Constellation, 1st 2 days in Venice-How does this work?

[whitshel]

So looking at a 9 night Constellation Eastern Europe cruise.  At 1st glance I thought it was great, the 1st 2 nights are in Venice aboard the ship.  But......they are actually in Raveena.  Soooooo, how do you make that work??  If Raveena wasn't more than 2 hours away it'd be fine but if you fly in on day one you really can't tour Venice at that point because you'll be tired and you will have your luggage.  If you wait til day 2 then you have 2+ hours there and 2+ hours back, is that worth it?  Should you waste another day an go in the day before, get a hotel.  But then you'll still have to go to Raveena  at some point and check in to the ship(what are check in times?).  Then the 2nd day do you go back to Venice or just stay on the ship? Probably too much to hope for that Celebrity would have shuttles going back and forth from the ship to Venice????  Whatcha all think?

 

[yogini06]

I sailed out of Ravenna May 2022.  We spent 4 nights in Venice.  Took celebrity transfer to Ravenna.  It’s about 2 1/2 hour trip.  
 

If I was on this itinerary I would go early to see Venice.  It’s lovely and not to be rushed. Board the ship and go see Ravenna.  A beautiful city known for mosaics

[LGW59]

Drop the luggage, deal with the jet lag/being tired/time zone change, take the train to Ravenna, I'd get a hotel for 1 night in Venice, tour all day and head back to the ship.  Easy button...

[whitshel]

6 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Drop the luggage, deal with the jet lag/being tired/time zone change, take the train to Ravenna, I'd get a hotel for 1 night in Venice, tour all day and head back to the ship.  Easy button...

Ummm, drop the luggage where?

[LGW59]

42 minutes ago, whitshel said:

Ummm, drop the luggage where?

There is luggage storage in Ravenna but if you get a hotel in Venice you can just take it there also

[jwlane]

15 hours ago, LGW59 said:

There is luggage storage in Ravenna 

What about using the ship?  

[Jim_Iain]

When you have an overnight on the 1st of 2 days you basically just treat the ship like a hotel.  You can actually board on either day during certain hours.     After checking in you can come and go as you wish 24 hours a day up until about 1 1/2 hour prior to sailing.

 

While on the ships the Restaurant and Bars will operate normal hours and they will have activities going on like the first day of a cruise.  There will also show and entertainment.

 

Saying that a couple things to keep in mind.    Usually while you are in port your (non-package) drink purchases could be subject to VAT.  Also all of the Shops, Casino and Duty Free will be closed. 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[supersecdd]

19 hours ago, whitshel said:

So looking at a 9 night Constellation Eastern Europe cruise.  At 1st glance I thought it was great, the 1st 2 nights are in Venice aboard the ship.  But......they are actually in Raveena.  Soooooo, how do you make that work??  If Raveena wasn't more than 2 hours away it'd be fine but if you fly in on day one you really can't tour Venice at that point because you'll be tired and you will have your luggage.  If you wait til day 2 then you have 2+ hours there and 2+ hours back, is that worth it?  Should you waste another day an go in the day before, get a hotel.  But then you'll still have to go to Raveena  at some point and check in to the ship(what are check in times?).  Then the 2nd day do you go back to Venice or just stay on the ship? Probably too much to hope for that Celebrity would have shuttles going back and forth from the ship to Venice????  Whatcha all think?

 

I also want to know how it works with Ravenna since it is so far from Venice.

[supersecdd]

19 hours ago, yogini06 said:

I sailed out of Ravenna May 2022.  We spent 4 nights in Venice.  Took celebrity transfer to Ravenna.  It’s about 2 1/2 hour trip.  
 

If I was on this itinerary I would go early to see Venice.  It’s lovely and not to be rushed. Board the ship and go see Ravenna.  A beautiful city known for mosaics

Did you have to stay in a Celebrity hotel to get the transfer to Ravenna?  Do you mean check in at the ship and then leave for the day to see Ravenna and get back on board before sail-away?

Debbie in Delray

[yogini06]

1 hour ago, supersecdd said:

Did you have to stay in a Celebrity hotel to get the transfer to Ravenna?  Do you mean check in at the ship and then leave for the day to see Ravenna and get back on board before sail-away?

Debbie in Delray

We did not have a celebrity hotel.  Our TA booked the transfer 

 

We did not have 2 days in Ravenna.  If I did I would see Venice prior to boarding the ship on day 1.  I would go to Ravenna on day 2

[Jim_Iain]

11 minutes ago, yogini06 said:

We did not have a celebrity hotel.  Our TA booked the transfer 

 

We did not have 2 days in Ravenna.  If I did I would see Venice prior to boarding the ship on day 1.  I would go to Ravenna on day 2

 

Sounds like a good idea.   

 

I would on the other hand fly into Venice a couple days early and spend some time in Venice.   It's a lovely city and way too much to see on a rushed single day when worn out from travel.  

 

On Boarding day I would probably take a train from Venice to Ravenna -  It's about a 3 1/2 hour train ride.   On day one would tour Ravenna and on Day 2 would think about a day train trip to Bologna.

[yogini06]

34 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Sounds like a good idea.   

 

I would on the other hand fly into Venice a couple days early and spend some time in Venice.   It's a lovely city and way too much to see on a rushed single day when worn out from travel.  

 

On Boarding day I would probably take a train from Venice to Ravenna -  It's about a 3 1/2 hour train ride.   On day one would tour Ravenna and on Day 2 would think about a day train trip to Bologna.

We spent four nights in Venice prior to boarding our cruise. Such a lovely city.  Plenty of time to see the sights, wander and eat 

[WonderMan3]

I wish they’d stop titling this Venice (Ravenna). It’s a 2hr 15 min drive each way. That’s like having your actual port be Philadelphia and calling it Washington, DC. I understand that the port was originally Venice and they had to move it because of the cruise ship restrictions but it’s very deceptive.

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

I wish they’d stop titling this Venice (Ravenna). It’s a 2hr 15 min drive each way. That’s like having your actual port be Philadelphia and calling it Washington, DC. I understand that the port was originally Venice and they had to move it because of the cruise ship restrictions but it’s very deceptive.

Ok you just prompted me to take another look at our itinerary for this cruise booked for May, 2024. You’re right, it says Venice with (Ravenna).  So this means we fly into Venice but have to travel another 2+ hours to get to the ship on embarkation day?  Our cruise does not overnight on days 1 & 2. We were planning to fly in a few days early but knowing nothing about Venice and based on the itinerary SAYING Venice, I assumed we embarked in Venice 🤦‍♀️  More than a year out and I’m already stressing over this 😳. 

[LGW59]

39 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ok you just prompted me to take another look at our itinerary for this cruise booked for May, 2024. You’re right, it says Venice with (Ravenna).  So this means we fly into Venice but have to travel another 2+ hours to get to the ship on embarkation day?  Our cruise does not overnight on days 1 & 2. We were planning to fly in a few days early but knowing nothing about Venice and based on the itinerary SAYING Venice, I assumed we embarked in Venice 🤦‍♀️  More than a year out and I’m already stressing over this 😳. 

I’d not fret too much over it, the train runs very frequently and is very reliable, if you go after breakfast you can still get a good solid day in Venice.  This is my plan when my cruise ports in Trieste, plus I love the trains in Italy.

[Georgia_Peaches]

7 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I’d not fret too much over it, the train runs very frequently and is very reliable, if you go after breakfast you can still get a good solid day in Venice.  This is my plan when my cruise ports in Trieste, plus I love the trains in Italy.

Thank you for talking me off the ledge.  We've traveled the trains in Italy before and I agree, it was pretty easy to navigate.  I'm over my initial annoyance...but agree with @WonderMan3 that the way it is listed is quite misleading.  No different with what the do with Rome when it's really Civitavecchia, I suppose.

[LGW59]

6 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thank you for talking me off the ledge.  We've traveled the trains in Italy before and I agree, it was pretty easy to navigate.  I'm over my initial annoyance...but agree with @WonderMan3 that the way it is listed is quite misleading.  No different with what the do with Rome when it's really Civitavecchia, I suppose.

Very true on both!  My cruise is May of this year, I’ll post regarding the train ride from Trieste to Venice.

[Arubamoose]

I agree that's it's misleading.

Think of Florence - where are they ported?  Livorno

Think of Paris - where are they ported? Le Havre

Think of Rome - where are they ported?  Civitavecchia

You have to do your research.

 

[C-Dragons]

14 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thank you for talking me off the ledge.  We've traveled the trains in Italy before and I agree, it was pretty easy to navigate.  I'm over my initial annoyance...but agree with @WonderMan3 that the way it is listed is quite misleading.  No different with what the do with Rome when it's really Civitavecchia, I suppose.

Years ago when our ship actually did sail from Venice, we spent three nights there pre-cruise. It was wonderful because we enjoyed the city at a leisurely pace. And you really should experience Venice at night, without all the tourists! As I've said before, it's magical. I hope you enjoy your time there as much as we did!

[Georgia_Peaches]

21 minutes ago, Arubamoose said:

You have to do your research.

Agreed!  I take for granted the ease with which it is to embark in US ports.  Port of Miami is actually in Miami....the research is part of the fun, IMO...Clearly, I have some work to do 😊. 

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, Arubamoose said:

I agree that's it's misleading.

Think of Florence - where are they ported?  Livorno

Think of Paris - where are they ported? Le Havre

Think of Rome - where are they ported?  Civitavecchia

You have to do your research.

 

I think the difference with those other cities is they are not by the sea and thus have never had a cruise port (and yes, before someone jumps in to correct me, I am aware Civitavecchia is technically in Rome, in the "metropolitan area"). Venice is on the sea and has had an active cruise port for many years. So this change has been very confusing and unexpected for many, especially those who may not actively follow sites like this one where changes are regularly reported.

[neverlaysup]

On 1/16/2023 at 4:40 PM, whitshel said:

So looking at a 9 night Constellation Eastern Europe cruise.  At 1st glance I thought it was great, the 1st 2 nights are in Venice aboard the ship.  But......they are actually in Raveena.  Soooooo, how do you make that work??  If Raveena wasn't more than 2 hours away it'd be fine but if you fly in on day one you really can't tour Venice at that point because you'll be tired and you will have your luggage.  If you wait til day 2 then you have 2+ hours there and 2+ hours back, is that worth it?  Should you waste another day an go in the day before, get a hotel.  But then you'll still have to go to Raveena  at some point and check in to the ship(what are check in times?).  Then the 2nd day do you go back to Venice or just stay on the ship? Probably too much to hope for that Celebrity would have shuttles going back and forth from the ship to Venice????  Whatcha all think?

 

If you want to see Venice, I would fly in 4-7 days early and just get a hotel on the island and relax and enjoy getting lost in all the wonderful alleys. That way, when you board the ship and spend the first night in port, you can tour Ravenna without the stress of travel back and forth to Venice.

[happycamper45]

We spent 5 leisurely days in Venice before a cruise leaving Ravenna. We did not have an overnight on our cruise so we (with two large bags and two carryons) took the Vaporetto, then a “People Mover” to mainland parking lot to meet a transfer.  The transfer took 2 1/2 hrs. on a slow 2 lane road and we didn’t arrive until about 5.  Needless to say it ate up most of our day.  Given that we had a port stop the next day it was hectic.  They need to find other alternatives.  Ravenna port was very makeshift.

When we returned to Ravenna at the end of our cruise we hired a car to take us to Bologna rather than staying in Ravenna. I have to say I wish I had stayed in Ravenna as I was not that impressed with Bologna.

 

[redwings1958]

We are flying in on Wednesday, spending all day in Venice, Hotel in Venice Wednesday night, morning tour Thursday, Train to Ravenna Thursday afternoon;  Friday ,Ravenna and Bologna. This way we get 3 cities for 1 port stop

[supersecdd]

On 1/18/2023 at 8:54 AM, LGW59 said:

I’d not fret too much over it, the train runs very frequently and is very reliable, if you go after breakfast you can still get a good solid day in Venice.  This is my plan when my cruise ports in Trieste, plus I love the trains in Italy.

I love train travel abroad too, but not with my luggage!  LOL