VENTURA – GENOA TO VENICE

Having just returned from Ventura here are a few tips:-

Duty free is not avail on the flights or ship on our itinerary Genoa to Venice. 22% VAT is added to anything you buy in the shops, spa or photography areas.

The bonded luggage is just great. Checked bags in at the airport and next saw them outside the cabin. The flights are early so we were onboard by 10.30am and they advise you your cabins are avail from 13.00hrs. We were lucky, our cabin was available straight away however we didn’t get our luggage until 19.00hrs. I packed a swimsuit and shorts/top in my hand luggage so I could get changed. Quite a few passengers were sat sweltering in jeans etc..& the clothes that they travelled in. Even if your cabin is not avail you can go to the spa area where there are changing rooms and just spend the day on deck like normal.

The Beach House has the most amazing steak. Most of the menu is free of charge however a couple of dishes have a small supplement. The fillet steak is a snip at ?œ6.50 supp per person and well worth it. You cannot book so there is usually a queue from when it opens at 18.30. On the first occasion we tried to go in it was already full so we went on the waitlist and was given a pager and told to go back at 20.30.

Definately worth a visit.

Loved the Glass House for a meal also. They have tapas style starters and mains from ?œ4.95pp. Again lovely food and worth a try. I had surf & turf witch had a ?œ7.50pp supp. You don’t have to have wine but they are very knowledgable should you wish to try a selection.

I did the itinerary from Genoa to Venice. You arrive at the start of the Venice stretch around 11.15 and the views are amazing! You pass St Marks Sqaure around 12.15 on the starboard side and dock around 13.30. Passengers could disembark from around 14.15. Quite a few passengers walked from the ship to the monorail but said it was quite a walk. From here you pay a few euros for one stop which takes you to the bus/train station. From there the walk to St Marks Square is around 30-40 mins but is well signposted and will take you over the Rialto bridge. A good way back is to take a water bus back to the port. One of the buses takes longer than the others, around 40 mins and stops at every bus stop however it does goes along the Grand Canal and is a good way of seeing things. P&O do put on a shuttle transfer which is 15 euros each way but this is an unlimited tkt so you can go back in the evening as the ship is in Venice overnight.

*******When you arrive in Venice and the ship is in overnight you are unable to buy cigarettes due to Italain regulations. I am not a smoker however there were a few irate passengers who had run out of supplies and felt they should have been prewarned********** You are able to buy 1 pack of cigarettes per day per stateroom from the bar.

The return flight again is very organised, your bags are put outside your cabin before 2300 hrs and next seen on the baggage carousel at the airport