SOPOME

We (group of 5 adults, 70ish in age, some more fit than others!) just returned from a cruise on Voyager of the Seas from Ravenna to Barcelona. In planning this trip, we wanted to fly into Venice (from Boston) stay 2 nights and then travel to Ravenna and stay there 2 nights before starting the cruise. .(In reality it was about 1.5 days in each city, taking travel time into consideration.) Overall we were looking to save money on hotels and transportation, so that played a large part in some of the planning decisions. We decided we would take the train from Venice to Ravenna at the end of the first 2 nights, so it made sense to us to stay somewhere near the train station in Venice, vs heading further down the Grand Canal. That worked out well for us. We chose Albergo Marin that was a charming small boutique hotel and about 5 minutes from the train station. They even reserved a porter for us to help with the luggage the day we left. They also provided an excellent breakfast. We had also decided that we would take the ATVO bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma, which was about a 6-7 minute walk to our hotel. (After we got our luggage at baggage claim we went to the ATVO counter and bought the tickets (about $10 each) and the clerk directed us to the bus stop. Once outside there was an employee directing people to the correct stop and showing people how to validate their ticket in a machine before getting on the bus. It was very easy overall. We each had a 24" piece of luggage and a carry on piece, so it was a bit challenging, but not impossible. There were 2 bridges to navigate from Piazzale Roma to our hotel, one with a "ramp" on one side that made it easy with luggage. The other bridge did not. But as I struggled a bit with my luggage I had 2 different strangers offer to help me which was so nice! I'm sure the locals see this every day! (You can see now why we hired the porter to help us to the train station 2 days later. That was only one BIG bridge! haha) There were a few different choices of trains/routes to get us to Ravenna, but we ended up choosing the regional train from Venice to Ravenna, with a change in Ferrara. I bought the tickets online ahead of time costing approximately $19 each. One thing to note is if you buy the tickets online you can download the app Trainline and the tickets will show there. You have to "check in" a day ahead and that was easy right on the app. When the conductor comes around on the train you can just show him the tickets on the app, There were no seat assignments and it was unclear about luggage storage, but it all worked out fine. The train starts out in Venice, so it's very doubtful you will be dealing with huge numbers of people. Even with 20+ ahead of us in line we were able to board in a choice of several cars and immediately stack all our luggage together in a spot that was for luggage/baby strollers/bikes and sit across from it to keep our eyes on it all. There are monitors on the train that show where they are on the route and when you are approaching Ferrara, so it's not hard to know when it's time to get off. Ferrara is a small station, but the track we needed to Ravenna was on the other side and the only way to get over there was a tunnel underneath. It ended up that there was an elevator (Lift!) but we didn't see it and ended up using the stairs. That was challenging with the luggage, but we did it! The train to Ravenna is a slower regional route, with no problem at all finding seats and space for your luggage. Once again we sat directly across from the luggage. When we arrived at Ravenna we quickly saw that we had another tunnel challenge under the tracks to get into the station and out into the city. We were smarter this time and looked for an elevator and found the sign for the Lift....but it had an "Out of Order" sign on it!!! So once again we schlepped our luggage down and up the train station stairs!! Not for the faint of heart, but we were all laughing about it later! We had reservations for M Club Deluxe B&B, which turned out to be a fantastic choice! I highly recommend this place! We already knew, communicating with the M Club, that there are limited taxis in town. They gave me a phone number to call if we wanted to get one, or walk about 20 minutes there. Once outside we were going to walk but we were in luck as there was a mini van taxi sitting outside, so we grabbed it. We loved our short stay in Ravenna. We prebooked a mosaic tour and saw 5 UNESCO sites that were amazing. So many photo ops. The shops and restaurants were excellent and we all commented that the prices were very reasonable, as my guess is it's not really known yet as a busy tourist destination, so no inflated prices! We had prebooked through M Club for a car service to take us to the ship, so check out day at the hotel and check in at the ship was very easy. I hope this helps answer questions you might have on alternatives to the cruise shuttle or hiring a private transfer from Venice.

I've read there is room for large pieces of luggage, but I'd like to hear from someone here. Hopefully I (we!) get a reply!

What's luggage storage like on the trains? We will each have 1 checked luggage and 1 carry on with us, and I'm wondering if we can keep those near our seats, or do we need to store the bigger ones at the end of the car we are in?

A group of 5 of us will take this same train trip next month. How crowded were the trains on your trip, and did you have any issues with your luggage?

You're right! It's Puntarenas.

A tender in Cabo will be ok; just wondered about streets/sidewalks with a foldable wheelchair. The straw market in Puerto Quetzal sounds nice; we will plan on that! San Jose, Costa Rica That's a good idea for Cartagena. I'll look into that. Thank you for your insights!

Has anyone been on this cruise in the last couple of years with a mobility scooter, and/or a transport chair (foldable wheelchair)? I'm wondering if you went ashore in all the ports and found it manageable? Our ports include, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Quetzal, San Jose, Colon, Cartagena We most likely will try things on our own, vs a ship excursion, but would love to hear from you if you have done either one. Thank you!

Depending on your timeframe in Portland, a ferry ride might work, and be fun for all of you. There are several routes to choose from, so review on the Casco Bay Ferry website. Link over to the ADA section and you will find a lot of information on how they can accommodate your mother. Enjoy your cruise! Casco Bay Island Ferry Service - Portland, Maine (cascobaylines.com)

Thank you!!

If you are a Hilton member download their app. You can choose your own room (day of, or day before check in - can't remember when it opens for selection) , and if lucky and they are available, look for a corner King room on one of the top floors that looks out over the bay. Windows on two sides give you a fantastic panoramic view! Enjoy!

We have stayed at the Hilton on Biscayne and really liked it, but it is sold out for our January dates. Which of the above two do you recommend? Should I just go by price, or are there location pros and cons? I also know where the Publix is to buy wine near the Marriott. Is there somewhere close to the Intercontinental to do the same? Thanks!

Perfect; thank you!

Excellent tip!!

I wonder if this is because you need 2 unique sign on IDs to claim both of the free benefits? We usually travel with a phone and an IPad, so that should solve the issue I think..

I'm not sure how this works... can anyone help? My husband and I are both diamond plus. We both get 2 free days of WIFI on a cruise I believe, although we have never used that benefit. We have been both buying the Voom package pre-cruise, but with the daily rates jumping significantly, I'm wondering if it makes sense to buy the package for just one of us and using the free days for the other. My question is this: If I buy the package for myself, am I still entitled to my 2 free days? Can I just let my husband double up with mine to have 4 free days? Or, do I forfeit my 2 free days all together when I purchase the package pre-cruise? Thanks!

How long a drive is it from the port to the airport? We will have someone with a scooter in our group, so we will want to send someone on the shuttle to pick up the car/SUV, and circle back to pick up others in our group. Trying to figure out how much extra time this will take. Thanks!

Thanks Ken!

Does anyone know when to expect these itineraries to be released? Thanks!