SoccerMom#3

I'm pretty sure that is what it was but i'm not positive. It was about a 3 hour train ride.

We got off the train about 9:30 AM and then Viking put us on a bus for a tour of Berlin that dropped us off at the city center by the Hilton. We planned to do the hop on hop off bus in Berlin but could never get a straight answer from Viking of for an approximate time we would be at the train station or at the city center by the Hilton.

Another vote for Spain Day Tours. We used them in Barcelona, Malaga, Cartagena, and Tenerife last year. Top notch in all ways. Great communication beforehand, reasonably priced, and most importantly, great tours!

I didn't do a review but it was a wonderful cruise. We did the included tours for most ports except Gdansk where we did the optional excursion to the Stutthof Concentration Camp and we did the 2 Day Must See Tour with Alla Tours in St. Petersburg which we arranged with others on our ship through the Cruise Critic Roll Call. We also stayed two extra days in Stockholm at the end of the cruise. Since our trip was late April/Early May it was cold in most ports so I used a puffy coat I bought on Amazon and the hat and gloves I wear here in Colorado. Layers are the key. Some days I needed an UnderArmour shirt under my clothes but most days I didn't. We flew Delta Comfort Class for our flights. Denver-Atlanta-Amsterdam-Bergen to the cruise and then Stockholm-Amsterdam-Detroit-Denver home. Lots of connections but it's hard to get from here to there and then back. Other than the stressful connection in Amsterdam on the way home, all flights and connections were fine. I ended up booking the flights directly with Delta since it was cheaper than using Viking Air plus given the extra they charge including the extra for staying a few days after the cruise in Stockholm. All in all the cruise was truly the trip of a lifetime. Elise

I think it depends on when your flight is. Last May after our Homelands cruise we had 90 minutes between flights in Amsterdam and we barely made our connecting flight to Detroit. Passport Control in Amsterdam can be quick or take forever.

We've done many RCCL cruises and two Viking cruise and love both lines for different reasons. Royal has more things to do especially when it comes to entertainment and usually has more sea days which we like. I do feel at times that we are nickled and dimed on Royal but also we can pick and choose what extras we want to pay for. Viking is basically on inclusive so it is nice to pay one price up front and unless we do optional excursions or upgrade the alcohol package, there is not much else to pay for. I think the included excursions are top notch and have only paid for a few optional excursions. And for us the included alcohol package is just fine. Another thing to consider is that Royal doesn't require full payment until 90 days out whereas Viking requires it at least a year, if not longer, prior to the cruise For us, both cruise lines are great so it depends on the type of experience we want. If we want port intensive to places we haven't been then Viking would be my go to but if it's the ship we want and the ports are places we've been then I'd pick Royal Caribbean. So bottom line, in my opinion, it depends are what you are looking for in a cruise...either way you can't go wrong. Elise

Thanks everyone. It sounds like a 10:00 flight from FCO is doable but all the stars would have to align. I think the stress of hoping everything works out would be too much for me so I better look for a later flight. I truly appreciate everyone's advice and knowledge.

Oops, I knew I had seen a recommended time somewhere on the boards but forgot where I had seen it I'll go the Italy board and get more info. Thanks so much

Would a 10:00 am flight out of Rome from the Civitavecchia Port be doable on debarkation day? I would probably book private transportation to take us from the ship to the airport.

Who did you use to book a van from Florence to Civitivecchia? We're thinking of going to Florence a few days before our cruise and in my ideal world we'd go to the port directly and not back to Rome. Thanks

Definitely getting Global Entry. I'm just glad I have my interview at the Denver airport in January and not in June when it was originally scheduled.

I highly recommend Spain Day Tours (same as Barcelona Day Tours). Lots of reviews on this site.

Love following along. We are on Harmony in May.

Loved the first episode-especially loved seeing Viking Sea that we sailed on for our Homelands Cruise last May