TRENITALIA -EXPERTS trouble purchasing tickets online
 

I am trying to purchase tickets online at the Trenitalia site. I have gone all the way thru the process of selecting the train & seats I want only in the end to get the message:

"Servizio chiuso alle prenotazioni "

It is currently 7:15pm EST in the USA. Is the online service ONLY available when their phone center is open? Or does this mean there are no longer any seats on this train or in the class selected?

TTT please

Oh come on....no one has run into this?? I really need some help here guys

ok -here's my two cents worth. I tried the other day and got a similar message when trying to do something else. I was also unable to get any of the Freedom to Travel fares. I don't think it is you - I think it is the site. You may want to wait (if possible) until you get there. That seems to be the advice of many of the posters.

this is only the latest in a long long line of such postings about this site. Persevere and perhaps it will work some time. It seems the English version rarely works to completion and you have to go to the Italian version. Why not just pay a few bucks more and buy when you arrive? Trains in Italy are so dirt cheap anyway it'll make little difference perhaps for all the stress the site often raises. And if you do get thru, expect similar problems at the ATM machines to retrieve your tickets in Italy - that's why they say leave at least 45 minutes to get them i guess.

I am not going to be at train station before I need to board. The date I am traveling is the Sat. before Easter and there are 6o f us traveling- I am concerned about us all getting seats together. I would just feel better having tickets beforehand

I, too, had problems booking online and had an Italian friend book online for me.

But as far as my picking up the ticket at the machine went -- it took all of 1 or 2 minutes, certainly not 45!

You can book online less than 60 days ahead. You are right on the cusp of 60 days before the "Saturday before Easter." Try again in a few days. Even though it is a holiday, tickets should still be available even one month ahead.

MWM1: I know friends who have had some difficulty in booking Trenitalia tickets online, but all succeeded eventually after a couple of attempts. Although the site is supposed to be available 24/7, it is likely that there is some "down" time after midnight, Italian time. When you first attempted to book at 19:15 EST, the Trenitalia site may have been experiencing such downtime.

My advice to you is to persevere and continue your attempts to book the following morning. Try at different times during the day. I can virtually assure you that the train is NOT fully booked so far in advance.

I'm not certain whether the problem might not also stem from your attempt to book six seats together. I don't know whether the website has the ability to do so.

I was just successful! It would appear as mentioned above that even though they say the system is availble 24/7, it is actually only up and running during their normal hours. Ahhhh , gotta love the Italians!

BTW - I was trying to book the 15 Euro Saturday travel special and the number of tickets per train is very limited.

MWM1: I hope you were able to utilize the new "Liberta' di Viaggiare" promotional rates for IC and ICplus trains, available DAILY until further notice, or alternatively, the "Eurostar a 29 Euro" promotion (for ES trains) available DAILY through April 30, 2005 (unless extended).

Actually the full fare was cheaper than both those promotions for the train I am taking but thanks for the tip!

I would avoid buying tickets on the Trenitalia site. There really is no good reason to buy them before you go. Instead buy them when you get there. It is far easier to get them from then the handy ticket machines in every station that guide you through the process in English (or whatever language you choose).

If you buy a ticket before goinmg and want to make a change, you then have to stand in line at a ticket window. In Rome, this could easily take an hour or more.

Are there ticket counters where we can buy the tickets without spending time at the ticket machines?

My longstanding advice to Fodorites is that they REFRAIN from purchasing Trenitalia tickets in advance from the Trenitalia website UNLESS UNLESS UNLESS they are aiming to save lots of money by availing themselves of one or more of the several capacity-controlled promotional fares which require an advance purchase, or if they deem it essential to travel on a particular train on a particular day, and need the assurance of having a guaranteed seat on that train.

The benefits of purchasing in advance through the website should outweigh the detriments (locking in a date and time, avoiding cancellation, exchange and change fees, etc.).

In my opinion, the benefit of not having to stand in line at the rail station or in front of an automatic ticket machine, simply does not outweigh the potential downsides, although others may see the matter differently. While lines at some train stations can indeed be horrible, there are alternatives for ticket purchase, such as automatic machines, travel agency vendors, or simply going to the station very early in the morning, or in the evening.

On the other hand, if I can save scores or even hundreds of dollars by purchasing in advance through the website, then my interest really peaks.

Another example of when I might be seriously tempted to buy in advance is if I were travelling during the summer on a very long distance train (e.g. Rome to Palermo), were very certain of taking the train on a particular day and time, and wanted a guaranteed seat on that train.

What abaout this: We leave Venice on Sunday June 19, and have reservations in Amalfi that night. Would anyone recommend getting tickets in advance for this, or is there a pretty good liklihood we can get on the train when we want to baord? We just thought we would buy tickets that morning, but now I am wondering if we need to get them early. Any advice?

nbbrown,
Since you are traveling on a Sunday, I would buy these tickets a few days ahead (assuming you'll be in Venice for a few days beore you depart). Venice-Amalfi is a long trip and you'll probably want to get seats on a particular train.

nbbrown: too bad you can't leave on Saturday: you'd be able to travel from Venice all the way to Salerno on two "back-to-back" ES trains connecting at Rome Termini Station (40 mins. connection time), for only 30 Euros ("Sabato di Trenitalia.com" promotional fare), instead of the regular first class fare of 94.57 Euros for both trains.

Quite apart from the promotional fares available or not, you're probably looking at the ES train out of Venezia S. Lucia departing at 10:32 for Rome, connecting to another ES train to Salerno at 15:45. Arrival at Salerno at 18:16, with a connecting SITA bus from the Salerno train station at 18:30 to Amalfi (ar. 19:45). The first of these trains is very heavily booked, particularly on a Sunday in mid-June (just when Italian schools get out).

You would be taking a chance by not booking at least several days in advance. Because this is a long trip, you don't want to get into Amalfi very late at night if you can't get your first choice train schedule.

This is what I would do:

1. See if I could leave on Saturday, to save 65 Euros per ticket

2. See what promotional tickets are available on Sunday, June 19 (possibly "Euro a 29 Euro" if this gets extended past April 30, 2005)

3. I would not book in advance until the beginning of May, at the earliest. At that time, I would have a much better idea of the kinds of promotional fares available for June 19.

4. I would indeed book this itinerary in advance, particularly if one or more promotional rates could save me significant money.

Is it at all possible to buy a ticket in advance in person at a ticket booth or train station? What if I bought tickets on Friday the 17th, for Sunday the 19th? The Trenitalia website is very confusing to me.

Thanks for your help!

nbbrown: you can most certainly purchase a Trenitalia ticket in advance in person at a manned train station in Italy: this is how most people do it, unless they're very keen on using the website!

My only piece of advice to you is that, if you wait until the Friday beforehand, there is a possibility that you won't be able to get your first choice of trains to Salerno, and end up having to leave Venice either at 6:32 a.m., or (worse still) in the afternoon, thereby upsetting your plans for arrival in Amalfi at a decent hour.

I would be most focused on the 10:32 departure from Venice to Rome, which might be full.