nzdisneymom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2003
Jumping Back does not take you to see the Sistine Chapel so if you want to see that, then don't do Jumping Back.
The train ride was ok - we were the last family onboard and there was an extra DCL CM who joined the tour so the seating was off and they very nearly put us in a whole separate car but I insisted that they not - I didn't want to be "forgotten" or not know where to get off or what to do, etc. Then the other guests were all situated such that we couldn't sit together - DH sat in the back, someone did move so that I could sit with one of our boys and the other one had to sit with someone else (they were 9 and 11 at the time). When we returned, we made sure to be first on the train so at least for the train ride back we could be together. Also at the lunch because we were one person over, there weren't enough seats at the tables designated for our tour, and because the other guests spread themselves out like they did, we were nearly last coming in and there were not four seats together nor would people move so we could sit two and two - I wasn't going to have the boys sit alone (if it had been just DH and me, we would've been ok). So we were put at a separate table off from everyone else. Out of all the DCL excursions we've taken, this was the worst in terms of those sort of logistics which I blame on having an extra person and the inconsideration of the other guests to be aware of others. Because of that experience, though, I think we are more in tune with what's happening with the other guests on our excursions and we try to make sure we aren't prohibiting others from being able to be together and/or we'll split up to help accommodate someone else's family if necessary. This was all back in 2007 and our first "REALLY BIG" excursion of the trip (and our first international trip as a family so we were already a bit stressed from that).
Anyway, the train ride itself was ok - I don't remember how long it took but we did get to see some of the countryside along the way. And Peter Pan was on the train with us! He came in our car about 15 minutes before we got to the station in Rome and "cockadoodledooed" really loudly (and woke up my 11 yr old who was cranky from that). It was a hoot - I loved that Peter Pan had come on the trip to Rome with us!
From the train station, they escorted us to a bus where our tour guide met us - the way they set it up, we had a tour escort from Civitavecchia to the train station and they stayed with us on the tour and then got us back to the port - but we had a separate tour guide. We had the headsets and our guide was FABULOUS! We think out of all the DCL excursions we have done, she was the BEST tour guide we had - she was knowledgeable, informative, and kept a good pace but not too fast as to lose anyone. Her English was impeccable. The logistics of the sites were great - we didn't have long waits or anything.
One thing about this tour was that there was only one opportunity to do any souvenir shopping and it was at the "restroom stop" in a shop near the Vatican before we got on the bus to go back to the train. Also when we got near the train station, they hurried us off the bus and we had to basically run to get the train.
We did all the things that the tour outlines in the description. I absolutely loved the Pantheon and the stories that go with it. We enjoyed tossing our coins into the Trevi Fountain. We enjoyed getting a drink from one of the street water spouts (it's as cold and fresh as they say it is). The time inside St. Peter's was good but not too long - it's beautiful in there and so full of history. We had a little time to stand and gawk in Vatican Square.
We chose this particular excursion in 2007 for a couple of reasons - 1, we wanted to do a tour that went inside the colosseum and not just a drive-by or walk around the outside, and 2, we didn't want to spend 1/2 day or more at the Vatican which is what many of the other tours did.
It was a really hot day, too, and the excursion gave us bottled water, but definitely plan for a hot day and take snacks with you (no time to stop and purchase any) if you or family members need nourishment along the way (we had snacks for the bus rather than snacking while walking). They put us on the bus between some sites, but there was still quite a bit of walking which was fun to see Rome from the streets rather than the tour bus window.
Sounds great dorothyn.
