euro cruiser

ADA cabins are an ongoing frustration. As the population ages the need for these cabins will only increase, but the cruise lines so far are not reacting. My brother is wheelchair bound and requires a roll in shower, often cruises with tons of empty cabins don't have any ADA ones available.

I've never tried with an app, I suppose it's not much different from an audioguide. Your time estimate is correct, it's about 1.2 km/three quarters of a mile on foot from the basilica to the entrance to the museums.

Yes, this is what you'd do. For what it's worth, everything within Vatican City is the Vatican. You are distinguishing between St. Peter's basilica and the Vatican museums. There used to be a one-way passage from the Sistine Chapel (part of the Vatican museums) into the basilica but that has been closed for a few years. When it was open it was supposed to be only for authorized tour groups, but individuals did sometimes slip through.

Your ship will offer transfers, that's probably your best option. You cannot count on taxis at the Ravenna port.

A four-hour excursion would get you no more than two to two and a half hours in the ruins. That's a tour with no time for exploring on your own. It's quite simple to get to Pompei on your own, how depends on which port you'll be at (Naples or Salerno are ports, some ships tender at Sorrento).

Nothing before 11 AM if it's a direct to the States flight as you'll need to check in three hours prior. If you'll have a connection somewhere within the Scengen zone before your transatlantic flight you'll need to be checked in two hours prior so you could take one after 10 AM.

Yes, all trains require a change in Rome but only the high speed requires you to go all the way to Termini. When using the regionals the most efficient change is at Roma Trastevere. Strikes are announced about three weeks prior to the date of action, the web site to check is here: Scioperi - mit2 There are several transfer companies mentioned frequently on this board. I'm a big public transit user so the only one I've used, and this was several years ago, was Bob's: Civitavecchia Transfer, Italy Transfers, Rome Limousine Transfer (romelimousines.com) I'm sure others will add in with their favorites. There is also a fixed fare for taxis from the airport to the port at Civitavecchia, set by the city of Rome, of 125 Euro. The fare chart is here, page 2 is in English: Tariffario_Taxi_REV.pdf (comune.roma.it)

If you are using the official site (IT - Trenitalia) it is absolutely possible to purchase on line in advance. There is no need to do so for regional trains as they do not have seat assignments and cannot sell out, but the high speed trains are seat assigned and can sell out (although it's rare on this line), plus you can get a lower fare by purchasing in advance. In this case, from the airport, the regional line makes more sense. To use the high speed, seat assigned trains you'd have to go into Rome and change there. When taking a train immediately after a flight I always recommend waiting and buying at the airport train station, so you're not racing to try and meet a schedule or hanging around for hours waiting for one. However, some folks feel more comfortable having this arranged in advance. In this case, note that regional tickets purchased on line are good for four hours after the time you purchased for, so unless your flight is VERY late, you could still use the tickets.

Assuming that your trip is not in the next couple of weeks, you can take a train from Venice Mestre to Ravenna, then a taxi, shuttle, or public bus to the cruise terminal.

You will have to pass a security checkpoint to enter the port, have your map with you and ask them where the bus stop is. Have the map because they may not speak much English, but they'll understand the map.

The train is very easy, the hardest part is getting from the ship to the train station. If your ship offers a transfer that would be the easiest route. If not, they will offer a transfer into town. These transfers leave you at Piazza del Municipio in Livorno, from there to the train station is an easy half hour walk (2.4 km/1.5 miles) or you can take a public bus (Lam Blu, schedule here: LAM_BLU.pdf (amazonaws.com)).

I think what you've sussed out can work, I can't find any reason why it wouldn't. Before these new shuttle lines were developed we walked into the port from the train station and to our ship with no problem. Please come back afterwards and tell us about it. Obviously it depends on where your ship is berthed, the biggest ships are at pier #25, the rest are out on the spit, #10 - #13. Please note that the map below is odd, the top of the map is not north as is typically the case with maps. The top of this map is actually southwest.

The best advice I got was to stay outdoors and moving as much as possible on arrival day. It made a big difference for me when I followed this suggestion. I've also noticed that I do better with time recovery when I travel with a small group vs. by myself. We start in with the wine at lunch and the laughter isn't far behind, that generates its own kind of energy. However, when I travel alone I just try to keep moving, outdoors.

Good question. I would ask for a refund of both, then rebuy the entire thing with the regional train. I just did a dummy booking and I was able to get the regional train with the port bus for trains departing at 7:12 and 8:12.

No, there are no elevators at Roma S. Pietro: Roma S.Pietro (rfi.it) May I ask where you are staying? Balduina is well outside the normal tourist area, you'd be eating up a lot of time each day getting into and back from the historic center of Rome.

Yes, there is no discount for those over 65, that was discontinued several years ago. Also, I have found that checking whether or not you are from a county with reciprocity is spotty, some places asked for ID and others did not. At the time of the change I assumed (or maybe I read about it, I don't remember) that the decision makers concluded that old people would go to museums and other cultural sites with or without a discount/free entrance, while younger people might not so they spent their funds encouraging them.

The English language info on strikes is here: In case of strike - Trenitalia The list of guaranteed trains, in Italian only, is here: TABELLA_A_Treni_garantiti_DPLH.pdf (trenitalia.com) Unfortunately, your train is not on the list. You can ask for a refund. Your best bet, to travel by train, is get up early in the morning and take a regional train that departs before 8:30. It will be VERY crowded so get on at the first stop, Termini, to increase your odds of getting a seat. There are trains at 7:00, 7:27, and 8:12. Remember that these trains start from the auxiliary tracks three blocks from the main station, if you're taking a taxi to the station asked to be dropped off at the Linee di Lazio entrance on Via Giolitti (at the intersection of Via Mamiani).

For those looking for a great deal in Rome, I just booked Casa di Santa Francesca Romana in Trastevere for the fall. The superior single room cost just 78 euro per night, including breakfast. I've stayed here a couple of times previously and it is a great deal, with one major caveat: it's not for light sleepers. Originally a medieval palace, more recently it was a Catholic monastery or convent (I can't remember which) which has been converted into a hotel. It is a step up from a monastery or convent stay as there are TVs in the rooms, it is air conditioned, there is Wifi and 24-hour front desk. They did not change the flooring, however, and there is no carpeting so you do hear people walking in the hallways or dragging luggage. I can sleep through a brass band passing by, but I can see how it would bother others so I'm noting that. For comparison, I chose this over another convent I've used a few times in Rome that costs only 48 euro per night, but has no TV in rooms, no wifi, and the doors are locked between midnight and 6 AM. I decided that a week was longer than I wanted to go without those amenities. Casa di Santa Francesca Romana in Roma, Official Website (sfromana.it)

No, car services do not fall under the same umbrella as they are not unionized.

The train strike doesn't start until 9 AM, just take an earlier train (one that arrives at Civitavecchia before 9 AM).

No, not just announced. It was proclaimed on the government website on 03/04/2023 (April 3rd 2023). Scioperi - mit2

The 6 euro port bus picks up from your ship. It's only one mile from the port to the train station in Civitavecchia, so that should be plenty of time.

You need to read the bus schedule understanding that not everyone runs every day, there are codes at the top of the columns giving you that information. The return schedule is at the top of the page, the Naples to Pompei schedule is the bottom half. If there is an "F" at the top of the column the bus runs Monday-Saturday (there are no Sunday buses on this route). An "L" means Monday-Friday. L2 and L3 means the bus only runs during specific dates. All of this is at the bottom of the schedule page. As for the guides, there is no definitive price. They are independent contractors who try to make a certain amount of money, they charge by the person to achieve that goal. If there are fewer people, each will pay more.

You won't find a taxi willing to take you the short distance to the train station. Strikes in Italy are almost always announced weeks in advance, on a government website. Many are cancelled before they happen anyway, but it's good to be aware. The site to check is here: Scioperi - mit2

Is your ship overnighting in Fusina or do you need to be back for departure? If the later, you may not have time to go back to Venice and return to Fusina. In that case I would give up the transfer as suggested above, keeping in mind what time you must be checked in. If you are overnighting, keeping the transfer makes life easier. Line #16 departs from Fusina every hour: Actv_nav_linea_16.pdf (avmspa.it) It doesn't take you far but Venice is very walkable once you're on the correct side of the bay. mappa_linee_di_navigazione _aprile_2023_web (avmspa.it)