Cruisers eager to see Venice via a large cruise ship will have an extra two months to do so after the ban on large ships was delayed.

In November last year, Italy approved a cruise ship removal plan which placed a limit on the number of ships more than 40,000 tonnes sailing in the Venice lagoon. The plan would also ban ships exceeding 96,000 gross tonnes all together.

The plan was introduced to reduce water traffic and ease congestion in the water.

It was originally scheduled to commence in November this year, however authorities have now confirmed it will not commence until 1 January 2015, Cruise Critic reported.

The limitation on the number of 40,000+ tonnes ships is already in place, with 19 cruise ship visits cancelled this year.