By Dennis and Lamar, The Travel Clarks
When we sailed the Mediterranean on Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas in September 2026, we did one thing we now tell every client to do. We went to Rome first and gave the city real time before we ever saw the ship.
That decision shaped the whole trip, and it is why our Rome videos are the ones people keep watching on our YouTube channel. The Vatican tour video is one of our most watched videos so far, and we understand why. Rome is the part of a Mediterranean cruise that people dream about long before they board.
Start in Rome, not at the port
Civitavecchia is the port for Rome, but it is not Rome itself. If you fly in and go straight to the ship, you miss the city completely. We started with a travel day, then a first full day in Rome to get our bearings, shake off the flight, and just enjoy being there with no schedule pressure.
Our advice is simple. Build the Rome days into the trip from the start. Do not treat them as an extra if you have time. For a lot of travelers, Rome will be the memory that lasts just as long as the cruise.
The Vatican was the highlight of our time in Rome
Our Vatican tour was the standout experience of the Rome portion of the trip. Walking through that history in person is nothing like seeing it in photos, and filming it for the channel let us share a little of that feeling with everyone back home.
If the Vatican is on your list, book it early and give it a proper block of time. This is not a stop you want to squeeze in on embarkation morning with your luggage in tow and a ship waiting on you. Go on a Rome day, take your time, and let it be the main event.
You can watch our Vatican tour video on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/@thetravelclarks to see what the experience was like for us.
Then head to Civitavecchia and slow down again
After Rome, we moved on to Civitavecchia, the port town where Odyssey of the Seas was waiting. We roamed around Civitavecchia and stayed at La Tenuta dell'Argento Resort, and that night near the port took all the stress out of embarkation day. No long transfer on sailing morning, no worrying about traffic, just a short trip to the port.
On embarkation day we used Joe Banana Limo for the transfer from the resort to the port, boarded the ship, filmed our room tour, and started exploring. The Windjammer junk food run and the silent disco made it into our embarkation video, which tells you exactly how quickly vacation mode kicked in once we were on board.
What we would tell anyone booking this sailing
Arrive in Rome at least a day or two before your cruise, and more if you can manage it.
Put the Vatican and your other Rome musts on those early days, not on embarkation day.
Stay near the port the night before you sail so embarkation morning stays easy.
Book your port transfer ahead of time so sailing day runs itself.
That is exactly the kind of trip we love to plan, because the order of the days makes all the difference. If a Mediterranean cruise is on your wish list, send us your dates and we will help you build the Rome days, the port stay, and the sailing into one smooth trip.
youtube.com/@thetravelclarks
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