Need Help with Trenitalia booking
 

Hi.
I have been trying to book 2 tickets online for Rome to Venice. The little "buy" cart is showing and I am asking for the 29 euros fare and everything goes smoothly until I click on the buy button at the bottom after selecting my seats and the ticketless option.

When I click on Buy to proceed - the screen asks me for my login id and password. As I don't have one, I go ahead and register for one but am still not able to proceed past this point.

Is it mandatory to have this id & password to buy online? if so, does it take a few days to get registered and then you proceed?

I would appreciate any help anyone can give me to solve this problem.

Thanks

Did you actually complete the registration process? When I registered a few months ago, I got an e-mail response almost immediately confirming it and listing my login ID and a password which the system assigned me. Then I was asked to pick a new password of my own choice. However, I only registered and didn't go ahead and book a ticket; but I assume you can't do a booking without being registered.

Hi TimS

Thanks for your reply. I did finally, get an email from Trenitalia and got my password etc. However, when I went back to their website to actually book a train I kept getting a message that it was not possible to reserve seats on that particular date.

This has me puzzled as it is not until mid-September and I can't believe all the Eurostars are booked for that day. Not sure if there is a glitch in the system or if it is too far in advance to book but I am within the 60 day time frame.

Does anyone have any other ideas on this?

Royal - trenitalia.com has a reputation for "hiccupping" from time to time. Since you're within the 60-day limit, it's likely the system is having "issues." Keep trying. And maybe someone else with more experience than I have will give you a solution.

I had my password and it still took me about 7 different trys at different times to get it to actually work.

If you have your pw and you are within 60 days then just keep trying and it will eventually work.

Thanks TimS and saps for your replies.

I have been able to get my password to work but keep getting the message - "the train is not reservable for the chosen date" no matter which fare I choose or which departure time on that date.

Seems pretty unlikely that all the Eurostar trains are booked for that particular day. Will keep trying. I had no problems with SNCF booking but this Trenitalia is pretty frustrating.

Royal,

What are your dates?

Hi R,

I tried this morning for Sept 14 and had no trouble.

((I))

Bardo1 - my date is September 17th and would like to depart on the 10:55am train.

Ira - I have tried 3 or 4 times this am choosing different train times & the standard fare (would appear the 29 &39 euros not available) and still am getting the same message. Not sure what if anything, I am doing incorrectly. Just thought now - maybe it's because I am selecting an actual seat??

Am almost at the point of booking with RailEurope!! Actually, the RE fare is only about 50 dollars more so I may give in - not worth the frustration.

Thanks for your help - appreciate it.

Are you selecting ticketless as the delivery option?

Sorry! Just reread and see that you did select ticketless.

Hi All.

Still trying again this morning and with no luck - keep getting a message saying this "train is not reservable for the chosen date" no matter which fare or seat I request.

Do you think it is because it is a Sunday that it could be a problem?

Yes, kybourbon I am selecting the ticketless option.

Does anyone know if trenitalia has a phone number I can call? The only number on their website seems to be a local one.

Any other ideas?

If the system is having a problem, it probably wouldn't get fixed until Monday. I would wait and try again during Italian business hours. Perhaps your Rome hotel could book this for you? I really don't think all trains are sold out for that day.

http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/

I highly recommend this website, its links and calling them on their 800 number. It was great to talk to a human being, who is familiar with the trains/stations/connections. Sometimes, working with websites is not a saving of time- I don't think it cost me more, and it certainly saved me headaches, and i had peace of mind that I had gotten what I wanted.

Thanks for your suggestion kybourbon - I will wait until Monday and try again.

Also, thanks ilana for your suggestion of budgeteuropetravel, will also call them tomorrow.

As you say, I can't believe all the trains are booked - seems pretty impossible. As a matter of fact I checked out raileurope and am able to buy tickets from them for any train that day. If I can't resolve this tomorrow I will probably go ahead and book through them. Hate to give in but sometimes saving a few dollars is not worth the frustration.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Hi Roy,

>maybe it's because I am selecting an actual seat??

You need only click on a seat icon, don't go to the next step.

Today I got the "Siamo spiacenti ma il treno richiesto non e' prenotabile nella data scelta" message.

((I))

Hi Ira.

That's the message I have been getting since Friday, only in English.

Re your comment on the seat selection - after I click on the 2 seats I want nothing happens to the screen unless I select "buy" again.

Oh well, will try again tomorrow.

Thanks for your help.

Hi R,

Here is the order in which I do the purchase after clicking on the shopping cart for the train I want:

Choose fare - 29E
Choose number of tickets - 2 adult
Choose class - 1cl
Choose seat position - click window seats
Choose "ticketless"
Click "buy"
Enter ID and Password

See what happens if you try for the 39E tickets.

I tried booking for a different date and got a different "not available" screen for 29E, but it worked for 39E in 1cl.

((I))

Hi R,

Just noticed something.

The train on 09/17/06 is listed as leaving 10:52 at Trenitalia, not at 10:55.

This may be the glitch that is giving the problems.

I tried it for 09/09 and it shows 10:55.

Hope this helps.

((I))

Hi Ira.

You are right - there is a discrepancy in the train time and this may be the problem. Maybe trenitalia will correct it tomorrow. I noticed that when I checked raileurope and figured raileurope was off but it may be trenitalia's problem.

Another question - how do you choose the class? when I choose the fare I then choose the # of tickets and both 1st and 2nd class prices show in the boxes. Do I highlight the one I want or does it prompt me later in the process to choose the class? Not sure about this part.

Thanks for the tip on the time - this may turn out to be the problem.