MeHeartCruising

I walked from the metro station back to Terminal B last year. I had walked to Terminal A previously. On the previous trip, there was a shuttle bus taking you from Terminal A to B. However, when I arrived at Terminal A this time, there was no shuttle bus running. Terminal A was dead (no ships docked at that time on that day). So I started walking to Terminal B. I started to walk along the route that the shuttle bus had taken me on the previous trip... along a roadway close to the water. I was stopped by a guard and told that I could not do that. He made me leave the port area and walk on the elevated street (Akti Miaouli on Google Maps) toward another port entrance (for Terminals C and B). This route took me MUCH longer than I would have anticipated. I would not have wanted to be dragging luggage along for that much time. And it was along an uphill/downhill street due to the elevated roadway. I would pay a taxi a significant premium to take me to the Ferry Pier. I think I would do this even if I was permitted to walk along the waterfront route. It's further than you would think.

Have you called Royal Caribbean to ask about purchasing a transfer to the ship from Ravenna? In previous years, it has been available. A shuttle bus that leaves from the back side of the train station. It runs throughout the morning picking people up from the train and dropping off people just getting off the ship from the previous cruise. Call Royal multiple times if you get an agent that tells you NO. All agents don't seem to know how to figure this out.

Perhaps your agency has its own fees on top of the cruise line fees? I would ask your agency your questions. They own the reservation with NCL.

Well, it certainly can be walked. I did it years ago from near your location. But Google Maps shows it to be about 1.8 miles of walking. I would take a taxi if I were to do it again.

Dorsoduro is near P. Roma, but not immediately close to it. You certainly can walk it, but depending on you hotel location you’ll likely need to go up and down multiple bridges with luggage. I would ask your hotel what the recommend.

I would also agree you MIGHT have time for a visit to Parc Guell, but it probably depends on what you want to do in the Gothic Quarter. When I responded above, I assumed you might visit the Cathedral, maybe the Picasso Museum, etc. in addition to shopping in the Quarter and along Las Ramblas. You might want to allow a 2-3 hours for that. The only challenge might be that the logical order to do these would be Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, and then the Gothic Quarter.

$58 is about the "normal" price for the transfer in past years. I have no idea why they also sell a higher priced excursion that does the same thing, apparently. I just wanted to make sure you are clear on where the transfer that you booked drops you off at. They don't usually drop you at the train station. In fact, the Venice train station can't be reached by motor vehicle. They usually drop you off at the People Mover station on the island of Tronchetto, which is one of the islands of Venice, the city. The People Mover is sort of like an elevated, above ground subway. You would get on it and ride it 2 stops to Piazzale Roma, which is closer to the city center and its hotels. From Piazzale Roma, you will need to figure out how to get to your hotel. Is this your understanding too?

On the newer ships that use the touch/tap locks, I have been able to leave the card in the plastic holder attached to my lanyard. Did it a couple weeks ago on the Breakaway. No problems. For older ships that don't have touch/tap, obviously you need to pull the card out and slip it into a slot. Note, however, (most?) newer ships also require you to insert a card into a slot once INSIDE the cabin to keep the lights/power on. Most cabin stewards provide blank card that you can keep in that slot full time. But if they don't, you need to use your card (out of its lanyard holder) to put it in the slot. This room "feature" is supposed to help conserve costs by shutting off the room power when no one is home.

Your plan will work nicely. You should have plenty of time to go at a nice, relaxed pace.

Aren't all smoking areas adjacent to a non-smoking area?

OP, when is your cruise? Have you actually called the cruise line or are you basing this on what shows as a full excursion on the website? Usually when I see a transfer shown on the excursions page, it is an excursion that goes and sees things on its way to the airport or to a final destination, hence the excursion listing. For the cruise lines I use, I don't usually see a pure transfer listed as an excursion. You don't mention your cruise line, but when I first called Royal Caribbean about getting a transfer from Ravenna to Venice, they told me they didn't offer one. I called back a couple days later and "voila!" they were more than happy to sell me one. It turns out the first agent didn't know what he/she was talking about and didn't know how to look it up. If the cruise is a ways off, I would keep trying. They may add more buses or you may get an agent that knows how to deal with the internal computer system to sell you one. Also, not that you would want to wait that long, but they were still selling transfers to Venice on board the ship during my cruise. In my opinion, the ship transfer is the easiest method and worth the money.

Are you planning on taking a ship excursion? If so, the tendering process OFF the ship is easier and the ride up the hill is included in that. Getting back on the ship, however, is still subject to the cable car lines (or walking down the donkey trail, which I did with no problems).

You are correct. I meant to say studio cabins, not solo cabins. Thanks for the correction.

If the solo cabin price and a standard cabin price is the same, I would pick the standard cabin. The solo cabins are fine, but smaller. I prefer the space over being in the dedicated "solo cabin" area. Other's will have a different opinion since some people really like the solo lounge area. I didn't find it added value to my experience.

Ravenna is a relatively new port for NCL. They don't have a long history there. So they are likely still pulling together tours from local vendors. Also, Ravenna hasn't historically been a popular port stop for larger cruise ships at all. So there may not be many tour operators in the region that can provide these services. In recent years, Ravenna has started to become an embarking/disembarking port for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but those type of stops don't usually have excursions. All you can do is wait and see what they do. Or arrange your own day.

First, both are fine ports, but it would likely depend on your preferences and not mine. For Split, the most common thing to do is to walk off the ship and spend the day exploring Diocletian’s Palace, which is full of Roman architecture and history. Modern stores and cafes and such are intermingled in the ruins so you can do a little shopping and eating if you wish. It’s a very nice day. For Kusadasi, most will probably go by bus on tour of nearby Ephesus - an Ancient Greek site with some very impressive ruins. Try to include the Terrace Houses, which are usually an additional cost. This is also a very nice day. You would possibly have time to also walk around Kusadasi for some shopping. I loved my day in both.

I’ve bought CruiseNext certificates for years. But, No more. I much prefer the CruiseFirst process over buying on board the ship.

Breakaway provided this service last week. You could drop bags off at the Bliss Lounge.

You need to go to the Latitudes desk soon after you board and get on their list for this Platinum Behind the Scenes Tour. They sometimes limit the number of people that can go on the tour. If there are a LOT of Platinum (or higher) passengers on the ship, it could fill up. Also, if there are 2 in your party and only 1 is Platinum, then only the Platinum member can go on the tour. You can ask to get a non-Platinum partner on the tour, but it is usually rejected.

Every hotel that I have ever arrived at early (even super early) will hold your luggage for you until check-in. I've never been to Iceland, but I'd be shocked if that were not the case there too. You could certainly contact them and confirm this. Airbnb's will not typically offer this, although you can ask what they might be able to do for you. You could always book it for the previous day in addition to your arrival day. Whether a hotel will let you check in that early is almost always dependent on whether they have an available room to give you. If they are full with guests, they will need to clean rooms after those guests check out before they could give it to you. Some hotels will let you check in early for free (if they have a room) and some will charge an added fee. You could ask the hotel what their policy is in advance. They probably won't be able to guarantee you an early check-in unless you pay for the previous night as well. Also, I would suggest you try to skip the nap and just power on with your day. Get out in the fresh air. I have found the secret to jet lag is to do this so that your body starts acclimating to the local time as soon as possible. Try to make it until early evening at least before heading to bed. But, if you are lucky enough to get a room, a quick shower before going back out to see the sights that morning will help you stay awake longer.

No hotel is going to have single rooms for 5 people. The above suggestions are the way to go.

I would take a taxi, if you aren't doing the HOHO bus for other reasons. I would not walk there. I actually did walk to the Storehouse. But I was staying in Dublin for 3 days so I had ample time. But for a day visit, doing the walk takes up too much of your time, in my opinion.

This video of the museum popped up in my YouTube feed today. This looks like a great place to visit.

My visit was also on a Sunday. Nothing was open in Mdina that morning, so it really was just a walk thru the streets to a nice viewpoint and then head back to the taxi. I believe we went in the local cathedral there, but I can’t be sure. I have pictures of the outside, but not the inside. So either we did not go in, mass may have been going on, or they just didn’t allow photos. I can’t recall. So one hour was about right. We would have taken longer if more was open. I will add that I regret not going to the Hypogeum. I would try to fit it in if you can.

Very minimal wait. Minutes. No real line anywhere in the process. HOWEVER, I was with my senior citizen parents at the time. We likely were not in the initial rush off the ship. But there was still a line of taxis waiting too. I don’t recall if you could skip the tent and just approach the taxis yourself and zoom off more quickly. I rather liked getting payment negotiated and paid up front.