Private tour disembark time in Rome Help please

[tuffyiscruisin']

Hi,

On our itinerary it has the Royal Princess arriving in Rome at 5am.

We are looking at booking an excursion that meets outside the Vatican at 7.30am. We were thinking of catching a 6am train from civittivechia.

Is this possible? Are likely to be able to disembark around 5.30am

 

Thanks

[Aulanis]

I have not done this transfer but did research it this year. we did do the free shuttle

and then walked past the station.

I would say you would be pushing it to fit it in.

I have read it can take up to 1hr 20 minutes on the train - have you got an up to date timetable for the service you want? Any chance of strikes public holidays or other disruptions. We once missed a flight in Italy as they decided with no notice to close a tunnel en route. We allowed 3hours for a 1 hours transfer and didnt make it.

 

If you are walking to the station its about a mile but make sure you know where you are going before you set off - its perhaps not as straightforward as it seems, and it does depend on where you are moored. The shuttles have changed in the last 12 months.

They used to drop off at the castle looking building at the port entrance but they dont stop there.now - they go into the town away from the train station so you end up almost as far from the station as you were on the dock. There is then another (paid) shuttle that goes to the station - I dont know how long that takes. So if you got off the ship and just missed a free shuttle next one might be 20 mins then if you just missed the paid one to the station. thata would be another 20 mins so shuttle looks a non starter. Taxis are expensive 20€ and unless pre booked wont take you to the station as they want to get someone who wants to go to Rome - around 110€

I would be inclined to ask this again on your Roll Call - others may be thinking the same things or the" Europe" sub forum-" italy ports"

[flamomo]

You need to remember that passengers who have booked Princess excursions are generally the first to disembark. Those going into Rome on all day excursions will be gotten off early because of the distance between Civitavecchia and the city, and if it's anything like when we did it, that's a LOT of passengers to get off the ship and on their way.

It's not that Princess doesn't care about your need to get off early to make it to your privately booked tour, it's more that people using the cruise line excursions are given priority. Everyone else starts after those people are taken care of.

Also consider that arrival at the pier does not mean that anyone can get off immediately. Once the ship is tied up, approval from the port authority must be received, and I can't count the number of times, in my personal experience, that it has taken an hour or more in ports for disembarking to even begin.

[dickinson]

I would not do it. We were on the Royal on May 17 to disembark in Civi... Maybe because it was the first time of the season the Royal was there but it took a while to disembark. We were on a disembarkation tour to the Vatican via Princess. We had to meet in the Princess Theater at 6:30 am. We didn't leave the theater til sometime after 7 am. You would never make it to Rome for a 7:30 am tour although I don't know what time people who did the self embarkation got off.

 

I also remember at least one other port that had an early arrival time yet we were not let off the ship for at least an hour after that. You also have to allow time to get to Rome and to the Vatican. Unfortunately, I don't think your plan will work for that early in the morning.

[Carolyn R]

It won't happen. The port shuttle does not even start running until 7 am. We disembarked on May 17 in the first group after self disembark and got to the meet up point outside the terminal at 8 am. No one was allowed off the ship until some time after 7 am.

[matamanoa]

Our experience in getting off in Civitivecchia for a private tour into Rome was that while on the train, we had to sideline for about 40 minutes as there was another train on the track coming in the opposite direction. We finally got moving but it cut into our tour time in Rome. In regards to what another poster mentioned above about disembarking the ship, even though we were not Elite and did not have a tour booked with Princess, we were able to get off once the ship was cleared and we did not have to wait for all the Princess booked tour passengers to get off. The ship's staff cannot stop you from getting off any time after the ship has been cleared. They may not like the fact that you are not on one of the ship's tours but they should let you off whenever you want. If there are others going on your tour, it might be advantageous to get everyone together at an appointed meeting time and place and then get off as a group.

 

Barb

[dickinson]

Our experience in getting off in Civitivecchia for a private tour into Rome was that while on the train, we had to sideline for about 40 minutes as there was another train on the track coming in the opposite direction. We finally got moving but it cut into our tour time in Rome. In regards to what another poster mentioned above about disembarking the ship, even though we were not Elite and did not have a tour booked with Princess, we were able to get off once the ship was cleared and we did not have to wait for all the Princess booked tour passengers to get off. The ship's staff cannot stop you from getting off any time after the ship has been cleared. They may not like the fact that you are not on one of the ship's tours but they should let you off whenever you want. If there are others going on your tour, it might be advantageous to get everyone together at an appointed meeting time and place and then get off as a group.

 

Barb

 

The point is that booking a 7:30 am tour at the Vatican is too early. The ship probably won't be cleared in time to get to Vatican city in time. Maybe it will but probably not.

[travelgirl45]

I would not book anything until you either get off the ship or get into Rome It is 1 1/2 hrs. plus from Ship to Rome. Been there Done That. And don't expect anything magic if it is Sunday. Princess does not make it easy. They say they will dock at 5:30 am. More like 7:00 am and that can really through the day off. Also, heads up. ! There are THRONES AND THRONES of people in Rome for the Vatican. Hang onto everything you own and don't plan to be at a certain place at a certain time. Buses, etc. do their own thing and speak NO ENGLISH GOOD LUCK. If you want to see Rome, take a tour from your own country. You will have a better chance of seeing and doing what you think you want to do. Nothing there runs smooth. Not even the Pope.

[tailspintom]

Hi' date='

On our itinerary it has the Royal Princess arriving in Rome at 5am.

We are looking at booking an excursion that meets outside the Vatican at 7.30am. We were thinking of catching a 6am train from civittivechia.

Is this possible? Are likely to be able to disembark around 5.30am

 

Thanks[/quote']

Hello Tuffy,

 

We have used Romeinlimo.com several times with very good success. You may be surprised by the value of sharing an eight passenger van with your fellow passengers. The site can lead you through the process of getting your Vatican tickets and supplying a Vatican tour guide. Just a thought

Expecting to catch a 6 am train is optimistic to say the least.

[Aulanis]

I just wish the OP would come back and say They have a new plan :D

[Colo Cruiser]

Hi' date='

On our itinerary it has the Royal Princess arriving in Rome at 5am.

We are looking at booking an excursion that meets outside the Vatican at 7.30am. We were thinking of catching a 6am train from civittivechia.

Is this possible? Are likely to be able to disembark around 5.30am

 

Thanks[/quote']

 

 

I think it is too early!

It's a 1 hour train ride.

[tuffyiscruisin']

Just back from our Cruise and thought I would update on this:

We decided not to make final decision till we were on the ship, on embarkation day i went to guest services and spoke to them about being able to get off the ship at 6am, they said it was possible but they had to get approval from the port authority, and added us to a list, but they said it should not be a problem. based on this and the potential of issues getting to the train we booked a car to pick us up from the port at 6am. We subsequently received confirmation of approval so we were all set. Unfortunately security held us up and we didn't get of the ship till around 6.15am. The car was waiting and we headed into rome, we hit some traffic and only just made it to St. Peters Square for meeting our Tour Guide at 7.45am. (a bit stressful) also police had moved the barricades further away from St. Peters Square and so we had to get through an initial security check to get our meeting point. BUt it was well worth it we had great seats and were very close to the pope when he came passed.

We then went to the colosseum in the afternoon then got the train back to the ship.

Alls well that ends well, but would i recommend it, it was bit stressful but well worth it.

[pjrockman]

Congrats, Tuffy.

 

Sounds like it worked. What car service, and tour operator did you use and what were the costs if you don’t mind saying?

 

Thanks, Paul

 

 

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[Lucky TGO]

Congratulations I still think you were very lucky. But happ you made it. :)

Tony

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for letting us know how it worked for you.

[tuffyiscruisin']

Congrats, Tuffy.

 

Sounds like it worked. What car service, and tour operator did you use and what were the costs if you don’t mind saying?

 

Thanks, Paul

 

 

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Yes it was a bit stressful and not sure if i would recommend as it was tight.

 

Car service we used was http://www.rome-airport.net cost was 134euro (this was one we found but may have been cheaper options?)

We used City Wonders Tours formally Dark Rome Tours for the Papal Audience Tour. The tour guide was very good got us good seats and gave s a great description about the history of St Peters square and the vatican. this was US$82.86 for the 2 of us.

 

For the Coloseum tour we used a tour company called Vatican Tours and we did the tour that included the underground tour. Thuis was very good and cost was $65euro each.

 

Regards

Wayne

[tuffyiscruisin']

Congratulations I still think you were very lucky. But happ you made it. :)

Tony

 

Hi Tony

 

I don't believe in luck believe you make your own luck

:)

[pjrockman]

Yes it was a bit stressful and not sure if i would recommend as it was tight.

 

 

 

Car service we used was http://www.rome-airport.net cost was 134euro (this was one we found but may have been cheaper options?)

 

We used City Wonders Tours formally Dark Rome Tours for the Papal Audience Tour. The tour guide was very good got us good seats and gave s a great description about the history of St Peters square and the vatican. this was US$82.86 for the 2 of us.

 

 

 

For the Coloseum tour we used a tour company called Vatican Tours and we did the tour that included the underground tour. Thuis was very good and cost was $65euro each.

 

 

 

Regards

 

Wayne

 

 

 

Great information' date=' Wayne.

 

Thanks a bunch.

 

Safe Journeys, Paul

 

 

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