euro cruiser

It really depends on when - in July and August they might be sold out but otherwise you shouldn't have a problem walking up. Good advice above from Hank, do ask.

RCCL offers a shuttle to the Ravenna train station, call them to get the specifics (but don't be surprised if the folks answering the phones don't have a clue). You could also go on the Cruise Critic RCCL forum and ask there. If you are staying in Venice proper the Santa Lucia station is probably best, if you are headed directly to the airport Venice Mestre makes more sense.

It's much too early! The company is closed down for the winter. Honestly, there is no need to buy these tickets in advance but I understand if you can't relax without them. Wait until the season opens on April 1st before attempting to purchase them, and only buy through the ferry company and not a third party. Here is the TravelMar official web site and ticket engine, when the time comes: Orari traghetti Travelmar - Traghetti veloci in Costiera Amalfitana

I'd go for the lagoon balcony. The Grand Canal is a major thoroughfare with a constant (and surprisingly loud) parade of water taxis, vaporetti, police boats, and the boat equivalent of delivery trucks. We once ate at an outdoor restaurant on the Grand Canal and I wouldn't do it again. A small lagoon, on the other hand, can be quite peaceful as well as scenic.

Technically you can use the same ticket, as long as the total journey is completed within four hours AND if this is a physical ticket. Digital/on line tickets have different rules because you are purchasing a ticket for a specific train and the digital ticket is automatically validated for that train, while the physical ticket is only validated when you punch it in the machines at the station. You still have the same four hours to complete the journey with the digital ticket so it should be fine, although unless you speak fairly fluent Italian I don't know how you have that conversation with a conductor if you are questioned about it. The Livorno-Firenze ticket costs 10,40 euro. A Livorno-Pisa ticket costs 2,70 euro and Pisa-Firenze is 8,90 euro, so there's a small increase in cost if you purchase two separate tickets. Also note that you cannot get on the train at the station closest to the tower area, you must return to Pisa Centrale to get the train to Florence.

At Pompei you would be picking up a local, metered taxi and it would wind up being very expensive. You'd do better, if this is what you want, to arrange a transfer with a stop at Vesuvio with one of the car service companies. There is public transport but it won't work within the limitations of a cruise port day. The only options are the public EAV bus that goes round trip between Pompei and Vesuvio, or the private Vesuvio Express service that goes round trip between Ercolano and Vesuvio. There is no way to switch from one to the other at Vesuvio. Be aware that tickets for Vesuvio must now be purchased in advance, you cannot show up and buy them on site: The Great Cono | Vesuvius National Park (parconazionaledelvesuvio.it)

A car service for the day is going to run around 500 euros, so a six passenger van sounds like it would be within your budget goals. Orvieto is a lovely small city to visit and you really can't get there without a car from Civitavecchia (not as a day trip, anyway). You can combine that with a quick stop at the hilltop village of Civita di Bagnoregio. Driving time from Civitavecchia is about 90 minutes - two hours each way. Homepage - Live Orvieto

Are you looking for a private tour or a scheduled group tour you can join?

I just discovered this while trying to help someone find options for transfers, a new van/bus service (well, it's new to this route) called Go Opti. As I've just discovered it I obviously can't vouch for it, but it answers a question that has been coming up a lot since NCL moved their "Venice" port to Trieste. Transfers from Trieste to Venice Marco Polo airport┃GoOpti | GoOpti

There is an international airport in Trieste: Trieste Airport, it doesn't have a lot of flights but you can arrange a connection to the States via Frankfurt or London. There is a bus service from the Trieste cruise port to Venice Marco Polo airport: Transfers from Trieste to Venice Marco Polo airport┃GoOpti | GoOpti You can also get a bus to Venice Mestre for as low as 7 euro, from the stop (the Mestre train station) you can get another bus or a taxi for the quick trip to the Venice airport (about seven miles). Flixbus: https://www.flixbus.it/

The Eurail pass is not particularly useful in Italy, you'll still need to make reservations and pay a reservation fee on top of the pass. It's generally more cost efficient in Italy to pay for point-to-point tickets. Also keep in mind that there are two long distance train operators in Italy, the state run Trenitalia and the private competitor Italotreno. Their services are nearly identical but it pays to check both to get the best combination of price and timing for your needs.

There's only so much they can do to a 2000 year old structure to make it accessible. The Colosseum is partially accessible for those in wheelchairs (there are elevators to reach the upper levels), but only partially. Uneven paving is another challenge in old buildings and ruins. If you are able to walk it should not be a problem for you.

You cannot walk into a bank in Italy and get cash unless you have an account with them. You can get euros from your bank in the States but it really only makes sense if you need a lot of cash upon arrival. In the old days, when rentals were paid for in cash on the first day it was often necessary to get it from the bank before leaving home, because you wouldn't be able to withdraw that much all at once in Italy. Now that almost everyone doing rentals is following the law and reporting transactions you can usually pay by credit card or transfer funds directly.

Everyone is different. I tend to use cash rather than cards unless it's a big amount. Since I know I'll be back within a year (unless there's another Covid-like shutdown) I don't worry about having some leftover. While credit card use in Italy is has been increasing for decades and is up significantly post-Covid, small purchases are still generally done in cash. I'm often amazed in the States when I see someone buying a $2 bottle of water with a card, you won't see that in Italy (or at least not often). Some taxis will accept cards, some will not (or will claim the machine doesn't work). Since it sounds like most of your time is quite programmed, wait and use an ATM in Italy. Withdraw an odd amount (90 euro vs. 100) so you don't get two big bills that are hard to use.

Yes, or have a cell phone with which you can call or text the driver.

If you want to see the Amalfi Coast you can do it on your own, from the water, thereby avoiding the traffic jams and hairpin turns on the road. You can do it entirely using public transit, or do a both/and solution and use a transfer from the port at Naples to the Concordia dock at Salerno, where you pick up the ferries along the coast. Toward the end of the day you can take a ferry from Positano to Sorrento and change there for a ferry right back to the cruise port in Naples. Or, going in the other direction, use a transfer in the morning to get to Positano and then use the ferries along the coast from there. You could return to Naples from Sorrento by ferry or by train from Salerno.

It sounds like you don't necessarily need to go to Tuscany, just something that isn't Rome. Do I have that right? If so you might consider Umbria instead. Just as beautiful but closer so you'd spend more time actually there, vs. getting there and back.

You can purchase straight train tickets on the regionale train, which are euro 4,60 each way. There is no discount for round trip, they simply sell you two one-way tickets. There is also a ticket called the BIRG, which is good for round trip train fare as well as use of public transit in Rome through the day (metro, bus, trams). This ticket can only be purchased at the newstand as it is not sold by Trenitalia but by ATAC. The 5-zone BIRG ticket (required for Civitavecchia-Rome) costs 12 euro. Info here: BIRG (atac.roma.it)

It's really not reasonable to go to Cinque Terre from Livorno by public transportation (trains), you waste too much of your day getting there and getting back, leaving little time actually there. As to the crowding, it's much like Venice but crammed into a smaller area with fewer options. They do need to do something but no one can agree on what that something should be, so the place is being destroyed while they discuss it.

Cinque Terre is only about 20 minutes from La Spezia by car, or less than ten minutes by train, I'm not sure how much closer you're going to get than that. Have you been to Porto Venere? It's close, a nice small town with an old church out on the point.

You cannot reasonably make a day trip from Palermo to Taormina, it would take about four hours of driving time each way. Are you looking for an organized group tour, or a private tour?

How far in advance you can buy the tickets depends on the tour you choose. The more expensive ones go on sale sooner, the entrance only tickets are more limited. You can book the more expensive tours now through the end of the year. Admission only tickets are available today through the end of March, so about nine weeks out. MuseiVA (museivaticani.va)

This is a tough one for me, if indeed you are in Mestre it's not as simple as it sounds to get back and forth and it's not at all like staying in Venice. I understand the economic benefit, but rooms can be found in Venice proper at all price points and it's really a very different experience to stay there. I liken it to staying in Secaucus NJ when you want to visit New York City. Yes, you're only a few miles away on the other side of the river but it's light years away in terms of the experience.

Yes, they are reliable, with the exception of weather that makes a crossing impossible. That's highly unlikely in the summer, and if the weather is that bad you probably wouldn't want to go over anyway. I always recommend taking the next to the last transport back that will get you there in time, or anything before that. Choose what makes you comfortable, but do purchase your return ticket in the morning, don't wait until the afternoon because you will risk getting shut out. A couple of times I've stopped at the ticket office on Capri right after arriving to purchase my return ticket, if I didn't have time to do it in the morning at Naples.

I've done it several times. There are two different ports for ferries from Naples to Capri. The port with the fast ferries is Molo Beverello, adjacent to the cruise port. The port for the slower, larger ferries is Porta di Massa, about a third of a mile further up the port from the cruise terminal. The fast ferries all take the same 50 minutes or so to make the crossing. Simply pick the one with the departure time that best suits your arrival. There is no need to purchase the return on the same line, again pick the time that works best for you. There is no financial benefit to purchasing both from one company, they are sold as two individual tickets. Normally I suggest waiting until you're there to purchase the tickets as they are difficult/impossible to change or get refunded if you miss the ferry or don't go at all. However, passenger loads last year were enormous so purchasing in advance is something to think about. If you do it, buy directly from the ferry operator, not through a third party. The current schedule can be seen here, but more crossings will be added as the season approaches: 2023 Capri ferry schedules: from Napoli to Capri - Book online Here are the web sites for the two primary operators between Naples and Capri: NLG » Official website (navlib.it) Naples - Capri | Snav