Venice 11/9/2021

[SEASwim]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

Seriously

I cannot see Oceania  using  a port  2hrs ride from Venice   if that happens they will probably just drop Venice

The port at  Marghera  is  not that far from Venice proper  About 20 min

 

JMO

 

Most of the news stories I've read suggest that it's extremely unlikely Marghera would be ready for cruise ship use in 2021.

[ORV]

One of the good things about Oceania is they don't need a big terminal building to process their embarkation or disembarkation. I've gone on more than one of their cruises where we gave our luggage to a guy by the gangway with a cart and go in the ship and check in. They just need a port with an airport that they can connect to and shuttles to get people to the ship. 

 

My point is they can be flexible if needed. I really wish I was going but I'm going to be a wait and see observer. 

[Kate-AHF]

2 hours ago, clairol said:

Where are you seeing this? We are on a IST to VEN cruise in October and plan to fly back to IST at the end of the cruise. We have not heard of any restrictions or barriers to that plan.

 

There are good links in this thread I started last week.  I checked the Sherpa site just now, and as of this moment you can fly from Italy to Turkey.  But you can't fly from Turkey to just about anywhere in the Schengen countries.  The way I was reading the restrictions when flying out of Turkey -  we would have to be repatriating.  

 

[mexicobob]

On 8/3/2021 at 7:56 PM, Jayne E said:

I was very insistent and TA spoke with air management several times.  They were adamant. Our TA is one of the largest booking agents of Oceania and not confused. Air reservation date was before 15th cruise (of course) and no free air deviation.  The date of air reservation must be after the 15th cruise. Needless to say, I found this very petty, as my SBC and Spa credits were already added to the cruise “before” sail date. All good, as we cancelled the cruise. I will say that O’s fares were better than booking airlines direct but scheduling any passenger for a 6:00 AM flight is “passenger abuse”!  😩

People actually go on 6:00AM flights? That is not passenger abuse. That is criminal behavior

[pinotlover]

8 hours ago, mexicobob said:

People actually go on 6:00AM flights? That is not passenger abuse. That is criminal behavior

You obviously haven’t been flying much in the last year. Current airline schedules are wacky and prices can be abusive.

[jgd3rdbcfd]

Just paid in full.  Hope it goes and would really like some idea what OC plans for departure.

[TFree]

Our TA called Oceania this morning, in connection with our October 16 Marina sailing out of Venice (final payment due August 17).  On protocols, she said they will require a rapid antigen test before boarding (her impression was that Oceania will provide that test, and I have not checked the extensive contract to see if that is the case).  On Venice, she reports that "upper management has not made any changes with respect to the Venice port."  I am beginning to think that they will not announce anything prior to our final payment date.  Which I know is what must be happening with those on the November 9 sailing as well.

 

Tom & Judy

[Jayne E]

6 hours ago, pinotlover said:

You obviously haven’t been flying much in the last year. Current airline schedules are wacky and prices can be abusive.

And 3+ hr wait or call back times to deal with cancelled/changed flights. Jet Blue however very cooperative regarding choosing different dates/times regardless of cost difference. 
can’t say same for O air….would have had to disembark after dinner for a 6:00 AM flight. Pay the $350 or get off at 2:00 AM. BTW, aren’t we entitled to our last breakfast….can’t miss a meal 🤣🤣🤣

[nikless]

48 minutes ago, TFree said:

Our TA called Oceania this morning, in connection with our October 16 Marina sailing out of Venice (final payment due August 17).  On protocols, she said they will require a rapid antigen test before boarding (her impression was that Oceania will provide that test, and I have not checked the extensive contract to see if that is the case).  On Venice, she reports that "upper management has not made any changes with respect to the Venice port."  I am beginning to think that they will not announce anything prior to our final payment date.  Which I know is what must be happening with those on the November 9 sailing as well.

 

Tom & Judy

We are on Nov 9 sailing, continuing to Miami.  Final payment was jun 12th.

 

[Eloise4Ever]

46 minutes ago, TFree said:

Our TA called Oceania this morning, in connection with our October 16 Marina sailing out of Venice (final payment due August 17).  On protocols, she said they will require a rapid antigen test before boarding (her impression was that Oceania will provide that test, and I have not checked the extensive contract to see if that is the case).  On Venice, she reports that "upper management has not made any changes with respect to the Venice port."  I am beginning to think that they will not announce anything prior to our final payment date.  Which I know is what must be happening with those on the November 9 sailing as well.

 

Tom & Judy

Final payment on the November 9th sailing is due by tomorrow. We have very reluctantly made the decision to cancel our booking. Oceanias failure to push our final payment date back to 60 days coupled with their silence on the Venice situation tipped the scales for us. We are very disappointed as we were really looking forward to this cruise.

[pinotlover]

56 minutes ago, Eloise4Ever said:

Final payment on the November 9th sailing is due by tomorrow. We have very reluctantly made the decision to cancel our booking. Oceanias failure to push our final payment date back to 60 days coupled with their silence on the Venice situation tipped the scales for us. We are very disappointed as we were really looking forward to this cruise.

Just guessing, Oceania doesn’t yet have a clue because Venice hasn’t decided. A lot of people flying by the seats of their pants right now. As I earlier posted, if your disposition isn’t to “ go with the flow or roll with the punches “, you’re best off staying home for the next year. Cancellation was a smart move it appears for you.

 

As to flights, we had a group of 22 on our cruise that got notification 2-3 days before disembarkment by Delta/Air France that their flights had been cancelled and they had been rebooked on new flights. Yep, 6:00 a.m. flights! Off the ship around 2:30! 
 

I’m willing to bet that in the 3-4 months leading up to our trip, our air itinerary changed 4-5 times going in each direction. Times, routing, None of it pretty. Nonetheless, we had a great time and glad we went. But, that’s just us.

[Jayne E]

5 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Just guessing, Oceania doesn’t yet have a clue because Venice hasn’t decided. A lot of people flying by the seats of their pants right now. As I earlier posted, if your disposition isn’t to “ go with the flow or roll with the punches “, you’re best off staying home for the next year. Cancellation was a smart move it appears for you.

 

As to flights, we had a group of 22 on our cruise that got notification 2-3 days before disembarkment by Delta/Air France that their flights had been cancelled and they had been rebooked on new flights. Yep, 6:00 a.m. flights! Off the ship around 2:30! 
 

I’m willing to bet that in the 3-4 months leading up to our trip, our air itinerary changed 4-5 times going in each direction. Times, routing, None of it pretty. Nonetheless, we had a great time and glad we went. But, that’s just us.

All that matters is that you had a great time!

We were revisiting ports we had been to, and anticipated the change in mask policy and possibly port changes, so reluctantly cancelled before final payment. Will hopefully try again for December cruise out of Miami with no flights. 

[LGW59]

On 7/13/2021 at 3:33 PM, Hlitner said:

Ahhhhh, so finally the government has found their backbone.  What does this mean for cruisers?  The 25000 ton limit rules out nearly all cruise ships and losing the ability to use the Giudecca Canal means that the Maritima Port will be essentially a ghost town.  There are a few ultra luxury ships such as the two SeaDream Yachts that would still be able to use the port, but those cruises are out of the price range of most cruisers.   While it might be possible for some ships to relocated to Maghera (on the mainland) this commercial port is really not equipped to handle large cruise ships.  There is also no efficient way to move large numbers of passengers between Maghera and Venice so this is another problem not mentioned in the Reuters article.   I have no clue what the cruise lines will do with their schedules.   Some have suggested the use of Trieste but this port is about 100 miles (via road or train) from Venice.  

 

My advice to cruisers who want to see Venice is plan on going to Italy a few days early or staying a few post cruise days and visit Venice via air, train, or driving.  It is a fascinating place for a few days visit.

 

Just a personal comment.  DW and I have been blessed to have visited Venice on at least 6 cruises (we lost count) and have also driven there (multi-day visits) on several of our European driving trips.  Anyone who has watched the huge ships moving down the Giudecca Canal should understand that there has long been an inherent danger is using this channel.  There has also been numerous studies which speak to significant damage being done to the fragile infrastructure (along the canal) by overpressure caused by large vessels.   As much as I will miss the opportunity to enjoy Venice as a port, if banning ships helps preserve this city then we are supportive of the ban.

 

 

Hank

100% agree with this.  Such a magnificent city Venice is, the people (most anyway) that call it home, do not want any more stress than Venice is already under from mother nature.  We had a lovely O cruise planned which included two days in Venice, once I saw how Venetians felt we cancelled it.  So now, we will do a 3 week land tour in Italy and call Venice "home" for 3-4 nights.  

[pinotlover]

55 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

100% agree with this.  Such a magnificent city Venice is, the people (most anyway) that call it home, do not want any more stress than Venice is already under from mother nature.  We had a lovely O cruise planned which included two days in Venice, once I saw how Venetians felt we cancelled it.  So now, we will do a 3 week land tour in Italy and call Venice "home" for 3-4 nights.  

Best way to see Italy. Enjoy the towns when the cruisers/tourists have left. The food is so remarkable that any “ ship” food is a step down from local cuisine. Lots to see and do in, and around, Venice, so no reason to be pushed by a ship’s schedule. Enjoy!

[2552phxcrzr]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

100% agree with this.  Such a magnificent city Venice is, the people (most anyway) that call it home, do not want any more stress than Venice is already under from mother nature.  We had a lovely O cruise planned which included two days in Venice, once I saw how Venetians felt we cancelled it.  So now, we will do a 3 week land tour in Italy and call Venice "home" for 3-4 nights.  

 

@LGW59 We did this in 2018.  Rented a lovely little apartment and enjoyed exploring the city for several days.  Took the water taxi one day and stayed on to do the entire loop around.  Highly recommend doing the St Mark's Cathedral after hours tour ... our small group was the only one there.  Also, make sure you go out to Burano and Murano. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, 2552phxcrzr said:

 

@LGW59 We did this in 2018.  Rented a lovely little apartment and enjoyed exploring the city for several days.  Took the water taxi one day and stayed on to do the entire loop around.  Highly recommend doing the St Mark's Cathedral after hours tour ... our small group was the only one there.  Also, make sure you go out to Burano and Murano. 

This is good point to stress.  Many cruise lines try to make it sound like their excursion is unique and you can't do this on your own.  It's true that you can't just walk up to the Cathedral at night and get in, but there are regular tours on offer that do it and if no ship is in town you may well be alone inside.

[Flharleygirl]

Just heard from my TA that for September and early October, ships will not port in Venice but in Trieste. Stands to reason that this will continue going forward although nothing has been confirmed yet. 

[patty1955]

5 minutes ago, Flharleygirl said:

Just heard from my TA that for September and early October, ships will not port in Venice but in Trieste. Stands to reason that this will continue going forward although nothing has been confirmed yet. 

We received an email from Oceania this morning confirming the change. 

[TFree]

3 minutes ago, Flharleygirl said:

Just heard from my TA that for September and early October, ships will not port in Venice but in Trieste. Stands to reason that this will continue going forward although nothing has been confirmed yet. 

Interesting.  We are on the October 16 Marina cruise out of Venice, and have not heard anything.  I think the first dates for Venice are actually October 15-16 on the prior cruise, and then our departure on my cruise on October 16.  Did your TA say anything about whether Oceania will be taking people to / picking people up in Venice?

 

Tom & Judy

[TFree]

2 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

We received an email from Oceania this morning confirming the change. 

Patty:

 

We booked through a TA and have not heard anything yet.  Did the email say if they will be picking us up?

 

Tom & Judy

[patty1955]

17 minutes ago, TFree said:

Patty:

 

We booked through a TA and have not heard anything yet.  Did the email say if they will be picking us up?

 

Tom & Judy

Yes, we've been changed to Trieste. We lost Monte Carlo as well. They are providing a transfer from the Venice airport:

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by patty1955

[tromvest]

Any idea why Monte Carlo has been removed?

[patty1955]

2 minutes ago, tromvest said:

Any idea why Monte Carlo has been removed?

No, I'm assuming covid

[susiesan]

55 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

No, I'm assuming covid

Were you given a substitute port or a day at sea?

[basor]

Just now, susiesan said:

Were you given a substitute port or a day at sea?

a substitute port - Nice, France