TheHawk1

It seems like we have the same tour plans 😄 I'm also waiting to book my official Colosseum tix one month before. I have that planned for the morning and the Vatican in the afternoon and at a much better price than I originally saw with various tour groups. I know others have said it's a lot to cram into one day, but that's all the time I have in Rome, so want to make the most of it. Thanks again to others for their advice.

You're welcome. I will be there in September, so not sure if it's busier than October? Also, by the time our ship docks and we take the train in, it isn't possible to make one of the early admission tours that Marazul has suggested. But I still have an English guided tour already booked for the Museums and Sistine Chapel and then will tour the Basilica afterwards as per Cruisemom's suggestion.

RCI offers two excursions to Aix, the 6 hour on your own trip you mentioned and a 4 1/2 hour trip with guided tour. The guided excursion is slightly more expensive, but less time, presumably because it's just a tour of the highlights and then back on the bus? I was planning to just walk around the old port in Marseilles after the Aix tour drops us off. Seems easier than paying for someone to take you there? However, an itinerary like that would not include the scenic road trip to Cassis.

You can purchase guided tour tickets directly from the Vatican site. I'm wondering how that compares to tour companies that offer Skip the Line tours, i.e. do these tour groups (City Wonders, Walks of Italy, etc.) actually get through security and in the doors faster than the "official" tours conducted by Vatican staff?

Well, if my legs are cool but I'm still sweating with the jacket on, then the situation hasn't improved. Sorry, deal's off.

Done. I'm fine with that (well maybe not the blazer part). It's not like I was suggesting gym shorts or jean cut-offs as acceptable. Now if the rest of the fashion police on this thread could be as flexible, we'll all get along just fine 😄

Please stop conflating this issue by saying flip flops and shorts in the same sentence. The OP started this (overly) long discussion about people wearing shorts in the MDR, that was it. Six pages in, we're still talking about a clothing choice that has 12 inches less material than what some people consider to be the only acceptable article of clothing for men below the waist when dining. But very few comments here have supported the wearing of flip flops in the MDR, myself included.

Oooh, people I don’t know and will never see again talking about me behind my back. Yes, that will surely get someone to cave into peer pressure and follow the dress “code”. Are you sure you haven’t confused a cruise ship MDR with a high school cafeteria?

You mentioned Catholic Churches as examples of places that have dress codes. I just used the most famous one in my response.

The question was about the destination. Which place has more to see and do after the ferry ride?

Is taking the ferry to Sorrento more interesting than Capri or about the same? I'm trying to decide between the two as DIY trip from Naples for the day. Our ship is in port until 8:00 pm, so we have more time than OP.

One thing that bothers me about cruising these days are all the pretentious people who like to delude themselves that they're still living in the gilded age of travel while sailing on a mass market cruise ship. There are certainly luxury lines that still appeal to this type of dress code adherence... perhaps those people would find a better fit there?

So now we're equating guidelines for the MDR on Celebrity with the dress code at the Vatican?

Let me clarify. I'm not saying you should able to wear a wet bathing suit and flip flops to the dining room. But long pants vs shorts... seriously?

I am also a Buffalo, New York native. I agree completely with what you said. I have never found a beef on weck sandwich as good as we can get in Buffalo. If it's a choice between eating a good sandwich in Buffalo or a mediocre sandwich on a cruise ship, I know which one I would choose.

Clutch pearls, then inhale smelling salts... what is the world coming to? I don't see how someone else chooses to dress impacts the quality of your vacation? They paid the same fare as you did, perhaps even more. They should be entitled to enjoy themselves as they see fit.

If RCI's IT team would just re-enable booking show reservations through the cruise planner web site prior to boarding your actual cruise, then this wouldn't be an issue for anyone. That's the way it used to work pre-pandemic.

You mean there are young people out there who don't care about anyone besides themselves? I'm shocked!

Assuming you will be on Wonder, which I will be on in September? I have been reading reports from that other social media site that CC doesn't let us mention, because there isn't much information here. It appears that while the ship docks at 7:00am, many people are reporting they're not getting off until 7:30am. So I think the chances of making the 7:44 regional train are very slim. I'm hoping to make the 7:58 train, but have also adjusted my plans in case I miss that and have to wait for next train at 8:44 (not sure why there's such a long gap), which gets into Rome at 9:30. Because of that, I have picked a Colosseum tour group that starts at 10:00 to be safe. If I'm early, so be it, but better than missing the start.

So basically not worth the upgrade just to get to Emerald status. Got it.

I booked a cruise last year for this September when Royal was offering double points on all bookings. So I'm already entitled to 14 points for a seven day cruise. Now I've received the RoyalUp email offer. If I were to bid on a Junior Suite and get it, that would normally be double points for a suite. Would Royal also honour the doubling from the original booking on top of that, so that I'd end up with 28 points total?

Still trying to decide between the BIRG ticket or just paying separately for the regional train and metro. I don't plan to use the metro that much in Rome. I've noticed you can purchase regional train tickets in advance from the Trenitalia web site, but it looks like you need to pick a specific date/time? Do you know if these tickets are only good for the train time specified? I'd like to buy the ticket in advance, as it would save time of having to purchase one that morning. But, since I can't be sure that I can get off the ship in time to make the 7:44am train and may need to catch the 7:58am train instead, perhaps it would be better to flexible and wait to buy the ticket at the station?

Driving isn't the only way to get to Rome. The trains run very frequently and take less than hour. Once in Rome, there are several highly rated day tours (Walks of Italy, City Wonders) that are less than half of what the cruise lines charge for the same thing (or better). That's what I'm planning on doing this September.