Travel Logistics

[nanrob]

Hi

We are cruising in March of 2015 out of Civitavecchia. The best airfare I can find from NYC is to Milan Malpensa Airport. We are planning on flying overnight on a tuesday and then hopping on the high speed train to Venice for a couple days (wednesday and thursday nights). On Friday Morning we would then take the train to Rome for a night where the next morning we would make our way to the port (which is about an 1 hour away I believe). When we return to port 12 days later we will then make our way to one of the Rome Train Stations and head to Milan for an overnight where we would fly home the next morning. Whew... Does that sound like it's doable? By flying in and out of Milan, we save appox $1000. That is huge. But would I spend that in all the additional train travel and hotel for one night in Milan?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[CruiserBruce]

If you stick to strictly coach travel on the trains, you will probably eat up 1/3 of your savings. First class is another topic.

 

It is doable. What time does your plane arrive at Milan? I am seeing a lot of day time eaten up by train travel, leaving not much time to see sites. For example, Rome-Venice is 3.5 hours, plus getting to/from where ever your hotels.

 

I think I would land at Milan, and see Rome for a couple of days. Venice is great, but you also will need to get over jet lag. On the way back, much of your day will be eaten up by getting to Milan.

Edited May 15, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[Twickenham]

Hi

We are cruising in March of 2015 out of Civitavecchia. The best airfare I can find from NYC is to Milan Malpensa Airport. We are planning on flying overnight on a tuesday and then hopping on the high speed train to Venice for a couple days (wednesday and thursday nights). On Friday Morning we would then take the train to Rome for a night where the next morning we would make our way to the port (which is about an 1 hour away I believe). When we return to port 12 days later we will then make our way to one of the Rome Train Stations and head to Milan for an overnight where we would fly home the next morning. Whew... Does that sound like it's doable? By flying in and out of Milan, we save appox $1000. That is huge. But would I spend that in all the additional train travel and hotel for one night in Milan?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Considering that, this summer, I'm flying into Warsaw and out of Zurich, for a trip that will include Venice & Tuscany, I don't think your plan is crazy at all... :D

You don't have to go back to Rome to get to Milan from Civi - there's a midday Frecciablanca train that takes you directly to Milano Centrale via the coast. It's actually about an hour longer, but no transfer, and it takes the coastal route which is really quite pretty.

[lisiamc]

And look out for meals as well. Venice and Milan have some fabulous restaurants, but they can be very expensive.

[nanrob]

Thanks CruiserBruce for your advice. We have never been to Italy so this is a biggie for us. We are so excited and I may be trying to cram too much in. I am also trying to find the best flights for us at the best price.

The flight arrives in Milan at 8:45 am. From there I was thinking head directly to Venice via train (tired and jet lagged I suppose) Perhaps we should skip Venice and spend a night in Milan and then head to Rome in the morning to spend a couple days pre-cruise.

 

Returning we come into port very early. I had thought we would take the train to Milan and then fly out the following morning.

 

I guess the main thing is that I had really wanted to see Venice while there.

 

Thanks Again.

[Twickenham]

Thanks CruiserBruce for your advice. We have never been to Italy so this is a biggie for us. We are so excited and I may be trying to cram too much in. I am also trying to find the best flights for us at the best price.

The flight arrives in Milan at 8:45 am. From there I was thinking head directly to Venice via train (tired and jet lagged I suppose) Perhaps we should skip Venice and spend a night in Milan and then head to Rome in the morning to spend a couple days pre-cruise.

 

Returning we come into port very early. I had thought we would take the train to Milan and then fly out the following morning.

 

I guess the main thing is that I had really wanted to see Venice while there.

 

Thanks Again.

 

I don't think it's that bad a plan, especially as arriving at that our of the morning you won't be able to check in to your hotel right away. It just depends on how you will feel after your TA flight. Have you flown to Europe before? It's really hard to imagine how one will react to the jetlag...

One thing to keep in mind is that MXP isn't Milan - you have a good 45-50 minute train ride to Milano Centrale, where you'll catch your train to Venice.

[mickeysgal]

Since Venice is a must do for you, have you considered a cruise that starts/ends in Venice/Rome? Kills two birds with one stone and streamlines the overall travel picture a bit.

 

Just a thought...

[euro cruiser]

Your plan is fine and it meets your needs. Yes, going to Venice pretty much doubles your travel time vs. going directly to Rome, but the numbers aren't so much that it makes it questionable.

 

Going directly from the airport in Milan to Rome by train takes a little over four hours. Going from the airport to Venice requires just under four hours, then from Venice to Rome takes another three and three-quarter hours.

 

In either case you'd be on a train for four hours after your overnight flight, so why not get off the train in the city you really want to see?

 

Unless you think that you'd be nearly comatose after the flight, there's no reason to spend the first night in Milan. You'll have a short (just under an hour) train ride from the airport to Milano Centrale, followed by a longer (two and a half hours) ride from Milano Centrale to Venice. You can nap on the longer train ride if needed.

[John Bull]

Are you sure it's going to cost you $1000 more to fly back from Rome

 

Apologies if I'm teaching granny to suck eggs, but is that because you've compared a Milan return against a single NYC to Milan plus another single Rome - NYC?

Have you checked out what's known as an open-jaw or multi-city return fare?

Provided that you start & finish in the same city (NYC) and you book both flights in the one booking, with the same airline or airline alliance, the cost should be mid-way between that for a simple Milan return ticket & a simple Rome return ticket.

 

JB :)

[AF-1]

If you have not booked your airfare I would contact a travel agent and have them take a look. I bet they can make up the $1000 fare difference. Plus, you will eat up that $1000 with train travel, hotel, and extra food needed; plus all that extra time sitting on a train when you can use the extra time to explore Venice.

[texancruzer]

Well, I goess I am the odd man out here (or woman) ….. because I do think you are trying to cram in too much……

 

I'm not sure what your itinerary looks like on the cruise but you could be absolutely exhausted by the end of this trip !

 

Many ports in Europe have the main sites quite a distance from the port….. and even if they aren't there is usually so much to see that your day is full…… added to the pre and post cruise plans makes for a VERY hectic trip.

 

I understand how you feel tho….. our first trip to Europe we went full speed ahead thinking perhaps we would not ever return…… :D Next May will be our 5th trip "over the pond" and we have learned that you can't do it all in one trip and its absolutely necessary to try to slow down a bit and enjoy it all which is hard to do when you are running around like crazy ….. just my two cents worth.

[Twickenham]

Are you sure it's going to cost you $1000 more to fly back from Rome

 

Apologies if I'm teaching granny to suck eggs, but is that because you've compared a Milan return against a single NYC to Milan plus another single Rome - NYC?

Have you checked out what's known as an open-jaw or multi-city return fare?

Provided that you start & finish in the same city (NYC) and you book both flights in the one booking, with the same airline or airline alliance, the cost should be mid-way between that for a simple Milan return ticket & a simple Rome return ticket.

 

JB :)

 

No, I'm pretty sure the OP is comparing a RT NYC-Milan to a RT NYC-Rome ticket. Emirates has begun flying JFK-MXP, and that has brought down the price on all NYC-MXP flights. It's become the bargain TA route (and, incidentally, is a good option for those needing a O/W flight to/from a TA crossing). A savings of $500/person (total $1000) vs flying in/out of Rome is very likely.

[maryann ns]

I think you are trying to do too much. You will be spending too much time making connections and on trains for the little bit of time you will have in Venice.

 

Take the time to enjoy the nearer places and know that you will come back.

 

OR do some serious hunting for better flights.

[mickeysgal]

I think you are trying to do too much. You will be spending too much time making connections and on trains for the little bit of time you will have in Venice.

 

Take the time to enjoy the nearer places and know that you will come back.

 

OR do some serious hunting for better flights.

 

I tend to agree. We don't have a lot of vacation days to use so our vacations have to get right to the point. I put a high value on my time spent traveling to/from my destinations. We recently could have gotten an decent airfare from Atlanta to London, change airports, and continue to Venice. And the same in reverse. But we decided that the time, cost, and aggravation factor was not worth losing precious vacation time. As it was, Lufthansa came through big time for us recently with just a nice, manageable layover in Frankfurt. Like HALF what we were seeing elsewhere. They were running a summer sale just this week for our August 2014 cruise. I'm still on cloud 9 over it.

 

Could it be you're looking just a bit too soon for spring airfare? I would get yourself over to the Cruise Air forum of these boards and ask for help. Matrix air software has been a big help to me finding possible combinations of flights that other sites have not been able to give to me.

 

Good luck!

[nanrob]

I am so thankful for all your advice. I love reading your responses and gathering as much information as I can. This is our first trip to Europe. I did use the airfare matrix for my research.

Here are my choices:

 

1. JFK to Venice (with stop in Paris) and then return from Rome to JFK (non-stop) $2577 (for 2 of us).
   
2. PHL to Venice (with stop in London) and then return from Rome to PHL (non-stop) $2493 (for 2 of us).
   
3. JFK to Milan (non-stop) and then return Rome to JFK (non-stop) $1989 (for 2 of us) :confused:
   
4. JFK to Milan (non-stop) and return Milan to JFK (non-stop) $1269 (for 2 of us). :D
   

I am thinking that option #3 might be the best. We could fly into Milan and take the train to Venice- stay 2 nights. then take the train to Rome for our cruise. and then fly home from Rome. $700 difference which we would eat up (literally!).

You are all awesome! Thanks so much!

[mickeysgal]

I am so thankful for all your advice. I love reading your responses and gathering as much information as I can. This is our first trip to Europe. I did use the airfare matrix for my research.

Here are my choices:

 

1. JFK to Venice (with stop in Paris) and then return from Rome to JFK (non-stop) $2577 (for 2 of us).
   
2. PHL to Venice (with stop in London) and then return from Rome to PHL (non-stop) $2493 (for 2 of us).
   
3. JFK to Milan (non-stop) and then return Rome to JFK (non-stop) $1989 (for 2 of us) :confused:
   
4. JFK to Milan (non-stop) and return Milan to JFK (non-stop) $1269 (for 2 of us). :D
   

I am thinking that option #3 might be the best. We could fly into Milan and take the train to Venice- stay 2 nights. then take the train to Rome for our cruise. and then fly home from Rome. $700 difference which we would eat up (literally!).

You are all awesome! Thanks so much!

 

I'll be honest, I use the maxtrix software a lot but when we grabbed our sale fare, it wasn't on Lufthansa's site long and the maxtrix software never showed it. So also remember to check the sites directly too. Don't know how often the matrix software is updated.

[mapleleaves]

There are a lot of budget airfares w/i europe.

Five yrs ago we flew Manchester to Venice in early May for under $50RT on Jet 2. My cousin flew Manchester to Portugal last month on Ryan Air for $50 one-way.

So you might want to look at some RT flights JFK/London then price Thomas cook, Ryan Air, Jet 2, easyjet, etc for your internal flights.

 

And don't rule out a Travel Agent. a reputable one. For my last big trip I spent countless hours on weekends & weeknights searching for the best fares and routes, dfferent city pairs, trains, whatever. We had multiple destinations in Europe plus the cruise out of Venice so it required a lot of juggling. I finally went to a local TA on my lunch break. After work I went to see what she had come up with .... she had the exact same prices/routes that I had found. I let her book the flights and her fee was $30 per ticket. I wish I had gone to her in the first place and saved myself the aggravation. Of course I'd probably always wonder if I could have found something cheaper :)

Good luck !

[agabbymama]

Just a word of caution. If you fly to a different city/then continue on a low-cost carrier to your final destination, be sure you do it on ONE ticket. The first leg of your trip will be considered "International" (usually with a larger luggage allowance) the second leg of your trip will be considered "Domestic" with lower luggage allowance.

 

I speak from experience. When I was researching for our Med cruise, the airfare was around $1500 pp, so I decided to do the round trip air from Los Angeles to Paris, then take the overnight train from Paris to Rome. I got an excellent airfare R/T from LAX/Paris/LAX for $450 pp. I jumped on it.

 

Then started researching the train from Paris to Rome then Venice back to Paris. Ran into a problem that the train from Venice back to Paris arrived in Paris at the very departure time of our flight, so that wasn't doable. I couldn't get the schedules to work, so ended up booking a flight from Paris/Rome/Venice/Paris for $158 on Air France. I saved quite a bit of money by booking that way, but the International flight we were allowed 2 checked bags of 50 lbs each. The Domestic portion was 1 checked bag of 44 lbs each. I've read that the low cost carriers charge for any luggage.

 

We managed to do it, but coming home was really tight. I put quite a few things in my carry-on that weren't there before. And we threw away a lot of pamphlets and maps and travel guides we had wanted to keep. I even left a few tops in the hotels along the way to make room for purchases made on the trip (old t-shirts, etc).

 

So again, just be cautious in your planning and know exactly what you are booking before you book it. Have a great trip!

[AF-1]

what is the airfare Matrix?

[euro cruiser]

The matrix is ITA software's planning data, which is sold to the airlines and travel companies but made available free on line for consumers. You can't purchase anything, but you can see what's available.

 

You have to learn how to adjust the limitations or you'll wind up with thousands of possibilities.

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

[kdooley]

We are flying in and out of Milan for a Venice cruise - saved us over $1000 too. Before we selected the Venice cruise, I was researching the same route but was trying to avoid Rome (we have been several times). One route was to visit Pisa for a day then take the train down to the port along the coast. Another was to drop down to Genoa and see Portofino, then make our way down.

 

We have also done the fast train from Rome to Milan central. It was about 3 hours but don't remember the cost. We had to take the bus out to MXP but I am going to use the train on this trip.

 

Also give yourself lots of time in an Italian airport! You have to go through a separate check point before the regular security.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[AF-1]

The matrix is ITA software's planning data, which is sold to the airlines and travel companies but made available free on line for consumers. You can't purchase anything, but you can see what's available.

 

You have to learn how to adjust the limitations or you'll wind up with thousands of possibilities.

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

thanks after going to that link I noticed I already have the app on my iPhone. This is by google

Edited May 18, 2014 by AF-1

[pieshops]

We are doing the exact same thing into Milan for our December 2014 cruise out of Citta. We are 4 and we save almost 3500 for the 4 of us. The train will cost max 800 so for a 2800 savings it works. We are going to have to eat and stay in a hotel no matter what so we did not factor that in. It's going to be a long day with the overnight flight and the train but worth it.