teddy Posted November 7, 2022 Report Share Posted November 7, 2022 Ravenna, Split, Bari, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Messina, Naples, Civitavecchia. This will be our first trip to Europe, and we're very excited. Our current plans are to fly into Venice three days early and be tourists. We haven't decided how long we'll stay in Rome post cruise. We're waiting for flights to be available to see what our options are. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted November 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2022 Decided to fly into Bologna since the train from Bologna Central goes to Ravenna directly with no changes required. We just booked our flight from Boston to Bologna (via JFK and Heathrow) using AA miles. We'll get to Ravenna in the early afternoon on Thursday and have time to recover from traveling as well as some time to explore Ravenna before we board on Sunday. We haven't booked lodging yet, but we're leaning toward Airbnb. Our cruise ends in Civitavecchia, so we'll book our flight home when the availability shows up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted December 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 On 11/23/2022 at 8:46 PM, teddy said: Decided to fly into Bologna since the train from Bologna Central goes to Ravenna directly with no changes required. We just booked our flight from Boston to Bologna (via JFK and Heathrow) using AA miles. We'll get to Ravenna in the early afternoon on Thursday and have time to recover from traveling as well as some time to explore Ravenna before we board on Sunday. We haven't booked lodging yet, but we're leaning toward Airbnb. Our cruise ends in Civitavecchia, so we'll book our flight home when the availability shows up. Our lives would be boring without change. We are now flying into Venice instead of Bologna. Air2Sea had cheaper round trip tickets than our one way from Rome to Boston would have been. Our 60k AA miles were refunded so we'll use them for something else. We booked a transfer from pier at Civitavecchia to the Rome airport (FCO) through Royal for $72 pp. Kind of pricey, but we need to fly back to the States on the day we disembark. We are still spending three nights in Ravenna pre-cruise. For those who find this looking for info on getting from Venice to Ravenna, our current plan is to take a taxi from the airport to Venezia Mestre Station then take the train to Ravenna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMG39 Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 Hi Teddy. We are on the same cruise! We haven't booked anything yet and this is our first time in Europe. Keep posting because I need to see what to plan! teddy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted January 20 Author Report Share Posted January 20 Our flight from Boston to Venice now has an eight hour layover in Lisbon instead of one hour. This puts us in Venice at 610 pm, much too late to get to our B&B in time (the latest to arrive is 630 pm). @FionaMGhas given us some great ideas for things to do during our layover in Lisbon. We can cancel the Ravenna B&B reservation with no penalty, but we are going to contact the owner and see if we can stay for two nights instead of three. If we can, we’ll use Marriott Bonvoy points to stay near the airport the first night then take the train to Ravenna. If we can’t change to two nights, we’ll cancel and make other lodging arrangements. I’ve been learning Italian for the past six or so months and hope to be able to talk and understand while we’re there. WAAAYTOOO and CMG39 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 @teddy Believe it or not, I actually have my eye on this cruise as well, along with Enchantment and Symphony that same weekend. No firm plans as yet but considering doing a cheap-ish late season cruise to push me over the D+ barrier. teddy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted January 20 Author Report Share Posted January 20 We did the same thing last October to get to the next level. This will be our first cruise as Diamond FionaMG and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted January 31 Author Report Share Posted January 31 More flight fun Air2Sea emailed us this morning to let us know there was a change to our flights. Apparently the Rome to Munich leg of our flight back to the US has been cancelled. Air2Sea said they are working on a solution and will contact us with alternatives. The original itinerary was Rome to Boston with a three hour layover in Munich, both flights on Lufthansa. There is enough time that we're not concerned. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted March 7 Author Report Share Posted March 7 Yay. Air2Sea worked out the cancellation and we’re back on track. Our current flight times are very similar to the original ones. We have an eight hour layover in Lisbon, so we plan to go play tourist for a bit thanks to advice from @FionaMG We’ve decided to spend an extra night in Venice, so now we’re at two nights pre-cruise in Venice and one in Ravenna. We’re still planning on taking the train from Venice to Ravenna. Hopefully there will be minimal changes from here forward, but we’re flexible. FionaMG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted May 4 Author Report Share Posted May 4 Big head's up. There is a marathon in Venice on Sunday, 22 October. Plan ahead if you're flying in the day of, even with Air2Sea. https://www.ahotu.com/event/venice-marathon I read on the other site that this is one of the reason Royal is not offering shuttles to the port (in Ravenna) from the city center for this cruise. We got caught up in the Miami Marathon mess when disembarking Oasis in February 2022. Travel was painfully slow. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted May 10 Author Report Share Posted May 10 Plans are set. In Lisbon, we will take the Metro in town and have lunch after we clear immigration. It would be a shame to have an eight hour layover and only see the inside of the airport. When we arrive in Venice, we'll spend two nights at the Marriott Courtyard Venice Airport and one night at the M Club Deluxe B&B in Ravenna. We are staying near the airport rather than in Venice proper because we get in at 1830 and know we will just want to get to a room to recover from traveling. This hotel is a five minute or so bus ride from the airport. The bus stop is across the street. Once there, we want to just stay in one place for two nights rather than schlepping our stuff to a different hotel. Our plan (if we aren't too jet lagged out) is to catch an early morning boat into Venice and wander around before it gets crowded. We may head back to the room for a nap then go back out to see Venice at night. We will take the train down to Ravenna on day three and spend the night there. This plan includes catching a morning train at Venezia Mestre station and enjoy Ravenna the day before the cruise. The B&B owner has secured transportation to the terminal for us on Sunday. Lots of plans here....how's that go? No plan survives first contact? FionaMG and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted May 15 Author Report Share Posted May 15 I just posted this in the general forum, but I'll repost it here. The source for this is a Facebook group for this sailing that my wife belongs to. It's actually credited to someone who is sailing from Ravenna this month. Quote ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS Dear Guest, We’re looking forward to welcoming you onboard our sailing on Explorer of the Seas! Before we set sail, some important information to share about travelling to Ravenna, Italy. If you’ve already purchased transfers to and from your sailing, please feel free to mark this email as “Read”. Details about any Royal Caribbean transfer can be found on your booking confirmation. While our sailing will depart from Ravenna, Italy, most guests will find their flights will be routed through the airport in Venice. Due to the distance from Venice to Ravenna, guests will need to arrange transportation both to and from the ship on boarding and departure day either by purchasing a competitively priced transfer through Royal Caribbean International or by making their own private arrangements. Please note, private transportation, like taxis may be limited around port and airport areas. Guests choosing to arrange transfers through Royal Caribbean International will need to book their shuttle before their sailing either by contacting their travel partner or by reaching out to Royal Caribbean using the contact information below. Additionally, guests may purchase transfers at Venice Marco Polo Airport on boarding day. However, boarding day transfers will have limited availability and are available for purchase on a first come-first served basis. For more information, please contact your Travel Partner or call us using the contact information below. We’re looking forward to sailing with you! Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International Pre-Cruise Shuttles: Shuttle services will be available from locations in the area including Venice Marco Polo Airport and Venice City Centre (Tronchetto). Guests may select their preferred transfer based on their flights and selected check-in time for boarding the ship. When booking your shuttle, you’ll also be advised of the latest possible flight arrival time to board your shuttle. When arranging transfers on your own, flights should arrive into Venice no later than 11:35 AM to allow time to arrive to the ship. The journey to the ship from Venice, Italy can take up to 3 hours (depending on traffic conditions), so please be sure to dress comfortably and keep your travel documents, medications, or any other important items with you in your carry-on luggage. Onboard shuttles departing from Venice, guests will have the ability to charge their phones and will be provided with bottled water. Then, about halfway through the journey, we’ll make a comfort stop where guests will be able to stretch their legs, use the restroom, and purchase snacks for the remainder of the trip. Please note: Depending on driving conditions, the comfort stop may be skipped to ensure all guests arrive to the ship on time. Check-in for your sailing will take place at the cruise terminal in Ravenna, Italy. Post-Cruise Shuttles: When booking your shuttle, you’ll be advised of the earliest possible flight departure time to board your shuttle. Just like on boarding day, the journey back to Venice, Italy can take up to 3 hours, so don’t forget to dress comfortably! All the same amenities listed for the pre-cruise shuttle from Venice – bottled water and the ability to charge your phone – will also be available for guests travelling on the post-cruise shuttle to Venice. If you have any questions, please reach out to your travel advisor or contact us at: 1 866-562-7625 in the U.S. 1800 754 500 in Australia / 0800 102 123 in New Zealand In the UK only, by using our webchat service or by calling 0344 493 4005 All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted May 19 Report Share Posted May 19 @teddy, I just wanted to share something with you regarding your layover in Lisbon. We recently flew back to Lisbon from Newark after our Anthem cruise and the additional security check that we have always had to go through in the past when arriving from the US was no more. Passport control and straight through. Now, I can't promise this is a permanent change or if, for some reason, this particular flight didn't necessitate it (this was our first time flying from NY; usually we are flying from Miami) but I wanted to give you the heads-up because it might be one less inconvenience for you during your journey. I've always thought that security check was pointless anyway, since you're coming from a sterile airside location. teddy and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted May 19 Author Report Share Posted May 19 That great to hear. Thank you!! FionaMG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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