RCCL Rome shore excursion question

[Cancruizer]

Has anyone used RCCL's tours in Rome when in port only for the day - Taste of Rome etc. What did you think? I'm debating whether to do a tour with a private excursion or go with a cruiseline tour due to the distance from Rome to pier and would love to know how Royal's tours were.

[psujmatt]

Never been there on RCCL. Check the Ports board for more info. Two times we were there there was a special train that also offered a hop on hop off bus. Combined still much cheaper than the cruise line tours for the ones we did. We left Rome pretty early in the day to be sure to get back, but we had as much time there as most tours because the train is faster than the bus. Depends on what you want to see and do, too. Good luck choosing. It should be a great day no matter what you choose! Hope someone can chime in on RCCL tours for you.

 

 

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[BARNET]

Has anyone used RCCL's tours in Rome when in port only for the day - Taste of Rome etc. What did you think? I'm debating whether to do a tour with a private excursion or go with a cruiseline tour due to the distance from Rome to pier and would love to know how Royal's tours were.

We used a RCI tour in Rome as the other reply said we also used the special train picked up from ship taken to the train stop in the port on the train and 45 mins or so later arrived at St Peters station in Rome, you are advised of the time to be back at the station for the train back. The station is only a short walk from St Peter's sq. Rome is a wonderful city and you can please your self in what you do.

 

Would use a ships tour as long as you make it back to which every means or transport the ship uses if there are any problems the ship will wait. We felt that was the best way to do it as I said you have the freedom to do what you want we enjoyed walking around it can be a long day but their are plenty of taxis and buses about just hope it's not a Sunday as St Peters sq gets very busy.

Edited April 22, 2014 by BARNET

[Lilyrosemum]

Has anyone used RCCL's tours in Rome when in port only for the day - Taste of Rome etc. What did you think? I'm debating whether to do a tour with a private excursion or go with a cruiseline tour due to the distance from Rome to pier and would love to know how Royal's tours were.

 

We have been to Rome twice on Royal caribbean cruises. We used the Cruise ship excursion both times. The top of the line one, most expensive all day that included the Vatican, St. Peter's,Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, and lunch at a very nice restaurant with wine included. Both were very good and we met some great people on the excursion who were on our ship.

 

I will say the last time we did this (last year) we got in late to the ship for a particular reason and the ship was sitting there waiting for us.

 

Only meaning, if you do a private excursion and have ANY type of problem making you late, the ship will not wait.

 

For me, that is like buying insurance. We really enjoyed the excursions we took in Rome, both times.

 

i will say, the Vatican has become much more crowded than a few years ago since the current Pope Francis is so popular. So be aware of that.

 

When we went in 2008 it was great. When we went last year it was pushing and shoving. They did cancel all morning excursions due to Pope Francis having an event at St. Peters Cathedral. It was, to me, a nightmare. Having been there 5 years before and it was nothing like that. So Buyer Beware!!! You may have an amazing experience or a push and shove crowded day in H E double hockey sticks.

[newgirl2201]

We are a group of 5 so we chose a private tour with all around Italy tours in each of our Italian Ports. Our guide took us to places in a different order to the ship tours. For example we went were able to take photos at the Trevi fountain with no people apart from our family. We walked straight up and threw our coins over our shoulder. It was wonderful. We moved so much faster in a small group. They even arranged a guide to accompany us through the Coloseum and the Vatican. They guaranteed we would make us back to the ship on time and we were there an hour or so before sail away. They told us they have never missed a ship and if they did they would drive us to meet the ship at the next port. I find the ship tours like being in a herd of cats. People are always late back on big ship tours which results in you loosing time at your next stop. I use trip advisor and the cruise critic port forums to find private guides. :)

[Cancruizer]

Thanks for the responses. Agreed that you pay for peace of mind, which we appreciate. I was just wondering how the tours themselves actually were - the only disappointment for us is likely that we would like to go inside the collimseum and the tours don't do this. I guess we could do the tour "Rome on your own" with the cruiseline, I just hate that I spend more than an actual tour in this case :-(

[BobbyD]

When we did our Med cruise, our family (4) used Rome in Limo for 4 ports, including Rome. They were outstanding and I highly recommend them. They are a private tour (a Mercedes car) and you pay for the tour, not per person like the ship's tours. It ended up being about the same and a much better tour, I imagine. Check them out as there are all sorts of reviews on CC.

[griffy116]

Used to do RCCL tours, but we now exclusively book private tours. They are not only cheaper, but we get the time to see so much more and the flexibility to change our plans as we see fit. We've used Bob's Limo service, Rome in Limo. Both are great.

[Mac303]

When we did our Med cruise, our family (4) used Rome in Limo for 4 ports, including Rome. They were outstanding and I highly recommend them. They are a private tour (a Mercedes car) and you pay for the tour, not per person like the ship's tours. It ended up being about the same and a much better tour, I imagine. Check them out as there are all sorts of reviews on CC.

 

 

Totally agree with the above post, we also used them for 4 of the ports and had a great time, our driver's were excellent, and it was a pleasure to avoid all the crowds as the drivers kept ahead of the tour busses.

[Lilyrosemum]

Totally agree with the above post, we also used them for 4 of the ports and had a great time, our driver's were excellent, and it was a pleasure to avoid all the crowds as the drivers kept ahead of the tour busses.

 

Not trying to argue as we often do private tours as well, but the tour buses come continually all day and not just from the cruise ships. So how does a driver "keep ahead of them"?

[PNW Traveler]

Consider the ship's tours for Rome. It's a long long drive into the city from the port and there can be considerable traffic. We were on an all-day ship's tour and encountered gridlock traffic on the road back to the port at the end of the day. They held the ship for us. We were the last passengers to board. There are other ports where private tours would be my first choice, but definitely not Rome. It is impossible to predetermine what public event in Rome or traffic accident will impact traffic.

[szdiver]

we have been to Rome 3 times. First time we contacted Romeinlimo which we found here under ports of call.....they were marvelous and took us all around Florence and Rome and got us back to the port in plenty of time.

Second time, we called them ahead of time and actually organized tours with others from our sailing which went very well as there were several different tours going to various places. Again, everyone had a blast.

This last time, we again called ahead and went to Pompii for a whole day and also around Rome. Can't say enough good things about Romeinlimo. Would use them any time we are in or around Rome....ask questions and I will try to answer them....

[KreiderCarter]

We have been to Rome twice and used ship excursions both times.

 

In 2006 we did Imperial Rome (and judging by the description on the RCCL site it hasn't changed). It was nice, we had to wait in line for St Peters but bypassed the line at the Colosseum (it was super long too). Lunch was good (in a hotel), the bus was comfortable enough...we ran late getting back but had no worries since it was a ships tour.

 

Last year we did Rome the Eternal City. Some of the stops were a repeat of our previous tour but the biggest difference was we went to the Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel) and only saw the exterior of the Colosseum. We skipped the line to get in the Vatican Museum (and the line was again extremely long). The Sistine Chapel is beautiful, unfortunately photos are not allowed although there are many disrespectful people who insist on taking pictures anyway. The Vatican Museum itself is one work of art after another. Lunch again was good--in a local restaurant that was open just to tour guests. We were back at the ship on time.

 

I know people insist on booking private tours and save money doing so but we are more comfortable using a ships excursion.

[Mac303]

Not trying to argue as we often do private tours as well, but the tour buses come continually all day and not just from the cruise ships. So how does a driver "keep ahead of them"?

 

Not to further your arguement:

 

Mainly by getting about a 30 min head start leaving the pier area, it doesn't take long to load 4 people into a van, as opposed to trying to get the 50 passengers on a bus.

 

And yes, we did run into some tour buses, but we also were able to be one step ahead of the major group of tour buses from the ships.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Mac303

[lakelorain]

We did Imperial Rome. No waiting, no lines, good lunch and outstanding tour guide. One of the best tours we've been on both RC and private.

[Cancruizer]

Thanks for all the responses. Definitely, Rome in Limo was a consideration as it gets such good reviews. IHowever it ends up fairly pricey as we are only 3 people. In the end, just based on the fact that it's a long way from port we ended booking Taste of Rome with RCI. I think we may just be disappointed to see only the outside of the Colliseum. I will try and speak with the shore excursion desk onboard to see if I can buy skip the line tickets and break from the group and meet up later (after "free time"). In the end we booked RCI's excursions for our 3 Italy ports. Thanks again for the advice and opinions :)

[newgirl2201]

Thanks for all the responses. Definitely, Rome in Limo was a consideration as it gets such good reviews. IHowever it ends up fairly pricey as we are only 3 people. In the end, just based on the fact that it's a long way from port we ended booking Taste of Rome with RCI. I think we may just be disappointed to see only the outside of the Colliseum. I will try and speak with the shore excursion desk onboard to see if I can buy skip the line tickets and break from the group and meet up later (after "free time"). In the end we booked RCI's excursions for our 3 Italy ports. Thanks again for the advice and opinions :)

 

Often ship excursions allow extended periods for a sit down lunch. Maybe you can skip the lunch and free time and catch up with the bus at the next "stop" after free time? The lines at the coloseum were long. We had booked the underground tour and had to specify a time so were able to go to the pre booked window.

[stmshq2015]

We did Imperial Rome. No waiting, no lines, good lunch and outstanding tour guide. One of the best tours we've been on both RC and private.

 

Hello! How was the Imperial Rome excursion? Was it strenuous as described on the website? I'll be touring with 2 children. Will they be able to handle the tour? Thanks!

[CRUISEFAN0001]

we have been to Rome 3 times. First time we contacted Romeinlimo which we found here under ports of call.....they were marvelous and took us all around Florence and Rome and got us back to the port in plenty of time.

Second time, we called them ahead of time and actually organized tours with others from our sailing which went very well as there were several different tours going to various places. Again, everyone had a blast.

This last time, we again called ahead and went to Pompii for a whole day and also around Rome. Can't say enough good things about Romeinlimo. Would use them any time we are in or around Rome....ask questions and I will try to answer them....

That's consistent with what we've read and heard...so we've booked 2 RomeInLimo tours (Rome and Florence/Pisa) and then the RCCL tour for Naples/Capri/Pompeii (we had friends take that one last year and gave rave reviews.

 

The price of RomeInLimo is actually cheaper of a group can be assembled - we have 8 for Rome and 6 for Florence/Pisa...and the per-person price is actually lower than the RCCL comparable tours in both cases. More important, the smaller groups of 6-8 are more "nimble" to get around.

[marci22]

Consider the ship's tours for Rome. It's a long long drive into the city from the port and there can be considerable traffic. We were on an all-day ship's tour and encountered gridlock traffic on the road back to the port at the end of the day. They held the ship for us. We were the last passengers to board.

 

Doesn't this mean that all the private tours got back before you did :confused:

[jenks&co]

Hi we did Taste of Rome last August when we were on Adventure with a ship tour it was amazing the lady know so muchx We were only 1 of 2 cruise ships in liverno so the trip to Rome was quick we had four hours in Rome free time which was plenty to do a dash everywere then meet tour for St Peters Basilica which doesn't include going in to Vatican but the lady told us loads of intresting info If you want to go in its about 4 hours to see it all but we were more than happy with the info we got x Then we were taken by bus to the colosseum with a bus tour passed all the sites including The Circus then the bus stops at the coliseum again we didn't go in but walked round the outside The tour is called a taste and it delivered exatly that x Were going on the same cruise again on Navigator next August and are defo going to do the Taste of Florance as were so tired after Rome last time x Hope this helps Terrie

[pippagirl2015]

We have booked on the RCI Anthem of the Seas in June and visiting Rome. We are thinking of booking the Essence of Rome excursion. Has anyone done this excursion and what did you think? Does the excursion include internal visits to the Vatican, St Peters and the Coliseum and were entrance fees included? Do you get any free time to see other things, such as the Spanish steps? It's so difficult choosing as each excursion offers slightly different things and (unrealistically!) we want to see them all!

Edited April 17, 2015 by pippagirl2015
Re worded

[PNW Traveler]

Doesn't this mean that all the private tours got back before you did :confused:

I recall one van that did not make it in time.

 

We did the Imperial Rome tour. Our group size was not large. We had two guides. The tour was excellent. I'd definitely recommend it to families.

[PNW Traveler]

We have booked on the RCI Anthem of the Seas in June and visiting Rome. We are thinking of booking the Essence of Rome excursion. Has anyone done this excursion and what did you think? Does the excursion include internal visits to the Vatican, St Peters and the Coliseum and were entrance fees included? Do you get any free time to see other things, such as the Spanish steps? It's so difficult choosing as each excursion offers slightly different things and (unrealistically!) we want to see them all!

 

On the Imperial Rome tour, our entrance fees were included with the tour price. We were able to bypass the long lines at the entrance to the Coliseum.

I cannot speak to the Vatican and St Peters portion of your tour, but perhaps someone else will post.

[hun]

I've received conflicting info from calling the RCCL fold, but are there ship excursions that cover inside the Colisseum and Vatican ( other than the $399 one...). Thanks