My wife and I had not cruised before and booked this cruise more or less on a whim via vacationstogo.com, a US-based internet booking agency.
As an independent cruise booking, we made our own arrangements to get to and from Civitavecchia. We flew business class with British Airways from Heathrow to Rome (FCO) and back into London Gatwich from Rome (FCO). Business class allows a much more generous checked baggage allowance which we (correctly) thought would be useful for a cruise, given the formal dining requirements.
Our transfers from Rome (FCO) to and from Civitavecchia were booked directly by us on-line with RomeCabs. The transfer cost was 130 euros each way, not cheap, but a very efficient service which ensured a totally seamless and stress free travel experience. I would thoroughly recommend RomeCabs to anyone willing to pay that little bit extra for a first class service.
Great room for the price with no significant noise issues from the upper deck - deck 9 with the Lido restaurant. More than adequate room and very happy with it.