Roll Call: 10/26/08 WindSurf - Rome->Barcelona

[su-arizona]

Hi All!

There was a roll call thread posted in July for this cruise, but it has now been shuffled way back to another page, so I thought I'd start a new one!My husband and I have sailed on WindStar in the Caribbean, and we're really looking forward to this Mediterranean cruise. Do we have any company? Also, we are planning to go directly from the airport to overnight in Civitavecchia the night before the cruise - anyone have any recommendations for transportation or hotels?

[Traval]

Why stay in Civitavecchia when you could stay in Rome itself?

When we sailed from Rome on Windsurf last year our flight didn't arrive until early evening.However,we still managed to get a few magical hours of sight seeing in the city.

We took the Leonardo express straight to Termini,trundled our bags along for 10-15 mins to our hotel,checked in and went straight out to wander the streets and have a meal.

In the morning after a quick breakfast,we wandered around the Coliseum and Forum area before picking up our bags from the hotel.We went back to Termini where we caught a late morning train to the port.First class seats were only a few euros more than standard and meant our luggage could go in the compartment with us.At Civitavecchia station we walked along to the port as we could see no taxis.There was a bus just inside the gates to take us to the ship.Easy and cheap!

[22Mermaid]

We just returned from the Windsurf Rome to Venice. We stayed a couple of blocks from the Rome Termini at La Girandola B&B (It was a small room with a tiny shower, but super clean and convenient to the train and Metro for sightseeing trips; I think it was 100 Euros (about $150)). If you need a hotel type arrangement, this is not for you, but we found it perfect for our needs. Lorenzo, the proprietor, is helpful and speaks English.

 

Helpful hint shipboard is to sign up for the optional dining after you register. There is La Marche (the outdoor seafood dining), Candles (the outdoor 'steakhouse' dining), and Degrees (dining room gourmet service). We enjoyed dining outdoors during sunset and under the full moon. Some of the dishes were better than others, but that's just personal taste. The two outdoor venues do fill u, and there is no extra charge to dine in any of these areas.

 

Other helpful hint: Take half the clothes and twice the money!

[su-arizona]

We'll definitely book the restaurants early...but I sure hope there are some other folks on this cruise!

[su-arizona]

I check every day to see if anyone else has posted a reply to this roll call...sure would be nice to hear from fellow passengers! We were scheduled to sail Wind Spirit out of St. Thomas last December, and our cruise was cancelled the day before we left. So we're a little nervous (ok, a LOT nervous) about this cruise.

 

Hope there will be a lot of folks joining us in Rome!

[ValhallaMN]

There are four of us and we'll be on the 10/26 Rome to Barcelona cruise. Any tips on what to see? It should be great fun!

[su-arizona]

Are you staying in Rome prior to the cruise? Since we've never cruised the Med before, it will all be new to us. On past cruises we have usually skipped the shore excursions and toured independently by taxi or rental car (or mini mokes or whatever...) Most of the people in this forum have recommended doing this as well.

 

I'd thought about booking the Pompeii shore excursion, but really didn't want to spend over 3 hours on a bus on the first day of the cruise!

 

There are 3 of us - my husband and I plus his aunt. We'll be spending several days in Barcelona post-cruise.

 

Look forward to meeting all 4 of you face to face in about a week!

[nuvola9]

We just returned from this same itenerary sailing was 2 weeks ago 10/5 rome - barcelona. you will enjoy it, its a great mix of Italy and Spain, plus a restful day and half at sea in the middle of the trip. We had basically a full ship, but maybe 10/26 sailing will be a little less full as its end of season.

 

Definately try to stay a couple of nights in Rome if time permits, its worth it. Note the taxi transfers to the port are very expensive, and the train would be OK if you travel light.

 

As far as doing your own tours etc. during the cruise, its quite easy to get around, but note time in ports is sometimes short. we took a couple of the tours and they were good.

 

Also worth is is some time in barcelona at the end of the trip.

[su-arizona]

How terrific to have you as an advisor! Are there any places/things we should especially try to see? What tours did you take, and which were the best? Any info is greatly appreciated...

 

We have booked RomeCabs from airport to Rome, and from Rome to Civitavecchia the day we board the cruise. It's pricey, but since there are three of us it seemed like a sensible luxury. If anyone else on this cruise wants to share a ride to the port with us, I expect we could increase the number of passengers.

 

After checking the price of using Windstar to get us from Rome to the port ($259/person) the limo seemed like a real bargain!

[nuvola9]

Rome: hopefully you booked a hotel near the center (we were by the spanish steps area) as you can walk around and see most sights by foot, and its lots of fun, eat at little retaurants in the smaller streets, and then experience italian gelato and espresso)

 

Ports: we took the Ravello tour (out of Amalfi) which is worth it because the ship is only in that are 4 hours, so you have limited shore options. very stunning location this.

 

then we stayed the evening in Sorrento, which is great as you can eat in town and browse the shops, plenty time to get to the boat by 11PM last tender. Go have a drink in the evening at the veranda bar of Hotel Excelsior, you will have a stunning night view of the bay + the WindSurf all lit up.

 

Day at sea is a good one to relax; also prebook your massage/spa session for that day upon boarding if you are into that - since that day a lot of people will book up the spa.

 

Capri: probably my favorite place on the itenerary. just went out on our own, take the funicular to the top of the town. You can also walk down to the other side, where the famous rocks and little beach is.

 

Another favorite (and a surprise) was Palma De Mallorca. We actualy had to skip Mahon due to weather, so ended up with xtra time in Palma, so were able to stay there overnight and enjoy Tapas dinner late at night (great) and then next day the Tour to Valldemosa was very good. Reccomended.

 

Tarragona did not seem that interesting, so we also booked a tour there that took us to the Monblanc monastery and the town of Poblet. The tour locations were very good and worth it, but the tour guide was very annoying ! alternatively you can go to town and look at some roman ruins they have. Overall not a great port stop,

 

but get ready for Barcelona: awesome place, unfortunately we only booked one night, so essentially did a city tour and ate by the waterfront - one needs several days to check it out properly.