Just started planning my 9 night Greek Island Cruise

[leesataxprep]

I am completely overwhelmed. I usually love planning vacations but I've never planned a European vacation (I must say I did a fabulous job planning our Hawaiian honeymoon). We (just my husband & I) are arriving in Rome on Thursday, May 11 and our cruise leaves that Saturday. Therefore, we will need a hotel for 2 nights and we'll get 2 days of sightseeing. My pre-cruise questions:

 

How far in advance do I need to book my hotel?

Is there a central location I can stay in so that we can walk or take the metro do most sites?

I've seen great reviews on Rome in Limo, do I need a guide or can I do it on my own?

Rome in Limo's website says that if you have 2 days in Rome you should do the Vatican on your own and just use them for the stuff you need rides to. Where do I need rides to? (I think we want to see the Coliseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, others?)

 

I am so overwhelmed and I haven't even begun to look into the sites I want to see at the different ports while on the cruise. Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!:confused:

[CruiserBruce]

Usually, there is no cost to book a hotel in advance. Thus no reason not to book far in advance. You can monitor prices, and re-book if they drop.

 

There are many hotels in the historic center, and MANY threads on recommendations on hotels in this area. If you book in this area, only the Vatican is not within reasonable walking distance, if you don't have any mobility issues. So I would Rome in Limo to get you from the airport to your hotel, and from your hotel to your ship.

 

I would get a guide for the Vatican. Otherwise no guide is required.

[mapleleaves]

Most hotels don't charge a cancellation fee, but be sure to check ! As stated by PP, look over this forum for hotel recommendations.

 

To help with your planning ...... there are books specific to Mediterranean cruises, including Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports, and Ann Viponds Med by Cruiseship. ( buy or borrow from your library ). Lots of great info on ports, excursions, sights, and DIY options. I would also suggest looking at tripadvisor for each port to get ideas for activities.

[rdt10]

May is high season. Book early. More room selection and generally lower prices. Make sure the room can be cancelled. Watch the room price and if it goes lower, rebook and cancel the higher rate. I did this several times recently and saved about 100 euro for our stay with the final rate.

 

We recently stayed at Albergo del Senato hotel next to the Pantheon. Our 4th stay in Rome and this was our favorite location. We walked everywhere except to the Vatican and took a taxi there and walked back.

 

I have used Rome in Limo for day tours from the port. They are excellent, but I don't think needed for local transport when staying in Rome. Walking and taxi's have worked well for us.

 

We used RomeCabs for our transfer from the airport to the hotel and later from the hotel to the port. Excellent service.

 

Book your tickets to the Colosseum/forum (particularly the guided underground tour and third tier), the Vatican Museum and Galleria Borghese in advance to avoid waiting in long lines for tickets or being sold out.

 

Agree with the recommendation for Rick Steve's books.

 

Enjoy Rome and Greece. They are wonderful places.

[CruiserBruce]

I don't think May is high season. High season on the Med doesn't start until mid June at the soonest, and lasts until about September 1. July and August is truly high season.

[mj]

Another recommendation for Rick Steves book. Planning to take a 9 night Greek/Italy cruise in October 17 and currently using his book for planning. The only port that I did not see was Messina.

 

For me, part of the fun is planning.

[LondonTowner]

Rick Steves would be the last place I would look. So much of his information is incorrect and often out of date.

 

I would look at the various forums on Tripadvisor, read through the many threads on Cruise Critic, look at the tourist board websites and possibly a couple of guide books from the library.