Greetings. First time Big boat cruiser

[Truckcop]

My wife and I are booked for our first big boat cruise in April 2021. We were originally booked on an April 2020 NCL Transatlantic from New York to Rome, but CoVid and all.... We rebooked for the NCL Barcelona to San Juan, that I should be enjoying right now.... Hoping the world settles and we can go this coming April. We have done a riverboat cruise from Paris to Amsterdam on Avalon, that we enjoyed immensely. 

 

Oh yea, I'm Ken and my wife is Terrie

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by Truckcop
added names

[sparks1093]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I hope that April 2021 will bring you your first sea experience. We would have liked to book in 2021 but we are taking our step granddaughter with us and had to work around her school schedule so we booked in February 2022. 

[navybankerteacher]

Welcome aboard.  I hope your sailing takes place - it will be among the first as things look now.  You might want to hit the roll call for your cruise b- a good way to share ideas and get to "know" some of your shipmates.

[puppycanducruise]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Hope your cruise sails as planned.

[Truckcop]

Already found the roll call pageand checked in there too, but thanks for the reminder. Fingers crossed and hoping for an early vax chance

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, Truckcop said:

Already found the roll call pageand checked in there too, but thanks for the reminder. Fingers crossed and hoping for an early vax chance

 

May I add my welcome to this community of those who enjoy cruising?  I encourage you to regularly check your Roll Call for the cruise.  Information shared among participants can be very helpful as well as a pleasant reminder of what "one hopes to enjoy soon".  It's possible to meet people on your Roll Call with whom you develop a "cyber relationship that is very positive", then, meet them on the ship and that relationship grows during your cruise and beyond.  I have been blessed with having several of these friendships develop and continue to this day.   

[bbwex]

Welcome Truckcop.  Though I am unsure of the accuracy of the prediction, I heard that those over 75 will be getting shots in February.  How that is going to actually play out is anyone's guess.  Just producing the vaccine, manufacturing the vials, stoppers for the tops of the vials, getting them to the vaccine manufacturers, etc., is a daunting task, and the numbers are so large you have to wonder if it can be done that quickly.  We shall all have to wait and see, but I hope you get to take your cruise.

 

Big ships, by which I mean regular cruise ships, are a bit different than the riverboats.  More to do, more space to enjoy, better entertainment at night, more dining options, and so much more.  Spend some time on the Ports of Call section and start to do some reading about what you might do at each of your stops.  Planning ahead is worth the time investment.

[Truckcop]

So, we were cancelled from the April cruise. Now rebooked for a December 2021 TA from Rome to Miami. Where is a good place for an overnight in Rome? We fly in the day before the departure and have 23 hours before the boat leaves. Whirlwind tour ideas?

 

 

[Host Kat]

2 hours ago, Truckcop said:

... Where is a good place for an overnight in Rome? We fly in the day before the departure and have 23 hours before the boat leaves. Whirlwind tour ideas?

 

@Truckcop  Howdy and welcome to the Cruise Critic message boards!!! 

 

I suggest you check out the Italy Ports forum. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have been to Rome frequent that forum and provide feedback there. Browse through the thread titles and l👀k for thread titles of interest. You will probably find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.

 

Please remember the following stated in the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free memberships:

 

Browse Before You Post
Browse a topic first to see if your question has already been asked or answered by someone else. Also, many of the major cruise lines forums have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) topic that has been created by our members. Give that a try first. Browsing is your #1 best resource! Please post your messages in an appropriate topic so that you'll receive the best possible response. It is very time consuming to move misplaced messages that are in the wrong topics.

 

Anytime you need to start a new thread/topic on a forum, first make sure you are in the correct forum for your topic. Word your new thread title in a way to help the members know exactly the information you seek. This greatly helps the members browsing through the thread titles and if they know the information they will reply to you.

 

It is best to limit each inquiry to only one topic or concerning one cruise line, one ship, one port of call, etc. and of course, on the correct forum.   You will get more replies that way. Be sure to mention your cruise line, ship, port or sail date in your inquiry as that sort of information may help your fellow members help you.

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Truckcop said:

Where is a good place for an overnight in Rome? We fly in the day before the departure and have 23 hours before the boat leaves. Whirlwind tour ideas?

 

Host Kat's suggestion to check the Italy Ports forum is great.  

 

I'd suggest that you consider what sites in Rome you particularly want to visit.  Rome is such a vast city with so many attractions/sites/history that narrowing, if possible, the sites/experiences that are most important to you may help to determine where you might want to stay for an overnight.  

 

If you want a true whirlwind tour of the city to see, even briefly, as much as you can, such tours are available.  I did such a tour during my first visit to Rome and coupled that with an after dark tour that included a nice Italian/Roman dinner with musical entertainment.  It was a long day.  But, it was memorable, enjoyable, and provided me the "highlights" in case I never returned.  (Which I have been able to do, thankfully.)

 

You have much to anticipate!!!

[Roger88]

If you plan on going to Rome, make sure you have your entire path, your jorney put down on paper. Make sure to make a list of places you want to visit in every district. Rome is a vast city with tons of cultural heritage. In order to see it all you will need more than a week, so if you want to see the major part of it you better have a  To Do list before going 

[Truckcop]

Thanks Host Kat, and the rest, I am still learning all that is here and didn't even see the Italy ports section in my browsing. I will have to look harder next time. Good thing I have lots of time before we go, I am sure there will be far too many things we want to see, given our time available. 

[Host Kat]

@Truckcop

 

You are most welcome!  

 

We are all glad to be of service,

 

Host Kat 

[sparks1093]

DW and I were looking at taking a trip to Rome instead of going on a cruise <gasp> before COVID hit and once things settle down we'll resume our planning. When my Navy ship was in port in Naples I went to Rome on a two day tour arranged by the Welfare and Rec fund. It was tiring but worth it. If we were cruising from there I'd try to add 3 to 4 days at the beginning or end of the trip in order to spend more time seeing the city.

 

As an aside, you have to try the Eggs Benedict while you are there, I hear there's no place like Rome for the hollandaise. 🤪

[Pudgesmom]

Civitavecchia is a town about 80 km from Rome. This is where you will board your ship. You will want to allow plenty of time to transfer from Rome to the cruise terminal as traffic can be brutal.

 

Also, unless your ship makes stops before crossing the Atlantic, there will be no way to “catch up” to it if you arrive late.

[navybankerteacher]

On 1/26/2021 at 6:40 PM, Truckcop said:

So, we were cancelled from the April cruise. Now rebooked for a December 2021 TA from Rome to Miami. Where is a good place for an overnight in Rome? We fly in the day before the departure and have 23 hours before the boat leaves. Whirlwind tour ideas?

 

 

23 hours .. Is that before deducting the two or three hours between your plane landing and checking in to your hotel, or the minimum of five hours before sailing that you will want to leave Rome to head for Civita Vecchia, or the ten hours you will want to sleep to try to catch up from that overnight flight?

 

Seriously —- give yourself a break:  plan on getting to Rome several days before sailing — not only do you not want to still feel groggy as you start your cruise —- it is not your average town, or a place you will likely get back to often.

[Truckcop]

7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

23 hours .. Is that before deducting the two or three hours between your plane landing and checking in to your hotel, or the minimum of five hours before sailing that you will want to leave Rome to head for Civita Vecchia, or the ten hours you will want to sleep to try to catch up from that overnight flight?

 

Seriously —- give yourself a break:  plan on getting to Rome several days before sailing — not only do you not want to still feel groggy as you start your cruise —- it is not your average town, or a place you will likely get back to often.

Unfortunately, due to available vacation time, it's the best I have. 

[sparks1093]

On 2/5/2021 at 11:15 PM, Truckcop said:

Unfortunately, due to available vacation time, it's the best I 

That is unfortunate. For DW and I our focus would be on getting to the hotel and resting up from the flight. Maybe pick one or two main things to see in the limited time available.

[Truckcop]

On 2/7/2021 at 4:29 AM, sparks1093 said:

That is unfortunate. For DW and I our focus would be on getting to the hotel and resting up from the flight. Maybe pick one or two main things to see in the limited time available.

Yep, we land in Rome at 1800, and we are planning to hit a hotel and rest, then next morning, hopefully see a few sights on the way to the cruise terminal, Maybe see if there is a drive by tour.

 

[Essiesmom]

A travel agent can arrange a tour and transfer to the port for you.  Or you can go back to the airport and catch a cruise line transfer/tour.  WE landed in the morning in Rome and had booked the Vatican tour and transfer with Carnival.  My sister couldn't take off sooner.  She was on a fixed schedule, had that weekend off but had to use those days to trade for days at the end of our 16 day cruise.  We were nearly the last ones to the ship.  EM

[broadwaybaby123]

On 1/26/2021 at 6:40 PM, Truckcop said:

So, we were cancelled from the April cruise. Now rebooked for a December 2021 TA from Rome to Miami. Where is a good place for an overnight in Rome? We fly in the day before the departure and have 23 hours before the boat leaves. Whirlwind tour ideas?

 

 

I flew in 3 days before my European cruise.  There's a hotel about 3 blocks from Trevy Fountain that's nice.  We saw The Vatican, The Coliseum, the Old Forum, the Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon.  We didn't get to see the Sistine Chapel, but would love to go back and see it (they had a religious festival the day I was there!).

[navybankerteacher]

On 2/10/2021 at 12:12 AM, Truckcop said:

Yep, we land in Rome at 1800, and we are planning to hit a hotel and rest, then next morning, hopefully see a few sights on the way to the cruise terminal, Maybe see if there is a drive by tour.

 

Given the extremely limited time, you might not want an organized tour - perhaps arrange for a car to pick you up at your hotel and have the driver take you by some of the spots you’d most like to see, and then to the port.  It would cost more than some short bus tour followed by train to the port, but you could actually see something and have a much better time. You might look through a couple of travel books to pick out what you’d most like to see - then contact Romeinlimo (or some other car service outfit) to arrange the car.   

 

A less expensive alternative, of course would be to go direct from the airport to Civita Vecchia and get a good night’s sleep close to the ship.

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Given the extremely limited time, you might not want an organized tour - perhaps arrange for a car to pick you up at your hotel and have the driver take you by some of the spots you’d most like to see, and then to the port.  It would cost more than some short bus tour followed by train to the port, but you could actually see something and have a much better time. You might look through a couple of travel books to pick out what you’d most like to see - then contact Romeinlimo (or some other car service outfit) to arrange the car.   

 

A less expensive alternative, of course would be to go direct from the airport to Civita Vecchia and get a good night’s sleep close to the ship.

 

Your suggestions are excellent.  While I have not toured Civitavecchia, I have read that it is worthy of a visit, but overlooked by many visitors to Italy.  

[Truckcop]

11 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Given the extremely limited time, you might not want an organized tour - perhaps arrange for a car to pick you up at your hotel and have the driver take you by some of the spots you’d most like to see, and then to the port.  It would cost more than some short bus tour followed by train to the port, but you could actually see something and have a much better time. You might look through a couple of travel books to pick out what you’d most like to see - then contact Romeinlimo (or some other car service outfit) to arrange the car.   

 

A less expensive alternative, of course would be to go direct from the airport to Civita Vecchia and get a good night’s sleep close to the ship.

Was thinking about just getting a car to drive us by a few of the high points. Since we have only a short time, it would still be a shame to come all that distance and not see some of the sights at least.

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, Truckcop said:

Was thinking about just getting a car to drive us by a few of the high points. Since we have only a short time, it would still be a shame to come all that distance and not see some of the sights at least.

That's the beauty of Rome, you can turn a corner and see something ancient being excavated. Sounds like this might be the best option for you and you should be able to see a bit before heading to the port.