euro cruiser

Licensed guides are available at the entrance: Guided tours - Pompeii Sites As for getting there and back, you can take a bus from the port (about four-tenths of a mile from the cruise port), the train from Porta Nolana station (one and a quarter miles), or the City Sightseeing shuttle bus from the front side of Castel Nuovo (about four-tenths of a mile from the cruise port as well): Audioguide in 5 languages (city-sightseeing.it) Taxis are also a possibility, There is a fixed fare of 100 euro for the round trip taxi ride, with a two hour stop at the ruins. If you want to stay longer than two hours you'll need to negotiate the additional fare with the driver.

Absolutely stay in Rome, not in Civitavecchia (where the port is located). What kind of budget are you looking at (per night, in euros)? Rome has thousands of hotels at various price points. Where does the ship actually port for Venice?

The town web site (Si è cercato taxi - Città di Civitavecchia : Città di Civitavecchia) lists one phone number for local taxi service, and the same phone number appears on the Port Mobility website (Useful Numbers and Contact Information, Port of Civitavecchia | Port Mobility Civitavecchia), so I'd feel comfortable trying them. This is something your hotel should be able to help you with once you arrive. I would expect to pay between 10 - 20 euro for this trip, even though it is short. Taxis in Civitavecchia Train Station, phone number: +39 0766 26121

Hotels (and other service providers) sometimes will not go out of their way to help customers who book through third party sites, because they make so much less on the room. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Part of the reason you're seeing absurd rates is that you may be looking at rates for transfers from the airport or from Rome to the port. Another possible reason is that you are trying to book something on line that can easily be handled in person once in country. Only foreigners would use a booking site for a local taxi ride, so maybe the thought is .... if they're willing ...

Yes, it exists but there have been reports that it isn't available for every embarkation, so I would plan on it but have a backup in mind just in case. That pretty much means either the bus to Largo della Pace, followed by the free port shuttle, or a taxi. It also depends on where your ship is berthed, the mega ships that use #25 aren't serviced by the same buses as the other berths.

It may be that my phone is just too old (unlike me, of course). I think I've had it for six or eight years.

Eight hours is a lot of time on a train for a one day visit. Between Trenitalia and Italotreno there is at least one train every hour in each direction. The earliest departure from Rome is 5:35 on Trenitalia, the latest return from Venice is 19:26, also on Trenitalia. IT - Trenitalia Italy high speed train tickets| Italotreno.it - Official website

I've been trying to get the Holland America app but the google play store says it won't run on my phone (android). Is this a common problem?

It's possible to take a train in the morning but it would be tight (the 8:12 train from Livorno gets to Florence at 9:33, but getting to the Livorno station could be an issue in the morning). For peace of mind, and a compromise on cost, it might make sense to use a car transfer (rather than a tour) service to Florence in the morning, then use the train to return in the afternoon. I imagine that many of the companies often mentioned here for full day tours also do transfers, I would check some of them for quotes. Unless money is no object, it doesn't make sense to me to pay for a car service to sit and wait all day for you while you take your class.

It's about 90 km/55 miles from the port of Livorno to Florence, about 90 minutes by car due to traffic. Are you sure that your port is Livorno? Some lines are using La Spezia as a port for Florence, which increases the distance and time. Train is a much lower cost option, but again the timing comes into play. What time do you arrive in port, and what time do you need to be in Florence? If it's tight a car service may be your only realistic option.

Yes, this is true for the regional trains to Civitavecchia, the tracks are 600 meters/four-tenths of a mile from the front door of the station. Frecce and IC trains to Civitavecchia depart from the main track head.

I think HOHOs in general work best in newer cities, like New York or Paris (new being a relative term here) that don't have ancient, small centers, or older cities that have been destroyed and rebuilt with something other than foot or horse traffic in mind. Rome is so easy to see on your own. You can follow the pedestrian path from the Trevi fountain to Piazza Navona, safely avoiding cars and buses while seeing the heart of the city.

Wow, thanks for such a quick reply!

Can anyone recommend a car service company for a port day tour in Oslo? We will have a wheelchair passenger with us so we'll need a car large enough for three adults and the wheelchair.

Good point, but it doesn't invalidate mine. All of these rules are enforced by humans and so can be inconsistent.

Which underscores the unknowable "human" factor in these decisions. What one employee will let go, another will stop.

MSC has several ships that port at Venice, but not the old passenger terminal, I think they are using Marghera on the other side of the lagoon. It is still Venice, technically. Check out MSC sailings on the Lirica, the Armonia, the Sinfonia. Viking Sea, Viking Star are listed as using Marghera. Higher end lines like Silverseas and Seaborne list Venice as a port. Azamara does as well. Costa has the Deliziosa, Norwegian Gem is also listed at Marghera.

The only place I remember seeing a turnstyle (or similar) to get in the restroom is a train station; I do remember them at Termini. I have seen women working in the Autostrada ladies room with a small dish to place coins in.

Italiarail is a reseller, not a train company. The two national train lines in Italy are Trenitalia and Italotreno. Only Trenitalia serves Civitavecchia. IT - Trenitalia You may not be seeing all the trains because you are choosing a date too far in the future. Most of the trains to Civitavecchia are regionals and they don't load them into the system more than a few months in advance. To see what the schedule will look like when you are there, pick the same day of the week for the upcoming week. Small changes may happen, but you'll get the general idea.

There are taxis in the lot directly in front of the cruise port. The fixed fare for a taxi to Pompei is 100 euros. This is a round trip fare with a two hour stop at the ruins. If you want to stay longer you'll need to negotiate an additional fee with the driver. There are other options, a public bus (see other current thread on this) and a private shuttle bus run by the City Sightseeing company. Once at Pompei you can join a guided tour near the entrance: Guided tours - Pompeii Sites

Another option that some folks are more comfortable with is the City Sightseeing shuttle bus. It's more expensive and it limits the amount of time you have at Pompei, but it's an option. Audioguide in 5 languages (city-sightseeing.it) The meeting point for this shuttle bus on the other side of the castle you're facing at the cruise port (Castel Nuovo), it's about 750 meters/one half mile from the cruise port on foot. Note that you can pay more for a guided tour with City Sightseeing, or you can join a tour on your own at the ruins (less costly).

On your own I find the SITA bus (public bus) the easiest and most comfortable option for getting from the cruise port to Pompei and back. The SITA bus depot is located at Piazza Immacolatella, 600 meters/four-tenths of a mile on foot from the cruise port. There is a ticket office there where you can purchase your bus tickets (I would buy both the outbound and the return in the morning to make things easier). The ticket is called NA3 Aziendale and it costs 3 euro. Once on the bus you stamp it in the machine to validate it. The bus ride takes about a half hour. The stop you want is Pompei Scavi, the second one listed on this schedule (but not actually the second stop, there are intermediate stops not listed on the schedule): SITA Naples-Pompei schedule As you'll see, from Naples to Pompei is the bottom half of the page, the return schedule is at the top. Information on guided tours at Pompei: Guided tours - Pompeii Sites

Hotels do not have North American outlets, you will need adaptor plugs.

While in country in Italy you do not tip, at most you round up a bill to an even amount (for example, for a 38 euro lunch bill leave 40 euro). While on ship shore excursions I know that tipping is suggested/encouraged, that's the cruise line's issue. If on a private excursion no tip is needed or expected. You are dealing with professionals who are often self employed and set their own rates. They do not expect nor count on tips. I realize that this is uncomfortable for Americans who are accustomed to tipping for nearly everything and are begged for tips these days in even more situations. (Side note: I was recently at a ballpark paying for something at a stand where the employee didn't do anything other than hand me my purchase and he did not move more than two steps in the process. As I paid the credit card machine asked if I wanted to add a tip, I had to actually choose "zero" in front of the employee. This mechanized begging is embarrassing for everyone involved.) But back to my point, it's wrong to export the bad habits of the States to other parts of the world. It may make you feel generous in the moment, but please step back and look at the bigger picture. Of course most people will not embarrass you and refuse your tip, that doesn't make it the right thing to do. Please allow professionals to maintain their dignity and show them thanks and respect in other ways, such as asking them what web sites they would like you to leave glowing reviews on, then follow up and leave the reviews. This helps them build their business for the long term.

Trenitalia now offers a train + bus combo, if the timing works for you. Choose Taormina Centro as your destination to see the connection.