alilaguna from St. Marks to cruise ship?
 

We will be in Venice in mid-May for 2 days before our cruise ship departs. The day we need to get to the ship can we board the Alilaguna at the St. Marks stop and go to the cruise ship (Marittima stop?)? Can wheelchairs fit on the alilaguna boats? Thank you.

Hi P,

Did you also check the Vaporetto schedule?
http://www.actv.it/

((I))

The Alilaguna does service Stazione Marittima but I hear the schedule may be limited to certain days and hours. I think it is possible to board an Alilaguna boat at San Marco and take it directly to Marittima but I'm not sure. It may cost more and a vaporetto pass cannot be used.

Since you need wheelchair assistance, I would make further inquiry with the cruise line. You can also inquire about Alilaguna service at the airport or the tourist office near St Marks for detailed verification of service. The Alilaguna website is not clear.

I believe all public transport boats can accommodate wheelchairs. However, Venice is not wheelchair friendly.

All wheelchair bound tourists with plans to visit Venice should read this article:
http://www.thestar.com/article/339346

Venice is definitely not wheelchair friendly. There are usually several bridges between anywhere and anywhere else.

Not sure hot to get a wheel chair onto a vaporetto - since there is usually a gap between the boat and the dock that you must step across. (Perhaps they have a ramp they can bring out for wheel chairs?)

I would definitely check details on this with an official source ASAP.

Thank you to all who responded. I did read that the Alilaguna route to the cruise area was spotty, but I had hoped it would be running in mid-May. I'll try emailing them to confirm this. From other posts I read it appeared that the vaporetto drops you off about 1/2 mile walk from the cruise ship. We can certainly take a leisurely walk but it looked like the Alilaguna gets us REAL close - which is easier with the wheelchair. I was hoping to avoid the private water taxis due to the expense. I know Venice is a challenge with a wheelchair but I have the maps showing areas we can access without crossing a bridge and I have the key to the bridges with lifts (if they are working??).
NYCTS - thanks for the reference to that article. I was not aware that both a wheelchair user AND a companion were free on the vaporetta.