Flight to Rome:

Maria I have a few suggestions. First , its always always better to fly in a few days ahead ,, you can adjust from jet lag and really start off enjoying your cruise, and more importantly , you don't have to worry about missing cruise if flight is delayed( and if unfortunately luggage is lost giving it a couple do days to reach you helps). So in that thought line , booking your own airfare is better, plus airfare booked through cruiseline is often inflated price and horrible routing and layovers etc, But, of course do some online checks to see. Also I would recommend you check out cruisecritics.com, they are the best forums for strictly cruise related info, they have forums on all the various cruiselines, ships, ports of call and ports of embarkation etc .

Thank You so much for your advice. It was really helpful!

My experience with cruise ships and airline fare is the opposite. The airline add on package is very reasonable and sometimes less that what I can do individually. The drawback is that there is little flexibility with the flight arrangement. Generally bring you in on the day of departure and take you home on the day you dock. However, the big advantage is that the cruise line is totally responsible for you getting to the ship. If your flight is delayed and you miss the ship's departure they will get you to the next port at their expense. However, we prefer to book our own flights even if more expensive because we like to come in a couple of days early and often extend for a few days. That way we have maximum flexibility at both ends. We like getting over jet lag on our own so when we hit the ship we are rested and ready to take advantage of what the cruise has to offer. If you are going on your own, I would plan to arrive at least a day if not two days early so there is no problem with making it to the ship. And I would leave the day after docking.

Thank You! I will keep it in mind.

The cruise lines usually have a fee you can pay called a "deviation" fee, where you request certain airlines or routings or different travel days or first/biz class upgrades. Check with your travel agent, who can check with the cruise line air department. One of the last prices I heard was $125 per person to deviate, plus plus...( meaning more for weekends, more for upgrades, more for certain airlines)
If the sailing has one of those advertised reduced airfares like I;ve seen lately ( $"$499 airfare!"), you might pay well more than the deviation fee. If you are accumulating miles, be aware that not all offered flights accumulate miles. You'll have to do the math by playing around on the airline sites and getting the exact prices from the cruise line.

And one more thing, based on your headline using "Rome": if you are leaving from "Rome", you are probably actually sailing from Civitavecchia, which is not close.
You could pay 90 euros for a shared car shuttle to or from Rome, or take the cruise line's prepaid shuttle bus service, or use Rick's instructions in the Italy book for using the train between Rome and Civit. if you aren' t loaded with luggage. Have a great trip!

Check out both options to see the cost difference. My advice is to arrive in Rome at least two days prior to departure. I have a hard time sleeping on flights, and jet lag kills my husband and I. We needed some recuperation time in addition to trying to see as much as possible. We only allowed one day prior to departure, and wish we had stayed longer, as there is SO MUCH to see in Rome. Sometimes the cruise line has a pre and/or post cruise package. We have found those to be very reasonable, and they include the cost of transportation from the hotel/plan to the ship. And the previous post is correct, in that the port of Civitavecchia is approximately a 45 minute drive from Rome. Traffic is very light once you leave Rome. We have found the flight cost difference to be minimal, and sometimes a real bargain because the transportation costs to and from the ship are included. This is sometimes very costly in more ways than one. Trying to drag your own luggage on and off buses/trains while trying to figure out where you are while you fend off pickpockets/scam artists is not fun.

Thanks everybody! Great suggestions! We have checked with Princess to see if they would include transportation to and from ship but no luck. Even if we were to include pre and/or post accommodations our transfers would not be included. They won't even include transportation to or from airport to hotel. Thanks again!