Cruise complications

Should not be a problem if you are able to easily handle your two smaller pieces and they do not weigh 30 to 40 pounds. On cruises we get by with three carryon size bags. Two are back pack style that we wear on our back and then one rolling bag. For us it is easy to move through stations and have no problems of getting on and off the trains. As we are getting older we have thought about shifting to two rolling bags and one back pack style. Currently the one rolling bag only contains the extra clothes/shoes that we take for the cruise which is fairly min.

Your need to take more than one carry on, trumps the slight inconvenience of having larger luggage. Don't worry - you're only making a couple of location changes.

We took the train between Venezia Santa Lucia and Firenza Santa Maria Novella last spring on the high speed train with reservations done online. We used Trenitalia.com to book at 120 days prior to departure. Just now that early price for 2 adults ranges from 58 to 76 euros one way. The trip is listed at two hours, five minutes. We use one carry on each plus a large shoulder bag/satchel. If you book on the Trenitalia site be sure and use the Italian spelling for the cities. We are seniors, 70+ and had no problems boarding the trains and I don't recall any daunting stairs in either station. Use google earth to see the short walk to the cruise port since you can easily walk to the cruise port in Venice from the train station. Check out www.seat61.com for all of your train and ferry questions across Europe.

The train tracks in Florence are at street level. In Venice, there is a side exit from the station that has a ramp rather than stairs. You may have to search a bit. I don't know about getting from the Venice train station to the cruise ship, though.

Florence itself is level, but the cobblestones, narrow sidewalks and potholes can be difficult. Easy to take a taxi though.

There's a ramp at Venezia Santa Lucia station out the front entrance on your right.

Zoe, do you mean the right as you enter the station or as you exit it? Important for me, since I'll be in Venice in 73 days (but who's counting :-).

On the far left as you exit the station, walk to the left in front of all the tracks then after the last one you should be able to see it, a couple of metres back up the last platform. It goes down the side of the station, under some trees and comes out at the bottom of the stairs, near the Grand Canal and near the ticket offices for the vaporetto and the various tours and passes they offer.

The walk down the main stairs is beautiful, with the Grand Canal opening out in front of you in both directions.

The walk down the ramp isn't so special but it does get your luggages down to the canal. Overnight the side of the station garden where the ramp goes attracts some rough sleepers and they leave some rubbish and smells behind, but it isn't unsafe and it isn't badly unpleasant. I've used the ramp several times and I've walked down the steps many times.

You can avoid stairs at Venice S.L and Florence S.M.N. train stations, but you may also want to check the stair situation at your hotels; some have elevators that start on the first floor up, instead of ground. Getting between Venice train station and a hotel may include a vaporetto/public boat ride and/or bridges that have stairs. The route from Venice train station to the Stazione Maritima is flatter, if you're going straight to a cruise ship there, but still involves some walking. The easier each bag is for you to handle, the happier you'll be through out your trip.