Why Why Why Ravenna

[margo2011]

Hi ,I have just returned from 10 days Greek island on the constellation .We had a 2 hour flight from Manchester at 8am only to arrive onboard at around 4pm .The transfer took 3 hours ,the driver seemed to be going as slow as he could .

I understand Venice’s concerns about the volume of ships arriving and their environmental issues but whilst we were retuning to Venice on Thursday the 20th of July there was a Azamara ,MSC and another ship in their dock system .

If they are going to use a new port they should ensure it has the facilities and resources to ensure their customers can get to the port without any hassle. It’s a good job they weren’t travelling on a Sunday as. Ravenna taxis don’t go into the centre on Sundays all 20 yes 20 of them .I have just had a call from a relative travelling on the same cruise in October who has just found out her transfers are only to the ship and not the return to Marco Polo airport .Celebrity have charged them $600  one way I’m not sure if this is for 2 of them or 4 but still an unwanted extra cost .

We had to leave at the early time of 6-30 am for a 12-15 flight ,we won’t be travelling from Ravenna again to much hassle .

The cruise was on the whole good ,nice ports ,good food very good customer service .Entertainment  so so but one great lady singer CE CE Teneal we saw her in the theatre then she did a great show in one of the bars standing room only .Also a great Comedian did a late show for adults only ,she was funny without being vulgar . But the musical shows are not for us to loud we prefer more intimate venues .

Years ago we used to love Michael’s bar when the pianist would take requests and you could sit up at the piano .We noticed a maximum of 6 people a night when passing by ,what a waste of a venue that all could enjoy .

As you must be aware this was a very hot cruise but our fault for booking a Greek cruise in July ,hope all onboard are safe and enjoy their time aboard but back to Azamara for us .
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chemmo]

If you weren’t spending time in Venice did you not consider flights in/out of Bologna? 

[NMTraveller]

My plan is to book a smaller cruise ship that docks in Venice.  I would also like to port in the Amalfi coast vs taking a long long bus ride.

Edited July 23, 2023 by NMTraveller

[margo2011]

43 minutes ago, chemmo said:

If you weren’t spending time in Venice did you not consider flights in/out of Bologna? 

Yes we did but we booked with celebrity and they chose the flights .

[margo2011]

34 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

My plan is to book a smaller cruise ship that docks in Venice.  I would also like to port in the Amalfi coast vs taking a long long bus ride.

We have cruised from Venice before and it was great ,the scenery wonderful .But I think this port was poorly chosen by celebrity not taking into consideration their passengers needs .

[Chrisclaire]

4 minutes ago, margo2011 said:

Yes we did but we booked with celebrity and they chose the flights .

We flew from Edinburgh last September to Marco Polo, unfortunately the flights to Bologna were very expensive, but would certainly be a better option!

Thankfully we have previously sailed in and out of Venice and it was stunning.

Our transfer to Ravenna was too long and we most certainly would not do again.

 

[margo2011]

28 minutes ago, Chrisclaire said:

We flew from Edinburgh last September to Marco Polo, unfortunately the flights to Bologna were very expensive, but would certainly be a better option!

Thankfully we have previously sailed in and out of Venice and it was stunning.

Our transfer to Ravenna was too long and we most certainly would not do again.

 

Hopefully celebrity will take note as the passengers on the ship were quite vocal upon arrival to customer services .

[SoBe2010]

We are on Conni in 2 weeks, probably the same 10 nights trip. We chose Bologna since we have to switch planes in Frankfurt, Germany anyway and the airfare was the same as to Venice. For those coming overseas, Venice might be still the better choice, especially if it's a nonstop flight to/from Venice.

Edited July 23, 2023 by SoBe2010

[dcbiker97]

Out of curiosity, where would you have Celebrity port near Venice since Venice isn’t an option for them as their ships are too large for the new requirements (at least that’s how I understand it). 

[goofysmom99]

Royal Caribbean Group has committed to Ravenna and is building a new terminal.  I don't see the road between VCE and Ravenna improving in my lifetime, so if I ever decide to cruise out of Ravenna again, I'll fly into Bologna.  I suppose Rome and the train could be another option.  For sure it won't be Venice and that dreadful bus ride.

[wrk2cruise]

We disembarked in Ravenna in May and took the Celebrity transfer to Bologna train station as we were flying out the next morning.  The bus ride was quite pleasant (for a bus transfer) and just over an hour.  Our time in Bologna was enjoyable.

[margo2011]

24 minutes ago, dcbiker97 said:

Out of curiosity, where would you have Celebrity port near Venice since Venice isn’t an option for them as their ships are too large for the new requirements (at least that’s how I understand it). 

I think this was sold to many as sailing out of Venice ok you could say ignorance is no excuse ,I think celebrity should charter more flights from Bologna .Also they should have transport links in place prior to the sailing date .

 

 

[George C]

Really dislike that they removed the piano and eliminated live music from celebrity suite lounge , the line that has great entertainment in suite lounge is MSc yacht club. I wouldn’t start a cruise or end a cruise in Ravenna , although it’s a nice port.

[mom says]

9 minutes ago, margo2011 said:

I think celebrity should charter more flights from Bologna .

 

I've never heard of Celebrity chartering aircraft. When did they start that? I thought they bought up seat blocks on various airlines.

Edited July 23, 2023 by mom says

[si_boy]

We did this exact same cruise last month, flew London Heathrow to Bologna and stayed 2 nights before catching the train to Ravenna.
We booked the flights ourselves as much cheaper.

Cost of the train ticket was 11 Euro each and booked the tickets a few weeks before while still at home.
Train takes little over an hour to reach Ravenna from Bologna.
Had read up beforehand that it might be an issue getting from Ravenna train station to the ship as transport options limited, so called Celebrity and booked their transfer, met at Ravenna train station by Celebrity staff who guided us to the coach.
Very easy and once at the port we were onboard in what must have been 10 minutes.
There were several passengers on the train all travelling to get on the same cruise.
Cost of transfer was £16 each from memory.

Did the exact same thing to get back to Bologna airport to fly home.
Celebrity staff again on hand to make sure we got to the station ok.
Very organised at Ravenna we thought.

[cruisinsusin]

We cruised Rome to Ravenna on Constellation earlier this month. We had been to Venice previously so decided to stay in Ravenna and were amazed at the sites, so glad we took the time to visit!  We had an excellent private guide who arranged transfer from the ship to Ravenna hotel and then we toured with her in Ravenna. The mosiacs are gorgeous- not to be missed. This was actually one of our favorite cities. She also arranged transfer to Bologna and we toured there as well before flying home. An excellent way to conclude the cruise!

[StellaTN]

1 hour ago, dcbiker97 said:

Out of curiosity, where would you have Celebrity port near Venice since Venice isn’t an option for them as their ships are too large for the new requirements (at least that’s how I understand it). 

We are doing a similar Med cruise in September with the new NCL Viva - and it leaves out of Trieste. They are also calling this “Venice” and it is also 2 hours away - but we have an easy Go Opti transfer set up and are looking forward to our 3 nights in beautiful Trieste pre-cruise. This seems like a much better option than Ravenna. FWIW our cruise stops at Ravenna on the second day - it really does look like nothing is there. We’re taking a bus to San Marino for the day. 

[cruisinsusin]

@StellaTN Ravenna has amazing mosaics- well worth a tour ( you could do it on your own as most places are close to each other but there is so much history you miss without a guide or a lot of pre-study)

[abritinva]

I would agree with the other posters that Ravenna has world class mosaics and Bologna marvelous sites (and food) but if you have not been to Venice it is very much worth a few days.

[waggie]

We have just returned from the 10-20 July cruise and flew via Bologna ( booked through Celebrity) stayed a couple of nights in this beautiful city then returned to the airport to pick up the Celebrity transfer. We have been to Venice so thought this would be a good way to visit somewhere else and it is a shorter transfer to the port!

A couple of points worth noting:

1. there is currently no luggage store at Bologna airport -suspended with no plan to re-open. The Celebrity transfer got us back there by 09.15 for a 19.00 flight- the original idea was to drop the luggage and take the express into the city for the day.

.2.

As the weather was so hot I decided to book a Day room at the airport hotel and returned refreshed in time to check in. Unfortunately several people had been stuck at the airport all day with their luggage  and few places to sit- they looked exhausted.

I had mentioned my plan to Celebrity in the hope that they might share the information with anyone else using the transfer- sadly not!

Would I use Ravenna again? Yes, but push for earlier return flights!

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, margo2011 said:

Yes we did but we booked with celebrity and they chose the flights .

 

 

If you decide to book flights through Celebrity do some homework first then contact Celebrity to see if they have flights/transfers that you want. Bologna would definitely have been a better option. It possibly was available but if you didn’t request they may not have offered…

 

[margo2011]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

 

 

If you decide to book flights through Celebrity do some homework first then contact Celebrity to see if they have flights/transfers that you want. Bologna would definitely have been a better option. It possibly was available but if you didn’t request they may not have offered…

 

Thank you we have previously requested nearer to home flights to be told celebrity don’t use low cost carriers .But they put us on a jet 2 flight ??? I still think celebrity didn’t do their homework regarding the local resources . On this cruise we didn’t want any extra days before or after it was due to other commitments to be a cheap and cheerful cruise with no travel stresses.

 

 

[margo2011]

4 hours ago, mom says said:

I've never heard of Celebrity chartering aircraft. When did they start that? I thought they bought up seat blocks on various airlines.

They must have booked many many seats as everyone on our flight was in the queue for the ships transfer.

[cruisemom42]

Seems many are not taking the time to understand the situation. A lot of info posted here is questionable at best. (I sailed out of Ravenna last October on Connie, fyi....)

 

No ships are allowed to use the Marittima facility IN Venice currently unless they are extremely small. Not even Azamara or O small ships qualify. Azamara is currently using Fusina and Marghera, two ports that are closer than Ravenna, yes, but it's still not Venice....

 

Celebrity is only charging somewhere between 60-70 euros for a transfer between Venice and Ravenna. I took it last year and thought it was reasonable and easy solution for a longish transfer. Of course I'd rather not have a 3-hour drive, but the ships have little choice and certainly cheaper than paying 500 euro for a private transfer. I don't understand how the OP was saying there was a 600 euro charge for a bus transfer by X?

 

Another point: Transfers to Marco Polo from Ravenna ARE available, they are just not announced in advance. You have to purchase them onboard the ship. The actual daily with the info in it has been posted on this forum in the past.

 

And finally, shame on those saying there is "nothing" in Ravenna. The city boasts EIGHT UNESCO World heritage sites, most of them related to the wonderfully well-preserved and early mosaics that can be viewed in several different churches and monuments. Ravenna actually served as the capital of the Western Roman empire in the 300s and 400s AD. I did an overnight trip on the train especially from Rome one just to see the city. Oh -- and it also boasts wonderful food (along with Bologna).

 

If planning to see Venice, it still makes sense to fly into Venice. If not, Bologna is probably a better alternative.

 

 

 

 

[chucknmarilyn]

20 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Seems many are not taking the time to understand the situation. A lot of info posted here is questionable at best. (I sailed out of Ravenna last October on Connie, fyi....)

 

No ships are allowed to use the Marittima facility IN Venice currently unless they are extremely small. Not even Azamara or O small ships qualify. Azamara is currently using Fusina and Marghera, two ports that are closer than Ravenna, yes, but it's still not Venice....

 

Celebrity is only charging somewhere between 60-70 euros for a transfer between Venice and Ravenna. I took it last year and thought it was reasonable and easy solution for a longish transfer. Of course I'd rather not have a 3-hour drive, but the ships have little choice and certainly cheaper than paying 500 euro for a private transfer. I don't understand how the OP was saying there was a 600 euro charge for a bus transfer by X?

 

Another point: Transfers to Marco Polo from Ravenna ARE available, they are just not announced in advance. You have to purchase them onboard the ship. The actual daily with the info in it has been posted on this forum in the past.

 

And finally, shame on those saying there is "nothing" in Ravenna. The city boasts EIGHT UNESCO World heritage sites, most of them related to the wonderfully well-preserved and early mosaics that can be viewed in several different churches and monuments. Ravenna actually served as the capital of the Western Roman empire in the 300s and 400s AD. I did an overnight trip on the train especially from Rome one just to see the city. Oh -- and it also boasts wonderful food (along with Bologna).

 

If planning to see Venice, it still makes sense to fly into Venice. If not, Bologna is probably