Civitavecchia shuttle bus

[Reaniel]

Sorry, wrong thread.

[JVC_NYC]

This is great information. Thanks so much to everyone for sharing it. 👏

[ddeprez]

On 12/26/2023 at 11:43 AM, Jammy Bun said:

Sorry I think I duplicated one sheet - here’s the final page. 

Thank you for posting. I’ve been curious as to what the “optional” tours are like that are offered in conjunction with the included bus trip into Rome. I was guessing that they’d cost extra, but hope springs eternal, lol!

[Reaniel]

4 minutes ago, ddeprez said:

Thank you for posting. I’ve been curious as to what the “optional” tours are like that are offered in conjunction with the included bus trip into Rome. I was guessing that they’d cost extra, but hope springs eternal, lol!

 

Yes, they cost extra.  But you won't get an answer from Viking customer service.  They'd tell you to find out when you're on board.

 

Also, some of the info in the general description (for the included tour part) is obsolete.  For example, the Mausoleum of Augustus had been closed for more than a year now, but it is still listed in the description as an optional tour.

[JVC_NYC]

Hello all, we received our Rome excursions for our January 10th port day in Civitavecchia and it is EXACTLY the same as the one in the pictures posted by Jamy Bun in Posts #22 and #22, right down to the same Codes and tour cost.  I hope everyone finds this helpful and has a great cruise. 

[Reaniel]

1 hour ago, JVC_NYC said:

Hello all, we received our Rome excursions for our January 10th port day in Civitavecchia and it is EXACTLY the same as the one in the pictures posted by Jamy Bun in Posts #22 and #22, right down to the same Codes and tour cost.  I hope everyone finds this helpful and has a great cruise. 

 

Excellent!  I see that there are still plenty of tickets available for Galleria Borghese on that day, so just pick and book the time slot you think that'd fit the best to go with coming back to the ship with the shuttle, and you should be all good.

 

Have a wonderful Rome port day!

[JVC_NYC]

Thanks so much, Reaniel.  You have been a wonderful resource.  Ciao!

[Seattle voyager 2]

Thank you for copying the special Rome In Brief tour itineraries for the port call in Civitavecchia.  We are on the SATURN and have a port call on March 27, 2024. This is a passenger transfer day but we are continuing on the ship to Barcelona.  As mentioned in the message string, there are no excursions on the web site We are very interested in purchasing tickets to the Vatican Museum and entrance times to the Basilica, but have a few questions.  Does the Rome in Brief tour provide entrance tickets?  When does the tour bus get to the Vatican?  When do we have to meet the bus to return to the ship?  Has anyone purchased tickets in advance and how did they buy them.  I have checked the Vatican web site and there are just a few openings left for March 27.

Many thanks

Terry

[JVC_NYC]

Hi,

The Rome in Brief on our trip did not include any entrance tickets.  We were told to expect that the trip to Rome by bus would take about two hours and that since the port day was expected to be nine hours we be mindful that we would have only five hours in Rome to do activities.  In our case, we were told that the bus would drop us at Piazza Popolo around 11:30am and our back to the ship bus would leave Piazza Popolo at 2:30pm.  We bought tickets in advance to the Galleria using the museum's website.  Hope this helps.

[Seattle voyager 2]

JVC_NYC

Thank you for the information.  The scenario as you described it is what I was afraid of.  Now I can go chase down some tickets.

[Peregrina651]

21 hours ago, JVC_NYC said:

We were told to expect that the trip to Rome by bus would take about two hours and that since the port day was expected to be nine hours we be mindful that we would have only five hours in Rome to do activities. 

 

I'm not happy with the math  -- and I am also a member of the 'plan for the worst' school .  Two hours into Rome (i.e. 9:30 to 11:30)  and then back on the bus by 2:30pm.  My calculator says its 3 hours to spend in Rome, not five -- and the 3 hours includes having to get to and from where the bus drops you and picks you up. Take at least 45 minutes off the 3 hours for this.

 

When we did the included tour on a non-turnover day, which had free time at the Vatican, we got off the buses in the parking garage outside the Vatican walls and then walked to the point where we would regroup an hour and a half later for the walk back to the bus (Casa Cattolico?, a gift shop where Viking has arranged for us to use the bathrooms).

 

To get to the Vatican Museum from there, it is a walk along the outside of the perimeter wall -- or better, take a cab there and back. I would not expect to be able to get to the Museum entrance cutting through the Vatican, especially because there is a security check to go through -- and that tends to be a bottleneck, as can be the line and the security check to get into the Museum. Lots of time consuming hurdles before you can even get into the Museum.

 

If Sistine Chapel is on your ticket, then go straight to the chapel spend a few minutes -- the chapel will be wall to wall people all trying to look up at the ceiling -- then check out the rest of the museum.  (Our strategy is to pick out a handful of must-see items, plan a path from point to point and then proceed to take in as much as we can along our route.)

 

The Galleria Borghese is a whole lot easier to see in the time allowed. It is a much smaller museum with far fewer people having to be processed for entrance at any point during the day -- plus the Bernini sculptures on display there are mind boggling. 

 

 

[JVC_NYC]

Hi,

I should have noted that our bus for Rome was scheduled to leave the pier at 7:25am and the Back on Board time was 4pm.  So we had between 9:30 and 2:30 to sightsee.

And, yes, I agree that the Galleria is a safer plan and, in fact, that was the plan we had.

Thanks,

John

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, JVC_NYC said:

Hi,

I should have noted that our bus for Rome was scheduled to leave the pier at 7:25am and the Back on Board time was 4pm.  So we had between 9:30 and 2:30 to sightsee.

And, yes, I agree that the Galleria is a safer plan and, in fact, that was the plan we had.

Thanks,

John

 

Thank you.  I feel a lot better now.  I was so worried that your plan for Rome would end in disappointment.

 

Overheard while waiting to enter the Borghese:  ...next to Bernini, Michaelangelo was a beginner.  

[springtravel]

We decided on Ostia, since we were there on Easter,  decided that would be way to crazy. Our guide was the one that is on Viking TV. He was great and very knowledgeable.  One of our favorite excursions

[FoggyEthan]

9 hours ago, JVC_NYC said:

Hi,

I should have noted that our bus for Rome was scheduled to leave the pier at 7:25am and the Back on Board time was 4pm.  So we had between 9:30 and 2:30 to sightsee.

And, yes, I agree that the Galleria is a safer plan and, in fact, that was the plan we had.

Thanks,

John

If you can swing it, or share the cost with others, hiring a private driver for the day would give you so much more time to do what you want, drive you straight to your destinations, then take you anywhere.

 

BTW the Vatican Museums are a place where you can go faster or slower, depending upon your preference. You could do the rush tour in an hour and a half (maybe) or stay for four.

 

There is also a completely different path available. Instead of the long drive to Rome, there are many sights in the countryside north of Rome much closer to Civitavecchia. The papal town of Viterbo. Villa Farnese. Sacro Bosco. Montefiascone. With a driver and a guide (yes, I know, not cheap) you could see some very special places and not have to worry about the traffic and crowds of Rome. I found one on Viator that isn't private and isn't that expensive.

 

[Hazel52]

 

For those of you who have been to Tarquinia, was this a Viking optional tour or an independent tour. If independent, did you like the tour operator and if so would you share that info? Thanks!

[Peregrina651]

We went with Viking.  Loved the tour and the town.  

[OneSixtyToOne]

2 hours ago, Hazel52 said:

 

For those of you who have been to Tarquinia, was this a Viking optional tour or an independent tour. If independent, did you like the tour operator and if so would you share that info? Thanks!

 

11 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

We went with Viking.  Loved the tour and the town.  

The Viking tour guide was first rate. One of the best guides we have ever had. Here is the writeup and photos of our adventure:

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

16 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

We went with Viking.  Loved the tour and the town.  

As did we. Our guide was one of the best we have ever had on a Viking excursion. 
Here is my review:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2927474-almost-live-viking-sky-mediterranean-odyssey-april-2023/?do=findComment&comment=65232669

 

(For some reason my prior post is awaiting moderation)

 

[lackcreativity]

13 hours ago, springtravel said:

We decided on Ostia, since we were there on Easter,  decided that would be way to crazy. Our guide was the one that is on Viking TV. He was great and very knowledgeable.  One of our favorite excursions

We were there on Easter Saturday, and it was actually a rather appealing kind of crazy. There was a discernable sense of heightened anticipation in the air in comparison to our prior visits.  I do suspect that Easter Sunday would be logistically too much.

On our particular sailing, Ostia and Tarquinia were not offered as  optional excursions (unless my memory is faulty). I would have chosen one of those instead. Perhaps if we ever return, we will get the chance.

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

We were there on Easter Saturday, and it was actually a rather appealing kind of crazy. There was a discernable sense of heightened anticipation in the air in comparison to our prior visits.  I do suspect that Easter Sunday would be logistically too much.

On our particular sailing, Ostia and Tarquinia were not offered as  optional excursions (unless my memory is faulty). I would have chosen one of those instead. Perhaps if we ever return, we will get the chance.

 

Lots of places close on Easter Sunday.  Ostia and the Etruscan Necropolises may have on that list.  

[Hazel52]

5 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

We went with Viking.  Loved the tour and the town.  

just noticed in your signature that we're doing the exact same itineraries as you are, just different dates! like minds!!!

[springtravel]

5 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Lots of places close on Easter Sunday.  Ostia and the Etruscan Necropolises may have on that list.  

We did Ostia on Easter Sunday, through Viking.  It was so quiet that day, no crowds to worry about.

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, springtravel said:

We did Ostia on Easter Sunday, through Viking.  It was so quiet that day, no crowds to worry about.

 

So much for that guess 

[Lemondrops]

Sadly, the one day we have in Rome will be a Sunday.  I was so hoping to see the Sistine Chapel but it will be closed.  Our trip is in the middle of July.  Will it be crazy to go to the Trevi Fountain?  Although all excursions are currently posted for my trip on MVJ, Rome remains empty.  I'm assuming we will get options for Rome once we arrive onboard.  Is this how it works?