mapleleaves

In a long thread about Ravenna-Venice transfers, Little Britain noted that she was using VQ Travels for her group . TRANSFERS|VQTravels

With only an afternoon and evening in Venice, staying in the Piazzale Roma area makes sense. No point schlepping luggage onto a vaporetto to go 30-40 minutes to St Marks. This way you can drop your luggage at your PRoma hotel, walk a block to the Grand Canal vaporetto station and start sightseeing. And the next morning there will be taxis at Proma to take you to VCE, a 20 minute driv A list of PRoma hotels. The one bridge is very small. 'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Piazzale Roma | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

How are you arriving to Venice .... airport, train, bus ? -If arriving by train, a hotel near the station would be best. The station is on the Grand Canal and has a vaporetto station out front -If by bus, the Piazzale Roma area would be more convenient - if by air, a private water taxi could get you close to your hotel, if not right to the door if your hotel has a dock. Pricy tho, about $160 (for the boat, not per person.

The only private transfer cost I noted in past threads was 445E.

You can always hope that your flight arrives during a lull in the Film Festival traffic; and when you get to the airport dock perhaps there will be a water taxi available. If you're not so lucky, the Alilaguna dock is nearby so the blue line of the Alilaguna is an option. It can take you from the airport to St Marks and from St Marks to Tronchetto for the cruise shuttle. However if you have too much luggage it could be a struggle to reach your hotel from the St Marks stop. Plus it takes over an hr from the airport due to the stops it makes along the way. Blue Line | Alilaguna Another option would be to take a cab from the airport to Piazzale Roma (the last point of land travel in Venice (so basically a parking lot for buses, taxis). Put just the items you'll need for Venice into 1 suitcase and store the other suitcases at the Left Luggage Facility at P Roma. The Grand Canal is only a block or 2 away, so after storing your luggage you can catch a vaporetto to St Marks. And when you're ready to go to Tronchetto, gather your suitcases from Left Luggage and take a cab to Tronchetto, maybe $20 for a 5 minute drive. Neither option is great. But having too much luggage in Venice isn't easy, esp when a private water taxi isn't available. Good luck !

JessyCruises has a detailed trip report in the LIVE CRUISE REPORTS. She talks about this hotel, bus into venice for sightseeing, and the Tronchetto experience. Sounds like a good option for pre-cruise.

If it was greed, they'd charge more than 6E for the cable cars. They've got a captive audience! But yes, the experience certainly takes the shine off a visit to Santorini. I got my photos of the blue domes, and experienced the awesome views, so Santorini is a one and done destination for me, No desire to return.

We arrived at 1:30pm. Sept 28 on NCL Gem. Tender #3 Also in port, Costa 7am - 4pm with 2700 pax and Crystal 4pm-2am with 1200 pax. I thought our arrival time was ideal since the Costa pax would already be off the ship, and Crystal wouldn't have arrived yet. So I was shocked to see the long cable car line and more shocked to wait 2 hrs, We returned to the ship around 7ish to watch the sunset. No line at all.

That was exactly my plan! I read about this in several trip reports last summer ......after the tour of Oia people told the group leader that they would find their own way back to Fira by bus or taxi. The leader made note of their names and apparently it wasn't an issue. I planned to do the same ( last Sept), but sadly, the tour was sold out ! So I never made it to Oia. Spent 2 hrs waiting for the cable car to Fira. If you go to Oia just be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to get back. Depending on which ships are in port with you, taxis may be scarce or you may have to wait a bus or 2 to get a ride. (The bus only runs every 30 minutes and even with standing room, it doesn't hold THAT many people, given the crowds). If I was to go back, that would still be my plan. Good luck!

there is no return trip on the boat. Depending on how many ships are in port with you, and their departure/arival times, the cable car line might not be an issue. It certainly wasn't for us . (going up was a 2hr wait tho)

When I visited at the end of Sept last yr, there was no line for the boat, but it doesn't depart until there are enough pax on board. It sat at the dock for an hr. However we stood for 2 hrs waiting for the cable car, so in hindsight the boat would have been a better choice.

be mindful of where the Viator tour picks you up, as it may be in Fira

We bought our tickets at the station. We were a party of 4 seniors who had never travelled together so we didn't know how quick we'd be in the morning! Our original plan was to visit Florence first, and if we had time, stop in Pisa on the way back. But we missed the train to Florence so we flipped the itinerary and went to Pisa first. An advantage of buying at the station ! On that cruise we bought tickets at the station for each port. Or the convenience store next door. I visited Pisa and Florence during a land trip this past May. Used the trenitalia app and bought tickets on the day of travel. Then we didn't have to worry about lines at the machines or validating our tickets ... just show your phone to the conductor.

Well, we did it, so yes, it's do-able ! We had the advantage of NCL's direct shuttle from ship to train station. You probably won't have that luxury, so it will be more cumbersome for you to get to the station. Will you be comfortable with that? You'll need to take the Princess shuttle to downtown Livorno, then either walk to the train station (1.5 miles, so 30 minutes?), or find a city bus to the train station. If you think that's too cumbersome, see if Princess offers a tour called something like " Pisa and Florence on your Own". If so, their bus would take you to each city and then you're on your own to sightsee. The advantage would be bus service to and from the ship. But more costly. Or consider an option from Tuscany Bus. You'd still need to need to take the Princess shuttle to downtown Livorno, but the excursion leaves from a spot nearby. This tour would give you just over an hr in Pisa, then 3 1/2 hrs in Florence. Transfer service to Florence and Pisa from Livorno (shore-experience.com) So yes, it can be done. What's your comfort level with getting to/from the train station? Keep in mind, that you won't be alone...several hundred others will be walking to the train station or looking for the city bus.

Why not go to the source for information? ETIAS News & Information For Visitors Coming To Europe

have you tried a shared transfer ?

Depending on what you want to see and do in Florence, you probably won't have time for Pisa. Make a list and think about the time you need for each location. 7a-7p may sound like a long port day, but when you factor in getting to the train station at each end and getting back to the ship by 6ish, it's pretty tight. We went to both cities (via train), but our sightseeing needs were quite simple ! In Pisa we just wanted a quick photo opp at the Leaning Tower, and in Florence we only wanted to see the Duomo (outside only) plus tour the Market. So it was very easy to accomplish. This was our day .....we took the train to Pisa Centrale, grabbed a cab to the Square of Miracles where we spent 20-30 minutes, then took a cab back to the Pisa station, and caught a train to Florence. The Duomo and the Market are very close to the Florence SMN station (10-15 minute walk) so we wandered around the Market, did some shopping and had lunch, then walked to the Duomo. Tuscany Bus offers a shuttle to Florence and Pisa, leaving from downtown Livorno. When I looked into it, it was an 8hr day so only 1 hour for pisa and 3 or 4hrs for Florence.

When I was on the Epic 3 yrs ago, shuttle tickets were available from the Excursion Desk. Shuttle info was just a brief line posted in the Daily the day before arriving to Livorno. They charged my cabin. You might try asking on an Epic FBook group for current info.

Were the bear photos in sitka taken at Fortress of the Bears ? Looks like you had a very successful whale watching tour in Juneau.

People mentioned Ostiense because you had a conversation going in the CIVI EXPRESS thread. That train only stops at SPietro and Ostiense. But if you take a regional train in order to leave earlier, Termini would most likely be your stop. I think you will find the process much easier once you're there. Please post a report of your day when you return from the cruise. It will be helpful for those folks still in the planning phase.

If you're on the GEM, it looks like you're the first ship to arrive, with 2 other ships arriving at 7am. So if you get an early tender, you might be ok with the cable car. The other ships leave at 6pm and 8pm, way after your departure, so unless those pax are all returning to the ship for lunch, the cable car line might not be too bad. Personally, I'd choose the NCL Oia tour (in any language) and if that wasn't available I'd take the "speed" boat. At least you'd get to Oia. But be prepared to catch the bus or cab back to Fira with plenty of time for the cable car, just in case the line is long.

I had the same issue last Sept when we stopped in Santorini. I wanted to go to Oia but the excursions were sold out, EXCEPT ' Charming Oia village in Spanish'. In hindsight I should have taken it for the sole purpose of quick and easy access to Oia. Needless to say, I didn't get to Oia. The cable car line took 2 hrs so Fira was it for me. So check on the Spanish speaking Oia tour. At least you'd get to Oia. There were a few blue domed churches in Fira, and some amazing views, but Oia just has more. Tender tickets will be distributed the day prior. I think starting at 8am, but go early. We arrived at 7am; there were lots of people ahead of us so we got tender #3. You can wait in line for the cable cars to Fira I think they start operating at 7a. Google Santorini Port Schedule to see what other ships are in port with you; their arrival and departure times. Maybe you'll be lucky and be the first ship to arrive. If the line is too long, you can walk up the donkey trail. At 7am it shouldn't be too hot. Or you can take one of the boats to Amoudi Bay. I think 25E. They don't have a fixed schedule so hard to know when they start. And they don;t leave until they're full. The boat sat for an hr when we were there. The boat takes you to Amoundi Bay, just below Oia, and they have a shuttle to take you up the hill to Oia, then give you a token for a bus to Fira when you're ready to go back to your ship. With a 2pm departure, you'll need to be mindful of the cable car line. Again, the timing of those other ships will impact the line. Good luck !

You have a similar conversation going in the Civi/Rome Train thread at the top of the page and there were a couple of responses with the subway info. This was eurocruisers response: " get off at Roma Ostiense and follow signs for the Piramide metro station (there is an underground passage). Take the metro, Line B, direction Jonio or Rebibbia, for two stops to Colosseo. " (personally, I took the easy option.... taxi )

Coastal Helicopters, TemscoAir and NorthstarTrekking are the primary vendors for dog sledding. Check their web sites for info then email them for further information. Be sure to get specifics on the timing; how much is travel time, how much time on the sled. It gets weathered out frequently, so people often book Skagway for a back up plan.

I think the NonStop you're referring to is the CIVI EXPRESS, which is basically for cruise pax. It only stops in S Pietro and Ostiense. The big issue for most people is that it only runs once per day in each direction, not allowing for enough time in Rome, or, it doesn't meet their port times. leave Civi 9:07am, arrive Ostiense10:10 (with the 6E bus you depart at 8:40am to catch the 9:07) leave Ostiense 4:30pm , arrive Civi 5:20pm. On the trenitalia site, look at Civitavecchia Porto and Roma Ostiense. Civitavecchia Express: non-stop train dedicated to cruise passengers | Port Mobility Civitavecchia If you want to leave earlier and/or return later, look at the other trains.