euro cruiser

I think the difference is primarily convenience, it takes almost no effort to use a car service, just more money. The bus is the easiest public transportation option, in my opinion, as the depot where the bus starts the run is located less than a half mile on foot from the cruise port.

You will not make it into Rome for an 8:30 tour using public transportation following a 7 AM arrival, even a car service is questionable.

You can certainly do both with such a nice, long port day. Travel between the two can be accomplished by either metro, bus, or taxi. Taxi would be the fastest in almost all situations. However, depending on what else you may want to do during the day, there may be other places you'll want to visit in between.

90 minutes would be a bit too tight for my comfort level, I'd want two hours prior to the flight, but that's me. At least it's not the three hours you'd want for a direct flight to the States. The building used at pier 25 is at ground level and only one floor. The new building that serves piers 12 and 13 is fully accessible so no stairs. More info here: RCT, the cruise terminal of the port of Civitavecchia | Port Mobility Civitavecchia

I have a Verizon phone and I pay $10 per day (actually, per 24 hour period) when I use it. I used to get a European SIM card but the cost of the Verizon plan isn't that much more and it's just so easy that I pay it. Do you need to use both phones every day? Could you alternate use to minimize the cost?

It sounds like, for your sanity (not to mention actually enjoying your own trip), you might need to suggest that your brother and sister-in-law do their own thing during the day, then meet up with you for dinner.

While it's both interesting and informative to learn what others have done, it's only relevant once you can articulate what kind of trip you want/traveler you are. Many people like tours, others like to explore on their own, others like a combination of the two. Some are into art, others history, others food and culture, etc. It's not easy to find a through line for four different people, one that will satisfy everyone, so it's important to discuss among yourselves how you like to travel. As for what to see, you can't see even the major sites in Rome in less than a full week, so with only a few days you'll need to be judicious and make some tough choices. Just because "everyone" goes somewhere, that doesn't mean you need to, the trick is to find the best fit with your particular interests and desires. I'll bet that in just a few minutes the four of you can generate a list of interesting sites that will exceed the time available, so maybe that's a place to start.

Credit card usage is a lot more common now but you still need cash for small purchases. However, those are becoming fewer and fewer each year. You can tap on buses in Rome with a credit card now, for example. In Naples you can use tap-on/tap-off for metro and local trains, but not yet for buses. I personally like cash, so I always have at least 100 euro with me from my last trip. If I've worked my cash down during a trip I'll hit up an ATM before I leave so I always have my stash, but it's really not necessary. That's just my comfort zone.

I've only flown out of Pisa twice, so my experience is pretty limited. It's not a huge airport, but bigger than Florence, for example. Once at the airport it's not a long hike to check in, security or the gates. If you are in fact allowed off at 8 and have a car service waiting, a 10:30 flight should not be an issue. Tight, but not so tight that I wouldn't chance it, but do so knowing that if the ship is at all late letting you off, you'll be at risk.

I read the NY Times daily and these 36 hours articles are generally pretty awful. When they write about a place you know it becomes obvious how sub-par they are. It's as though they sent someone who had never been there, and then had them write about what they did. These articles are often not well researched, and either rehash the same old stuff, or try so hard to come up with something "new" that they are irrelevant for most of us.

I would avoid the train between Pompei and Ercolano (Herculaneum) because of the schedule issues, it can eat up too much time and the current schedule doesn't work with your day. You'd have to leave Pompei in time for an 11:00 train because the next one isn't until 14:00 (2 PM), which is too late for your needs. This is the segment to use a taxi or a car service. The current train schedule is here, but as they have been monkeying around with it, you must check again shortly before your trip to see what the current situation is: ORARI NAPOLI SORRENTO_dal 2 Ottobre 2023_0.pdf (eavsrl.it) As you'll see, it's also not good for your return to the cruise port. I would either again use a taxi or car service, or consider taking the Trenitalia train back to Naples, from the Portici-Ercolano station (1.7 km/1.1 miles on foot from the exit of the ruins). EN - Trenitalia

I strongly recommend the bus rather than the train to Pompei for a couple of reasons. First, it's closer to the cruise port so you don't have to figure out how to get to the train station from the port and, second, you are pretty much guaranteed a seat on the bus and the AC works. It's really quite easy. The bus and the train take the same amount of time and cost the same 3,30 euro each way. The bus depot is located at Varco Immacolatella, about a third of a mile on foot from the cruise port. There is a ticket office where you can purchase your tickets and the bus begins the run here, so no need to stand at a stop looking for the right bus. There is a bus at 8:00, Monday-Saturday, that arrives to Pompei at 8:35, well before opening time. The stop in Pompei is two-tenths of a mile on foot from the main (Porta Marina) entrance to the ruins. You can see the current schedule here: 0 (sitasudtrasporti.it)

Ah, good catch. In any case, it seems a waste of money to me when public transit is so easy and, in this case, won't cause the OP to lose any time at the site (or sites). They are playing around with the Circumvesuviana schedules, trying to find a way to make the trains run on time. The solution right now seems to be "make fewer stops", which doesn't help if you're at one of those intermediate stops. There is a train from Pompei Sanctuario, close to the Anfiteatro exit from the ruins, that does stop at Ercolano Scavi; however, to make the schedule work you have to change trains at Torre Annunziata and many of these changes require a significant wait time. Therefore, I agree that a taxi between Pompei and Herculaneum is the wisest choice in this situation. I've never noticed taxis at the Porta Marina entrance/exit, but you can find them just steps away at Porta Marina Inferiore. Or you could take the money you'd save by cancelling the morning car service and use that for one to pick you up at Pompei, take you to Herculaneum and wait for you, then return you to the ship.

It's unfortunate that your port time is so early, it's not really "usable" time, other than for transit. Is there some reason you want to pay extra for ship transport to Pompei? It's easy and very inexpensive (3,30 euro) to do it on your own, especially since you have so much lead time before the ruins open.

I think your memory is off, because Jany is the contact person at Rome in Limo. See this long thread:

First think through whether you really need a full day tour, or if what you require are two transfers. Once in Rome most sites are walkable from one another, so you may not need to pay for the bus to wait around for you all day. That depends on what you plan to do during the day.

Do you mean renting and driving yourself, or hiring a van and driver?

Interest, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, so without knowing you and your interests it's hard to answer your question. I would note that Villa Medici isn't a typical museum, while it does have temporary exhibits you can visit the main draw is the gardens. Galleria Borghese houses a permanent collection of some of the finest sculpture anywhere, including a number of amazing Bernini's, as well as a large selection of paintings and frescoes. Maybe a look though each site's website will help you decide what fits with your interests. homepage - Galleria Borghese (beniculturali.it) The French Academy in Rome - Villa Medici

I should amend this, there is one public bus per day from Civitavecchia to the airport, on Cotral. It is of no use to cruise passengers, however, unless you spend the night in Civitavecchia and leave the next day as it departs at 5:40 AM, Monday-Friday. Presumably this is mainly for airport workers.

We are generally more vulnerable in place where we feel at home. I know that I'm no where near as vigilant at home as I am when traveling, but becoming comfortable anywhere can lead to letting down your guard. The story in the Fodors article (linked above by cruisemom42) reminded me of a business lunch in Manhattan nearly 25 years ago. It was a very posh restaurant, a celebration lunch after a successful meeting. I sat down and, as usual, hung my purse off the back of my chair as the author of the article did in Rome. Minutes later my bag was placed gently in my lap by the waiter, who gave me a pointed look and said "we're not in Kansas anymore, dear". I don't think I've ever done that with a purse again, anywhere. I always look to purchase travel clothing with inside, zippered pockets. It used to be easier, LL Bean and Lands End jackets and raincoats all used to have them, but no so much anymore. Now I've taken to buying the zippered pockets on line and sewing them in myself. It may not look as nice as ready made, but they work great and no one sees them but me.

Whether or not you can walk depends on where you ship is berthed, which you won't know until you get there. If you're at north area you cannot walk and will have to take either the free shuttle to the Largo della Pace exit, or the 6 euro bus to the train station.

Yes, both times will be lovely but it somewhat depends on what you are expecting to do. If you're planning beach time at some of your stops, go for the earlier date, October is too late for beach activities, in Italy at least.

It's a lovely way to travel but, unfortunately, April is too early for this service. There are ferries from Naples to Sorrento and Capri year round, but the service to the Amalfi Coast is seasonal. The specific ferry service along the Amalfi Coast starts in April, so if you get to Salerno (by train is the fastest way) you could use those ferries along the coast. Travelmar - The Amalfi Coast ferry service

I think staying in Ravenna is your only real option, there's not much out near the port.

Both Trenitalia and Italotreno serve this route: EN - Trenitalia Italo, italian high-speed train | Book no service fee | italotreno.it