My 3 best friends and I planned this trip to celebrate my sister-in-law's retirement. We planned to go 3 days early and visit Rome before boarding the ship. We booked cruise, tours, transfers and hotel all on line. After landing, our transfer took us directly to our hotel, DeLaVille Intercontential in downtown Rome. This hotel is a little pricey, but much worth it. Our rooms had little balconies opening onto a beautiful courtyard with antique french doors. Each balcony had beautiful flowers growing in pots even though it was November. The rooms were refreshing, beds wonderful and staff top notch. I would highly recommend this hotel with it's European flair and immaculate care they give to their customers.

We had booked several days of tours with a company called "All Around Italy". Our guide and owner, Fabrizio was prompt, courteous, knowledgeable and very entertaining. He took us to Florence, Rome, then picked us up from the ship in Naples (Amalfi Coast and Pompeii) and into Tuscany after we disembarked from the ship. This was definitely the high-light of our trip. I would highly recommend using this company for any private or group tours. He knows people every where and can individualize your tour as you like. He took us to authentic restaurants off the beaten path for the best Italian food we have ever had. Hands down, he's the best!

We boarded the Costa Magica on Saturday, November 5. All four of us were pleasantly surprised over the smoothness of the boarding process. All of us had been on cruises before, but never had we seen such ease with boarding. Before we knew it, we were on and so was our luggage! Read more