Rome - disembarkment post cruise excursion?

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I have noticed that Princess offers 2 post cruise excursions for Rome.. Our ship arrives in Rome on a Sunday. We plan on taking one of the tours, stay at the Rome Hilton Airport, fly out the next day.

 

tour 1 - Debark Tour - St Peter's Basilica & Colosseum

- 6 hours

- guided tour and free time at St Peter's Basilica and Square

- guided tour at the Colosseum

- concludes at Leonard de Vinci Airport

 

tour 2 - Debark Tour - Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St Peter's

- 6 hours

- guided tour, Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Square

THIS TOUR WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON SUNDAYS AS THE VATICAN MUSEUM IS

CLOSED

- free time in St Peter's Square

- concludes at Ostiense train station

 

Since our arrive is a Sunday, looks like tour 2 is out.

 

Has anybody taken any of these tours post cruise? What are thoughts of the tour?

[pilotswifey]

I don't have any advice on the tours unfortunately but we were just in Rome in September before and after a cruise and used "Rome Cabs" (I think owners name was Steffano) for transfers and they were great! We're hoping to do another cruise in June that disembarks in Rome and we will definitely use them again. We had a personal van and they were very professional and reliable. We also could not go to the Vatican due to it being a Sunday.

[Wishing on a star]

I have seen another often recommended Private Tour operator with a name similar to the one mentioned.

Have you checked the cruise port boards.

I would want to be aware of how large the tour group and bus/coach is on the cruiseline excursion, and compare the cost of a more private tour.

 

This can make a difference in what you see, how you are able to see it, the time allotted, etc.

 

If we are able to plan a future Med. cruise, I would look into the the private tour operators recommended.

[IECalCruiser]

There are private tours but we went with the second Princess option for a debark tour in December of 2016. I can't remember exactly how many people were on our tour but it was around 12-15. We were on the Pacific so the number will probably be larger on a larger ship. I also can't remember if we had to handle our luggage or if it was loaded directly on to the bus for us. The tour was quite good. As we entered Rome on the way to the Vatican the guide started giving us good information about the sights. We did pass the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus site on the way.

 

The tour of the Vatican Museum approximated Rick Steves tour route and we ended that part in the Sistine Chapel. We then had a tour of St. Peters Basilica and Square and 15-20 of free time to do some shopping at the Vatican store or explore other areas. After the tour we could be dropped off at the train station, our hotel, or the airport.

 

Unfortunately you will not have the option of that tour. In 2014 we were in Rome on a private tour on a Sunday and were only able to drive past the St. Peters. We did have an excellent private tour of the Colosseum, the Forum, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Catacombs. Our tour guide for the Colosseum and the Forum had a PhD in archeology and he was both very knowledgeable and personable. We had the skip the line option at the Colosseum which is essential. Several on the tour had mobility issues and our guide brought us all the way to the back to the elevator.

 

As others have posted, you might want to check out private tour options as you will see more and probably at a lower cost. Our company did not offer debark tours so I can't help you there.