Consolidator airfare to Italy...risks?

The biggest risk with consolidators is the change in flight. I don't use them for that reason. A friend of mine uses them and frequently has had changes in his flights, often with long layovers. Check with a travel agent and see if they can come up with the same fare or at least a fare that is better than you can find on your own. There is really no risk, you are not obligated to book with the TA. The consolidators are just ads on Tripadvisor & Kayak, with the host site making commission, not an endorsement.

Even TAs offer consolidator flights... these are the only tix that can come in cheaper than the published/ direct web fares from the airlines directly. Just remember this: the airlines' client is NOT you with consolidator fares - it is the consolidator. So flight changes before departure are dealt with through the consolidator, not with you... As well, there are uncommon occurrences when one airline will not or cannot touch another airline's flights on a consolidated itinerary. For example, when Lufthansa cannot re-book you on an Air Canada segment, unless the flight is a designated "codeshare" flight... this has happened to me. Make sure that you can easily contact either the TA or the website that offers the consolidator fare, in case of a change - or else you can be SOL! If your itinerary is not flexible, either through a TA or by yourself, always buy the tix DIRECTLY from the airline - that way, if there are changes, you can work directly with the TA or the airline to resolve a re-scheduling issue.

I have used consolidators in the past (both AirGorilla and AirlineConsolidators) with actually no changes incurred due to their initative, but have had changes in tickets purchased directly from airlines (seems every Delta ticket I have bought will have some, even minor, change). That said, your chances of a change due to schedule are low, probably more of a chance due to weather delay or equipment. As for what you are seeing for tickets, it could very well be that the combination of airports is such that they are not easily serviced by the same alliance. I once flew into Amsterdam and out of Manchester UK. Amsterdam at that time was heavily NW/KLM and Manchester almost exclusively BA/AA. A consolidator was the only option to sell me an open jaw ticket using both airlines. (a TA I talked to could not even do it). If you feel there is too much risk, consider modifying the itinerary to fly into Venice, and out of Rome. Using at least one major airport may open up options.

for this reason: " I am attempting to fly into Venice the night before a cruise, so I can't afford to be changed to a long layover somewhere. " I wouldn't take the chance.

Another consideration is that consolidator fares won't qualify for frequent flyer miles or permit you to upgrade by using your already accumulated miles. Probably a minor point, but still worth knowing about.

I should add, also, I booked a flight directly with KLM no more than three months before our travel. The flight home from Rome changed at least three times before the flight. A couple of the iterations gave me overnight layovers, the last change was almost back to my initial itinerary. Change (and charging for everything) seems to be the name of game in flying these days. I would give yourself and extra day before your ship sails, just to have time to recover if a flight is canceled or connection missed.

You shouldn't be flying into Venice the night before a cruise on ANY airline or ticket. That's way too risky. Be flexible and allow lots of time before your cruise departure, and you'll be fine. Why would anyone fly into Venice and not spend at least a day or two seeing the town?

Actually I am staying for 3 days in Venice AFTER the cruise when I am rested and can really enjoy it. I thought flying into Venice the night before would be fine since we don't leave until 5 pm the next day and the following day is a sea day. I should be over the jet lag by the time we hit our first port.