• Trip: Rome and Cruise through Italy and Greece (Norwegian Breakaway)
• Dates: September 1 – 15, 2023
• Who: Me (Jess), Emily (one of my best friends), Beverly (my mom), Jeff (my stepdad), Jen (my aunt), and Lisa (well, for now) my sister Megan.

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Warning: This is a wordy post with zero to no photos. Truly, a planning post.

We originally booked this trip in the Summer of 2022. However, we really didn’t start the planning process until Spring 2023. Until then, we were browsing through our options, watching YouTube, and reading different blogs. I tend to be a lazy researcher and then I’ll zero in.

In April, Lisa decided that she really couldn’t take the trip. For a couple of weeks, we weren’t sure who would room with Jen and the final payment was due in May. After a slight bit of freaking out, my sister decided that she would be able to join us. This sounds easy, but she’s the mother of my extremely adorable niece and nephew. Beyond normal day to day of two elementary aged children, my niece is a Type-1 Diabetic. With the people on the ship being all of the babysitters for our little T1Der, this meant my brother-in-law would be by himself for two weeks, with NO backup. We believe that it takes a village in our family and try to help as much as we can. He’s not a saint, but it was a tall order.

Pre-Cruise

The first order of business was figuring out Rome. Our flights were being booked by NCL, so we didn’t have those details, yet. Jeff went ahead and booked a hotel and transfer to the port through NCL. After doing a little research, I figured out that it would be more economical to do it on our own. My mom was NOT thrilled with being separated from the rest of us, lol. However, it would be her and Jeff in one location, while Jen, Emily, Megan, and I would be somewhere else.

I found an AirBnb that had good reviews, fit the specifications we wanted, and was decently priced for a one night stay. Originally, the location played a part in choosing it because it was about a block from where my parents were staying. We then found out that their hotel had been changed, so we wouldn’t be near them. Oh, well. It wasn’t the *best* apartment I’ve ever stayed in, but I will say that I would recommend it for a short stay.

As with our pre-cruise from 2022, we wanted to maximize our time in Rome. We would be staying two nights after the cruise, but wanted to be smart about it (which would turn out to be a good thing). The website IterItaly had options to pick us up from the airport, take us on a three hour “orientation” tour of the city, and then drop us off at our respective lodgings. As we would be arriving mid-morning and couldn’t check in until after 2pm, this worked for our needs. We would get to at least “see” the major sites, grabbing a quick picture at each. Totally fine for what we needed.

To get to the port, my parents were taking a NCL arranged bus. The rest of us booked another private transfer with IterItaly. I’ll probably say more in the individual posts and review, but I would HIGHLY recommend this company. They are extremely reasonable in price, all the vehicles were clean and nice, and the drivers were all prompt.

Post-Cruise

Upon returning to Civitavecchia, we would have two nights in Rome to do any additional exploring. With there being six of us, it was definitely cheaper to rent an AirBnb than doing hotel rooms. I originally found a place close to Trevi Fountain. However, about two weeks before we would leave on our trip (four weeks before the stay), AirBnb cancelled the place due to quality issues. I panicked a bit, but quickly found several alternatives. None of them were in the Trevi neighborhood, but all had their pros. Eventually, I settled on one in the Trastevere neighborhood. My main deciding factors were: equally located from points of interest in the city, highly recommended area, and the reviews specifically mentioned great A/C, lol. I cannot recommend this AirBnb enough. It was phenomenal!!! It was plenty of room for all six of us, the water pressure and temps were great in the showers, the beds were incredibly comfortable, the A/C was amazing, and the area was super cute/convenient.

As far as activities, one thing we all agreed on was wanting to tour the Vatican. You can’t go to Rome and NOT, correct?! A few blogs I read recommended TakeWalks – Complete Vatican Tour. The plan was as follows: IterItaly private transfer from port to Rome; store luggage near AirBnb; find something to eat; Uber to tour meeting spot; Vatican tour; Uber back to luggage storage; AirBnb. That would leave time for dinner or an evening tour if we wanted.

We all decided that we would leave the last day for a little spontaneity. There were plenty of things we could do and plenty of ways to do them.

For the morning we were leaving, my parents were on a completely different flight plan as the rest of us. I went ahead and booked two airport transfers through IterItaly, one for them and one for us. Again, it was a great experience.

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Italy/Greece 2023 Trip Report (September 1 – 15, 2023)
– The Beginning (Vivi Alla Giornata!)
– The Planning Process (Rome)
– The Planning Process (Greece Ports)
– The Planning Process (Italy Ports)
– Flight Confusion
– Day 0: Leave for Rome (September 1, 2023)
– Day 1: Rome Arrival and City Tour (September 2, 2023)
– Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)
– Day 3: Sea Day (September 4, 2023)
– Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)
– Day 5: Athens (Piraeus), Greece (September 6, 2023)
– Day 6: Mykonos, Greece (September 7, 2023)
– Day 7: Olympia (Katakolon), Greece (September 8, 2023)
– Day 8: Valletta, Malta (September 9, 2023)
– Day 9: Messina (Sicily), Italy (September 10, 2023)
– Day 10: Naples, Italy (September 11, 2023)
– Day 11: Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy (September 12, 2023)
– Day 12: Disembark and Vatican City (September 13, 2023)
– Day 13: Rome (September 14, 2023)
– Day 14: Leaving Rome (September 15, 2023) and Some Final Thoughts

Related Reviews
– IterItaly (Private Tour: Rome 3-Hour Orientation Tour)
– Shore Excursions Group (Exclusive Santorini, Oia, and Winery Tour)
– Shore Excursions Group (Hop-On, Hop-Off Athens Highlights Tour)
– Shore Excursions Group (Exclusive Mykonos Old and New)
– Shore Excursions Group (Spirit of Olympia and Magna Grecia Farm)
– Shore Excursions Group (Taormina and the Blue Grotto)
– Amalfi Driver (Private Tour: Sorrento, Positano, and Limoncello Tour)
– Bella Italia Tours (Private Tour: Florence, Pisa, and Chianti Wine Tour)
– AirBnb (Termini Train Station Area)
– AirBnb (Trastevere Neighborhood)
– Norwegian Breakaway