Norwegian Epic June 2024 Cruise (2024) - Any help with Rome, staying and transportation?

[AlaskaGoer]

I booked this cruise years ago. Unfortunately I've hit a snag and I'm trying to get my head sorted out before I have anxiety attack.

 

We booked everything through NCL except for the hotel stay (as we are coming in two days early). When I started calling back in January / February, they said they didn't have any spots available and to continue to call every week, of which I have. Well, now I'm kind of at ground zero and need to get hotels booked and sort out transportation.

 

The NCL rep provided two hotels they use in Rome. (One is booked up, the other still has room). However, she recommended NOT staying in Rome but closer to the port because of traffic... which, kind of defeats the point of going two days early to explore Rome.

 

Any help with this? How hard is it to arrange transportation from Rome to the pier? I've never been to Rome, so this is literally, all foreign to me. Are Taxis a plenty in Rome to get to and from the airport / around the city to the pier?

[debenson0723]

Go to the Ports of Call forum on this board and review all the information available for Italy. You will find many hotel recommendations and modes of transport to the port from Rome. There are also many YouTube videos for transportation and tour options for Rome.

Enjoy your cruise.

[AlaskaGoer]

6 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

Go to the Ports of Call forum on this board and review all the information available for Italy. You will find many hotel recommendations and modes of transport to the port from Rome. There are also many YouTube videos for transportation and tour options for Rome.

Enjoy your cruise.

Good idea, thank you.

[Jldevlin]

Just back from a cruise where Rome was our last stop.  You can easily stay in the heart of Rome and get to the port with no problem...hotel to dock is   $125 Euros .. Might not be the cheapest but it is the easiest if you are not comfortable with booking anything

[Sailing12Away]

We came in 2 days early and stayed here: https://treviromesuite.com/

 

Walking distance to the fountain, coliseum, and various other things to see in Rome.

 

Day of the cruise we booked a private tour (http://www.tiberlimo.com/). They picked us up from the hotel, took us to Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este, then stopped for lunch, and finally dropped us off at the cruise. Perfect day where we maxed out seeing things in Rome and made it to the cruise without any issues. We had a driver and English speaking interpreter/guide.

[WilsCM]

Stay near Roma Termini and take the train from Rome to Civitavecchia, then the shuttle from train to port.  We just did this in reverse (port to Rome).

 

As long as you don't have copious amounts of luggage the train is not expensive, easy and runs often.  If you do this, pay attention to the durations and pick the fast train.

 

The Metro station at Termini has both lines running through it and can get you close to many of the major sites.

[cabincop]

Look at Rome in Limo web site. They have links to tours to & from port. And also other places in Italy. I’ve used them for 10yrs. Your roll call should also have info

 

[weasela]

I am  on a cruise out of Civitavecchia on June 18th. We are in Rome for 5 days before the cruise.  I am staying in an airbnb close to the termini and will take the train to the port.  There are also taxis (pretty expensive) or you can ride the bus.  The high speed trains have room for luggage.

[KeithJenner]

On 5/1/2024 at 9:36 PM, AlaskaGoer said:

However, she recommended NOT staying in Rome but closer to the port because of traffic... which, kind of defeats the point of going two days early to explore Rome.

I’ve heard some ridiculous things that NCL reps have told people but that may be the worst.

 

Just keep that as a story you can share with others about how rubbish they are and go ahead and book yourself a hotel in Rome.

[Huntingdon1701]

Don't worry - it's very straightforward to get from Rome to the port, although you do need to leave a decent time. There are a number of providers, including cheaper shared transport, but I like Welcome pickups who will collect you at your hotel and drop you directly at the port. Their drivers all speak very good English and the cars are good. 

 

Pick any hotel you want that looks good and is convenient for some pre-cruise sightseeing.

[Girr]

As already mentioned, go to the port call thread for Italy and you'll find these issued discussed in detail.  Also, don't forget to check your roll call.  I'd avoid NCL recommended hotels as they're always way outside "centro". 

 

If there's just two of you to get into Rome from FCO just grab a taxi with a set fare of 50 euros. It's really easy as you just walk out the door and the taxi stand is "right there".   With a car service you need to find your driver, and then walk down to the other end of all the terminals to get the car in the parking garage.  This will also run you more than a taxi.  There's also an express train, but by the time you pay for two fares plus than a taxi from Termini to your hotel the savings aren't significant.

 

The port forum for Italy has a separate thread for just Rome hotels.  I personally always start with one of the major hotels booking sites (Booking, Expedia, Hotels, etc.) and start a search using Rome Historical District. You'll find better rates near Termini or the Vatican, but I can't recommend either district.  Vatican is just too far out and Termini just a little too seedy - however, I've stayed in both districts.  Now, if a person was only in Rome for a day and the Vatican was the primary location of tour it does make sense near the Vatican.  I don't want to panic you, but you need to get your hotel rooms booked now - it books up fast and you're behind the curve.  Also, booking directly with the hotel vice the booking sites may save you a little money. 

 

To get to the port the train is cheapest (not easiest) and the most expensive is private car service (easiest).  The train is not for everyone.  Years ago, I never thought of any other option than the train.  At 4.80 euros it was a no brainer even with the hassle of pickpockets, no assigned seating, lack of luggage storage, no elevators, the long walk involved, etc.  Now if I'm travelling with someone (check out your roll call) I prebook a private car service, or if travelling alone I take one of the shared shuttle services like www.sharedshuttle.it for abut 40 euros which picks me up at my hotel and takes me directly to the ship.  

 

 

Edited May 3 by Girr

[AlaskaGoer]

1 hour ago, Girr said:

As already mentioned, go to the port call thread for Italy and you'll find these issued discussed in detail.  Also, don't forget to check your roll call.  I'd avoid NCL recommended hotels as they're always way outside "centro". 

 

If there's just two of you to get into Rome from FCO just grab a taxi with a set fare of 50 euros. It's really easy as you just walk out the door and the taxi stand is "right there".   With a car service you need to find your driver, and then walk down to the other end of all the terminals to get the car in the parking garage.  This will also run you more than a taxi.  There's also an express train, but by the time you pay for two fares plus than a taxi from Termini to your hotel the savings aren't significant.

 

The port forum for Italy has a separate thread for just Rome hotels.  I personally always start with one of the major hotels booking sites (Booking, Expedia, Hotels, etc.) and start a search using Rome Historical District. You'll find better rates near Termini or the Vatican, but I can't recommend either district.  Vatican is just too far out and Termini just a little too seedy - however, I've stayed in both districts.  Now, if a person was only in Rome for a day and the Vatican was the primary location of tour it does make sense near the Vatican.  I don't want to panic you, but you need to get your hotel rooms booked now - it books up fast and you're behind the curve.  Also, booking directly with the hotel vice the booking sites may save you a little money. 

 

To get to the port the train is cheapest (not easiest) and the most expensive is private car service (easiest).  The train is not for everyone.  Years ago, I never thought of any other option than the train.  At 4.80 euros it was a no brainer even with the hassle of pickpockets, no assigned seating, lack of luggage storage, no elevators, the long walk involved, etc.  Now if I'm travelling with someone (check out your roll call) I prebook a private car service, or if travelling alone I take one of the shared shuttle services like www.sharedshuttle.it for abut 40 euros which picks me up at my hotel and takes me directly to the ship.  

 

 

 

Appreciate the lengthy post.

 

I did end up posting in the port of call, and got recommendations on hotels. I booked last night and I'm squared away. I also booked a car service from FCO to the Hotel as well, so I appreciate the insight. I looked into the train, but as I am traveling with my better half, I'd rather not worry about taking it and just book a car service, as I did also. Peace of mind sometimes is worth its weight in gold.

 

I imagine this won't be our first time through Rome, not sure about cruising through again, but we definitely want to go back for a more lengthy stay to explore.

[toeloop]

We arranged for a car service on Viator.  There were five of us, so the price was reasonable.  It picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off at the port.  It was very easy.

[Sailing12Away]

3 hours ago, Girr said:

To get to the port the train is cheapest (not easiest) and the most expensive is private car service (easiest).  The train is not for everyone.  Years ago, I never thought of any other option than the train.  At 4.80 euros it was a no brainer even with the hassle of pickpockets, no assigned seating, lack of luggage storage, no elevators, the long walk involved, etc.  Now if I'm travelling with someone (check out your roll call) I prebook a private car service, or if travelling alone I take one of the shared shuttle services like www.sharedshuttle.it for abut 40 euros which picks me up at my hotel and takes me directly to the ship.  

 

 

Our trip in Italy was quite a fiasco with the trains. Going to the cruise we used a private company with a tour beforehand in the morning. But when the cruise ended we thought we would use the trains to get to Venice. Took a shuttle to the Civitavecchia train station and from there it was easy to tell which train to get on to get to Rome. But had to lug suitcases up/down stairs and help MIL along. 

When we got to Rome for the transfer to Venice it was a nightmare. There were only 4 tracks where we were and none were labeled for Venice. Finally realized we had to walk all the way to the other main station area. Again, lots of stairs, no elevators we could find, long walk, and hard to figure out where to go. By the time we found the board with all the listed trains, it was now a run (literally) to get over to the correct track, and then again, 2 flights of stairs up with all the luggage. A kind man saw me struggling with 2 bags (mine and MILs) and took one up for me, but we missed the train by about 2 minutes. So had to hike it all the way back to the central part of the station to figure out how to switch our tickets. Turns out you couldn't, so we had to buy all new tickets to get to Venice - at an extra ~400 euro expense. 

 

Going from Venice to Florence was a bit easier as we had figured out the system by that point, but when we left Florence to go to the airport again we missed our train because the stations are not very accommodating for elderly slow walkers. That one wasn't as big a deal as that ticket was a special one for the airport and you could take any train with it, but again, annoying doing the 10+ min walk only to miss the train because MIL can only walk so fast. 

 

So yes, the trains are an option - but not for everyone. Another reason to pack light if you're not doing direct car service pickups/transfers.

[AlaskaGoer]

4 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Our trip in Italy was quite a fiasco with the trains. Going to the cruise we used a private company with a tour beforehand in the morning. But when the cruise ended we thought we would use the trains to get to Venice. Took a shuttle to the Civitavecchia train station and from there it was easy to tell which train to get on to get to Rome. But had to lug suitcases up/down stairs and help MIL along. 

When we got to Rome for the transfer to Venice it was a nightmare. There were only 4 tracks where we were and none were labeled for Venice. Finally realized we had to walk all the way to the other main station area. Again, lots of stairs, no elevators we could find, long walk, and hard to figure out where to go. By the time we found the board with all the listed trains, it was now a run (literally) to get over to the correct track, and then again, 2 flights of stairs up with all the luggage. A kind man saw me struggling with 2 bags (mine and MILs) and took one up for me, but we missed the train by about 2 minutes. So had to hike it all the way back to the central part of the station to figure out how to switch our tickets. Turns out you couldn't, so we had to buy all new tickets to get to Venice - at an extra ~400 euro expense. 

 

Going from Venice to Florence was a bit easier as we had figured out the system by that point, but when we left Florence to go to the airport again we missed our train because the stations are not very accommodating for elderly slow walkers. That one wasn't as big a deal as that ticket was a special one for the airport and you could take any train with it, but again, annoying doing the 10+ min walk only to miss the train because MIL can only walk so fast. 

 

So yes, the trains are an option - but not for everyone. Another reason to pack light if you're not doing direct car service pickups/transfers.

 

I've done public transit (solo) in Europe before. But me missing a train vs more than myself doesn't seem appealing.

 

I think the service from the airport to the hotel was about 70 euro, and the hotel to the pier about 140?

Once again, I go on vacation to try and de-stress. Not imagine new curse words in my mind as it goes sideways. 🙂

Edited May 4 by AlaskaGoer