midwestchick

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Keep in mind that everything I post is based on what existed prior to COVID.  The shuttle bus runs from the small bus terminal/transfer place located at Largo della Pace.  The buses from that location are free and will take you (and luggage) directly to the pier for your ship.  There is also a shuttle bus that leaves from across the street of the train station that will take you to the Largo della Pace, but you do have to pay a small fee (it might be about 2 Euros) for that bus.  There used to be a pause in shuttle operations around lunch time (keep in mind you are in Italy).  These shuttles only matter if you decide to take the train from Rome (or anywhere else) to Civitavecchia.

 

We have usually suggested that folks arriving a day (or more) early spend their night in Rome.  Even if you arrive the morning prior to your cruise, you can probably get into a Rome hotel by early afternoon and get the better part of the day to enjoy Rome and its many restaurants.  While you could certainly spend a pre cruise night in Civitavecchia (we have done this a few times) it is no Rome!  There are some OK hotels in Civitavecchia and restaurants but I would emphasize it is nothing like spending an evening in Rome,   If you do spend the night in Rome, then we would suggest arranging a private transfer (a taxi is another option) to the port.  Your private transfer or taxi should be able to take you directly to your pier (of the new cruise terminal if your ship is docked at that port location) thus avoiding the hassles with the shuttles.   We can recommend Romecabs.com or Romeinlimo.com as two very reputable companies that can provide transfer service.  

 

I hope all this detail is helpful.  Also keep in mind that if you take the train between Rome and Civitavecchia you may well arrive at a track that would require you to go down a long stairway, pass under other tracks, and then back up another long stairway.  These stairs are not a problem for folks who are mobile, but can be a real pain if you have luggage!   In the past we have never had access to an elevator for this purpose and there is generally nobody to help you with your luggage.  

 

Hank

I appreciate your advice.  I remember your name from CC in the precovid days and your advice has always been good.  We have seen the highlights of Rome and I was thinking of staying at the port only if we flew in one day early. 
We haven’t decided yet, although I would like to see the Trastevere area and the Trevi Fountain since the renovations.  A visit to Piazza Navona would be a welcome repeat.

11 minutes ago, sarch99 said:

It's an ice cream dessert. It's rich and chocolatey and delicious.  Tried to attach a picture but CC didn't allow.  http://www.trescalini-fuzhou.com/il-tartufo/?lang=en

 

OH. MY. GOODNESS.  I think I gained 5 lbs. just looking at that. 😊 😉

5 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

When I wrote that we were booked on the Reflection TA for this year.  That cruise has since been canceled.  We jumped over to the Regent Explorer TA embarking one day later.

 

We're still on the Edge in 2022.

I see. Is this one you’re talking about 2021?

2 hours ago, cruisingxpert said:

I would imagine you can  They will customize a tour for you.  What company in Bonaire?  I will be there in Feb.

https://www.bonairecruisers.com/
 

Enjoy. 😁

41 minutes ago, lasekeye said:

The shuttle I’m talking about is just from the town of Civitavecchia to the ship…..not from Rome.

Right and I knew that. I am trying to decide if we should stay in Rome or near the port.

2 hours ago, nini said:

Alberto Del Senato is like "cruisin4kicks" said. IT IS RIGHT THERE. We saw it when we walked to the Pantheon.

I book our hotels directly... I prefer to not deal with a middleman. 

Alberto Del Senato is a great location for Trastevere and the Colosseum. The Vatican may be a bit far to walk (in the dark for early entry).

We’ve been to all the main sites to see. Is it also near Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi fountain, although we have been to Trevi in the past but not since the renovation. 

On 7/11/2021 at 9:20 AM, sarch99 said:

And have Tartuffo from the takeout stand at Tre Scalini at Piazza Navona.   

What is that, may I ask?  We love Piazza Navona.

On 6/28/2021 at 10:49 PM, cruisingxpert said:

If walking distances are an issue I would recommend mybesttour.com

I did this a few years and loved it.  It's a tour by golf cart.  They can take you right up to  a fountain ,a church door or anything you want to see.  I'm going back in May and will book again.  I wish they had golf cart tours in more places

Do they do the Trastevere area?  We did one on Bonaire and loved it.

On 6/9/2021 at 8:40 PM, -Lew- said:

 

We're on the Reflection TA also.  I would check pricing on booking sites and hotel direct and go with the best one.  Be sure you book a fully cancellable rate, so necessary in these times.

 

Personally I would avoid Expedia, but that's a personal choice.

Hi Lee,

I thought you were on the Edge TA in 2022.

On 6/9/2021 at 7:54 PM, nicksmom67 said:

We are on Celebrity Reflection TA from Rome to Fort Lauderdale.  Staying in Rome October 19 to 22nd when the ship departs.  I've looked over the recommendations ( thank you)  should I book directly with the Hotel or use Expedia like service?  Thanks

 

I only recommend booking directly with the hotel. I know people who have had terrible experiences with booking sites.  I’m not one to gamble with hotels across the pond.  I like  the extra blanket of security and Inlike being in direct co tact with my hotel.

On 8/9/2020 at 11:15 AM, cruisin4kicks said:

We've stayed at the Albergo del Senato twice. The phrase location, location, location truly applies at that hotel. It is literally right across the street from the Pantheon. This is a place that you can walk just almost anywhere from... Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, lots of other places... not sure about the Vatican; we ended up taking a cab there.

 

We've booked a cruise for next August out of Civitavecchia on the Odyssey with our daughter & her family. It's been about 7 or 8 years since we've been there and we plan on booking there again for a few days pre-cruise.

 

Tim

 

 

Is it also close to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona?  Also, I’ve always been under the opinion to book hotels directly. Is that what most of you do? 
We would also like to see the Trastevere area this time. We have seen the major sites in Rome 

On 7/10/2021 at 2:19 PM, lasekeye said:

We have booked Hotel Traghetto for 2 nights before our cruise in 2022.

I emailed the hotel directly, and had quick response from Giuseppe, plus better price including breakfast than the big hotel booking sites offered.

It’s location to the cruise port shuttle can’t be beat!

How much is the cruise port shuttle and what hours does it run?  Is there much to see around the hotel?

1 minute ago, George C said:

No issues this week but we are not 100% capacity 

Even on our sold out S class cruises I don’t ever recall waiting for an elevator as being an issue. We also use the steps sometimes out of need for exercise. 😉😆

3 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

If looks like the Edge elevator situation is the same as on all the S class ship.  (I have yet to cruise on the Edge Class).  Of course Luminae and the Retreat Lounge are not forward on the S Class ships.

I consider the Aft elevators to be more Mid Ship than Aft.  Also the Forward elevators are not really that far forward.  It has a lot to do with the design of the pool and central area of the ship. IMO it is designed very well and it not a “defect” in design.  
I am sure they are a variety of opinions.  I will find out if I still have the same opinion after cruising on the Apex.

I was under the impression the Edge was a lot larger than the S class ships.  We’ve never had issues waiting for elevators on any of those.  

23 minutes ago, 39august said:

The sunset veranda cabins on the aft have regular balconies, if you want to consider that.  

They are completely sold out.  Thanks though. 

11 hours ago, George C said:

Retreat and luminae are extreme forward but ship is not that long, I wouldn’t be concerned.

Actually it looks like Edge is roughly 30 feet shorter than Reflection so it isn’t that far. I did print out the deck plans as a handy reference. Thanks 😊 

21 minutes ago, CocoCronut said:

Yea it’s handy being able to see in advance, I usually passed the request on when the concierge call came in prior to the cruise, and if when I arrived on ship they’d forgotten I’d just ask the butler and it was never an issue. 
Not sure if blu does the same, but I’d be interested to know, as aqua is a category on the S class ships that I like also! ⭐️

I’ve read Edge missed the boat on Aqua and it’s very loud.  That’s why we book Aqua because the MDR is loud on S and M class ships. Granted, Aqua is a little larger in S class ships. 

20 minutes ago, CocoCronut said:

I haven’t seen their menu on the tv previously (maybe didn’t know where to look) but you can (or used to be able to pre-covid) request a copy of the luminae menus for the entire cruise to be placed in your suite - this allows you to plan a bit better around the days you want to eat there and the days you’d prefer a speciality.

Thanks. I didn’t know we could do that. Wonder if Blu has the menu set up like that too.  It’s been a few years since we sailed in Aqua. Our last Celebrity cruise was in 2018.

23 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Luminae is on Deck 12, the Retreat Lounge is on 15 and the Sundeck on 16.  So depending upon what deck the suite is on  you could have long elevator waits or lots of stairs.  There are only 2 sets of elevators, forward and mid/ship.  

Deck 12 is where the S1 is.  Seems to me they didn’t plan the elevators very well.  That certainly sounds somewhat discouraging. Did they fix this issue when they designed Apex? 

23 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

We had no issues walking from our suite to Luminae for meals on Edge.  We were in the aft area and I would say the room is no more than a five minute walk from aft to stern. 
 

in Luminae we have asked for assigned times and when we show up around those times we were seated almost immediately.  My wife and I try and keep our schedule the same as much as possible and ask for a 6:30 pm reservation.  However, you can show up at any time and they will seat you as soon as something becomes available.

As far as I know none of the suites have infinite balconies.  
 

Thank you for responding. That’s not much of a walk. I read a review that complained about the distance so thought I’d post it here. 
The concierge stateroom has the infinite balcony. The S1 I like is the aft on the side of the ship. Fantastic.  I loved the aft balconies on the M class ships.  We had them several times and the views on our Alaska cruise were amazing. 

13 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Not sure about the pool deck but we enjoyed lunch at the Retreat Bar when the Edge was in port.  
 

we really like Luminae for the quality of the food and the service and take almost all our breakfast and dinners there.  We do lunch when available, but also do lunch at Raw on Five at least once per cruise.

Are you able to see the menu on your tv screen without walking to Luminae to look at their daily dinner menu?

On 6/6/2021 at 9:46 AM, C-Dragons said:

That's correct.

Thank you but what are the dining hours please. 

I’m looking at an aft Sky Suite (S1) and it looks like it’s a distance to Luminae and to the retreat. How long does it take to walk it? Does it pose any inconveniences at dinner time? Admittedly, the exercise will be a good thing.  😉  I’m am debating on the S1 or a C3 midship.  The more I look at the Infinite Balcony, the less I like it.  
Any other Edge tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

7 hours ago, Denny01 said:

Doublecheck which itinerary you want. The Edge 24 Oct 22 us Rome to FLL with stops in Corsica, Spain and Bermuda. Not Canaries. 
 

den

7 hours ago, Denny01 said:

Doublecheck which itinerary you want. The Edge 24 Oct 22 us Rome to FLL with stops in Corsica, Spain and Bermuda. Not Canaries. 
 

den

No, no, no….lol. The Canaries is the October cruise for 2021 that we’re booked on. 
Now I am wondering because the UK still has quarantine restrictions for U.S. citizens. 🙄🙄🙄.   I hope I did t speak too soon. 
Did you say you booked a suite for the 2022 cruise?  If so, which one?  

55 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Sounds great. Looks as if it’s Win-Win for you!

 

den

Yes, it is.  It does look like our Spain and Canaries for October will be a go.  I can’t wait to get back to sailing.