euro cruiser

Yes, you can purchase it the day before. It only becomes "life" when you validate it.

Doubtful, and in my experience even if there is one, they tell you not to use it (but I have no experience with Royal Caribbean shore excursions, I'm speaking generally of hired buses in Italy). I would not expect a stop on a 90 minute ride.

Why fly from Venice? Bologna is much closer. If you're flying into Venice a few days prior to the cruise in order to see the town, look into open-jaw flights into Venice and out of Bologna.

This does not answer your question, but it's a nifty resource for those visiting Venice with mobility issues. It's on the city's web site and, unfortunately, is only available in Italian, but with google translate you can clearly understand it. It gives you step by step how to get around the most popular parts of Venice in a wheelchair. Your 80-something year old might consider getting a transfer chair for travel. They are inexpensive, lightweight, and allow a slower traveler to keep up with the group and not hold them back. My mother traveled all over the world, on cruises and land trips, for the last 15 years of her life because a travel chair allowed her to reserve her energy. Itinerari senza barriere | Comune di Venezia.

You'll have plenty of time, enough to enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the ship before heading to the train station.

Once you're at the airport dock, the easiest thing to do (if you can't get a water taxi) is to take the Alilaguna express water bus. Schedule here: Orari Linea Blu 19 aprile 2023 (alilaguna.it)

I don't want to be Debbie Downer here, but please be sure you have a plan B in your back pocket, just in case. If the taxi company is busy, a third party booking is more likely to get bumped than a local needing transport, by which I mean anyone working with the film festival.

You should have no problem getting the earlier train as long as you get off as soon as you can. If you do dock at #12 you might consider walking to the train station. You might even get there faster than the bus because of the time it takes to load the bus, then drive to the northern exit of the port and then back south to the train station. On foot from #12 it's about 2.3 km/1.4 miles to the train station.

If you'll be in Venice between August 30th and September 9th lots of things will be screwed up due to the Biennale (Venice Film Festival). Biennale Cinema 2023 | Homepage 2023 (labiennale.org)

LOL, enjoyed the video. That's SO much easier than it used to be. I haven't made that walk since they built the walkway, it used to be all outdoors on (mostly) sidewalks. That was a lot of fun with a tired, crabby 80-something year old in tow, in the winter.

What margin of difference would sway you? They both offer the basics quite well (safe, clean, timely transportation). Beyond that isn't it up to the particular friendliness/chattiness of the driver? Since that's the luck of the draw, why not just go with whichever one offers the best price (and has availability, if the trip is this year)?

If you want to avoid public transit (in Venice that means vaporettos), a private water taxi is really the only other option. This is where you really see the cost of traveling with a lot of luggage, because the taxi will cost around 150 euro (per boat), vs. 15 euro (per person) for the Alilaguna express water bus. An alternative, which requires a bit of upfront planning, is to pack what you need for your stay in Venice in your smallest bag and check everything else before venturing out into the islands. That way you can easily use the vaporettos.

This may be a personal issue, but I find the seafront in Fiumicino quite ugly, as it's all built up so when you walk you can't see the water. On the other hand, the area near the canal marina is nice, especially if you like looking at sailboats. the north side of the canal is a lot less atmospheric but it's closer and faster to the airport (less than ten minutes) as you don't need to cross the water. The southside of the canal is prettier and offers more options for eating and sleeping, from here you are about 15 minutes from the airport by car. The seafront is nicer further south, in Lido di Ostia, but this is a longer trip to the airport (more like 15-20 minutes by car).

Lots of information on where to find mosaics in Ravenna on the city's tourism website here: Mosaics - Ravenna Turismo Included you'll see the following opening hours: Basilica of San Vitale: Every day: 9 am – 7 pm Mausoleum of Galla Placidia: Every day: 9 am – 7 pm Neonian Baptistery: Every day: 9 am – 7 pm (until November 1) Arian Baptistery: Monday to Friday: 9 am – 12 pm Saturdays and Sundays: 9 am – 12 pm / 2 pm – 5 pm Archiepiscopal Chapel: Every day: 9 am – 7 pm Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo: Every day: 9 am – 7 pm Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe: Monday to Saturday: 8.30 am – 7.30 pm Sundays and holidays: 1.30 pm – 7.30 pm

What feels cool to you may be different to others, especially those who live in cooler climates than you do. Perhaps historical averages will be more helpful? Using Rome as a location, since it's in the middle of the locations you mentioned, the average daily high for that week is 77 degrees while the average low is 56. Ciampino, Italy Weather History | Weather Underground (wunderground.com)

As for the underground tour, I wouldn't bend myself up like a pretzel just for that one part of the experience. You can walk among the underground sections of other amphitheaters in Italy without all the angst associated with getting tickets in Rome.

Um, wow. That is not the writing of a professional. No professional writes to their clients excusing away their inability to deliver on a promise like this. Everything they say may be factually true but this sounds like the rantings of a toddler.

Yes, it's 11 euro more per person vs. the Alilaguna but in the scheme of things, especially if you are arriving after an overnight flight, it's a pretty small investment in greater speed, convenience and comfort. Depending on when you arrive, you could wait up to an hour for the next Alilaguna boat.

I just did a dummy booking with one of the water taxi companies, they came up with 185 euro for seven people. Alilaguna is 15 euro per person, or 105 euro. The list of water taxi companies serving the airport is here: Motoscafo Aeroporto Marco Polo Venezia Tessera - MotoTaxi da/per Aeroporto (veneziaairport.it)

Most of the trails are open. The Via dell'Amore, the most famous one, has been closed for years. There are some claims that it will reopen next summer but I wouldn't count on it. This is the waterfront path between Riomaggiore and Manarola. The lower path between Manarola and Corniglia is also closed. In both cases there are upper paths available but they are more difficult and not for novice trekers. You can see the map of trails indicating what is open here: Paths and Outdoor | Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre (parconazionale5terre.it)

Alilaguna has a ticket office at the airport pier, no need to buy in advance. It's a 5 - 10 minute walk from the terminals at Marco Polo, just follow the signs for water transport.

Here is the information for the Trenitalia app: Mobile ticketing - Trenitalia

Just a further note about the BIRG ticket (12 euros). It's a great deal IF you are going to Rome AND back in the same day, so it's perfect for a port day visit. If you are transferring to Rome, it's a wash vs. paying for the individual units. The regional train fare (the BIRG ticket is only good on regional trains) is 4,60 euro and the Roma 24 ticket (unlimited use of buses, metro, trams for 24 hours) for 7 euro. The difference is that the BIRG expires at midnight of the day used, while the Roma 24 ticket is good for 24 hours from first use, so if you don't use it until 11 AM it will be good until 11 AM the next morning. For most people this is a distinction without a difference, but if you're moving on by train the next morning the Roma 24 would get you to the train station while the day before's BIRG will not.

Not getting any response where? I agree, reach out directly to the cruise line. I would imagine that this must be pre-arranged, you can't just show up and expect to get on the bus. With 50 people, you might also look into chartering your own bus.

I would cross post this on the Carnival board to increase your chances of a quick response.