We wanted to see a lot of places, and this cruise fit the bill. I booked many tours through Viator and CIty Wonders because the outfits guaranteed to get us to the next port if we did not return in time. We paid less money than booking Norwegian excursions and got to experience more things, based on talking with other people when back onboard ship.

We also booked a driver for the day to see the Amalfi Coast. It was a splurge at 450 euros. But, our driver, Antonio, tailored the day to our interests: seeing the Amalfi Coast towns, stopping at scenic points for photos, shopping the market in Sorrento (where limoncello and olive is made), eating at Ristorante Zio Sam where food is grown across the street and served on a covered terrace overlooking Salerno Bay, and an hour stop at Pompei. In contrast, people on the ship's bus tour couldn't get as far up the coast as we did and ate at a "whack" pizza shop. (amalficoasttours.com)

Before our cruise, we spent three days in Rome. Since we stayed close to the Vatican, we took a taxi to St. Peter's Train Station -- a straight shot to Civitachecci, rather than backtrack to Termini Station. The train ride was about an hour. When we arrived, we bought public bus tickets at the station's restaurant to get to the port shuttle bus. We arrived just as the embarkation process started; it was smooth, and we were on the ship in less than 10 minutes. Read more