PalenQ

Still try to pack as light as possible if trains -you still have to get the luggage on and off potentially crowded trains - hard to do but only take essentials -you can buy the kitchen sink once there if need be.

luvtotravel

It's been almost a year, but I'd like to report back on how we handled things. First, we found a laundromat in Venice. We were staying near the Zattere vaporetto stop. Took it one stop across the water and there was a coin-operated laundromat with no one using it. Very clean; clearly in a residential area. Resident cat sleeping in a chair. We were prepared with coins, but not necessarily the correct coins. We had lots of two euro coins and the machines would take only one euro and fifty-cent coins. They have a coin changing machine that dispenses combination of coins and tokens. It was expensive--about $7 per wash load, so I'm thinking the locals don't use it much. The dryer is extra. Still, it was nice to have freshly washed clothes.

Luggage: We both took two bags, about 25" and 18" each. Space for shopping. Since the tour company handled our larger bags the majority of the time, this worked out great.

Train: We booked online first class (or was that business class?) on the high-speed train from Venice to Florence with reserved seats far before the trip so we locked in a good price. The night before the train ride we checked out the train station and bought our train ticket for Florence to Pisa. We made it pretty clear that the tickets were for the following day. He assured us the ticket would be good for any time and any day (more on that later). We took a private water taxi from our hotel to the train station (a great luxury). Once we got to the train we were trying to figure out how to get our luggage onto the train. Out of nowhere two guys showed up, picked up our luggage and took the bags on the train and stored them in the overhead by our seats. At first we were not pleased, but then I smacked myself in the head and realized they were angels sent there to help us. We gave them tips and said thank you. Were these guys official? No, that was clear. Just two guys trying to earn some money. Our carry-on bags fit behind our seats within easy reach.

Once in Florence a man on the train helped us get our suitcases down and out onto the platform. So far, so good. We had about 90 minutes until our next train and we had a nice lunch in the station restaurant. When time neared we headed to our track. They were checking tickets outside the train. We were told our tickets were for the prior day. Since I could not find a date on the ticket and I could not read anything else on the ticket, we went to purchase new tickets. Only $9 each so not a big deal, except that we were a bit miffed and now had little time to work it out. I tried the ticket machine, but it would not take our credit cards, so we had to wait in line to purchase tickets from a live person. That took a long time and we missed our train. We caught the next train that was leaving in 30 minutes. That's a minor inconvenience except that we were being met at the Pisa train station. I sent an email to the school that we would be on the next train, and the guy I sat next to on the train called the school for me on his phone and I was able to confirm that we were on the next train. After training first class, the regional between Florence and Pisa was a letdown, but then we were getting spoiled.

Although it is off-topic, I'll mention that I was caught up in the British Airways meltdown on May 27, 2018. All BA flights were cancelled due to a computer problem. I was at Pisa Airport upstairs having lunch with some people when we learned about the problem. I went downstair and they were checking people in and taking their luggage. They acted like nothing was wrong. I did not surrender my bag. An hour or so later they announced that flights were cancelled and (basically) we should go away, get our own hotel rooms for which we would be reimbursed later and call a phone number for further information. Meanwhile, they had been taking luggage--not sure how people handled that. I stayed the night at a hotel and returned to the airport around 8:30am the next morning. It took at least three hours to get rebooked to London with a connecting flight to LAX. We were delayed departing Pisa and landed in London after my connecting flight left and we were again left to fend for ourselves. It was a sea of luggage at LHR due to all BA flights around the world being cancelled and it took a long time for me to locate my bag. Stayed at Xenia Hotel in London (everything near the airport was filled) and enjoyed a great dinner with one of the students from the cooking school. Hotel was nice and we had a great dinner in the hotel's restaurant. Once home I filled out the required paperwork online. I took a long while, but I was reimbursed for the two hotel nights, most meals (I exceeded the ceiling but it was worth it), and taxis back and forth to the airports. What I didn't realize until after all this took place is that I was entitled to compensation. I received a check for $680 in compensation from BA. It's an EU requirement that airlines must follow depending on how far the flight is and how many hours a person is delayed.

PalenQ

Buy regional tickets at the station day of travel - that's always been the advice many give here just because of the difficulties yous had with yours - and why mnot to bujy online. Thanks for reporting back and glad it all went well.