Debating Cruise Ships in Venice, Italy

I love Venice, Italy. It’s unlike any other city in the world, and I cherish its unique architecture and series of scenic canals. But I have to wonder if its locals’ negative perception and protests of cruise ships and their passengers should be tempered a bit.

True, the city is a fragile one and is susceptible to literally sinking into the marshy waters. Whether or not it was wise to initially build the city at such a volatile location like New Orleans, Louisiana in the States is certainly open to a whole other debate, but alas so they both exist. I remember when I was in elementary school sharing with my class reports about wake-eating boats and tide control systems to literally stem the tide technologically, and still concerns of a crumbling city continue.

UNESCO is even warning the Italian city that if it does not begin enforcing a resolution to prohibit the largest ships from entering the lagoon by 2017, it will add it to a list of endangered heritage sites. So, clearly there is a problem and something needs to be done quickly to rectify it, but I don’t think it's fair to group all cruise ships in as the collective enemy. 

Saying no to all cruise tourists would effectively shoot the city even more in the foot as as influx of tourist dollars would be eliminated. Clearly, the city has had no qualms in the past against film productions like “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and “The Italian Job” literally making waves with speed boat stunts through the delicate canals in exchange for a no doubt hefty payout. Even the largest cruise ships do not displace that much water passing slowly along the Giudecca Canal.

Personally, I’ve visited Venice on a trio of cruise ships of varying size: Royal Caribbean International’s 2,500-passenger Brilliance of the Seas, Celebrity Cruises’ 2,850-passenger Celebrity Solstice and Oceania Cruises’ 1,250-passenger Riviera. If the concern is for the amount of pedestrian traffic roaming the city once disembarked, I’m all for limiting capacities at any given time, but let’s be fair to some cruise ships at least, especially the smaller ones.

In fact, Viking Ocean Cruises has dubbed its first ships the Venice class as it views the 930-passenger Viking Star, Viking Sea and four more planned sister ships to come ideal for visiting the historic city. Surely, we can all agree that ships accommodating thousands might need restriction but not those with only hundreds onboard. Such cruise ships are, with fewer onboard attractions after all, more dedicated to destinations. So, I truly hope a mutual respect can soon be found between reverent cruise passengers and passionate Venetians.

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