mapleleaves

don't have an answer for you but this web site might be a good resource for you

19 Best Mykonos Beaches with Beach Map (Clubs, Parties, Swimming) (santorinidave.com)

My plan WAS to visit Florence first then Pisa.  It seemed the safest option: it would be easier to shorten our visit to Pisa (or eliminate it) if we were running out of time.  Plus Pisa is closer to Livorno if we needed to take a cab back to the port for whatever reason.

HOWEVER, we were bit late leaving the ship and missed the train to Florence so we went to Pisa first!  And that worked out well too !   

I still think that Florence Pisa is a safer order but either can be done.

(when we got to Pisa I was well aware of the departure time of our next train so we moved fast!  At Pisa Centrale we hopped in a cab and went directly to the Leaning Tower area, walked around, took our photos, then took a cab back to the station and hopped on the train to Florence).

perfect ! Thx so much.

4 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Which port and train station are you referring to? I don’t want to misspeak. 
 

duh ...sorry about that.   I was looking at the Livorno photos so you were supposed to read my mind and know that I was talking about Livorno Port and station.. 

Curious to know .....Is NCL still NOT offering a shuttle from the ship to the train station? 

Is there a free port shuttle from the ship to Piazza Municipio ?   

3 hours ago, Mehroswitha said:

 

It may all work out for the best, though: The hotel's Web site indicates they offer an airport shuttle! I plan to check that out--and suspect it might turn out to be more economical than HAL's transfer, which my friends (who did book air through NCL) subsequently purchased.

 

IIRC a taxi from the airport into the city center has a fixed fare of 50E.  .

yes, it is still 50E, so getting a cab from the taxi line at FCO is a pretty easy option.

How to get a taxi in Rome and which number to call - Romeing

IIRC, there are only 3 vendors which offer heli tours in Juneau .....Coastal Helicopter, Northern, Temsco.  Check their web sites (FAQ) for details.   

There are travel books specific to Med cruises. They are a great resource.  The books provide detailed info about sights, activities, history, DIY options, tours, etc for the popular ports. 

ie: Rick Steves ... Mediterranean cruise ports,  Ann Vipond    Mediterranean by cruiseship

5 minutes ago, surfone said:

 so my only option was to get a one day deviation to leave the following day.  The regular NCL rep could not believe they booked our flight at that time,  All good now we can visit downtown Venice for the day.  But, yes since no more cruising out of the Venice it is a pain now for embark at that port.

Yes, I flew out the following day also. I've had a few close calls at VCE and didn't want to end the trip worrying about my flight home. (however my flight was at 6am which was gruesome in it's own right! )   I booked a hotel by the airport so I rode FlixBus from Trieste to VCE for about 15E.  At the hotel I bought a ticket for the bus into Venice .... 1E and 30 minutes later I was at the Grand Canal.  Have a great trip !

I was on the Gem out of Trieste last yr. For pax with flights out of VCE at noon, there was an NCL transfer leaving at 7am.   For flights at 1pm, the transfer left at 8am.

VCE can be quiet chaotic. You usually need the full 3 hrs prior to departure time,  so I'd plan on being on the first bus out of Trieste, esp now that most cruisers are coming from Trieste or Ravenna which are 2-3 hrs away and they're being told to book flights after noon.

As for Istanbul, I have no personal experience but my relatives in the UK fly from there frequently. They say to give yourself 1hr for the drive, and be at the airport 3 hrs prior; a large and busy airport.

Can you easily manage your luggage?  That might determine whether your group should take a train, bus, cruiseline transfer, or private transfer.

If you're taking the train from Venice to Rome, staying near the Venice S Lucia train station would be the easiest option.  Venice is very safe; pickpockets would be the biggest concern just like in any other tourist city. 

If you're talking about THIS July, you're very late to be making hotel reservations.  This hotel listing will be helpful:

  'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Venezia Santa Lucia train station | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

The Trieste train station is about a 15 minute walk from the cruise pier.  A flat easy walk on a nice day ( but a very long wait for a cab if it's raining)

The train to Rome will be at least 4 hrs.  Would you take a train from Venice to FCO? or to the city for some sightseeing then catch a taxi to the airport the next morning for your flight?

Santorini Public Buses :: Official Web Site - HOME (ktel-santorini.gr)

Thank you for posting .... always happy to read about Barcelona.

Such a wonderful city !  

2 hours ago, wandb said:

 

l could not climb the 600 steps, and my husband hates heights (and cable cars!!)

 

Tell me please the "must see" sights at the top of the cable car. Thanks!!

My must-sees in Fira were great views and a blue domed church.  There are more of both in Oia but our time was impacted by the cable car wait so we didn't get beyond Fira.  IIRC we saw 2 blu domed churches in Fira, and spectacular views as we walked along the cliffside path.

Check to see if your cruiseline offers an excursion that avoids the cable car.  Most excursions end in Fira and you have to make your way down to the tender dock below, but last yr there was one cruiseline with one excursion that picked up AND dropped off at Athinios port.

Oddly enough this service is one-way only.  Or has been for many yrs. 

HOWEVER, in a trip report last yr, someone reported a DIFFERENT company with 2 small boats offering a return trip back to Skala ( the pier below Fira).  They weren't operating from the same location as the large water taxi.   The large water taxi drops off at a dock at the bottom of the road on Amoudi Bay, whereas these 2 boats were at the bottom of the Amoudi Stairs which lead up to Oia.  She said they were even taking reservations, 20E.  She had walked down the stairs just for the heck of it, and was prepared to walk back up, but this was the perfect option for avoiding the cable car fiasco.

p.s. I don't know how many ships are in port with you, but keep in mind that the water taxi to Amoudi is a great option if there is a long line at the cable car to get up to Fira 

7 minutes ago, RobInMN said:

 "Via Tolemaide Private Apartment" (by Cory). I just looked it up, and they've more than tripled their price, so maybe it's not as good of a deal as when we rented it.

 

 

 

It's always nice to have multiple options to check out for future trips. Trip reports are a great resource for recommendations.  The Vatican area does not appeal though.  But thank you for posting this info; might be ideal for another CC member. 

On 5/5/2024 at 10:54 AM, Joe33472 said:

Finally settled into our AirBnB in Rome from a long day of travel, grocery stores, much needed laundry, and quick walks to the Pantheon and Trevi fountain.    

 

 

Would you recommend this AirBnB ?

15 hours ago, redmomof4 said:

What do you mean which schedule works for me? 

look at the train schedule and bus schedule for your specific travel day to determine which departure time works better for your plans.  I assume you want to get into Venice early enough to sightsee, but if the train doesn't leave until 10am would you prefer to take a bus leaving at 8am?  

17 hours ago, redmomof4 said:

Would you recommend train the opposite way too? Trieste to Venice. Haven’t decided where to stay yet in Venice. 

Can you easily manage your luggage?  And which schedule works best for you?

If you arrive to Venice by train, the Venice SLucia station is on the Grand Canal, just across the bridge from the Piazzale Roma.   PRoma is the last point of land travel in Venice so it's where you find transportation to the airport.  You can stay near the train station or PRoma for easy access to airport transportation and a vaporeto station for exploring Venice.

If you can't easily manage your luggage, the train might be the easiest option and chose a hotel within a few blocks.  'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Venezia Santa Lucia train station | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

If you arrive to Venice by FlixBus, you disembark at Tronchetto, which is a huge parking lot at the edge of Venice. In Tronchetto you board the PeopleMover (monorail) to Piazzale Roma.  It's a 3 minute ride for under 2E.  Flix also drops off at the airport and Mestre so be mindful of which destination you chose.

Alos, keep in mind that the Trieste train and bus stations are within a block of each other and about a 15 minute walk from the cruise pier. Easy flat walk on a nice day, but a long wait for a taxi on a rainy day.

57 minutes ago, AlaskaGoer said:

 

Stupid question,  but the water transports are probably easy to find? Do you buy a ticket while getting on the boat or is there a kiosk or booth?

As marazul says " the port is tiny".   When you step off the tender you'll see a stretch of storefronts. The water taxi had a kiosk and storefront ;  hard to miss their signage. Plus they had several employees walking around with brochures.

11 minutes ago, AlaskaGoer said:

 

Getting back to the ship via the cable car doesn't worry me, we'll just walk the steps if needed. 

 

Getting off the ship with the ability to hop on a bus or taxi to Oia is a bit more stressful. 

 

I'll look for the water taxi when we get off the tender. Cross my fingers. 

The water taxi is pretty large, holding about 80-100 pax IIRC.  It sits at the dock until it collects enough pax to make it worthwhile.  The employees 'worked' the cable car line encouraging people to take their boat instead.  It sat there for an hour before it finally left for Amoudi Bay. In hindsight we should have taken it, but I didn't expect to wait a 2nd hr for the cable car.  When the water taxi gets to Amoudi Bay, there's a shuttle that takes you up the hill to Oia, and they give you a bus ticket to Fira.

BTW, last yr someone reported that there were 2 small boats at Amoudi Bay taking people BACK to Fira.  They didn't use the same dock as the water taxi.  These 2 boats were across the Bay, at the foot of the stairs going up to Oia.  So look for them.  That would be ideal .... you'd skip the cable cars altogether. 

1 hour ago, AlaskaGoer said:

 

I did. 

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/santorini-island-port-69?month=2024-06#schedule

 

We are in on the 10th. We get in around 1, and leave around 9. One of the big ships leaves at 6. 

 

Compared to other days, it doesn't seem that crowded?  Obviously our ship is a good size tho...

10,000+ cruise pax and only 40 taxis.  

IIRC the taxi stand and bus depot were on the same block in Fira.  When you exit the cable cars, instead of going right or left along the cliffside walkway, you go straight ahead to a main street then turn right for 5/6 blocks.

I was on the NCL Dawn 2pm-10pm and the only other large ship was 8am-4pm.  So I didn't expect much of a cable car line, esp since we were on the 4th tender.  Wrong! 

The only positive was that the other ship left at 4 so those pax were long gone when we decided to return to the ship around 6:30 to watch the sunset.  

22 hours ago, AlaskaGoer said:

Docking in Santorini in June. Oia seems like a decent place to check out, but I know it can be a bit rough to get too.

 

This guide seems to suggest taking the bus etc. from Fira over.

 

https://zeweekendtraveller.com/index.php/europe/greece/seeing-santorini-in-a-few-hours/

 

Knowing the mass chaos of people trying to get off the ship etc, is it better just to grab a taxi? And if so, how easy is it to grab one and where...

Have you checked cruisemapper or similar site to see how many ships are in port with you? their hours and # pax?

I read somewhere that there are less than 40 taxis serving Santorini, primarily serving the airport. And how many cruise pax on each ship vying for those taxis?   We had NO luck getting a taxi from Fira to Oia, and we just missed the bus so it was a 30 minute wait for the next  Given that we had waited 2 hrs for the cable car, we decided to pass on Oia just in case we couldn't get a ride back.

If I was to return to Santorini I would; 1)  take a ships excursion to Oia.OR 2) take the water taxi to Oia.  And on the return, I'd take the stairs if the cable car line was long. (The water taxi includes a bus ride back to Fira, 30E IIRC. )    

Good luck

In a trip report last summer, someone reported that at the bottom of the stairs at Amoudi Bay ( OIA)  there were 2 boats taking pax back to the tender dock below Fira.  They were even taking reservations.  These were not the same boats that take pax from the tender dock TO Amoudi.

So when you're in Oia, it might be worthwhile to see if those boats are operating.  This would enable you to avoid the cable car fiasco. You'd also miss Fira but hopefully you got your fill of blue domes and views in Oia.

2 hours ago, marazul said:

I think the OP is taking a ship's tour that ends in Fira and needs to take the cable car down. Chances are they tender to Athinios and only return from Fira.  AFAIK - ship excursions provide the return ticket for the cable car.

You may be right ! I read it differently.

Even with a return ticket you still have to stand in line. In order to board the cable car you have to stop at the ticket office, whether you're buying a ticket or showing them a ticket/voucher.

@Jayhoaps  use cruisemapper or a similar site to see which ships are in port with you, as well as their hours and # of pax.  Are you prepared to walk down the stairs if the line is long?