We flew into Rome from Boston and arranged with the Triano hotel in Civitavecchia to transfer there from the airport in a private van. It cost 110 Euro (about $125) for the two of us, but it was worth it. We stayed one night to ensure that we wouldn’t miss the boat. It was reasonably priced at 94 Euro ($110) including breakfast with cappuccinos. The location was fine as we were able to walk down to the beachfront and the pedestrian shopping area in about 15 minutes. They also offered a free shuttle to the cruise terminal so we signed up for the first one to arrive early and were the second and third people to board. It wasn’t fancy, but we’d recommend it for a pre-cruise stay.

In Naples, we went out on our own to Capri on one of the ferries that were docked about a ten minute walk from the ship. It cost about $42 RT for each of us which was a little pricey but much less than the ship’s unguided transfer at $100 each. We queued for about 45 minutes to take a small crowded bus up to the town of Anacapri which costs about $6 more each. It was touristy and crowded, but we enjoyed seeing it again.

In Valletta, the ship arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon so there wasn’t time to do much. So, we went up on the elevator for 1 Euro each to the Upper Baraka Gardens and on to St. John’s Co-Cathedral. We’d been in Malta before, but we didn’t have much money then so we weren’t willing to pay the 10 Euro entrance fee. This time, we definitely didn’t want to miss it. The interior was very ornate and the included audio guide helped us to understand what we were seeing. After that, we walked around the walls of the city and the Lower Baraka Gardens and then went back down to the ship on the elevator which is free in that direction.

Ephesus is a very popular site and is certainly worth doing if you haven’t been there. Since we’ve been there four times, we took the day off and went to the Starbuck’s on the pier and each spent several hours on the internet in a comfortable chair for the price of a cup of coffee.

In Rhodes, we unfortunately arrived on a national holiday of Easter Tuesday so all of the museums and archeological sites were closed. We had planned to take a public bus to Lindos to see the acropolis there, but there was no point since you couldn’t get in. We’d hoped to see the Palace of the Grand Masters last time but it was under renovation. That’s now completed, but it was also closed so we’ll have to wait until we’re back there. We walked around the town and the walls until the rain poured down and everyone got soaked by the unavoidable rivers of water in the cobblestone streets.

In Mykonos, we’d been there before so we skipped the ship’s day pass transfer into town at $5 each and walked in the other direction over a hill to a beach to get some exercise. There’s no real sidewalk so you need to watch out for traffic, but it was fine and served the purpose.

In Venice, we skipped the "People Mover" and walked into the city where we bought a 24-hour vaporetto pass for 20 Euro (about $23) each. We went out to Murano and then continued to Burano. It took about three hours so you need to allow time for doing this as they are sometimes so crowded you can't squeeze on. Since we were in Venice overnight, we used it the next day to go to St. Marks and then wandered around getting lost until we found the train station. We then took ur last vaporetto ride back toward the ship.