Venice - hotel before cruise

lkassen - Look into this Al Teatro B&B which is in the center of Venice near all main attractions and they offer a savoring breakfast. To get from Venice Marco Polo airport to this location, you can take the Alilaguna water bus directly from the airport to the San Marco/Giardinetti stop and from there it is just a few minutes walk to your hotel. Or, you can take the ACTV bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma and from there hop on the Vaporetto, Line 1 or 2, and get off at the San Marco/Vallaresso stop.

https://www.bedandbreakfastalteatro.com/en

23 minutes from the airport to the hotel? Is that by water taxi?

Yeah Lola i believed by water taxi which can be pricey. The poster above may also consider Aquavenice and Antico Panada Hotels which both are located in the center of the city.

http://www.aquavenice.com/

http://www.hotelpanada.it/

I suggest that you open up google maps (or booking.com or whatever works for you) and SEE where these recommended hotels are in relation to the cruise terminal. With only one night in Venice, you don't want to spend a lot of time traveling to and from your hotel. Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo, for example (where I've stayed 3 times) is only 4 vaporetto stops from Piazzale Roma (which is closest to the cruise terminal). Pensione Guerrato is 2 stops further down the Grand Canal. However, a hotel near San Marco is a good 20 minutes farther down the canal by vaporetto. Mocenigo and Guerrato offer great breakfasts (but Guerrato is going to have a LOT more stairs). From the airport to the hotel you have several options that have been widely discussed on this forum: private water taxi, Alilaguna (shared water bus) or land bus to Piazzale Roma and vaporetto from there; suggest you use the "search" function above to find postings that will give you lots of details on these options. It's possible that you would want to stay at a hotel within easy walking distance of Piazzale Roma so that you can cut down the travel time with your luggage.

With only one night, and if weighed down with the usual heavy luggage for a cruise, it makes sense to stay as close to the cruise terminal as possible. The immediate area around Piazzale Roma has several places to choose from, and won't require additional transportation to get to or bridges to cross. Access to the rest of the city is easy by the P. Roma vaporetto stop. Here's a link to website listing hotels in that area. I'd go to booking.com (or similar) to look at specifics and reviews. https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/directions/index-piazzale-roma.htm

I will endorse CJean's suggestion to stay near Piazzale Roma ( on the same side of the Grand Canal so you do not have to get luggage over the big pedestrian bridge. You can reach that by regular bus from the airport. And then you do not have to struggle with large cruise-ship luggage on and off the vaporetto.

You asked about the best way to get from the airport to the hotel. For five people a private water taxi will be the best. It is expensive, but split between five it's fairly cost effective.

Another way is the Alilaguna boat. It takes longer, one has to "check" baggage and doesn't have control of it the entire time, and you probably will not be able to get a "non stop" line to the area of your hotel.

The third way is a combination bus and vaporetto (vap.). It takes a bit longer, but that is what we do because we travel very light with just one carry on apiece even when cruising. 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. At the airport you can get a vap. pass for various periods and you can have a one way or two way ACTV 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. It is also possible to buy the vap. pass online, get a voucher via email and swap the voucher for the pass at the airport.

If you decide on option three, take the # 5 ACTC bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma. You need to be sure and validate the vap. pass on the bus and not wait until you get on the vap and also need to validate the pass each time you use the vap. We've done option three many times and it's easy-peasy and cheap to boot.

Another option if you are staying withing walking distance of P. Roma is a regular land taxi.

We've been to Venice a number of times and have also cruised from there so if you need specific info just ask.

We have used the Alilaguna service from Parco Polo to Venezia, and for a visit in September, when things can be busy, I would not recommend it. The lines can be very long, meaning that you might not get on the first boat, leading to a wait of half an hour.
Find a hotel within walking distance of P. Roma, and then take the bus. Bus takes about 25 minutes, Alilaguna more like fifty minutes.
Two bus lines service the Marco Polo / P. Roma route, ACTV and ATVO. Actv is a regular commuter bus, makes a few stops, you have your luggage inside with you, and you might not get a seat. ATVO is like a tour coach, luggage underneath, all seated.
Cost is the same for either, about 8 euro.

I have used the ATVO a few times, and that would be my choice.

I will echo CJean's suggestion to stay in a Venice hotel near Piazzale Roma - however, with a "reasonable" amount of light-weight luggage (that my husband and I carry off cruise ships on our own), we were able to easily use the Venice People Mover and walk across bridges to the Hotel Antiche Figure. We found this hotel very convenient and comfortable for several nights following our cruise; the included breakfasts and staff were wonderful - would stay there again! I would stay longer than one night! It was also easy to walk directly across a bridge to the Santa Lucia train station for our onward travel south to Rome. (If you decide to take larger heavier luggage that you can not manage on your own, we noticed there were red cap porters around with carts to assist in crossing the bridges.)

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-people-mover.htm

https://www.hotelantichefigure.it/location/

And what if your flight is delayed or cancelled? You could easily miss your cruise if you only allow 1 day arrival cushion and something happens to your flight - it's not an uncommon thing. After all the expense of a trip like this why not flight into Venice 3 or 4 days ahead of your cruise and enjoy that beautiful city while you still can.

This may seem to be repetitive but I would like to add my voice to the posters who have suggested that you take a hotel near Piazzale Roma. This is very good advice as it is the main transportation hub for Venice. The airport shuttle buses depart and arrive here. The Vaporetto Ferry stops here and the people mover takes you to the cruise port from Piazzale Roma as well. The train station is also nearby.

We simply took the shuttle bus from the airport. One thing that we were looking for was a minimum number of bridges between the hotel and Piazzale Roma. That may not seem to be important however even traveling with smaller bags those bridges can be exhausting. We searched for hotels near Piazzale Roma and located them on the map. Then we counted the bridges required to get to these hotels. We were able to locate a hotel that only required two bridges to cross. We were very glad we made that choice as we saw many people with big bags struggling across numerous bridges.

Because its a hub it is easy to visit the rest of Venice from here.

Here is what Venice is like.
Venice https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157671686432425

Ikassen, I agree with many of the posters above to stay near Piazzle Roma and the peoplemover. We stayed at the Hotel Arlecchino just across from the Piazzle Roma, and it's a great hotel. And their breakfast was perhaps the most generous we had in Italy. They have a sister hotel just a few steps away, Hotel Olimpia, which has a garden behind it. It's also near a vaporetto stop, numerous restaurants, and the train terminal. I think it will be helpful to be so close to the people mover the day you leave.
www.hotelarlecchino.com
www.hotel-olimpia.com

Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo is where we stayed, it's quite easy to find and about a 10-15 minute walk to St Mark's square or a quick walk to the Vaporetto to get you there. Free breakfast and very friendly staff. It's one of the hotels I'm very quick to recommend.

hey hey ikassen
i agree with the hotels closer to the cruise port. pack light, considering venice has lots of bridges. stairs/steps to get around
my one issue is what is what fellow poster "tim" mentions. the day before your cruise?? anything could happen, cancelled or delayed flight, needs to be brought up. what time does your flight arrive and where are you arriving from, USA Canada or a european city?
will someone be so tired or jetlag/foggy the next day before cruise? you hardly have any time to enjoy the sites of venice, check out early(10-11am) from hotel next day, where to keep luggage before cruise lets you board. it's your vacation, just info to ponder about.
europeforvisitors.com has lots of tips, with 5 people hire a private water taxi. veneziamotoscafi.it 120E, best way to arrive on the island. enjoy
aloha

We stayed at the Hotel Dalla Mora, in the Santa Croce district for the same reason. It was located conveniently by the train station and walking distance to the cruise port. Breakfast included and it's right on one of the canals.
https://www.hoteldallamora.it/english/home_english.html