Thread: Shuttlebus Chaos at Piazzale Roma in Venice?

First , as a Newbie have I posted this in the correct place?


I have seen references on some other sites to a very chaotic situation in the Piazzle Roma in Venice, where it seems the shuttles to the various cruises converge. People mention poorly marked buses, hordes of people pushing and shoving and no one really being organized. Is this accurate- and if so, does anyone have any tips for dealing with it?

We are going on RCI Splendour on May 3 and have never been to Venice before and just wonder what we might encounter! We have transfers arranged as part of an RCI package ( along with airfare ) and are wondering if that means we will be brought there as part of it. It doesn't seem like a way to start a cruise experience. Is anyone ever brought directly to the ship from the Airport without having to transfer there...I have no idea how all this works ( or doesn't).

Hey LuLu

I have never had transfers in Venice, but on all of our other European transfers, they were direct to either the ship or to the airport. I hope someone here has had first hand experience in that port and can put your mind at ease.

Thanks Char! I think I had better take keyboarding lessons ASAP- sorry for the typos- I think better than I type!( or hope I do)

Originally Posted by lulutoo

Thanks Char! I think I had better take keyboarding lessons ASAP- sorry for the typos- I think better than I type!( or hope I do)

What typos?

I've not personally been there, but have had many clients who have. I've not heard of problems from any of them, most of which have used the cruise line transfers. I have one couple who have been there many times and use an independent transfer company.

Perhaps the information below will be of help to you; it was written by one of my clients who sent us a review of their cruise.

Pete



I just came off the Splendour of the Seas Greek Isles cruise. I thought I'd share some of my experiences in case you have other clients who will be traveling to this part of the world. I'm probably a bit random in order here, but I'm trying to crank this out on a jet-lagged brain.

Venice: As soon as you exit the arrivals area at the VCE airport, there is a tourist info booth directly in front of you. They are very helpful. It's very easy to use the Alilaguna service. It runs twice an hour. This is a water taxi service that runs from the airport to several points down town including near to St. Marks Square. The path is well marked from the airport to the Alilaguna.

It's about a 5 - 7 minute walk under cover most of the way. The Alilaguna is like a water bus that holds probably 70 people and their luggage. It is 6 euro per person. The Alilaguna drops you off right at the Tourism Bureau near St. Marks. There are also other drop off points. There are two lines, blue & gold. Just ask at the ticket office to make sure you get on the right one. One line is more direct and the other makes more stops. Clients can also take the Alilaguna from St. Marks to the cruise port. From the drop off at the cruise port, it's about a 10 minute walk to the ship.

Venice is very easy to navigate even though it is one big maze. There are 3 basic landmarks -- St. Marks (San Marco), Realto Bridge, and Accademia (signs for this one are less prevalent). No matter where you are in the city, you never have to walk more than a block or so without seeing a sign for one of these landmarks. They are posted on the corner of buildings with arrows pointing in the direction of the landmark. They are very helpful!

Advise clients to take the Traghetto. This is a stand-up (although we sat when it wasn't busy) 3 minute gondola ride that crosses the Grand Canal in 3 places. It is an actual gondola and only cost 50 euro cents. Sometimes you can have the Traghetto to yourself. Other times it's packed and you swear someone is going to fall into the canal (they won't -- they're careful). It's a neat experience for 50
euro cents. The traghetto service is marked by a shark's logo.

It's nicer (in my opinion) for shopping on the other side of the Grand Canal (the non-St. Marks square side). Prices are better, and some areas are more residential and less touristy. We found a lot of charming shops on this side.

If you want to purchase masks, try Ca del Sol. You can actually watch the artisans at work and prices were very reasonable. In fact, prices were cheaper there than in many of the touristy places. Ca del Sol was recommended by Rick Steves, and once again, he nailed it! It's a great mask store. Even if you don't want to buy masks, it's worth a visit.

We stayed at 2 properties. One was the Westin Europa & Regina pre-cruise. While it's not as luxe as the Danelli or the Gritti Palace, it certainly is an amazing property. I would recommend it in a heartbeat for clients. It is a 5 min walk to St. Marks; however, you have to cross 2 small bridges from the Alilaguna drop-off, so it's a
bit of a haul with suitcases. Considering that the Alilaguna saved us 78 euro PER TRIP (airport-hotel, hotel-cruise port), I was willing to schlep. Breakfast is ridiculously expensive -- 52 euro (it may have been 52 dollars, I forget -- either way, it's too salty for my blood). Advise clients that within 5 minutes walk, they can be at a local bakery or two or three. There's no need to drop $100 on breakfast. It's nothing special.

Post cruise, we had an early flight the next morning so we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott VCE Airport. The rate was anywhere from 89 - 119 euro, sometimes breakfast was included. It was a very nice property, in line with what you'd
expect from a Courtyard. We paid 30 euro to get there from the airport to the cruise port in a cab (regular, not water). That was for 4 people and their luggage. We talked to others who paid 60 euro for the same ride. You have to negotiate! Insist on a price before you get in the cab and do it off-meter!

From the hotel, the bus to Piazza Roma (the main bus terminal in VCE) is right across the street. It runs twice an hour. The cost is 1 euro per person. From Piazza Roma to St Marks, it's about a 30 min walk. A map makes it MUCH easier although you can always just follow the building signs. However, you have to walk over a bridge, through a park, past a church, and for a few blocks before you start
seeing "San Marco" signs. Again, a map helps. Courtyard gave out free maps.

Thanks Pete! I'm sure LuLu will make good use of this info.

Thanks Pete! Very helpful- I'm going to study this intently before we go- and I'll be peeking into the Ft. Lauderdale Port Forum to help anyone who is coming here. There is talk again about building a monorail from Fort Lauderdale Airport to Port Everglades- wouldn't that be wonderful - but of course it's all about funding!

We don't know yet ( and won't till a month or two before) what arrangements RCI has made for us regarding getting to Venice-- so don't know if this will be a leisurely transfer - or a mad dash!! It will so help to have some idea what to expect there.

I have never purchased transfer that didn't take me to the ship (but I also don't purchase them anymore). I have a hard time believing they would dump you off at Piazzale Roma with luggage to transfer to another bus.

Piazzale Roma is the end of the road in Venice. From there you walk or take boats. So all busses (not just cruise ship buses) will end up there. There might be a dozen or more buses at any one time, but it isn't that large. There are lots of other things there as well - a large COOP grocery where you can not only get bottled water and wine, but also cheese, bread, meats, all kinds of stuff. Also many vaporetta lines stop there.

I love Venice and if you have time, you should really try to explore some.


This is a birds-eye view of P. Roma:





And where it is relative to cruise ships:

For lots of pictures from my Med cruise last year:
Zydecocruiser Carnival Freedom Site Map

A view of P. Roma from my hotel:

A Venice Waterbus Route Map:
http://www.zydecocruiser.com/free07/...terbus_map.jpg

You can pay as you go or they have several different pass options.