UKWildcatCruiser

Why do you need your passport just to walk around the city-why would they even check? I thought that was needed just for traveling in or out of the city/country?

I definitely considered it - but I'm not going to rush to the ship and we are early risers so I think we'll have about 4 - 5 hours on Sunday too. I don't think I'd be happy in Civi knowing what is an hour away and not seeing any of it. The idea of going to the Pantheon service on Sunday is very appealing right now (anyone know how about how long the service is? starts at 10:30). It's just hard to say because I don't know how jet lagged I'll be.

We fly in at 11:25am the day before a cruise (mid-February). Post cruise we will have 3 full days in Rome. Assuming we get in on time, what should I try to see the first day? I hesitate to book any tours in the afternoon so I was thinking maybe just getting the "free sites" accomplished, the Pantheon, Trevi, Spanish Steps, and then either a food tour in Trastevere for dinner or a restaurant close to the hotel (which I haven't book yet) but will most likely be close to the Pantheon. Also considering staying in the Trastevere area and maybe attending a service on Sunday in one of the lovely churches before we leave for the cruise. Would also like to pick up a couple of bottles of wine to take on the cruise - are there wine shops for this or just go to a regular grocery store? Thoughts?

I am booked on a VIP casino cruise in February. Did you know you were getting free drinks in the casino before you got on the cruise? I've been trying to figure out if I want the Plus package and that would make a big difference. I booked totally online through my offers without going through a casino rep so I'm not sure what is included other than $600 in free play, a dedicated host (what do they do?) and "special prizes".

Does Princess ever have a sale on shore excursions/specialty dining/spa pass, etc? My next cruise is Feb 2024 and just wondering if there is a benefit to waiting to book things (other than holding on to my money as long as possible). I'm not too worried about things booking up as this is a Med cruise and totally off-season. Don't expect it to be too full.

You can always get food at the International Cafe and take to your cabin. During the day, the area after Princess Live all the way down to Crown Grill is pretty quiet. Lots of people play cards there or a game but they aren't loud. There is a smoking area right off Crown Grill on deck 7 that was great for a quiet place and they had comfortable loungers and it was mostly shaded. If you can handle the smoke (and it wasn't too bad) it was a great place for an afternoon nap.

Weird question - is asking for a to go box for leftovers a faux pas in Rome? I can't eat a lot in one seating but usually want a bite of something before bed. I've been watching a lot of Youtube videos on restaurants and I never see anyone taking their leftovers. Do the restaurants even have the to go containers?

I've been trying to do this for a trip in February 2024. I can't get the calendar on the Vatican site to go past Dec 2023. Anybody else having this issue?

Yes - I was just looking at this place! Please come back and do a review after your trip. I'm not going until February and I'm very interested in this.

Both places are explore on your own. The tour description doesn't really say how much time in each place. My main purpose was to buy some wine that I can't get at home and have it shipped back. But you are correct that it isn't really much time. Are there wine shops in Rome that do tastings and ship directly to US? I guess I should research this option a bit more.

Through Stefano Rome Tours - they pick you up at cruise port and goes to Montepulciano and Pienza, then drops you at your hotel in Rome (which we are staying 3 day post cruise). Nothing else is included, all wine tasting and food is extra. Cost is 650 euro. Seems like a lot for just transportation and safe-keeping luggage. Anyone have experience with this company or tour? I'm just not sure I want to miss an entire day in Rome and spend this much. On the other hand, I'm very interested in the wine and the region in general. Any thoughts?

Can you provide a phone number? I'm booked on the Feb 18 cruise which I booked through the website and it's supposed to be under the "VIP" casino offer but I'm not sure it is. After I booked I saw I had freeplay, but I thought there would be other things included. Would love to talk to someone to be sure it's coded correctly. Thanks!

I did this in May on Royal in Alaska, but they called the Great Alaskan Dinner or something like that. Five courses plus an amuse bouche with wine pairings. Food was really, really, good. Wine was good, not great. They had different people to speak about the wine region and that person was from the specific region. In my opinion, they spoke too long. It was $85 which I thought was too high but honestly I would go it again because it was the best meal I had all week by far. I'd skip a speciality dinner and do this instead.

Is the menu at Good Spirits the same across all ships? I was on the Sky in February and the drinks were based mostly on the Caribbean islands. I thought maybe the drinks change depending on where your ship was going. That being said, I had a Great Pumpkin and it's one of the best cocktails I've had. If I can have that again on my Alaska cruise I will be a happy happy cruiser!

My experience was Crown Grill was faster than Sabatini's but I'm sure it just depends on the time and how busy the dining room is at the time. I would allow 2 and 1/2 hours for all dinners on Sky (which is way too long in my opinion).

You can get it by the glass at Vines. I had a few last week and I had the Plus plan. Just paid the few extra dollars.

One of the mid-ship pools on 16 had a pipe that burst and it emptied out in the jewelry store on 6 and flooded the entire piazza area on 5 and 6. Several things were closed all day, including Good Spirits, which broke my heart. They did get it cleaned up fairly quickly given the amount of water in the area. Thank goodness it was the last day of the cruise.

Ha! Guilty as charged.

Spent a lot of time there last week - tell Elliot his Kentucky friends from last week said hi! It's his first week running the bar there. He was practicing on us last week. He is really funny - very dry sense of humor. The pumpkin "St Lucia" cocktails is one of the best I've had.

This was a reoccurring theme last week on Sky. Every meal was incredibly slow and there seemed to be a major staff shortage. Crown Grill was the exception for us but we ate really early that night, at 5:30 so maybe that was the difference. I started getting 2 glasses of wine at a bar closest to the dining room or Vines and taking it to the dining room. Otherwise, you'd either not get it, or get it half way through your meal. The staff was so nice too, I really hate that they seemed overwhelmed. I didn't say anything to them, they knew what was going on, but I did speak to Guest Services before leaving.

I tried calling but after being put on hold, then transferred, and placed on hold again, I just decided to ignore and go and enjoy. See you there!

They are listing the fare as $550 per passenger (2). I just don't know if they are offering me that because I didn't pay it or I would still get it as that is what the casino I got the certificate from paid? (Venetian in Las Vegas). I've tried calling but can't get through and the live chat was useless. I am supposed to reply by email and they'll answer with 48 hours - but we leave in 72 hours to travel. I don't like cutting it that close. Plus, I just don't know of a better time we can go that works with our schedules so I will probably just ignore the offer and go on the cruise.

Yes the Sky 7 day

Just got an email from Princess offering free cruise fare if I move my sailing (leaving Feb 18). It is given in the form of OBC and whatever is not used is issued in cash. Does this mean the sailing is overbooked? Do they not have the crew needed to operate? I don’t want to take the offer (and not sure if it has any value to me because I’m on a casino free offer) but it’s making me nervous. Anybody have experience with this?

Per person