Alilaguna wait times? 2 cruise ships in port -- when flying out of Marco Polo Venice airport in Aug.

We have twice been on Alilaguna boats that left people standing on the dock at stops after Rialto e abuse the boat was full. This was in October 2013 and October 2015 and both times they were using the smaller boats. I no longer advise taking the Alilaguna. It is noisy and the windows usually so dirty you cannot see out anyway.

If you have never been to Venice you should not stay on Murano just to get an easier Alilaguna ride to the airport. The vaporetto plus bus combination is perfectly fine, especially heading down the Grand Canal ( toward Piazzale Roma) in late morning.

No need to splurge on the private island either. You will not see Venice from there.

If you have a family of 5, a water taxi may be not so dear. Alilaguna will cost 15 EUR pp from the main islands. That is 75 EUR. But a water taxi prebooked for 5 is 120 EUR. And the service is worth the splurge in time and convenience.

Otherwise, stay in walking distance of Piazzale Roma and take the airport bus at 8 EUR pp. Staying in Murano is not very convenient if most of the things you want to see are on the main islands.

Since your flight doesn't leave until 12:20 p.m., you should be able to get to the airport in plenty of time from Venice itself by using the vaporetto and bus from Piazzale Roma. There are two bus lines that serve the airport. One is ATVO and is NOT affiliated with the vap. system. The other is ACTV and IS affiliated with the vap. system. You can get a vap. pass for various periods from and can have a one way bus fare added to the vap. pass. There is a good site maintained by the ACTV system that has current prices and etc.. Don't remember the url so just Google it.

You are right about the boats being busy.
However, last September, my friend left a couple of days before I did; and the service had added an extra couple of boats on the route because it was busy, so she was not delayed.
A few days later, the same thing happened to me: an extra boat laid on, and I was at the airport in plenty time.

Vaporetto and bus. Stay on the main island. Murano may end up being a false economy. Yes, there are less expensive places on the main island.

Thank you so much everyone! I appreciate the advice regarding the bus vs. boat. I was hoping Murano would give us some space and easy transit to airport but it sounds like the Alilaguna is not to be depended on as much when time is tight and crowds are high.

I also just checked the cruise port schedule (http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Italy/733-Venice/August_2018/) and there are 2 cruise ships expected the days when we are there.

So, if we are looking on the main island for lodging, where would you recommend as areas that will allow us a buffer from the crowds? Should we take any particular strategy to deal with the 2 ships in port the day of our departure to the airport? Thanks again!

The cruise ship patrons already have a place to stay, the ship. Everybody will want to go to Piazza San Marco and the Rialto.
The area South of Piazzale Roma is usually not over run, convenient to get to the airport on the bus, and very much Venice.

It might be convenient to stay in Canareggio (cheaper too) and be able to walk, past the train station, to the bus stop and take the bus to Marco Polo on Friday. It's a pleasant area with at least a couple good, inexpensive restaurants and usually pretty free of day-trippers. Nothing is very far in Venice - you can walk from one end to the other in an hour - provided of course that you don't get turned around and lost.

I seem to recall vaguely that there are monastery stays that are cheaper and in that area - though they may not have AC. I would not want to be in Venice in August without AC.

Pretty much the wide path from the train station to Rialto and onwards to S Marco is where the hordes will descend. If you are a bit away from the throng, especially if a little deep into a sestiere with a few bridges (they are so special and so romantic) between you and the throngs you will find that they tend to give up after a couple of bridges and you have the place to yourself. I can even go to Marco Polo's actual house and see zero tourists.

I like Dorsoduro and others like Cannaregio. There are all sorts of nice things in San Polo including a special bakery.

Do any of you read Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti?

Love Brunetti!
There was a German DVD series a while back, that was filmed in German with Italian dubbing and English subtitles. It was really well done.
The characters were pretty well cast; esp. the devious secretary and the terrible Vice-Questore.
It was in our local library.

would you call Signorina Elettra devious? Not me. Clever, highly efficient, extremely intelligent and very helpful. Not devious.....

Agreed. She is very clever, but not devious as that implies some degree of evil intent. I suppose Pata might consider her devious, but he is too self-centered to notice. His character is also perfect.

Note that episodes 1-6 have different actors playing Brunetti and Paola from Episodes 7-18. We prefer the earlier Paola and the later Brunetti, but that is a minor flaw. Thank goodness Electra has stayed the same throughout!

I am currently re-watching them all to practice my German.

OK : not devious, but a bit calculating; and she really fancies Brunetti!
I liked the first Paola and second Brunetti better too.
Loved Vianello too, with his endless food!
When you ride down the Grand Canal going from S. Marco to the station; you can see the balcony up to the right where they filmed the terrace scenes.
I seem to remember it's just past the Rialto bridge.

Just booked an apartment in Cannaregio! Thank you so much for your advice. This will be a great ending to our trip. :)