marazul

Replacing a lost or stolen passport. Here is a link to the US Embassy's website on how to replace a passport. The same procedure applies to any other country. If you are not in the capital of the country, go to the local or closest US Consulate. https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/lost/ As you can see, it is inconvenient, costly and time consuming. Pay special attention to the "Processing Time" box. It says you will only be issued a limited validity passport, not a regular passport. So, presumably, you can finish your trip and get home.

It is time consuming. You need to go to the embassy or consulate and ask to have another one issued. That is why you need to print copies of the passport and have some copies in the cloud so you can access them from a phone or computer. We email copies of the documents to ourselves so we just need to login to email to access them. You don't want this to happen the day you are boarding your cruise. Or on a port day. I do think having the new passport cards in addition to the regular passport could expedite the process. (I think we should apply for them.) Now, understand that there is only a very small risk of any of this happening.

So, you take your chances. I would probably do the same. But just do carry the extra cash in case you have to pay a fine.

The US passport card is a valid US passport issued by the State Dept. It does have limitations. It is valid only for travel to Mexico, Canada, Caribbean countries and Bermuda. It is not valid for international air travel. So it is useless outside those countries. An Italian cop would have never heard of it and it would never had got anyone into Europe. Some people have both the passport and the card and might want to leave the passport in the hotel and carry the card. Unfortunately, as @steamboats and @slidergirl said, it won't work.

And there is the bit about getting to St Peter's after the Sistine Chapel. Back to the Museums' entrance and either taxi or walk? Is the connecting door available? If the door is available, do you still have to go through security? Where is the luggage? Will there be taxis at the stand or would there be a wait? Taking a three-hour tour in the morning is very doable. Have the hotel hold the luggage and leave for Civi after lunch. But that takes the place of whatever else was planned for the morning. Rome wasn't built in a day and it cannot be seen in a day either.

That's crazy. What are you doing with your luggage? You can't drag it through the Vatican and St Peter's. You should plan to leave Rome by 1 at the latest.

The official website for Acropolis tickets has information and a map about access for disabled persons. It also shows other entrance routes that can be used by the disabled as well as information about the elevator. Here is the info: 1.Information for Disabled Persons An elevator for people with mobility impairments, is available on the north side of the Acropolis, at a distance of about 300 m. from the exit of the archaeological site. It can be used by people with diminished abilities, and any parent attending two or more infants on her/his own. The elevator arrives on the Acropolis plateau, to the area north of the Erechtheion. Consequently, visitors can follow either the route towards the Propylaea or the route between the Parthenon and the Erechtheion. At the final part of the second route, visitors with mobility impairments can use an adequate restroom. For more information: http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/gh355.jsp?obj_id=2384 The North Slope of the Acropolis is wheelchair accessible [the help of an attendant is advisable], through the specially designed entrance-exit for people with disabilities, which is located north of the main entrance of the Archaeological Site of the Acropolis, on the West Slope. Visitors with mobility problems can follow the route of the Peripatos to the east, up to the guardhouse in the area of Anaphiotika. The South Slope of the Acropolis is wheelchair accessible [the help of an attendant is advisable], via the main entrance, at the junction of Dionysiou Areopagitou & Thrasyllou streets. The visitor follows the course leading to the West passageway [parodos] of the Theatre of Dionysos. You can see the accessible passage for people with disabilities at http://theheartofancientathens.gr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Efaath_Acropolis_accessibility.jpg In the Information Center, at 18-20 Dionysiou Areopagitou str., at about 50m out of the entrance of the South Slope of the Acropolis, a WC for the physically challenged is also provided. 2. Here is the map of the Acropolis. The brown dotted lines represent routes that can be followed by the disabled. The entrance on the left (with the wheelchair sign) is the main gate to the Acropolis on the West slope. The special disabled/wheelchair access is just by it. Ask a guard. The disabled can follow the easy route to the elevator (No. 19 on the map). The paved path that goes from the entrance to the elevator and all along the north side is called the Peripatos. It can be followed all the way to the right to a guard house (where the rest room signs are) in Anaphiotika which is a section of Plaka. You can exit there. The entrance at the bottom right of the map (where it says "you are here") is the Plaka entrance across from the Acropolis museum. There is a disabled route around the Theater of Dionysos. However, disabled access to the Acropolis itself is through the main gate on the West slope. There is an entrance marked on the map on the North slope. However, it is not a handicapped entrance even if it is seemingly close to the elevator. The path marked nearby is only to see some ruins near there. There are some steep steps from those ruins to the gate.

Since you will be in Barcelona, buy a monastrell wine from that area. They are excellent. Many brands.

Since this is a brand new rule, I hope that we get some comments added here by other travelers. Reading the website and knowing (sort of) how they operate this is probably how it works: Please make sure to be at the entrance 30 minutes before your chosen time slot! It must be to line up for the security line. This is probably what it takes on very heavy attendance days. The entrance slot is one hour. If you want to go in right on time, you should get there early to go through security. If you arrive too close to the end of your slot, you might miss your time slot. But the time slot has some leeway. Here is what the website says: Entrance is available 15' before to 15' after the time of your choice! For example, if you choose 10.00-11.00, you may enter the site from 09.45 to 11.15. (So, if you show up at 9:30 for security and the line moves fast, you can go in at 9:45) The exception is if you book the last time slot of the day. Then you should definitely be there more than 30 minutes before the beginning of the time slot. These are the two key sections on the website: Please note that from the previous rule the last entrance is excluded, since it is 30 minutes before closure. Hours From 1st of April until 31 of August 08:00 - 20:00 Last entrance to the Site at 19:30 (So, I would show up at 19:00) On the 1st of September the opening hours apply, due to a gradual reduction in the length of the day, as follows: 1st to 15th September 08:00 - 19:30 Last entrance to the Site at 19:00 16th to 30th September 08:00 - 19:00 Last entrance to the Site at 18:30 1st to 15th October 08:00 - 18:30 Last entrance to the Site at 18:00 and 16th to 31st October 08:00 - 18:00 Last entrance to the Site at 17:30 And yes, you can go in at either entrance with the official ticket. There are security lines at both.

It isn't a very long walk . . .

Nutshell: There is construction on that segment of the line. It will be replaced by bus service. A taxi from central Rome to the Vatican costs 10-12 euros.

I don't use them either. In my case, they got hacked a few years ago and I had to fight for several weeks to take all the fraudulent charges off. And it was very clear that it was the Paypal account and not my credit card that was compromised.

You can only get into the Acropolis with an official ticket. You can stand in line and buy them at the ticket office. You can buy them ahead of time on the official website so you can skip the ticket line. You can pay someone else to buy them for you ahead of time so you can skip the ticket line. But they are all the same official ticket. There are no other lines that can be skipped. Everybody has to go through the security line regardless of where or how you got your tickets. Athens By Locals and many others are resellers. They buy the tickets for you so you don't have to stand in line (IN PERSON) at the ticket office to buy tickets. That is the same line you skip by buying the same tickets on your own on the official website. There are no other lines to skip with their "skip the line" tickets. The price of combined tickets on the official website is 30 euros ($32). The price on the Athens by Locals website is $38. Resellers and tour companies do offer other benefits. So, if you want to buy a tour that includes admission to the sites, that is the way to go. If you only want the tickets, buy them on your own.

Photos of the elevator at the top. The building you see is the back of the Erechtheion. When you get out, you walk straight past the Erechtheion and you will be in front of the Parthenon.

You can use the elevator. Just get your tickets on the official website. After you go through security ask a guard who will direct you to the elevator. People who are visibly impaired (like your cane) will be directed there. People who are not visibly impaired (like a heart condition) might have to produce a medical certificate or other proof of handicap. The handicapped person and a companion can ride the elevator. Once you are up, the paths are fairly flat and the main ones are paved. It is easy to meet on the top if you are with a group or a guide. The top of the stairs will be to your right. They can come to meet you at the elevator or you could meet in front of the Parthenon. You can't get lost.

Which website did you use?

The entry into Malta and the transit of the Messina strait are best seen from an open deck. Other than that, it makes no difference because the ship could approach the port from different directions. If the ship is at anchor, the direction of the ship will depend on the prevailing winds. And good luck seeing Rome and Florence from the ship.

We take a tablet each with downloaded books to read on the plane and the beach. They are wi-fi only so we don't have to worry about data plans for an extra device. I have been relying more and more on my phone for pictures, but still bring a camera. We have T-Mobile which requires no extra "travel packages" and gets unlimited texts and data while traveling.

If you follow @cruisemom42's advice, buy the "Combined Ticket" to give you access to the Greek Agora and other sites.

I agree with cruisemom, of course. Regional strike by security guards in the Venice and Treviso airports lasting four hours.. Since you are practicing your Italian, take a look at the link just under the table of strikes: Vedi legenda Settore* Click on it for a definition of all the terms that can appear in the "Settore" column. Those are the work "sectors" covered by the website.

In theory, yes. The flights are 30 minutes each way. There are several flights each day on Aegean Air. You can fly there and back in one day. Rent a car at the airport or arrange a tour with a local company. The ferries take several hours to get there so they would not work for a day trip. aegeanair.com

Check with a company like George's Taxi. I believe they do charters for larger groups. Maybe a bus or two large vans. They could also reserve inns or hotels for you. georgestaxi.com

Yes.

Well said! That is one of my objections to a frequently mentioned tour company that has "tipping guidelines" for their US customers. In our experience, the same applies in France, Spain and Greece.

That is a good summer beach day tour. Not so much in November. There is nothing else to do at that beach. The water will be too cold and there is a good chance of strong winds. Pick something else. Anything else.