euro cruiser

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.

You should have no problem making the 7:50 regionale veloce train from Piazza Principe station (550 meters/one third of a mile on foot from the cruise port). This train arrives to Milano Centrale at 9:35. If you want slightly more comfort and an assigned seat there is an IC train at 8:19 that arrives at 10:00. For the return you'd want to be on the 14:05 (2:04 PM) IC departing Milano Centrale, arriving to Piazza Principe at 15:44. An hour prior to departure sounds a tad excessive, it's usually 30 minutes, but this would get you there by 4 PM. So after almost three and a half hours on trains you'll have had about four and a half hours in Milan. It's up to you if it's worth it. With a car service you'd get there in about the same amount of time, or more if traffic is heavy. This is an unfortunately short port stop so it does complicate your decision.

At this point only the cruise lines have testing requirements, you don't need one to enter Italy nor to return to the US.

The fast ferries from Molo Beverello, adjacent to the cruise port, take 50 minutes to make the crossing. You can see the schedule here: 2022 Capri ferry schedules: from Napoli to Capri - Book online Note: if you feel the need to buy your ferry tickets in advance, do not purchase through the site above. It's an excellent resource for information about Capri but they add usury level charges to ferry ticket purchases. Buy them directly from the ferry operators, if you need help finding their web sites just ask.

The Ravenna tourism web site directs you to DEPOSITO BAGAGLI VELOSTAZIONE VE.RA, a bike shop which is located in Piazzale Farini (on the right as you are looking at the station). Deposito bagagli - Ravenna Turismo It directs you to this web page for the service: Bike Station Ravenna Italy (velostazione.ra.it)

We had a similar experience trying to board the bus in Livorno to go back to our NCL ship (first and last time on NCL). Rather than allow my elderly mother to continue being shoved around by the crowd we paid 25 euro for a taxi back to the ship.

I'm not sure how far out they sell them but I just looked at the site and at the moment they're only selling them for the next week. I know there have been issues with re-sellers getting on line and scooping up tickets the minute they become available, but they must hold some back because if I wanted to I could buy tickets for tomorrow, and it is VERY busy in Italy right now.

It particularly makes sense to stay near Piazzale Roma if you're only there for one night, for a longer stay the appeal lessens, at least for me. The good news is that Piazzale Roma is an integrated part of Venice, it's not isolated in the way that the Lido is. One way to make staying further into the center of Venice easier is to check your luggage at Piazzale Roma and only take what you need for your Venice stay with you, that avoids the hassle of moving a lot of luggage on vaporettos and down crowded, narrow calles.

Yes, from Beverello the key operators are Snav and NLG. Here are their web sites for direct purchases: Orari traghetti Croazia, Eolie, Ischia, Capri, Procida (snav.it) Collegamenti veloci per Capri - Tratta Napoli(Molo Beverello) - Capri - NLG (navlib.it) Also yes, the service is essentially the same. Just choose the best timing for your crossing.

It looks like it departs at 8:30, wasting the first two hours of your port time, but I don't see where it specifies when it gets back. You need to determine that first. As I read the description this is a very long bus ride with a couple of short stops, for lunch and a wander in Amalfi followed by a half hour boat ride, then a stop at Ravello. The bus ride alone in the summer will require about five hours. If you allow 90 minutes for lunch and a short wander at Amalfi, plus 30 minutes for the boat ride and a 30 minute stop at Ravello you're already at seven and a half hours, too tight for a 4:30 departure if the start time is 8:30.

It is so absurdly easy to do this on your own, save the tour money for a port that isn't as easy. The pier for the fast boats to Capri is adjacent to the cruise port. It's a quick walk over and you're off. Once on Capri you can arrange a boat tour of the island, or you can do it in advance of your trip. This website shows many of the options: Capri: the most popular boat tours. 2022 prices and special offers The same site shows you the ferry schedule here: Capri Ferry Schedules: from Napoli to Capri - 2022 Prices One note, do not purchase ferry tickets through this site, they add usury level fees. If you want to buy ferry tickets in advance purchase directly from the ferry operators. If you need help finding the official web sites, just ask.

That is the official web site for the park. Interestingly, when you drill down into the Italian pages, they bring you to the Unesco site, which does have English pages. Home - Sito UNESCO Monte Etna (unescoparcoetna.it)

Who was traveling to Civitavecchia late last year? Cruising is only re-starting this spring, so who would have a reason to stay there?

The Birg is a one-day ticket. If you're only going in one direction it doesn't make financial sense, just pay for the train (4,60 euro) and the bus (1,50 euro) s separately. If you think you'll be using a lot of transit there are one (7 euro), two (12,50 euro) and three day (18 euro) passes. These are actually hour passes (24, 48, 72) so if you start the first one at noon it's good until noon the next day.

Yes, the BIRG ticket is offered by ATAC, the Rome mass transit company, not Trenitalia. It's faster and easier to buy them from the news agent in the station.

For years NCL has offered a shuttle to the train station, distinct from the shuttle to the drop off at Piazza Municipio in Livorno. Check with them to ensure that it is still offered. Get Your Guide is simply a consolidator, they do not offer the actual service, they provide English language marketing services. On line reviews are quite mixed, as you would expect, since there are multiple service providers.

There are lots of them but they are usually looking for a full day tour, what you're asking for is essential two transfers in one day. Reach out to a few and ask for quotes. You may do better by hiring two difference companies, one in the morning and another for the return. Private tours, Transfers & Shore Excursions - RomeCabs Civitavecchia Port Transfers & Shuttle Service | From/to Rome and Airports (civitavecchiashuttleexpress.com) Rome Limousine Tours | Civitavecchia Shuttle | Rome Limo Transfer (romelimousines.com)

Yes, the hardest part is getting from the ship to the train station in Livorno and back. If your ship offers a shuttle, even though it seems like a lot of money to be driven about three miles, take it. Otherwise you can sometimes get a taxi for about 25 or 30 euro each way, but there's no guarantee you'll find one. The last option is as noted above, the ship shuttle to Piazza del Municipio followed by either a taxi or the public bus to the train station. From the cruise ship drop off point to the station is one and a half miles. Once you're at the station it's pretty easy. There are often long lines at the ticket windows but there are fairly easy to use, multilanguage touch screen ticket machines you can use instead. You could also buy your tickets on line ahead of time. There are no direct trains to Lucca, you'll go to Pisa Centrale and change trains there for a train to Lucca. Pisa Centrale is a good sized station and there are elevators at every track to make it easy to get from one to another. The trip takes a little over an hour, the exact time depends on the connection you get. Once at Lucca you'll walk across the piazza and follow the path toward the city walls and through the opening.

The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine hill are all included in one ticket, you cannot buy them individually. The cost is 18 euro. This is the official site: Ticket Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine_24h | CoopCulture More info about the site: The Flavian Amphitheatre (The Colosseum) | Turismo Roma

Enjoy your cruise!

Yes, this routing saves you time as you're off the train from Civitavecchia at least 10 - 15 minutes before it arrives to Termini and you miss the three block walk from the regional tracks to the metro at Termini. You can be at the Colosseum before someone who went all the way to Termini even gets on the metro.

Yes and no. If you spin the view around to the other side of the street you'll see a parking lot with some tents, that's what I was referring you to. However, recent cruisers have reported that they haven't yet gone back to using that parking lot as the shuttle meeting point. During Covid it was turned into a mass vaccination station and they developed a different drop off point a little further into the port. Not far from there, just not exactly there.

There's a certain enjoyment, and learning, that comes from slogging through to figure it out on your own, but if you'd like help just ask. Lots of us here have done it many times and could share some hints that may not be obvious.

If you're willing to try doing this on your own, using public transit, we can walk you through it step by step. City Sightseeing has come back post-Covid with their bus to Pompei, which may feel more comfortable than trying to navigate mass transit: Audioguide in 5 languages (city-sightseeing.it)