Celebrity Rome excursion or taxi?

[Jo and Rob]

Has anyone done the Rome excursion with Celebrity? How much was it for adults and children (there are four of us) The Romeinlimo tour is 500 euros before entrance fees which seems quite pricey to me.

Alternatively has anyone got a taxi into Rome? What would they charge for a day trip do you think?

[cruise kitty]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

 

try this area of boards, then search rome in limo, losts of reviews of them & tips on taxis (Rome has great public transport, I wouldn't use a taxi there.)

[mrshark]

round trip from Civitavecchia to Rome is going to be probably about $150-200 euro, with no traffic it's about 1 hour and 15. You can take a train from Civitavecchia to Rome for a few euros.

 

I don't know what a private taxi would charge to take you into Rome for the day and stick with you, show you the sights and take you back in the late afternoon to Civitavecchia, a pretty penny I bet.

 

You may be better off with the ship excursion on that port, due to the distance.

 

When you get to Rome, some of the sights are far apart as well, for example the Spanish Steps/Via Condotti/Trevi Fountain are next to each other, the Vatican is in another direction, Colisseum is in another direction, Pantheon a little different direction, we walked one time from the Vatican to the Colliseum, it took about 45 minutes, and I'm fluent in Italian so communication with the locals wasn't an issue.

 

Take the ship tour, they'll hold the ship if the tour runs late or the bus breaks or you get stuck in traffic.

[Jo and Rob]

I've tried getting the excursion brochure but it is not ready yet (not sailing until July 2011) and I can't find another cruise with Rome as the port of call to be able to investigate. Can anyone help?

 

I did go on the Rome forum (that's how I found out the the Romeinlimo would cost 500 euros)

[Albert Ross]

....it's €9pp for a return train ticket into Rome and this covers you for the tube too....

 

If you want an idea about excursion costs look for shore excursions for Century this summer. That'll give you a good idea to work from. Personally the train works for me.

[Jo and Rob]

....it's €9pp for a return train ticket into Rome and this covers you for the tube too....

 

If you want an idea about excursion costs go to royalcaribbean.com and look for shore excursions for Indie this summer. That'll give you a good idea to work from. Personally the train works for me.

 

1. Can you get on any train with that or just specific trains?
   
2. Is that the hour and a half train?
   
3. Do you know how frequently it runs?
   
4. Is it an open return so you can return when you want to?
   
5. What time did you catch the train in the morning and then get it to return to the ship?
   

Sorry to ask so many questions but that is the beauty of CC! ;)

[English muffin]

1. Can you get on any train with that or just specific trains?
   
2. Is that the hour and a half train?
   
3. Do you know how frequently it runs?
   
4. Is it an open return so you can return when you want to?
   
5. What time did you catch the train in the morning and then get it to return to the ship?
   

Sorry to ask so many questions but that is the beauty of CC! ;)

Hello Jo & Rob

Its really easy to get to Rome by train. We have done this four times now. There will be hundred of cruisers who take the train to Rome. Go early, we took the free shuttle to the end of the port and then its a short walk to the train station the times of the trains are on the screen above where you get your ticket. Depends on what time your ship leaves we always allow plenty of time just in case the train is cancelled, so if you have to be on board by about 6pm catch say the 3 O.clock train. You maybe able to find the train times on google. Its a tiring day so wear comfortable shoes. Alternatively your cruise may have "Rome on your own" whereby you catch the cruise coach tour and they drop you off in Rome and pick you up later in the afternoon, if you are worried about getting back in time there will be no problem if you are on a tour, I think thats about 35-40 pounds, we did this the first time we went to Rome but we always catch the train now. Have a good cruise Rome is fabulous.

[Jo and Rob]

Thanks for the info.

Does this mean we don't get our ticket until we get to the station? Which station should we get off at? We would like to get a bus tour (open top if it exists)

[Lsimon]

Just look up any cruise this summer that includes Rome and you can download a brochure with prices from Celebrity's website. If you need one you can use ours - Celebrity Century September 19, 2010 sailing from Barcelona - stops in Rome on September 28.

 

Generally speaking, tours in Rome are more expensive as the transportation to Rome is through heavy traffic and over an hour away (might be closer to 2 hours). The cab ride alone runs around 125 Euros or more each way.

 

We've taken the Celebrity sponsored tour: Rome - The Eternal city" and it was great. We liked it so much we're doing it again on our next trip and we're doing it with some friends. I have a brief review, once posted on Cruise Critic, along with photos on my photo site here: http://simon-pics.smugmug.com/Cruises/Europe-Sept-07-Millennium-Med/Rome-Italy/3581212_d8AVm#203431135_tg9yv

 

We usually do private tours and tours on our own, but occasionally do ship's tours as well. As many others do, we feel more comfortable with the ship's tour in Rome as the distances are so far. yes we'll be part of a large crowd but you'll be in a large crowd in Rome in any event and with the ship's tours we'll have a guide taking us through all the sites and not just a driver taking us to each one and setting us on our own.

 

If you're thinking of doing Rome on your own then there are lots of threads with great advice in the Italy port of calls forum here on Cruise Critic.

[tom_uk]

We were in Rome just about three weeks ago, on a P&O cruise. We went up to the city on the train. I blogged from the cruise: here's a link to the post about that day, which includes musings about the transport.

[Jo and Rob]

Thank you I have now downloaded the excursions for your cruise Lsimon :)

[CathyCruises]

DON'T take the ship's tour! Either go private or take the train! You will pay through the nose for a ship tour and be herded in huge groups. Your 9 euro ticket covers all the buses and metro for the day too. Just get to the station, a 10 minute walk from the shuttle, and ask for a BIRG ticket at the newsstand inside the station. BE SURE TO VALIDATE it in the little yellow box on the platform. There will be a sign showing the times of the trains, but they run at least once an hour. If you want to do the Ho-Ho bus, get off at Roma San Pietro (St. Peter's) and walk toward the basilica; the ho-hos pick you up right in front of the plaza. Or you can get off at Ostiense and walk or take the metro to the Colosseum. The Vatican is the furthest out of the central area, so I recommend starting with the Colosseum and working your way back, even take a taxi from the Pantheon/Piazza Navona to the Vatican, then catch the train back from San Pietro. Crowds are lighter in the afternoon as well.

 

Here is the website for trenitalia, but don't buy your tickets ahead--much easier to get them at the station--just give the guy 9 euros and he will give you exactly what you need!! http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c79686605528a110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD

 

One other hint. If you only have the one day, you can skip the Spanish Steps. It is a grand staircase, but that's all it is! I recommend Colosseum/Forum (buy your tickets ahead or at the Palatine Hill entrance to beat the crowds), Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona/Pantheon, then a quick tour through the basilica at the Vatican. That and a bite to eat will take your whole day--just a taste of Rome!! Also take one train earlier than you need to to get back--just in case. They normally hand out a slip of paper with the train times (coming and going) as you are leaving the ship.

 

Cathy

[Jo and Rob]

Thanks for the advice. We will probably get the train and then do a city tour bus around Rome (which is said to take 2 hours!) I downloaded a booklet from one of the Celebrity cruises this year and the Celebrity excursions are extortionate! I also think the children will enjoy the train ride.

[itsanita]

WE did this trip a few years ago....but felt the ship's excursion was quite expensive and we were not real excited about being shuttled around the city in such a large group. So we hired a privite guide there and it was the BEST decision we ever made.

Our guide, Carlos, thru Claudio at http://www.limoinrome.com or at http://www.romeinlimo.com was waiting for us at 710 am when we got off the ship. We had emailed back and forth about what we wanted to see. As the Vatican was high on our list, he suggested that if we were willing, we would start out VERY early and do it first. The Vatican Museum closes at 2pm on Saturdays and he felt it would get quite crowded. He also hired a private guide for us for the Vatican Museum. Her name was Domizia. She had gotten in line at the museum at 730am that morning! When we arrived around 810, Carlos took us up one of the many hills in Rome for a beautiful view of the city. He then dropped us off with our guide and we joined her in line. She sent us, a couple at a time, to a local bathroom at a friend's shop before they opened the museum, as she said the bathroom lines in the museum would be really long. We were one of the first to enter the museum when it opened at 840. We did not have to wait in line for tickets, she had taken care of that as well. We had an incredible time. The guide was everything we could have asked for. She took us straight to the “must sees” and explained and educated us as we went along. She has been doing this for 7 yrs, so she knows the guards and we got thru some lines rather quickly!!! We also did the Sistine Chapel and St Peters with her (again, we skipped the line for the Sistine Chapel, as she knew the guards). She was wonderful. The guided tour was to be 2 ½ hours but she did not leave us till around noon. The place was packed by then. When we returned to the ship, we learned that many of our fellow travelers never got into the Vatican due to the crowds. At around 12:30, Carlos was waiting for us with the van outside in St Peters Square and whisked us, via back roads and alleys to other sites in Rome. I have never seen so many people in one place before in my life. Thank God we had Carlos! He know all the back ways and all the 'tricks'. We entered the Coliseum, St Peters in Chains Church to see Michelangelo’s Moses.....wow! We made stops at the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We saw the Spanish Steps, Circus Maximus, the baths of Caracalla, Piazza Noavoa, and Capitol Hill. We also had time for lunch at a little taverna by the Coliseum that he knew of, and a bottle of local wine….excellent! Carlos was 500 euros and we shared this tour with another couple we met on line. So the 6 of us split that…84 euro per person. The Vatican guide was another 120 euro…20 per person. The entrance to the Vatican museum was 12 euro per person and the Coliseum was 11 euro per person (Carlos took us in a back way and we did not have to wait in the line for these tickets). At the end of the day, we had seen so MUCH, and were not nearly as tired as many of our fellow passengers. And we had seen much more than many of them. So this might be something to think about. I am sure if you go to the Rome site on these boards, you will find other guides that have good reviews. And we never felt at all nervous about missing the ship. He had us there without any issues.

.

[smtcan]

There are reduced admission prices for children, youth (and senior) holders of EU passports for the Colosseum, so take your passports with you - copies will not do. We downloaded the free Rick Steves audio tour to our i pods and also the ones for the Vatican and St Peters and found them very helpful. They are on his web site, easy found by googling.

Sheila

[ORV]

I've done the Romeinlimo tour and can't say enough good things about them. Actually I used them for 3 different cities in Italy. The bottom line is if you get a party of 8 and spread the cost between the 8 then you are paying less than the ship's tour. And I guarantee you will have a superior individualized tour. Make sure you consider all the options.

 

I frequently take ship's tours but I felt like in the Med the private tour was much much better.