Connections in Rome

[mikewrit]

I hope for some sound advice from seasoned travelers about making connections in Rome in December of next year. The best deal is a Delta flight that lands at Fiumicino at 9:50 a.m. The ship sails from Civitavecchia at 5 p.m. There are lots of options for getting from FCO to the cruise port in far less time IF the plane makes the schedule and the shuttle drivers are not on strike et cetera. Coming back, the ship is scheduled to arrive in Civitavecchia at 5 a.m., with the flight from FCO scheduled to leave at 11:40 a.m. Again, plenty of time if the schedules are met. While I'd love a good reason to arrive in Rome a day early and leave a day late, it has to be a really, really solid excuse to justify the $400 or so price tag.

[ab0si]

If you are asking for a guarantee, you won't get one.:)

 

Your plane to Rome could be late.

Your plane connecting to your plane to Rome could be late.

You could arrive on time and your luggage have been misrouted.

The could be a general strike.

 

You could spend some time in Rome (not the worst fate to befall a person).

You could start your cruise with something resembling a good night's sleep.

You could relax and not have to worry about missing the ship.

 

Of course, the odds are certainly in your favor that you will board the ship in plenty of time.

 

Similar arguments for the flight going home.

[njhorseman]

I would never book a flight from the US to Europe (even to a country where strikes aren't the regular occurence that they are in Italy) that arrives the same day as my cruise departs. There are just too many things that can go wrong, as the previous poster mentioned.

 

You are probably OK with your return flight arrangements...BUT...cruise ships can be late, customs officials can delay diesembarkation, traffic can jam the road to the airport, and any one of those could cause you to miss your return flight.

 

So, if I were to gamble, I would gamble and say the return flight is OK. At least you can't miss your cruise if you miss that flight, but there's no way I would gamble by arriving the day of the cruise.

[FlyerTalker]

FWIW, I was just in Athens, staying at the Marriott. HAL was using that as a pre-cruise hotel. One night I saw a representative at the "desk" at midnight, and went over to chat.

 

Seems that 15 people missed their cruise due to flight issues with BA. Supposed to arrive at 11:45am - plenty of time to make a 5pm departure, as ATH isn't that far from the port. Ooops.

 

Let me add one other thought on arriving a day or two earlier: Have you ever been to Rome itself and gotten to tour/explore the city? If not, why not take the opportunity to experience that - while you are already there? Why not take advantage of being in Rome before you sail.

 

Here on CC, I read about so many people that never get to experience the start/end cities of their cruises as they are so focused on getting in/out of the city that they don't even get to see where they are. Think of it in the economic terms of a "marginal cost".

[mikewrit]

Thanks for all the good advice. Things to ponder in the months before it is even possible to make plane reservations. We did have part of a day in Rome off the NCL Jade two years ago, and it primed the appetite for another round. (When in Rome appears to have a nice variety of one-day tours including the Sistine Chapel, which we missed last time because the tours available were all filled up for the day.)t was

[deejae]

Mikewrit,

 

Just thought I'd let you know that British airways seems to have the best price (by $400 pp) for flights from Boston to FCO next May. I've never flown them, I'm just pricing flights.

 

Janet

[mikewrit]

Thanks, Janet. As we start in PDX, British Air may be out of our reach.

[vivian02]

Mikewrit,

Great advice asking in advance. The wife and I have done many cruises overseas and only once did we chance flying into Rome the day of the cruise. I manage to get free Airfare tickets for both the wife and I in August of 2008. It was the wife's idea to fly in the day of the cruise and everything did work out but....... We arrive at 11:30 AM and took the train from the airport to Rome Termini on the Leanardo Express. Remember this was August and it was HOT. I believe we left on platform 28 to Civitaveechia around 1:20 PM. Not bad, that put us in the port around 2:25 PM and by that time the wife was sweating and we had to roll our luggage four blocks to the shuttle bus. The ship didn't leave until 5:00 PM so it went rather well. Would I do it again.... Probably not. I think with your traveling during December you always risk some kind of weather problem if you have to make a transfer on the East Coast. Go ahead and fly in a day early. Look at it this way..

During December you will get a better hotel rate in Rome than the summer tourist season. Take in Rome in December and enjoy not sweating in the hot weather. I hope this helps.

 

Tim

[mikewrit]

Thanks, Tim and Janet. I hadn't considered the winter rates in Rome.

[maryann2]

Thanks, Tim and Janet. I hadn't considered the winter rates in Rome.

 

Hotels are cheaper in Rome in August as it is so hot the Romans take their vacations then.

 

I do agree though to fly a day or two earlier if only to get over the jetlag.