marazul

There are many gondola stands along the canals. You simply walk up to one and get on the next one. DO NOT PREBOOK A GONDOLA TOUR you will be overcharged. The prices are set by the city government: 80 euros for 30 minutes from 9 am to 7 pm 100 euros for 35 minutes from 7 pm to 3 am. They only take a maximum of 6 passengers. Here is a map of the main gondola stations: https://www.veniceingondola.com/gondole Some operators offer a tour and gondola combination. I think it is better to do them separately. Here are the options: https://www.getyourguide.com/s/?et=52926&psrc=widget&partner_id=374MR5Y&utm_medium=online_publisher&currency=EUR&q=Venezia&queryMatch=all&widget=activities&wid=add4c5af-5272-5c2d-aab2-5d775ae2b1b2&visitor_id=03ABB2D6E8094126AA20B5ED0517C3FD&visitor-id=03ABB2D6E8094126AA20B5ED0517C3FD&locale_autoredirect_optout=true

Sounds good. We have a couple of SB cruises next year. A lot of family events this year, so no Europe. I am sure we'll meet on board one of these days. I am afraid the airport may be your only choice on a Sunday. You could go to St Paul first and then across to Bellet. The road back is along the Var river and straight to the airport. The traffic is not bad in April.

Bandol produces some excellent reds and IMO the best rosés. A big difference from the supermarket rosés sold over here.

I believe there are day tours to the wineries. Google it.

Happy to send you on detours. The road over to Vence goes trough La Gaude and some pretty landscapes. The Matisse chapel is on that road just before you enter Vence. Great restaurants there. When are you there next?

I lived near Cannes for a few years and I am a beach person. However, the end of September is pushing it weather wise. Beach facilities start closing down and the water is getting cold. There is a tiny and lovely wine area just above Nice. It is called Bellet. For a beautiful relaxing day, rent a car and head up to Saint Roman de Bellet and visit the handful of wineries that comprise the smallest (and one of the oldest) appelation controlée in France. The main vineyards are Château de Bellet and Château de Crémat and they can be visited. https://vindenice.com/home/ belletwine.com

This is a good company, but you may have waited too long to book. https://provence-amazing-tours.com

Can you clarify? When you say "next day" do you mean 12 or 36 hours after you arrive? If it is 12 hours, stay in Piraeus. If 36, stay in Athens.

It's the same one.

It doesn't say, but it should go to Athinios where you board a tour bus to Oia. Back by cable car.

They go only one way. All the services in the island have deals to give customers to each other. So you can take the boat, but you have to use the bus and cable car to get back. You know my take - fly to Santorini and skip it as a cruise port. 😁

Pizza, wine, gelato, restaurants and . . . linguistics! Gambero Rosso is the Italian food and wine magazine. I often quote articles from the Gambero Rosso "Today" newsletter. Not only does it have recipes, restaurant reviews in various cities, wine reviews and many other yummy articles, but it also has a feature that lets you listen to the article. It helps you learn how to pronounce all the words while finding out where the best pistachio gelato can be found. 😉 The newsletter is free. You subscribe here: https://www.gamberorosso.it/newsletter/ Check "Gambero Today" to receive the newsletter Nome: name Cognome: Last name The articles you can link to in the newsletter are also free, although there are some "premium" items. In each article you will see the banner : Ascolta questo articolo ora... (listen to this article now...) Click on it to listen to the article and learn the right pronunciation. Here are some good articles: Where to eat supplì in Rome: https://www.gamberorosso.it/notizie/classifiche/dove-mangiare-suppli-a-roma-i-migliori-della-capitale/ Where to eat the best Roman pizza: https://www.gamberorosso.it/notizie/dove-mangiare-la-pizza-romana/ Where to eat in Fiumicino; https://www.gamberorosso.it/notizie/notizie-ristoranti/dove-mangiare-a-fiumicino-i-migliori-ristoranti/

The Gambero Rosso today has a list of the eating places in Rome that Katie Parla recommends to tourists. https://www.gamberorosso.it/notizie/un-americano-a-roma-38-posti-consigliati-ai-turisti-per-mangiare-nella-capitale/

"Oia on your own " can mean different things on different cruise lines. Why don't you post the description?

Just a comment on your Trieste to Venice transfer. If you arrive by road, you end in Piazzale Roma. If you come by train, you end up at the Santa Lucia Station, just across a bridge (short walk) from Piazzale Roma. It makes very little difference if you arrive in one and leave from the other. You are (wisely) leaving the ship one day before the end of the cruise. "Transfers" by bus are one-way and usually arranged on the last day of the cruise. Traveling by bus to Venice on the day you leave, will probably be called "Venice on your own" round-trip excursion and probably costs more than the "transfer." However it is called, you will be able to store your luggage in the hold underneath the bus. You are simply not going back to the ship. There is a small chance that a one-way "transfer" will be arranged the day before for possibly a slightly lower price if enough people decide to leave the ship early. I would sign up for the "Venice on Your Own" to make sure you have a place and then discuss the details of not returning to the ship or a possible one-way fare only when you are on board. As they told you, they are not going to stop you from leaving. Going by bus would be more convenient and quicker than going to the train station to get the train.

Grab it!

Please, stop! Do not book a tour for the Vatican or the Colosseum one year ahead of time. Especially with a single operator who may or may not be in business in a year. For the Vatican, book the early admission tour directly with the Vatican Museums. They have been in business for 2000 years. They will be there next year. You will be guaranteed an exceptional official guide trained and vetted by them. Reservations open 3-6 months ahead of time. Start checking in January. There is plenty of availability. The website is: https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home The best tours are: Prime Experience - Vip - Vatican Museums - for your own arranged group of up to 10. About €400-450 for the group Prime Experience - Vatican Museums - you will be put in a group of up to 25. About €70/pp Description: A proposal intended for visitors interested in enjoying the unique experience, entering into the Vatican Museums one hour before the official opening time. The guided tour is conducted by an authorized educational Guide. Having finished the tour, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a delicious American Breakfast - at a table- in the magnificent setting of the Vatican Museums. After the American Breakfast, it will be possible to visit (without the guide) the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Admission Ticket included. There are also the Breakfast at the Museum (plain and VIP) tours where you have breakfast first and get to do the same tour a little later. More people around, but not bad. A little less money. Also, the Extra Time Sistine Chapel (plain and VIP) tours which are the same as the Prime Experience tours above, but later in the afternoon and end up with Happy Hour instead of breakfast. Same prices as the Prime. If you check the website now, go to a few months ahead to see the descriptions because they don't show the sold out tours in more recent days. For the Colosseum and Forum wait until Jan-Mar to book a tour with one of the reputable operators, maybe even the one you mentioned. I say this because it is extremely difficult to get the tickets on the official website (coopculture.com). The tour operator bots scoop up all the tickets leaving none for the public.

It would be Venice to Naples (Napoli), not Rome. You don't want to pay for a transfer from Rome! Cruisemom is wise. 😁 Yes, stopping in Pompeii makes a lot of sense and it would save you a lot of time. And yes, they wait for you with your luggage safe in the car. Ask them to arrange for a private guide in Pompeii. The site is huge and the guide will take you in a well organized route to the highlights. Either Joe Bananas or Rome in Limo are good choices. You will be glad you are spending the extra day in Venice. No, it should not be an issue. As they said, they can't stop you. But you must tell them before you disembark. I don't like prepaying for rooms this far in advance. The savings may not be that much and you might find another hotel you like better. The insurance might not cover itin that case. And we do have both friends and family in Charlotte.

I like your second plan better. By all means, stay in Venice 2 nights. There are trains that go from Venice directly to Naples (Napoli Centrale). They are the Frecciarossa (red arrow) trains. The overnight train is NOT direct, you have to change trains in Rome with a 50 minute layover. Here is a Saturday schedule for the direct trains. (It will be the same next year.) If you take the 7:26 or 10:26 trains on Saturday July 13, you can arrange a transfer/tour with one of the tour companies that takes you to Pompeii first and then to your hotel. Then you have the whole next day (July 14) to go to Positano and the Amalfi Coast, whether by ferries or car. If you stay in Sorrento you have the view of the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the background. In the AC, you have great views of the sea and it is more convenient to sightsee the coast by ferry. There are no direct trains from Venice to Sorrento. The only one leaves at 6:26 am and requires two changes. Your plan for Rome and Florence works. There is no immigration when you disembark. Just make sure you notify the cruise you are leaving so they don't go searching for you. BTW - Do you teach at CMS? What subject? (Just curious, I have friends with kids in CLT.)

Yeah, I didn’t think it would be a good idea. We’ll probably go straight to the ship after we leave Rome anyway. The pizza in Sorrento and the Amalfi coast is every bit as good as the one in Naples. It is "pizza napolitana" in the whole area. And the mozzarella di bufala comes from just inland. I have had wonderful pizza in Amalfi and Sorrento. Pepperoni is a pepper, not a sausage. The margarita pizza is worth trying to enjoy the really good mozzarella di bufala. Or try one of the standard combinations in the menu. You will not find "meat lovers." That's because the ice was made from the tap water one is not supposed to drink. The water and ice are just fine in Rome and all major cities in Italy.

Auguri!

That's right. During the day you can go to Akrotiri, beaches, Pyrgos, etc.

In theory, not in practice.

Sail an itinerary without Santorini. Fly there for a couple of days before or after your cruise. It's a 30 minute flight. Rent a car. There are lots of hotels at all price ranges. It's the only way to avoid the crowds and enjoy the island.

That could be easier and cheaper.