As to the places you mention, I've been to Rome and Florence. In Rome, I really enjoyed seeing Vatican Square and St Peters. And the Colosseum was awesome, thinking of people 1000 years ago walking on those stones. We rode the train or took a public bus to get around. Don't bother trying to find a quilt shop. I made it to a fabric store after much back and forth with a hotel person that didn't speak english, and it was fabrics used for making clothing. Complete with the little italian men with their tape measures around their necks. In Florence, you could spend a whole day at one of the museums. And there are long lines for the museums. It's a wonderful walkable city for exploring, especially the area around the Duomo. Be sure to have some gelato!

I agree about pickpockets. Someone tried unsuccessfully to do that to me on a crowded bus in Rome. In Florence, I felt safer. Be sure to wear a pouch around your neck under your shirt with your passport and large bills. I only had disinfectant wipes, kleenex, gum, lotion, etc in my actual purse. And the bathroom situation in Europe is not always good. Not only in finding one when you need it, but the actual facility itself. In Paris at the Louvre the "toilet" was not much more than a hole that you crouched over. When we went into the little italian Tuscan towns we paid to use the WC (water closet). Sorry, but it was all surprising to me.

Most of all, just absorb the ambience at each place! Perhaps by taking a break at a cafe. What a wonderful trip! Have fun

One piece of advice, notify your credit card company of your travels, so they don't shut down your credit card. I had one card shut down while traveling as the credit card company assumed my card had gotten stolen and was being used fraudulently.

If you end up on any bus tours try to avoid the very back seats. Between the fumes and the motion of the bus you can end up with motion sickness. In Venice have some blood orange juice. It is out of this world! Break in your walking shoes before you go on your trip. Most of all enjoy everything!

Pack and then cut the amount you are taking in half. Nobody cares if you wear the same jeans or skirt on several days. Some ships have a self-serve laundermat, others do not, check on your facilities. I have no affiliation with the company Travel Smith, but absolutely recommend their ExOfficio underwear. It is so comfortable that I wear it every day. The briefs take only a couple hours to dry when washed in the sink. Take only 2 prs of shoes. Be sure you can walk a couple miles in them comfortably. Take a rain jacket and sweater (wool or polar fleece) rather then a heavy jacket. Layering is the answer. When I was there many of the churches required women to cover their heads and not to have bare shoulders. It has been several years and that might have changed. In any event a large scarf is a great accessory to take with you. Make a chart on a 3 X 5 card (or your phone) which shows monetary equivalency. ex 1 E=$.74, 5 E= $3.70 do that for several "price points". It will save you confusion as you are trying to shop. Leave room in your bags for treasures to bring home. My test for how heavy my bag is --is to walk around the block with it.

Whoops, just reread my post and realized my money calculation was backward. Limit yourself to two colors in your suitcase, so every top & bottom can work together. Avoid white clothes as it maybe difficult to keep them looking good.Limit the amount of jewelry, again no one cares if you wear the same pair of earrings. I take costume jewelry, do not take anything that you are not willing to lose. I just ordered a new medical ID bracelet with a silicone band (think those yellow Live Strong bands) because it will not look like valuable jewelry to anyone. My thoughts are based on 5 trips to Europe and several to other places.

Hi Judy! It's Norwegian Cruises. I've taken lots of cruises but this will be my first time on Norwegian - I've cruised lots on Royal Caribbean. Love cruises!!!

WOW! Thanks for all of the great advice! I'm getting even more excited about it now. I guess it is starting to seem more real. I have a hard time believing I'm really going ;-)

Be careful-Turkey can be dangerous at time for tourists-Have fun take lots of pictures and money and do barter-they love scamming tourist in Europe-I've been to Venice and the other places-no purses-fanny packs or hidden wallet hide in bra or waist pouch-don't let yourself and fellow passengers get mugged or robbed-theives are in all countries, watch your surroundings and have lots of fun-I think my husband and I had checked out this cruise-decided to wait 4 years until things settle down over there-BE CAREFUL

Be very careful with your money in Barcelona! My husband had his wallet taken out of the front pocket of his jeans and had no idea. Luckily there was someone strolling a ways behind us who saw the wallet on the ground, looked in it and saw the drivers licence picture and thought it looked like my husband. They took all the money but nothing else so that was way less hassle than it could have been. Also, I wouldn't wear any kind of jewelry that is worth any money. They showed a clip on one of our news channels a couple weeks ago with someone interviewing a woman in Barcelona regarding the thievery. As she was talking to them someone came from behind her and ripped the gold chain right off her neck and ran. So sad!

There is so much to see in those places and the sense of history and a long cultural tradition is what makes visits special for me, rather than any one site.

Tripadvisor.com is great for info and reviews of attractions.

As a European I am interested to see the take most posters have in how dangerous we are over here! Overall Europe is very safe (gun crime is almost completely absent) but It is certainly true that there are pickpockets who prey on tourists in some of the places you are going to, so it is worth putting a bit of thought into how you can avoid that. Leave your passport on the ship. (Carry a photocopy and some other photo id, like your driver's licence) Try not to look like you are rich and helpless! I adopt a very assertive body language in these places- looking around me with attention, good arm swing when I walk, etc. I guess if you look weak it makes you more attractive as a target for these people! When you stop for coffee, be very careful where you leave down your belongings and certainly don't ever leave them unattended. That's just common sense.

Most of the time we all get along just fine- honest! We are really pretty civilized.