euro cruiser

Unfortunately, per CC rules, share requests can only be posted on roll calls.

It's easy to take the tram down Viale Trastevere from your hotel but it's equally easy to take any of several buses from Largo Argentina (a block from your hotel) to Termini and leave from there. The benefit of Termini is that it allows you to choose a fast train (Frecce or IC) with seat assignments, because only regionale trains stop at Trastevere. Even if you decide to take a regionale, it's better to get on at Termini where you stand a decent chance of actually finding a seat. By the time that same train gets to Trastevere the odds are much, much lower.

Procida is lovely and very easy to reach from the cruise port. If you haven't yet seen Il Postino, do see that before you go. It is set on the island and much of it was filmed there.

Water taxis operate 24 hours a day.

There are three different types of trains that travel between Rome Termini and Civitavecchia. The Frecce trains are seat assigned and capacity controlled and make no stops between Termini and Civitavecchia, and these trains leave from the main track head at Termini. They are the fastest at about 50 minutes. There are only four Frecce trains each day on the current schedule. Once or twice a day there is an IC (Intercity) train. These trains are seat assigned and capacity controlled and they make one stop along the way. They take about the same amount of time as the Frecce. These trains also leave from the main track head at Termini. The other type of train are the regionales, which make up the bulk of the trains each day. These are not seat assigned or capacity controlled, so it's possible that you may stand for all or part of the trip. These train make between five to ten stops along the way and 70 - 85 minutes to make the trip. These trains leave from the southern regional tracks at Termini, which are located on the Via Giolitti side of the station. It's about one third of a mile from the main track head to these tracks. The easiest way to see the train schedule is to go to the source, Trenitalia. Don't look at your actual travel date unless it's very soon, just pick the same day of the week in the next week or two, that will show you what will be. They don't load all of the regional trains into the system very far in advance, which is why you just look at a close-in date. EN - Trenitalia

I think at this point your tradeoff is between an expensive car service with door-to-door service vs. changing the flight for the next day and paying for a hotel in Venice. I can't imagine a scenario in which the latter is a better economic deal, but it would be the less stressful experience. If you decide to keep your existing flight, I would start leaning hard on RCI to let you off ASAP. Another option, what is your penultimate port? Perhaps it would be less stressful to get off there and make your way to Venice.

Much depends on whether this is a non-stop international flight or if there is a stop somewhere within the Schengen area first. If the former, you need to be at the airport by about 8:30, if the later by 9:30. This is not an overly conservative measure, Venice Marco Polo is one of the most disorganized and busy airports in Italy (maybe in the world). It's about two and a half hours by car from Ravenna to Marco Polo, assuming no traffic tie-ups. My first question to RCI would be how possible will it be to disembark by 6:00 AM (if a non-stop, international flight, or 7 AM for a connection).

You're not going to get five people and luggage into one taxi anyway.

IF you can get a taxi to take you it will be at least 25 euro to travel a little more than a mile. Be sure they will take you all the way to the terminal or ship and not just drop you at the shuttle bus stop. For that price they ought to provide a song and dance as well, but they won't. The bus is expensive, it's more than the cost of the train from Rome to Civitavecchia. The price is the same 6 euro whether you buy the ticket on board the bus or from Trenitalia. However, they have a captive audience and very few cabs willing to make the trip, so ...

I suspect that you are looking at a date too far in the future. I just did a pass using tomorrow's date and had no problem getting solutions that include the train and the bus. Are you on the web site or the app? I don't bother with the app and so can't answer any questions about that.

The train is fairly easy, and there will be a couple of hundred other cruise passengers doing the same thing so you'll have company. Many of them will have done it before. Some lines offer a transfer to the train station, if Celebrity does, that's the easiest way to get there. It will be ridiculously expensive, but worth it to avoid the hassle. If they don't they will have a shuttle bus to get out of the port, it's a large industrial port that you cannot walk around. The drop off point for the shuttle buses is at Piazza del Municipio in Livorno. Livorno Centrale train station is one and a half miles from the drop off point. You can walk, take a taxi, or a public bus to get there. The morning trains to Florence (the station is Firenze S.M. Novella) are all direct (they make stops, but you don't need to change). There are trains at 8:12, 8:49, and 9:12 and the fare is only 10,40 euro. You can buy the tickets from English language machines at the station or download the app and buy them in advance. The Trenitalia web site is here: EN - Trenitalia Even though those are the English language pages you still must use the Italian names for the stations, in this case Livorno Centrale and Firenze S.M. Novella.

With this opportunity I would do the overnight in Florence, a bigger city with more offerings in terms of both restaurants and hotels. After all, you'll be on the sea every day on the ship but you only have a day in Florence. You could take the train to Florence on your own on day one, see as much of the city as possible and overnight there, then have a driver pick you up in the morning for a Tuscany and winery tour, with a stop in Pisa on the way back to the port.

And the same newsstand that sells the RT tickets also sells the BIRG, which gives you the round trip regional train fare as well as unlimited buses, metros and trams in Rome, all for just 12 euro.

I think it depends on what you're looking to see/learn. Herculeneum is fascinating but not as a substitute for Pompei; the only thing it has in common with Pompei is that it was destroyed on the same day, by the same explosion. Everything else is different, starting with the type of town it was (a small, seaside resort type town vs. a large, fully functioning city), the way it was destroyed (ash and volcanic mud, vs. gas and lava), and how it was discovered and preserved. They're both worth your time and attention, it's a tough choice to make but port days force that. I agree that a licensed tour guide is essential for bringing the sites to life. Guides in Italy must study for years and pass comprehensive tests in order to get their license, they know what they are talking about. At Pompei it's easy to join a small group tour, or arrange a private one, at the entrance: Guided tours - Pompeii Sites It's a little more difficult at Herculeneum as they don't guarantee that guides will be available, as they do at Pompei.

Here are the primary transportation options on your own: SITA bus from Piazza Immacolatella (four-tenths of a mile from the cruise port) to Pompei, the stop is two-tenths of a mile from the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins. This is the closest public transit option from the port and it's the fastest way to get there. The downside is that there are only a few runs each morning. Bus schedule here. Circumvesuviana local train from Porta Nolana (1.3 miles from the cruise port) to Pompei Scavi. You can use the tram in the street in front of the cruise port to get to the station. The stop in Pompei is just around the corner from the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins. The only upsides to this option, in my opinion, are the frequent schedule (two each hour) and the closeness of the stop to the entrance/exit. Otherwise it is wildly overcrowded, hot, few seats available and a pickpocket's dream. Circumvesuviana schedule here. Trenitalia train plus bus from Napoli Centrale (1.7 miles from the cruise port) to Pompei, followed by the Trenitalia bus to the Pompei Scavi stop on Viale G. Mazzini (the same place the SITA bus drops off), two-tenths of a mile from the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins. Trenitalia information here. City Sightseeing Pompei Shuttle bus from Piazza Municipio/Largo Castello (six-tenths of a mile from the cruise port). The stop in Pompei is right at the Porta Marina entrance. This is much more expensive than the public transportation options (prices start at 20 euro per person) and there are set times that cannot be changed (if you leave at time A you must return at time B), but it's more comfortable for some folks. City Sightseeing web site here. It's probably obvious from the way I've written this, but in my opinion the SITA bus is the best alternative. It's close to the cruise port, there's a ticket office at the bus depot (buy two tickets in the morning, so you have the return ticket in hand), the bus starts from this point so it generally leaves right on time, you are almost guaranteed a seat, the AC works (at least in my experience) and it's fast.

I have not done this excursion (nor any other to Pompei, for that matter) but I can affirm that it is very, very easy to do this on your own. There are bus and train options to get there and back as well as a slightly more expensive shuttle bus that avoids public transportation, if that's an issue.

Yes from the Trevi Fountain to Piazza Navona but no from the Golden Tulip to Trevi. If you make a google map they'll give you the most direct route, but it's all on streets with lots of car traffic. I prefer to take a slightly more convoluted route so I can walk by a couple of my favorite churches along the way (San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane and Sant'Andrea al Quirinale), a quick lesson in Baroque architecture by two masters (Borromini and Bernini). After this, head across Piazza del Quirinale and down the stairs to Via della Dataria, then a right onto Via di San Vincenzo and you'll walk right up to the fountain. Total distance is one mile (vs. nine-tenths of a mile for the slightly more direct google route) but so much nicer and more atmospheric.

You are looking too far into the future. There is a bi-annual system update in early June, regionale trains (which means almost all of the trains between Messina and Taormina) will be the last loaded into the system. All you can do is keep checking until they do load them.

It will probably be loaded into the system before June, but it's impossible to know. All you can do is keep checking.

This came up on another thread but I thought I'd repost it here, since this is about the train to Civitavecchia. You can now buy the bus ticket from the Civitavecchia station to the cruise port when you buy your train ticket. Simply choose "Civitavecchia Porto" as your destination rather than Civitavecchia. The price is the same for the bus (6 euro, more than the entire train ride from Rome!) whether you buy it from Trenitalia or buy it on the bus, so the only difference is the convenience of not fishing around for cash on the bus.

Trenitalia does a system wide update twice each year, in December and June. Regional trains, a category which includes the Civitavecchia Express, will be the last trains loaded into the system. At any rate, the CE has not been such a success that you need to buy tickets so far in advance. There is no financial benefit to advance purchase, the fare for this special train does not vary.

Civitavecchia is the only working station, so if you choose Tutte Le Stazione (all the stations) it will default to Civitavecchia. Civitavecchia Porto gives you the trains with a Trenitalia bus connection to Largo della Pace, the port entrance with the free shuttles to the ships.

The trains between Messina and Taormina are all regionales, which means you'll get on, you just may not get a seat. Also, Trenitalia now sells a combo ticket, train to Taormina-Giardini followed by a Trenitalia bus five minutes later that leaves you at the bus station in Taormina. It's very simple. Normally I would not advise purchasing regional tickets in advance but since itinerary is limited by the number of seats on the bus, I would go ahead and buy it if you decide to go this route. The fare is 6,30 euro each way, which I imagine is a boatload less than the cruise line's on-your-own tour.

The hotel is at the train station (Termini). It's not a bad location, it's just not particularly convenient. If you're only there for one night it probably doesn't make a difference, but if you'll be there for a few days I'd consider changing for a more central location. For example, the Trevi fountain is a little less than a mile away. Going there from the hotel would be easy, coming back a tad more difficult as you'd be climbing up hill.

As to what to do, you need to consider some questions and decide what's most important to you. For example, will you be traveling with luggage? If so, know that the regional trains (which includes most of the trains between Venice and Trieste) have no seat assignments and cannot sell out. What that translates into is a very, very crowded train, probably standing for the entire trip, and difficulty keeping a close eye on your luggage. If the strike goes forward, how flexible are you? Flixbus usually sells out in a normal situation, under strike conditions it's highly unlikely you'd be able to get a ticket at the last minute. Would you be willing to pay last minute rates for a car service? If you are going to Trieste for a cruise departing the next day, there's no need to rush there in the morning. I would look at trains later in the day, after the strike is over, but I would limit my search and pay a bit more money for a train with assigned seats. On Trenitalia that means IC or Frecce trains. On Italotreno, which also covers this route, all seats are assigned. Right now Italotreno has one train departing Venice Mestre at 18:55 and arriving to Trieste at 20:56 for just under 10 euro. I'd grab that and be happy. Italy high speed train tickets| Italotreno.it - Official website