Rome Cruisetour - Good Value or Not?

[ronandannette]

We're looking at the 7-day round-trip Rome itinerary on the Epic for early September, 2015. Adding a land tour with NCL is about $1,800 (for 2 people) more than the cruise fare alone. This includes airport transfer upon arrival, 3 nights hotel (property TBD) and 2 half-day guided tours; one of the Vatican and one of the Colosseum. Being as we know NOTHING about Rome, the hotel prices and the ease with which one might tour on their own, please advise if this seems like a good value for the money. We'd like to book before the end of the week so we can take advantage of UBP and UDP credits but we're very unsure. Thanks in advance.

Edited January 28, 2015 by ronandannette

[KeithJenner]

It depends on how happy you would be doing things on your own. It sounds to me like a huge amount of money for what you get, but it depends on how much your enjoyment of Rome would be increased by having the transfers and a guide.

 

To give you an idea of what you are paying for, the Leonardo Express train gets you to Rome in about 30 minutes and costs about 15 euros each. You can probably get a reasonable hotel for a couple of hundred dollars a night and the entrance to the Vatican and Colisseum is pretty cheap.

 

That means you are paying about $1000 for the convenience. Which is about $950 more than I would pay, but it may well be worth it for you.

[Barcli]

We're looking at the 7-day round-trip Rome itinerary on the Epic for early September, 2015. Adding a land tour with NCL is about $1,800 (for 2 people) more than the cruise fare alone. This includes airport transfer upon arrival, 3 nights hotel (property TBD) and 2 half-day guided tours; one of the Vatican and one of the Colosseum. Being as we know NOTHING about Rome, the hotel prices and the ease with which one might tour on their own, please advise if this seems like a good value for the money. We'd like to book before the end of the week so we can take advantage of UBP and UDP credits but we're very unsure. Thanks in advance.

 

We have just returned from a 21 day Mediterranean cruise on the Jade and when we returned we only had a day and a half to see the sights of Rome. We arranged (online) a half day Vatican tour where the company picked you up from your hotel, the cost was 70 euros each and the tour was excellent.

We also arranged a Colosseum tour through the hotel that we stayed in and caught a taxi to the Colosseum to meet the tour group and that tour was 60 euros each.

Most of the Hotels in Rome have recommended tours etc and are very willing to help.

I think that it would depend on how comfortable you are arranging the accommodation and tours yourself. You would certainly save a decent amount of money doing it yourself.

 

Regards Barcli :)

[Froggitt]

Seems an awful lot of money.

 

When your self-organised tour (above.....even a guided tour isn't that expensive) is over, its back to the Rome Termini station, and its €5 (book online within 7 days) to Civitaveccia station (just over an hour.......seemed to go from platforms 27 and 28 which are the far end of the station). From there you can get a taxi to the port for €20 or so, or its 80c on the bus to the bus station on the edge of the port where the free NCL shuttle will take you to the ship.

[4774Papa]

We're looking at the 7-day round-trip Rome itinerary on the Epic for early September, 2015. Adding a land tour with NCL is about $1,800 (for 2 people) more than the cruise fare alone. This includes airport transfer upon arrival, 3 nights hotel (property TBD) and 2 half-day guided tours; one of the Vatican and one of the Colosseum. Being as we know NOTHING about Rome, the hotel prices and the ease with which one might tour on their own, please advise if this seems like a good value for the money. We'd like to book before the end of the week so we can take advantage of UBP and UDP credits but we're very unsure. Thanks in advance.

Not sure what NCL's hotel will be, but hotel prices in Rome are expensive.

 

Still, you can find a four star hotel for $250 a night. Check out Viator tours for prices there.

 

Transport is also a factor, but I still would recommend planning your own stay in Rome.

 

Use Kayak for hotels. Check Viator for tours, as well as other tour sites.

You can take the train from Civi to Rome, then taxis.

 

I think planning it yourself gives you a better perspective of the city. There is so much to see in Rome, you will wish to stay more than three days.

[TSUmom]

I am sure you could save money by doing it all yourselves. That being said we booked the cruise and land tour. We have never been to Europe and the planning was something I just don't have time for right now. We decided to spend the extra money and have everything taken care of.

 

I know the majority of people seem to be DYI'ers and we are too, usually but those cruises were the Caribbean, Hawaii and Alaska. This is a whole new experience for us.

[hawkeyetlse]

When your self-organised tour (above.....even a guided tour isn't that expensive) is over, its back to the Rome Termini station, and its €5 (book online within 7 days) to Civitaveccia station (just over an hour.......seemed to go from platforms 27 and 28 which are the far end of the station). From there you can get a taxi to the port for €20 or so, or its 80c on the bus to the bus station on the edge of the port where the free NCL shuttle will take you to the ship.

The procedure you have just described is not for everyone (quite a lot of walking, and lifting of luggage on and off trains and buses), and private transfers to the port can be very expensive. But this still doesn't justify the high price that the OP quoted (which apparently includes airport to hotel and hotel to port transfers before the cruise, but nothing for after the cruise).

[Froggitt]

Sure. My mum wouldn't be able to haul luggage onto the train. However Im sure a few Euros would buy the services of a porter everywhere.

 

After the cruise is:

- NCL shuttle from boat to bus station - free

- 80c bus station to Civit train station

- €5 Civit train station to Rome Termini

- €15?? Leonardo from Termini to FCO

[ronandannette]

We're booking today - huzzah!! Thanks to some of the feedback here I'm going for cruise-only at this point. While we're not prepared to be quite so independent as some of your suggestions would require, I have done some research on private transfers, booking a hotel separately and pre-purchasing some private tours. It can definitely be done for less money; not tons less, mind you - if we go ahead with everything I've researched it will be a savings of about $500. Not chump-change though; it's enough to cover a good part of the excursions we plan to book for the port stops. I appreciate all the input you've given.

Edited January 30, 2015 by ronandannette