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xSAILEDx Explorer of the Seas - Oct 22, 2023 - Oct 29, 2023 (7 Night Italy & Adriatic Cruise)


teddy

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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.

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  • AshleyDillo changed the title to Explorer of the Seas - Oct 22, 2023 - Oct 29, 2023 (7 Night Italy & Adriatic Cruise)

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.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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. 

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  • 1 month later...

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. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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.

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  • 1 month later...

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. 

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  • 1 month later...

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.

 

venice marathon map.webp

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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?

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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

 

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@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.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We decided to live a bit and changed our hotel in Venice to one that is right off Piazzale Roma instead of by the airport.  It’s double the cost, but we’ll be in Venice proper rather than by the airport.   
 

We figured why not.  We’ll most likely never be there again. 
 

 

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On 6/12/2023 at 12:13 PM, teddy said:

We decided to live a bit and changed our hotel in Venice to one that is right off Piazzale Roma instead of by the airport.  It’s double the cost, but we’ll be in Venice proper rather than by the airport.   
 

We figured why not.  We’ll most likely never be there again. 
 

 

Lmao

We are such inexperienced travelers.  Thank goodness we’ve at least learned to book refundable/free cancellation things. 
 

We decided to stay in a small B&B in the middle of the city rather than a chain hotel at the entrance to the city.  It’s time to get out of our comfort zone. 
 

We are now staying at Locanda Silva.  We will take the Alilaguna water bus from the airport to the stop by the B&B. It’s about an hour ride and we’ll be doing it in the evening. 

Stay tuned…. 😁

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Be aware….there is a general strike all day on the 20th for air travel, and from 2100 on the 19th to 2100 on the 20th for train travel. Plan travel accordingly.

Here’s a link to the information.  It’s in Italian. I’m not sure if the website has an English version, but I’m sure there’s a way to translate it. 
 

http://scioperi.mit.gov.it/mit2/public/scioperi?fbclid=IwAR0K4ANJ4eP70z_q_AgJRQh5NM-SmdjeLQpBDGPlcGQSz1OX9UkvnkGrhXA

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  • 3 weeks later...

We received the Royal Up offers yesterday.   We bid just above minimum on the Grand Suite and the Two Bedroom Grand Suite.  
 

Based on how many people will most likely be bidding on limited quantity/nonexistent cabins, I will be absolutely floored if either bid is accepted.  It’s fun to dream though.    
 

We’re very content with the aft regular balcony cabin we originally booked and quite honestly, we’d thoroughly enjoy the cruise even if we were in an Interior cabin. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

We decided to book a shared water taxi to go from the airport to our hotel rather than ride the Alilaguna water bus.  It should be more direct and much less walking.  Our flight arrives at 1810 and we will have to get a couple bags at the baggage claim. By this point, we know we’ll be tired of traveling and just want to get to our hotel.  
 

$75.90 for two after Euro/USD conversion.  It’s more expensive than the regular water bus, but like I said, we will get to our hotel quicker and have less walking from drop off point to the hotel. 
 

https://www.tiqets.com/en/venice-attractions-c71510/tickets-for-venice-water-taxi-airport-from-marco-polo-airport-to-venice-p1032292/

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

We are on the Explorer now through November 11th. Ravenna is a nice stop for a night or two. Make lunch and dinner reservations before you get in town.  Restaurants are full and may not take walkins. The 10€ shuttle was quick and efficient from the hotel to the ship - book now! The ship is great and the crew is super. Windjammer is the only crowded spot. Casino has been nice. Looking forward to welcoming everyone onboard.

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I’m assuming it’s either the apostrophe in our last name that’s fouling things up or the fact that they want our “National Identity Card” information in addition to our passport info.  
 

Whatever it is, we’re arriving at the airport early. 

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Check in at the airport was easy and we’re at the gate. 
 

A head’s up…TAP Air at Boston is serious about carry on size.  Quite a few people had to check their intended carry on when we checked our bags.  $105 a bag.  We weren’t worried about our carry on bags because we followed the dimensions listed on their website. 
 

I’m gonna do an after action report of our travel to Italy and cruise.  I learned last year that I suck at trying to do a blog in the moment. 
 

Ciao

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1 hour ago, teddy said:

Check in at the airport was easy and we’re at the gate. 
 

A head’s up…TAP Air at Boston is serious about carry on size.  Quite a few people had to check their intended carry on when we checked our bags.  $105 a bag.  We weren’t worried about our carry on bags because we followed the dimensions listed on their website. 
 

I’m gonna do an after action report of our travel to Italy and cruise.  I learned last year that I suck at trying to do a blog in the moment. 
 

Ciao

Glad to hear it. 😊

It's not just at Boston; TAP always do that with carry on bags. Just as well you stuck to their rules.

Have a great trip! 😁

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3 hours ago, FionaMG said:

@teddy I'm so sorry to see the weather is being so horrible for your layover. 😬

I can't remember if I already mentioned it but if you want something indoors to do I suggest you check out the Oceanarium: https://www.oceanario.pt/en

 

We ended up going upstairs to the lounge and sleeping.   The flight from Boston was extremely rough last night and we got no sleep.   Turbulence doesn’t bother me, but my wife isn’t a fan so I have some fingerprint bruises on my arm. The shrieking people near us was a bit much, too.  
 

Our flight boards in two hours so we’re kinda out of luck for going out into the city.   
 

We’ve already decided we want to come back and spend some time in Lisbon. 

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1 minute ago, teddy said:

We ended up going upstairs to the lounge and sleeping.   The flight from Boston was extremely rough last night and we got no sleep.   Turbulence doesn’t bother me, but my wife isn’t a fan so I have some fingerprint bruises on my arm. The shrieking people near us was a bit much, too.  
 

Our flight boards in two hours so we’re kinda out of luck for going out into the city.   
 

We’ve already decided we want to come back and spend some time in Lisbon. 

I'm not surprised the flight was rough. We have a huge storm front here right now. A ship (can't remember which one) that was supposed to be calling at Lisbon yesterday had to cancel the port call. I'm like your wife and would have been terrified too. 😬

It's a shame you didn't make it into the city but hopefully you will have another chance in the future.

Safe onward travels. I hope the seas will be smooth for you. 😊

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Our flight from Lisbon to Venice has been cancelled.  TAP Air rebooked us on a 655 flight tomorrow morning, gave us a room voucher at the Sana Metropolitan hotel along with three meal vouchers a piece.  We are also apparently due 250€ because of the cancelled flight. 
 

When the flight was cancelled, I immediately called Air2Sea while my wife got in the long line for the TAP Air desk.   Air2Sea was very easy to deal with, and had us stay in the line because the flight wasn’t showing as cancelled on their end.  Air2Sea wanted to be able to talk to the TAP Air representative directly. 
 

Then….all reception went away, both cellular and Wi-Fi, and Air2Sea wasn’t able to call me back.  Thankfully TAP Air took care of us.  
 

I just called Air2Sea to let them know we were rebooked and taken care of.  They were very appreciative that I did. The representative said that many times people rebook on their own after calling and never fill Air2Sea in with the new flight number. 
 

Now we’re headed out to a local supermarket to see what they are like in Lisbon. It’s always interesting to see a non-touristy place.  

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The plot thickens 

I forgot about the nationwide transportation strike in Italy all day tomorrow, October 20.  We originally booked our flights to arrive ahead of it, but the cancellation today screwed that up. 
 

We may not get to Italy until Saturday.  
 

Travel insurance claim so far:  One night’s lodging in Venice and a water taxi ride from Marco Polo Airport to our hotel.   
 

On the plus side, we had a nice time walking around the area of our hotel in Lisbon.  We went in a bunch of small markets and shops.  Smiled a lot, and used the translator app on my phone a lot.  
 

The voucher for our dinner was for the hotel restaurant.  We tried some local dishes that we’ve never heard of (and can’t remember the names of now), and really enjoyed them. 

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