sailforchocolate

You mentioned in your initial post that you flew BA, should I be concerned as I'm flying on BA to Rome next Wed. as they had the best price and schedule. I too noticed that on some of the other airlines, they were code shared. I thought about it as I am in UA Mileage Plus, but was told that I would not qualify for free checked bag on code share portion of flight, so that is why picked BA since even though they didn't have free checked bag, they offered a better carry on policy regarding the weight, so trying to get by with carry on only.

Glad I decided to ask. Thanks for that and letting me know about searching the hotel threads. Finally made my flight booking. In this case internet trouble turned out to be a good thing as last night wasn't able to complete the booking and when I went to book a few minutes ago, the price dropped, so that will help in covering some of the cost of the extra day.

Even though leaving a day earlier, since the flight times are the same, only the day will be different. I will still probably be spending the first night at the Hilton since flight arriving after 10 pm. Good to know that since it is international, should not be impacted by the US based holiday. After checking out on Friday morning from Hilton, I assume will be better for the second night (Friday) to locate accommodation close to the port, rather than in Rome.

ok, (cruisemom42 and marazul) I will consider paying the higher air fare and the hassle of being in the thanksgiving chaos at the airport in order to arrive the day before. I thought going on the 24th would be less stressful and more likely to not have delays since presumably the bulk of people will have already flown to where they were going. Regarding the baggage part... As promised, I did stop by the airport today with my existing "carry on" and the BA agent confirmed what Vmax1700 said. According to the agent, it was too tall, so I will shop for another bag. Fortunately, the weight was fine, at 8kg, when I got back realized I forgot to pack pants and a pair of shoes, but even so, I think the weight won't be an issue, since they allow up to 23kg.

Does that mean space available on the train the next morning or on the flight itself - LHR-FCO. If the flight, not sure that would be an issue if already have that flight set up? Thanks for letting me know that there is a train option to the port. I assume the bus the other folks have mentioned that goes from the airport to the train station and then there is another bus from there to the port? Or Dancer Bob's suggestion of taking the train.

I would like to thank you all for your suggestions and confirmations about the situation. After I posted, pretty much decided that I will book the Hilton and stop stressing about finding other accommodation. I think I might see about stopping at the SFO airport this weekend with my bag to check if it will qualify. I did use the carry on bag several years ago on a land based trip going through multiple airports in Europe, so am used to carrying it around. (I don't think I bothered to check the weight at that point since back then baggage was included). My goal would be to travel as light as possible -- only looking for extra weight flexibility if needed. llhillman mentioned getting in a day or more ahead. I'm hoping that all will work out since that will add quite a bit to the cost (airfare will be higher due to Thanksgiving holiday and I would then be paying for two nights hotel instead of one since still would be arriving at 10:40 pm). I was planning, as some mentioned to take the bus. If leaving in the morning after breakfast shouldn't that give enough time to get there since the ship doesn't leave until 5 pm?

After looking through many airfare options, seems like the best choice cost wise and for carry on baggage allowance is to book a flight with BA as per the website, they allow 50lbs carry on vs 8 to 25 lbs on other airlines and surprisingly those had a higher fare. Apparently, the airlines I have cards with don't allow the free baggage perk when flying on a partner airline. Will arriving at 10:40 pm on Friday for an NCL cruise on Saturday that leaves at 5 pm be sufficient time wise? The flight (SFO-LHR-FCO) arrives at FCO at 10:40 pm. Seems like the hotels that offer shuttles stop at 10:30 pm. I had started looking for other options, however most of the hotels also stop check in between 11 pm and midnight and I assume that it may take a while to get through the airport process. The search of websites for transport just to go to a nearby hotel within 4 miles of the airport after hours was going to cost $50 to $75 each way. Had hoped to find an affordable room for the night (saw lots of airbnb clustered around the train station between $40-$80), but I imagine even if I took the airport bus to the train station, it might be a challenge getting to a room that late at night. Anyone has a recommendation about it or should I just pay 2 to 3 times as much for convenience to spend night at one of the onsite hotels such as Hilton or HelloSky? Secondary question, any recommendation on affordable trip insurance as I was told that the NCL insurance only covers the ship and I would like to have insurance for the air as well. Thank you.