bluedevil1

We've decided to do the same thing on our upcoming trip. We are taking the train to Manarola in the morning, then the ferry to Vernazza and finally hiking to Monterosso. Once we wrap up there in the afternoon, we plan to take the train to Pisa to see the tower, and then back on the train to Florence where we've booked a hotel a short walk from the station. That way we can get an earlier start seeing the sights in Florence before taking the train back to Livorno after lunch with plenty of time to get back to the ship before the all aboard time. Based on our calculations, it actually saves us money vs. doing the ship's excursions to Cinque Terre and Florence/Pisa (even when accounting for travel costs, hotel, and meals) and allows us to travel at our own pace and have more time at each location.

The entrance to Splash Academy is on 12. No entrance on 13, but the first couple nights they had a table up there to register kids. We were on a Spring Break cruise last week and the line to get in for the evening session either stretched down the hallway on 12 or up the stairs to 13. I doubt it is as crowded at other times, but it may be something to be aware of. My family was more forward on 13 and didn't have any issues with noise, but I'm not sure how it would be right next to the club. I didn't feel like there was ever too much noise coming from the club other than during check-in for the evening rush.

We (my wife, 3 sons, and I) are driving in from Dallas for next week's cruise as well. It will be a big Texas party! @boffoboffo Thanks for the great trip report; it is super helpful as we finalize our trip preparations!

Oh good, now I don't need to worry about doing a trip report for our cruise! 🙂 We're heading there in a week to spend a couple of days at Denali before joining you on the ship on the 17th. I look forward reading your about your experiences and comparing to ours. Gute Reise und viel Spaß!