sangiorgio hotel Civitavecchia

[TIMETOGOAGAIN]

On 7/18/2021 at 10:26 AM, cruisemom42 said:

What hank says is true; however, in recent pre-COVID time I recall reading several complaints about the San Giorgio here. In addition to the comments about refunds I think I would be very reluctant to book there.

cruisemom42!  It's been many years since I've been on the boards but it's great to see a familiar name.  So happy you are still handing out excellent advice!! Thank you for the tip on Civitavecchia.  We will be coming from Atri, Abruzzo via Assisi so the Orvieto area would be a great area to camp for one night before boarding.  Any lodging recommendations?  Absolutely must see?

[Daniel A]

On 7/15/2021 at 8:35 PM, Hlitner said:

All I will say is to suggest that you look at the reviews of that hotel that are on TripAdvisor (a sister company of CC) and then draw your own conclusion.   I am troubled by the idea of making present day recommendations based on pre-COVID  experience.  

 

Hank

 

On 7/18/2021 at 10:26 AM, cruisemom42 said:

What hank says is true; however, in recent pre-COVID time I recall reading several complaints about the San Giorgio here. In addition to the comments about refunds I think I would be very reluctant to book there.

@cruisemom42 and @Hlitner ,  Do you have any more suggestions for staying near the port?  We are booked for a cruise from Civitavecchia in October next year.  NCL has waitlisted us for a pre-cruise stay in Rome even though we are still 482 days out from our cruise.  It seems that the Ryder Cup Golf Tournament is being held in Rome and finishes on the first day we need for a two day pre-cruise extension.  We are very concerned that is the reason we are being waitlisted and may not be able to book a decent hotel in Rome.  NCL limits us to only two days pre-cruise as part of the air package included in our fare.  We are hoping to find a decent hotel in Civitavecchia with a port shuttle (or private car service) as a back up plan.  Our first preference is to stay in Rome for those two days but that may not be in the cards for us.

 

Any advice will be sincerely appreciated.

 

Dan

 

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

 

@cruisemom42 and @Hlitner ,  Do you have any more suggestions for staying near the port?  We are booked for a cruise from Civitavecchia in October next year.  NCL has waitlisted us for a pre-cruise stay in Rome even though we are still 482 days out from our cruise.  It seems that the Ryder Cup Golf Tournament is being held in Rome and finishes on the first day we need for a two day pre-cruise extension.  We are very concerned that is the reason we are being waitlisted and may not be able to book a decent hotel in Rome.  NCL limits us to only two days pre-cruise as part of the air package included in our fare.  We are hoping to find a decent hotel in Civitavecchia with a port shuttle (or private car service) as a back up plan.  Our first preference is to stay in Rome for those two days but that may not be in the cards for us.

 

Any advice will be sincerely appreciated.

 

Dan

 

My advice to most folks is to stay in Rome....not Civitavecchia!    There is no reason that you must be forced to rely on your cruise line for Rome accommodations.   In fact, in many cases you can book comparable or better hotels for about half the cost of what the cruise line's charge.  Getting from FCO to Rome can be easily done via private transfers (such as from Romecabs) or using the train (and then perhaps a taxi to get to your hotel),  Getting from your hotel to the port can also be done via private transfer (easily arranged online) or a taxi.  Even though the transfers are not cheap, in the final analysis you can usually do as well or better just booking your own hotel and transfers.  

 

I would also mention that cruise lines tend to use large commercial hotels (not always in the ideal location) while doing it on your own will open up the opportunity to book smaller boutique hotels which can be more personal and better located.   Cruisemom (a frequent poster and Rome lover) and I often talk about smaller places near the Campo di Fiore or Piazza Navona area.

 

Hank

[Daniel A]

20 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

My advice to most folks is to stay in Rome....not Civitavecchia!    There is no reason that you must be forced to rely on your cruise line for Rome accommodations.   In fact, in many cases you can book comparable or better hotels for about half the cost of what the cruise line's charge.  Getting from FCO to Rome can be easily done via private transfers (such as from Romecabs) or using the train (and then perhaps a taxi to get to your hotel),  Getting from your hotel to the port can also be done via private transfer (easily arranged online) or a taxi.  Even though the transfers are not cheap, in the final analysis you can usually do as well or better just booking your own hotel and transfers.  

 

I would also mention that cruise lines tend to use large commercial hotels (not always in the ideal location) while doing it on your own will open up the opportunity to book smaller boutique hotels which can be more personal and better located.   Cruisemom (a frequent poster and Rome lover) and I often talk about smaller places near the Campo di Fiore or Piazza Navona area.

 

Hank

Thanks for the advice, we are hoping to book a hotel on our own in Rome but we are concerned that it will be very difficult given the crowds that will overflow from the Ryder Cup event.  Booking in Rome is our first choice but since the cruise is 482 days out it's too soon to be able to book directly.  I always try to have a backup plan so this is why I'm interested in finding a decent hotel at the port too.

[Hlitner]

25 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Thanks for the advice, we are hoping to book a hotel on our own in Rome but we are concerned that it will be very difficult given the crowds that will overflow from the Ryder Cup event.  Booking in Rome is our first choice but since the cruise is 482 days out it's too soon to be able to book directly.  I always try to have a backup plan so this is why I'm interested in finding a decent hotel at the port too.

Sure, the Ryder Cup will bring tourists to Rome.  But Rome is a very large city with over 700 hotels and can easily absorb the extra crowds.  My suggestion (based on a lot of independent travel) is to do your homework,  identify a few hotels that best meet your requirements/standards, and then book a refundable room soon after you get within a year of your stay (many hotels open their books about 1 year in advance).   If you later decide to stay some other place or even cancel your reservation...so be it.    We have stayed in Civitavecchia a few times and honestly do not like the experience.  The only reason we have stayed in that city is because we often have a rental car and arrange to drop it in Civitavecchia.  Because of some of the hassles dropping rental cars we usually prefer to drop it the evening before we embark on a cruise.   If we did not have a car there is no way we would stay in Civitavecchia.    If we were flying in the day before a cruise and did not want to trek into Rome we would likely book a place in Fiumcino or one of the other sea resorts near FCO.  One could also look for a place closer to Ostia Antica and spend a pre cruise afternoon enjoying those ruins.

[cruisemom42]

On 6/8/2022 at 11:59 AM, Daniel A said:

 

@cruisemom42 and @Hlitner ,  Do you have any more suggestions for staying near the port?  We are booked for a cruise from Civitavecchia in October next year.  NCL has waitlisted us for a pre-cruise stay in Rome even though we are still 482 days out from our cruise.  It seems that the Ryder Cup Golf Tournament is being held in Rome and finishes on the first day we need for a two day pre-cruise extension.  We are very concerned that is the reason we are being waitlisted and may not be able to book a decent hotel in Rome.  NCL limits us to only two days pre-cruise as part of the air package included in our fare.  We are hoping to find a decent hotel in Civitavecchia with a port shuttle (or private car service) as a back up plan.  Our first preference is to stay in Rome for those two days but that may not be in the cards for us.

 

Any advice will be sincerely appreciated.

 

Dan

 

 

Sorry, I don't have anything to add beyond what Hank already posted. I have not stayed in Civi in some years myself (and I wouldn't voluntarily). Certainly I have not read anything about any hotel there that would inspire me to recommend them. 

 

I do agree with Hank that you are probably worrying needlessly about the Ryder Cup. Hotels are not going to show any kind of availability this far out, but if you email an individual hotel you MAY find that they are willing to take your reservation now. 😉

[Daniel A]

@Hlitner and @cruisemom42  Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question.  As I like to wear a belt AND suspenders at the same time, I was able to book a Civi hotel across from the cruise port entrance.  It has a one day cancellation policy, so at least we will now have an option.  I have my sights set on one particular hotel in Rome, but it's part of a chain of hotels and I got no response to my previous e-mail, but I'll keep trying.

 

I do find it reassuring that you both think the Ryder Cup shouldn't present as much of a challenge as I was imagining.  I guess I got spooked by NCL saying I was being waitlisted for the two days before the cruise.

 

I have been through Civi before and I can understand your dislike of staying there.  It's probably the same reason I'll never want to stay in San Pedro again or sail out of LA if I can avoid it.

 

Thank you again.