mapleleaves

Yep, RyanAir sure doesn't have a good reputation, but sometimes their prices can't be beat. My cousin in the UK uses them frequently to visit her vacation home in Portugal. Her theory is she can put up anything for 2 hrs when the flight only costs 15E. If you fly into VCE, Mestre train station is a good option. Only 15-20 minutes by taxi or ATVO express bus. A taxi will cost about 40E and ATVO is 10E pp. ATVO will drop you off at the far end of the block where the train station is located. It usually has 3 departures per hr to Mestre. Comfortable ride. linea035b_29.10.23-30.04.24_(3)6412.pdf (atvo.it)

Our cruise on the Epic was scheduled to arrive at 5am to Barcelona. I don't know when disembarking started but at 7am when I went to bfast there were 12-15 people in taxi line. The line moved quickly. There were also NCL transfers and independent busses to the airport. You shouldn't have any problem with an 11:30 flight. But I would plan on arriving 2 1/2 - 3hrs prior; the airport was quite busy. We had a 1pm flight to Lisbon and left the port around 9:30am.

Are you flying into Venice first in order to sightsee? There are frequent trains from Venice to Ravenna but I believe a connection is required, usually in Bologna. So if you aren't sightseeing in Venice, perhaps you can fly to Bologna instead. I think the trains are almost hourly between Bologna and Ravenna. And if you look further down the page there's a post on transportation between Bologna and Ravenna.

You two will be fine. My little group was like a herd of cats ! We missed every train I planned on! I'm a planner so it drove me crazy. I bought RT Civi Express tickets because the train was there and boarding. I figured if the return time didn't work for us, so what ....we would lose less than $10 on that ticket! and we could buy a new ticket on a Regional train for less than $10, so it's still inexpensive transportation.

I think you're overly stressed about this! It's not a chaotic scene. I don't remember what time we disembarked. Probably around 7:30, certainly no earlier than that! I don't recall waiting for a bus so there must be several busses leaving one after another. And there were quite a few empty seats on the train in both directions. The advantage to the Civi Express is a guaranteed seat, so if you definitely want the Express, prebook the train/bus combo. Disembark early if you're worried long lines. Worse case scenario is: you're standing at Civi Station for 30-40 minutes, waiting. OR, if you want more time in Rome, disembark early, pay 6E cash to the bus driver and buy a ticket at the station for the next available regional train. (you may have to stand for all or part of the trip) Read post #313 from TheHawk which outlines the timing of their experience. Civitavecchia (port) // Rome by Train 2023: Your questions answered here! - Page 16 - Italy Ports - Cruise Critic Community

There is youtube video that shows the majority of this excursion. And reviews on tripadvisor. BTW, you won't avoid the "chaos"; you still need to take the cable car down to your tender.

If you can easily manage your luggage over a small bridge or 2, this listing will be useful: 'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Piazzale Roma | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com) Are you flying into VCE? or arriving by train, bus? And how many nights are you staying? Another option is to stay outside of Venice, ie Mestre which is on the mainland just across the causeway from Venice. About a 15-20 minute commute. The downside is that if you need a break and go back to your hotel, you're probably done for the day; you won't return to finish sightseeing. There is a bus stop in front of this hotel; about 15 minutes, 2E. Venice Hotels - Hilton Garden Inn Venice Mestre - Mestre Hotel Or stay across from the Mestre train station where it's an easy 12-15 minute ride by train or bus to Piazzale Roma. With these hotels you have easier access since there is a bus or train leaving every 10 minutes. Hotels near Venezia Mestre Railroad Station | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com) To reach the cruiseline shuttle from Mestre, a taxi to Tronchetto would be around 40E, 15 minutes.

In Oct someone posted a trip report, stating that they took a water taxi from Amoudi Bay to the old port. It was the one and only time I've heard of such a service!! Their itinerary for the day was.... tender to old port, cable car to Fira, Uber to Oia. After walking around Oia for a bit they walked down the long staircase to Amoudi Bay and saw a boat offering rides back to Skala for 20E. A much smaller boat than the one leaving from the tender port, maybe 15-20 pax. They had no company name or phone #, so there's no know of knowing if they'll be running on any given day ( just like the other water taxi service). If you have enough time for a backup plan, it would be worth looking into.

I think 2 factors to consider are: how long is your journey to Rome/Athens? and the age of the kids? For me, it's 12-15 hrs of travelling to Europe, so I like to have a couple of days pre-cruise to get over the jet lag. Plus Med cruises are port intensive and can be exhausting so I want to be rested up and ready to go.

We boarded in Barcelona too. LOVED that city! I didn't pre-purchase; only because I didn't know what time our little group would be ready to go. (we were traveling with people I'd never travelled with before). When we got to the Civi train station there were 7-8 people in line at the ticket machine, but I noticed the little shop next door was selling tickets so we just bought them there! same price, and we were in time for the Express Train so it worked out well. If I knew I would be on a specific train, I'd pre-purchase. Especially because you can buy tickets that include the 6E bus fare from the ship directly to the Civi train station. (on the trenitalia site, choose your starting point as Civitavecchia Porto.) What time do you dock in Civi? While the Express train is comfortable and not crowded, it's limiting in that there's only 1 departure each way. You may want to take an earlier train in order to extend your time in Rome. Hope this helps.

For our port day in Rome, we used the train, the Civitavecchia Express, about 1 hr each way. Easy, comfortable and so inexpensive. We bought a RT ticket to Roma Ostiense for 15E, but disembarked early at S Pietro so we could stop at the Vatican. After that we walked or took taxis to visit places of interest, then boarded at Ostiense for our return to the ship. Highly recommend this service if it works with your port times. The only downfall is ...one departure in each direction, so you leave Civi around 9am and you leave Rome around 4:30pm. Civitavecchia Express: non-stop train for cruise passengers | Port Mobility Civitavecchia

All 3 itineraries look great ! The choice will come down to YOUR interests and priorities. For me the NCL cruise stands out by far; I actually considered this itinerary for 2024 but it got bumped by a land trip. It visits places I want to see or have enjoyed in the past, and I'd love to have a couple of days in Istanbul post cruise. (my cruise last Sept missed Kotor due to rough seas and I'd love to get there. I was so disappointed but luckily Dubrovnik surpassed expectations which lessened the sting). As for Santorini, our port time was 2p-10p, with only 1 other ship in port ( 8-5). In theory, it looked easy. And my original plan would have worked perfectly .... take the NCL excursion "Charming Oia Village" to avoid the cable cars, in Oia inform the guide that we were leaving the group, then explore Oia on our own, take a bus/taxi to Fira, return to the ship by cable car for the sunset around 7pm. HOWEVER, the OIA excursions were sold out. ( I didn't book the cruise until 6 weeks prior). We stood in the cable car line for 2 hrs, so it was 4pm by the time we got up to Fira. We wandered around for an hr, took some photos, all the while watching for a taxi to Oia. By then it was 5pm so walked to the taxi stand; no taxis and no bus at the bus station. Then we debated whether we should skip Oia; what if we couldn't find a taxi to bring us back to Fira, or the bus was full. So we hung around Fira for another hour and about 6:30/7pm went to the cable car expecting another long line. There was NO ONE !! The views from the ship were wonderful; we watched the lights coming on all along the cliff and a very brief sunset due to clouds. So ..... if I was to visit Santorini again, I'd take the NCL excursion, OR, the water taxi. We considered the water taxi; it sat at the dock for an hr waiting for additional pax but we didn't expect that we'd be in line another hr for the cable car. Good luck with your choice! It will be a tough one, but nice to know you can't go wrong !

Keep in mind that the Pearl won't actually depart from Venice. NCL usually uses Trieste as it's Venice port. It's an easy 2 hr ride from Venice to Trieste, by train or flixbus (10-15E) or NCL transfer (60-70). I think you'll get more feedback if you post links to each cruise. People will want to see which ports are included, and the port times.

A couple of private transfer companies have been mentioned in previous posts; NCC VIM Transfer and VQ Travel are the only names I've noted. Very pricey though, around 400E. Is your xtra luggage worth this expense? Perhaps you can find others on your Roll Call to share the cost.

The boat company runs a bus from Oia to Fira every 30 minutes. Be mindful of the timing for the last bus. There is also a public bus that goes between Oia and Fira. Or a taxi. But as the PP stated, once you get to Fira you either take the cable cars or trail back to the tender.

When I was in Santorini last Oct, the boat service was 30E. It was a large boat, carrying about 80-100 pax. It sat at the dock for an hour, waiting for more pax before it would leave. ( But that was better than than our 2 hr wait in the cable car line.)

there are guide books specific to Med cruises, ie Rick Steves has Mediterranean Cruise Ports. The books provide info on the history of each port, sights, activities, tours, DIY options and how to get around. Borrow from the library or buy on amazon. Be sure to involve your teens so that you get their input and buy-in.

Learn about the ports in order to determine what YOU want to see and do. Some people want to see ruins, others want beach time or a sailing adventure. There are travel books specific to Mediterranean cruises, ie Rick Steves "Mediterranean Cruise Ports". The books provide information on sights, activities, excursions, restaurants, and DIY options. Borrow from your library or order from Amazon. Santorini can be a mess due to the cable car fiasco. And if your trip is in August, you will want to avoid waiting an hour or 2 in the blazing sun. Read the Santorini thread at the top of the Greece Forum for details. This is a port where the ships excursion can be very helpful in that you will avoid the cable car going up, but sadly still have to deal with it going down. (Google to find out how many ships are in port with you; their arrival/departure times and # pax. Tha info will help you determine a less busy time for the return trip.)

Positano is very small; hardly enough there to see and do for a full day. Perhaps hop on a ferry and visit Amalfi as well ? Highly recommend the ferry for great views ( Travelmar ferry) We did a private tour; we considered Pompeii plus Amalfi Coast but ultimately decided that the coast was our priority. We visited Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. It was a full day. There are many companies who provide group and private tours. These companies have been mentioned in past trip reports; Rome in Limo, Joe Banana Limousine, Aldo Limo, Italy Tour Sharing, Taxi Mistr Cab Driver, Carmines Amalfi Coast. If you use the Search function and search in this forum only for the word Amalfi, I'm sure you'll find other companies as well.

Cruisetours are quite expensive. I can't imagine paying that kind of price without knowing all the details. But, your money, your choice. Have you looked at the Alaska forum and read thru past trip reports ? The reports are usually detailed and are a great resource. If you at least know your destination each night and you're sure that ALL travel is being done by train, it is relatively easy to understand your day. There is only ONE departure each day on the Alaska Railroad, so just use their schedule to determine the arrival and departure times for each location. For instance if your itinerary is Anc - Talkeetna - Denali, you will leave Anc at 8:20am and arrive Talkeeetna at 11am. So you will have the afternoon and evening plus a few hrs the next morning to explore Talkeetna. Denali is where it gets dicey. Be sure you have 2 nights here, otherwise you may not have enough time to do a bus tour thru the park to see the wildlife and scenery, as well as enjoy the exhibits, activities, trails, and surroundings. Train Schedules | Alaska Railroad If you would prefer more time at specific locations, the Alaska Railroad provides several different travel packages.They make the arrangements for lodging and travel. Summer Travel Packages | Alaska Railroad Or, this company runs the main bus line in Alaska ( Seward, Anc, Talkeetna, Denali) and they also work with the railroad to provide packages by train, by bus, or bus and train combo. Again, they make the arrangements for hotels and travel. Best Alaska Vacation Packages 2024 | Top Alaskan Vacations | AlaskaTravel.com

Another good resource is to read thru past yrs Trip Reports. In the blue banner at the top of the page you'll find LIVE CRUISE REPORTS. The heading for each report usually indicates the itinerary, so you can easily pick out the reports that will have similar ports.

Difficult to answer since we don't know your interests and physical ability. I recommend that you buy a guidebook and read up on each port to determine what YOU want to see and do. There are guidebooks specific to Med cruises, such as Rick Steves 'Med Cruise Ports' and Ann Vipond 'Med by Cruise Ship'. Borrow from your library or buy an older edition on Amazon. Also, go to the Ports of Call forum here on cruisecritic for Italy and Greece ; lots of good info. Italy Ports - Cruise Critic Community I'm a budget traveler so DIY is the usual option. MYKONOS is a lovely picturesque town. DIY ..we just wandered thru the alleys, enjoyed the white washed homes, visited Little Venice, walked to the windmills. SANTORINI - Do an NCL excursion here in order to avoid the cable car fiasco! I had heard about the problem so I tried to book Charming Oia Village but it was sold out. It would have taken us by bus to Oia ( avoiding the cable car mess), then on to Fira to take the cable car back to the tender. We stood in the sun for 2 hrs in the cable car line on arrival. No wait for the return trip. But the 2 hr wait ruined our visit..... we were unable to visit Oia. You can read about the cable car fiasco on the Ports of CAll , Greece forum. Greece Ports - Cruise Critic Community FLORENCE - I assume you port in Livorno. We took the train to Pisa for a quick photo of the Leaning Tower then another train to Florence where we spent time at the Market and walked around the outside of the Duomo NAPLES - we wanted to do the Amalfi Coast and see Pompeii but there wasn't time for both. Amalfi Coast won so we did a private tour, visiting Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. ATHENS - walked to the subway then visited the Acropolis, watched the changing of the guard at the Parliament Bldg, wandered around the Plaka.

both times in Mykonos we were supposed to tender but docked instead. If you tender, the free shuttle goes to Mykonos Old Port which puts you at the edge of town; about a 10 minute walk to Little Venice, and another 5 minutes further gets you to the windmills. If you dock, you can take the free shuttle to Old Port. Or walk a block and take the SeaBus to Old Port for 2E.

The rooms were very economical so I booked a room with a view. Not that I took advantage; a peek when I arrived and before I went to bed! There's a small rooftop terrace with the same view. (BTW, had a lovely dinner in their dining room, but hopefully you'll still be exploring in Venice at dinner time) There are a few other hotels by the airport, including a Marriott if you have points to use. But I would certainly recommend the Antony; clean quiet convenient and economical. Venice Airport Hotels | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com) Agree with PP's advice; head into Venice asap, hop on a vaporetto and travel down the Grand Canal to St Marks. The quickest way to Venice is by cab; about 35e/ 15 minutes. But ask about the hotel shuttle; I think it was 5E pp. The local bus is a 3-4 block walk from the hotel, 1.2 E/ 25-30 minutes. All options drop you at Piazzale Roma, which is a block from the Grand Canal. When you get to the Canal there's a vaporetto station on your left to buy a ticket and board. Be sure to validate your ticket ! The views are magic !! I've been to Venice several times and it still takes my breath away. This is an easy quick view at dusk from the bridge at Piazzale Roma looking down the Canal.

You will choose a time frame, but it's not really enforced unless you're trying to force your way on board before 9am. We flew into Venice, overnighted, then boarded in Trieste. I chose a 12-1pm checkin based on our train schedule. The train left around 10am, arrived Trieste around 12:15pm, then a 15 minute walk to the pier. Sadly, it was pouring down rain so we had an hr wait for a taxi !