pihanettie
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2013
- Messages
- 81
Our first full day was a busy one. Temps were in the low to mid 90s in early June, I cannot imagine how much hotter it will get later in the summer. Dress accordingly, bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Also carry a plastic water bottle given by the guides. Rome has lots of fountains built into the walls or free-standing. People line up to refill their bottles. We were told by the guides that the water was safe to drink and never had any problems.
Breakfast was available starting at 7 pretty much every day of the tour and most days we met in the lobby at 9. Today we were given our headsets before we set out and met our city expert, Stephano. He was great, very kind, provided constant information. Oh, and our second guide was Marco V. I know everyone thinks their guides are the best Disney has to offer and I must chime in that Marco and Troy are now the best! Marco says there are 3 Marcos who are guides for ABD in Italy.
The material Disney sends states the Coliseum and Forum are in the morning and a walking tour of Rome in the afternoon. This order was switched for our tour; dont know if our guides did it or it will be system-wide. Marco said it would be better this way because it would be too hot to do the walking tour in the afternoon, even if we stayed in the shade the buildings would provide.
We got on a bus for a short drive to the beginning of the walking tour. We started out at the top of the Spanish steps and walked down, and were asked at the top by our guide to count the number of steps and he would ask us at the bottom. Now I watched this seasons episode of Amazing Race and they required the contestants to count the number of steps but that it was a trick because you are not supposed to count the bottom step it was part of the street below and was the same color as the street, not the steps. So we knew this trick and did not count the last step. Well apparently you are supposed to count it. Oh well. We then continued to the Trevi fountain. Unfortunately it was being cleaned so it was already drained of the water and fenced off so we couldnt throw the penny in that was provided by the guides, but we posed for a pretend picture.
On the way to the Pantheon we walked by a pretty courtyard with a church on one side.
Stephano said we had time and took us inside. It was beautiful. The ceiling was flat but painted to look higher than the windows to give an illusion of extra height. I know the pictures dont do it justice but in person you would not believe the ceiling was the same height as the windows. This was a very nice stop since it was so impressive and an unexpected surprise.
It was amazing to see (old) homes that were built into existing (really old) homes/walls.
At the Pantheon, be careful of all the Roman soldiers dressed outside interacting with tourists. They pose for pictures but it is not free and they will hassle you if you dont pay them. I made this mistake in Times Square years ago when my son wanted a picture with Spiderman. I think after this we went for lunch. The material states we were supposed to eat at ReCafe but we ate somewhere else instead, maybe because of the altered schedule. We walked though a small market to get to the restaurant. The food was very good, plates of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Another plate of grilled veges and 4 different kinds of pizza (margarita, 4 cheese, ham and vege, if I remember correctly). No one touched the last one or two, we were too full. Dessert was chocolate pear cake. We could have as many sodas as we wanted; I know the kids had at least 2. Coffee/cappuccino was included at the end. On this tour the drinks were not limited. We had lots of meals where alcohol was included and we could have unlimited sodas and hot drinks. After lunch there was some free time to shop at the market. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures but just know the food was excellent and typical pizza from Italy, not American style.
We then walked to the bus to take us to the Coliseum. We were told we would have to break into 2 smaller groups since the number of people who could be taken to the 3rd floor was limited. Marco told us last time he has there it was just ABD and Prince Harry with his guards on the 3rd floor. So half of us went with Marco and Stephano to the Forum (this was our group) and the other half to the Coliseum. I dont remember how much time we were in the Forum since I kept wishing we were in the shade of the Coliseum , but enjoyed walking and listening to Stephano. We then switched and entered the Coliseum where Disney had an additional guide join the other ABD guide, Troy. So there were a total of 4 ABD guides for this portion of the trip. Unfortunately the stage level was closed but we still had access to the underground (nice and cool) and the 3rd level. The lines outside were tremendous and 2 people joined our tour inside. They were stopped by an attendant but told the attendant they were with us. I didnt want to stop and disagree since we were on the move and I didnt want to get lost. However, we entered a turnstile area and I thought maybe they would be counting to make sure the correct number of people entered, so at that point I told the attendant the 2 people were not with our group. Security ran after them and got them and sure enough, the last 2 people in our group could not enter because the turnstile stopped working. However the attendant that I informed let them in since they knew what had happened but we still had to wait for someone to come and adjust it. Also, people tried to gain access to the 3rd level with us, but were stopped. The day was long, hot and hectic but we sure felt like VIPs.
That evening many people went for a swim at the hotels pool and then dinner was on your own. My kids were too exhausted so I walked to a place that was near the hotel that had take out sandwiches (paninis) that were good.
Breakfast was available starting at 7 pretty much every day of the tour and most days we met in the lobby at 9. Today we were given our headsets before we set out and met our city expert, Stephano. He was great, very kind, provided constant information. Oh, and our second guide was Marco V. I know everyone thinks their guides are the best Disney has to offer and I must chime in that Marco and Troy are now the best! Marco says there are 3 Marcos who are guides for ABD in Italy.
The material Disney sends states the Coliseum and Forum are in the morning and a walking tour of Rome in the afternoon. This order was switched for our tour; dont know if our guides did it or it will be system-wide. Marco said it would be better this way because it would be too hot to do the walking tour in the afternoon, even if we stayed in the shade the buildings would provide.
We got on a bus for a short drive to the beginning of the walking tour. We started out at the top of the Spanish steps and walked down, and were asked at the top by our guide to count the number of steps and he would ask us at the bottom. Now I watched this seasons episode of Amazing Race and they required the contestants to count the number of steps but that it was a trick because you are not supposed to count the bottom step it was part of the street below and was the same color as the street, not the steps. So we knew this trick and did not count the last step. Well apparently you are supposed to count it. Oh well. We then continued to the Trevi fountain. Unfortunately it was being cleaned so it was already drained of the water and fenced off so we couldnt throw the penny in that was provided by the guides, but we posed for a pretend picture.
On the way to the Pantheon we walked by a pretty courtyard with a church on one side.
Stephano said we had time and took us inside. It was beautiful. The ceiling was flat but painted to look higher than the windows to give an illusion of extra height. I know the pictures dont do it justice but in person you would not believe the ceiling was the same height as the windows. This was a very nice stop since it was so impressive and an unexpected surprise.
It was amazing to see (old) homes that were built into existing (really old) homes/walls.
At the Pantheon, be careful of all the Roman soldiers dressed outside interacting with tourists. They pose for pictures but it is not free and they will hassle you if you dont pay them. I made this mistake in Times Square years ago when my son wanted a picture with Spiderman. I think after this we went for lunch. The material states we were supposed to eat at ReCafe but we ate somewhere else instead, maybe because of the altered schedule. We walked though a small market to get to the restaurant. The food was very good, plates of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Another plate of grilled veges and 4 different kinds of pizza (margarita, 4 cheese, ham and vege, if I remember correctly). No one touched the last one or two, we were too full. Dessert was chocolate pear cake. We could have as many sodas as we wanted; I know the kids had at least 2. Coffee/cappuccino was included at the end. On this tour the drinks were not limited. We had lots of meals where alcohol was included and we could have unlimited sodas and hot drinks. After lunch there was some free time to shop at the market. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures but just know the food was excellent and typical pizza from Italy, not American style.
We then walked to the bus to take us to the Coliseum. We were told we would have to break into 2 smaller groups since the number of people who could be taken to the 3rd floor was limited. Marco told us last time he has there it was just ABD and Prince Harry with his guards on the 3rd floor. So half of us went with Marco and Stephano to the Forum (this was our group) and the other half to the Coliseum. I dont remember how much time we were in the Forum since I kept wishing we were in the shade of the Coliseum , but enjoyed walking and listening to Stephano. We then switched and entered the Coliseum where Disney had an additional guide join the other ABD guide, Troy. So there were a total of 4 ABD guides for this portion of the trip. Unfortunately the stage level was closed but we still had access to the underground (nice and cool) and the 3rd level. The lines outside were tremendous and 2 people joined our tour inside. They were stopped by an attendant but told the attendant they were with us. I didnt want to stop and disagree since we were on the move and I didnt want to get lost. However, we entered a turnstile area and I thought maybe they would be counting to make sure the correct number of people entered, so at that point I told the attendant the 2 people were not with our group. Security ran after them and got them and sure enough, the last 2 people in our group could not enter because the turnstile stopped working. However the attendant that I informed let them in since they knew what had happened but we still had to wait for someone to come and adjust it. Also, people tried to gain access to the 3rd level with us, but were stopped. The day was long, hot and hectic but we sure felt like VIPs.
That evening many people went for a swim at the hotels pool and then dinner was on your own. My kids were too exhausted so I walked to a place that was near the hotel that had take out sandwiches (paninis) that were good.
