Forgive the length of this diatribe, but we have to tell someone!

Background

First time Kiwi cruisers not originally contemplating cruising as a preferred form of travel but decided to opt for this one as it allowed the opportunity onshore at ports in several different countries. Obviously for us "down under" the major handicap is the distance to travel to get to the ship but with a good airline (Emirates) and a stopover in Dubai it made things a little easier. We booked through a local travel agent and were transferred from Fiumicino airport to our Rome hotel, the Quirinale, as part of the package very efficiently and the hotel was just fine. Read more