Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link on this page, I may get a commission, at no cost to you. Any recommendations that I make are for products or services I have personally used and highly recommend.

Port: Civitavecchia (Rome)

Tootsie’s Bottom Line:

• Tour Provider: Private Tour Italy
• Travel Type: Private
• Transportation: Sedan
• Cost: approx. $500; expensive but money very well spent
• Kid friendly 15+
• Tips: Ask for Cristiano; let tour guide get tickets and make reservations for you (see last paragraph for more detail)
• Highlights: Pantheon, Sistine Chapel, Roman Colosseum, Forum, & Trevi Fountain

Good to know:

• Let the tour company make reservations/purchase tickets for you to optimize your time. The Pantheon and Trevi Fountain are free of charge.
• Plan for the weather-we traveled in late May/early June and days were hot with little relief from the sun.  Some destinations require that shoulders and knees be covered.  Plan accordingly.
• If it’s of interest, see the calendar for dates when the Pope will hold audience.
• Wednesday, we arrived in the port of Civitavecchia which is about an hour’s drive from Rome.  Interestingly, the only other time I’d been to Rome was when I was pregnant with Leah 17 years prior.  History came to life for me during that trip, and I had anxiously awaited my return!  Of course, there were things that I wanted Leah to see, so again, we reserved a private tour from the port.  Our guide, Cristiano, from “Private Tour Italy“, was waiting at the port for us and whisked us away in another Mercedes sedan.  I’d done some legwork myself and reserved tickets for tours of the Sistine Chapel and the Coliseum in advance.  It turned out my attempt at efficiency had made things more complicated.  Navigating the city wasn’t easy and trying to do all that I wanted became somewhat constrained by the entrance times for the sites.   I also wanted to attend an audience with Pope Francis.  In addition, I’d told Cristiano to try to incorporate the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Forum.  He said it wouldn’t be possible but couldn’t resist the challenge!  Keep in mind, I started the day with “I know there’s a lot to see and we don’t care about food.”

Pantheon

One of the best preserved monuments from Ancient Rome, Cristiano couldn’t let us miss the Pantheon on our way to hear Pope Francis speak.  He dropped us off close to the entrance and stayed with the car.  The Pantheon is a church and former Roman temple. A huge oculus (circle) in the center of the dome shaped ceiling provides the only light and must be beautiful on a starry night. I was told on a tour years earlier that it serves as a view of heaven. With a circular interior and floor slanted to allow for rain to run off, the building is an architectural marvel. Sadly, we were unable to stay long here.

St. Peter’s Square, Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel

On our way to the audience, we passed the Circus Maximus, where the chariot races had taken place.  Mind boggling that this is thought to have been built in the late 7th or early 6th century B.C.. I hadn’t seen this during my last trip so it was an amazing site.  He quickly drove us to the audience where we listened to Pope Francis speaking in St. Peter’s Square.  Again, Cristiano waited with the car in an opportune location so that we could get to the Sistine Chapel for our entrance time.

I mistakenly assumed that St. Peter’s square would adjoin the entrance to the Vatican Museums; Cristiano quickly drove us to the entrance.  Leah and I made our way as quickly as possible through the Vatican Museums in an attempt to maximize the sites and see the Sistine Chapel.  The Vatican Museums are incredible and there is so much to see even as you quickly pass through.  After a few wrong turns, we arrived at the Sistine Chapel. I’m hardly an art aficionado, but you cannot help but be in awe of the incredible work contained here!  Even after so many years, it is breathtaking.  After racing through so much of our morning, I was grateful for the chance to stand still and appreciate what was around me.  I was equally grateful that the employees gently reminded people to speak in a whisper with their frequent requests for softer conversation.  We were somewhat saddened by the fact that we were rushed through the museums, but given one day in Rome, it was simply logistics.

Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum, home to the famous gladiatorial fights, was next on our agenda, and Cristiano was waiting again with the car for us.  He was very concerned about lines, but we got lucky.  It was hot at this point, so we made quick work of our tour.  We did the audio tour but really spent our time taking in the arena.  The remains are amazing and the history itself is mind boggling.  Construction began in 72 AD and concluded in 80 AD, and it is the largest amphitheater ever built, holding an estimated 50,000 spectators. It has been significantly damaged by earthquakes, weather, and vandalism but will still take your breath away.

Forum

Quite simply, the Forum was the center for daily life in any city housing government building, shops, markets, banks, etc. Cristiano said the best view of the Forum could be seen by following a path at the base of Palatine Hill.  It did not disappoint.  While we were unable to walk through the Forum, we were able to see the remains as well as other parts of Rome from this lookout point.  Having seen a much smaller version in Pompeii the day before, this was a nice contrast, and you can get a sense of how powerful Rome was. Even as ruins, the Forum is spectacular.

Trevi Fountain

As with any city, you need to plan your travel times, and we were now approaching rush hour.  Cristiano decided to squeeze Trevi Fountain in as our last stop.  He dropped us at the top of a street leading to Trevi Fountain and suggested we grab a bite to eat on our way there, and of course, a gelato on our way back.  We did just as he said.  Trevi Fountain was mobbed but we both managed to throw a coin in and make a wish to return to Rome.  Time to get back to the ship!

If you have read this lengthy description of our day, you know there is so much to see in Rome.  One day isn’t enough, but it’s what we had.  I am so glad that we had a private tour and truly couldn’t have hoped for more.  I would strongly encourage anyone to let the tour company make reservations on your behalf because they know the city, traffic patterns, and when the best times are to go.  Again, we knew that a cruise would only allow us to sample the cities we visited.  Where Rome is concerned, it was truly just a taste.  Keeping my fingers crossed that my coin in Trevi Fountain is working on my behalf!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link on this page, I may get a commission, at no cost to you. Any recommendations that I make are for products or services I have personally used and highly recommend.

7-Day Western Mediterranean

Please note that the posts about Barcelona, European Cruise and Paris relate to a single trip. The trip started in Barcelona where we stayed for two days prior to boarding a 7 day cruise. Following the cruise, we flew to Paris for two more days.

Tootsie’s Bottom Line:

o Type of Trip: International-Europe
o Travel Type: Cruise
o Cruise Line: Norwegian
o Cost: $800+/per person plus airfare
o Kid Friendly: 15+
o Tips: Check cruise to see if boarding is permitted in multiple ports and compare airfares to cities where cruise boards passengers
o Good to Know: Cruising allowed us to sample a variety of cities; there simply isn’t time to really get to know any one place well

Cruisin’ Europe

My daughter has always wanted to visit Italy and France become of great interest when she began studying French in middle school. She’d been asking for several years to visit Europe but as anybody knows, it’s incredibly expensive. She and I had the travel bug so I researched and researched to find economical ways to see as much as possible in a limited amount of time and on a BUDGET. The trip was still expensive but I feel like we maximized our dollars.

How to Travel: Norwegian Epic

A cruise quickly surfaced as the easiest way to visit several cities and allow us to enjoy day long tours but not be responsible for transportation between cities. We narrowed the broad range of cruises down based upon the cities we most wanted to see. In addition, both my daughter and I are vegetarians and far from foodies so we knew from the start, we’d hit the ground running in the morning and grab food on the go. A great meal would be a bonus, not a requirement!
I began searching cruise lines for the best price given the itineraries that were available. We’ve cruised to the Bahamas with Disney Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean before so we had some experience with those lines. Norwegian Cruise Lines offered the best price and allowed us to save money by boarding in Barcelona rather than Rome. We selected the 7-Day Western Mediterranean from Barcelona cruise on the Epic (link at the bottom of article). When I was booking, they were offering a discounted drink package which I added to my ticket. Of course, to keep costs to a minimum, we booked an interior room.
We boarded the Epic on a Sunday afternoon and found our room to be cozy but comfortable. The interior room was perfectly adequate for the two of us but if you’ve never cruised before, be aware that the rooms are tight. Clearly, it had been recently redesigned and our room was incredibly functional with lots of cubbies and smart storage solutions. We were at sea on Monday so we had the opportunity to explore the ship.

Food on the Epic:

There were lots of dining options on the Epic. As I said, we are not foodies so we didn’t opt to go to any of the upgraded dining options. We ate most of our dinners at The Manhattan Room and unlike the other cruise lines, there were no assigned seating time for meals. There was a vegetarian selection each night and we enjoyed our dinners very much. We ate breakfast at the Garden Cafe (buffet) most mornings. I enjoyed made to order omelets; they also served fresh fruit, waffles, eggs, cereal, pastries, etc. There’s surely something for everyone here.
We ate at O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill when we boarded the ship and one other evening. This was a big disappointment, maybe because we are vegetarians and this is more pub style food. In any case, I wouldn’t recommend.
We also got snacks and ice cream on the pool deck during the day at the Great Outdoors. A great place to grab a bite between meals or a late-night snack.

Entertainment on the Epic:

We splurged the first night and went to the Svedka Ice Bar. There was an up charge (around $20.00 per person) to go and it included two drinks per person. If you’ve never been to one, it’s worth the cost. Everything is made out of ice-literally everything! Before you enter, you’ll be given what you need to stay warm while you’re inside. My daughter is a minor so she enjoyed a creamsicle (non-alcoholic) while I sipped on a Northern Lights (SVEDKA Citron, Cointreau, and Blue Curacao). You’re only given 45 minutes inside but that’s plenty of time. You must have a reservation to enter so plan accordingly. We also enjoyed several nightly shows that served as a relaxing end to a long day on our feet.

Getting There:

Leah’s a high school student so our travel time is limited primarily to summer vacation. Luckily, schools here get out just before Memorial Day weekend. We seized the opportunity to travel then before the flights skyrocketed for the peak season. We flew in and out of Barcelona simply because it was the cheapest city from which to board our cruise.
Selecting our travel date came down to spending two days in Barcelona before our cruise or spending the same amount of money on a flight two days later. Slam dunk! We left two days earlier and used the time and money to see a little of Barcelona.

After the Cruise:

Since we saved money on other parts of our trip, we tacked two days on the end to travel to Paris. I’d booked rail tickets thinking it would be nice to see the country side; however, a rail strike forced us to re-book and fly from Barcelona to Paris. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to enjoy the train ride but we did make the most of our day in Paris. The additional cost incurred was painful but given the circumstances, we made the best of it.

Link to cruise from Barcelona:
7 Day Western Mediterranean from Barcelona