Please Review Itinerary & Provide Suggestions

[cruisemom42]

Sorry, realized I hadn't mentioned the golf cart tours. Personally I think they are best suited (and a good, recent addition) for those who can't really walk around Rome on their own due to mobility issues. 

 

I am still of the opinion that the best way to see Rome is on foot. There is no roof (as in the golf carts, which are covered) obstructing your view of what is above you -- often times something very interesting. 

[taylortime05]

22 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

This is kind of like Tetris. 😄

 

Before I forget to mention it, on your Saturday I would suggest just picking up a taxi to get from your "ancient Rome sector" to Trastevere for your food tour. There are usually a few taxis in front of the Colosseo metro station. The metro doesn't really serve Trastevere. You could take a bus but in the interests of time I'd say just get a taxi.

 

Are you interested in the Borghese Gallery? (reservations are required.)  You have quite a bit of ancient Rome and you're doing the Vatican well.  If you are, I would suggest re-jiggering your days a bit as follows:

 

See if reservations are available for Friday afternoon (allow yourself time for lunch at Pizzarium and to get over to the Galleria (again I would suggest picking up a taxi -- you can find a stand at the foot of St Peter's square).

 

If they are open (and you want to see it) then move the Castel Sant'angelo visit to Monday following your St Peter's tour. After that I would probably cancel the food tour and instead, if you are having dinner at Roma Sparita, I'd head over to Trastevere and do a self-guided walking tour as it looks like your foodie tour will not cover a lot of the sites. Frommer's has a good one that I've used:

 

Walking Tour 4 in Rome | Frommer's (frommers.com)

 

The other "block" that afternoon is near your hotel so you could still potentially do it on that day where you have it now (or if time gets short you can move it elsewhere as it can be done pretty much any time, even on the morning before you go to the ship).

 

That should pretty much fill your time, I think?

 

Dinner on the first night -- I like to eat somewhere scenic the first night, so that I know with all my senses that I'm in Rome. You will probably be tired and so I'd suggest just sitting down at one of the restaurants ringing the piazza in front of the Pantheon. Di Rienzo isn't too much of a tourist trap, with decent food. 

 

Or if you feel like stretching your legs a little bit, you can try something like this place, which is sort of like a cocktail/wine bar but with good food -- not too formal. Located on pleasant Piazza Capranica, just north of your hotel.

 

Collegio (collegioroma.com)

Thank you!

 

I'll need to read more about Borghese Gallery to see if we want to go there.  

 

Do you have any other suggestions for that last night for dinner?  I could try to get a reservation for Roscioli.  It had very good reviews but it seems pricey.  Do you think it’s worth the cost?  

 

 

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, taylortime05 said:

 

Do you have any other suggestions for that last night for dinner?  I could try to get a reservation for Roscioli.  It had very good reviews but it seems pricey.  Do you think it’s worth the cost?  

 

 

 

Absolutely think Roscioli is worth it. Think of the cost of the foodie tours you're cancelling and put it toward this instead. 

 

My only gripe with them is that they always want to put me, as a solo, at the bar to eat -- which I don't like. I get that the want to maximize seating but for the full experience I want to be seated at a table!

 

Colline Emiliane is great for another dinner suggestion if needed; however, they are not especially close to the Pantheon area.

 

[taylortime05]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

With all of the back-and-forth, and the lost post on the first day, I forgot that I hadn't done that. I will get to it later today. Right now having a bit of a crisis trying to help DS's friend who's on a cruise and lands in Livorno tomorrow, figure out how to get to Florence and what to do there. Nothing like not planning ahead!  😣

Could you share the plan you helped with for Livorno/Florence?  

 

We went on a cruise a few years ago out of Barcelona and there was a very active roll call.  We connected with a couple of groups and most of our excursions were booked privately with 8-10 people.  We had the best time and and met some wonderful people.  

 

Our roll call for this cruise has not been too active and I’ve booked most of our excursions with the ship.  They are so expensive.  For Livorno we picked the excursion below (Pisa & A Taste of Tuscany) and it cost $348.00.  

 

We’ve been to Barcelona and Majorca,  so for those ports we’re going to get off the ship and do some sight seeing on our own.  I still need to figure this out.  

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by taylortime05

[taylortime05]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Absolutely think Roscioli is worth it. Think of the cost of the foodie tours you're cancelling and put it toward this instead. 

 

My only gripe with them is that they always want to put me, as a solo, at the bar to eat -- which I don't like. I get that the want to maximize seating but for the full experience I want to be seated at a table!

 

Colline Emiliane is great for another dinner suggestion if needed; however, they are not especially close to the Pantheon area.

 

I sent an email to the hotel concierge to see if they could get me a dinner reservation on Monday, June 27th.  If they can get the reservation,  then I’ll cancel Roma Sparita.  I haven’t even been to Rome yet and I’m already thinking I’ll need another trip just to fit in all these great restaurants.  

[taylortime05]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Dinner on the first night -- I like to eat somewhere scenic the first night, so that I know with all my senses that I'm in Rome. You will probably be tired and so I'd suggest just sitting down at one of the restaurants ringing the piazza in front of the Pantheon. Di Rienzo isn't too much of a tourist trap, with decent food. 

 

Or if you feel like stretching your legs a little bit, you can try something like this place, which is sort of like a cocktail/wine bar but with good food -- not too formal. Located on pleasant Piazza Capranica, just north of your hotel.

 

Collegio (collegioroma.com)

Collegio looked really good.  Thank you again!  I got a reservation for 8:30 on the night we arrive.  Without delays, our flight arrives at 5:30 PM. so we should have enough time to check-in at the hotel and then go to dinner.  

 

The last thing I need to take care of is the transfers.  I contacted Daniele Your Drive In Rome and he quoted 55 Euro’s for Airport to Hotel (old Hotel - Cosmopolita Roma) and then 120 Euro’s for Hotel to Port and then 120 Euro’s for Port to Airport.    How do you normally get to the hotel and cruise and back to the airport?  

 

 

[marazul]

11 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

The last thing I need to take care of is the transfers.  I contacted Daniele Your Drive In Rome and he quoted 55 Euro’s for Airport to Hotel (old Hotel - Cosmopolita Roma) and then 120 Euro’s for Hotel to Port and then 120 Euro’s for Port to Airport.    How do you normally get to the hotel and cruise and back to the airport?  

 

 

We book with Stefano's Rome Cabs.  romecabs.com

The prices are on the website.

You wanted something to do the morning of embarkation. Check Stefano's transfers including a tour. For example to Odescalchi Castle where Tom Cruise and Christiane Amanpour had their weddings. (NOT to each other!)

[cruisemom42]

17 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

Thank you!

 

I'll need to read more about Borghese Gallery to see if we want to go there.  

 

It's a wonderful collection of sculpture and paintings, mostly Renaissance and Baroque. They have it well organized -- bottom floor is sculpture, with one of the most outstanding pieces I know, the Apollo and Daphne sculpture by Bernini (read the myth if you don't know it), the sculptor caught her in mid-transformation into a tree:

 

 

 

The upper level is all paintings. Plus you get to see a beautiful villa. If you go, get the audioguide. The ticket allows you two hours in the museum if I remember correctly and the audioguide is very worthwhile in terms of helping you focus on the key pieces and keep moving along. 

 

13 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

 

The last thing I need to take care of is the transfers.  I contacted Daniele Your Drive In Rome and he quoted 55 Euro’s for Airport to Hotel (old Hotel - Cosmopolita Roma) and then 120 Euro’s for Hotel to Port and then 120 Euro’s for Port to Airport.    How do you normally get to the hotel and cruise and back to the airport?  

 

 

I generally just grab a taxi at the airport when I am headed into Rome. They are close by, plentiful, and have a fixed rate of 50 euro to drop off at any hotel in the center of Rome (e.g., within the old city walls).

 

As I am a solo traveler, my go-to solution for getting to the port from Rome and/or getting from the port to the airport has been a shared shuttle ride, which was a good deal at romashuttle.com in the past -- I think they guaranteed not more than 3 stops. However, with COVID, I'm not sure that's on offer anymore. I used to do the train, but it's one of those hassles I didn't mind giving up when a) they moved the port entrance and made it further to walk, and b) my travel budget increased, lol.

 

[taylortime05]

13 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

I sent an email to the hotel concierge to see if they could get me a dinner reservation on Monday, June 27th.  If they can get the reservation,  then I’ll cancel Roma Sparita.  I haven’t even been to Rome yet and I’m already thinking I’ll need another trip just to fit in all these great restaurants.  

Yeah!  I got a 7:00 PM reservation on Monday at Roscioli Salumeria.   

[taylortime05]

56 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

It's a wonderful collection of sculpture and paintings, mostly Renaissance and Baroque. They have it well organized -- bottom floor is sculpture, with one of the most outstanding pieces I know, the Apollo and Daphne sculpture by Bernini (read the myth if you don't know it), the sculptor caught her in mid-transformation into a tree:

 

 

 

The upper level is all paintings. Plus you get to see a beautiful villa. If you go, get the audioguide. The ticket allows you two hours in the museum if I remember correctly and the audioguide is very worthwhile in terms of helping you focus on the key pieces and keep moving along. 

 

 

I generally just grab a taxi at the airport when I am headed into Rome. They are close by, plentiful, and have a fixed rate of 50 euro to drop off at any hotel in the center of Rome (e.g., within the old city walls).

 

As I am a solo traveler, my go-to solution for getting to the port from Rome and/or getting from the port to the airport has been a shared shuttle ride, which was a good deal at romashuttle.com in the past -- I think they guaranteed not more than 3 stops. However, with COVID, I'm not sure that's on offer anymore. I used to do the train, but it's one of those hassles I didn't mind giving up when a) they moved the port entrance and made it further to walk, and b) my travel budget increased, lol.

 

 

Thank you for so much information.   I going to add Borghese Gallery to Monday.   As you suggested, I need to go through all the sites we want to visit to see which ones require tickets.     I really wish I had a couple more days in Rome prior to the cruise.  

 

If you get a chance,  could  you please read my post above about Livorno/Florence?    Thank you so much for all your help.   My plan looks so much better and I’m so excited to try out all the great restaurants.  I feel lucky that I was able to get reservations.  

[cruisemom42]

20 minutes ago, taylortime05 said:

If you get a chance,  could  you please read my post above about Livorno/Florence?

 

Meh, trust me, the plan we ended up with is not likely one that'll be of interest. These are a couple of young adults on their first trip and they just want to "look and see stuff, take photos, eat and vibe."  Not interested in any process involving waits, tickets, passes. They're taking the train there and back with a must-see stop in Pisa. I just helped them identify some spots to not miss when strolling around, foodie haven (e.g., the Mercato) train basics, etc. 

[taylortime05]

28 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Meh, trust me, the plan we ended up with is not likely one that'll be of interest. These are a couple of young adults on their first trip and they just want to "look and see stuff, take photos, eat and vibe."  Not interested in any process involving waits, tickets, passes. They're taking the train there and back with a must-see stop in Pisa. I just helped them identify some spots to not miss when strolling around, foodie haven (e.g., the Mercato) train basics, etc. 

Thank you.  I hope I’m not making a mistake by taking the ships excursions.  I’ve read some Facebook posts of the ship canceling excursions at the last minute.  I also know they are more expensive & more crowded than semi-private excursions.   I just don’t like booking on my own because I get concerned about getting back on time.    I feel more comfortable if the semi-private excursion is with a group from our ship.  But I realize this doesn’t guarantee getting back on time either.  

[taylortime05]

3 hours ago, marazul said:

We book with Stefano's Rome Cabs.  romecabs.com

The prices are on the website.

You wanted something to do the morning of embarkation. Check Stefano's transfers including a tour. For example to Odescalchi Castle where Tom Cruise and Christiane Amanpour had their weddings. (NOT to each other!)

Thank you.  This looks like an interesting tour.  It would be nice to get another couple to join us to bring down the cost per person.  I also wonder what is the earliest time to check-in at the port.  

[euro cruiser]

If you tell a car service what time you need to be back on board, they will tell you what time they need to be on the road to accomplish that goal.  These are professionals who drive these roads every day, they know the traffic and keep updated on road emergencies.  If for some unexpected reason you need to leave earlier than planned they'll text you if you're not with them when they find out.

 

If they didn't consistently do this the reviews would be blistering and they'd never get cruise passenger business.

 

This fear of missing the ship is fanned by the cruise lines who want to sell over-priced excursions.  Responsible adults using professional services make it back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

And, for that matter, responsible adults using public transit make it back as well, you just have to build in more pad time to account for buses/trains running late and/or missed connections.

Edited May 27, 2022 by euro cruiser

[slidergirl]

Cynthia - I wonder if Eataly in Florence would  be of any interest to young 'ums in terms of places to grab a bite and many some food souvenirs?  Havent' been to that one, but been to the one in NYC and los Angeles.  

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, slidergirl said:

Cynthia - I wonder if Eataly in Florence would  be of any interest to young 'ums in terms of places to grab a bite and many some food souvenirs?  Havent' been to that one, but been to the one in NYC and los Angeles.  

 

Well, it's too late anyway, they were there today. 🤣

[slidergirl]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Well, it's too late anyway, they were there today. 🤣

That's me - a day late and a dollar short,,,

[taylortime05]

Good morning.  I was thinking about one more potential change I could make to our plan but I  would love to hear your thoughts.  I could move our Vatican tour (7:15 AM - 11:15 AM) to Tuesday which is the day we leave for our cruise.  Then on  Thursday, our 1st day we could take a tour (car, vesper, golf cart) that would give us highlights of a lot of the main sights.  I’ve seen 4 hours, 6 hours and 8 hours tours.  Do you think this is a good idea?

[euro cruiser]

Yes, that makes a lot of sense.

 

I wouldn't do a car tour, however, as they can't get close to many of the main sites, and because the historic center of Rome isn't all that large.  

Edited May 29, 2022 by euro cruiser

[taylortime05]

21 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

Yes, that makes a lot of sense.

 

I wouldn't do a car tour, however, as they can't get close to many of the main sites, and because the historic center of Rome isn't all that large.  

Thank you!  Do you have any tours you’d recommend?  

 

We could do a walking tour but I feel like we could cover more ground with a golf or vesper tour.  I found this golf cart tour with turtle tour.  A lot of golf cart tours are sold out.  

 

 

They have 3 options for lunch:

 

[euro cruiser]

I like the golf cart idea, I've never done it but it sounds like a great solution, the comfort of being driven around but still able to get close to things.

 

I don't understand the lunch part, you can certainly do that on your own without paying them.  Are there no tours that are just the tour, without the add-ons?

 

(As I've said before, I'm really not a tour person so not the best to comment.)

[taylortime05]

25 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

I like the golf cart idea, I've never done it but it sounds like a great solution, the comfort of being driven around but still able to get close to things.

 

I don't understand the lunch part, you can certainly do that on your own without paying them.  Are there no tours that are just the tour, without the add-ons?

 

(As I've said before, I'm really not a tour person so not the best to comment.)

For the golf cart tours,  they are either sold out or too expensive for only 2 people.  If I go with Best Tour it’s more expensive without lunch.   Too many decisions, lol.  

[taylortime05]

2 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

Good morning.  I was thinking about one more potential change I could make to our plan but I  would love to hear your thoughts.  I could move our Vatican tour (7:15 AM - 11:15 AM) to Tuesday which is the day we leave for our cruise.  Then on  Thursday, our 1st day we could take a tour (car, vesper, golf cart, walking) that would give us highlights of a lot of the main sights.  I’ve seen 4 hours, 6 hours and 8 hours tours.  Do you think this is a good idea?

 

@cruisemom42, do you think this is a good idea?  I know you didn’t think a golf cart was the best idea for a tour.  I could take a walking tour too.  

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, taylortime05 said:

 

@cruisemom42, do you think this is a good idea?  I know you didn’t think a golf cart was the best idea for a tour.  I could take a walking tour too.  

 

Well....  Perhaps difficult for me to say, as I know Rome pretty well.

 

I find "orientation" tours anywhere to be a bit hit or miss for me though. Most historic areas within large cities have traffic patterns (pedestrian streets, one way streets) that make it difficult if not impossible to get your bearings. You could be five minutes' walk from one site to another, yet on a bus or in a car it will be 30 minutes and you have no real idea how spatially close things are.

 

I also think you may be over-programming yourselves. It will be hot and you'll be walking and biking and touring full days for the most part. I'm a big fan of trying to leave a little window somewhere just in case I need a breather (or in case I can't quite finish up an area one day and want to go back and spend more time there). Or want to linger in a shady piazza or in a pleasant cafe...

 

I know you want to squeeze in as much as possible, but you also have a cruise afterwards. Pacing is important, especially when it's hot. 

 

 

[taylortime05]

19 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I know you want to squeeze in as much as possible, but you also have a cruise afterwards. Pacing is important, especially when it's hot. 

 

 

Thank you.  I agree that I do not want our schedules so booked that we do not have down time or time to explore on our own.   I just have to remember that we’ll probably visit Rome again.