TeamCan

1 hour ago, marazul said:

It's midnight Rome time.  However,  reseller bots scoop up all the tickets instantly leaving only one.

If this happens   buy the Italian or Spanish tours and follow it with the coopculture app.

Sometimes additional tickets are released closer to the date.

Thank you for the advice!  I'll try midnight Rome time(3pm PT) I thought the tickets were released 30 days exactly to the tour time. eg ticket for 11am Aug25 will be released at 11am Rome time (2am PT)) July 26.  I did read that reseller bots scoop up all the tickets instantly.  This explains why I see only 1 ticket available occasionally 🤣 .  The Italian, Spanish, French tours seem to be sold out as well 30 days b4. I've been monitoring the site daily.... it doesn't seem like any additional tickets are released closer to the date.

On 7/8/2022 at 12:35 AM, carlmm said:

Indeed, there is absolutely no need to pay more for a third party vendor.

 

Yet be advised that you might need to check the site for tickets often. Quite odtwn all time slots sell out immediately  but become available again later.

Hi, We don't need colosseum tickets until Oct. I know coopculture.it releases tickets exactly 30 days b4.  I've been monitoring the site everyday to see if they do release any tickets later. Don't see any more tickets released later. Oct is shoulder season, so I'm not sure if the tickets for the underground will be easier to get in Sept.  Any advice would be appreciated.  TIA

On 7/2/2023 at 3:00 PM, TheHawk1 said:

You really needed to plan way ahead (sorry that advice is a little late).  Last year when I wanted tickets to the Colosseum, I had to set my alarm for 4:00 am EDT so that I could purchase them 30 days in advance at the exact moment they went on sale.  The English guided tours were still sold out within minutes, but I at least managed to get a reserved time for the self-guided tour including the underground portion of the arena. It was worth the hassle.

Hi,  We will be in Rome in Oct. I've been monitoring the coopculture.it site to see the exact time they go on sale 30 days advance.  The tickets for the Wonders of the Colosseum tour English guided tour underground and arena sell out immediately and seem impossible to get. Sometimes, only 1 ticket is shown available.  I can't figure out the exact time?.. Is it 9am Rome time (12am PT?). It doesn't look like  any more tickets are released closer to the time either. Don't really want to buy from a 3rd party reseller for a tour. You managed to get the self-guided audio tour. Those tickets seem to sell out immediately as well.  Since Oct is shoulder season in Rome, hoping tickets will be easier to get?  Any advice would be appreciated. TIA

2 minutes ago, TKATeacher said:

Bologna was not an early-to-bed town during our visit. This could change when the university is closed (August, I think).  We returned from our day trip to Florence around 10:30 at night; the streets were full of people and the train station was active. We purchased all of our train tickets ahead online, so no experience with kiosk purchases for the train or with Bologna airport...sorry. We also did not use the bus system.  Everything we wanted was walkable from our location. In our experience, there were always taxis directly outside of the main train station entrance waiting for customers.

Thanks for the info about taxis outside of Bologna Centrale.  After arriving on the Marconi Express into Bologna Centrale station, the bus was a convenient option to our hotel. Good to know taxis are always outside the station too.  All the sights are easily walkable from our hotel too. We're spending 2 days in Bologna then taking the train to Ravenna.  Thanks again!

On 6/22/2023 at 5:47 AM, elaine5 said:

Here is May Royal C schedule from other cc post:

Hi, Thanks for posting the schedule.  Can you book the transfers from guest services?  Do you know the cost of the transfer to Ravenna Train station and is it approximately 30 min to the train station? TIA

On 6/21/2023 at 4:43 AM, Mick B said:

Hi,

I did the opposite at the end of May, Got the train to Ravenna and then got the No.90 bus to the town near the port. I can tell you this, the bus left at 1035 and got me to the port town at 1058. I believe the bus timetable for going the other way is not very good. Although there are many stops listed, my bus did not stop until we got to the port town and moved quite fast, so based on that I can not see how you would make your train using any type of bus as you would also need to find which platform it is going from too which adds a few more minutes, then they sometimes change it at the last minute and only announce it in Italian.

Another thing to remember is that some of the roads in Ravenna are one-way, so your bus may have to go further to get to the station than if you were going from it.

 

I have to say that so far, this has been absolutely the worst port I have sailed from (in order to get to). It is just a shame that there isn't anywhere else closer to Venice that is more accessible. Shame somewhere like  Trieste couldn't be used instead.

 

I was lucky the other month, Ravenna FS had only re-opened on the day of my cruise and the train was late and got later but I managed to catch my bus with just a few minutes to spare, but this is not the way I want to start or finish my holiday as it adds stress and spoils what should be a great time!

 

Mick.

 

Hi, Thank you for sharing your experience. Do you have a link/schedule for bus R90 from Ravenna Fs to Porto Corsini?  The startromagna.it website timetables and routes is confusing and not helpful.  Googlemaps only has the busR90 leaving Ravenna Fs at 7:22am??  How often does bus R90 run to Porto Corsini? Does the bus R90 leave everyday (specifically Sundays) at 10:35am from Ravenna Fs to Porto Corsini?  Can you buy bus tickets on the bus?  TIA

21 hours ago, TKATeacher said:

In Venice on arrival, we stayed at the Hotel Arlecchino right in Piazzale Roma.  It is a smaller hotel with a more moderate price, and since we needed 2 rooms for our family of 4 that played a factor. However, the hotel met all of our needs well and it was a great welcome to Italy stay.

 

Getting reasonable flights was a long process for us, and we stayed open to flying anywhere in Italy for a reasonable price before settling on Venice.  I read mixed reviews on Venice prior to our travel, but we were really completely charmed by this city!

 

Yes, we used Alliguna. One of the challenges in Italy and specifically Venice is that there are 2 of everything...2 bus companies from Marco Polo (ACTV and ATVO), 2 water bus options (Allilguna and ACTV Vaporetto), and various train companies.

 

Bologna became a hub for us in our planning process because we knew we wanted to work our way toward Ravenna and we wanted good train access. It is a larger multi-level station. We did a day trip to Florence during our stay in Bologna (spectacular). We also found a reasonable Airbnb to accommodate our group right in the heart of the old city of Bologna.  

 

I am happy to answer any questions I can.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.  Your insight and info is very helpful.  I do have a few questions for you.  We are flying into BLQ and our flight arrives quite late at 10pm.  We planned on taking the Marconi Express (10min) from BLQ to Bologna Centrale Station... seemed the fastest way. Can we purchase the tickets €11pp at the ticket kiosks on the spot?  On the Marconi Express website, you can purchase the tickets ahead of time.  From Bologna Centrale, we were planning to take a 10 min bus ride which stops very close to our hotel in the old city. Did you use the bus in Bologna?  Can you purchase bus tickets from the bus driver on the spot?  Is there only UberX in Bologna? Are taxis better to use in Italy than UberX?  We are looking forward to our stay in Bologna.. great food and sights!  Any advice is appreciated.  TIA

10 hours ago, sgmn said:

I think we were unlucky with the weather. In fact some parts of Italy have had very bad flooding this year.  We were also going to buy the one day multi stop ticket but was advised by the staff member at the front of the queue that with the train delays it wasn't worth it and she advised the one stop ticket. 

@cruisemom42 may be able to advise more than I can about the frequency of the railways being affected by weather. 

We didn't see (or notice) the trails from the train window so can't comment if they were affected by the rain.

 

I hope you have a super time, I'm looking forward to going back and visiting some of the villages we missed. 

Thanks for your advice!  Yes, its hard to plan outdoor activities being weather dependent.  Hopefully, we'll have good weather.  Hope you get back to visit some of the villages you missed.

9 hours ago, sgmn said:

I think we were unlucky with the weather. In fact some parts of Italy have had very bad flooding this year.  We were also going to buy the one day multi stop ticket but was advised by the staff member at the front of the queue that with the train delays it wasn't worth it and she advised the one stop ticket. 

@cruisemom42 may be able to advise more than I can about the frequency of the railways being affected by weather. 

We didn't see (or notice) the trails from the train window so can't comment if they were affected by the rain.

 

I hope you have a super time, I'm looking forward to going back and visiting some of the villages we missed. 

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Regarding heavy rains -- yes, they can impact rail service. In general Italy doesn't often get the kind of heavy, pounding rains (and in such quantities) that it experienced this spring. Rains like that can cause flooding and things like road and tunnel closures, train delays, etc. 

 

They are more common in the fall. Remember, the major landslide that impacted parts of the Terre Cinque so significantly a few years ago happened in October. But I have also been in Rome during a rainy week in October or November and heard news of tunnels flooding and train delays there as well.

 

Perhaps the best idea is to have a Plan B or workaround in mind, just in case.

Thank you both for your input and advice!  If the weather is good, we hope to hike/train to see the 5 villages.  Having a Plan B is a good idea. We'll monitor the Cinque Terre site and weather closer too.

One more question... I think we dock at Molo Garibaldi.  Is there a port shuttle bus that takes you to Largo Michele Fiorillo? To save time for an early start, we wanted to catch the bus22? to La Spezia Centrale.  How do you buy a bus ticket? The ATC site says "As of Thursday 27th February 2020 IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO BUY TICKETS ON BOARD at an extra charge anymore: passengers will need to buy tickets before getting on the bus. We will promptly inform our customers when it will be possible again."

Can you only buy with the ATC app?... can't find the app on the App Store?

TIA

On 6/8/2023 at 1:25 AM, sgmn said:

Returning to report on our trip to La Spezia last month. 

We were in two minds to see the villages by boat or train, in the end we decided on the train. 

It was a 30 min brisk uphill walk to the train station. We asked a lady in the port the way and she pointed out the best way, but it was pretty simple and with walking Google maps on a smart phone you can't go wrong

 

On the way we passed the boats offering the hop on hop off boat trips to the villages, just a few minutes walk from the port.

 

 

Unfortunately it was raining pretty hard and because of the bad weather the rail timetable was out the window and when we eventually got to the front of the very big queue at the rail station we were told the next train might be an hour, maybe two, maybe not at all. 

We decided to buy a one stop ticket for €5 and go to one of the furthest villages and maybe come back by boat. The one stop tickets can be bought from the tobacconists on the station (no queue).   In fact we only had to wait about fifteen minutes before a train pulled in. The platform was packed but we managed to get a seat. Because of the rain the journey was very slow with lots of stops and starts but we got there eventually. 

 

 

Beautiful village and spent a nice hour or so wandering around.  There was a table with a lady selling tickets for the boat with one leaving fairly soon, so we didn’t stay long. We were a bit concerned with all the weather about getting back to our ship before 'all aboard' 

Loved the boat trip back. We stopped at a few villages to pick up/drop off more people and had to change boats at the last stop (50 min stop). 

Loved our day in La Spezia, even with the bad weather and chaos at the train station. 

 

 

Thank you for posting your report of your trip. Your pictures are beautiful!  We are planning to see the villages of Cinque Terre by train and hiking late October. We are in port from 8-7pm, so I think we should have enough time to see all 5 villages with train and hiking. We are planning to buy a 1 day Cinque Terre Treno ticket.   I am worried about the weather as well as Oct sees the most rainfall.  Since the trails from Riomaggiore to Manarola to Corniglia will be closed til 2025? we were planning to take the train from La Spezia to Riomaggiore, then to Manarola, then to Corniglia to see the villages. We then want to hike from Corniglia to Vernazza and onto Monterosso.  We would catch the train back to La Spezia from Monterosso.  You mentioned that the "rail timetable was out the window"  because of the heavy rain and bad weather. It never occurred to me that the trains would not run as scheduled... especially the train from Monterosso to La Spezia as we need to get back to the ship!  Are the train timetable schedules weather dependent?  The trains seem to run every 1/2hr (google maps) Were the trails muddy with the heavy rainfall? Is this 1 day itinerary doable? Late October is off season, so the crowds hopefully will be a lot less than in summer. Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you!

12 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I dont understand it either.  I used to work for a company that did not like thr cruise lines invoice going out...I ignored it.  

 

One thing that does come to mind is some TA's set their own final paymemt date, while Royals invoice lists the absolute last date, many do not like clients knowing they are collecting final paymrmt 2 to 4 weeks early. 

Thank you. I agree with the TA wanting to collect final payment b4 RC's final payment date. They're busy too, so it gives them time to send your payment to RC. Don't want to make final payment on RC's absolute last date in case there's a snag and your cruise can be cancelled.  That agency is the the only one that has refused to send a copy... don't know why.. and haven't booked with them again.

30 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

That is up to your TA to send you. 

30 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

That is up to your TA to send you. 

I've booked once with a TA from another agency and he said it was company policy not to give/email of copy of RC's booking invoice. He said his company's invoice is all I needed. Why would the company refuse to give  a copy of RC's booking invoice?  I like to have both the agency's copy and RC's booking invoice.

On 1/25/2023 at 7:47 PM, RCCL Fan said:

Definitely happened to me.

 

I called in and had crown and anchor make an account for my 5 year old daughter.   Then asked them to add the account number to my upcoming sailing.  I then emailed the crown and anchor number to my TA so she could add it on her files.

 

Next day cruise was gone.

 

Royal and my TA both agreed "someone" repriced my cruise the day before.    My TA said she didn't touch it, that the C&A guy must have done it.  Royal said my TA did it.

 

Either way one of them "repriced" my cruise which had been totally paid in full for months.

 

The new price, made a balance due and since we were past final payment day the computer deleted my reservation.

 

Even better, someone else booked my cabin before I noticed it.

 

Ship was full.

 

It was spring break week.

 

Royal promised me a room on another ship leaving from another city, but I was going to have to pay last minute airfare..... spring break week.  6K for the 4 of us.   

 

I lost it. Insisted they fix this.

 

I don't know what they did to the person who bought my room after me, but magically i got it back the day before the cruise.

So sorry that happened to you too. So stressful!  After our cruise got cancelled again the 2nd time with no notice or explanation, I lost it too insisting they investigate and find out the cause of the cancellations.  Glad that it worked out for your family vacation:)

On 1/20/2023 at 3:33 AM, nelblu said:

I for one would not eat any loss of moneys.  I would argue for any OBC or refund for any losses.

On 1/20/2023 at 4:12 AM, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I wouldnt just accept rcls apology. What about any cost you may have incurred and the stress of it all. I am not saying sue them till their eyes bleed but should at least offer to cover any extra costs and some compensation for stress and time. 

 

But glad all sorted for you. 

Thank you for your advice.  Yes, was definitely stressed seeing our cruise gone from our upcoming cruises with no explanation.  Glad that the IT glitch was fixed and no more auto cancellations! Waiting for response for OBC.

2 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

“IT” the Royal goblin has cancelled our paid cruises before also. Spent too many hours on the phone getting them reinstated. To have IT cancel them again. Had to go to the big boy to get a couple of the messes fixed. Even then I’ve been out additional cash, just to get the phone calls over. 

I'm sorry that this has happened to you too. Yes, have spent many hours on the phone with my TA and resolutions.  I am thankful for my TA and the resolution specialist who actually spent the time to figure out what happened and fixed the glitch. 

Finally received an answer from my TA & and an intelligent RC supervisor that makes sense.

39 minutes ago, CAT GIRL said:

Well, thanks for telling us your experience. I just went through my cart and emptied anything that I was looking at just in case.  I hope you get your issue resolved.

Thank you.  I don't think it was a cart issue because I was not going to purchase anything for this 3 day cruise.  Each RC supervisor gives his/her take on what may have happened.. "booking # corrupted because of system glitch" is a serious IT issue if that is the correct reason that caused their system to automatically cancel this booking.  

40 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Accept the fact that RCI has IT issues and hope it doesn’t happen again. And, yes, cancellations like that have been reported by others. You/TA should have asked for some OBC for the issue and conversion losses. 

Thanks - I had already asked the agent in resolutions for OBC for RC's mistake and the stress and inconvenience this has caused and she said that my TA would have to send an email to guest relations to request it.  I'm just lucky I noticed the cruise was missing from my booked cruises and my cabin was still available.  Apparently RC "will take extra care and will monitor this booking so it doesn't happen again" whatever that means.

Hi cruisers,

Has this situation occurred with anyone else?  I am getting the runaround from RCL and no one has given me a clear answer as to how this incident could have taken place (not once, but now twice).

Background information - booked and fully paid for a 3 day cruise (sailing May 2023) in November 2022.  Cruise was cancelled and full payment was refunded in December 2022 without my or my TA's knowledge.  I just happened to notice on my account as I was looking to book an excursion on a different cruise.  Upon discussion with my TA and RC, no one could tell me WHY the cruise was cancelled from RC's end.  Excuses were given from RC's end that if I had added something into my cart (such as an excursion) without paying for it, their system may deem the cruise to be in arrears because money is owed on the cruise.  The only trouble with this explanation is that I didn't add anything to my shopping cart for this cruise.  I had to pay for the cruise again (luckily the cabin was still available but had to pay extra for currency conversion) and was told there were steps taken to make sure this wouldn't happen again.

Today, the exact same thing happened!  The cruise was cancelled again 2 days ago from RC's end and upon speaking with my TA and RC's resolutions department, there was no clear explanation as to why the cruise was cancelled. There is a notice from RCL's invoice that a $900 deposit was due by December 18, 2022, BUT THE ENTIRE 3 DAY CRUISE WAS LESS THAN THE DEPOSIT AND WAS PAID IN FULL - the balance owing on the invoice is ZERO.  I think there is an issue with either RC's IT or finance/account department but RC could not confirm this.  They stated the old booking number may have been "corrupted" because of a "system glitch" so with the rebooking today, they assigned me a new booking number.  I had to fully pay for this cruise for the third time and I'm sure lose some money again on the currency conversion. My TA was given a verbal reassurance that this would not happen again,  but I have no confidence if RC can not give me an explanation on why this happened in the 1st place.   Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

45 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

This is the link that I posted above, again (see it at the end of this post). Open it and go to the section on the list which says 'Vitamins, supplements and therapeutics for human use'. It has a nice green tick beside it but also says 'declare'. So whilst they are allowed (three months' supply for the pereson carrying it into the country etc) they do ask that you declare it.

 

I would use these links as your bible for what to declare. They come from the Australian Border Force - government agency that handles these matters.

https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/can-you-bring-it-in/categories/food#

 

 

 

Thank you for the link. I guess I can't put the vitamins into a smaller vial for travel from my bulk calcium vitamin bottle as the bottle has to be commercially labelled and packaged. I usually combine the calcium and vitamin D in one smaller bottle for travel and it has never been a problem.  Just to be safe, I won't bring them this trip.

On 1/11/2023 at 4:08 PM, LittleFish1976 said:

 

3. I wouldn't bother putting everything in your carry-on that you are declaring although others have said you should. Mostly they won't ask to see the items.

 

4. I wouldn't worry about the OTC medications unless they're something that is restricted here. I carry photocopies of my prescription medications these days when I travel, just to cover any requirement of proof. Check the relevant countries' websites for which medications are restricted.

 

Just to be clear, item 1 on the form does include prescription or OTC medicines as it may be subject to restrictions. Australia and New Zealand allow for passengers carrying up to three months' supply of medicines for their own use. Since travelling to Japan where their restrictions are more strict than ours, I always check now to see if any of my medications are on a restricted list and require a letter from my doctor or any other justification. It's up to you whether you would declare 28 days' supply of a couple of run of the mill meds. 

A little confused, should I declare OTC calcium and vitamin D supplements and check of item 1 box? 

Would they be "subject to restrictions"?  Thanks!