Please Review Itinerary & Provide Suggestions

[euro cruiser]

While there is a lot to do from Messina, probably the two most popular are Taormina and Mt. Etna.   If the weather cooperates there are great boat trips to the Aeolian islands.

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

We were scheduled to fly to Rome on June 23rd and our cruise departed June 28th.  The weekend prior to our flight we both got a cough and felt tired.  We both tested positive for covid.  We were so disappointed that we had to cancel our vacation.

 

Sorry to hear this. I had been wondering how your trip was going. 

 

Hopefully you'll reschedule as mentioned and have new planning to do. 

[taylortime05]

3 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

I hope you're both feeling better now.  

 

The silver lining is that you missed one of the worst heat waves in recent European history.  September/October is a much better time to be in Europe, in my opinion.  

 

I would suggest getting a hotel room in Florence for the overnight rather than schleping all the way back to La Spezia, unless you plan to see Cinque Terre one day and Florence the other.

Thank you!  Yes, we are feeling much better.  We were fortunate that we had mild symptoms but I was quite tired.  We’ve been vaccinated with 2 boosters.  This was the 1st time getting covid.  If we didn’t have a trip planned I don’t know if we  would have thought to get tested.  It felt like a head cold.  

 

I’m excited to plan this trip.  I moved it to Sept/Oct because I kept reading about how hot it was in June/July.   I’ll definitely take everything I planned for Rome and use it for this trip.  

 

Thank you for the tip on Florence.  It seems like a great port to stay overnight.  

[taylortime05]

3 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

Naples is a great port, there is an embarrassment of riches to choose from, but choose you must.   Your options range from important historical sites like Pompei and Herculeneum, to Naples herself, a fascinating two thousand year old city, to the Amalfi Coast, Capri and the other islands in the bay of Naples.

 

It's a lot to wade through.

 

Even though I’m disappointed we missed our vacation this year, I’m glad I have plenty of time to research all the ports.  For our June trip that was cancelled I booked it only a couple of months ahead of time and spent most of my time planning our Rome itinerary.  Now I’ll have time to research the ports and Barcelona.  

[taylortime05]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Sorry to hear this. I had been wondering how your trip was going. 

 

Hopefully you'll reschedule as mentioned and have new planning to do. 

Thank you.  We’re feeling much better.  I did go ahead and book the cruise.   I really like the Celebrity Reflection and I thought it was a nice itinerary.   I just need to figure out how many days we can visit Barcelona and Rome.    Thank you so much for all your help in planning our Rome itinerary.   I can almost lift and shift that plan to this new cruise. 

[taylortime05]

On 7/9/2022 at 3:47 PM, euro cruiser said:

 

I would suggest getting a hotel room in Florence for the overnight rather than schleping all the way back to La Spezia, unless you plan to see Cinque Terre one day and Florence the other.

 

This sounds like a great idea.  Could you recommend any hotels that are in a good central location?  Thank you so much.  

[euro cruiser]

I had to think about this for a minute, because it surprised me, but with all the time I've spent in Florence I've only used one hotel.  The rest of the visits I rented apartments or was staying in Tuscany and made day trips in.

 

I chose the Machiavelli Palace hotel the first time for the location, close to the train station and steps from many of the key sites.  We returned a second time for the same reasons, and because it was a nice place.  The rooms were small but well outfitted, front desk staff was helpful.  The breakfast must not have been much to write home about, I usually remember food but I have no recollection of it there.

 

I'm sure others with more hotel experience in Florence will offer other recommendations.

 

Hotel Machiavelli Palace | 3 Star Hotel Florence Center

 

 

[taylortime05]

On 7/11/2022 at 6:54 AM, euro cruiser said:

I had to think about this for a minute, because it surprised me, but with all the time I've spent in Florence I've only used one hotel.  The rest of the visits I rented apartments or was staying in Tuscany and made day trips in.

 

I chose the Machiavelli Palace hotel the first time for the location, close to the train station and steps from many of the key sites.  We returned a second time for the same reasons, and because it was a nice place.  The rooms were small but well outfitted, front desk staff was helpful.  The breakfast must not have been much to write home about, I usually remember food but I have no recollection of it there.

 

I'm sure others with more hotel experience in Florence will offer other recommendations.

 

Hotel Machiavelli Palace | 3 Star Hotel Florence Center

 

 

Thank you!  

[taylortime05]

On 7/9/2022 at 5:24 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Sorry to hear this. I had been wondering how your trip was going. 

 

Hopefully you'll reschedule as mentioned and have new planning to do. 

Hi @Cruisemom42, 

 

I hope you are doing well!  We finally have another European cruise booked on the Celebrity Reflection from Barcelona to Rome 9/30/24 - 10/9/24.    We’re staying in Barcelona 3 nights pre-cruise and in Rome 5 nights post-cruise.  I’ll post my new itinerary soon.  You and so many others were so much help last year in helping me plan our time in Rome. I was so disappointed we had to cancel because we tested positive for Covid.  On the positive side,  I think we’ll have milder weather in October.  Our trip last year was planned for July.  

 

I have a question about hotels.  I’m trying to use either Hilton, Hyatt or Choice points.  Do you recommend any of these 4 hotels?    Thank you so much for your feedback.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by taylortime05

[cruisemom42]

8 minutes ago, taylortime05 said:

I have a question about hotels.  I’m trying to use either Hilton, Hyatt or Choice points.  Do you recommend any of these 4 hotels?    Thank you so much for your feedback.  

 

Welcome back to planning your trip. 😁

 

Of the four hotels you list, the two that would be on my radar in terms of location would be the Hotel d'Inghilterra and the Comfort Hotel Bolivar, which is obviously a much more modern property.

 

The Hotel d'Inghilterra is located in the "high rent designer" area near via Condotti -- where you'll find all the designer shops, including clothes, leather goods, etc and also antiques stores. Near the Spanish Steps and a relatively easy walk to Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Forum and Colosseum. It has an interesting history and has been recently redone. 

 

The Comfort Hotel Bolivar looks like it is probably a three-star property, but keep in mind that ratings in Italy are more of a reflection of what amenities are included (e.g., an onsite restaurant, conference facilities) than of the degree of luxury. I like the location better than the first hotel (it's nearer the major ancient Rome sites), but it looks like it could probably use a good renovation/revitalization.

 

It really depends on what you want -- both hotels are well enough located for sightseeing in central Rome. The other two are less central, especially the one farthest west.

[taylortime05]

On 7/7/2023 at 12:57 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Welcome back to planning your trip. 😁

 

Of the four hotels you list, the two that would be on my radar in terms of location would be the Hotel d'Inghilterra and the Comfort Hotel Bolivar, which is obviously a much more modern property.

 

The Hotel d'Inghilterra is located in the "high rent designer" area near via Condotti -- where you'll find all the designer shops, including clothes, leather goods, etc and also antiques stores. Near the Spanish Steps and a relatively easy walk to Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Forum and Colosseum. It has an interesting history and has been recently redone. 

 

The Comfort Hotel Bolivar looks like it is probably a three-star property, but keep in mind that ratings in Italy are more of a reflection of what amenities are included (e.g., an onsite restaurant, conference facilities) than of the degree of luxury. I like the location better than the first hotel (it's nearer the major ancient Rome sites), but it looks like it could probably use a good renovation/revitalization.

 

It really depends on what you want -- both hotels are well enough located for sightseeing in central Rome. The other two are less central, especially the one farthest west.

 

Thank you so much for all your feedback.   I like the location of the Comfort Hotel Bolivar and it’s a great price but I’ve read a few reviews that the bed is so uncomfortable.  I’m not really much of a shopper so being in the  “high rent designer area”  doesn’t make Hotel d’Inghilterra more desirable.   But it does get great reviews on the accommodations and the breakfast.  

 

I found another hotel where I can use Choice points but it’s probably not in the best central location and it may also need a renovation/revitalization.   Are you familiar with this hotel - Clarion Collection Hotel Principessa Isabella? 

 

Between Comfort Hotel Bolivar,  Clarion Collection Hotel Principessa Isabella and Hotel d’Inghilterra, which would you choose to stay for 5 nights?    

 

I’ll post my new itinerary soon.  I went through all our posts from last year and made a few changes.  Id love for you to review and give your feedback.   Thank you!

 

 

 

[taylortime05]

Thank you to everyone that helped me plan our itinerary last year.  Unfortunately, we had to cancel our trip because we both came down with Covid.    We’ll be visiting Rome for 5 nights Oct 9-12 2023 after our cruise.   I read through all the comments on this post and tried to incorporate it into the plan below.  

 

I’d love your feedback on our preliminary itinerary.  Do I have too many tours booked?   Am I missing any fantastic restaurants?  Any other suggestions?  

 

Thank you for your feedback.  

 

[euro cruiser]

I love your color-coded timetable!  It's very easy to read and understand.

 

I don't love all the programmed tours, but that's me.  You know how you and your husband like to travel and experience a place, so it if works for you, it's perfect.

[taylortime05]

@cruisemom42, I’d love your feedback on my revised itinerary above.   Thank you so much!

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

@cruisemom42, I’d love your feedback on my revised itinerary above.   Thank you so much!

 

Hi!  I just looked at your itinerary. Fair warning, I did not go back through our earlier posts/discussions, so if I am repeating myself occasionally, please forgive me!

 

A few observations:

 

Do you have a reliable source of reviews for Liv Tours? You have invested so much of your time in Rome with them -- what happens if they fail to deliver or you are unhappy with them? Just something to think about. As @euro cruiser mentioned, it is a lot of time with organized tours, but I do realize I've had the luxury of many visits to Rome and ability to take my time getting around and seeing everything on my own.

 

Also, taking several food tours also would not be my choice. I'd rather sightsee, then enjoy and totally immerse myself in the eating part at meals, lol. I hope your Jewish Ghetto tour will give you the opportunity to try the delicious artichokes (carciofi) that the Ghetto is known for!

 

One glaring omission to me is the Pantheon. Your golf cart tour promises views of it, but that will undoubtedly be the exterior only, as the building closes in the evening around 7:00 or 7:30. I feel this is one of the must-see sights in Rome. Perhaps you could fit it in before or after your lunch at Salumeria Roscioli, as it's not very far away.

 

If you are decided on staying at the Hotel d'Inghilterra, I encourage you to also look for some restaurants in the near vicinity. Were you previously planning to stay nearer to the Pantheon/Navona area? Most of the restaurants you've chosen are in that neighborhood. In the same vein, since you're staying near the Spanish Steps, you might want to take the time to just stroll down the ultra-luxury shopping street, Via Condotti, in front of the Spanish Steps. And/or climb them for fantastic views at the top.

 

Regarding your night tour that visits the Capuchin crypt and the catacombs of St. Agnes, you end up back in front of the Capuchin crypt. Instead of making a dinner reservation back at Armando al Pantheon, I might suggest you book instead a dinner at Colline Emiliane, which is easy walking distance from the Capuchin crypt. It is another favorite of mine, they specialize in gorgeous seasonal dishes with their house-made pastas.

 

 

 

 

[taylortime05]

Hi @cruisemom42 and @euro cruiser, 

 

Thank you so much for the feedback.   I have few more questions so this post may get too long.  I’ll  just split this into 3 posts.  This is 1 of 3 posts.  

 

I went back to a couple of of my Facebook groups to ask for feedback on Liv Tours.  There were quite a few people that responded that they took multiple tours with them and they were great. They also have great reviews on Trip Advisor.   I hope I have the same experience.  I really liked that their tours are limited to 6 people.  

 

I will definitely add the Pantheon to one of our free time blocks.  I actually want to go back and look at those free time blocks and put more ideas on what we could visit.  I’ll mark the ideas as either must see’s vs nice to see.  

 

This is the overview of the Jewish Ghetto Tour.  Does it sound nice?  It does include the artichokes 🙂

 

This is the overview of the Twilight Trastevere food tour.  Do you think it sounds nice? 

 

 

Thank you.  

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by taylortime05

[taylortime05]

Post 2 of 3: 

 

Our Colosseum tour originally included Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum.  On June 2nd Liv Tours sent an email that they were discontinuing the Underground portion of the tour and they would provide $30 refund per person.   I think the only way I can get access to the underground portion of the Colosseum is to purchase tickets through Coop Culture 30 days before the date.  I’ve read it’s quite difficult to get the tickets.    Is it worth the effort to try to get these tickets so we can see the underground portions of the Colosseum?    Below was some of the feedback from Liv Tours on why they were removing the underground portion of the tour.  

 

The choice is dictated by a series of insurmountable difficulties imposed by surprising, astonishing and illogical daily new regulations dictated by Coopculture and the Parco Archeologico. These erratic regulation changes began in mid-2022 and made it increasingly difficult for tour operators, their clients and guides to access the monument and underground in a fair and equitable manner. 

Over the last 12 months, with every new and nonsensical regulation imposed, we rolled up our sleeves and worked with what we had. We worked hard to adapt to the growing challenges, often wasting hours and days making endless modifications to our clients and guides schedule in an effort to adapt to changes that seemed to favor large corporations utilizing bots while restricting access of guides and clients even with valid tickets in hand. What’s more, these unfair and often contradictory regulations are imposed without transparency, and come at the cost of our clients' satisfaction, tranquility, not to mention our guide's patience.  

With all that said, I hope you can appreciate that we are truly exhausted from the ever growing complexity and challenges associated with running this tour.  

 

Thank you.  

 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by taylortime05

[euro cruiser]

Um, wow.  That is not the writing of a professional.  No professional writes to their clients excusing away their inability to deliver on a promise like this.  Everything they say may be factually true but this sounds like the rantings of a toddler.

[euro cruiser]

As for the underground tour, I wouldn't bend myself up like a pretzel just for that one part of the experience.  You can walk among the underground sections of other amphitheaters in Italy without all the angst associated with getting tickets in Rome.

[taylortime05]

Post 3 of 3:    (All about the Food). 

 

I contacted the concierge at Hotel d’Inghilterra to see if they could make a reservation for us at Colline Emiliane.  They responded that the restaurant is closed until September 6th and they will contact them then to try to make the reservation.  

 

I asked the concierge and another Rome Facebook page for restaurant recommendations.   Below are some of the recommendations.  Do you recommend any of these?  Which restaurants do you think I should cancel on the itinerary above to add a few from below?    I loved the feedback you gave last June to try to not do too much back tracking so the lunch reservations should be either near the morning tour or the hotel and the dinner reservations should be near the hotel.  I really appreciate all your feedback to help me improve our itinerary to allow  more free time.  

 

• Osteria da Fortunata
• Osteria delle Coppelle
• ,Osteria del Sostegno
• Da Francesco (little further) 
• Nino
• Due Ladroni
• Da Pietro
• La Campana
• La Rosetta
• Ad Hoc
• FREZZA- CUCINA DE COCCIO
• Ginger

 

Thank you

 

[cruisemom42]

23 minutes ago, taylortime05 said:

I think the only way I can get access to the underground portion of the Colosseum is to purchase tickets through Coop Culture 30 days before the date.  I’ve read it’s quite difficult to get the tickets.    Is it worth the effort to try to get these tickets so we can see the underground portions of the Colosseum?

 

As a huge Roman history and archaeology fan, I can honestly tell you that I have long felt the "Underground" areas of the Colosseum are overhyped. You'll be fine if you don't get to see them. The technology they used to raise and lower the animals, etc. was interesting, but let's not lose focus on the fact that most Romans never ever saw these inner workings either. 

 

The Colosseum in Rome is the most famous amphitheatre and the largest, but its underground portions are less well preserved than some others I've visited. Also, in the past there have also been unexpected closings every time there are heavy rains in Rome as the area doesn't drain well.

 

The response you got from LivTours made me chuckle. It sounds like it was written by a passionate Italian. I can understand the situation is very frustrating for them.

 

P.S.  When you are inside the Colosseum, you actually CAN see some of the areas under the arena in the places that are not covered by flooring. I heard something recently that suggests they are looking at covering that whole area (to further protect it). If it's still open when you visit, take the opportunity to look down into it and ask your guide questions about it, if you have them. It's better than nothing...

[taylortime05]

33 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

P.S.  When you are inside the Colosseum, you actually CAN see some of the areas under the arena in the places that are not covered by flooring. I heard something recently that suggests they are looking at covering that whole area (to further protect it). If it's still open when you visit, take the opportunity to look down into it and ask your guide questions about it, if you have them. It's better than nothing...

 

Per the Liv Tours email we will still stop and observe the underground and get information about it.  So that’s nice.  I may still try to get the underground tickets but I won’t be concerned if I’m not able to.  

[taylortime05]

1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

Um, wow.  That is not the writing of a professional.  No professional writes to their clients excusing away their inability to deliver on a promise like this.  Everything they say may be factually true but this sounds like the rantings of a toddler.

 

I could definitely sense their frustration in their email.   I may still try to get the tickets for the underground tour but I won’t be disappointed if I can’t get them. 

[cruisemom42]

BTW, I am going to need to think a bit about your food questions. Give me time to mull it over, look at a map, etc. Some of the places I've been to, but as I am not often in the immediate area of your hotel for dinner, it's been a while for some of them. Nino and da Fortunato are long-time fixtures -- I remember eating there when we stayed at the top of the Spanish Steps back in 1999...

[taylortime05]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

BTW, I am going to need to think a bit about your food questions. Give me time to mull it over, look at a map, etc. Some of the places I've been to, but as I am not often in the immediate area of your hotel for dinner, it's been a while for some of them. Nino and da Fortunato are long-time fixtures -- I remember eating there when we stayed at the top of the Spanish Steps back in 1999...

Thank you!   I’ll also start reviewing Trip Advisor reviews on the restaurants.   I still haven’t cancelled the Comfort Bolivar. I really like that location better than Hotel d’Inghilterra but I’ve read a few reviews that the bed isn’t very comfortable.  Since we’re going to be there for 5 nights we really need a comfortable bed.   Hotel d’Inghilterra had very good reviews on Trip Advisor.