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Holy hassle
Editor's Note:Donald D. Groff welcomes questions of general and not-so-general interest.
Send questions and comments to traveladvisor@salon.com. A
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Oct. 28, 1999 |
Anyone headed for Rome would do well to first visit the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 site, which provides an array of information on what's happening throughout 2000 and the weeks leading up to it. As for New Year's, a calendar at that site says the prayer vigil at St. Peter's Basilica for that night is still "bookable." Determining the details may take some effort on your part, but there are phone numbers available for booking inside and outside of Italy. Key to booking is the acquisition of the Vatican's Pilgrim Card, "a modern device, the result of the latest technology, prepared and planned for you in harmony with the sense of your pilgrimage." This card provides free transportation on public transit in Rome, can be used as a phone card, and includes insurance coverage. It costs 65,000 lira, about $36. In order to get the Pilgrim Card you must supply some personal data, itinerary and events you want to attend, and you're given the option of providing health information, too. The idea of the Catholic Church putting all that information on a microchip card and into a database will give some people the willies, but the Jubilee site insists that the information will not be given to third parties and will be destroyed after the Jubilee Year. Through that Jubilee site you can find phone numbers for ordering the card and reserving space at special events. Although the idea of going to St. Peter's on New Year's Eve is a simple one, the Italian Tourist Office in New York was unable to provide much information on the topic -- other than referral to the Web site -- and three of the biggest U.S. tour operators of Catholic pilgrimages had no details, either. You might try contacting your local diocese to find out if it has any inside information on visiting. Another possibility: The Vatican Central Committee has designated a company called TourCrafters as the official U.S. tour operator for Jubilee 2000. Its phone number is (800) 621-2259. The TourCrafters site also has links to several Rome sites. My wife and I are first-time cruisers. Where can I get an evaluation of the ship we will sail on, in terms of quality of surroundings, rooms, food, entertainment, etc.? There are many ways to evaluate cruise ships, and many guides that can help you do just that. "Fielding's Worldwide Cruises" is one of my favorites because it offers plenty of subjective appraisal of the ships, not just statistics. Fielding's also has a Cruisefinder at its Web site that can help you locate the best cruise for you. Another first-rate site for checking out ships is The Cruise Ship Center. It includes a useful "Best of" section based on the Fielding's guide. First-timers can especially appreciate "The Essential Little Cruise Book," by Jim West (Globe Pequot, 1997). Part of its appeal is that it's palm-size, and packed with useful details gleaned from years of experience. It's also not overwhelming the way the larger, data-packed guides can be.
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