mapleleaves

I was hoping to read more about the ports; activities, highights/disappointments, DIY or tour, tour operator, how you got from port to town if you tendered, etc. Perhaps you'll do this as a summary at the end? Enjoying the report so far though. Thank you!

That link only applied to Norwegian and Holland America cruises. Does not apply to your cruise with Costa, which still requires testing. It appears that VCE airport still offers testing, but 8am - 1pm. Check the website for details. Also, the RedCross site at St Marks is still accepting reservations. https://crivenezia.myprenota.it/

I just read on a Roll Call that someone just rec'd their flight info for a cruise out of Italy on July 24. They had been quite frustrated at the delay but were VERY pleased with the flights they rec'd !

Check out the Italy forum .....this question is asked and answered many times, along with shuttle recommendations.. (the most common response is that FCO is chaos; arrive 3 hrs prior; 10:30/11am is the earliest flight time recommended)

Just wondering .... did you catch the train in Mestre ? was it crowded with cruise pax ?

We only used a driver while in Naples; a 9hr trip along the Amalfi Coast. AldoLimo. I chose them because they were willing to adjust their itinerary to meet our sightseeing requirements. We had a very long port day in Livorno so we did Pisa and Florence as DIY ... took the train to Pisa, then a cab to see the Leaning Tower where we spent an hr, a cab back to the train station to catch the train to Florence, had lunch at the Market, wandered around for a few hrs, then train back to Livorno. The only regret in Florence was that I didn't take a cab to the Piazzalle Michaaelangelo for the city view ( we spent too much time at the Market).

Great trip report ! Thanks for taking the time to write. And especially thanks for not doing a paragraph a day like some of the live reports that drag on for weeks. This is wonderful. Could you please indicate the names of any tour operators that you use. Many of us are still in the research and planning phase so this info would be very helpful.

there are many other vendors that have been highly recommended. When I was researching for my 2019 cruise I created a list of 8 or 9 reputable companies. Sorry but I tossed the list after the cruise. I found them by reading trip reports every day in the NCL, Celebrity, RCI forums. Pretty easy research! Besides italytours, the only companies I remember are joebananalimos, romeinlimo, and aldolimo. _ Also ItalyTourSharing from JoeBanana, which offers people the opportunity to start a tour share group or connect with an exisiting one that needs more people) .

No prices on their menu. https://www.volcanoblue.gr/sites/default/files/2021-07/VOLCANO-GR-EN-2021.pdf

I looked it up on Facebook (nothing interesting) but was able to access their web page from there. Maybe give that a try.

Easy to do, esp in the summer. I always travel with a wheeled carryon and usually a small backpack. ( The backpack is primarily to use in port, to carry water, light jacket/rain poncho, travelguide/map, sunglasses, wallet, phone, camera, hat, etc.) I take advantage of the laundry special mid cruise. For longer trips I'll make a late afternoon trip to a local laundramat,. Hang out at a nearby cafe between cycles ! Summer clothes are lightweight and take up so little space. Plus they're light colored which makes mix and match easier. Do you think anyone notices (or cares) if you wear the same blue top on Monday AND Friday ? Ive had 2 family members with cancelled flights in June. One with 3 kids under 6! No way would I travel with checked luggage, especially now.

Go to the Alaska forum and read past trip reports to get an idea of what people did at each port. There will be DIY options. Most towns have a web site to promote local tourism. Google the town's name with ' Visitor Information' and youll find lots of useful info, even Visitor Guides and maps to download. ie for Sitka https://visitsitka.org/things-to-do Ketchikan https://www.experienceketchikan.com/ Borrow an Alaska travel book from the library to read up on each port. Also, tripadvisor is a far better site for land activities for people who want active things to do in port.

Recent RCI cruise reviews report that there is a cruiseline shuttle from Marco Polo Airport to the Ravenna cruise terminal. $50 doesn't seem unreasonable for a 2 hr journey. ( Actually, the taxi from Venice Airport into Venice is about that price and it's only a 20 minute drive! )

When we got to Civi train station there were 12-15 people in line to buy tickets at the machine. The little shop next door had a sign, Tickets for Sale, RoundTrip Only. So we popped in there and bought tickets for the Express train, same price. We bought Ostiense RT, but as I said earlier, we got off at SPietro and ret'd from Ostiense. BTW, there were very few people on the train. I don't remember the inbound trip but on the return at 4;30p there were only 3 or 4 people sharing our train car. When we took the taxi from the Colosseum to Ostiense we passed Circus Maximus which was a nice little bonus. Have a great trip !

It was pretty simple, BUT, we did this in May 2012. A few months later the famous Via Dell Amore between Riomaggiore and Manorola was closed due to a rock slide, and remains closed. Since then other trails have been closed due to floods, rockslides and mudslides. Some have re=opened, others are only open on the higher routes. So my itinerary won't be of any use. You;ll need to come up with your own itinerary based on which port you're starting from, which footpaths are open, as well as the ferry schedule in Oct, and the train schedule. The CT web site has all the current info on trails and ferry. Sounds complicated but It was pretty simple to put together. https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/footpaths-cinqueterre https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/boat-excursions https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html (I believe the current ferry schedule is only good thru Sept; in Oct, it's reduced so check back for the details.) It appears that the more northern paths are open, so perhaps you should take the ferry to Monterosso, the northern-most village , the start walking south to the other villages. Visit as many villages as you can reach or have time for, then hop on the train back to port. It was fantastic ! Viewing from the ferry was definitely the highlight. When you're swallowed up in the crowds at the villages, you don't really SEE much, but the view from the sea is breath taking. Did the Amalfi Coast in 2019; it too was beautiful but I preferred CT. Have a great cruise !

We had a similar plan but walked from the Vatican to Piazza Navone first. After that we caught a couple of cabs ( weren't hard to find and reasonably priced). Final cab was from the Colosseum to Ostiense station where we caught the train back to Civi. When you're getting tired and grumpy in the heat, taking cabs seemed like a better option that standing around bus stops. p.s. we bought RT Express tickets for Ostiense but in the morning we hopped off early at SPietro.

If you look on the Italy Ports of Call forum, you'll find that this question is asked frequently, as well as suggestions for shuttle companies to use. IIRC 10:30/11am is the earliest time suggested and even then you need to have your driver reserved for 7am.

The Civi Port guide indicates that their shuttle buses can accomodate travellers with disabilities. (These shuttles take pax from the ship to the Port Entrance.) It MIGHT mean that you and your luggage are shuttled to the Port Entrance, then you wait for the shuttle to take you to your next ship. A rather cumbersome process, altho it would help if you could have a late departure time off the 1st ship and early arrival to the next. It might be worthwhile to contact the Shuttle office at: portoperations@portmobility.it Explain your circumstances and see what they can suggest. Maybe the shuttle would work. Or if RomeCabs has someone local they could do a simple move from one berth to the next. Or maybe you want to take a morning tour. Options to explore ..... The Port Guide: https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/shuttles

And I'm scared of heights . Oh, the things we do on vacation! Do a search on youtube for 'Santorini cable cars' and you'll get a good look at the cars. They only hold 6 passengers but you're not squished. And they're all glass. Luckily the ride is less than 5 minutes. Or, you can follow the donkeys and walk up the 600 steps, dodging donkey poop all the way.

From the RCI web site: Royal Caribbean International requires guests to be checked in no later than 60 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time*. Guests arriving late will not be permitted to sail.

If smooth sailing is a concern, choose a cruise out of Vancouver, not Seattle. Seattle ships sail on the west side of Vancouver Island so it's very much like open seas with no views and the chance of rough water. Vancouver ships sail between Vancouver and the BC mainland so it's more protected with scenic views and calmer water . But of your 2 choices, Sitka ! assuming you have good port times everywhere,

We flew out of Barcelona on a Sunday, late Sept 2019. Our flight wasn't until 1pm so we stayed on board and had a leisurely bfast. However at 7:30am there were about a dozen people in the taxi line with taxis departing every few minutes. The airport was very busy, somewhat confusing, with rather long lines. I wouldn't book anything before 10:30/11, especially when flights and airports are such a mess these days.

Thx for the review, but sorry it was such a negative experience. Can you give us some info about your port experiences .... excursions, diy, sights, activities.

Out of curiousity I checked the fees on www.luggageforward.com. About $225 to ship a case (up to 50lbs) from Zurich to London. And the web site indicates that they ship to cruise terminal. Then add any airline fees for the extra luggage, and the hassle of getting it to,from and thru various airports. Cheaper and easier to do laundry on the ship !

Lots of people travel for 2,3 or 4 weeks at a time using only one suitcase. Use the ship's laundry service. It's not cheap but probably a lot cheaper and less hassle than shipping and storing multipe suitcases.