NCL air to Europe

[KKB]

DD & I are flying from Dallas to Rome in August. We paid for a 2 day deviation.

Flying to Europe in May & Oct as well & both those flights are overnights--wondering if this one will likely be as well.

How far in advance will we get our flights?

Trying to book hotel...rather assuming we fly out 2 days prior but actually arrive 1 day prior to embarkation.

If so, I'm assuming getting into Rome isn't practical due to timing (and jet lag).

Can anyone share their experiences regarding flight times assigned, particularly to Rome?

(I realize no one can guarantee our flight times; just curious what others have experienced.

Don't worry; I will ONLY book a refundable hotel)

 

[julig22]

You will arrive in Rome 2 days prior to your cruise - that is the definition of 2-day deviation.

[cwtravel]

Flights from US to Europe are generally always overnight except for a few from NYC or DC to London. There is a 6 hour time difference from the US East coast to Rome.

[MeHeartCruising]

If cruise departs on, say, Saturday…

Your 2-day deviation will land you in Rome on Thursday (likely in the morning, Rome time)

You will leave Dallas some time on Wednesday.

 

Since you live in American Airlines big hub, you might luck out and get a direct flight.  If so, you will likely leave later in the day and arrive in Rome early in the morning.  However, they may also make you do a connecting flight on the US east coast Wednesday evening or somewhere in Europe on Thursday morning. 

Edited April 5, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[KKB]

15 hours ago, julig22 said:

You will arrive in Rome 2 days prior to your cruise - that is the definition of 2-day deviation.

That would be great--tho it appears it means we would fly 2 days prior

 

13 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

If cruise departs on, say, Saturday…

Your 2-day deviation will land you in Rome on Thursday (likely in the morning, Rome time)

You will leave Dallas some time on Wednesday.

 

Since you live in American Airlines big hub, you might luck out and get a direct flight.  If so, you will likely leave later in the day and arrive in Rome early in the morning.  However, they may also make you do a connecting flight on the US east coast Wednesday evening or somewhere in Europe on Thursday morning. 

Yeah, this is more like what we assume. 

Civitavecchia looks like the wise landing spot for the night. (refundable, of course)

[MeHeartCruising]

3 minutes ago, KKB said:

That would be great--tho it appears it means we would fly 2 days prior

 

Yeah, this is more like what we assume. 

Civitavecchia looks like the wise landing spot for the night. (refundable, of course)

 

There are plenty of reliable options for getting from Rome to Civitavecchia on the day of your cruise.  I would not stay in Civitavecchia if it were me when you can enjoy another night in Rome.  I think most people spend the night in Rome before the cruise.  For my May cruise, I'm staying at a hotel beside the Pantheon and then have a train reservation to get to Civitavecchia by 10:30am on the day of embarkation.

[KKB]

1 minute ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

There are plenty of reliable options for getting from Rome to Civitavecchia on the day of your cruise.  I would not stay in Civitavecchia if it were me when you can enjoy another night in Rome.  I think most people spend the night in Rome before the cruise.  For my May cruise, I'm staying at a hotel beside the Pantheon and then have a train reservation to get to Civitavecchia by 10:30am on the day of embarkation.

Hmmm...just feels like an extra bit of travel for less than 24 hours. 

[DCGuy64]

Civitavecchia is a pretty sleepy, dull little port town. Of course you can stay there, but just don't expect there to be much to do. Think of NYC and choosing to stay at Laguardia airport the whole time rather than seeing Manhattan. Your call. Personally, I'd go into Rome.

[Crazy planning mom]

Agree with DCGuy especially if you have never been to Rome.  If you have done Rome before, then maybe you would be more comfortable in Civi.  When we cruised out of Rome (Civi) in 2015, we spent 3 extra nights beforehand in Rome and 1 night in Civi.  Wished we had spent 4 nights in Rome.  

[Middleager]

In another thread I just posted the following, as we did a 2d deviation to Rome prior to cruise:

 

We stayed near Piazza Navona.  We walked to Tiber river, saw the Vatican at a distance, Justice Dept., then walked to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (and more), and the Pantheon.  A big bus won't be able to go to those places easily.

 

Next morning we walked by Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peters Sq, then the Vatican Museum.  We bought the tickets for small group tour before it opens to the public.  It was a very nice tour, without other tourists/crowd, and we got to spend 25 minutes inside the Sistine Chapel (just in awe).  We then had breakfast inside the Vatican Museum.  After that, saw a bit more of the Vatican Museum, before taking uber to the Colosseum.  There we took a tour that included going to see the underground.  Then went to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, bought the English audio self-guide for that.

[MeHeartCruising]

4 hours ago, KKB said:

Hmmm...just feels like an extra bit of travel for less than 24 hours. 

 

If you're landing in Rome 2 days prior, you will have the rest of that arrival day, that night, the next full day, and that 2nd night to enjoy Rome.  Then on to Civitavecchia the next morning.  How are you getting less than 24 hours?

[KKB]

3 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

If you're landing in Rome 2 days prior, you will have the rest of that arrival day, that night, the next full day, and that 2nd night to enjoy Rome.  Then on to Civitavecchia the next morning.  How are you getting less than 24 hours?

Well the big question is whether we ARRIVE 2 days early or FLY 2 days early...

[MeHeartCruising]

7 minutes ago, KKB said:

Well the big question is whether we ARRIVE 2 days early or FLY 2 days early...

 

OK.  Well, 3 posts above this one is an example of someone with the 2 day deviation where you can see they had arrival day plus another full day to explore Rome.  If you search the NCL forum for "deviation" you can find other examples of people who requested the 2 day deviation and how it worked for them.  I wish you well on your trip.  

[julig22]

13 minutes ago, KKB said:

Well the big question is whether we ARRIVE 2 days early or FLY 2 days early...

Your assumption that you only need 1 hotel night is incorrect.  You will ARRIVE sometime during the day, 2 days before your cruise.  That's the only answer anyone can give you.  You will get your flight info 30-60 days before your cruise.

The time you arrive will depend on the flights - you might arrive in the morning, you might arrive in the evening.  You will need 2 nights in the hotel. When you leave depends on your location.  And the flights you are given.  With an approximate flight time of 12 hours you might fly and arrive the same day if there is an early morning non-stop.

 

No deviation - arrive the day of your cruise

1 day deviation - arrive the day before your cruise

2 day deviation - arrive 2 days before your cruise.

[NCMtnBoys]

With a two day deviation, you will need two nights hotel. I certainly would not spend those two nights in Civitavecchia. Plenty of time to go into Rome and spend your time there. 

 

We're cruising from Athens September 10th. I've requested a two day deviation for the air. I know this means we'll arrive sometime on September 8th, which means our flight will leave the US sometime on the 7th and be an overnight crossing to Europe, arriving the 8th. I've got two nights booked in Athens (8th and 9th).

Edited April 6, 2023 by NCMtnBoys

[ihate2cruise]

6 hours ago, Middleager said:

In another thread I just posted the following, as we did a 2d deviation to Rome prior to cruise:

 

We stayed near Piazza Navona.  We walked to Tiber river, saw the Vatican at a distance, Justice Dept., then walked to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (and more), and the Pantheon.  A big bus won't be able to go to those places easily.

 

Next morning we walked by Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peters Sq, then the Vatican Museum.  We bought the tickets for small group tour before it opens to the public.  It was a very nice tour, without other tourists/crowd, and we got to spend 25 minutes inside the Sistine Chapel (just in awe).  We then had breakfast inside the Vatican Museum.  After that, saw a bit more of the Vatican Museum, before taking uber to the Colosseum.  There we took a tour that included going to see the underground.  Then went to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, bought the English audio self-guide for that.

Wow, you packed a lot in. Now you got me thinking we should add another day post cruise. We have 2 day deviation in Barcelona pre-cruise and 1 day in Rome post. 

[Tapi]

We did 2 days in Rome pre-cruise (meaning that we left the US 3 days prior). 
 

Thankfully, we booked a nonstop flight from our city (Atlanta) which simplified things. It was an overnight flight, and we landed in Rome around 9:00am. With the jet lag, our first day in Rome was mostly spent resting and acclimating. We did go out for a bit and had dinner, but that was it.

 

So 2 days pre cruise really gives you one full day to explore. Don’t even try to pack it all in. There’s absolutely zero chance you’ll see it all. Make a short list of things that you must see and stick with it. Select a hotel closest to the attractions you’re interested in. 
 

For us, we focused on The Vatican, so we booked a hotel a few blocks away (Starhotels Michelangelo). The photo attached is of St Peter’s dome from the street right outside our hotel to show how close we were.

It was a great decision. It was about a 10 minute walk to St Peter’s Basilica and there were tons of little shops and restaurants along the way in an area that was more residential than touristy (meaning not charging tourist prices for food and merchandise). 
 

On our one full day of exploration, we walked to the Vatican, toured St Peter’s Basilica, had lunch, then took a cab to see the Trevi Fountain. From there, we took another cab to the Colosseum but didn’t go inside (by then, the sun was setting). We finished the day by having dinner at a little restaurant by the hotel. And that’s all we truly had time to do! 

On embarkation morning, we returned to St Peter’s Square for a papal blessing (The Angelus) before returning to our hotel. We pre-booked transportation to Civitavecchia through Stefano’s Rome Cabs and it was a wise choice. They showed up at our hotel exactly at the schedule time and took us straight to the port. We also pre booked them for debarkation day to go to the airport and we couldn’t have been more satisfied with their services. 
 

Long story short, understand that 2 days pre cruise in Rome is a very limited time so go with a plan of action and realistic expectations. Enjoy! It’s a wonderful trip! 

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Tapi

[Middleager]

2 hours ago, ihate2cruise said:

Wow, you packed a lot in. Now you got me thinking we should add another day post cruise. We have 2 day deviation in Barcelona pre-cruise and 1 day in Rome post. 

We did some research before hand.  Yes definitely add another day if you can.

 

The biggest tips I'd give is to book the early morning Vatican museum tour that starts before it opens to the public.  It's a lot quieter.  Our mother-in-law went before the pandemic, and said when they walked into the Sistine Chapel, there were hundreds of people behind, pushing them forward.  You cannot stand still.  Everyone had to keep on moving and you really didn't have to time enjoy.  When I tell people that inside the Sistine Chapel we had 25 minutes to sit, walk around, and just enjoy in awe, they were surprised.

[DCGuy64]

9 hours ago, Middleager said:

We did some research before hand.  Yes definitely add another day if you can.

 

The biggest tips I'd give is to book the early morning Vatican museum tour that starts before it opens to the public.  It's a lot quieter.  Our mother-in-law went before the pandemic, and said when they walked into the Sistine Chapel, there were hundreds of people behind, pushing them forward.  You cannot stand still.  Everyone had to keep on moving and you really didn't have to time enjoy.  When I tell people that inside the Sistine Chapel we had 25 minutes to sit, walk around, and just enjoy in awe, they were surprised.

I've been to the Sistine Chapel many times and there are always so many people, the security guards have to keep saying "silenzio" multiple times, LOL.

My late mother was in a wheelchair when we went in 2011 and there's a special entrance for the disabled, which dramatically reduced the waiting time to get in.

I 2nd the choice of Piazza Navona, I love that area, it's always bustling with activity and there are tons of places to eat around there. If you like gelato, you must try Giolitti, my friends who are from Rome themselves, always take us there. Finally, if you like pasta and cheese, you absolutely MUST try Cacio e Pepe. I've had it in the US and it's decent, but nowhere as good as in Italy, particularly Rome.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/italy/articles/best-cacio-e-pepe-in-rome/