Roundtrip Cruises from Venice

2013

ABOVE: Compagnie du Ponant's L'Austral at the San Basilio cruise terminal in Venice. (See our illustrated cruise review at Europe for Cruisers)

More than a dozen cruise lines operate roundtrip cruises from Venice, mostly from spring through fall.

Such roundtrip cruises offer a great way to combine a Venice land vacation with a sea voyage--which means you get two back-to-back vacations with only one air or train fare.

Below are links to cruise or ferry lines that cater to English-speaking passengers and have regularly-scheduled itineraries in 2013 which begin and end in Venice.

Ocean cruises

Compagnie du Ponant
France's luxury cruise line caters to international travelers (including Anglophones) and has been on a shipbuilding spree in the past few years. See our illustrated review of a recent cruise from Venice on Compagnie du Ponant's 264-passenger "megayacht," L'Austral.

In 2013, L'Austral will offer seven-night roundtrip Adriatic itineraries from Venice with visits to ports in Croatia and Montenegro. Departures are from late May through mid-September, and itineraries often vary slightly from week to week.

MSC Cruises
Mediterranean Shipping Company, a.k.a. MSC, is one of the world's largest cargo operators. It entered the cruise business just over 20 years ago, launched the MSC Crociere brand in the mid-1990s, and now operates more than dozen large ships that cater to a multilingual, multinational audience.

MSC offers weekly seven-night roundtrip voyages in the Eastern Mediterranean on MSC Divina from late March through October, with additional seven- to 11-night roundtrip cruises on MSC Fantasia and other ships during the season. (See our MSC cruise review at Europe for Cruisers.)

Costa Cruises
Europe's largest and oldest cruise line has been in business for more than 60 years. From spring through fall, Costa Fascinosa offers weekly seven-night cruises from Venice to Greece, Turkey, and Croatia, while Costa Magica sails on a slightly different itinerary that includes Italy, the Greek Islands, and Croatia.

We haven't cruised with 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 more than a dozen roundtrip sailings from Venice in 2013. All sailings are on the Seabourn Spirit, a yacht-like ship with 104 suites, and each 10- or 11-night cruise includes an overnight stay in Venice.

Royal Caribbean International
RCCI is an American value-priced cruise line that has been reaching out to European travelers in recent years. In 2013, two of the company's ships--Spendour of the Seas and Legend of the Seas--will offer seven- to 11-night roundtrip cruises from Venice.

Holland America Line
Nieuw Amsterdam, HAL's newest ship, will offer seven roundtrip cruises from Venice between May and September. Itineraries are 12 or 24 days. The 86,000-ton ship carries 2,106 passengers, has a US $3 million art collection, and is the fourth Holland America vessel to bear the Nieuw Amsterdam name.

Celebrity Cruises
Royal Caribbean's premium-priced subsidiary has a handful of 11- to 14-night roundtrip itineraries from Venice on its calendar in 2013. All cruises are on Celebrity Silhouette, a 2,886-passenger ship that entered service in 2011.

Norwegian Cruise Line
NCL's Norwegian Jade is cruising from Venice and back more than a dozen times in 2013, with ports of call in the Adriatic and the Eastern Mediterranean. Itineraries (including combined cruises) range from seven to 14 nights. The 93,558-ton Norwegian Jade has a capacity of 2,402 passengers.

Princess Cruises
In 2013, Pacific Princess has two 24-day roundtrip cruises from Venice on its schedule. Both are to the Black Sea and Holy Land, with departures on August 7 and 31. The ship, which is relatively small by today's standards, carries only 680 passengers.

Azamara Club Cruises
This upmarket boutique line has three seven-night roundtrips from Venice in 2013. The 702-passenger ship on the itinerary, Azamara Quest, is a sister ship to Oceania's Regatta, which we've reviewed at Europe for Cruisers. We sailed on Azamara Quest in 1999 during its final voyage as the R7 of Renaissance Cruises.

Lagoon and river cruises

CroisiEurope
River cruising is the specialty of this 35-year-old French line, which operates trips of four to six nights from Venice year-round (including Christmas and New Year's cruises). Part of the time is spent cruising, and the rest is used for excursions by water or land to the Lagoon Islands, Chioggia, Ferrara, and/or Verona.

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.

Uniworld
In 2013, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will offer seven-night cruises from Venice to the Po (with side trips to Padua, Ravenna, and Verona) on River Countess,which is being moved to the Venetian Lagoon from Germany and Central Europe. You can book the cruise only or a 13-day tour that includes Florence and Rome. For details, see the Italy pages at Uniworld.com.

Nicko Tours
This German company operates six- and seven-night cruises from Venice to the River Po on MS Bellissima, with shore excursions to cities such as Padua, Mantua, Ferrara, or Verona, depending on the itinerary. The onboard language of Nicko Tours is German, but announcements, menus, programs, etc. are available in both German and English.

European Waterways Ltd.
From the end of March until late October, European Waterways runs six-night cruises aboard La Bella Vita, a 20-passenger 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.)

Ferries

If you're more adventurous, or if you insist on having your car as a companion, you can combine back-to-back ferry trips into a minicruise:

Anek Lines
This Piraeus-based shipping company operates cargo-and-passenger ferries that link Venice with Igoumenitsa and Patras. (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.

7th inset photo copyright © Celebrity Cruises.
8th inset photo copyright © Holland America Line.
10th inset photo courtesy of Princess Cruises.
11th inset photo copyright © Azamara Club Cruises.
12th inset photo copyright © Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
14th inset photo copyright © European Waterways Ltd.

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