euro cruiser

Yes, that's true of port questions but you're asking about a specific Celebrity excursion.

You'll likely get a quicker response if you post this on the Celebrity board.

Right now, and for the next year, U.S. citizens travelling to Europe (defined as the Schengen zone) only need a passport for entry, there is no visa requirement. However, starting next year, in May 2025, U.S. citizens will need an ETIAS to enter the Schengen zone. Each traveler will be responsible for applying for the ETIAS themselves. ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is an electronic system that allows entry into the zone and tracks movement within the zone of travelers who do not require a visa. As I said, not an immediate concern but something we should all be aware of as we plan future travel. You can read more about it here: ETIAS - Entry Requirements for Visa-Exempt Travellers to Europe (schengenvisainfo.com)

Wow, that sounds high for a trip of just 150 km/100 miles (approximately). I would get quotes from a few. Here are a couple to try: TRIESTE Rental Car & Van With Private Driver | Trieste Airport shuttle from to Hotel (amauryncc.it) Transfer with driver (NCC) Trieste | Moov Trieste | FVG

Do you really want to see Herculaneum, or is Sorrento your primary goal? You could easily do this on your own and not be tied to the schedule of a cruise excursion. For example, you could walk across the parking lot in front of the cruise port and get on a ferry that would deliver you to Sorrento in about 45 minutes. When you're ready to move on to Herculaneum you just take the local train from Sorrento to Ercolano and walk about a half mile to the ruins, then return to the train to get back to Naples. All on your own schedule rather than theirs.

I wonder about a toddler at the ruins, either Pompei or Herculaneum. What would be of interest to them? They can't run around, can't touch anything, and fading 2000 year old frescos probably don't hold much interest for one accustomed to technicolor. Assuming that the tour spends 90 minutes to two hours at the site, that's a long time for a young child to just hang out.

What cruise line are you talking about? You'd probably get a faster answer by posting on that line's Cruise Critic board rather than here.

It's so hard to guess, but I would think an hour should be enough. The main variable is how long it takes to get on a shuttle at the ship/terminal. If you're early you can enjoy a coffee, or just walk along the waterfront promenade near the train station. The only time I've used #25 we arrived by private transfer so I can't give you any personal experience with the shuttle.

I think that the biggest ships, like Oasis, all use berth #25 at Civitavecchia, which means you either take the free port shuttle to Largo della Pace or the 6 euro Port Mobility shuttle directly to the train station. Largo della Pace is an easy walk of about 1.4 km/nine-tenths of a mile to/from the train station. You could also pay for a local bus but by the time you find a place to buy the bus ticket and wait for the bus, you might as well just walk. If you want to make a google map the train station is located at Piazzale Scipione Matteuzzi, 00053 Civitavecchia RM, Italy. The Largo della Pace shuttle bus depot is just of Via Prato del Turco, 42°05'50.3"N 11°47'19.7"E on a google map.

If you're taking a regional train there's no need, and no point, to booking ahead, just buy a ticket for the next departing train when you get to the station. Or, better yet, buy the BIRG ticket at the station. It's a different story for IC or Frecce trains.

Ah, okay. Neither the mercato's web site nor the Livorno tourism site give hours of operation, at least not that I saw after a quick look. They still have Christmas 2023 hours posted. There is an e-mail address you can write to, however. Mercato site: Mercato delle Vettovaglie - Mercato Centrale Livorno Livorno tourism site (with ideas of other things to see in the area): Delle Vettovaglie Market | Visit Livorno (visit-livorno.it)

Mercato Centrale is in Florence, are you asking about what is open there on Sundays or just about Livorno?

Chioggia is not a working station, pretty much everything scheduled from there is a bus, not a train. If it's within your budget I would use a taxi or car service to Padova, but there are bus options if you're looking for a budget option. You can see them on the Trenitalia site. The buses take about an hour and forty minutes to get to Padova.

I did a search of the name and there isn't even one mention of them on this board. I also checked Trip Advisor and even that much larger site has only ten mentions, the newest of them is from 2014. From the reviews posted, it sounds like any other transportation service, great when they show up. The complaints were no-shows but there were only a few of them (out of 63 reviews posted on the link provided by their own web site).

No, I'm not aware of anything like this. Any of the car services that cater to cruise passengers would be able to put together a day like this for you. Here are a couple to try, I'm sure others will provide other car services they know as well: Joe Banana (https://www.joebananalimos.net/) RomeinLimo (https://www.romeinlimo.com/)

You can wait and buy them at the station if you want, the odds of getting shut out are very slim. You might not get seats together, however, if you wait. If you purchase in advance buy directly from the train operators, not via a third party app.

Actually, no it does not. There is no Uber in the traditional sense (amateur driver with a personal car) in Italy. In the places where the app works, it is by contract with the local authorities. In some places the app links you to a local taxi service, in other places (like Rome) you are linked to a professional car service. In most of Italy it does not function at all.

It will take roughly the same amount of time and, therefore, presumably the same cost to get to either station, so the decision is more about the availability of trains to Florence. From Padova you can get the high speed Frecce trains direct to Florence, from Rovigo you can occasionally get a high speed train but they are infrequent and most require a change en route. For that reason alone I would choose Padova, unless you aim specifically for the 8:16 train from Rovigno. The next high speed train from that station isn't until 14:17 (2:17 PM). Also, from Padua you have the option of Italotreno, so you can check both companies to see which one offers you the best combination of price and timing for your trip. The service offered by each is comparable to the other. Note that the Trenitalia site requires you to use the Italian station names (in this case, Padova and Firenze S. M. Novella) even in the English language pages: EN - Trenitalia Italotreno uses the English language place names on their English language pages: Italo, italian high-speed train | Book no service fee | italotreno.it

No excursions. You can get there with public transportation (but it will take time and effort) or you can use a car service and walk the rest of the way (cars can only go so far into Positano). If the timing works out you might be able to get a ferry to Positano right from Naples, which has the benefit of arriving at the water level, rather than climbing down. While there is a small free section of the beach, without your own chair in tow you'd have nowhere to sit comfortably. If you're going to spend time on the beach or in the water you really need to spend the money to rent a sun bed. Also, be sure to have water shoes, it's nearly impossible to walk from the beach to the water without them. The pebbles that make up the beach get very, very hot in the sun. There may be a second club but the one I know is Lido L'Incanto: Beach restaurant Positano sea view with private beach Amalfi Coast (lincantopositano.com) They are not taking reservations yet for the 2024 season but know that they will be needed. While it's possible to show up and get a space last minute, it will cost even more (these places are not inexpensive). Also, since you'll be tied to the timetable of the ship and the time it takes to get there from Naples, by the time you arrive they may be full up, so make a reservation if this is important to you.

Katie Parla gets high marks for her food tours (full disclosure, I've not taken one but have heard good things): Rome Walking Tours | Katie Parla

Yes, when flying to Europe from the US you will go through passport control at the first place you land, but that's it. No luggage involved. For that matter, there really isn't a "customs" check even when you get to your final destination and collect your luggage. In Italy you just walk out through the line that says "nothing to declare". That's all there is to it.

Have you been to Rome before? Do you have a sense of what you'd like to see there? That might help folks make suggestions more tailored to your interests.

The charter of the site (Pompei) says that no one will wait more than 15 minutes in line. I've been there a half dozen times over the years and have never waited more than a few minutes, so my experience bears this out, but that's not statistically significant. The only time I know when there are guaranteed to be pile ups at the entrance are on the free days, the first Sunday of each month. I would avoid that like the plague, the crowds are not worth saving 22 euro.

In decades of flying to Europe the only time I had to collect and re-check luggage en-route was when I flew through Switzerland on two different tickets. That was just a dumb purchase on my part, anytime you buy through tickets, even with a connection, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. Coming back to the States you must claim your luggage at the first stop in the US, if you're going on from there you have to recheck.

Ravenna has a good tourism web site, in English. If you look under "explore" you'll find a tab on the mosaics. Ravenna Turismo - Official tourist information site