My daughter celebrated her 12th birthday this year . What’s the best way to celebrate it with your grandparents? On a cruise…of course. Luckily, I convinced my parents to take my other (14 year old) daughter and me to the cruise as well. So, what’s important to do (or not do)? First of all ,make sure you arrive to the country from which your ship is departing at least a day before . We started our cruise in Rome and arrived 3 days in advance in order to sightseer Rome before the trip and before it gets even warmer and more crowded.
So, the 1st part of this post is about ROME.
Hotel – you have no idea how many hotels we searched, booked and cancelled. Since we were with my folks the standards were different than those my family has. Our 1st two nights were at Hotel Le Clarisse al Pantheon. We also booked in advance 3 more nights for when we come back from the cruise but agreed that we will decide upon the hotel only after we see the hotel’s facilities, location etc.
So, the hotel was situated in a great location, really 5 minutes from the Pantheon and also close to Piazza Navona. Breakfast was fair , served on a terrace. BUT- the rooms were really small.
My parents also wanted to check out the other hotel , Clairon Collection which was also booked and decided it was better price wise. It was also really close to Villa Borghese and gave the us the opportunity to explore a different area.
As you know I won’t start giving historical info about places I’ve been to …only some tips.
- The myth about thieves in Rome is TRUE! I saw a thief grabbing a backpack from a tourist next to the Colosseum . The tourist ran after the thief and finally the thief threw the backpack. So..keep your belongings close to you.
- Tickets- if you are staying in Rome for only a few days, order tickets in advance. I know it costs (much) more expensive but time IS also money. Waiting in line in the heat is very frustrating especially when next to you all the “skip the line” people pass you. BUT, If you don’t mind waiting in line for hours(!!) then have a blast. We had tickets for the Vatican and Villa Borghese in advance which was great. But we stood for more than 2 hours for the Colosseum !
- Vatican – most of us ( including me) go to the Vatican especially for the Sistine Chapel. Just that you know- it is a VERY far and SLOW walking distance from the entrance of the Vatican till you reach the chapel. If you are visiting in the summer, then it’s also HOT. There is NO air condition !
- Villa Borghese – on Wednesdays at 1330 the entrance is reduced. Check their site for more info. In any case, tickets need to be reserved and your voucher should be brought to the cashier.
- Colosseum- as mentioned before, there are VERY long lines. Be prepared with water or snacks.
- Taxis- Uber do not work as good as local taxis in Rome. It’s difficult to find by yourself a taxi for 5 . Better ask the hotel to order you one.
- Instagram – all those photos you see on Instagram posing in the Colosseum is only possible if you arrive first at the site. Rome is packed with tourists,so there’s no chance you get catch such a perfect instagram shot in the middle of the day!
FOOD…Mamma Mia. There are a trillion places to eat in Rome. I’m just listing the best places we went to.
- Pizza – Baffetto – my mom did her homework in advance and took us to Baffeto. It’s a very simple restaurant that serves mostly pizza. If you like authentic thin crust pizza, then this is the place. Address: Via del Governo Vecchio 114
- Italian restaurant…ready? Baffetto 2. On our second night in Rome. we wanted to eat at Baffetto again. We were shocked to see the place was closed. There was a guy who handed out leaflets of “Baffetto 2 ” . He said it was similar to what we ate and that it was nearby. Needless to say that, we were very upset and started walking towards the address he gave , sure that we are sent to a touristic restaurant. BUT (drums…drums..) it was GREAT! It appears that this place is owned by MR. Baffetto’s daughter . Her menu has a much wider variety of food. I had soft Gnocchi and one of the best suplis I tasted. Another great one is here in recommendation # 3.
- Rosciolio – I can’t even remember the variety of starters, main courses and deserts this deli has to offer. Be aware that you need to order first , then stand in another line to pay. If you aren’t there alone, make sure someone finds a place to sit while you make the order and pay. It’s so good…and crowded that people even sit on the pavement outside.
- Ice cream – Right next to the original Baffetto, (you won’t miss it) you can have dessert. There were so many people so i could barely take a photo. The name of the Gelateria is Frigidarium. Via del Governo Vecchio, 112
Some of my thoughts and tips about our MSC SEAVIEW cruise.
*Getting to your cruise – Its important to check in advance what’s the cheaper way to get from the city to the port. Although it was more expensive, but since we were a group of 5 plus suitcases we thought it would be better to take a private driver with a big van from Rome to Civitavecchia. We used Romio services which were punctual .
* The ship is H U G E ! If you are travelling with children that are independent like mine, make sure you are very clear on when and where you meet. There is no internet while sailing and communication with my girls reminded me of when I was a girl. ” We will meet here….at…..”. After my 12th year old girl got lost on the second day, and I thought the worse has occurred, there were no misunderstanding any more.
We travelled on the 1st week of July and it was VERY HOT. We bought water splashers which cooled us a bit, only a bit…
*I think there is no need to take the city tours the cruise offers. They are very expensive and it’s very easy to ge from the port to all the city centers we visited and walk around by yourself. (We were in Cannes, Barcelona, Ajaccio, Genoa, Palma de Mallorca , La Spezia).
* Cannes – we took a local bus from the city center. Drove to the last stop and then back just to get some impression of Cannes. Then we walked around all the small shops up to Marché Forville which is a huge covered market with seasonal produce. it’s open every morning, except on Mondays.
* Barcelona– all the 5 of us have already been to Barcelona so there were no MUST things to do. It was an easily stroll from the beach to La Rambla and we just enjoyed the Gothic Quarter, Plaça Cataluyna, Passeig de Gracia and the Spanish atmosphere.
* Palma de Mallorca – we took a bus to the city center, then walked up to “La Seu “, Palma Cathedral. On the way back we took a taxi since it was too crowded next to the bus stop.
* Cinque Terre – the area that left the most impression on me. Can’t wait to travel there again!
Transportation is a bit complicated . The ship embarks at La Spezia. Then you need to take a local bus to the train station. From there, you need to buy the ticket for the train that stops at the five villages during the day. The local trains stop in Levanto, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore and La Spezia.The trains run in each direction approximately every 4 times an hour. I highly recommend you to purchase a Cinque Terre Card which includes unlimited train runs on the line La Spezia – Cinque Terre – Levanto and will give you access to all hiking trails in the National Park.
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