Is it better to START in Venice or do overnight in Venice

[SteveinPhilly]

We've been to Venice 4 times (in the last century) on land tour packages. We are now experienced cruisers and are looking for cruises (HAL, RCI, Celebrity, Princess - the mid priced lines) to go back. I see there are RT cruises from Barcelona which stop overnight in Venice,so we'd not have to pay high price for a hotel at begin or end, and some that go RT from Venice, meaning we'd need to book a hotel near the port.

 

Can someone tell me how far the ships dock from the tourist part of Venice? Is it walkable or Vaparetto-able. Venice would be MAIN reason for choosing the cruise.

 

Thanks.

 

Steve

[cruisemom42]

Most large cruise ships dock at the Marittima port. From there, you walk to what's called the "People Mover" (a relatively recent addition that carries passengers to Piazzale Roma, where you can then catch the vaporetti that will take you to various points in Venice (or to the outlying islands).

 

I think it's down to personal preference. As you start looking at itineraries, you'll find some cruises that start or end in Venice and still have an overnight on board ship, another option to consider.

 

Unless you are planning to spend more than a single extra night, the hassle of getting luggage to/from a hotel may not be worth it, versus having an overnight onboard ship.

[SteveinPhilly]

Wow! Quick answer. Thanks! My thought was that if cruise STARTS in Venice and you fly to venice then by the time you get on Board you only have one night. RT cruises are almost essential for us. The open craw airfare - two one ways gets REALLY expensive.

 

And I agree about hassle with luggage. Appreciate the fact that it's fairly easy to get into Venice (unlike getting to Rome from Citiviccia ;-(

[euro cruiser]

I agree, if you would only be having one night in Venice prior to the cruise it makes more sense to have an overnight stop on the ship. Even if you had two nights (and the associated expense) in Venice prior to a cruise, considering that you'd have only a half day on arrival and a half day before embarking on the cruise, you'd still be at about the same amount of time on the ground with an overnight port stop.

[marazul]

Wow! Quick answer. Thanks! My thought was that if cruise STARTS in Venice and you fly to venice then by the time you get on Board you only have one night. RT cruises are almost essential for us. The open craw airfare - two one ways gets REALLY expensive.

 

You might want to do a little research for open claw flights out of Philly or Newark. They might not be much more expensive anymore. Try a few "fake" bookings. You might be pleasantly surprised. Many airlines price each segment separately.

[Chairsin]

Go to Matrix and on most flight you will find most open jaw flights are not more expensive.

[b_cruise]

I've always walked Venice from the ship... No problems ( and people mover). Also I have used the airport bus which saves money too and very easy!!

[sippican]

Go to Matrix and on most flight you will find most open jaw flights are not more expensive.

 

Agree: https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Also, frequently Cruise Air is less expensive.

 

Check out all of your options before ruling out those itineraries that start and end in different ports.

[flapbreaker]

The NCL Spirit has one heck of an itinerary starting in Barcelona and ending in Venice. Also has the reversed itinerary. We booked a highly rated bed and breakfast near st marks square for $125/ night in August. Also when searching airlines, choose multi city. They do not necessarily charge more when booking this way but they do gouge if booking one ways. Alternatively round Trip into London heathrow seems to be the cheapest then booking one way within Europe is not too bad.

[Clamett]

The NCL Spirit has one heck of an itinerary starting in Barcelona and ending in Venice. Also has the reversed itinerary. We booked a highly rated bed and breakfast near st marks square for $125/ night in August. Also when searching airlines, choose multi city. They do not necessarily charge more when booking this way but they do gouge if booking one ways. Alternatively round Trip into London heathrow seems to be the cheapest then booking one way within Europe is not too bad.

 

What is the name of the B&B that you booked?

[flapbreaker]

What is the name of the B&B that you booked?

 

Residenza de l'Osmarin

 

You can see their reviews on trip advisor.

[icequeen]

Our family flew in two days prior to our cruise and rented an apartment not far from Piazzale Roma (the parking lot). On embarkation day, we took the People Mover from the parking lot to the cruise terminal area and walked to the ship with our luggage. We each only had one case and a backpack so it would be a bit tougher if you had a lot of luggage. The People Mover was really convenient and we used it a couple of more times as after we checked on to the ship, we got off again to sightsee for the rest of the day and then followed the same process on our return to the ship that evening.

 

We loved having the extra time in Venice and found that everything was very walkable...as long as you don't have any mobility issues.

[SteveinPhilly]

Aftwer looking at the itinerary RT Vnice and noticing that most of the ports were not in Italy, we chose the RCI Brilliance which goes RT Barcelona for 12 nights and except for Nice, and Montenegro, all ports are in Italy (a country we love). We'll try to make the most of Venice (the people mover wasn't there in the 1990s - the last time in Venice - and we plan to extend stay 2 nights in Barcelona. We chose the 6/7 departure.

 

Hopefully others will benefit from my question and I thank all who replied.

 

Steve