mapleleaves

The first NCL ship at Livorno this season left April 6 so it may be awhile before you get current info. We took advantage of the shuttle in Sept 2019. I don't have any of the details about the schedule. I recall disembarking the ship and seeing many buses lined up for the various tour options, so we looked for the one that indicated Livorno Railway Station. We didn't have to wait long before it filled up and left. Dropped us at the train station and the driver said the pick up would be in the same spot. When we ret'd from our visit to Florence and Pisa, we didn't have to wait long before the bus showed up. Pretty darn easy. Pricey for what it was, but more efficient than shuttle to town, then bus to station.

The timing matches up to the Civi Express, which leaves Civi at 9:07, arrives Rome SP at 10am. Then "you have 6 1/2 hrs to shop", which matches the return schedule from Rome SP at 4:43pm. So it would seem that HAL is providing a direct ride from the ship to the Civi train station so that pax can easily connect with the Civi Express.. That saves pax from having to do the shuttles and buses to the train station.

I had the same issue last Spring when I was in planning mode for a late Sept trip. There's a big schedule dump in mid June and December, so hold on another month. OTOH, the schedule won't be much different from the current one, so you can make plans, just cant make the reservation.

Most towns have a web site to promote tourism and support local businesses. Just google the towns name with Visitor Information and you'll find sites like this: What to do in Seward • Visit Seward Alaska They even have a Visitor Guide that you can order or download: 2023 Seward Visitor Guide by Seward Chamber of Commerce - Issuu There is SO MUCH TO DO in Seward. Depends on your interests, budget, physical abilities. Activities I've done in the past. (I was travelling by RV or by car) The boat tours are fantastic .... close up to all kinds of sealife, birdlife, glaciers. Visit the SEALIFE CENTER in town. Visit Exit Glacier ( tours leave from the waterfront), visit the sled dog kennel and for a cart ride, go fishing, wander thru the town, go kayaking, Rent a car for the day and drive towards Anchorage so that you can visit Exit Glacier, Potters Marsh, Alyeska, and the wonderful Alaska Wildlife Center to see bear, buffalo, musk ox, moose up close. So much to do. Here are the suggested stops if you rent a car and drive the Seward Hwy. BTW, impossible to get lost ..... there's only 1 lane of traffic in each direction until you get to Anchorage. There is SO MUCH TO DO in Seward. Depends on your interests, budget, physical abilities. Driving Highlights | Anchorage to Seward | ALASKA.ORG p.s. In the past, the Seward Chamber of Commerce had a free shuttle that did a RT from the pier thru town. Ask them if they're doing it for 2023. Never mind , a quick google search provided the info: Free Shuttle - Seward City Tours | Seward, Alaska

Flixbus was fine. It was clean, comfortable, and had free wifi. Sorry but it's hard to get too enthusiastic about a 2 hr bus ride ! I have nothing negative to say about the experience. Would certainly use them again.

Are you sailing with NCL ? If so, they offered a transfer to Trieste last yr but only from VCE, I think it was around $60. As you noticed from my earlier post, we stayed in Mestre precruise. Took the train from Mestre to Trieste. Keep in mind that it's about a 20 minute walk to the pier from the Trieste train station. After the cruise we took FlixBus from Trieste to VCE. The bus depot is within a block of the train stn. The train and bus were about 15E pp.

just reverse the directions noted in post #132...city bus from train station to Largo Della Pace which is the port entrance ( or walk the mile) , then a free shuttle to your ship.

It's definitely not Venice, but I've been to Venice several times so I didn't need to pay Venice prices for a pre-cruise room. We stayed up the hill, about 7-8 minute walk from the RR station. (The Villa Costanza if you want to get a sense of the location). Nice clean modern room for 115E. Wonderful restaurant a few blocks away. We felt safe walking around after dark, even by the station. ( I'd be aware of pickpockets inside any station, any country ! ) We were 2 women, 65+. Staying in Mestre means a commute to Venice tho. When you add the walk to the station, wait for a bus, then a 15 minute bus ride, it's almost a half hour. It's much nicer to walk out your door and be IN Venice, immediately surrounded by the magic. But, as I said, we'd been there before and 115Ewas a great rate. And it was great to hop on the train in Mestre. We took a Frecci train that didn't stop in Venice, so there was tons of room. It left around 10am, Business Class, reserved seats, with a snack and coffee for about 15E. Hope that answers your questions.

The 3rd thread at the top of this page is ROME HOTELS. And towards the bottom of the page are 3 threads discussing transportation.

After our cruise last Oct, we took Flixbus, non stop from Trieste to VCE. In your search specify Venice airport. Pre cruise we stayed in Mestre so we took the train to Trieste. Both took about 2 hrs and very economical (around 15E).

We used Aldo Limo in Sept 2019. It was $450 for a 9hr day. We were a party of 4. Most tour companies charge about the same rate. The beauty of having a private driver is that you can customize your itinerary, within reason. Some companies are more flexible than others. Find another couple on your Roll Call to share the cost.

When you say the itineraries are similar, be mindful of the port times. You want to be in port long enough and at the right time of day for any planned activities.

ooops, typo. We stayed at an AIRPORT hotel, so it should read " shuttle to the airport hotel to drop off luggage" ,

You may find that the increased airfare for changing your flight costs more than the private driver. Have you checked your Roll Call or FB to see if anyone is interested in sharing the drive to the airport? They might not have an early flight but would prefer a driver over wrestling with luggage on a train or bus.

That's what we did last yr. Disembarked in Trieste, Flixbus to the airport, hotel shuttle to the airport to drop off luggage, then a local bus into Venice for a last look. With a 3:30am wake up call, we had a very early night. The positive for such an early flight was that the airport wasn't chaotic. In past yrs, I've needed the recommended 3 hrs prior to departure. But I was at the gate within 45-50 minutes.

We sailed out of Trieste last yr. Took the train TO Trieste, and used FlixBus afterwards to the Venice AIrport. Both take 2 hrs. Trieste looked to be a lovely city. There is a gorgeous hotel overlooking the Trieste pier, Savoia Excelsior that people were raving about. Dont know if it works for your budget. Use booking.com or tripadvisor to look at hotels. I had been to Venice several times so we just stayed in Mestre pre cruise. Mestre is the last town on the mainland before you cross the causeway to Venice; hotels are much cheaper but it's a 15-20 minute commute. In Barcelona we stayed at the Hotel Lleo . It was only 2 blocks from the airporter bus stop, and 2 blocks from LasRamblas. Not fancy, but clean and budget friendly, with a good bfast. LOVED Barcelona ! Pick up Rick Steves book, Mediterranean Cruise Ports, so you can learn about the various destinations plus things to see and do.

That routing worked well for us as well; board to SanPietro, return from Ostiense. We bought our tickets at a little shop at Civi Station. There was a line of people trying to use the ticket machine outside the station and I noticed a sign at the shop saying "we sell tickets, RT only". Same price. So we bought RT Ostiense but hopped off early at SP. There were very people on the train, less than a dozen in our car, coming and going. It was great!

I would base my choice on price and itinerary. And if the itineraries appear to be the same, pay attention to the port times. I did the Epic out of Barcelona 3 yrs ago. Loved the Epic, loved the cruise.

Piazzale Roma is the last point of land travel in Venice; it's where buses, taxis, cars drop off visitors to Venice. It's about a 2 block walk to the Grand Canal. And the Venice S Lucia train station is directly across the canal. It's not an attractive area but it's convenient due to its accessibilty to the Grand Canal, airport buses, taxis, water buses. p,s, Hotels on and near the Piazzale Roma 'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Piazzale Roma | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

I don't think anyone would recommend Mestre over Venice, (unless your budget is so restrictive that it's Mestre or nothing! ). I've stayed in Mestre, and would do so again, but only because I've been to Venice several times, so I don't need to pay the high rent there. Nothing compares to walking out your door and experiencing Venice ! The obvious con to Mestre is the commute. It's easily a 20 minute commute from Mestre to Venice. If your flight home is at noon, you'll need to catch the 9am bus to the airport so definitely no time for more sightseeing. p.s. if your trip is this summer you're kinda late to being looking for a room in Venice. You might end up in Mestre by default! If that's the case, just be sure to stay in Venice late enough that you can ride the vaporetto up the Grand Canal in the dark.

Tronchetto is an enormous parking lot, therefore accessible to cars, so a taxi COULD go there, but as eurocruiser said, they might not want to bother with such a paltry fare. I think the minimum fare is 10e so be sure to ask what they're going to charge you for that mile. This article indicates that vaporetto #2 stops at Tronchetto. Depending on where you're staying, perhaps that might be an option. (the link also has info/video on the PeopleMover) Venice Tronchetto Parking Garage | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

Perhaps it's too early?? I read something on tripadvisor about a large schedule dump coming up on June 10. I used the train last Sept from Mestre to Trieste. We took a Frecci train and I recall there were at least 2 departures per hr to choose from. I booked the seats 5 weeks prior. Business Class, about 15E. For the return trip we used Flixbus. We didn't have a reservation so it was about 20e. But advance tickets are less than 10e. The train and the bus were about the same time, about 2hrs. Keep in mind that the train station is about a 20 minute walk to the pier, and the bus station is about a block away from the train station. (There are cabs at the pier ) Another option recommended on tripadvisor is GoOpti.

That was my plan too ! Hoped to spend a full week at Denali. But with the Park Road closed, I'm not as interested in the trip now. Your cruisetour sounds great. Enjoy ! And going earlier in the season should ensure some good weather. Enjoy !

Alaska really lends itself well to RV'g. Other than our stay in Denali, it was nice to travel around with no reservations. We could stay longer at areas that interested us or move on, if they didn't. It's pretty expensive though ..... we were a party of 3 seniors which made it very affordable. If RV'g isn't an option, consider renting a car and stay at hotels. You really have to do your research to figure out where you want to stay and for how long, but what a trip! And an easier option is a bus or train or bus/train tour with this company. Alaska Tour & Travel | Vacations, Hotels, Tours, Cruises & Railroad Trips (alaskatravel.com)

Most towns have a Visitor Information site to encourage tourism and support local vendors. And the site usually includes a downloadable Visitor Guide, maps, town history, etc. But yes, it's a very small town. I was there with a rental RV and loved our time at the harbor. Sadly we had terrible weather so the kayak trip was cancelled. On the plus side we drove out to the Point and watched bears catching salmon. Valdez is of my favorite locations in Alaska. Home | Discover Valdez (valdezalaska.org) Free Visitors Guide | Discover Valdez (valdezalaska.org)