euro cruiser

There are only six tracks at Ferrara so you won't have far to go. Ferrara (rfi.it)

There is something about this topic, I find that when folks get comfortable with carry-on only travel they almost become evangelistic about it. I feel like there is some secret I'm missing, because I've tried it and not been comfortable. It always reminds me of my Stats 101 class in college, I was lost for the first few weeks, I just couldn't seem to get over some invisible hump, then suddenly I got it and it made sense. I don't know what the invisible hump is for carry-on only travel, but I haven't gotten past it yet.

You can check your big luggage at the left luggage office in Piazzale Roma, that will make your life a lot easier. That's where a land taxi or the airport bus drop off you, so it's easy upon arrival and it's where you get the people mover to the port, so easy on departure as well. Cooperativa Trasbagagli Venezia – Logistica bagagli, merci e persone a Venezia

Yes, right outside the station.

The Vatican Museums and the Colosseum are two big, time consuming sites so it doesn't surprise me that you can't find both in one tour that also includes a 90 minute drive in from Civitavecchia. If you'll be in town for a day or two longer, can you pick just one of these marquee sites for your arrival day? That will make finding what you're looking for easier. You could do this with a private car service, although you'll likely need to arrange your own Vatican Museums and Colosseum tickets on your own.

Have you already purchased these train tickets? If not, wait. Not all trains have been loaded into the system yet and there will be more options. There is only food offered on Frecce trains and even that I would only go for if I had no other options. Especially now, post-Covid, everything is prepacked and simply heated (if needed). You can do better by taking a little time the day before in Rome to pack your own food. If your train isn't very early on Sunday morning there is a food court at Termini, Mercato Centrale, with some pretty good options. It opens at 7:30 on Sundays. Mercato Centrale Rome | Mercato Centrale

You can take the Port Link bus from the station to your ship. The fare is 3 euro and the bus arrives every 20 minutes. More info here: Civitavecchia Servizi Pubblici Srl - Portlink (civitavecchia-servizi-pubblici-srl.it)

Note that if you purchase through a third party, like RailEurope, they are guessing that the train will be available, they don't actually have tickets to sell before the companies begin selling them to the public. So you're paying an extra fee and you may not have what you think you have.

I'd support almost anything that reduces the traffic along the coast in summer, it's awful. I remember the odd/even gas days, I was a brand new driver and thought I'd make some money waiting in gas lines for neighbors (they were willing to pay) but my mother insisted I do it for free, she wouldn't let them pay me.

First, it's about time. Fortunately, for most cruisers (or at least those who post here), a car service is the only way they drive along the coast, and they are exempt from these new rules. This was actually agreed to before Covid but there wasn't a need to enact it for the last couple of years, all reports have been that this year is overwhelmingly crowded.

I recognize the marketing problem, sometimes they lose sight of the line between selling and managing expectations.

I agree with a taxi from Piazza San Pietro (the basilica) to the Spanish Steps, there isn't a great way to make that span by public transit without a bit of walking. From the Spanish Steps to Trevi is an easy walk, from there to the Pantheon is all on pedestrian walkways and it's not far. If you have time, I would continue on the pedestrian walkways from the Pantheon toward Piazza Navona (stop into San Luigi dei Francesi if you have time to see the Caravaggios, they are amazing). I wouldn't walk any further toward the San Pietro train station from this point, you can take a taxi or a bus from here directly to the station. There is a taxi stand just north of Piazza Navona in Piazza delle Cinque Lune, or just past the south end of the piazza on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II you can get the #64 bus, which ends at the S. Pietro train station. I can't find an easy way to show you the bus route map on the updated ATAC web site but the moovit app has a good one: 64 Route: Schedules, Stops & Maps - P.za Stazione S. Pietro (Fl) (Updated) (moovitapp.com)

A regional ticket purchased on line becomes valid automatically at the time you purchased it for and it remains valid for four hours. In other words, a ticket purchased for the 7:44 train becomes automatically valid at 7:44 (in the way a paper ticket becomes valid when it is stamped) and it is good for travel on the purchased route until 11:44. Since the actual travel time is about an hour, you could take any of the next several regional trains and still be okay. Trenitalia provides instructions on how to purchase tickets from their site in English here: guida_acquisto_online_nuovo_pda_2_mar_ENG.pdf (trenitalia.com) Unfortunately, the terms and conditions of tickets are still only published in italian. The relevant section is here, under the section entitied "Validità". Google translate gets close enough: 4. Utilizzo, convalida e validità dei titoli di viaggio valido dal 18.02.2019 - Copia (trenitalia.com)

Glad Positano lived up to your expectations. I know that DIY isn't for everyone and really, that helps those of us who do like it. The folks who use cruise excursions help the bottom line of the cruise company, which keeps cruising affordable. Usually, unlike this situation, cruise excursion passengers use private transportation leaving more room on public transit for us DIYers, so the whole eco-system works. It is a very personal assessment of risks, benefits and tradeoffs. Given what you know now, would you do anything differently? Although the ferry trip wasn't ideal, it sounds like the day overall met your expectations.

It's very hard to behave differently from what is usual where you are from. I was reading something recently that said people in Bulgaria and Albania shake their heads from side to side to indicate "yes", while they bob their heads up and down to mean "no". I thought how exhausting it would be to communicate if you have to re-train your natural reactions or risk saying exactly the opposite of what you mean. Or how hard to understand what someone else is saying if the word used means one thing to me and the gesture the opposite. Changing one's tipping habits when traveling can be equally difficult and unnatural, yet it's the polite thing to do.

I'm sure you're right that some extra money was very welcome after the last two years, especially for hospitality workers who earned nothing for a long time. Not many of us turned down the stimulus checks, I'll bet. And I'm also sure everyone you tipped was gracious about it, but really, what else could or would they do? Their job is to make you happy, make you feel welcome and appreciated. And you felt good doing it, didn't you? So it feels like everyone won. Except they didn't. That first hit off a crack pipe feels awfully good in the moment (so I'm told) but it quickly becomes expected and then necessary. It's hard to resist when everyone around you is doing it, but to resist is to make the moral choice. Tipping is a crude way of compensating anyone for their work, imposing it on a system that doesn't already have it just spreads a condescending practice further afield. Which is not to say that there is no tipping at all in Italy, you've already noted that rounding up in taxis and restaurant checks in common, but it's not thought of as a tip the way it is in the States. It's as much a convenience for the customer as anything, not having to deal with coins in change.

As long as your departure day isn't a Monday, the ruins at Ostia Antica would be an option. They're just 15 - 20 minutes from the airport and they open at 8:30, so you could spend three hours there before heading to the airport for a noon drop off. Archaeological area of Ostia antica - Archaeological park of Ostia Antica - Archaeological Sites and Monuments - Archaeological Park of Ostia antica (beniculturali.it)

You'll want to be at the airport by noon, which means leaving Civitavecchia around 11. The problem with arriving at the airport even earlier is that the counters for check in won't be open so you'll be stuck standing in the departures area with your luggage. There is a small place to grab a coffee and something to eat in the departures area of T3, but that's about it. I would ask what the very last slot is for getting off the ship and have your car service meet you then.

The City Sightseeing shuttle bus appears to be back in operation post Covid, maybe that's the answer for you. It's not a tour but it's not public transit either, kind of an in-between option that leaves from close to the cruise port. Audioguide in 5 languages (city-sightseeing.it) There are limitations with this option that you don't face with public transit, mainly that you are stuck with their times. You can go at 9:20 and return at 1:45, or go at 11:45 and return at 3:45. Once at Pompei you can join a small group guided tour at the entrance to the ruins: Guided tours - Pompeii Sites You can wait and buy your tickets to the ruins once you get there. If you'd rather have them in advance buy directly from the official site here: Guided tours - Pompeii Sites

The 15:25 (3:25 PM) on NLG will put you back at the cruise port at 16:15 (4:15 PM). The next departure is the 16:30 (4:30 PM) on NLG arriving to Molo Beverello at 17:20 (5:20 PM). Homepage - NLG - Transfer TERRACINA PONZA - TREMITI ISLANDS - NAPLES CAPRI - NAPLES SORRENTO – AMALFI COAST (navlib.it) One of the many great things about a port day in Naples is that the ship will be right in the historic part of town, so if you're back as planned by 4:15 you'll have plenty of time to take a short stroll from the port and see a little of the city. Castel Nuovo is facing the port, you can walk alongside it up to Via San Carlo and be in front of the opera house and the galleria within 750 meters/one-half mile of walking.

The area you'd be heading to is called Rifugio Sapienza. There are a couple of old craters right off the parking lot that you can climb, and of course the funivia (cable car).

Taormina is a resort town, during the season pretty much everything is open. You can get there by bus, train + bus, or private car service. A taxi would actually be more expensive than a car service.

There is a train station (Miramare) 1 km/one half mile from the castle that can be reached from Trieste Centrale in ten minutes for less than 2 euro. More info on the castle: HOME | Museo storico e il Parco del Castello di Miramare (beniculturali.it) One note: Miramare is an elevated station and I don't see any indication that elevators are available, so you'd need to be able to climb a flight of stairs to use it. If that's an issue a bus would be a better alternative. Here is the current bus schedule: linea_06_TS_Gioberti-Grignano_estate_2022_12GIU-11SET.pdf

Lots of us simply use the local train to get into the city. You have to be a responsible adult and get yourself back on time but that's not hard to do. There is a ticket called the BIRG that costs 12 euro and can be purchased from the news agent in the train station, rather than the ticket office. This ticket covers your round trip train fare (on a regional train only) plus all mass transit in Rome all day. There is also a train called the Civitavecchia Express, which costs 10 euro one way or 15 euro round trip. On this train you are guaranteed a seat, which is not the case with the regional train. For even more ease there is a Frecce train at 9:16 that arrives to Rome Termini at 10:03. On this train you get an assigned seat, the fare one way is 16 euro.

Thankfully that scene with the cruise ship won't be repeated any more. We arrived in Venice about a decade ago on New Years Day and during the following week we got to enjoy snow in Venice, it was lovely. Not enough to become a messy hazard, just enough for atmosphere. It wasn't wall to wall people as I've experienced in April and October visits but it wasn't what I would quiet either.