L84SKY

Whether or not you carry your passport will depend on how comfortable you feel about the staff at your hotel. Since I am of the "trust God but lock your doors school", I carry my passport around in a money belt under my clothes.
If you lose a cc, all you'll need is the 800 # of the cc company, your SSN# and your password. Not only is there no need to copy down your account number IMO, it isn't a good idea.
Your cc company will be able to tell you best what charges they tack on for Europe.
Talk to your mobile phone service about the rates and the SIM card.
I have T-Mobile and once I didn't tell them I'd be using my phone overseas and I had no service there. The next time I called them prior to leaving and all was fine.
I always take my driver's license b/c even if I don't plan on driving, I like the freedom to change my mind.

Enjoy the gelato- everything else will fall into place.

Judy

We carry copies of our passports and lock the passports in the safe. We don't pack these copies in checked luggage. With all the people these days legally rifling through our bags, it seems like a risking identify theft to have them that available.

ncgrrl

First of all: never badmouth yourself.

Second: no group will ever agree 100% with everything.

Third: it's your vacation, enjoy yourself.


I'd take my driver's license because if I didn't, I would forget to put it back in my wallet when I return home. It doesn't take much space.

I prefer to keep my passport locked up in the hotel room and have a copy with me. Others prefer the opposite.

I like the idea of sending a scan to my email. Good idea.

Don't count on porters, but do count on stairs. If you can't haul your luggage in one trip up a flight of stairs, it's too much.

I like the idea of the cruise at the end. After hiking around Italy, resting on a ship sounds good.

Besides other members of your group (maybe) your group, who are you trying to impress on the cruise? Bring one pair of 'good' shoes (I'd go with flats for packing ease), one pair of walking shoes, and maybe another pair of flip-flop like shoes. If some of you are the same dress size swap dresses on the formal nights.

Travelnut

I continue to caution those who believe that a room safe is "safe". Be advised that a master key/code is provided with every safe by the manufacturer, and that it is possible that hotel staff may access your safe with that master.

There are a number of posts both here and on Tripadvisor detailing how valuables were stolen from a locked safe.

suze

Cre8- Maybe this has already been recommended to you? Other posters have said you can ship your cruisewear ahead directly to the ship rather than haul it all over Europe with you. You might check if this is possible for your group.

suze

Truly of all your "problems" I think 6 people going by train to 3 cities with a large amount of luggage will be your biggest challenge BY FAR of anything you mentioned or asked about.

nytraveler

As far as getting from the train to the ship in Venice - there is more than one place where ships dock. You need to contact the cruise line and find out the details before you can figure how where you need to go /and so how to get there.

Agree that your biggest challenge will be six people with a lot of luggage. You will need two taxis everywhere. And train stations rarely have porters and you need to be able to lift the luggage up into the train (often raised several steps above the platform) as well as carry it up at least one flight of stairs.

(My rule is I have to be able to put my carry-on bag on my shoulder and pull the larger wheeled bag behind me while at a good trot - and up a least one flight of stairs - with no help. Otherwise you may have issues.)

suze

Excellent advice and description from *nytraveler*... I too was picturing myself running full out along the platform at a train station to quickly get to the correct car and board!

Gretchen

Pack lightly enough so you need no help with your luggage.

NYCTravelSnob

What a cute thread. I just can't resist answering all your questions from a veteran perspective. Luckily, I'm still young enough to remember my first time. Here goes:

<i>&quot;Do we carry a passport at all times, or just the copies&quot;</i>

Newbie (and paranoid) travelers tend to make a big deal out of passports. I am old enough to remember when you needed to show one on the train when you went from France into Italy. Europe is a different place now. In some ways it's more open than America. I like the security I feel when carrying my passport and it can come in handy when shopping for expensive items and filling out VAT forms. However, if dressed for an evening of fine dining and high glamour, I'll don my favorite evening clutch and happily leave the passport behind. Common sense ought to tell you, if you leave it in your hotel room, pick a safe place. Or, leave it in the room safe or the hotel's safe, whatever it takes to limit needless anxiety. I make a copy simply to leave it in my luggage (more for the TSA than anything else). But, you never know.

I once left my passport and $1200 in my room safe at the Hotel Hermitage in Florence. I checked-out and was being helped into a cab when I heard this female voice calling out. Here it was my maid asking if I left anything in the hotel safe because it was still locked and needed to be opened for the next guest. I was thrilled that she came after me and happily handed her a $100 bill for sparing me enormous inconvenience. She refused to take it (I love those Italians) but I don't accept refusals well. I won.

<i>&quot;Do you need another photo ID, such as a drivers license? ( We are not renting a car)&quot;</i>

I suppose you don't, especially if you decide to carry your passport. But I always carry my driver's license and I can't give you a good reason why. I guess better to have than not, especially in an emergency. What if someone suddenly &quot;needed&quot; to rent a car?

<i>&quot;When taking the train from Rome to Florence and then on to Venice, are there porters to help with the luggage? If so how much do you tip?&quot;</i>

No matter what people tell you and no matter how it looks at the stations, it's best to assume all people who look like porters are actually con artists using your luggage to extort money. The best approach is to assume porters don't exist and plan accordingly. Forget about tipping. You'll be overpaying if you do find someone, for sure.

<i>&quot;If I do manage to actually get the luggage on the train, (we have first class tickets) Does your luggage go into the compartment with you or do I need a bicycle lock to keep all the bags together?&quot;</i>

I travel with many bags and some of them are quite large. The largest ones do not fit above the seats and are very difficult to maneuver in the narrow aisles. I leave the larger ones in the luggage bin near the door. I try to get mine on the bottom. Long ago a wonderful Fodorite recommended Targus (http://www.targus.com/HK/accessories_security.asp) and I'll never forget him. I never worry about my bags on the train anymore.

<i>&quot;When getting off the train in Venice to drop the luggage at the port should we take the water taxi or a private car?&quot;</i>

I don't know what you mean by &quot;drop the luggage at the port&quot; but, if you can afford it, water taxi is the BEST, MOST ENJOYABLE method of getting in and out of Venice. It's also the least stressful (unless you're one of those who stress over spending money).

<i>&quot;To use debit or credit cards at ATM? Is AMEX still accepted in many shops? which card charges the least?</i>

I gave up on Amex years ago. They lost their &quot;exclusivity&quot; and, IMO, lost the justification for all those fees. I use to have three Amex cards, all of them pretty much useless in Europe. Europeans love cash and I don't blame them. The credit companies take a sizable chunk of profit dollars and Amex takes even more. Many European small businesses don't or, refuse to see, the big-picture advantages. Much depends on the size and reach of the merchant but credit cards still have serious limitations in Italy. Counting on Amex in Venice is a joke.

No matter what anybody says, ATM's are still the most cost-effective way to get Euros. When a more cost-effective method comes around, I'm sure you'll hear it here first.

<i>&quot;I have been reading all the posts, and there are SO many, I'm as confused about this as I am about the sim cards and phones in general.&quot;</i>

Different strokes for different folks, dear. There rarely is one smart decision these days. I own a World Phone but for the life of me, I don't get why one-time visitors go through such hoops and expense to travel to Europe with a cell (unless kids and ill loved ones are part of the equation). I have friends in the places I travel and I'm often conducting business. Being connected in a convenient manner makes sense for me. It's so easy to use a public pay phone with phone cards (and cheap, too), I have a feeling many folks are just throwing their money away needlessly. I'll bet most GSM phones purchased for Europe travel end up on ebay.

Hope this helps. Enjoy the gelato!

ira

&gt;&quot;When getting off the train in Venice to drop the luggage at the port should we take the water taxi or a private car?&quot;&lt;

A car? In Venice? Did you mean water taxi?

For 6 of you, a water taxi would only be about twice the price of the vaporetto.

Intrepid1

Suspect that this may have already been answered but as to luggage on trains and in stations. SOME stations will have those luggage carts..sometimes free and sometimes you pay to use them (often with Euro coins).

As to luggage security you can often store your luggage in the racks directly over your head; sometimes there are racks at the end of the car depending on the train type.

I've used bicycle cables (uise the ones with combination locks..one less key to lose) and nothing at all. Thus far never a problem.

Do not EVER leave luggage unattended near train car doors (a temptation when the train is full or you only have a short distance to go). there have been instances in which the train stopped and someone has been able to reach in, grab a piece of luggage, and run off with it.

I agree that using a drivers license at museums for baggage/parcel storage is a definite option.

Have a great trip.

Tiff

Cre8 -

Rome, Florence &amp; Venice...

And then in addition to that you get to go on a 12 day cruise????? How perfectly splendid!

Oh my Lou, you have NO WORRIES! We'll help you figure it out.

When is this trip to take place, I missed it if you already stated that...

I can't go on now, I am spinning from envy.

Tiff is green with envy.

Tiff is green with envy.

Tiff is green with envy.

Tiff is green with envy.

Ha!

p.s. The order of your itinerary is wonderful, you need your most energy for Rome! You're going to have so much fun!

You must post a trip report when you return, ok?

Most happy for you! Tiff

p.s.s. And to lighten your load of clothing, just do laundry or have it laundered half way through your trip, no worries, otherwise I am going to take the trip away from you and go in your place, hahahahahha.

vivi

I always carry my passort with me. The main reason I dont leave it in the hotel safe is that I am positively sure I would forget and leave without it.

socialworker

To Bender--I am not the most computer savvy person, to put it mildly, but my understanding is that email is not secure. Therefore, would it be a good idea to have a copy of your passport floating out in cyberspace?? Just wondering, as I said, I am no expert!!

clevelandbrown

)Do we carry a passport at all times, or )just the copies

I always carry ours. I don't think it is prudent to leave anything of value locked in a hotel room or safe. Someone else always has a key or the combination.

)Do you need another photo ID, such as a )drivers license? ( We are not renting a )car)

I recall a very few places that want you to leave a photo ID when you enter. Interestingly, some of these were museums in the US. I would rather leave a driver's license than a passport, but again its uncommon for them to require leaving a photo ID.

)When taking the train from Rome to )Florence and then on to Venice, are )there porters to help with the luggage? )If so how much do you tip?

I've not seen a lot of porters, but then my wife and I travel light with rollers, and an enterprising porter would certainly seek out better opportunities, such as someone wrestling with two large suitcases. In some places there are carts you can use, but they usually require that you have native coinage to get them out of the rack.

)I have read that people say they are )porters and you and your luggage are )parted forever.
)If I do manage to actually get the )luggage on the train, (we have first )class tickets) Does your luggage go )into the compartment with you or do I )need a bicycle lock to keep all the )bags together?

We carry our own bags, and since they are small, we can usually put them in the small overhead, or in the space between back to back seats. If we kept our bags in the racks at the end of the car, I would want some kind of cable to prevent theft, as it would seem pretty simple for a thief to step onto the car at a stop, grab some bags, and step off without being intercepted.

)When getting off the train in Venice to )drop the luggage at the port should we )take the water taxi or a private car?

I assume you are catching a cruise ship. A water taxi seems a big expense for so short a distance. I suggest you contact your cruise line and ask them to make arrangements. I think some may even have shuttles. At least they will know at what part of the port you will be docking.

)To use debit or credit cards at ATM? Is )AMEX still accepted in many shops? )which card charges the least?

I've been very surprised at how infrequently I've seen signs of acceptance for AMEX. I have a mastercard and visa and found wide acceptance of them. Since I didn't use AMEX, I don't know what their rates are; they perhaps vary with the type of account you have. For ATMs, I think the widest acceptance is for cards affiliated with mastercard or visa, and I think the discussion of this is complicated by confusion between credit cards and debit (including ATM) cards. My experience with my mastercard ATM card is that there is no fee by the European ATM, but there is a 1% fee by the network for converting from the overseas currency to US dollars; some people seem to be saying that their banks levy an additional fee, but I have not actually seen that. For using a credit card for purchases, there is the risk that the merchant will use dynamic currency conversion and present a slip denominated in US dollars; that conversion is quite expensive, perhaps four or five percent, and it will be subject to another 1 to 3 percent charge by your bank. Refuse such transactions; specify in advance that you want the charge in only the merchant's native currency; if they refuse, pay cash, and ask for a substantial discount. Also for credit cards, mastercard or visa charges 1% for the currency conversion; many banks tack on an additional 1 or 2%. Credit Unions apparently rarely add this, so get cards from an institution that does not add the charge. Unfortunately, this is a very fluid situation, so I can't keep track of which banks don't add the charge, and I suspect that some that don't add it today may start adding it soon. My advice is to make specific inquiry of whatever institution you choose. Actually, getting a lot of cash from an ATM and asking for cash discounts is probably the best approach, but I know a lot of Americans are not comfortable with the idea of haggling.

I don't use credit cards at an ATM; they start charging you interest immediately and never stop, or almost never!

kswl

We always register our trips with the State Department. Many people on this forum do not--you know, those of the &quot;I don't want Big Brother Government knowing my business&quot; ilk. In the present political climate, I <i>want</i> Big Brother to know where I am, so that if there is a threat and Americans are being asked to leave, or if there is some disaster and heads need to be counted, they will know where to find mine.

capxxx

I'm wondering if there is some way you can ship a trunkful of party clothes to the cruise office in venice, and have it meet you there. Ask the cruise line maybe?

And socialworker, to answer your question -- email is not perfectly safe, but a scanned passport page would be in an image file (like a photograph) and would not be easily detectible for what it is. Its not clear to me that an image of a passport page would be much use to a bad guy, anyway.

I always take my grocery shopping discount card with me on a trip -- because the first thing I do when I get home is hit the grocery store, and I'm tired of forgetting to take the card.

Mimar

Lots of good advice. Just one more thing. Warn your credit card company that you will be travelling in Europe during that time period. Otherwise they might refuse to accept charges. If you use a credit card to get cash, interest starts immediately, so I save this option for an emergency.