Rome or not in a day?

[Emma1]

We are doing a med cruise and have one day that we can tour Rome or opt for something else. My DH and 3 kids (11, 14,15) first time in Italy.

-Do I do a private tour of Rome( I need them to enjoy it so would opt for the private tour)

-or do Pisa/Pompeii/? instead? Can we do both?

- It seems a long trip from the port for a day trip but they have never been.

-also, what private tour co is good and reasonable?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[cruisemom42]

Wow, I think you have your geography a bit jumbled.

 

The ship docks at Civitavecchia for Rome. It's over an hour into Rome from this port.

 

I am not sure of the exact distances, but IMO it would be WAY to far to go to Pisa, and get back to Civitavecchia within such a tight time frame. Naples, which is south of Rome, would also be a big stretch, although perhaps less than Pisa. (And Pompeii itself is south of Naples.....) I wouldn't consider it.

 

Unless you have the ability to time travel, you certainly couldn't do both, as Pisa is north of Rome and Naples is south. If those places are priorities, it may have been a better idea to book a cruise that stops in Livorno (for Pisa) and Naples (for Pompeii).

 

http://www.wordtravels.com/images/map/Italy_map.jpg

[HeinBloed]

We are doing a med cruise and have one day that we can tour Rome or opt for something else. My DH and 3 kids (11, 14,15) first time in Italy.

-Do I do a private tour of Rome( I need them to enjoy it so would opt for the private tour)

-or do Pisa/Pompeii/? instead? Can we do both?

- It seems a long trip from the port for a day trip but they have never been.

-also, what private tour co is good and reasonable?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I am afraid that I am unable to follow:

 

are you on a cruise ship in "transit" and your only call is Civitavecchia???

 

And you have never been in Italy before???

 

Of course you should do Rome. See and die...

 

Pompeii is not around the corner... Pisa either...

 

You are from New York - let's make it simple from NYC...

 

It would like asking never been in NYC but should I go to Boston or should I go to Philadelphia...

 

That's by the way the geographical situation like Pisa - Rome - Pompeii.

 

If your ship calls Livorno you should see Pisa

If your ship calls Naples or Sorrento you should see Pompeii

 

If your ship only calls Civitavecchia and it's the only Italian port you should see Rome.

 

We used

 

http://www.cast-turismo.it/

 

for our tour.

 

Pictures of our tour can be found here:

 

http://heinbloed-cruiseguides.blogspot.com/2009/01/civitavecchia-italy-getting-to-vatican.html

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[Emma1]

Was I not thinking in writing this - I was doing two different things at once - my apologies. Just the Rome question - I thought it was about 2to2 1/2 hrs from the port to Rome. If it is closer to 1 1/2 hrs, that makes me less nervous.

-what reasonable tour co's are recommended?

[HeinBloed]

Was I not thinking in writing this - I was doing two different things at once - my apologies. Just the Rome question - I thought it was about 2to2 1/2 hrs from the port to Rome. If it is closer to 1 1/2 hrs, that makes me less nervous.

-what reasonable tour co's are recommended?

 

Do not worry: some hundered thousands of cruisers accept the way from Civitavecchia and had a great time.

 

We made it very easy:

 

we just told the guide that we want to see all places you saw in Roman Holiday...

 

Just follow Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck to all their places...

 

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[stipmom]

Definately worth it to go into Rome. For five people a private tour is ideal. We did it that way when we went with our family. Saw all the highlights except for St. Peters and that was because it was a Wed. and the Pope had his audiences and we did not have time in our schedule to wait. A few years later my husband and I went back on a cruise and did Celebrity transportation into Rome with a tour of St. Peters .

[Keith1010]

Was I not thinking in writing this - I was doing two different things at once - my apologies. Just the Rome question - I thought it was about 2to2 1/2 hrs from the port to Rome. If it is closer to 1 1/2 hrs, that makes me less nervous.

-what reasonable tour co's are recommended?

 

Rome is about 90 minutes each way.

 

You should do a tour.

 

There are several companies to choose from.

 

One to consider is with Rome Cabs.

 

Their web site is http://www.romecabs.com

 

Keith

[chipmaster]

It is a challenge, private is totally the way to go regardless of whether you have children or not, but with private my kids 7, 11, and 13 learned a lot.

I think there were many things that bored them, but it was a trip more for us and hopefully an experience for them. There is no "deal" with private, it for certain is cheaper and you see more then the big bus cruise tours. Figure 400-600 Euros for a car for 6 or 7 that works out to likely 100 euros then add food/admissions for about 150 euros/day/person in the big 3 Italian cities. Its hard to give Rome justice in a day but I couldn't imagine making port and not going in to see one or two things even if you choose to DIY versus private. RIL is my recommendation for private driver, not the cheapest but they have a huge following here and I'm one of them!

 

The kids saw it as more ruins more churches and more random stuff. As they get older I hope they come to treasure that special day.

 

As to Pisa and Pompeii, they got a kick out of Pisa, thought Pompeii was more of the same, but liked the ash frozen guy. Again it was education and memories that hopefully will wet their appetite for a return.

 

BTW Pompeii is out of Naples and Pisa likely out of Livorno when you stop in Florence. I'd not want to do those on my stop for Rome :D

 

We are doing a med cruise and have one day that we can tour Rome or opt for something else. My DH and 3 kids (11, 14,15) first time in Italy.

-Do I do a private tour of Rome( I need them to enjoy it so would opt for the private tour)

-or do Pisa/Pompeii/? instead? Can we do both?

- It seems a long trip from the port for a day trip but they have never been.

-also, what private tour co is good and reasonable?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[hubofhockey]

We are doing Rome on our own with our two kids (13 & 11) next summer. We will take the train and then do a three hour tour of Ancient Rome with Roman Candle tours. They don't charge for kids under 12 and the reviews on Trip Advisor were great. It was 30 euros for adults, 25 for teens, and free for under 12. With admissions, the whole thing is 133. Even adding in the train, we're at 151. It's a big savings over booking a family tour (with admissions, would be around 600). We did a tour for the two of us this summer. It was a great Miles & Miles tour. But I am more looking forward to doing this on our own. If we have to take a cab or two once in Rome, that's okay.

[kittyluvrnurse]

I can also vouch for Rome Cabs with Stefano. IF you didn't do a tour with the ship. It's awfully far to go it on your own. Honestly, that far, I'd probably stick with the ship. Flying to the next port because you missed meeting up with Rome Cabs or something sad like that just isn't worth the cost. I would say you should definitely see the Colloseum and have them take you to Buffetto (I'm sure I'm spelling it incorrectly). BEST pizza. Not far from that is Geliatti (also spelling it incorrectly, I'm sure) the BEST gelato. Line wraps outside the building with non-tourists.

 

:)

[Mrs Miggins]

The train is easy - and cheap (9 Euros) There are loads of threads on this board that give precise details - the tour that Ljberkow recommends seems a good compromise. Read a little before you go. Watch a few movies to get the children fired up (eg Gladiator) Then they will be more interested. My daughter liked it and recognised some locations eg The Trevi Fountain from The Lizzie Mcguire Movie (sad but true).

[Susan-M]

We are doing Rome on our own with our two kids (13 & 11) next summer. We will take the train and then do a three hour tour of Ancient Rome with Roman Candle tours.

We've done the train trip a couple of times (without children) and really enjoyed it. I think it would be much more interesting for children to do the train trip and navigate Rome on your own than being chauffeured to various sites for 8-10 hours...not to mention the benefit of the costs savings. The combination of DIY exploring and arranging a guide for part of your time seems ideal.

[SuiteTraveler]

The best way to tour Rome is to take the port bus to the entrance of the port, then walk 4 blocks to the train station and take the train for 9 Euros each. Here are the detailed instructions including photos on how to get to the train station and what to do when you get there :

 

http://goitaly.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=goitaly&cdn=travel&tm=10&gps=585_297_1276_599&f=11&su=p531.51.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.europeportreviews.com/Rome2.htm

 

Get off the train at Roma Termini. Have a private walking guide meet your train from www.ThroughEternity.com You can start at the Spanish Steps, walk to the Fountain of 4 Rivers, then on to the Pantheon, and then the Trevi Fountain. Stop for lunch.

 

The classic Roman lunch is Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper - it is not spicy and something that kids would definitely enjoy - ingredients: Spaghetti, pasta water, pecorino romano cheese, olive oil, black pepper) or there is always pizza and salad available. Have a gelato.

 

After lunch take a quick and inexpensive taxi ride to the Forum for a visit and then visit the Colloseum. The Colloseum will be a huge highlight of the day for your kids - especially if you watch the movie "Gladiator" with them beforehand!

 

The guide from Through Eternity will fill you in on the history and maximize what you can see in the time that you spend in Rome. As I recall the fee was around 50 Euros per person - which was cheap for a full day of touring and the tremendous amount of information the tour guide shared with us.

 

There is a train station near the Colloseum from which you can depart Rome back to Civittavechia - be sure to allow at least 1.5 hours for the train ride, plus some extra time for boarding the bus at the entrance of the pier - you may have to wait for 1 or 2 buses as they tend to get full towards the end of the day.

 

One final note: Be sure that everyone uses the restroom at the restaurant because, if there are a lot of tourists at the colloseum, the wait for the restroom could be 1/2 an hour or longer.

[michaeleds]

We did the private tour with a family of 4. Me, my wife and a 19 year old and a 14 year old. Our driver was Julian of Bounty Roma Limo

http://www.bounty-limousine.com/

Julian was a excellent guide and driver... took us to a great restaurant... I forget the name of restaurant but the owners name is Vito and his wife is the cook and it was great and a good price... off the beaten path but anyway. I'd not try an do the whole city... pick just a few things and spend a lot of time... we had a great time and when we go back will use Julian again... here's a short clip 5-6 minutes of our rome trip with Julian... Also took us to his favorite cafe and Gelato shop

 

Good luck... and have a great time... we can not wait to go back one day...