MBnancy

Galveston Cruiser,

Thanks for the information. That is a good suggestion to use a "fake" flight, as I'm sure they don't use the passenger list from an airline to check if you are really on it. ;)

Still makes me nervous. I'm going to be searching for other ways to get to the port. Our son, dil and gd are joining us on cruise, but different airlines, same overnight hotel.

Do you know when we disembark first thing off the ship, if we would be able to find our Limo or Van easily? Is there a parking area for them, or is it a zoo in the parking lot? We have a 1 PM flight, so need to get going in the morning.

Thank you for answering this. How stressful it must have been to find out you MAYBE could get a seat on the last bus the morning of the cruise. I don't understand RCL.

We've taken a couple cruises from the UK. Flew to London, toured a few days, then the day of the cruise met at Victoria Station for the bus ride to Southampton to board the ship and it was provided for the cruise. In fact it was the first sailing of the Navigator in Europe. RCL sold us transportation tickets in advance, when we didn't fly in that day.

When did you get tickets for the return on one of their busses?

"The fare is actually 47.00 dollars and RCCL has just changed their policy and are allowing you to book the transportation if you are comming in early. You are booked on a bus at 1030a-1100am. Great service."

I just spent a half hour on the phone with RCL. We are taking the Navagator in July. We fly the day before to Bush airport and spend the night at an airport hotel, probably the Marriott at the airport, because we get in late afternoon.

We understand we would have to get back to the airport on Sunday morning for a RCL bus.

RCL said NO, one can NOT buy a transportation ticket to Port of Galveston if they are not flying in that day with arrangements made through RCL.

I repeated what I read on here, so the representive asked others around her, and sent an email to someone. The answer is still no, you cannot purchase a shuttle bus ticket in advance OR on the morning of the cruise unless you were flying in that day and booked thru them.

Now I do not know what to think?

Has anyone taken the cruise this month, got a hotel, and back to Bush the next morning?

"we arranged a tour of Lucca and the Bolgheri wine region southwest of Pisa. Vinny, our driver met us at the pier at 8 a.m. and off we went to Lucca, birthplace of Puccini. We spent the morning driving and walking through the central city, which is circumvented by a large wall. Our tour included stops at 3 churches, and we had plenty of time to wander the streets and shop. Vinny was very patient and helpful, ensuring that everyone in our group found the items they wanted to purchase. Lucca is a lovely town that is often overlooked by tourists, especially from the cruise ships because so many passengers go to Florence and Pisa – but I thought it was well worth seeing. After the drive to the Bogheri region we stopped in a small village for lunch at one of the wineries and sampled one of the local wines. We then drove to a nearby village atop a hill that provided wonderful panoramic vistas of the southwestern portion of Tuscany. In short, we had a lovely day with Vinny seeing portions of Tuscany that most cruise passengers just don’t get to see."

David,

We are thinking of doing something like this. Great report by the way. How many were in your group to Lucca, and what was the cost if I may ask? We are 4 adults and one 7 year old girl.

Did the limo drive into Lucca, so that you could get out and walk? One in our party has mobility issues. Or did it park outside the walls and wait for you?

Thank you for any information.

Just got back from Splendour of the Seas with a stop in Messina.

We had not signed up for ships tour of Taormina, but had learned from other ports on the cruise that there are taxi's waiting as you leave the ship. As we walked out, we found other passengers also looking for people to share a taxi with. There is an English speaking "boss" and he tells you the price and guides you to one of the taxi's. The price was 120 Euro for our group to split, and was a nice 6 passenger van. He drove us there and we had from 10 am to 1 PM. The shops close for Siesta at that time and the taxi arranged to meet us for the return trip. On the way back he gave us a tour of Messina, and even stopped at the Clock tower for us to get out and take some photos. The taxi took us right to the gate of the city, so there was no extra walking from the parking lot.