Enjoy the heck out of it, savor every moment!

It's family, that's precious time anywhere but all those places, OMG!

Have fun!

How good the tour is depends on a few things: The size of the group, the size of the ship, the pace of the sight-seeing.

Too many people, or a huge city-like ship, are not good, IMHO. We've always gone on small ships with around 100 guests or so. It makes for a more intimate trip.

And if they try to stuff every minute with activities, this isn't good either, although YMMV.

Also, the type of tour director can make or break a trip like this. You want competent people who know their history, art, architecture and etc.

I would not share a cabin with my parents, but that's just me!

If you do go, have a great time, and take lots of pictures!

Not sharing with my foks but with my sister....not sure which is worse.

it is a big ship so I am going to have to do a lot of research.

Good luck with your research!

keep some crackers handy. As long as you have at least a little something in your stomach, it WILL help.

2. If you are going to do shore excursions, limit them to one a day. Our first cruise, we tried to do too much. And if you do, schedule the first few "excursions" to coincide with probable "jet-lag", then the latter ones for when you've "recovered" from the lag.

And you make a really good point about trying to do too much.

If you believe that you can just go to the dining room 24/7 and just get a snack, you've got the wrong idea. And the buffets are not constant.

Now, most of the ones I've been on had a burger/fries/pizza area up by the pool deck (usually the "Lido", IIRC) early on in the "lunch" hours, but often during the off-times, only one might be open. Never been on a European cruise, so I'm not sure about how they do the dining.

One thing we figured out was nice, if it doesn't cost extra, is to order breakfast "room service". (Mrs. ZBDent has CP and is slow to move out of bed in the AM, esp on vacation). That way, you don't have to hurry to get to your breakfast before it shuts down, and you can start your day at your pace (unless you have an excursion).

All in all, we loved our cruises, and even got Mrs. ZBDent's non-travelling cousin to go on one to Alaska (we had a larger cabin), and Momma ZBD is going on one soon, even though she was "seasick" on a river cruise (much different animals).

Looking forward to hearing good things about yours! (One day, we will go on a Eur cruise).

Try to stop in the Maldives

very relaxing. We did a cruise for our honeymoon out of Galveston (west Carribean) and it was lovely. The couple message was cool. We didn't think the food was all that great, but it was ok and plentiful. Since it was our honeymoon we upgraded to get a balcony and bathtub ... the rooms are very small but you don't really spend that much time in them. I did like to sneak out to the balcony and read though. I would definitely do another one and the Mediterranean would be my first choice, Alaska my second.

my dad has been cleared.

1. If you are going to go on any shore excursions, book them early. If you aren't, get some good guide books for the ports of call.
2. Go on only one shore excursion per day, and check the length of the excursion so that you have time to see other things in port if you want.

3. If you get to Sorrento, go to this restaurant. Ristorante Parrucchiano (La Favorita)
Corso Italia, 71, 80067 Sorrento Napoli
081 878 1321

My parents and I went to it on separate trips, and it was great both times. Magical atmosphere and good food.

We also know some good places in Rome and Florence if you want them.

4.. Keep active at sea. There are plenty of excerise classes, and the ship will have a gym and running/walking track. It's a good idea to to use them.

5. Pace your food intake. It's really easy to over do since there will be food 24/7.

Take lots of pictures and video and have a great time!

probably going to book this week so I'll have more details so....I might ask you for more ideas.

I was young when we went on our cruise (so far just one) - and I was able to take my running shoes because there was a track on the top of the boat. A fair number of walkers as well, along with a nice little gym. We went on a Royal Caribbean cruise. You understand why the cabins are small when you see everything on the boat - they really have tons for you to do.

there and would love some ideas.

In Rome, I would plan ahead. Unlike some other cities in Italy, it's not that easy to get around. Mostly because Rome is just big. I would check out what areas you want to visit and arrange to walk from one area you want to see to another. Otherwise you would have to take a cab or bus, or walk a long way through areas in which you weren't interested.

First it depends on what interests you. In particular, do you want to see ruins or modern? Or just a general overview? My thought on the varous ruins was that they were magnificent, but depressing, and I didn't want to be depressed on my vacation. If you think that looking at all the destroyed buildings would be your cup of tea, then I would suggest starting at the Coloseum and then walking through the Forum, and up to the Capitaline Hill behind the Victor Emmanuel Monument. From there, it's a short walk to Piazza Navona for lunch, then past the Pantheon (the best preserved ruin-still in use), and on to the Trevi Fountain (a must see, both during the day and at night), then up Via Del Corso to the Spanish Steps, then stroll down the Via dei Condotti to see how the other half shops (or your half). That's actually a lot of walking, which you may not want to do, but you get the idea. Try to have an area you'd like to see, next to the area that you're in so that you don't have a huge amount of walking in between.

One area that my wife and I wish we had had more time in is Trastevere. It's a lovely area of shops and restaurants.

Are you staying overnight in Rome? If you have a choice of where to stay, I would stay close to whatever it is you want to see most. If it's the Vatican, don't stay near the Forum, as that's too far to walk. Speaking of the Vatican. If you are going to take the time to go there, consider reserving a space on one of the subcrypt tours that takes you within a few yards of where St. Peter was buried. Fascinating. You must reserve at least 20 days in advance. Fax: 06-6988-5518. That may be an old number, so check in a recent guidebook. And if you're up to it, climb the Dome.

There's much more, of course. I will try to find our notes on restaurants and send some ideas on those.

I was feeling like it was such a bad idea that I nearly backed out the week before, but I'm glad I didn't and I'm going on another cruise next April. I was worried I'd be stuck on a ship with a bunch of drunk bogans, and sharing a cabin with my ADHD nephew wasn't something to look forward to, but once I got on and found myself waited on hand and foot it was awesome. When I discovered there were Fruit Tingle cocktails, I never looked back!

When are you going? Or have you been cruising and back by now?

Working on the airline tix and hotels on either end of the cruise right now.