katmu

Thank you. I have a feeling there isn’t an elevator but it would be nice to know for sure.

So that everyone is clear, this is not my first visit to Rome as I was in Rome for a week several months before my accident on a land based vacation. I know my way around the Centro Storico and am very familiar with the risk of theft at Termini, on buses and elsewhere in Rome. I have taken a few international trips since my accident so at this point I know what my leg can handle, and it largely comes down to balancing the busier days with a not as busy day. I can carry my own bags. If I’m spending 160 euro on a private transfer, that is cutting into my tour budget as I’m either doing things on my own or as a private solo tour as I don’t want to hold up a group just in case I need to take an extra break. If the private tour is the only option, I actually used RomeCabs on my last trip as I was traveling with my mom and wanted it to be as easy as possible for her.

I’m traveling with only a carry on but some mobility issues due to an accident. That is the bigger issue. I was looking for pictures or video of the S Pietro station to know if there are flight(s) of stairs required.

I booked through Princess so I’ve reached out to my CFP to see if she can get me a more definitive answer. I’m assuming that the drop off point may be Termini station but it would be good to know for sure.

I generally prefer to book my hotel separately rather than through Princess. I have my hotels already booked. Princess can’t seem to answer where the post-cruise transfer drops off in Rome.

Hello- Has anyone not staying at a Princess hotel taken a Princess shuttle at the end of their cruise from Civitavecchia to the city center? I made a not so successful attempt to chat with Princess last night to see if they could give me the exact location in the “City Center” but the rep only had the starting address. My other options are the train or a private car service like RomeCabs. If the shuttle was fairly close to my hotel I would probably do that since I’m solo.

I was thinking of probably a taxi unless there’s an easier option. I would like to see Valdermossa if it’s not hilly.

Hi- I am going to be in Palma on my first solo cruise February 9th from 8 am to 6 pm and would like to visit Sóller and Palma. How quiet will Sóller be at that time of year? I have a mobility issue in my right leg so I thought Valldemossa might be a bit too hilly for me. I want to leave plenty of time for Palma as I’m an architecture buff too.

I’m booked on the inaugural Med cruise so I can always report back on how many kids are onboard in February.

The mini suites with cabanas are new to the Sun Princess, although there are similar cabins on the newest P&O ships I believe. P&O is also owned by CCL. The Reserve collection mini suite have their own dining room and priority embarkation and debarkation along with a few other amenities. This is a ship still under construction, so the number of children on board is a little hard to predict, but this rendering should give you a better idea of how big the Park19 area really is, I don’t think it’s comparable to Royal or NCL honestly. In early November, the ship should be mostly adults. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2944475-61523-unveiling-park19-new-top-deck-family-activity-zone-to-debut-on-board-sun-princess/?do=findComment&comment=65564942

What about HAL?

I like visiting in the shoulder or off seasons as the weather in Europe even if it may not be beach weather is still much better than our weather at home in Minnesota in February, March or even April. One of the benefits of being a Minnesotan, is that most anywhere I travel for 6 months out of the year is likely to have better weather than at home.😂 If I went with the Feb. 28th 10 day I was thinking of actually flying into Florence the weekend before for a couple of days and then taking the train to Rome since I still haven’t made it to Florence. I have a few places I want to revisit in Rome but a couple of days should do it for this trip, although I always find new places to add to my list. Ephesus is very high on my list and I liked the idea of visiting during a cooler time of year. Athens I ideally would like to have more than a day but this could be a teaser as I think my next cruise would be an Eastern itinerary. I could probably spend 2 full days in Naples, Pompeii and Herculaneum too. I adore Mary Beard and have watched her documentaries on Pompeii so many times.

I maybe need to stop looking but since this is really a milestone birthday trip that was cancelled due to Covid, I guess I could go in 2024 as long as it’s early or later in the year. I already have a multi-generational family cruise to Alaska booked for late May. It’s been a goal to do a solo trip to Europe so I really want to make this trip happen. in 2024, Princess does have some earlier 10 day sailings that would actually cost less than what I’m paying for the 7 night and should work with my work schedule. Option 1: Feb 28 - Rome (Civitavecchia), Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Turkey (for Ephesus), Athens (Piraeus), Sicily (Messina), Mallorca (Palma), Barcelona, Spain Also available on Mar 9 in reverse from Barcelona to Rome with the same ports; Option 2: Mar 29 - Rome (Civitavecchia), Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Genoa, Marseille (Provence), Barcelona, Mallorca (Palma), Cartagena ,Gibraltar, Rome (Civitavecchia)

I am at home and was able to log in just now.

If you are renting a regular manual wheelchair from special needs at sea, they fold up so they will definitely fit through the door. A transport chair would fit through the door without being folded, but a manual wheelchair is likely going to be more comfortable for your mom if she has any kind of leg brace or cast on. If she decides to go the scooter route, know that the rental scooters are a lot easier to turn than the ones at stores like Walmart or Target. I would still get the smallest one that your mom is comfortable with.

I currently have a deposit on a Princess 7 night cruise from Barcelona to Rome for early April 2025. I’m 2nd guessing how busy the sites will be even in early April. I was also considering a similar itinerary on Princess that leaves a month earlier from Barcelona to Rome. Both cruises stop in Gibraltar and Genoa. The March cruise stops in Corsica (Ajaccio) and Livorno while the April cruise stops in Marseille and La Spezia. I prefer Marseille to Corsica but Livorno to La Spezia. The April ship would be the new Sun Princess so it has more options for affordable staterooms as a solo vs. the Majestic Princess in March. I’ve also looked at a few on NCL. I also really like HAL and Azamara but they don’t seem to have a lot of Mediterranean cruises that early in the season. I feel like I might be worried about nothing. My last couple of trips to Europe have been between December and March, so I’m trying to figure out how much busier early April will be. Other than Viking and MSC, I’m not finding a lot of lines that have Med cruises in the off-season?

I would love to do a river cruise if my next knee surgery goes well. My main concern if that I don’t want to hold up a group of people with how slow I walk these days.

Yes, trying to find something that works with the NCL dates and includes all of your top choices is not proving to be an easy task. There’s a 21 day on Cunard but that’s really long. Regent has a 10 day that starts in Rome but it conflicts with your NCL cruise. I would maybe look at a shorter option if you are going to keep the NCL. Princess has a 7 day on the new Sun Princess on 6/22 from Barcelona to Rome, but no stop in Malta but it does have Marseille, Gibraltar, Genoa and La Spezia (was trying for Livorno). There was also a 4 night on the NCL Escape from Barcelona to Rome with a stop in Cannes and an overnight stop in Livorno on 7/14. I was really hoping there might be a reverse of that so you wouldn’t have a flight but no luck. HAL has a 14 night RT it’s on an older ship. I also really like Azamara’s Italy intensive cruises but the dates aren’t synching.

That makes a bit more sense now. So are you looking for a new cruise from Barcelona to Rome that hopefully includes Malta? If you want to incorporate Florence some of the premium lines also sometimes have overnight stops at Livorno so that might be an option. One thing to know about the European budget airlines like easy jet, Ryanair, etc. is that they are much stricter than even the US budget airlines with both the size, weight and amount of luggage you can bring. So if you are packing a bit more since you are going to be on a longer trip, either go with a traditional airline or prepay the bags. I did that to get the first row seat and extra baggage allowance when my mom and I flew on easyjet from Rome to London.

I am inclined to agree with Cruisemom. If it were me, I would do one cruise in 2024 that focuses on the ports you want to see in the Western Mediterranean say maybe from Barcelona to either Rome or Naples. Then, pick a 2nd cruise for 2025 from either Venice to Athens or the reverse. If you really need one itinerary that includes everything, it needs to be longer around 14 days. Focus on the itinerary and also how much time you’ll have in each port. Cruisemom is right about being able to try the Yacht Club or a suite in the Caribbean where you’ll have more time to relax.

Mine was.

I will likely not utilize any of the new Park19 features, however I am happy that Princess did include one feature that is ADA accessible. I would not have been able to utilize those types of features on Royal, NCL or Carnival if I wanted to. I decided to go with Sun Princess as I felt that the new ship had a lot to offer for a Med cruise in early April. I want to see the dome area and I’m hoping that the evening shows there are interesting. I also like the new design of the piazza as I found on the Sky that sometimes it was hard to find a seat. There seem to be more dining options on the Sun. The new stateroom designs are my favorite feature. While the pools are smaller and I might not pick Sun Princess for a Caribbean cruise with a lot of sea days for this cruise, it was exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks to dudes and others for all of the great info on the Sun Princess. I booked the 7 night Med cruise on 4/5/25 this weekend. I will be solo so I’m sticking with an OV this time. I’m still super excited to have a sofa and no shower curtain.

I’m not sure about Palma but I believe that SpecialNeedsatSea does rentals for both Barcelona and Rome. You could contact them to confirm if you find a cruise you’re interested in to see if they can service the ports you would be using. Good luck.

Where does the cruise depart from?