Roundtrip Cruises from Venice
(2012)
ABOVE: MSC Magnifica leaves Venice for
the Eastern Mediterranean.
Nearly a dozen cruise lines
operate roundtrip cruises from Venice. Most departures are from spring
through fall, but one line--MSC--has several winter itineraries on its
schedule for 2012.
 Such
roundtrip cruises offer a great way to combine a Venice land vacation with a sea
voyage. For example, when we took an
MSC
Eastern Mediterranean cruise a couple of years ago, we spent two days in a
Venice hotel before the cruise and another 10 days in a rented vacation
apartment after our return. It was like having two vacations in one, with the
convenience and economy of a single roundtrip flight.
Here are links to cruise or ferry lines that cater to
English-speaking passengers and have regularly-scheduled
itineraries in 2012 that begin and end in Venice:
Ocean cruises
 MSC Cruises
Mediterranean
Shipping Company, a.k.a. MSC, is one of the world's largest cargo operator. It
entered the cruise business just over 20 years ago, launched the MSC
Crociere brand in the mid-1990s, and has built a fleet of a dozen modern
ships that cater to a multilingual, multinational audience.
MSC offers weekly
7-day roundtrip voyages in the Eastern Mediterranean on MSC Magnifica
from late March through October, with additional seven- to nine-day roundtrip cruises
on the Magnifica and other ships throughout the year.
 Costa Cruises
Europe's
largest and oldest cruise line has been in business for more than 60 years. From
spring through fall, Costa Favolosa offers weekly seven-night cruises from
Venice to Greece, Turkey, and Croatia, while Costa Fascinosa sails on a
slightly different itinerary that includes Italy, the Greek Islands, and
Croatia. (We haven't cruised on Costa from Venice, but see our illustrated
Costa Magica cruise
review at Europe for Cruisers.
which is about a roundtrip cruise from Rome.)
 Seabourn
This U.S.-based luxury cruise line has scheduled 20 sailings for two versions of
its "10-Day Adriatic Gems and Venice" itinerary from April 15 to October 22,
2012. The voyages include ports in Montenegro, Greece, Italy, and Croatia, and
each cruise ends with an overnight stay in Venice. All sailings are on the
Seabourn Spirit, a yacht-like ship with 104 suites.
A larger vessel,
Seabourn Odyssey, departs on April 15 for a 28-day "Venetian and Aegean
Idyll" roundtrip cruise from Venice.
 Royal Caribbean
International
RCI
is an American value-priced cruise line that has been reaching out to European
travelers in
recent years. In 2012, two of its large ships--Grandeur of the Seas and
Spendour of the Seas--are offering roundtrip itineraries of six to 11
nights from Venice, with ports of call in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Croatia.
Celebrity Cruises
Royal Caribbean's upscale subsidiary is offering roundtrips from Venice for the
first time in 2012, with nine 11- to 13-night Italy and Croatia cruises aboard
the new Celebrity Silhouette.
 Compagnie du Ponant
France's
luxury cruise line now targets international travelers (including Anglophones)
and has been on a shipbuilding spree in the past few years.
In 2012, Compagnie du Ponant's
264-passenger "mega-yacht" L'Austral is offering seven-night roundtrip
Adriatic cruises from Venice with visits to eight ports in Croatia and Montenegro.
Departures are from late May through mid-September.
 Holland
America Line
HAL's Nieuw Amsterdam has a 12-night "Mediterranean
Empires" cruise in 2012, with five roundtrip sailings from Venice between April 30 and October 5. The
itinerary's seven ports of call are in Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, and Turkey.
On May 12 and July 30, the Nieuw Amsterdam
departs on roundtrip cruises of 24 nights each to the Western
Mediterranean, the Greek Islands, and ports along the way.
 Norwegian
Cruise Line
NCL's Norwegian Jade will cruise from Venice and
back seven times in 2012, with Eastern Mediterranean itineraries of seven,
eight, and 14 nights. The 93,558-ton megaship has a capacity of 2,402
passengers.
 Azamara
Club Cruises
This boutique line offers seven-night roundtrips from Venice
in August and September, 2012. Both voyages include Croatia, Montenegro, and
Italy; one has a port call in Albania. (The mid-size ship, Azamara Quest,
is a sister ship to Oceania's
Regatta, which
we've reviewed at Europe for Cruisers.)
Lagoon and river cruises
 CroisiEurope
River
cruising is the specialty of this 35-year-old French line, which operates
Po and Venice cruises year-round (including Christmas and New Year's
itineraries). Cruise duration is four to six nights.
We haven't cruised with
CroisiEurope, but we moored alongside its Michelangelo and crossed
through that ship's lobby to a Peter Deilmann River Cruises ship, the
Casanova, a number of
years ago. We've often seen Michelangelo moored near the public gardens
in Venice, and we think it would be a great way to enjoy the Venetian Lagoon.
 European
Waterways Ltd.
From early April until late
October, European Waterways runs six-night cruises aboard
La Bella Vita, a
20-passenger luxury hotel barge. The itinerary begins in Venice, includes stops
at small ports in the Venetian Lagoon, and heads up the Po River toward Mantua,
with return transportation to Venice by bus. (In alternating weeks, the cruise
runs in the opposite direction.)
Nicko Tours
From mid-March until early November, 2012, a German operator--Nicko Tours--is
offering a series of
Venetian Lagoon and Po River cruises on MS Bellissima. The onboard
language is German, but announcements, menus, programs, etc. are available in
both German and English.
Ferries
If you're more adventurous, or if you insist on having your car
as a companion, you can choose from either of two ferry lines that run between
Venice and Greek ports:
 Minoan Lines
Minoan's
large car-passenger ships offer year-round service from Venice to Igoumenitsa
and Patras (sometimes with Corfu as an intermediate port), with a discount for
the return leg of a round trip. Ships run at least twice a week, and voyages
require one or two nights at sea.
 Anek Lines
This Piraeus-based shipping company operates cargo-and-passenger ferries that
link
Venice with Igoumenitsa and Patras. (Like Minoan, Anek sometimes stops at Corfu
as well.) Anek also runs ferries from Patras and Igoumenitsa to Ancona, Italy,
which is down the Adriatic Coast from Venice.
6th inset photo copyright © Compagnie du Ponant.
7th
inset photo copyright © Holland America Line.
11th inset photo copyright ©
European Waterways Ltd.
| 
Durant
& Cheryl Imboden's
