss the Hofbrauhaus. It is a beer hall with German music and great beer.

If you had more time, you could see the Dachau concentration camp North of Munich.

What the left luggage is? Is it like a check luggage they then deliver to the hotel?

The term "left luggage" means a facility to store luggage or other items for several hours to several days. Usually staffed, and not the same thing as luggage lockers. The phrase is commonly used on signage, directories, etc. outside the US.

I recommend working your air itnerary "backwards". Find airline(s) and flights into VCE that meet your needs. Then find flights from SAN that connect to those flights. I agree with others there are probably more choices out of SAN if the connecting city is in the US. If you're willing to drive or take the train up to LAX your single-connection itinerary choices expand considerably. Same goes for routings with 2-connections/ 3 flight legs.

Also keep in mind supply/demand to VCE is somewhat tight; flying to Milan (MXP) and taking the train may save money and possibly even time. Compared to VCE, MXP has more "Plan B" choices if something goes amok.

I still say .... go to a reputable travel agent with your air travel concerns. So much easier and well worth a few extra dollars.

If you overpack and can't easily manage your luggage there are 2 hotels in Piazzale Roma that require NO bridge crossings. A taxi can drop you at their door .... Ca Doge and Santa Chiara. And a taxi can take you to the pier.

If you can manage one small bridge, the Best Western Olimpia or the Arlecchino next door. Or one slightly larger bridge to reach the Papadopoli.

Info is in the link I posted earlier. As well as maps. As well as info on the People Mover. http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/bridges/piazzale-roma.htm

But do yourself a favor: pack 1 wheeled case and a shoulder tote or daypack. Don't let your luggage take on a life of it's own ... airline luggage fees, taxis for 45E instead of a bus for 7E, transferring it to various locations, etc etc

We stayed at the Best Western Hotel Olimpia, just down from the Arlecchino. Very convenient to Piazzale Roma and vapor edit down the Grande Canal.

Had a bad experience at that hotel, when our reserved room category wasn't available at check in and we were forced into a tiny room with a double (not a queen, a double) bed that was wedged against the wall on one side.