[P1]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

It's been 8 years of boring all-inclusive resorts where we do nothing but sit on the beach. I'm ready for some action.

I would seriously reconsider. Short trip, a whole herd of people schlepping along and just going from one place to another. That doesn't sound enjoyable whatsoever.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

It's been 8 years of boring all-inclusive resorts where we do nothing but sit on the beach. I'm ready for some action.

Agree with the “full itinerary” comment and also can relate to the “more action” comment. Personally I am not a fan of sitting on the beach/poolside for a week.

The itinerary sounds good - plan some rest periods during the day (e.g. down mornings) and prepare for some meltdowns in your group. It happens because of (mild) culture shock, jet lag and general fatigue from moving around and brain constantly in navigation mode. All good!

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by P1

I would seriously reconsider. Short trip, a whole herd of people schlepping along and just going from one place to another. That doesn't sound enjoyable whatsoever.

Originally Posted by chassis

Agree with the “full itinerary” comment and also can relate to the “more action” comment. Personally I am not a fan of sitting on the beach/poolside for a week.

The itinerary sounds good - plan some rest periods during the day (e.g. down mornings) and prepare for some meltdowns in your group. It happens because of (mild) culture shock, jet lag and general fatigue from moving around and brain constantly in navigation mode. All good!

Definitely appreciate all the perspective and advice. The days themselves aren't packed, so I'm hoping that makes up for the constant moving. For example, on day 1, the entire morning/afternon is completely free for us to get adjusted to the time zone difference and just relax after the long flight the day prior. Only in the evening do I have a tour of the Vatican scheduled.

On day 2, I have an early morning tour of the Colosseum scheduled, but by noon we'll be completely free to head back to the airbnb to relax/nap, and can pop out for dinner later if we want.

The other days are similar - half day of activity followed by half day of downtime. The only exception being the day trip to Plitvice Lakes in Croatia - that'll likely be a full day.

We've done itineraries in the past pre-kids similar to this and have loved it. But it's been a long 8 years of sedentary resort vacations, and now since we're bringing the nanny along to help with the kids, the hope is we'll capture some of that hectic trip magic that we've loved in the past.

[chassis]

Good plan to plan days half full.

Day 2 will be tough with jet lag, so good to get up and at ‘em in the morning with a chance to recharge in the afternoon.

[DocL]

We are going to be in Rome next weekend, I made a reservation at the tourist trap Il Vero Alfredo for the kids. I'm looking for a small family style restaurant with good seafood. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated? Also looking for some good lunch places too.

[Alfisti]

OP has made up his mind, I am not a guy that likes to do nothing on vacation but I still feel there's way too much here, you're travelling basically every second day. But each to his own.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

OP has made up his mind, I am not a guy that likes to do nothing on vacation but I still feel there's way too much here, you're travelling basically every second day. But each to his own.

To be fair, it was a collective minds of everyone in the group. I did try to remove one of the locations to slow things down a bit, but they want to see everything.

That's fine, we'll make the best of it and live out of our suitcases. I think even a hectic trip, if it's well planned, can go smoothly.

All of our accomodations are booked, currently in the process of booking transfers/transportation. Have some guided tours booked to help minimize standing in line. And for the most part, days are limited to just a half day of activity while the 2nd half of the day is totally open for whatever we decide to do (rest, go explore, eat, whatever).

[DocL]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

...All of our accomodations are booked, currently in the process of booking transfers/transportation. Have some guided tours booked to help minimize standing in line. And for the most part, days are limited to just a half day of activity while the 2nd half of the day is totally open for whatever we decide to do (rest, go explore, eat, whatever).

Sounds like you are going to have a great trip. We leave for Italy this coming Thursday. I've been there four times already, and my wife only once for our honeymoon. This trip is geared more around my 12yr old twins. We are doing the usual museums and ancient sites in Rome, Florence, and Venice. I booked a pizza and gelato cooking class in Florence, and a gondola rowing experience in Venice, along with a glass blowing class.

My friend who has raced in the Ferrari Challenge series in Italy gave me a great idae for personal tours. There are a lot of graduate students in Italy studying art, architecture, and history. They will give a personal tour for much less than the tourist tours. My kids are still at the age where their attention span is less than a dog with a bone lol. So I really don't want to waste $600 for a 3.5 hour guide.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by DocL

Sounds like you are going to have a great trip. We leave for Italy this coming Thursday. I've been there four times already, and my wife only once for our honeymoon. This trip is geared more around my 12yr old twins. We are doing the usual museums and ancient sites in Rome, Florence, and Venice. I booked a pizza and gelato cooking class in Florence, and a gondola rowing experience in Venice, along with a glass blowing class.

My friend who has raced in the Ferrari Challenge series in Italy gave me a great idae for personal tours. There are a lot of graduate students in Italy studying art, architecture, and history. They will give a personal tour for much less than the tourist tours. My kids are still at the age where their attention span is less than a dog with a bone lol. So I really don't want to waste $600 for a 3.5 hour guide.

That's awesome advice. Do you know what the best way to reach them are?

We've booked the uber-expensive tours for Rome already, but still exploring options for Florence and Naples.

[2008M36MT]

Just got back from Thailand. Want to move there.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by 2008M36MT

Just got back from Thailand. Want to move there.

Thailand was awesome.... we were there about 10ish years ago and the food alone is worth the trip.

[2008M36MT]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Thailand was awesome.... we were there about 10ish years ago and the food alone is worth the trip.

My customer base is IATAIII so all of Asia PAC. The people in Thailand, the culture are so laid back. It just takes the load off the moment you land. Our facility is in Singapore I’m based from home in US EST. Can better support in TH than US. If I pay for my own travel, Thailand may be an option.

[DocL]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

That's awesome advice. Do you know what the best way to reach them are?

We've booked the uber-expensive tours for Rome already, but still exploring options for Florence and Naples.

My friend said best way is to ask concierge at hotel.

[chassis]

Agree on using the concierge. One’s best friend for last minute items or things that are difficult/can’t be handled online.

[Watching The World Burn]

Originally Posted by chassis

Agree on using the concierge. One’s best friend for last minute items or things that are difficult/can’t be handled online.

Question - what would you tip the concierge for this kind of information, vs say something difficult to get into?

I habitually do not use the concierge, partially because I don't want to tip if I can find the information myself through a google search, but I've been curious what it might cost me if I were to change.

[Alfisti]

Tours? Mate just buy tickets ahead and go where ya gotta go. This is going to be such a rigid trip.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn

Question - what would you tip the concierge for this kind of information, vs say something difficult to get into?

I habitually do not use the concierge, partially because I don't want to tip if I can find the information myself through a google search, but I've been curious what it might cost me if I were to change.

Personal choice. I used concierges extensively in Turkey and Greece on a recent trip, and did not tip. Tipping culture is different in the U.S. vs ROW and I generally do not tip outside of the US. In the US I would not use a concierge 95% of the time, for reasons of avoiding tipping and because of better familiarity with the locale.

At several stays at the Peninsula in Chicago, I did not use a concierge. I did however use the valet and tipped. I have a soft spot when people step and fetch my vehicle when given the instructions from the head valet in a long wool coat and top hat. I enjoy valet service.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Tours? Mate just buy tickets ahead and go where ya gotta go. This is going to be such a rigid trip.

Only a couple pre-booked tours for the major sites - mostly as a way to avoid lines and crowds as best possible (and really only in Rome). Rest of the trip will just be buying skip the line tickets and going wherever we want without a set schedule. But hey, if we can score a cheap last minute tour in the other cities, might as well.

[DocL]

So we never made it to Italy. We sat on the plane for 2h45min at Miami until 2am when British Airways finally decided that we weren't going to be able to land at Heathrow. They knew before we even got on the plane, that Heathrow was closed due to electric substation fire. So at 3am we got an Uber home, and couldn't get re-booked on another flight for three more days, making our trip to Italy only four days long.

So instead of enjoying the great food in Italy, we did a four day trip to Universal Studios. Now I know why I hate going to Orlando. the traffic sucks, it's crowded as fuck, and a slice of pizza at Universal was $12.00 and it tasted worse than Ellio's.

My kids are still so upset that the trip got axed on such short notice. But we did re-book for next March.

Arrivederci.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by DocL

So we never made it to Italy. We sat on the plane for 2h45min at Miami until 2am when British Airways finally decided that we weren't going to be able to land at Heathrow. They knew before we even got on the plane, that Heathrow was closed due to electric substation fire. So at 3am we got an Uber home, and couldn't get re-booked on another flight for three more days, making our trip to Italy only four days long.

So instead of enjoying the great food in Italy, we did a four day trip to Universal Studios. Now I know why I hate going to Orlando. the traffic sucks, it's crowded as fuck, and a slice of pizza at Universal was $12.00 and it tasted worse than Ellio's.

My kids are still so upset that the trip got axed on such short notice. But we did re-book for next March.

Arrivederci.

Wow! That's terrible sorry to hear that. Were you at least able to be refunded for most of the trip?

[DocL]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Wow! That's terrible sorry to hear that. Were you at least able to be refunded for most of the trip?

For a few things. Since we planned this trip in stages, I forgot to take out trip insurance. I've bought for every other trip we've gone on for the past 15 years, and never had to use it once. It was a simple screw-up on my part. We lost on the pre-paid passes, but got our money back on the cooking class and gondola rowing experience.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by DocL

For a few things. Since we planned this trip in stages, I forgot to take out trip insurance. I've bought for every other trip we've gone on for the past 15 years, and never had to use it once. It was a simple screw-up on my part. We lost on the pre-paid passes, but got our money back on the cooking class and gondola rowing experience.

sheesh that's a nightmare scenario. hopefully your trip next year is bigger and better to make up for this!