euro cruiser

Lots of us use the train to get to Florence and back, it's up to you and what you're comfortable with. The Accademia is included in the Domenica al Museo program. Domenica al Museo: Domenica al Museo - Ministero della cultura The Accademia's official website is here, with a link to the ticket seller: Visit - Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze (galleriaaccademiafirenze.it) I just took a look at the ticket website and December 5 2023 isn't on the list for tickets, I would email to see how this is handled, or call: Firenze Musei: Tel. +39 055 294883

I am inevitably among the last passengers to board a cruise and I've never encountered a line. We drop our bags off in the morning, then tour (where appropriate) or at the very least go out for a long lunch before returning to the port. An extra couple of hours on the ship is not worth waiting in lines, in my opinion. This almost backfired on us a few weeks ago in Boston. We strolled into the terminal nearly two hours prior to the scheduled departure time and the local officials were closing everything down. We got on quickly, as we were the only passengers in the building, but I wondered what would have happened if we got there thirty minutes later.

Just got off the Noordam on Sunday, the new library is now open on deck 3 and it's lovely. The rest of the ship, not so much. I've been on many of the HAL ships and this was the least of them.

I just got off the Noordam after my first cruise on this ship and I would avoid it, it's not up to HAL standards in my opinion.

I just got off the Noordam on Sunday after my first cruise on this ship. The library is open and it's lovely, not as big as they used to be but certainly adequate. I don't care what they call it, but I really miss the live classical performers, it was one of the things that originally attracted me to HAL. While I enjoyed our cruise (Vancouver to San Diego) the Noordam ranks at the bottom of my list for HAL. Everything was just okay, not up to the par I am accustomed to on HAL. Kudos to the cleaning staff, the ship was immaculate but there's nothing they can do about rusted-out door frames. The food tended toward the bland, I've never encountered that before on a HAL ship. Breakfast in the dining room inevitably arrived at the table lukewarm, day after day. The Lido wasn't much better, not to mention confusing. There was only one station that would poach eggs but it was a needle-in-a-haystack event to find that one, everyone kept pointing "over there", with no specificity. We booked very last minute, just the week before departure, and it was really cheap so overall we got value for our money, but I won't be on the Noordam again.

We've sailed out of San Diego a few times, most recently November 2022, prior to the current road works. We drove in with our rental car around 11 AM, dropped off the bags with the dock workers, then returned the car and went out to lunch before walking to the terminal to check in. I love the ease of that process in San Diego. We disembarked there a few days ago, with the road works it's a bit more difficult but not at all hard. What's missing from the San Diego cruise port is a left luggage facility for those who don't have immediate flights. We had a red-eye flight that didn't leave until 9 PM and there was no place to leave our bags. I'm not comfortable with the app services (like Bounce) that take your stuff in various locations, it feels too random to me. There are several hotels right across the street from the cruise port, we went to the furthest of these assuming that the closer ones would have already been inundated with cruisers looking to check bags. We went to the Intercontinental and checked our things with the bellman, then enjoyed a beautiful sunny day out and about. Later we went back to the Intercontinental and had drinks at one of their outdoor bars overlooking the port before reclaiming our things and heading to the airport.

It's about 80 km/50 miles from the port to the natural springs. It's not hard to find a car service but it can be pricey. I would look at the fee and compare it to the cost of renting a car and driving yourself, if you're up for it.

For an easy, relaxing day I would also suggest Lucca. It's an easy train ride away and a lovely little walled village that's flat, unlike most of the walled towns in Tuscany. Another option would be a natural springs spa. There are a couple of them south of Livorno but it would require a car (rented or car service) to get there. Terme Toscana Calidario Terme Etrusche Venturina Terme Terme di Sassetta | Visit Tuscany

I checked, Cotral doesn't run the bus to Tarquinia on Sundays. You may be able to find a private tour service, however. Orari (cotralspa.it)

Yes, the train name will start with Frecc-, in this case Frecciabianaca. Other clues would be the travel time (generally Frecce/fast trains get there faster) and the price (they cost more usually).

I'm on the road and can't check to be sure until tomorrow. I'll let you know then.

Naples certainly is, the cruise port is located in the historic center of town.

Stuff happens everywhere. What are you looking to learn?

No, italiarail is a third party site that works hard to look official. The only official site is here: EN - Trenitalia Yes, there is a high speed train between Rome Termini and Civitavecchia. There are not many each day but they do exist. HOHO buses are not luggage friendly. Consider whether train is the right option for you, knowing that you are solely responsible for your own luggage, not just getting it to the station but also on and off the train and stowing it on board. Taxis from the train station in Civitavecchia to the port are not easy to come by and expensive when you find them. Better to use the direct shuttle bus, 6 euro. You can purchase this ticket when you buy the train ticket by selecting Civitavecchia Porto as your destination, rather than Civitavecchia.

You should have no problem collecting the tickets twenty minutes prior to departure.

Again, while the conversation and postulating about what might happen is interesting, the bottom line for me isn't about what is, or even what should be. It's about how much of my precious and all too little vacation time I'm willing to waste straightening out something like this. I know a fast and easy way to avoid it, carry my passport. I acknowledge that this choice comes with some risks, but I feel comfortable that I can minimize those risks.

Sorry I didn't see this until now, too late to be any help. It's a long walk to Trevi from the S. Pietro station, nearly two miles. On the other hand, if you're up for the walk you'd probably get there as fast or faster than staying on the train to Termini and getting the metro to Barberini, or staying on the train to Ostiense and getting the metro from there. ATAC, the agency that runs the buses, metro and trams in Rome, does have a trip planner on their website here: Viaggia con ATAC | ATAC S.p.A.- Azienda per la mobilità

Again, while the conversation and postulating about what might happen is interesting, the bottom line for me isn't about what is, or even what should be. It's about how much of my precious and all too little vacation time I'm willing to waste straightening out something like this. I know a fast and easy way to avoid it, carry my passport. I acknowledge that this choice comes with some risks, but I feel comfortable that I can minimize those risks.

The Italian police are responding to a specific issue of migrants and illegal immigration. I haven't been following the news from Grecce and, while they had a similar problem a few years ago I don't think it continues today, at least not on the same scale as in Italy.

It does add another complication. The evening trains will run to get commuters and students home from the city but they will be CROWDED. The guaranteed times (le fasce di garanzia) are 5 PM - 8 PM. Regional buses (Cotral) will likely also be on strike. You might get on the roll call for your sailing to see if you can share the cost of a car service with others on your sailing, to be sure.

I find the discussion interesting, the is it/is it not when something isn't clear, but when I step back I keep returning to the idea of a low level policeman on the street and what they are likely to recognize so I can go on about my day. I know they'll recognize the passport.

Also, almost every tour of the Vatican museums ends at the Sistine Chapel, so if you're hoping to see it you'll need to stay for the full tour. Further, due to crowds and distance the best case is 15 minutes from the Sistine Chapel to the exit, for most people it's more like 20 - 25 minutes.

First, do you know for sure what the latest time is that you can board your ship? Just because it is to leave at 8, the last boarding could be much earlier for several reasons, including how late the dock worker's contract will allow them to be there. Get a definitive answer on this before you nail down your plans. Also keep in mind that trains heading to Civitavecchia at that hour will be very crowded, even completely full with workers heading home, by the time they get to the S. Pietro station. Be prepared to push a bit to get on, and mentally prepare yourself for standing during much, if not all, of your trip.

It's possible that a passport card might meet the requirement, the problem is that in these situations you are typically dealing with a fairly low level civil servant, some (many?) of whom don't speak or read English. They will know what a passport looks like, I wonder if they'd know what a passport card is? I'm not sure I understand the issue about whether or not a passport is a national ID (I'm not a lawyer). It's a legal form of identification that is issued by the federal government, is it not? Of course, under that definition your question about the passport card or global entry would also be national ID, but then we're back to what a typical policeman on the street would recognize. Certainly someone at the station or questura would know but who wants to waste valuable vacation time sorting this out?

Italian law requires everyone to carry a national ID at all times. The only national ID for Americans is a passport. Here is the relevant part of the law, translated by google: "3. The foreigner who, at the request of the officers and agents of public safety, does not comply, without justified reason, to the order to produce the passport or other document of identification and residence permit or other document certifying regular presence in the territory of the State is punished with imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of up to 2,000 euros." The full law can be read here: DECRETO LEGISLATIVO 25 luglio 1998, n. 286 - Normattiva The quote above is from Article 6, paragraph 3. As to why would they check, there are dozens of reasons. You could be in a place where an important official is about to arrive, there could be a terrorist threat, there could be an immigration crackdown, you might look like someone who is accused of something, you could simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, etc. Italian politics these days is leaning decidedly authoritarian, so this type of behavior shouldn't be a big surprise.