What do you think of my Italy itinerary?

Hello folks, I have put together a rough sketch of my itinerary for my trip through Italy. I'm going this March over spring break. I plan on visiting Rome and Italy. It's a little rushed, but I honestly am a little more fast-paced than most people, so I wouldn't mind being kind of rushed. I mainly want to make sure that the places I want to see are feasible to visit and in similar parts of town.

Just a note: I cannot change the day that I land in Rome (Saturday at 18hr) or the day that I leave (Sunday at 4hr). I cannot change the location where I land. I'm aware that I'd save time if my flight schedule was different, but at this point I cannot change it. The flight and three nights in a Roman hostel are the only reservations that I have paid for though, so everything else is flexible.

What do you think?

Saturday: Land in Rome at 6 p.m., check into my hostel.

Sunday: Cappuchin Crypt - Museum of Rome - Borghese Gallery - Appian Way - Travastere walk (North City Center of Rome)

Monday: Colosseum, Forums, Palatine Hill, Pantheon. Pub crawl.

Tuesday: Castel Sant'Angelo - Ponte Sant'Angelo - Catacombs of Priscilla

Wednesday: Audience with the pope (I have a letter from the Vatican saying I can get tickets!), Sistine Chapel - St. Peter's basilica - Vatican museum

-- At 22 pm--get on a train to to Venice


Thursday

6 am Hop off the train at San Lucia, arrive in Venice

9 am Walk from St. Mark's Square to Frari Church (self-guided St. Marks to Rialto Walk chapter).
Stop along the way to the Rialto market to browse

11 am Tour Frari Church, Scuola San Rocco

12 pm Tour Accademia, dorsoduro neighborhood, La Salute Church

13 pm Dorsoduro lunch, vaporetto to St. Mark's to wander and shop

15 pm St Mark's basilica

16 pm Doge's Palace

17 pm Gondola ride

20 pm Dinner

22 pm Dueling orchestras with a drink on St. Mark's square

Friday

11 am Grand canal cruise chapter, vaporetto

13 pm Lunch

14 pm Murano

17 pm Exploring

19 pm pub crawl

Saturday:

8 am Get on a train to to Rome

12 pm Hop off at Rome

16 pm Plane leaves Rome

Reservations
- Make reservations at the Venice Fish, extend stay at Hostel Alessandro
- Reservations for musuems--museum cards?






Answer :
This is not too bad other than the Appian Way being off the rest of the route for Sunday. I usually walk when I go to Rome and you can cover quite a lot of territory in a day.

Note that the night train for Venice leaves from the Roma Tiburtina station rather than Roma Termini. It's not difficult to get there, but you do need to be at the right station. The night train is a good way to go; paying a little more for a berth in a 4 bed compartment is worth it. It's much more comfortable than a seat and easier to sleep through the night. Given your schedule in Venice, getting some sleep through the night will be important.

It would be a good idea to have a reservation for the Vatican museum since you don't want to be waiting in line anywhere for an hour or more. You could also reserve a time for the Accademia in Venice - whether there's a line depends on when you go. Most of the time I haven't had to wait there. You can get a combined ticket for the Doge's Palace and the Correr Museum which is on the other end of Piazza San Marco. If there's a line for tickets at the Doge's Palace, there almost never is at the Correr; it's faster to buy the ticket there even if you only want to see the Doge's Palace.

There is no 8 am train to Rome from Venice. There is one at 8:27 am that will get you to Roma Termini at 12:13 which is close to your schedule. You didn't say which airport you arrive at and depart from in Rome. It takes about a half hour or so to get to either airport from Roma Termini plus any waiting time for transportation. If everything is on time, you'll be able to get to Fiumicino at 1:23 pm on the Leonardo Express if that's the airport you're leaving from. While this is adequate time for your flight if everything is running on time, I would recommend taking an earlier train to Rome to give you a little more cushion in case the trains are running late.







Answer :
i think is is a good plan, above all.
For Rome Galleria Borghese be aware that you have to book (http://www.ticketeria.it/Default-eng.asp… You can buy also a 3 day card called Roma Pass (http://www.romapass.it/?l=en) which has included transports and museum entrances and discount). While you are walking I suggest you also to have a look at S.Carlo alle quattro fontane (beautiful tiny Baroque churh by Borromini) and Piazza Navona (Bernini fountain). And also, don't forget to eat "carciofi alla giudia" (artichokes) and "pasta alla gricia or amatriciana" (Pasta with kind of bacon). And if you are interested on modern art, very close to Galleria Borghese there is the GNAM (National Modern Art Gallery).
For Venice I also suggest Burano.






Answer :
I haven't been to Venice, so I'll confine my answer to your Rome itinerary.

Sunday--You might want to skip the Cappuchin Crypt. I was psyched about seeing it, but was kind of disappointed. It's only four very tiny rooms, takes less than five minutes to see, and you can't take pictures. Plus, unlike the other churches, there was a woman carefully observing the whole time to make sure that nobody took pictures and that people left an adequate donation. The pictures that you'll find online do it justice, and I can't say that about anything else in Rome. It's creepy, but not worth working into your limited time in Rome. You left out so many must-sees that I have to recommend that you replace this with something else. Maybe the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain? As a previous poster mentioned, the Four Rivers Fountain in Piazza Navona is also magnificent. Also, as people have told you already, you're kind of all over the place on Sunday.

Monday--Now THIS is a solid day. The Colosseum and forums are essential, and the Palatine is a nice break from the hustle and bustle. The Pantheon is indescribably stunning. I would also work the Capitoline Museums in on this day. You don't get chances to see a collection like theirs very often, and it's practically on top of the forum. The pub crawl is a good idea. ;)
Word to the wise, get a Roma Pass. It will get you into the Colosseum without standing in line (it's kind of like having one of those tollway passes while all of the other suckers are stuck in traffic waiting to throw coins into a basket). It's also good for the Borghese Gallery, but if you decide to hit the Capitoline Museums, use it there instead since that's more expensive. It's also good for unlimited public transportation.

Tuesday--I don't know that the Castel Sant'Angelo has much inside worth spending time on, and you can probably get a similar (if not better) view from the top of St. Peter's dome. If you just want to see it from the outside, it's right next to the Vatican and you can see it on Wednesday. I'm not familiar with the catacombs, but I humbly suggest that you make Wednesday a "church day." Even if you're not religious, the art and architecture of Rome's churches are... geez, try to come up with a word to describe a scene where Raphael and Caravaggio did the painting, Michelangelo did the statuary and Bernini did the facade... Every church seems to be its own Borghese Gallery.

Wednesday--Good plan. Get your Vatican tickets online in advance if you still have time. I'm sure you'll have to work around the Pope's schedule, but do St. Peter's first if you can, then see the museum and Sistine Chapel. The tour groups tend to go to the museum/chapel first, and it will be less crowded after noon. Please, pretty please, don't ignore the museum in your hurry to get to the Sistine Chapel. It's arguably the greatest museum in the world, and every piece in it is the best of the best.

And here's two bonus tips about the Leonardo Express train from FCO to Rome. One, when you board the train at FCO, walk the length of the train at FCO and sit in one of the front cars; that will save you from having to walk that distance at Termini, which is crowded and stressful. Two, sit on the left side of the train; after you cross the Tiber, you can see glimpses of the Aurelian walls and the pyramid.

Have a great trip!






Answer :
St Mark's Basilica: there could be large queues in the afternoon. Try to rearrange your schedule so you get there early - the Basilica opens at 9.45am. Also take the time to visit the Basilica's Museum, which is upstairs and provides a fantastic view from a balcony of the interior of the Basilica - you're right up there with the gold mosaics. From here you can walk onto the outside balcony with the four bronze horses.

Doge's Palace: again get there early.

Salute, Accademia, and walking around Dorsoduro in one hour is very tight. It's really not worth going into the Accademia unless you're prepared to look around at the artwork.

You have allowed two hours to walk from St Mark's Square to the Frari Basilica. Even with a stop at Rialto Markets this walk can be done in one hour, unless you're detouring off the tourist path to look at other areas of Venice.






Answer :
Obviously it is rushed, but do what you want. In Venice, try to find the time to go out to see Burano in addition to Murano. Murano is not really that great to see, unless you are seeing a glass-blowing demonstration. Burano, on the other hand, is beautiful and is known for its hand-made lace work.

One hour at the Doge's palace is rushed as well, but if you are not interested in all the detail (that is, you are not using an audio guide) then obviously you will be fine.

Since you are on a very tight schedule, you will want to make as many reservations as you can to avoid wasting time standing in line. The best thing about Saint Mark's Basilica is that there is no cost to make the reservation, but you cannot make reservations until April so it depends on when you are going.

Although your Rome itinerary is especially crammed, your Sunday seems to be quite intense. How do you plan on getting from the Borghese Gallery to the Appian Way, unless of course you plan on paying for a taxi - which is likely the best idea.

You will pretty well be seeing everything that you will want to - have a great trip!

Can I get a refund for a cruise ticket that I purchase and I miss the ship at the dockside?

my brother and his girlfriend purchase tickets for a cruise. the ship is carnival. He was planning on proposing to her on the ship. when they got to the dock the ship left. so now they are not getting a refund. And they lost about $2000. when they call to get a refund, they was told that they signed a contract stating if for any reasons no refund will be given. what can they do, is there any loop hole.





Answer :
I'm afraid that the cruise line is in the right, and you're in the wrong. It's clearly stated in your contract. They request that you're at the port a few hours before the ship departs. I guess you've learned an expensive lesson.






Answer :
Their travel itinerary would state which dock the ship would be berthed at and also what time it would be boarding and departing at. If for any reason the ship left earlier then scheduled or left from a different dock then they would have reasons for refund (wrong information given to them).

However, if the details were correct and they arrived later than the scheduled time then they have no reason for a refund.

All I can say is check all the paper work to ensure that the schedules, times, etc they were given match that of the ship. If they do not match then they might have a chance.





Answer :
If they in fact missed the ship due to a cause covered by trip insurance and can prove that (like being in a hospital emergency room with a legit injury or serious illness), they might be able to be paid by the insurer -- if they had the insurance and if the cause was covered. Otherwise, they can fly at their own expense to meet the ship at the next port and board there. Simply being late does NOT qualify for any sort of refund at all from the cruise company -- and all that is clearly explained in the cruise documents!






Answer :
This is why it's always a good idea to get to the departure port the night before the cruise.

You get no refund because that's what you agreed to. Unless you have trip insurance that covers the reason you missed the boat, you're out of luck. And, yes, if you want to meet the ship at the next port you have to pay your own way to get there. Depending on how far you have to go to do that - and how much it costs - it might beat just letting the cruise fare go down the drain.

Going 5 miles over the speed limit, is it worth fighting?

So today, It is absolutely gorgeous outside. It is perfect weather conditions and I've been in class all day and have a 45min commute to home. I travel this highway Monday-Thursday every week for the last 2 years and the posted speed limit is 65mph. That is a reasonable speed for a high traffic well traveled highway. Most people drive between 65 and 70 when weather is good and traffic is flowing. There are always the idiots that blow past everyone going 75 to 80mph. I always set my cruise control on nice days like today when the roads are in good driving condition and for the most part i set it between 65 and 70 since the flow of the traffic travels within those speeds. So today set at 70mph I am just doing my thing driving down the road. Over one of the hills there is a sheriff's deputy outside of his car on the side of the road shooting radar. I travel this road like I said everyday pretty much on cruise control at the same speed. I have passed many officers taking radar and checking speed in that same spot all of the time. So I keep driving and think nothing of it. Next few minuets later I am being pulled over.

Ok yes, I do realize that I was speeding 5 miles over the posted limit and yes, technically that is breaking the law. But when the officer was so rude in asking why I was in such a hurry and why I just kept on going after I saw that he was shooting radar...I was getting annoyed by this. I said I was going 5 over on cruise control and didn't think it was a big deal considering the time of day and weather and light traffic. He said actually you were going 71 and that is 6 miles over. You were speeding. I guess I should have been more nice but he was being really rude, when I said um no I had the cruise set at 70...dead on 70.

Well I ended up with ticket and this guy didn't even get the color of my car right!!! I know it is only 5 over but he was so rude about it and acted like I should have slammed on breaks the second I saw his radar gun but it still would have been to late he already had me gunned. Is this ticket worth fighting? I really don't want to pay $135 for going 5 miles over the speed limit, plus he had an attitude that was most unpleasant.






Answer :

I fight every ticket I get. Even parking tickets.

I never admit to breaking the law when I'm fighting those tickets. I always say that I was driving a safe and reasonable speed for the roadway conditions, because I always am.

If he didn't get the color of your car right, you can probably argue that the ticket should be thrown out - it wasn't meant for you. After you say that you were driving a safe and reasonable speed for the roadway conditions, and if you do not admit to driving over the speed limit.

Source(s):

Wild guesses, because I'm not a lawyer and I've only won 17 ticket cases.

Answer :

His attitude may have been rude and disrespectful, but the judge is not going to care about that. The judge is only concerned about one thing: did you break the law, or did you not. You clearly broke the law (you admitted it yourself), so you will lose the case. I wouldn't bother.






Answer :
Normally if you fight it they will tell you that they will throw out any cases a certain speed over and 5 over is small enough that it probably will be thrown out.