mapleleaves

a very important factor is .... how many ships are in port with you? what time are they in port? and how many pax? That has a big impact on the cable car wait, both up and down. Check the info on a couple of sites since they aren't always accurate. The cable cars have fixed schedules depending on the season. Google to find this info. They were running after dark when we were there 2 weeks ago. As I said previously, I wish I had taken a ship excursion to Oia, just to ensure getting off the ship quickly and to Oia. The 2 hrs we lost waiting for the cable cars, cost us a visit to Oia. Luckily we knew exactly where to go in Fira to get our shots, but many folks were so late arriving that they only hung around the shops, enjoyed the view for an hr and went back to the ship.

We were there on Wed Sept 28 on NCL Gem. There was only one large ship in port with us and it left 2 hrs before we did. The line for the cable car going up was horrendous ..... we were tender #4 so off the ship around 1:45pm. Didn't get to the top until almost 4pm!! However there was no line for the ride down at 7pm. We walked right up to the counter, bought our tickets and immediately got on a cable car! So it really depends on which ships are in port with you, and what time they arrive and depart. In hindsight I wish I had purchased the cheapest excursion possible to Oia. "Charming Oia Village" was sold out, only available in Spanish. I should have taken it anyway as insurance to get to Oia. As we waited in line for the cable car going up, we saw the boat waiting to fill up. It sat there for a good 40 minutes. But it was still quicker than the cable car line, and at least they got to Oia.

If you can easily manage your luggage you can stay anywhere in Venice. If you can't, it might be easier to stay near the Piazzale Roma area which is the last point of land travel in Venice; where buses, taxis and cars drop off their pax. There are 4 or 5 hotels right on the Square, and 4 or 5 more within a couple of blocks and over a small bridge. You pay for the convenience though. Venice Hotel Directions: Piazzale Roma | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com) If you stay 3 nights in Venice, you can get an apt, which will be more reasonably priced. And it's nice to have a small kitchen for snacks, drinks, etc when you've got kids. The owners of the Pensione Guerrato, which is near the Rialto Market, also own 3 apts. I've stayed at each, depending on how many family I'm travelling with. The smallest one sleeps 4 and is around 200E per night. The Piccolo is about halfway between the Rialto Bridge and St Marks so very convenient for sightseeing .Piccolo Guerrato ~ Pensione Guerrato (hotelguerrato.com) If you really want to economize, you can stay in Mestre, which is the last city on the mainland before crossing the bridge into Venice. There are a few large hotels with all the amenities right across from the Mestre train station, Best Western Bologna, Plaza, Tritone. You can take the train or bus into Venice in about 15 minutes. And with a day pass, the train or bus into Venice are included in the pass. It's not as convenient as staying IN Venice, esp if you want to return to your room for any reason during the day, but the hotels are half the price! And very convenient for catching the train to Ravenna ( I stayed in Mestre last week before heading to Trieste for our cruise. ) Hotels near Venezia Mestre Railroad Station | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com) Good luck !

we were on the Gem out of Trieste Sept 25. On the 21st we rec'd an upgrade from Inside to Balcony. Minimum bid was $150. I bid 155 and got it. A nice surprise. I think the Gem holds 2400 pax. Guest Services said we were around 1700.

We were in Santorini last Wed with NCL. Only one other large ship in port with us. Tried to get Charming Oia Village, $89 in order to avoid the cable cars and get to Oia early. It was sold out. Tried again onboard but only the Spanish speaking version was available. In hindsight I wish we had booked it anyway. We waited 2 hrs in the cablecar line! Off the ship at 1:45pm, arrived at the top 4pm. Keep in mind that we got in line for tender tickets 1 hr early and got tender #4. I had previously read complaints about the boats waiting at the pier until they filled up, but even waiting 45 minutes for the $30 boat ride was quicker than the cable car! If I was to return, I'd either take the boat or the least expensive excursion to Oia. Otherwise you're just wasting valuable time. We had no problem getting back down on the cablecars ... no line at all around 6:30pm. p.s. to avoid a similar situation in Dubrovnik where we heard there was a long line for shuttle buses into Old Town, we booked Dubrovnik on our Own in order to get an early ride into town. Perfect!

Yes, the cruise was fantastic despite the lousy weather! We had to miss Kotor which was very disappointing, BUT Dubrovnik was incredible!! My advice for santorini....be sure to get an excursion, otherwise you spend 2 hrs waiting for the cablecar!!!! It was terrible. I tried to get Charming Oia Village but it was sold out. Tried again onboard but only the Spanish version was available. In hindsight I should have taken it anyway.....it would have gotten me to OiA. Instead we didnt have time for oia due to the cable car wait. We got to the top at 4p! Keep in mind that we got in line at 7am to get tender tickets. We got #4 yet didnt teach the top until 4pm. There were people with #20 who didnt get there until 6pm, then they were worried about tripping in the dark so they only hung around for an hr then read to the ship. We didnt want the same issue in dubrovnik so we quickly bought Dubovnik on your own. This ensured us getting on an early bus into town. So glad we did that! We had the place to ourselves.

Ok, I'm back so ready to confirm the checkin process for you. We were only asked to show our passports and our vax record, which in my case showed the original 2 shots plus one booster. Have a great cruise!

If there are only a few people on the boat, think twice. Someone on the Gem reported yesterday that they got on an empty boat, then sat there for 45 minutes waiting for other passengers to come along and fill it up. So have a backup plan. Good luck !

Our cruise was in Sept 2019 so I've thrown away most of my research notes. We were a party of 4 so we chose to go with a private driver for the day, and we chose to deviate a bit from the set itinerary: - we wanted to see more of the Amalfi Coast and villages so we skipped Sorrento, but spent time at Positano, Amalfi and Ravello - we wanted to see the villages from the water, so we took a ferry from Positano to Amalfi where we met up with our driver again. We used AldoLimo. The other company names I have in my notes are italytours.eu, italytoursharing, joeBanana, and recently read great reviews of PleasantTravel.com. You might find others on your Roll CAll to share your trip and cost. Companies typically use Mercedes minivans which hold several pax, but I think more than 6 would be a bit tight. Good luck

Me too ! Got the email 30 minutes ago. What a shock! and happy with the location as well. If only the weather forecast would cooperate. 😞

Ouch, looks like all the ships are leaving about the same time, so that means a big crowdat the cable cars for the last tender at 6pm.. I had hoped to take a basic NCL tour in order to get to Oia quickly, then ditch the tour ( after advising the excursion leader). But it's sold out. So we're going to get the earliest tender we can manage, then take the bus to Oia. Or if there's a wait for the bus, hopefully grab a cab. Then bus or cab back to Fira. Thankfully the ship departures are staggered on our day in port, so hopefully we'll avoid an hour wait forthe cable cars. Enjoy your cruise !

Your hotel will be able to provide you with that information.

yes, the day before. Charged to our cabin. IIRC they put a tiny sticker on our cruise card to show the driver. It was seamless; short walk from the ship to the bus, which loaded within a few minutes and left for the train station. We were going to Pisa and Florence so saving time was important. I hope it's still an option for you. Have a great cruise !

Not necessarily. I have a UK passport and I AM required to show proof of vaccination. My cruiseline requires it, so even if Grece doesn't, I still need to comply with the cruiseline if I want to sail. It's not exactly a hardship to provide. By the same token, not a hardship to take a test either. I'm just happy to be travelling so I'll stay on top of cruiseline and govt requirements and jump thru whatever hoops necessary !

We're on the Gem, Sept 25. Hopefully our checkin and cruise will be 'smooth sailing'. I'll let you know how it goes.

Im flying into Venice, Marco Polo Airport ( from Arizona ). It was around $1100 RT. We've been to Venice before so we're staying in Mestre for 2 nights pre-cruise. Mestre is MUCH cheaper than Venice, yet only 10-15 minutes away by train or bus. We're taking the train from Mestre to Trieste Centrale on Sunday morning, 2 hrs for $10. On the return trip we'll spend a few hours in Trieste, then take the FlixBus to Venice Airport. Hope this helps.

IIRC, you are on the GEM in a couple of weeks, correct? Several passengers who boarded the Gem this past Sunday, reported that checkin was a breeze. They were vaccinated so they only had to show their vax records and the usual stuff like passports. Onboard within 15-20 minutes. They weren't embarking in Athens so no test needed.

When we were on the NCL Epic in Sept 2019, there was a free shuttle from the ship to the port exit. We were taking the train to Florence so we chose to pay NCL $25 for a shuttle that went directly from the ship to the train station. Pricey for what it was, but a better use of our time.

I recently booked the Sailaway Inside cabin; no Free At Sea perks here!. The reservation was made Aug 1 for a Sept 25 departure, so 7 weeks. I was assigned a cabin almost immediately, which was a surprise, and got the Offer to Upgrade at the same time. The ship had been sailing with low numbers, but after the vaccine/testing requirements were changed eff Sept 3, the inventory went down considerably. I submitted a Poor bid for a balcony and an OV. Dont' expect to get an upgrade but that's ok, I'm fine with the room I was assigned. Good luck!

Travel Requirements by Port & Country (ncl.com)

Thx for taking the time to post this trip report. Very helpful !

Thx for posting this ... lots of helpful info! ( you should also post a link to the NCL forum )

When in doubt, google any town's name followed with 'visitor information'. Most towns have web sites to support tourism, local business. Icy Strait Point | Your Alaskan Experience The town is Hoonah Hoonah (visithoonah.com)

My upcoming cruise starts and ends in Trieste and I'm flying in/out of VCE. NCL offers a transfer for a fee. I've been to Venice a few times so we're staying in Mestre for 2 nights pre-cruise, then taking the train to from Mestre to Trieste and using Flixbus to from Trieste to VCE after the cruise. About $15 each way. p.s. not using NCL Air, so perhaps my experience is not valid to your ?

yes and yes. Read the entire article for details: Cruise Ships in Glacier Bay - Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)