7.5.16 Rome

From Glenn:

Well, I can now say I have experienced Rome.   We were on the Inside the Vatican, Colliseum and St Peter's Basilica tour.  Our day started with early wakeup and we had breakfast at Ocean Plaza (deck 5) at 6:45.  Good selection consisting of eggs, sausage, bacon and hash browns. Also had hot and cold cereal. Once again I found the coffee to be the best of any Carnival cruise although I know coffee is a very personal choice.

We went to the Liquid Lounge at 7:15, quickly got our tickets (corrected our mistake from earlier thisbweek) and only had to sit for a few minutes before our bus number was called. We rolled out of Port at 745.  Once onboard we were issued audio guide receivers with headsets which the tour guide in room would use.  It was a good touch that they made sure they worked on the way. More about these later.  They made one stop on the way at a gas station as a rest room stop. It seemed unnecessary but once we got to the Colliseum it became obvious why they did it  since having people take off to find the rest rooms would have been a major challenge.

We were parked nearby the Colliseum at 10:30 and inside by 11.  It is so much larger than you can imagine with so many gates. We were able to spend about 40 minutes including 20 minutes free time. Enjoyed this very much since some parts are nicely restored.

Bring water bottles- there were a couple of places to refill.  Next stop was near the Vatican Museum.

We got there about 12:40 and we're given free time for lunch or shopping until 1:30.  We quickly found an Irish Pub (perhaps not what we had hoped to find) but we wanted to make sure we had time to order something and eat it before we had to meet back up with our bus-mates and the guide. The meal was nice. They actually had no Irish food.  I had a decent piece of lasagna and my wife had fettuccine. I had a couple of local beers.

We met up with our guide at 130 and what came next was the most challenging part of the day - certainly in retrospect.  We toured through room after room of most of the Vatican collection of statues, tapestries, mosaics and other art. Truly overwhelming how much the Vatican has in it's possession.  And it was done at a whirled wind pace so it was hard to really understand what you were racing past. Plus there were hundreds of other people and in most rooms you were shoulder to shoulder. So it made it very hard to keep up with your guide and hear what was being said.  You would often be too far away from the guide to have a good connection or you would get 'cross talk" and hear a different guide speaking sometimes in a language that wasn't your primary language. ;-)  So that made this part frustrating especially since many area are not air conditioned and you go up and down many stairs. Bring your fit bit to count. My FIL said his fit bit had almost 4 miles after we were done. We did get to the Sistene Chapel which was pretty amazing in person after only having seen pictures in books.

The last part of of tour was St Peter's Basilica and Square.  Truly amazing since I had no idea how large that building was. Beyond the amazing intricate dome are more marble sculptures than I could count. Hard to imagine how they were made with the tools of the day.  I think I could have toured just this place withoit the Vatican and been very happy.  We ended the tour in St Peter's Square which is another place where you don't realize how big it really is.   One million people can easily fit there.

Would I recommend seeing these places?  Yes.  If you want to do this specific  tour be prepared for crowds and heat. I hear there are VIP tours available but don't know how they would avoid crowds unless they go after hours and of course that doesn't work for a cruise.  Getting to Rome from the port is a big investment of your time.  This tour  (and I think all of them) certainly take you to a lot of places so you don't feel "cheated".  I just didn't need as much Vatican. Glad I saw it, checked a few places off my bucket list but don't think I would go back to Rome again. Too many other places in Italy to visit.

Before dinner, we tried the Alchemy Bar. I had a Manhattan with brown sugar that was very good. Angie had a refreshing cucumber sunrise. We were happy to get a seat since that bar has been very busy. 

Dinner was very good.  They had escargot which I look forward to like some people look forward to lobster. They were best of any Carnival cruise. Also had what is becoming my staple starter the kale caesar. Had two mains:  short ribs (very tender, moist and seasoned well) and lasagna  which is something I never make but really enjoy Carnival's recipe. No dessert tonight.

The music game show was a lot of fun - a great way to get people dancing and interacting. Matt knows how to get it done. Angie's mom and Mark got a little time on the microphone leading everyone in song. Spent about 30 minutes in the casino and made a $12 donation. So .40 per minute of entertainment. ;-)