Dinner in a Speciality Restaurant When in Venice.

[karpela]

We are doing the Venice overnight on the Equinox in a couple of weeks.

 

We don't really want the expense of eating in Venice that evening but are on Late Seating in the MDR which will be too late to wander off the ship after dinner.

 

We will want to wander around when we arrive, mid afternoon, come back, change for dinner and eat.

 

Do you think booking, perhaps Tuscan Grill would be a good idea and what would be a good time?

 

Thanks :)

[uktog]

We are doing the Venice overnight on the Equinox in a couple of weeks.

 

We don't really want the expense of eating in Venice that evening but are on Late Seating in the MDR which will be too late to wander off the ship after dinner.

 

We will want to wander around when we arrive, mid afternoon, come back, change for dinner and eat.

 

Do you think booking, perhaps Tuscan Grill would be a good idea and what would be a good time?

 

Thanks :)

 

I think it would be a lovely idea, you can enjoy Italian food with a view (albeit of the port area) of Venice. I think it will be relatively easy to get a booking that night but maybe aim for 8pm for Tuscan which gives you time for a wander, back to the ship and a pre dinner drink once you are changed

[PORT ROYAL]

We are doing the Venice overnight on the Equinox in a couple of weeks.

 

We don't really want the expense of eating in Venice that evening but are on Late Seating in the MDR which will be too late to wander off the ship after dinner.

 

We will want to wander around when we arrive, mid afternoon, come back, change for dinner and eat.

 

Do you think booking, perhaps Tuscan Grill would be a good idea and what would be a good time?

 

Thanks :)

 

Turcan Grill - with a bottle of Brunello at Table 8 - Enjoy

[mcrcruiser]

We are doing the Venice overnight on the Equinox in a couple of weeks.

 

We don't really want the expense of eating in Venice that evening but are on Late Seating in the MDR which will be too late to wander off the ship after dinner.

 

We will want to wander around when we arrive, mid afternoon, come back, change for dinner and eat.

 

Do you think booking, perhaps Tuscan Grill would be a good idea and what would be a good time?

 

Thanks :)

 

Excellent idea . See Venice during the day & come back to relax ,shower ,change & then enjoy a cocktail on the stern of the ship looking out a Venice .;):)

 

The food quality & presentation in the Tuscan grill will far out run the very pricy & not so wonderful food of Venice .You will be relaxed ,have great food & service & save money .now I call that a win win win all around:D:p:D

[dln929]

Tuscan Grill on the Equinox is a wonderful idea. The service is excellent and the food is so delicious! If you like onion soup, try their Tuscan Onion Soup. I've never had any so flavorful. Same with the Toffee Panna Cotta for dessert. Excellent. Ask for a two top table by the window.

 

One thing you may want to consider time-wise is when the sun sets. Depending on your preferences, you may want to be in Venice itself for sunset, or you may want to watch it from the Tuscan Grill. Either would be lovely.

[boogs]

Ahh, but you would miss having dinner in one of the many wonderful restaurants in Venice. Each time we visit there, we always wander over to the Rialto Bridge and have a nice dinner at one of the outside cafe's along the canal. Nothing beats the sights and sounds of the canal in the evening, especially if you arrive just before dark and watch as the lights come on along the edges of the canal. Personally, I would never pass up an opportunity to dine in Venice. Especially considering you will have ample opportunities to dine on board during the remainder of your cruise.

 

You mention that you don't want the expense of eating in Venice. Don't forget that you will have to pay for your specialty dining restaurant meal, so you still will have to pay one way or the other. Tuscan Grille dining prices are comparable to waterfront dining along the canal. And the views of the port could never compare to the views of the Rialto Bridge and the canal activity at sunset.

[karpela]

Thanks for your replies, what I forgot to say, which is the reason for an earlier dinner, is we want to go into Venice after dinner too.

 

Does that make more sense as to why I'm wondering what time to eat? :)

[karpela]

Turcan Grill - with a bottle of Brunello at Table 8 - Enjoy

 

What's so special about table 8 may I ask :)

[boogs]

Thanks for your replies, what I forgot to say, which is the reason for an earlier dinner, is we want to go into Venice after dinner too.

 

Does that make more sense as to why I'm wondering what time to eat? :)

 

Then just have dinner in Venice. Doesn't make sense to spend the time and trouble to go back to the ship just for dinner. Spend that time in Venice. You will have plenty of time to spend on the ship later.

 

A question - have you ever been to Venice before?

[KaththeTaff]

I'd definitely stay out in Venice!

 

We were there last year and it was very hot. We went back tot he ship for a rest, and then couldn;t face going back into the city after dinner. Now, we very much regret not spending the evening there. After all, we had dinne ron board every other night...

 

As for the expense, it is possible to find reasonably priced food in Venice (or so I read on other forums!).

[PORT ROYAL]

What's so special about table 8 may I ask :)

 

A table for two - Middle of the DR - By and in the centre of a large window - great view [as one enters th DR it is directly in front of you]- We book it on every S class sailing - Do not forget the bottle of Brunello!

[Alsmez]

Thanks for your replies, what I forgot to say, which is the reason for an earlier dinner, is we want to go into Venice after dinner too.

 

Does that make more sense as to why I'm wondering what time to eat? :)

 

Venice is actually not much of a late night town - pretty much everything will be closed by midnight, and most bars/restaurants/activities in general will be wrapping up starting around 10pm. It's certainly worth hanging out until after sunset, just to see how lovely Venice is by moonlight and to enjoy wandering the streets without all the hoards of people, but there will be very little to do.

 

Staying in Venice through dinner may be your best bet; however, Venice is NOT a great city for dining out. There are certainly some wonderful restaurants, but none of them are in locations that tourists would find convenient. The restaurants in St. Mark's square and in highly visible locations along the canals are tourist traps, and will be very expensive and probably not very good. Also, if you are not seafood fans, you might as well skip dining in Venice entirely - seafood is their specialty and the only food worth spending money on there, IMO. If you do decide to eat out, I can recommend two lovely, non-touristy places - Bancogiro (near the Rialto bridge, on the west side of the Grand Canal) and Antiche Carampane (also on the west side of the Grand Canal and not terribly far from the Rialto bridge, but farther into the heart of San Polo and MUCH more difficult to find). Make reservations well ahead of time.

[cruiser87654321]

There are quite a lot of nice restaurants in Venice but you do have to stray off the beaten track a little. The book Chow Venice has some good ideas and you can tell in advance how much a typical 3 courses will cost. Eating out in Venice can be hit and miss but it is possible to eat well for a reasonable cost. Even if you just go for a Pizza, you cannot beat the restaurant on the Grand Canal right by the Academia bridge. The view is to die for and the pizzas are very acceptable too.

[julia]

OP:

 

Without knowing your history of visiting Venice previously, I can only offer this..... Venice at night is very magical, with less crowds and all the lights reflecting on the waterways. I could NOT imagine being on the ship when one could be enjoying the sights and sounds while riding a vaporetto along the Grand Canal, or taking in the music in St Marks square, or sipping a glass of wine at a casual bistro.

 

Tuscan Grill (IMHO) simply couldn't hold a candle to enjoying one of the world's most interesting cities at night.....

[Presto2]

We are doing the Venice overnight on the Equinox in a couple of weeks.

 

We don't really want the expense of eating in Venice that evening but are on Late Seating in the MDR which will be too late to wander off the ship after dinner.

 

We will want to wander around when we arrive, mid afternoon, come back, change for dinner and eat.

 

Do you think booking, perhaps Tuscan Grill would be a good idea and what would be a good time?

 

Thanks :)

 

We did the Tuscan Grill twice last year and loved it. We are planning on a visit again this year as we leave Naples ! You will love it, a great venue, and the menu us super. Enjoy !!!:)

[Presto2]

Sorry this is a P.S. ---- I have noticed that some people are recommending a restaurant in Venice. It sounds lovely (we had a meal at our hotel last year by the canal side ) but it can be very expensive. Be very careful as we have heard of tourists who have ended up paying over £20 (a lot more in dollars !) for 4 ice creams ! Italian ice-creams are wonderful, but I'm not sure if that I'd pay that much :D:D

 

Have a great time wherever you go -------- Venice is just magical so spend as much time there are you can.

 

:)

[swerdjr]

We are on the 9/2/13 Venice overnight and this is our first time traveling with this itenerary. We want to try and experience every port. What puzzles me about some of the replies are the cost of dining in Venice. My thought is if you can afford the cruise and the airfare why go cheap in the ports. For some people this is a trip of a lifetime. Again we have never been but you can eat anytime in the specialty restraurants on board.

[Presto2]

We are on the 9/2/13 Venice overnight and this is our first time traveling with this itenerary. We want to try and experience every port. What puzzles me about some of the replies are the cost of dining in Venice. My thought is if you can afford the cruise and the airfare why go cheap in the ports. For some people this is a trip of a lifetime. Again we have never been but you can eat anytime in the specialty restraurants on board.

 

Sorry, but I am surprised by this response as it takes us a year to save up for our cruise and just getting there means that we sacrifice things during the year. I, personally, can not justify spending £20 for ice creams..... to me it means that meals are very expensive. ( Last year we paid £100 for a meal at the hotel and that was 'cheap' for Venice)

 

I do not consider not paying what I consider to be 'silly prices' for meals as 'going cheap' --------

 

It may be the trip of a lifetime, but we still have to pay the mortgage - and for some people just being there has been a real sacrifice.

 

And, I don't think it is right to say you can eat in the speciality restaurants any time ---------- we can only eat there on the ship ----- once a year ! (If it was McDonalds perhaps we could eat there anytime)

 

 

 

:confused:

[swerdjr]

Sorry, but I am surprised by this response as it takes us a year to save up for our cruise and just getting there means that we sacrifice things during the year. I, personally, can not justify spending £20 for ice creams..... to me it means that meals are very expensive. ( Last year we paid £100 for a meal at the hotel and that was 'cheap' for Venice)

 

I do not consider not paying what I consider to be 'silly prices' for meals as 'going cheap' --------

 

It may be the trip of a lifetime, but we still have to pay the mortgage - and for some people just being there has been a real sacrifice.

 

And, I don't think it is right to say you can eat in the speciality restaurants any time ---------- we can only eat there on the ship ----- once a year ! (If it was McDonalds perhaps we could eat there anytime)

 

 

 

By no way did I mean to offend anyone. We too have to pay a mortgage and have financial responsibilities. I do not want to travel all this way and not experience the local cuisine. What I meant by being able to eat in the specialty restraurants anytime, I meant of course when you are sailing on the ship. Again, did not mean to offend. Just my thoughts.

[karpela]

We are on the 9/2/13 Venice overnight and this is our first time traveling with this itenerary. We want to try and experience every port. What puzzles me about some of the replies are the cost of dining in Venice. My thought is if you can afford the cruise and the airfare why go cheap in the ports. For some people this is a trip of a lifetime. Again we have never been but you can eat anytime in the specialty restraurants on board.

 

I understand what you are saying but this isn't our first Med cruise and we are from the UK, so flying to beautiful European cities is something we do frequently. We have been to Rome many times so know how expensive it is to eat well in Italy.

However, we haven't been to Venice before and the reason we chose this cruise is for the overnight Venice visit as we will have 2 half days to explore.

We would like to have an after dinner drink sitting at a beautiful bar on the edge of the canal but we won't be eating in Venice! :):)

[swerdjr]

Hope you have a great time on your cruise. This is our first Mediterranean cruise and we are looking forward to our cruise.:)

[karpela]

Hope you have a great time on your cruise. This is our first Mediterranean cruise and we are looking forward to our cruise.:)

 

You will love it!! :)

[karpela]

Sorry, but I am surprised by this response as it takes us a year to save up for our cruise and just getting there means that we sacrifice things during the year. I, personally, can not justify spending £20 for ice creams..... to me it means that meals are very expensive. ( Last year we paid £100 for a meal at the hotel and that was 'cheap' for Venice)

 

I do not consider not paying what I consider to be 'silly prices' for meals as 'going cheap' --------

 

It may be the trip of a lifetime, but we still have to pay the mortgage - and for some people just being there has been a real sacrifice.

 

And, I don't think it is right to say you can eat in the speciality restaurants any time ---------- we can only eat there on the ship ----- once a year ! (If it was McDonalds perhaps we could eat there anytime)

 

 

We are the same as you too.

 

We save all year for our one cruise with the odd City break here and there throughout the year. We recently went to Budapest for next to nothing.

Our cruise is a huge outlay but I love it!!! :)

[Lsimon]

Personally, I'd rather have a couple slices of pizza, or a plate of pasta in an out of the way restaurant in Venice than go back to the ship for dinner. There are lots of expensive places in Venice but there are some moderately priced places as well - just try to stay away from the main areas. For example the places on, or very near, St. Marks square or the Realto bridge will be expensive but some other places will be a little less pricey.

 

If you're in doubt then just walk around in the afternoon and check out some menus and find a place, or type of place, to return to for dinner. If you don't find anything you like then just have a late dinner on the ship in the MDR or buffet and save Muranos for another night.

 

Venice is a truly wonderful place just to wonder the streets a bit and you should take advantage of your time there.

[cruiser87654321]

I think it is each to their own, we live in Europe so we visit Venice at least once a year and we are within easy reach of all the other ports. You can eat well and for a reasonable price in Venice but it is also easy to be ripped off. You could easily have your main meal aboard but wander the bars and eat Cicchetti as an appetiser.