Explorer is sailing out of a port near Ravenna transportation to port is a nightmare

[Driftwoodgal]

We are sailing on the Explorer of the Seas October 2023. I am having a very difficult time finding any ship transfers from Ravenna to the port. We have a trip planned to see Rome before, stay a night in Ravenna to see this wonderful place and sail on the Explorer and end in Venice. We have three days there and fly home. Any tips gang on how to get to the port. The ship doesn't sail until 7 PM so we want to make the most of our time in Ravenna and then get to the ship.

[Galveston Cruiser]

Taxi, private vehicle, bus - easy to google Ravenna to port.

Several websites provide information,

[time4u2go]

Taxi. 

[Driftwoodgal]

Galveston Cruiser,

 

I have and read Taxis are hard to find on a Sunday and not wanting to carry luggage for 16 days on a bus. We are wanting to see the city and then head to the ship. I have already googled tons of options and visited Royal website. Thanks for your google tip.... I am horrible with a computer. If you can find something for me I will buy you a drink when we sail out of Galveston, which is our home port.

[Driftwoodgal]

3 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

4 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Taxi. 

I have read to many pages on how to get there. Taxi would be an easy answer, but do you know if they are available on Sundays?

[Ludlow]

Suggestion: Contact your hotel and ask if they arrange transportation to the port

[Airbear232]

The hard part is getting to Ravenna for the cruise.  If you’re there a day before - great.  Your cruise will also end in Ravenna and not Venice.  So, you’ll have a little commute to get to Venice.  We were on EOS in May.  It was a great cruise.  I hope you have a wonderful trip. 

[Wineaux007]

We sailed out of Ravenna and had our hotel book a van for 6 of us.  We had it set up a week in advance.  Taxis are very scarce in Ravenna.  

 

I understand the ship provides bus service from the train station.  The bus meets the train at the time of arrival from Venice.  I think the transfer town was Ferrara, so the Venice train arriving from Ferrara.  Royal should have info on this.

[Driftwoodgal]

57 minutes ago, Airbear232 said:

The hard part is getting to Ravenna for the cruise.  If you’re there a day before - great.  Your cruise will also end in Ravenna and not Venice.  So, you’ll have a little commute to get to Venice.  We were on EOS in May.  It was a great cruise.  I hope you have a wonderful trip. 

Airbear232,

Thanks I hadn't thought of that. DUH. We always go to the port the day before because we don't want to miss the ship. I live in Texas and can easily drive to a port of call, but would rather be safe and not miss my cruise.

Have you had this problem and if so do you have a recommendation?

 

[Driftwoodgal]

41 minutes ago, Wineaux007 said:

We sailed out of Ravenna and had our hotel book a van for 6 of us.  We had it set up a week in advance.  Taxis are very scarce in Ravenna.  

 

I understand the ship provides bus service from the train station.  The bus meets the train at the time of arrival from Venice.  I think the transfer town was Ferrara, so the Venice train arriving from Ferrara.  Royal should have info on this.

Thanks, I will contact Royal as I booked my cruise directly. I read that Taxis are very scarce in Ravenna. Our hotel is basically right on top of the train station. I guess I need to call Royal directly and ask directly since options are not available on the website. Thanks for your response.

[Driftwoodgal]

1 hour ago, Ludlow said:

Suggestion: Contact your hotel and ask if they arrange transportation to the port

Thanks, I have reached out waiting for a response.

[SPacificbound]

They are pricey but can be arranged in advance.

 

https://airportstaxitransfers.com/transportation/taxibookings/Transfer-from-Ravenna-Italy-to-Venice-Cruise-Port?loc1_name=Ravenna%2C+Italy&loc2_name=Venice+Cruise+Port+-+Italy&pax1=2&date1=08%2F07%2F2023&date2=11%2F07%2F2023&loc1=ChIJV0qldjdTKxMR0H-6_AubBwM&loc2=695&loc1_additional=0&loc2_additional=0&time1=12%3A00&time2=13%3A00&single=1&quote=1

[Driftwoodgal]

13 minutes ago, SPacificbound said:

They are pricey but can be arranged in advance.

 

https://airportstaxitransfers.com/transportation/taxibookings/Transfer-from-Ravenna-Italy-to-Venice-Cruise-Port?loc1_name=Ravenna%2C+Italy&loc2_name=Venice+Cruise+Port+-+Italy&pax1=2&date1=08%2F07%2F2023&date2=11%2F07%2F2023&loc1=ChIJV0qldjdTKxMR0H-6_AubBwM&loc2=695&loc1_additional=0&loc2_additional=0&time1=12%3A00&time2=13%3A00&single=1&quote=1

Wow, out of my price range, but thanks for the link.

[sgmn]

Have you looked at the Italian port pages on cruise critic. There's a few threads on getting to port 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/464-italy-ports/

Edited July 7, 2023 by sgmn

[crazyank]

8 hours ago, Driftwoodgal said:

I have and read Taxis are hard to find on a Sunday

Not true, Radio Taxi Ravenna operates 24/7 365 days

8 hours ago, Wineaux007 said:

Taxis are very scarce in Ravenna. 

  There are several taxi companies in Ravenna, and more have started since more cruises have started sailing from Ravenna Port

Edited July 7, 2023 by crazyank

[Billy Baltic]

46 minutes ago, crazyank said:

Not true, Radio Taxi Ravenna operates 24/7 365 days

  There are several taxi companies in Ravenna, and more have started since more cruises have started sailing from Ravenna Port

The existence of a service and its availability when you want it, are different things. 
We travel out of Ravenna next month and contacted our hotel for advice on taxis. They recommend using a bus shuttle service as taxis are inundated and not always reliable. 

[MeHeartCruising]

Read the Italy forum posts on the topic.   There are several (long) threads on the topic.  

 

Bottom line... if you're already in Ravenna, Royal Caribbean runs a shuttle service from the bus station parking lot (which is next door -- out the rear exit -- to the train station.  It costs $10 per person and you can sign up on the bus (they will bill your ship account).  I've heard this shuttle stops running at 3pm.  

 

If you want to do pre-cruise in Venice, Royal Caribbean sells shuttle bus transport from the airport and from Tronchetto parking area to the ship in Ravenna.  You can purchase these shuttles in advance by calling Royal Caribbean.   They are in the $50-$60 per person range.

 

I'm not certain the Ravenna-to-port shuttle can be arranged in advance via phone.  Perhaps, but perhaps not.

 

These shuttles are also available going the opposite direction at the end of your cruise.  They can all be purchased on the ship.

Edited July 7, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[Mick B]

Hi,

If your hotel cannot recommend a reasonable/reliable taxi firm and Royal cannot guarantee a shuttle, then there is the no. 90 bus.

I caught this from just outside Ravenna train station in May this year and it goes to the town next to the port. It costs Euro 2.10 per person and you can get the tickets from the ticket office outside the station with the START sign above it. The no.90 stop is just around the corner about 2 stops down outside a kebab shop and opposite the Ravenna Hotel. You may have to pay a little extra if you have massive luggage, and the walk from the town to the ship is about 10-15 minutes.

I suggest you google the bus times as they may change later in the year and if its a Sunday, then you may be limited to just a few services.

If you are staying in Ravenna the night before, then you could go and see the staff at the START ticket office and purchase the tickets in advance in case they are closed on the Sunday and ask about the times for Sundays too and also about your luggage. I asked about paying extra for my luggage and they told me I was OK, but I only had 2 average cases.

 

Mick.

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Mick B

[little britain]

12 hours ago, Driftwoodgal said:

Thanks, I will contact Royal as I booked my cruise directly. I read that Taxis are very scarce in Ravenna. Our hotel is basically right on top of the train station. I guess I need to call Royal directly and ask directly since options are not available on the website. Thanks for your response.

Use the RCI shuttle from Ravenna train station? $10pp. Simple. 

[KiwiGal117]

 

Check this review out - he has a screen shot of the transportation options.  We arranged our transfer from the ship to Bologna airport via our travel agent.  You have to call in to arrange it,  but it is available.  As others have reported there should be a shuttle at the train station and there is apparently RCI reps there to direct you.

[Airbear232]

13 hours ago, Driftwoodgal said:

Airbear232,

Thanks I hadn't thought of that. DUH. We always go to the port the day before because we don't want to miss the ship. I live in Texas and can easily drive to a port of call, but would rather be safe and not miss my cruise.

Have you had this problem and if so do you have a recommendation?

 

We went during the time there were heavy floods.  We flew in the week before and spent a three days in Rome, 2 in Florence and 3 in Venice.  This was when there were heavy floods in that area of the country.  Our train going from Florence to Venice was delayed a few hours in transit.  The one smart thing we did was to book Royals transfers from Venice to ship and from ship to airport at the end of the cruise.  Because of flooding, Ravenna was closed and the cruise departure was moved to Trieste.  This is where booking the transfers with Royal saved us as they were responsible for getting us from Venice to ship and from ship to airport.  If you will be in Ravenna, then its just a taxi ride.  However, if you are leaving immediately after the cruise, I recommend the transfers from ship to airport.  Have a great trip.

[Micke100]

Does anyone know if Celebrity runs a shuttle from Ravenna train station to the cruise port for the Infinity?

Going on the 22 July cruise and we’re getting a little bit nervous as we were planning on just taking a taxi from the train station.

And if they do can I just board the shuttle and pay then without booking in advance?

Thanks / Mike.

[Wineaux007]

3 hours ago, Micke100 said:

Does anyone know if Celebrity runs a shuttle from Ravenna train station to the cruise port for the Infinity?

Going on the 22 July cruise and we’re getting a little bit nervous as we were planning on just taking a taxi from the train station.

And if they do can I just board the shuttle and pay then without booking in advance?

Thanks / Mike.

I would check with your travel agent and/or Celebrity.  I know they had busses meeting trains originating from Venice, but don't know anything about times.  My hotel in Ravenna arranged 6-8 Pax vans for a group of us.  Taxis were not that plentiful.

[euro cruiser]

There is a shuttle bus you can book in advance run by the tourism consortium, 20 euro per person:  Shuttle bus - Ravenna / Porto Corsini Cruise Terminal - Ravenna Turismo

[Micke100]

Thanks for the info.