Nonvisit to Vatican on DCL cruise??

[over50visits]

It appears the two cruises next summer that are itinerary "B" (mostly Italy) both stop at the Rome port on a Sunday. IIRC, Vatican museums are closed on Sundays.

That means no visits to the Sistine Chapel. Can anyone confirm that??

I know there are many wonderful things to see and visit on this 12 day cruise, but to us the ultimate Italian destination is the Sistine Chapel, and now we cannot see that.

This reminds me of the DCL cruises to Alaska that don't stop in Glacier Bay...the ultimate destination in Alaska. That was a deal breaker for us to use DCL in Alaska.

Hope I'm wrong - we cannot take the other itinerary. We seriously may have to choose another line. Sad, because DCL is so comfortable, familiar, and provides the best experience we have found.

 

[SCFamily4]

It appears the two cruises next summer that are itinerary "B" (mostly Italy) both stop at the Rome port on a Sunday. IIRC, Vatican museums are closed on Sundays.

That means no visits to the Sistine Chapel. Can anyone confirm that??

I know there are many wonderful things to see and visit on this 12 day cruise, but to us the ultimate Italian destination is the Sistine Chapel, and now we cannot see that.

This reminds me of the DCL cruises to Alaska that don't stop in Glacier Bay...the ultimate destination in Alaska. That was a deal breaker for us to use DCL in Alaska.

Hope I'm wrong - we cannot take the other itinerary. We seriously may have to choose another line. Sad, because DCL is so comfortable, familiar, and provides the best experience we have found.

We noticed the same thing. The cruise we are booked on (the 7/25 12 day cruise) visits Rome on a Sunday, the last Sunday of the month. Based on some travel books, it appears the Vatican is open on the last Sunday of every month ... And is free. So, it is crazy busy. Evidently tours are not available that day either. Very long lines. So - we aren't sure what we are going to do yet. Definitely a bummer!

 

[CoolHandsGirl]

It doesn't completely solve your problem but if you get into the Vatican on an open Sunday, you can speedwalk all the way through the museum - popping out at the end in the Sistine chapel if you're strapped for time after waiting in long lines. Not ideal, but you will get to see that most beautiful of ceilings.

 

[over50visits]

The second cruise does stop there on the last Sunday, that may be our saving grace. Thanks for the great info!

 

[NancyIL]

My DH and I were on a Celebrity Med cruise roundtrip from Venice in May. Even though the ship stopped in Civitavecchia, we wanted to see more of Rome than what can be seen during a 12-hour port stop. We flew to Rome and spent 3 nights, took the train to Florence and spent 2 nights, then took the train to Venice to begin our cruise. It might be worth spending a little more to fly to Rome pre-cruise for a few days, and then fly to Barcelona to begin the cruise.


The Sistine Chapel is beautiful, but VERY crowded on days when you have to pay to get in. I wouldn't want to be there on a free Sunday when even more people are there! St. Peter's Basilica will be open, even if the Vatican and Sistine Chapel aren't.

 

[jdb in AZ]

"Rome wasn't built in a day." You can't see all of Rome in one day in port either. Especially on Sunday when it's crowded or closed.

The pre-cruise visit sounds a lot better.