Trip planning can just be as exciting as the actual trip itself — and it can also be just as overwhelming!  Our cruise ends just outside Rome, Italy on Saturday, July 22nd.  We will take a taxi to the train station and then a train into Rome…and then???  Yeah, exactly.  Rome is HUGE and some travelers can spend over a week there.  We do not quite have that much time, but I do want to allow for enough time to see the major sites and not be on the constant Go-Go-Go.  The first thing I had to decide on is where to stay.  And after much research reading books, blogs and travel advice forums it seems to be the neighborhood of Travestere is where we will stay.  It has a great location close to most attractions and has easy public transportation available.  As for our days of sightseeing, I’ve decided on this rough outline:

Saturday 7/22:  Taxi and train to hotel, check in by 5:00pm, walk around and check out the neighborhood

Sunday 7/23:  Tour the Forum and Coliseum

Monday 7/24:  Tour the Vatican and Sistine Chapel

Tuesday 7/25:  Day trip to Tivoli and visit Villa D’Estate and Villa Adrianna

Wednesday 7/26:  “Rest Day” – stroll the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps, both within a half hour walk of our hotel

Thursday 7/27:  Depart Rome to ???

It seems like we have to much time in Italy, but the more I read up about places the more I find that “I want to go there too!” but there just isn’t enough days to do it all.  I am also keeping an eye out for incredible cruise deals leaving from Rome.  The cruises I am tracking haven’t had any fire sales that would change our plans, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next several weeks for anything that comes up.  As a matter of fact, there is a smoking good deal now, but we wouldn’t be able to catch our flight out of Milan and back to the US.  Here is the deal:

11 day cruise on the Norwegian Spirit for a rock bottom fare of $590.  Add in port and taxes and it comes to $776.  Add in the tips/gratuities for the crew of $14 per person, per day and that comes to $154.  Add everything up and the total price is $930.  Divide that by 11 days and it is around $84.50 per person, per day which definitely hits our sweet spot of cruise pricing.  Here is the full itinerary:

We would book this cruise if it only arrived back to Rome a day before.  As it stands, our flight leaves at 4:00pm on that Thursday from Milan and there are too many variables and possible setbacks that would prevent us from getting back to Milan on the same day.  So as far as this vacation deal, we will have to pass.