hey hey pat.stephenson54
haven't cruised with either cruise line but have others. one con about either and many other cruise ships are it says venice to ???
cruise ships are not allowed to dock in venice proper, so really pay attention to what dock they depart from (chioggia, fusina, marghera, ravenna, trieste). you will need to find transportation to all ports if landing in venice (VCE), would take time to get to places you will have to find the best ways.
it has become an irritant to say the least with many other cruisers to see that. it's been several years that i did sail out of venice a few times.
october is still a busy month, it's wine harvest season along with olive oil season, there really isn't an off season anymore. so many travelers nowdays going here there and anywhere. venice and greece are always busy along with many of the islands they cruise to.
after doing a greek island cruise which was great but santorini was a nightmare with so many crowds packed everywhere, coming down either the steps with donkeys and donkey poo, or the cable cars that fill up with people pushing, pulling, being nasty & rude to get on tender back to ship. mykonos (called the party island very pretty) was another busy island, we liked it but walked the back neighborhoods, ate at small cafe, waved and smiled to the residents, sat beach front for a island beer before ship sailing
don't wanna be deloris downer but these are my opinions.
cruisemapper.com
a site to check how many ships are in port same day as you, click unselect all ships, click ports "your port", oct 2026, scroll down to date and shows how many ships, look at capacity of ship. if there is 4 ships that adds up to almost 10,000 people not counting private tours, people sailing or flying to stay.
hope this helps you out with some info to check upon. good luck & enjoy
aloha
