Help! Is this private tour cutting it too late to get back to the boat?

[kittyneutron]

So, boat is docked from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

 

The private tour I really want to participate in is offered at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Colosseum. We are docking at Civitavecchia, Port of Rome with Royal Carribean Liberty of the Seas.

 

The tour is 3.5 hours long. Obviously no way we can make it to Rome for the 8:30 a.m. tour. So that means it would be the 1:30 p.m. one, ending at 5 p.m.

 

Assuming we should be back at the boat no later than 6:30, is this cutting it too close? I feel like it is :( Really sad about it as it is the only private tour I have seen that offers a walk on the arena floor of the Colisseum, but it is obviously more important that we don't miss the boat....Is it crazy if we depart the tour before it is finished?

 

Thoughts?

[euro cruiser]

Three hours long would end at 4:30 PM. There is a train from Roma Ostiense at 5:09 that arrives in Civitavecchia at 6:05. If you miss that, the fallback is the 5:23 that arrives at 6:30. That second one is pretty risky, because you still have to run the five blocks from the train station to the port and get a shuttle bus to your ship.

 

If everything works perfectly, you leave the Colosseum at 4:30, walk across the street and get on the metro two stops to Piramide, walk through the tunnel to the Ostiense train station and get on the train. A half hour is more than enough time to get to the train station, in fact, you might even make the prior train, the 4:53 that arrives at 6:00.

 

As always, a decision like this is all about your tolerance for risk. Is your next port either Livorno or Naples? If so, if everything goes wrong and you miss the ship it's easy to get to the next port.

[kittyneutron]

Three hours long would end at 4:30 PM. There is a train from Roma Ostiense at 5:09 that arrives in Civitavecchia at 6:05. If you miss that, the fallback is the 5:23 that arrives at 6:30. That second one is pretty risky, because you still have to run the five blocks from the train station to the port and get a shuttle bus to your ship.

 

If everything works perfectly, you leave the Colosseum at 4:30, walk across the street and get on the metro two stops to Piramide, walk through the tunnel to the Ostiense train station and get on the train. A half hour is more than enough time to get to the train station, in fact, you might even make the prior train, the 4:53 that arrives at 6:00.

 

 

Sorry, I meant to say 3.5 hours, not 3. That is why I wrote 5 p.m. It sounds like it's going to be too close. The only thing is the fast trains, if those are running?

 

We are also in a bit of a situation in terms of our next stop-day at sea, and then Barcelona :(

[texancruzer]

Too close for me..... save it for your next trip to Rome.

 

Just as side note: we had tickets for the underground tour last fall.... got there and they had closed the underground part due to rains the week before. No refunds either..... so we did the regular tour and then went up to the upper tier which is not open to the general public..... very cool views from up there but we were still disappointed we didn't get to go underneath.

 

Just be aware that if you buy tickets and they close it for any reason they see fit there are no refunds.

[D4]

What private tour are you interested in? Have you considered taking the 1:30 tour and leaving it early? If it is the underground tour, there are 2 portions where your guide locks a padlock after the group enters the area. As long as you're not in one of those locked areas, you could decide to leave the group at any time. Just tell your guide when you're leaving so they don't waste time looking for you. And give them your audio device, if applicable.

[kittyneutron]

Too close for me..... save it for your next trip to Rome.

 

Just as side note: we had tickets for the underground tour last fall.... got there and they had closed the underground part due to rains the week before. No refunds either..... so we did the regular tour and then went up to the upper tier which is not open to the general public..... very cool views from up there but we were still disappointed we didn't get to go underneath.

 

Just be aware that if you buy tickets and they close it for any reason they see fit there are no refunds.

 

Thanks! Yes, I am aware that it is often closing, but for us on our first trip to Rome the Colosseum is our priority to see, underground or not :)

 

But I agree, it is cutting it too close..I've contacted them to see if they have any suggestions based on my available times that day.

[kittyneutron]

What private tour are you interested in? Have you considered taking the 1:30 tour and leaving it early? If it is the underground tour, there are 2 portions where your guide locks a padlock after the group enters the area. As long as you're not in one of those locked areas, you could decide to leave the group at any time. Just tell your guide when you're leaving so they don't waste time looking for you. And give them your audio device, if applicable.

 

I'm looking at the Walks of Italy tour (it is a group tour) I did contact them to see what they advise. I thought about leaving early too-would hate to do that. I don't know what time we would need to leave by? 4? That seems a bit too early to leave the group anyway. I'm going to try and see if I can get together a group of people who might be interested in a private tour.

[euro cruiser]

If you are at the Colosseum and leave at 4:30, missing only the last half hour of the tour, you have a reasonable shot at making the 4:53 train at Ostiense, with two fall back options.

[kittyneutron]

That's true...leaving a half hour early would not be a big deal. I am eagerly awaiting a reply for them, hopefully something can be worked out!

[kittyneutron]

Thank you to everyone for your help. We have decided to go ahead with the tour after informing we have to leave early, and will be using a transfer service to get us to the boat going back so we should be good to go!