Dis / Dreams Viking Sea Cruise around Italy 3/24 - 3/31/2018

[YZFMoose]

I went and done it. I booked the Wife and I for Italy !!!
Does this mean wife and I are 100 and 101?

**waits impatiently on confirmation email **

Any Canadians Coming?

 

[DisneyKevin]

Does this mean wife and I are 100 and 101

Actually, there are eight folks ahead of you.

This means you are 108 and 109!

I have 5 reservations ready to go tomorrow morning!

 

[christannj]

We have reached 11.7%

Chris

 

[suomyno]

I went and done it. I booked the Wife and I for Italy !!!

So now I have a full thread to catch up on and some research to do... oh darn

Though this trip might bring on our biggest relationship challenge yet: deciding who gets primary custody of the DSLR

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Question for those of you who may have already done a Vatican City tour. I am looking at tours that include the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, the skip the line early morning tours. My husband hates, and I mean *hates*, crowds. It's always a big deal for him to even do the Sail Away parties on DCL (he does it for our kids). He, #1, isn't Catholic and #2, did I mention he hates crowds? The museums, art in general, and the history of Rome hold great interest for him and of course he would go if i asked him to, but on a tour such as this, would it be realistic for him to somehow skip the Sistine Chapel part and for us to not lose track of each other to meet up after the Chapel part? I don't know how these tours are structured. Wondering if anyone can share their thoughts. Thanks.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Question for those of you who may have already done a Vatican City tour. I am looking at tours that include the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, the skip the line early morning tours. My husband hates, and I mean *hates*, crowds. It's always a big deal for him to even do the Sail Away parties on DCL (he does it for our kids). He, #1, isn't Catholic and #2, did I mention he hates crowds? The museums, art in general, and the history of Rome hold great interest for him and of course he would go if i asked him to, but on a tour such as this, would it be realistic for him to somehow skip the Sistine Chapel part and for us to not lose track of each other to meet up after the Chapel part? I don't know how these tours are structured. Wondering if anyone can share their thoughts. Thanks.

I'm going to be very honest...

Every part of the Vatican will be crowded

Once on the tour, iI believe it will be difficult to turn back or leave the tour.

The route to the Sistine Chapel (at least the one I've taken) is a bit convoluted. You may need to ask if he can leave the tour prior to heading to the Chapel.

I would suggest meeting in square / on the steps in front of the Basilica.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Please help me welcome Dave, Thomas, Bryce, Kip, Scott, Darrin, Patrick, David, Andrew and Katherine to our cruise!

 

[DisneyKevin]

I miscounted and our group now numbers 104.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Please help me welcome Dave, Thomas, Bryce, Kip, Scott, Darrin, Patrick, David, Andrew and Katherine to our cruise!

everyone!

 

[Dave Magee]

Please help me welcome Dave, Thomas, Bryce, Kip, Scott, Darrin, Patrick, David, Andrew and Katherine to our cruise!

I can speak on behalf of the first eight -- we are super excited to join and very much looking forward to it!

 

[OKW Lover]

Question for those of you who may have already done a Vatican City tour. I am looking at tours that include the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, the skip the line early morning tours. My husband hates, and I mean *hates*, crowds. It's always a big deal for him to even do the Sail Away parties on DCL (he does it for our kids). He, #1, isn't Catholic and #2, did I mention he hates crowds? The museums, art in general, and the history of Rome hold great interest for him and of course he would go if i asked him to, but on a tour such as this, would it be realistic for him to somehow skip the Sistine Chapel part and for us to not lose track of each other to meet up after the Chapel part? I don't know how these tours are structured. Wondering if anyone can share their thoughts. Thanks.

I'm going to be very honest...

Every part of the Vatican will be crowded

Once on the tour, iI believe it will be difficult to turn back or leave the tour.

The route to the Sistine Chapel (at least the one I've taken) is a bit convoluted. You may need to ask if he can leave the tour prior to heading to the Chapel.

I would suggest meeting in square / on the steps in front of the Basilica.

First, I would have to agree with Kevin that every part of the Vatican will be crowded. I'd also agree that it would be very, very difficult for him to go off on his own and still find a way to meet up later.

As far as @Cackyschmackers hubby not being Catholic goes and how that would affect the his appreciation of the tour, I'd say its really not a factor. The vast amount of the exhibits there are less about Catholicism and more about history and art. Its really an interesting museum, especially for somebody who likes art in general and history.

The Sistine Chapel is pretty much at the end of the regular museum. After that you exit into St. Peters Basilica. Both have some very, very nice pieces of art. Michelangelo's sculpture Pieta is in St. Peters and is not to be missed.

 

[christannj]

Correction to the calculation: we are actually 11.1%

Chris, the self appointed statistician

 

[YZFMoose]

Please help me welcome Dave, Thomas, Bryce, Kip, Scott, Darrin, Patrick, David, Andrew and Katherine to our cruise!

I can speak on behalf of the first eight -- we are super excited to join and very much looking forward to it!

I can speak on the last two! , We are very excited to join everyone on the cruise! (YZFMoose's First Non Disney Cruise as adult)

 

[met19]

Question for those of you who may have already done a Vatican City tour. I am looking at tours that include the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, the skip the line early morning tours. My husband hates, and I mean *hates*, crowds. It's always a big deal for him to even do the Sail Away parties on DCL (he does it for our kids). He, #1, isn't Catholic and #2, did I mention he hates crowds? The museums, art in general, and the history of Rome hold great interest for him and of course he would go if i asked him to, but on a tour such as this, would it be realistic for him to somehow skip the Sistine Chapel part and for us to not lose track of each other to meet up after the Chapel part? I don't know how these tours are structured. Wondering if anyone can share their thoughts. Thanks.

I can not comment on St Peter's as the day I went, it was closed and the Pope was out in the square. It was neat to be 5-10 ft from him though. A nice consolation prize.

We did a evening Vatican museum tour which includes the sistine chapel. The museums have one of the largest collections of art in the world- most are either Christian based or Greco-Roman painting, sculpture and maps. However, that being said, it was amazing and you do not have to be Catholic to appreciate what you are looking at. The Sistine Chapel is the last part of the Vatican museum tour, and I imagine it would be possible to meet in St. Peter's Square somewhere. However, I will echo what @OKW Lover and @DisneyKevin have said: The museums, square and St. Peters are all very crowded. Even if your DH hates crowds I recommend he check out the Sistine Chapel. It was very moving: enough that I want to go back to see it again and hopefully slightly less crowded tour if myself or @Cousin Orville can make an after hours tour work for the group which is still up in the air.

 

[met19]

Correction to the calculation: we are actually 11.1%

Chris, the self appointed statistician

I was/am the Chris appointed pre-night trip planner....

Though I believe most of up staying at the Bristol will end up at roof-top bar having a spritz.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Question for those of you who may have already done a Vatican City tour. I am looking at tours that include the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, the skip the line early morning tours. My husband hates, and I mean *hates*, crowds. It's always a big deal for him to even do the Sail Away parties on DCL (he does it for our kids). He, #1, isn't Catholic and #2, did I mention he hates crowds? The museums, art in general, and the history of Rome hold great interest for him and of course he would go if i asked him to, but on a tour such as this, would it be realistic for him to somehow skip the Sistine Chapel part and for us to not lose track of each other to meet up after the Chapel part? I don't know how these tours are structured. Wondering if anyone can share their thoughts. Thanks.

First, I would have to agree with Kevin that every part of the Vatican will be crowded. I'd also agree that it would be very, very difficult for him to go off on his own and still find a way to meet up later.

As far as @Cackyschmackers hubby not being Catholic goes and how that would affect the his appreciation of the tour, I'd say its really not a factor. The vast amount of the exhibits there are less about Catholicism and more about history and art. Its really an interesting museum, especially for somebody who likes art in general and history.

The Sistine Chapel is pretty much at the end of the regular museum. After that you exit into St. Peters Basilica. Both have some very, very nice pieces of art. Michelangelo's sculpture Pieta is in St. Peters and is not to be missed.

Just to add, some of us are looking at the Express Tour which starts before opening/the crowds arrive (thinking of for Saturday morning before heading to the port). From reviews I have read there are much lower crowds (one review said when they were in Sistine Chapel there were only 7 people in it) - but it is limited in what you see so might not be the parts of the Vatican you want to see ... but just to give you another option

https://darkrome.com/vatican-tours/vatican-tour-sistine-chapel-st-peters-basilica

 

[met19]

Just to add, some of us are looking at the Express Tour which starts before opening/the crowds arrive (thinking of for Saturday morning before heading to the port). From reviews I have read there are much lower crowds (one review said when they were in Sistine Chapel there were only 7 people in it) - but it is limited in what you see so might not be the parts of the Vatican you want to see ... but just to give you another option

https://darkrome.com/vatican-tours/vatican-tour-sistine-chapel-st-peters-basilica

I am considering this too. Depends on what info I find out regarding the vatican after hours.

 

[DisneyKevin]

For those visiting the Sistine Chapel....

As most of what you want to see is overhead, you spend a great deal of time looking up and straining your neck.

On our first visit to the Sistine Chapel, I saw other visitors using small hand mirrors to view the overhead artwork.

I have used this trick on subsequent visits and it works really well and save your neck.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I am considering this too. Depends on what info I find out regarding the vatican after hours.

My plan as well. If no dates are available for the after hours private tour, we'll do the morning express tour. I, like @Cackyschmackers husband, will probably pass without either of those options. I'd rather not fight the Vatican Museum crowds. I remember going during a "low season". Most of Italy was empty - tourism wise. No line for the Uffizi. No line for the Academia in Florence. But the Vatican was at maximum sardine packing capacity.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Thanks for everyone's input. I think we are going to go with Dark Rome Tours otherwise known as City Wonders Tours. We like the idea of the early entry into the Sistine Chapel, and we definitely want to see the museums. So we're going to go with their early entry Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums tour. Their early entry Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica tour with the crypts does not give you access to the museums, so this seems like the best bet and a priority for us. After we spend the time we'd like in the museums, I guess then we'll have to deal with the lines at St. Peters. Thanks again, Everyone.