Rome for people who have been there before

[babyclaytonmom]

On 5/29/2024 at 12:53 PM, cruisegal415 said:

Great! Booked a SCAVI tour and the Galleri8a Borghese. Thanks!

How long did it take to hear back to Scavi? Emailed months ago about August and havent heard back.

[babyclaytonmom]

On 6/7/2024 at 10:35 AM, nadeki said:

It was very frustrating. We called and emailed. Then one day I magically got a response. 
 

I paid. 
 

Then a few weeks ago I got an email I had never confirmed and my reservation was canceled. 
 

I have no confidence when we show up in two weeks that we will find the mysterious excavation office or that we will have a reservation. 
 

I hope it works out for you. 
 

we booked directly I think !!

How far ahead of your booking date were you emailed to pay/confirm your time?

[nadeki]

11 minutes ago, babyclaytonmom said:

How far ahead of your booking date were you emailed to pay/confirm your time?

We will be there in two weeks. 
 

I got tickets in the fall. 

[cruisegal415]

OK well, I emailed them (Scavi tour) and filled out the form on line (twice, two different days) and then I found this tour from Travel Advisor (through Viator): https://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/Scavi-Tour-to-Tomb-of-St-Peters-in-Vatican/d511-115257P8

I checked it out and called and confirmed it did include the Necropolis as well as St. Peter's tomb, so I booked it for August 12 which is when I needed it.  It was non-refundable, but I knew that's when we wanted to go.

 

The next day, I got an email saying that my tour had not been confirmed. When  inquired, they said it was alI sold out, so I found one on August 24th at 9 or 11 am.  We were pulling in to port at Civitavecchia on the 24th, but not disembarking until the 25th. I figured we could disembark early and stay in Rome overnight.  I quickly realized that this wouldn't work, but if we took a train from Civitavecchia in the morning directly to the Vatican, we might make it. That would necessitate spending the day in Rome, then returning to the ship, then taking another transfer the next morning to the airport, but it was ok.

 

Then when I started figuring out what time we'd have to leave the ship to get to the train, take the train ride into Rome, and walk from the station to the Vatican, I started to panic that we wouldn't make the 10:45 meet time. Since my reservation was still "pending" I tried to contact the tour operator to say I misjudged the time and asked if I could cancel since it hadn't gone through yet.  Viator said I'd have to contact the tour operator, so I went on the website and found an email address for the actual tour operator, and sent them an email.  The response the next day was from Viator, saying I'd have to contact the tour operator! I sent back the email saying that's who I sent the email too, but by that time, the reservation had gone through and I'm now stuck with it.

 

I'm kicking myself because (1) I NEVER (except for this!) purchase non-refundable tickets for anything, and (2) I read the reviews on Travel Advisor and Viator and they are not good. My husband says, just chalk it up to a bad decision and let's just take the other tours that offer a tour of St. Peter's tomb and not the Necropolis, on one of the three days that we are there pre-cruise. I'm inclined to agree. It sounds like a lot of stress and aggravation for a tour that doesn't seem worth it.

[marazul]

@cruisegal415 - That is the trouble of booking with a consolidator, such as Viator, rather than directly with a tour company or directly with the venue.

[dce85]

I had tried faxing for a Scavi reservation and had no luck getting my fax picked up.  Then a few months later I found a form on the official site and sent it on April 2.  I actually got a reply yesterday (6/20).   It was a form email in 4 languages.  Because of maintenance, the archaeological area under St. Peter will be closed to tours from Aug. 19 to Nov. 3, 2024.   I guess I’ll be waiting until my next trip.