Correction to just-released Mediterranean Cruise Ports book

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/guidebook-updates

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/guidebook-updates-med-cruise

Roger, the links provided in prior post are where to look for updates to printed guidebooks. Production of the printed guides has a lag time and in a large book like the one for Cruise Ports it takes material from many other guides that are updated on different schedules. So it's not a surprise that there is dated information, but that's why the company maintains the update pages. It's always wise to reconfirm details for any place you might visit as you've done already.

You can also provide your feedback directly to the company on their guide feedback page - https://www.ricksteves.com/forms/guidebook-feedback-form

The previous poster is correct that there is a lag time between researching and publishing a guidebook. I believe all the books have a reminder to verify all information with the hotels, restaurants, museums, etc .. prior to travel.

Certainly you should be consulting your cruise line, not a guidebook, for the most up to date information.

That terminal didn’t spring out of the ground without warning in August 2024. If this part of the book had been correctly written, edited, and fact checked there would be some mention of it being planned, built or opened. But there isn’t. An oversight this large affects the reliability of not just this one page but the whole book. How well has the rest of the information b fact checked?

Even the update is unclear in that it refers to Fusina as Marghera when it is really Fusina-Marghera.

It also says (currently)-
The old Stazione Marittima port is still used for embarkation/debarkation processes for passengers starting or ending their cruise in Venice.

With the opening of the new terminal that may well no longer be the case.

There is so much confusion about Fusina, which I find very odd. Even Cruise Critic appears to be out of date.

Fusina is a regular question on the forum. Some look at Google maps, and see that there is a bus stop, then don't follow through to trace the bus timetable, only to find that the bus is only for workers shift times.

It is a very inconveniently located port, but then are some of the biggest cruise ports in the USA which often have little or no public transport.

But yes, in a way you can understand the time lag between the terminal opening, and the publication date of the book, but not to mention a terminal was being built is a bit of a surprise.

What is especially interesting is that for a time, various sources suggest that ships were also docking at a different dock at Marghera as well as at Fusina. Maybe the new terminal has consolidated all movements at Fusina. At Marghera berth taxis couldn't apparently even reach the industrial area. Whereas Fusina is also a ferry terminal for the passenger ferry to Patras (Greece).

So we really need up to date reports from people who have arrived and departed Fusina on various lines, as they probably all differ.

This is not a shock to me. I have seen misinformation continue on for years in guidebooks. They are out of date the day they are published. They are great for general information, but always check current info online.

@Elizabeth, @isn31c, thanks for your comments - which are right in line with my thoughts. I can appreciate some publication lag time errors, but this is inexcusable. There have been multiple discussions about the Fusina port in the user forum, which is monitored by Rick Steves’ staff. And certainly there have been articles published about the opening of the new Fusina cruise ship terminal facility, well over a year ago. One of the main reasons that I bought this guide book was to learn more about the cruise ship embarking process in Venice. Oh well.

Roger, I would have used the internet for that specific information. RS has good info on trails that have been well traveled, but for this, I wouldn't have chosen a book unless I needed a lot of other information about cities, sites, and transportation.

I'm in the same situation right now, debating buying a guidebook for Egypt. However, I'm not looking for hotel/restaurant/transportation/site-specific information found in a guidebook; instead, I have found the specific information that I'm seeking available online via many sources.