David & I were to celebrate our 35th anniversary with a trip to Italy and were talked into a Carnival Cruise with 2 other couples. One had sailed Carnival before and thought it OK. They changed their mind on this cruise.
Living near Chicago, you never trust getting out of O'Hare on time, so we booked our own airfare and arrived 3 days early in Rome. We had hoped to drop our luggage and make our way to Vatican City as that day (Saturday) would be our only chance, since it is closed Sunday and we were to leave Monday. We were told incorrectly (by Carnival rep) that the gates closed at 12:00 and that the line was 3 hours in length and we should have bought tickets thru Carnival ahead of time, since they were not for sale that day. The next day we met another couple who heard the same discussion, didn't believe her and guess what....tickets for sale at the line, and gates were open until 6.
Leaving the hotel was a nightmare, as the cruise line did not want us arriving at pier too early. We were forced to leave our hotel early and go on a bus tour and waste 2 hours before driving to port. We saw the same things we had seen walking the previous two days. Why not let us have 2 or even 4 more hours in Rome?