This was our first Trans Atlantic trip and we did our home work in advance which paid major dividends as I will pass on. First of all we flew to Rome with a 3 day preview of this great city and it took every bit of those 3 days to rest and catch up and see as much as we could. The first night was spent being lazy and just walking in the area we reserved at a nice B&B,,,very quaint so that we could get the flavor of Rome,,,great idea as opposed to getting the major hotels which gets you stuck in areas that are just tourist traps,,,you paid all this money to see Rome,,see it the way you are supposed to. We rented a big scooter because we found out that you are not allowed into Rome ( with a rented car unless you have an authorized sticker) and having a scooter allowed us to get into areas that you can't get into with a car,,or paying tons of money for a cab,,etc. One piece of advice for riding on a scooter in Rome,,,you better not be faint of heart or you will be run over,,,you either act like a local or forget it. Being an avid motorcycle rider myself it didn't take long to "get into the spirit" of scooter-ing. See all of the local places,,they are magnificent,,the Vatican was unbelievable and having a scooter made it so easy to park,,as with everywhere we went. It made a huge difference in being able to access every place we went,,,easy in easy out. The weather was perfect so renting a scooter was made a few days before to rent one. Don't rent one if it looks like rain or bad weather,,or you are screwed!!

We booked a balcony cruise but got upgraded to a mini suite,,,great idea to get this type of room if you have the money,,or if you have enough credit with Princess they will usually upgrade you anyway,,,so stay with one cruise line so you can get these perks as it is worth it. When you are in a mini suite, esp. with a cruise this long, it is the only way to go. ALWAYS befriend your cabin steward,,,it pays big time because we do it every cruise. We invite our steward into our room to have dinner with us because they are not allowed to have the same food you and I get,,,they aren't allowed to dine with us so it was always on "the sly",,,but they will do that and then you get "perks" cuz they can purchase "goods" on the ship for you with their discount. IN the mini suite you get to order off the dinner menu just as it you were in the dining room with everyone else,,,,it's soooo nice to be able to eat on your balcony or even in your own room every nite,,private,,,better than what you are served in the main dining hall. We had our steward come in when he was able to,,,( we saved his meal for him ) and every day we had PRIMO service from him and when you factor 17 nights,,,trust me,,,it makes the difference. Each day that we were in port we would come back and get all of the deli meats and cheese from the buffet and bring it back to our balcony,,have our own wine and it was soooo nice. It was like we "owned" this ship and we had complete privacy when we wanted it.

EVery port we went to was great: Livorno was great as we went on a wine tasting tour,,,highly recommend this. IN Cannes we just were lazy and went up and down the streets,,,next time we will rent a scooter there as with every other port we will visit and rent a scooter. Being able to see these ports of call on your own is the way to go unless you like being crowed into the buses and have to listen to some droning guide tell you about areas you could give a crap about,,or with their accent and trying to make heads or tails of where the hell you are,,what they did here,,etc etc. Barcelona was great,,we should have skipped the bus tour and rented ,,,,you guessed it,,a scooter. The only port that was worth the bus tour (because this guide was really good,,,got lucky here ) was in Gibraltar,,,don't miss the caves or the gondola ride up the mountain for a view that is incredible. Cartegena was fun,,lots of shopping for souvenirs,,etc. The only port that we hated was Casablanca,,why they made a movie there or glamorized it as they do is beyond me. It is a nasty city and the people were very dirty,,esp. the men. Do not give any money to the locals or they will come out of the woodwork and follow you everywhere begging for more,,,,it was the single biggest mistake I made because I am a huge sucker for women with babies in their arms begging for money to feed their children. ONce you give them anything,,,I was swamped with literally 20 people begging,,,touching,,,pawing at me,,,I have no clue where they all came from but once they saw me giving money to this one poor lady,,it was all she wrote. Madeira, Portugal was beautiful,,don't miss anything on this island. See as much as you can and possibly rent a ,,,,yesss,,,scooter because you can get a real sense of people and the area and you can come and go as you please. Read more