Jacket, sorry, I didn't read your reply when I posted mine. It's based only on the OP's posts - I wondered why her English is so bad. If she's a US citizen it should be better. Just some things did not add up for me.

OK. No problems. Good luck to Brida.

Dayenu - I guess you can be a US citizen and come from yet another country. She says she is a US Citizen in a "legal way" so sounds like she did come from another country not necessarily Italy. Brida hasn't told us much and of course doesn't need to but perhaps it has something to do with a romance gone wrong. Not our business I know but hard to give someone good advice when you don't know the whole story!

Jacketwatch - we have to stop meeting like this!!!

Well I've been to Victoria already so come to Chi. 1st round is on me. :D :D

After spending almost 36 hours at O'Hare one Christmas season many years ago I think I'll pass on another visit there!! Guess it will have to be a cruise ship!

Is there a way for Brida to get from Italy to the US on a ship? It looks only going to Britain is a problem.

OK, here is what I found. Holland America and Carnival from Civitavecchia to Fort Lauderdale or New York in October, Celebrity and Princess in November 2009.

Brida, this is how I found it (and you don't have to tell the cruise line why and how long you were in Italy, only show them your American passport that you can go back)

Go to Cruise.com, click on Cruise Port Search (above the red arrow "sign up" on the left side) On top click on Southern Europe, it opens the Rome/Civitavecchia schedule, on the left scroll down to Transatlantic.

This is to look up the schedule. Make reservations through the ship company.

DAYENU, thanks a lot for the info and you really understood witch one is the problem going to England...so thanks.

and you are calling me "witch" :))

I know it's a typo, it's funny

36 hrs. in O'Hare? OMG! Weather related? Once, after about a 22 hr. trip to India we got diverted to Mumbai instead of Delhi as planned due to fog. We spent 9 hrs. there which after 22 hrs. already was an ordeal. Too many details to go into really. However it was worse for many. Some wanted to go from Delhi to Mumbai but were not allowed to leave even though they were already there! They had to go to Delhi first then get a connecting. Yeah, too much hassle. Its better to be on the ship in one of those lounges sipping ones favorite libation. Cheers, Larry :-)

HI Larry

Our nightmare was as I said a couple of days before Christmas. We were supposed to start in Toronto but due to bad weather we had to get to Buffalo where the flight we would have connected to originated. When I say we were in Ohare for 36 hours - we were actually in a plane and for some of that time. We boarded in Buffalo - but a plane had skidded off the tarmac so we had to wait for a couple of hours just sitting. Then when we finally took off and landed in Chicago there had been a plane crash off the runway. So we sat for hours (now the middle of the night). They couldn't get us off the plane because it was a DC10 and they didn't have stairs to reach us. We were on that plane for several more hours. Then finally we got up to the terminal and they announced that our flight to LA was cancelled due to the crew being well over their hours. So off we went with no ticket because we had given them in Buffalo - so line up after line up. The airport was full - you could use a phone, you couldn't get a cup of coffee - you couldn't get a cab so we made our bed on the floor (with a 6 mos old baby). We couldn't have our luggage - it truly was a nightmare. We eventually got out Christmas am and at that time we vowed - no more air travel within two weeks of Christmas!!!