cruisemom42

You have to do what you're comfortable with, of course. But...you were willing to go to Florence on your own, which is at least as far.... I look at the possibilities and make the best choice I can, but always in the back of my mind is that I don't want to waste an opportunity to see something I really care about. Although I plan lots more Med travel in my future, who can tell what will really happen -- just look at the last two years. A taxi back to the ship from an hour away is only a blip on the radar of the total cruise cost and the memories gained are priceless....

Unfortunately it's not just NCL. In the past I've had several cruise lines cancel excursions on me with little or no warning. Generally it tends to happen when I've booked an excursion that goes "off piste" as I think a majority of cruisers on some lines are on their first go-round and opt to see the highlights (e.g., in Rome, the Colosseum and Vatican; in Athens, the Parthenon; etc.) After some really terrible experiences with ship tours I basically stopped taking them about 15 years ago and haven't looked back. Not only canceled excursions but changes in itinerary, long shopping stops, terrible guides and too little time actually spent at the site. I heartily encourage you in future to look into other options. I feel like I get so much more out of port visits now. Truthfully I don't think I'd continue to cruise if I had to limit myself to available ship excursions.

I will second what marazul says above. I have traveled all around the ancient world and the mosaics in Ravenna are the most astonishing I've seen anywhere. They date from the period when Ravenna served as the western capital of the Roman empire, after Rome had been sacked. All of the best artists and craftsmen of the western empire would've been working there, and they were importing the latest designs and techniques from Constantinople. You cannot see such fine work in Istanbul due to the unfortunate later iconoclast era where most early religious mosaics and images were destroyed. For me, they were comparable to but better than the mosaics in the Palatine chapel in Palermo, which were the closest thing I've seen. These are earlier. I was blown away by the vividness of the color and the perfection of the images. They're scattered around the town in several locations, most of which can be visited in a long half-day on foot (the old center of the town is not large). There is also the "original" cathedral of the port, built earlier, which is outside the town and is even closer to the port where the cruise ships now stop. (As well as the remains of the ancient Roman port.)

One tip I've used: try copying some of the text from the description of the tour and pasting it into your search engine of choice. Often Viator takes the original agency's description and uses it verbatim in their listing. So if the text is plagiarized, you can also find the original version. I have to say that for at least the last 10 years I've probably posted 5-10 times per year on these boards to avoid Viator, for three reasons: 1) I generally have not found their tours to be that good, 2) it's more likely there will be miscommunication with a third party involved, and 3) I personally feel better knowing all the $$ are going to the local vendors. So why do people keep booking with Viator? Because they make it so easy to do so.

It's been quite the busy week for me; looking forward to kicking back and relaxing today. I took DS out last night for his 30th birthday and he helped with a few little things around the condo. I also ran a bunch of errands yesterday including picking up a box of stuff from the old house that the new owners had found (left on top shelf of linen closet) that included some old photos I'd definitely have been sorry to lose. And I took some of my antique prints to be re-framed to fit better in the new place.... So...In Search of Italy, in London? Very curious to watch this one. Too bad it wasn't shown before my recent London stay. 😕

Actually it's a bit misleading to say that you can't use them. Depending on the test you received, you can add a supervised/proctored component to the test and still use the ones you received. It is cheaper than purchasing a whole new test + proctored time slot. I did exactly this when returning to the US after my recent cruise on Silhouette, and it worked just fine. I got the info here on Cruise Critic on another board.

They can evolve hand in hand. Think of sommeliers for example.

Thanks for replying -- it's a difficult age to figure out what's going to be fun, but here are a few ideas you could run past them: Visit Castel Sant'Angelo -- the building started out as the tomb of an emperor (Hadrian) and you can still see that in the lower levels that remain. Later it became a castle and stronghold for the Pope, with a connected corridor to the Vatican (as seen in "Angels and Demons") and a set of papal apartments at the top that you can also visit. Wonderful views across the Tiber to Rome. (If either of your teens are boys, they may also recognize the building from one of the Assassin's Creed video games. Tiber River Cruise -- very few people experience Rome from the river. Due to the high embankments built to stop flooding, the Tiber is a bit forgotten but a cruise down the river and back under Rome's magnificent bridges is becoming more popular again. Also not a bad way to stay cool if you are there in the height of summer: Rome Boat Tiber Experience – River Cruise Rome – Boat Tour on Tiber – Hop-On Hop-Off – Dinner Live Music – Wine Bar – Italy – Home , City Excursion by Boat, Diner, Wine Bar Gladiator School -- Pretty self-explanatory but they seem to do a good job with it. I have a friend who's dying to do this as soon as her kids are old enough! GLADIATOR SCHOOL (romegladiatorschool.com) Visit the Mouth of Truth -- This Roman drain cover has been spectacularly repurposed as an urban legend (showcased in the films Roman Holiday and Only You) -- stick your hand in if you dare and get the iconic photo. Also set in a nice area with additional beautiful Roman ruins that are less frequently visited than the adjoining Colosseum/Forum. (The site is on the porch of a church that's also worth a visit; it's one of the few older churches in Rome whose interior is still more or less original.) Mouth of Truth - Bocca della Verità (rome.net) Trendy Trastevere -- A great place if you want to just wander, shop in some smaller, funky shops, eat good pizza and gelato is Trastevere. More touristy than it used to be but still a good low-key destination with lots of younger people. Basilica of San Clemente -- One of my favorite places to recommend for all ages, it is basically the visual demonstration of the layers of history throughout Rome. It's basically a 12th century church on top of a 4th century church that was partially destroyed by invaders, on top of ancient Roman buildings (and most cool, a Mithraeum). Nothing else puts history in perspective like this place! Near the Colosseum. Basilica di San Clemente Reviews | U.S. News Travel (usnews.com) These are just a few ideas. A good source for more would be perusing the Atlas Obscura for Rome -- they often list some off-beat and funky things that might appeal to your kids: 131 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Rome - Atlas Obscura

Sorry about your canceled excursion -- I remember your story about the wrong-way train to Florence, but not this one. Fingers crossed you'll get there one of these days.

Have you and your wife ever visited Arles? Amazing how much of the town and scenery are instantly recognizable.

Each to his/her own. I'm not one who "likes what I like" and never changes, grows or expands my understanding and tastes.

I'm not an art history major by any means but I come from a family that has always appreciated art, enjoyed museum visits, etc. I'd also say that I believe in the idea that peoples' likes, dislikes, ideas, etc. evolve over time if one keeps an open mind. The book in your avatar is a good example. When I read it at age 16 or so, I had a totally different opinion of it than when I read it again around age 40. Why? At age 16 I was still self-centered and found it difficult to understand and relate to the characters, thinking the whole thing very contrived. Second time I had a much deeper understanding of the world and was able to grasp the nuances I missed the first time. I was about the same age (16) when I first saw the Mona Lisa. Again, it was just a famous picture, hard to relate to. But since then I have understood so much more about it. How the Renaissance painters basically had to rediscover painting techniques like perspective, light and shadow, etc. that were known in antiquity but lost. How masters like Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Raphael studied the Greek and Roman sculpture and frescoes and learned from them. How Da Vinci differed from his colleagues in needing to understand how people's musculature looked, how they moved, in order to paint more realistically. How he arrived at a unique style by avoiding the harder painted outlines most other painters used in portraits in favor of a less defined edge that gives a sense of movement and realism to his portraits. In short I now find Da Vinci's work unrivaled and his (few) paintings to be masterpieces. Yes, I'd hang it on my wall -- I could study it infinitely. (And it's not necessarily even my favorite painting of his, but arguably one of his most finished works...)

Hi and welcome to Cruise Critic! What kind of things do you have in mind when you say "fun"? Hanging out? Shopping? Creepy catacombs? Gladiator school?

As far as I'm aware there is really only one way to get from Piazzale Roma to the Santa Lucia train station -- and that is by walking across the Calatrava bridge. You can see it in the map below: This modern bridge (stark contrast to all of Venice's ancient ones) is long, as it crosses one of the widest canals, but the steps are fairly shallow. If you have a roller bag it's not too difficult to manage it. Here's an actual photo: Perhaps it's possible to take a vaporetto one stop (?), but I think the hassle of doing that is about the same.

I would agree with this to a certain extent, but as an intensive planner, I would also like to think that in my planning I'd have discovered many of these places and would've made plans to visit/see them. From long experience I know what things tend to appeal to me and I target cities and locations where I'm likely to find them. The Pergamon museum has been on my list for years, ever since I visited the actual Pergamon site in Turkey back in 2008. Unfortunately the museum was closed for several long years for renovation and in fact I'm not sure it's completely open even now. Nothing would be worse to me than discovering that I missed an opportunity to see something like that museum when I have such an interest in classical history. Second worst would be stumbling on something in the course of a day tour or ramble and not having enough time to see it because of already having planned out my day with other visits/commitments. That's why I do my research for many months before. The restaurant example is somewhat serendipity, I agree, but I also keep a running list of mentions of restaurants (or other places) such as that and then seek them out next time I visit. 😄

You're correct -- they are grouped due to both geography and also historic period. The area around the Colosseum and Forum is rich in highlights from ancient Rome, including Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, Baths of Caracalla, the Domus Aurea, Imperial Forums, and more. The Vatican museums (including the Sistine) and St Peter's, while not originating in the Renaissance, are much more about the history of this later period when the current St. Peter's replaced the older one and when the Popes really began appreciating and consolidating their art collections, as well as sponsoring some of the most towering Renaissance and Baroque artistic talents to create the Sistine chapel as well as various more private rooms. While guides have to know about virtually all periods and areas to receive a license in Italy, it is difficult on a tour to cover such diverse areas effectively, IMO as the entire context of their culture and lives changed so significantly between, let's say 200 BC to 1500 AD. I always suggest visitors to Rome who are staying in the city should block out 3 days minimum: one day for the ancient sights, one day for the Vatican, and one day to walk around and experience all of Rome's outdoor areas, monuments (statues, fountains, etc.) and neighborhoods.

To add on to what the above poster said, there is a taxi stand at the foot of St. Peter's Square, just outside the colonnade. When you have a short time and want to avoid time-takers such as a wrong turn in your walking directions, taxis make good sense and can drop you right where you need to be for your tour. A few years ago the going rate from St. Peter's to the Colosseum area was around 12-15 euros depending on traffic and route. I suspect given recent price increases that it's a few euros more now but still a good deal on a short day -- it's just one of those situations where time is more important than money (to a reasonable extent).

The universal adaptors I've looked at tend to be on the bulky side. I have a packing pouch that I keep things like chargers, adaptors, etc. in and I actually prefer the individual adaptors. Even if I take a couple of EU adaptors and UK adaptors, they seem to take up less space than one big universal one. I just have to remember to swap them out for the right ones before each trip...

Good question -- why don't more ships overnight in Le Havre, if they're going to stop there? Still not as much time as needed, but better than a single day and provides an option for folks to overnight in Paris.

I can only echo the poster above. There is no need to book a package through the cruise line -- every time I've priced a package in Europe they've been at least double what I could arrange on my own. I also find that I prefer to choose my own hotel -- often the cruise lines pick larger hotels that are farther from the city center, making it difficult to walk around and do anything on your own. There is plenty of info in travel guide books and online -- and in particular check out the Ports of Call boards here. For example there are detailed hotel recommendations for most embarkation/disembarkation ports.

I haven't eaten at Casa Bleve but after checking them out, I will put them on my list for my next Rome visit -- hopefully in early December. Between the Michelin mention and the Augustan wall, I'm in. When is your trip? I hope you'll come back and tell us about it. 😄

Lido trays 🤣

Agree. One time I was in Japan for two weeks with my son. For some reason the primary walking shoes that I'd brought turned out not to be comfortable, even though they were broken in before I left home. Guess what I learned? Japanese women's shoes do not go up to my size. (And my feet are normal size for a 5'8" woman....). The men's shoes were too wide or just didn't "fit" my feet. Ugh, it was miserable. I decided then never to travel without two good pairs of walking shoes. My feet/ankles are not the best and they are happier when I alternate shoes daily anyway.

LL Bean fitness fleece. It's their lightweight line; very comfortable but warm enough as a layer until you start getting into really chilly temps.

Depends on whether you are looking for an expedition-type cruise or a regular cruise with port stops. The expedition cruise will enable you to see more of the "rugged" landscape and wildlife of these countries, but they are generally on small ships (with little entertainment other than the sightseeing) and tend to be expensive. Hurtigruten is well known for their excursion itineraries in these areas. Many mass market cruise lines now offer a few of these itineraries. If you want to include both Iceland and Greenland, you'll need to look in the months of July through September for the most part -- the time of year when Greenland is most likely to be accessible. I know Holland America has several different itineraries from shorter to longer. NCL has a few that include Greenland. Princess often has a few. Oceania (more expensive) generally has limited cruises, longer but fairly good itineraries. For Greenland, I'd aim for a smaller rather than larger ship. All the ports are tendered and often the towns are so small that only one tender can be accommodated at their port at a time, meaning it can take hours to tender everyone off the really large ships.