MdniteDrftr

Beeline to the first open bar, drop our bags in our room if its ready, then go explore the ship.

When I made post I didn't realize it was such a complicated question. Yes, my examples could apply worldwide, but I'm asking about Italy, its ports, and its attractions. Did you go to the Vatican an hour before it closed and felt too rushed and wish you had more time? Maybe an hour is enough time to see everything? Did you regret renting a car and trying to drive to the Amalfi coast instead of just taking a bus tour there? Did you book an excursion to see the tower of Pisa and wish you would have just done your own thing instead because you found it kind of boring? Did you take the train to Civitavecchia but found it to be complicated and wish you took a taxi instead? Maybe you regret not learning more of the Italian language because not as many people spoke English as you thought they would in a certain city? I've never been to Italy before so I can't think of and list every possible example ever, so I'm relying on experienced travelers to share theirs. If you've been to Italy and everything went perfect and you had a wonderful time, that's great. I hope that's my experience too.

I'm not really looking for specific things, its more of a general question. Maybe you took a tour and felt it was misrepresented and should have done a different one, or you didn't get to spend enough time at a certain attraction, or did something at the wrong time of day and it made for a poor experience...

That's what I'm looking for. I want to learn from your mistakes. 😄 I'm not looking for someone complaining that their steak was overcooked at dinner, but I would like to know if someone didn't like taking the train to the port with all of their luggage and would have rather hired a car/taxi. Or maybe someone didn't like their hotel location because it was in a loud neighborhood or too far away from from all the sites.

Just things or experiences to shy away from.

It can't all be good, right?

So what happens if I get stopped without my passport and get fined? Do I have to pay it on the spot? I had planned on carrying my passport on me while in Rome, as we are spending 2 days there pre-cruise. Wife, and pretty much everyone else said I was crazy.

My playlist is cruise dependent. Caribbean cruises constitute a more island feel whereas other cruises, I'm just looking for some easy listening stuff. In either case I'm just looking for a good time. Some of my favorites... Chris Janson - Good Vibes Eric Church - Drink In My Hand Jake Owen - Drunk On A Boat Eagles - Take It Easy Adam Levine - Good Mood

For my next cruise, this is what I've been doing. It's a longer trip in the Mediterranean and I'm being a little more particular about how/what I pack. I need to make sure I have everything but I don't want to lug around a bunch of suitcases. I have a cruise to Bermuda next Spring, and that will be a little more casual and I won't worry about packing for that until a couple days before.