Sunshine-n-Wine

We started planning this enormously intimidating trip a year and a half out.  There is so much information to include that I also started setting up this post way early.  I'm a planner deep into my bones. Cruise transportation Public buses between the train station and port are €2, not €1 as stated on the Cruise Critic forums. Buses run very sporadically so you will need to plan on standing around waiting for a while. The shuttle runs far more frequently from port gate to the check-in area but still plan a little extra time.  Also, hold onto your bus tickets if you don't validate on the way there. They didn't check or ask for ours so we used them on the ride back. We self-debarked with our luggage at 6:30am and got to the train station at 7:30. Our train left at 10. Next time I would book an earlier train. The Ship We booked Rhapsody of the Seas, 9-nights out of Rome, because of the excellent itinerary.  We booked the cheapest inside cabin (Category Q) because we wa

We spent 3 days in Rome and 3 days in Venice pre- and post-cruise.  Here is the breakdown of cities, transportation, apartment rentals, food, sites/museums, etc. Trains and Transportation FCO airport to Rome: We used RomeCabs for a private transfer to our apartment. Great service and highly recommend. €55 total + tip Getting around Rome: We bought a RomaPass , which allows free rides on public transportation during the period of activation. We didn't swipe our cards at all, though, and the drivers didn't enforce it. We paid for the cards but others may have been riding free. Train Travel: We pre-booked travel via  Trenitilia .  Be sure to book as soon as the dates become and be ready to buy the tickets at that moment.  Do not back out to the previous page, open in another browser, or think too long.  The price would literally go up a couple times within a few minutes because I was bumbling around the website.  So my advice is get on before your dates are available and