Pre/post cruise advice please - Rome

[PennStateCruiser]

Taking the entire family (5 adults) on a 7 night cruse and spending the day before (Saturday June 3rd) and day after (Sunday June 11th) in Rome.  This is all of our first trip to Rome so want to hit the Must See sites.  We have decided to visit the Vatican on the front end and then more central sites post cruise.  Would appreciate any advise on finalizing the plans below.

 

Pre-Cruise - Vatican: (Flight lands in Rome 9am Saturday)

• Booking RomeCabs transfer to hotel - Trianon Borgo Pio
• Plan to get settled, grab some lunch and head to St. Peters as they close at 6:30pm and understand there might be lines and takes a few hours to see
• Then considering booking an evening small group tour of the Vatican to hopefully have less crowds.  Are there any specific tour companies we should consider?  There are so many to choose from.
• Sunday morning RomeCabs transfer to Port

 

Post-Cruise - Rome (disembark Cruise early Sunday morning. Flight departs 10am Monday)

• RomeCabs transfer hotel - Alberto del Senato (Thanks Cruisemom42)
• Have not planned this day out yet so any advice is appreciated.  Are there any limitations given it is a Sunday?

 

Thank you in advance for any suggestions to the above.  This forum is incredibly helpful to those of us trying to plan out the days/nights.

[cruisemom42]

For Saturday June 3rd -- I am not sure the after-hours tours are available on Saturday evenings -- have you checked with any vendors?  I do not seem them on the official Vatican museum website... Given the museum is closed on Sundays, it would not surprise me if the 6:00 pm closing time on Saturday is observed, with no later tours offered.

 

For Sunday June 4th -- Given the location of your hotel, you could easily fit in a quick visit to Castel Sant'Angelo (very close by; opens at 9am) before you head to the port. No real reason to rush to the ship, given how little time you have in Rome.

 

For Sunday June 11th -- I assume you want to see the Colosseum and Forum as well as some other Rome sites?  I'd  arrange a tour or get to the Colosseum with a pre-booked ticket as early as you can, before it gets crowded. Arrange an early pick-up from ship, drop your bags at hotel and take a taxi (taxi stand just beside the Pantheon) to the Colosseum.

 

In the afternoon, back in the vicinity of the hotel, you can easily visit the Pantheon and stroll to both Piazza Navona (in one direction) and to Trevi Fountain (other direction). Give the Spanish Steps a miss, they are no big deal....

 

Many shops will be closed on Sundays but some will be open. Same with restaurants. If you just walk around the Pantheon/Navona area you'll find many choices. If you are a planner and have a specific place in mind, check first to make they're open on Sundays.

 

 

 

[PennStateCruiser]

Thanks Cruisemom for the helpful information (as always).  From what I found last night they started the Saturday evening hours in 2022 and is available to book in most of the tour companies websites.  I am leaning toward two What a Life Tours and Italy With Us.  What a Life has a 2.5hour tour that starts at 7:30pm so after checking out St. Peters we could hopefully stay awake until 10 (jet lagged from flight from US).  

 

For Sunday yes would love to see the Colosseum and Forum (both close at 4:30pm) then head and the Pantheon (closes at 6:30), Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain and then call it a day.  See the various tickets and access you can get to the Colosseum.  Any recommendations?  Worth hiring a guide or ok to DIY?

 

Thanks again for all the information you share on this forum.  

[pfopma]

It sounds like you have everything booked but honestly I would lump all your days at one end - probably the start and do your itinerary based on that. If you only have one night on each that means 4 travel days to and from ports/airports and checking in and out of hotels, packing and unpacking - yuk!

 

Since you are arriving n Rome on Sat definitely take advantage of the Sat late opening of the Vatican Museums. We did this on our arrival in Rome on a Friday and it gave time to do other things we wanted to do. You don't need a tour but can purchase tickets through the official Vatican website:

https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html