ciao bella

Rome. Wow.
We had the Highlights of Rome and the Vatican Museum excursion. It was a long day but I think worth it. The first part of the trip is a bus tour that went around most of “ancient Rome” We went to the Trevi fountain and then were given some free time. free time was based on how much time we had left before lunch was scheduled. We got about 40 minuets. In that period of time, Bill and I were about to walk to the Pantheon and to Piazza Navarro and get a taste and feel of a little of Rome. We then had to walk a ways to meet our bus and go to lunch. Lunch was at best ok but it sustained us and provided working wash rooms. We then walked a ways back to our bus and then drove through the Villa Borghese. We met our Vatican guide outside the Vatican and then waited in the security line for the museum for about 15-20 min. it really wasn’t a bad wait but it was very hot outside. Once through security we were allowed to use the washrooms while our guide bought our tickets. And then….

Our Vatican museum tour was wonderful. there is so much to see that we have to come back. Our guide gave wonderful descriptions and enough time to see what we saw but I feel like there is so much more. Went we got to the Sistine chapel we were given about 20 min to enjoy all the frescos. It was amazing! After the chapel we went to the basilica and saw all the amazing sculptures and mosaics. The pieta was breathtaking, though I do wish we could have gotten closer. After a tour of the basilica, we went out to Saint Peter’s Square and then had some gelato. We were then given about 20 min to shop for souvenirs.

Ok this part is for all of you DISers: This tour is not like the description.. The 2-2.5 hours for free time doesn’t exist. We had 40 min but other buses on our tour got as little as 20 min. The buses didn’t all drive through the same paths and it sounds like much of your tour experience is dependant on the guide. 2 of the 3 couples at our table did the same tour as we did, one on a different bus the other was with us. The last couple at our table did the VIP tour and for the money they said they were disappointed. There guide didn’t talk the entire ride to Rome. And they said they felt like too much was being squeezed into their days so they never had a chance to stop and really see anything. We liked our tour and we had an excellent guide at the Vatican. BUT if we didn’t have the 40 min on our own we would have been very disappointed. The tour was nothing like the description on the Disney website. It was good but not was had been advertised.

-Sarah


I have a couple of extra comments I’ll share as well.

First off, I’ll talk a little more about olbia yesterday. We didn’t do an excursion and it was a good thing too. The town itself is very small and it was Sunday, so 9 out of every 10 stores were closed. We got gelato, so it wasn’t all bad I suppose. But really, the town is a work in progress. Literally every other building was under construction. Once you step off the boat, you will see that a lot of money is being put into the area. Even the palm trees were freshly planted. That bodes well for the future, but for now, we found it to be boring. Sure, those of you in cruises hitting the island NOT on Sunday will probably find the streets with a bit more life, but other than quaint, I can’t say much more about it. Given that, we really enjoyed our time at the spa – very relaxing and very unique.

Ok, back to rome. My overall impression about rome was that city was simply too busy. Chaotic street layouts, a lot of history, plenty of cars and very little public transportation means that everything has a wait. As sarah said before, we got 40 minutes of free time. Disney clearly did not factor in Italian traffic. Going into the city we were lucky – traffic was bad, but also normal. The traffic going in the opposite direction had 3 accidents and was backed up for miles. That could have easily been us. Also, roman streets were not designed for gigantic motor coaches, so there were limited routes that were available to us.

Because Italians drive on the right side of the road, I recomment sitting on the right side of the bus. You get the better angles for the quick pics for the majority of sites. People with little ones needing strollers have a hard time with this excursion – many of the places we went did not have elevators, but had plenty of stairs…

For me, lunch sucked. It’s a crude description, but it fits so well. The restaurant basically tried to “cater” the 5 bus loads of tourists but came up short. Service was machine-like and the food was “eh.” Because of the sheer numbers, wait staff could only serve the food and could not follow up on requests. We had a salad with tuna fish to start (yeah, I had that reaction too, and I like fish!) some overcooked lasagna and then the saddest little prep bowl of tiramisu I’ve ever not finished. I hate to think what I actually paid for that meal…Two thumbs down for me.

The Sistine chapel. Michaelangelo was definitely a “master painter.” The frescos were certainly awe inspiring, but the environment that they’re in is poor. The chapel is not lit with artificial light so it’s rather dark and dingy inside. Also, the constant “please no photos” and “silence please” issued by the security guards (that nobody pays attention to) were incredibly annoying. The room is not air conditioned or ventilated properly – so adding in 400 already hot and sweaty people means the rooms is kinda gross. and really people, don’t take pictures – just enjoy what you can. You don’t want to be an ignorant and ugly American..

Finally, my favorite sight to see in rome had to be st. peters basilica. The sheer magnitude and scale that it was created in was something to behold. You just don’t get that kind of opulence in today’s buildings.

I’m sure everybody has questions, so fire away. We’ll try posting pics tomorrow as things are giving us trouble.Tomorrow is la spezia which means we’re doing the cinque terre area of the Italian Riviera on our own. Can’t wait.

-bill