FreestyleNovice

I declined my invitation. Neh, just kidding. Probably blacklisted.

Flightseeing with Seward Air and splurge on a glacier landing. https://www.sewardair.com/ Kenai fjords boat tour. https://majormarine.com/

Balcony timelapse: think tripod on table, clamp on the balcony railing, suction cup (with safety cord!) on the glass of the door. Hiking: backpack strap/clip, hat mount, selfie/rod stick Boating/whale watching: floating hand grip. Some items might cover multiple needs, like the GoPro Volta (powerbank and small rod in one). Extra memory cards? Multiple batteries, double or triple battery charger?

Spill the beans!

Are you allowed to ride a bicycle on the paved sidewalk in AK? I remember seeing much of the route from downtown to the visitor center having decent sidewalks and spotted a kind of bicycle rent shack halfway along the route from the bus so I wondered, being a Dutchie..

Not much help but we saw people ziplining on our ISP stop, Summit June 7th northbound. I think NCL had the further berth that day.

Discussed this a few posts above.

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy (28 Apr d1700); Naples, Italy (29 Apr 0700-1800); Catania, Sicily (30 Apr 0930-2200); Kotor, Montenegro (02 May 0800-1800); Dubrovnik, Croatia (03 May 0700-1900); Split, Croatia (04 May 0700-1600); Ravenna, Italy (05 May a0500) Probably, to be helpful. OP take a look at https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/results/?line=9&shipId=1960&arrival=2025-04-28&nights=7 to get a feeling for what tour companies are offering. You might want to Google the names of those tours plus private or small group added to get in touch with such tour organisers.

Let's do Messina, the most used port I think. Messina is not a beautiful city compared to other Italian cities. You can walk straight into Messina across the main cruise dock, get a coffee, a gelato and do some shopping but most of your fellow cruisers will go on tours further out to Taormina, mount Etna, Castelmola, etc.

Apparently it's no trains between 4am and 8am on the 11th. As @VMax1700 wrote there's an intention of three approaches: urban, train and regional public transport. Shutting down the entire public transport system won't benefit the cause of the union(s). The public transport planner (system wide!) is https://9292.nl/en, to check the status of your trains and possible other connections to get to Rotterdam. There's a taxi stand outside the Schiphol Plaza area (where underneath the Schiphol train station is) if things go sideways. But I would not book a car service yet with what you posted, let's see how things unroll..

Yes, terminal B (RCCL) had soda, some clothing, souvenirs, liquor, snacks, chips, small meds/personal care etc. Terminal B seems to have the best shop by the way but it's after port security. Haven't been in A for years (NCL, MSC, etc.).

The disadvantages of Portofino are that it is a tender port and being more remote which will cost you time. If you can get to Rapallo train station by taxi/car and then get to Levanto station and start with the "5 Terre Express" at Levanto and work your way down to all the villages or train all the way down to Riomaggiore and go back up, that could work if you have enough time and patience. But.. it will take a lot of time and in the afternoon the train gets crazy full.. I would pre-choose two villages to visit, kinda beat the crowd by visiting first the in between ones in the morning and have a relaxed pace and be on the safe side.

A few years back I got the answer for Civitavecchia that the earliest that private company could pick up was at 8AM when I requested something like 7:30AM or even .45. At 8AM (and also last week, whether we visit Rome or fly home on a morning intra Europe flight 8AM suits us fine) there were already plenty of private drivers waiting for their passengers which did not seem to rushed in so I don't think the port opens up 8AM for the sharp but it has to do with their drive from home/Rome and their day start. What time does your flight depart OP?

I understand what you are saying with the Venice part, but Venice is still a masterpiece, wonder off a few streets from the busy streets and you will experience less tourism with each corner you take. Use the network of water busses and hop over to Murano or the smaller Giudecca. Explore the Lagoon by boat: take a ferry/water bus to experience the sailaway the cruise ships once did through the Giudecca canal (albeit from a lower point of view and not towering above all other ship traffic it still is worth it!) along the sights and go to the beach at the Lido afterwards. If you have the chance to visit Venice for the first time, do it. Venice is overcrowded yes but we otherwise could say the same about Paris, NYC/Manhattan, etc. Or those sunny sea days on mega cruise ships packed with 6.000 of your new best friends. OP, my advice: plan one day or daypart for Venice and look into Florence as a base for the other days or book each night along a route if you like to plan. Rent a car. Search online the Tuscany region for the villages of Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Pitigliano, Volterra, Montepulciano, Pienza, Cortona, Montalcino, Monteriggioni and/or if you are into wine, drive the Strada del Vino across the vineyards combined with some of the above. https://www.discovertuscany.com/itineraries-in-tuscany/strada-del-vino/ Florence is a 2.5 hour drive from Ravenna. You will pass by Bologna from Ravenna so that can be a stop too. You can also visit Pisa from Florence, 1 hour drive each way, see the leaning tower in the morning, stroll around a bit, have a coffee and be in your next small Italian village before the crowds take over. Having a delicious fresh panini served by the owner of a small shop on a tiny piazza. La dolce vita!

Venice, it's a top destination after all. Before it sinks! Bologna whilst nice, is just an Italian city and can be combined with Tuscany on another another trip.