Carnival Freedom 9/10/07 Grand Mediterranean

About us: mid 50's, retired and semiretired professionals. 30th cruise, 7th on Carnival, 1st on Freedom. Not terribly fussy. Travelled with a younger couple 32 & 42.

Pre-cruise. Flew KLM which was our first with them and a refreshing trip compared to our usual American and Delta. I would easily choose KLM again over other lines. Arrived in Rome 2 days early to see Rome via a private tour arranged with others we met on the boards. We stayed at the Holiday Inn West to partake of free rooms with our Priority Club Points. Although the hotel is not downtown they advertised free shuttle service from the airport and to downtown areas. True, but with limitations. The airport shuttle runs twice daily and our flight arrived a bit after the shuttle departed. Oh well. The shuttle downtown runs on a schedule which is pretty workable but I would probably not choose to stay that far out again as traffic is terrible and the transit time for the 12 mile trip downtown was 30-45 minutes.. Our private tour had contracted with Stephano to transport us by bus to the pier. Good service overall and the trip took a little over an hour. Read more