LIVE from Odyssey of the Seas Transatlantic April 21, 2024 thru May 5, 2024

[Joe33472]

On 5/12/2024 at 2:40 PM, GimmeOcean said:

We stayed at the Albergo del Senato hotel right next to the Pantheon, it was nice enough (though very noisy from street crowds) but next time I would choose some place more convenient to the metro and busses, and not have to rely on taxi$ so much to get around.

 

 

We were neighbors in Rome 😀 when you were here.  We're staying on Via di Pietra which is only a short distance from the Pantheon.  We're in an AirBnB, but it's SO noisy.  A lot of foot traffic and restaurants open very late.  And then recycling in the morning at some early hour.  

 

We have another week here, but have some day trips planned.  Positano, Naples, Tivoli, and maybe Ostia Antica.   On the 20th we move onto Florence and things will get a little more civilized.   I have a love/hate relationship with Rome for all the things you mention.   It's similar to how I feel about NYC.   I work in the city, but it's tough.   Rome is the same.  Florence is my favorite place in Europe, so I'm excited to get out of Rome next week. 

 

 

 

[Cruising89143]

2 hours ago, Joe33472 said:

 

We were neighbors in Rome 😀 when you were here.  We're staying on Via di Pietra which is only a short distance from the Pantheon.  We're in an AirBnB, but it's SO noisy.  A lot of foot traffic and restaurants open very late.  And then recycling in the morning at some early hour.  

 

We have another week here, but have some day trips planned.  Positano, Naples, Tivoli, and maybe Ostia Antica.   On the 20th we move onto Florence and things will get a little more civilized.   I have a love/hate relationship with Rome for all the things you mention.   It's similar to how I feel about NYC.   I work in the city, but it's tough.   Rome is the same.  Florence is my favorite place in Europe, so I'm excited to get out of Rome next week. 

 

 

 

Thanks for a great review. We’re on the westbound TA in November on this ship from Civitavecchia to Bayonne. I think we have many of the same ports on our itinerary. We’re spending three nights pre cruise in Rome. We love this city and can’t wait to get back. Thanks again for taking the time to share. 

[jeb1990]

Thanks for continuing to share your experiences.  Joe, if you have the time and inclination, I'd love to hear about the day trips and the time in Florence.  I'm on the Transatlantic next April and am considering places to visit to extend the trip.  I already have the first two nights post-cruise booked in Cinque Terre.  We visited Rome post-cruise last year.

[Joe33472]

4 hours ago, jeb1990 said:

Thanks for continuing to share your experiences.  Joe, if you have the time and inclination, I'd love to hear about the day trips and the time in Florence.  I'm on the Transatlantic next April and am considering places to visit to extend the trip.  I already have the first two nights post-cruise booked in Cinque Terre.  We visited Rome post-cruise last year.

 

Happy to share about our time in Florence.  So excited for you taking the TA next spring.  We were thinking the other night how much we miss being on the Odyssey.  The crossing was a fantastic experience.   I'm still dreaming about Malaga.   Totally unexpected and world class city. 

 

We'll be doing another crossing at the end of our time in Europe as we're on the QM2 out of Southampton to NYC in June.  That's likely to be a totally different experience than the Odyssey.

 

As far as Florence, we're using the city as a home base for a number of day trips (our stamina pending 🤣).   What we're thinking at this point is:

 

Bologna - day trip

Verona - day trip

Rent car and drive thru Tuscany (3 days and 2 nights in hotel)

Venice (2 nights in hotel and travel by train)

 

The road trip looks something like, drive and lunch in Lucca, drive by the Leaning Tower in the early afternoon, and the drive to San Gimignano and stay overnight.   Get a slow start and make our way to Siena and stay overnight.   Maybe Assisi the next morning and return the car the latest time possible on day 3. 

 

We're spending a short amount of time in Milan after Florence, but that would be another possible day trip to consider from Florence.  We're using Milan to go to Lake Cuomo and see the Last Supper.    Then onto Switzerland.