Advice for pre-cruise Rome stay-How did you do it?

Hi all, we are booked on the Norwegian Jade 10 night Italy and Greece cruise for next summer. Our departure/arrival port is Civitavecchia and that doesn't really allow for any time to see Rome on the cruise I don't think. I was thinking of flying in 1-2 days before cruise leaves to see the main sights in Rome i.e. Vatican City, and The Colosseum (those are the top priorities). Does anyone have experience with this? I realize the day we arrive we will be exhausted from basically losing a day in travel coming from the US. Let me know how you did it! Thanks

Ideally, you should spend three nights in Rome to allow for two full days of sightseeing. One night is NOT enough. Two nights would allow you to see a couple of major sites on your one full day in Rome. Look through this board, there are plenty of very recent questions asking similar things. Then come back with specific questions.

Ideally, you should spend three nights in Rome to allow for two full days of sightseeing. One night is NOT enough. Two nights would allow you to see a couple of major sites on your one full day in Rome. Look through this board, there are plenty of very recent questions asking similar things. Then come back with specific questions.

Absolutely agree. Have done this twice before, and planning on it for 2020. You need to experience this wonderful city.

Thanks! I'm now starting to think I should do it post-cruise because i'll be adjusted by then, and the cruise arrives back to Civitavecchia at 6am. This would allow a full day, plus one more full day, fly back home on the 3rd day? I just really cannot take off more than 2 weeks from work so that's my struggle :(:loudcry::(

Thanks! I'm now starting to think I should do it post-cruise because i'll be adjusted by then, and the cruise arrives back to Civitavecchia at 6am. This would allow a full day, plus one more full day, fly back home on the 3rd day? I just really cannot take off more than 2 weeks from work so that's my struggle :(:loudcry::(

That would work. Still, stick to your plan to fly in the day before the cruise, don't chance arriving the same day. Some of the posters are planning to stay either at the airport that night or at Civitavecchia it self, and do some local sightseeing between the airport and Civi before the cruise. If you arrive on a late flight, you might want to stay at one of the hotel airports, if you arrive earlier in the day, staying at Civi could be a better option.

That would work. Still, stick to your plan to fly in the day before the cruise, don't chance arriving the same day. Some of the posters are planning to stay either at the airport that night or at Civitavecchia it self, and do some local sightseeing between the airport and Civi before the cruise. If you arrive on a late flight, you might want to stay at one of the hotel airports, if you arrive earlier in the day, staying at Civi could be a better option.

Just reiterating the suggestion to fly in 1 day early. This is an excellent safeguard and what we've now implemented in all of our cruise travels. We chanced it out of Rome once -- and my poor father didn't have any luggage for the first few days of our cruise! There were problems out of JFK and while he managed to make the flight, his luggage did not!

On this particular cruise, my DH and I stayed after the trip in Rome 1 night, but getting 2 days of travel out of it (as we flew back to London, where we live, so we could take an evening flight).

I think 2 days is excellent (and post-cruise touring is better for jetlag if you're travelling across multiple timezones). We devoted one day to the Vatican / Sistine Chapel and the other to seeing all of the different sites. The Colosseum was the only one which took up a lot of time - we made the error of not booking in advance and got stuck in massive queues. Be sure to make advanced reservations with time tickets! (Ditto for the Vatican -- that is 100% essential or else you'll find yourself waiting forever to get inside!)

In the city centre, it's very easy to walk to see some of the highlights - the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, various Piazzas, the Spanish Steps, etc. They are all just a few blocks from one another so you can just nip around to all of them.

We found the Vatican / Sistine Chapel to be absolutely overwhelming. The halls are jam packed, there's no where to sit, we were on a guided tour and the walk through the Museum to get to the Sistine Chapel was endless and dizzying. We were meant to go in to St Peter's Basilica straight afterwards but I was not feeling well at all and skipped it (having been one time before). Just keep that in mind -- it's an exhausting trip, you cover a LOT of ground, and it's best enjoyed with a guide of some sort (whether an official Vatican guide or from another company).

Overall 100% enjoyment we absolutely loved all our time in Rome. Hope you have a great time!

We arrived in Rome 4 night before of our cruise, visited Rome with Tour and was very fantastic, I used romeairportshuttlelimoservice.com for Rome tour and each transfer from Rome airport to Hotel and from Hotel to the cruise port, very good company.

I will be in Rome for my next cruise !!! Enjoy your time in Rome

Good info, thanks!

Just reiterating the suggestion to fly in 1 day early. This is an excellent safeguard and what we've now implemented in all of our cruise travels. We chanced it out of Rome once -- and my poor father didn't have any luggage for the first few days of our cruise! There were problems out of JFK and while he managed to make the flight, his luggage did not!

 

On this particular cruise, my DH and I stayed after the trip in Rome 1 night, but getting 2 days of travel out of it (as we flew back to London, where we live, so we could take an evening flight).

 

I think 2 days is excellent (and post-cruise touring is better for jetlag if you're travelling across multiple timezones). We devoted one day to the Vatican / Sistine Chapel and the other to seeing all of the different sites. The Colosseum was the only one which took up a lot of time - we made the error of not booking in advance and got stuck in massive queues. Be sure to make advanced reservations with time tickets! (Ditto for the Vatican -- that is 100% essential or else you'll find yourself waiting forever to get inside!)

 

In the city centre, it's very easy to walk to see some of the highlights - the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, various Piazzas, the Spanish Steps, etc. They are all just a few blocks from one another so you can just nip around to all of them.

 

We found the Vatican / Sistine Chapel to be absolutely overwhelming. The halls are jam packed, there's no where to sit, we were on a guided tour and the walk through the Museum to get to the Sistine Chapel was endless and dizzying. We were meant to go in to St Peter's Basilica straight afterwards but I was not feeling well at all and skipped it (having been one time before). Just keep that in mind -- it's an exhausting trip, you cover a LOT of ground, and it's best enjoyed with a guide of some sort (whether an official Vatican guide or from another company).

 

Overall 100% enjoyment we absolutely loved all our time in Rome. Hope you have a great time!

Thank you! Yes it sounds like post cruise would be best if I actually want to enjoy it due to the jet lag. If you fly in one day early (flights from JFK to Rome nonstop arrive typically in Rome around 7:15am), would you just stay near the port in Civitavecchia or head to Rome?

Thank you! Yes it sounds like post cruise would be best if I actually want to enjoy it due to the jet lag. If you fly in one day early (flights from JFK to Rome nonstop arrive typically in Rome around 7:15am), would you just stay near the port in Civitavecchia or head to Rome?

Also, I should add that in addition to the adults in our party, we are traveling with our two daughters, ages 13 and 11. I'm guessing sleep will be a priority when we arrive since it would be around midnight-1am our time.

Many people, including us, will tell you it is better to stay up as late as you can that arrival day in Rome. Stay active...don't sit down in front of the TV. Walk around. People watch. Somebody suggested on another thread to take a "Rome at Night" tour...not us, unless it was all walking. If it was sitting in a vehicle...bad. You will fall asleep.

The point is to get your body clock set to the local time ASAP. This technique has worked very well for us in 30+ years of traveling all over the world.

Also, I should add that in addition to the adults in our party, we are traveling with our two daughters, ages 13 and 11. I'm guessing sleep will be a priority when we arrive since it would be around midnight-1am our time.

The most effective way to get adjusted to your new time zone is to NOT sleep when you arrive. It's tough, but if you can stay up, at least through dinner, it really helps you to "get with the program" the next day. Exposure to sunlight also helps your body clock adjust. A nice city stroll would be just the thing, or a visit to the Forum/Colosseum where you're mainly outside.

This is recommended by many experts and it works well for me. I am usually so excited on my first day in Rome (or whatever city I land in) that I can power through and keep going. Your kids should be old enough to "power through" it. :D

We are a working family and have to maximize our vacation time. We took a direct flight from CLT to Rome on a Thursday evening. We arrived in Rome around 7am. We had our hotel in Civitavecchia pick us up. We CRASHED. My husband slept well on the flight but I, my 8 yo daughter, and 76yo mother in law didn't. We slept most of that morning and early afternoon. The hotel was like $150us for a 3 bedroom corner verandah room! Much less expensive for sleeping. We walked around Civit. And found a place to get a sandwich. We had dinner at a local place owned by our innkeeper's family. Our daughter feel asleep at the dinner table!

Saturday morning we took the hotel provided van to the port. We then enjoyed a very busy 7 night cruise. We arranged for a car service to pick us up in Civitavecchia and drive us to our hotel in Rome where we stayed Sat & Sunday night's with a flight back on Monday morning. We arranged a tour for the Vatican/cathedral. We did a hop on/hop off bus the next day to see highlights of Rome. Monday morning, we had a taxi pick us up for return to airport and return flight home. My husband returned to work on Tuesday. I went back on Tuesday afternoon. This is not a relaxing vacation by any stretch of the imagination!! Now my now 12 yo still talks about the Vatican, the crowded public bus(not hoho), and pizza.

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Thank you! Yes it sounds like post cruise would be best if I actually want to enjoy it due to the jet lag. If you fly in one day early (flights from JFK to Rome nonstop arrive typically in Rome around 7:15am), would you just stay near the port in Civitavecchia or head to Rome?

With an early arrival you have a choice:

1. Transfer to your hotel in Civi and arrange for tours in the area. Possibilities: Ostia Antica, Bracciano, Cerveteri, Tarquinia, etc. They can be done as part of your transfer to the hotel.

2. Transfer to a hotel in Rome, do some local sightseeing and transfer to Civi the following day.

Either way - stay up, no naps! Go sightseeing or to the beach. You will be ready for early dinner and a long night sleep. And you will get over jetlag that way.

We are a working family and have to maximize our vacation time. We took a direct flight from CLT to Rome on a Thursday evening. We arrived in Rome around 7am. We had our hotel in Civitavecchia pick us up. We CRASHED. My husband slept well on the flight but I, my 8 yo daughter, and 76yo mother in law didn't. We slept most of that morning and early afternoon. The hotel was like $150us for a 3 bedroom corner verandah room! Much less expensive for sleeping. We walked around Civit. And found a place to get a sandwich. We had dinner at a local place owned by our innkeeper's family. Our daughter feel asleep at the dinner table!

Saturday morning we took the hotel provided van to the port. We then enjoyed a very busy 7 night cruise. We arranged for a car service to pick us up in Civitavecchia and drive us to our hotel in Rome where we stayed Sat & Sunday night's with a flight back on Monday morning. We arranged a tour for the Vatican/cathedral. We did a hop on/hop off bus the next day to see highlights of Rome. Monday morning, we had a taxi pick us up for return to airport and return flight home. My husband returned to work on Tuesday. I went back on Tuesday afternoon. This is not a relaxing vacation by any stretch of the imagination!! Now my now 12 yo still talks about the Vatican, the crowded public bus(not hoho), and pizza.

 

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This is the right way to do it. Last year we did a T/A on the Celebrity Reflection to Rome leaving the next day on Wndstar’s Surf. Rather than fight our way in and out of Rome we stayed in the port Civitavecchia for a delightful 24 hours at a small guest house. They picked us up and dropped us off and the owner’s mother cooked us dinner. Nice little town to explore.

Later on in our trip we came back to Rome and stayed in the center for a while before flying home. Give yourselves some time in Rome.

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Thanks everyone! :cool:

We also did a TA from Rome to San Juan last November. We are retired so we flew in and spent 5 days pre cruise in Rome. When we flew, we decided to do a Red eye to Rome, arriving about 11AM and use that part of the day to see what we can see before we felt done. I never sleep on a plane so it was tiring, but when we got to sleep, we slept like babies, and awoke fresh the next day. It's up to you to fly in pre or do post cruise in Rome.

How you get to

Vittoriano and several other places all in the area. It was a very full day. Another day we did the Coliseum and the Forums which will also take a good part of the fay. Just no way to fit the Vatican and all it has to offer into one of those days. Basically you need 3 days to see many of the features of Rome. You can do a look see with a HoHo bus, stop and take a few pix, if that will satisfy you.

We didn't have that choice, pre or post cruise. But that is up to you.

Cheers

Len

We are doing a back2back2back on Wind Surf in September and will be in Civitavecchia for the day when the ship stops and starts the next cruise. We want to spend part of our day perhaps exploring Civitavecchia. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you! Yes it sounds like post cruise would be best if I actually want to enjoy it due to the jet lag. If you fly in one day early (flights from JFK to Rome nonstop arrive typically in Rome around 7:15am), would you just stay near the port in Civitavecchia or head to Rome?

Personally, I would stay near the airport in case I felt up to grabbing a taxi into Rome and exploring during the day.

Everyone has given excellent advice -- the BEST thing to do when travelling from US to Europe (and in that direction in general) is to stay up as late as you can to try to get on to the local time zone. If you can do that, that's absolutely wonderful.

I won't pretend I'm not a seasoned traveller -- I have been back and forth between the US and UK more times than I can count at this point. But I'm still not great at beating jetlag.

This is what *I* personally would do -- there's no need for you to follow my example though! Personally, these days, when I do an overnight flight to Europe, the next day I get in, sleep for a few hours, then FORCE myself to stay awake the rest of the day. But if I don't get those few hours' sleep, I won't make it. I'll just end up crashing and burning or, worse, getting sick (not sure why but that's what happens to me when I don't get any sleep). No matter what, personally, I'm a wreck the first day anyway.

My dad, on the other hand, drinks coffee. And coffee helps him stay up until he's on local time. Unfortunately, I'm not a coffee drinker -- neither is my DH. So neither of us have that tool to perk us up and get over the jetlag on day 1. But I will say that my dad gets a lot more mileage out of his trips in that sense, as he's able to get that first day of touring in. (Of course, for ourselves, we're already in Europe so when we meet up for European travels we're already on the local time zones!)

In any case, I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time. Rome is amazing, cruising is amazing, etc :D

If you decide to stay at an airport hotel the Hilton might work well for you. They have a free shuttle to Rome that leaves every 2 hrs. [8, 10, 2, etc] until 10pm.

Thank you! Yes it sounds like post cruise would be best if I actually want to enjoy it due to the jet lag. If you fly in one day early (flights from JFK to Rome nonstop arrive typically in Rome around 7:15am), would you just stay near the port in Civitavecchia or head to Rome?

We stayed two nights just south of the cruiseport in a little seaside town called Santa Marinella. The hotel was a hidden gem and we will stay there again. (We have done Rome a few times so wanted to give it a miss this time.). The hotel arranged for the airport pickup and cruiseport drop-off.

Great advice all, I'm making a list!

If you stay at the Airport Hilton they have "Complimentary shuttle bus to downtown Rome 8 times a day". We are staying post cruise one night. The ship departs in the early morning which get you to the hotel around 10 am. They will store your bags if your room is not ready.

If you stay at the Airport Hilton they have "Complimentary shuttle bus to downtown Rome 8 times a day". We are staying post cruise one night. The ship departs in the early morning which get you to the hotel around 10 am. They will store your bags if your room is not ready.

That sounds great. I'm trying to figure out if I want to do Rome before the cruise or after. The day we arrive back to Civitavecchia is a Sunday and a lot to see in Vatican City will be closed. Sounds like it might be better to do Rome pre-cruise, Tues, Wed, then part of day Thursday and leave on cruise Thursday. I don't think we have to be on the ship until around 3 pm. Anyone done it that way?

That sounds great. I'm trying to figure out if I want to do Rome before the cruise or after. The day we arrive back to Civitavecchia is a Sunday and a lot to see in Vatican City will be closed. Sounds like it might be better to do Rome pre-cruise, Tues, Wed, then part of day Thursday and leave on cruise Thursday. I don't think we have to be on the ship until around 3 pm. Anyone done it that way?

We are doing pre-cruise sightseeing because our cruise is a TA. However, if we were doing a RT we would likely sightsee before and after. [Even if it was only a tour taking me from the ship to the airport after the cruise with some touring in between.]

I agree the days before the cruise would be better tour days generally [from what I have read] although jetlag will not be your friend.

I would look at the flight times and days to see when flights run to/from your home airport and what the cost is on various days. Then decide what you really want to see in Rome and work out a tentative schedule of how you would do that. When we did that we realized our original 3 night plan would not work out [unless we ran around like crazy people]. So, we added a night.

We will not get to see everything--but, if we are never able to get back to Rome we will feel like we saw many of the highlights. . . . but, I plan to throw some coins in the fountain to insure a return. ;p

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/editor/separator.gif[/img]331963]That sounds great. I'm trying to figure out if I want to do Rome before the cruise or after. The day we arrive back to Civitavecchia is a Sunday and a lot to see in Vatican City will be closed. Sounds like it might be better to do Rome pre-cruise' date=' Tues, Wed, then part of day Thursday and leave on cruise Thursday. I don't think we have to be on the ship until around 3 pm. Anyone done it that way?[/quote']

 

We get into Rome on Monday after a red eye flight from the States and will stay in a hotel near the Pantheon. We plan to sight see on Monday pm until we crash and then do some sightseeing (walking around mostly) on Tuesday and Wednesday morning before the ship sails on Wednesday afternoon. After we return to Rome, we will have our 'formal' sightseeing tours - Vatican, Coliseum, Roman Forum, etc. for 2 days and then return to the States. I totally agree with everyone who says it's best to try and stay awake the first day as long as possible,