Rome & Civitavecchia Hotels?

[Tennessee Titan]

17 hours ago, mudscraper said:

Walk out the front door of Hotel Traghetto and turn left. Walk to the corner and you'll see the entrance to the port where the busses are located to take you to the ship.

Turn RIGHT!!!!

 

Another topi. There are thousands of hotels in the Rome area. Therefore you will get thousands of opinions here and elsewhere.....

Edited August 21, 2019 by Tennessee Titan

[luvn2cruzzz]

18 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

For accommodations near the port, and something completely different, I highly recommend Hotel Villa Della Palme.  The hotel arranged for transportation from the airport and then to the port (less than 15 mins away).  It was a lovely clean hotel with great staff and food (and a hidden garden that no one found but us) next to a beautiful beach and within walking distance to a great downtown area with lots of shops.

 

So happy to read your post.  We are staying there the night before our cruise and have read fabulous reviews.  We are also using their transportation.  I do have one question if you don't mind answering it.  How long a walk is it to the shops?  If someone has some mobility issues is it doable?  Thanks so much!

 

[ellbelle]

22 hours ago, zelker said:

Best hotel in Rome (IMHO) is Hotel Artemide.  Not outlandishly priced, in a great location for walking to all of the important sites, best service and staff ever, best food, best rooftop bar, best breakfast room food/chef … can't say enough good things about it.  There's a reason it's #2 on TripAdvisor.  We love it!!  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187791-d205044-Reviews-Hotel_Artemide-Rome_Lazio.html  

I agree with everything you said! Dinner at the rooftop restaurant was a highlight and surprisingly inexpensive (by California standards).

[kochleffel]

In Rome, I've stayed twice at the Hotel Gregoriana, which is near the top of the Spanish Steps, just down the street from the Hassler, and I would stay there again. If you take the Metro to Spagna, don't go out immediately to the street - instead, follow a long corridor to an elevator that will take you up to the top (but there are a few steps at the very top, too).

[slidergirl]

On 8/20/2019 at 4:35 PM, CruiserBruce said:

There are dozens and dozens of recommendations on the Italy board.

 

Our favorite in Rome is the Cavalleri. Civi doesn't have many recommended hotels.

 

I spent 5 nights at the Cavalieri.  Free.  Perk of winning a Hilton employee contest when I worked at a Waldorf-Astoria.  It is a really nice place to sit out on the patio at night, sipping a nice glass of red, nibbling on the free nuts and stuff they bring.  Really nice to watch lightning hit on the rooftops around Rome.  And, the PILLOW MENU!!!  I mean, I've never seen a menu with about 10 different types of pillows.  I had a comfortable garden-view room (as am employee, we have to take what we get, but it was still an excellent room).  An excellent breakfast buffet (although an American tourist family grossed be out with all the food they stuffed on their plates - like it was their Last Meal).  The big minus is how far it is from everything.  The hotel shuttle works if it isn't a busy time to get down to Piazza Barberini and walk around from there.  I did a few taxis just to get where I wanted to go a little faster.  Definitely better than the Westin (where I got the employee discount of $89/night when I left W=A to St. Regis).  But, the Westin is walkable to everywhere.  

 

I've only heard some chatter on some Hilton sites about the Hilton Garden Inn that is in Rome (NOT the one at the airport).  It's out on the other side of Borghese Park.  Definitely not walkable to Centro Storico from there.  People seem to think it is an OK place if you want to redeem some points for a quick stay.  

[*Miss G*]

6 hours ago, luvn2cruzzz said:

So happy to read your post.  We are staying there the night before our cruise and have read fabulous reviews.  We are also using their transportation.  I do have one question if you don't mind answering it.  How long a walk is it to the shops?  If someone has some mobility issues is it doable?  Thanks so much!

 

Oh that’s wonderful!  We really loved it.  The shops and restaurants are about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.  It was less than 10 minutes to the beach bar “Gigi’s” if you want to google map it.  We just wandered all around.  Bought Prosecco for the ship.  Ate some really good pizza.

 

It’s difficult to know how to answer whether someone with mobility issues can do it.  I guess if you get to the beach and find it’s too much for that person then maybe sit on a bench with a gelato then head back.  At the beach bar there are two streets to choose from.  Both have good shops and restaurants but you may want to stick to the one on the right since there’s a minor hill with the one on the left.

 

Have you landed at FCO before?  If not, when you come out into the main terminal you will see all the drivers standing behind a railing holding the name of the person they are picking up.  Our driver got stuck in traffic so when we didn’t see him inside we found him outside.  Make sure you have the email address or phone number of the hotel handy just in case you have trouble.  Worse case scenario is you just get in the cab line outside if you can’t find your driver.

 

Oh! And the “secret” garden is up the stairs to the left as you’re looking at the hotel from the seafront restaurant.  It’s easy to enter from the hotel entrance side if you don’t want to use the stairs.  Beautiful landscaping and a breezy covered area with nice seating if you get too hot in the sun all overlooking the water.

 

Hope this helps!

[mudscraper]

On 8/20/2019 at 7:53 PM, mudscraper said:

Walk out the front door of Hotel Traghetto and turn left. Walk to the corner and you'll see the entrance to the port where the busses are located to take you to the ship.

Correction:  Turn RIGHT and walk to the corner.

[dog]

On 8/21/2019 at 9:15 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

My favorite hotel in Rome!  I've stayed in almost a dozen Rome hotels over the years, as I like to try out different hotels and locations, but I always hold the Albergo del Senato to be the best.  

 

I got an awesome rate for my upcoming November stay and will be there for 10 (!!) nights. 

I've stayed at the Albergo del Senato twice. Loved the location. However, on my last visit for 3 nights we were downgraded upon arrial from the room category we booked. We were put in a triple room with 2 small single beds (hard as a rock) and a small sofa. The safe, in the closet was not attached to anything-you could pick it up and walk out with it. There was no internet service in this room and we had to hook up the tv ourselves.

The staff were polite but we spent our first day trying to get moved to another room. By mid day on day 2 they moved us to the deluxe double room with balcony. Loved it.

[cruisemom42]

5 minutes ago, dog said:

I've stayed at the Albergo del Senato twice. Loved the location. However, on my last visit for 3 nights we were downgraded upon arrial from the room category we booked. We were put in a triple room with 2 small single beds (hard as a rock) and a small sofa. The safe, in the closet was not attached to anything-you could pick it up and walk out with it. There was no internet service in this room and we had to hook up the tv ourselves.

The staff were polite but we spent our first day trying to get moved to another room. By mid day on day 2 they moved us to the deluxe double room with balcony. Loved it.

 

Gosh, I've never had anything but a wonderful experience there (5th stay upcoming). I hope they are not changing. 

 

Edited to add:  Curious, did you book directly through the hotel or via a third party site? I've often had the idea (perhaps not true) that booking through the hotel directly tends to get one better rooms. I always email the hotel directly with a pleasant request for best room/best rate and have been very happy...

Edited August 24, 2019 by cruisemom42

[boards]

We stayed at Hal's location for two days at the Savoy.  The room was comfortable and we enjoyed the location.  We did the transfer to the ship and the ride gave us a taste of Rome outside the tourist stuff.  We would do it again if we go to Rome again.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

I've often had the idea (perhaps not true) that booking through the hotel directly tends to get one better rooms.

 

I have the same opinion.  I emailed our hotel in Galicia where we are staying post cruise and got a better rate as well.  

 

I also think that if you book directly with the hotel and they are oversold, you have less of a chance of being bumped to another hotel if they are oversold than if you book through a 3rd party site.

[dog]

On 8/24/2019 at 11:53 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Gosh, I've never had anything but a wonderful experience there (5th stay upcoming). I hope they are not changing. 

 

Edited to add:  Curious, did you book directly through the hotel or via a third party site? I've often had the idea (perhaps not true) that booking through the hotel directly tends to get one better rooms. I always email the hotel directly with a pleasant request for best room/best rate and have been very happy...

Both times, I booked with the hotel directly. Even booked my transportation from FCO to hotel with them.

This practice is frequent in Italy in busy season (May-Oct.), I've heard.

In my case there was no reduction on the first night's room, which I would have expected.

I always contact the hotel directly 2 weeks prior to arrival to reconfirm my reservation and make any personal requests, in writing.

Edited August 25, 2019 by dog

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, dog said:

Both times, I booked with the hotel directly. Even booked my transportation from FCO to hotel with them.

This practice is frequent in Italy in busy season (May-Oct.), I've heard.

In my case there was no reduction on the first night's room, which I would have expected.

Possibly -- I usually visit Rome in the off-season and when I am there in season, the del Senato's prices are too steep for me and I'll stay elsewhere.

[dog]

2 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Possibly -- I usually visit Rome in the off-season and when I am there in season, the del Senato's prices are too steep for me and I'll stay elsewhere.

Yes, I've noticed their prices are on the higher end and there are some excellent choices mentioned in this thread. Even though my first stay at del senato was wonderful, I had the above experience the second time.

[Tapi]

Starhotels Michelangelo was our choice for our pre cruise stay in Rome, wonderful location if you want to be close to the Vatican (which we wanted). Just a few minutes walking. Many local (meaning less expensive) restaurants between the hotel and the Vatican. We loved a little authentic pizza joint called Pizza Zizza. 

 

The area around the hotel is more residential than touristy, which added to our enjoyment. Lots of locals, walking their dogs, going to church, shopping, and just going about their lives. 

[luvn2cruzzz]

On 8/21/2019 at 9:51 PM, *Miss G* said:

 

Oh that’s wonderful!  We really loved it.  The shops and restaurants are about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.  It was less than 10 minutes to the beach bar “Gigi’s” if you want to google map it.  We just wandered all around.  Bought Prosecco for the ship.  Ate some really good pizza.

 

It’s difficult to know how to answer whether someone with mobility issues can do it.  I guess if you get to the beach and find it’s too much for that person then maybe sit on a bench with a gelato then head back.  At the beach bar there are two streets to choose from.  Both have good shops and restaurants but you may want to stick to the one on the right since there’s a minor hill with the one on the left.

 

Have you landed at FCO before?  If not, when you come out into the main terminal you will see all the drivers standing behind a railing holding the name of the person they are picking up.  Our driver got stuck in traffic so when we didn’t see him inside we found him outside.  Make sure you have the email address or phone number of the hotel handy just in case you have trouble.  Worse case scenario is you just get in the cab line outside if you can’t find your driver.

 

Oh! And the “secret” garden is up the stairs to the left as you’re looking at the hotel from the seafront restaurant.  It’s easy to enter from the hotel entrance side if you don’t want to use the stairs.  Beautiful landscaping and a breezy covered area with nice seating if you get too hot in the sun all overlooking the water.

 

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful information.  Very helpful!

[shipgirl56]

Thanks to everyone for all your responses!

[JRG]

On 8/20/2019 at 4:17 PM, cruisemom42 said:

There is really no need to up sticks and move from Rome to Civitavecchia. It's only about an hour from Rome to the port via a car or shuttle. Why spend time packing up, checking out, checking in again, etc.  Plus Civitavecchia is a pretty pokey place. 

 

I'd highly recommend (and have, many times) staying in Rome. Stay somewhere in the historic center (centro) and have a magical last evening, instead of being in Civitavecchia...

 

This is really the best advice for the OP especially since you are planning well in advance..    Stay in Rome 3 days and forget Civitavecchia.    We stayed in the historic center as suggested and it paid off.     We walked to the ancient city at sunrise before the crowds and heat.  Our hotel was 2 blocks from Termini and had a Metro station on the corner so if you are Metro smart you can see alot in Rome and get back to your hotel quickly when need be.     We also took the express train from Termini to Civitavecchia on the morning of our cruise and were among the early boarders.

 

It just doesn't make sense to spend part of day 2 preparing for another hotel in Civitavecchia when there is just so much more to see in Rome.

 

[Boatdrill]

Does any one know where HAL's  Rome (city center)- to-ship transfer leaves from in the city ? 

Thanks.