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I am looking at two tours: one does the Capuchin Crypt and museum, catacombs of Santa Domitilla, and the Basilica of San Martino ai Monti (3 1/2 hours) and the other does the Capuchin Crypts, St Callixtus catacombs, Appian Way/Aurelian Walls (3 hours) Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences regarding which is the better example of catacombs? Thank you

This happened to us! Those darn shower curtain!

We had actually sent a request to special needs and then right before the cruise got the above list via email, (but maybe it was the app) so we filled that out as well. However, a request for a medical refrigerator and a sharps container never materialized. We had to ask our room steward for them. Although we never mentioned that we did not receive them, we got home and received an apology email for not fulfilling the request and for any inconvenience it caused. It also included a suggestion to place requests at least 30 days out -although their request list appeared far closer to sail date. 🤪

I’m not sure it matters who your Colosseum tour is with. It just depends if they can snag tickets like everyone else. I think some days they do, some days they can’t?

We are supposed to do the Colosseum with Walks of Italy at the end of September. I tried to contact them about cancellations, but they never responded. Might do the Vatican official guided tour

There is an official Vatican site and one for the Colosseum. I know that the Vatican does a guided tour of the museums/Sistine Chapel. You have to do St Peter’s on your own or with a tour company as the Vatican does not offer a tour. There is also an official site for the Colosseum, but the tickets are only released 30 days out. I have read that it is a very frustrating process as tickets are gone within minutes— hundreds of people trying to get a very few tickets. Not sure if these are just entry or if you can get a guided tour.

Nice to know. Thank you!

The number of people visiting Rome right now is unprecedented. My understanding is that the Vatican and Colosseum are restricting the number of tickets they give out and release them only a few weeks ahead of time. So when third party tour operators try to get tickets, many times they are unable to and so then have to cancel their already booked tours. No fault of theirs. People are feeling safe by booking through viator (which is really only a booking site that uses multiple tour companies) but some of their operators have had to cancel too since they can’t get tickets. I would check with Italytours.eu. Maybe it’s only for now. I really don’t know. Just wanted to give folks a heads up. There is much chatter on that other unmentionable social media site about tours being canceled (not just by one particular company). Some people have been lucky, others cancelled the night before

Thank you for the info. We are taking the Pompeii, Sorrento and Amalfi Coast tour. Glad you enjoyed it!

We are booked with them as well for Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Sounds like a great tour-can’t wait!! As an aside, I saw on Italytours.eu website that they have suspended all their Rome excursions at this time. Check your tours and see who your tour operator is (even if you booked through Viator) This is from their website under the Best of Rome and Vatican Tour: “*** We are temporarily suspending all excursions to Rome. Due to unannounced changes and new restrictions by the Vatican and Colosseum, we will not offer this tour until further notice. We deeply apologize for this situation which is out of our control. We are working hard to find a reliable resolution and will resume new bookings as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!”

Welcome home! Hope you had a fantastic trip! Thank you very much for posting your experience. It is very much appreciated!

Gotcha. Thanks!

It was the one on the right and I’m not sure of the official name. I just ordered a “frozen peach daiquiri”. I believe they could make it in mango and strawberry as well.

Just got off Vision yesterday and tried quite a few of these. Found a new drink that I love-a frozen peach daiquiri. So good on a hot day by the pool. Any ideas regarding the recipe? I saw them pouring a peach juice/purée (?) from a carton. This is a fun thread. Thanks for sharing!

For those who might have taken a tour booked through the Vatican website, maybe you could tell me about your experience. Has anyone done St Peter’s on your own after being on a guided tour with a Vatican guide? I was thinking of reserving a guided tour at the official site but they only include the museums and Sistine Chapel. However, we’d like to see St Peter’s Basilica as well. Would we be able to access the basilica after our tour was over without having to exit and then stand in line outside to re-enter the Basilica? Can you rent an audio guide and is it possible to climb the dome if you don’t have a third party?

We were on the Ovation and did the free version of North Star our first day. We enjoyed it and had a wonderful view of Sydney. But we wouldn’t do it if we had to pay for it or do it when the ship was at sea.

Thanks!

Can anyone give an approximate amount that a taxi might charge from the port to the city and also the fare from the metro stop back to the ship? Also, do you pay the taxi drivers in euros or will they accept credit cards? Do you know if you can reserve an Uber from the port? Thank you!

I agree. We had good luck with Air2Sea for an international flight. I was able to browse on the site and found prices to be better than what I found on outside sites. Also, besides being able to rebook if flights go down, you are allowed to pick dates before or after your cruise if you want to do a little sightseeing on either end. I found the flights (a nonstop over and a flight with one US stop coming home) and just called Air2Sea and let them know which flights I liked. Got right through with no wait and worked with a great rep.

Our ship is supposed to arrive at the Civitavecchia port at 5 am. Realistically, what time do you think we could be off if we carry our luggage?

Great to hear! Bon appetit! Have a wonderful cruise.

We were able to book a nonstop international flight with Royal that was less expensive than had I done it on my own. I check occasionally on the flights and will be able to rebook with them for a lower rate if something comes up.

Definitely try to get on a waitlist. We wanted early traditional but it wasn’t available when we booked our cruise so our TA put us on a waitlist. She just called a couple weeks ago and said we’re now confirmed for early instead of MTD!

Interested in this as well. Did you have to put in all your flight info or just the date you would like to depart? Flight info is bound to change between now and Oct, so am just curious

Thank you both for your responses! This is great to know. I think I’ll go ahead and book our tour. 😊