Colosseum visit - Rome

[jt1120]

We hooked up with a couple of couples that we met here on CC and did a private tour of Rome through Romeinlimo. Best idea we ever had and when you broke it down, about the same $ as what we would have paid through =X=. We saw the Colisseum, Circus Maximus, Trevi, another famous church type structure that I can't remember what it was called (something like All Faiths?), past by the wedding cake and finally ended up at the Vatican. It was kinda rush rush, but if you want to see as much as possible while in Rome, it's got to be rush rush.

 

As for the Colisseum, we were there for maybe a half hour and honestly, you stand there and look down into it and that's about it. If you want to spend more time and explore it that's up to you, but seriously it wasn't something that I would consider spending more than an hour at. Also, we purchased our tickets offsite and walked past the incredibly long ticket line and right in.

 

If you're thinking about the Vatican, WOW it is incredible to see but you could easily spend a day there alone. Get your tickets online in advance, unless you rely on the excursion to do it for you. You pick the time you will get there and walk right in, again past an incredibly long line.

 

Hope this was helpful. You will definitely enjoy Roma! Our video of our 7-night western Med cruise is over 4 hours long!

 

Incidently, if you are going to Naples and are thinking about Pompeii, go to Herculaneum instead. It's exactly the same as Pompeii but has better ruins and is more compact. FYI

[holsagain]

If you have MP3 players or iPods, the Rick Steves tour of the Colosseum is very good, and free on iTunes. He also has St. Peter's and the Vatican among other guided tours of various cities in Europe. They come with a printable map of the site and are very user friendly. We used them extensively on our last Med cruise.

Sheila

Agree totally, downloaded these onto my ipod but couldn't get to listen as the kids 17 and 15 took it off me as they were so interested. Good to do at your own pace and not having to fight to hear over everyone else chatting. Buy ticket at Palentine hill. Walk to Colosseum in past the long crowd who don't read CC. BTW EU children and teens get in at reduced rate, something which is often not accounted for on organised trips.

[ariawoman]

Incidently, if you are going to Naples and are thinking about Pompeii, go to Herculaneum instead. It's exactly the same as Pompeii but has better ruins and is more compact. FYI

 

Agreed about Herculaneum. We went there in October last year and it wasn't crowded at all. The remains there are absolutely incredible. To think of how old they are, what they've survived, etc. Plus you dont have to see the bodies that were frozen in time like you do at Pompeii.

 

If anyone wants to see my photos from herculaneum, feel free :-) https://picasaweb.google.com/ariawoman/Vacation2010NaplesItaly#

 

Also, just FYI, herculaneum or Pompeii are both very easy to do on your own, just walk to the train station from the port (maybe 15 minutes walk) and take the train that goes to Ercolano Scavi if you want Herculaneum. When you leave that station, there's actually a service that we found very reliable (though looks seedy lol) you'll see photos of the signage outside the station in my album above.

 

As for rome - I can vouch for the Rick Steve's audio guides too. We had them our 1st year there for a few places and they were good. And DEF buy your tickets for Colleseum/Forum at Palentine Hill. Way less crowded (though still had a small line for us).

[Jo and Rob]

We will be going in August which will be HOT. I was wondering if people can put their hands in the fountains to cool off?

[Cruiser Susie]

I totally understand your feelings about using a cruise tour. If that is what makes you the most comfortable, then that is what you should do. Have you looked at the tour, Rome, the Eternal City? We have done this one twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times... saw different parts of the Vatican and had excellent tour guides both times. We had no issues with being able to get into the Basilica, although it was September when we made both trips. The Sistine Chapel was very crowded, and so was the Vatican Museum; St. Peter's Basilica gave me goosebumps and the La Pieta moved me to tears. We also had no issues with our visit inside the Colosseum. Here is the description from the Celebrity site:

 

Rome, The Eternal City - CV01

 

Location: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Approx Duration: 10 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

*Current Price: Starting from

223.00 Adult (USD)

162.00 Child (USD)

0.00 Infant (USD)

Activity Type: Cuisine Tours | Shows & Entertainment | Sightseeing and/or City Tours

Activity Level: Strenuous

Restrictions: N/A

Advisements:

 

 

 

Visit the world famous Vatican Museum, where an exceptional collection of artwork from every era is on display. Over one thousand rooms and galleries contain thousands of amazing treasures collected by the Popes throughout the centuries. You will have time to only see a portion of the many beautiful pieces of work. Then, visit the Sistine Chapel, highlighted by Michelangelo's masterpieces and the impressive frescoes, including the "Last Judgment." Finally, see St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world. Among the many fine pieces of art and mosaics on display are Michelangelo's "Pieta" and the beautifully carved Bernini Pulpit. Lunch (with a flute of Italian champagne and house wine) will be served at a first class restaurant or hotel. After lunch, drive through Rome to visit the historic Colosseum, acknowledged as one of the world's most celebrated buildings.

Note: Should St. Peter's Basilica have a special event or mass service, guides will give an outside explanation only and guests will then enter on their own. Guests must be able to walk approximately 3 miles over even and cobblestone surfaces with approximately 200 steps and endure extended periods of standing. A strict dress code is enforced in the Vatican Museum (Sistine Chapel) and St. Peter's Basilica. Short pants, tank tops and revealing clothing are not acceptable. Guests may be required to check large bags, backpacks, video cameras and/or personal water bottles at designated check points. Flash photos are not permitted in the Vatican Museum. Video and photography are not permitted at any time in the Sistine Chapel. Should your guide determine that the queue at the St. Peter's Basilica security check point is longer than a 45-minute wait, they will forego the interior visit of the Basilica and provide you with a full explanation and description while outside. Depending upon the number of people in the Basilica, it may be closed for security reasons. These safety precautions are beyond the control of the local tour operator or Celebrity Cruises Inc. You will be provided more time during your shopping or free period to compensate for not entering the Basilica. The order of the tour may be reversed or altered depending on traffic or local conditions. Due to the closure of the Vatican Museum ( Sistine Chapel) on Sundays, its program will be replaced by a visit of the Roman Catacombs during the Solstice sailings of July 01, 2001 and September 29, 2011.

 

 

Whatever you decide, it will be a memorable day, for all four of you. Have a wonderful trip.

[infoprof56]

We will be going in August which will be HOT. I was wondering if people can put their hands in the fountains to cool off?

 

Not only can you put your hands in the fountains, you can drink from many of them. The water is potable.

[Jo and Rob]

Not only can you put your hands in the fountains, you can drink from many of them. The water is potable.

 

That sounds perfect, we will be in need of a cool off!

[CathyCruises]

Rome, The Eternal City - CV01

 

Location: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Approx Duration: 10 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

*Current Price: Starting from

223.00 Adult (USD)

162.00 Child (USD)

0.00 Infant (USD)

Activity Type: Cuisine Tours | Shows & Entertainment | Sightseeing and/or City Tours

Activity Level: Strenuous

Restrictions: N/A

Advisements:

 

Are you kidding me? $223/pp to see the Vatican and the Colosseum??? I just hope that anyone booking this tour realizes that it is VERY easy to do all of this on your own for a fraction of this price. At a minimum, it is a 50% markup for the pleasure of roaming in a group of 40-50 at the pace of the slowest group member. 9 euros round trip for the train, 15 euros/pp for a guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, 18 euros or less for a combined ticket to see the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. Let's see, that's 42 euros, plus lunch, still under $100! Enough said. . . lots of info on the Italy boards.

[Cruiser Susie]

Rome, The Eternal City - CV01

 

Location: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Approx Duration: 10 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

*Current Price: Starting from

223.00 Adult (USD)

162.00 Child (USD)

0.00 Infant (USD)

Activity Type: Cuisine Tours | Shows & Entertainment | Sightseeing and/or City Tours

Activity Level: Strenuous

Restrictions: N/A

Advisements:

 

Are you kidding me? $223/pp to see the Vatican and the Colosseum??? I just hope that anyone booking this tour realizes that it is VERY easy to do all of this on your own for a fraction of this price. At a minimum, it is a 50% markup for the pleasure of roaming in a group of 40-50 at the pace of the slowest group member. Enough said. . . lots of info on the Italy boards.

 

It may indeed be very easy to do on your own, and if it works for you, congratulations to you if you have done it. We were traveling with friends who were adamant about doing only ships' tours in Rome, and it made me more comfortable as well. I honestly don't think ridiculing anyone's choice of tours is a good way to respond. The OP has said they want to do ship's tours. It is her preference and I respect that. I was suggesting this tour as a way to see some of the sights she had mentioned. I don't think it is necessary to be so negative, do you?!

[Nebr.cruiser]

Remember that they are doing this with kids 6 and 11, in August. I personally would not pay this amount for this tour, but it is a different story with children.

 

It's an adventure and doable to take the train in and then go to what you want to see, but everything will be harder with the kids. It's going to be hot, crowded and hectic in a strange city that, while walkable, can still be several miles from one main site to another.

 

Give yourselves some breathing room, within the tour, and don't try to do too much. Use your 2.5 hour break to eat, cool off and see a few sights, if the kids are up to any more ancient buildings. After a while, even for us adults, churches and ruins all start to look alike.

 

One advantage of a bus tour (I would think) would be that it will be air conditioned? That would help for breaks.

 

If (Big IF) you did it on your own the train would probably be fun for kids, and it's pretty easy. Then I'd take taxis between the sites that are farther apart, for example the Colosseum and St. Peter's, and plan out a series of short walking excursions from, say, the Piazza Novana, which is close to many things.

 

The Forum has some nice park-like areas that would be a great place for the kids to run around and get over some ancient-itis kinks. Think twice about the Vatican Museums or use them for a quick walk through (the kids will like the mummies) to avoid the long line to get into the Basilica. Get Vatican tickets ahead of time so you can skip that line too.

 

If I was taking kids we'd go to the Colosseum and Forum and then walk towards the Victor Emmanual Monument. Then a taxi to the Vatican and St. Peter's. The Castle San'Angelo was closed the day we were there, but it looks like fun and is close by.

 

Nexty I'd take a taxi to Piazza Novano, see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain and a church and other fountains or two, using maps or Rick Steves audio tours, trying to plan my route out ahead (not as easy as it sounds)

 

Leave in plenty of time for drinks/meals/gelato/ & playing in the fountains, parks, etc. and head back to the ship before everyone is exhausted.

 

Lastly, is a private tour, like with Rome in Limo out of the question as to price, compared to the ship tour? If it's close at all I know it would work better for you.

[jt1120]

Check the roll call and see if you can team up with a few other couples and hire Romeinlimo. We hooked up with two other couples, ahd an incredible time, and the whole thing cost less than the ship excursion.

[CruisinNole]

We just returned from a transatlantic that ended in Rome. If you can arrange a tour with RomeinLimo, I highly recommend them. We went on the "Rome in a Day" 8 hour tour with them and they were fantastic. I went on our rollcall and asked if anyone want to join us. We ended up with 7 people which made the costs lower -- 87.50 euros pp for the tour and a private guide at the Vatican. We ordered Vatican and Coliseum tickest ahead of time, gave our guides the paperwork and they were able to skip the lines and get us in right away. If you have reservations for the Coliseum and Vatican but no tour guide, you will have to stand in line to get your tickets and believe me, the lines at both places just to pick up tickets were horrendous. Don't know when you're going but everywhere we went was jammed. The crowds at the Vatican were awful. We spent 3 hours at the Vatican and that wasn't enough time mainly due to the crowds. There was so much pushing and shoving. One of our group, an 85 year old lady, was knocked down and kicked in the shin leaving the Sistine Chapel. She wasn't able to finish the tour because she was bleeding and had to get first aid. There were probably 2,000 people jammed in front of the Pieta. We just drove by the Spanish Steps. We didn't feel it was worth stopping even for a picture. Could not get close enough to the Trevi Fountain to put our hand in the water. An hour at the Coliseum was plenty. It sounds like we didn't enjoy our time in Rome but we did. We feel that if your time is limited, you're better off having a tour guide. You can work with RomeinLimo to tailor the tour to what you want to see.

[cruisemom42]

We hooked up with a couple of couples that we met here on CC and did a private tour of Rome through Romeinlimo. Best idea we ever had and when you broke it down, about the same $ as what we would have paid through =X=. We saw the Colisseum, Circus Maximus, Trevi, another famous church type structure that I can't remember what it was called (something like All Faiths?), past by the wedding cake and finally ended up at the Vatican. It was kinda rush rush, but if you want to see as much as possible while in Rome, it's got to be rush rush.

 

Could you be talking about the Pantheon (the name means "temple to all gods"?), the most well-preserved building from antiquity in the world?

 

........

 

Incidently, if you are going to Naples and are thinking about Pompeii, go to Herculaneum instead. It's exactly the same as Pompeii but has better ruins and is more compact. FYI

 

It is not "exactly the same" in any sense other then the fact that they were both destroyed by Vesuvius at the same time. Pompeii was a much larger, more commercial town than Herculaneum, which was basically an enclave for the wealthy. Pompeii's ruins are much more extensive and give you a better picture of 1) what a functioning Roman town of the period was like, and 2) the extent of the destruction caused by the eruption. There was a real goosebump moment for me, standing in the ancient forum of Pompeii, with Vesuvius clearly framed in the distance. Wonder how many people looked at that view every single day, never thinking it would be the cause of their destruction.

Even the way in which Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed by the volcano is completely different (mud slide vs. pyroclastic surge/flow).

 

 

 

No offense to you (as I guess it doesn't bother you), but I sure can't imagine coming back from a trip to Rome (or Naples) and not being sure of where I visited and what is important about it. :o

 

This is one reason why I really like to do my own planning and research, and do my own tours in ports. If I just hear a guide say it once, I'm not going to remember it. But if I read about it in advance, plan it, read it again on the site (and often come home and write about it), I will.

[ClairetoCruise]

No offense to you (as I guess it doesn't bother you), but I sure can't imagine coming back from a trip to Rome (or Naples) and not being sure of where I visited and what is important about it. :o

 

This is one reason why I really like to do my own planning and research, and do my own tours in ports. If I just hear a guide say it once, I'm not going to remember it. But if I read about it in advance, plan it, read it again on the site (and often come home and write about it), I will.

 

 

Thank you Cynthia.

 

And, I can not imagine taking children on a train from Naples to the slum where you enter Herculaneum. Either Pompei or Herculaneum would require a tour from the ship for us.

 

Also, it is very easy to get lost in the narrow streets of Rome. Especially the ones by the Spanish Steps or Trevi Fountain where there were masses of people squeezed in toward the steps and the fountain that we could not get close on our last visit.

 

Claire

[cruisemom42]

Thank you Cynthia.

 

And, I can not imagine taking children on a train from Naples to the slum where you enter Herculaneum. Either Pompei or Herculaneum would require a tour from the ship for us.

 

Also, it is very easy to get lost in the narrow streets of Rome. Especially the ones by the Spanish Steps or Trevi Fountain where there were masses of people squeezed in toward the steps and the fountain that we could not get close on our last visit.

 

Claire

 

Different strokes, I guess. I took my son to Rome when he was 7 and did it on my own. A good map with all streets is definitely a must.

 

I've been on the Circumvesuviana train and wouldn't hesitate to take a child on it. There are slums in a lot of large cities, including the one near which I currently live in the US.

[CathyCruises]

Hi Cynthia:

 

Unusual to see you on the =X= boards! Are you looking at switching from Princess?

 

I saw some great Princess Med itineraries for this season, but they were more than double what I am paying for Celebrity, so I am going to stick with the one I booked. There will only be two ports that I haven't visited before (Malta and Crete) but DH has never been to Ephesus and really wants to visit, and it has been 15 years since I was there, although I expect it hasn't changed much!

 

I can always find new things to see in Barcelona, Rome, Naples and Florence, and have my Corinth day booked for Athens, so we should have a great cruise--and can't beat the price!

 

Cathy

[Lolotte]

We also like to tour on our own and have been to Europe several times. The only places where it was complicated were in Florence ( 2 buses and the train) and St Petersburgh (visa required if on your own. We went to Rome twice by train, it is cheap and there the city is easily walkable. First time went to the Vatican, Pantheon and Trevi, second time to the Coliseum and Mount Palatine. Both were enjoyable days, with pizza for lunch. I think, with or without children, you only get the feel of the city if you are wallking. You need to do a little research before, maybe you see less ( too many comments on tours are forgotten anyway) you do not pay much and you have an adventure !!!

[cruisemom42]

Hi Cynthia:

 

Unusual to see you on the =X= boards! Are you looking at switching from Princess?

 

I saw some great Princess Med itineraries for this season, but they were more than double what I am paying for Celebrity, so I am going to stick with the one I booked. There will only be two ports that I haven't visited before (Malta and Crete) but DH has never been to Ephesus and really wants to visit, and it has been 15 years since I was there, although I expect it hasn't changed much!

 

I can always find new things to see in Barcelona, Rome, Naples and Florence, and have my Corinth day booked for Athens, so we should have a great cruise--and can't beat the price!

 

Cathy

 

I'm investigating Celebrity now that my son isn't cruising with me as much. Haven't been on X since a 1997 cruise to Bermuda but loved it then.

[CathyCruises]

They have some great deals--$999 for balcony guarantee for various Med itineraries this summer and fall. And on the Solstice class (newest) ships, which are beautiful, not that it makes that much difference on those port-intensive cruises. We went to the Caribbean this winter on Eclipse and loved it. C'mon back!