While there are several other places to store luggage (airport,Piazzale Roma) none would be any more convenient.

how long do you have in Venice? unless you really have to do it then, I might choose to do something else which would enable me to check-in earlier, and leave the islands for another day.

apart from anything else, if you an appointment to check-in at a certain time, you don't want to be rushing back from the islands if you'd have liked to stay longer.

personally, after depositing my luggage, I might get the vaporetto to san Marco, then wander over to the Zattere, have lunch in the sunshine, and walk back through Santa Croce taking in the Frari and the Scuola di san Rocco if I had time.

We will be in Venice for 3 days but we have already booked the trip to the islands.
annhig, will you guarantee the sunshine?
I also understand that there is a limit to how much baggage you can take on the vaporetto? Would they allow one of us to retrieve the baggage for all three?

Although it may be a long way back to the train station, if you take the vaparetto through the Grand Canal, it is a lovely ride and something you will probably want to do anyway. Take the vaparetto that does not stop at every stop (I can't remember the number but you can figure it out).

KD - you don't need to book a trip to the islands [by which i assume you mean Murano and Burano - are you going to Torcello as well? -I do hope so]. you just get the vaporetto there and get one back. have you already paid? what are they offering you? the vaporetto pass that you can get for 24, 48, or 72 hours covers the boats that go to the islands - one trip there more or less pays for the cost of the pass!

I can't guarantee the sunshine of course, and i've no idea how much baggage one person can take on a vaporetto. simply carrying it on and off might be a limiting factor. here's a load of info about them:

http://goitaly.about.com/od/transportation/qt/vaporetto.htm

annhig, thank you for the information. Unfortunately I have already booked the tour. I did not realize the pass would cover those islands. I doubt it but I will explore the possibility of cancelling the reservation.
I would be willing to pay a little extra for sunshine and 20 degrees Celsius!!!
Yes the tour includes Torcello.

Yes the tour includes Torcello.>>

KD - that's something. Murano is just so-so [IMO] Burano is charming, but Torcello is the jewel in the crown due to the beauty of the interior of the cathedral.

what have you got planned for the rest of your stay?

A bit of stuff about Venice if you have a lazy half hour for reading (plus some comments on burano & Torcello:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/venice-a-sort-of-trip-report.cfm

I have successfully canceled the tour and based on your recommendation will do this on our own. I know of Murano and have been to Arte Murano in Venezuela. The two friend with me (female) are interested in Burano. I will make sure we also take in Torcello.
We have not planned much for our three day stay. We will becoming from 4 days in Rome, 3 days in Florence and suspect that we will be overwhelmed by art and architecture and are thinking more of simply enjoying Venice. Not sure yet how to effectively do this. In part I suppose whether will determine the specifics (we will be there the three days leading up to Palm Sunday).
Canceling the tour only in part solves the baggage problem. We will still have three of four hours before we can check into the apartment. I suppose I will exercise my chivalrous nature and find a place to sit with the baggage while my friends explore? Since we are staying across the street from San Marco, we thought we would skip the Basilica until later when it was not busy. Perhaps checking our bags at the church and learning to appreciate the interior of San Marco would be a good use of time?
I have only read part of the recommended reading. I am jealous of the opportunity to spend time taking in not simply the sites but the live of Venice as well. I find the differences in cultures as I travel as very enriching enlarging my own world. However, vicarious experience through that of others also serves this purpose to a lessor degree of effectiveness.
Grazie

Hi KD - I'm sure (!) you won't regret it.

I can't help with the luggage storage - are you sure though that you couldn't leave it at the apartment? we have a holiday cottage and we frequently have guests who arrive a little early [ie before we've finished the cleaning], and have no problem with them leaving their luggage and going away again while we finish getting it ready. the people before you will probably have vacated early in the morning just as you will have to at the end of your let. Worth asking anyway.

at the very worst, use the luggage lockers at the station.. yes it's a pain having to go back there to get them, but if you spend the late morning and afternoon wandering around getting the hang of Venice, there's no reason why you shouldn't check into your apartment at the earliest time, and then go back for your luggage at your leisure.

as for what to do, I still like my idea above. take a vaporetto to San Marco, cross over to the Zattere for a nice lunch, then wander back up though Dorsoduro, Santa Croce and San Polo, taking in what appeals to you en route.

BTW, is this one of your three days? or do you have 3 more?

This is one of the three days. We arrive Thursday at noon and leave Sunday at 10:15 from the airport -- that is, my two companions leave. I have until very early Wednesday morning of the next week to get to Vienna. As I am using miles to fly, it worked out better for me to fly out of Vienna. I have not yet planned that section of my journey.
The three of us have Thursday afternoon, Friday and Saturday. That is all!
annhig, where (or what) is Zattere? I can't find it using google maps. It wants to take me 15-20 miles north.

By the way, (this is departing from the question of baggage) what is the best way to get to the airport from San Marco? There are many directions on how to get FROM the airport to San Marco. I know that there are two choices, ACTV (vaporetto to train station then bus to airport - part of the pass you can buy) and Alilaguna. From the time table on the Alilaguna site, it doesn’t seem to leave San Marco before 10:00. It does leave earlier from Rialto (would have to walk over to Rialto from San Marco?).
The vaporetto to the train station and then bus to airport would seem to be the best way but luggage continues to be a problem from what I read. My two female companions would probably do this by themselves as I would stay to check out.
Any advice? How early do they need to be at the airport (flying British Airway) and how reliable are the published schedules for ground transportation?

KD - if you go to your google map of Venice, and look for the Guggenheim and Accademia museums, [which are on the north side of the island known as Dorsoduro] on the sounth side of dorsoduro you'll find the fondamente zattere allo spiritu santo, aka the Zattere - it runs all the way along the southern edge of Dorsoduro, and has many restaurants and cafes along it. It's a lovely place to have lunch if the sun is out.

given you only have just over 2 1/2 days, you could use the afternoon to see the Accademia, or the Frari church and/or the scuola di san rocco.

then with your next 2 days, you have one for the Basiica and the Doge's Palace [plus whatever else you want to do] and one for the islands. one morning, i would suggest getting up early and going to see the Rialto market, and as you are in an apartment, it makes more sense to do that on the Friday am so that you can buy a few things to eat at home. you would still have plenty of time to get to the islands after this if you wanted too.

on your way to the Fondamente nove [where the boats for the islands start] do make time to see the interior of the Gesuiti church - the marble curtains are really worth seeing. it only opens in the mornings but with your schedule, that should be ok.

Sorry, I don't know what I was looking at before but I just went back to the alilaguna website and they do leave from San Marco before 10:00. This would seem to be the best way to get to the airport. Ignore my last question.

Hi KD - missed your last post anyway as we were posting simultaneously.

the allilaguna takes about an hour I think and you'd need to be at the airport at least an hour before your flight goes [that's long enough for most european flights, certainly] so that's 2 hours you need to allow.

if your friends are going back to the US, they should read what the airline says, but if their flight is at 10.15 am, there won't be much happening at the airport before 8am, so an alilaguna at 7 am would, IMO, be early enough.

annhig, thank you for your help and suggestions. I think my plans are well formed yet sufficiently flexible. The earliest I can check in is 14:00. After that we will probably take your suggestion and walk over to Zattere and wander back. Friday is unscheduled but probably start with market as you suggest then maybe Murano, Burano AND Torchello. If weather is not so nice will go to Academia instead. Saturday is Doge's Palace and Clock Tower and whatever else comes up.
Since most "attractions" are closed by 17:00, do you have any particular recommendations for evening activities and/or nice (but not high priced) places for dinner? Or for lunch? We may eat our lunches out and make our own dinner or visa versa?
Thanks again for your suggestions, we are looking forward to our visit!