mar214

I LOVE a Baily's banana colada!!!!!!! They are the best!!!!!

From experience, this is the formula we use when flying overnight to Europe: as soon as we board the plane, we set our watches for local time at our destination. When you see it is 2 am where you are going, that movie on your flight doesn't seem so appealing. You are better off trying to get as much sleep as you can on the plane. When we arrive, we DO NOT NAP!!!! Yes, we our brains are foggy, but if you plan for a "quick" nap, you will fall into a deep sleep, turn off your alarm and waste your first day. We plan at least one activity since there is so much to do and your time might be limited. A visit to one museum or some major tourist site will wake you up and you will be glad you did something productive on your first day. Even just walking around and people watching is so much fun in Europe! Plan for an early dinner and an early bedtime and you will be good to go for the next day. You will probably wake up early the next day, so it's ok to make morning plans. It's always a thrill to be in Europe - have a great time!

You never forget your first Bitter n Blanc ❤️

If this is a new travel area for you, a good place to start is to see what your cruise line offers in each port, then check and see what local tour companies offer the same tour and compare costs. This will give you a good jumping off point to see what the popular tours are. We always check the tour company reviews to see if they have a good reputation. Rick Steves has a book for Mediterranean cruise ports. It's worth the investment to read up on each port and see what he says are the highlights. With Mediterranean cruises, some research is necessary in order to maximize your time in each port. You also want to be sure you plan activities that will appeal to your teenagers. It's worth the research time - you will all come home with some amazing memories! Enjoy!

Totally agree with walking away from booking any future HMC cabanas!! We book cruises specifically with the day at HMC. We have been very lucky to get there every cruise and with a cabana! With these prices, we will now look to avoid this stop. Without a cabana there, I don't think we will enjoy it as much as we have and therefore no reason to be there in the first place. I will truly miss my HMC cabanas!!

Bitter n blanc is the desert I dream about when I'm not on a ship. But Carnival - PLEASE bring back the VANILLA sauce, not that new sauce!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is no comparison!!!!

Crusinmomwithtw - Based on the feedback posted here, we booked Rome Cab Transfer for pickup at the airport to get to our hotel in Rome, pickup the morning of our cruise to get from our hotel to Civitavecchia and pickup at the pier to get to our hotel after the cruise. There are other highly recommended companies to use that are mentioned here. We found Rome Cab Transfer to have great pricing. We always have transport pre-booked - it's great to clear Customs and see your driver holding a sign with your name on it waiting for you. They will help you with your bags and usually share local info with you during your drive to your hotel. It's especially helpful when you are dealing with lack of sleep from the overnight flight. I recommend you make a "wish list" of the top attractions you want to visit in Rome and pick one, maybe 2, for you to do on your day in Rome before your cruise. You might want to research a fun place for dinner that day - pizza in Rome is way better than anything you will get at home! You don't want to overdo it with your girls. Just walking around Rome eating gelato is a thrill. Feel free to post your questions - Cruise Critic people have great ideas and are happy to share. We have picked up so many tips!

Those big rocks that serve as steps at the Parthenon can be tricky, especially since there are no handrails. They are very worn and therefore a little slippery. If you are there on a rainy day, be prepared for very slippery steps! If you have good waterproof footwear, that will be a huge help. If you can get there, go! It was amazing!!

With such an early arrival, you can start exploring Rome for an entire day! We have spent 11 days in Rome and still didn't get to see everything we wanted to! It's always a help to book your transportation to Civitavecchia in advance. Since you are traveling with your young daughters, you won't have to stress about getting to the port. Plan ahead for the Rome sites you want to see your day of arrival and after your cruise so you can maximize your time there. Your girls will absolutely love Rome!!! Enjoy!!

Whenever we have questions about tours, we email the company directly and then have their documented response. You will see from reviews that tour companies will get you back to your ship in time - if not, they would not be able to keep booking cruise passengers. You should send an email and include the date with arrival and departure times and see what they suggest. They know from experience what your tour start and end times should be depending on the port. If we ever sent an email to a tour company and did not get a response, we would move on to a different company.

Hi mapleleaves- I am interested in finding out who you used for your private driver. There are so many choices and we hope to find someone reliable. Thank you!

Athens has so many amazing sites! There are several don't miss museums, as well as the Acropolis, etc. You need to purchase admission tickets for many of these places. There are also some great restaurants. You should do some research such as the top 10 things to see in Athens, and then decide how much time you have to explore these places. Staying in Athens for several days vs 1 day in port will help you decide. Walking is possible between some top attractions, but not all. Booking a tour may make it easier to get you to several places and help you save time.

We booked our own tour of the Vatican/Sistine Chapel through a tour company- it was called "Pristine Sistine". It was the very first tour of the day which absolutely helped us avoid crowds. There was about 20 of us in the Sistine Chapel. It was awesome. I'm sure this kind of tour is being still offered. We also submitted a request for tickets to attend the Wednesday audience well in advance of our trip. We received an email letting us know we could pick up the tickets at the Vatican the day before that Wednesday. There was no charge and again, that was awesome. We got up super early that Wednesday to get good seats. Be sure to plan ahead and you will have an amazing time!

The easiest thing to do is check in with Guest Services within a day or so of boarding your first leg. They will make sure your back to back cruises are linked. Then you won't have to worry that anything is overlooked. We heard from Guest Services the day before the final day with instructions, etc. The entire process was super easy and required no effort on our part. The best part of doing a back to back is not getting emotional when the dining room staff sings the good bye song at the final dinner!!!!! Enjoy!!!!

And I would like to add one more idea I learned here on CC and it is so helpful: I bought some old-fashioned wooden clothespins. When you want to hang something up to dry, I use the clothespins and use the line in the shower. I now always travel with clothespins. I love the way CruiseCritic readers share their great ideas!!!

I travel with some liquid laundry detergent in a old hotel shampoo bottle. It's a very small bottle and holds just enough in case of a laundry emergency. If your bathroom sink stopper doesn't work, have housekeeping fix it for you. I wear contact lenses that must be rinsed daily - I have had to have the sink plug fixed because otherwise my contact might go down the drain. Believe it or not, it's one of the things I check as soon as we get in our cabin.