It is far from painless. We stayed in Venice 2 nights before and took a water taxi from the hotel to the Tranchetto. That part was easy and even fun. However, once we arrived at the Tranchetto around 10:15 we joined a line that stretched about 500 meters back. Hundreds and hundreds of guests, all standing in a line along a fence with no shade or cover. The line moved incredibly slowly. Around 11:30 we finally had our turn to board a bus.
We stopped at a small rest stop in a rural area about an hour in. We were told we had a 15 stop, but given the lines for the bathroom were so long (and you had to pay), we waited more like 30 minutes.
Overall, I would give it 0 stars and would recommend avoiding if you can find any other option. It's a shameful thing for an RCL organized excursion.
If booking again on a Ravenna cruise I would never stay in Venice before or after. It's just too far away and too hard to get there. If you are already booked into Venice (understandable given the cruise says it goes from Venice (Ravenna), I would look at all other options.
