Venice - City's Public Ferries

No reason to purchase vaporetto passes in advance. There's no discount if you do, and it would restrict you as to where you could pick them up. Get them when you arrive in Venice, either at Marco Polo airport or at Santa Lucia train station.

Remember to tap the pad to validate the pass every single time you go to board a vaporetto.

You can buy them online before you go and save a bit of money. But if you wait too long, your only
option is to buy one there.
I got off the train at Santa Lucia station, walked out to the canal.... and you can by your pass right at the water taxi ticket counter.
I was in Venice for 3 night and I got a 72 hour pass. It more an paid for the cost - because individual vaporetti tickets are pricey.

Frances, what's your source for the passes being cheaper if bought in advance? Everything I've seen shows they're the same price.
See http://www.veneziaunica.it/en/ecommerce/composer for online purchases and http://www.venicewelcome.com/actv/vaporetto.htm for the prices if purchased on-site. They're the same. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some sort of surcharge for buying them online.

I always get the pass at the train station and start using it right away. Individual tickets start at €7 the last time I checked. Very important to validate it at the embarkation point (big fines if you don't). Just scan or tap it at the machine. you can buy the pass for several days' use, not just 24 or 36 hours.

The news agent inside the train station sells tickets (I don't know about passes.) The line-up for tickets at the nearby dock can be long.

Michael, When I bought my pass for a fall 2012 RS My Way trip - there was a 5 euro discount if the pass was purchased at least 60 days before using it.
I'll have to look at the site to see if that is still the way they are doing it.
Frances