General

Ground Transportation

Local Knowledge will be providing recommendations for private ground transfer options very soon. We highly recommended private transfers between the port and the airport and/or City Center. If you join a few fellow passengers traveling in the same direction and share a ride you will find a much more pleasant beginning, or end, to your Mediterranean holiday at near the same expense as the alternatives (and without slugging luggage around narrow, busy cobblestone streets in the midday sun). More information coming soon.

Travel Time to/from Port: Travel time by automobile to/from the port in Civitavecchia to the airport (FCO) is approximately one hour depending on traffic; Travel time to the Rome city center by automobile is approximately 1.25 hours depending on traffic.

Weather

On average in mid-September one can expect daily high temperatures in the low to mid 80‘s and lows from the low to mid 70‘s with occasional thunderstorms. Expect sea water temperatures from the mid to low 70’s. Many say September is arguably the best month of the year to visit the region. The temperatures of both the air and sea are still very comfortable, the huge summer crowds are gone, rainfall is still relatively low and sunshine is still relatively high.

A light jacket or cover-up may be useful for cool evenings. A compact/packable waterproof rain jacket with hood is recommended. While you hope not to have to break it out, it would be a shame to miss out on an extended period or even a full day of valuable vacation time if some poor weather should happen your way.

Local Dress/Attire

A Smart Casual dress code is acceptable in all restaurants & bars. Wearing only your Swimwear (bikinis and boardshorts) throughout the piazzas, shops & bars is
discouraged. Make sure you are always covered. As most destinations we will be visiting are discoverable only on foot, comfy shoes are a must. Many streets,
piazzas & pathways are made with cobble stones, so not ideal for high heels. As most beaches consist of pebbles and stones, some type of water compatible beach shoe or sandal would be beneficial. See below under "Ship" for recommended attire onboard.

In Church- respectable church dress codes are applicable in all Churches. Shoulders must be covered at all times.

Local Business Hours

Typical Restaurant Hours in Italy are 12:30pm-3:30pm and 7:30pm-11:30pm. However, in many tourist destinations, hours may vary greatly during the season with some establishments open throughout the day. Reservations are highly recommended; Shops- (excluding grocery stores) usually open at 10:00 am and close at 1:30 pm for morning hours, then open again at 4:30 pm and remain open until 8:00 pm for the afternoon and evening. In tourist areas and during summer these hours may vary.

Riposo- During riposo (Italy's midday siesta), most museums, churches, shops, businesses- just about everything except restaurants- lower the shutters and lock the doors so that proprietors can either go home (or head to a local trattoria) for a long lunch and perhaps a snooze during the day’s hottest hours. This traditional early afternoon shutdown varies from business to business, but usually lasts about 90 minutes to two hours. It may begin anywhere from noon and 1:30pm and run until anywhere from 2:30 to 4:00pm. At first this break can be extremely annoying to the tourist, especially if you’re on a tight sightseeing schedule, but after a while you get used to it. Learn to take the riposo and revel in it. If your time is short, make sure you know which sights (often churches) will be open during riposo and save them to visit at that time.


Destination Specific

Rome

Helpful Websites: Wandering Italy; Rome Toolkit.

Amalfi

Helpful Websites: Amalfi info.

Amalfi Beaches- Amalfi Beach Guide Website.

Hiking and Trekking- Footpaths on the Amalfi Coast; Amalfi Coast Online (downloadable maps).

Positano

Helpful Websites: Positano.com.

Positano Beaches-  Positano Beach Guide Website.

Hiking and Trekking- Footpaths on the Amalfi Coast; Amalfi Coast Online (downloadable maps).

Capri

Helpful Websites: Capri.com.

Bonifacio

Giglio

Helpful Websites: Giglio Info.


Ship Related

Cruise Documents

Cruise documents will be emailed to you between 4 and 6 weeks out from the cruise dates.

Embarkation (Gettin' On)

Civitavecchia (port of Rome)
Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017
Embarkation: 4:00pm (begins)
All passengers must be onboard by 6:00pm*

We will board the Royal Clipper beginning at 4:00pm on Saturday, September 9, 2017 in the port of Civitavecchia, approximately 45 miles from the city center of Rome. All passengers will be required to present identification and cruise ticket/papers to local officials upon entering the secured port facility. Passengers will then check-in with cruise line personnel dockside, submit cruise documents, and submit all luggage for a security/x-ray screening. Upon boarding the ship your embarkation process will be completed where a ship steward will escort you to your cabin.

You will be free to explore the ship and the tropical bar will be open for welcome beverages and appetizers with dinner beginning at 7:30pm.

Disembarkation (Gettin' Off)

Civitavecchia (port of Rome)
Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017
Disembarkation: 8:00am- 10:00am
All passengers must disembark by 10:00am

We return to the port of Civitavecchia early morning on Saturday, September 16, 2017. Passengers will only be able to begin disembarkation after the ship has cleared immigration and customs sometime between 7:00 and 8:00am. The ship is scheduled to arrive in the port between 6:00am and 7:00am. Local customs and immigration officials will board the ship and once they have cleared the ship passengers will be allowed to disembark. We do not recommend planning on this to commence prior to 8:00am. Breakfast will begin early allowing time for passengers to eat before completing their final checkout with the Pursers upon departure.

Ground Transportation: More information on ground transfers to/from the airport and city center forthcoming.

Onboard Charges

All purchases you make onboard the ship during the week will be charged to your onboard passenger account. This includes purchases at the bar, beverages and/or wine service in the dining room, gift shop, and excursions booked through the ship. During embarkation you will be asked to provide the ship with a credit card which they will make an imprint and return to you immediately. One per stateroom unless you prefer to create multiple passenger accounts per stateroom (see below). At the end of the cruise you will be given an itemized copy of your account balance prior to disembarkation for review. If satisfactory your credit card will be charged and your account will be settled. Should you find any discrepancies you will be given the opportunity to rectify with the pursers office before departing.

Multiple Passengers Sharing Stateroom- if there are multiple passengers sharing the same stateroom you may request to setup individual accounts by providing separate credit cards. Onboard charges throughout the week will be charged to the specific individual(s) and the account satisfied at the end of the cruise as explained above.

Onboard Dress/Attire

Recommended Dress Onboard the Ship: No jackets required! Overall the recommended cruise attire is resort casual. Beach attire on-deck during the days. Indoor dining areas during the day require shorts, wraps, shirts, footwear, and no bathing suits. Evenings in the dining room are best for dress shorts, pants (slacks or jeans), dress t-shirts and collared casual shirts/polos (no tank tops) for men. Skirts, sundresses, dress shorts, slacks, jeans, etc. for women. There will be one evening which we will have the "Captain's Dinner" in which some passengers may choose to dress slightly more formal than the rest of the week but not required by any means. A light long-sleeved shirt is recommended for the evenings as the trade winds can get a little cool on recently sunbathed skin. See above for recommended attire ashore.