[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.