TKATeacher

We flew into Venice for our trip in June, Staying at the Hotel Arlecchino in the Piazzale Roma area worked well for us. I wanted to be able to drop off luggage as soon as possible, so we went right to the hotel from the airport (landed at 9 am). We used the ATVO bus for transport, and the bus had storage for luggage beneath the seating, so no issues with transporting luggage. One of our rooms was available when we arrived at the hotel at 11, so we were able to store our luggage in the room and start exploring Venice. She did not disappoint - we loved our 2 days in Venice! The Venice train station is very near the Piazzale Roma, so it was an easy transport to the train when we departed for Bologna.

Wow, that is an ambitious itinerary! We traveled last month from the 13th through the 27th, and those two weeks felt like a perfect amount of time for us. I am envious of those who can travel for a month, but that length is just not a good fit for our family...spouse is ready to return to work and my girls are ready to return to friends. Like you, I work in education (though an administrator now), and I understand being a planner! We visited Venice, Bologna, Florence, and Ravenna, followed by a Croatia and Greece cruise on Royal Caribbean. We adored Italy! For a July trip, it will be hot and busy, but also amazing, I am sure.

We were in Santorini last week on a Royal cruise. We did a ship excursion - Oia on Your Own. It had us off the ship early (7:30), which we thought an advantage with heat and crowds. We tendered to Athinos and boarded a bus to Oia. Wow, do those bus drivers earn their pay - crazy roads in a manual bus!!! Yes, views from Oia were gorgeous, but the crowds pouring in behind us were insane. We had like an hour in the town, and as we made our way out the entire hill down was packed with arrivals. We were transported by bus to Fira, where we explored for a short while (again, crowds were fierce) before we took the cable car down. It was 11 am and there was no line to go down. There were 3 ships when we were in Santorini. The impact of crowds in these beautiful little towns should not be underestimated, and not just for the cable car waits. The towns have narrow walkways that quickly become jammed by the numbers pouring in.

Bologna was not an early-to-bed town during our visit. This could change when the university is closed (August, I think). We returned from our day trip to Florence around 10:30 at night; the streets were full of people and the train station was active. We purchased all of our train tickets ahead online, so no experience with kiosk purchases for the train or with Bologna airport...sorry. We also did not use the bus system. Everything we wanted was walkable from our location. In our experience, there were always taxis directly outside of the main train station entrance waiting for customers.

Yes, all the Italian modes of transport are stressful. Doing the research really helped me get my bearings and actual travel was fine. We really liked Bologna and it had so much to offer...historical aspects, parks to explore, fabulous food, and lots to do well into the evening. Our girls are 18 and 22, so I was pretty confident this college town would have an energy they would enjoy. They shut down the streets to vehicles on the weekend in the older section where we stayed, and it was a like a bug block party. There was an event in town when we visited (Various Voices) and we literally awoke one morning to magnificent singing (a male acapella group) serenading us in Italian directly under our window. It was magical! There was also a big flea market type of event happening on Saturday...it was a great way to pick up a few fun souvenirs at reasonable costs. We would not hesitate to stay in Bologna again. We cruised with Royal to Croatia (Split and Dubrovnik) and Greece (Santorini and Athens). The trip was a graduation (one from high school and one from college) gift for our daughters.

In Venice on arrival, we stayed at the Hotel Arlecchino right in Piazzale Roma. It is a smaller hotel with a more moderate price, and since we needed 2 rooms for our family of 4 that played a factor. However, the hotel met all of our needs well and it was a great welcome to Italy stay. Getting reasonable flights was a long process for us, and we stayed open to flying anywhere in Italy for a reasonable price before settling on Venice. I read mixed reviews on Venice prior to our travel, but we were really completely charmed by this city! Yes, we used Alliguna. One of the challenges in Italy and specifically Venice is that there are 2 of everything...2 bus companies from Marco Polo (ACTV and ATVO), 2 water bus options (Allilguna and ACTV Vaporetto), and various train companies. Bologna became a hub for us in our planning process because we knew we wanted to work our way toward Ravenna and we wanted good train access. It is a larger multi-level station. We did a day trip to Florence during our stay in Bologna (spectacular). We also found a reasonable Airbnb to accommodate our group right in the heart of the old city of Bologna. I am happy to answer any questions I can.

We just did this same transfer with Royal on June 25...husband and I were assigned one shuttle bus (2.5 hours and no comfort stop) and our daughters another shuttle bus (they are 18 and 20), but their shuttle bus took 3 hours and had a comfort stop. So no confirmed regularity on this one!

So much great advice on this thread! We just returned yesterday from our first trip to Italy...landed in Venice and stayed 2 nights, traveled to Bologna for 3 nights, traveled to Ravenna port for a 7-night cruise with Royal, and finished with one night in Venice (actually Murano) before flying home. It was a lot of research to understand the transportation for this trip, but I just wanted to encourage those still in the planning stage that it is all more manageable on the ground than it sounds when in the midst of research. On arrival at Marco Polo, we took the ACTV bus to Piazzale Roma, which was inexpensive, direct, and quick. Our hotel was in that area and a short hike over a bridge. Train station was a simple walk (with a large bridge - avoid anyone wanting to help you with your luggage), and we easily navigated the station and boarded a high-speed train for Bologna (93 minutes and we picked seats for that trip). Three days later we traveled by train from Bologna to Ravenna, with general seating on a local commuter train (70 minutes). Upon arrival in Ravenna, we were greeted by Royal personnel who directed us to the pick area for the shuttle. We had pre-booked this (not easy to do), but most just signed up on arrival. On the ship, passengers could sign up for shuttles after the cruise to Ravenna train, to Bologna train, to Bologna airport, to Venice airport, to Venice Piazzale Roma. We selected Venice airport since transport to Murano seemed easier from that spot. We used the Aliliguna water bus, which dropped off and picked up within feet of our hotel. Others have far more experience than I do, but my experience is recent. These boards are a huge help in planning travel so I wanted to give back any info I could.

We are scheduled to cruise from Ravenna port exactly 4 weeks from today. Arranging transport to the cruise terminal has been difficult, and now you add in flood damage and strikes - wow! Certainly a challenging situation for tourists. However, I am also saddened for the region and all who have suffered the loss of businesses, homes, or lives from the flooding.

Thanks for this info! I will check out the videos and bus. We had planned our beach day for our stop in Mykonos, and then Royal switched up the itinerary with Mykonos dropped and Athens added. We are excited to visit Athens, but it does have me looking for some beach time on this trip

So funny that I am working on plans for the exact same excursion from a Royal ship on June 22 with my husband and 2 teens. I have bounced all around on this one with very similar options to you. I think (at least at this moment) we are doing your option 3 - keeping the RC excursion, having lunch in Fira and then heading to Perissa for a beach afternoon. Royal even has another excursion for later in the day that is just the beach. I thought about booking that (it will let me book both excursions), but I am not sure where transportation would intersect. Does anyone have a recommendation on how to get to and from the beach? I have read that a taxi may not be easily had on the island these days.

The Key is an option that certainly has its detractors, so it is nice to read a thread with a few other views. We had a cruise for this summer with 2 tender ports (Mykonos and Santorini) and that had me looking to see if The Key was worth the cost for our family. The best price has been $19.99 a night, but I hesitated. My youngest daughter is a vegetarian, and the Chops lunch menu looked problematic for her. Then we had an itinerary change (Athens swapped for Mykonos) and one less tender port. I still check the price regularly but likely will opt for an internet package.

Sorry to see no salmon on the menu on any of the nights. It is a favorite for our family, with most ordering it at least a night or two. My 75 year old mom literally ordered it every night of our 9 night cruise in July until the final night. Then she threw caution to the wind and ordered 2! We all had a good chuckle over that one. Thanks for sharing the new menus. Most of the nights it looks like my family (including one vegetarian) would find some items favorable.

Thank you for the great review...really enjoyed following along with your trip. We sailed on Enchantment on a 9 night in July 2022, and we greatly enjoyed our cruise. Like you, we encountered really great staff members. Thanks again for taking the time to bring us along on your cruise!

Thanks for the great review - really enjoyed it! Our 4 kids are 10 years older than yours, but a similar 9 year age span - currently 26, 25, 20, and 17. We started cruising when our youngest was 3. First cruise was a 3 night out of Florida after a Disney trip, and we were all hooked. It has been a wonderful way to vacation for our family with just the perfect blend of do and relax and together and apart to keep everyone happy. Our oldest wed in October, and he and his new wife enjoyed their honeymoon cruise! Our next adventure this summer is a Greek Isles trip with just us and the younger two.

Thanks for the recent Key experience feedback! We are seriously considering the Key for a Mediterranean cruise next summer that includes 2 tender ports. It seems that most Key reviews are negative, but helpful to hear it works for some in the right circumstances.

Oh, I will look forward to hearing your report!

Oh, I was hoping to open this topic to several replies! We have a cruise booked for next summer on the Explorer, and I just noticed the same price with The Key being cheaper than Surf & Stream. Our 2023 cruise will have 2 tender ports - Santorini and Mykonos, so I am really tempted to purchase The Key right now. I would love to hear other people's experiences using The Key on Explorer

In July we did the Pearl Island excursion and it was really nice. Like you, we had previously done several other excursions in Nassau, and we are not stay on the ship people when there is beach to be enjoyed. Pearl island included lunch and we also opted for the snorkeling, which was really very good and a trip highlight for some. There is a pretty lighthouse to be explored with great photo opts, and the beach area had kayaks and paddle boards for use. Loungers and chairs were plentiful on the island, and we enjoyed the shuttle boat. On the return to the port, the crew entertained us with tales on who lives in which mansion. It was a really pleasant way for our family to spend the day, and our group included from 17 to 73.

We just had this with a recent cruise. Husband and I shared a cabin, our 2 daughters 17 and 21 shared a cabin with their grandmother, and daughter's boyfriend had his own cabin. I was able to include my daughters in our photo package. I simply had to sign that both were 21 or under and we were good to go.

I would second the suggestion to eat late main dining seating. We disembarked 8 days ago from Enchantment. We were on a 9 night cruise to Bermuda that was supposed "full" or 90% capacity. We had a group of 6 which included my 73 year old mother, so we asked for a table away from others. It was accomplished and felt comfortable in the main dining room with these arrangements. She avoided the Windjammer, and we took food to her stateroom or out to the pool deck to eat. The Centrum can be a great airy hang out spot on various decks and able to keep a distance and still feel part of many activities. Another great spot during the day for lack of crowds is the Viking lounge. We would hang out in there and it was super comfy and pretty much empty. More crowded spaces she masked and many congested elevators we passed on (she cannot do lots of stairs).

I noticed the Brilliance went missing yesterday. We have literally been circling around a Greek Isles cruise on her for next summer. In fact, we paid the $200 Next cruise deposit when we were sailing with Royal last week with full intentions of booking that cruise this week once we were home. The last 24 hours I have been really scratching my head wondering what was going on??? I am at least glad to read this post to know that I am not alone in my wondering, and I am really sorry for anyone who has booked airfare and travel based on these cruises - yikes!

We came off of Enchantment a week ago after a 9 night Bermuda trip. We have only sailed small ships on Royal, and this was our first cruise since the Covid shut down. In the Windjammer, we found food at breakfast to be varied and plentiful; lunch had solid choices but it did get very busy. We ate all of our evening meals in the main dining room and thoroughly enjoyed the food and had fabulous wait staff. This was a very personable cruise...members of the crew made concerted efforts to connect with passengers in really positive ways, at least that was out experience. My Time Dining from what I observed had long lines. I avoided that option based on reports on here and that was the right call. We had the late seating (8 pm), but that has always worked well for our family on a cruise. We like to enjoy full beach days without worries of missing dinner, so late works for us. We would simply grab a snack late afternoon to bide our time until dinner. Note, you have 2 options for that after 3:30...the Cafe in the Solarium and in an extra section of the Windjammer (opposite side from the popular ice cream station). They put out a nice assortment of food upon the conclusion of lunch. Another plus of late dining, we never looked for a late night snack! I hope you enjoy your travels on Enchantment!