cruisemom42

Very much appreciate you sharing your experience on the ground. It's true that there is a new drop-off point for the shuttles; it is supposed to be temporary. Honestly seems like they keep making it more difficult to exit the port and get to the train station on your own!

Yes, rooms are air conditioned at Albergo del Senato.

Oh that's got to be very disappointing, sorry to hear it. If you can take a few minutes to read through this thread, there are several hotels that I've recommended again and again at several different price points -- from my absolute favorite Albergo del Senato to the perfectly fine Albergo Santa Chiara and the more budget Hotel Smeraldo and Hotel Navona. All are very centrally located near the Pantheon (in the case of Hotel Smeraldo a bit closer to Campo dei Fiori).

I loved "the Mammas" too -- what a great concept. I want to visit that Mayfair Mercato -- looks like a similar idea to the Mercato in Florence. And I've walked by that Roman wall so many times -- never knew to look for arugula there. 🤣

To answer the original question, I was on the first Silhouette sailing out of Southampton in April. About a week before sailing I got a call from Celebrity basically kicking me out of Anytime Dining and telling me I had to select one of the fixed times. Needless to say I was not happy but they would not budge from this. I was told that once I was onboard I could "try" to get Anytime. I made this my first priority on Boarding and I was able to get them to switch me back to Anytime, so I'm not sure what the "we must change you" charade was all about. That said, once I was onboard and this was finally settled, I was unable to make a reservation on most nights for my desired times -- available times tended to be early or late only. My default was to show up at the MDR about 15 minutes before I really wanted to sit down -- most nights I was handed a pager and got summoned somewhere between 15-30 minutes later.

Thanks for sharing your very useful on-the-ground experience. It's definitely better to plan ahead and understand the process. I did the same when I was ending a cruise in England last month. I had a plan in place including hotel (tentative reservation for 5 days) should I have failed the test to return home. Self-quarantine in England sounds mostly like what you're doing -- you're not locked into your room but are requested to distance yourself from others as much as possible and wear a mask. The 10-day info is good to have confirmed for Italy. As for the testing requirement, not sure any of us can do anything about that, but probably felt good to get that off your chest, lol.

I'm a light packer -- try not to take anything I don't need with me. 😉

I had a similar experience in Japan and did end up booking 2 Viator tours there over the course of two weeks when I couldn't find an alternative and couldn't effectively do it on my own. The Viator tours there were both well run and I had no complaints. But I think that may have more to do with the Japanese ethos than with Viator in particular....

You mean such as those in the Church on Spilled Blood? Yes -- they are amazing as well. If there was a continuum of outstanding religious mosaics it would be the most recent set of masterpieces. But for some reason the modern never seems to touch me as much as the old. I think what appeals to me about the mosaics in Ravenna is that you can still identify the ancient Roman themes and styles of mosaics but with a thin overly of Christian imagery -- it truly represents the turning point between the ancient, pagan civilization and the new Christian-based one. Like how the ceiling of the Arian baptistery in Ravenna shows the disciples dressed as Roman senators and personifies the river Jordan as a typical Roman river god figure (the same way they'd represented the Tiber river or the Nile in the past).

Lots of practical info shared on the Ports of Call board for Italy here on CC, including a pinned topic on testing in Italy. I've listed this link several times re: finding places in Rome: https://thetourguy.com/travel-blog/italy/rome/where-to-get-a-covid-test-in-rome-this-year/ Almost ANY pharmacy in the historic area of Rome (where most tourists go and stay) will speak English.

Just a heads up that the shuttle has not been running since the start of COVID and there is no information given about when it might resume.

You have to do what you're comfortable with, of course. But...you were willing to go to Florence on your own, which is at least as far.... I look at the possibilities and make the best choice I can, but always in the back of my mind is that I don't want to waste an opportunity to see something I really care about. Although I plan lots more Med travel in my future, who can tell what will really happen -- just look at the last two years. A taxi back to the ship from an hour away is only a blip on the radar of the total cruise cost and the memories gained are priceless....

Unfortunately it's not just NCL. In the past I've had several cruise lines cancel excursions on me with little or no warning. Generally it tends to happen when I've booked an excursion that goes "off piste" as I think a majority of cruisers on some lines are on their first go-round and opt to see the highlights (e.g., in Rome, the Colosseum and Vatican; in Athens, the Parthenon; etc.) After some really terrible experiences with ship tours I basically stopped taking them about 15 years ago and haven't looked back. Not only canceled excursions but changes in itinerary, long shopping stops, terrible guides and too little time actually spent at the site. I heartily encourage you in future to look into other options. I feel like I get so much more out of port visits now. Truthfully I don't think I'd continue to cruise if I had to limit myself to available ship excursions.

I will second what marazul says above. I have traveled all around the ancient world and the mosaics in Ravenna are the most astonishing I've seen anywhere. They date from the period when Ravenna served as the western capital of the Roman empire, after Rome had been sacked. All of the best artists and craftsmen of the western empire would've been working there, and they were importing the latest designs and techniques from Constantinople. You cannot see such fine work in Istanbul due to the unfortunate later iconoclast era where most early religious mosaics and images were destroyed. For me, they were comparable to but better than the mosaics in the Palatine chapel in Palermo, which were the closest thing I've seen. These are earlier. I was blown away by the vividness of the color and the perfection of the images. They're scattered around the town in several locations, most of which can be visited in a long half-day on foot (the old center of the town is not large). There is also the "original" cathedral of the port, built earlier, which is outside the town and is even closer to the port where the cruise ships now stop. (As well as the remains of the ancient Roman port.)

One tip I've used: try copying some of the text from the description of the tour and pasting it into your search engine of choice. Often Viator takes the original agency's description and uses it verbatim in their listing. So if the text is plagiarized, you can also find the original version. I have to say that for at least the last 10 years I've probably posted 5-10 times per year on these boards to avoid Viator, for three reasons: 1) I generally have not found their tours to be that good, 2) it's more likely there will be miscommunication with a third party involved, and 3) I personally feel better knowing all the $$ are going to the local vendors. So why do people keep booking with Viator? Because they make it so easy to do so.

It's been quite the busy week for me; looking forward to kicking back and relaxing today. I took DS out last night for his 30th birthday and he helped with a few little things around the condo. I also ran a bunch of errands yesterday including picking up a box of stuff from the old house that the new owners had found (left on top shelf of linen closet) that included some old photos I'd definitely have been sorry to lose. And I took some of my antique prints to be re-framed to fit better in the new place.... So...In Search of Italy, in London? Very curious to watch this one. Too bad it wasn't shown before my recent London stay. 😕

Actually it's a bit misleading to say that you can't use them. Depending on the test you received, you can add a supervised/proctored component to the test and still use the ones you received. It is cheaper than purchasing a whole new test + proctored time slot. I did exactly this when returning to the US after my recent cruise on Silhouette, and it worked just fine. I got the info here on Cruise Critic on another board.

They can evolve hand in hand. Think of sommeliers for example.

Thanks for replying -- it's a difficult age to figure out what's going to be fun, but here are a few ideas you could run past them: Visit Castel Sant'Angelo -- the building started out as the tomb of an emperor (Hadrian) and you can still see that in the lower levels that remain. Later it became a castle and stronghold for the Pope, with a connected corridor to the Vatican (as seen in "Angels and Demons") and a set of papal apartments at the top that you can also visit. Wonderful views across the Tiber to Rome. (If either of your teens are boys, they may also recognize the building from one of the Assassin's Creed video games. Tiber River Cruise -- very few people experience Rome from the river. Due to the high embankments built to stop flooding, the Tiber is a bit forgotten but a cruise down the river and back under Rome's magnificent bridges is becoming more popular again. Also not a bad way to stay cool if you are there in the height of summer: Rome Boat Tiber Experience – River Cruise Rome – Boat Tour on Tiber – Hop-On Hop-Off – Dinner Live Music – Wine Bar – Italy – Home , City Excursion by Boat, Diner, Wine Bar Gladiator School -- Pretty self-explanatory but they seem to do a good job with it. I have a friend who's dying to do this as soon as her kids are old enough! GLADIATOR SCHOOL (romegladiatorschool.com) Visit the Mouth of Truth -- This Roman drain cover has been spectacularly repurposed as an urban legend (showcased in the films Roman Holiday and Only You) -- stick your hand in if you dare and get the iconic photo. Also set in a nice area with additional beautiful Roman ruins that are less frequently visited than the adjoining Colosseum/Forum. (The site is on the porch of a church that's also worth a visit; it's one of the few older churches in Rome whose interior is still more or less original.) Mouth of Truth - Bocca della Verità (rome.net) Trendy Trastevere -- A great place if you want to just wander, shop in some smaller, funky shops, eat good pizza and gelato is Trastevere. More touristy than it used to be but still a good low-key destination with lots of younger people. Basilica of San Clemente -- One of my favorite places to recommend for all ages, it is basically the visual demonstration of the layers of history throughout Rome. It's basically a 12th century church on top of a 4th century church that was partially destroyed by invaders, on top of ancient Roman buildings (and most cool, a Mithraeum). Nothing else puts history in perspective like this place! Near the Colosseum. Basilica di San Clemente Reviews | U.S. News Travel (usnews.com) These are just a few ideas. A good source for more would be perusing the Atlas Obscura for Rome -- they often list some off-beat and funky things that might appeal to your kids: 131 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Rome - Atlas Obscura

Sorry about your canceled excursion -- I remember your story about the wrong-way train to Florence, but not this one. Fingers crossed you'll get there one of these days.

Have you and your wife ever visited Arles? Amazing how much of the town and scenery are instantly recognizable.

Each to his/her own. I'm not one who "likes what I like" and never changes, grows or expands my understanding and tastes.

I'm not an art history major by any means but I come from a family that has always appreciated art, enjoyed museum visits, etc. I'd also say that I believe in the idea that peoples' likes, dislikes, ideas, etc. evolve over time if one keeps an open mind. The book in your avatar is a good example. When I read it at age 16 or so, I had a totally different opinion of it than when I read it again around age 40. Why? At age 16 I was still self-centered and found it difficult to understand and relate to the characters, thinking the whole thing very contrived. Second time I had a much deeper understanding of the world and was able to grasp the nuances I missed the first time. I was about the same age (16) when I first saw the Mona Lisa. Again, it was just a famous picture, hard to relate to. But since then I have understood so much more about it. How the Renaissance painters basically had to rediscover painting techniques like perspective, light and shadow, etc. that were known in antiquity but lost. How masters like Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Raphael studied the Greek and Roman sculpture and frescoes and learned from them. How Da Vinci differed from his colleagues in needing to understand how people's musculature looked, how they moved, in order to paint more realistically. How he arrived at a unique style by avoiding the harder painted outlines most other painters used in portraits in favor of a less defined edge that gives a sense of movement and realism to his portraits. In short I now find Da Vinci's work unrivaled and his (few) paintings to be masterpieces. Yes, I'd hang it on my wall -- I could study it infinitely. (And it's not necessarily even my favorite painting of his, but arguably one of his most finished works...)

Hi and welcome to Cruise Critic! What kind of things do you have in mind when you say "fun"? Hanging out? Shopping? Creepy catacombs? Gladiator school?

As far as I'm aware there is really only one way to get from Piazzale Roma to the Santa Lucia train station -- and that is by walking across the Calatrava bridge. You can see it in the map below: This modern bridge (stark contrast to all of Venice's ancient ones) is long, as it crosses one of the widest canals, but the steps are fairly shallow. If you have a roller bag it's not too difficult to manage it. Here's an actual photo: Perhaps it's possible to take a vaporetto one stop (?), but I think the hassle of doing that is about the same.