Rome on Your Own excursion

[Mathguy42]

We have one day in Rome on our Med cruise. The ship is offering a "Rome on your own" deal which is basically round trip bus transport from Civittavecchia Port to Rome city center. They don't say where the drop off point is, or if pick up in late afternoon will be from the same point. It's many years since I've been to Rome but I remember how to get about quite well on the 64 bus, and understand there is now a train or Metro connection with Civittavecchia. i was just wondering if anyone had experience using this? Can you buy a packet of Metro/bus tickets at the station in Civittavecchia? Plus they claim the bus takes 90 minutes each way. I'd imagine train or Metro would be a) cheaper and b) faster? Is the station at Civittavecchia near the cruise ship terminal? Thanks.

[muccouple]

The train station is about 10 minutes to walk from the cruise port entrance, there are shuttle buses from the **** to the entrance.

You can take the train from Civitavecchia to San Pietro Station (5o minutes ride) and then its only 5 minutes to walk to St. Peters basilica. If you want to go downtown get at ticket to Termini station, same trains but longer ride.

There is one private nonstop private train (infos at the information at the port entrance), but it runs only one time in the morning to Rome and one time return in the afternoon.

The public trains are running almost each hour in both directions,

[samavarcruiser]

The train station is about 10 minutes to walk from the cruise port entrance, there are shuttle buses from the **** to the entrance.

You can take the train from Civitavecchia to San Pietro Station (5o minutes ride) and then its only 5 minutes to walk to St. Peters basilica. If you want to go downtown get at ticket to Termini station, same trains but longer ride.

There is one private nonstop private train (infos at the information at the port entrance), but it runs only one time in the morning to Rome and one time return in the afternoon.

The public trains are running almost each hour in both directions,

 

I agree, use the public transportation and save money

[euro cruiser]

There are two trains per hour between Rome and Civitavecchia each hour. The ticket to purchase is called a BIRG, a regional travel ticket that covers regional train fare between Civitavecchia and Rome as well as all public mass transit in Rome (metro, trams, buses). This ticket costs 9 Euro and is available from the newsstand in the train station. Be sure to validate your ticket before boarding the train by stamping it in one of the yellow boxes in the station or on the platform.

 

Which train station you get off at in Rome will depend on where you are headed first. This thread gives directions by train to the key sites: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1237189&highlight=rome+key+sites+train+civitavecchia

[Mathguy42]

Many thanks. This is great information!

[WisRiver]

Last year we were in the same position as you were, trying to figure out how to see Rome in a day. We were a group of six, so we made arrangements with Rome in Limo for a van. They were waiting for us as we got off the ship at 8:00 AM. We also made arrangements through Rome in Limo for a private guide for a private guide for the Vatican museum. We had an extraordinary, seamless day for about 150 Euros per person for the day. This was more than we originally wanted to spend, but we were able to see a lot. We had a good driver who wanted to know what we wanted to see and what we did not. We were able to park close to a site, illegally at times, but we were not paying the traffic tickets. We could walk to the site, and go on to the next site. We had prepurchased Vatican Museum tickets for 1:30 entry. We met our guide, had a great tour and were on our way back to the ship by 5:00 PM. If you do Rome in a day on your own, you will spend a lot of time getting from place to place.

 

Enjoy

[Love to travel more]

We too are considering the Ships "Rome on your own" transfers. According to CruiseCal.com there will be approx 11300 cruise passengers docked at Civitavecchia port on July 13th , around the same hour e.g. 7am (except for Equinox which docks at 4.30am.

So is travelling to Rome via train MID JULY still doable or should we just book the ships "Rome on your own transfer" We have been to Rome before and just really want to get to Rome and walk around with no stress.

Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks

Carol

[cruisemom42]

We too are considering the Ships "Rome on your own" transfers. According to CruiseCal.com there will be approx 11300 cruise passengers docked at Civitavecchia port on July 13th , around the same hour e.g. 7am (except for Equinox which docks at 4.30am.

So is travelling to Rome via train MID JULY still doable or should we just book the ships "Rome on your own transfer" We have been to Rome before and just really want to get to Rome and walk around with no stress.

Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks

Carol

 

Not very many cruise passengers take advantage of the good and easy public transportation into Rome. That said, it can get a bit crowded with that many passengers in port plus locals commuting into Rome. Be prepared and understand that the Regional trains are sort of like a subway. You may have to stand. If that's a dealbreaker, you might want to consider another type of transportation. On the plus side, it's very rare that you wouldn't be able to get onto a train.

 

From recent past experience with the overcrowded Circumvesuviana trains in Naples, I'd aim to stand and wait (in the station) near wherever the front cars of the train will be. For some reason, those tend to be less crowded.

[travelingran]

We departed from Rome and spent one day before and one day after the cruise. There are so many things to see in Rome. I cannot imagine trying to get it all in in one day. We took the train to dock and it is a bit time consuming. Worked well for us but since you have little time to waste you would be better off with the ship tour. Waiting for trains is probably not what you will want to do especially since you have no idea how the system works. It can be a little confusing. As I said we used the train and I would do it again if there was plenty of time. We opted to go back to Rome in a limo because we split the cost with 2 other couples and the price was very good. No wait and no ticket purchase and no walking through the train station looking for the correct train, nice.

[Love to travel more]

Not very many cruise passengers take advantage of the good and easy public transportation into Rome. That said, it can get a bit crowded with that many passengers in port plus locals commuting into Rome. Be prepared and understand that the Regional trains are sort of like a subway. You may have to stand. If that's a dealbreaker, you might want to consider another type of transportation. On the plus side, it's very rare that you wouldn't be able to get onto a train.

 

From recent past experience with the overcrowded Circumvesuviana trains in Naples, I'd aim to stand and wait (in the station) near wherever the front cars of the train will be. For some reason, those tend to be less crowded.

 

 

Thanks so much! Have just seen a thread with a video of a overcrowded Circumvesuviana train! (I'm not sure who posted it!) Am looking at taking the "Rome on your own ship excursion" !!! Have not had much experience with trains or subways (except in Hong Kong & 6 days in New York - which we loved!! - New York was supposed to be scary!! but I felt so safe - perhaps due to the large number of police officers in view at all times) If the Port wasn't so far from Rome I would have no issues using the train. (I bought Rick Steves Med Cruise Ports book from Amazon - not avail locally in Aus to my knowledge - and thought that it seemed only somewhat doeable for the time limit we have and with the numbers of cruise passengers at the same time as us in Port.

Thanks again for your comment.

(To Mathguy42 - I hope you don't mind me butting in on your question!)

Carol

[Love to travel more]

We departed from Rome and spent one day before and one day after the cruise. There are so many things to see in Rome. I cannot imagine trying to get it all in in one day. We took the train to dock and it is a bit time consuming. Worked well for us but since you have little time to waste you would be better off with the ship tour. Waiting for trains is probably not what you will want to do especially since you have no idea how the system works. It can be a little confusing. As I said we used the train and I would do it again if there was plenty of time. We opted to go back to Rome in a limo because we split the cost with 2 other couples and the price was very good. No wait and no ticket purchase and no walking through the train station looking for the correct train, nice.

 

Thanks so much for your comment!

Am going to book the ships train travel! Expensive for 3 , but less stress and hassle for a short stopover. (at least for me that is !!) We have been to Rome before 3 days prior to our last cel cruise, and 2 days after - so we are happy to just wander around!) I must add that if It was our first visit to Rome I would definately be looking at a tour to maximise the sights seen in such a short time.

p.s. DON'T FORGET to throw the coin into the trevi fountain!! We will return and enjoy such a beautiful city!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks

Carol

[jkspringtexas]

Our first trip to Rome was on the Brilliance of the Seas in the fall of 2010 and we only had one day to spend in Rome. We wanted to make the most of this once in a lifetime experience so hired Rome In Limo for 3 of our stops - Pisa, Rome and Naples. Yes, it was expensive, but they were an fantastic company and we would highly recommend them to everyone.

 

We were promptly picked up at the ship early each day in a private van just for us and were able to see and experience everything that we requested. They instructed us on how to order advance tickets for Pisa and the Vatican Museum and we never had to wait in line. Yes, it is true, they were able to drive right up to the sights and we never had a long walk anywhere. At their suggestion, we did hire a separate guide for the inside of the Vatican and also Pompeii - well worth it. The drivers and guides were very informative and we ended our days with exciting lasting memories of these three ports.

 

Now to the good part. For our first trip we hired Rome In Limo, never thinking that in our lifetime we would return to this magical part of the world. We wanted to make the most of the trip to places that we had only read about and where we never thought we would ever be able to visit again. Our 10 hours in each port went by so fast - looking back we feel there is no way that we could have done it on our own. Who would think that only one year later my husband and I were back in Rome, 3 days before our transatlantic. This trip was much different. We were on our own - very brave of us. Our hotel was what we called "authentic Italian" - under $100 per night and turned out to be an amazing experience. We took a shared taxi from the airport to the hotel, the hop on hop off bus to get around the city for sightseeing on our own and the train to the port to meet our cruise ship.

 

We feel we did it the right way. First time with experienced guides to make the most out of your limited time in port, and the next visit on our own with more time to immerse ourselves in the wonderful city of Rome. Enjoy, we sure did!

[cruisemom42]

We departed from Rome and spent one day before and one day after the cruise. There are so many things to see in Rome. I cannot imagine trying to get it all in in one day. We took the train to dock and it is a bit time consuming. Worked well for us but since you have little time to waste you would be better off with the ship tour. Waiting for trains is probably not what you will want to do especially since you have no idea how the system works. It can be a little confusing. As I said we used the train and I would do it again if there was plenty of time. We opted to go back to Rome in a limo because we split the cost with 2 other couples and the price was very good. No wait and no ticket purchase and no walking through the train station looking for the correct train, nice.

 

In the interest of not scaring off those who want to use the train for transportation, I've several times timed things (you can look up train schedules in advance) and you can actually get an extra hour (easily, sometimes more) by getting off the ship early and getting onto one of the first available trains into Rome versus taking the ship's tours, which tend to depart a leisurely one hour or more after the ship is cleared.

 

An hour may not sound like a lot, but when you only have 7 or so "real" hours in a city like Rome, an extra hour is like a 10% bonus in time.

 

To respond to another post, if you've used public transit in Hong Kong and New York, you won't find using the trains confusing in Italy. It's actually pretty easy. Only thing that is peculiar to Italy is getting your ticket stamped (yellow boxes) prior to boarding.

[paiagirl]

Cruisemom42, I appreciate the advices you give the cruisers and wonder if you can also answer a question for me. Our ship arrives at Civitavecchia on Wed., Jan. 2 at 5 a.m. and hope that it will be cleared a couple hours later for disembarkation. What time would you suggest to board a train? As far as I know our ship is the only one there and I don't know if the Italians work between New Years and Jan. 6, Epiphany. Thank you. paiagirl

[travelingran]

There is not much at the port. I would board the first train into Rome.

[cruisemom42]

Cruisemom42, I appreciate the advices you give the cruisers and wonder if you can also answer a question for me. Our ship arrives at Civitavecchia on Wed., Jan. 2 at 5 a.m. and hope that it will be cleared a couple hours later for disembarkation. What time would you suggest to board a train? As far as I know our ship is the only one there and I don't know if the Italians work between New Years and Jan. 6, Epiphany. Thank you. paiagirl

 

Are you disembarking the ship in Civitavecchia and trying to get into Rome or to the airport? Or are you just there for a port stop? (I'm asking because it would make a difference in how long it would likely take before you could get off the ship.)

 

The days between January 1 and 6 are not holidays. Some take off this time anyway, but it should not affect the train schedule except on the actual official holidays. If you're going to be spending time in Rome, you may find a few restaurants and small stores closed (proprietors on holiday).

[Pushka]

We too are considering the Ships "Rome on your own" transfers. According to CruiseCal.com there will be approx 11300 cruise passengers docked at Civitavecchia port on July 13th , around the same hour e.g. 7am (except for Equinox which docks at 4.30am.

So is travelling to Rome via train MID JULY still doable or should we just book the ships "Rome on your own transfer" We have been to Rome before and just really want to get to Rome and walk around with no stress.

Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks

Carol

 

Another Carol here and also from SOUTH AUSTRALIA. :). We are in Rome on 25th July and have the same number of cruisers in port because of the Liberty and NCL Epic. I have booked the private train that RCL offers but I wonder if this is the same private train that is referred to a above? I would love to do a private tour but the are only 2 of us. I figure booking the ships DIY train is a balance between doing a ships tour with a cast of thousands, versus a totally DIY option which kinda worries me as we haven't been to Rome before.

[paiagirl]

Are you disembarking the ship in Civitavecchia and trying to get into Rome or to the airport? Or are you just there for a port stop? (I'm asking because it would make a difference in how long it would likely take before you could get off the ship.)

 

The days between January 1 and 6 are not holidays. Some take off this time anyway, but it should not affect the train schedule except on the actual official holidays. If you're going to be spending time in Rome, you may find a few restaurants and small stores closed (proprietors on holiday).

 

We disembark on Jan. 2 from Civitavecchia to Trastevere (where we are staying before the cruise and after the cruise) to spend a few days in Rome before flying out. I believe that our ship is the only in port that Wed.

[paiagirl]

There is not much at the port. I would board the first train into Rome.

 

Travelingran,Thanks for the advice. I am hoping that the citizens of Italy will be celebrating a lot on New Years and begin using the train later in the morning.

 

Cruisemom42: with your experience, how long does it take to clear the ship by the authorities before disembarkation take place? Thanks.

[Love to travel more]

Another Carol here and also from SOUTH AUSTRALIA. :). We are in Rome on 25th July and have the same number of cruisers in port because of the Liberty and NCL Epic. I have booked the private train that RCL offers but I wonder if this is the same private train that is referred to a above? I would love to do a private tour but the are only 2 of us. I figure booking the ships DIY train is a balance between doing a ships tour with a cast of thousands, versus a totally DIY option which kinda worries me as we haven't been to Rome before.

Hi Carol, the tour that we are going to do is the Shuttle and private train to rome and Vatican ($84Aus) per person x 3. This is for 9 hours and 30 min. Travel each way is approx 1 1/2 hours, so leaves us 6 1/2hours on our own in Rome. Expensive I feel for the travel, but if we were just a short distance from the Port to Rome, I would not hesitate to do on our own, but the distance from Port to Rome and the amount of other cruise ships in Port on our day has played a major factor in our decision. We have however been to Rome twice (1988 & 2007) Absol. LOVED ROME !! so this time we are happy to just wander around (have done most of the major sites!) Ships tours are expensive, but due to work , we are only away in total for 18 days,incl. flight, cruise and before cruise accom, so the whole holiday is expensive. One thing that I must note however is that on a East. Med cruise we arrived back in Rome on a Sat, and were in queue for over 3 1/2 hours just for the vatican! - did not think we would make it in before early sat closing. In Turkey we did the expensive ship tour!! due to the fact that we were only in Istanbul for the day & overnight ! so glad we did as it was the last day of Ramadam(sorry prob. spelt incor.) and the city was crazy !!!

Happy Travels,

Carol (from Oakbank South Australia !!)