Venice help please

[Cruisevirgin1965]

We will be disembarking from our cruise in Venice next July 2014. We will be coming off the NCL Spirit. We will be spending one night in Venice and then flying home the next day. My issue is transportation. We are a group of 7. My DH will be just a few months post a hip replacement and cannot walk a very long distance and my mom is in a wheelchair. It is a collapsible wheelchair but she has limited mobility once out of it (a few steps with one of us to help with balance, a step or two if there are 2 railings).

I am not sure how she will handle water taxis, and I'm not sure how far my DH will be able to comfortably walk even with us pushing her wheelchair. This will also be an issue if we have all our luggage with us. Argh, I getting a bit stressed about it all.

Basically I need some advice about the best transportation, a good, accessible hotel. I am not so concerned about price because her comfort and ease is definitely my priority. I also want to have all this planned and booked in advance as she doesn't do well if it isn't.

 

Thanks in advance.

[mapleleaves]

It might be easier for your group to stay in Mestre. Mestre is on the mainland; the last town before you cross the causeway into Venice. Take a cab from the pier to Mestre in less than 10 minutes. For those in your group who want to sightsee in Venice, it's less than 10 minutes away by train or bus and less than 2E. Look for a hotel near the Mestre train station. It will also be easier to find a moderized hotel in Mestre with an elevator and other amenities.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/mestre/mestre.htm

 

Otherwise, the Piazzale Roma area of Venice is the most convenient to the pier and to land transportation. You can take a cab from the pier to PRoma and again to the airport. There are only 2 hotels in PRoma which are accessible by cab and require no bridge crossings; the santa chiara and ca doge. I think the Santa Chiara is the only 1 with an elevator.

[euro cruiser]

Take the luggage out of the equation and see if you feel more comfortable. For a one night stay it should be easy to pack everything you need into a carry on bag, then check the rest of your luggage at the left luggage office at Piazzale Roma, the same place you'd get a land taxi to the airport. When you're ready to go to the airport you simply stop and pick up your stuff and load it into the cab.

 

Are the other four members of your party more mobile? Perhaps they can deal with the luggage for you.

 

Once unencumbered do you feel you'd be able to move about using the vaporettos? If so, all of central Venice is available to you.

 

Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the rates and hours for the left luggage office: http://www.trasbagagli.it/en/index.shtml?services

[Albert Bell]

Take a taxi and stay on the mainland your still near the action.

 

Near the train station is a very good area with good shopping and food, take a look at hotel principe and others around there.

 

Don't worry it will work out.

[Omega1]

My advice would be to take a taxi to Mestre. I can recommend the Hotel Triton, it is directly opposite the train station. We have stayed there a couple of times pre cruise and in terms of wheelchair access it is excellent. As others have stated, it is very easy to get the train into Venice.

The only down side is that you don't have the feel of staying in the heart of Venice.

[euro cruiser]

Mestre is a good idea if they don't intend to visit Venice, but not if they do. They have only the one day; going out to Mestre, then back into Venice, and back out again with the issues they are dealing with .... it doesn't sound sensible to me.

[happy 2 b cruising]

It might be easier for your group to stay in Mestre. Mestre is on the mainland; the last town before you cross the causeway into Venice. Take a cab from the pier to Mestre in less than 10 minutes. For those in your group who want to sightsee in Venice, it's less than 10 minutes away by train or bus and less than 2E. Look for a hotel near the Mestre train station. It will also be easier to find a moderized hotel in Mestre with an elevator and other amenities.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/mestre/mestre.htm

 

Otherwise, the Piazzale Roma area of Venice is the most convenient to the pier and to land transportation. You can take a cab from the pier to PRoma and again to the airport. There are only 2 hotels in PRoma which are accessible by cab and require no bridge crossings; the santa chiara and ca doge. I think the Santa Chiara is the only 1 with an elevator.

 

Depends if you would really want to stay in Venice. The Santa Chiara & Ca doge (no elevator) are the only two Hotels you can get to by land taxi and don't need to go over bridges or water taxi. Not easy getting in and out of water taxis for most people. Good luck and enjoy your trip :)

[Omega1]

Mestre is a good idea if they don't intend to visit Venice, but not if they do. They have only the one day; going out to Mestre, then back into Venice, and back out again with the issues they are dealing with .... it doesn't sound sensible to me.

 

My recommendation was based on the assumption that the less mobile members of the party are not able to use public transport.

Also, we had a negative experience of using the left luggage facility at Piazzale Roma and that influenced our future choices - I know others have used the facilty without any problem.

All in all, I still stand by my Mestre recommendation.

[Hlitner]

You are getting great advice with reasoned solutions. But there are a few facts of life regarding Venice that should be stressed. It is one of the most difficult places to tour for folks with mobility issues. Using a wheelchair in Venice is very difficult to impossible...except in a few limited areas. In order to get around Venice one must be capable of getting over some of the many footbridges. Many of these little bridges can be done with a wheelchair...but its a challenge. Getting on and off Vaporettos becomes a major challenge and will stress just about anyone with major mobility limitations.

 

My suggestion is to repost this on the "Special Interest Cruising/Disabled Cruise Travel" board and see if there is anyone there with personal experience. Your advice to take a land taxi out to Mestre (or you could find a hotel closer to the airport) does make the most sense...but it is not going to resolve the issue of whether you should even bother going into Venice.

 

Hank

[sunsetbeachgal]

We stayed in Mestre post cruise and hired private car and driver to get from ship to hotel (Hotel Tritone) and then car and driver to get to the airport. it worked out splendidly...we had six people plus luggage.

 

However, if you have mobility challenged folks who wish to sightsee in Venice is it complicated as the buses from Mestre to Piazelle Roma are crowded and then you still have to take a vaporetto to St. marks which won't be easy either.

[CarolinaMamma]

My recommendation was based on the assumption that the less mobile members of the party are not able to use public transport.

Also, we had a negative experience of using the left luggage facility at Piazzale Roma and that influenced our future choices - I know others have used the facilty without any problem.

All in all, I still stand by my Mestre recommendation.

 

Please tell me about your negative experience with a Left Luggage. We are planning to use it on our upcoming trip, so any precautions or advice you could give would be helpful.

[Omega1]

Please tell me about your negative experience with a Left Luggage. We are planning to use it on our upcoming trip, so any precautions or advice you could give would be helpful.

 

Back in 2008, the office was temporarily closed when we went to collect our luggage - we think a member of staff had been taken ill. It meant we were delayed getting the bus to the airport and cut it fine checking in. It was most probably a one off situation, don't let it put you off.

[PASSENGERES]

Otherwise, the Piazzale Roma area of Venice is the most convenient to the pier and to land transportation. You can take a cab from the pier to PRoma and again to the airport. There are only 2 hotels in PRoma which are accessible by cab and require no bridge crossings; the santa chiara and ca doge. I think the Santa Chiara is the only 1 with an elevator.

 

We have booked 1 night pre-cruise at the Santa Chiarra in June 2014, as we want and need the easiest way to get from the airport to the hotel and to the port the following morning. Fortunately, we have been to Venice a couple of times before, so the sights are not so important this time around. It seems there are many Med cruises either starting or finishing (or both) in Venice, and I have to admit our previous cruises to/from Civitavecchia, (Rome) have been much easier to manage (also for flights to and fro).

[4774Papa]

Frankly, Venice is a city to be walked. If you can't do that, consider heading home the day the cruise ends.