Civitavecchia to FCO - Pier to Train Stn Q'n

[Embracedbylife]

We are pretty much set with our train schedules to go from the Civitavecchia Stn to FCO (with a transfer on the way). Our flight is at 12pm so we plan to take the 7:59 am train putting us at FCO by 9:33am or or worst case the 8:41am train arriving at 10:03am.

 

My concern/question now however is getting from the ship to the train station in good time and without pulling my hair out and missing the train!! I am going to purchase the train tickets on the day of departure so that we have them already and can just hop on the train, but how much time should we give ourselves to get from the port to the train station? Are the shuttles over crowded that take you to the gates? Should we grab a cab? Are there even taxi's to grab that would go from the port to the train station? Is it going to be a total nightmare?

[CruiserBruce]

I think you are setting yourself up for a stressful day. I would suggest either ship's transfer or private transfer to the airport.

[Embracedbylife]

The train isn't going to stress us out, but my question was, is getting to the train stressful? Sounds from your post it will be stressful? Could you elaborate a little for me? Is it really that bad? I was thinking there would be taxis at the pier to just take us to the train - is this not possible?

 

I am fine with luggage/trains etc. as I travel light and am used to hopping trains around, just getting to the train is the concern from the ship.

[floridafolks]

The train isn't going to stress us out, but my question was, is getting to the train stressful? Sounds from your post it will be stressful? Could you elaborate a little for me? Is it really that bad? I was thinking there would be taxis at the pier to just take us to the train - is this not possible?

 

I am fine with luggage/trains etc. as I travel light and am used to hopping trains around, just getting to the train is the concern from the ship.

 

You will be fine, it has never been a stressfull situation for us. Taking the train is not for everyone, that is why the private shuttle services are popular. For some folks private shuttles are the way to go. We have really not had so many people getting off as soon as the ship has cleared that we couldn't get on the first shuttle bus from the pier to the port exit. Often loads of luggage is what makes the train stressful and time pressure.

 

See my answer where you posted this question on the other thread for a more detailed response to our experience and what we do to get from ship to train without stress.

 

I might also suggest checking with your roll call and you might find someone who is experienced with this and you all could walk together from the shuttle bus exit to the train station. You will already know how to get there and how long it takes when you take the train to embark. You may become the experienced one to help others out.

[CruiserBruce]

The train isn't going to stress us out, but my question was, is getting to the train stressful? Sounds from your post it will be stressful? Could you elaborate a little for me? Is it really that bad? I was thinking there would be taxis at the pier to just take us to the train - is this not possible?

 

I am fine with luggage/trains etc. as I travel light and am used to hopping trains around, just getting to the train is the concern from the ship.

 

My concern is this. First, we don't know what time you will be able to get off the ship. Yes, many cruise lines tell you very early dockings, like 4 or 5am, but that doesn't mean you will be able to get off the ship then. So the 7:59 train could be a problem. It sounds like you may have a US bound flight(not via any other European country), which means T5 at FCO. As mentioned in another very recent thread, 9am would be a preferred arrival at FCO, 9:30 at the latest, if you are dealing with T5.

 

Secondly, there is a free shuttle to the front gate. Many others may be using this as well, so there may be a crowd. You load your bags. Drive for 10 minutes, not counting waiting for the bus to load. Then off load and work 4-5 blocks. On to the train. Change trains. Don't know if taxis will do that short a fare.

 

Lastly, while the train system in Italy is pretty solid, it seems a bit risky to make a tight flight connection based just on train schedules.

 

Or, you could load your luggage one time into either a ship based transfer, or a private transfer, off load one time, and be there 3 hours prior to your flight.

 

You sound pretty confident, and I wish you the best of luck. Having just been in Rome, I just feel like I want a little more control of my time with a fairly tight schedule like you have.

[24butterfly]

The train isn't going to stress us out, but my question was, is getting to the train stressful? Sounds from your post it will be stressful? Could you elaborate a little for me? Is it really that bad? I was thinking there would be taxis at the pier to just take us to the train - is this not possible?

 

I am fine with luggage/trains etc. as I travel light and am used to hopping trains around, just getting to the train is the concern from the ship.

 

If u don't know where you're going, and have never been there b4, it's very easy to see how to do it in writing, andother to put it into practice. You're going to have to be off the ship early, hope that the "free" shuttle is there, take it to the port entrance, (if it's not there, it's a long walk) walk a few blocks to the train station--all this if u have a good idea as to what u r doing. It sounds e-z. Also, remember that there are other ships disembarking also, the Port of Civit is huge, and there aren't hundreds of shuttles waiting to take you or whomever pulls up. Taxi's want the large fares, and there aren't alot of taxis in Civit. It's a very small town anyway. Also, the fares from the Port to the airport would be expensive b/c you also have to pay for them to get BACK to Civit. What about your roll call? I'm sure people would be looking for a ride share there. If it were me, I'd opt for the transfer for the 1st time, and then if there was a next time, do the train on your own. Or if you're going to be in Rome pre-cruise, maybe take the train to Civit, get to the port, have them take u in, and back track.

[Embracedbylife]

Thanks for all the feedback! We are taking the train to the port from rome so we will be ok with knowing where to go just concerned with getting the shuttle vs taxi. In case we go with princess transfer what time do we meet the group for a noon flight?

[floridafolks]

Certainly good things to consider from 24butterfly and cruiserbruce. One of the reasons for my opnion is that the OP had already said on another thread that OP was going to take the train to embark and OP would then already be familar with the route. OP also said she would have pruchased her return ticket then so would not even need to go to ticket window for return to FCO. According to cruisett and whatsinport, the Star Princess is the only ship in port that day(30th) and arrives at 4:00. I thought if OP did self-disembark with luggage(which she has already stated is one bag) that she could be on first shuttle of the morning as soon as the ship has been cleared. Of course, there might be times(happened to us once) that we were off the ship, ready to go before the port shuttle showed up. Someone made a call for us and it was there in just a few minutes.

[Embracedbylife]

Nail on the head! I was mostly concerned about the shuttle vs taxis but seems shuttle is the way to go and factor in time for delays of shuttle and train. Wanted to prepare for worst case scenario so no suprises. If once we find it to appear too much on our way to the port we will go to plans b.... Princess shuttle!