bcscot
-
Posts
1,323 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by bcscot
-
-
Read this -- it's really the simplest way:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=51133116&postcount=1
Too much worrying on here about whether or not there is an intermediate stop and whether or not you can walk.... :cool:
But sometimes the little details can be very important, depending what you want to do!
Graham. :)
-
Not gonna bite. Even if I give you step by step instructions, somebody else will probably argue "but it was different when I was in Civitavecchia in 1988!"
Hank
........ or even October 2015!!! ;)
Graham. :)
-
Our cruise is not until July 2017 and it is a first time from Civitavecchia...... so I am looking at all the posts to learn what to do or what not to do.
I am planing on booking a private shuttle from FCO to a hotel in the port ( there will be 8 of us adults) and again the same shuttle to get back to FCO after the cruise.
Any recommendations for the shuttle ?
Having tried various options, I came to the conclusion that the best choice, if coming from FCO airport, was to stay near the airport and then share a private transfer directly to the ship on the day of departure, (choosing a company which is allowed such access). This is what we were going to do, but our roll call was quiet and I could not find anyone to share with. Because of the cost of the transfer, we decided to try the shuttle bus service from the airport instead.
Many companies are recommended on these boards, some a little cheaper than others. I couldn't recommend any specific one. Best to get a few recommendations and look them up. If you do decide to stay near FCO on the night before and get a car directly to the ship on the day of departure, it does save a lot of hassle with shuttles etc. :)
-
Ok, am hanging my ole head in shame :eek: That being said, pity the poor infrequent cruiser/traveler who reads this thread and tries to understand how they should get from ship to train station.
Hank
I can certainly understand why people would be confused. I have been in or out of Civitavecchia four times and am only now coming to terms with the place! I do hope, though, that they are not seeking directions from my posts, as that has not been my intention. I have simply been trying to understand how our experiences fit with the experiences of others and all the changes happening in the last couple of years. It seems to me that the goal posts are constantly being moved! I do agree with you, however, that the most important thing is what is happening now. The trouble is that the experience varies so much, depending on how you are arriving or leaving, and where your ship is docked. We are due to depart or arrive there another four times in the next month, so hopefully I will gain a little further understanding of how it all works (or doesn't). :)
-
For me the videos with the links below were helpful
I do not know if the videos represent the latest changes or not.
That was useful. Thank you for posting those links. It would be a bit different from dock 25, of course, but it gives a good idea of the place. I recognised where we got the shuttle from the old gate (they were waiting for us and sat till they filled up) and where we changed shuttles for the ship. This time we are booked on a shuttle bus from FCO airport, so I imagine it will drop us at the new gate and we can get a shuttle from there to the ship. We are back in Civitavecchia for a day, so if we are at the 10/11/12 docks, it would probably be better to walk from the ship to the station (no luggage), rather than take the shuttle to the new gate (unless, of course, they drop people off at the old gate!). :)
-
Nope, the shuttle going to 10 -13 has also a stop at Bramante (which is a parking lot behind the Forte) and at Molo del Bicchiere. But as far as I understand this website the stop at Molo de Bicchiere (which is also behind the Forte) is on the way back from Largo della Pace. And only between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm they do stop at Bramante. When you check this map (scroll down "Port of Civitavecchia") you see the green line for the shuttle from 10 - 13 to Largo della Pace and there are two stops on the map right above the Forte. The left one is Bramante, the right is Molo de Bicchiere.
This map shows all bus stops not differing between the cruise shuttles and the ferry shuttles.
Actually in August I looked out for the shuttle stops Bramante/Molo de Bicchiere but I didn´t see them. We entered at Varco Fortezza and walked up to basin where you see the "8" on the second map and all the way to the front of that pier on the right. I saw the ferry shuttle stop at Porta Livorno when we walked back. But then we took the staircase up to town and walked back to Largo della Pace.
steamboats
Thanks for the links. I have printed off one of those maps, which will be helpful. :)
-
The confusion stems from the fact that there ARE shuttle buses stopping at the Fort but they are not for cruise passengers, they are for the ferries. They do not go to the cruise ships, they go to the ferry station.
Sorry, but that wasn't our source of confusion. The free shuttles from the fort end, did not take us to a ferry. We were sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette, which, I believe, was at dock 25. I think we must have been shuttled to Largo Della Pace in the first shuttle and changed there for a shuttle to dock 25. I accept that this service is no longer available, I am just surprised that we were able to do this in October last year, after all these changes had been implemented. :)
-
You are only confused because you are living in the past :confused: Many travel-related things do change with time, and in the case of Civitavecchia there were changes due to a modification of the location of the Port's main entrance/exit. While these changes impacted on vehicular/bus transportation...it did not change access for pedestrians. But you do raise another issue is that we often see folks here on CC (and elsewhere) insisting they know something...based on the past. Rather then relying on past history one should try to find out the current situation. Otherwise, somebody might actually think they can book a cruise on the Costa Concordia.
Hank
Ouch! :eek: For you, Hank, that is a little bit harsh. ;) My confusion does indeed involve time, but I am not sure that you fully understand my point. These changes that you talk of, are well known and have been going on for at least a couple of years. My 'time' point was that we experienced these shuttles only eleven months ago, not a couple of years ago. Judging by other people's experiences, we should not have been able to take two shuttles from the fort gate eleven months ago, as all these changes had already taken place by then. Anyway, we are due to be there on Saturday, with two further visits later. I will try to find out the current situation, however, as some have pointed out, it may vary from hour to hour, depending on the time of day and the individual driver, (it is Italy, after all!).
I know that it is very frustrating when people do not seem to be understanding your point, just as it is when they do not seem to understand your question. I would suggest, however, that if a person is too frustrated to respond constructively, then probably, in the interests of all those others who may be put off asking questions on Cruise Critic in the future, it may be best just not to respond. I certainly think that sarcasm, at least, is best omitted. There are too many harsh words used on these boards, already. :cool:
-
So lets clear this up. The internal port shuttles which used to run to and from an area near the Fort...no longer go to that area (they now go to a different off-port area more then a mile from the train station). However, if walking to or from the station you can still use a pedestrian entrance/exit by the fort. And there is no problem walking within the port as they still have the marked walking lanes...although you would need to have an idea where your ship was docked within the expansive port. Depending on your docking location it could easily take 40 min (give or take) to get between ship and train station. For those of us who love to walk, and have the time...walking is still a decent option.
One can also use the new free shuttle route to get from ship to bus transfer point (outside the port) where you then pay 2€ to get on another local shuttle bus which will take you directly to the train station. If you want to catch that same shuttle bus from the station....they now load right across the street from the train station (you need to buy your ticket at the station). When we were last at the Port (this past April) the shuttle system was actually well run and we did not have any long waits.
Hank
I understand these directions, which match those of others. The confusing thing is that in October 2015, we walked a short distance from the station to that gate near the fort. Once inside the gate, we took a free internal shuttle to a terminal area, where we changed to another shuttle, taking us to the ship! I remain confused. :confused:
-
I'm guessing your cruise was more than a couple years ago?
They moved the port entrance; it is no longer at the Fort. It is much less convenient for getting to and from the train station as the new entrance is about twice as far to walk.
I am a little confused. :confused: Last October (2015), we walked a short distance from the railway station to the gate at the fort end of the port. There, we were loaded onto shuttle buses, with our luggage, but had to change to a second shuttle before getting to our ship. I wonder if this is a regular service now, with a second shuttle going to and from the old port gate? :cool:
-
We are going on Celebrity Infinity SA cruise, and have been able to find info and reviews on all the excursions except those for Puerto Madryn, Argentina. We are considering the kayaking, and want to know if anyone has any input on this. Any help or recommendations are gratefully appreciated! We were also considering the all day at the park, but have so many other parks and reserves planned, we thought we'd do something different. We are diomg Terra del Fuego, Magdelea Island, and Montevideo birdwatching, so we have sea lion/wolves, penquins and fowls covered. Thanks, everyone!
The trips that you mention are great, but the places that can be visited from Puerto Madryn are different and special. We went up to Peninsula Valdes and saw many of those rather exotic South American animals mentioned above, plus elephant seals and armadillos. It was a very South American experience and was a special part of the trip, quite different from those other places that you mention. On a previous visit, we had Welsh afternoon tea in Gaiman, which is a rather unique cultural juxtaposition and although it was not a greatly exciting excursion, I am glad that we did it because it was unique and interesting. :)
-
We arranged to be collected from the dock, after disembarkation, by a guide, who drove us, with our luggage, out to the Gaucho town of San Antonio De Areco, about 2 hours drive from BA, followed by a day visit to the Estancia El Ombu. It is a lovely peaceful estancia, where we relaxed with a drink, rode horses, ate a traditional barbeque and were entertained by the Gauchos. Our luggage was kept safely in the car, by the guide and we were later delivered back to our hotel in BA, although this would have worked well for delivery to the airport for an evening flight. This would be a very good option for those arriving by sea and flying out the same evening. It combines transfers, tour and luggage storage, plus food and drink!
:)
-
The facility is really capable of handling one ship a day, maybe two if they are small. We were on Celebrity Infinity and the only ship disembaking/embarking that day and it was very smooth. A large Princess ship had arrived the previous day, but had done its thing, so we were effectively the only one in.
On the day we left, there were 4 ships in port, Infinity, a Princess ship, an MSC ship and a small German ship, the Albatross. It was very busy! :eek:
-
I had the same question before our recent trip on the Celebrity Infinity. Walking off with cases is not really an option, unless you are travelling light, because buses are required to get to the terminal and they are busy. Getting on and off with cases would be very difficult. You also cannot get off the ship until the buses are available, even though the ship gets in early.
We requested an early departure and got an 8.30 slot. We put our cases out the night before and were at the gangway at about 7.30. We were among the first off the ship at about 7.30, getting the first bus. Our bags were awaiting us at the terminal when we arrived.
Once at the terminal, you have to get your bags and line up for immigration. The bags are put through an X-ray, which slows the process further. It was quite a quick process at that time, but the later you disembark, the busier it is and the longer it takes, with long lines (we were on a back to back, so had experienced it being busy on our previous visit). How busy it is also depends on how many ships are in port. The whole process, from the ship, took us about 30-45 mins, but could take a lot longer.
There are lots of taxis and easy to get if you are out early, before the line gets long. They run a cartel though, and are very expensive. We avoided them, having pre-arranged our transport.
For back to back passengers, there is a lot of scope for confusion, as there is a separate exit for them. This is not well marked, so we missed it and unnecessarily joined the long line for disembarking passengers. The fast track exit for in transit passengers leads to a lounge and cafe area where our guide was to meet us (on our first visit, when we were getting back on the ship on the same day). This caused confusion and delay because we had bypassed that area and it took us a while to find it.
The embarkation was not so bad, but there are two problems. Firstly, do NOT get there early, hoping to get on board early (as we usually do). You will have to stand around in the sun for hours if you do. This happened to many people. Fortunately I had read about this on these boards, so we deliberately arrived later, at about 1.30 or 2.00. It looked very busy and chaotic (there were three ships in port). This was the second problem, knowing which line to get in and where to join it. We looked around for people with Celebrity tags on their cases and they directed us to the end of the line, where a representative stood with a sign. Our line was not too long and the rest of the process was fine.
How busy it is, both getting on and getting off, will depend on how many ships are in port. These were our experiences. I hope it is off help to others. It is certainly a port where it helps to be aware of what to expect.
Enjoy your trip. Buenos Aires is a very interesting and worthwhile place to visit. If you need to change dollars into pesos at a good rate and cannot get to a safe cambio, go into a restaurant or cafe and ask if they take US dollars and if so, at what rate. If they speak enough English for this, you will find that you can often get a rate just under the 'blue rate'. You then pay with larger sums (they usually don't take dollar notes less than 20s or maybe 10s) and get change in pesos at a good rate. It is safe and convenient.
:)
-
We sailed on Prinsendam for 22 days and enjoyed her very much, but that was years ago and before the alterations and HAL's decline. I do like the older ships. We have become disenchanted with HAL though, because of continual problems with A/C and had our last HAL cruise on the Oosterdam a year ago. I don't want to harp on about that again because I have already said a lot on the subject on this board and I am not trying to knock HAL, I just haven't got over my disappointment yet. I accept that this is one of the cutbacks and they manage to get away with it because most people are less sensitive to it than we are. Our last hope for HAL would be a world voyage segment on the Prinsendam or Amsterdam, in the hope that the cutbacks might not bite so deep on these premium voyages. I would like to sail on the Prinsendam again and I would like to sail as a 4 Star Mariner. I am just concerned that I would pay the higher price for one of these voyages and still have the airflow reduced to the cabin at night.
We have our next 3 years of cruises booked on Celebrity and Azamara, and hope to sail on Cunard again too. I do hope, however, that Prinsendam will still be in the fleet then, so I can experience her again. Gems like her are getting fewer and fewer.
-
Sorry to go OT, but where did you hear or learn that HAL shuts off the air at night? I am interested because we cruise with all three lines, HAL, Celebrity and Azamara and did have a problem on Veendam with no aircon working when we were in Panama. I think this problem will go away as their older ships are for Sale and they have new ones debuting (but not if they shut the air off on purpose which is hard to believe).
Personal experience! It is not only on board the old ships, but the new ones too. We sailed regularly on HAL for 11 years and had occasional A/C problems. Only in the last 3 years did we start experiencing this problem and it was on every sailing. Our last HAL cruise was on the Oosterdam, a newer ship, upon which we had sailed several times without problem, but yet again, we experienced the same thing. We awoke at about 2 or 3 in the morning in a hot, stuffy and airless cabin, feeling like we could not breath properly. At about 5 or 6 am, we could feel the airflow suddenly return. Complaining did no good. They deny the problem.
Now, I cannot prove this theory to anyone, but it is our strong belief that this is what is happening. I have shared our experiences on the HAL board and many others have come forward saying that they too, have experienced this. One chap posted from the Nieuw Amsterdam saying that he was experiencing this every night. Most people seem not to be sensitive to the problem. If they are not, there is no problem for them. One lady said that she had awoken every night feeling like this, but her husband just slept through it, quite unaware of what was happening. If we were not sensitive to this, we would still be happily cruising with HAL as 4 Star Mariners!
This CC news article just strengthened my belief that this was a fuel saving and hence, cost cutting exercise:
-
We have cruised on many lines and ships, large and small, and enjoy the different lines and ships for their own particular charms. We recently attained 4 Star Mariner status on HAL, but have switched over to booking Celebrity and Azamara because of the persistent air conditioning problems that we have encountered on HAL, in particular, their cost saving habit of switching off the airflow to cabins during the night. We can forgive all the other cutbacks and we enjoy the food, service and ambience on HAL very much, but we NEED air to breath at night.
My personal opinion is that it is worth paying more for a 'luxury' ship when there are lots of days at sea, during which to enjoy the ship, but why pay extra for a port intensive cruise when you will be spending most of your time ashore or asleep (unless it is HAL and you cannot sleep for want of air!)?
-
We are booked on the Journey TA in April 2016. I have done seven TAs on ships varying in size from 5,000 to 150,000 tons. These old Renaissance ships do NOT have a good reputation as 'sea boats' in heavy weather. However, lots of days at sea, seems to me to be the ideal opportunity to enjoy 'luxury' ships. I don't see the point in paying more for a luxury ship on a port intensive cruise, when you spend most of your time on shore or asleep!
Small ships never seem all that small to me when I am sailing on them. As the maritime historian, John Maxtone-Graham, said: "a crossing is a period of time at sea, when there is nothing to do and not enough time in which to do it!" Unless you require constant entertaining, I am sure that you will find that your days just melt away in the daily shipborne routine! :)
-
We are HAL refugees, hence our move over to Celebrity and Azamara. We have been on six HAL Alaska cruises and one Celebrity. HAL certainly are having to slash their prices more than other lines, so for price and value for money, they are hard to beat. In spite of all the cutbacks, they still offer a great on board experience and a good choice of itineraries. We have one major problem with HAL, which is solely responsible for driving us away (after 21 cruises and 4 star Mariner status). We firmly believe, from our experience, that HAL are reducing the airflow to cabins during the night in order to save fuel and hence the costs. We are very sensitive to this, so it spoils our cruise as we cannot sleep in a hot and stuffy cabin ( we even feel and sometimes get, ill). If you are not sensitive to this (and most people do not seem to be), then go with HAL if the price and itinerary are right. If you are one of those unfortunate people who are sensitive to this problem, then think carefully (and don't expect any sympathy from HAL)! :rolleyes:
I have to add that we have not sailed on Azamara, as yet, and have not sailed on Celebrity for years (although we have upcoming cruises booked), but we are hoping that both lines will allow us air to breath at night. :cool:
-
I am sensitive to air quality myself, so try to book balconies if within my budget to have more control over air flow. I knew some HAL ships had HVAC problems, but thought it was an age and maintenance issue. I didn't realize HAL was actually curtailing it intentionally :(.
We tried that: a balcony on a Vista. The wind was blowing so hard on the Tasman Sea, that if you opened the balcony door, the wind whistled through the cabin, creating a loud noise and vibration! The Oosterdam is no old ship either!
-
That`s very interesting. On our cruise earlier this year I woke up every night around 2:30 - 3:00 am, hot and clammy and the cabin was airless. It felt so unhealthy. DH sleeps on regardless, but I found it very uncomfortable.
We have experienced this, often. As you lie awake, sweating and unable to breath comfortably, you can feel when they switch the ventilation back on. It is truly a breath of fresh air! While walking down to the front desk, in my night attire, at 3am, I could feel the difference as I left the cabins and walked down the stairs, where the air was still flowing.
-
We have reason to believe this AC ventilation shut down was happening on the Prinsendam on port days. We were onboard 14 days in July. We would return to the cabin mid to late afternoon and the cabin was sweltering. Initially we thought the cabin steward was adjusting the temperature but he told us the central system is adjusted on port days. We talked to the front desk and they would not confirm this was happening, but we knew something was going on. We had the AC conk out a few nights as well.
I am sorry to hear that they are even doing it on the Prinsendam. I had hoped that she might be spared. I wonder if they do this on the 'world voyages' of the Amsterdam and the Prinsendam. That was my last hope for HAL!
-
It is very sad to read of HAL's decline. However, if they have been haemorrhaging passengers over the last few years, we are part of that haemorrhage. After 11 years and 21 cruises on HAL, we reached 4 star Mariner status on the Oosterdam this year, but we have no plans to enjoy our new lofty position. I think that I would tolerate most of the problems, infact I still think that the food, service and ambience are very good on HAL and the value for money, exceptional. However, we have left for one reason and one reason alone, that of the A/C and ventilation problems.
We have had many A/C and ventilation problems on HAL ships, but in recent years, it has become obvious to us that HAL frequently shut down the cabin airflow at night. Many (if not most) people seem to be insensitive to this, so they do not notice and it does not bother them. We are very sensitive to it and so we do not sleep well, which ruins our cruise experience. HAL deny that they do this, but we are certain that they do. This CC news article only confirmed in our minds, what we already believed:
[url]http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6012[/url]
Sorry HAL, but if you won't let us breath at night, we will not be sailing with you in the future. What use is a cruise, even if they give it away free, if you cannot sleep? We are booked up to 2017 with Celebrity and Azamara. I am sure that they have their problems too, but we are hoping that they will at least give us air to breath! This makes me very sad though. We have loved HAL and wanted to be loyal to them. :( -
We watched this on TV the other night. Azamara is one of the lines with which we aspire to sail. Watching this inspired me to look up the itineraries, which led me to find some really good deals for 2016. I booked two cruises!! :D
Is it possible to walk from Civitavecchia train station to Ship
in Italy Ports
Posted
Currently at FCO waiting for the shuttle to the port. We stayed at the Hotel Tiber, Fiumicino, last night, a lovely hotel in a scenic area by the sea, with lots of restaurants and a handy airport shuttle. This is a great option if you arrive too late to justify travelling into Rome. We would certainly do it again.
Graham. :)