January 8, 2017 Viking Sea Romantic Mediterranean Review

About us: We are a couple from NYC in our early 30s and this was our 10th cruise and 5th cruise line, having previously sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Azamara. I am a college professor and DH is a lawyer, so we tend to be fairly low key on vacation. Usually we like the Caribbean in winter, but we had a small stowaway this winter, so in order to avoid risks from Zika, we decided to try Viking Oceans in the Mediterranean.

Pre-cruise: We flew Delta from JFK on Friday, January 6. Flying in a day early proved to be an excellent decision, as we got out the day before a snowstorm, and many fellow passengers who flew out the next day (on the same flight from JFK) reported long delays.

We arrived in Barcelona at approximately 9:30 AM Saturday morning, collected our luggage and took a taxi to our hotel, the Hotel Casa Camper. Casa Camper had e-mailed me a week before our departure to ask for our time of arrival, and when we arrived at about 10:15AM, our room was ready. The room was one of their standard rooms with a split design - the main bedroom with bed, safe, and bathroom and then across the hall, a private sitting room with a couch, hammock, and small balcony. This split design was quite helpful for conquering jet lag, as we had some time between completing our sightseeing for the day (Boqueria Market and Picasso Museum) and any restaurants being open for dinner. If we had been in the main room, we probably would have succumbed to the temptation to nap, but we stayed in the sitting room and forcefully kept ourselves awake to make sure we went out for tapas.

Embarkation: We took a taxi to the port and arrived at about 1:00. I was unable to find our cruise line luggage tags that morning, and the porters were very nice about it, and verified our names after we gave our room number to make sure everything went smoothly. The initial line through security took a few minutes, and appeared to have stopped at one point, but after about 10 minutes we were through. The line to check in was extremely short, and the agent at the desk simply used our passport photos rather than taking new embarkation pictures. All in all, the entire process from exiting our taxi to stepping onto the ship was probably about 25 minutes. We were in a deluxe veranda on deck 3, so our room was not supposed to be ready until 2:00 PM, but we decided to check anyway, and it was ready upon our 1:30 arrival, so we dropped our carry on bags and headed to the World Cafe for lunch.

Viking Sea:

We thought the ship was very well designed. The furniture in the public spaces was very inviting and comfortable. I found myself wishing for a Sea day just to get a chance to really enjoy the ship. We liked that The Restaurant seemed to be organized into smaller alcoves rather than being a large, often cacophonous room. We did not miss the casino, and really felt the ampleness of the public areas, always able to find a spot. The retractable roof over the pool was excellent and made the pool deck very comfortable for a chilly journey.

Dining: We were very impressed with the food on Viking, and agreed that it was the best food we ever tasted on a cruise ship. DH even remarked in a restaurant upon returning home to NYC that the calamari in Manfredi’s was superior to what we were eating here on land.

We ate breakfast in the World Cafe most days, along with a few lunches, and a small pre-dinner snack the night of embarkation. DH has severe allergies to nuts and crustacean-type shellfish, and there was always someone available to show him what he could and could not eat. The eggs in the buffet were extremely fresh, with yolks that were orange rather than yellow and I took an obsessive liking to the French toast, while DH sampled the salmon at breakfast. The presence of the self serve espresso machines was much appreciated by DH, who likes to start the morning with an Americano. The service was also very attentive. By day 4, the gentleman at the smoothie station would have a glass in hand upon seeing me, and I once had to decline an offer to carry my plate and beverage to my table, as I hadn't yet found where DH was sitting. At lunchtime, there were always sandwiches of the day (different on the two sides of the buffet) as well as some hot dishes, and the gelato station. The line at the gelato station in the World Cafe is the only time the ship even felt close to being crowded.

We tried room service for breakfast one morning, and the food was not good. Eggs were cold, and oatmeal was served with nuts on it, despite our noting the allergy on the room service card. We ended up breakfasting in the World Cafe.

One day we had an optional excursion booked for noon, so we had a small lunch at Mamsen’s. DH says the gravlax was excellent, and quite comparable to what we have had on land in Stockholm. I had the roast beef and found it well seasoned and the sauce that comes with it to be very nice.

We ate in Manfredi’s the second and final nights of our cruise. The service and food were both top notch. We usually avoid Italian food at sea, thinking that we can do better here in NYC, but Manfredi’s blew away every preconceived notion we had about Italian food at sea. We loved the garlic toast in the bread basket, and I am still trying to figure out how to make it. The calamari was well executed with a delicious and unique dipping sauce, the mozzarella in the caprese salad was fresh and creamy, paired with beautiful tomatoes, DH said that the beef tartare was outstanding and our second trip to Manfredi’s was simply so he could eat it again. We both had the osso buco for our entree both trips, and the risotto was well executed, the meat perfectly seasoned and tender, and we were both appreciative of the fork stuck in the bone to enjoy the marrow.

We ate the remainder of our dinners in The Restaurant. To accommodate DH’s food allergies, a menu was delivered to our stateroom each afternoon to be returned the following morning (a solution I found more elegant than sitting there following your meal with the next day’s menu). Because of their attention to the allergy, the restaurant manager began to recognize us the second day of the voyage (he was also always in the World Cafe for breakfast) and he made sure to check in every evening to ensure we were enjoying our meal. One afternoon, DH’s menu did not get delivered, and the wait staff was extremely concerned with making sure his meal did not contain nuts or shellfish. We have said in previous reviews that we are generally very pleased with the attention to the allergy on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, and were somewhat disappointed on Azamara. I think Viking is top notch in making sure that the dining needs of all their passengers are met. The food in The Restaurant was very good, as was the service, even the evening we pretty much closed the place down.

Cabin: We had a starboard side deluxe veranda slightly aft of midship on deck 3. We found the room to be very comfortable, although I do agree that for a longer cruise, more drawer space would be nice. However, I was able to place bulky sweaters on the top shelf in the closet (which at 5’2” I could reach!) and I moved the hair dryer to one of the drawers in the bathroom, which had ample storage space. The bathroom was the best we have ever had on a cruise ship. The heated floors were quite nice on a January cruise, but you did have to turn the lights off every so often so that the bathroom didn’t become a sauna. The shower was by far the roomiest we have ever experienced on a cruise ship and the only one that we have ever both fit into at the same time! The balcony was comfortable, and we found the table size to be a nice compromise between the full size dining table on Azamara and the end table large enough for 2 glasses on Celebrity. We had requested that our minibar only have tonic water and ginger ale, although we never ended up drinking the beverages, so they never got replaced. I did eat the candy bars a few times though, and they were always replaced the next day. The stateroom attendant was friendly and efficient. One little touch that greatly impressed us - our luggage was delivered within about 2 hours of boarding and our suitcases were brought into our cabin and placed on the luggage mat on the bed for us.

Bars and lounges: Benmark in the Living Room bar was a favorite for the whole cruise. The first night, Torshavn tried to close early, and sent us down to the Living Room, and Benmark obliged, even though he was supposed to be sending people up to Torshavn! We did enjoy the house band most evenings in Torshavn, and DH enjoyed some of the more premium liquors available there. We did not really use the pool bar much (we were only on the pool deck one afternoon and I was asleep for a good part of that). The views from the Explorer’s Lounge were wonderful, and the second deck was a nice venue for our Meet and Mingle gathering, or just a bit quieter than the main lounge at other times. We did not purchase the Silver Spirits package prior to boarding because I wasn’t drinking. However, upon boarding, DH went to talk to guest services and explained the situation and he was able to purchase the package for just himself, and he says he’s glad he did! (It's great they made a sensible exception to the ‘everyone in a stateroom must get the beverage package’ policy for people on a babymoon. We know from our friends that Norwegian won't do that)

Entertainment: Like I said, the House Band in Torshavn was fun and where we ended up most nights. We also made it two of the production shows and the Beatles party. The two production shows were rather campy, but we think that there was a bit of fun, self-awareness to the campiness. The cast was quite talented, performances were good, and we found the shows an enjoyable diversion. With only one show per night, the theater got quite crowded 15 minutes prior to showtime and was rather chilly every time we were in it. We would purposely sit in one of the opened cinemas simply for the availability of blankets. We found the Beatles show really fun, and agree with others who have said that it could be longer. However, if you stuck around after the show, the House Band came on and the production cast and cruise director all took turns singing with them! You can tell that these performers (and the whole crew really) enjoy working for Viking and enjoy their jobs.

Spa: We loved the T-pool in the spa. We like to eat late anyway, so we would unwind from touring with a short visit to the spa most nights before dinner. The loungers in there were quite comfortable and the lounge in the pool itself was also very nice. DH enjoyed the cold bucket shower upon exiting the T-pool, the practice having started as a dare. The only downside is that the floor of the snow grotto is essentially ice by the evening hours, so DH didn't really go in for fear of falling.

Excursions: We took 3 included excursions, 3 optional excursions, booked one private tour, and did one port completely on our own.

Barcelona: We explored Barcelona a bit on our own the day before boarding. The night of embarkation, we took the optional Flamenco and tapas excursion. We found this excursion very enjoyable. The performance was excellent, our guide was very informative about the model village we walked through, and the food was quite good. DH found a flier for the flamenco performance, and we did a quick computation of those tickets plus guide and transportation and agreed that Viking priced this evening quite reasonably. The following day, we took the included panoramic tour of Barcelona, which showed us the Olympic sites, the Gaudi houses, and then a walking tour to the cathedral. Our guide was excellent here as well, and did not mind when we informed her that we were not taking the bus back to the ship in order to continue exploring. We rounded out the day with La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and the Maritime Museum before catching the included Viking shuttle back to the ship. Taxi service in Barcelona is quite reasonably priced and most landmarks have a taxi line waiting nearby. Additionally, most taxis will take credit card, although for cheaper rides, the drivers prefer cash.

Toulon: We began our day with the included Panoramic Toulon tour. It was generally informative and gave us some nice photo opportunities, especially to capture the beautiful Viking Sea! That afternoon we did the optional tour to Cassis. It was pouring rain, but the sea cliffs in Cassis were still gorgeous. We were then divided into two groups for the wine tasting portion of the afternoon - one group tasted while the other group had free time. Cassis is a charming village, and I would love to return in the summer when everything is in full swing. The wine tasting was for 3 wines - 2 whites and a rose. The rose was quite nice and the provided sausage and tapenade was delicious.

Monte Carlo: We ventured to Nice on our own from Monte Carlo - walking to and from the train station. In Nice we walked the Promenade, had lunch, and visited the Chagall museum before returning to Monte Carlo.

Corsica: We took the included tour of Corsica, with photo stops at monuments of Napoleon and the bay. We then took a walking tour through the village of Ajaccio with a stop in the cathedral and through the market, which was just about to close.

Livorno: We took the optional excursion to Pisa and Lucca. There were only twelve people in our group and our guides were quite excellent. We have agreed that now that we have seen the leaning tower, we can skip Pisa for a while (although we greatly enjoyed the echo in the Baptistery) but that we would love to return to Lucca in better weather to walk the walls. The ship also provided a complimentary shuttle into the town of Livorno that day, but we did not use it.

Civitavecchia: We had booked a private tour with Italy Shore Drivers before our trip. Italy Shore Drivers was a joy to work with. We originally booked for just us, but then found another couple on board who wanted to join us and there were no problems adding them to our tour. Additionally, high winds kept us in port in Livorno for approximately 6.5 hours past our scheduled departure time, so our arrival to Civitavecchia was delayed until about 1:00 PM. Italy Shore drivers again was excellent in delaying our Vatican tickets and their commitment to making sure as much of our tour happened as possible. Additionally, all dining venues stayed open two hours late that night so that people arriving late back from Rome would still be able to keep their dining reservations. We ended up in Manfredi’s around 10:00 that night.

I will say that the ship was a bit remiss in providing information during this situation. My first indication something was amiss was at about midnight when I realized we hadn’t left Livorno. No announcements had been made at this time. When we rose early to make sure we were going to meet our driver on time and realized that the ship was still moving full speed, we did call guest relations, but they could not provide us any details about our estimated time of arrival. Approximately 45 minutes later, Heather the cruise director made an announcement about our delay, cancelling all Viking optional excursions for the day and providing information about the included Viking tour that would be available to everyone (but that we chose not to take because it was simply a bus tour with photo stops).

We elected to stick with our private tour, and I am glad we did. We had a guided tour of the Vatican with Valentina, who was excellent. Our driver, Tino, was amazing. He got us to the Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, and a quick photo stop at the Coliseum before driving us back to the ship. We were probably the 3-7 people off the ship around 1:30 after it had been cleared and arrived back at about 9:00. We did end up having to eliminate our visit to the Coliseum because it closed early that day. We spoke to Viking and guest relations said that they could not do anything for us on board, but gave us a letter and a card for the shoreside guest services. I called them after our cruise, and the situation was resolved promptly to our satisfaction.

Overall we found that the excursions were well organized, although we think that we might appreciate more division based on activity level, like we have heard occurs on the river ships. We were generally divided into buses based on when we exited the ship. The optional excursions we found to be a good value, and we met a lot more people on these excursions than we would have through a series of private tours with just us! We found the system of Audiovoxes and chargers in the rooms to be extremely efficient, and headphones and receivers were always available for those who forgot. Another nice touch was that in addition to having an umbrella in each stateroom, they were also available at the gangway, which is convenient if you don't want to stop at your cabin after breakfast. The whole excursion operation seemed to run like a well oiled machine. And the hot towels upon returning were much appreciated.

One quick note about guest relations, they are outstanding and more of a full service concierge. On our honeymoon on Royal Caribbean, DH surprised me by ordering flowers to the cabin back in the days when ships still had florists. This has become a bit of tradition on our cruises, excepting the Baltic this summer (when we learned the florists had been eliminated, at least from Royal). The first night, he went to guest relations to ask if there was a way to order flowers on board. He was told that there was no flowers on board, but if he described what he wanted and a budget, someone would acquire a bouquet from a local florist in Barcelona. He took them up on it, and the resulting bouquet was beautiful, and our stateroom attendant always made sure they were watered. It was just a really nice little touch that went above and beyond.

Post-cruise: We disembarked quite early in Civitavecchia and got a taxi to the train station. We took a regional train to Rome before switching to a high speed train to Florence. We carried our own bags, so from exiting our cabin to being in a cab, it took approximately 7 minutes. In Florence we stayed in the Hotel Davanzati, a quaint family run hotel approximately 10 minutes walk from the Duomo and 5 minutes walk from Piazza Signoria. We then flew Air France from FLR to CDG and then back to JFK.

Overall, we loved Viking, and are trying to figure out which members of the family will take care of our impending arrival in the future so we can cruise with them again before she turns 16.

What an excellent review. One of the best I have read on CC. Thank you so much for your time and information.

First congratulations on your little stowaway. Next, thanks for the great review. We are also from New York City so it was nice to read about manfredie's. I too love the fresh flowers so maybe on our cruise I'll be lucky to arrange something.

Thank you for this interesting and comprehensive review. We had a great cruise last May and are booked on our first winter Meditteranean cruise over next New Year. How did you find the weather and the number of tourists?

Thanks for providing this great information! I have wanted to try Viking Sea as we have done their River cruises. Best wishes on the new baby!

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us. We are taking our first Viking trip in October, NYC to San Juan so really enjoyed your views on the ship and staff. I had to laugh about your view on Manfredie's as we had also decided to give up Italian food on cruise ships! As for taking another trip, that's what grandparents are for. As one I have watched many a ship sail from the dock!!

Thank you for your great review. We were on the same cruise and also enjoyed Viking Sea very much.

We thought the crew were outstanding, every single person was kind and helpful and always smiling. This is clearly a happy ship.

We weren't over impressed with the World Cafe at lunchtime finding the food a bit samey but certainly agree about Manfredi's.We had dinner there three times and enjoyed lovely food on each occasion.

With the exception of Torshavns we found the ship to be rather quiet after dinner and found the shows which were at 9.15 to be too early. But these are very minor issues and did not detract from a very enjoyable week.

I had not cruised the Mediterranean in the winter before and even though the weather was variable, we did see the sun and I would happily repeat the experience.

Good luck when your little stowaway makes an appearance.

Thank you for this interesting and comprehensive review. We had a great cruise last May and are booked on our first winter Meditteranean cruise over next New Year. How did you find the weather and the number of tourists?

We last visited the Mediterranean in June, and we loved visiting in January. In June, the weather was sweltering and the crowds massive. In January, the weather was comfortable for touring -- all that was needed was a light jacket.

The lack of crowds made an acute difference when we visited Rome. During our abbreviated afternoon/evening tour, we were able to breeze through sites with ease, and we ended up seeing more sights than we did with a full-day ship tour on X we took in June.

In Barcelona, Rick Steves recommended getting jump-the-line tickets for museums since lines can be an hour or more. We never encountered a line for a museum tickets in January.

The only downside we found is that we weren't able to enjoy a beach day while on land. But the retractable roof on Viking's pool made the pool deck enjoyable even in the winter.

DW and I both agreed the Viking Sea is our favorite ship. The closest experience at sea would be comparing it to our time on Azamara. We both agreed that Viking blew away Azamara:

General Decor/Vibe: The experience on Viking most resembles a high-end, refined resort on land. The ship exudes elegance and luxury while dispensing with unnecessary pretense and ostentation. Gone are staid dark wood and chandeliers from the dining room, which is appointed in a minimalistic yet luxurious style. We took the dress code to the limits; my dark jeans and black designer sneakers (suitable for wear in an elegant restaurant on land) were welcome, while they may have raised eyebrows on another line.

Gone are the hackneyed cruise "traditions" and excessive commercialism. You won't find "art" auctions (which I understand are now gone from Azamara, after infesting what little public space is on their ship), pushy salespeople in boutiques, or photographers swarming over you to sell the last few holdouts with no digital cameras a $20 print.

We never really felt that we were on a big ship. As DW mentioned, the dining room was divided into smaller rooms so that you feel that you are in an intimate restaurant on land. Public spaces were similarly well-designed to be cozy and intimate. Overall, the atmosphere and general vibe was terrific.

Customer focus: There are small touches throughout the ship to show the line's focus on customer comfort. Crew members got to know our names and favorite drinks in an apprarentely effortless, natural manner. (On Azamara, you can sometimes see crew members intently studying a book of passenger mugshots, which seems forced and unnecessary.) Drink orders are rapidly taken by iPhone, and there's no need to provide a room key for an order. Comfortable blankets are abound--not only on the pool deck, but also in the theater. Our stateroom attendant brought my wife of "concentrated" vertical proportions a smaller sized bathrobe, while all the other lines we've been on have one-size-fits-not-everyone bathrobes.

The crew never said no. As DW mentioned, as there's no flowers on board, guest services arranged for a delivery from a local florist. The server in the specialty restaurant went two decks up to retrieve my favorite cocktail from another bar. Forgot your umbrella or headset for a guided tour? There's extras at the gangway. Exploring port on your own? Viking will provide you with a color map with useful information and landmarks, rather than a "shopping map" with directions to stores that will give a kickback to the cruise line.

Crew: The crew is terrific and very customer-service focused. The cruise line treats the crew with respect, and that pays dividends to passengers. Crew members uniformly appreciated the free access to Internet, and the crew had very high morale--regarding Viking as a very favorable employer. We observed some crew members enjoying ship excursions alongside passengers. Mangers are trusted to make exceptions to corporate policies if it will improve the guest experience or is sensible (i.e., an exception for a pregnant passenger to the rule that all passengers in stateroom must get a beverage package). One manager told me that he feels "empowered" and "respected" as a manager with Viking since he can use his discretion to manage him team, for example, by using his judgment to excuse a crew member if some time away from a shift is warranted for their well being. On RCI, he was apparently required by corporate policy to send crew members requesting a break from their shift to the medical facility for a breathalyzer and then have security "check" their room.

The crew is visible and accessible, but not imposing or overbearing. Senior officers are easily reached (the hotel manager has an office with an open door), but didn't try to steal the limelight or become part of the entertainment team.

Entertainment: The variety of entertainment options was terrific for a ship of this size. The ship's band played crowd-pleasing dance music in the nightclub almost every night (Azamara has a DJ with a repetitive playlist). Other entertainers were dispersed in various venues throughout the evening. The electronic screen on the stage was a fun addition to shows, and the performers were refreshingly cognizant the shows were campy and cute, while performers on other lines seem to imbue their shows with a unnecessary seriousness. As others have mentioned, we wish the ship extended the party a bit more. The nightclub starts to usher out passengers at 11:30, and it's nearly impossible to find any bar pouring drinks after midnight, even though they were supposed to remain open as long as passengers were present. While DW and I tend to make a brief stop to the casino a few times each cruise, we didn't mind the lack of a casino at all. (And if you're a fan of gaming, there's lounge tables with touchscreen games, and a few card devotees were playing electronic blackjack without donating further funds to the cruise line.)

The ship's "dancing under the stars" party featured more entertainers, and was overall more more high energy and enjoyable, than Azamara's "white night" party.

Food: The food is leagues better than Azamara. Premium ingredients can be found throughout the ship. The Viking buffet offers a selection multiple times as diverse as Azamara's. We did miss, however, the little "energy shots" of fruit juice Azamara has on the morning breakfast buffet.

Value: Viking offers a compelling value with a true all-inclusive experience. Every port day offers a free partial-day walking tour, which we found to be a great overview before DW and I ventured off or lunch and additional exploring on our own. Free shuttle buses were also provided.

There was no "nickel and dimming." Add-on tours were priced competitively with the local market, rather than the 200-300% markup that one could expect with tours on Azamara and it's affiliated lines. Specialty restaurants were included, and didn't monopolize the "premium" food on board. The beverage package at about $20/day paid for itself with just 2 fancy cocktails each day. The t-spa pool was included, which requires a pass on Azamara. The bouquet of flowers the ship ordered from a local merchant in port was charged to me at cost, below budget, and was 3x the size of similarly priced bouquets I've ordered from other cruise lines. Internet? That's free, even for crew members too. Overall, this made for a refreshing experience where the cruise line was there to ensure our every comfort on the ship and a fantastic time in port, rather than trying to extract a few more dollars from passengers to make up for the below-cost base price of a cruise.

Late nights in port: Azamara prides itself for offering night touring. Viking offers late night in ports as well.

One thing I missed, just in case of emergencies: While we never had an occasion to use it, one thing we liked about Azamara that's absent from Viking is that Azamara has an emergency email address guests can use for assistance while in port.

Overall, the Viking Sea is a beautiful, new ship and offered a true, outstanding luxurious experience we throught we would have received on Azamara. As between Viking Ocean and Azamara, Viking is the clear winner.

Thanks for the great review! We are very much looking forward to our first Viking Ocean cruise on the Sky in April.

Very nice review. We were on the same sailing and agree a notification of late arrival in Civ would have been nice.

"One thing I missed, just in case of emergencies: While we never had an occasion to use it, one thing we liked about Azamara that's absent from Viking is that Azamara has an emergency email address guests can use for assistance while in port."

Viking does provide both the ship's number and the phone number for Viking's local Port Agent in each Viking Daily to be used for emergencies at least it did on our 2 ocean cruises . Also included was the ship's location and expected arrival time. The suggestion Viking made to passengers was to carry the Viking Daily with you (or write the information down) when you departed the ship each day.

 

In Barcelona, Rick Steves recommended getting jump-the-line tickets for museums since lines can be an hour or more. We never encountered a line for a museum tickets in January.

 

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The first week in January being a possible exception. We were in Barcelona over New Year's, which is a big vacation week in Spain because the Christmas holiday runs until January 6, and we did run into lines at the Picasso Museum. It took us almost half an hour in line (only 2 ticket clerks) and we got there just around 10am. The day before we didn't even bother to get in line because it was already out of the building and down the block.

We had already bought our tickets for Sagrada Familia before we left home. I don't know what the ticket line was like but I can comment that it was crowded inside (and out) and that they were not letting folks in before their ticketed time.

On the other hand, Palau de la Musica tours were easily available and there were no lines at the National Art Museum on Montjuic--and the Romanesque art collection was to die for.

But other than that, it was great. The weather was comfortable and the crowds were manageable.

What an awesome review! We are taking this same cruise on Sunday, and you have helped to elevate my excitement, if that is even possible! Thank you! The only thing I would have liked to hear about more was how final disembarkment was handled in Rome. I still have not decided how we are going to get to our hotel in the city after leaving the ship. Any ideas?

What an awesome review! We are taking this same cruise on Sunday, and you have helped to elevate my excitement, if that is even possible! Thank you! The only thing I would have liked to hear about more was how final disembarkment was handled in Rome. I still have not decided how we are going to get to our hotel in the city after leaving the ship. Any ideas?

We left the ship at 6:30 am, after eating in the buffet at 6am. We carried off our own luggage instead of using the porters. There was no line to leave, no immigration since we previously stopped in the EU, and several taxis waiting outside the ship. It was a breeze, though we left a bit earlier than most passengers.

Did the taxi take you to the train station in port, or did you take it into Rome? What did the taxi charge? Thanks!

Did the taxi take you to the train station in port, or did you take it into Rome? What did the taxi charge? Thanks!

We took it to the local train station. It took about 15 minutes with no traffic, but for most of the way, we were behind a slow-moving police car the driver wouldn't pass. The fare was in the neighborhood of €10-20.

What an awesome review! We are taking this same cruise on Sunday, and you have helped to elevate my excitement, if that is even possible! Thank you! The only thing I would have liked to hear about more was how final disembarkment was handled in Rome. I still have not decided how we are going to get to our hotel in the city after leaving the ship. Any ideas?

Cab to the train station in Civitavecchia and then train into Rome. A private transfer or cab will be well into triple digits. You can find train schedules on line and google maps will help you pick the trains stop closest to your hotel. You can probably even buy your train tickets on line as well.

We bought our train tickets online - 5 euros each. A regional train ran from Civitavecchia to Roma Termini approximately every hour. Trenitalia has a nice website, and I got my tickets as a pdf attachment to my email that I downloaded to my phone.

For a few more Barcelona details - we prebooked our entrance to Sagrada Familia for after our included tour the day before we went, as we had heard about long lines the day before. We too discovered that they were not letting people in before their prebooked time, but we did not find the basilica crowded, and appreciated the roped off areas for prayer. We walked up to the Picasso museum and had tickets in less than 10 minutes at approximately 3PM.

In Florence we met with much of the same - we had no interest in climbing the cupola or the bell tower of the Duomo, so we simply walked up and bought tickets at the museum at about 11:30 AM, and we repeated the process at the Uffizi at about 3:45PM, although that line was about 10 minutes long.

I just loved your review. I have such fond memories of 2 weeks in southern France at 20 with Nice being a main stay. That Chagall Museum brought me to tears...loved it.,,and the youthful emotions a wonderful memory. Enjoy baby time, so glad you have been able to get in some great travels. Thanks again.

Thanks for sharing. And congrats on your "stowaway"!

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Great review - thanks for sharing! Your trip report now has me considering Viking for a future trip. Also congrats on the "stowaway" and totally hear you on starting to plan early on who can watch the munchkin to allow future travel. We added a rescue puppy to our family and even that modest addition to the household has changed our ability to travel.

If you don't mind me asking - what do you teach?

College chemistry. Lots of students looking to go into various health related professions.

I also want to thank you for your great review. Congrats on your "stowaway." Ours are in high school and college, but we don't let that stop us from traveling. Your review was very instrumental in me booking the Italian Sojourn cruise next March. We have cruised on RCCL and Celebrity, as well as Uniworld and Avalon. We've gotten to the point of not enjoying the mass market ocean cruises, after being on the river cruises.

Looking forward to cruising around Italy next year!

Robin

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