When cruising out of Ravenna, Bologna (BLQ) will be the closest airport - 80 km or 50 miles away compared to Venice (200 km or 124 miles away).
From Bologna Central Station, train ride is about an hour away with a train leaving every hour. Train tickets costs about $9 per person in second class seat for direct route and no stops.
From Ravenna, there are direct routes to Ferrara, Lecce, Milan, Parma, Rimini and Verona if you want to spend extra time before your cruise to explore this area.
Cruise Lines like Royal Caribbean offer transfers to the cruise terminal from various places.
Bologna to Pier- $40 pp one-way 1:30 is the latest arrival pickup on day of embarkation. Rep will meet in the Arrival Halls.
Ravenna Rail Station to Cruise Terminal- $10 pp one-way Pickup time between 7:30am to 3:30pm in front of rail station, ground floor. Bus will depart every 20 minutes to the pier.
Pier to Ravenna Rail Station-$10 pp Drop off at Pizza Luigi Carlo Farini 13, Ravenna, Italy. Ship will advise of debarkation procedures onboard.
Venice Airport to Pier- $45 pp one-way 11:35AM is the latest flight arrival pickup on day of embarkation. Meet at the Arrival Halls.
Bologna to Pier & Pier to Venice City Center Dropoff - $98 pp. Guests will be dropped off at Isola Nova Del Trochetto in Venice City. Ship will advise of debarkation procedures onboard.
Venice City Center to Pier- $58 pp one-way- Meet at Isola Nova Del Tronchetto by the "People Mover". Station Arrival, Ground floor no later than 8:30AM. Bus will leave at 9AM.
Ravenna is mostly famous for the well preserved Roman and Byzantine architecture throughout the city. During the Ravenna Summer Festival taking place between May and July, you can enjoy music from opera to jazz. During the Fall/Winter, you can enjoy the Autumn Trilogy between Poets and Mosaics. Ravenna at one point was the capital of the Western Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire during the 5th to the 8th centuries.
TIP: Between 12:30pm- 4pm, Ravenna shops are closed for siesta. Sundays are closed.
Consider taking a day to see the UNESCO Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna. These monuments have been well-preserved.
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Neonian Baptistery
Arian Baptistery
Basilica of Sant'Apolooinare Nuovo
Archiepiscopal Chapel or St. Andrews Chapel
Mausoleum of Theodoric
Basilica of San Vitale
Basilica of Sant'apollinare in Classe
Dante's Tomb and Quadrarco of Baccioforte
During high school, you may have read Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy or Inferno for English. The Christian and Islamic influenced poem were divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. This was Dante's interpretation of going through the stages to get to Heaven. You can see the final resting of this Italian poet in Ravenna at the Basilica di San Francesco though he was born in Florence.
Bologna
You can see the famous landmark of Bologna such as the Fountain of Neptune, Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca (church above the city for a great view), Due Torri ( Two Towers similar to Pisa's Leaning Tower), and the University of Bologna, the oldest University in the World.
Nearby cities - Modena and Ferrara- 30 minutes by train.
Modena
The home of the famous balsamic vinegar would make a great souvenir for the foodie at home. Besides the university here, the legendary fast and exotic carmakers are here as well; Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Pagani.
Ferrara
You can visit The Estense Castle, 14th century castle where many of the Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titan, and Petrarch spent time learning their craft. The annual and oldest Palio or medieval festival between towns features flag throwing, horse races, and dancing and for the town of Ferrara, it takes place in May.