NCL and Venice

[complawyer]

regardless of how you try to accomplish it, you are doing yourself a massive disservice if you dont get to venice. it's amazing, breathtaking, and a must see if you are able to. w're booked oct 2024 from venice (trieste) and once again, we plan to fly into venice a few days early, book private transportation to trieste the day before sailing, and then happily board the ship the next day. belive me, it's totally worth it.

[sailingships]

Just now, complawyer said:

regardless of how you try to accomplish it, you are doing yourself a massive disservice if you dont get to venice. it's amazing, breathtaking, and a must see if you are able to. w're booked oct 2024 from venice (trieste) and once again, we plan to fly into venice a few days early, book private transportation to trieste the day before sailing, and then happily board the ship the next day. belive me, it's totally worth it.

We were suppose to cruise out of Venice in Oct 2020 after spending 5 days there in an apartment. Our cruise was cancelled of course and then the locals voted to stop the cruise ships from coming up the Grand Canal.. I visited Venice sans a cruise because I dont relish the idea of having to travel all the way to and fro Trieste. Im glad I went this time. 

[complawyer]

personally, i found going from venice to trieste not to be a problem, living with los angeles traffic, it was a shorter ride  than some days on my commute to work (lol)

[DCGuy64]

9 hours ago, complawyer said:

regardless of how you try to accomplish it, you are doing yourself a massive disservice if you dont get to venice. it's amazing, breathtaking, and a must see if you are able to. w're booked oct 2024 from venice (trieste) and once again, we plan to fly into venice a few days early, book private transportation to trieste the day before sailing, and then happily board the ship the next day. belive me, it's totally worth it.

I agree with @complawyer, Venice is a positively magical city unlike any other. Well worth a trip on its own.

[quack2]

On 6/11/2023 at 2:52 AM, Greener123 said:

Jeez, that’s jam packed… we’re on breakaway in September and only have 1 seaday but to have none on that long a cruise will be exhausting. 
 

Have to say I’m sad ships no longer go into Venice proper, got to do it twice and it is the most amazing cruise port to sail in and out of. I don’t buy the idea that the ships caused any kind of damage - they sail through basically with their engines off - just using the tugs, the tourists added compared to the 20m that visit anyway is going to negligible. Locals in Venice just hate tourists full stop and I guess the ships were the easiest to ban 

Respectfully disagree.

[ilovesalchows]

Venice is building the new terminal to accomplish its goals.  They want cruises only to begin or end in Venice so people are likely spending the night and eating at local restaurants.  In the interim, the city has no interest in being a tendered port stop.  Day trippers cause a lot of congestion and don't spend a ton of cash.

 

I assure you Venice loves tourists, but they are in it for the long haul and don't want to see their city destroyed.  

[Mississippian]

On 6/11/2023 at 12:16 AM, quack2 said:

cruise ships are destroying Venice.  Better they dock elsewhere.

Cruise ships aren't and weren't "destroying" Venice. There was fear, probably legitimate, that a serious accident could do great harm.

[amygutman]

On 6/11/2023 at 9:28 PM, Ozmodiar said:

 

You need to look at your booking documents, but most likely ends in Trieste. I only see Venice (Trieste) as an embarkation point for Escape in 2024, not Venice (Ravenna).

Thank you so much...I will definitely go back and look. Kiddo is psyched about Venice so we will be staying the night there no matter what but it is a definite bummer to have to trek 2 hours there. 

 

I appreciate your advice and will let you know what I find out. 

Warmest, Amy

[quack2]

3 hours ago, Mississippian said:

Cruise ships aren't and weren't "destroying" Venice. There was fear, probably legitimate, that a serious accident could do great harm.

More than serious accidents hurt ports that are fragile to begin with.  Pollution, displacement of water and resulting erosion of thousand year old foundations are too much for the City to sustainably withstand.  Sorry if responsible actions of Venice officials upset your cruise plans.  There are alternatives.

[Mississippian]

2 hours ago, quack2 said:

More than serious accidents hurt ports that are fragile to begin with.  Pollution, displacement of water and resulting erosion of thousand year old foundations are too much for the City to sustainably withstand.  Sorry if responsible actions of Venice officials upset your cruise plans.  There are alternatives.

I've been there and done that half a dozen times, so it really doesn't matter. And I prefer to see Venice from a hotel room, not a cruise ship. But my personal opinion is that these cruise ships were not doing any damage whatsoever. They did pose some risk.

[quack2]

8 hours ago, Mississippian said:

I've been there and done that half a dozen times, so it really doesn't matter. And I prefer to see Venice from a hotel room, not a cruise ship. But my personal opinion is that these cruise ships were not doing any damage whatsoever. They did pose some risk.

 

What are your qualifications to render such an opinion?

[The Traveling Man]

On 6/11/2023 at 3:11 PM, amm8589 said:

I'm considering taking the train to Venice on Tuesday and spending the day there, then taking the train back to Trieste that evening. Does that sound realistic? Is this something I should book ahead of time or wait until we get there? I have never been to Italy (or anywhere in Europe for that matter) so this is all new to me. Thanks for any information you can share!

 

For info on train schedules and fares, visit this website:

 

https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

[Mississippian]

3 hours ago, quack2 said:

 

What are your qualifications to render such an opinion?

Probably the same as yours.

[Ozmodiar]

Search for the Nature article "The effects of ship wakes in the Venice Lagoon and implications for the sustainability of shipping in coastal waters". 

[quack2]

1 hour ago, Mississippian said:

Probably the same as yours.

I am capable of finding credible research.

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 6/11/2023 at 4:11 PM, amm8589 said:

Wow, this is a lot of valuable information, and it's a lot to digest. We booked this cruise on very short notice and did not realize all the particulars with Venice. That's okay, no regrets, we just have to improvise and I'm glad I have time to think things through.

 

There is no way we can get to Venice earlier, as we have to move our son into college on the Saturday before departure, we fly out the next day, and arrive in Trieste on Monday morning. I'm considering taking the train to Venice on Tuesday and spending the day there, then taking the train back to Trieste that evening. Does that sound realistic? Is this something I should book ahead of time or wait until we get there? I have never been to Italy (or anywhere in Europe for that matter) so this is all new to me. The tender situation sounds iffy at best, so I want to have my ducks in a row before we get there in just 2 short months. Thanks for any information you can share!

 

If you’re on the 14 Aug departure from Trieste, the Gem is still scheduled to depart Trieste on Monday, tender into Venice on Tuesday, and then dock in Ravenna on Wednesday. Nothing has changed officially yet, so it’s hard to plan anything. You might want to research multiple options, including the train into Venice from Trieste. 

 

It may also be worth reading some Rick Steves guidebooks (med cruise ports, etc). He’s great at breaking down Europe into digestible bites for Americans who have never been before. 
 

 

[amm8589]

9 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

you’re on the 14 Aug departure from Trieste, the Gem is still scheduled to depart Trieste on Monday, tender into Venice on Tuesday, and then dock in Ravenna on Wednesday. Nothing has changed officially yet, so it’s hard to plan anything. You might want to research multiple options, including the train into Venice from Trieste.

Great advice, thank you! I have already booked a tour through NCL for Venice. If it get cancelled, I will have a Plan B, C, and D ready to roll. Finger crossed!

[brandy4598]

I am on the Pearl next year out of Trieste. Venice is listed as a tender port. Does the ship stay in Trieste for the Venice day and NCL ferries people over to Venice? Wondering if it would work if we fly into Venice a couple of days early and then use the "Venice" day to walk around Trieste. 

[ilovesalchows]

13 hours ago, brandy4598 said:

I am on the Pearl next year out of Trieste. Venice is listed as a tender port. Does the ship stay in Trieste for the Venice day and NCL ferries people over to Venice? Wondering if it would work if we fly into Venice a couple of days early and then use the "Venice" day to walk around Trieste. 

100% do this!  Venice is so lovely to wander around at night and in the early morning before it gets crowded.  Much better way to get over jet lag and make sure you don't have any worries about missing the cruise as well.

[yakcruiser]

14 hours ago, brandy4598 said:

I am on the Pearl next year out of Trieste. Venice is listed as a tender port. Does the ship stay in Trieste for the Venice day and NCL ferries people over to Venice? Wondering if it would work if we fly into Venice a couple of days early and then use the "Venice" day to walk around Trieste. 

And Trieste is definitely worth a day.

[CruiseMH]

On 6/11/2023 at 11:52 AM, Greener123 said:

 

Have to say I’m sad ships no longer go into Venice proper, got to do it twice and it is the most amazing cruise port to sail in and out of. I don’t buy the idea that the ships caused any kind of damage - they sail through basically with their engines off - just using the tugs,

 

the problem with the cruise ships is that they displace a lot of water. Even when they go slowly, all the water is pressed into the poles where the whole city stands on. When the ship has passed all this water is sort of sucked back to where the ship was.

And this pressing and sucking produces a lot of damage to the poles where the city stands on.

Thats the reason why they already move so slow and only one ship at a time.

 

Apart from that there are of course the emissions during their stay in port. Venice doesn`t have any shore power options.(and most cruise ships don`t have either)

Edited June 15, 2023 by CruiseMH

[Ozmodiar]

21 hours ago, brandy4598 said:

Does the ship stay in Trieste for the Venice day and NCL ferries people over to Venice?

Not sure if you are being literal with "ferries" but from Trieste they will bus people to Venice, and individuals can take the train. Way too far for tendering - 60+ nautical miles.

 

I agree with others that Trieste itself is worth a day exploring - either get there a day early and explore and take tours to Venice, or do Venice pre-cruise and spend the day in Trieste if they stay overnight.

[brandy4598]

16 minutes ago, Ozmodiar said:

Not sure if you are being literal with "ferries" but from Trieste they will bus people to Venice, and individuals can take the train. Way too far for tendering - 60+ nautical miles.

 

I agree with others that Trieste itself is worth a day exploring - either get there a day early and explore and take tours to Venice, or do Venice pre-cruise and spend the day in Trieste if they stay overnight.

NCL has Venice listed as a tender port. So, I wasn't clear on what that meant. Some people earlier in the thread said something about the tender taking 90 minutes. So, again, I wasn't clear on if that meant a 90 minute boat ride or via buses, train. If they're actually taking people from Trieste into Venice for the day, then I will likely use that day to explore Trieste instead of going into Venice. 

[Ozmodiar]

If they stick to the published itinerary, then they will anchor outside of Venice and tender folks in.

 

If they substitute Trieste for Venice that day, then any tours to Venice will get there by bus.

 

Unfortunately, this is why it is very confusing in terms of planning as it is unclear what might happen, if they will do the tendering from Venice or if they will rework the itinerary and dock in Trieste. It doesn't help that NCL refers to Trieste as Venice (Trieste) as if is interchangeable planning-wise.

[Vacation Lover1]

Our cruise leaves from Trieste and stops at Ravenna. Our plan is to fly into Rome a few days early and make our way to Trieste on the day before embarkation. Now we're thinking we should stop at Venice on our way to Trieste since the ship doesn't actually go to Venice. Does that sound do-able? Should we change our hotel reservation from Trieste to Venice so we have somewhere to put our luggage while we tour, and then take the train to the port the next day?