Hydro ergo

Thank you! This definitely makes sense. I reserved our train tickets, with specific seats. I didn't make a shuttle reservation, should I do that? The one on Trenitalia's site only gave us five minutes to make the connection to our train and I would like to have more of a window than that!

Hi All! As I'm sure many of you have done, we've got a busy day in Athens. We are going the DIY route and heading into town right away to see the Acropolis first. After that we are hoping to also visit the Ancient Agora and Monistiraki Square. Was hoping that someone might have a suggestion for a quick grab n' go type lunch in this area? We would love some tasty Greek food, but don't want to sit and spend a long time at a restaurant. thank you!

Thanks @mapleleaves! We've done this on the way there, so that makes sense. But...from what @tsahall01said, it sounds like on the return there is a shuttle bus right from the port to the TRAIN station...or is there still that additional step needed to get the shuttle to the BUS station, then take the bus to the TRAIN and then on your way?

Thanks @MeHeartCruising! We've booked the Freccia on our way there. It looks like the best one for the way back to Rome is at 916. Do you remember about how long it took to get off the ship and over to the station? I don't want to miss our train. thank you so much!

@tsahall01, this is great, thank you! What time did you get off the ship in order to catch your 916 train? (if you remember) We booked the Freccebianca for the way there and got the assigned seats which is what I'm hoping to do for the opposite direction, but want to make sure to have plenty of time. Also with this---when you say to keep walking past the shuttle busses, do you mean the ones that would normally take passengers just outside the port area? And then there is a bus that will actually take you to the train station (skipping the middle portion of the route where you need that city bus connection)?

@laudergayle, yes they do. However, since we aren't going to the airport that isn't an option for us. @The Traveling Man thank you! This is very helpful. Sounds like you have done it before. Did you book train tickets in advance, or just when you arrived at the station? I booked in advance for getting TO the port and I'm glad I did as almost all seats were taken. Trying to decide if it makes sense to do that for the return...but I hate either getting stuck waiting around when we were out much earlier OR missing our train (eek).

Hi Everyone, We are planning to stay a couple extra nights in Rome after our cruise ends at Civitavecchia. We are taking the train to port from Rome, and I'm hoping to do the same when we arrive back. However, I'm trying to figure out the timing. Sailing on Breakaway. When do we NEED to be out of our rooms? (we'll be carrying our own luggage) When do we NEED to be off the ship? What is the process like once you are off the ship? (ie-does it take long to clear customs? This is my first time sailing in Europe) Are there any complications on the return to train, or is it the same as arriving? (ie--just work in reverse with a shuttle out of the port, then local bus to train station, finally train to Rome) Any insight is greatly appreciated. thank you!

Hi Everyone, Wanted to check and see if anyone has had actual experience yet with the timed entry at the Acropolis. The website says to arrive 30min prior to your slot. As such, we booked the 9-10am slot (which says it allows entry as early as 845). We have a port pickup scheduled for 740. If I understand correctly, it should be about a half hour drive from port to the Acropolis? That puts us there around 810. I probably should have scheduled the earlier slot, but was worried if there were any hiccups that morning that we would miss out spot. Anyway, what I'm wondering is, if we get there around 810/820 and get in line and the line moves at a reasonable pace, will they let us in at say 830 or... will we have to go to the side and wait until 845... or will we have to get back in line?? Mostly trying to avoid needing to get back in line and start over and/or be THAT GUY that doesn't know what they are doing and holds up the process for everyone else. thank you all!

I've got the day mostly worked out, but now I'm working on getting BACK to the ship. How much time should we allow? Our departure is 6pm. I tend to like to give an hour window, so plan to arrive back at the ship by 5pm. Taxi? Welcome Pickups type transfer? Bus? thanks!

@scsagh How did your tour with Discover Messina go? The tour I had booked for that day (quickly approaching--Oct 30!) fell through and now I'm looking to find another option. It looks like they have some availability and I thought I would check here on CC to see about any recent opinions. thank you!

@cruisemom42 and @euro cruiser...how do you know if you are booking a Frecce train? I'm trying to arrange travel to port from Roma Termini the day of our cruise (we'll be in a nearby hotel the night before) but I can't tell what the different trains mean. The Trenitalia site lists options that include a logo like an R with extra lines off the back, "intercity", an "RV" type logo, and Frecciabianca (I'm guessing it's this one?) My mistake on this one...I didn't realize that travelling with larger luggage would be a bit problematic on the trains. I'm very comfortable on public transit, but I want to make sure my luggage makes it with me to the cruise! Any insight is appreciated. thank you!

It's a QR code,,,you can print and/or have the confirmation email available on your phone (I'm assuming they will accept either, but I haven't done it myself yet at the airport)

Ah geez... you're right. I didn't even think this through, but that would mean separate ticketing counters for every airline. It must be after baggage and check-in and before security...which makes sense since it's offered by the airport and not the airline. Can I blame a long weekend of last minute planning?? 🙄

ah, ok, I think I get it. So you need to get in the fast pass lane FIRST before you do anything else...then you can check bags, passports, go through security... thank you!

Does that mean it doesn't work if you have to check a bag? Unfortunately we will be checking bags on this trip. Also, thank you for sharing your experience--it's always helpful to hear from people who have actually done something!

Was it worth it? How does it work? The website is a little sparse with information, would love a first hand account---thank you!

W What cruise line were you sailing with when you took this tour? I just booked a last minute NCL for less than a month out. Obviously there aren't a lot of excursion options left! We usually go off on our own, but I'm wondering if it would be worth it to do this one in Olympia for the convenience of getting around to the site and such. thanks!

thank you @cantgetin, this is helpful! I wish someone at Virgin had told me about the potential to change the name when I booked this one (in person on a previous sailing 🙄). They made it sound like their policy was similar to other cruise lines and that I wasn't really able to do much besides have a confirmed space on the ship until I knew who that other traveler would be. Ah well, live and learn. As for the status stuff...I'm not fancy enough for any of that yet unfortunately. Been on many cruises, but many different lines so have yet to achieve a high enough status with any of them to transfer over. This will be my second cruise on VV, so I guess that will get me the Rover status for next time (if the system works). Interesting that they hand out priority boarding after only two cruises...I feel like everyone is going to have priority boarding pretty soon... 😆 I'm just happy I won't have to fight for dinner this time!

Figured I would share my experience booking my dinner reservations last night. I decided to stay up until midnight JUST IN CASE...and I'm really glad I did! I was able to get five out of six nights booked, and a few brunch reservations. Brunch isn't really a big deal, but figured I would do those since I was already awake and in the app. The app actually worked just fine, so that was a relief. But it was clear that this is now the strategy that a lot of sailors are using (reserve at midnight 45 days out) as reservation slots were rapidly disappearing as I was working my way through my list. (hence not getting anything for the sixth night) Jumped on this morning to see what was left and almost all prime slots (from 6-830pm) are full. I know they open more when on board, but since we got stuck with a 315 boarding time this round, I really wanted to make sure to get this settled before vacation. (Late boarding explanation---even though I booked the cruise in March, we weren't sure if my partner would be able to come along until a few weeks ago. I couldn't reserve a boarding time until the second guest had at least a name in place. Another frustrating thing). Overall I do love Virgin, but there are a few kinks that I wish they could work out. Good luck with dinner everyone! 😄 And thank you to everyone who contributed on here, it helped me make an informed decision about staying up late to get this resolved.

Curious what your sail dates were and how it all worked out for you? Any recommendations? thanks!

Thanks @cruisemom42. I do all of these things, but it's always a good reminder to hear again. While I obviously don't want to be overcharged, it's not the money I'm concerned with. It's bad driving and inappropriate behavior that I've experienced in the past and now just try to avoid the possibility entirely.

Yeah, I think this is the way we will end up going for this part. It's not so much the cost. I've had some BAD experiences with taxis (both in US and other countries) and have just found it easier to avoid. I will hope for the best here! Seems like it's very common in this port, hopefully that helps some 🤷‍♀️

Yikes, I'm glad I asked! I knew the port was big, but I'm ashamed that I didn't quite grasp the scale of walking around all of that area. I thought I had a great solution, but now it makes sense why people aren't talking about that idea as much as the busses. Thank you for the cruisepanda link, that is really helpful if we decide to go that route. We're in port on October 26 and I suspect the X80 will have stopped by then. I suppose a taxi is always an option; we just really prefer public transit for a lot of reasons. Thank you!!

We'll be there end of October. And...I live in South Carolina US now...previously in Phoenix, AZ, US for ten years prior. I'm no stranger to heat and how careful one must be in those conditions. I don't think I would want to do it in the summer. Thank you again!

Any experience with the metro vs. the busses? It looks like a pretty straight shot from Port to downtown, say the Theseio station? We have the same time slot in late October, 7am-6pm. Would love to start the day at the Acropolis before it gets too crazy.