Clinching Posted July 11, 2013 #1 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Hi. We will be spending a day in Rome on our med. cruise. Wondering if we would feel less rushed if we leave the Vatican for another time? Also read it is very crowded and I'm not great with crowds. We're from U.k. so returning to Rome not a problem. IF this is good option, does anyone know a tour that does not include the Vatican? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalgirl Posted July 11, 2013 #2 Share Posted July 11, 2013 If you have no interest in seeing the museum on a one day visit, then you should wait for another time when a few days will work better for you. There are many people that do not include a Vatican tour, you can check your roll-call and get together with another group, or look into Rome in Limo for a customized tour. You could also pick a few things to see - perhaps the Colleseum and Forum or Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps - and take the train in on your own. There are several posts on Rome DIY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuldalai Posted July 12, 2013 #3 Share Posted July 12, 2013 25,000 people a day go through the Vatican Museums . You really need not to rush your visit . You can pre book admission on the Vatican website for a set date and time. You pay in advance and print out your e-tickets. On arrival by pass the mile long queue and go right to the head of the queue , show your e ticket and you will be directed to a special Casa (Cashier) . You present your voucher and you are in simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ljunggren Posted July 12, 2013 #4 Share Posted July 12, 2013 We were in Rome three weeks ago with the NCL Epic. We had decided before that we should drop the Vatican and do Coliseum instead. Just so happens that this was a Wednesday and the Pope, apparentely, has a "thing" every Wednesday. Rome was absolutely packed with people and it must have been at least C 45 degrees in the sun. We did Coliseum, took some beers and that was about what we could manage for that day. We´re planning to return for a whole weekend soon, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonTowner Posted July 12, 2013 #5 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I have been to Rome many times as my friend lives there. Last year we were there in July to attend a wedding and I had considered revisiting the Sistine Chapel. After I thought about it I gave it a miss. For me the summer in Rome is not pleasant as it is too hot and crowded. I would suggest you go back another time. Spring and autumn are generally nice weather wise, but I prefer the winter as there are far less crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4 Posted July 12, 2013 #6 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Yes, skip the Vatican Museums! Especially since you can easily return to Rome. If anybody asked me for advice, i would not recommend the Vatican Museums on a port day, because it will be packed by the time you get there. Pre booked tickets prevent you from waiting in line to get in, but you still have the huge crowds already inside. You end up walking through packed in like sardines. I would not find that enjoyable. Our first visit to Rome was only for 5 days and we didn't go to the Vatican Museums. We only went to a Papal audience and inside the Basilica. We fell in love with Rome and started staying there for almost 3 weeks at a time (spring or fall; not summer.) We only book the first time slot of the day and it is wonderful. We wander around without crowds for the first hour and a half. All my pictures in the long hallways (map, tapestries, ...), courtyards, and special rooms have just us in them. After DH leaves, I backtrack to see other things I'm interested in and it's no problem. Later the hallways become packed one-way hallways and it would be extremely difficult to go against the flow. I leave when it gets packed with people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstrycha Posted July 12, 2013 #7 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I'd make a visit to the vatican on a separate trip from all the other things you have planned for your day in Rome. The Vatican art collection + the Sistine chapel and St. Peters is enough for a full day. When we went, it was while we stayed overnight in Rome and had a time ticket for first thing in the morning . As others mentioned, this lets you bypass the miles long queue. We explored the art, saw what DH still calls the Sixteenth chapel, visited John Paul II's grave and soaked up as much as we could until 1PM or so. Having been on our feet from 7:30, we needed lunch and a nap at that point. Refreshed from the afternoon break, we then went back to St. Peter's for mass in the early evening. We did other Rome highlights the next day, with a guide in the AM and then a leisurely walk back to the hotel past even more sights in the afternoon to relax. Even with two subsequent visits to Rome, there is still plenty for us to see. The Pieta will be there when you go back. Since you need to get to Rome from the port of Civitavechia, all the more reason to not try to do it all at once. I don't have a specific tour company to recommend, but you can find many who will take you to exactly what you want to see. It is far more enjoyable to go with a small group of people than a large bus full. Call or write to a few and let them customize something for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perstef81 Posted July 16, 2013 #8 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I loved it, but I wasn't there on a port day and it was very crowded. if you're not a fan of crowds, it's supposed to be much more doable in the winter. We used two walking tour groups, Angel's Tours and When In Rome, both of which were excellent and I would recommend. They have a variety of walking tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, Pantheon etc. Also, the National Museum and Diocletion's Bath (both available for one ticket price and near the train station) were not crowded at all and interesting. Might be a good alternative to beat the crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slidergirl Posted July 17, 2013 #9 Share Posted July 17, 2013 If you do go back to Rome on another trip, see if you can plan a Friday there. During the summer tourist season, the Vatican Museum opens on Friday nights. I was there this year on the first Friday they had, May 3. I had a 7pm ticket. It was totally uncrowded! I walked by myself, not pulled by a crowd. There were places I was the only one there. I could go at my own pace, go forward, backward, stop, gaze. In the Sistine Chapel, there were actually open places along the sides to sit down! Plenty of room to move around. I also get rather claustrophobic in enclosed areas with large herds and, if you add heat to it, it is worse for me. I totally enjoyed my leisurely walk through the Museum at night!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eetonaee Posted July 19, 2013 #10 Share Posted July 19, 2013 We were in Rome three weeks ago with the NCL Epic. We had decided before that we should drop the Vatican and do Coliseum instead. Just so happens that this was a Wednesday and the Pope, apparently, has a "thing" every Wednesday. Rome was absolutely packed with people and it must have been at least C 45 degrees in the sun. Always looking for an excuse to post a picture of DW, the (former) Pope and me. In the top picture He can be seen over my left shoulder in front of the pillars about 2000 feet away. This was a Wednesday at the end of May 2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted July 22, 2013 #11 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I think many people make the mistake of trying to do much to much in a day in Rome or for that matter many cities. If this is your first visit to Rome and you want to see a diverse set of sites I would not attempt going inside the Vatican. Just view it from the outside if you want to see where it is located and what it looks like from the outside. I would devote a good few hours to see it and then you will not have seen it all. If you rush through it you are not going to get too much from the visit. The same applies to most places around the world. You have two choices. One is to visit a lot of places but essentially see very little except to say you saw it or the other is to select some sites and do them justice. Also a Mediterranean cruise can be very tiring and I think people make it harder than it needs to be by running all around. Hopefully, this will be the first of several visits for you. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pris993 Posted July 23, 2013 #12 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I visited the Vatican years ago, before 9/11 and in the spring time, it was wonderful, no crowds, we simply walked in and around without any problem. Tried to visit again a few years ago, it happened to be May Day... a big weekend in Europe - the Vatican was a zoo. I took one look at the crowds and went the other way, I don't like crowds either. We decided to visit a small neighborhood church just down the street from the Vatican to light candles and enjoyed that far more. save your visit to the Vatican for another time when it is less crowded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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